Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Toyota, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup, FanHouse Exclusive
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Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Daytona Int'l Speedway, Chase for the Sprint Cup
It’s a busy NASCAR week, as the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour means a ton of news and announcements. And the Media Tour means we inch ever closer to Daytona. And as we do, it’s Wednesday again, and that means more of your questions and our answers. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here. So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us. On to the questions…
1. From Ric:
Have heard that sometimes they adjust tire pressure on the inner tire to make a difference in the outer tire pressure. Is this common practice?
Yes, at the tracks where inner liners are used (they aren’t at places like Martinsville) the pressure of the liner affects handling characteristics and it is adjusted. Somebody who knows more about tires could tell you why, but you don’t want the pressures to be equal. When this happens, you’ll hear the TV guys say the tire has “equalized.” – T.C.
2. From Connie:
I saw something on TV about Jimmie Johnson doing some show on/at Daytona before the new season starts ?
Jimmie is doing HBO’s 24/7 series. It’ll be four episodes and is being billed as a behind the scenes look at Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team. It starts next Tuesday (the 26th) at 10 p.m. and airs the next three Tuesdays at the same time. More info here. You might also want to check out Speed’s show on Joe Gibbs Racing’s push to Daytona. It too is four episodes and starts Sunday at 6 p.m. – Journo
3. From Ella:
NASCAR is considering changing to a spoiler on the COT. If that happens this season, will that change how the cars run? Will it negate the test data collected on the cars so far? Will it be a big impact or a small glitch for the crew chiefs, drivers and crews?
Yes, the handling of the cars will be different with a spoiler. Teams will pretty much be starting over with data, because a spoiler will affect a car differently than the wing. There will definitely be an adjustment period for the teams and the drivers, but just how big of a deal it will be remains to be seen. I think we won’t know for sure until the teams get some track time with the new configuration. – T.C.
4. From Kevin:
Hey guys, I read something last week about RCR and their troubles last year. They referenced a very specific part of their cars that was the root of their problems. They didn’t say exactly what it was, but it was clear they all knew what it was, and after they realized what it was and started changing it on all their cars they got it turned around. It appears it worked and they did run better in the Chase. Do you guys know the part of the car they were referring to?
Let me put it this way. If I don’t work for RCR, I probably don’t know what it is, as they aren’t saying. If I do work for RCR, I can’t say because I don’t want other teams to know what we figured out. So either way, I can’t say. – T.C.
5. From Patrick:
With the rear wing on its way out will we see more rear deck lid ads?
Every car that I know of (except maybe Penske) still utilizes the decklid for sponsor space. It will certainly be more visible, but it won’t change from what they do now. – Journo
6. From BB:
Just wondering why Michael Waltrip is running the 51 as opposed to the 55 this year, and if you have any news on why SPEED cancelled TWIN?
From Michael Waltrip’s Twitter: “i needed a change from the 55. we won Daytona in the 15. 51 is a variation of that. sorta in memory of.” And as far as TWIN goes, Speed President Hunter Nickell told Sports Business Journal, “the news and analysis format, hosted by Steve Byrnes, Michael Waltrip and a variety of other guests, “just wasn’t connecting with the fans anymore.” So TWIN will not be returning. Speed is adding several new shows though. Check out the article here (SBJ subscription required). – Journo
And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close. Thanks to everyone who sent in questions. And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!
Following the 2008 season, Journo and myself wrote a series of posts that covered all the major teams in the Cup Series. We looked at where they had been in 2008 and where they were going in 2009. The posts contained some predictions for the 2009 season, with some being more specific then others. I thought, since 2009 is in the books, that it would be fun to go back over the posts and see how we fared with our predictions. Listed below you will find all the teams we covered, our predictions, and what actually happened. Enjoy!
Hendrick Motorsports Prediction: All four drivers will be contenders for the 2009 title. Actual:We were right, with one notable exception. Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon finished 1-2-3 in the standings for HMS. But, Dale Earnhardt Jr. struggled all season and finished a disappointing 25th.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Prediction:Martin Truex Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya should win a few races each and both could make the Chase. The jury is still out though on Aric Almirola. Actual: He never won a race, but Montoya did make the Chase and was a factor until late; we missed on Truex though. The Bass Pro Shops team only had one top five finish all season and they finished way down in 23rd in the standings. Almirola did struggle, and ended up only running eight races before the sponsorship money dried up.
Team Red Bull Prediction:Expect Scott Speed to struggle in his rookie season, and a top 30 in points would be a victory. Brian Vickers will finish in the top 15 in points, but the Chase will still be out of reach for this team. Actual: Speed did indeed struggle, and did not qualify for three races. He ended up 35th in driver standings and 36th in owner standings. He will be on the outside looking in for 2010. Vickers did a little better then we expected, with one win and a Chase appearance.
Joe Gibbs Racing Prediction:Denny Hamlin will make the Chase, but isn’t good enough to really contend yet. Kyle Busch will continue being a force and will contend for the Cup. In his rookie season Joey Logano will finish top 25 in the points and show flashes of brilliance. Actual: We were right about Hamlin and Logano, but we missed the call on Busch’s season. Hamlin finished fifth in the final standings, but too many DNFs in the Chase killed his chances at the Cup. Logano won at Loudon and finished 20th in the standings. Busch won four races, but struggled for much of the season and missed the Chase.
Richard Childress Racing Prediction: Jeff Burton will win 1-3 races and make the Chase, but will not be a contender. Clint Bowyer will win 3-5 races and challenge for the Cup. Casey Mears will finish top 20 in points at best. Kevin Harvick will win a couple races, make the Chase, and have an outside shot at the Cup. Actual: RCR was probably our biggest missed prediction. Bowyer, Burton, Harvick and Mears finished 15th, 17th, 19th, and 21st respectively. The whole organization struggled all season and didn’t win a single race.
Stewart-Haas Racing Prediction: Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman will finish top 20 in points, we might see a couple wins between the two teams, but a Chase appearance and title contention are a few years away. Actual:SHR was definitely a pleasant surprise this season. Stewart won four races and finished sixth in the standings. He led the points going into the Chase, but lost his momentum and slipped down the stretch. Newman never found victory lane, but did make the Chase on his consistency and finished ninth.
Penske Racing Prediction: The whole organization will struggle with the exception of maybe Kurt Busch. Actual: Kurt Busch won two races and finished fourth in the Chase. Sam Hornish showed a little promise, but could only manage a 28th place points finish. David Stremme continued his history of lackluster performance and finished 32nd in the standings.
Gillett Evernham Motorsports/Richard Petty Motorsports Prediction: The team won’t improve much over 2008, Kahne and Allmendinger are their greatest hopes. Actual:Kahne won two races and did make the Chase, finishing 10th, but that was the bulk of their success. Allmendinger, Reed Sorenson, and Elliott Sadler all failed to finish inside the top 20 in points.
Roush Fenway Racing Prediction: Carl Edwards will be dominant and could be the leading contender for the championship. Matt Kenseth will win 1-2 races and make the Chase. Greg Biffle will also win a race or two and make the Chase, but will not be a serious contender for the title. David Ragan and Jamie McMurray should improve over 2008 but neither will contend or make the Chase. Actual: Edwards was a miss, as he failed to win a race and was never really a factor in the Chase. Kenseth did win two races, but just missed making the Chase. Biffle also went winless, but did make the Chase, finishing seventh. Ragan and McMurray had disappointing seasons, but McMurray did find victory lane at Talladega.
Yates Racing Prediction: Travis Kvapil and Paul Menard will continue to struggle. Bobby Labonte could surprise, but past history doesn’t bode well for him. Actual: Kvapil ended up only running the first five races before his team was shut down due to lack of funding. Menard didn’t earn a top five or top ten all season and finished 31st in the points. Labonte did manage one top five finish, but ended up 30th in the driver standings and was replaced in the #96 late in the season by Erik Darnell.
Michael Waltrip Racing Prediction: David Reutimann should continue to improve, but expect Michael Waltrip to hang up his driving gloves after 2009. Actual: Reutimann did indeed improve in 2009, and collected a win, five top five, and ten top ten finishes. His team nearly made the Chase, but they faded late in the season and finished 16th in the standings. Waltrip’s struggles continued and a 33rd place points finish will see him run only a part time schedule in 2010.
Robby Gordon Motorsports Prediction: Expect more of the same from Robby Gordon, a good finish here and there is the best he’ll do. Actual: Gordon struggled most of the season, and only mustered a 34th place points finish. He did finish third in the rain shortened Coke 600 though.
This season has yielded some good surprises. Juan Pablo Montoya has had a break through season, earning a Chase berth; David Reutimann has had some strong runs and his first win; and at age 50 Mark Martin has proven age doesn’t need to be a factor. Another guy making moves, perhaps a little under the radar, is V8 SuperCar Champion Marcos Ambrose.
In his first full time Cup Series season Ambrose and crew chief Frank Kerr have four top-fives and seven top-10s. While he was strong at both road course races this season (third at Sonoma and second at Watkins Glen), Ambrose and Kerr have shown versatility across the schedule. He finished 10th and third at Bristol, fourth at Talladega, sixth at both Richmond and Daytona and 11th at Atlanta and Texas.
While his rookie season has certainly not been without its challenges, Ambrose only has two DNFs (to his credit those were thanks to engine failures) and sits 18th in points.
Prior to this season Ambrose has two full seasons in the Nationwide Series, where he claimed his first NASCAR win (Watkins Glen ‘08), and one partial season in the Camping World Truck Series. While the past three seasons have been average for a driver moving through the NASCAR ranks, his career prior is anything but.
Tasmanian-born Ambrose began his career running go-karts in Tasmania and Australia. At age 20 Ambrose left for England to compete in Formula Ford in preparation for a career in Formula One. After winning the European Formula Ford Championship in 1999, he did a stint in Formula Three. Unfortunately for Ambrose the money ran out and he returned to Australia in 2000.
He was signed in 2001 to run the popular Australian V8 Supercar Series. After winning the Rookie of the Year title in ‘01 Ambrose went on to score back-to-back Championships in 2003 and 2004. Following the 2005 season, Ambrose announced he was making the move to NASCAR.
After just four seasons in NASCAR, Ambrose is proving every week why he deserves to be where he’s at. He’s consistently solid at any number of tracks and genuinely a good guy (though Kyle Busch might have something to say about Ambrose on track).
While there is still work to be done for Ambrose to consistently compete up front, I think this team is right on the cusp. Ambrose and Frankie Kerr work well together and Ambrose is in good equipment from Michael Waltrip Racing. With Reutimann, Waltrip and soon to be quasi-teammate Martin Truex, the team also has a lot of great support.
While Ambrose may not get the press of some his counterparts, I think this is a team to watch. I don’t know about you but I’m excited to see what they can do in 2010.
I’m coming to this party a little late, but after what I read earlier today, I have to say something.
On Saturday, during the pre-race show for the Truck Series race on SPEED, the broadcast crew which includes Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip, Adam Alexander, Ray Dunlap, and Krista Voda, all dressed up for Halloween. The crew were all dressed as characters from “Batman.” Being as how it was Halloween, I thought it was a neat idea. If you might remember, this crew did the same thing last year before Halloween at the Texas race, choosing to all dress up as characters from the “Wizard of Oz.” Dunlap as Dorothy and Alexander as Glenda the Good Witch were priceless.
Apparently though, not everyone thought it was so fun.
I first came across this little situation while trolling some racing forums today. I then clicked over to the story about the situation at The Daly Planet (Mr. Daly has a picture of the crew, plus there are a ton of comments on his post).
After the race, Matt McLaughlin from Frontstretch.com and Michael Knight from SpinDoctor500blog both chimed in about their dislike of the costumed broadcasters.
First, I’ll give you McLaughlin’s take from his piece on Frontstretch.com:
There have been some badly ill-considered moments in NASCAR broadcasting history. Few of them were as badly conceived, darkly disturbing, or clearly hallucinogenic-ally inspired as the Batman themed pre-race showprior to Saturday’s truck series race. If only that sort of effort, talent and pre-production had been devoted to something useful, SPEEDmight really have been onto something other than ensuring Krista Voda can never show her face in public without shame again. Two words Ms. Voda, “Thigh-master.”
And here are Knight’s thoughts from his blog:
Those who appeared on-air in costume last weekend lost credibility and gave away the honored title of journalist. I now consider them to be actors who dress-up and play a part. They should now be disqualified from membership in any professional journalists’ organization.
After seeing both of those reactions, I was completely blown away. Are these guys serious?
Before I get into the meat of what I have to say, let me first preface this. I read McLaughlin’s columns once in a while, and I have enjoyed some of Mr. Knight’s commentary in the past. I don’t know either man personally, nor do I have anything against them.
Now, it’s one thing to dislike something that happens and write about it, it’s another entirely to go about it as these two have.
There is so much negativity being pushed by the NASCAR media right now, that it’s almost to the point where any commentary is unreadable. But to throw out such nasty, mean spirited comments and to attack someone personally is absolutely unacceptable. Krista Voda is a consummate professional and did nothing to deserve McLaughlin’s rath.
Also, before we start removing “journalist” from anyone’s title, lets remember that this crew is covering NASCAR, not the war in Iraq. If Christiane Amanpour shows up on CNN reporting from a battlefield in Afghanistan wearing a Hannah Montana costume, then I could understand Knight’s problem. Until then, lets try and remember that NASCAR is entertainment, and meant to be fun. If the NASCAR on SPEED crew wants to have a little fun with the pre-race show, have at it!
I also think it’s interesting that in a time when TV ratings are down for NASCAR and that so many are complaining about coverage that these two chose to attack the one broadcast who’s ratings continue to climb. The Truck Series has seen double digit ratings increases for quite a few of their races this season shown on SPEED. So instead of attacking this group, maybe we should be lauding them and using them as an example for the other networks. They are obviously doing something right.
So gentlemen, in the future when you decide to throw your opinions around about how badly you dislike something, I’d suggest using a little more tact. Your methods not only make you look bad, they also hurt your credibility.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but because of this incident you’ve lost any future audience you may have had with me. I won’t waste my time on writers who so obviously can’t stand the sport they write about regularly.
Talk about bad timing. On the day that rumors surface about Best Buy moving from Elliott Sadler’s #19 to the #43 with AJ Allmendinger for 2010, the news comes out regarding Allmendinger and a DWI charge. At the time of this post, AJ has since apologized in a statement and NASCAR has placed him on probation for the remainder of the year. But many are now questioning why Allmendinger is getting probation while Michael Waltrip goes unpunished for his recent brush-up with a motorcycle that included alcohol.
First, I think the simple answer to the Allmendinger vs. Waltrip situation is Waltrip isn’t being charged with a DWI. His reported blood alcohol level was 0.06, which is under the legal limit. Allmendinger, according to the report, was over the legal limit. Moving on…
In the other major sports in this country, athletes face suspensions and fines for criminal convictions based on their exisiting conduct policies. Participants in everything from the MLB to the PGA have been suspended for violations, and we have certainly seen some very public examples this year. NASCAR has taken steps in this direction this season with the adoption of their drug testing policy, but the testing policy really only applies to the race track.
After what has transpired over the last week with both Waltrip and Allmendinger, and looking back over past problems, it may be time for NASCAR to consider instituting a conduct policy for it’s competitors. Especially in the situations with DWIs/DUIs, NASCAR needs to show that they don’t condone and will not tolerate drivers driving under the influence. These guys are role models, whether they want to accept it or not, and should be held to a higher standard. Not to mention the fact that they make a living behind the wheel.
I don’t want this to sound like I’m up on some sort of soap box condemning Waltrip and Allmendinger for their actions. Nobody is perfect, and sometimes people make mistakes. We are all guilty. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions. Both will face some level of legal punishment, but I think it’s also important for NASCAR to take a stand.
In terms of a conduct policy, I’m sure those in place for the other sports would be a good place for the sport’s brass to start. Make it an all-encompassing policy and actually enforce it with stiff penalties. Sanctions from the governing body would depend on the severity of the crime. And making this policy available for the fans to see would aid in transparency.
This is certainly something you hope to not have to discuss and implement, but most employers have a conduct policy for their employees and many companies won’t even hire someone with a felony conviction. Why shouldn’t NASCAR have their own policy?
*Before I turn this discussion over to you, I want to mention a few things. First, Allmendinger and Waltrip are innocent until proven guilty. Neither have been convicted of anything. Second, I don’t want this to turn into a chance to bash either driver. Comments doing so will be deleted.
Filed under: Michael Waltrip, Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing
Sprint Cup N's & Q's: LifeLock 400 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.