Filed under: Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Media Watch
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I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for this weekend! Both the Nationwide Series and Cup Series are headed to Darlington, and if you are like me, you can’t get enough of the “Track Too Tough To Tame.” Don’t worry though, this week’s round of reader questions shouldn’t be too tough to tame. 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 Ella:
What has happened to Carl Edwards and his team this year? Seems he has been lagging behind his teammates as well as other top drivers. Will he stay with the same crew chief?
Jack Roush is a big fan of moving crew chiefs when things aren’t going right. I’m not saying I’ve heard anything, but if Bob Osborne doesn’t turn things around soon he may very well be out of a job. Roush as a whole had performance issues last season and Carl just hasn’t overcome his slump. It’s hard to say exactly what the issue/s is/are, but something is wrong. If their performance doesn’t improve soon, expect changes on that team. – Journo
2. From Kevin:
TC, regarding Woogeroo’s question about impound races, is Richmond (my favorite track – bit biased on that) an impound race too. If so, why? I guess I will find out in a couple of days.
I don’t know if you found out during the race broadcast or not, but Richmond is not an impound race. I believe only the Talladega races and the July Daytona races are impound races. – T.C.
3. From Mike:
I’m wondering if you can tell me if Marcos Ambrose will be back in the #47 car next year, 2011?
I don’t see him going anywhere. JTG and Waltrip are certainly pleased with him and there aren’t really any open rides for him to go to, so I’d expect him back there next season. – Journo
4. From Brad:
Any discussion of the Dale Jr. story in the National Enquirer? I’m interested to know if you guys have any scoop….
We don’t know anything more than what was reported. While it certainly could be classified as “inside” info, even if we did know something more, we wouldn’t share it. Both myself and my partner leave that type of stuff alone when it comes to writing for the site. Want rumors and info about the sport and the competition? We are the right place to stop by. Rumors and gossip about people’s personal lives is probably best left alone. – T.C.
5. From Allen:
Do you think the Camping World Truck Series is going to eventually become the IROC Series? (i.e disappear)
I don’t think NASCAR will abandon the series, but I do think they need to consider making changes to it. If you remember 10 years ago the stands would be packed at races (that was partly because they were racing at smaller venues in smaller markets), not the case today. The TV audience is good, but the series has its issues. It’ll be interesting to see if NASCAR is willing to try and breath new life into it. – Journo
6. From Marcus:
Is the Air National Guard really sponsoring the #26 Latitude 43 Motorsports car driven by David Stremme? I remember when they 1st ran it at Bristol they said it was for showing what the Air National Guard can do. But 5 races later the decals are still on the car and they have pit suits and everything. Also they are starting to run full races. Just wondering if you guys know because i’m curious. Thanks!
As far as I know, the Latitude 43 team is still not being sponsored by the ANG. The “tribute” that was run at Bristol was officially extended to include Martinsville as well, but no further announcement has come out regarding their involvement. You would think that if the ANG did in fact come on board as a sponsor that the team would put out some sort of release, and they haven’t done so. Maybe they are hoping that by showing some good will towards the ANG that eventually they will help out. – T.C.
7. From BJ:
Watching the truck race on Sunday, with Johnny Benson & his glasses, got me wondering if any other drivers in the big 3 NASCAR divisions have less than 20/20 eyesight. Are there drivers there with contact lenses or laser-corrected vision? What about other kinds of everyday impairments that they have to deal with like diabetes, severe allergies, hearing loss? (I’m not asking you to ‘out’ anybody; just curious if things like that tend to winnow down the talent pool.)
The two examples that come immediately to mind in terms of any kind of impairments are John Wes Townley and Steve Wallace. Townley used to wear glasses when he drove, but doesn’t anymore. I believe he has had laser surgery. And Wallace suffers from Tourrette’s Syndrome. I’m sure there are many others, but as you might imagine, making that kind of info public would be a tough thing to do. When it comes to these types of conditions, if it’s something that severely limited a driver’s ability to perform, or could potentially be life threatening, I doubt they would have made it to this level. - T.C.
8. From Michael:
Two questions for you guys: 1) Why do the COTs sometimes have white plastic pieces sticking up from the splitter at times, mostly during practice? What purpose do these plastic pieces serve? 2) Why does Darlington have two pit roads? Thanks TC & Journo!
Those white plastic pieces you see are wear indicators. It helps the team figure out how low the nose of the car is getting in the corners. Teams will also spray paint the bottoms of the splitters, so they can see if and where it’s rubbing through the turn. And Darlington used to be like Bristol is today. Some cars would pit on the frontstretch, and some on the back. But in between the 1999 and 2000 seasons, the track extended the frontstretch pit road to include all 43 stalls. When they did that, they just didn’t take out the old pit road. – T.C.
9. From windowlicker:
As we get close to our first Hall of Fame induction ceremony, I wonder about some of the inductees. In baseball there are tons of Hall of Famers who are considered to be jerks. What do people in racing think of Richard Petty? Is he a nice guy? Good to work for?
I’ll say this, there are people that love Richard Petty and there are people that don’t. I’ve never worked for the man, so I can’t say how that is. He’s certainly a fan favorite, and very good at glad handing. I think it’s important to point out though that Richard Petty isn’t getting into the Hall of Fame because he is universally liked; he’s there because of what he has done in the sport and done for the sport. I don’t think you’ll find anybody who’ll disagree with his inclusion in the first class. – Journo
10. From BJ:
Everyone at my workplace knows who my driver is. I am definitely not a neutral observer of NASCAR. My question is: Do the journalists who cover NASCAR have favorites? I don’t mean does a writer skew his/her pieces to favor a particular team. I mean that with 10 laps to go and a GWC looming do journalists turn into fans? What’s it like to walk that line between remaining an unbiased reporter & secretly needing to stand and cheer for your guy to take the checkers? Without blowing your cover, Journo, can you share any anecdotes of your experiences in balancing work vs. being a fan.
After you’ve been in this sport, or any sport for any length of time athletes lose their luster. In reality they’re pretty normal people. Personally I love NASCAR, and racing in general, so I like a good show and a good story. I can’t speak for everyone, but I think that’s pretty universal. Certainly there are teams and drivers that are more pleasant to work with, but as far as people rooting for someone in particular, that kind of goes out the window. As a result I can’t say I personally have any anecdotes. Sorry. – Journo
11. Neon:
How many more TNI followers were hatched after the Mike Joy plug?
You know, that’s a tough question to answer. We definitely saw a traffic spike after the mention, and we’ve had several folks send emails and leave comments saying they came to the site because of the mention, but it would be difficult to put a number on it. Even if it’s only one or two, we’re glad they are here! – T.C.
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!
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Isn’t it funny how things work out? Just a few short days after Shell announces it is leaving Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick following this season for Penske Racing and Kurt Busch, Harvick goes out and wins in dramatic fashion at Talladega. I swear, sometimes truth is stranger then fiction. The win will no doubt add fuel to the debate about where Harvick will end up next season. During a press conference on Friday at Talladega, Harvick said he’d be with a Chevrolet team next season, but didn’t go any further. So the question remains, where will he drive in 2011?
Late in 2009, it appeared that Harvick was attempting to get out of his contract with RCR so he could bolt for Stewart-Haas Racing. The thought was that he would leave and take long time sponsor Shell/Pennzoil with him to SHR, allowing Tony Stewart and Co. to start a third team. No such situation ever materialized though, and Childress held Harvick and Shell to their deals through 2010.
Between Harvick’s relationship with Stewart and the possible defection last season, many people have been left wondering if Harvick might still end up at SHR. The major road block for Harvick at SHR might now come in the form of Kasey Kahne. After he announced his deal to drive for Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2012, many have speculated that either he or Mark Martin could drive a third car for SHR next season. SHR has strong ties to Hendrick, and this deal would allow Stewart and Gene Haas to start their third team on Mr. H’s dime. Harvick now appears to not have a sponsor in his back pocket, and even if he did, Stewart may still be hesitant about bringing him on. SHR Competition Director Bobby Hutchens told Yahoo! Sports’ Jay Hart last week that their chances of expanding to a third team for 2011 are 50-50. So if that’s true, the chances of expanding to a fourth team for Harvick are probably even worse.
The only other major Chevrolet player in the garage area that could take on another team is Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. EGR presents an interesting opportunity, but considering they may have sponsor trouble for the #1 team after this season, they may not be looking to add a third team.
The only other option for Harvick that has been floated, is for him to take his current Nationwide/Truck team, Kevin Harvick Inc., and expand into the Cup Series. With the infrastructure in place at KHI, this could certainly be feasible, but it would be very difficult for Harvick to remain competitive against the super teams as a one car operation. An alignment with Childress or Hendrick would help considerably, but it wouldn’t guarantee success.
All of these reasons lead me to believe that Harvick’s options for 2011 might be very limited. In fact, he may only have once or two choices. The major hurdles that Harvick faces in trying to find a ride and/or sponsor for the future are his age, and his performance. Harvick is 34 years old and he’s not getting any younger. He’s trying to compete against kids that are much younger then he is, and who are often more appealing to sponsors. On top of that, Sunday’s win at Talladega was the first points paying win for Harvick in over two years, going back to the 2007 Daytona 500. His performance this season has been much improved over 2009, but he must continue to improve to be valuable.
So what is my prediction for Harvick and his future? I honestly think he finds a way to stay at RCR. It’s his best chance for success, and he will have both the Childress folks and his own working hard to find sponsorship. It would be a surprise to me to see him drive for anyone other then the only owner he’s every known.
We’re Kind Of A Big Deal… I just wanted to take a quick second to point out a big moment for us that happened on Sunday during the Cup race. Mike Joy, from the NASCAR on FOX team, mentioned our site and a post I did last week about double duty crews during the race broadcast. I wanted to give a HUGE thanks to Mike for doing that, as we know he’s been a reader of ours for some time. You’re the man! I also wanted to say welcome to any new folks that may have stopped by because of the mention. Take a look around the site and feel free to comment, ask questions, and hang out!
Following Talladega and comments by NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston on his blog, there has been a lot of discussion of the coverage of NASCAR races; more importantly how that coverage is shaping the audience’s perception of what they’re seeing.
All I can say is, it’s about time. Earlier this year I took up the topic of NASCAR and perception. No matter your feelings on the state of the sport, it’s undeniable that the color of coverage shapes what people feel.
Dustin Long interviewed Brian France on the issue of TV coverage. He touched on this issue. He said:
“We fully expect a lot of criticism for any number of reasons, judgment calls that are made, officiating calls that are made and some strategy or policy decisions that are made. We’ve always had that. That’s OK. What I’m saying is in opinions that are under the guise of criticism or being critical that just go on and on and on without much thought that’s different from some policy or rule violation that we didn’t handle correctly, somebody is more than fair to criticize us. It’s just there’s an unprecedented level that occurs when you espouse your opinion about how to do one thing or another.”
If you’re truly being honest with yourself, unless you’re out gathering news, where you get your news or in this case your racing coverage, is going to shape how you feel about it. For instance if you watch the local TV station that is big into covering local crime, chances are you’re going to believe crime is higher in your city. Likewise watching Fox News over MSNBC is likely going to shape how you see issues.
How many times in the last two seasons have you heard about ratings declines, or sagging attendance? The fact is attendance is down in the NFL and ratings are down 6% for MLB on ESPN (we’re no worse off than any other sporting event). If you hear something enough (like this race is boring) though you’ll start to believe it, it’s human nature. The sky is falling, the sky is falling!
I personally found the coverage a little much. I doubt the brass at ESPN was thrilled with it. They’re only driving away the audience for programming ESPN’s already paid for.
The NASCAR writer for the Oakland Press wrote a blog post giving kudos to ESPN for standing up to NASCAR. What are they standing up to NASCAR about? At the end of the day they’re only hurting themselves. ESPN is spending $270 million a year or $2.16 billion (from Sports Business Resource Guide) over the life of their contract for the rights to broadcast NASCAR races. Now you tell me, is it in ESPN’s best interest to say, “hey this product we’re broadcasting is really boring?” I don’t think so.
A couple of weeks ago Dustin Long did a wide-ranging interview about the state of the sport with Larry McReynolds, Kyle Petty and Jimmy Spencer. One of their big criticisms was the negativity that comes out of the sport’s media. While I think this was a pot calling the kettle black moment (they went on to criticize the sport pretty heavily) they made a good point.
Larry McReynolds said:
Darrell has put a great analogy. He goes, if you go to a restaurant and you’ve been going to that restaurant for years and you love that restaurant but you constantly read in the paper, it’s a bad restaurant, it’s a bad restaurant. Eventually, you’re going to say, I’m not going to that restaurant. Even if they rehire a complete new chef, staff, you’re still going to be hesitant about going back to that restaurant.
From time to time I like to watch old races and I’ll be honest with you, it really doesn’t look all that different. There aren’t constant battles for the lead, races do sometimes get spread out, and sometimes one car just dominates. The one big difference is you don’t hear Eli Gold or Ken Squier or Bob Jenkins criticizing the product. If you don’t believe me, track down a race from 10 or 15 years ago.
I don’t mean to suggest that NASCAR fans are more susceptible to this. But I do believe that this negativity runs rampant around here; more so than in other sports. When was the last time you were watching an NFL game and heard Joe Buck say how boring it was?
I think just like in every other sport, announcers need to walk a fine line. Criticize the league or sanctioning body for controversial decisions, fine; don’t drive fans off though by criticizing the product.