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The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we’ve given back to the drivers came I think with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed. As annoying as the comments that I’ve made personally in the past about ‘we’ll know it when we see it’ might have been, we saw it last night. Obviously after the event, a lot of folks put their heads together to decide what, if anything, we would do. Then what I’m telling you today is our reaction. - NASCAR President Mike Helton
The responsibility over the past two or three seasons we’ve given back to the drivers came I think with a very clear understanding that there could be a line that got crossed.
As annoying as the comments that I’ve made personally in the past about ‘we’ll know it when we see it’ might have been, we saw it last night. Obviously after the event, a lot of folks put their heads together to decide what, if anything, we would do. Then what I’m telling you today is our reaction. - NASCAR President Mike Helton
Since the implementation of NASCAR’s more lenient on-track policing policy began last season we’ve been waiting for this moment. Waiting for NASCAR to give some definition to, “we’ll know it when we see it.”
While I don’t think we got a whole lot of clarity with the penalty this weekend, I can’t say I’m surprised that was the moment. Count me among the legions who didn’t expect NASCAR to act as strongly as they did, but again I wasn’t surprised.
Kyle Busch was out of his mind Friday night – out of his mind like seldom few I’ve ever seen on a race track. He not only wrecked Ron Hornaday’s repairable truck, he wrecked his own even more repairable truck all because he was upset Hornaday got loose and forced him up the track. The championship contender was apparently supposed to back down for Busch. It was mind-boggling.
And then NASCAR’s decision was not. Busch has repeatedly been involved in incidents this year. Most notably with Kevin Harvick and subsequently with Richard Childress. He, if you’ll remember, also had that 126 mph speeding ticket during the summer.
If this had been the first incident you may not have seen NASCAR act with as much gusto. But it wasn’t. This behavior has become all too frequent for Busch.
I’m hopeful this will be a moment of clarity for the driver. An opportunity for him to realize that maturity and temperance are important steps in becoming the great racecar driver he’s capable of becoming.
But I don’t blame NASCAR. In fact, I applaud them. This was a long time coming. It was unfortunate for Busch’s sponsors and increasingly I feel bad that Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing are forced to make excuses for behavior I know they don’t find acceptable.
Kyle Busch got exactly what Kyle Busch deserved – and we’ll see if more is coming on Tuesday.
*post originally ran on April 19.
Coming off of a season that saw a pot hole mar the opening race and then rain and other issues combine to make for a less than stellar start, 2011 has been nothing short of a breath of fresh air in the Cup Series. And consider this, with Jimmie Johnson’s come from behind win Sunday in Talladega this season has produced seven different winners in eight different races – not a bad start to the season.
Add to that solid start four different championship points leaders and six different lead changes and you’ve got a season that hasn’t really had a stand out driver or team through the first portion.
Our current top-ten in points have had some good stats to back them up – all have at least four top-tens, and with the exception of Kurt Busch, all have at least two top-fives. Half of them have wins. All – with the exception of Kurt Busch – hold the distinction though of having at least one finish of 24th or worse. Some have finishes a lot worse.
The only guy to score repeat wins? Well so far, Kevin Harvick has a DNF at Daytona and two sub-17th place finishes on top of that. His season has so far been a bit of a roller coaster.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the only drivers to have any measure of consistency are the top-three. Carl Edwards is averaging a finish of 8.2 (with blemishes at Phoenix and Martinsville); Jimmie Johnson is averaging a finish of 8.9 with one bad run at Daytona; and Dale Earnhardt Jr., though he is winless, is channeling that classic Steve Letarte consistency, averaging a 10th place finish with just one DNF (a 24th place finish) at Daytona.
Even with the brighter spots in the top-ten, the points are still close enough for drivers to have big swings in and out. Both Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth jumped five spots (in opposite directions) this past weekend.
The fact is, and I think this speaks to the level of competition we have right now in the sport, there just isn’t a dominate team. Going into race nine, it gets harder to turn seven out of eight into eight out of nine, but with the way this season has gone, anything could happen.
So what do you think? Has anybody stood out to you? Who’s most likely to make an early run?
*With rain coming down in Joliet, Illinois and the Cup Series race postponed until Monday at noon we thought you might enjoy a Vintage Insiders (March 2010) rain delay post – wrong track… but you get the idea. Have a great (and dry) Monday! – Journo
I don’t know what it is about Martinsville, but I feel like it rains every time the NASCAR train stops in town. Some level of racing always happens, but it seems that it’s very rare for the both the Trucks and Cup cars to get the whole weekend in without incident. Now, we are heading back in the morning to try and get the Cup race in (12PM EST), but according to Brian Neudorff (the unofficial Twitter NASCAR weatherman @NASCAR_WXMAN) the forecast for Monday doesn’t look good. And as we stare straight in the face of a possible second postponement, I want you to know that it doesn’t just suck for the fans.
As the crews walk out of the track after a postponed race, it’s hard not to feel really bad for the fans we pass by. They’ve usually been in the stands for hours, usually in the cold and wet, waiting and hoping for something to happen. And now, many won’t be able to return to the track on Monday, because the real world comes calling. For those that do get to stay, it means more money must be spent on food, lodging, parking, and all the other expenses associated with coming to a race. I just want you to know, we feel for you.
For the teams, besides trying to find ways to deal with the boredom while the track is being dried (I actually wrote a post about this a few years ago), rain delays can be detrimental to shop scheduling and car prep. The Cup teams have another big west coast swing coming up, and cars must be prepared for both trips. Even with an off weekend ahead, being at the track on Monday instead of being in the shop means crews are now behind. Any extra off days or small vacations will now probably not happen, as the teams will be scrambling to catch back up.
For the TV folks, the postponement now means ratings will stink. With most people who would normally be watching the race now probably at work on Monday afternoon, the number of folks who tune in will be drastically smaller. This will certainly be bad for those all important advertising dollars.
The rain also means lost revenue for the track itself. The crowd at the track today was no doubt smaller because of the threat of rain, and the stands certainly won’t be full tomorrow. This reduction in the crowd size will result in lower ticket, food, and merchandise sales.
So the next time you are bummed on a Sunday afternoon because the race was washed out, know you aren’t alone. Rain delays suck for everyone. Here’s to hoping the rain holds off tomorrow…
File this under moments of the absurd. In the midst of setting the field for the Chase and a wild one at Richmond, it was a very angry Kurt Busch who was catching everyone’s attention.
Following Saturday night’s race Busch got into a dispute with not one, but two members of the NASCAR press corps after they asked questions about the ability of Busch or Jimmie Johnson to win the championship given their simmering feud.
NASCAR.com’s Joe Menzer was first up.
After the live television interview on pit road, Menzer asked Busch, “Kurt, can either you or Jimmie win the Chase?” but Busch cut him off, saying, “How did I see you were going to come with that? We’re good.”
After Busch began to walk away Menzer shouted at him that it was a legitimate question given what occurred on track between the two. Busch in turn charged back at Menzer shouting obscenities – his crew members restrained him.
The Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer was up next.
In media center interviews after the race, Fryer questioned Johnson about Busch’s comment, and Busch interrupted, saying, “I didn’t say that tonight. Did not.” Fryer showed Busch the transcript of his live-television comments. He took it from her, tore it and put it back on the counter.
The actions of a 32-year-old or a 12-year-old? I’ll let you be the judge.
Once known for having a more combative demeanor, Busch has, at least in his public persona, been mellowing in recent years. His radio traffic – and apparently this incident – is a notable exception.
When Kurt’s unhappy in the car he’s sure to let the crew know. Two years ago at the spring race in Martinsville, Busch, upset about how his car was running, got into it with his team owner Roger Penske, notably calling the billionaire businessman and titan of motorsports, “dude.”
The confluence of the outburst over the weekend and the regular berating of people over the radio present an interesting dichotomy of Kurt Busch. Publicly he puts on a good face and hawks Pennzoil – in less public situations the Kurt Busch of old is alive and well.
It’s fair that Busch’s blood pressure was up after the race Saturday night. And I think it’s fair that he wasn’t in the mood to answer certain questions. But behaving like a petulant child makes him look bad, and puts his sponsor in a bad position. It was incredibly unfortunate behavior from a former champion.
Just two more weeks until NASCAR sets the field for the Chase to the Sprint Cup. Leading the news this week was Danica Patrick’s announcement that she would run a full-time Nationwide schedule beginning in 2012 with JR Motorsports. She also announced she would run eight to 10 Cup races for Stewart Haas Racing. In other news, speculation continues to run rampant about the future of Clint Bowyer. The driver’s been tied, in various reports, to Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing as well as sponsors 5-Hour Energy and UPS. This is the NASCAR week that was, August 21 to 27, 2011.
SPEED Center About To Play Bigger Role
Pressure mounts with three to go
Tony Stewart Seeks Driver to Split 2012 Schedule
Richard Petty Motorsports makes offer to Clint Bowyer
Vintage Insiders
Hendrick Only Winner In Kahne To Red Bull Deal
Team Press Releases: The Good, The Bad (Sorry There’s No Ugly)
**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**
Carl Edwards led the news this week as he ended months of speculation about his future in 2012 and beyond by re-signing with Roush Fenway Racing. Edwards, widely rumored to be considering a move to Joe Gibbs Racing, signed a multi-year deal that included incentives from team partner Ford. In other news, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports are close to a contract extension. The two have been together since Earnhardt Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2008. And finally, rumors continue to swirl about Danica Patrick’s full-time move to NASCAR next season. The Associated Press reported this week that Patrick is in the final stages of a deal to drive full-time in the Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports and part-time in the Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. This is the NASCAR week that was, July 31 to August 6, 2011.
NASCAR TV’s New Lightning Rod
Money, a meeting and the Modern Era of NASCAR
Injuries force Pastrana to delay his NASCAR debut
Carl Edwards’ decision delayed Silly Season, but didn’t stop it
Kligerman Quietly Making Progress
Canada On My Mind
As I heard Pastor Joe Nelms’ invocation on Saturday night, I, like everyone, chuckled at the absolute absurdity of the thing. I wasn’t sure if I was watching a prayer, or a scene from Talladega Nights. As the night wore on and one day has turned into two, the more I’ve thought about it, the more embarrassed I’ve become.
From local television sportscasters to national news outlets, this story has become much larger than it needed to be. Unfortunately, while I’m sure most people have their opinions of NASCAR and racing, this may very well have been the first exposure for some. Not a flattering portrait.
In his defense, Pastor Nelms told Sirius Radio’s Tradin’ Paint Monday that the purpose of the prayer was to do something out of the ordinary.
I want to get somebody’s attention, so that’s been our desire every time we’ve been up there, to try to make an impact on the fans and give them something they’ll remember and maybe they’ll go home on a Friday night or a Saturday night and say, “Maybe I ought to get up and go to church in the morning.’’
While I can understand the point, by trying to reach people Pastor Nelms fed into every negative, ignorant stereotype that has ever surrounded motorsports – and I don’t think he did any favors to his cause.
Former Motor Racing Outreach chaplain Dale Beaver took to his church’s blog to address the issue.
As a race-car driver considers his approach to every turn, we must surely consider our approach to God before we pray. God’s desire is that we come to him, but we must conclude that as we do so, even as coming to our father, we address him with great confidence and unique respect. In every culture (even the racing sub-culture) there is a line between relevance and farce which, in prayer, just does not fit.
No matter your personal religious convictions, whether you believe in God or not, I think what Pastor Beaver said makes a lot of sense. While challenging convention and being controversial is not necessarily a bad thing, this was probably not the way to do it.
The fact is, people weren’t talking about this and replaying the clip of it out of some great admiration or respect for what was said. They weren’t inspired by it and I doubt there was much consideration of church attendance. People were watching this because they wanted to make fun of it and that’s not good for anything.
Just past the halfway point of the season, with just seven races until the Chase begins, several teams have decided now is the prefect time to start making some serious changes on the ground.
Roush Fenway Racing announced last week Greg Erwin was being replaced by Matt Puccia as Greg Biffle’s crew chief. The #16 team hasn’t performed as well this season as past seasons and the strain was apparent between Biffle and Erwin. Prior to this past weekend the pair had just one top-five and five top-10s – they sat 14th in the points.
With the first week under their belts, Puccia led Biffle to a 16th place finish – not a rousing start, but we’ll give the pair a little more than a week to make any judgments.
While Greg Erwin was out of a job for a few days, he found a new home just down the block at Richard Petty Motorsports, working with AJ Allmendinger. Allmendinger was with crew chief Mike Shiplett for most of the last three seasons. Together the two have scored three top-fives, 14 top-10s and one pole. Their best full season points finish is 19th, last season. The two haven’t had a bad run together, but things could definitely be better. Erwin has the experience and success at the sport’s top level, but does he have the support at RPM? Time will tell.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing announced this week Juan Pablo Montoya would get his fourth different crew chief in less than five seasons. The driver’s been with immediate past crew chief Brian Pattie since the midway point of 2008. This was after stints with Donnie Wingo and Jimmy Elledge. Together, Pattie and Montoya have scored one win, 16 top-fives and 39 top-10s. These are solid statistics for Pattie to be proud of.
This season though has been a struggle for both EGR teams. And after issues like last season’s Brickyard 400, Montoya’s and Pattie’s relationship has been less than great. If there is a lesson to learn, it’s that when Juan’s not happy, no one’s happy.
Is Jim Pohlman any more the answer to Montoya’s performance issues than Elledge and Pattie were? Again, only time will tell.
So how do you feel about the crew chief shifts? Do you expect swift performance improvements? Any of the moves better than others? Let us know!
Earlier this week we reported that International Trucks (Navistar) had signed on with Germain Racing for this weekend. The company has been with Randy Moss Motorsports since last year.
Later in the day, Dave Moody and his “sources” “confirmed” what we had already reported – something he has done five times since last August.
He has occasionally cited “internet rumors” or “published reports” (that’s us) but has never given credit for what led him down the path to these stories. It was a strange coincidence given that in most, or all of those five cases we were the only two reporting on them – TNI always being the first.
TC decided last night to call out the coincidence on Twitter. He tweeted:
Love how every time we break a story, @DGodFatherMoody and Sirius Speedway “confirm” it… #nascar
Moody responded on Twitter this morning with:
@nascarinsider Oh please. The day we need you for a source… Enuf already with the self-important, anonymous NASCAR wannabe “insiders.” If you’re so proud of your journalism skills, sign your name.
@nascarinsider Oh please. The day we need you for a source…
Enuf already with the self-important, anonymous NASCAR wannabe “insiders.” If you’re so proud of your journalism skills, sign your name.
Well, the fact is Moody’s claim that he hasn’t used us as a source is at best dubious. Case in point, last season we reported first Mike Skinner was being replaced by Travis Kvapil at Randy Moss Motorsports. Moody, working to “confirm” the story with Skinner, blogged: “Skinner is saying little about published reports.” As we were the first and only place reporting on it, I can surmise we were the published reports he refers to and I can only assume that’s how he heard about it. Sounds like a source to me.
I digress from this because the purpose of this post is not to attempt to fact check erroneous statements made by a sportscaster, or argue with his justification that it’s acceptable not to cite sources just because they write anonymously. What Moody said though got me thinking about the relevance of our identity.
We started this blog three years ago as a way to report on credible rumors we hear and our opinions when we have them. The anonymous nature of the blog came out of a realization that our day jobs wouldn’t really allow us to do this how we thought it needed to be done: honestly.
We understood from the very beginning that in order to be taken seriously we were going to have to be as transparent as possible in the areas we could still be transparent. When we make mistakes (and we do) we own up to them, we source as much of our information as possible and yearly we provide a score card of our actual “news” reporting. In instances where we broke news, so far, we have reported 38 stories correctly, 5 pushes and 5 wrong.
Personally, I think that says a lot more about us than a name, or our biographical information – at the very least we’re well connected within the sport. The truth is, we have never done this for personal glory, or as “The Godfather” Dave Moody suggested, to feel “important.” Common sense would tell us if that was the purpose our names would be all over this thing and we would be doing all of the interviews that we’re offered. Neither TC nor I get off feeling “important” behind a computer screen.
This blog is part-time entertainment that we take part in, that actually costs us money, intended solely for the purpose of giving fans a little insight into the sport. We hope we have, at least marginally, succeeded in doing that.
I’ve always been of the school of thought that what a journalist (or in our case, blogger) wrote or said was a lot more important than who the journalist (or blogger) was. After all, who are any of the people who make up the sport’s ever shrinking press corps? In being anonymous we’ve totally gotten rid of the issue of who we are and made what we reported and wrote the sole factor in determining our credibility. If we weren’t writing honest, factual pieces, or were just making up rumors, this site wouldn’t have made it very far – with or without our names.
In more than three years, 1,036 posts and an ever expanding audience all we’ve sought to do is fill what we saw as a void in the marketplace – creating a positive, constructive place for fans to learn and talk about the sport we all love.
Being anonymous has required us to work a lot harder to win your trust and loyalty, but it has allowed us to bring you things and tell you things we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Along the way we’ve had our critics and haven’t made a ton of fans in the NASCAR media, but none of that has mattered. We’re proud of what we’ve done here and we hope our track record says more about who we are than our real names ever could.