TheNASCARInsiders.com Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
It was announced this week that Cole Whitt will attempt to make his Cup Series debut at Phoenix for Red Bull Racing. The team will enter a third car for Whitt, who will have to qualify on time. If it goes well, expect Red Bull to enter Whitt at Homestead as well. The move would seem to make sense, as Red Bull has backed Whitt’s Truck Series effort for much of the season, except for the fact that Red Bull is shutting down it’s NASCAR program after Homestead. Why spend money continuing to develop a driver for a team that won’t exist in a few weeks?
Whitt is currently competing in his first full season in the Truck Series, and has had a very solid year. Running for Stacy Compton’s under-funded Turn One Racing, he actually led the points earlier in the year, and is still solidly in the top ten. He’s also locked in a battle with Joey Coulter and Nelson Piquet, Jr. for the Rookie of the Year title. His performance this season certainly warrants opportunities to advance his career.
If Red Bull were continuing it’s NASCAR operation, getting Whitt more experience would be important. They would need to replace Kasey Kahne in the #4, and Whitt would certainly be a candidate to do so in the next year or two. We’ve heard that Jay Frye may be close to securing an investor to keep the team afloat, and getting Whitt up to speed might be a major selling point. Take that at face value though, because this rumor has surfaced several times over the last few months and a deal has yet to be made.
There is another rumor floating around about where Whitt could end up, and this one might have some teeth.
In a recent interview with NASCAR.com’s Dave Rodman, Whitt said “Red Bull has already committed to him a similar program as he had in 2011, for next season.” So even if Red Bull Racing shuts down, Red Bull will maintain some level of sponsorship involvement with Whitt next season. And the NASCAR.com article seemed to imply that Whitt may be shopping that deal.
With that in mind, the other rumor we’ve heard is that Whitt might be the third driver to fill out the lineup for Michael Waltrip Racing’s #00 next year. We know Mark Martin will run 25 races, and that Michael Waltrip will drive another five, so MWR is looking to fill the seat for the remaining six races. Whitt’s backing from Red Bull might be the key to getting him into those races.
These are nothing more than rumors at this point, but expect Whitt to end up in a decent ride for next season. As for these two possible Cup races, it’s certainly an interesting move for a lame duck team to bring out a third car for a developmental driver. Somebody clearly has a plan for young Mr. Whitt.
Thinking about starting a NASCAR team? There is a lot to consider. You need sponsors, the right driver, a good crew chief, and the best equipment and personnel you can get. But, as history shows, if you screw up the name on the sign out front, you might as well kiss any success goodbye.
This week’s reports about the possible return of Foster Gillett to NASCAR with driver Kimi Raikkonen and ICE 1 Racing got Journo and me talking about NASCAR team names. Think about the current powerhouse teams. What names come to mind? Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Roush Fenway Racing. What do all of these teams have in common? They are all named after their owner.
What’s my point with all this? When you look back over the recent history of the sport, arbitrarily named teams often struggle to find any measure of success. Why? Who knows?
Think about some of the current and defunct teams that were not named in some form or another after their owner(s): Phoenix, Front Row, Red Bull, 2nd Chance, Faith, Go Green, Furniture Row, Red Horse, Panhandle, Green Light, Turn One, Competitive Edge, Eel River, PPI, Bang!, Diamond Ridge, Innovative, and the list goes on. For most of these teams, success has and was difficult to come by. Some have scattered wins, or a few top fives and top tens here and there, but not much more than that.
When was the last time a team not named for it’s owner won a Cup Series championship? You’ve got to go back more than 20 years to 1989. Rusty Wallace won the Winston Cup championship that year driving for Raymond Beadle’s Blue Max Racing team. Since then, the Cup Series has been dominated by team owner named organizations.
After Blue Max, only one other non-owner named team has won a national series NASCAR championship. Driving for Jim Smith’s Ultra Motorsports, Ted Musgrave won the 2005 Truck Series championship. As a sidenote, Ultra was closed a short time after they were crowned champions.
The reasons why these teams often struggle to succeed or even survive are completely inexplicable. Many have had top flight drivers and sponsors. Maybe it’s some sort of weird psychological phenomenon holding them back. Or maybe it’s just a really strange coincidence. Either way, it appears it may be all in the name.
So to you future NASCAR team owners out there, let me caution you. When it comes to naming your team, choose wisely…
Since the track’s reconfiguration a few years ago, it seems that every time we get close to Bristol, the comments about how the track and the racing just aren’t the same come back. When the track’s concrete was redone in 2007, the banking in the corners went from a straight 26 degrees to 24-30 degrees. And in making the change, the racing at Bristol was forever altered. The question is, when tracks are getting resurfaced or reconfigured, is variable banking the answer to all that ails them?
The biggest complaint about the new Bristol is that the action just isn’t the same as it was. Before the new concrete, Bristol was known for it’s close racing and the need for “bump-and-run” passes. There was one fast way around the half mile track, and that was right on the bottom. And often, the only way to pass a guy was to move him. That always led to a lot of wrecks and a lot of angry drivers. The variable banking all but eliminated this type of racing, and to some, killed Bristol.
The most recent example of a track getting variably banked corners is Phoenix International Raceway. As part of the track’s reconfiguration that includes new pavement, and a change in the backstretch dogleg, variable (or progressive) banking will be added in turns 1-2 and turn 4. We wrote back in November about our thoughts on the changes, but I will reiterate that we aren’t fans of them. I’m all for new pavement, but as to the other changes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Besides Phoenix and Bristol, the other two tracks on the NASCAR schedule that employ this style of banking are Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. While you can probably make the argument that both of these tracks were helped by the reconfigurations, neither are known for particularly close racing.
As the Cup and Nationwide cars get ready to take to the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” this weekend, I’m curious what your thoughts are on variable banking. Personally, I think in certain situations it can be good, but it should not be something every track adopts. It can create more side by side racing, but not every track needs 43 cars running two by two every lap. Bristol is a perfect example.
And then there was one.
Heading into Homestead this weekend for the final race of the 2010 season, the championship race is still wide open. After Phoenix, Denny Hamlin now leads Jimmie Johnson by a scant 15 points, and Kevin Harvick by 46. The race to determine the champion could literally come down to the last lap.
At Phoenix, where it appeared that both the 11 and 29 teams had missteps that could have cost them big, both came out pretty well. Even with having to pit late for two tires and fuel Hamlin fought back to 12th, and Harvick was able to overcome a pit stop issue to finish sixth.
With Homestead looming, I wanted to take a second to point out each driver’s stats at the track. In his career, Harvick has an average finish of 8.4, with four top five and seven top 10 finishes. Johnson has an average finish of 12.7 with three top five and six top ten finishes. While Hamlin has an average finish of 10.6, with one win, three top five, and three top ten finishes. No driver appears to be dramatically better then the others, but it is interesting to point out that Hamlin has won their previously, and Johnson has the worst average finish.
As you digest the finish at Phoenix and look forward to the finale, we wanted to give you this opportunity to sound off about the championship. Which driver and team will rise to the top and win the title, and why do you think so? Talk amongst yourselves!
After all the talk leading up to this weekend about Talladega being a wild card race (yes, I’m guilty too), it turned out to be quite the opposite. Instead of being a track where championship hopefuls have their chances dashed away with one wrong move and “the big one,” all we’ve come out the other side with is a Chase that is even tighter.
Following the race on Sunday, our top three Chasers are now only separated by 38 points. Jimmie Johnson leads Denny Hamlin by 14 points, and Kevin Harvick is another 24 back. Heading into the final three races of 2010, the championship is still completely up for grabs.
During the race, Johnson and Hamlin dropped to the back and were hoping to ride out the madness until the very end. The “riding around in the back all race” strategy worked for Johnson, but it nearly bit Hamlin. While attempting to avoid the front of the pack, Hamlin lost the lead draft and went a lap down. He was able to get a lucky dog late in the race, and came back to finish ninth.
Instead of running in the back like his fellow Chasers, Harvick chose to run in the pack all race long. His wreck with Marcos Ambrose late in the race though showed that no strategy is safe at Talladega. Good work by his crew, and a crazy finish saw Harvick finish a close second to teammate Clint Bowyer.
Looking at each driver’s career statistics at the three remaining tracks, it would appear that with the exception of Johnson at Phoenix, none of the three have a real discernible advantage. The #48 has been awesome at Phoenix, with no finishes outside the top four in their last eight starts (including four wins), but they have had their struggles at Texas and Homestead. And Harvick and Hamlin have both proven they are capable of winning at any of these three tracks.
Minimizing any mistakes is obviously going to be the key over the final three races. Two of our three contenders had some troubles on Sunday, but they were both able to overcome them. As the pressure mounts, who will blink first?
The Chase heads west this week for a little racing action, California style. While we dream of surf and sun, here are more of our answers to your NASCAR questions. 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 Christa:
I don’t normally bash the race broadcast, but the coverage by ESPN on Sunday was HORRIBLE!! Cutting to commercial during green with 10 to go is inexcusable. My question is this, any chance NASCAR can pressure them to put on a decent show? Or do you think outcry from the fans is the only solution? I’ve already sent them an angry email to do my part, but I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
NASCAR can certainly put pressure on them to change things, but at the end of the day it’s ESPN’s call. I really hate to say this, and I’m not necessarily advocating it, but the best way to show ESPN you don’t like their product is to tune out (or DVR it). The emails and letters don’t hurt. They’re looking at it right now anyway thanks to the large ratings declines over the last three races. You aren’t alone in your feelings on this – if you ever check out The Daly Planet this has been a constant complaint from many viewers. In fact JD did a writeup on the ESPN ratings issue today. – Journo
2. From Jeanette:
Hi guys. Perhaps you can settle a discussion that took place while my boyfriend and I were watching qualifying recently. When a crew chief tells the driver after his lap “P-4″ or “P-whatever”, does the P stand for position? provisional?
Whoever said it stood for position is the winner. The crew chief, or spotter will tell the driver p whatever to let them know where they stand in qualifying, practice, or the race. – Journo
3. From Anonymous:
Hey guys, love the website! Keep doing what you’re doing! This may seem like a silly question but I often notice after a race that when pit reporters are doing postrace interviews, many times the drivers are already changed into street clothes. Are the drivers fast in the shower in addition to being fast on the track or do the TV producers ‘collapse time’ and make things look like they are happening quicker than they really are? Many thanks!
Thanks! No silly questions here. No time collapse, the drivers you see who have changed have enough time to go back to the hauler (generally they do it in the lounge) to change out of their firesuits. – Journo
4. From brian:
Years ago Petty put Wilson in the 44 car after he retired. He had to change the number back to #43 b/c the NASCAR rule was if you don’t use it you lose it. Why isn’t the same with the #3. It is always said Childress has the #, but if he isn’t using it why can’t someone else use it?
Technically, no team owns a number. NASCAR owns all the numbers and grants permission to the teams to use them. So really, if somebody wanted to use the number, they could petition NASCAR to get it. However, I think nobody asking to use it is more of a respect thing than anything else. – T.C.
5. From Michael in SoCal:
Hi guys. I just watched this week’s Whelen Southern Modified race on Versus and there was mention of Langley Speedway winner, Tim Brown, who was going to race at Tri-County Speedway. Jack Arute & Jimmy Spencer mentioned that Brown, who works for Michael Waltrip Racing, was called out to Phoenix by MWR for testing there. I thought testing was banned at any track where the top three series race? Any insight as to what this was all about? Thanks.
Just because he was called to Phoenix to do a test doesn’t necessarily mean they were at Phoenix International Raceway. I don’t recall any Goodyear tire tests there this season, so I doubt that’s where they went. I would imagine that the test was at the Toyota Proving Grounds in Wittman, AZ. The facility is about an hour and a half outside of Phoenix. – T.C.
6. From David:
With all the Nationwide series rookies getting the boot do you think that NASCAR needs to have contracts like the NFL or NBA???
You’ve got to feel for these guys, but the structure of NASCAR makes it difficult to have a labor union like you see in the NFL or the NBA. The drivers are independent contractors in NASCAR – they work individually for teams, who at the end of the day have no stake in the sport as a whole – which is quite different than other major American sports leagues where the owners make up the league. I think there is an argument to be made that these guys need more protections, but how exactly to do that I don’t know. – Journo
7. From Jon:
I have a few questions… but before I begin first I wanna say I love the blog, I’ve written in a few times and you guys always answer my questions! You guys do a 100x better job than NASCAR PR LOL. 1. I was looking at some old race results at racing-reference.info and noticed in ’95 and ’96, both races (when phx featured just 1 event) had 44 cars. why? when/how did nascar decide on the 43 car field # and what dictated the # before? 2. i’m pretty sure i’ve read this somewhere/heard it on a broadcast, but i’m not 100% sure. let’s say two guys tie at the end of the season w/ the same # of points. the driver with the most wins gets the better spot in the points, right? do they have tiebreakers to determine who takes the higher spot in points after wins (if they are still tied)? 3. why hasn’t nascar considered running more nationwide one-off events? if they want to get cup regulars out, woudln’t it make more sense to run the events in tandem with say a truck or arca or IRL event, at a venue where the cup series isn’t? if they did this more than just the 3 times a year (i think?) that they do this now, to say like, 9-10, wouldn’t it be way more likely a regular would win rather than a cup series regular? i’m just looking for slightly easier “fixes” for the Nationwide series, as opposed to some ridiculous idea of leaving Cup regulars out of the points championship.
For a much better explanation of why we have 43 car fields, and the situation you mention at Phoenix, check out this piece by Dave Rodman from the 2002 season. In regards to ties in the point system, the NASCAR rule book says that if two drivers are tied, the tie will be broken by which driver has the most first place finishes. If they are still tied, it then goes to second place finishes, third places finish, and so on and so forth. If a tie still remains after that, “the driver having the highest finishing position first during the current season prevails.” And to your question about more standalone events, I honestly have no idea. The Nationwide/Busch Series did used to run more events by itself, but over the course of the last decade or so, most of the schedule has been changed to run in conjunction with the Cup Series. It’s probably more about drawing more fans to the track and offering more entertainment for a weekend than anything else. – T.C.
8. From Craig:
Does NASCAR give directives to the broadcast teams about what to talk about or what not to criticize? Example, when it comes to 1.5 mile tracks, fans call them “cookie-cutters”, but I’ve seen broadcasters go out of their way to attack that term. I saw that again today with John Roberts on Speed saying “don’t call them cookie-cutters”. Is there some NASCAR PR campaign to defend 1.5 tracks, since they’re a focus of fan criticism?
If NASCAR hears something they don’t like they’re probably going to let the broadcast teams know, but there is no edict from on high telling the broadcast teams how to behave. I think more of what you’re seeing is the teams being hyper-vigilant about what they’re saying so as not to diminish the product that their employer is paying a lot of money to broadcast. With the way ratings are ESPN knows better than anyone they don’t need a negative narrative from their broadcast team. – Journo
9. From Robert:
If KBM closes, where do you think Rick Ren will go? No one in NASCAR, would let a crew chief like this go to waste.
It really depends on Rick Ren. I don’t know what his motivations are, or what type of position he would want (crew chief or director of competition like he is now), but I’m sure he could probably have any job in the Truck Series that he wanted. There would certainly be no shortage of teams beating down his door to get him. Don’t be so certain that KBM is closing next season though. Even if they don’t run every race, I wouldn’t be surprised if KBM still existed in some form next year. – T.C.
10. From Billy:
How does NASCAR’s approval process for new drivers work?
Drivers must submit a resume to NASCAR for consideration. Brett Bodine, who works as NASCAR’s Director of Cost Research makes most of the decisions about who gets approved for what. Usually, drivers must start out in a lower series on tracks a mile and under, then they will get approved for 1.5 to two mile tracks, and finally the superspeedways. It’s totally a judgement call on NASCAR’s part however – drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Danica Patrick were approved for bigger races much quicker because of their past experience. – T.C.
11. From Robert:
Any rumors or ideas as to what is going on at RCR in regards to a second truck team? Rumors had it for awhile that his other grandson, TY, would sit in a truck next season.
As far as we have heard, RCR is working toward having two Truck Series teams next season, one for Austin and one for Ty. It’s interesting to note though, that Ty won’t turn 18 in time to run Daytona. His birthday is February 27th, so he wouldn’t be able to make his series debut until the March 12th race at Darlington. – 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!
RAB Racing announced Tuesday that Jason Bowles would be taking over the #09 for this weekend’s Nationwide race at Phoenix. Bowles is the reigning West Series Champion and will be making his second start in NASCAR’s number two series.
This move of course displaced the guy, albeit temporarily, who had been in the car all season, Scott Riggs. Since Daytona, Riggs has been on a race-to-race deal with the team, keeping the car in the top-30 (meaning a guaranteed starting spot), but doing so without any major sponsorship.
The driver change certainly didn’t appear, to me at least, to be a controversial move, but boy was I wrong. The linked announcement on the team’s Facebook page has gotten a lot of comments (some of which have been deleted), and unfortunately most of them have been quite negative.
Here were some of my favorites:
Wow! While you are stabbing Scott in the back, you may as well kick his ass too! Your logic wreaks of stench like that of a sewer.
Wow! While you are stabbing Scott in the back, you may as well kick his ass too!
Your logic wreaks of stench like that of a sewer.
Now I understand fan loyalty, but this is far beyond the pale. That fans would attack a team that put their driver in a car unsponsored is beyond me. As we’ve said here many times racing is a business, and as we all know it takes money to run a business. Unfortunately Scott isn’t bringing any to the table.
While I know they both wish they were, the team’s two owners aren’t made of money either. Robby Benton and Brack Maggard are not Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick. At this point they are funding a team out of their own pockets for Riggs. If you ask me, and I’m sure if you ask Scott too, this is a pretty generous thing to do.
Beyond their own financial well being though Maggard and Benton have employees who depend on them every month for a paycheck. The money that Jason Bowles is bringing to the team means they will be able to keep going for an extended period of time. That means these guys will be able to pay their bills and feed their families. It also means the team will live to fight another day potentially with Riggs behind the wheel.
While I’m sure RAB would love to keep Riggs out on track (especially with the way he’s been running), if money comes along from some other driver they have to take it. Certainly the generous donations of some very loyal fans helped, but that $30,000 wasn’t even enough to fund the full weekend at Nashville let alone keep him running for more races (not that they’re complaining).
Robby Benton told the AP:
“The amount we were able to raise was unbelievable,” Benton said
I think too often we let our loyalties cloud our judgement of situations. For five races this season (four he qualified for) RAB has put Scott Riggs in a car and asked nothing of him, but to drive (I challenge you to find another small team that would do the same). For that they are getting harangued by select Riggs fans on the Internet and I’m sure through other forms of communication. I find that distasteful and mind-boggling to say the least.
Following another run-in with Brad Keselowski during Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Phoenix, Dave Burns of ESPN asked Denny Hamlin if NASCAR needed to get involved. Hamlin responded: “No, no, I’ll take care of him. It’s no biggy. I got him.”
Anybody else looking forward to this situation heading to Homestead?
In his ascension to the Cup Series this year, Keselowski has often used his bumper and some aggressive driving to get the job done. And it seems as though he’s done it more often lately. He has been called out by a few drivers including Hamlin and the brothers Busch. But strong words and threats from competitors haven’t slowed him down. Maybe a little retaliation will.
Hamlin and Keselowski have had on track incidents before, but fuel was added to the fire on Saturday. Following a restart, Hamlin’s Toyota got into Keselowski’s Chevy into turn one, sending the #88 car up the track. On the same lap, Keselowski attempted payback into turn three, but missed. Then in the center of three and four, Brad K. caught Hamlin and laid the bumper to him, sending Hamlin’s GameStop Camry around in front of the field.
After the warning from Hamlin during a post race interview, and the comments from other drivers, Keselowski was called into a meeting this morning with Cup Series directory John Darby and NASCAR’s CEO, Brian France. Keselowski told reporters the meeting “went real well.”
I certainly can’t fault Brad for being aggressive, as he is out there to win. And a little bumping and banging, along with some flared tempers always makes for some good racing action. But Keselowski needs to be a little more careful about who he roughs up. If he continues to cause problems with some of the sport’s top drivers, they can make life very difficult for him. He will be entering his first full season of Cup competition in 2010, and in order to be successful, he’s going to need at least a few friends. A driver that doesn’t respect him won’t give him room on the race track and they won’t help him out when he needs it.
Hopefully though, he is able to find a balance between being aggressive and also respectful. Mending a few fences along the way probably wouldn’t hurt either.
But no matter what happens, it sounds like things could get interesting this weekend at Homestead.
And then there were two.
Phoenix and Homestead are the only two remaining races before we put the 2009 season in the books. And I’ve got to say, I’m a little bummed.
This time of year is always a little bitter sweet for me. I know there are a ton of guys that look forward to off weekends during our short offseason, but I’m not really one of them. Yeah, it will be nice to spend some time with friends and family this winter, and maybe get in a nice vacation (or two), but as soon as we leave Homestead I’m going to be counting the days until Daytona. As I’ve said here before, I’m very fortunate to be doing what I love, and it’s a pleasure to head to the track each weekend. There is nothing else I would rather be doing.
It has definitely been an interesting year, not only for my own team, but for our sport as a whole. From brutal layoffs, to Jeremy Mayfield, the emergence of some young drivers, and Jimmie Johnson’s continued dominance have all made for intriguing story lines. Who knows what 2010 will bring the world of NASCAR.
For those teams out there right now without sponsorship or who are unsure about the future, it can be a very uneasy time. Many crew guys don’t know if they will have a job following Homestead and the Thanksgiving break. There will certainly be more layoffs in the coming weeks. Teams like the new RPM/Yates group, RCR, Roush, and many smaller teams including those in the Truck and Nationwide Series may have a tough couple of months ahead. The last few races always bring the inevitable “so do you know what you are doing next year” conversations. Some years that question is okay to answer, other years you’d rather not hear it.
I’ve still got two races left, but looking back over the year, I’ve got to say that I’m pretty happy with how things went. I’m a better tire changer then I was when I started the season and my career continues to progress. And a year always has to be looked upon as a success if you make it to every race! I was able to work with a great group of people all year, and that always makes the race weekends even more fun.
When we head down to South Florida next weekend for the finale, you can be sure I will be both excited and disappointed. I really enjoy going to the track at Homestead, as it is a great venue. But knowing it’s our last hurrah for 2009 will be tough. Hopefully the offseason goes by quickly though.
Before I end this post, I’m curious what your thoughts are as we close out 2009. Are you bummed it’s over? Or are you ready to forget ‘09 and hope 2010 gets here quick? What will you now spend your weekends doing? Will you have a countdown timer set for that first weekend in February?