On Tuesday, shortly after a Turner Motorsports press release confirmed our breaking news from Monday (Dollar General gone), we found out that Reed Sorenson had been bounced from Turner’s #32 Chevy. The exact reason for why he was given the boot isn’t clear, but performance can be ruled out. Sorenson has a win this season, sits third in the driver points, and is consistently the best performing Turner driver. So now, left with no ride for the remainder of the season, and no big money behind him, Sorenson’s future looks bleak.
It’s certainly been a few years ago, but if you might remember, there was a time when Sorenson was the hottest young driver in NASCAR. After winning two races and finishing fourth in the points in his first full season in the Busch Series, Sorenson was given a full time Cup ride in 2006 with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Unfortunately for him though, that 2005 Busch season was the best of his career. After four and a half seasons in the Cup Series, and some moderate Nationwide Series success since, Sorenson now finds himself without a ride.
Considering his past, and the fact that he doesn’t have a sponsor in his pocket, I’m wondering who, if anyone, will give Sorenson another shot. He clearly won’t get another decent ride in the Cup Series, though he has shown he can be competitive in good equipment in the Nationwide Series. But what NNS team that fits that description is going to put him in a race car?
Following the Dollar General press release, Turner announced that Brian Vickers will drive the #32 at Kansas and Charlotte. Who will drive the car beyond that isn’t yet known, but Steve Turner said they will continue to “evaluate their racing program.” For Sorenson though, barring some sort of last minute miracle, don’t expect to see him get in another car to protect his third place position in the points. His 2011 season is now shot, and the future doesn’t look much better.
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With the Cup Series delayed until at least Tuesday, I figured we’d take a look at an incident that took place during Saturday night’s Nationwide Series race at Atlanta. Late in the going, Justin Allgaier got into Turner Motorsports teammate Reed Sorenson in turn two, causing a wreck that ended the night for Sorenson and Trevor Bayne. Allgaier’s move underneath Sorenson appeared to be a bit overzealous, as there wasn’t really an opening, and he effectively took his teammate four wide in the corner. It was a choice that shouldn’t have been made, and we heard owner Steve Turner was none too pleased with Allgaier following the race.
What made the incident look doubly bad for Allgaier, was the fact that coming into Atlanta, Sorenson only trailed points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by ten points. But following the race, Sorenson now sits 40 markers behind Stenhouse. Both Turner drivers were running in the top ten at the time of the incident, and appeared to be on their way to good finishes. Now, Sorenson’s #32 team faces the daunting task of trying to make up 40 points with only eight races remaining.
As an owner, it’s got to be difficult to stomach seeing one of your cars wreck another of your cars. Not only does it kill any chance for a good finish, but its also going to cost thousands of dollars to repair the wrecked car. You can be sure that if I was that owner, a serious butt chewing would be coming to my driver.
In this case, it’s interesting that it was Allgaier who made the bad move. You don’t usually see him put himself and other drivers in bad spots. He’s a talented driver and a good kid, and you could see in his post race interview that he was upset with what happened. But everyone makes mistakes and hopefully Allgaier learns from this one.
As I close, I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day from both myself and Journo.
There was a great piece done recently by Scene Daily’s Bob Pockrass about the Nationwide Series’ newest owner, Steve Turner. (We’ve also written previously about Turner.) Towards the end of 2010, Turner became the largest independent owner when he expanded his Truck Series operation to include four NNS teams that he acquired when he purchased Braun Racing. The SD piece and Turner’s recent dealings have me wondering if Turner Motorsports could be on track to being the next major NASCAR team.
Think about what Turner now has in place with his organization. He’s got several solid sponsorship deals (Great Clips, Dollar General, Monster Energy, ABF Freight, Brandt, and others), a stable of young and talented drivers (James Buescher, Brad Sweet, Justin Allgaier, Jason Leffler, Ricky Carmichael, Reed Sorenson), and plenty of good equipment. With the base Turner has built (and bought), it’s not hard to see the team possibly making the jump to Cup competition in the near future.
Of the drivers he has now, two already have Cup experience (Leffler and Sorenson), and if Allgaier continues to improve, there is no doubt that he could be a solid driver to build a Cup program with. Obviously funding would need to be secured, but remember that the new NNS COT isn’t much different then a Cup COT. And with their new relationships with equipment suppliers, a Cup team wouldn’t be a big leap.
I also want to point out the difference between Turner and some of the other new owners we’ve seen come into NASCAR recently. Remember that Turner has been doing this for a while. He didn’t come in with big pockets and immediately buy into a Cup operation. He started small and has owned teams in many lower racing series before moving into the NASCAR big leagues. He has a better idea than most what it takes to survive. And it appears he has the acumen and the resources to make it all work.
At this point, I’m sure Turner and his management team are focused on making the teams they have now successful. It will certainly be a challenge meshing his CWTS operation with what was Braun’s NNS operation and making it work. But if they are able, I don’t think it’s crazy to think that Turner could be on pace to be the next Joe Gibbs, Richard Childress, or Jack Roush.
Even though the NASCAR Silly Season has quieted down some, there are still plenty of rumors floating around. Here are a few of the bits we’ve heard over the last week or so.
Catch Can Man Back in April we told you that NASCAR was considering eliminating the catch can man for both the Nationwide and Cup Series just like they did for the Truck Series for the 2010 season. For the CWTS, NASCAR implemented a new style gas can that self vented and didn’t require the use of a catch can. We are hearing now that NASCAR has scrapped the idea for the Cup Series, but that they will implement this rule for the NNS for the 2011 season. We are not yet clear on whether this means NASCAR will also allow less than seven crew members over the wall, because we have heard that may not change. What it does do is scrap the catch can position and will probably slow down pit stop times.
More on the new Turner Motorsports We reported a little over a week ago via Twitter that we’d heard the Braun Racing sale to Steve Turner was a done deal. Journo even included that info in his recent post about Mr. Turner. More details are emerging about the deal and what this new Turner Motorsports will most likely be. First, we’ve heard that the team will still probably run 3-4 Nationwide cars next season, and that they may expand their Truck Series program to three teams. We’ve also heard that the team will utilize Chevrolet equipment, and that the current fleet of Braun Toyotas will be switched over. Look for James Buescher, Ricky Carmichael, Reed Sorenson, and Brian Scott to all continue driving for the team, with the rest of the seats still up in the air.
Marc Davis returns at Dover After a failed attempt to get back on track earlier in the season at Las Vegas, we are hearing that R3 Motorsports has reached a deal to run Marc Davis in their #23 Nationwide car at Dover. It will be Davis’ first NASCAR start since Homestead at the end of 2009 and his first NNS start since June of ’09. Davis will be the fifth different driver for R3 this season, with Robert Richardson Jr, Alex Kennedy, Coleman Pressley, and Johnny Sauter having shared the ride. Expect an announcement from the team this week.
Like we always do here at TNI, we will keep you posted if we hear more as these stories develop.
Filed under: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., Daytona Int'l Speedway, Sprint Cup, Scott Speed, NASCAR
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I don’t care who you are, if you didn’t think the end of the race at Loudon was good, then you aren’t a race fan. There, I said it.
As a whole, I realize this probably wasn’t the most exciting race of the season, but the last 15 laps were awesome. We saw Jeff Burton make a rare mistake, and two bump-and-runs for the win.
It all started on lap 289. Burton got into turn three too deep, slid up the track, and got into Kyle Busch’s left rear. At the time, the two were racing for third, and both had led laps. Busch ended up 11th, with Burton one spot back in twelfth. Apparently the New Kyle Buschwas driving today, as he was surprisingly calm after the race with his comments. Don’t forget though, these two crossed paths a few weeks ago at Charlotte, in an incident that ended with Burton yelling at Busch on pit road after the race. This burgeoning feud is far from over.
Just a few short laps later, Kurt Busch pulled the classic bump-and-run on Jimmie Johnson to take the race lead. Busch got under Johnson into turn three, and he made just enough contact to send Johnson up the track and scoot by. The elder Busch was able to get away for a few laps, but Johnson ran him back down, and pulled the same maneuver on Busch! Johnson would go on to win his second straight race.
In his post race press conference, Jimmie told reporters that after Busch got into him, he only had one thing in mind: ”wreck his ass.”
We’ve now had two straight weeks where a number of drivers were upset after the race. Last week, the common theme was Jeff Gordon. This week, Clint Bowyer was mad at Juan Pablo Montoya, Montoya was mad at Reed Sorenson, and so on. The drivers have shown that the gloves are off, and anything can and will happen during these races. And if you think these guys are going to forget what has happened over the last two weeks, think again. It might not happen right away, but scores will be settled.
And you know what? There ain’t a damn thing wrong with it.
The end of the NASCAR offseason draws ever closer, but to tide you over until Daytona arrives, we’ve got more reader questions and 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:
How much accuracy do you have in tire pressure?
Most digital tire pressure gauges read pressures to the tenth of a pound. From there, it is about how accurate your gauge is. - T.C.
2. From Marc:
Happy New Year! Has there been any more talk about the disposition of the two “orphan” teams, the 26 from Roush and one of the Petty/Yates teams? I realize that NASCAR has to approve of any sale and nixed DEI selling their fifth team after buying Ginn, but they did let Teresa Earnhardt use the #15 points to enter Front Row’s #34 last year. Could another such deal be in the works for, say, the new Fords of #37 being “owned” by Max Jones, or will the two teams just disappear, allowing the 82 and 71 in the top 35 (and the 09 if the 07 disappears after Daytona)?
Good timing. Jayski’s reporting a Vermont businessman is buying the #26 equipment from Roush. I honestly haven’t heard anything about this deal, but it’s my understanding from the way NASCAR has done things in the past that they won’t be allowed to sell owner points. The problem arises because the past team owner would be listed as the owner. As Jack Roush already has four teams he can’t be listed as an owner on another car (this would be the same issue for RPM). This is very similar to the DEI-Ginn points situation (they would have exceeded the car limit). NASCAR allowed DEI to sell the points to RCR and Front Row last year because they didn’t exceed the car limit. You’ll notice Teresa Earnhardt is listed as the owner on the #34 and Bobby Ginn as owner of the #33. If NASCAR operates like they did in the past I would expect the points to disappear. Richard Childress though would be allowed to sell his points if he so chooses.- Journo
3. From Jeff:
My question is about car numbers. Back in 1993, Petty Enterprises ran the 44 instead of the 43, but the next year, they went back to the 43. If I remember correctly, this was because NASCAR told them that if they did not use the 43, it could be assigned to another team. Am I right or wrong about this, and if that is the case, why haven’t they done the same with the number 3?
NASCAR holds all the rights to the numbers. No one technically owns any number. So if NASCAR wanted to, they could giveaway the #3. Would they do that? No. This is a courtesy to both Richard Childress and the Earnhardt family. Should Richard Childress decide he wanted to use it, he would certainly be allowed to. There isn’t a shortage of numbers so there really is no reason why NASCAR would allow someone to use the #3. – Journo
4. From Lyn:
Hey, after reading the last column, it seems as if you still have some hope for Reed Sorenson to do well. Is this true? Personally I think he has all the talent in the world, he was just thrust into Cup way to fast with a team that couldn’t provide quality equipment, even RPM couldn’t do that.
While I think Reed was pushed too fast into Cup, my confidence in his abilities are not great. Reed has had opportunities at decent teams, and just hasn’t done anything. His average finish actually got worse every year he was at Ganassi. At RPM he had even fewer excuses because AJ Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne all out-performed him. Kasey Kahne even won two races in 2009 and participated in the Chase. I think the Nationwide Series is a good place for Reed. He’s always been competitive there. Maybe he’ll be ready at some point to give the Cup Series another try, but I don’t think he’s got it right now. – Journo
5. From Dennis M:
When will NASCAR wake up and shorten the caution periods for minor incidents like debris? We see the debris, we watch them pick it up and then we watch five to seven more laps of yellow flag parade. It would be a lot more interesting if you had to take your chances with a pit stop instead of knowing you had a yellow flag for X number of laps. Pick up the debris and put the green out!
With the rules the way they are, caution periods last a little longer because of pit stops, the lucky dog, and the wave around rules. I think NASCAR tries to use “quicky yellows” as often as they can, but sometimes cleanup crews need more time. With that said, don’t expect to see any changes here any time soon. NASCAR is always going to take as much time as they see fit to make sure the racing surface is as safe as possible. – T.C.
6. From Brian:
Here’s my question for Ask The Insiders: Does NASCAR require that a Cup team have a pit crew when they show up at the track? Can you qualify and start the race without a crew? Can you keep racing without a crew?
NASCAR doesn’t require teams to have a crew. In fact next time you’re at a race look for the start and park teams on pit road; they usually have one or two guys in the pit. You could keep racing without a crew but you’re going to have trouble when you need fuel or tires. The point of a pit crew is to service the car and do it quickly. Without one you can neither service the car nor do it quickly. – Journo
7. From Jerry:
Guys I responded to your question a few weeks ago about changes NASCAR should make. One of the things I said was get rid of the wing. Lee Spencer is reporting today that it looks like that is a change coming by Bristol. What do you think?
I’m taking a wait and see attitude with this one. I haven’t really talked to anybody about this one yet and I don’t know enough about aerodynamics to know how this will affect the COT. I’m also not sure if this is the magic bullet that will fix the “bad” racing everyone has complained about. What I do know, is that this change will cost teams thousands of dollars, because all of their old data will become useless when this change is made. - T.C.
8. From Anonymous:
Was reading an article that the rear wing will be replaced with the spoiler. Have you seen this change implemented yet? Now to get rid of the splitter and a more aesthetic nose! Enough of the off season. Come on Speed Weeks 2010!!!
I have yet to see a car with a spoiler on it yet. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time though. The teams won’t make any major changes to their fleets until they know for sure the change is coming. – T.C.
9. From Kevin:
Hi Guys, I have a couple of questions about RWR. Do Rusty’s long term plans include going to the Cup Series? Also, do you guys expect they will see great improvement with the switch to Toyota/JGR? Also, how much longer/how many cars will little Rusty get to wreck? That would be a good bet this year!! I know some people hate Rusty, and he can be a jerk sometimes, but I hope he has success b/c the sport needs owners like him.
I honestly don’t know what their long term plans currently are. There has been talk over the years about them going to the Cup Series, but like all things that takes money. It’ll be interesting to see how the JGR program works this time. Remember Hall of Fame had a technical alliance with Gibbs a couple of seasons ago and that didn’t turn out well. I think some changes have been made from that initial program though, so it might be a good thing. I know Rusty would like to see Steve in the Cup Series, so they’re in this for the long haul. – 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.