For much of the early part of the season it was Carl Edwards who took up all the oxygen as the chief target of 2012 speculation. And after months and rumors, Edwards ultimately re-signed with Roush Fenway Racing.
Up next was Clint Bowyer who looked early on like another candidate to re-sign with his existing organization. Then came the end for Red Bull Racing and revelations that Bowyer was in advanced negotiations with the team. After that Bowyer began earnest negotiations with Richard Childress Racing, but in recent weeks those have fallen apart.
This weekend both Bowyer and team owner Richard Childress commented on the driver’s contract.
Childress said:
“We’ve tried and we’ve worked really hard to put the deal together to keep Clint. It’s not 100 percent off the table but it’s getting tougher and tougher as the day goes by.”
Bowyer, responding to Childress’ comments, said:
“That’s fair. Just working on everything. That’s the biggest thing, trying to get everything done as far as the future. There’s opportunities and stuff we’re trying to weight out.”
With the window for re-signing about closed it looked like Bowyer had a couple of alternatives in Richard Petty Motorsports, Michael Waltrip Racing and potentially Roush Fenway and Joe Gibbs.
Then on Wednesday Lee Spencer at FoxSports reported that RPM co-owner Andrew Murstein said the organization was no longer in discussions with the driver. She also reported JD Gibbs said a lack of sponsorship made pursuing Bowyer a “non-issue.”
So Bowyer appears to have burned the bridge at RCR and is left without opportunities at RPM and JGR. What’s available to him is a potential ride at MWR and the off chance of a ride at RFR. If I were Bowyer, I’d be reconsidering my managment right now.
He’s potentially leaving behind an organization with a combined 99 Cup Series wins and six Cup championships – with one driver currently tied for the points lead – and his only serious option is a team with two wins in five seasons of full-time Cup competition. Yikes.
Even if Roush is an option you have to believe with the existing holes the team has in sponsorship for several of its drivers, it wouldn’t sign another, presumably to take over for David Ragan, without serious dollars backing said driver.
There is absolutely a chance something else could come together – perhaps even a return to RCR – and there has been the long standing rumor that Bowyer has sponsorship from 5 Hour Energy (sponsorship that I suspect is not worth much if this rumor is true) but with the season winding down, Bowyer’s options are running out.
With just 10 races to go until we crown a champion, this will definitely be a storyline to keep an eye on. I wish Clint Bowyer good luck in finding a situation that’s even in the neighborhood of the one he has now.
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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!
By winning at Michigan Denny Hamlin became the 10th different winner of the season. His hard fought victory over Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and his own teammate, Kyle Busch, added to what’s been a thrilling season marked by a diverse cast of characters.
Adding to that cast Sunday were Paul Menard and Landon Cassill.
In his fifth full Cup Series season and first at Richard Childress Racing, Menard has been an aberration. Through 15 races he’s scored three top-fives, four top-10s and he sits 16th in the points. Compare that to two top-fives and seven top-tens in the four full seasons prior. The cherry on top, so far this season, is a fourth place finish on Sunday- a solid weekend bookend to his fourth place finish in the Nationwide race on Saturday.
Menard, who struggled through the end at DEI and went through the turmoil of Yates and RPM last season, is in the first truly stable ride of his career and so far it looks like he’s making the most of it.
For Cassill, who has yet to have a full season ride somewhere, Sunday was a bright spot. In the last couple of years he has fought to just have a seat – often times that’s meant starting and parking for some of the sport’s bottom of the barrel teams.
This season, James Finch has let Cassill actually finish races and while there hasn’t been a ton to write home about, it hasn’t been all bad. Sunday, for instance, Cassill out drove teams much better funded than his for an impressive 12th place finish.
For Cassill, these opportunities provide him a stage to showcase his talent and hopefully get noticed by a better funded organization.
With good finishes from Menard and Cassill, our 10th different winner of the season and possible penalties on the horizon for Joe Gibbs Racing, feel free to use this as your Michigan sound off post.
Can we not all recognize that the Raikkonen to NASCAR story with Frat Boy Gillett is an April Fool’s joke?
Welcome back to NASCAR Foster … if you couldn’t tell, we didn’t miss you.
This marriage wasn’t completely surprising – in the midst of his team going up in flames at the end of last season Gillett was seen at Homestead parading Raikkonen around the RPM haulers and the garage. The ego and lack of self-awareness that apparently accompany Gillett is galling.
Remember this is the guy who, with his father, almost cost hundreds of people their job and almost forced Richard Petty out of the sport – all just a few short months ago. Turns out it’s not such a good idea to leverage a less than profitable sports team to the hilt (let us not forget Gillett did this same thing with Liverpool FC). In the annals of NASCAR history, the Gillett’s are just below Bobby Ginn. Needless to say their reputation is less than spectacular.
Disgruntled former Gillett partner Ray Evernham agrees. He told Sirius Speedway’s Dave Moody:
“I honestly can’t believe it will happen… I can’t see how (the team) will be able to get parts and pieces. I can’t imagine anyone doing business with (Gillett), considering the past history… That’s just my opinion, but the facts are there. There are a lot of people out there who are still owed a lot of money. It’s a joke.”
Money up front perhaps? I figure if Kevin Conway can keep finding rides, someone will sell Foster Gillett equipment. As unfortunate as it is, I suspect we’ll see a Kimi Raikkonen driven, Foster Gillett owned truck in the not too distant future.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no beef with Kimi Raikkonen coming to NASCAR – the more the merrier. Unfortunately, with the memory of last season all too fresh, it’s a different story with Foster Gillett. As the old adage goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
All I can say is, truly, absolutely, stunningly, unbelievable. An April Fools joke indeed.
Richard Childress Racing entered the 2011 season with some serious momentum. All three of the team’s drivers finished last season in the top-12 in points – Jeff Burton in 12th, Clint Bowyer in 10th and Kevin Harvick in third – and they had five wins in between them. After a disastrous 2009 season, it was a quick return to glory.
Then this season started. And what have we seen from RCR? Well, not much.
Clint Bowyer had a decent run at Daytona, leading 31 laps, but ended up finishing in 17th. Add to that finishes of 27th, 35th and a season best 15th and Bowyer sits 30th in the points. His teammate Jeff Burton isn’t much better off. He’s averaging a finish of 25.8 – he hasn’t had a finish above 20th – and he sits 24th in the points. And how about Kevin Harvick? He’s had bright spots at Phoenix and Bristol (4th and 6th) but sits 15th in the points thanks to 42nd and 17th place finishes.
Then there’s RCR newcomer Paul Menard. This is a guy who’s in his fifth (full) Cup Series season. Prior to this year he had just two top-fives and seven top-10s in 147 starts. His best points finish? 23rd last season.
This year? One top-five and two top-10s so far. He’s sitting 5th in the points. Who would have thought after four races it would be Paul Menard who was sitting at the head of the table at RCR? I certainly didn’t.
Last year Richard Petty Motorsports brought together Menard and crew chief Richard “Slugger” Labbe. Menard saw big improvements over the season and when the driver announced his move, Labbe and a good portion of their crew weren’t far behind. Those relationships are paying dividends this season.
As the obligatory caveat emptor I’ll say there’s a lot of season left, but so far Labbe and Menard look pretty darn good (not to mention Richard Childress). With teammates like Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, Menard has a solid support system, not to mention some of the best equipment in the sport. All things considered, he’s definitely one to watch this year.
We don’t normally read, let alone act on any PR emails we receive, but when I got a message about Forbes upcoming feature on NASCAR’s wealth, I got excited. Every year, Forbes magazine does a ranking of the most valuable teams in NASCAR, along with a list of the highest paid drivers. The leaders on both lists were Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. respectively (no surprise there). But what really caught my eye was a piece they did on Richard Petty’s re-emergence as the head of Richard Petty Motorsports. In the story, some new information about the deal made with Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron emerges, and the numbers and details are staggering.
Just as a quick refresher, remember that the Gilletts bought Richard Petty Motorsports before the 2009 season for $110 million. They would later default on a $90 million loan that was part of the financing for the Petty deal. Wachovia/Wells Fargo made attempts to restructure the debt with the Gilletts, at one time even offering to cut it down to $30 million. Toward the end of the 2010 season, RPM began to struggle financially, and just barely finished the season with all four teams. Following Homestead, Petty worked out a deal with investors Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron to save RPM.
Now, here is where things get crazy. According to Forbes, Murstein and Bergeron were able to buy the Gilletts’ outstanding $90 million note from Wells Fargo for a scant $11 million. Then, Petty made a “several million dollar” investment of his own, and his stake was upped to something more substantial than his previous 4% share. Petty topped off the deal by selling the rights to his name for “perpetuity.” Wow.
So not only did RPM’s new owners buy the team for literally pennies on the dollar, but they also can make money off licensing out the Petty name for, well, forever. Can we say steal of the century?
The Forbes piece goes on to say that of the $50 million RPM is expected to bring in via sponsorship deals this season, the company is expected to net between $5 and $6 million. That means, depending on Petty’s stake, that Murstein and Bergeron could pay off their initial investment in as little as 2-3 years. Not bad.
While it appears as though Petty basically sold his soul to save RPM, you almost have to gain a ton of respect for him. We were on the verge of a NASCAR where the Petty name would cease to be apart of team ownership, and Richard did what was necessary to make sure that didn’t happen. I don’t know how many people would have advised him to give up the rights to his name, and in essence the Petty brand, however (it certainly is a little crazy). Even without this part, the new ownership group was getting a whole lot for very little.
So, did Murstein and Bergeron get one hell of a deal? Yep. They didn’t get to where they are by seeking out bad deals after all. And did Petty give up a lot to make this thing happen? He sure did. But at the end of the day, Petty is back at the helm of a NASCAR team, and the sport is a better place because of it. Don’t be surprised if someday really soon, Richard Petty Motorsports sneaks it’s way into that top five of the Forbes most valuable NASCAR teams.
At the beginning of the last two years since we opened TNI, we’ve done a rumor scorecard for the previous season. (See the ’08 and ’09 scorecards here and here.) With 2010 now officially behind us, I figured it was time to grade ourselves and our reporting for the year. Before I do though, let me just point out that for 2008 and 2009, our record is 19-3-3 (19 correct, 3 wrong, 3 pushes). Here we go…
Marc Davis To Race At Vegas: Our first rumor of 2010 was that Marc Davis would run the NNS race at Las Vegas. The deal was 99% done we’d heard (he was even on the entry list), but ended up falling apart at the last minute. Davis didn’t end up racing. We’ll call it minus one for the Insiders.
Another New Crew Chief for Robby Gordon: We heard in March that after starting the season with Iain Watts as crew chief, newly hired “consultant” Larry Carter would be taking over as crew chief for RGM. We know for certain that he did call some races for the #7 team, but whether or not he was ever actually officially the crew chief is unclear. Carter was one of several to call a race for RGM in 2010. We’ll call this a push.
NASCAR Considering Eliminating Catch Can Man: With the Truck Series as a test bed, we told you early in April that NASCAR was considering eliminating the catch can position and having both the Cup and Nationwide Series use the new self-vented fuel can. Over the course of the year, NASCAR listened to feedback on the rule change from many in the sport, and in the end, the rule was implemented. The official announcement was made just a few short weeks ago. Plus one for the Insiders.
Front Row Penalized Over Bleeder Valves: After Pocono in June, we were the first to tell you about a possible penalty coming from NASCAR over Front Row Motorsports’ possible use of illegal bleeder valves. We heard a short time later that NASCAR was preparing to hand down their biggest penalty for cheating ever. In the end however, Front Row was penalized but it wasn’t a record sanction. Before the penalty was announced, one unsubstantiated rumor we’d heard was that FRM owner Bob Jenkins actually privately pleaded with NASCAR to levy a smaller fine and points penalty, as anything larger would have put him out of business completely. Obviously, there was no way of knowing if that was actually true or not. We’ll call this plus one, and minus one for the Insiders.
Billy Johnson To Drive for RFR at Watkins Glen: We were the first to tell you that GRAND-AM driver Billy Johnson would be making his NNS debut for Roush Fenway Racing at Watkins Glen. Johnson started ninth in RFR’s #6 Ford, but was caught up in a wreck and finished 36th. It was his only NNS race of 2010. Plus one for the Insiders.
TJ Bell Racing with “Green” Sponsor: In August, we reported that T.J. Bell would be racing at Darlington with a new sponsor, Liberty Tire Recycling. Bell went on to make two starts for MAKE Motorsports with Libery on board. Plus one for the Insiders.
Rumors After Watkins Glen: After the NNS race at the Glen, we reported via Twitter that we’d heard NASCAR had taken a box of lugnuts from Marcos Ambrose’s team that they suspected were illegal. The bit was confirmed later by Scene Daily’s Kenny Bruce, but NASCAR ultimately decided there was no issue. In the same post, we told you that Kevin Conway’s days at FRM were numbered. The team had grown tired of his poor performances, and they were looking to bring in another driver. Following denials by his sponsor Extenze (they emailed us specifically), it was announced five days later that Tony Raines would replace Conway for the race at Michigan. We also added that we’d heard Aric Almirola was a candidate for a Cup ride at RPM. Almirola didn’t end up at RPM, but it was reported by both Fox Sports and ESPN that he’d had discussions with the team. We’ll call that plus three for the Insiders.
Darnell & Kenseth To Run RFR NNS Cars: We told you late in August that Roush Fenway would add Erik Darnell and Matt Kenseth to the round robin of drivers getting starts in their NNS cars. Darnell got three starts (Richmond, Dover, Texas), and Kenseth ran at Atlanta to go with two NNS starts he made earlier in the year. Plus one for the Insiders.
RMM Shuts Down #81 Team: Following the Bristol Truck Series race, we told you that Randy Moss Motorsports was shutting down the #81 team of David Starr. RMM did indeed close down their second team, but Starr never missed a beat. After being let go from the #81, he moved over to SS-Green Light Racing and finished the season. RMM would later run a second truck for Tayler Malsam in four races. Plus one for the Insiders.
Turner Motorsports & Marc Davis: While we weren’t the first to report on the possible sale of Braun Racing to Steve Turner, we were the first to tell you it was a done deal and we gave you the first picture of what the new Turner Motorsports would look like. Todd Braun did end up selling his team, and the new Turner Motorsports will have three NCWTS teams and four NNS teams. They will also run Chevrolets. And after a failed attempt to race at Las Vegas earlier in the season, we told you that Marc Davis would be running for R3 Motorsports at Dover. Davis started 30th and finished 23rd. Plus two for the Insiders.
Johanna Long & Tayler Malsam to Trucks: In September, we reported that both Malsam and Long would be making attempts in the NCWTS race at Las Vegas. Both did race at Vegas, and they both ran more races towards the end of the season. Plus two for the Insiders.
Trevor Bayne To RFR: We were the first to report that Bayne to Roush Fenway was a done deal, and that his new team would run a fifth NNS car for him at Kansas in October. Bayne finished out the season with RFR, and is prepared to run a full NNS schedule in 2011, along with an unspecified number of Cup races. Plus one for the Insiders.
Josh Wise To Drive At Charlotte: Josh Wise spent 2010 driving for several different organizations, and we reported in October that he would race at Charlotte for a team backed by veteran tire changer D.J. Copp. Wise started 39th and finished 18th. Plus one for the Insiders.
KHI, Elliott Sadler, RFR Trucks: Later in October we heard that KHI was putting together the personnel for a second full time Nationwide Series team, and that Elliott Sadler may run some races for them. Both turned out to be true, as it was later announced that Sadler will run the full 2011 schedule for KHI with sponsorship from CitiFinancial. We also told you that there were rumors that Ron Hornaday was shopping for a new NCWTS ride. We’d heard he had conversations with several organizations, but he ended up re-signing with KHI. The last bit we gave you was that Roush Fenway was working on resurrecting their Truck Series program. This story has cooled way down since then, but there is still a small chance it could happen. I’ll give us plus one, a push, and leave the RFR bit as still pending.
Caitlin Shaw To Race At Phoenix: In November we told you about yet another female driver who would be racing in 2010. Caitlin Shaw, after making one start in 2009, returned to the Truck Series in a truck prepared by Mario Gosselin’s DGM Racing at Phoenix. She started 33rd and finished 30th. Plus one for the Insiders.
Skinner Out? Kvapil In?: Our most recent rumor for you, we reported that Mike Skinner was likely out at Randy Moss Motorsports, and that the team would replace him with Travis Kvapil. Skinner won’t talk, and no official announcement has come from the team, so we’ll leave this one pending.
As you can see, we had a busy year reporting on the happenings in NASCAR. Our scorecard for the year looks like this: we had 17 correct, two wrong, two pushes, and still have two rumors pending. Adding up all three seasons worth of news and rumors, that makes us 36-5-5. We prove yet again that if you hear it from us, odds are pretty good that it’s true. Our solid track record doesn’t do much to prove that we are who we say we are, but at the very least we are very well connected janitors…
To use the words of the late David Poole, Dale Earnhardt saved Elliott Sadler’s life on Sunday.
What happened to Elliott Sadler on the backstretch (between turns one and two) late in the race at Pocono isn’t exactly clear to those of us who didn’t happen to be in a car and on the backstretch at the time (thanks Kurt Busch and ESPN). What we do know though is Pocono needs to make safety upgrades, like yesterday, and the COT and HANS Device saved Elliott Sadler from serious injury or death.
From what I saw of that wreck, it was one of the worst in recent memory. After hitting the inside Armco barrier, Sadler was propelled back out onto the track – a distance that’s probably a good 50 feet. In the slow motion replay on ESPN, Sadler’s whole body can be seen lurching forward. That tremendous amount of force ripped the car apart. See the engine being towed back to the garage. Sadler was luckily able to walk away with nothing but the wind knocked out of him.
For all of the criticism its gotten and complaining that’s been done about it, the COT has been a wonderful safety innovation. It has no doubt saved lives. Ask Micheal McDowell. Now ask Elliott Sadler.
Add to that the proliferation of the HANS Device and the SAFER barriers and NASCAR has become a much safer place to compete.
In the days leading up to the race, Pocono President Brandon Igdalsky, grandson of the Drs. Mattioli, addressed plans for some much needed safety features, including SAFER barriers between turns 1 and 2, and 2 and 3, and a much needed catch fence. It’s about time.
Looking around on the net Sunday night some were suggesting Pocono shouldn’t be on the schedule. I couldn’t disagree more. It’s a unique facility with great fans (though two races seven weeks apart is ridiculous). I do think though the track needed to have made these upgrades before other things were done – say for instance a $16 million solar farm.
It’s certainly easy to play Monday morning quarterback on this – but I think anyone who has ever seen the facility can see there are a lot of upgrades that need be done. As usual I digress.
Who knows what would have happened to Sadler had he not had the benefit of the current safety features. I shutter to think. Through all the complaining about ESPN missing the moment (big deal), the biggest story here is what didn’t happen and what we fortunately didn’t see.
What NASCAR has done since February 2001 truly has made the sport safer. There have been no serious injuries and no deaths. And thankfully on Sunday we were able to keep that record intact.
With the Cup cars being off this weekend, the Truck and Nationwide Series take center stage at Gateway. They will race under the lights on Friday and Saturday night. Before they do, we’ve got the 83rd edition of Ask The Insiders Wednesday. 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 yankeegranny:
With all the ideas being floated regarding the chase changes, if you could pick the racetracks that you would put in the chase, what would they be and in what order? Please use just the tracks that are on the schedule right now, even though you probably would like to add Rockingham or a dirt track.
In no particular order: Talladega, Darlington, Infineon (or Watkins Glen), Martinsville, Bristol, Las Vegas, Homestead, Phoenix, Pocono and Charlotte. In those last ten races I want as much variation as possible. If we’re going to have a 10 race playoff we need to be putting driver skills to the test every weekend. You could honestly float in and out another mile and a half for Las Vegas and Charlotte – but I think those are great venues. I’m not holding my breath on Darlington, but I think adding a road course could be in the cards. – Journo
2. From Allen:
Why do the drivers run passenger side windows on some tracks and not on others?
The only tracks where cars aren’t required to run side windows are the short tracks and road courses. Everywhere else they are required because if a car turns sideways, a side window will help keep them from going airborne. – T.C.
3. From Bob:
I know I’m not the first to notice, but why is it that the RPM cars seem to be faster than Roush-Fenway? You would think it would be the other way around, as RPM is considered the little brother team of the two, i.e. less funding and greater turmoil. Any thoughts?
While RPM has certainly become a satellite organization for Roush Fenway, I’m not sure it’s fair to call them the “little brother.” RPM has some seriously talented people working for them and it’s not fair to say they have less funding. With them getting support from Ford and Roush, they are most likely able to use their resources better than when they were a Dodge team. The word from Chicago was that the RFR cars were actually running RPM’s setups, and it seemed to work very well. They had three cars finish in the top 13, and Edwards was closing on Reutimann at the end for the win. – T.C.
4. From Garry:
We are watching The Chicago race, and Jimmy Johnson on lap 136 DID NOT wreck his car. I am not sure how or why, but I have watched a lot of NASCAR, and JJ was wrecked, done for the night, sideways at 190 mph… and he saved it. That is unreal. I am still not a fan of his, but that was amazing. How did he save it?
Traction control…just kidding. He’s good a racecar driver. I don’t really know what else to say. There’s a reason those guys are out on track in NASCAR’s top series, and you and I aren’t. – Journo
5. From Dee Dee:
You guys rock! I have a question about what exactly happened at the end of the Nationwide race Friday night. When Keselowski ran out of gas coming to the green flag on the G-W-C restart, why was Kyle Busch allowed to move up into second from fourth? Isn’t there a rule that you can’t pass before the start/finish line? In this case, he passed David Reutimann, who was in third. It seems to me that David got the bad end of that deal. Also I’d like to congratulate Beak on his win Saturday night in the Cup race. Good guys really can finish first!
NASCAR’s own policy is that if a car has to duck out of line or go to the back for any reason, the line just moves up. It’s much easier to do that, because choosing the alternative would mean that all the cars would have to flip flop their inside and outside positions from, in this case, second all the way back to the tail end of the field. That would have required NASCAR to put the caution back out and allow the cars to run at least another lap so they could get sorted out. It’s just easier for everyone involved to do it the way they do. – T.C.
6. From Anonymous:
With teams signing drivers that they don’t have rides for (Kasey) where does this leave Elliott Sadler?
In a tough spot. If RPM doesn’t re-sign him, which is looking increasingly likely, I’m not really sure what would be available to him. Elliott’s performance through the years has waned, with his last win coming in the 2004 season. Now no matter your thoughts on the quality of his equipment, it’s undeniable there hasn’t been much in quite a while to prove to one of the big teams that he’s worth taking a chance on. We’ll see what happens (as of right now he’s very frustrated with where he’s at), but I think he’s in a tough spot. – 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!
Last weekend at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Richard Petty and RPM driver AJ Allmendinger had a short confrontation in the garage area after the race. During the race, Allmendinger was involved in a wreck with Kyle Busch that sent him spinning off the track and into the inside wall. AJ went on to finish the race, but 36th position, 30 laps down wasn’t the result he and his team were looking for. Once in the garage, Petty had words with Allmendinger as he climbed from his race car.
I apologize for not having the video of the incident, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere online. In case you didn’t see it, Petty says something to Allmendinger as he climbs from the car that AJ doesn’t want to hear. ’Dinger attempts to walk away, and Petty grabs his arm. The two talk for a bit longer, with AJ attempting to escape again.
What exactly was said between the two I don’ t know. It does appear to me however, that Petty was attempting to teach or point something out to Allmendinger about the day, and AJ didn’t want to hear it. Either way, I don’t think anyone is to blame for the spat, and I don’t think it will have any lasting effect on their relationship.
Robbie Loomis, RPM’s VP of Competition, came out after the incident and tried to downplay the confrontation.
“I always say the car owner shouldn’t talk to the driver anytime after the race, especially after an accident,” Petty VP Robbie Loomis said. “I think Richard’s been here so many times, he’s been through this stuff and he was just trying to get him to loosen up and let the boys do their stuff on fixing the car and getting back out there. Anytime you talk to somebody at the wrong time, it always causes discussion that needs to be worked out. That’s all that happened.”
Richard Allen from RacingwithRich.com thinks that the confrontation may affect AJ’s future with RPM, but I disagree. Allmendinger was clearly upset about how the race played out, and you can’t blame the guy for being angry. And if anyone knows what it’s like to be disappointed by a race, it should be Richard Petty. Both are very passionate about racing, and that passion is going to boil over at certain times. In this case, Allmendinger let his temper get the better of him, and Petty just chose the wrong time to try and make his point to his young driver.
With it being Friday already, I’m sure Petty and Allmendinger have already sat down and worked out any issues they may have had. Both are passionate competitors, and I’m sure once calm, AJ will listen to anything Richard has to say. In the future, hopefully Petty will wait until their weekly meeting to offer any advice or thoughts to his drivers.