November 24, 2005
Ricky Rudd on NASCAR
(Filed under: Interviews)Veteran driver Ricky Rudd retired on Sunday, but he didn't go out with the same fanfare as fellow veteran Rusty Wallace. He made his announcement late in the year and didn't plan any festivities. In an interview with Marty Smith on NASCAR.com, Rudd talks about duct taping his eyes open in order to compete in a race and his thoughts on the changes in the sport, including TV coverage and the Chase:
The races are boring. It's not because the drivers don't have ability, either. It's the current rules structure, where the cars depend so much on aero downforce. It's not good for exciting races. And it won't be until it gets fixed. ...[The Chase is] not bad. It's different. All attention and media is put toward that effort after the first 26 races, where the rest of the guys don't exist. If I'm a sponsor spending money for 36 races, I'd feel cheated. ...
The bottom line on the points deal is there's way too much emphasis on watching points accumulate, whereas in the old days TV covered the racing on the racetrack. Fans want to see racing. They don't want to count points.
Posted by kevin at 11:39 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
November 21, 2005
Chevrolet Wins 2005 Manufacturers Championship
(Filed under: News)It's no real surprise, but Chevy walks home with the 2005 NASCAR Manufacturers title. They beat Ford by 13 points (I think, the standings haven't been updated, so I did the math myself), though I think I heard they locked it up a few weeks back. Goes to show nobody really cares.
Chevy's won the title four of the last five years, and it's not too surprising. Who even drives Fords? Roush, Yates and the Wood Brothers all field Fords, but that's about it. That accounts for 8 cars, plus a few hardly competitive stragglers. Chevy has a much stronger and larger stable with the Hendrick, Gibbs, DEI and Richard Childress teams. Even Dodge seems to pick up more random teams than Ford does: Penske, Evernham, Ganassi, Petty, Bill Davis.
It's as if Roush Racing is single-handedly keeping Ford in NASCAR. Oh well, that's just a Ford fan whining.
Posted by kevin at 9:38 AM | TrackBack
Tony Stewart Wins Championship, Greg Biffle Wins Race
(Filed under: Race Recap)It's all over. Tony Stewart managed to avoid trouble in the final race of the season and claim his second NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship. That's all he really managed to do with a so-so 15th place finish and spending much of his day hovering just outside the top 10. But since Jimmie Johnson had a worse day, cutting a tire and backing it into the wall, that's all Stewart needed to do.
Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle did everything they could do, but Stewart just wasn't that bad. Edwards led the most laps and finished fourth, and probably could have won if the race lasted 10 more laps. Biffle won the race and managed to tie for second place in the championship run with Edwards, both 35 points behind Stewart. Second place goes to Biffle who has more wins this season.
The race itself was great, with plenty of side by side racing, even to the checkered flag. The last two laps Mark Martin kept trying to mount a charge to get by Biffle. On the last lap they were side by side and it looked like Martin might be able to pull it off. But at the line his bumper was even with Biffle's left front tire, and it just wasn't enough.
The 2005 season is now on the books, and it's time to look forward to next year.
Posted by kevin at 9:19 AM | TrackBack
November 18, 2005
Clinching the NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(Filed under: Speculating)Going into the final race at Homestead the question on everybody's mind is what will it take to beat Tony Stewart? Four drivers have a mathematical shot at the title, Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle. But for three of those guys it means counting on bad luck to befall Tony Stewart. And that doesn't seem to happen to Stewart this year.
A ninth place finish by Stewart will clinch the championship, tenth place if he leads a lap (and we can almost count on him doing that). That sounds like the competition has a shot, but then you remember an 11th place finish by Stewart means Johnson has to win the race. A Stewart finish of 22nd means Edwards can win with a win, and Stewart placing 27th means Biffle can win with a win. No pressure.
You can check out all the scenarios yourself, but it pretty much means Stewart has to mess up and one of the other guys has to win. Stewart's earned this and if you're going to take it away from him you're going to have pull something magic out of a helmet. Factor in that Stewart has the best average finish (8.3) and the most wins (2) of Chase drivers at Homestead, and it's going to be a long shot for anybody but Tony.
Posted by kevin at 9:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 13, 2005
Kyle Busch Wins, Brother Doesn't Race
(Filed under: Race Recap)Rookie Kyle Bush won at Phoenix today in the second to last race of the season. Meanwhile his brother didn't even race, suspended after an off-track incident that may (according to law enforcement, Roush, and Crown Royal) or may not (according to Kurt Busch) have involved alcohol.
The championship picture just keeps looking better for Tony Stewart. He's 52 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, 87 points ahead of Carl Edwards and 102 points ahead of Greg Biffle, the only guys who have a shot at the title. But it's the same old story, Stewart has to screw up pretty big next week in order for someone to come in and take the title. It's still his to lose.
Posted by kevin at 9:43 PM | TrackBack
When Will Dale Race the Truck?
(Filed under: Extracurricular)Beginning with the Daytona 500 at the beginning of the season we've seen UPS commercials talking about how Dale Jarrett will finally race the truck. Aside from the fact that it's just a goofy little joke, when is he actually going to race the truck? When do we get to see a commercial with the UPS truck rolling around a track?
I'm tired of the goofy commercials with jet engines on UPS trucks or using Dale's old cars to deliver packages. Let's see a commercial with the UPS truck rolling around some high banked track like Bristol. That would be hilarious.
Or at least have Dale race a brown UPS-logoed Ford F-150 in the truck series. That'd be acceptable.
Posted by kevin at 7:23 PM | TrackBack
Roush Fires Kurt Busch
(Filed under: News)Well here's another chapter to the soap opera of NASCAR: Defending series champion Kurt Busch was involved in an altercation Friday night with law enforcement officials, and apparently was given a citation for reckless driving. As the details emerged it became clear that alcohol may have been involved, and abusing alcohol is a big no-no when you're got an alcohol sponsor interested in promoting responsible drinking.
So Roush, in cooperation with their sponsors, have suspended Busch for the next two races, effectively firing him since he heads to Penske in 2006. Kenny Wallace replaced Busch in today's race at Phoenix.
The NBC coverage today doesn't seem to want to touch this with a ten-foot pole, and you can't really blame them. I'd love to hear what Busch has to say in his own defense. I'd also love to hear what Penske has to say. What a mess.
Some folks miss the days of unrestrained drivers who get into fist fights at the track. I'm not sure this qualifies as one of those bad boy moments--seems more like a spoiled kid getting in trouble. Busch may not realize it, but Roush and his sponsors certainly know that NASCAR drivers are role models, and if they don't act like it they're going to pay the price. Not the way you expect a champion to behave.
Posted by kevin at 7:01 PM | TrackBack
November 12, 2005
Bobby Labonte to Drive for Petty
(Filed under: News)It didn't take long for the announcement to come about Bobby Labonte's future. After the announcement came that he was leaving Joe Gibbs Racing, this week he announced that he was joining Petty Enterprises and would replace Jeff Green in the legendary #43.
It's cool news, but it's also kind of sentimental good news. Richard Petty may be the undisputed King of NASCAR: he's got more wins, more championships (Dale Earnhardt ties Petty for championships), more starts than anybody, and unlike most sports it doesn't seem likely anyone will surpass his milestones. And though Petty raced until 1992, his last win came in 1984, and his last top five in 1988. The #43 car has been in victory lane only three times since 1984 ('96 & '97 with Bobby Hamilton and '99 with John Andretti) and has only one top five in the past five years. Petty Enterprises hasn't exactly been a contender lately.
It'd be awesome to see the team return to victory, and with Robbie Loomis and now Bobby Labonte, they may just have that chance. Though you also have to wonder if signing with Petty is just another sign of Labonte's declining success. I hope not, but I think it takes more than the right driver to make a winning team. You need the right driver, the right crew, the right engines, the right handling--the right everything. I'm not sure if the driver is the only piece Petty Enterprises is missing. I hope so, I'd love to see #43 get a win. But I'm not getting excited just yet.
Posted by kevin at 11:04 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
NASCAR Puts a Cap on Teams
(Filed under: Rules)This week NASCAR announced a new rule to take effect in 2006 limiting the number of teams an organization can field in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. The team cap is set at four, though a fifth team will be allowed to compete on a limited schedule under special circumstances, like breaking in a rookie.
Roush Racing, the only team to currently be over the four-team cap, will be grandfathered in and allowed to run their five teams for an unspecified time period. Currently all Roush teams have sponsor commitments through 2008.
NASCAR CEO Brian France defended the decision, saying NASCAR had to step in sooner or later or else multi-car teams would make it impossible for new owners to enter the sport without a vast operation already underway. He also said that they picked four teams because it seemed like a good place to start, though they may readdress it in the future. He denied any attempt to penalize Roush Racing, the only organization with more than four teams, all five of which are in the Chase for the Championship.
Jack Roush wasn't exactly pleased.
"There are no details," said Roush. "It has the feel that we're going to make it up as we go. The WWF has their ways of determining who is going to win and what the ranking is and maybe NASCAR behind the scenes is trying to do the same thing. ..."The thing they did by picking on five rather than four is they singled me out," Roush said. "I'm the only guy with five viable teams and the worst of all scenarios is we put all five of them in the Chase and, of course, that gave the bonus to our sponsors for the exposure that they got for being involved with us rather than somebody else and they want to diminish it to some extent.
"I take it personally. I do take it personally," said Roush.
And you can't blame Roush. He helped pioneer the multi-car team strategy and it's finally been paying off for him with two championships in two years, and now five teams in the Chase for the Championship. Other owners have certainly had more championships, but I think the threat of half the Chasers being Roush cars really scared NASCAR. It's kind of odd that a monopolizing organization like NASCAR would be so against monopolies.
Posted by kevin at 10:47 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 8, 2005
NASCAR and the Confederate Flag
(Filed under: Extracurricular)Last month NASCAR CEO Brian France addressed the southern image of NASCAR on 60 Minutes, specifically the confederate flag that many fans display:
"It's not a flag that I look at with anything favorable. That's for sure. I can't tell people what flag to fly. I can tell you the flag we get behind: It's the American flag."
Many fans are upset at what comes across as a blatantly politically correct mindset, simply to broaden the appeal of the sport. The southern redneck image doesn't get NASCAR very far, so by distancing themselves from that image and encouraging minorities and women to take part in that sport they can pull in more fans.
At least that's what some fans assume. These same fans seem to think NASCAR is only for them and it's sacrilige if somebody likes NASCAR without knowing who Dale Earnhardt is. Please. Yes, a sport needs to remember and honor its history and heritage, but let's not club the newbies who are still figuring it out. Once upon a time you were once a NASCAR newbie, too. When more people like the sport it doesn't mean NASCAR is selling out. [And hello, it's NASCAR. Racing has been about selling out since the first sponsor was slapped on a quarter panel.]
It's this kind of attitude that sees distancing the sport from the Confederate flag as some kind of bad move. Hello? It's the Confederate flag. It's a symbol of white supremacy and slavery. Many may argue that it's simply a flag of southern pride, but please. Is the Nazi flag a banner for German pride? I don't think so. Try flying the Confederate flag in a black neighborhood and see how many people congratulate you on your southern pride.
While France's motives may be questionable, there's nothing wrong with distancing NASCAR from the Confederate flag.
Posted by kevin at 1:39 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Busch, McMurray, Mears Shuffle, Labonte Dumped
(Filed under: News)
Silly season 2005 finally got respectable with a massive driver shuffle announced yesterday: Roush Racing released Kurt Busch to drive for Penske Racing next year and replace the retiring Rusty Wallace; Ganassi Racing released Jamie McMurray to drive for Roush next year and replace the departing Busch; Casey Mears will move from the #41 to the #42 in Ganassi, and will be joined by rookies David Stremme and Reed Sorenson. Whew.
This is the much-discussed and long-awaited solution to the whining that happened earlier this year when everyone (Busch & McMurray) wanted to be released from their contracts early. I'm glad to see it could be worked out so we don't have to listen to all the lame-duck commentating next year.
In other news, Bobby Labonte and Joe Gibbs are parting ways, with no replacements or new rides announced. The 2000 champion sounded pretty chipper, though with all the other deals floating around it's surprising he doesn't have something lined up. Maybe Mark Martin should give him a call.
And what does become of Mark Martin? Will he be back in 2006? With Kurt Busch leaving and Jamie McMurray filling that void, there isn't any new plan to replace Martin. Looks like he's probably back in 2006. The only reason he's coming back is because of loyalty. He's loyal to Jack Roush, the only car owner he's driven for in his entire NASCAR Nextel Cup career, who basically doesn't have a driver to fill the #6 car in 2006. Some fans are bashing Martin for redoing his "Salute to You" in 2006. Sorry, but I'm seeing a loyal driver worrying about more than contracts and money. Compared to all the other drivers who are jumping ship for greener pastures, I respect Martin for being willing to drive another year. There's a reason Martin is one of the most respected drivers in the garage.
And you can just see Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his fans sitting back and yawning. Unfortunately the best they can hope for is more Dale Jr. commercials.
Posted by kevin at 8:31 AM | TrackBack
November 7, 2005
Too Fast, Too Slow, Never Happy Fans
(Filed under: Extracurricular)Everybody has a right to complain, but it really bothers me when some people are just never happy. Take a spin around the blogging world of NASCAR and you'll see a few fans who never seem to be happy. There's always something to complain about, always something to whine about.
The race had too many cautions. Boring. The race had too many green flag runs. Boring. Would you make up your mind already?
Yesterday's race was not boring. Now all my friends who scratch their heads and stare at me blankly when I tell them I'm going to spend my Sunday afternoon watching NASCAR would probably think it is boring, but any fan should know better. Yesterday we had the shifting fun of a track changing as the sun went down. We had the seemingly unstoppable Tony Stewart marching towards his second championship. I loved watching Matt Kenseth try to hold off Stewart to keep him from leading a lap and keep him from getting five bonus points. We had a few guys who haven't been running well suddenly running up front with Casey Mears and Brian Vickers. We had hard charges from the back of the field from Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, one of whom went on to win the race. We had a round of green flag pitstops, which are always more exciting than pitstops under caution. And finally, a late caution with 10 laps to go shuffled up the field and made it anyone's race. The classic "to pit or not to pit" question came up, teams gambled and we had 10 laps to sort it out. The winner came from sixth place with 10 laps to go, passing those five cars plus a bunch of lap cars to make it out front. The winning pass came with two laps to go.
What's so boring about that? If you were looking for mangled race cars and the spectator "fun" of crashes, yesterday's race was probably pretty dull. Did anybody even hit the wall? A couple of spins, but not much mangled sheet metal.
Sorry, but I had a blast watching yesterday's race.
Posted by kevin at 8:24 AM | TrackBack
November 6, 2005
Carl Edwards Wins Again
(Filed under: Race Recap)
Back-flip boy does it again. Almost-rookie Carl Edwards scores his fourth win of the year at Texas, coming from sixth after a late caution and pitstop to take the win. He passed Mark Martin for the win, giving Roush a one, two, three finish with Matt Kenseth third.
But the championship is another story. Tony Stewart finished sixth, behind chasers Edwards, Martin, Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. Such good finishes for Stewart mean it's still his championship. Johnson gained a bit and is 38 points behind, and Edwards gained a lot and is 77 points behind, but with two races to go and Stewart consistently finishing in the top 10, it's going to take a miracle.
And Edwards seems like he could be that miracle. I'd be shocked if he could do it. Stewart is that good and Edwards isn't that consistent. But with the tear Edwards is on, it'll be fun to watch him give it a try. He made the comment today that if he won the championship they'd be backing into it, which really sums it up. He can't win without bad luck for Stewart and Johnson. But anything can happen.
Greg Biffle and Ryan Newman both had that kind of bad luck, Newman starting in the back and never really coming up front. Biffle with a loose tire and a couple of spins, when he made some amazing saves, but a 20th place finish won't get him any closer to Stewart.
Casey Mears would have had a chance for the win if the caution didn't come out late, and finished a career-best fourth. Nice to see him finish strong, especially when so often he's had trouble.
Posted by kevin at 6:23 PM | TrackBack
