Wishing for old times...

This past weekend in Martinsville was bittersweet for the NASCAR purest. It is one of the few remaining tracks that just ooze stockcar history; it’s the polar opposite of everything that NASCAR has been evolving into over the past decade or so. As opposed to venues such as Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with corporate suites and neon all over the place, Martinsville Speedway is pure, old time racing. There is nothing pretentious about this place, the fans come for one reason – the best short track racing around. Part of what makes Martinsville so great is the history, as the oldest track on the tour, the names of those who have raced there are a ‘who’s who of racing’ list. Even the sponsor of the spring race, Goodys Headache Powders, with their spokesman – King Richard Petty – is a reminder of NASCARs past.

Sadly, there was something missing this past Sunday when Kyle Petty, already sitting outside the top 35 in owners points, failed to qualify. A Martinsville race without a Petty running was rare indeed, and there was certainly something missing. Sadly, I’m afraid this is rapidly becoming the norm, as Petty Enterprises has slowly become a second rate team on the track. Since the tragic day almost 8 years ago in New Hampshire when Adam Petty was killed during practice, Petty Enterprises has lost its competitive edge. Kyle Petty has driven the number 45 Dodge, and has been a virtual non-factor on the track. In fact, the entire identity of Petty Enterprises has become a fund raising organization for the Victory Junction Gang; certainly a worthwhile cause, but not one that would translate into success on the track.

That lack of success on the track appears to be taking its toll on the organization. On Monday, it was announced that NCTS driver Chad McCumbee will pilot the car for the Texas race. One has to wonder if this will be the first of many races and with Kyle soon to be stepping out of the car permanently. On Tuesday, General Mills announced that they will be moving their sponsorship of the legendary 43 car to a new, fourth team at Richard Childress Racing. Current driver of the 43, Bobby Labonte, is in the last year of his contract with Petty and is speculated to make the move to the new RCR team.

It is indeed a sad time for NASCARs historic teams. Wood Brothers Racing is barely alive, making races using the past champions provisional with part time driver Bill Elliot. Yates Racing has dropped from being a NASCAR powerhouse with the 28 car of Travis Kvapil running the majority of the season unsponsored. Morgan Mclure is in hiatus, failing to secure any sponsorship at all and therefore not fielding a car. And now the mighty Petty Enterprises may be going down the same path. Lets hope they can find a new sponsor and possibly a partner to help return NASCARs greatest team to victory lane.

Martinsville Notes...

I’m back from our annual road trip to Martinsville, and despite freezing drizzle all weekend - including an inch of sleet on my car Sunday morning – I’m now in full summer mode. After almost 1800 miles of driving spread over almost 30 hours in 4 days, I had plenty of time to contemplate all things NASCAR as well as the two races… so here it is in the Readers Digest version…

It was sad to see Kyle Petty miss the race. I’m not surprised, but with the Wood Brothers on life support and Morgan-McLure also in a deep coma with a poor prognosis, I was reminded that success (i.e. winning) in NASCAR is a long shot without multiple teams and big dollar sponsors. More on this in another blog, because it deserves some thought… The Kroger 250 Craftsman Truck Race Sunday was filled will all kinds of great stories. Chrissy Wallace, 19 year old daughter of Mike Wallace was impressive in her NCTS debut. She started 35th of 36 and finished 18th and on the lead lap, more importantly she held her on in one of the most physical tracks on the tour. More than once I saw her stand up for her position against veteran drivers. The best story however had to be the day that Dennis Setzer had. He dominated the second half of the race on his way to his third career Martinsville victory while driving the #18 Dodge owned by Lori Hamilton, wife of the late Bobby Hamilton whom Setzer raced for the series championship… Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, also owns a part of Setzers team… Brendan Gaughan and Johnny Benson were locked in a duel for second for much of the second half of the race until Gaughan was forced to pit for fuel with 20 laps remaining, almost assuring Benson of a second place finish… almost meaning until Kyle Busch got into him. I have no problem with Kyle’s aggressive driving, providing its at the Cup level. I do have a problem when he goes down to Nationwide or Craftsman races and wrecks guys who are trying to make their living.

Speaking of Clay Campbell, he has to be one of the true gentlemen in all of NASCAR. Despite how busy he was this weekend, he still took time to address the fans and answer questions at the Budweiser Fan Zone (and I’m assuming the other two hospitality tents as well). Campbell and his staff always go out of their way to make you feel like family when you are at the track… while on the topic, it disturbs me that every time Martinsville hosts a race, there is talk of moving one or both dates to a ‘larger’ market. Last year it was David Caraviello while this year it’s Joe Menzer, both of NASCAR.com. I don’t know where this is coming from, but if anyone in Daytona Beach even thinks for a moment about it, it would be the biggest mistake they could make. Moving the Labor Day Southern 500 from Darlington to California was a big enough mistake, even considering moving Martinsville would be a disastrous move for NASCAR. As I have said all along, Martinsville Speedway is one of the few tracks remaining on the circuit that is a throwback to NASCAR’s roots… Incidentally, Joe, if you stopped looking at the restrooms and concessions stands and checked out what was happening on the track, you would have watched one of the best races of the year…On a related note; don’t get too concerned that Sundays Cool Orange 500 was not a sellout. Martinsville Speedway has traditionally relied on a large Sunday walk up crown and keeps several thousand tickets available. Freezing rain with snow in the area kept many away, and while some may not want to admit it, the economy played a factor as well. I compared this weekend with last years trip (adjusted for my side trip to Norfolk Friday night) and noted that I paid almost $70 more for gas for the same number of miles. Two nights hotel was also just over $40 more as well. Whether you think we are in a recession or not, just the fear of impending doom most likely kept peoples money safely tucked under the mattress for a rainy day…

The cream certainly rose to the top Sunday. Jeff Gordon fell to 32nd position after getting caught up in the Aric Almirola/Bobby Labonte wreck; within 100 laps he had picked off just about everyone and was back running up front, finally finishing second. Tony Stewart recovered from an ill timed pit stop (driver error, he stated) to finish 5th, while Jimmy Johnson managed to survive a mid race meeting with Ryan Newman to work his way up a fourth place finish. Is it any wonder that these guys have eight championships between them?... Looks like Hendrick Motorsports isn’t dead yet; all four cars in the top 7… Kudos to Jamie McMurray on his 8th place which moves him back into the top 35 (32nd). Rookie Regan Smith finished a career best 14th which moved him into the top 35, while David Ragan finished a strong 11th. Casey Mears needed a good day and got one, finishing 7th while running top 10 most of the day, while MWR rookie Michael McDowell finished a strong 26th in his Spring Cup debut…. Speaking of McDowell, his drew the ire of veteran Jeff Burton for racing the leaders a bit too hard in the closing laps of the race while trying to protect his Lucky Dog status. Yes, he should have shown some more respect for his elders who were running for the win, but it’s easy to see how he could get caught up in the moment. Like all rookies, he will make plenty of mistakes out there (hence, the yellow tape on the rear bumper), the important thing is that he needs to be a quick learner. Elliot Sadler was a question mark all weekend after a back injury left him in serious pain, NCTS veteran and Kroger 250 race winner Dennis Setzer was on stand by but Sadler took the green flag and ran the entire race, finishing 15th and on the lead lap. I wouldn’t normally mention this; however as someone who has had back pain in the past, I can only imagine just how difficult it was for him. Sadler only needed to take the green flag to get the driver points while letting Setzer jump in the car at the first pit stop, but he showed just how much of a competitor he is by sticking with it. Nice job!

Finally, the chili dog diet that I tried this weekend failed miserably after I stepped on the scale this morning. Final food count: 14 chili dogs (1 Friday at Nathans on the NJ Turnpike, 1 Friday night at the Norfolk Scope arena, 4 Jessie Jones on Saturday afternoon, 2 ‘hots’ at the Texas Tavern in Roanoke, and then 6 more Jessie Jones on Sunday); 2 Bojangles sausage biscuits, 1 steak biscuit, 1 pork chop biscuit, 2 plain biscuits, ‘Cheesy Western Without’ at the Texas Tavern, a BBQ pork sandwich Friday night at the Scope and Sunday in the Budweiser Fan Zone. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty this morning…

Road Trip!

Its here! Its finally here! Martinsville race weekend, my favorite date on the Sprint Cup schedule. My daughter and I started out this morning from our New Hampshire home at 5am with a typical late March, New England-style snowstorm. The first 30 or so miles were heavy wet snow which then changed to rain until we hit New York City, at which point the sky cleared and we both watched the thermometer gradually creep up from its original starting point of 30 to the low 70s by the time we hit Delaware. Twelve hours after we started, we cruised into Norfolk, Virginia with temperatures in the low 80s and not a cloud in the sky. Yes, Norfolk is on the complete opposite side of Virginia as Martinsville, but there was a little matter of some hockey – AHL style! You see, my other sports love – my Manchester Monarchs – are in town for two games and then head to Hershey to play the dreaded Bears Sunday afternoon. Being the loyal fan I am, and knowing just how important each point is in their quest for the playoffs, I knew that me being there might be the difference between winning and losing. We had the pleasure of sitting with about 20 other Monarchs fans who had also braved the open road to support the team, they were in it for all 3 games while my daughter and I just helped out tonight… and yes, I am aware its my fault if they lose the next two, but deep in my heart I know that our being there was the reason that they came away with an impressive 4-0 win.

We are planning on leaving around 9am tomorrow, its about a 4 hour drive on VA 58, so it will be up at 8am and a trip to the nearest Bojangles for breakfast (Thanks David Poole!). Of course I won’t be filling up too much, there is a matter of the famous Martinsville Jessie Jones Hotdog. I figure 2 for lunch when we get there at 1, and then 2 more for later in the race; with a few more set for Sunday.

Of course, there’s a lot for me to comment on today; from the continued saga of Jack Rousch/Toyota, an injured Elliot Sadler, Kyle Petty missing the race (When was the last time a Petty didnt race Martinsville?) and point swapping… but that will all have to wait, as I have been awake since 4am and need to hit the sack… but I promise plenty of blogging over the next few days!

Grumpy Old Men

Jack Rousch is a stubborn old coot. In fact, one doesn’t get to be one of the most powerful and successful men in NASCAR without doing things your way. Like him or hate him, he will always give you his opinion about the state of affairs in the sport. Not surprisingly, Rousch – who once paid an employee in Yen whose personal vehicle was a Toyota – was less than supportive when the Japanese manufacturer announced that they would be entering the world of NASCAR stock car racing. One can only imagine just how steamed – and feel free to insert a much harsher adverb if you wish – Jack must have been a few weeks ago in the wake of the Carl Edwards cheating accusations after the Las Vegas race. Lee White, Vice President of Toyota Racing Development, and a former Rousch employee, took a shot at Rousch in an interview with USA Today’s Nate Ryan. White, in the interview, quantified the advantage the 99 car would have gained by removing the oil cover during a race:

‘Lee White, GM for Toyota Racing Development, said the manufacturer's testing at wind tunnels in Germany revealed removing the cover on the oil tank (located in a steel box behind the driver's seat) resulted in 170 extra pounds of downforce, the aerodynamic measurement of keeping a car glued to the track.

White also said video of a pit stop showed a member of Edwards' pit crew pulling on a right rear fender to open a 3-inch gap to an inner panel. Toyota testing showed that would create about 70 pounds of downforce, White said. NASCAR said the only issue with the car during inspection was the lid.

White said Edwards, who has won the last two Cup races, "was eating cars getting onto the straightaways anywhere he wanted to go" because of the extra 240 pounds of downforce, a roughly 20% increase to the 1,200 pounds of downforce typically generated by a Cup car.

"If you have 21% more downforce, that's like having 50 (extra) horsepower," White said. "There's absolutely something going on there where someone knew what they were doing.”

War had been declared, and you knew it wouldn’t be long before Jack struck back. Well, it happened and it didn’t take long at all. Reported by ESPN the Magazine and Sirius Speedway; the following week at Atlanta, Rousch was quoted as saying “We had a proprietary Roush Fenway part go missing from one of my race teams, and we recovered it from a Toyota team. I’m not going to say which team it is, but we are considering legal action, or getting NASCAR involved.”

This is certainly going to turn really nasty really fast and has the makings to become one of the top stories of the year. Now I’m not going to say old Jack is making this up because he’s ticked off, but since he decided to go public with his accusations, it would have been nice had he been a little more specific. Which team took the part? When did this happen? What was the part? (I’m trying so hard to resist the urge to suggest that it was the ‘special’ oil tank cover) He has made some pretty serious allegations against Toyota racing, and with the forum he chose to utilize (the media); he owes it to everyone to give us the complete story. Otherwise, I’m afraid his statements will be viewed as nothing more than the bitter ramblings of an angry old man.

Spring Fever and Dead Gophers...

Spring Fever

Yesterday was an interesting day at my house. This past Wednesday was my 39th birthday, and my wife decided to celebrate with a surprise party for me. She had broken into my email account and had stolen all of the names from my address book, then emailed just about every name she recognized. The result? A steady stream of people that I hadn’t seen in person for years. Of course, she whipped up a homemade Italian buffet, complete with her specialty – sausage & mushrooms. I was in culinary heaven, all with Bristol racing in the background.

I bring this up because of the wide variety of reactions from the folks who dropped in and out throughout the day. Some, those who know me best, were not surprised that racing was on and a few even spent a good long time talking about various NASCAR topics – the new car, Juniors new team, Toyota, and more. Others continued with the old stand by comments – drive fast and turn left.

What was most telling though was the difference between NASCAR fans and non-NASCAR fans. Here in New England, the first sign of spring is when the equipment truck packs up and leaves for Ft Myers. By mid March, Red Sox nation has come out of their hibernation and is practically in a wild frenzy. Of course, for myself and my NASCAR brothers and sisters living in New England, the first sign of spring is the start of speed weeks in Daytona, and yesterday Bristol put me into full blown spring fever. The snow, which is now nothing more than small chunks of black and brown ice, is still present as we enter mud season – the few weeks of warm days and major thawing. It’s been a long winter that saw my personal snow removal budget drained by early January. Now with Bristol done, I am in the final planning stages of our annual spring trip to Martinsville. After that, Talladega, Richmond and Darlington are only a few weeks away, and then Memorial Day Weekend and summer will have begun! I am secretly planning to grab one ticket to Dover and drive down for the cup race, and then a few weeks later, New Hampshire – less than 30 minutes from my home, if you know the shortcuts. My wife and I are discussing summer vacation this year, and we are planning August 3rd – 10th. I have been pushing for the Poconos or upstate New York; I’m sure any true fan can figure out why (shhhh… a 2 for 1 special!). Ahhhh, I cant wait…

Bristol is back!

Remember the night Bristol race last year, with all the whaling and gnashing of teeth after the Cup race? “They ruined Bristol!” screamed one. “I’m giving up my tickets” yelled another. They came to see a demolition derby and instead saw a pretty damn good stock car race. The new pave job seems to have done its job, and what I saw yesterday was a great multi-groove short track with plenty of tight passing which resulted in a damn good race. By the way, I never did get any Bristol tickets from those who swore they were giving them up.

Drano and the late, great Johnny Most

A few words on Fox. I’m not one to complain much about the coverage, as NASCAR is probably the most difficult sport to broadcast (and I will confess that on most days I just turn the TV down and put on MRN/PRN, but with all my fans dropping by yesterday, I just had the television on low), but I do have to wonder whose decision it was to keep DW in the booth all afternoon. Clearly, the man was sick as a dog, and each comment he made was grating on the ears… kind of reminded me of listening to the late Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most who used to joke that he gargled with Drano before each broadcast. Of course, Johnny’s voice was music to Celtics fans back when he was broadcasting high above courtside, as we all turned down the TV broadcast just to listen to ‘fiddling and diddling’. RIP Johnny!

Kill Digger!

Am I the only one who is sick of ‘Digger’, the FOX ‘in ground’ TV camera? When it first came out years ago, I thought it was kind of cool – giving you the perspective of what someone was seeing just prior to being run over and killed by a line of cars. But the novelty wore off after the first few shots and that was a few seasons ago. The shot adds nothing to the broadcast, and the more they push this non-existent character, the more it gives people reason to complain about the quality of the broadcast. And, no, I don’t want a Digger t-shirt.

Ouch!

One thing for sure is that I will be listening to Tony Stewart Live! tonight on Sirius. Tony is usually pretty entertaining, especially after wrecking the day before, but tonight should be extra fun. Seems he is getting his back hair waxed for charity by none other than… Kevin Harvick! By the way, am I the only one who thought I saw tears in Smokes eyes when he was being interviewed by Fox after the race yesterday? Maybe he was just practicing for tonight…

Thanks again Dale!

Yesterday was Dale Jarrett’s last ‘points’ race, and it was sad to see him finish 37th, 10 laps down. Of course, with him racing for a struggling Michael Waltrip Racing team and a rapidly fading from significance Yates Racing team, yesterdays finish was par for the course for him over the past few seasons. I have to wonder how well he would have done had he spent his last few years with HMS, JGR or RFR. Conversely, I wonder how well Jimmy Johnson would have done had he been racing in the same equipment as Jarrett recently. Regardless of where he finished, however, he went out a champion in the eyes of most.

Pressure…

Now that the first five races are done, it’s interesting to see who is outside the top 35. Most names aren’t too surprising, but there are a few that are feeling the heat, most notably Jamie McMurray, 4 points out of 35th and Dave Blaney, 18 out. Meanwhile, Casey Mears is barely hanging in at 33rd after a terrible start that has seen him swept up in several wrecks.

Kudos!

Finally, nice job by DEI driver Aric Almirola. Almirola took over the wheel of the US Army Chevrolet and managed to stay out of trouble yesterday, bringing the Chevrolet in to an 8th place finish. David Gilliland, driver of the Yates racing Free Credit Report Ford Fusion finished an impressive 9th as well. Richard Childress racing also deserves mention for their 1-2-3 finish yesterday – looks like Chevy isn’t dead yet!

Happy St Patrick’s Day everybody!

When you sit down to watch the Food City 500 in Bristol tomorrow afternoon, take a moment to reflect on the great career of Dale Jarrett. After 23 years, 32 cup wins, including 3 Daytona 500s, and the 1999 Winston Cup Championship, Dale will hand over the keys to the number 44 UPS Toyota to David Reutimann.

Let me be one of the many to say ‘Thanks Dale!’. Dale Jarrett has always been a class act and a leader in the garage and he will be missed. Racings loss, however, is ABC/ESPNs gain, and watching the 'Sharpie 170' today reminded me that we have a lot to look forward to.

Best of luck Dale!

Just what the doctor ordered...

Admit it, you’ve been there.

Christmas ends and your thoughts start to drift south towards the beaches – and asphalt – that is Daytona Beach. Each car you pass with a drivers sticker attached to it makes it worse, and when FOX starts with the previews for the Daytona 500, you are as anxious as a kid waiting for summer vacation.

The two weeks of Daytona went off without a hitch with most of the stories centering on the action on the track, as opposed to last years debacle with Michael Waltrip Racing. There were a lot of great stories, none of which centered on cheating or other off track controversies. It all ended with a great ending to the 500, with another first time winner in Ryan Newman taking the checkered flag. We were left with the hopes of a great season of stories, from the resurgence of Dodge, to the new guy driving the 88, as well as the new car coming on full time.

Then there was California, the race that would never end. Weepers and empty seats were the topic of the week following – should NASCAR have started the race as early as they did, should they have waited that long to postpone, was California fit to host racing? And in all of this, the actual race was lost somewhere.

Robbie Gordon was the main story though – did he cheat, or was it accidental? Should he be penalized? Was NASCAR being consistent like everyone claims they want? And in all of this, the actual race was lost somewhere.

Las Vegas was next with stories filling the airwaves and blogs about a possible second date, will they get it and if so, from who? Then there was Carl Edwards. The pit road incident as well as the oil cover controversy, the years first ‘real’ cheating scandal. And in all of this, the actual race was lost somewhere.

Atlanta was next, with the weather again being a top story. First the rain, then the snow, then cold, then more snow, then warm. And with that were the empty seats, something that seems acceptable in Atlanta but not in California. The race itself? With so few cars finishing on the lead lap, it reminded me of the ‘good old days’ of NASCAR that everyone seems to want back. But before any of us could digest the race, there was Tony Stewart, live on FOX moments after the race, ripping into Goodyear and the quality tire that they provided. Other drivers echoed his concerns, but not nearly as loudly. But what Smoke managed to do was again give everyone plenty of off track controversy to talk about. Again, another lost race.

What started as an exciting season of racing has quickly turned into three weeks of ‘off track’ controversy; as opposed to talking about the actual action on the track.

But there is light on the horizon – back to back short track racing! First there’s Bristol this weekend, and despite shaky weather, 160000 rabid fans will pack the track looking for the best NASCAR can offer. Despite all the complaining about the new car and the new paved surface, I think we are in for a heck of a treat Sunday.

Then, after a week off for Easter, NASCAR stops at my favorite track – Martinsville Speedway for the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. This is short track racing at its finest, and where the ‘new’ NASCAR hasn’t quite made its presence known. It’s truly a throwback to NASCARs roots, and if you haven’t had a chance to visit, it’s certainly a track worth putting on your list of places to go.

I’ll be making the 13 hour car ride in my ’04 Monte Carlo with my 12 year old daughter to both the truck race Saturday and the cup race Sunday. You can look for us about 30 rows up from the start finish line, she will be the one decked out in Kasey Kahne garb, while I’ll be the guy with a couple of Jessie Jones hotdogs in my hand and an ear to ear smile.