Nascar Racing Online

Archive for December, 2009

I’m disappointed in myself.  Yesterday morning I was writing this article that I wanted to put up around the 27th, but time these last few weeks has been fleeting at best.

Anyway, I finished it yesterday afternoon and posted it up and then went to nascar.com to see what they’ve got going on over there as I hadn’t been there in a few days and what to my wondering eyes should appear?  David Caraviello’s article about the same thing.

No problem I think, and then I read what he wrote and man oh man “Houston we’ve got a problem”.

You see Caraviello’s article is exactly like mine (almost) but better written – his time isn’t as fleeting as mine I guess.

So now I’ve got a problem.  You see his article is so close to mine it would look like plagiarism by me if I kept my article up, so I pulled it down.  And I know its not plagiarism by him as he posted his first and I spoke to no one, including him, about what I was writing.  Great minds really do think alike.

Darn, if only I had kept on schedule and put it up on the 27th.

Basically what I wanted to say in my article was this:

There were a lot of stories this past decade and some of the biggest were;  Jimmie Johnson, The introduction of The Chase, NASCAR’s new Drug Policy, SAFER Barriers & HANS Devices, The CoT, Toyota in Cup, Dale Jr driving for Hendrick, and the collapse of Petty Enterprises and others like Evernham, DEI, and Robert Yates Racing.

Pretty much what Caraviello said too, although he did had a few other things like the plane crash near Martinsville that still affects Hendrick Motorsports even today.

In his article Caraviello states the biggest story in NASCAR for this decade is the death of Dale Earnhardt.

I totally agree and that is what I originally wrote in my very similar article;

Without a doubt the biggest NASCAR story this past decade has been the death of Dale Earnhardt.

Earnhardt’s death changed the face of NASCAR and the effects are still being felt even 9 years later.

One can only speculate what NASCAR would be like now if Earnhardt had not crashed that fateful day in Feburary during the Daytona 500 in 2001, but I do know for sure that his death is the reason why some of the stories mentioned above are even stories.

SAFER Barriers, HANS Devices, the introduction of the CoT, and Dale Jr racing for Hendrick are good examples of the ripples still being felt in NASCAR after Earnhardt’s death.

One would like to hope that some of these changes would have happened even if Earnhardt hadn’t crashed, but let’s be realistic this whole safety thing wasn’t addressed after the deaths of Petty, Irwin, and others – it was only addressed in earnest after the death of NASCAR’s superstar.

So do you agree or not?

Let me know.

One other thing that my article had that Caraviello’s didn’t is that Mark Martin is ending this decade the same way he started the 90’s; fighting for a Championship!  Perhaps that is the most feel good story of the last 20 years in NASCAR.

Finally, I think the biggest story in racing right now is Ricky Byers and why he still doesn’t have a sponsor.  Go here for the latest on Rickyand his quest to Race For a Cure, I think Karen did a great job writing the article.

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As we close out the year, we bring you a few of the best posts from the past year. Enjoy!

Fun stuff from Funny or Die here, as Jimmie Johnson teaches you into a winner! Think you need help? Hey, did you win the last three four Sprint Cup championships? No? Then how about a nice cup of shut the heck up … and this three-DVD set!

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We’re taking a brief post-holiday break as we sleep off the effects of Christmas goose and mulled wine, so we’re giving you a final look at a few of the best posts of 2009. Next up: one from Daytona, where we infiltrated Junior Nation.

He walked through the back hallways of the Volusia Mall, accompanied by a security detail and a horde of publicists on cell phones. He was shorter than you’d expect, wearing jeans — Wranglers, I’m sure, though I didn’t check — and an adidas warmup jacket over a gleaming white t-shirt.

And when Dale Earnhardt Jr. stepped out in front of the Champs Sporting Goods, a thousand members of Junior Nation screamed in delirium.

Before Daytona, before The Vickers Incident, before Junior split NASCAR down the middle [at Daytona], he spent an evening at the Volusia Mall meeting and greeting many of his most loyal fans. If you’d bought $150 worth of Junior swag from Champs, and if you were willing to wait in what turned out to be an hours-long line, you too could get fifteen seconds and a photograph with Junior. I stood in the center of the crowd, as you can see there, but the rows of people went on behind me for fifty yards.

As the festivities began, an adidas flack tried hard to get the crowd stoked into a frenzy, throwing a few shots Kyle Busch’s way and leading halfhearted "Dale!" "Junior!" cheers. The man came onstage himself, and he looked both casual and uncomfortable at the same time — casual because he’s used to being in front of millions, uncomfortable because he has to speak in marketing jargon at these events, using phrases like "great brands" and "good relationship," lines that nobody can pull off without sounding forced and cliched.

You want a reason why Junior is so popular? That’s it. His popularity stems not from who he is, but what he represents. Sure, he’s the son of a legend, but he’s not The Intimidator Reincarnated. He’s everybody’s dream boyfriend, dream best friend, dream son, dream big brother. "He drinks beer," a guy named Dave from Montpelier, Virginia told me, and that pretty much sums it all up. Dale Earnhardt Junior drinks beer, and millions of people love him for that.

Once Junior finished up his awkward rah-rah-adidas speech, the PR machine went into action. Junior was hustled back into the store, and large curtains were erected over the windows that you can see in the photo behind him. If you didn’t pay, you didn’t get even a free glimpse.

But the people who did get behind the Junior Curtain — man, you should have seen their faces. They were beaming, clutching this photo of a smiling Junior with his arm on their shoulders. I’d bet that’s going to be quite a few 2009 Christmas cards. You look at how happy these people were at getting to touch their idol, and even the most hardened cynic would have to admit that Dale Earnhardt Junior is doing something very, very good for his fans, whether he knows it or not.

"Should I ask him if he wants to go to dinner?" one female fan asked another as they waited in line. "Do it! Do it!" her friend encouraged. I never found out if they closed the deal, but if I had to guess, Junior rejected her in such a way that made her feel thankful.

So in the end, then, it doesn’t matter if Junior never wins another race. Oh, his fans want him to win, sure. But more than that, they just want him out there. Maybe it’s even better that he’s not the best driver in NASCAR; that just means he’s working hard at it, every single day. That’s a hell of an inspiration.

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WELCOME, N.C. (December 27, 2009) – Funeral arrangements have been made for former Richard Childress Racing pit crew member Donald “D.J.” Richardson, Jr., who passed away December 25 in Massachusetts.

The viewing will be Tuesday, December 29, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Silas F. Richardson and Son Funeral Home in Leominster, Mass. The funeral will be Wednesday, December 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Marks Church in Leominster, Mass. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund for his three children is being established, with details to follow as soon as possible.

Details of a memorial service in North Carolina are pending and will also be made available as soon as possible.

Richardson passed away from complications of the H1N1 virus. He joined RCR in July 2009 and finished the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as the rear-tire changer for the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS team. The Massachusetts native began his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career with Andy Petree Racing in 1999. He also worked for Penske Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Braun Racing.

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WELCOME, N.C. (December 27, 2009) – Funeral arrangements have been made for former Richard Childress Racing pit crew member Donald “D.J.” Richardson, Jr., who passed away December 25 in Massachusetts.

The viewing will be Tuesday, December 29, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Silas F. Richardson and Son Funeral Home in Leominster, Mass. The funeral will be Wednesday, December 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Marks Church in Leominster, Mass. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund for his three children is being established, with details to follow as soon as possible.

Details of a memorial service in North Carolina are pending and will also be made available as soon as possible.

Richardson passed away from complications of the H1N1 virus. He joined RCR in July 2009 and finished the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as the rear-tire changer for the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet Impala SS team. The Massachusetts native began his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career with Andy Petree Racing in 1999. He also worked for Penske Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Braun Racing.

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We’ve wrapped the season, and so it’s time to wrap up our look back. In a feature shamelessly ripped from Puck Daddy’s Death Watch and Big League Stew’s Walk Toward The Light, we’re looking back on all the drivers. In the interest of making sure that this feature doesn’t last until April, we’re stepping up the pace and covering teams. And yes, I know there aren’t taillights on Sprint cars. It’s a metaphor. Roll with it.

Team: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, with special guest star Felix Sabates

Drivers: Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr.

Record:  Zero wins, five poles, eight top-5s, 24 top-10s.

Season summary: Overall, a strong performance from a team built Frankenstein-style from the spare parts of others. Montoya was exceptional, and Truex did well enough to get himself a new ride. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, it didn’t appreciably affect the racing in the #42, at least.

Where it went right: Montoya broke through as a full-fledged star, completing his transition from open-wheel. He briefly threatened Jimmie Johnson in the Chase. Truex ran fast in practice, notching three poles, but couldn’t sustain over the long haul. Still, a respectable season for the folks at EGR.

Where it went wrong: Indianapolis. Montoya got dinged for driving too fast down pit road, and lost what was an all-but-certain victory. Truex, for his part, never really got going, and next year we’ll learn how much of that was equipment and how much was the driver, as Truex will be headed for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Prospects for 2010: Montoya looks like he’ll be around for a long time to come; as long as he can keep his temper under control, he’ll be a Chase contender for the foreseeable future. New addition Jamie McMurray never really flourished while at Roush, so perhaps a smaller environment where he can be more of a spotlight driver will be good for him.

Related EGR posts from 2009:
Will Martin Truex Jr. walk away from Earnhardt Ganassi?
Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya spice up Miami
Let’s cool it with the Montoya conspiracy theories

Next up: Roush Fenway Racing

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As we wind down 2009, we’re taking one last look back at the best races of the year. Join us in closing the books on the season. Today: road course drama!

I don’t know anybody outside of the drivers who doesn’t love road
courses. The unpredictability of the courses, the challenge of racing
in an unfamiliar environment, the possibility that some rookie will
lose control in one of the 12 turns and take out half the field — it’s
all there! The Toyota/SaveMart 350 out at Infineon had all that and more, including a thrilling race to the finish between road-course honcho Tony Stewart and relative road course neophyte Kasey Kahne. Would Kasey hold off Smoke? Kick back and watch …

Next up: Watkins Glen.

In a race that featured one of the most dramatic wrecks of the season as Sam Hornish Jr. corkscrewed into Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart was once again right up front (and, for the record, Marcos Ambrose was once again right behind him). Wow, with this kind of a run, Stewart was a lock to win the Chase, right? Right … ?

Every year, people ask if a road course could be added to the Chase. I’d love it, and so would Tony Stewart, but it’s a long way off. Still, as these races show, it’d be a lot of fun, wouldn’t it?

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It’s Christmas, and that means around here we’re taking a break from talking about NASCAR to actually spend a little time with our loved ones. (Not that we don’t love you guys, really.)

So take a little time off, hang with your friends and family, and remember … less than two months to Daytona!

(By the way, that picture comes from a site called  Holiday Phone Calls, and you can get Santa, Frosty or Tony Stewart to give you a call. Hey, give ‘em a ring today; it’s Christmas and maybe Tony’s lonely and looking for someone to talk to!)

Seriously, thanks to all of you for reading this site all throughout the year. It’s a true pleasure for me to work on this, and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I do. See you in a bit with more. Happy holidays, all!

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Everyone involved with NASCAR RnR wishes all of you and the people of NASCAR a Very Merry Christmas!

Unless something big happens we’ll be back in action on Dec 27th!  See you then.

Sincerely,

Bob, Matt, and the man behind the ‘Race for a Cure’ ride Ricky Byers!

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We’ve wrapped the season, and so it’s time to wrap up our look back. In a
feature shamelessly ripped from Puck Daddy’s Death Watch and Big League Stew’s Walk Toward The Light, we’re
looking back on all the drivers. In the interest of making sure that
this feature doesn’t last until April, we’re stepping up the pace and
covering teams. And yes, I know there aren’t taillights on Sprint cars. It’s
a metaphor. Roll with it.

Team: Richard Petty Motorsports

Record: Two wins, zero poles, nine top-5s, 26 top-10s

Season summary: It was a strange hybrid of a season for RPM, which was born out of a merger earlier this year with Petty Enterprises and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The result was a kind of Brady Bunch-style children-of-multiple-marriages combo, with nobody quote knowing where they fit in or who should go where. The result ended with Reed Sorenson, of all people, driving the No. 43 car — no offense to Reed, but that was wrong on many levels. 

Where it went right: Kahne proved he’s a top-flight driver by making the Chase in otherwise unremarkable equipment. If he could have the equipment of a Jimmie Johnson, he’d be running at the top of the standings every week. Unfortunately, he was the only real highlight of the season for RPM.

Where it went wrong: Nobody else ran particularly well in 2009, with Elliott Sadler and AJ Allmendinger posting disappointing results, and Sorenson going almost nowhere at all. Kahne also took several not-so-veiled shots at RPM, indicating he’d be looking elsewhere when his contract ran out.

Prospects for 2010: The team is cutting to three cars, with Sorenson out the door and Allmendinger taking over the 43. Dinger has some game, and with the right equipment and crew could actually start moving up in the world. The jury’s still out on Sadler, who’s run reliably but not spectacularly for years now. And Kahne, unless things change in a hurry, is out the door at the end of the 2010 season.

Next up: Richard Childress Racing

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