Can These Drivers “Reset” After Break?

by Jim on March 17, 2010 · 0 comments

In 2009, a well-respected driver found himself in a real hole after four races and the break before Bristol. After a respectable top 20 finish at Daytona, disaster struck with consecutive 40th place finishes at Fontana and Las Vegas, compounded by a 31st place run at AMS. All of that to say, the veteran driver found himself in the gut-wrenching realm of the “go or go home” neighborhood.

It seemed like a shame. After all this top-caliber driver was in the twilight, recently signed with a new team, leaving his fans thinking he might have a shot at an elusive championship. The script wasn;t playing out.

The driver? Mark Martin. Fortunately, he got hot after a win at Phoenix and he pulled off a second-place run in the standings that found him eager to come back for more this year. Likewise, 2009 rookie Joey Logano also got off to a tenuous start, before his growth, combined with the talents of his team and the resources of Joe Gibbs Racing vaulted him in to a 20th place finish for the season.

So, out of the drivers hanging out around NASCAR’s “Mendoza Line”- 35th place- are most likely to pull out of it? Which ones are in real danger of missing races?

Let us take a look….

No Serious Worries

Thanks largely to skill, 2000 champion Bobby Labonte (30th) should largely be able to manhandle his TRG ride out of the mire and muck. The same could be said of JTG Daugherty/ MWR’s Marcos Ambrose (28th). Thanks to skill AND equipment, the force is with Ryan Newman (29th).

OK, Barring the Unforeseen

The following drivers SHOULD be o.k., that is, unless bad fortune or finances renders them stuck in the garage. Penske teammates Sam Hornish, Jr. (31st) and Brad Keselowski (33rd)  had best hope no one named Jimmie Johnson or Denny Hamlin feels the need to settle old scores. They have the skill- Hornish being a former IRL champ, and Keselowski has certainly shown no fear of running with the big dogs. On the other hand, a payback or one false could really set them back. 

Travis Kvapil (32nd) and Mike Bliss (34th) are NASCAR survivors. There’s some questions concerning equipment, and yo always have to wonder if there’s enough finances to weather the storm, but no question, both have done great jobs in the past of being able to wheel a clean car home.

David Gilliland (37th) and Max Papis (38th) seem to always to get their cars in the show somehow. Rookie Kevin Conway (40th) has managed not to embarrass himself, other than the fact his sponsor gets him a few snickers.

Looks Like Trouble

Robby Gordon’s (36th) 43rd place finish at AMS couldn’t have come at a worse time. The racing jack of all trades has managed to cobble together a good enough car to survive these past several seasons with spit wads and and duct tape, but a fan can’t help but be a bit concerned that the times have caught up with him.

Road racing ace Boris Said (35th) may represent Gordon’s best shot at a return to the top 35. Like “Flash,” you know the skill is there, but the “26” car has been consistently among the slowest all season long.

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Bench Racing Down Memory Lane

by Patrick Reynolds on March 16, 2010 · 3 comments

The past four years in the late winter and early spring Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville, NC has hosted the Legends Helping Legends Fundraiser. Proceed from the day go to help someone in need that has made an impact on the world of motorsports. The stories traded on the day help keep the sport’s history alive and paint a colorful picture of the characters that laid the stock car foundation.

Announcer Bill Connell, Nationwide star Sam Ard, and famed crew chief “Suitcase” Jake Elder have benefited from the previous three events. This year Rex White lent his name to the program. White was the 1960 champion of what is now NASCAR Cup racing and was named to the 50 greatest drivers’ list in 1998.

A difference to this year’s benefit is that White is in good shape both in health and finances. The Hall honored him and the day was used to contribute to a community fund assisting past racers and not just one individual.

Among the drivers meeting fans were Bobby Allison, Carl Long, Travis Kvapil, Ronnie Thomas, and Cecil Gordon. Mechanics included Lou LaRosa, Waddell Wilson, Billy Nacewicz, and Travis Carter.

But it was from a section of journalists who gathered and donated their time that I enjoyed some tremendous racing tales. Steve Waid and Tom Higgins sat next to each other along with Ervin Brooks, whose dad Earl was a former Grand National driver.

Waid shared the fact that he and Ken Squier had recently filmed a documentary in Daytona about Bill France Jr. I asked a little further about Squier and how he is passing his time. I used to hear his voice on racing broadcasts often as I grew up.

Squier spends a lot of time in Vermont, with the Daytona SPEED programming being one of his few television appearances each year. And as with the Squier subject, inevitably the 1979 Daytona 500 comes up. Squier held the CBS anchor position for that historic racing telecast.

Higgins recalled his view of the race’s finish. He was in the press box, which was even with the top row of the grandstands. As the famous Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash unfolded, the crowd stood up and blocked the media’s view.

Most couldn’t see but were yelling “Richard’s (Petty) going to win it.” Higgins explained that a TV monitor had been installed in the press box for the first time. He said, “I’m waiting for the fight.” No sooner had he uttered the words than came Squier’s famous CBS quote “And there’s a fight!”

That story led to another great one from Brooks, the type of tail that is woven into the lore that is NASCAR.

Yarborough was driving for Junior Johnson when he made the final-lap passing attempt on Allison. Hoss Ellington owned the car that Allison drove. Both sets of owners and drivers lost the Daytona 500 and a pair of racecars. There were hard feelings.

Following the race however a promise was kept. Ellington drove north from Florida to his home in South Carolina. And he gave a ride to none other then Cale Yarborough, the man who tangled and crashed with Ellington’s car.

Ellington had promised the lift to Cale and his wife Betty Jo before the race began. After the race, the drive home was a very quiet and tension filled. Yarborough even asked if he could drive the car. To which Ellington turned around with gritting teeth and repeated the question angrily and rhetorically.

But Ellington was a man of his word and the Yarboroughs had their ride.

Days like this serve a purpose. Racers gather to raise money for fellow racers in need. But if I can catch some living history that isn’t written about in the record books, I am a fortunate beneficiary also.

(Patrick Reynolds is a former racing mechanic who is the co-host of the One and Done auto racing radio talk show Tuesdays at 11am ET on www.wsicweb.com)

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NASCAR’s 10 “Baddest” Dudes

by Jim on March 15, 2010 · 6 comments

My, how a race changes things. It may very well be that there’s a New World Order in the realm of NASCAR 2010, where the boys are allowed to “Have At It”- whether it be to get ahead or administer their own brand of vigilante justice.

Who, in today’s NASCAR, is the most likely to use his bumper and stir things up? In an earlier day, names like Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, or Robby Gordon may have come to mind. But what about now? The three just mentioned have aged, and arguably mellowed a bit over the years. Each now experience the responsibilities of ownership, which certainly has a way of making one see things differently.

Here’s my list.  This is in no way suggesting the following drivers are dirty by nature, or that this is anything more than one fan’s opinion. You may have your own, and I’d be interested to know them. An old INXS tune surmised that every single one of us has “The Devil Inside,” so it may just be that every adrenaline junkie piloting one of these high speed missiles qualifies. Who knows?

When something hot is brewing on the track, I generally figure one or more of the following to be in the middle of it….

10. Matt Kenseth- Are you serious? Yes. Someone who knows from Wisconsin “back in the day” set me straight on the origins of the moniker “Matt The Brat.” According to this sage, Kenseth’s version of the “bump ‘n’ run” is more like the “touch and excuse me.” Ask Jeff Gordon if you need more information.

Kenseth’s tactics are more about gaining track position than retaliation. I mean, there’s not going to be this long list of guys he’s put in the wall intentionally. On the other hand, Kenseth was none too bashful about exacting a little revenge on David Gilliland a couple of seasons ago at Bristol. In true Kensethian form, He just delivered one swift blow, and moved on.

9. Kurt Busch- The years have taken some of the edge off, but his body of work earns him a spot. He’s mixed it up with Jimmy Spencer, Tony Stewart, his crew chief and even his boss.

He acts like a guy who genuinely tries to behave himself, but his competitive nature still gets the best of him at times.

8. Tony Stewart- The fire inside Smoke has gone from five to three alarm. Not wishing to commit sacrilege here, but to me, Stewart may be the one most like Ol’ Man Earnhardt in the garage. If something’s not right, you can count on Stewart to speak up. You may not always like how he presents what he says, but even his competitors offer him a place of respect.

He may not be engaging in the anger management class-inducing antics from days of yore. All “Billy Bad Butt” got from Stewart at Charlotte was a talking to. I’ll never forget how one NASCAR historian said “Tony Stewart has 12 personalities. Nine of them are intelligent and funny and the other three want to hit you in the mouth.”

7. Kevin Harvick- Oh yeah, he’s toned it down some, most of the warfare he conducts now is with his mouth. I’m not saying that’s all bad either. Harvick has had his little war of words with Carl Edwards that “Mr. Ed’” attempted to escalate, and Happy has even taken on his own boss over the radio.

Harvick is not unlike Tony Stewart in that it’s not what is said, but how it’s said. Harvick has offered up his own biting commentary about drug testing in NASCAR, and he wasn’t shy in opining about Edwards’ fine in comparison to some of the penance he’s paid.

6. Robby Gordon- Fans won’t forget soon Gordon’s little deal with Marcos Ambrose in the Nationwide Series race up in Montreal. It was also “Flash” who initiated the contact with Joey Logano at Watkins Glen to trigger the “stupid is forever” comment.

He doesn’t run up front enough in Cup racing to mix it up like he used to, speaking something to the fact he picks his battles now. These days, given his precarious place in the points standings, I don’t think we’ll see much aggression until he rectifies that situation.

5. Brad Keselowski- Is he a hard charger, or indiscriminate? A dirty racer? No, but it sure seems like any car he’s in is in the middle of something. More than anything, he has EARNED his place on this list, because he is the kind of guy you have to be aware of it’s the last lap, and he’s on your bumper. Is it a case of “bad” being good? 

4. Kyle Busch- Shrub is a little more calculated about his use of the chrome horn than those ranked ahead of him. His reputation has as much to do with his squabbles with his crew chief over the radio as they do with any racer-related conflict.

This is just an opinion, but it’s mine: Busch cares more about what fans think than he’d have us believe. Think about his comments on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s popularity. I detect jealousy there. By the same token, I give him credit for having a sense of humor between the mock cheers and bows.

3. Denny Hamlin- If there’s contact somewhere, there’s a good chance the #11 of Denny Hamlin’s in it. To be fair, sometimes the “incidents” he’s been in have been due to misjudged clearance, but don’t tell David Reutimann that. Whether or not “Beak” is still “mad as heck” remains to be seen.

Not only is he not shy about using his front bumper to advance a position, Hamlin has also demonstrated viz a viz his run-in with Brad Keselowski, that he’s not shy about spinning someone. You get lots of raw emotion with Denny Hamlin, it’s alternately good and bad.

2. Carl Edwards- Perception is everything where Cousin Carl’s image is concerned. If you really think about it, nothing about Edwards has really changed that much.

Edwards has beaten doors with Dale Jr., he’s traded paint with Kyle Busch, and then there was that feigned punch at HIS OWN TEAMMATE. In a way, Carl Edwards is the Tony Stewart of the Blue Oval set. You can just imagine the little angel sitting one of Mr. Pepsodent’s broad shoulders, and a little stinker of a devil on the other. To his defense, he says he’s just standing up for what’s right. The problem for Edwards is if you throw a rock at him, he’ll retaliate with a bazooka. You race him hard, he’ll race you harder.

1. Juan Pablo Montoya- Here’s what sets the man apart. JPM is the one guy who doesn’t give two hoots about what any other driver or fan thinks of him. He’s taken on everyone from Kevin Harvick to Kyle Busch, and heck, even his own brand new teammate, Mr. Sensitivity himself- Jamie Mc Murray. Other drivers say they don’t care, though other comments they make betray that. Juan Pablo Montoya suffers not the burden of sainthood.

The dude has habanero sauce flowing in his veins, and being more competitive has made him, well…more competitive. What Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are to other fans, Montoya is to me. My guilty pleasure. I think his fire and passion is good for the sport.

Let’s just hope he doesn’t have to slip into “points racing” mode to get in the Chase. JP was too quiet last year.

HONORABLE MENTION- On any given day, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are worthy of consideration. There was a time Gordon would put his own grandmother in the wall if she were in the way of a win. Johnson? Just ask Kurt Busch, circa Sonoma, 2009. Clint Bowyer has a certain subtlety about moving objects out of his way, and he’s also not bashful about sharing a negative opinion of a fellow competitor from time to time. Just ask Michael Waltrip.

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