So, unless you’ve been living in a cave, you know Gillett- Evernham Motorsports merged with Petty Enterprises and Elliott Sadler suddenly finds himself back in the “19″ and AJ Allmendinger is running part-time in the #10 and Reed Sorenson taking the wheel in the legendary “43″.
ARE YOU SERIOUS??????
You know what I’m thinking if I’m working for these guys? When pay day rolls around, I’m running like a bat out of Hell to get to the bank and get my check deposited before any more goofy crap happens. That’s what I’m doing.
If I’m A.J. Allmendinger, I’m thankful I haven’t signed anything yet, and I’m hoping
like heck I can secure a ride somewhere else because it sure seems some folks really have their heads stuck in an uncomfortable place around this garage.
Let’s get a couple of things straight: I get the fact that no NASCAR teams gives a rat’s pa-toot about my opinion. I’m also happy for Sadler, because the guy’s getting married, he’s a stand-up guy and he’s gonna be able to keep doing what he loves doing. It sucks to be unemployed (speaking from experience).
With that disclaimer out of the way, I ask the question of this newly re-formed race “organization” (isn’t that kind of like “counter-intelligence”?) DO YOU HAVE ANY FREAKIN’ CLUE WHAT YOU’RE DOING??? This move tells me tells me the original decision wasn’t thought through very well. You don’t reverse field on a high profile personnel decision like this, unless you got to reading the fine print and said “Ooooooh.” If I’m a sponsor, I’d be demanding some accountability from the team over the course of this season, because I’m starting to ask some serious questions about this team’s ability to manage my investment if this is any example of how they handle things.
Here’s hoping everything works out for the drivers in question. Heaven knows this isn’t really Elliott’s or A.J.’s fault. They just want to drive.
Is Tommy Baldwin Crazy? No. Not in my opinion. He’s absolutely right. If you have your financial ducks in a row- this is a GREAT time to roll a new team out there. Suffice it to say, other than his start up costs, he’s not saddled with the baggage from seasons past that existing teams are, and you know the former Ward Burton crew chief knows what a winning team looks like.
I think he knows what he’s doing and he understands the risks involved. I’ve got to wonder what’s going to happen with the #22 ride. It’s looking like Dave Blaney will hop into Baldwin’s ride.
Have you been following the exploits of Todd Bodine in a bobsled, or Robby Gordon in the Dakar Rally? That looks like serious fun.
Quote For The Day: This from NASCAR Essential by David Poole and Jim Mc Laurin.
When Bill France Sr. asked Junior Johnson why he wasn’t going to run a full-time schedule (something Junior never ever really did), Johnson said, “I told Mr. France that I was involved in racing, but I wasn’t committed to it.” When asked to explain the difference, Johnson replied, “I said, ‘Well, it’s like having bacon and eggs for breakfast’” he said. “That chicken is involved. But that pig? He’s committed.”
Photo credits: Elliott Sadler by Reg Edit Man, Allmendinger by PT1278, Baldwin by huskie25, and Johnson by Southern Foodways Alliance. All of these and more may be found at flickr.com.
