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May 03, 2007
Another one gone at Michael Waltrip Racing
First it was Hyder with the Daytona 500 scandal, now Matt Borland gets the ax over at Michael Waltrip Racing. Borland was the crew chief for Ryan Newman last year and was Dale Jarrett's crew chief this season. I wonder if Borland is sorry now for leaving Penske Racing?
"Dale Jarrett wasn't happy, UPS wasn't happy, and we had to do something immediately," Waltrip said. "Originally, we had hoped that Matt Borland would take the role as the technical director, but he wasn't ready to come off the road. We need a technical director down the road, but it wasn't going to help us this weekend."
If Waltrip and Jarrett think getting rid of Borland will automatically help the team I think they are going to be in for a big letdown. All the Toyotas are suffering, not just Jarrett ,or MWR for that matter. The Toyotas seem to lack the speed of the other manufacturers, so it's seems like it's the equipment rather than the crew chiefs or drivers. You don't see Team Red Bull cutting people left and right and they're in the same boat as Waltrips team is, they are just struggling.
Maybe Borland and Jarrett didn't get along well, maybe they didn't mesh, but I think after they spent all that money luring Borland away from Penske, that they would have switched crew chiefs around rather than firing him.
Your thoughts?
May 3, 2007 in NASCAR | Permalink
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What I can't belive is they are still crying over the top 35...Dale had 6 free shots to drive his way into the top 35 and couldn't do it...Then they try to blame Nascar for the way they run Qualifying..He has had 6 more free shots than any other driver..
Its like Waltrip racing is blaming everyone else for their failures.
Posted by: charles | May 7, 2007 10:29:00 AM
How many crew cheifs is it now? Dale used to be a good driver, but the young guys and the set-ups have left him in the dust. He should have retired last year. Its a shame to see him eat crew chiefs and get the rep of being an ass. Time to fold it up and go into broadcasting.
Posted by: Jon Fast | May 5, 2007 10:13:49 PM
The car Benson is driving was built independently from MWR or any of the other Toyota teams. We know Mikey really hasn't proven that he is a top driver and Dale Jarret hasn't been on top of his game for a few years. I have never been a fan of Johnny Benson, but it will at least show that maybe Toyota shouldn't have strayed away from what worked for them in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Posted by: Jon | May 5, 2007 5:47:57 PM
yep--benson really made dj look bad, and so does mark martin. the guy takes weekends off comes back and runs top tens every week with a new team, crewchief, car, you name it.
Posted by: sunnycat | May 5, 2007 2:56:45 PM
All I can say is....JOHNNY BENSON QUALIFIED!!! "IT MUST BE THE DRIVER", said Darrell Waltrip.
Posted by: becki | May 5, 2007 2:41:05 PM
It would seem the success of Toyota in Busch is a result of the different compression ratio, wheelbase, and aero package. The cars are different ...pretty obvious. Mikey should of started out the season with just him and DJ, 2 car team, 3 cars is just pushing his luck. I really think the Toyota problem is in the handling, they seem to have enough horespower as evident by dyno tests. I look for next year to be totally different for MWR if he can survive this year without his sponsors booking on him. As for DJ and the CC issue, well there must be an ego problem somewhere along the line there.
Posted by: Dh | May 5, 2007 12:58:50 PM
Toyota didn't have success out of the blocks in Truck, it took a while and now they are class of the filed in many of the races. Now I really can't explain why they are doing so well in Busch and not in Cup, but they are in panick mode in Cup.
I agree with Eric, Mikey had a shot at qualifying and the car bobbled and he blew it. Most of us are in agreement that Mikey needs to get out of the car and turn it over to another driver and DJ, well he needs to hang up the gloves and helmet and fade away into the sunset.
Posted by: Jon | May 5, 2007 10:56:59 AM
The qualifying, 1 car teams, and bunch up the cars problems could all be solved by the following:
1) Fridays, qualify all cars 1 to 54. Then break the qual field by odd and even.
2) Sunday run two 50 lap or 50 mile heats, odds in #1 and evens in #2.
3) Take 15 or 20 (depending on track size) from each result, add a few NASCAR choices,
pair them up 1&1,2&2,3&3 then run a 200mi or 200 lap feature. Purse payoffs all around 1/4 - 1/4 - 1/2.
Everybody benefits. The fans see 3 close finishes, low funded teams have a shot and all their sponsors get air time. This also might stop the trend toward squeezing out the little guy owner, as is NASCARs intent.
Posted by: Modifieds Fan | May 5, 2007 10:52:31 AM
Nice job in qualifying by Mikey , he all but made the race until the last few hundred feet when he got loose and blew it again .
Posted by: Eric | May 5, 2007 9:10:15 AM
DJ's comments about his new cc are totally ridiculous, too--talk about trying to take attention off his record of running these cc's off his cars. According to him Jason Burdett has worked very hard to get this job, etc. etc. and he's getting it because he's very knowledgeable, blah, blah, blah. It ain't gonna help a thing. Yates knew what he was doing when he didn't match the MWR offer DJ got. Borland must probably be happy to get away from the whole deal--he'll land somewhere good, you watch.
Posted by: SneakyPete | May 5, 2007 8:28:53 AM
Les, I think you're right. At least I hope you are. Great point about Toyota and their crate motors.
I don't think I like this qualifying system anymore. Last week when MW was twentieth fastest and didn't make the race it seemed a bit unfair. I'd like to see all the "Go or go homers" set the fastest qualifying times some week. Watching Nascar send seven or eight of the fastest qualifiers home would be a riot!
I see DJ was totally pissed at being asked about how he went through twelve (!) crew chiefs in five years. Hey, that's only about two a year! LOL!
Ah, crap. Looks like Gordon's going to ruin another Sunday afternoon for me by running away with it.
Posted by: ron | May 5, 2007 2:34:45 AM
Lettin' Borland go was the wrong move. 4 out of the 7 cars that DNQ'd this weekend were Toyo's. This is a TOYOTA problem - not an MWR glitch.
Jesus - HOW do you NOT make the field at RIR? It's 2 things here (basically)...HORSEPOWER and handling. Aero is NOT an issue on this 3/4 mile biatch. Gear may be a factor, but that's a team thing that they know when practice is over. Everybody is on the same page as far as the handle, 'cause new car & all - so...
I don't think Toyota or NASCAR was ready for this car to run Cup.
What I don't understand...
How can they do so well in Truck and Busch... and Ruti, and Blaney make all (almost) of the Cup races...but nobody else can?
4 out of 7.
Toyota - the manufacturer, not the teams, better get their shit together - quick or their going to put a lot of hard earned careers in the frickin' toilet.
I think as much as these teams have an obilgation to Toyo - vice versa, mother*****r.
(but, then again - Johnny Q'd in a Toyota, so maybe MWR does have an issue!)
Posted by: the6and9 | May 4, 2007 11:19:09 PM
It looks to me like a panic move. But man, I would think sponsors had a little more patience. No new team starts winning overnight. Toyota will turn it around.
Posted by: Kurt Smith | May 4, 2007 6:45:49 PM
Toyota's dominance in the truck series will not carry over to the cup series. While Toyota just about drove the top teams out of the truck series with their money, they will not be able to do that in cup.
A more likely example is Formula 1, where Toyota has out spent every other team in the paddock and can, at best, still only manage a mid pack existence.
As far as a top cup organization going to Toyota, that is out of the question. Toyota provides crate motors to the teams. Successful teams develop their own motors, albeit with manufacturer assistance. But successful teams have a group of dedicated people building motors who are motivated to beat another group of dedicated people building motors.
After all when it comes to racing, its how a car handles down the straightaway that provides separation.
Posted by: Les | May 4, 2007 4:20:14 PM
Mike needs to concentrate on the org. and stop racing.
If the Toyota truck domination of the tool series is any indication, Toyota need only be patient and the Japanese engineers'll figure out the car and engine issues and in a short while the big three will be chasing the Setting Sun around the track.
Posted by: Jon2 | May 4, 2007 2:47:47 PM
Even the commercials ain't that good anymore. The one with Sammy Hagar doing "I Can't Drive 55" was unintentionally hysterical, though, when you look at what's happened with MWR.
Posted by: SneakyPete | May 4, 2007 7:36:52 AM
Get rid of a proven crew chief is a big mistake as chassis set up seems to be one of their main problems……Iam sure some you guys remember that the Toyota of DJ's dynoed at 20 hp more than the 48 car, so you know its not hp and they had the power to run with the big boys at dega. So why get rid a proven crew chief??? MW is in way over head and he cant concentrate it seems, which he always also couldnt so in a race, just ask the guys at DEI. He seems aloof and on TV is getting boring on Monday nite. His best performance of the year was that stupid story about his kid asking him if he cheated!!
It’s a typical sports team scenario u cant fire the team sothe GM fires the coach. Now all they got to do is like the WWE does and get some new valet/crew chief for DJ who should haven been retired 5 years ago.
Posted by: Aggie | May 3, 2007 11:35:55 PM
Poor Mikey, he makes a good TV personality, he may be a good business owner, but he sure isnt a driver. DW does better in the Petty Driving Experience and SPEED 1 cars than he does in a real car. Hire DW and Ned, at least they know what its like to not have everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Posted by: another joe | May 3, 2007 9:33:30 PM
Mikey only hired the washed up Jarrett to use his provisionals. Jarrett still makes a good comerical, but can't drive for crap.
Posted by: guarino | May 3, 2007 9:17:50 PM
Maybe Mikey should just fire himself .
Posted by: Eric | May 3, 2007 7:11:51 PM
True, true--Reutimann is getting the shaft at MWR, and he's the one that's done the best job, by far. Hammond said the same thing in his Fox column the other day. Same cars, same shop, same manufacturer. And why don't you see the other Toyota teams shit-canning their cc's, when they're having some problems, also? I wouldn't be surprised if Waltrip and DJ end up having a falling-out between them--two egos that big, it's bound to happen, as bad as they both look right now.
Posted by: SneakyPete | May 3, 2007 7:02:01 PM
John - Toyota should get a little more involved?!?!? They've set-up an office with engineers in MWR's shop! They've personally taken his cars apart piece by piece and gone over everything. They've taken eveything back to the windtunnel and run the new cars on the post-machine. I think Toyota is doing about everything they can! Maybe they shouldn't have hung their hopes on a mediocre (at best) race car driver! I admire Michael for starting his own team, but to take on 3 at one time, with the COT in the waiting, for a new manufacturer in the sport and 2 full time drivers that are either past thier prime (DJ) or who never had one (him) might be a little much don't you think?
Posted by: canucken | May 3, 2007 6:32:18 PM
Michael is one of my favorites. However, he should stop driving and devote his energy to running his race team. His sponsors are not going to stick around and see his cars not in any races. And, just maybe Toyota should get a little more involved.
Posted by: John K. | May 3, 2007 6:00:21 PM
Without Todd Parrott, DJ is a average driver at best.
Posted by: jeff | May 3, 2007 6:00:08 PM
JM has the same fate coming as MW if production doesnt start up...
Short Lady, Fatback will resurface real soon....
Toyota will in fact start shopping, they shot themselves in the foot with TV people, not drivers.Picked MWR , mistake, and Dj huge mistake.
Posted by: Kurt2 | May 3, 2007 5:36:50 PM
Ridiculous. As pointed out already Jarrett goes through Crew Chiefs like you and I go through toilet paper. He's clearly the problem, not the Crew Chief. Reuitimann is getting it done with the same cars, how come Jarrett can't. MWR is in serious trouble. They'll be down to two teams by seasons end and possibly looking for a sponsor for one of them. There is no way NAPA and UPS are going to stay around to stay home every weekend. Does anyone actually see Michael making a race this year? I don't.
Posted by: canucken | May 3, 2007 5:03:42 PM
I just get the feeling that it won't be long, two or three years, until Toyota is as dominant as Hendrick's Chevys are now. Look at what is happening in the truck series. I don't know how much effort the Toyota teams are putting into their Cup teams, I have a suspicion they might be playing possum to get some favorable rulings from Nascar. For now, Matt Borland should be pretty happy to be leaving a sinking ship. It will be interesting to see where Fatback lands. I'd like to see him reunite with Rudd at Yates. It would be nice to see another competitive team to go against the Hendrick squad and who knows? The Rudd/Yates/Fatback combination might be able to recapture some of their former competitive edge. Or they go down in flames, bigtime, again. But whatever with all that, I doubt we'll see the 44 car racing Saturday night. Or the 55. Or the 99. Or the Red Bull cars. Maybe Blaney and Mayfield.
Posted by: ron | May 3, 2007 4:20:14 PM
Kurt2
Do we see a Rudd,McSwain reunion coming?
Posted by: Short Lady | May 3, 2007 4:06:28 PM
I wonder if MWR is planning to hire Fatback. Hmmmmm.
Posted by: Barb G | May 3, 2007 3:59:33 PM
Maybe Toyota should start focusing on the others teams instead of just helping MWR.
Posted by: Kathy | May 3, 2007 3:57:46 PM
Well as usual with Dj its the crew chiefs fault. The only reason he got the car was soley for UPS.
Short Lady, that number of merry go round cause of him is accurate..Yes, at least Vickers and Blaney are making the grade
You could see something else coming soon since Fatback is not with the Wood Brothers as well.
Posted by: Kurt2 | May 3, 2007 3:43:33 PM
I do not know what Toyota's problem is but they have a large one.They have some good drivers.Blaney,Vickers and Reutimann are all good drivers.They are getting the job done in the truck series.
Dale is so well liked that I don't understand his crew chief problems.What is this,about 15 in five years?Sad.
Posted by: Short Lady | May 3, 2007 3:38:17 PM
Yeah, great plan! Don't suppose mikey ever considered that his cars were just plain crap? No? OK, then lets fire the crew chief, that's got to be it! Reminds me of AJ Foyt as a cup team owner.
Posted by: Bill | May 3, 2007 3:19:37 PM
Anyone have a guess as to the first race that UPS car misses? I'd bet on either this weekend (Richmond, one of DJ's poorest tracks) or Darlington.
Posted by: SneakyPete | May 3, 2007 2:56:37 PM
And this is supposed to be a surprise? Jarrett has been eating up cc's for so many years, I can't remember when he didn't go through at least three per season. I posted last year here that he would continue to do it with a Toyota team, also. And supposedly DJ asked for Borland after Penske made Borland the scapegoat for the Dodge problems at Penske. Changing cc's every three months is not going to solve the problem of a nearly 51-year-old guy who can't drive a loose racecar and really, can't drive today's setups, either. You wonder why anyone would be stupid enough to take the cc job on that 44 car, except for the big Toyota $$$$$$. Get it while you can, Jason Burdett. Sad.
Posted by: SneakyPete | May 3, 2007 2:53:44 PM
This was a panic move by Waltrip because he's having to give money back to NAPA everytime he misses a race and now that Jarrett is out of champion's provisionals and outside of the top 35 in points, Michael will be having to pay back money to UPS for every race that Jarrett misses, which will be a lot since he hasn't shown any speed in qualifying whatsoever this year.
The problem with Toyota is that they don't have any marque teams. All they have is Bill Davis Racing and a couple of start up teams. Their best driver is Jarrett and he's been past him prime for a few years now. None of their other drivers are even worth mentioning. Well except for Mayfield who did make the chase a couple years.
What they need to do is lure a big name team over in the offseason. Penske would be a good choice since he's been with Toyota before in open wheel, although I don't know if his contract with Honda in the IRL prevents him from having a contract with Toyota in NASCAR. No one from the Chevy camp is going to leave with all the success that they've had the past few years and I don't see Roush leaving Ford since he's their flagship team nor do I see EMS bolting Dodge since that's Dodge's flagship team.
But the fact remains that Toyota needs a marque team and a marque driver. The lineup they have right now isn't going to get them anywhere.
Posted by: Ken | May 3, 2007 2:51:29 PM
MWR is starting to eat its young. When Mike took David's crew cheif that was the first step. David's team was the only one qualifying for races. In fact he would have been in a couple of more races if Jarrett could have qualified on time, instead of taking the provisional.
Now Borland is to blame for the fact the Dale has been a crew cheif merry-go-round for quite awhile. Now that he will not be making races, is UPS getting the 300K per race refund?
At this rate, MWR will be paying the sponsors to not race. I hope Mike was not stupid enough to use his own money.
Posted by: Les | May 3, 2007 2:50:37 PM
Yup it official,I heard about as soon as walked thru the door! But im own opinion, both parties are for the better...I'm old school, and feel that a Crew Chief should have some seat time to know what a car is doing, Sure an engineering degree is fine and dandy, But racin' 3 wide anywhere is...not scientific
Posted by: Fan #5 | May 3, 2007 1:45:44 PM
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