Kathy's Pit Stop

Happy New Year!

I wanted to wish everyone who reads the blog

Questions we should have answers to once the season begins

There will be many questions answered once the 2008 begins, not necessarily answered with the Daytona 500, but I think it will still be fairly early on in the season that the answers will be revealed.

Will Jr. win races and a championship at his new home? - I think Jr. will win at least one race in the 2008 season, championship?  Who knows, but I think as long as he's happy where he is and he's winning races, I think his fans will be happy.

Will Toyota finally win their first Cup race after a rocky start last season? - I think it's a good possibility this will happen sometime this season.  With Gibbs moving over and giving help to the Toyota teams, I think it will help them get on the right track.  I think when Toyota does win, it'll either be a Gibbs driver or Vickers though.

Will Kahne and Biffle turn their luck around? - Last season both drivers didn't do well at all and had lots of problems, the year before, they both did great, with these two it's hard to say, but I hope to see both of them back to their winning ways.  Let's just hope they don't start calling Biffle "The Biff" again.

Will the COT have better racing this season? - Well, with this one, we can only hope.  I sure hope the Daytona 500 doesn't turn out to be anything like the Dega race.  If they put on another show like that, fans will start jumping ship in droves.

Will the open-wheelers prove to be contenders? - This one I don't think so, at least not right off the bat, they have a lot of learning to do and a little practice in a stock car does not make a NASCAR driver.  Let's just hope they're not all like Montoya, there was a lot of wrecking involved with his learning.

Will the new Gibbs trio get along? - I think if they all stay out of each others way, things will run smoothly, but with three guys who are hot-headed as they are, it just might make for some interesting blogging this season.

Yours thoughts?

Daytona Testing Coming Up

Daytona testing is just around the corner, less than two weeks away and then we'll be able to catch a glimpse of the cars back on the track.

SPEED has announced their broadcast for the Daytona testing schedule, which amounts to thirty minute recap shows of testing, which is better than nothing ...

• Jan. 7 - 10: Cup testing shown at 7 PM EST.
• Jan. 11:  Craftsman Truck testing at 7 PM EST.
• Jan. 14 - 17:  Cup testing at 6:30 PM EST.
• Jan. 21 - 22:  Nationwide testing at 7 PM EST.

Other shows offered by SPEED for the month are ...

• Jan. 23 - 25:  Sprint Media Tour
• Jan. 28 - 30:  Testing from Las Vegas
• Jan. 31 - Feb. 1:  Testing from Fontana
• Feb. 4 - 6:  2008 Team Previews

At least SPEED will give us something to watch while waiting for the season to start.  I'm sure most of the "talk" will be of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and how they think he'll do over at HMS, HMS domination of the series last season, Toyota and all the crew chief changes that happened.  With the shows only being thirty minutes long, I'm sure there will be plenty of teams that don't get coverage, especially the smaller teams.  Hopefully it's not completely dominated by Dale Jr. and HMS, there are a lot of other teams and drivers out there that deserve coverage too.

Your thoughts?  Will you be watching?

Merry Christmas to all NASCAR fans

I want to wish all the fans that visit the blog a very Merry Christmas and hope that Santa leaves you all the NASCAR presents you wish for.

Here's a little something I'm sure you've all seen around the web before...an oldie, but goodie.

A NASCAR Christmas

Twas the Race before Christmas
and all through the track
Each driver was ready to make his attack.
The tires had been stacked  by the pit crew with care
With hopes none of them would run out of air.

The drivers were belted all snug in their seats
Where visions of checkered flags looked mighty sweet.

When out of the infield there rose such a clatter
The crowd sprang to their feet
to see what was the matter.
What sight met their wondering eyes as they rose
Twas Rusty Wallace punching somebody's nose.

With eyes like the eagles the spotters they came
And they turned on their headsets
and called them by name
"On Spencer! On Petty! On Rudd and Jarrett!
On Cope! On Speed! On Ward and Jeff Burton!
At the top of the curve ran 'em into the wall!

Now gentlemen, start your engines all!"

More rapid than lightning the Iceman they flew
With a sack full of cash and the Winston Cup too.
And then in a twinkling there came to the front
The bright rainbow colors of Gordon's DuPont.

Then Bobby Labonte flew by in a flash
While Martin had a breakdown and Spencer a crash.
Then all at once with a rush and a roar
There came a new car they had not seen before.

From bumper to bumper it was painted all red
North Pole Toy Co. was the sponsor they read.
With a little old driver so lively and quick
They all said at once, "Hey, this must be a trick!

"A geezer like that shouldn't be driving here!"
"And why does his pit crew all have pointed ears?"
The next scheduled pit stop went kinda slow
For the old fellow stopped at each pit in the row.

He spent no time at all, but left gas and oil
A new set of tires, new tools for their toil.
He asked no endorsement, demanded no fee
And left only coal for the black #3.

Childress got on the com and said  Hey Intimidator..
Want to chew him up now, or sasve him for later?"
Dale spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
He gave him a nudge, then broadsided the jerk.

But the old guy escaped with a zig and a zag
And crossed over the finish line, right at the flag.
The old man drove straight up to victory lane
Grabbed up the trophy and drank some champagne.

Thanked all his sponsors and took the cash too
Stole a kiss from Brooke Gordon, and then off he flew
As he sped out of sight, one last cry did they hear,
"Merry Christmas to all, better luck next year!"

Kasey Kahne being sued for over $15,000 for Homestead incident

Kasey Kahne is being sued by Archibald Hutchison, the security guard he allegedly shoved to the ground, for in excess of $15,000 in civil court.

According to a Homestead police report, Kahne was attempting to access a restricted recreational vehicle parking lot on a golf cart after he finished driving his racecar when Hutchison stopped him and asked him for credentials. Kahne stated that he was a driver and didn't need any, then got out of the golf cart and tried to walk through the gate, the report stated. When Hutchison blocked the entrance and asked Kahne for credentials again, Kahne pushed Hutchison to the ground, according to the report.

Also according to the report, Hutchison hasn't been able to return to work since the incident.  I've read many articles on this and most say he suffered minor bruises and abrasions, but a NASCAR.com article has the guys lawyer saying he has a tear in his lumbar spine.  Even the police report stated he was treated at the facility at the race track for minor bruises and abrasions.  Hutchison is also claiming that he is getting blasted by NASCAR fans over this incident.

The lawsuit however states it differently, saying Hutchison suffered severe physical injuries, which I thought was interesting since everything else I read kept saying minor.

But the injuries, whether being minor or severe isn't the only thing Kahne is being sued for.  There is a laundry list, so to speak, of what Hutchison suffered...

• Bodily Injury
• Pain and Suffering
• Disability
• Physical Impairment
• Disfigurement
• Mental Anguish
• Inconvenience
• Loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life
• Aggravation of an existing disease or physical defect
• Activation of a latent disease or physical defect
• Expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment in the past
• Expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment to be so obtained in the future
• Earnings lost in the past
• Loss of ability to earn money in the future

OK, first of all, I'm not sure how severe his injuries were, the lawsuit states severe, but everything else, including the police report state that he was treated for minor bruises and abrasions, other than what the lawyer mentioned in the NASCAR article.  I was a bit surprised to see all the "charges", normally when you see a list like that in a civil suit, the injured party usually suffered from a horrific accident or a medical blunder, not a "shove".  The lawyer also keeps mentioning the fact that his client didn't suffer just physical injuries, but emotional injuries too.

Should Kahne have "shoved" this security guard?  No, he shouldn't have, but as to the lawsuit, it seems to be blowing everything out of proportion, especially when the only place it seems to state severe injuries is the lawsuit itself.

Your thoughts? 

NASCAR allows point switch for Hornish to ensure a starting spot

We saw it last season with the merger or DEI/Ginn, the #15 getting the points to be able to make the races.  Now we're going to see it again for 2008, NASCAR is allowing Penske to switch the points for Hornish, to guarantee him a spot in the first five races.  By switching the points, it makes Kurt Busch have to make it in on speed or use one of his Championship Provisionals. 

While some say big deal, I don't agree with this, of course I don't agree with the top 35 rule either.  I think each and every driver should make the race on time or go home, no matter who they are.

If I could make changes to qualifying, there wouldn't be anymore top 35 being guaranteed a spot, everyone would be required to make it in on time.  I would also change the Championship Provisional, I would make it where the only one that could use this would be last years Championship winner (in this case Johnson), but only allow two provisionals at max, all other times they would have to make it in on time. 

Other changes would be if a car fails pre-qualifying inspection, they don't get to qualify period, they just pack it up and go home.

Your thoughts?  What changes would you make to qualifying?

Johnson drops out of the Gilette Young Guns

Jimmie Johnson has dropped out of the Gillette Young Guns so that he can be marketed as a two-time champ and have a farther reach.  He wants to broaden his appeal beyond the track by using his on-track success as a marketing strategy.

It seems that even with his on-track success since breaking into the top series, he doesn't have the fan appeal that he would like.  He's not garnering the fans in the huge numbers like his teammate Jeff Gordon, or even other drivers like Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Sure, he has the Hendrick Motorsports fan base, but as an individual driver, he seems to be falling short of what they expected, even with his success.  While he is the fourth best-selling driver as far as merchandise, they expected more with his success and they seem to think a new marketing strategy will work.

I guess this goes to show that while winning is what they all go for week to week, it isn't everything with the fans.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. tops the merchandising market of current drivers and he didn't even have a win this season, in fact he had a horrible season, the other two ahead of Johnson are Gordon and Stewart.

I think the biggest thing that's holding Johnson back is personality, he comes off with an "I don't care" attitude and fans just don't like that.  Jr., while I'm not a fan seems to have the good ole boy personality and Stewart has the passion and fire, Gordon, well, not sure what the draw on him is exactly since I've never been a fan of his and all I hear about him is his wins and his record.

So, why hasn't Johnson garnered the hoards of fans that the others have?  If you go by merchandise sales, which the articles I read did, he's falling short even though he's had a success career in the Cup Series so far.  Is it personality?  Can he be marketed better to garner the number of fans that the others have?

Your thoughts? 

Old School Racing Champion's Tour - Will it give us some good old school racing?

This has been out for a while now, but there's a new series that's going to be running some races around the same venues as NASCAR does.  Old School Racing Champion's Tour is a new series to start in 2008, there will only be 10 races on the regular schedule, a "Last Chance" race and then a "Championship Race".  They will run on short tracks, that is tracks 3/4 mile or smaller, and be only 100 laps or less depending on the track. 

Eligible drivers are previous NASCAR Cup, Busch, Truck race winners, series champions from ARCA, CART and Indy Car, and previous Indy 500 winners that are not currently competing full time in any of the previous series. There will be 15 drivers competing in each regular season race and 20 drivers in the OSRCT Championship Races.

You can read more on the series here.  They even have a picture of one of the cars there now.

I think it sounds interesting and gives older drivers a chance to race when they still want to without the grueling schedule like other series, like NASCAR, has.  This allows them to prove, at a different level, that they can still compete and have fun.  Right now they have about 26 drivers listed, some you may recognize, like Phil Parsons, David and Larry Pearson, Geoff Bodine and Andy Hillenburg, just to name a few.  I think if you take a look at their list, there should be quite a few you recognize.

I guess the biggest question is how will it be received?  I think it sounds interesting, I think the during the week thing may hurt attendance though, other than locals, I don't think you'll have people traveling far to see one of these during the week.  If one was close to me, I'd go watch.

I think it would be great if they got some TV coverage though, haven't heard anything about that.  I think SPEED should take a look and see if they can get involved, I know lots of fans that would tune in to watch some old school short track racing.

Your thoughts?   

Craftsman leaving after 2008

Well, another one seems to bite the dust.  Craftsman announced today that they were leaving after the 2008 season, so we'll have yet another name change in NASCAR.  Craftsman has been the sponsor of the Truck Series since it started back in 1995, Sears will remain involved in the sport according to officials. 

Even though they are leaving, NASCAR doesn't seem too worried about finding a new sponsor for the series, in fact they are already in the process of setting up negotiations with interested sponsors, no word on who those sponsors are though.

Next season we will have two new names for the series, Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series and then in 2009 we will have a new name for the Truck Series.  I keep hearing change is good, but with all the sponsor troubles in the Cup Series and now the Nationwide Series with the exclusivity, it makes me worry a bit about what will happen with the Truck Series once a new sponsor comes on board.

I think no matter who sponsors the series, I'll probably still just call it the Truck Series.

Your thoughts?

France thinks Dale Earnhardt Jr. is to blame for bad TV ratings

Yes, you read that right.  Brian France, in his infinite wisdom thinks Dale Earnhardt Jr., with his winless season and troubles, is to blame for the drop in TV ratings. 

Now, I'm not a Jr. fan, but blaming one driver on the fall in the ratings is ridiculous.  Did some Jr. fans not watch because of Jr.?  Probably, but that is not the only reason for the drop in ratings.  I think Mr. France needs to rethink things.

"It would have helped if he would have been competitive," said France. "He didn't win an event and he certainly didn't make our playoffs. And that's unhelpful if you're trying to build ratings."

Well sure it would have helped the ratings more, the guy had a bad season, between blown motors and wrecks, but he's not the only reason ratings have fallen off. 

The introduction of the COT, which promised us better racing, the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports, single file racing at Dega and horrible TV coverage to name a few, are the reasons for the drop in ratings.  Yes, I'm sure Jr.'s bad season had some impact on the ratings, but all the other things contributed too.

"The storylines we talk about are driven by rivalries, driven by personalities, and they're also driven by dominance. Dynasties are all not bad for sports."

"Jimmie's in the early stages of what may be a dynasty. He's back-to-back champion in the stiffest of competition." 

France called Johnson "the Tom Brady of NASCAR," in reference to the clean-cut quarterback of the New England Patriots.

"He's a California good-looking guy that does everything perfectly," he said. "That's his style."

I definitely disagree with France here, Dynasties are not good for the sport.  If you've got one driver or one team doing all the winning, it's only going to make those fans happy and the rest bored.  How often have we heard this season referred to by fans as "The Jeff and Jimmie Show"?  I don't see how domination by one driver or team can help the sport.  Some may say that it makes the others try harder and that may be true, but it sure isn't going to help the ratings if you can already predict who is going to win.

I think the introduction of the COT hurt the ratings too, it didn't seem to do what it promised and it made for the most boring Dega race I've ever seen.  Some teams were behind on the COT because they didn't have the big bucks to do all the extra testing that teams like HMS and RCR did.  Now we're going to have the COT full-time, hopefully the Daytona 500 isn't the same as Dega was.

Changes to The Chase (12 in and seeding) probably had something to do with the drop in ratings too, most fans aren't too thrilled with it in the first place.  Also, the joke of qualifying too, with the guaranteed top 35 automatically in and everyone else fighting for those last 8 spots.

All of the above are reasons for the drop in ratings and I think France is just trying to come up with an excuse for the drop and Jr. seems to be the easiest thing to blame since he is the most popular driver.

Your thoughts?