Lug NutZ

I'm Otta Here!

By: Dennis Terry

Chicago was a great race (in person).  TV coverage and over commercialization hurt the show from home I understand, but in person, it was exciting.  It's always exciting from pit road and it being a Saturday night race made it that much more fun for me.

I love some Saturday night racin'.  I get to sleep late on Saturday, sleep late on Sunday and when 5:00 am Monday morning rolls around I feel almost like a normal person.

When the racing is good and the weather is as perfect as it was in Chicago (uh-hummmm, JOLIET) I really get excited.

Dale Jr. had a good finish.  His Hendrick teammates finished one and two and collected a nice little million dollar bonus from the race sponsor.  That was exciting.

Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson spent several laps rubbin' and racin'.  That was exciting.

Kyle Busch ended the race in the garage.  That was exciting.

Our Bass Pro Shops team ended our night with an 11.75 second pit stop on the last stop of the night.  That was exciting too!

No Cup racing next weekend and that's exciting for me too!  Of course, one weekend off in this business feels like a three week vacation in the real world.

I hope you and your family are enjoying the summer and have something nice planned for the race weekend off.  For me, I'm otta' here!!!  I'll be hitting the Carolina mountains for some long over due R&R. 

No 7:00 am workouts (sorry Walt), no protein supplements (sorry Jeff) and no last calls (sorry Micki).  If I don't make it back to practice next week, you can look me up at Twigs or Six Pence in Blowing Rock. 

DT

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What's Dale Jr. Going to Do?

By: Dennis Terry

 

The Cup series heads to Illinois this weekend for Saturday night racing in the Heartland. I like this track, it was built right in the middle of a corn field. Corn fields everywhere.

Chicagoland is NASCAR's own Field of Dreams.

In 2005, Dale Jr. won his only race of the year driving the number 8 Budweiser Chevrolet with a Major League Baseball paint scheme.

I haven't heard much about Dale Jr. since his crew chief change six weeks ago before the Dover race, but I've been watching him on the track and I haven't really seen any significant performance changes.

For once, I actually did a little internet research for my blog instead of just making it up as I go.

I found that for the twelve races of the 2009 season where Tony Eury Jr. was crew chiefing, Jr's average finish was 21.3.

In the past six races without Tony Jr. calling the shots, Dale Jr. has had an average finish of 21.8.

That was actually a big surprise to me! After six races with a new crew chief Dale Jr's average finish was pretty much the same.

I expected a new crew chief to immediately have a significant impact (either good or bad) on Dale Jr's performance, but these averages show no change in perform ace at all! At least with

respect to finishing positions.

I'm curious to your take on Dale Jr.'s performance.

DT

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Truex Teams With Waltrip

By: Dennis Terry

 

 

Martin Truex Jr. confirmed the garage’s worst secret of the year today.

 

For 2010 and beyond, he will be driving the number 56 NAPA Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing.

 

Waltrip will move closer to retirement as he races a very limited schedule in 2010 and in all likelihood, you will see (and hear) much more of him as an announcer.

 

Truex will be a strong component to MWR’s organization and he will fit into their program perfectly.  He brings talent, experience and a level of driver marketability that is just as hard to find these days as is a loyal sponsor like NAPA.

 

I would guess that this has been a difficult decision for Waltrip to turn over the reins of his flagship NAPA ride.  As a driver, he has really struggled ever since he left DEI to carry the Toyota banner in NASCAR, but he has remained one of NASCAR more popular personalities.

 

Waltrip paved the way for Joe Gibbs Racing’s defection from Chevy to Toyota  in 2007 and although MWR has yet to find the success that the Gibbs organization has, they have improved their performance significantly every year.

 

Truex will be the first of many changes that MWR makes in order to be more competitive on the race track and more appealing in their crusade for lucrative sponsorships.

 

Considering that I currently change front tires for Truex’s Bass Pro Shops Chevy, this move effects me and my pit crew too, but I’m just relieved to have everything out in the open now so that we can all get back to racing and not speculating.

 

What does this mean for the future of DEI and the future of Ganassi? Or sponsor Bass Pro Shops?  Your guess is as good as mine. 

 

More importantly, what do you think this move means for MWR and Martin Truex Jr. and who gets the better deal?

DT

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What Comes Around, Goes Around

By: Dennis Terry

Last week in New Hampshire our Bass Pro Shops team had great pit stops and ran strong in the top ten all day.

Just after the half way point of the race, Dale Jr. spun his tires on a restart and Kyle Busch crashed us and several other cars.

Yeah, it was "just one of those racing deals". But, it still hurts to get crashed out of a race when you are knocking on the door of a top five finish.

I would have just rather Kyle shown us and the rest of the guys a little more respect and courtesy, but "That's Racin'" so they say.

As a tire changer, I try to keep my emotions in check when it comes to incidents on the track that are out of my control. I can control my performance on pit road, but I shouldn't take what happens on the track so personal.

Sometimes I do take blown engines and needless crashes, like the one in New Hampshire, to heart, but losing your cool over situations that you cannot change is never productive.

That's all easier said than done!!! Especially when those on track incidents are caused by reckless and unprofessional behavior and especially when you are as competitive and driven to succeed as I am.

After Busch crashed us in New Hampshire, I just took the week off from work and went out to my farm for some fresh air and hard work in the Carolina sun.

I didn't think about racing, pit stops or Kyle Busch. I just focused on some R&R country style and cleared my head with some sweat therapy.

The week off felt good!

It also felt good to see Busch get a taste of the same frustration and disappointment that our team got in New Hampshire.

You never want to see anyone get hurt and this IS a very dangerous profession both on the track and on pit road, but a little karma, payback, revenge or whatever you think it was feels damn good to me.

What comes around goes around, Mr. Busch.

You are one of the greatest talents to ever sit behind the wheel of a stock car.

Your will to win and desire to race hard on every lap is unmatched, but your lack of respect and professionalism for your competitors is an embarrassment to the sport, your team and your sponsors.

In racing, as is life in general, there are losers, there are winners and there are champions. You are definitely no loser, Kyle Busch, but you have to do more than drive hard and be aggressive to ever be a champion.

DT

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Double File Re-Starts a Big Success

By: Dennis Terry

For the Pocono race, NASCAR implemented another rule change by mandating that race re-starts be double file with leaders up front and lap cars in the back. 

After three races at three very different tracks, I think that this rule has proved to be a brilliant move by NASCAR that has not only increased the competitiveness of racing, but most importantly has made race re-starts more exciting to watch.

At least, it's more exciting from my view on pit road.  I hope that you agree with respect to your view.

This is one of those rule changes that I watch and think, "why haven't we been doing this all along"??? 

When NASCAR implemented the "Lucky Dog" rule, I'll be honest, it took a long time for me to embrace.

Now, just after three races, double file restarts are as important to NASCAR racing as jelly filling and sparkly sprinkles are to doughnutz. 

I think NASCAR is doing a good job trying to provide the best competition possible, I wonder what their next rule change will bring?

DT

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Who Likes Road Course Racing?

By: Dennis Terry

You ask a race fan about his or her favorite track and they will quickly rattle off three or four venues that they never miss.  You usually hear Bristol, Talladega, Daytona, Charlotte or Richmond. 

Every once in a while you will hear Watkins Glen or Sonoma at the top of that list.  "Real racing!"  "The cars actually turn right!"  "It's just more exciting than left turns all day". 

I hear those statements all the time from fans at the track and in my social circles.

Although road courses do provide a welcome break from our weekly event of driving in circles, you will never hear me excited about a road race... especially a road race on the West Coast.

Turn this week's Infineon race into the "24 Hours as Sonoma" and I "might" change my tune.  I doubt it though. 

At least in Watkins Glen we do backwards pit stops to keep things interesting on pit road.

Traveling to "wine country" (use your best Robin Leach accent on that one) via San Francisco to do two pit stops just doesn't do it for me. 

Wine country??? I have just never seen the appeal of riding around to "grape farms" in the hot Cali sun.

I love to race.... I hate to travel.

I'm flying out of NC early Saturday morning and returning home (actually I'll be returning to my regular job as a landscape architect) on Monday.  This weekend will be the low point of my season.

The fact of the matter is that this is a 110 lap race with two pit stops and if the statistics are correct, the winner will be the guy who gets the best gas mileage and stays on the lead lap.

You are not going to see anybody winning the race off pit road, you most likely are not going to see a last lap pass for the lead nor will you see your favorite drivers racing three wide off the final turn for the checkered flag.

For those of you who list road courses on your favorite track list I hope you will enjoy a great race on Sunday... for me, I'm already looking forward to New Hampshire and Daytona, and of course, next week's jet lag.

DT

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The Race After the Race

By: Dennis Terry

 

The race isn’t over when the checkered flag drops and the victory lane celebration wraps up…. It’s just getting started for NASCAR teams. 

 

While most fans are picking wangs and chips out of the couch or scrapping the grill and bagging up beer cans, NASCAR teams have packed up and piled into rental cars for the race to the airport.

 

At NASCAR races, most teams fly in and out of a private airport near the track.  Sponsors, NASCAR executives, media as well as high rolling fans also use these airports causing a traffic jam of planes trying to get home.

 

When the race is over, we pack up our pit boxes, get the transporters loaded up, change clothes and get the hell out of Dodge!

 

This is not the time to be lolly-gagging around or shooting the bull with your pals.  Everyone is in an all out sprint to leave the garage and if you aren’t double-timing it, your butt will be left at the track (trust me on that one)!

 

The longer it takes you to get to your plane, the longer you are going to sit in line on the taxiway and the later you will be getting home.  Plus, if you are the last guy to the plane, chances are you are going to end up sitting beside some fat, smelly tire changer all the way home.

 

It’s also important to note that the first guys on the plane get their choice of pizza or sandwiches.  If you are the last guy on the plane you are going to be stuck with cold cheese pizza or the Pumpernickel sub sandwich that everyone else has tossed from seat to seat.

 

Sunday at Pocono was no different from any other race.  We packed up, piled into our rental car (NICE 2009 Suburban) and left the parking lot in a cloud of dust and shower of gravel.

 

When leaving Pocono, teams actually exit the track by taking a right turn at the end of pit road and driving backwards around the track to the exit at turn two.  Just imagine 250 rental cars racing backwards on the track trying to be first to the gate! 

 

Michigan, Daytona and Talladega also exit teams by sending them around the race track.  You haven’t lived until you have rode in a big white, fifteen passenger rental van on the high banks of Talladega with Mark "Hollywood" Armstrong driving.

 

As we left Pocono after Sunday’s race we were passed by a police escort taking about eight cars through traffic.  This escort had two motorcycle cops leading it and two motorcycle cops pulling up the rear making sure no one in the escort was left or that no other cars joined in.

 

We pulled over and let the dignitaries pass by as we were directed, then we fell into the back of the escort while the cops were arguing with some Kyle Busch fan who refused to yield the road.

 

Nice move!!!

 

We were “on the train” and passing cars stuck in traffic like they were….. well, stuck in traffic…  and this time we were doing it legally (kind of). 

 

As we were celebrating and arguing over who was going to get the exit row seats and the coveted seats in the back of our plane we noticed three more cars behind us had pulled the same maneuver and had successfully infiltrated the escort. 

 

Worst yet, all three cars behind us were our EGR teammates who were also racing to get on the first of two EGR planes home.  That was a pretty smart move on their behalf, especially for those guys who are NOT known for being the brightest lug nutZ in the box. 

 

And, by this time, several other teams had joined them turning our nice and cozy eight car escort into a convoy of about twenty rental cars and vans.

 

Luckily for us, at the next intersection the convoy slowed down to take a left turn while the State Police blocked all other lanes.  I handed one of the cops a Truex hat and thanked him for his service and I also took the time to let him know that we were the last car in the escort. 

He appreciated my honesty and as we sped off to the airport he and his buddies closed down the road and parked all the other teams in traffic where they belonged! 

 

I don’t know what time the other guys finally got home on Sunday night, but I am pretty sure that our rental car will have a flat tire when it comes time to leave Michigan this Sunday.

DT

 

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Pocono & Nashville

By: Dennis Terry

Two weekend races and two questions I have for Lug Nutz.

Pocono -  Yeah, yeah, yeah, Stewart won his first race as owner and that's what everyone is talking about, but he is one of the best drivers ever, so his victory was just a matter of time. 

What about double file restarts?  Pocono is one of the longest, uneventful series of left turns that we make on the schedule.  Pocono makes 500 miles seem more like 750 to me, but with NASCAR's new double file restart rule I thought it added a lot more racing with the leaders.

Can you imagine the nightmare of a race we would have had if NASCAR would have restarted the race single file after Denny Hamlin's first lap caution?  Nice job NASCAR.

Nashville - Kyle Busch dominates the Nationwide race, no surprise there, but in victory lane he smashes the Sam Bass guitar trophy Pete Townshend style.  Kyle wanted everyone on the crew to get a piece of the trophy, but it just barley chipped. 

What did you think?  Cool move or just another wacky Busch victory stunt?

DT

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Forbes Values NASCAR Teams

By: Dennis Terry

Forbes has released it's annual evaluation of NASCAR team values.  I've listed the top ten teams below along with their current values, projected revenue and operating income. 

I wasn't surprised to see Hendrick number one and Roush number two, but I didn't expect Richard Petty & Michael Waltrip to rank as high as they did.

Check out www.forbes.com for a more complete summation of Forbes report. 

Rank      Team                Current Value           Revenue       Income

1              Hendrick                       $350             $195             $15

2              Roush                            $270             $165             $10

3              RCR                                $167             $114              $14

4              Joe Gibbs                      $144             $94                $6

5              Richard Petty               $131             $88                $4

6              Penske                          $111              $82                $14

7              Michael Waltrip        $100              $70                $2

8              Stewart-Haas              $80                 $53                $9

9              Earnhardt Ganassi    $70                 $54                $2

10           Red Bull                        $55                 $44                -$2

 

Revenue - The entire amount of income before any deductions are made.

Income - The profit realised from a business's operations.

 

DT

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GM's NASCAR Future Questioned

By: Dennis Terry

General Motors has officially declared bankruptcy as speculated for months. 

Now the speculation turns to how an automobile company that has been an American icon on the street and on the track for almost a century can resurrect itself and return to success. 

More importantly, in the NASCAR world anyway, is how GM's bankruptcy will affect its NASCAR sponsorships and team support. 

Dodge teams are already feeling the pain of Chrysler's economic problems and although Rick Hendrick and other NASCAR leaders are confident in the continued support that GM provides NASCAR through it's Chevrolet brand, I'm not as optimistic.

True, NASCAR provides GM and the other manufactures with unprecedented worldwide marketing, but is the enormous expense of NASCAR exposure going to be justified as these companies try to rebuild their financial positions and their consumer confidence?

I think NASCAR is very important to GM and the other manufactures as they move forward with rebuilding and re-branding, but I'm afraid that NASCAR will have to face the reality that manufacture support will be limited in the immediate years to come.

DT

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