Over The Wall

Will Work for Food

By: Dennis Terry

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I’ll be making the Labor Day weekend trip to California Saturday morning with Michael Waltrip’s 00 team and driver David Reutimann…  hopefully!  That all depends on qualifying results since Reutimann is not guaranteed a starting spot in the race.

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After getting axed from my 2007 team at JGR last week, the MWR guys offered me a week to week spot changing front tires for their Dominos Pizza/Burger King Toyota.

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Pizza and Whoppers!!! My 2007 season just might work out after all!

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Now, my new team is “probably” not going to make the Chase this year and we might not even qualify for all of the remaining 12 races, but they’ve got a super pit crew and a great program at MWR and I’m happy that I’ve got an opportunity to finish out the season with this team.

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With only 12 races remaining in 2007, it’s pretty tough to find a gig as a tire changer.  All of the top teams have got their pit crews set by now and the smart teams aren’t making any changes heading into the Chase.   Most of the teams not in the Chase are focusing on next year and not looking for anything new either.

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So, I negotiated a sweet deal for free Pizza and Whopper value meal coupons from MWR in exchange for taking care of their front tire changing needs.

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Last week was a tough week to say the least.  We spent three days in the Michigan rain and when we returned on Wednesday I was summoned to a meeting with our Athletic Director and Crew Chief where I was told that my services were no longer need by Joe Gibbs. 

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It was a “business decision” intended to strengthen the “future organization of the company”.  This wasn’t a decision that was “performance based”, but a “business decision” with the intent of making the JGR pit crews “in-house guys only”.

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At any rate, as a contract pit crew guy I was out.

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The issue is, as a contractor, my contract was for the entire 2007 season.  So, getting axed with a third of the season left was unexpected to say the least.  JGR will pay out the remainder of my contract IF I DON'T get another job with another team, but I'm not the type to just sit at home on Sunday's either.

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It’s kind of like Home Depot coming to Joe Gibbs and saying, “Hey, we know that there are still 12 races left in our 2007 sponsorship contract, but one of the guys that works in the Home Depot head office is starting up a race team, so we’re going to sponsor him for the rest of the season.  No hard feelings, this is just a business decision.”

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So, like a lot of other OVER THE WALL issues that Trent and I discuss on our blog, this one too has several angles.  Do you think that NASCAR teams who sign contracts with pit crew guys should honor those contracts through the entire season??? Or do you think that as a “contract tire changer” getting the boot is just part of the business???

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Business is business especially in NASCAR and you can't take it personal.  Although, there is a difference between good business and bad business, and where you draw the line between the two is always a matter of personal opinion.

DT

A better Birstol or not

This weekend was good for both the 2 and 12.  Both teams had solid finishes and ran well all night.  I couldn't help think during the race that it just didn't seem like the old Bristol.  The overall racing was better but the action wasn't the same.  I might be out in left field on this one but it didn't feel like the intense racing that I was used to seeing.  The cautions were few and the excitement just wasn't there.  Its just my opinion but I would be curious what you guys thought.  Oh well, it s off to Cali.

Weekend Off for DT

By: Dennis Terry

I won't be making the trip to Bristol this weekend for the Food City 500.  Joe Gibbs decided to reorganize our FedEx pit crew again.  This time the changes ended with me getting ousted from my 2007 team.

Just three races before the Chase begins I find myself a free agent looking for a week to week gig to finish out the 2007 season.  There are several opportunities for me in good solid programs for the 2008 season, but it's important to me to finish up this season back on pit road.

Sure, we have contracts and professional commitments, but those agreements are only as good as the paper that they are written on and the integrity of those who sign the paper.  So, in the end, a "contract guy" like me often ends up the sacrificial lamb.

So, I'm taking the weekend off to enjoy some R&R at home and a last minute vacation courtesy of JGR.

DT

Groundhog Day

By: Dennis Terry

Have you ever watched the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day?   

Bill Murray plays weatherman Phil Connors who is stuck reliving the same day over and over and over. 

I thought I was stuck in that same comedy during our three days of Michigan rain.

Instead of waking up in a Pennsylvania bed & breakfast to Sonny & Cher and nice fluffy snow on the town square, I was startled from a deep sleep by the Comfort Inn wake up call and about three inches of rain in Toledo, OH!

For pit crews, we pretty much have the same work load whether it rains or not.  We have to prep the tires, glue lug nuts, set up the pits and make sure everything is race ready no matter what the weather looks like.  If the rain does stop, NASCAR will start the race ASAP and we have to be ready for anything. 

Once NASCAR cancels a race we have got to clean up, tear down and pack away everything.  This process was repeated every day for three days in Michigan.

The good part about rain delays, just like Groundhog Day, you have the opportunity to get to know your teammates a lot better. 

For instances, on the FedEX crew we have our own Ned Ryerson, Heath Cherry.  Heath Cherry is our rear tire carrier and Heath also works in the JGR Marketing group in some unknown capacity.  Mr. Cherry is well-educated from Lenoir Ryan College (alma mater of the infamous Trent Cherry).

Heath was a stand out football player, graduated at the top of his class, respected by his peers, a natural leader, blah, blah, blah...

During one of the rain delays our esteemed tire carrier Heath, decides that he needs to dry off his wet gloves.  He tossed them into the team microwave (the same microwave that I use to warm up Denny Cakes) and "cooked" them for two minutes. 

It worked well too!!! The gloves were about half dry.  So our well-educated, Lenoir Ryan graduate deduces that if two minutes got the gloves half dry then two more minutes will get them fully dry.

WRONG!!! 

About 30 seconds into the second drying cycle we noticed smoke and fire coming from the microwave.  No kidding, real fire with flames, smoke and everything! Needless to say, once we got the fire extinguished and the smoldering gloves out of the microwave the hauler had to be evacuated because of all of the smoke and the stink.

The entire team was standing out in the rain watching the smoke pour out of our hauler and the only commentary we got from Heath was, "Hummm, I thought those gloves were fire proof!"  I think that Ned Ryerson was an insurance salesman in the movie… how appropriate!

DT

Racial tension

  During the red flag at The Glen I saw something I've never seen before.  In the crowd in front of our pit it looked like a dam soccer game.  There must have been 10 Columbian flags waving and a racial fight was breaking out.  This was all part of the wreck between Harvick and JPM.  Apparently there were a host of JPM fans that bought tickets all together and were chanting his name and taunting the other 20,000 red neck fans sitting around them.  The next thing I know there s a rumbling going on and I see a confederate flag waiving right in the middle of the Columbian flags.  After a couple of minutes of pushing and shoving it all broke up and the fans were back to watching racing.  It was a good humor break for the team seeing as we weren't running all that great.  Its off to Michigan and hopefully we can get a good finish.

Juan Tyson Ali

By: Dennis Terry

Another great road course race! And another great finish for JGR! We finished second (the first loser), so the highlight of my day was watching the slap-fest between Harvick and Montoya. What a couple of grandmas!

I've said it before and it still holds true... if you are bad enough to jump out of a race car and get up in someone's face, then don't be a Gordon and leave your helmet on!!! Those two looked like a couple of 7 year old school girls fighting over their Barbies. And where are the Allison and Yarborough fans on this? Harvick sure has mellowed from his days of leaping race cars and choking Greg Biffle. Am I wrong here???

I'm just not sure which of those two looked the most ridiculous. Watkins Glen is the new Bristol? Well, not quite, but at least we've got some good race'n and a good girl fight.

Congrats AGAIN to the 20 crew!

DT

A different situation

  With only five races to go our 12 car is sitting 90 points out of 12 and 120 + out of 11th.  Here's the problem, in order for us to get in we need the 1,8,and 2 to have bad races.  Its hard going to the track and watching our teammate win the race and then realize that they are the guys we are competing against for the chase.  Now, ideally we both can still make the chase.  DEI is having the same problem, its coming down to teammate against teammate to see who makes it and who doesn't.  I still pull for the 2 car every race and hope they do well, but you have to be kidding yourself if you think it going to be easy to watch your teammate get in and you watch from the side.  Now, there is still a lot of racing to be done and I personally think that its going to be a four team race that comes down to Richmond to see who gets in and who doesn't.  This weekend will be a huge factor in the fact that anything can happen on a road course.  I know all the drivers can drive well at road courses but with all the road specialist that are going to be there it might throw a wrench in things.  I guess all we can do is finish well and see where the rest of the guys end up.  Either way I think its going to be an interesting Penske vs. DEI race to the chase.  Its time to put up or shut up so we better get going. Holla.

Robby Gordon was still wrong

By: Dennis Terry

I think that Robby Gordon should have restarted Saturday's Busch race in Montreal as the leader of the race.  The ESPN replays clearly show the yellow flag waving BEFORE Ambrose spun Gordon.

However, what I think doesn't influence the outcome of races.  NASCAR does not use ESPN replays to determine driver positions under caution... maybe they should? 

NASCAR uses "scoring loops" installed at various points in the track.  For instance, most 1.5 mile oval tracks have approximately six loops installed at equal intervals (that’s my understanding).

Since this was a Busch series race, on a road course track and in another country, I don't know what sort of scoring loop interval NASCAR had in place.  BUT, regardless, NASCAR determined that Gordon was to restart the race in the 13th position which brings me to my point.

NASCAR made the wrong decision, but NASCAR rules are still rules (I know, I opened the door with that one - but humor me this time).  NASCAR is the boss, they made the call for Robby to restart the race in 13th position and that's what he should have done regardless of what he and the rest of us thought.

I appreciate Robby's passion and competitiveness and I can offer the guy some sympathy for getting screwed in the whole deal, BUT in professional sports as with most every other aspect of our lives, we are expected to behave like adults even when we get dealt a bad hand.

Obeying the rules is a significant part of growing up and being a man.  Obeying the rules is also a significant part of having a successful racing career. 

You just can't throw a temper tantrum and ignore officiating whether you are right or not.

I think NASCAR stands out above all other professional sports because they hold their drivers to higher expectations than the NFL, NBA, etc.   If NASCAR had not suspended Robby, what message does that send to the kids (and a lot of adults) who idealize these drivers???

NASCAR made the wrong call for scoring Gordon in 13th place, but NASCAR made the right call to suspend him for disregarding the rules of the sport. 

DT

What a Busch Race!

By: Dennis Terry

I would have never guessed that I would be talking about exciting NASCAR racing on the weekend of Pocono.  I also wouldn't have bet much money on an exciting outcome for a Busch race, a road course race or a Canadian race. 

But, combine all of those and toss in a fired up Robby Gordon, an unheard of Canadian (Patrick Carpentier), a couple of rookies and Kevin "I'm gonna wreck the whole damn field" Harvick and you get yourself one of the best races of the year and the most exciting finish in recent memory.

The only thing missing in this mix was Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch blaming each other for not winning and trying to pronounce "Carpentier" in their post race interviews.

Congrat's to Harvick for the victory and congrat's to Canada for a great track and congrat's to NASCAR and ESPN for not screwing it up.

Now, if everyone can stay awake in Pocono long enough to make it to the end of the race, maybe NASCAR and ESPN can make it two in a row. 

Too bad Carpentier isn't going to be in Pocono... but Gordon will (MAYBE?)!

DT

Short week

  We ran, we wrecked, we sucked, what more do you want me to say.  I Guess thats what I get for talking crap about Dannica.  I was at the steak and shake before the half way point in the race.  At least the food was good.  Maybe this week I'll have something better to talk about.  As far as the Tony and Havick thing goes, I think Harvick is right.  Tony cries when someone races him hard, but when he does it, its OK.  The only thing wrong with Harvicks quote was that Tony didn't really do anything.  He raced him pretty good I thought.  Either way that's my take.  Holla back