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July 07, 2006
Busch, Johnson and Car-litics on my mind
By Mike Harper
Finally it’s happened! I said in my column (1-2) from May 06 about Buschwacking, "I know realistically nothing is going to change (in the Busch Series) unless the elite media begins to make it more of an issue to get it through the heads of those running NASCAR and the Busch Series." Well, someone from the elite NASCAR media has jumped on my Busch Series bandwagon and is singing my same tune. Chalk one up for the little media guys! On July 6, 2006, Marty Smith from NASCAR.com basically mirrored my opinions about the Busch Series in his column "Busch Series needs a complete overhaul –now."
Just in case you didn’t read our columns, here is a quick summary: In May I said, "In my opinion, the current structure of the Busch Series is in the need of an overhaul." In July Marty said, "The series is on the brink of trouble and needs an overhaul." In May I said, "I believe the Busch Series is out of control in allowing Nextel Cup Series drivers and owners to take over the series." In July Marty said, "NASCAR has lost its grip on the series." In May I said, "It would also encourage Cup owners to invest in development drivers instead of using the Busch Series as a test session." In July Marty said, "It is less about driver development and more about information-gathering." And lastly in May I said, "I say put the debate of allowing Cup Series drivers behind us, because the fact is it sells tickets." In July Marty said, "The more Cup stars there are in the field, the more ticket stubs get ripped." Welcome to right side Marty and preach it brother! The big boy media dogs should make this more of an issue and hopefully with Marty on board we’ll begin to see a change in the Busch Series format. Before I move on to the next topic, I feel Brian France’s recent comments about tweaking the chase format will include a complete points system change for the Busch Series. With ABC/ESPN taking charge of the Busch Series broadcasts, look for the "Chase for the Busch Cup" coming to a town near you! No " i " in team, but there's two in Jimmie We know Jimmie Johnson is a talented racecar driver. But is he a good teammate? I ask this because of what he did to Brian Vickers at Talladega earlier in the year and last weekend at Daytona, instead of falling behind Vickers and pushing him to the front, Johnson dove underneath him and left him out in the cold. Also at Michigan, Johnson upset his boss/teammate Jeff Gordon by putting Gordon into a three-wide situation. Gordon said, "I'll definitely talk to him about it. I didn't understand why the second he got a chance to take me three-wide when I was trying to pass somebody. We had a good car, and we were taking our time, making some passes, and he got inside me, made it three-wide twice. I just didn't think it was necessary at the time, and I was just asking for him to give me a little bit of a break and explain to me what was going on." Talented? Yes. Good teammate? You tell me. Car-litics No. Not politics, car-litics. How many times do we hear the boos when Toyota is mentioned? However, Dr. Z and his Dodge commercials can promote the German portion of their company and we hear nothing? No boos, no columns, nothing. They both build cars in America so what’s the difference?
July 7, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
Well as far as the Busch Series goes you guys are preachin' to the choir, I am on your side. What if the Busch Series was out on their own and the Trucks followed the Cup Series?
Johnson a good teammate? Not a chance.
Nice one Harp.
Posted by: Mark | Jul 7, 2006 11:58:02 AM
LOL Marty Smith is part of the "Elite Media?" Hardly, but it is nice to see someone who makes a paycheck echoing your sentiments once in a while.
Jimmie Johnson isn't a good teammate for anyone. He's just too competitive when it comes to racing. When you just use the initials I'm surprised the J's don't try to pass each other for first. On the other hand he is first in points.
As for Car-litics (I suppose if DW can make up words, you may also)Dr Z. puts the personal touch to his company by staring in the ads himself. Whereas Toyota is just seen as a lumbering behemoth bent on swallowing the sport.
Good topic
Posted by: Keith | Jul 7, 2006 12:19:10 PM
Great Post Mark
Yes it is time to do something about the busch race.So many solutions have been proposed by us that it is a mute point.
Just do something to bring it back to like it was.
as to JJ and JG
Both of them ought to be better team mates
and work as a team,Gordon used to do it very well (the 1-2-3 at Daytona years ago)
But lately it seams it's every man for himself
I personaly welcome Toyota
They employ directly or indirectly thousands of people in the USA
And I think they will do a good job
Would I buy one........Probly not but the do build a good product.
All I can say is Toyota is here....Deal with it
Posted by: trucker | Jul 7, 2006 12:32:58 PM
I hate Marty Smith.
Posted by: Michael | Jul 7, 2006 12:37:29 PM
Hey trucker, Mike Harper wrote this one.......
Posted by: Mark | Jul 7, 2006 1:25:25 PM
I read somewhere that there was the possibility of the Busch series going to "pony" cars, (i.e., Mustang, Camero, etc.). I don't know if that would keep the Cup teams out of the series, but it would eliminate another 'practice' for the Cup race.
I think all three series should use the same point system, even though I really don’t like “The Chase,” they should be consistent.
Besides Mark’s statement today, someone else suggested that the Truck series follow Cup, and put Busch and ARCA together. (Or was that Mark on another blog?) But Harvick, Bowyer, Biffle, Edwards, etc. all made the BGN races even when they had to travel thousands of miles to do it. Maybe nothing would stop them.
Jimmie is on the verge of being an embarrassment to HMS. He’s definitely not a team player when it comes to Brian Vickers, but you’d think he’d at least cooperate with Gordon. Jeff does have part ownership in that 48, doesn’t he?
I’m not happy with Toyota, and even less thrilled that the Waltrips are key figures with the manufacturer. (I don’t care what anyone says, I’m a DW and Mikey fan through and through.) Toyota hasn’t hurt the Truck series, and they haven’t really dominated either. I like the Dr. Z comparison, but I don’t think anyone has ever called a German vehicle a “rice burner.” That could be equal to respect for one manufacturer versus a lack of respect for another.
Great topics, Mike. (I agree with Marty Smith AND Mike Harper!)
Posted by: Shirley | Jul 7, 2006 1:45:37 PM
All right guys I work for Toyota. whadda ya'll skeerd of, competition is competition. I just saw someone who "wrapped" their Tundra like Todd Bodine's Lumber Liquidators...pretty cool!
Regadless whgo is Toyota's spokeman, perfomance will be the key to their success! Will the ruin the sport?..not hardly! I bleed 3's and came from a GM background, but I'll stand behind TRD motorsports!
Posted by: Tbfka# 5 | Jul 7, 2006 2:24:23 PM
LOL... Mike, Mark whats the diff? They both start with "M." I am actually surprised though that Trucker found the KB before noon ;-)
Posted by: Keith | Jul 7, 2006 2:33:00 PM
#5, I'm a Chevy fan, but I am willing to give Toyota a try. You just won't see one sitting in my garage. But is any of this going to matter with the COT? If it wasn't for the nose or the side window you wouldn't know what make was on the track.
Posted by: Shirley | Jul 7, 2006 3:08:24 PM
Keith, whats the diff? I have hair. LOL!
:)
Posted by: MikeHarper | Jul 7, 2006 3:29:37 PM
Mike,
Touche' a point well taken!
Posted by: Keith | Jul 7, 2006 3:31:35 PM
I SINCERLY AM SORRY TO HAVE MADE SUCH A STUPID MISTAKE
see Keith thats what happens when I get up too early
Posted by: trucker | Jul 7, 2006 5:49:01 PM
I don't know Shirley, only the nose and quarter window NOW are all that seperate them...technically the rear deck lid, floor pan, roof and hood are stock.
Posted by: Tbfka# 5 | Jul 7, 2006 7:44:29 PM
Hey I have hair, I just choose to shave it off rather than having the "peninsula of Young" up front with "Giligan's Island" on top!!!
Posted by: Mark | Jul 7, 2006 10:25:13 PM
LOL.... To be honest, I just keep a cap on to hide my gray hair!
Posted by: MikeHarper | Jul 8, 2006 12:34:43 AM
Mike,
I suggest the difference between jingoist American fans' reactions to German-owned Dodge and Japanese-owned Toyota has little to do with the Dr. Z commercials. It is simply that Dodge was once an American brand with a NASCAR history that has been taken over by a foreign company, which then chose to restore that brand to NASCAR competition instead of promoting its other marques, whereas Toyota is a foreign company that has made investments in the U.S. and now wishes to insert its non-traditional brand where no Japanese or German label has ever gone before. No question, Dodge and Toyota are equally "American" companies in the present tense; however, the comparison doesn't work at all from the historical perspective, and that's where many long-time NASCAR fans are coming from.
#5 -- "Skeered"? If Toyota is going to "swallow the sport" (as Keith put it) in the same manner that it has "swallowed" Formula One (five years, countless billions of dollars spent, NO victories), then Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet have little to worry about. (wink, nod -- just kidding, OK?)
Seriously, I don't think anybody is "skeered" of anything. I think some people are angry, sad or some combination of those two emotions because Cup racing is definitely losing the ambience that it had throughout its first 57 years, save for that one Jaguar victory.
Of course, some are apprehensive, if not downright "skeered," about the financial implications of Toyota's entry. In spite of the famous "how fast you wanna go, how much you wanna spend" old saying, competition and economics don't always square. The addition of Toyota to the mix will drive up the cost of racing for everybody who chooses to participate, never mind how well they do on the track, simply because of basic laws of supply and demand.
Those truisms prevail regardless of how Michael Waltrip and his beancounters demonstrate the origin of each dollar spent by Mikey's new Toyota team.
Posted by: David Green | Jul 8, 2006 1:01:35 PM
Shirley, the difference is the Toyotas are here to bankrupt the series, pillage what they can out of it, then leave when there's nothing left - it's what they do throughout racing. As for the Busch Series, they recognize there is a problem with Buschwacking - so where is anyone drawing up rules to ban Buschwacker entries?
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jul 8, 2006 3:21:58 PM
Guys for the life of me, I can't see Toyota "pilliaging", "swallowing", or even causing "mayhem" in the sport, they obiviously havn't decimated the Truck series! I think that there no worse than Hendrick Motorsports or Roush Racing...IMO
Posted by: Tbfka# 5 | Jul 8, 2006 10:18:55 PM
LOL #5
can you imagine in 3-4 years mmaking that same statement adding M Waltrip Racing to
HMS and RR when Honda gets to race Nascar
ROTFLMFAO
Posted by: trucker | Jul 9, 2006 7:46:22 PM
Tbfka#5, Toyota has been dominating the Trucks more and more in the three seasons they've been involved, to where the other brands have a combined lineup barely larger than the four Toyota teams with eight Trucks that for the most part are head-and-shoulders above the rest of the field.
Kentucky was a different race in that regard, and if it starts a pattern where the other brands suddenly punch Toyota in the face and keep beating them, then Kentucky will have to be considered a turning point. But given Toyota's strength I'm hard-pressed to see the other brands suddenly shooting down the Tundras on any consistent basis.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Jul 9, 2006 11:49:09 PM
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