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September 07, 2006
Failed expectations or tough competition
By Mike Harper
The Nextel Cup Series is about to enter their version of the playoffs and it got me thinking about what we were talking about at this time last season.
If you remember, the hot topic last season going into the championship Chase was Roush Racing’s ability to get all five of their Cup teams into the Chase. While it was an incredible achievement last season, this season I’m wondering what happened to Roush Racing as they struggle to get only two teams into the Chase.
In professional and collegiate sports there’s a goal or expectation put in place by the coach or team owner at the beginning of each season. In most cases these expectations are reviewed at the end of the season or throughout the season to measure their level of success. If expectations aren’t being met it could result in minor or sometimes drastic changes to help achieve their overall goals.
That said, in my opinion Roush Racing with the exception of the No. 17 team and maybe the No. 6 team must look at their season as one of disappointment.
Last season, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards finished the season in second and third in the championship standings. Sadly for these teams, neither will make the playoffs this season. Are they missing the playoffs because of failed expectations or because the competition is too tough?
Believe it or not, some will argue that the competition this season is greater than it was last season. In my eyes, that’s a lame excuse. Competition is always tough and when you’re racing against the best drivers in the world, you better be ready to bring your best race each and every week or you’ll get beat. This season, blame it on bad luck or tough competition, the bottom line is Biffle and Edwards got beat resulting in failure to meet their expectations set by last season’s measurements.
The good news in all of this is it’s a pretty sure thing that Biffle and Edwards are secure in their positions at Roush. In other words, I don’t see them in the unemployment line anytime soon. So I must ask what happened this season?
- Did Kurt Busch bring that much value to Roush Racing?
- Did they underestimate the competition this season?
- Maybe making the Chase last season was a fluke or they got lucky?
- Could it be that Biffle and Edwards are Taurus guys?
- Maybe it’s like the Ameriquest commercial where Edwards says "we want to give someone else a chance."
I do know that Jack Roush is among the best at getting to the bottom of his organization’s challenges. I think Biffle and Edwards will rebound sometime soon and at a minimum going into next season, their expectations from a fan’s point of view aren’t set as high as they were going into this season. Why? Because they didn’t make the Chase this season and making the Chase next season will be viewed as a success.
Personally I think Roush’s biggest challenge moving forward into the future comes in the form of a guy in a purple suit. Jamie McMurray has been given a unique opportunity and at this point he is failing to meet expectations. Well, at least my expectations.
Good luck with that purple pill Jack.
September 7, 2006 | Permalink
Comments
Mike Harper,
Indeed, just as I see RCR's reemergence this season as a great positive, I, like you, see the Roush teams performance (17 excluded)as a major letdown. It was supposed to be everyone fighting for the spots the Roushkateers didn't have, to get in the Chase, and not them struggling to make the event. Certainly McMurray was a less than stellar addition, but I have another theory to add. Just how many "Star Drivers" can you have under one roof? That's a lot of mega-ego to feed and coddle. They all need that ego rub, and no-one that caliber wants to be 2nd star. Of course, maybe next yr we're back to cursing the unfairness of the mega-teams. But, for this season they must be doing a lot of head scratching.
Posted by: Keith | Sep 7, 2006 4:44:44 PM
I have followed Jamie's career since he started in the truck series.One thing he has always done is improve.That has been lap after lap and race after race.He always raced smarter.He has not done that this year.I agree,he has not lived up to my expectations either.I do wonder what is wrong?
Posted by: SHORT LADY | Sep 7, 2006 4:48:42 PM
Biffle's has had some astonishingly bad luck this year. Its not like he hasn't led laps.
Both Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth have praised Kurt as a teammate -- especially in terms of information sharing. It makes me wonder if Roush didn't underestimate what the Kurt-Fennig combination brought to the organization as a whole.
Posted by: M. B. Voelker | Sep 7, 2006 6:26:38 PM
M.B.,
That's another factor...plain bad luck. At least for the 16 team.
Posted by: Keith | Sep 7, 2006 6:38:44 PM
Keith,
16 team had bad luck at the start of the season. Ofcourse every team will have their share of crappy luck. But just a few races ago he was solidly in the chase contention and his car just hasn't gotten it done.
Posted by: 48fan | Sep 7, 2006 7:14:57 PM
Harp, I think that Jamie doesn't "fit" the Roush Racing MO...He is a clean racer! Kurt Busch is an underated driver...he may piss an moan but he CAN drive...which is whats wrong with Mark Martin, hee's JUST driving! Earlier this season I said that Greg Biffle's problem was "he needed to slow down to speed up", and Eddie Hask....Carl Edwards shine has worn thru, and we see the REAL "Cousin Carl"...If anyone in the Roush organization deserves the title (besides the # 6) Is the "Killer bees" of the # 17 DeWalt crew of Matt Kenseth and Robbie Reiser! Richard Childress has uped his program as Dale Earnhardt Inc. have. The Gibbs organization is represented with their Phenom...Denny hamlin...whodda thunk? and to appease the HMS fans Perennial # 48, 24 and 5...When it all boils down to the Ford 400 at Homstead, the winner will be...
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Sep 7, 2006 7:26:55 PM
48fan,
You're right. We just kept saying he'll bounce back etc...but we never saw it.
#5,
I forgot all about that sneaky lil Hamlin fella. Man, doing this well, I wouldn't be looking forward to the sophmore jinx year if I were him. New people to the sport could do a lot worse than choosing the #11 as a driver.
Posted by: Keith | Sep 7, 2006 7:41:36 PM
Jamie ain't done crap since that night at Lowe's...talk about overated...couldn't even get it done (except for a brief bright spot around the same time) in the Busch series and he get's two of the premier rides in Cup. WTF?
Carl's lack of success this year is attributed to one, 1, uno, thing - he has stopped running the f***k over people as he did ALL year last year on his way to stardom.
Biffle has Labonte sendrom (also known as BLS) - wrong place, wrong time.
But a single team STILL has TWO contenders for the title?
Dissapointment?
Huh?
Posted by: the6and9 | Sep 7, 2006 10:36:55 PM
Here is my theory on Roush (excellent topic by the way Mike):
Last year, NASCAR tried to help single car teams by cutting down on the number of practices and the number of times that teams can practice at other tracks.
This coincided with the rule change lowering the spoiler height for more side by side racing.
As a result, there was a new style of car to adapt to and less practices to do it...so the team with the most opportunities to get it right--the five car team--was able to figure out the new car before anyone else...especially on intermediate tracks where it made the most difference. If you'll recall, that is generally where Biffle and Martin excelled.
This year, the number of practices has gone back to its original amount, and teams like Hendrick and Childress have been able to catch up. The #24, for example, was awful on most intermediates last year, this year Gordon won at Chicagoland and has been in contention in several others including California this week.
SO you are correct in that the competition has caught up, but my thinking is that the combination of two rule changes gave the multi-car teams a big advantage...which NASCAR is now trying to negate with its lowering of the amount of teams a car can field.
(sound of Kurt banging head)
Posted by: KurtDman24 | Sep 7, 2006 10:40:01 PM
(sound of #5 banging his head)
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Sep 8, 2006 12:32:18 AM
You had to know that other teams were bound to catch Roush Racing. RCR, and JGR especially have improved. ONe team cannot dominate like they did in 2005 for very long before someone else gains.
Kenseth has been great, and Martin has been just good, without a lot of bad luck. Biffle was runnin well with bad luck, but now he isn't even running that well, and the same for Edwards. McMurray has been a flop. He is the Brian Vickers of Roush Racing. By 2008, he'll jump ship.
Everything goes in cycles, one day Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth will have bad luck and miss the chase like Gordon and Earnhard did last year, and Biffle, EDwards, Busch, and Newman this year.
Posted by: 12jay | Sep 8, 2006 10:45:51 AM
The one bright spot at Roush is the #17. I don't think that team has all that much to do with the others. I can believe that Rob and Matt keep a little some thing for themselves, after all they are racing against those teams as well.
I think there is another reason the Roush organization is not doing so well and that is because of the treatment given to Kurt and Finnig. Heroes one day and not good enough the next. Sure would like to see Finnig move on over to #8 team.
Posted by: 328 | Sep 8, 2006 12:00:27 PM
Roush racing has suffered the slings and arrows of misfortune this year. Biffle and Edwards are as good a racer this year as last. Their luck has stunk and once that happens, drivers and their teams tend to press too hard.
Teams that have great confidence in one another always seem to be in and arount the hunt. Stewart, Kenseth, and Johnson teams this year seem to be able to do little wrong. Reminds me of the '99 season when Dale Jarret had horseshoes in his back pocket at every track and every race. When good fortune left him, nothing he could do could bring it back. Completely restructuring teams sometimes helps, but most frequently the crew chiefs pay a heavy toll.
It is cyclical and teams gain a small technical edge and than their confidence builds and they go back to the front. This will be repeated.
Jack Roush and company have had their day last year and it won't return easily.
Posted by: Barely | Sep 8, 2006 12:42:05 PM
Mike, excellent topic.
Could it also be the fact that the 17 and the 6 are the only teams at Roush with the same personnel in place from years past?
Loosing Kurt didn't help, but demoting Fennig was a major mistake.
As Mark Young was discussing on his blog re: Mark Martin “The Man That Can’t Say No” – there seems to be as many “problems” at Roush as there are at Robert Yates Racing.
And I don’t think it’s because RCR, JGR, DEI, etc. are any better, rather the fact that something is amiss at Roush Racing.
Posted by: Shirley | Sep 8, 2006 1:02:46 PM
Good point Shirley. All of the team members are human and little knicks and cuts to their egos and feelings, more driver time to sponsors, less time at the garage. Things change and within the realm of the "big picture" some cannot let go of individual goals to focus on team goals. This may lead to a half pound error in the right rear tire on the second to the last pit stop and a balanced car now becomes unmanageable and the rest is enevitable.
Bad finish. Points placement lost. Loss of confidence.
Posted by: Barely | Sep 8, 2006 3:48:19 PM
It's several things, and one area I haven't seen discussed is that Roush Racing apparantly didn't do enough homework on McMurry, for it appears his driving style does not mesh with that of the other Roush drivers, to where his feedback isn't working well with that of the others.
Posted by: Mike Daly | Sep 8, 2006 4:28:19 PM
Say what you want about McMurray , he has won 7 Busch races in just okay equipment . Casey Mears has won one Busch race and zero cup races and is getting a ride with Hendrick . He's the overrated one . McMurray lost all but a few guys from the 97 team . Rousch doesn't have it together this year bottom line , there could still be just ONE rousch driver making the chase . McMurray has finished well at all types of tracks , all the tough ones to (2nd at Infineon,2nd at Brickyard,2nd at Martinsville,2nd at Darlington,2nd at Texas,2nd at Dover) he's a good driver , just not an elite driver top 5 driver .
Posted by: Eric | Sep 8, 2006 4:52:27 PM
I'm teelin ya folks, Jamie is NOT a THUG racer! He is a methodical racer, I feel that Jamie should Race for Rusty Wallace Inc!
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Sep 9, 2006 5:57:14 PM
The whole thing with McMurray is a mystery to me. McMurray was by far Ganassi's best driver, and Casey Mears hasn't done nearly as well in the #42. I figured Jamie had a shot at the title when he got into Roush equipment. Shows what I know.
Posted by: Kurt Smith | Sep 10, 2006 10:19:14 PM
Hey #5 get your power back on
and what you say about Mc murray is true
I wondered why he went to RR when the #2 was open and it's not like him and Wallace
couldn't have done something,You think it is because he was supposed to drive the 6 car but after Jack beged Mark to stay and Jamie got shuffled to the old 97 team and ended up in purple without Fenning he just plain tanked.
Posted by: trucker | Sep 10, 2006 10:38:50 PM
Trucker, I wouldn't have like to see Jamie over at Penske, Jamie use to date Rusty's daughter...you know 2 Missouri kid's, Anyway Rusty and Jamie seem to click both are hands on drivers, CLEAN drivers, and Calculating drivers...I have wondered why Jamie is in the "Ricky Bobby" car no "Wonder" he sucks...Lord I apologise for that!...I think Roush's resources got spread too thin! IMO he'd be a good candidate for the 88 car!
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Sep 10, 2006 11:13:04 PM
Oh Harp! the only difference in the Fusion and Taurus...are the decals
Posted by: Tbfka#5 | Sep 10, 2006 11:14:38 PM
since when has rusthole wallace ever been a clean driver?
Posted by: Tony29Fan | Sep 11, 2006 2:28:47 AM
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