Turn 3

Just Shut Up!!!

By Mark Young

It's been a quiet couple of weeks regarding JSU.  Nothing to get me riled up enough to talk about one particular issue so what I have decided to do is make this a little bit of a rant about the things that are bothering me lately.  It might even help with the grumpy attitude I have had lately, so buckle up blog-heads, the gloves are off.

U WANT SOME??

JSU - Denny Hamlin.  You went off to the media about the performance of your pit crew and how it cost you a win.  Did anyone go off on you in front of the TV cameras when you got caught speeding on pit road and it cost you a win?  Team sport bud, remember that.

JSU - Anyone who said "These tires suck" at Charlotte.  Everyone had the same tire, not everyone crashed or blew tires.  Could they have brought a softer tire?  Sure but people would have complained that they sucked because of blistering.

JSU - To the media that spends more time reporting about Dale Junior than the racing.  "He ate lunch at Burger King yesterday, could he be headed to Michael Waltrip Racing?"  Come on people, stop making up stupid rumors, he will tell us when he knows.

JSU - To anyone who complains about how bad the COT handles and then complains when the menagerie of a car they run the rest of the time handles bad.  Your team Engineers have spent hours in the wind tunnel giving your twisted-bodied race car all of the aerodynamic down-force possible, don't whine about aero push when you get behind the leader, you got what you asked for.

JSU - Jack Rousch and your whining about all of the time and money spent on testing and how you were following the rules.  Nobody told you that you couldn't go to tracks the series doesn't run on and test.  Nobody said you couldn't buy Hoosier tires either.  Other owners beat you to the punch so you had to cry foul.  Wanna go faster?  Spend the money those guys did, NASCAR will change things soon enough and when they do you will whine about how unfair their decision was......careful what you wish for.

JSU - And quit worrying about Michael Waltrip not making races, the world isn't going to end.  I have never seen so much attention paid to a team that is performing poorly in all my days as a race fan.  MWR is either going to figure it out or they will close.  I personally think that Mikey will get it figured out sooner or later but we shouldn't be surprised that he is running bad.  He may have bit off more than he could chew.

You know what?  I feel much better now, I should do this more often.........

That's what I think, what say you?

Pros and Cons

By Keith Ott

  Yes sir, I watched them all.  I watched the technically adept F1 and Indy cars and NASCAR’s lower tech COT.  Ok, well, almost all.  It seems no-one delivers beer.  (But, that’s another story.)  And, here’s my take and how I place them, as far as racing entertainment goes.  That’s “my” racing entertainment value that is.  Unless, you went for the beer…then you get a say…LOL.

My #1 goes to the Indy race.  Unlike many past races, this race had excitement.    It, unlike many super events, from many sporting venues, actually, “Walked the walk.”  It surpassed lame SB’s and even some of its own lame races and actually lived up to its hype. 

Pro’s:

-          Lead changes

-          Drafting

-          Passing

Con’s:

-          Rain

  My #2 goes to the 600.  Seems somebody planned a race and an accident showed up.  It seems David Pooles “Perfect Storm” did occur.  A car that doesn’t turn; a hard tire w/no grip; and, impatient drivers.  Personally, if I want to watch an endurance race, there’s Lemans and Daytona24.  This event is too long.  And, judging by the drop in NASCAR ratings, I don’t see it lasting.  I have been to one and will never go again.  It’s just too long.

Pro’s:

-          Night racing rules

-          Different guys in the top 5 (I may not like how they got there, but new faces are appreciated)

-          A beautiful 360

Con’s:

-          Too damn long. 

 

  At #3 and fading…F1 racing.  And, I’m a techie.  My computer is faster than yours, I can take apart anything and put it back together (working).  And, I love these cars for that high tech stuff…But, their racing sucks.  Not as individual cars and drivers go.  I mean it’s awesome to see someone be able to turn a car like that.  And, you have to appreciate the skill of a driver that does it the best.  But, there is very seldom much racing.  Typically, it’s two teammates, w/one blocking for the company star…It’s boring.  Now, if there were a place for the “Lucky Dog,” this would be the series.  There is no getting back on the lead lap.

Pro’s:

-          Ultra High Tech

-          Pretty people

-          Monaco…A great place for a race.  Been there done that.  Back in the Black&Gold Players cigarette car days.

Con’s:

-          Just a bunch of rich kids racing around.  Like Futbol, we just don’t care.

Them are my thoughts…yours?

Three Kings Of The Mountain

By Mark Young

WHEW!!  What a weekend.  Between the computer at home crashing, and my daughter's birthday party we had a weekend full of racing.  I missed the F-1 race that aired early Sunday morning but didn't miss the marathon Indy 500 and a very interesting Coca-Cola 600.  Though I really don't care for fuel mileage endings to races this one provided us three very deserving candidates for KOTM that will share the throne this week.  All hail the three kings; Casey Mears, J.J. Yeley, and Kyle Petty.

U WANT SOME?

Why three Kings?  To me is just seems right.  Casey Mears ran a very good race Sunday and considering how far back in the points they were (35th at that time) it only made sense to stay out and gamble the gas man.  The result was his first ever NASCAR NEXTEL Cup victory in the longest race of the season.  The same gamble was taken by Yeley and his team as well and thus he was rewarded with his best ever Cup finish also.  Yeley has seen a ton of bad luck this season and it was nice to see him get a very deserved top five finish.  Kyle and his Coke Zero team also gambled on gas and won thus giving him his first top five finish since the late 90's.

Sure these guys had great finishes because it was worth the gamble.  Sure they might not have been there if it were not for the two big wrecks that took out a lot of very fast race cars.  BUT, they stayed out of trouble, kept the fenders on the car, and saved as much fuel as they could and in return they got their moment in the sun.  Say what you want my fellow blog-heads but these guys deserve to be KOTM.

What say you?

Indy and Charlotte

By DAVID GREEN

Some folks with NASCAR credentials will be in Indianapolis for Sunday's Indy 500, and some who made waves in the open-wheel classic will be racing stock cars in the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte later that day. Too bad they all have to choose one or the other.

It wasn't always so. Before 1974, the Indianapolis event was always held on May 30, the traditional Memorial Day (or Decoration Day, as it was once called) holiday, or on Saturday if the 30th fell on a Sunday. The first running of what was then known as the World 600 was staged in June, but quickly migrated to a late-May Sunday date -- the one that now falls on the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Before the two races came into head-to-head conflict, there was plenty of crossover competition.

Most everybody knows that Indy 500 champion Mario Andretti won the Daytona 500 in 1967 and A.J. Foyt, the first four-time Indy winner, won the Daytona 500 in 1972. No NASCAR regular ever won the Indy 500, but that's not because none ever made a solid run at the Borg-Warner Trophy.

Marshall Teague, one of the stars of NASCAR's early years, abandoned that circuit to race with the AAA and its successor, USAC. He finished seventh in the 1957 Indy 500. Paul Goldsmith, a standout of the late 1950s and 1960s in USAC and NASCAR stock cars, had back-to-back top-five finishes at Indy -- fifth in 1959 and third in 1960.

Other top stock car drivers, including Junior Johnson, Bobby Johns, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Cale Yarborough and others, were tempted by The Greatest Spectacle in Racing in the 1960s. Then, in 1970, NASCAR driver Donnie Allison turned in a stellar fourth-place run at Indy -- six days after he won the World 600 at Charlotte.

Others, including Allison's older brother Bobby, have tried their hand in open-wheel racing's American classic, but none has come close to matching his performance in the two races.

Of course, that became difficult, if not impossible, when the races went to a same-day schedule. There was a small window of opportunity, when the 500 had an 11 a.m. starting time and the 600 was moved to a 5 p.m. green-flag time, for a driver to try to run both races. Several have done it, and none has performed better than Tony Stewart, who finished sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte in 2001.

Moving the Indy starting time back to noon has all but ended the chance of any crossover competition. That's a shame.

Taking two of America's greatest races out of head-to-head conflict would be a great move -- for the Indy Racing League, for NASCAR, for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Lowe's Motor Speedway, for drivers who might be willing to test their merits in both races, and for fans who would get to watch them do it.

Richard Childress is King Of The Mountain

By Mark Young

Well the legal system handed down their ruling last week regarding the AT&T vs. NASCAR court case where they wanted to replace the Cingular logo with AT&T on the #31 RCR car piloted by Jeff Burton.  The court ruled that AT&T could do so regardless of the agreement between NASCAR and Sprint/NEXTEL stating that no new wireless phone companies could sponsor a team.  Many people believe that this could be detrimental to NASCAR while others believe it opens the door for more sponsors to get into the sport.  Regardless of where you stand on the issue this ruling has allowed Richard Childress to keep a high-profile sponsor and continue fielding a highly competitive product for that sponsor.  With that in mind I declare Richard Childress King Of The Mountain.

Now I am sure that Richard would have been able to find another sponsor but the picking is rather thin to find a company willing to invest 20+ million dollars a year that is required to run a team.  Will having AT&T on the #31 car hurt Sprint/NEXTEL?  I doubt it will.  NEXTEL is plastered everywhere you look today when it comes to NASCAR.  Will they lose customers to AT&T?  Perhaps but by and large NEXTEL will still be a dominant force in NASCAR.  Sure they aren't happy with the ruling but they shouldn't be unhappy with NASCAR.  Brian France and NASCAR will continue to convince companies that rather than sponsoring a team they should become the "official ______ supplier of NASCAR.  Unfortunately Brian and his group can't figure out that if they continue to do so they will slowly lose more and more teams who can't find sponsors to keep their businesses on the track.

What this ruling does is open the door for other companies to get involved but were kept away by the monopolization and greed of the sanctioning body.  Perhaps now Robby Gordon will be able to have Motorola on his car rather than an unsponsored one.  Last time I checked, my NEXTEL phone was made by Motorola.

Richard Childress has tried to be diplomatic throughout these proceedings, only supporting my thoughts even more that he should be king, for this week at least.

That's what I think, what say you?

Night Games

By DAVID GREEN

The first seven NASCAR all-star races were conventional daytime affairs. The 1992 event changed the course of major stock car racing history, and altered conventional wisdom about high-speed auto racing under artificial lights.

"One Hot Night" is how H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler and his Charlotte Motor Speedway staff billed The Winston that year. Indeed, what a hot night it turned out to be, with Davey Allison and Kyle Petty tangling at the finish line in a battle for the victory that could have been more fierce only if the two cars had carried military armament.

When the smoke and sparks cleared, Allison -- the winner -- went not to victory lane but to the hospital. His winning car, a Robert Yates Racing Ford Thunderbird with identification number and affectionate nickname 007, went to the scrap heap.

If the 1987 "Pass in the Grass" made The Winston a must-see event, "One Hot Night" cemented the notion that it just had to be held after dark.

Oh, of course, races of all types have been held at night for the better part of a century, if you count long-distance endurance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans (first held in 1923), and for more than a half-century if you count the local bullring ovals where the night time has, it seems, always been the right time.

But could they go back 15 years, to 1992, modern-day racing fans would be surprised by the skepticism about Wheeler's revolutionary plan to illuminate a 1.5-mile superspeedway and have drivers race on it at speeds approaching 180 mph.

Couldn't safety be done, the naysayers claimed. It was one thing to race on half-mile or quarter-mile ovals at speeds mostly below the 100-mph level; it was something else to expect drivers to be able to do their jobs under such conditions at the speeds of Winston Cup cars on major tracks.

Few were aware of it, not having been around when Major League Baseball staged its first night game May 24, 1935, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, but the protests were not unlike those that had been raised by baseball pundits in the 1930s.

Sure, some minor league games had been staged at night ever since 1930, but this is baseball at the pinnacle, the doubters said. Seeing the ball, hitting the ball, fielding the ball -- you just couldn't do that at night at the ultimate level of the game. "High-class baseball cannot be played at night under artificial light," pronounced Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith.

After the Reds won an error-free game 2-1 over the Phillies, the skeptics were proved wrong, if not completely silenced. "The theory that the players cannot see the ball well under the lights was shot to pieces by the staging of some of the finest defensive plays seen here this season," wrote Jack Ryder of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Just like night baseball, night racing on major speedways is pretty common stuff now. The Musco Lighting-inspired fixtures that project a blazing blue brightness in several layers that comes over the driver's left shoulder, combined with more conventional illumination shining down from overhead, are in place at a greater number of major speedways than those that remain restricted to sunlight.

Journalists, fans and competitors who talk about how night racing is more exciting sound remarkably like observers of that game in 1935 between Cincinnati and Philadelphia -- such as James T. Golden, who wrote in the Enquirer, "The field showed up in a more uniform light, green and tan, than it does in the daytime... What clouds there were were so thin that the ball, when it flew high, shone through them like a bald head in a steam room. And when there was no mist, the sphere stood out against the sky like a pearl against dark velvet."

Today's writers have their own style, but they wax poetic about the glories of night racing in much the same way Golden did in his time.

Golden was correct then, and the colorful descriptions of night racing today are accurate.

Formula One majordomo Bernie Ecclestone plans to stage one or more F1 races at night next season, his purpose being to bring events in Asia into a better time frame for television audiences in Europe. Just like baseball skeptics in 1935 and NASCAR skeptics in 1992, F1 skeptics are saying this cannot be done.

Anybody want to bet on that one?

(NOTE: The quotations about the 1935 game between the Reds and Phillies were taken from the www.crosley-field.com Web site.)

All-Star Race or Johnson Domination?

By Mark Young

Well gang the weekend I have had circled on the calendar for months is here.  All-Star weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway has begun a few days early with the Pit Crew Challenge taking place tonight, qualifying for the All-Star race tomorrow, trucks on Friday, and the big show on Saturday night.  This race is the one that got me hooked as a fan when they ran the first one under the lights back in the early 90's.  Kyle Petty and Davey Allison battling out and wrecking after crossing the line is burned into my brain.  Hopefully this weekend we will have more excitement but will it be close or will we see another dominating performance by Jimmie Johnson?

Conspiracy theorists have said for a few years now that Johnson runs so well in Charlotte because of Lowe's sponsorship of the track and thus Jimmie getting preferential treatment.  I say humbug to that, Johnson's domination here is reminiscent of Darrell Waltrip's streak at Bristol or Dale Earnhardt's record on plate tracks.

Looking at the All-Star open I predict that Carl Edwards and David Stremme will advance to the main event along with Kenny Wallace winning the fan's vote, thanks to the SPEED Channel, but there could be many surprises along the way.  Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray have been running well of late as has Martin Truex Jr.  One bonus for many fans Saturday night is that they get to see Michael Waltrip race for the first time since Daytona, not sure how he will perform as his testing speeds were poor but at least he will be racing.

Johnson and Jeff Gordon are the two hottest drivers win-wise but Denny Hamlin has been there too, maybe the changes to his pit crew will show dividends as the pit stops make a huge difference in qualifying as well as during the feature.  Humpy Wheeler tabbed Johnson as the winner with his annual pre-race predictions but something tells me he may not be the one cashing the big check come Monday.

This weekend is even more special for me as my wife and I are making our first trip to the Mecca of NASCAR.  I am anxious to visit the shops, museums, and hopefully meet a couple of Turn 3's die-hard readers as well.  If any of you are going to be there, drop me an e-mail and let me know where the tailgating action is and maybe we can hook up!!

Enjoy the weekend blog-heads, I know I will!!

King Of The Mountain; Dale Earnhardt Jr.

By Mark Young

Now let me preface this by saying that clearly Jeff Gordon's dominance of late should put him on top of our mountain here in Turn 3.  His performance, and luck, yesterday showed the stuff champions are made of.  HOWEVER,  the announcement Dale Jr. made on Thursday proclaiming his free-agency for 2008 clearly puts him high atop the mountain and in command of his own destiny.

Dale did what many people expected he would do last week by saying he was leaving DEI after this season.  I figured he would but somehow held out hope that the family would work things out and grant him control of the racing decisions to be made there.  But alas, greed and stubbornness took the place of common sense leaving the business Dale Sr. started in disarray.

Budweiser is going where Junior goes, and with the exception of Gibbs and Petty, making this the most potentially lucrative free-agent combination in the history of NASCAR.  Who would not want to have the most popular driver in the sport and one of the most recognizable sponsors available?  Merchandise sales, combined with a big check from Bud equal a very large amount of funds to invest in personnel and R&D work to put  a team in Championship contention.

State your case against my decision to put Dale on top of the mountain, but I really don't think there has ever been a driver so in control of their destiny.  The big question is will his next decision of who to drive for be the right choice or should he have ridden out the storm at DEI?

Name and heritage

By DAVID GREEN

There's not much doubt that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of the biggest stars in NASCAR, if not the biggest. There's not much doubt that Junior is the biggest NASCAR-related celebrity in the mainstream world outside of the motor sports industry.

Stardom and celebrity status are achieved in a whimsical way. Dale Jr.'s is certainly tied to his name and his heritage. Once Junior took it upon himself to do what his daddy did and become a racecar driver, he probably saw the affirmation of something he already knew -- that name and heritage are a two-edged sword.

They gave him some advantages guys named Joe Public would never enjoy. They also gave him some baggage ol' Joe would never have to lug around.

All things considered, I'd say Dale Jr. came out ahead in that deal. All he has to do is handle the baggage -- and he has seemed to do a very good job of that, all along.

He has come to the biggest stumbling block to place itself in his path since February 2001, and his decision regarding the present dilemma is the stuff of much debate and second-guessing.

Junior's celebrity status causes many of us to overlook one question: Just how good is he as a driver?

To some, he's an over-hyped, no-talent bum with a reasonably good ride and an incredible amount of sponsor support. To others, he's a great driver who is victimized by a team that has slipped from a lofty spot at or near the top of the heap and is now merely marginal.

So, between those two extreme points of view, just what kind of driver is Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

From this perspective, the answer is that's he quite good.

He has won at least one race in every full season of competition in the Cup Series. He has won a good many restrictor plate races but he has also won on short tracks (Bristol and Richmond) and intermediate tracks (Texas, Atlanta, Chicago), a high-banked mile (Dover) and a flat mile (Phoenix) -- pretty much everything but a road course.

He has won as many as six races in a single season (2004) and has finished in the top five in points before (third in '03) and after (fifth, in '04 and again last year) the advent of the Chase. He was the first rookie driver to win The Winston.

Is he a candidate for nomination as racing's all-time best-ever driver? No. But he is much more than just somebody taking advantage of family advantages.

Combined with his popularity, that pretty much explains all the hubbub about him and his plans to leave the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team. Excess? Sure. That's what we do best in our culture -- overemphasize and exaggerate.

In this instance, at least, we have something that comes close to being worthy of the hyperbole.

The Jr. Chronicles

By Keith Ott

  Now that Jr. has let the cat out of the bag, what do you think of his move?  I like it!  To me it almost seems as if Jr. has finally left for college; Joined the Service; Moved out of the basement.  It was that or he had to take over the business.  In fact, if Daddy were running the show at DEI, I still think at some point Jr. would have left to forge his own destiny.

  Okay, on the other hand, I have no idea what Theresa was thinking.  A large share of a DEI complete with Jr., Truex and their major sponsors would seem a better investment than new drivers and sponsors.  Jr. is a marketing cash cow.  With the only Earnhardt left at DEI being a non-racer, even the name loses a bit of luster.  I know Theresa won’t end up in the poor house.  But, IMO, she got spanked.  Perhaps Boudreaux’s would like to get back into sponsoring a team.  Or, at least send her a few samplers.

Is Jr. a lame duck at DEI?  Is company support going to fade a bit?  Everyone, of course, will be all smiley and adamantly profess their dedication to excellence and continued support.  But, will it really be there?

  And, finally, NASCAR leases the team numbers.  The #8 is leased by DEI.  Will it go with Jr.?  Was it a friendly parting of the ways?  If not, then what?  Personally, I think an argument might be made to convince Richard Childress that it might be time for the #3 to be back on the track.

What’s your take?