Turn 3

Ditch the Chase or Fix it:

By Keith Ott

  I hate it; don’t like it; wouldn’t give it a quarter to “Phone Home,” even if it was that cute little ET guy, and I could actually find a phone that took a quarter.  It still wouldn’t happen.  Get the point?  “The Farce”…Oops, I meant, “The Chase,” a playoff essentially, has no business in the racing world.  Stick and ball playoff junkies don’t be crying my way.  I have no sympathy.  Don’t be bringing up underdogs winning a title.  I could care less...Shoo, just shoo…It doesn’t apply.  No form of racing, in history, has had a playoff.  A racing championship should be based on a consistent high level of performance.  All these drivers have competed against each other every weekend.  The reason the guy in 12th is in 12th is because he wasn’t good enough to be eleventh and he certainly doesn’t deserve a shot at #1.

Wrong:  As if nine “pretenders” wasn’t enough.  They went and upped it to 11.  What’s next?  What if, say Jr. doesn’t make it; do we go to the Top15?  The Top35 already sees to it that the top teams walk into the show.  The Top15 would let the biggest, of the biggest, get most of their cars in the title hunt.  Why even run the season?  We only need to see those 15 cars.

Right:  Alas, if it must stay, cut the field to at least the Top5.  The Top5, even if the points don’t show it, at least sounds like these drivers had a shot at it.  This also puts 5 deserving drivers, not making the Chase,” on the stage. 

Wrong:  There are no consequences for poor racing during the Chase.

Right:  There needs to be a system for eliminating poor performers.  Every playoff has eliminations.  They, ok most, didn’t earn the right to be there in the first place.  Why should they keep a stage table when others not in the Chase have out driven them?  They need to lose the extra points that NASCAR used to separate them from the field and revert to their actual points.  My example would be Mr. Stewart.  In “Real Points,” because he had a terrific last 10 races, he finished ahead of some of the Chasers in real points.  Did he deserve a shot at the title?  Hell no, he missed the cutoff.  A spot on the stage?  You bet.  Eliminating the back 6 after race 5 seems fair.  I don’t think anyone from 13th position could charge hard enough to go higher than that.

So this doesn’t get too long I just have one more thought.  With the Chase, if you can’t possibly be #1, then you race safer and take fewer risks so you don’t become #13.  Racing was about taking risks and chances for the lead and the win. Now, if you can’t win, you best bring her home safely in one piece.   

Tony Stewart is King and that is no BS

By Mark Young

Tony Stewart made it two straight victories yesterday after his dominant performance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  Tony had the only car that seemed to be able to pass the leader when out in clean air.  I loved seeing his excitement at victory lane where he and the crew climbed the fence.  What was even better when he proclaimed the victory was for his fans who had to put up with "all the BS".  This one is sure to get him a 25 or 50 point penalty with matching fine.......but what the heck, at least it wasn't a pre-manufactured politically correct answer.

Tony Stewart is King Of France Mountain.

Indianapolis is the heart of all American racing

By DAVID GREEN

I have to admit I was a bit surprised when I read Dennis Terry's latest Over The Wall piece. I figured DT would get some flak for suggesting that the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard has become a bigger race than the Daytona 500 -- and, sure enough, he has gotten plenty.

The volume of disagreement notwithstanding, there's plenty of recognition that needs to be accorded to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, even among those who believe Daytona is NASCAR's most important race.

Simply put, the Speedway and its 500-Mile Race are the most significant and important things in all American automobile racing.

The design of the big track that opened in 1909 is the reason why just about all oval tracks today are perceived to have four turns. Their 180-degree corners are artificially divided into Turns 1-2 and Turns 3-4 because there really are four distinct turns at Indianapolis.

The distance of the classic race first staged in 1911 and now approaching its century edition is the reason events such as the Southern 500 and Daytona 500 were set at their 500-mile length. Harold Brasington and Bill France didn't just coincidentally pull that "500" number out of the air, you know.

Brasington, in fact, built Darlington -- and H. Clay Earles built Martinsville Speedway -- after visiting Indianapolis and being inspired by that facility and that event.

The Indianapolis 500 and the drivers who competed in it were the first to raise auto racing to mainstream public acceptance. Indy lifted racing from the novelty status it held when horseless carriages first began evolving. Later, when cars and car racing became more prevalent, it was the 500 that helped turn racing into something other than what most people thought of as a crude, low-class activity.

Until the mid-point of the 20th century, Indy-car racing was what NASCAR racing is now. It featured racing machines that were at first exactly the same as, and later strongly resembled, the passenger cars that race fans drove. Take the fenders off a Model T or A roadster, and it doesn't look much different from a 1920s- or '30s-vintage Indy 500 winner -- no less, certainly, than a Nextel Cup machine looks like a street-version Monte Carlo.

NASCAR racing will never catch up to the Indy 500 until and unless the 500 ceases to exist, and then only about 35 years later. That's unarguably true, just as it is true that the National Football League will always be junior to Major League Baseball. NASCAR and the NFL may eclipse their rivals in popularity (as both have done), but you cannot revise history -- nor can you discount the impact of the history on the success of the new front-runners.

So, is the Brickyard 400 now NASCAR's most important race? That's a tough call.

Daytona and Darlington both have the same kind of cache that Indy does, and maybe that translates into greater significance for most NASCAR fans and competitors.

I have no problem with anybody's preference, as long as they recognize that the big track where today's race will be held is where ALL American racing -- NASCAR included -- should trace its lineage. That demands and deserves no small amount of homage and respect.

Sponsor-driver relationships

By DAVID GREEN

All race fans know how important sponsorship is, from the local dirt track right up to the major leagues. My pal Shirley Buttacavoli, in her most recent post on The Infield, stimulated my memory and imagination on the subject of compatibility of sponsorships.

At the grassroots level, you don't agonize so much over those things. If your brother-in-law's septic tank service is a potential sponsor, and he's willing to give you a couple hundred bucks, you don't mind painting his slogan -- "We're No. 1 in the No. 2 business" -- on your racecar. Hey, that racing gas costs about $7 a gallon these days!

The higher you go, though, the more important the match between sponsor and driver. Image, as Andre Agassi famously told us, is everything.

Perfect fits:

Dale Earnhardt and Wrangler: The jeans company said it all with the "One Tough Customer" slogan. Driver and product were rugged, rough and ready, unpretentious, no frills and no nonsense.

Bobby Hamilton and Country Time Lemonade: You wonder, sometimes, if Mario Andretti and Richard Petty really put STP in their cars, but there was no suspension of disbelief required to imagine the pride of Mt. Juliet sitting in a folding lawn chair and chugging Country Time from a big glass dripping condensation on a hot Tennessee afternoon.

Kyle Petty and Mello Yello: Yeah, I know this was a "life imitating art" deal as Kyle followed in the tire tracks of the fictional Cole Trickle. But it just worked. It was cosmic, man. The over-the-top press conference in which the black car with neon colors was introduced set the tone and Kyle had his greatest success in that car. Also, according to my own informal survey of women race fans, Kyle looked better in the Simpson Nomex than Tom Cruise did.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser: As discussed in the aforementioned blog by Shirley, this is one of those rare pairings that just merge perfectly. It's kind of a shock to imagine that driver and sponsor will be parting company when Earnhardt moves to Hendrick Motorsports at the end of this season.

Imperfect fits that worked:

Harry Gant and Skoal: Gant, a tough competitor, was much too nice a guy to be seriously considered a fit for the "Skoal Bandit" image. That worked much better for the Hollywood duo of Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham, who owned the No. 33 car. But the green-and-white machine quickly became synonymous with Gant, anyway.

Dale Earnhardt and GM Goodwrench: Sure, looking back on it, the black car and grim visage of the Intimidator were perfect. But when the sponsorship began, there was some curiosity about it. If you were a car company, did you really want customers linking a tough-guy, Darth Vader-like image with your service and parts department? You may enjoy watching this guy race, but do you want to haggle with him over questions about warranty repairs on your Lumina? As it turned out, yeah -- you did.

Worst mismatches:

Bill Elliott and Budweiser: After so many years in that Coors Thunderbird, this one just wasn't going to work. Elliott is a north Georgia mountain boy, not a Colorado lad, but his immense success in those red, white and gold No. 9 cars just made the combination with Coors iconic. Even though Elliott fared rather well in Junior Johnson's No. 11 cars, and in fact almost won a championship, the combination of Bill and Bud just never seemed right.

Sterling Marlin and Underalls: Yes, nouveau NASCAR fans, a pantyhose brand was once a sponsor of ol' Sterling. Need we say more about why we include this under the "worst mismatches" heading?

Sterling Marlin and Sunoco: Not to pick on Sterling, but when he was driving Billy Hagan's No. 94, every time Sterling alluded to the Sunoco Oldsmobile, that thick Tennessee accent made it sound as if he were saying, "Snow Cone Oldsmobile."

Alan Kulwicki and Hooters: No offense to Bob Brooks' "delightfully tacky, yet refined" restaurant chain, or to Kulwicki. But Alan just wasn't the guy you imagined hanging out in such places -- except during promotional or press events, representing his sponsor. He did a fine job in that respect, and both driver and sponsor enjoyed the thrill of the 1992 Cup championship before the tragedy that claimed Kulwicki, Brooks' son Mark, and two others. The combination of joy and sorrow will forever link Kulwicki and Hooters. But Alan was the first NASCAR driver I ever saw walk into the garage area carrying a briefcase. He'd have been perfect for a sponsorship deal with IBM or Dell or Microsoft.

Geoff Bodine and Levi Garrett: I could be wrong about this, but I just don't see Geoffrey needing a spittoon.

Miscellaneous:

Perfect situational irony: Coca-Cola pitchman Jeff Gordon drinking a Coke in Pepsi 400 victory lane; Pepsi-Cola pitchman Jeff Gordon drinking a Pepsi in Coca-Cola 600 victory lane.

Society wasn't ready for this: Mark Martin -- or any other driver, for that matter -- and Viagra. Pfizer made a good try, but that one just never was going to be OK with a lot of people.

Ginn is only following the trend

By Mike Harper

I know you’ve seen the headlines. Ginn Unravels, Ginn Over His Head, Ginn Racing Fails and Ginn Sells Out.

It’s like some crazy media frenzy, jumping all over Bobby Ginn for closing shop and merging his operation with DEI. Larry McReynolds even jumped into the mix in a recent column and said, "I just think that Ginn bit off a little bit more than he could chew." I normally find myself agreeing with Larry, but in this case I’ll step up to the plate and disagree.

I don’t see it in the same light as others in the media. Ginn is a very intelligent businessman and believe me he knows exactly what he’s doing. In all honestly, I just think Ginn represents the new age of NASCAR. This is the dawning of the age of NASCARquarius!

Yeah, I made up the word and the next time you hear the song you have my permission to use it. If you were around in the sixties you know exactly the song I’m talking about.

It’s a new age in NASCAR. With Robert Yates Racing and Evernham Motorsports out looking for partnerships, we’re sitting around expecting to hear the next merger deal to happen. Jack Roush has done it with Fenway Sports Group and now we have Ginn and DEI merging. NASCAR owners are looking for financial partnerships even if it means selling off a portion of their teams. It’s a new trend.

If we look around it’s not hard to spot others doing it. We’ve seen it happen in just about every industry in the nation. Just ask AT&T and Sprint.

But to be blunt, Ginn saved his race team. I remember writing about MB2 and MBV years ago when Johnny Benson was their man and how they needed to change direction or they’d lose the Valvoline partnership. When it finally did happen, I thought the end was near for this team. Then Ginn showed up and saved the team, secured the ARMY sponsorship and brought Mark Martin into the fold. That’s a huge accomplishment!

The difference between Ginn and other owners is he’s a businessman. He’s not a NASCAR owner turned businessman, he’s a true hardcore businessman.

So many NASCAR owners today have grown up eating and breathing NASCAR. Not Bobby Ginn, he built his own empire and brought it to NASCAR.

In my opinion, Ginn isn’t over his head or he didn’t bite off more than he could chew, he basically looked at the bottom line as all smart businessmen do and made a business decision. Instead of placing a bandage on the problem as we’ve seen others do in NASCAR, he pulled the plug and made some changes just as he would if one of his resorts were having issues.

At this point, he hasn’t bolted from the sport - yet. He’s only following a trend that’s now been set by other owners. Except unlike the good folks at Fenway Sports Group, Ginn jumped in first before partnering with a premier NASCAR race team.

DEI Moves To Ginn Shop? JSU!!!

By Mark Young

OK, I  have read on two very reputable sites, one being this one, that DEI has essentially bought two of the Ginn Racing teams.  This weekend it is reported that Dale Jr., Truex Jr., Menard, and yes Mark Martin will drive under the DEI banner.  Plus when Mark Martin is not racing Aric Almirola will pilot the #01 car putting Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek, and Regan Smith out of a job.  Plus the #13 team's points will be transitioned to Kenny Wallace's team locking him into the field on Sunday.  That makes sense to me but the final statement, from the site I won't mention (starts with J and ends in I) mentioned that "DEI will move it's motorsports operations to the Ginn facilities in Mooresville".  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

JUST SHUT UP!!      U WANT SOME OF THIS?!!!

Now I haven't been to the Ginn/MB2 racing facility but I did visit DEI in May.  If you haven't been to DEI it has been called the Garagemahal for a reason, referring to it's size and scale.  That place is absolutely huge!  I didn't visit the Ginn/MB2 shop but believe me it can't be anything close to DEI.  To come out and say that DEI would move it's operations to Ginn IS RIDICULOUS.

The buyout of the teams, staff, equipment, and personnel makes perfect business sense to me but who in their right mind would say DEI would leave their castle to another shop?  Someone prove me wrong or tell the other site to JSU!!!  Is this just trying to stir up the media/Internet rumor mill or has Theressa finally lost her mind?

Kyle Petty is king in more ways than one

By Mark Young

Ahhh, an off weekend.  Not only for the NEXTEL Cup Series but for me as well with relatives in town for a reunion weekend.  One last chance to get those batteries recharged for a very long stretch run of racing before the Chase is set and we get down to business.  After my post last week where I refused to give Tony Stewart a very deserving throne atop of Bill France Mountain I got a few e-mails from people saying I should have named Kyle Petty as King for essentially saving TNT from assured self-destruction.  Well I thought a lot about this and figured this would be the perfect place to give Kyle credit where credit is due and thus proclaim Kyle Petty KOFM.

Kyle may have found his true calling during the past six race segment where TNT has had television rights for the races.  I was not a big fan of Kyle trying to commentate while racing but man he kicked some serious ass in the booth with his honesty, enthusiasm, and current racing knowledge.  I place Kyle in the same ranks as Ned Jarrett and the late Benny Parsons when it comes to great color commentators in racing.

Racing isn't the only reason why I want Kyle as King this week.  Any race fan that isn't aware of the unbelievable humanitarian effort Kyle and the entire Petty family has put forth in the creation of the Victory Junction Gang Camp for terminally ill children must be living under a rock.  This past week the Victory Junction Gang Charity motorcylce run took place where thousands of motorcyclists rode across the country to help raise money for the camp.

For years Kyle has had to live under the shadow of his father, the real King of NASCAR, Richard.  Kyle's performance on the track is nowhere near a portion of that accomplished by his father, any old-school race fan knows that.  He has won his share of races and will be remembered on the track as a man who race everyone clean and earned every spot he gained.  But in many ways Kyle has cast his own shadow for everyone in the garage area to work to get out from under, only this shadows extends well beyond the perimeter of any racing facility.  The shadow Kyle casts is that of love, kindness, and respect.  The three largest virtues I can think of and Kyle is King for all that he does for racing, sick children, and anyone that is associated with those children.

Well done Kyle, well done.

Numbers game

By DAVID GREEN

As an old saying goes, figures don't lie -- but liars figure. That's not to say that all statistical analyses are anything other than an attempt to quantify something, with the best of intentions guiding them. But it should make all of us a little wary of using statistics (or "statics," as the late Dizzy Dean called them) as the be-all, end-all measurement of anything.

The latest statistical analysis of concern to race fans is NASCAR's promotion of the heightened level of competition in its premier series.

Not surprisingly, it paints a glowing picture of what great entertainment Cup Series racing is. Had the numbers suggested something other than that, it's a safe bet there would have been no press release about it.

The fact that this Web site and this blog exist are testimony to the fundamental accuracy of this statistical analysis. If stock car racing were not pretty darned good entertainment, it would not be so immensely popular as attendance, television ratings and interest of corporate sponsors attest.

Quantifiable statistics are a part of the appeal, for sure. That it has been 13 years since a Cup Series race winner lapped the field; that the average number of leaders in each race has increased from 5.4 in the 1970s to 9.8 in races since 2000; that five different drivers won in a 30-race 1974 season, compared to 13 winners in 19 races so far this year -- surely these and other factoids trumpeted by NASCAR public relations have a good deal to do with the status of their sport these days.

I have one fundamental question about the report. I'm not sure why it traces statistics only to 1970 -- the 22nd season for what is now the Nextel (soon-to-be Sprint) Cup Series. It's almost as if the organization began at that point, and the 1949-1969 seasons never happened.

But more fundamentally, I wonder whether the statistics, out of context, aren't just downright misleading.

Take the 1974 season, for example, when "only" five drivers went to victory lane. Those five drivers were Richard Petty (10 wins), Cale Yarborough (10 wins), David Pearson (7 wins), Bobby Allison (2 wins) and Earl Ross (1 win). Don't try to tell me, based on statistics or any other criterion, that 1974 wasn't a very, very interesting season.

Four of the greatest drivers in the overall history of the sport, not just since 1970, going at it hammer and tong; one of them (Pearson) competing in only 19 races, yet winning almost 37 percent of them (.368, as measured in the manner of a baseball batting average); and a rookie from Canada scoring a whopper of an upset to take the only victory the Big Four didn't claim.

All of that, by the way, without the distraction of a weekly rap sheet of "criminal" violations.

Even if I hadn't witnessed it, it would take only a few minutes of research to lead me to conclude that the statistic of "only" five different winners is largely irrelevant, except to a statistician, in assessing the entertainment value of the 1974 NASCAR season.

There's nothing wrong with NASCAR trotting out these glowing statistics. To once again quote Dizzy Dean, "It ain't braggin' if you can do it."

Proclaiming this as the "Golden Age" of NASCAR racing, however, might be just a bit of a stretch.

Pet Peeves and other Nonsense

By Keith Ott

The Chase:

Where would NASCAR be without “The Chase?”  MY answer would be…exactly where they are now.   Both, fan and TV wise.  Yes, people, we are now within the window where everything is focused on the guy running in the last chase place.  Ok, so they changed the Chase a bit.  Whoopee, now we have 12 guys fighting for what possibly 3 have earned the right to fight for.  It’s ludicrous to think that anyone 600+pts out should win, or even contends, for a title.  This isn’t the NFL, or any other major sport, where the teams meet once in a while.  These guys fight every week, together, for 26 weeks.  However, now it’s ok to say, “You there,guy number 12.  How’d ya like to win a title?”  But, seriously, I want that to happen.  Maybe, if some non-winner, barely got in driver, strips the crown from a true Champion, people will speak up against the Chase.  Racing is certainly a reality for the drivers.  But, do we have to make it into a “reality show” for us fans?  Give us a little more credit.  We’re fans not idiots.  NASCAR, the only form of racing that lets TV decide its Champion

F1 and Montoya:

Does anyone in America actually plan to go to an F1 race?  Will anyone actually miss it because it’s gone? I’d have to laugh and say, why?  Who cares?  Let them keep their high technology.  I can actually almost envision F1 fans over there complaining about the time shift for viewing in America.  Keep it over there…I have a DVR, if I want to see a no passing, team orders race, with high tech cars, I’ll get to it.

Now, Mr. Montoya, he may have earned some points with me.  He, having said that the F1 racing is all tech and no racing, and that NASCAR was all about racing.  Now, if he could just manage to hit my guy less, he might garner a few more points.

Indy cars:

It would be nice if they put the action on the track that they produce in the pits.  Danica throwing a temper tantrum, and a dad standing up for his kid, doesn’t make up for the lack of racing.  They have 17 cars.  Maybe, going to some NASCAR tracks gets them a bit of attention.  But, the tracks like Richmond?  The driver blinks and he’s done a lap.  There’s no racing for these cars there.  There’s no testing of the driver or the car.  And, here you go Doug in CA, places like Fontana, Sonoma, Pocono, Daytona, etc. are the places these cars need to be.  They can spread their wings and let it be a real test.  I’ve got DOS racing games more exciting than the race I saw at Richmond.

BuschWhackers:

So, what do we call them next year?  And, while I do have definite views on this, my buddy Kurt Smith over there in “The Infield” has dibs on that topic.  He can expect a bunch of input from me on this in his post.  He always has a good take on things.  Check it out.

Last Peeve…Lap Leaders and the LD:

I never liked the “Gentleman’s Agreement,” and I don’t think the “Lucky Dog,” enhances NASCAR.   So, we have a caution….a backmarker stays out, and gets 5 (very valuable NASCAR points?)…BS, I say.  Racing points should be for racing.  Not to get into the “Top 35,” or for any other purpose…They should be racing points!  I think if no-one can get them except the guy who leads the most laps, what’s to lose?  No more teams swapping the lead on the track.  Every driver loses those 5 pts equally if he/she doesn’t lead the most laps.  I’m tired of, “Gimmee,” racing.  As for the Pooch,  it's another "Gimmee" thing.  I will bet more passes back onto the lead lap have been facilitated by the LD than by actual racing.

It’s an off week…Bring it on…Not on me, per se, LOL, I mean your pet peeves.

The Man That Could Be King

By Mark Young

Tony Stewart finally got his first win of the year yesterday in Chicago.  He ran very consistently being in the top 10 nearly the entire race and in the end couldn't be caught.  But let me tell you something, I am still pissed at his arrogance from Daytona that I will not pronounce him KOFM this week.  I will give him a ton of credit for running strong and having great track position to guarantee the win.  Now I will admit I wasn't able to watch the race but listened to it on MRN instead so I can't tell you what he said in victory lane but even if it was nice I can't pull the trigger and make him King.