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  • As Good as New: Looking Ahead to the 2011 Nationwide Series

    As Good as New: Looking Ahead to the 2011 Nationwide Series

    The 2011 Nationwide Series will be one of uncharted territory.

    It’s hard to try and promise fans that they need to watch this season because it’s going to be bigger and better than years past. It would be unfair to try and say that things are going to be different in the best way possible and the season is going to blow the history books away.

    That has yet to be determined. We’re not in the business of false advertising. That’ll be save for the McDonald’s commercials which always seem to have a burger that looks more appetizing and pretty than what arrives in the bag.

    For the most part however, the upcoming NNS season is one that has begun to paint a very interesting picture. Here are five new things fans should be looking for in the 2011 season.

    New Faces Competing for the Nationwide Series Championship

    Elliott Sadler feels like a kid again.

    After winning his first race in NASCAR’s top three series since 2004 in a Kevin Harvick Incorporated truck, Sadler was given the keys to a full-time NNS ride for KHI. Considering that Sadler is no long a Sprint Cup Series driver, he should be eligible to run for the title in 2011.

    His success in 2010, including a pole and third place finish at Bristol in August, makes him a contender to watch. Sadler has always been a lovable character in the NASCAR garage, who hasn’t had the success that many feel he’s capable of.

    This season it might be hard to wipe a smile off his face.

    At Texas last November after the announcement was made, Sadler said he was looking forward to having fun again. And it also doesn’t hurt that he knows he’s going to be competitive.

    It felt like the first day of the rest of his life. Could Sadler become the next Jamie McMurray comeback story?

    KHI has established themselves as a premiere NNS team, one that will again be looking to take up residence in victory lane. But another returnee to the NNS is going to give Sadler a run for his money.

    If Aric Almirola’s career to be summed up it would take just one race: Milwaukee in June of 2007. At the time Almirola was a developmental driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, the expectant next big star of the sport.

    That’s the race he was yanked out of the car while dominating in favor of Denny Hamlin. Almirola got credit for the victory but he wasn’t in the winner’s circle and doesn’t have the trophy.

    In 2011 JR Motorsports is giving him a chance for redemption. Almirola gets the seat of the No. 88 which in 2008-2009 finished third in the NNS points with Brad Keselowski.

    Veteran crew chief Tony Eury Sr. is back atop the box, a man that has the experience to create another championship driver. When Almirola finished third at OPR last August in his first race with the team, Eury was instantly impressed and knew their driver search was over. Almirola will leave behind the CWTS where he won two races and finished second in points.

    Along with Sadler, Almirola will give NASCAR fans two new Nationwide only drivers to get behind in the title fight.

    And speaking of title fight …

    New Rules for Sprint Cup Series Drivers

    It hasn’t been formally announced yet, but NASCAR has stated they have sent letters to each and every team about the upcoming season. The letter states a driver much declare which of the three series they want to receive championship points in.

    What’s that mean? Drivers such as Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Paul Menard and others who attempt to compete for both the NNS and NSCS championship cannot. It’s one or the other.

    That would bring an end to five years of Cup drivers taking home the Nationwide trophy and ensure that a new face gets his chance.

    Cup drivers may still be allowed to run in the series, such as Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick to name a few but they won’t be allowed to rain on the NNS regular drivers parade.

    There have been words of praise for NASCAR. There have been those of criticism. The 2010 NNS champion, Keselowski, had already let the cat out of the bag last week on his Twitter page.

    Keselowski has become a sort of Twitter-holic over the last month. He’s updates numerous times throughout the day and interacts with his fans.

    Keselowski updated on January 7, “Needed a good laugh tonight after being ruled ineligible for both shootout and NW championship in one loooong week. Thanks for the support!”

    A day later Keselowski took back his comment and said he has not been informed of any rule changes. NASCAR has said they will address the issue and many more later this month during the media tour.

    But, it appears that for the first time since Martin Truex Jr. did so back in 2004-2005, the Nationwide Series will have one of their own taking home the championship.

    New Faces in New Places

    NASCAR is once again being invaded, except this time it’s not by an open wheel driver. Travis Pastrana is the newest owner/driver as it was announced that Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will make their debut in 2011 with Pastrana behind the wheel.

    He comes from a sport that is nothing like NASCAR and where if he tries to pull off one of his signature moves, it won’t end well. Trying to double-back flip a stock car might sound exciting and would certainly put on a show, but it won’t help him end up in victory lane or learn very much.

    Pastrana is an X Games hero who will now become the student to some of the best racers in the world. He does have experience on four wheels however, competing in the American Rally racing.

    Fans love fresh faces to root for and Pastrana is a very likable guy with a great fan base. A fan base that is also very diverse, something NASCAR will be excited about as well.

    New Car Creating a New Kind of Racing

    It was run on four occasions last season in preparation of his first full season. In four races there were three winners and none of them came from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable.

    Significant because of the praise drivers gave the car in creating an equal playing field. JGR, specifically Kyle Busch, has made the series his own personal playground the last few seasons.

    In an era when fans have become sick of seeing the same teams and drivers dominate, the new car is bringing hope that 2011 will open up doors for a successful season for many different faces.

    Another compliment handed down was about the car handled and the racing it produced. Some even compared it to driving like a truck, which can be a good thing because many say the CWTS puts on some of the best racing during the weekend.

    Keselowski, who won in the car at Charlotte, said that race was one of the best races he’s ever been apart of and hoped the fans agreed. An official judgment of the cars successful will most likely come after the season has concluded.

    Something to watch though is that now the Cup drivers can’t win the championship, they have nothing to lose when running in the NNS. It’s victory lane or bust for them and that can only lead to some exciting races.

    Oh and don’t forget, the cars look good too.

    New Girl on the Block Gets a Returning Neighbor

    It’s Danicamania part two but this time she has some competition. Patrick will be back for her second season in a stock car as she also returns to tracks for the second time.

    Last season it appeared that she was learning when she ran inside the top 15 at California in October before being wrecked. It was a turnaround from where she was in the beginning of the season.

    The first five races of the 2011 season will again be filled with Patrick’s face and name. Sorry for all the haters. Except, don’t get too upset because another female will be looking to take the spotlight.

    She’s not new to NASCAR but Jennifer Jo Cobb will also be running in the first five races of the season. She has joined 2nd Chance Motorsports where she’ll drive the No. 79 2nd Chance Motorsports Ford.

    Cobb has run NNS races in the past, her last was Kansas last September where she finished 34th. The Kansas City native competes full time in the CWTS and last season she became the highest finished female in NASCAR history.

    Patrick vs. Cobb.

    It’s just one of the new things to watch as the season gets under way next month.

  • Brad Keselowski Joins Darrell Waltrip and Denny Hamlin, As The Latest to Get Ensnared by Twitter

    Brad Keselowski Joins Darrell Waltrip and Denny Hamlin, As The Latest to Get Ensnared by Twitter

    In today’s modern high tech era, the internet has made it easy for any fan to get up to date information which at one time was hard to come by.

    Facebook and MySpace were two avenues the drivers and teams utilized to communicate with their fans, along with the many NASCAR websites such as Jayski, Scenedaily, and the independent websites which make up NASCAR’s Journalist Media Corps.

    This past season, NASCAR took on a whole different look when Twitter joined the already sprawling social networking community.

    Twitter became the backbone for many different reasons, and one of the biggest was to give the fans a glimpse of what goes on during a typical day in the life of their favorite driver.

    The fans that flocked to Twitter were also given some good inside information on how each driver responds to different situations, which included members of the media who probably never realized just how many fans were actually tuned in.

    The Twitter craze also gave members of the media and the fans a chance to interact with one another, because it was set-up as an instant messaging system allowing the participants the opportunity to chat with one another.

    With any form of open messaging that is broadcast over the internet, there will always the downfalls which can quickly turn an average conversation into a costly mistake if the wrong information is broadcast.

    Darrell Waltrip was one of those media members who learned the hard way, that social networking was a lot bigger than what he probably anticipated, when he leaked a story on his twitter page that drew National attention.

    Waltrip posted on his twitter page, the details of Foxsports.com writer Lee Spencer’s article about Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving a No. 3 Wrangler Nationwide Series car at Daytona in July.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Denny Hamlin was another who made the same mistake, when he criticized NASCAR for throwing late caution flags to help make the June 13 race at Michigan more competitive on his twitter page.

    Hamlin took it a step further when he tweeted about some late caution flags, which were thrown during the Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway July 9.

    “Truthfully, I don’t think it matters to the fans who win the race as long as it’s a good ‘show,’ even if it comes as the expense of competition.”

    Unlike Waltrip whose tweets came under attack from Earnhardt, “It’s unfortunate DW uncovered, and blew the lid off of it on Twitter no less. That kind of ruined our announcement that we had planned,” said an upset Earnhardt after Waltrip broke the story on Twitter.

    Hamlin faced NASCAR who hit the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry, with a reported $50,000 fine.

    “Other people before me, not to name names – Tony Stewart – have said way worse than what I have, way worse direct hits at somebody and got away with it.”

    “I’ve always been raised to speak my mind and be, maybe, too over-opinionated at times,” said Hamlin after hearing about the penalty.

    After these two unpleasant incidents, and these words of advice from Waltrip, “Lesson learned be careful what you tweet, because you never know who is reading. Oh by the way, I did learn one thing, Twitter is a great way to get the word out, even people that don’t have it know what’s on it.”

    Brad Keselowski, became the next driver to inadvertently use Twitter as an avenue to talk about one of NASCAR’s rule changes for the 2011 Nationwide Series, and beyond.

    Even though NASCAR hasn’t made any formal announcement, thanks to Keselowski displeasure at not being eligible for the Bud shootout, we now know that cup drivers will not be allowed to race for the NNS championship, which was one of the rule changes a lot of the fans were hoping for.

    Keselowski said on his Twitter account Friday that, “Needed a good laugh tonight after being ruled ineligible for both shootout and NW championship in one loooong week. Thanks for the support.”

    If there was one question that was answered through Keselowski’s blunder and that is the teams, and drivers know beforehand of any rule changes to the series before the fans and media are informed.

    Whether or not Keselowski is telling the truth with this tweet on Saturday, remains to be known until NASCAR makes an official announcement.

    “To clarify last nights remarks about NW championship No I have not been notified by anyone at NASCAR about the 2011 rules for eligibility.”

    The only question remaining is, will Keselowski be willing to post on his twitter page if NASCAR decides to fine him for leaking the rule change?

  • A.J. Allmendinger and Richard Petty Motorsports Renew With Best Buy

    A.J. Allmendinger and Richard Petty Motorsports Renew With Best Buy

    Best Buy announced earlier this week that they were renewing their partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports and AJ Allmendinger.

    “Best Buy is proud to renew our relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports and driver AJ Allmendinger for the 2011 season,” said Drew Panayiotou, senior vice president of marketing for Best Buy in a press release.

    [media-credit name=”FMCM” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]“Richard Petty is a motorsports icon and is well respected within the sport of NASCAR. Being a part of a team with his leadership is a privilege. We will be doing some innovative work with Richard Petty Motorsports surrounding our sponsorship, creating new and fun ways to engage the fans. We look forward to continuing our support of AJ and the No. 43 team as they strive to make their way to Victory Lane.”

    “It’s great to have Best Buy back onboard our No. 43 Ford,” said Allmendinger. “They have been a great partner and I’m really excited about the opportunity to work with an organization that is as passionate about its racing program as I am. I think this is going to be a great year for this Richard Petty Motorsports team and I can’t wait to get the Best Buy Ford into Victory Lane.”

    Best Buy announced that they would be the primary sponsor for 26 of the 36 races on the schedule.

    AJ Allmendinger displayed a solid performance during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with two top-5 and eight top-10 finishes.

    In addition, he scored his first-career pole at Phoenix International Raceway. Allmendinger closed the season 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, a career-best.

    This marks a key step in rebuilding Richard Petty Motorsports following a year filled with turnmoil.

    The team ran into financial trouble that saw them almost miss the final three races of the year after George Gillett, former part owner, made some bad financial decisions outside of the racing business.

    Sporting News reported that Gillett, who owned as much as 70 percent of the team, defaulted on it’s roughly $90 million loan last February. Sirius Speedway reports that he still owes $70 million to Wachovia Bank, while still making payments to Ray Evernham for the purchase from him. Evernham told Sirius Speedway that Gillett is up to date in his payments.

    The sale of Liverpool FC was suppose to help Gillett restructure it, however, it sold for a amount far less than expected causing some of these strains.

    To try to put some of the pieces together, Gillett sold his stock in the companies that operate the Northstar-At-Tahoe Ski Resort in Vail Resorts on Tuesday, which is worth $63 million as according to Sirius Speedway.

    Gillett’s moves did not help the team in restructuring, though.

    At the end of the season, Petty announced a partnership with Medallion Financial and DBG Investments, who as a group purchased the assets from Gillett. They also have made the choice to downsize to two cars instead of running a full fleet of four.  

    Allmendinger will remain behind the wheel of the famous No. 43 Ford and Marcos Ambrose will drive the No. 9 machine with sponsorship from Stanley and DEWALT.

    Considering everybody’s thoughts of worry and feelings that RPM would be shut down, they look to have everything under control going into 2011.

    The only question is: How will they do on track and will things continue on a good path?

  • The Brian France Era of NASCAR

    The Brian France Era of NASCAR

    Brian France has stood stalwart against the verbal stones and arrows aimed in his direction because his approach to the operation of NASCAR is so different from that of his father and grandfather.

    He is not the hands on, dictatorial leader of stock car racing that NASCAR’s founder, Bill France and his son, Bill France Jr. were.

    Since the time of NASCAR’s inception, the leaders were at the track every race.  They ran the show from the ground, face to face with owners, drivers and crews.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Brian France was appointed leader of the NASCAR world in 2003 and maintains a corporate style that fans feel distance him from the reality of the sport.

    This France may show up at 15 or so races a year and usually just to make a statement of some sort.

    It is NASCAR President, Mike Helton’s job to interact with the teams at the track along with a plethora of people whose job it is to keep NASCAR rules and policies enforced on the competition level.

    Though France grew up around racing, serving in most every capacity, his interests are in marketing.

    His college education at the University of Central Florida was marketing based.  Before being named Chairman and CEO of NASCAR, he managed the marketing department and touring divisions.

    France brought the Craftsman Truck Series (Camping World Truck Series) into  NASCAR’s top series during 1996.

    There have been many changes with NASCAR since France took the helm in 2003.  Some fans of the sport have failed to forgive him for implementing the Chase in 2004.

    Under his reign, the sport became globally recognized.  He negotiated massive television deals and the five year deal with Sirius/XM Satellite radio for exclusive NASCAR coverage.

    NASCAR and the mother-ship of the France owned tracks, International Speedway Corporation, is operated out of their headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fl. 

    Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. worked autonomously, but Brian reports to a board that includes his sister Lesa France Kennedy and his uncle, Jim France, who both maintain significant stakes in NASCAR.

    France’s time is spent on the business side of the sport.  NASCAR is a massive entity with numerous operating divisions.  The NASCAR leader spends most of his time behind the scenes with policy development and business negotiations.

    When France took over as the head of NASCAR, the sport was still expanding.  There were new tracks built in the late 90’s, the economy was growing and fans spent freely at racing venues.

    All was going relatively well until the economy tanked in 2008 and 2009. The sport experienced loss of revenue from sponsors, attendance and television ratings dropped and a myriad of cascading events took it’s toll on all phases of the economy  and the general population.

    Reportedly, an ESPN Sports poll showed a drop in the average viewing age of males younger than 45.  The fastest growing age group was 45-54 and 65 and older.  The Nielsen Co. indicated 51.6 as the median viewing age.

    Clearly such a continuing pattern long term would not bode well for NASCAR, though much of the spending power lies with the baby boomers. 

    As a result, digital media, diversity programs, the greening of the sport and licensing issues have taken on greater importance in an effort to attract new fans in varying ways.

    France faced criticism for dumping smaller tracks like Rockingham and North Wilkesboro in favor of the intermediate size, cookie-cutter tracks.

    Some fans believe France turned NASCAR into a brand as opposed to the sport it once was.  Many people believe he has abandoned the southern roots of NASCAR with the expansion into larger markets throughout the country.

    The NASCAR CEO does not operate in a bubble, making decisions on a whim.  Change is made by many working together with a great interest in the good of NASCAR, though that does not guarantee success with all of their decisions. 

    In the past decade we have seen more exciting racing, better competition, safer drivers in the COT and better access to races by fans in other parts of the country. 

    There are still those who will tell you that the races are boring until the final 25 laps, complain of starting times, want shorter races and on it goes.  The commercials overwhelming the race during television coverage is also an issue to be addressed.

    Changes including “Boy’s, have at it,” green-white-checkers, double-file restarts, the redesign of the NASCAR Nationwide cars and much more were implemented under France’s oversight.

    The 2010 Chase was the best we have seen following the culmination of 26 weeks that included some of the most competitive racing we have seen in years.

    The head of NASCAR is working to regain any ground the sport has lost.  He is open to a great deal of feedback via the town hall meetings, Fan council, social media and of course directly from team owners and drivers.

    NASCAR television contracts come up for renewal in a few years.  France knows he has got to get the fans back in the stands and in front of the televisions.

    His methods of attracting a new fan base may seem disheartening to diehard race fans.  NASCAR must continue to evolve if it is to remain strong against other major sports. 

    Certainly tough decisions will need to be made and some changes won’t fare well with all fans.  In an age of instant gratification it is harder to keep fans focused with so many options.

    Shortly France will announce changes to the Chase and decisions impacting Cup drivers in the Nationwide series.  There may be other announcements as well.

    France and those who play a major role in the operation of NASCAR will continue to implement changes.  It is just the way it works.

    It remains to be seen how this third generation NASCAR leader will be perceived in the history books.  The fact remains, NASCAR is a great sport and France will hopefully do whatever needs to be done to see that it continues as such under his watch.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: So, It Begins Again

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: So, It Begins Again

    While the NASCAR focus should be squarely aimed at the upcoming test session at Daytona, there seems to be some other very interesting story lines this week. Michael Waltrip is on the verge of publishing a book and then plans on hitting the road as a stand up comedian. Also this week some very deserving drivers and teams received some good news regarding their 2011 plans. Then there was the matter of a bizarre lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment that actually has a stock car racing connection. With those thoughts in mind let’s begin this week with:

    [media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]HOORAH to Michael Waltrip for expanding his horizons in some very unique ways. One would think Waltrip would be plenty busy overseeing his two NASCAR Sprint Cup teams with the start of a new racing season so close at hand. But he’s found time in his schedule to undertake some new adventures.

    Just this past weekend he was in Dubai where he joined Michael Waltrip Racing co owner Rob Kauffman and competed in a sports car road race. Waltrip got to race a high powered Ferrari which he referred to as “a dream.”

    Waltrip also announced plans to drive one of his own Toyotas in the February 20th Daytona 500. It will mark his 25th consecutive appearance in the great American race. There are also plans for him to compete in Daytona’s annual Bud Shootout as well.

    Michael Waltrip the author will make his debut on February 1st with the release of “In the Blink Of An Eye: Dale, Daytona And The Day That Changed Everything.” This book tells the poignant story of Waltrip winning the 2001 Daytona 500 only to have that special moment completely overshadowed by the tragic accident in this race that claimed the life of Dale Earnhardt Sr. It’s anticipated that the book is going to hit the best seller’s list.

    Then there’s Michael Waltrip’s Comedy Garage. Headlined by premiere stand up comedians Henry Cho and John Reep, the comedy tour will be hosted by Waltrip who will also perform a stand up comedy routine. The tour makes its official debut January 21st at the Ameristar Hotel and Casino in Kansas City and then it’s on to Ontario-Canada the following day. There is also a scheduled stop at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

    ***********

    Speaking of the Waltrip family, WAZZUP with NASCAR champion, turned broadcaster, Darrell Waltrip and a recent concern regarding age issues? In a recent “Twitter” message “DW” wrote: “I’m really upset about my age. I just realized I missed my mid life crisis. (I) think I’ll go out and buy a sports car, a convertible no less.”

    Hang in there ‘DW”. It won’t be much longer before you’ll be returning to the Fox Sports broadcast booth to cover the Daytona 500. That experience will make anyone feel young again.

    ***********

    Here’s some HOORAHS for drivers and teams who made quick work of answering the door when opportunity came knocking.

    The first one goes to Sprint Cup driver A J Allmendinger, and his Richard Petty Motorsports. team, who recently found out that Best Buy Stores will be returning as a primary sponsor this year. The national store chain will be on the hood of Allmendinger’s #43 Ford for 24 races plus the two non points events: the Gatorade Duels and the All Star race. Best buy will also be an associate sponsor on RPM’s second team driven by Marcus Ambrose.

    HOORAH to Justin Lofton who recently announced that he will be driving a Toyota Tundra for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year. After winning the ARCA Series championship in 2009, the talented driver from southern California spent his rookie season in the truck series impressing a lot of observers. His 2010 stats included four top fives finishes, eight top tens and 12th in the final points standings.

    HOORAH to Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing who recently announced plans to collaborate with Second Chance Motorsports for the first five races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The plan calls for Cobb to drive the #79 Ford Mustang with Roush Yates supplying the engines. More races will be added to their schedule if additional sponsorship can be found. Cobb will be rather busy this year with plans to continue campaigning her self owned Ford team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

    ************

    On the opposite end of this extreme, WAZZUP with Roush Fenway Racing’s struggles finding sponsors for their three NASCAR Nationwide Series? Carl Edwards, who will again be racing the full Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules, only has enough sponsorship from Fastenal to cover half of the 34 Nationwide event after Copart announced they would not be returning this year.

    Meanwhile RFR’s other two Nationwide Series teams, driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Trevor Bayne, may find themselves starting the new season with no sponsor logos at all on the hoods of their cars.

    ************

    The final HOORAH of the week goes to the SPEED Channel for their planned comprehensive coverage of the upcoming pre season Sprint Cup test at Daytona set for January 20th through the 22nd. Check www.speed.com for air times. Hang in there racing fans, the withdrawals are almost over.

    ***********

    The final WAZZUP of the week belongs to Kentucky resident Ronald Basham and a lawsuit he recently initiated against World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE. It seems that approximately 11 years ago the then seven year old Basham was attending a WWE event that featured wrestling superstars “The Rock” and “Triple H.” The intensity of this match eventually wound up in the grandstands where a female fan was accidentally hit causing her to land on Basham’s right leg and knee. After filing the lawsuit 11 years later Basham said that “at age seven he was too young to sue for himself.” His attorney said his client “suffered severe and painful injuries that will continue to bother him.” This is despite the young man’s stint playing high school football.

    So, what does any of this have to do with auto racing? It seems that Basham went on to become a stock car driver at his local race track despite the intense pain in his leg. His personal “Facebook” page is loaded with photos and video streams of his racing career including some hard crashes into concrete retaining walls. Don’t bother looking up Basham on “Facebook.” It seems that his attorney, in recent days, had him remove everything connected to racing from the page. Imagine that.  

    I just thought you might find this change of pace story interesting but that’s assuming that you can “smell what the Rock is cooking.”

  • Sprint Cup Series To Test at Daytona January 20-22 with Live Speed.com Stream

    Sprint Cup Series To Test at Daytona January 20-22 with Live Speed.com Stream

    In antipation for the new season, the Sprint Cup Series cars will hit Daytona International Speedway for a three-day test session (January 20th-22nd) to try out the new pavement.

    Fans are welcome to attend to test for free as they will be able to view from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands in turn four and from the SPRINT FANZONE.

    As in years past, Daytona will host their annual NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest, where fans can ask the drivers questions. Headlining the list of stars set to appear are last year’s Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, defending and five-time champion Jimmie Johnson and most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.  

    Drivers currently scheduled to make appearances on Thursday, Jan. 20 beginning at 6 p.m. are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, David Ragan, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr. and Regan Smith.

    Scheduled to appear on Friday, Jan. 21, during the 5-7 p.m. session are Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, Casey Mears, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano, Kevin Conway, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman.

    In the 7-9 p.m. session, drivers scheduled to appear are AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose and Matt Kenseth.

    For those wishing to attend Preseason Thunder Fan Fest, tickets are $20 and available by calling 1-800-PITSTOP or online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com.  If you have a ticket for the 2011 Daytona 500, you will recieve admission free.

    Advanced reservations are available (limited to 250 people) for special autograph sessions to be held with participating 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and Daytona 500 champions. Additional driver autograph sessions will be held on both days with wristbands available the day of the event. To request access to the special autograph sessions, race fans can call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit the Daytona International Speedway ticket office beginning on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m.

    SPEED has announced that they will be providing live stream coverage on their website. They plan to show 23 hours in total.

    “The most important thing we do at SPEED is cover the NASCAR season from the minute the cars first hit the track until the champion makes his acceptance speech at the banquet each year and everything in between,” said SPEED President Hunter Nickell. “We’re psyched that we get to start a little earlier now that Daytona testing is back, and based on what we heard from drivers at the Goodyear tire test in December, this is one test session you won’t want to miss.”

    John Roberts and Jeff Hammond host SPEED’s on-air coverage from the studio above Victory Lane at Daytona. Steve Byrnes, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip will offer analysis throughout the practice sessions with reporting by Bob Dillner and Krista Voda. SPEED.com is presenting live streaming of all on-track activity with the exception of 3-5 p.m. ET Thursday, and will feature a rotation of on-air personalities.

    SPEED schedule for Daytona testing (all times Eastern and live unless otherwise indicated):

    Thursday, Jan. 209 a.m. – 12 p.m. (SPEED.com)1 p.m. – 5 p.m. (SPEED.com)5 p.m. – 7 p.m. (same-day delay) (SPEED)

    Friday, Jan. 219 a.m. – 12 p.m. (SPEED.com) 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. (SPEED)2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (SPEED.com)

    Saturday, Jan. 229 a.m. – 12 p.m. (SPEED.com)1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – (SPEED) 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – (SPEED.com) 

    This test marks an important test as many drivers will be working with their crew chiefs for the first or second time since the off-season swaps. With the new pavement, many teams will be out to try new tricks to see if their cars will work a certain way as they vow to win the biggest race come February, the Daytona 500.

  • Jeff Gordon ‘Has At It’ with Jimmie Johnson, Sonoma Raceway and Jeff Burton

    Jeff Gordon ‘Has At It’ with Jimmie Johnson, Sonoma Raceway and Jeff Burton

    Past the stories of Kyle Busch’s behavior and the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski feud, there were many other stories that hit the headlines with the new ‘Boys, Have At It’ policy. Lots of other drivers showed their displeasure with each other in their own unique way.

    [media-credit name=”Simon Scoggins” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon is one of the subjects to this discussion via his dustups with teammate Jimmie Johnson, the road course race at Sonoma and the fight with Jeff Burton.

    All of these have created controversy surrounding Gordon as people are questioning whether this is due to frustration with the lack of success, or if Gordon is finally letting his personality show.

    The fun all began in April at Texas Motor Speedway after some contact between the teammates. When they were racing side-by-side, Gordon made contact with Johnson while it could appear that Johnson crowded his teammate.

    “I guess four-time doesn’t like how I was racing him.” Gordon commented on the radio following the contact and some radio discussion.

    Then at Talladega later in the month, Gordon blamed Johnson for getting him caught in the big wreck after a controversial move in the draft.

    “I am mad right now,” he said in the interview after the race. “It takes a lot to make me mad and I’m pissed right now.”

    Jealousy is something that some stemmed to believe from the pair of incidents as Gordon was taking out of his frustration on Johnson. With both of them being in the same shop, it would be believed that both would have the same equal amount of success. This has not happened as while Johnson won the championship this year, Gordon finished ninth in points with no wins. Some people have questioned how even things are in the shop, though Rick Hendrick stands by the fact that all the information is shared from one team to another to therefore benefit all.

    A lot of people have said the difference between the teams has been the lack of chemistry. As a result, Gordon will be working with Alan Gustafson in 2011. Whether the combination produces success is definitely a question that will be interesting to see answered.

    Another interesting dynamic is how Gordon is now moving to the same shop as Mark Martin while Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves up to the shop with Johnson. Does this come as a result of what happened in April? Or as a result of what happened later in the year with the pit crew swap? Or is Hendrick looking to just combine the best combinations and not as a result of anything above?

    According to those inside at Hendrick, they say that things are still good between everybody and that it was a co-operative effort within the organization with the pit crew swap.

    A couple months later when it came to the road course at Sonoma in late June, Gordon found himself in the middle of it again. Multiple drivers complained after the race about Gordon driving too hard and as a result, causing problems for them. Martin Truex Jr. came out and said, “The 24 turned me around.” and vowed for payback.

    Rather than jealousy, this could have been driven by frustration on Gordon’s part due to being so close to winning at tracks recently, yet still not finding victory lane. It could also be the new coming with Gordon in where he realized that if he wants a piece of the Chase and wants to be in the middle, he has got to fight for it. Maybe he interpreted that the wrong way and instead caused more problems then he intended.

    Gordon’s most dramatic move, however, came in Texas with the argument with Burton.

    Burton is known for being the mayor of the garage, having the voice of reason and being able to represent the drivers’ views in general.

    Gordon is known for being the professional who became NASCAR’s first young-gun star that seemed polished. As he’s grown to be a more mature driver, he’s taking a role like Burton’s in having a professional representation of the sport.

    Though following the events of what happened, it looked like both of their roles within the sport had fallen apart.

    Under a caution for Martin Truex Jr. wrecking, Jeff Burton made contact with Jeff Gordon, causing them both to wreck.

    “That sucker killed it,” Gordon said after the contact on the radio. “What the hell? He’s the one being a dumb###.’’

    Gordon was angry about the whole event and proceeded to get out of his car and throws some punches at Burton.

    For Gordon, the entire trickle of events led back to the previous green flag lap before the caution.

    “He went wide going into turn three, I went underneath him,” Gordon said after the incident. “There were three car lengths between us and he came right down to me and got into me.

    “Under caution, I went up to him to tell him what I thought; I never even touched him. He just drove into my right rear and put me into the wall under caution. Out of all the people, I never would have thought that Jeff Burton would do something like that. I had a lot of respect for him and now I’ve lost a lot of respect.

    “I was walking toward him, and I started going through all the scenarios in my mind. Thankfully, I had a long walk down there to him, because I did about the least amount I wanted to do. I wanted to show him how upset I was, but I wanted to do a whole lot more than that. I held back.

    “I’m just still in disbelief. I like Jeff. Usually he’s a guy that’s very rational and I respect his opinion. He apologized. It’s over.”

    Burton said he didn’t mean to get into Gordon, as he wanted to tell him he was right to be mad.

    “Well, we came off turn four and he drove underneath me and when he drove underneath me, I should’ve let him go,” Burton said. “He pulled up next to me to tell me he was upset with me. Then I went to pull up next to him to acknowledge him, to say he was right. I turned left, and he was turning left, and we just hung up. And when we hung up, off we went. I honestly don’t know what happened.

    “One hundred percent, it was my fault. It was definitely my fault. We got together, I couldn’t get off of him. I didn’t mean to hit him, I meant to pull up next to him and tell him he was right.”

    Burton also said that he’s not mad at Gordon for wanting to say a few words.

    “I knew he was going to be mad, and I don’t blame him for being mad,” Burton said. “He didn’t do anything he shouldn’t have done. He was upset, and he should have been upset. I wrecked him under caution – I didn’t mean to wreck him, but I wrecked him under caution – and he meant to tell me he was upset. That’s OK. I don’t have a bit of problem with what he did. He was mad, and he should have been mad.”

    Burton also said later in the week, “I can assure everybody that there is no way that I would turn somebody driver-side first into the wall. That’s not just how I am.”

    It created an interesting dynamic as a lot of people were surprised, though as Burton said, it was needed via the events.

    Whether Gordon’s actions are possibly led by frustration, jealousy, or other reasons, they made for a lot of entertaining moments this year.

  • Dale Earnhardt Will Never Be Forgotten But It’s Time to Detach His Name From the No. 3

    Dale Earnhardt Will Never Be Forgotten But It’s Time to Detach His Name From the No. 3

    It would have been easy for Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Dillon to say the same thing Dale Earnhardt Jr. did: no more three for me.

    Dillon had driven that number on the local levels but driving with that number on a NASCAR level in a different story. A story that he could have passed up on. Had he, no one would have thought any less of him. Instead when Dillon was promoted to drive for grandfather Richard Childress in the CWTS full-time in 2010, he eagerly jumped behind the wheel of a truck with the 3 on the side.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Not just any truck, a black truck with a white No. 3. It’s a scheme made famous by Dale Earnhardt Sr., which hasn’t seen the racetrack since that fateful day in 2001.

    Going into his rookie season Dillon already had a crucial element on his side: no expectations. The only thing for Dillon was to learn, he wasn’t expected to go out and win races and compete for the championship.

    What’s the saying about rookies? What they don’t know they don’t know. Simply log laps and learn, learn, learn.

    Dillon logged plenty of laps and he certainly learned. He was a rookie in veterans clothing. When the pressure of driving the No. 3 could have gotten to the young kid and could have been intimidating Dillon instead used it as motivation.

    “I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Dillon said after winning his first race at Iowa. “Just try each and every week to get the best finish we can with that number. I know the fans want to see it up front. That’s where I want it to be.”

    Rookie of the Year honors were never a doubt. In 25 races Dillon captured seven poles, two wins, seven top fives and 16 top 10s. The championship was over early with the domination of Todd Bodine and Dillon never became a serious factor but he still wrapped up a top five finish.

    Competitors have given him high praise and fans have flocked to him. Both his on track success and the number he’s driving have helped. With a full-year of competition now in his back pocket, the hardest part of Dillon’s career will come over the next few seasons.

    Getting through a rookie year was hard in itself but remember there were no expectations. Dillon’s success blew a few minds while marking himself a contender from this point forward.

    Heading into his sophomore season, this is where the expectations really come into play.

    First thing, as with any driver who gets behind the wheel of anything with a three on it, Dillon needs to continue to tune out those pushing for someone to be the next Earnhardt. In a piece written last week it was stated that Dillon’s New Years resolution should be to remain Austin Dillon.

    It may not have apparent in 2010 but the longer Dillon drives the 3 the more the more those whispers will surface. The more the comparisons to Earnhardt will surface in every accomplishment Dillon makes.

    It shouldn’t be that way however.

    Luckily he’s shown he has his head on straight. When talking about his future he clarified that he’s in no rush to run up the NASCAR ladder. The CWTS is where he wants to be and he’ll return for another season in 2011.

    Don’t count out a few Nationwide Series races as he begins to test the waters. Dillon’s rumored to be scheduled for both Nashville races, Iowa in May and O’Reilly Raceway Park in the No. 33 for Kevin Harvick Inc.

    The great thing is that he’s young and his future is bright, there’s no reason to push too fast.

    The logical conclusions for some fans being that as long as Dillon moves up the ladder the No. 3 will as well. There’s a longing for that number to be back in the Sprint Cup Series where it will go back to winning races and championships again.

    Right now though, Dillon is in control of his career. It’s important for it to remain that way, let him develop into his own driving style and let his career take its own course. He’s in the perfect position to finally break the belief that the No. 3 should only be driven by an Earnhardt or associated with Earnhardt, etc.

    For those that don’t want him to be the next Earnhardt, there are those who want him to succeed in big ways. When a driver gets behind the wheel of that number they’re supposed to become superhuman or at least that’s the belief.

    Compare it to those who believe because Dale Earnhardt Jr. is his father’s son, Earnhardt Sr. must have just spit a piece of himself out. Therefore Earnhardt Jr. is supposed to be the second coming of the Intimidator.

    The same now for Dillon as he drives the Intimidators number.

    “You know, it’s so awesome to see that number running well again,” said Dillon. “When you see it on top of the board when you leave the track, that was a really cool sight. That was cool for me and my grandfather … It’s a powerful number. It makes the people in the stands stand up and cheer. I love driving it. It’s a lot of fun.”

    Fun. A few drivers have said in the past that the day racing isn’t fun anymore is the day a driver knows they need to move on and find something else to do. Dillon’s rookie year was a blast filled with much success. It was also marked the beginning of Dillon making the number his own as he started to etch his imprint onto the sport.

    Austin Dillon, that is his name. The No. 3 is his truck, his number and his future. Together they will write their own pages in the NASCAR history books. Together they can rise to the top and be feared and famous.

    But, when doing so they can only get the due they deserve if the name Earnhardt doesn’t keep appearing next to them and if the expectations of a legend don’t get into his head.

  • Waiting For the Season to Start

    Waiting For the Season to Start

    NASCAR’s annual winter Media Tour usually harvests some news and that’s a good thing because things are pretty quiet right now. After an early flurry of news before Christmas, things have quieted down. That period right after the close of the season last year was dominated by the revitalization of Richard Petty Motorsports with Richard himself in control. Part of the reason for this is the Media Tour itself (why announce something early when you have most of the reporters all together at one time?). The Media Tour starts on Monday, January 24th.

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]The last two weeks, RPM announced they had renewed a sponsorship contract with Best Buy for A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 43 Ford Fusion. With Stanley Tools already shored up for Marcos Ambrose in the No. 9 Ford, it looks like RPM will start the 2011 season on firm footing. RPM’s four-car team performed admirably last season amid speculation of its demise. With that monkey off their backs, we could see an increase in performance for that team.

    We also saw Ray Evernham return home, but not to help Hendrick Motorsports on the track. Apparently, Evernham and his marketing arm will help HMS market a new line of performance parts and automobiles, somewhat like Jack Roush does with Ford. This means Evernham no longer will co-host the ESPN NASCAR broadcasts, citing the fact that it would be hard to be critical of HMS, and thus stifle objective reporting. He will be missed on the broadcasts.

    So we wait. Lots of questions will have to be answered at the Concord, NC-based tour, and that is usually the case. The biggest question will be about the Chase. Will they actually introduce elimination into the recipe? Are there other changes we haven’t even addressed? Yes, we wait. And the Daytona 500 is less than 40 days away. Patience is sometimes a very hard concept.

  • Kyle Busch Becomes Poster Boy For ‘Have At It Boys’ With Display of Emotion

    Kyle Busch Becomes Poster Boy For ‘Have At It Boys’ With Display of Emotion

    When Robin Pemberton uttered those four words last year in January, a lot of people were curious as to how the drivers would react. Most thought it would equal some emotions being shown, but at the end of the year, it went beyond just a little bit of emotion.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]It was easily seen that Kyle Busch would be the poster boy for it, via some of his antics in the past. These antics have some fans not liking Busch for who he is.

    A simple poll of the fans easily shows that one of the drivers that seems to be on everybody’s list is Kyle Busch. In asking a group of fans as to why, you quickly get the sense it has to do with attitude and actions like the above.

    “He just gives off this vibe that he is better then everybody else and it’s all about him,” Evan Towle said. “Sort of like a young Tony Stewart used to be. Tony used to get on my nerves when he first started in NASCAR, but now he has matured and I like him.”

    “I tend to agree with a lot of the way Kyle Busch acts,” Kyle Sedan said. “Sometimes it’s rather annoying.”

    “Arrogant attitude, expects respect on the track but doesn’t give it back, whines about others when he is doing the same thing, fake,” one fan commented.

    “His attitude,” Cathy Gamble Costigan simply puts it.

    If you take his attitude out of the equation, then a lot of people seem to have respect for him.

    “I am, personally, a Tony Stewart fan, but for Kyle, love him or hate him, he is a damn good driver,” Mike Hearty said. “Race wins don’t lie.”

    “I do really like his support/involvement and commitment to short-track racing.” Sedan added.

    A lot of people have been debating that he needs to change, which has come with mixed reactions.

    Towle says, “We don’t need him, as the sport is doing fine without his babyish acts.”

    In some ways, there are certain things that Busch has to become better at, such as some of the things that we saw this past weekend.

    However overall, the sport needs somebody like Busch. His actions do spruce things up and add something different to the sport, and are needed to invoke discussion and rivalry. If everybody was the same cut, wouldn’t it get boring after a while?

    As Mike Hearty and Kyle Sedan both say, it adds to the sport.

    “I personally love Kyle’s attitude myself,” Hearty said. “NASCAR is entertainment and Kyle entertains in any way he can. Each sport needs a standout person the fans can have a choice to love or hate and he is the one. I do believe, though, when he matures more, his attitude will die down. I think he is young, a star and living in the moment right now.”

    “People either ‘love him’ or ‘love to hate him’,” Sedan says. “So he most definitely adds to the sport, and it is good for it.”

    This year was no exception as he added his own version of “Have at it Boys” to each of the divisions.

    Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race with Denny Hamlin

    After teammate Denny Hamlin took the air off the back of Busch’s car during the Sprint All-Star Race, Busch wasn’t too pleased at all as he called Hamlin out on it.

    “Somebody better keep me from Denny Hamlin after this race!” Busch yelled on the radio. “I had this race won. It was won.”

    Busch then drove the car to the garage area, parking directly in front of Hamlin’s hauler. He went inside and waited till Hamlin got there, where they had a discussion with car owner Joe Gibbs in the middle.

    “Kyle had a run to the outside and with me moving up and getting real tight, it then took some air away from the front of his car and he slid up into the wall. It’s tough for me,” Hamlin told Speed. “We talked about it and basically Kyle was just frustrated; he felt like he had a really good car. Me, I just came from the back with no practice and got back to the front where we needed to be and I felt like if I gave up the lead right there then I was going to give up the win.

    “I don’t think Kyle would do anything different if he was in my situation. It’s just when you’re the leader, my feeling is that you’ve got the whole race track. If a guy is to the outside. then that’s when you need to hold your line.”

    Nationwide Series Food City 250 Bristol Race with Brad Keselowski

    As the Nationwide race was getting closer to ending, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski were battling hard for the lead. After contact from Keselowski caused Busch to hit the wall, Busch drove back up to Keselowski’s bumper, spinning him.

    “I raced him, raced him, raced him, I don’t know, 12-15 laps? I thought I had him cleared up the back and I moved up in front of him and instead of him doing an [Dale] Earnhardt crossover, he decided to just run into the back of me and put me in the fence,” Busch said.

    “That’s Brad Keselowski. So I went down into the next corner and I dumped him. He does it to everybody else, why can’t I do it to him?”

    Busch won the race while Keselowski ended up 14th.

    “He did a good job, almost cleared me and took it for granted that I would lift to let him in line and I didn’t,” Keselowski said. “That’s his right. We’re going to go to work on beating him next week, and the week after and every other week.”

    In his victory celebration, he changed it up by mocking somebody crying like a baby instead of his bow to go along with the reaction of the fans.

    Truck Series Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky and Championship Battle with Todd Bodine

    Early in the race, it was set in stone that it would come down to a battle between Todd Bodine and Kyle Busch. On lap 82 while battling for the lead, Busch took the air off of Bodine’s truck causing him to spin. Though this ended up helping Bodine as with the unscheduled pit stop and resulting strategy, he came out as the winner while Busch finished seventh.

    “Our misfortune turned out to be a fortune,” Bodine said in victory lane. “I’d like to thank Kyle Busch for driving dirty, sucking me down and getting me spun out. That (stop) gave me enough gas. He doesn’t cut anybody a break. He drives that way in every division in every race.”

    Upon hearing the comments, Busch interrupted Bodine’s victory celebration to display his displeasure.

    “He (Busch) doesn’t have to drive like that to win; but he does,” Bodine said. “NASCAR won’t do anything about it. He was mad because I called him out on it.”

    This confrontation at Kentucky promoted a long, hard battle for the Owner’s Championship between Germain Racing (Todd Bodine’s team) and Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    Martinsville was no exception to their battle as they fought hard side-by-side, and at one point, Bodine was accused of trying to fool Busch on a restart.

    “If they think I was trying to do a slow restart to fool Kyle Busch, they are wrong,” Bodine said on the radio at that time. “I just didn’t get a good restart. Message delivered—I’ll work on it.”

    In the end, it was KBM coming out on top.

    The Complete Texas Weekend

    On Friday, Kyle Busch won the Camping World Truck Series race to take over the owner’s points championship standings for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

    On Saturday, Busch finished second to Carl Edwards in the Nationwide Series race, though was unhappy about it as he thought Edwards jumped the start.

    “Does it f—- matter?” Busch said afterwards. “Race is over, guy’s in Victory Lane.”

    On Sunday, Busch stirred up controversy again, following repairs that he had to make on pit road after a wreck.

    Under caution, Busch sped off pit road to try to beat the pace car and stay on the lead lap. He caught up, but NASCAR penalized him one lap for speeding.

    Busch then went on a rant on the radio against NASCAR and showed the officials the middle finger on pit road, which incurred a penalty of two laps for driver misconduct.

    “I’m the only one who will stand up to ’em, and they’re gonna show me how far I can stand up,” Busch said on the radio after the penalty. He then added that it was freedom of speech, going against the constitutional rights of everybody.

    NASCAR penalized Busch $25,000 and putting him on probation until December 31st for “actions dentimental to the sport of stock car racing”.

    Busch released the following statement following the announcement…

    “I accept NASCAR’s penalty and realize what I did during Sunday’s race at Texas was inappropriate.

    “Even in my relatively short time here in NASCAR, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that I wear my emotions on my sleeve. Sometimes that passion has allowed me to find that little something extra I needed to win, and other times it’s made me cross the line. Sunday at Texas was one of those days.

     “I lost my cool, plain and simple. It’s not acceptable, and I know that. I apologize to NASCAR, its fans, all the partners who support Joe Gibbs Racing, and all the people who work so hard to give me a race car that’s capable of winning races every week. All of those people deserve better from me, and I owe it to them to keep my emotions in check.”

     

    Busch had other key incidents this year, including an argument with Jeff Burton. Though with them all, he just kept being himself and holding his part in the “Have at it Boys” policy.

    During the next couple of weeks, I will reflect upon these incidents as we look back at what all broke loose in 2010.