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  • Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick Will Be Sentimental Favorites on Tenth Anniversary of Earnhardt Sr.’s Passing

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick Will Be Sentimental Favorites on Tenth Anniversary of Earnhardt Sr.’s Passing

    One of them is his son. The other drives his car.

    The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 will see both men attempting to win the Great American Race for the second time. And now more so than ever they’ll be the sentimental favorites.

    Not as if they normally aren’t with the fan base each possess, but this year with the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death those fans are looking for an emotional victory.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]When Earnhardt died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 it forever linked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick. It forever made them two drivers fans would always cling to when thinking about Earnhardt Sr.

    As the son, Earnhardt Jr. has been cursed with unnecessary expectations. As the man picked to drive his car, Harvick was given big shoes to fill. They both have honored the Intimidator in their own ways while creating a legacy of their own.

    The passing of his father brought Earnhardt Jr. more fans and attention than he already had. Greatness once expected with time became greatness expected now, become his father.

    Success he enjoyed in his rookie year, winning his first race at Texas and becoming the first rookie to win the All-Star race, was shared with dad in victory lane. A family sport had one its greatest families stealing the headlines.

    Then, dad was gone and ‘Little E’ was on his own and forced to become the man of the household.

    As a new season begins and another Daytona 500 approaches, along with another anniversary, Earnhardt Jr. will be bombarded with questions about his father. It may even be blessing in disguise from talking about another disappointing year, 2010, and the changes at Hendrick Motorsports over the offseason.

    “You know, you think about your parents all the time,” Earnhardt Jr. said last week during preseason testing. “I think about him and my mother all the time, especially getting back to racing.”

    Getting back to racing seems quite different when having to start the season off at the same track that took his fathers life. Except, Earnhardt Jr. not only enjoys racing at Daytona but enjoys being able to carry on the success of the Earnhardt name at the track.

    In 2004 when he won his first Daytona 500 it came five years to the day that his father has won his first. Last July Earnhardt Jr. drove a blue and yellow No. 3 to victory lane at Daytona in a Nationwide Series race and the sport went into a frenzy.

    Big headlines accompanied a big celebration. There were beer baths in the grandstands. Three fingers were raised high above their heads. It was a great night to honor a man that will always be a champion of the people and great night for Earnhardt Jr. to make dad proud.

    “He was intimidating like they say,” said Earnhardt Jr.

    “He was like that as a father when he was at home. You wanted to please him all the time, make him happy and you wanted to – whatever you did – you wanted it to somehow get a response from him,” he continued.

    “My dad was there to guide me in a lot of good directions that helped me out a lot. I tried to have some of the same good qualities that he had. The qualities that I enjoyed about him, I tried to emulate those as best I could and keep those qualities as well because I felt like it made him a good person.”

    Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t seen victory lane at Daytona in the Cup Series since 2004. While he’s picked up where dad left off in plate dominance, the last few years have been tough to swallow. Hope is not lost, however, Earnhardt Jr. has been magic in emotional races in the past.

    Long live the 2001 Pepsi 400.

    Just like long live the 2007 Daytona 500. Richard Childress had not been to victory lane at Daytona since 1998 and after the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 he thought about giving it all up.

    Six years to the day and on the last lap again, Harvick reminded Childress why he had made the right decision. A pass on Mark Martin put RCR back on top and put Harvick in the history books.

    It was a long journey not just for Childress but for NASCAR, the fans and for Harvick himself.

    “I was very uncomfortable with it in the beginning, didn’t like it, didn’t want to be a part of it,” Harvick said of the emotions of being the successor to Earnhardt.

    “You know as the last three or four years have come, I’ve learned to become more comfortable. And I think the biggest reason is we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things on our own. So that for me is something that makes me a little bit more comfortable with it. And the hardest part for me to learn was just the fact that a lot of times it wasn’t somebody trying to make you do something like he did, it was just somebody complimenting on things that he did and things that we’ve been able to do.”

    His feelings are understandable. Harvick was still trying to make a name for himself in 2000 in the Nationwide Series before being handpicked by Childress to replace Earnhardt. In the wake of losing a hero, friend and boss and having never made a start in the Cup Series, it was a tall order for Harvick.

    Every eye was on him. An emotional win in Atlanta three weeks after the ill-fated Daytona 500 helped relive the pain. Then there were times when it felt like Earnhardt wasn’t gone because of the actions Harvick found himself in.

    A Truck Series altercation at Martinsville led NASCAR to benching him for the Cup race a day later. After being wrecked at Bristol by Greg Biffle he ran down pit road, jumped over the car and grabbed the driver, exchanging heated words.

    Harvick has never been one to shy away from speaking what at times has been the truth or what he’s feeling. Losing Earnhardt made it become a bigger story and happen quicker than most anticipated.

    “I think everything we did was backwards,” said Harvick.

    “I went into 2000 and we never had anything. We had always beat my own path as we went along. Same thing happened in 2000 with starting the Nationwide program, get to 2001 and you’re planning on racing for a championship in the Nationwide Series and running a few Cup races – just signed a new sponsor for Cup the year – and then it all changed.”

    Harvick was practically thrown to the wolves.

    “Instantly it’s like everybody knows your name, everybody knows what you’re doing,” he said.

    “You start from the wrong end of the spectrum and you don’t have time to learn. You have time to learn what you’re supposed to say, when you’re supposed to do things, how you’re supposed to do it.”

    As time has gone on Harvick has learned to do a lot of things. Last season he was the best through the first 26 races and almost gave Childress his first championship since 1994. Again fans flocked to him, those looking for someone to beat Jimmie Johnson and others who wanted to see RCR again the best in the business.

    Harvick has also become one of the best restrictor plate racers of his time. In 2010 he won two of the four plate races and will roll into Daytona this season again a favorite. And again he’ll roll into Daytona thinking about how where he once was and where he is today.

    “I think as we went into that situation you start off with the biggest press conference that you’ll ever have in your whole career,” he said of 2001.

    “You have more fans than you’ll ever have and you don’t know how to manage your time, you don’t know how to manage your money, you don’t know what to say, and all of a sudden you have all that stuff at once. So instantly I just put up my defense and it was easier just not to talk about it. I was 25 and didn’t really know exactly what direction that life was going to go, and instantly you had everything that you wanted but you didn’t have to do anything for it. So it just didn’t all make sense to me.”

    What would make sense? Seeing either Earnhardt Jr. or Harvick back in victory lane at a track that changed both their lives 10 years ago.

  • Dale Jarrett, Tom Higgins, Waddell Wilson Receive Honors

    Dale Jarrett, Tom Higgins, Waddell Wilson Receive Honors

    Dale Jarrett, 1999 Cup Champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner, Waddell Wilson, engine builder and crew chief, and Tom Higgins, noted NASCAR journalist, were inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in a grand style in Charlotte this weekend.

    [media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]The three inductees joined other NMPA Hall of Fame notables including Bobby and Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, Dale Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Barney Hall, Harry Hyde, and Junior Johnson just to name a few.

    Father Ned Jarrett gave the induction speech for his son Dale.  He noted how proud he was that his son had followed in his footsteps not only in his racing career but now in his broadcasting career as well.

    “We truly have been blessed in our careers, both Dale and I, to have been able to share a lot of good things together along the way,” Jarrett said.  “For him to follow in my footsteps as a driver and now as a broadcaster is very, very special.  Those of you who have children know what that means.”

    Ned Jarrett also noted how important 2011 has been and will be for the Jarrett family.

    “A number of good things are happening in 2011,” Jarrett said.  “First is Dale being inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.  It was announced last week that he was also elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.”

    “And it has been documented that I will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year,” Jarrett continued.  “So, 2011 is a very special time for us and our family.”

    Jarrett noted that there have been many opportunities for he and his son Dale to share in the sport of NASCAR.   The most special of all, however, was being able to broadcast the Daytona 500, pronouncing his son Dale as the winner.

    “To do the things that we’ve been able to do together, like him winning the 1993 Daytona 500,” Jarrett said. “I was working with CBS in the booth.  That was a very, very special moment for us and it turned out it was a very good moment for the sport of auto racing too because that moment has been shown a lot over the years.”

    Jarrett noted that his son was also an all-around “sports nut”.  He, as did many others in their tributes to Dale Jarrett, noted his prowess not only on the race track but also on the golf course.

    After accepting the presentation by his father and donning the grey NMPA Hall of Fame jacket, Dale Jarrett took a moment to pay tribute to his fellow honorees, as well as the many other honorees in the room.

    Jarrett thanked Tom Higgins for “always being a great friend, treating me fairly from the press, and having fun on the golf course” and recognized all of the support he had been given by Waddell Wilson, especially as he struggled with his own Busch Grand National team.

    “Whether it be a gear that I needed that he loaned me and never charged me anything to sharing a closed test at Daytona,” Jarrett said.  “These are the things that most people don’t know about that are so important.”

    While Jarrett thanked and recognized many in the room who had helped him in his racing career, as well as his current broadcasting career, the most powerful moment of his remarks came when he was recognizing his family, his parents, his wife, his two sons Zach and Jason, his sister and brother-in-law, who were with him for the celebration.

    “It’s a tough business we’re in,” Jarrett said.  “When you’re on the road all the time, it makes it pretty difficult.  I was fortunate that throughout a lot of my career, I had my family there. That helped ease things.”

    Another famous NASCAR family  member, Kyle Petty, made the induction remarks for engine builder and crew chief Waddell Wilson.  He noted how Wilson’s career as an engine builder at Holman Moody launched his success including winning 109 races, 123 poles and three championships, two with David Pearson in 1968 and 1969, and one with Benny Parsons in 1973.

    Petty also noted that the Daytona 500 was a special race for Wilson, just as it had been for Dale Jarrett. Wilson won three Daytona 500s, as crew chief to  Buddy Baker in 1980 and with Cale Yarborough in 1983 and 1984.

    “I’m here for Waddell,” Petty said.  “I talked to Waddell the other day and I asked Waddell why am I introducing you.  And he said ‘Because the Pettys have always been a pain in my ass.’

    When Wilson took the stage to don his NMPA Hall of Fame jacket, he did indeed reminisce about many aspects of his career, especially chasing after the “Petty blue” cars.  He not only drove in his career, but became one of the sport’s most noted engine builders and crew chiefs.

    Steve Waid, himself a noted journalist, introduced the final inductee and his best friend Tom Higgins. Chronicling many of their exploits together, Waid paid tribute to a man that chronicled some of NASCAR’s most interesting times, especially its years of growth and expansion.

    Higgins started his career at the Asheville Times in 1958, eventually writing for the noted Charlotte Observer. He was one of the first reporters to cover the sport on a full-time basis and did so until his retirement in 1997.

    When Higgins took the stage for his induction, he told story after story about the special people that he had met in the sport.  He was especially emotional telling some of the tales of his favorite drivers who he counted as friends, from Cotton Owens to Dale Earnhart, Sr.

    Kyle Petty summed up the honors best for Higgins and all three inductees.

    “This is a big deal,” Petty said.  “I grew up in the sport when there wasn’t a lot of media.  Higgins and Steve (Waid) were two of the first.  The group that we had looked after the sport and protected the sport.”

    “The sport has gone on to higher heights but the foundation that these inductees laid, we’re not here in this room,” Petty continued.  “It’s important to touch base with that and to continue to educate the new fans.”

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: 500 to 400 miles is a very good idea

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: 500 to 400 miles is a very good idea

    A few years ago former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte was asked about his thoughts about increasing the excitement level during Cup races. Without a seconds hesitation Labonte replied “shorten the races.” As I read his thoughts on this matter I quickly realized that Labonte was right with this assessment. Chopping 100 miles off of many of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup races is actually a very good idea.

    This point was proven this past October when the Auto Club Speedway decided to roll the experimental dice and delete 100 miles from their annual signature event: the Auto Club 500. The result was simply astounding and the event concluded with Tony Stewart taking the checkers over Clint Bowyer by a mere margin of 0.466 seconds. It was one of the closest finishes in the track’s history.

    Now bear in mind that this massive two mile, D shaped oval, located in Fontana-California has endured a great deal of motorsports themed criticism over the years. The press often called the racing there “tedious” and then often picked apart the track, its races and even its special promotional efforts.

    I have to concede that there were times over the years that the top ten leaders were a little strung out during these races especially during the middle portions of the events. That’s when I started casting my eyes towards the middle of the pack around positions 20 through 30. This racing often featured teams with limited sponsorship programs. These teams were racing hard because every position gained meant a slight financial bump in the pay check for their owners. These teams were often racing to maintain their status in NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points to insure a guaranteed starting berth for next Sunday’s event. I recalled often flinching as I watched these cars race four, sometimes even five, wide heading towards the turns and wondering if they were going to make it without crashing. I never again allowed anyone to tell me there wasn’t good racing at this track.

    I also recall reading critical reports regarding this speedway that were often unfair and sometimes totally ridiculous. I vividly recall a racing column; published back in 2007 that spent two paragraphs ripping the speedway apart because they had ran out of asparagus tips in the media lounge. The speedway invited this writer to their event, gave him unfettered access free of charge, fed him, spent the better part of three days practically kissing his backside and then he rips them up over asparagus? As ridiculous as that sounds, criticisms of this track at this level were more often the norm as the exception.

    Isn’t it amazing how all of that changed during a late Sunday afternoon last October? By the conclusion of last year’s Auto Club 400 the very same critics, who were looking for something negative all weekend long, were now saying it was the best Fontana race since the track’s inaugural event back in 1997. Everyone was raving about the intensity of the Auto Club 400. Driver Clint Bowyer probably stated it best when he said “they say you’re only as good as your last race. Well, for this place, that was one hell of a race.” Isn’t it amazing that all of this new found respectability stemmed from the simple decision of shortening the event 100 miles?

    With that decision, came a new level of intensity in the Auto Club race. The drivers knew they would have to mount a charge to the front earlier than usual. Crew chiefs were acutely aware that they now had one less pit stop to massage the handling of their cars. Pit crews were aware that one less stop meant every second spent on pit road was now more important than ever.

    Fans can now expect more of the same in 2011. Knowing a great situation when she sees one, speedway President Gillian Zucker recently announced that this year’s Auto Club sponsored race will also be 400 miles. NASCAR’s only stop in southern California is set for the weekend of March 27th and there’s already talk regarding the anticipated excitement level of this event.

    The Auto Club Speedway staff has a long reputation for their willingness to think and work outside of the box. The result has often been some rather unusual, but fun, themed ticket promotions. They have already launched some of those promotions for the race in March and many of them are extremely affordable and fan friendly. They can all be found at www.autoclubspeedway.com.

    Whether you’re sitting in the speedway grandstands March 27th or at home watching the race on Fox Sports, don’t be too surprised if you get treated to an intensely exciting Auto Club 400.

    Then ask yourselves why the other tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule aren’t shortening their race distance as well.

  • Steven Wallace Not Looking For Anything Crazy in First Daytona 500

    Steven Wallace Not Looking For Anything Crazy in First Daytona 500

    Just days before Sprint Cup Series teams were set to hit Daytona International Speedway for preseason testing a late addition to the list raised a few eyebrows.

    Steven Wallace is set to make his Cup debut in the biggest race of the season, the 53rd running of the Daytona 500. Wallace will be the third car under the Penske Racing banner.

    “We came down here yesterday and unloaded,” said Wallace on Friday.

    “We, obviously, weren’t as quick as we wanted to be. This was kind of a last-minute deal put together. We bought a car from Richard Childress that was a Chevrolet, a 2008 car that they ran. It hasn’t been run since. So put a Toyota nose and tail on it, put motor rounds in it, and came down here within about a week. So we have a lot of fine tuning to do on the car to find some speed, but we’re coming back with a different car that should be a little faster, and we’re excited about that.”

    Wallace will be locked into the event thanks to the owner points coming with the No. 77 he’ll be driving. Last season Sam Hornish Jr. drove the car but team owner Roger Penske decided to make a change after struggles both on the track and sponsorship became an issue. Hornish will be running a few Nationwide Series race this upcoming season.

    As for Wallace, he too will be back in the NNS. He’ll remain a full-time driver for his father, whom helped make this deal with Penske happen. Wallace finish 10th in points last season and is still searching for his first career win.

    While the Daytona 500 is marked on the calendar, it will be the only Cup race in his immediate future. The 23-year-old knows he has a tall order in front of him.

    “Well, no real Cup car experience,” he said.

    “Ran some ARCA cars back in the day when there was no COT stuff. But this track’s really a cool track. It’s really, really smooth out there. It’s just like Talladega minus just a couple little bumps down there in three and four, but nothing to worry about.

    With the new pavement and getting the opportunity to not only make his first Cup start, but also in the Daytona 500, Wallace knows he’s a lucky individual. During his availability with the media he kept using the word excited.

    When the green flag flies for the race, Wallace believes that he’ll have a great chance to hang with the best in the business. The new pavement has many saying that the competition will be on an even playing field in what could be the most competitive and wildest Daytona 500 in recent memory.

    It means, according to Wallace, that it should help rookies.

    “I definitely think the new track will be to an advantage for guys like myself that don’t have a lot of Cup experience and whatnot,” he expressed.

    “This track before was really, really rough, really slippery. Your car had to handle really, really well. I think with a rookie guy like me in the Cup Series, and a few other guys, this will benefit us because you don’t have to worry about handling and a lot of stuff. You’ve just got to have a really fast car and don’t make stupid decisions. If you can do all of that, you’ll be there at the end. I feel like we can do that.”

    Upon hearing that Wallace was going to be entered in the race, reaction was mixed among those in the NASCAR world. From the unkind in terms of his driving talent because of his history of tearing up racecars, to calling him a wildcard, the expectations of his debut aren’t great.

    For Wallace, he isn’t setting himself up for greatness either. Entering Speedweeks in early February will him with his own list of goals.

    “Well, I think that’s a really big step for me,” he said.

    “This is the Daytona 500. I’m a rookie at this. This is my first race. I’m not coming down here to win the race. I’m coming down here to have a strong finish, run good, get some respect, don’t crash the car, and finish the race. If we can do that, I feel like we’ll have a shot at it.

    A rookie has never won the Great American Race but a few have seen success. In 2004, Scott Wimmer finished third driving for Bill Davis Racing. Wallace could become the first driver to ever accomplish the feat if he pulls off the upset. He would also be the first Wallace to win the Daytona 500.

    “I’ve seen a lot wilder stuff happen down here. There’s been a couple of guys that have won this race that’s kind of been a little weird. But my dad’s never won here. He won the Bud Shootout. I’ve never won here. We’ve always run well here. We’ve had a couple top 10s and good strong runs.

    “But most importantly, this Daytona 500 is a really big deal for me and my family. Of course, this is I believe of the four Wallaces, I think it’s the longest or most Daytona 500’s out of any family or something like that. I’m just down here to get some respect and run good.”

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Why aren’t NASCAR owner’s points listed on the New York Stock Exchange?

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Why aren’t NASCAR owner’s points listed on the New York Stock Exchange?

    One would think that they should be. They certainly seem to be valuable enough and to acquire owner’s points by alternative means, other than actually earning them on the race track, seems to provide some rather lucrative returns.

    [media-credit name=”FMCM” align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace can testify to that. Wallace will be making his official Sprint Cup Series debut in next month’s Daytona 500 driving the #77 Toyota Camry fielded by Rusty Wallace Racing backed with sponsorships from Five Hour Energy Drink and Aspen Dental. He has every right in the world to be excited about his Cup debut. He’s also likely feeling an extra sense of security because he has a guaranteed start in the Daytona 500 based on owner’s points.

    In the world of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing owner’s points have over the years evolved into a commodity equally as important as the championship points system. Any team, throughout a season, who is entrenched in the top 35 in owner’s points is rewarded with a guaranteed start in their next race. At the end of a season the top 35 teams in the final owner’s standings are guaranteed a start in the first five races of the new season that follows.

    In the case of Steve Wallace’s Sprint Cup debut at Daytona, his guaranteed start in the great American race is courtesy of a business deal recently made between his dad and team owner, Rusty Wallace, and fellow team owner Roger Penske.

    It’s hardly an industry secret that there’s a strong personal and professional bond between the elder Wallace and Penske. That strong bond was likely the catalyst that allowed Rusty Wallace Racing to utilize the outstanding owner’s points from Penske seemingly now defunct #77 Sprint Cup team. This was the car driven by Sam Hornish Jr. for Penske Racing last year.  However, sponsorship issues with the team have left Hornish without a ride and that’s why the owner’s points were available to begin with. The details of this particular deal were never revealed. It’s not known if Penske let Wallace borrow his owner’s points just for Daytona or if a large amount of money was exchanged and the points were purchased. At this juncture Rusty Wallace Racing’s involvement in Sprint Cup appears to be limited to just the Daytona race and the Cup experience for Steve Wallace.

    Swapping and purchasing owner’s points is hardly a new concept in Sprint Cup racing. it has, in fact, been a business option for quite a long time now. We shouldn’t be just be pinpointing the recent business deal made by Rusty Wallace Racing. There are other teams who will also be taking the green flag at the start of this year’s Daytona 500 with a guaranteed starting berth based on acquiring owner’s points via an alternative method. Also bear in mind that these deals have to be approved by NASCAR to become official.

    In the 2010 season driver Paul Menard was a member of Richard Petty Motorsports and their four car operation. Menard elected to sign with Richard Childress Racing as the driver of that organization’s brand new fourth team. Meanwhile Richard Petty Motorsports, now under new ownership and management, elected to trim their operation to a two car team for this year. That move allowed Childress to acquire the owner’s points from RPM’s former #98 team, driven by Menard last year, and apply them to his brand new #27 team. It also means Menard has a guaranteed start in the first five races of this year despite the fact that he’s driving for a new team that has yet to run their first official race.

    RPM owner’s points from their former #19 team, with driver Elliot Sadler, were also available. That commodity was acquired by Wood Brothers Racing and transferred to their #21 team. That means their new driver for 2011, Trevor Bayne, also has a guaranteed start for the Daytona 500 as well as the four races that follows it.

    During the 2010 season Front Row Motorsports ran a three car operation. Two of their teams, the #34 and #37, finished the season within the top 35 in owner’s points. The third team, the #38 driven by David Gilliland, just barely missed the cut off. Heading into the 2011 season Front Row Motorsports has decided to campaign their #34 and #38 teams full time with full sponsorship packages. The #37 car will make part time appearances pending sponsor availability. The owner’s points from the #37 will be transferred to the #38 and that means Gilliland will not have to worry about qualifying for the first five races of the new year.

    However you really can’t blame NASCAR team owners for their willingness to pull out all of the stops to insure their cars are among the 43 starters for the Daytona 500. It is, after all, one of the most prestigious and lucrative annual motorsports events in the world. Last year’s race winner, Jamie McMurray, collected a whopping $1,508,449. At the bottom of the results page driver/owner Joe Nemechek, who ran 64 laps in the 2010 event, earned $261,424. With those type of raw numbers on the line it’s perfectly understandable why any team owner would be willing to buy points from another team to make the starting field of the Daytona 500.

    But it doesn’t mean its right. The bottom line of any form of auto racing should be, and must be, based on the track performance of the drivers and their cars. The right to start these races should be earned on qualifying day. It’s very simple: a car and driver is either fast enough to earn their starting berths or they face the possibility of loading their cars into the haulers and going home early. There has been too many examples in recent years of a team whose qualifying efforts were fast enough to make the field only to find themselves getting bumped from the starting grid by a team who has a guarantee based on owner’s points.

    At this juncture in time, NASCAR officials are looking at their Sprint Cup Series to determine if there’s any way to make something good even better. There are already reports regarding possible modifications to the series’ championship points and the Chase format. Over the past several weeks there have been strong indications that NASCAR has been very receptive to input on these topics from team owners, drivers and even their fans.

    Perhaps now is the time to examine whether or not the policy regarding the top 35 in owner’s points, and the guaranteed race starts that comes with it, has finally outlived its original intent. This is absolutely the time to examine the alternative means of acquiring owner’s points.

    Owner’s points should be earned on the race track. They should not become available via a trade or a purchase like a commodity on the New York Stock Exchange.

  • Travis Pastrana Practice’s at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in Preparation for the All-Star Showdown

    Travis Pastrana Practice’s at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in Preparation for the All-Star Showdown

    When the announcement was made that 11-time X Games gold medalist and four-time Rally Car national champion Travis Pastrana would be coming to NASCAR in 2011, the news came as a breath of fresh air during a time when attendance was down and the biggest decline was found between the ages of 18-34. NASCAR had already lured Metal Mulisha star Brian Deegan, who competed in the NASCAR Whelan series driving a Bob Newberry NTS Motorsports prepared super late model.

    [media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Deegan competed in three races on Toyota Speedway at Irwindale’s half mile in 2010 with a best finish of 10th. Team owner Bob Newberry said that, “NASCAR will be energized by both new fans and new sponsors that Deegan and Metal Mulisha (Deegan Motocross team, clothing and product line) will attract.”

    Attract, is the direction that NASCAR is taking by bringing both Deegan and Pastrana, along with AMA Supercross champion Ricky Carmichael into the sport in hopes of attracting the younger extreme motorsports fans.

    Carmichael competed in the 2009 Toyota All-Star Showdown, which is dubbed the “Daytona 500 of short track racing,” finishing 34th after starting 28th on the grid because of an accident on lap 142. Pastrana took a different approach then what Deegan and Carmichael did, by teaming up with NASCAR’s Michael Waltrip to form Pastrana-Waltrip racing.

    Pastrana, talked about the opportunity to team up with Waltrip during his recent practice session, in preparation for his first official NASCAR start in next weekend’s All-Star Showdown. “I’ve looked up to Michael a lot. His whole business philosophy is like mine,” said Pastrana who took his first practice laps in a Waltrip Racing prepared K&N Pro Series Toyota Camry.

    Pastrana also added that, “We are in it for the long haul I realize its gonna be a long and tough road. We need to figure out what we need to work on and where we are as the season progresses.”

    Pastrana finished with, “The 2011 season get my feet wet see where we need to go and make the best of it. The team is looking at long term goals. We have the right people in place for us to get the first race in to see where we sit and make a game plan.” Waltrip was not at the track for the practice session, but will be at the race serving as the Grand Marshal for the eighth running of this prestigious event.

    The anticipation of getting the chance to race in the NASCAR series is in its final stages for the sports newest up and coming star, with Pastrana ready to take on the challenge of racing against some of the series best short track racers. Last season’s K&N Pro West Series champion Eric Holmes said that, “Irwindale is a tough track to learn on, but Travis has some good people behind him that are teaching him.”

    Pastrana was able to keep the car off the wall, and going in straight line during his first few laps on a somewhat cold night, which will probably be the same weather conditions the area will see for the feature event.

    “It felt okay a lot flatter course then the other tracks I’ve tested at. I just want to get out there and start driving. The team put me with the best crew everything is in place for me to do well.” said Pastrana after coming in to make some adjustments on the car.

    Pastrana also added that, “This is gonna take a lot of time. I look forward to it I can’t tell you what it’s like because I never done it. Bottom line we have high expectations but we need results first.”

    The all wheel drive Rally Car that Pastrana drove last year, may help his transition into the NASCAR series when he said, “The more sideways you get the more gas you give it, and with this car the more sideways you get you give it less throttle. The looser it gets the better I feel I should do better because in rally the cars loose.”

    Pastrana’s first start will not come easy since he will first have to qualify his No.99 Toyota Camry, against more experienced drivers who are still looking to keep their rides for the 2011 season.

    “Qualify and then don’t crash. Get as much time as possible in the car to see where our foundation our base place is gonna be, “said Pastrana when talking about next weekend’s outlook.

    Pastrana is scheduled to possibly compete in seven Nationwide races, along with some K&N Pro Series East and West races with the showdown being the first, and a target date sometime in August for the NNS.

    “After the showdown get back and regroup and think about what we need to do are gonna do. We will do the NNS series midway through the season and get as many K&N East and West series race in. August is a possible target date for the NNS,” said Pastrana when talking about his long range goals.

    The All-Star showdown is non-points event which is the premier event of the season, since both the K&N Pro Series East and West drivers are invited to participate. “Year in and year out, the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown has provided some of the best racing action of the season,” said Bob DeFazio, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale track operator.

    DeFazio finished with, “Last year’s sell-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale witnessed a race they will be talking about for years, and we are honored to once again host the pinnacle of short-track racing in NASCAR.

    “Toyota Speedway’s graduated banking and multiple racing grooves are a perfect place to showcase this tremendous pool of talent in NASCAR. This event is a perfect way to give race fans a final send-off to the 2010 racing season and whet their appetite for more exciting racing in 2011.”

  • Jimmie Johnson Working on a Six Pack for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Season

    Jimmie Johnson Working on a Six Pack for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Season

    The 2011 Sprint Cup Series is officially underway as has begun in Daytona Beach for the 53rd running of the Daytona 500.

    That means the six-pack is being chilled.

    “We like beer, so it works,” says five-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]As Johnson looks to add another title to his growing collection, the campaign moves from ‘Drive for Five’ to ‘Six-Pack.’ It’s going to be storyline A this season because again it’s a season where Johnson is the head of the class. Again the driver 42 others are chasing.

    This past offseason the same questions were posed, can Johnson do it again? What are Johnson’s odds of winning six in a row?

    The simple answer: his chances are just as good now as they were the last five seasons.

    They aren’t winning the most races in a season – but they win the championship. Sometimes, they don’t even have the best pit crew – but they win the championship.

    All of which has left drivers and fans shaking their heads time in again.

    It also leaves for a long offseason. Lists are complied of why he will and won’t repeat. There’s the list of which drivers are going to be contenders and who has the best shot to dethrone the No. 48 team.

    But the truth is it’s becoming quite hard to find reasons why Johnson won’t or can’t do anything. The seasons roll on and every list gets smaller.

    Welcome to 2011, the newest season of trying to escape déjà vu.

    As you do, Johnson and his team have been hard at work. Crew chief Chad Knaus was adamant in Homestead that once the 2010 season ended the 2011 season had begun. Take the pictures with the trophy, collect the check, load the car on the truck and head back to Charlotte.

    It needs to be torn down and looked over for research purposes. After all, he finished second in Homestead and it needs to be found out why he didn’t win.

    Knaus was already lining up testing dates and building new racecars. When team owner Rick Hendrick announced changes to three of the four HMS teams, Johnson’s was left intact and kept on working. Not having to move or blink an eye.

    It’s a wonder why Johnson worries about anything with the work ethic of his team, but he’s always thinking. It started at the end of last season when wondering how competitive his team was going to be and what the competition was going to look like.

    Have no fear Johnson fans, the Lowe’s team knows what they need to do and how they need to do it. Race wins are still up for grabs. Championships sit ripe for the taking.

    Johnson sits 10th on the all-time wins list after finding victory lane six times in 2010. His total is 53 and should he win seven more this season he’ll be at 60 career wins in 10 years, putting him third on the wins list.

    He sits third on the list of Sprint Cup champions with five. NASCAR fans are well aware what winning anymore would do. While he’s already entering the discussion of one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in history, adding any more championships would start a whole new discussion about greatness.

    “I would love to get 10 straight,” Johnson said after Homestead last November.

    “I don’t know how ridiculous that sounds. But, in your mind, shoot, I would love to do X, Y, and Z. The realistic side, there’s no telling how long it’s going to last and I think we are all shocked it’s gone on this far.”

    No one thought he would get five straight, what’s another five more?

    It’s time to not only think ahead to title number six but to what’s after that: Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

    They may not come consecutively and don’t have to, Johnson’s already going into the history books and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

    Some might think the pressure is beginning to get to him. Not just from wondering when it’s all going to come to a screeching halt, but of knowing whom he’s chasing. But Johnson has never been a driver to get ahead of himself.

    One race and one year at a time has always been their motto.

    His drive and focus may be unmatched by another driver. At 35-years-old Johnson isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, whether another title comes this year or a few down the road, it’s a long shot to think he’s done winning.

    Mark Martin is still racing at 51 years of age. Earnhardt passed away at 49-years-old. Johnson isn’t going to lose talent from one year to the next and it doesn’t look good for those hoping he’ll wake up one day and decide he has enough championships.

    For the last half decade, Johnson has shown fans something they may have never seen before. Now as he looks for a sixth Sprint Cup Series championship he’s trying to show fans something else they’ve never seen before and not just in how many titles he can win back-to-back.

    He’s showing fans that a driver can and is closing on two drivers that were thought to never be touched.

    “If I can seam together seven [championships] in any shape or form to tied those two greats, I would be extremely honored,” said Johnson.

    “If I was ever able to surpass them, it would be out of this world.”

    Before Johnson had wrapped up his fifth championship last season his father Gary Johnson was already looking ahead.

    As the command to fire engines was given in Homestead for the Ford 400, the elder Johnson exclaimed, “We’re going for the six-pack and you can quote me on that!”

    Wonder what he must be thinking now.

  • The Case of the Mysterious Disappearing Fans Solved

    The Case of the Mysterious Disappearing Fans Solved

    With the new rumored changes to the points and Chase system in NASCAR, people once again want to talk about what happened to NASCAR’s numbers. How will the changes affect the television ratings and the ticket sales numbers? Will the new changes have the desired effect of bringing back the loyal and diehard fans to the track and in front of their television sets weekly? Just as important is the question where did they go and why?

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]I believe that responsibility lies not only with the business model of NASCAR it’s self but with the changes in the type of fan and the type of drivers that compete in the sport. The old school, diehard, knowledgeable fan, who researched, asked questions and learned the sport. They were also being diehard in their loyalty to their driver got tired of being treated as though they were stupid. They got tired of being traded for marketing dollars and having the sport itself slide for the sake of money.

    That financially profitable business model that was created by NASCAR, carried over to everything. To the price of the hotels and merchandise, to the price of the race tickets, to the number of commercials in a TV broadcast. It was a business model that the teams copied, after all everyone wanted their piece of the pie. It was a model in which the fans became a commodity much like the inventory of cars and parts in their shop.

    There were warnings from within. Drivers cautioned that the true blood of the sport was a mixture between the loyalty of the fans and the fierceness of competition and to lose either would have disastrous results. Still the model moved forward making millions of dollars as it did, but at the same time alienating long time fans and enthusiasts.

    The knowledgeable and long time fans shook their heads and faded away much like the real stories of their heroes. The commercialized and romanticized NASCAR fans took their place, the ME generation. The generation of what it’s in it for me. What do I get? It’s ok to hate a driver, it’s ok to wish him bad. Wrecks are great, if they die so what; they get paid the big bucks to take that chance. These appear on message boards throughout the internet. Their loyalty changed from week to week. Whoever was winning, as long as they weren’t winning too much. How much was too much? To that there was no consistent answer.

    The next generation of drivers was different as well. Gone were the strong men with iron wills. The courage and daring of moon shiners and fighter pilots. Men, who could build the car, could and did work on the car, and knew it inside out. The magicians of speed faded into history and their stories became romantic tales of daring and magic.

    In their place came pretty poster boys and marketing images that had no substance and no reality. What you saw was all there was. There was no personality. There was no style or substance. It was a facade of a man created by a marketing puppeteer to sell the sponsor products and the sport.

    Like a movie façade the man behind the image was often unaccommodating and distant. He was a business owner with multiple corporations and the driver you saw was actually nothing more than a corporate image meant to entice you to support of products and merchandise.

    The dedication of driver to fan began to disappear. The standards of the King and his devotion to his following became legend and few if any paid heed to the dominance that fan base provided him in times of difficulty.

    The slick and shiny new NASCAR driver met with approval from the master puppeteers named NASCAR because the sport had changed. It was now about control about changing and rewriting history to avoid offending the sensitive. Sensitivity training and “diversity studies” became the order of the day. Not race cars, speed and technologies that would extend the sports survival into the next centuries.

    The drivers were just the starting point. The next stop was erasing the brand identity of the manufacturers that for years had kept the sport afloat. And they did so with total arrogance stating, the sport would survive even if the manufactures represented did not.

    To make their point, NASCAR engineers were given the task of creating a NASCAR car. The Car of Tomorrow it was called. All the cars would be the same, creating a “level playing field” and eliminating the advantage of factory support and dominance.

    The arrival of NASCAR’s car spoke loudly to fall of the sport and its fans. But it also spoke loudly to the men behind the poster boy smiles. Suddenly they were at risk. Their well scripted and planned roles of villain and hero began to fall apart. The heroes couldn’t fill the shoes of the men of the past. They didn’t know how. They were created on paper and their reality was that the 43 most highly paid male super models frankly didn’t have the skills. And the few that did were unacceptable to the new fan. They were, “Neanderthal throw backs”, “spoiled brat”, “jerk with a steering wheel”.

    The “general fan” does not like Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart or even to a degree Juan Pablo Montoya. It really has little to do with their demeanor or their behavior. It has more to do with their raw ability. They are not the slick paper politically correct set. They are a throwback to a simpler time when people could do the math and know where their favorite stood in the points. Where the goal and path to reach it were easy. Do it better. Do it faster and accept no road block in your way. Bring back the trophy and ultimately the championship.

    For all their cries of we need another Dale Earnhardt, they don’t really want one. Not that any of this generation of drivers could ever fill his shoes. But should one come along that could stand beside him, they would reject him as being too cocky and irresponsible.

    Even though the man in black was the defining hero that changed not only our sport but our world he too fell victim to NASCAR’s polishing rag. His name used to promote and describe as though it were an adjective yet few of the new fans knew him as anything but Sr. Truth is he was not a senior. He was Dale Earnhardt. His son was Junior. But he was never senior. He was Dale. He was the Intimidator. He was the man in black. He was a lot of expletives if he was not your favorite driver. But he was never Senior.

    As in the growth of all things NASCAR’s new business model hit its snag. Its new fans were not interested in why or how. The patient support that the sport had enjoyed for over 50 years was suddenly gone. The new generation of fans wanted what they had been promised.

    When it was not forth coming immediately from NASCAR they created it themselves with irresponsible postings across the internet of unsubstantiated rumor and flat fiction. The fan bases now thoroughly ensconced in the new NASCAR model defended the action as “freedom of speech” and encouraged the activity to the point that across the board, old school fans began to whisper amongst themselves about the fall of the proud and the greedy.

    They began looking for the “new hero”. Sadly it would not be the Legacy of the greatest hero our sport had known. But who would it be? Would he come from the west and a land of glitter and glamour or would he come from another series with the strength and the will to stand like Wyatt Earp? Or would it be a woman who would charm and comfort them back to their seats?

    Truth is the story has no ending as of yet. There are changes coming and the sands of time are still shaping the challenges and the faces of the future. What difference will it make to change the way the points are awarded? Will that change the fact that barring some horrific and unanticipated disaster that Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus will once again be right there taking on all comers? NO. It means that we are rewarding those that are too lazy to learn how the points system works and are too uneducated to do the math.

    Then we have the change to the chase. Rumor is 10 points spots and 2 winners spots. Now let’s say that we have 4 teams with 2 wins apiece. All 4 of them are separated by 1 point. They can’t award those positions by points because that is what they are trying to get away from in the first place. If they do award it on the basis of points then what was the point in changing the system. Brian France gets egg on his face and one more time NASCAR takes a hit in lacking foresight.

    So what do we do put all four out there in an all star prelude type race and say the top two go on and the last two don’t? How many cars do you think will still be drivable after the 1st turn on the green flag? Let us not forget here that the Cup Champion’s purse money last year was over 7 million dollars and that didn’t include contingency money. It didn’t include Champion’s purse share. I have the greatest confidence in my favorites that they have the talent to make it happen. But I am realistic as well, that is a lot of money.

    By changing the points system and the Chase, all NASCAR is doing is saying here we understand you aren’t smart enough to understand so we are going to make it easy for you. How many times will NASCAR play the fans as stupid and insult their ability before people say enough. Or maybe they already are saying enough and that is why the ratings are dropping and the seats are starting to be noticeably empty.

    The question stands who will lead us from the ruins of greed based control model that trades loyalty for dollar signs and knowledge for rumored speculation and irresponsibility. Who will be the track wise Hercules who will rise above the wrongs? Dramatic yes, but Hollywood couldn’t have written a better script of disaster and drama. Probably because this is not and never has been a polished sport. It is and always has been a fast paced chess game where men’s lives and the lives of their families and fans hang in the balance.

    NASCAR’s numbers are gone. But they and their teams erased them themselves. Can they be recovered? Only time will tell.

  • NASCAR May Be Returning to Simplicity With Points Change

    NASCAR May Be Returning to Simplicity With Points Change

    The complex incremental scoring system of points for NASCAR may be out the window in favor of a simpler system.  It may just be that the winner of the race will get 43 points and each finisher after that will get one point less.

    An Associated Press release stated the upcoming changes had not been finalized and the source of information, who had been involved in the discussions, wished to remain anonymous.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]The current point system has been in place since 1975.  It gives 175 points to the winner and decreases incrementally in five to three points down to 34 points for the driver who finishes 43rd.  In addition five-point bonuses are awarded for leading a lap and leading the most laps.

    The proposed system will still award bonus points for the lap leaders and race winners, but it has not been determined exactly how many points it will be.

    All the chatter about Brian France changing the Chase to an exotic playoff system also appears to have fallen off the radar.  Apparently NASCAR has listened to drivers and teams who really don’t want the changes.

    The rumors of expanding the Chase to 15 drivers did not play well with drivers or fans.  It appears the Chase will basically remain with top 10 drivers following the 26th race.

    The remaining two positions in the Chase will go to the drivers who have the most wins and are outside of the top-10 positions.

    Preseason testing begins this Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.  NASCAR president, Mike Helton and vice president of competition, Robin Pemberton will discuss some of the planned changes for 2011 during a press conference with the media on Friday.

    Any major changes will be announced by Brian France next week during the annual media tour in Charlotte.

    It appears NASCAR has listened and found answers in good, old-fashioned simplicity.  Those who are critics of the Chase will still have it, so their complaining will continue.

    As for the possible change in points, it should be more fan friendly with the ease of the points calculation after each race.

    There will be more changes announced regarding NASCAR policies in the coming days, but for now it appears NASCAR is working toward a cleaner points system and a Chase that encourages wins.

    Exotic changes to the sport don’t bode well with the players or the fans and now it appears that will not be an issue.

  • NASCAR Tinkers While Fans Check Out

    NASCAR Tinkers While Fans Check Out

    NASCAR continues to tinker with at least two of its top three series at the risk of alienating more fans.

    Why do they do this? The fans of the Sprint Cup Series had just become accustomed to The Chase, the Lucky Dog, the Shotgun Start, and (unfortunately) the Car of Tomorrow (which properly should be called the Car of Today) in the Sprint Cup Series and what do they do? Talk is they are going to revamp the points system. You know the one created by Bob Latford in 1975 that rewarded consistency over the entire season. What they’ve come up with, according to the Associated Press, is a system that would give the winner of the race 43 points. Each position thereafter would receive one less point than the position ahead of it. In other words, the team/driver that finished second would receive 42 points and the third place team/driver would get 41 points. Last place would yield 1 point.

    The problem with all of this is that these changes are manufactured to attain a goal that takes us far away from the traditions of the sport. Take the Nationwide Series for instance. According to drivers who already applied for their licenses, they have to choose only one series to run for the championship. No more running for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series the same season. The point of this is to eliminate the championship going to a Sprint Cup regular, but guess what? It may happen anyway.

    If you look at the list of probable Nationwide Series entrants, one name just jumps out at you. Elliott Sadler. Yep, the guy who has been a regular on the Sprint Cup Series for a long time. He even has three wins in Sprint Cup competition, driving for the Wood Brothers, Robert Yates Racing, and the Ray Evernham, George Gillette, and Richard Petty Motorsports teams. Last year, he decided to leave RPM and wound up in the Nationwide Series driving for Kevin Harvick Motorsports, one of the most powerful Nationwide Series teams. He will run for the championship and has to be the odds-on favorite. Imagine that.

    The rumored points system would attempt to make a closer championship race, giving the fans what Brian France calls a “seventh game experience.” Funny he would use a baseball term; I always thought the NFL was the target. Regardless, it would mean that a top driver can have a bad day, win the next week, and not be so far behind in the series standings. Other changes could be ten drivers qualifying for the Chase with the two top winners, if they are not part of the top ten taking positions 11 and 12. Once again manufacturing the close finish might have the same appeal to fans that those other ideas in my first paragraph (with the exception of Shotgun Starts) did. They will be yawning. As I’ve said before, most of the older base of fans will consider it a bastardization of their sport, younger fans will continue to turn the channel because they don’t know what the rules are, and both will eventually watch the NBA, MLB or the NFL. And they will wonder why.

    If we look at the history of the last decade, NASCAR had a good product that was growing year after year. Television ratings were high and crowds at the track were large. Things started to decline before the Great Recession of 2008, and that event and the constant changes designed to “make things better” turned the base fan away. They haven’t returned. And with gasoline prices rumored to be $4.00 per gallon by May, look for more of the same.

    Where does all of this leave us? I’ve long had a problem with Sprint Cup drivers and powerhouse teams (Childress or one of his farm teams, Roush-Fenway, Penske, Gibbs, and Hendrick) dominating the Nationwide Series, but was this the answer? Nationwide Series races are not as well attended as Sprint Cup races, but you can bet the absence of Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Kyle Busch won’t help any. This will all play out, but I don’t have a good feeling about it. The new points system, if rumors are true, may make for a close finish or it may be a runaway. So, nothing has changed except confusion to the fan base. From 2004 until today, NASCAR has been confusing its fans. Yes, the economy is bad, but people resist change. It confuses the young and confounds the old. And the beat goes on.