Category: Featured Stories

Rumor has it that Lance McGrew will be off the pit box for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the #88 Hendrick Motorsports team in 2011. And I’m sure most people saw this as an imminent move, including myself.

The chemistry between the crew chief and driver just hasn’t worked like it has for Earnhardt Jr. in the past, such as it was with Tony Eury Sr.  Granted, they have had some pretty descent runs, like at Martinsville last Sunday.

Since McGrew has been promoted to crew chief in May ’09, Earnhardt has only recorded ten top-10 finishes. Not a fantastic record by any means since Earnhardt recorded sixteen top-10s in his first year at Hendrick Motorsports in ’08.

Because of his solid record in ’08, that proves that Earnhardt is not the problem, as I have heard from a number of people. In the offseason between the ’08 and ’09 something occurred with the #88 team. With what, I honestly do not know. If we did know, Rick Hendrick would have already fixed the problem. But the results in ’09 and this year show something is amiss with the team. That problem is McGrew.

Now, do not misunderstand me, I am not bemoaning McGrew as a crew chief because I think him a very capable one. But my point is, McGrew and Earnhardt do not seem to work and communicate well together at all. Instead, they argue and bicker over the radio like feuding siblings almost constantly. Anyone who has tuned into the #88 radio knows what I am referring to.

Apparently, this will not do when they are attempting to race for the win week in and week out. Now the obvious and most difficult question: who is to replace McGrew? I have always been a strong advocate for Tony Eury Sr., with whom Earnhardt won the majority of his races with. However, Eury Sr. has explained that he has no desire whatsoever of becoming a full time Sprint Cup crew chief again.

What about Ron Malek, the #48 car chief, whose name has come up quite recently? A great candidate , considering how well and dominate the #48 has run for the past several years. However, many #48 fans would probably be upset by this and say “Wait! You can’t take him! Look how well Johnson is running!” True, but may I point out that really, only two of the Hendrick cars are running well and in the Chase for the championship, Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Johnson, obviously, is an extremely talented driver, and I concur that whoever is Johnson’s car chief, he can still accomplish amazing things behind the wheel. It is better to have all four Hendrick teams running well than just two outrunning the others every week.

What about Alan Gustafson, Mark Martin’s crew chief? Another crew chief who has proven himself in being able to win races. He appears to be the leading candidate for the job, even though both Gustafson and Rick Hendrick have denied that he will move to the #88.

Let me explain why. When Kasey Kahne comes over from Red Bull Racing to replace Martin in the #5 in ’12, he will most likely bring Kenny Francis, his current crew chief, along with him. There is almost no doubt that that is what will occur. That would mean that one of the Hendrick crew chiefs would be out.

Chad Knaus will remain with Johnson, Steve Letarte will remain most likely remain with Gordon, so that leaves either McGrew or Gustafson out. Therefore, Gustafson seems to be the choice for Earnhardt.

So, my conclusion? The most logical move would be to move Gustafson to the #88 and McGrew to the #5 for next year. Why not keep Alan with Mark, who work and communicate extremely well together, and move Malek to crew chief for Earnhardt in ’11? It makes no sense because in ’12 Gustafson would be out of a crew chief position, unless it was to work that Malek would be the crew chief for the #88 in ’11 and then Gustafson in ’12. That also makes no sense. Once Kahne and Francis arrive in ’12, move McGrew back to his original position with Hendrick Motorsports.

If Rick Hendrick does indeed move Gustafson to the #88 and McGrew to the #5, then he has a better chance of getting all four cars back in contention to win races and pursue a championship for the organization. Rick Hendrick is an intelligent owner and he will do what he believes will benefit his organization as a whole.

So, how do you solve a problem like Dale Jr.? Alan Gustafson is the answer.

With his championship hopes all but dashed after a late race altercation with Kurt Busch at Martinsville last weekend, Jeff Gordon has nothing to lose and only that elusive win to gain this season. The four-time champion, who has also been in the hunt for a new sponsor for 2011, has not won a Cup race since he donned the cowboy hat and fired the pistols in Victory Lane at Texas in April 2009.

Gordon will have to pursue his goal of garnering that first season win at one of the Cup Series most challenging and unpredictable tracks, Talladega Superspeedway. The Amp Energy Juice 500, the only restrictor plate race in the Chase, is scheduled to run on Sunday, October 31st this Halloween weekend.

“The plan is to win,” Gordon said. “And whatever strategy works for that is the one I want to use. More than likely, we won’t be laying back and just riding around.”

Gordon is, however, realistic as he approaches the vagaries of Talladega, from the lap after lap white knuckle insanely close quarters racing to the infamous ‘big one’ that always seems to occur at restrictor plate tracks like ‘Dega.

“You have to be willing to adjust as you go,” Gordon said. “You never know how the race is going to play out, so it might be necessary to drop back out of the lead pack at some point. But laying back is not in the pre-race game plan.”

Gordon has had success at Talladega, albeit not recently. In 2005, Gordon won, after leading 139 laps. In 2007, Gordon won more dramatically, leading just the last lap to take the checkered flag. Gordon has six wins, one pole, 13 top-fives and 16 top-10 finishes in 35 starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

“I look at it and know what to expect and accept it,” Gordon said. “I think we have a great shot at a top five if we survive the big one.”

With nothing to lose now and only a win to gain, Gordon has also been successful in his hunt for a new sponsor. Hendrick Motorsports just announced that AARP and the AARP Foundation will sponsor Gordon in an effort to call attention to ending hunger among older Americans.

Gordon’s ‘Drive To End Hunger’ is a three-year sponsorship initiative that will start in 2011. This unique sponsorship, poised to raise not only awareness but also money for the cause, will be on the No. 24 car for 22 races each year.

“This is a truly unique opportunity to help people, and it’s a completely new, cause-driven approach to sponsorship,” Gordon said. “Every single day, millions of older Americans are forced to make a choice between food, medicine and utilities. It’s going to be a team effort, and it’s not going to be easy, but we can solve this problem.”

Hunger is a hiding problem that millions of older Americans are battling silently,” Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP Foundation President, said. “NASCAR fans are among the most charitable, community-minded sports fans in the country and they have a track record of commitment. With the help of Jeff and the Hendrick team, we will make the most of this unprecedented opportunity to end the struggle that so many older Americans have with hunger.”

For Hendrick Motorsports, this ends the speculation that has surrounded Gordon and his team since Dupont announced that it could no longer afford to be the full-time primary sponsor. Dupont and Gordon’s other sponsor Pepsi will remain as primary sponsors for select races.

Team owner Rick Hendrick was thrilled with the new sponsorship agreement for one of his premier drivers. He was also pleased that the sponsor is not just about moving product but more about doing good for seniors in need in the community.

“It’s exciting to see a new organization engage with our sport and our fans through such an innovative approach,” Rick Hendrick said. “Having seen firsthand what the NASCAR community is capable of accomplishing, I know the program will help a lot of people in our country who desperately need it. Success ultimately will be measured by how many lives we can impact, and that’s a truly unique and special opportunity for everyone involved.”

“I have to say in my 27 years of being in NASCAR this is one of the most exciting things I have been involved in,” Hendrick said. “I think with Jeff’s following and the respect everyone in this sport has for him, we can move the needle on this issue. I’m taking this as a real challenge for our company.”

With his newest sponsor for 2011 in hand and the Chase in his review mirror, Gordon now has as his sole challenge to break his winless streak. He has just four more chances this season, beginning at Talladega this Halloween weekend in the Amp Energy Juice 500.

“I like Talladega a lot,” Gordon said. “I’ve won there enough times to have great memories.”

It’s both appropriate and interesting that the next round of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship is being held at the Talladega Super Speedway on Halloween day. When the checkers fall on Sunday’s Amp Energy Juice 500, it’s going to be interesting to see which team got tricked and which one got a treat. Can you imagine a ghost flying into the garage stall occupied by Jimmie Johnson’s No.48 team and saying “Chad, may I borrow a screwdriver?”

Talladega is of course a restrictor plate race. It’s an environment where four wide racing is more the norm instead of a video highlight. It’s also the home of the big one, the racing situation where the slightest flinch in the wrong direction can trigger a high speed, multi car, accident. It’s going to be interesting to see how this race impacts the Chase profile.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

Headlining the focal point of the Talladega intensity is the Chase. Jimmie Johnson goes into Sunday’s race with a slim six point advantage over Denny Hamlin and a 62 point lead over Kevin Harvick who holds down third.

From this trio of Chase contenders Harvick is without question the focal point. He appears to have a greater level of expertise at restrictor plate racing and he won the spring race at Talladega last April. He’s also the only driver to score top ten finishes in all three of the restrictor plate races held this year.

Johnson is a previous winner at Talladega. He also seems to qualify well at restrictor plate events. He has a 9.71 start average in 17 races which places him on the top of the charts in that category among active drivers. On the other hand, Hamlin has yet to win a restrictor place race in 19 tries but does have four top ten finishes. Among this trio Harvick seems to be holding all of the cards. If he’s going to eradicate any of Johnson’s lead then Talladega will be the place for him to get the job done.

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The other big storyline from this weekend that will warrant a lot of commentary is the financial status of Richard Petty Motorsports. All four of the RPM cars will be at the race track this weekend but that alone is a miracle considering all of the revelations we heard regarding the financial woes of majority team owner George Gillett Jr.

The financial woes seem to center around a $90 million loan Gillett secured from the Wachovia Bank used to initially purchase the race team from its founder Ray Evernham back in 2007. Approximately two years ago there was a corporate merger with Petty Enterprises followed by a second merger with Yates Racing. The status of that loan hit default recently. Adding to the problem were mounting unpaid bills owed to Roush Fenway Racing, who supplies the Ford Fusions the team uses, along with Roush Yates Engines who supplies the power plants for the cars.

On Tuesday Booth Creek Resort Properties LLC, owned by Gillett, sold their stock in the companies that operate the Northstar at Tahoe Ski Resort for a reported $63 million. This move reportedly eased some of the debt structure which in turn allowed the team’s presence at this Sunday’s race at Talladega.

Meanwhile there are reports that says that Richard Petty, who owns a four percent minority interest in the operation, is taking on the daunting, if not completely impossible, challenge of attempting to put a group of investors together to buy out Gillett. At this point in time it’s not certain that the team will make next week’s race in Texas.

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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

The Las Vegas based WSE, World Sports Exchange, understandably has pre race favorite Kevin Harvick, and Richard Childress Racing, on top of their rankings at 6 to 1 odds. Right behind Harvick is a lot of “Smoke.” Tony Stewart is rated at 7 to 1.

At 8 to 1 are a pair of drivers who could be an interesting long shot wager. Jamie McMurray is the defending race winner and won the 2009 event when he was still driving for Roush Fenway Racing. However, McMurray has three major wins for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing this year including last February’s Daytona 500 the other restrictor plate track on the Cup schedule. Also in this ranking is Kyle Busch who is another former Talladega winner. Never overlook the capability of this driver and Joe Gibbs Racing.

Next we have one of the more interesting, and possibly lucrative, WSE proposals. Dale Earnhardt Jr is listed at 10 to 1 odds for the race. A few weeks ago anyone would have told you not to waste your money. The struggles of this team over the past two seasons have been well documented. So have the arguments between the driver and the crew chief that has fueled garage rumors stating Lance McGrew may not be the crew chief when the 2011 season starts next February. But what makes this wager so interesting is the team’s performance last weekend in the Martinsville race. Earnhardt led more laps in this race than his combined total all season. The other factor here is the numbers this driver has at Talladega. He’s a five time winner there including a series high four consecutive wins that ranged from 2001 to 2003.

Another wager to consider is Jeff Gordon at 12 to 1 odds. Gordon leads all active drivers with six wins at Talladega and 13 top five finishes. This could turn out to be a solid long shot wager assuming Kurt Busch is through getting even with Gordon for atrocities that dates back several years.

In the middle portion of this week’s WSE rankings you will find Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards at 15 to 1 while previous race winner Jimmie Johnson is ranked 18 to 1. Johnson could turn out to be another good long shot prospect. The #48 team’s restrictor plate efforts have to wake up eventually. At 20 to 1 is a quartet of drivers featuring Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Juan Pablo Montoya.

At the bottom of the WSE list is the trio of Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and former winner Brad Keselowski at 25 to 1 odds. At 30 to 1 is the quartet of two time winner Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Aric Almirola in the RPM Ford formally occupied by Kasey Kahne while Joey Logano completes the category.

Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes only. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their races. If you need an alternative source for spending your allowance then dial up the NASCAR Store on your computers and purchase some Richard Petty Motorsports souvenirs.

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THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Amp Energy Juice 500 is 188 laps/500.08 miles around the Talladega Super Speedway’s 2.666 mile quad oval.

The race has 46 entries vying for the 43 starting berths. 11 of those entries are on the go or go home list. These teams do not have a guaranteed starting berth because they are currently outside of the top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held at Talladega in September of 1969 and was won by Richard Brick house. Since that time the track has hosted 82 Cup races that have sent 40 different winners to victory lane. 13 of those races has been won by drivers who started from the pole position. 31 of the races have been won from the first two starting berths.

Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing are tied for the most team wins at Talladega with ten each.

In restrictor plate racing, lead changes can often be fast and furious. The track record for most lead changes, 88, was set last April. That same race also established a new track record for most leaders at 29.

The most yellow caution flags at a Talladega are 11, set back in 2004. On the opposite extreme there has been three times when a race there ran caution free with the most recent one being back in the fall of 2002.

When it comes to qualifying at the Talladega Super Speedway NASCAR icon Bill Elliot is the man. He set the track record, during the non restrictor plate days, of 212.809 MPH back in 1987. Then Elliot set the restrictor plate record, 199.388 MPH, in 1990. He also holds the track record for most poles at eight.

This massive speedway is 48 feet wide to accommodate the multiple line racing. The turns are banked a whopping 33 degrees while the tri oval has 18 degrees of banking. The front stretch measures 4,300 feet and is banked 16.5 degrees. The backstretch is 4,000 feet long but only has two degrees of banking. The pit road is 3,000 feet long and 48 feet wide. Pit road speed is 55 MPH.

The speedway presently has seating for 143,231 fans.

The weather should not be a problem this weekend. The forecast calls for sunny skies and 73 degrees.

The Amp Energy Juice 500 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 Network beginning at 12 pm eastern time. The re broadcasts will be Monday morning, 330 am ET, on ESPN2 and again on Wednesday afternoon, 12 pm et, on SPEED.

Martinsville, Virginia, the sleepy little town nestled on U.S. Route 220 about 50 miles south of Roanoke, Virginia always invigorates the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. The spring race usually comes after the excitement of the high banks of Bristol, but the fall race—the only short track in the playoff system known as The Chase—comes after a series of boring race tracks. Kansas Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, and sadly, Charlotte Motor Speedway have been staging sleep inducing races lately. Not so with Martinsville. Sunday’s race had enough controversy and banging to make us forget those early snoozers and look forward to the next race, the direct opposite of the paperclip shaped track, the meat grinder at Talladega.

The excitement started early in the week when Kasey Kahne was let go from Richard Petty Motorsports. Kahne had refused to get back into his No. 9 Budweiser Ford after repairs were made at Charlotte the week before. He was headed for Red Bull Racing next year anyway, and what was to happen next was more than surprising. Adding to the drama of a Chase race on a half-mile track was the possible demise of Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty is a minority investor at the operation, but fans were outraged that one of its heroes name was being given a bad name because major investor George Gillett couldn’t pay his bills, causing Roush Fenway, the supplier of his cars, to repossess them.

The story has been discussed over and over, so I’ll save you that boredom, but when the drivers and crews arrived at Martinsville on Friday, all the talk was about RPM, even though the racing at Martinsville is highly entertaining. Once no one was saying anything, the focus went back to racing as it was meant to be. No cookie cutter tracks, no gas mileage thrillers, and no aero push, making passing impossible. Just beating and banging. And did they ever.

We saw teammates forget they were teammates. I wonder if Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton are still speaking. We saw Jimmie Johnson prove he is human after all. Johnson never led a lap. We saw Kenny Schrader take the lead. We saw Dale Earnhardt, Jr. lead (gasp!) 90 laps and finish seventh. We saw Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch battle and Busch put Gordon out of contention. The race was far more exciting and interesting than the first five Chase races combined. It was a glorious, sunny day and the crowd was good. One wag in the press box said that the officials at Fontana would kill for a crowd like they had at Martinsville. Even with high unemployment in the region, Martinsville, as usual, nearly filled the stands. This begs a question. Why not more short tracks?

NASCAR only has three certified short tracks—Bristol, Richmond, and Martinsville. The rest of the schedule is made up of the 1.5 -2 mile tracks, the one milers at Dover and New Hampshire, and Darlington. Daytona and Talladega are in a separate class. That said, lots of things need to change. A short track would be nice, but the Chase schedule needs to be changed. Darlington and Bristol need to be added.

Still, the racing we saw at Martinsville on Sunday was really racing—the way it was meant to be. Somewhere and at some time, someone decided that bigger was better. I submit for your consideration Sunday, October 24, 2010. It doesn’t get any better than what we saw there.

Denny Hamlin backed up his statement that he would win in Martinsville, but his offense may not be strong enough against Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick going into the final four of the Chase.

Heading to Talladega, Hamlin has reason to worry with Harvick having shown good performance there.

Harvick’s Superspeedway stats show four wins, 13 top-five finishes and 23 top-10’s with a 14.7 average. One of those wins and eight top-10’s were at Talladega.

Denny Hamlin has never won on a Superspeedway and has six top-10 finishes for an average of 20.4. At Talladega, his average finish is slightly better at 19.3.

Jimmie Johnson has five Superspeedway wins, 14 top-five finishes and 22 top-10 finishes with an average of 17.9. He has one win at Talladega and an average finish there of 17.8.

Johnson has shown he is a strong finisher on Superspeedways just as he is at most tracks.

Harvick certainly benefited at Martinsville with the addition of Clint Bowyers team to back him up. Richard Childress Racing will throw everything they can into the battle against Hamlin and Johnson in the NASCAR Chase.

After Martinsville, Johnson said, “So much can happen at Talladega.” He added, “After Talladega we will race like hell.”

There lies the problem for Hamlin and Harvick. It will be game on with Johnson after survival at Talladega.

Hamlin’s average finishes at intermediate tracks is 13.5 with nine wins and 62 top-10 finishes.

Harvick has seven wins, 88 top-10 finishes and an average of 15.7 on intermediate tracks.

Johnson is superb on intermediate tracks with 37 wins, 137 top-10 finishes and an average of 9.7.

Talladega is the last wild card in the Chase deck. Certainly some bizarre activities at the Superspeedway race on Halloween could topple Johnson, Hamlin or Harvick’s standing in the points.

Harvick will more than likely finish well at the Alabama track if he stays out of trouble, but anyone can win at the track that can be such a game changer.

So as the NASCAR Sprint Cup series heads to the high banks of Talladega, the top three drivers in Chase have reason for concern. Once “Dega” is done, it looks to be Johnson’s championship title to lose if he is still first or second in the point standings.

The remaining three tracks play right into the Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus game plan. For Denny Hamlin, his offensive stance probably won’t get him a title this year, but it won’t be for lack of giving it his all.