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Tag: Brett Bodine

  • NASCAR – The Men Behind the Curtain

    NASCAR – The Men Behind the Curtain

    The governing body of NASCAR is reminiscent of the ‘Great Oz’ with its true agenda hidden behind a curtain of mystery. Sleight of hand and misdirection create the illusion that NASCAR is a sport driven by the desires of its passionate fans.

    They almost pull it off until something happens like the debacle at Richmond at the end of the regular season last year when the race results were blatantly manipulated to ensure certain drivers made it into the Chase. After a few days to review the incidents, NASCAR reacted by issuing fines and penalties. The boldest move was the addition of an unprecedented 13th driver (Jeff Gordon) to the Sprint Cup Chase.

    When the fans suggested that NASCAR was equally as guilty of manipulation as those being penalized, Chairman Brian France was quick to establish who is in charge.” I am Oz the great and powerful,” he proclaimed. Well, maybe not in those exact words, but France emphasized that the governing body has the authority to make whatever changes are deemed necessary to “protect the integrity, which is our number one goal of NASCAR.”

    The aftermath of this ruling brought out comparisons of NASCAR to the world of wrestling and did little to preserve the integrity of a sport that often struggles to define its identity. Is it sports, entertainment or perhaps a convoluted mixture of the two?

    Race results have been manipulated in one form or another since stock car racing began. These instances have run the gamut from the standard practice of allowing ones teammates to pass so that they can gain extra points to drivers being told to let someone else win.

    Darrell Waltrip found himself in one such predicament in 1990, his final year with Hendrick Motorsports. It was the first year since 1974 that Waltrip was winless.

    But according to Waltrip’s recollection in his book, ‘DW: A Lifetime Going Around in Circles,’ he won at North Wilkesboro Speedway on April 22, 1990 in the First Union 400. Yet, Brett Bodine is credited as the official winner due to a scoring error.

    According to the explanation given in the book, “NASCAR, and even Larry McReynolds, the crew chief at the time for Brett Bodine, later admitted to Waltrip, that Bodine did not actually win the race. Jeff Hammond, Waltrip’s crew chief, appealed to NASCAR officials to correct what was clearly an error in NASCAR’s scoring of the event.”

    Waltrip took his protest to Bill France Jr. and was told by France to “leave that boy alone, D.W., that’s his first win and you are going to win a lot more races.”

    NASCAR history is filled with similar examples. These were all accepted practices, until they weren’t. Who determines what is fair, where the line is drawn and who keeps moving the line? It’s often difficult to determine who is pulling the strings but in today’s world of social media, the fans have added their collective voice to shape the perceptions of right and wrong. NASCAR says that they are listening.

    This season brought more machinations by NASCAR to deliver the type of racing they believe fans want with rule changes to the Sprint Cup Chase format that place more emphasis on winning. However, many fans have been adamant in their dislike of a system that places more value on one win than a season of competitiveness.

    The changes were also intended to promote more competitive racing and discourage points racing. Over half of the race finishes this season have been impacted by late race cautions. Coincidence or design?

    Is this a true reflection of what fans desire or NASCAR’s misguided interpretation of “I know I’m not the wizard you expected but I might be the wizard you need.”

    This was never more evident than this past weekend at Richmond International Raceway when Marcos Amrbose and Casey Mears had an altercation after the race. A shove by Mears and a right cross by Ambrose overshadowed Logano’s second win of the season.

    There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that this fight will make it onto the highlight reel as it showcases what many fans love about short track racing. These tracks are known for intense racing and competitors with short fuses. It also fits right in with the on again, off again motto of “Have at it Boys,” that NASCAR likes to dust off when the racing becomes a little too predictable

    Once again, however, NASCAR intervened with fines and probations issued to the drivers involved. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that their rule book has been updated to make the line between what is appropriate and what isn’t, more readily apparent. But there are still enough gray areas that the fans can never anticipate which ruling NASCAR will pull from their hat.

     

    Quotes from the film, ‘The Wizard of Oz’

     

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Sprint Unlimited

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Sprint Unlimited

    After an off-season filled with snow, as well as major changes in the rules of the sport, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 2014 Sprint Unlimited.

    Surprising:  After twenty Sprint Unlimited victories for Chevrolet, it was surprising that Toyota was in Victory Lane instead. Denny Hamlin won the non-points race, scoring his second win in the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona and becoming the ninth driver to win multiple times.

    “The best car won, that’s for sure,” Hamlin said. “It was survival of the fittest.”

    “This car was just phenomenal.”

    Not Surprising:  Daytona International Speedway, especially under a full moon, seems to lend itself to something catching on fire. This time, however, it was the pace car that burst into flames, causing Brett Bodine and a passenger to bail out as quickly as they could.

    “The pace car experienced a fire in the trunk area, which contains a purpose-built auxiliary electrical kit to operate the numerous caution lights during the race,” Chevrolet said in a statement. “The pace car driver and passenger safely exited the vehicle. An assessment is underway.”

    Surprising:  While Jeff Gordon may have been jacked up with excitement thanks to his record of 20 consecutive Sprint Unlimited appearances, he was also jacked up, literally, in the race.

    The back end of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger was sent high in the air during a multi-car crash on lap 36, causing Gordon to have to settle for a 12th place finish.

    “Yeah when you get hit like that it’s pretty soft,” Gordon said. “I mean it sends you up in the air pretty good, but it’s not really that severe of an impact for me because the back of the car absorbs so much of it.”

    “I knew it was flying up in the air and I was just hoping it was going to sit back down on all four wheels,” Gordon continued. “The funny thing is that we slid in there and I was into Tony (Stewart) and I thought well I will try to drive it back.”

    “I put it in reverse I didn’t realize my rear tires were off the ground.”

    Not Surprising:  It may have been a small field, with just 18 cars on the track, but that did not stop tempers from flaring. Just ask Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who was none too happy with the driver from down under.

    “It looks like I was trying to get down a little bit there, and Marcos (Ambrose) went to the outside,” Junior said. “I didn’t know he was out there. Hard racing, and I was upset with him.”

    “A lot was happening right there and we just got turned around.”

    Surprising:  There was no one more surprised with the incident with Earnhardt, Jr. as Marcos Ambrose, especially since in his mind, he was just trying to help.

    “I was trying to help Junior there and ended up hurting him and hurting myself,” the driver of the No. 9 Stanley Ford said. “I was trying to push him and there was a little bit of a zig and a little bit of a zag and the next thing you know I helped him in the fence.”

    “That’s just what happens here.”

    Not Surprising:   While Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. remain romantically involved off the track, they certainly created sparks on the track when Stenhouse rammed Patrick after she got away clean from one of the Sprint Unlimited’s bigger wrecks.

    Not surprisingly, however, all was forgiven thanks to some dark chocolate from Godiva.

    “Well he got me 18 tin cans of Godiva dark chocolate for Valentine’s Day so I don’t know if he’s trying to butter me up,” Patrick said. “If his hood wouldn’t have been up and had the inability to see obviously there would have been more frustration.  It was one of those racing things.”

    Surprising:  Jimmie Johnson continued his streak of surprisingly poor finishes in the Sprint Unlimited, finishing 14th in the past two years and 18th this year.

    “The back of the car got light off of turn four there,” Johnson said. “The car went into a drift and for a second there I thought I could keep it off the inside wall, but the longer I slid the more the wall became a reality and I got it.”

    Not Surprising:  Kevin Harvick proved yet again that he is nicknamed ‘the Closer’ for good reason. In fact, the driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet was the only Stewart Haas Racing driver to finish the race, let alone finish in the top-five.

    “For us, we had a really good car,” Harvick said. “Led several laps in the beginning. Then on that restart we couldn’t get organized and wound up getting shuffled to the back.”

    “We about got lapped,” Harvick continued. “We kept working on it and working on it and the next thing you know, it was at least drivable and you could hold it wide open again.”

    “Heck at one point coming to the white flag, I thought we were going to win the race,” Harvick said. “To come out of here with a fifth place finish and do all the things they did to the car to make it go was pretty awesome.”

    Surprising:  There was no one more surprised than Kyle Busch with the sparse number of cars racing at the end of this year’s Sprint Unlimited.

    “There’s so little cars out there that you’re just kind of on your own trying to figure things out,” the driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota said after finishing third. “That’s kind of the way the race played out tonight.”

    “It was interesting there at the end and I don’t know that we’ve ever had so few cars at the end.”

    Not Surprising:  Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford for Team Penske, was no doubt humming Carol King’s song ‘So Far Away’ as he finished fourth.

    “I’m trying to relive it all in my head right now.  It’s crazy,” Logano said. “It’s just so frustrating when you’re that close. It’s so close and you can see it, but it’s so frustrating because you’re going as fast as you can and that’s all you’ve got.”

    “These things don’t mean anything unless you win.”

     

  • Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

    Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

    I recently had the opportunity to cover the NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway as a member of the media. Below is a summary of my experience, slightly skewed for entertainment purposes.

    My journey began with a trip to Darlington to pick up my media credentials to cover the upcoming Nationwide and Cup Series races. While I was there, I just had to stop by the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum.

    As I stepped out of my car and looked at the faces adorning the front of the museum, I knew that I was in for a treat. Everywhere I looked, I saw a different piece of stock car racing history. Some things were immediately familiar like the number 43, trademark blue, 1967 Plymouth of Richard Petty.

    And then there were the surprises.

    Over to one side was a 1956 Ford convertible. This particular car won 22 races in a single year racing in the convertible series. One of my favorite parts of the museum was a glass case with an array of confiscated items taken off the competitors cars. I just had to laugh at the ingenuity of these drivers who used every advantage they could find to win…at least until they got caught. It seems like some things never change.

    I also got to see the Dodge Hemi engine that powered Buck Baker’s car when he won the 1964 Southern 500. This same engine was outlawed for the 1965 season. The museum also houses Darrell Waltrip’s 1991 Chevy Lumina, which rolled eight times in the 1991 Pepsi 400. It’s still considered one of the worst crashes in stock car history.

    I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It may not be the biggest or fanciest racing museum out there, but it is well worth the $5.00 price of admission. Besides, bigger is not always better.  This wonderful slice of NASCAR is a perfect complement to the Darlington Raceway.

    Now that I’d had a little preview of Darlington, I could hardly wait for the racing to begin.

    On Friday morning, I was at the racetrack by 9 a.m. and Nationwide Series practice had already begun. I found my seat at the media center and settled in for what would prove to be a wild ride. Press conferences were set to begin about 10:15 am so I took a little walk outside to take a look at the action out on the track while I waited.

    As I stood there watching, I realized that I had a big grin on my face.  I just couldn’t help myself. The pungent smell of exhaust fumes was like the sweet aroma of roses and the roar of the engines was music to my ears. Or maybe the gas fumes were making me delirious. All I know is that I couldn’t stop smiling.

    The driver interviews soon began and I had to keep reminding myself that I was there as part of the media. I had to conduct myself with professionalism at all times. Today I was not a fan; I was a journalist.

    Although I’d seen these drivers interviewed countless times, it gave me an entirely new perspective to see them in person. Their charisma and personalities came through so much more clearly. Everything was going smoothly until Jimmie Johnson’s press conference. He was patiently explaining how the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization was working to perfect their programs.

    Perhaps he should have put more thought into the phrasing of his explanation as he summed it all up by saying, “So we are all kind of massaging our packages.” At this point, I’m biting my tongue to keep from laughing and berating myself for being childish. But then, I look around the room and see the same pained expressions on everyone’s faces as we’re all trying not to laugh out loud.

    I’m not ashamed to admit that it was my favorite quote of the weekend.

    Another highlight of the day was watching the qualifying runs. The media center was situated right in front of pit road and I was able to stand within a few feet of the cars as they waited their turn to qualify.

    Earlier in the week, I had arranged to interview Trevor Bayne after he finished qualifying. I decided I’d walk over to pit road to watch him and was almost side swiped by someone driving a golf cart. Imagine my surprise when Kyle Busch jumped off the cart and ran over to climb into his race car.

    It was time for my interview so I headed to Bayne’s hauler. I’d talked to him a couple of times over the phone but this would be my first time in person. We walked into his hauler and there were about six other guys in there, including a couple who were lying on the floor.  They all continued to talk and go about their business as if I wasn’t there. Not the best setting for an interview, but interesting, to say the least.

    I’m guessing they weren’t too impressed by this journalist but Bayne was completely focused and gave me his full attention as I asked my questions. I headed back to the media center just in time for the next press conference and then it was time for Cup qualifying.

    Did I forget to mention, there’s a race tonight?

    I won’t go into every detail. Just think of yourself as an insignificant piece of debris in the eye of a hurricane. You’re standing still while there’s a whirlwind of activity around you. You just have to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

    After a great Nationwide Series race, I submitted my race review, finally headed home and climbed into bed about 2:00 am.

    Saturday got off to a little slower start and I arrived at the media center around 1:00 pm. I   took a few notes in preparation for the Cup race and caught up on what I’d missed. I was amazed to learn that while I’d been sleeping, painters had been working all night re-painting the walls of the track.

    I’d like to take a moment and say thanks to the folks at the media center. They kept us constantly updated with transcripts of all the press conferences, race results, points standings and more. If you had a question, chances are you already had the answer at your fingertips.

    By this time, I was almost giddy with excitement. Thanks to a colleague from SpeedwayMedia.com, I was going to take a ride in the pace car. With Brett Bodine at the wheel, we took off in a Camaro for a couple of laps around the track. We only got up to about 122 mph on the straightaway, but what a thrill.

    This was probably the highlight of my weekend and I was ready for more. My shouts of, “Do it again, do it again,” however, fell on deaf ears. Of course, I didn’t really shout out loud but the phrase was certainly bouncing around in my brain.

    Still full of adrenalin, I decided to take a walk and do some more exploring before it was time for another press conference. It was another day full of everything NASCAR and I loved every minute of it.

    It was getting close to race time and I decided to head for the Press Box located in the Sprint Tower. Overlooking the track above turn three, we had a panoramic view of the entire facility. After watching another exciting win by Denny Hamlin, it was time to file my last story. I caught a ride back to the media center where my car was parked and headed home.

    I was exhausted. “The Lady in Black” had welcomed me with open arms and it was an experience that I will never forget.

    In closing, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my “sponsors,” SpeedwayMedia.com, NASCAR, the staff of Darlington Raceway, Showtime and the city of Darlington.