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Tag: Danica Patrick

  • Danica Is Not NASCAR’s Savior

    Danica Is Not NASCAR’s Savior

    All you have to say is her name and most fans have an opinion. In fact, at this point, she’s pretty much beloved by all. A lot of that has a lot to do with her performance which so far has been mid-pack at best. She qualified 15th and finished 15th on Saturday at Kansas Speedway, which is acceptable, She didn’t challenge for the win, but finished in front of 28 other drivers. I imagine she felt like it was a successful day and it probably was.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”218″][/media-credit]Of course I’m talking about Danica Patrick. Patrick, with first class Hendrick Motorsports equipment, has not been awesome in her first year on the Nationwide Series circuit, but making the move from the lightweight Indy Series cars to the heavy NASCAR cars has to be challenging. That said the theory behind why NASCAR so desperately wants her in their camp is flawed. Danica Patrick is not NASCAR’s savior.

    When NASCAR’s popularity began to wane a few years ago, it was widely hinted that the death of the sport’s icon, Dale Earnhardt, had pushed many fans away. I don’t doubt that. You can still go to tracks and see the No. 3 flags and listen to fans fondly talk about the man they called “The Intimidator.” But it’s been a decade since Dale left us, and I see his fans everywhere at tracks. Maybe some gave up on the sport, but that wasn’t the reason for the decline.

    Later on, the story was that the elder Earnhardt’s son, Dale, Jr., wasn’t winning and only if he could get to victory lane, things would fall into place. Earnhardt, Jr. left his father’s team and headed to the greener pastures of Hendrick Motorsports where success was bound to happen. After all, this was the team that had the fastest cars in the sport. Earnhardt has one victory since joining HMS and usually finishes well out of the running. He has shown improvement lately, but that isn’t the reason for the decline, either.

    Finally, the Great Recession hit in the fall of 2007. That was blamed for the lack of butts in the seats, but no one to this day will ever blame the product that is put on the track week after week. That’s the problem. The fact that everyone is in denial means that other methods are examined to boost the sport, and that starts with one Danica Patrick.

    The decline of NASCAR started with the development of the Car of Tomorrow. Yes, the old “twisted sister” that was used for years didn’t look like the showroom car, and the new car was much safer to NASCAR’s credit, but it took most teams, with the notable exception of Hendrick Motorsports, a couple of years to figure it out because it was so different. In the meantime, it was the same thing every week. Which Hendrick car would win or which Joe Gibbs Racing car would win (after they switched to Toyota). Richard Childress Racing, the home of Dale Earnhardt, and Roush-Fenway Racing were out to lunch. It also started the reign of five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Over and over, Johnson won and won again. He will probably win again this year. The suspense is gone. It’s just a matter of time until Johnson wins again. Today, he sits four points out of the points lead with six races to go. Why? The creation of the NFL playoff clone called The Chase. The barrage of intermediate tracks in the “championship run” is tailor made for Johnson and the COT, but that’s not the problem according to many. It has to be something else, like new faces in the series. Enter Danica Patrick.

    The theory is that Danica will bring in men. Lord knows she is a nice looking lady. Women want someone to root for and Danica is perfect. But will she get people to come out to see her race? Will TV ratings go up when she participates?

    Ignoring the obvious problems with the product cannot be cured with the entrance of an attractive woman who is a media expert and a good driver. Until the day that the powers that be can figure out that flaws exist in the product they have given fans, nothing will turn around. NASCAR needs more Darlington’s and Bristol’s that offered slam-bang racing. That was what made the sport so exciting to the fans. Instead, NASCAR became, and has become, a sport where the usual happens on cookie-cutter tracks that all look the same. So don’t expect that little lovely lady to save us. It will be nice to have her around, but it isn’t the answer.

  • NASCAR Pays Tribute by ‘Honoring Our Heroes’ with Special Paint Schemes and Remembrance

    NASCAR Pays Tribute by ‘Honoring Our Heroes’ with Special Paint Schemes and Remembrance

    If there is a NASCAR race being run in Richmond, you will generally find me in the Media Center moonlighting from my “day job.” It allows me to put on a different hat for a couple of days and see the world in a completely different light. Writing about NASCAR is not only a passion, but, at times, a much needed distraction from my full-time career. I am a Paramedic with a background in firefighting. Rarely do my worlds collide, but this weekend, commemorating the tenth anniversary of 9/11 at the track, they did just that.

    I listened to drivers share their personal accounts of where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. Denny Hamlin was putting an exhaust on a new car, Kurt Busch was testing in South Carolina and Ryan Newman was listening to a waterproof radio that hung from the shower head while he was bathing that morning. You can’t help but be transported right back to where each of us was that day.

    I lived in Arlington, directly across from the Pentagon, I watched it all play out in real time before my eyes. Not knowing what could possibly happen next, I choked back tears as I said my “good-byes” and “I love yous” to my parents on the phone that morning. It seems almost melodramatic now but at the time I was terrified and truly unsure if I’d make it out alive. The anniversary brings back painful memories for me. It remains the worst day of my life.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Today in the Media Center I was reminded of loss, as Mary Siller Scullin recounted her brother’s life, a New York Firefighter who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Stephen Siller was off that day preparing for a game of golf with friends when he heard the news that the World Trade Center had been attacked. Instinctively, he grabbed his gear, threw it into his truck and made his way towards the burning towers. When he arrived at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, it had already been closed to vehicular traffic, so Siller put his 75 pound gear on his back and ran through the tunnel to the towers to help  rescue his fellow New Yorkers.

    Siller lost his life when the towers collapsed leaving behind his wife, five children and five siblings to carry on his memory and share his story. The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, was started by his brother Frank to honor his fallen sibling. It is a charitable organization set up to follow in the footsteps of this true American hero.

    Drivers David Gilliland, Danica Patrick, Greg Biffle, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. joined Howard Hitchcock, Vice President of Lionel NASCAR Collectibles, to present a $125 thousand dollar check to Mary Suller Scullin, Vice President of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

    One of the primary missions of the Foundation is to help military members who have been seriously injured and sacrificed the quality of their lives in the line of duty.  The Foundation is currently in the process of building “smart homes” for three servicemen who suffered the loss of both arms and legs during combat but lived to share their stories.

    Two of the three gentlemen were on hand, US Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco and USMC Corporal Todd Nicely. Scullin earmarked the donation to be used for the construction of a customized home for Nicely. Marrocco’s home was finished in June.

    “It’s not every day that you get to do something so important for America’s finest heroes on an anniversary that’s so meaningful to our country,” said Hitchcock. “I’m proud of our team, we worked extremely hard to put the Honoring Our Heroes program together and we hope this donation and the funds that follow it will go a long way towards finishing Todd’s new home. “

    The check was the first installment of the proceeds from Lionel NASCAR Collectibles “Honoring Our Heroes” die-cast program.  Eight drivers will run a special “Honoring Our Heroes” pain scheme this weekend. Each of those cars will honor those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack as well as our nation’s military heroes. During the Nationwide race, look for the special paint schemes on the cars of Danica Patrick, Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.. David Gilliland, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray will their “Honoring Our Heroes” cars on Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race.

    “When we first talked to Lional NASCAR about the possibility of drivers racing with out Foundation’s name on the cars, we had no idea it would be this big,” said Scullin. “Today, as I see these drivers and all these cars I am overwhelmed with emotion. On September 11, 2001, my brother Stephen sacrificed his life for his fellow Americans and he would be honored to know that his legacy is making such a difference in the lives of young men like Brendan and Todd.”

    After the presentation of the check, Scullin presented each of the drivers a small piece of metal from the World Trade Center stamped with the words “W.T.C. 9/11 Never Forget” and the number 343 in honor of the 343 firefighters who died that day.  She reminded the drivers that the metal was special because her brother’s body was never recovered, so each piece of that metal held a piece of Stephen’s spirit and hoped that it would help to keep each of them safe.

    Each of the drivers acknowledged the “gift” with great humility and thanks. They not only recognized the lives lost, but applauded the fact that even though all those firefighters lost their lives running into the face of danger, the disabled servicemen who sat before them knew that they could face death or dismemberment but they still signed up to simply “do their jobs” and if given the chance would do it all again.

    It is refreshing to see that our NASCAR heroes have heroes of their own.

  • Danica Patrick Announces Full-Time Commitment: Was Popularity Compromised For Talent?

    Danica Patrick Announces Full-Time Commitment: Was Popularity Compromised For Talent?

    [media-credit name=”NASCAR.com” align=”alignright” width=”220″][/media-credit]When it was first announced that IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick would be officially making her debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the 2010 season, the internet exploded with the fans blogging about what type of impact she would have on the sport.

    With many unanswered questions because of her lack of experience behind the wheel of the much heavier stock car, and the fact that her Indy car career was less than stellar at best.

    The fans began to take sides after they realized she was serious about her attempt to try and compete in a series, which is nowhere near the types of cars she grew up racing in. Skepticism ran rampant as the season progressed, and Patrick herself made it hard for the fans to gauge if indeed she had what it took to compete at this level, since her results reflected her lack of experience.

    Patrick ran a total of 13 races in 2010 without a top-five, or top-10 finish, and only finished one race on the lead lap. With each passing race, we heard the watered down versions of why she might become an overnight success, with most of them based on her one victory that came in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Even though her results were nowhere near what she felt she was capable of, she continued to pursue her dream of one day becoming a star in a series where most felt her popularity and GoDaddy’s marketing skills took over.

    After all it is was founder and CEO of GoDaddy.com Bob Parson’s, who thrust Patrick into the limelight with his unique marketing strategy, while capitalizing on the sex sells society that we live in today. The only lingering question that had yet to be answered was, did popularity take over where talent used to be the main focus when a driver came into the series?

    Parson’s himself said that, “This is not only big news for NASCAR fans; it has all the ingredients for some major GoDaddy-esque marketing magic.” “If she decided to move into ice skating, I’d go with her. The only issue I have is if I’m stroking the check, because she certainly is one of a kind. I expect to be able to (sponsor her), but business is business. You have to make hay while in the prime of your life, and she’s definitely (there),” said Parsons.

    Kyle Petty, who lately has become one of Patrick’s biggest detractors once, said that, “She’s not Dario Franchitti and she’s not Tony Stewart. She’s not really shown over there [in the Indy Racing League] and won races and done stuff over their numbers-wise.” Petty also added, “She’s just a marketing machine, and let’s look at the facts and be blunt about it. If she gets in that car and doesn’t win races, it’s not the car, it’s not the engines and it’s not the team.”

    These comments along with a few others during the months leading up to her big announcement that she would indeed pursue a full-time career in NASCAR, has set the tone for her transition from open wheel to the NNS. The hype along with the expectations from her fans followed her into the 2011 season, where so far in seven starts she has lead four of the 1134 laps she has competed in, while picking-up one top-five, and three top-10 finishes.

    Whether or not this was a big enough improvement to keep her detractors at bay, was clearly seen by the numerous comments after each race with the consensus usually being a lop-sided victory for the nay-sayers. Yet none of this kept has kept her or her loyal fans from believing the dream of becoming NASCAR’s next biggest star based on talent, and not on popularity alone as we shall see with today’s official announcement that Patrick will be behind the wheel of the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet, full-time in 2012.

    “I’m excited to start the next chapter. … I’m ready to go. We can finally put the rumors to rest — I am going full-time NASCAR with Go Daddy next year,” said Patrick officially during today’s new conference at GoDaddy’s headquarters in Arizona. “I’m very excited to finally say it,” Patrick said. “From the first time I got out of the car in the ARCA race at Daytona [in 2010], it was the most fun I ever had in a race car. It probably had to do with the bumping, but it was the most fun I ever had in a car and I think that really started it.”

    Patrick now has the ball in her court, and her destiny lies within her own grasp whether or not she is the real deal, or just another pretty face trying to capitalize on her good looks. The season will be one her toughest not only in the stands, but also on the track since the NNS runs 34 races and 8,063 laps, as compared to 18 races and about half the laps in a much heavier car.

    The scrutiny would have continued no matter which series she would have ultimately chosen, and only Patrick herself knows where her limitations lie, as well as what she is capable of achieving. Her final decision to race full-time in NASCAR is no longer an experiment, but after today has become a reality and she is ready to jump in with both feet. Popularity and talent can go hand in hand, but that will be up to her to decide since she is the one who made the choice to try and defeat the odds and seek after what many woman before her have dreamed about.

    “I’ve truly enjoyed my experience in NASCAR to the point I want to do it full time. I feel like in the last year, I’ve really come around much more on the track and top-10s are happening much more frequently and I feel like I’m getting it more all the time.”

  • Travis Pastrana, Danica Patrick and Kimi Raikkonen Face Common NASCAR Choice

    Travis Pastrana, Danica Patrick and Kimi Raikkonen have one thing in common, that of dabbling in a variety of NASCAR Series racing while still maintaining careers in other racing and sports endeavors.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”221″][/media-credit]Yet at some point, all three of these talents, one from Rally and X Games fame, one from IndyCar Racing, and the other a Formula One champ, must make an important choice. They must decide if they will give their all to focus on making it in the realm of stock car racing.

    Unfortunately, Travis Pastrana had his choice made for him this weekend. Instead of participating in “Pastranathon”, competing in the X Games as well as making his NASCAR Nationwide debut at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Pastrana broke his right foot and ankle while attempting a double ‘TP Roll’ on his motorcycle in X Game competition.

    “I’m disappointed in myself for letting everyone down,” Pastrana said. “I can’t tell you how sorry and how disappointed I am that I messed that trip to Indy up.”

    Because of Pastrana’s injuries, including not only his leg and foot injury as well as an injury to his hand that he sustained in practice, the 27 year old driver’s choice as far as NASCAR competition has been made at least until next year.

    “I have surgery scheduled for Tuesday,” Pastrana said. “I have to get my hand pinned and plated, my right leg pinned and plated, and my right foot pinned and plated. So unfortunately I won’t be up for about two months.”

    “I’m definitely hoping to get back as fast as possible and get as much time in that car as possible and go have some fun,” Pastrana continued. “I look forward to being in NASCAR next year.”

    Pastrana’s team owner, Michael Waltrip, was also disappointed that his driver’s choice was made for him as far as his Nationwide racing debut.

    “Like fans everywhere we were so excited about Travis’ debut,” Waltrip said. “We have a long-term vision with Travis which includes lots of NASCAR.”

    “We can’t wait to get him healed and in our race cars,” Waltrip continued. “We’ve waited a long time for someone like Travis Pastrana. I guess we’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.”

    While Pastrana had his choice made for him regarding NASCAR, IndyCar Racing driver Danica Patrick still has a major choice before her. She must decide soon what her future will be in both or either of these racing series.

    This year, Patrick, while maintaining her IndyCar Racing obligations, has also been racing select Nationwide races under the JR Motorsports banner.

    Rumors have, of course, been rampant about her racing future in 2012. Many have speculated that she will run a full-time Nationwide schedule, as well as a handful of Cup starts.

    Yet even her team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is uncertain as to the choice she will make about competing in stock car racing full-time.

    “I haven’t heard anything,” Dale Junior said. “I think things are looking positive for us to put something together.”

    “I would like for her to run full-time,” Junior continued. “I’m sure she is considering that and I think she would enjoy it.”

    “She seems to really enjoy driving stock cars and racing in the Nationwide Series,” Earnhardt, Jr. said of Patrick. “We just have to see but I haven’t heard anything about it.”

    While Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may be excited about Danica Patrick’s future in NASCAR, one other driver, a Formula 1 champion, has virtually disappeared from the NASCAR scene. After trying his hand at both the Truck and Nationwide Series, Kimi Raikkonen has seemingly not chosen the stock car scene.

    Raikkonen started out both NASCAR runs, including the Truck Series and the Nationwide Series, with high hopes and good feelings.

    “Everybody’s been very nice and very welcome,” the ‘Iceman’ said of his NASCAR foray. “It’s a nice atmosphere, very relaxed.”

    Unfortunately, Raikkonen struggled and finished the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 27th place, several laps down.

    “It was nice in the beginning but it turned out to be really bad,” Raikkonen said. “Once it got difficult, you cannot race and you really try to survive. Up until that point, it was fun.”

    But when asked if the race was fun enough to return to the NASCAR scene, the Finland native said simply, “I don’t know yet.”

    And that seems to sum it up for all three of these drivers. Their NASCAR futures are simply uncertain.

    One final commonality, however, remains for all three of these racing stars in their own rights. Each one, Pastrana, Patrick and Raikkonen, must eventually not only choose to race in the world of stock cars, but in order to be successful, they will also have to choose to make it their first, and potentially, their only priority.

  • Danica Patrick’s Big Decision For 2012 Looks To Be NASCAR

    Danica Patrick’s Big Decision For 2012 Looks To Be NASCAR

    Last week, it was released that Go Daddy was sold from Bob Parsons to KKR & Co. for $2.25 billion. Off the bat, people were worried about how that would effect Danica Patrick’s future. It appeared that was unnecessary. A spokesperson for Go Daddy said that it won’t affect their relationship with her.

    David Yeazell | SpeedwayMedia.com“I can tell you Bob’s been very vocal about how well Danica has fit into Go Daddy’s marketing efforts,” spokesperson Elizabeth Driscoll said. “And the new investors have specifically said they don’t want to mess with Go Daddy’s secret sauce…at least two of the magic ingredients, our customer service and marketing.”

    “We are very much looking forward to the future…on the Internet and on the race track.”

    With Go Daddy’s support behind her 100%, it is now up to Patrick with what decision she chooses to make for herself in 2012.

    Silly season always seems to bring a puzzle and right now, the puzzle has Patrick pointed towards NASCAR for 2012.

    Go Daddy already announced that it wouldn’t be backing the No. 5 entry from Hendrick Motorsports next year with driver Kasey Kahne, as it had backed the entry the last couple of years with Mark Martin. This opens up the door for Go Daddy to take on a new sponsorship role within the NASCAR sector. Patrick is already their marketing tool and the person who has given them some of their best publicity. It’d make sense that they were making that announcement so they could sponsor Patrick full-time over at JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.

    Also, if Patrick came over to NASCAR, her future in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series looks bright down the road if she is capable of moving up. Tony Stewart already stated that he’d like to have her drive for him and as was seen last Friday night at Daytona, they work well together.

    Speaking of Daytona, it showed that Patrick is a strong learner in learning aspects of stock car racing. Back in February, she was criticized for how she drafted with drivers as they stated she didn’t know the idea of dragging the brake. However, she learned that quickly on Friday night and led the field for a bit while working with Tony Stewart. She also worked well with JR Motorsports teammate Aric Almirola.

    “Got disconnected about half a lap to go and dropped back to get reconnected with Aric,” she said after scoring the third top 10 of her NASCAR career Friday night. “It looked like Mike (Wallace) was struggling there. I kept the car straight and my foot in it, probably not the right thing to do in a wreck.

    “I learned a lot out there. I was glad I got to push a bit as I was thinking, ‘Am I only good as a leader?’ But the guys did a good job on the Go Daddy Chevrolet.”

    Her ability to be successful in NASCAR has been seen in many different forms also, as she scored her first top five earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finishing fourth with fuel strategy after running just inside the top 10 all day.

    “I mean, we’ve been really consistent – the finishes haven’t shown it,” crew chief Tony Eury Jr. said after the fourth place finish. “It’s really easy for her to run in the top 15. If we can get everything right, we can run in the top 10 with this girl.”

    Lastly, it has been displayed that she has a good teammate in Aric Almirola to lean on with his experience, as witnessed last year at Homestead-Miami when he came on her radio during the race to give her some tips about her racing line.

    With all the pieces laid out, it’d look to be that her decision will be NASCAR full-time in 2012.Though whatever her decision, she’ll have her fans behind her and IZOD IndyCar Series CEO Randy Bernard says that he’s okay with whatever she does.

    “I think the world of Danica,” he commented. “I think she’s going to make the right decision for her and I will wish her well whichever decision she makes. She’s done a lot for our sport and that’s what we need to remember. I think that she’ll probably go where the money is the best and I think that’s what I would do, you would do as well, and I think it’s more important right now I focus my attention to Go Daddy and make sure that I can keep Go Daddy apart of our series. I think without Go Daddy, Danica Patrick wouldn’t have the fame that she has and I’m looking out for the long term of our sport.”

  • Ten Ways NASCAR Can Improve Tandem Racing

    Ten Ways NASCAR Can Improve Tandem Racing

    Debates started last year about the likability of two by two racing that is now occurring at both Daytona and Talladega on the NASCAR superspeedway circuit. Some tolerate it and others despise it, particularly fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who has taken to calling it “foolish racing.”

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”259″][/media-credit]So, what can NASCAR do about this kind of racing? While the sanctioning body could follow Jack Roush’s advice to “fix the front and the back of the car so if they have contact, there is an inclined angle that would drive the rear wheels off the ground to stop it,” there are indeed some other possibilities.

    Here are ten ways that NASCAR could improve the two by two racing that has become the norm at restrictor plate tracks.

    10.  Since some have dubbed the style “Noah’s Ark racing”, with the two by twoing like the animals trudging onto the ark before the flood, NASCAR should definitely have the drivers come out two by two for driver introductions.

    Most drivers acknowledge that they have already paired up prior to the event. But just in case the fans are not aware of the duos, NASCAR could really spice up the driver intros by having them come out in their pairings, one in front and one behind, to build suspense as to who is partnering with whom. Then the drivers could separate for the big ‘tandem reveal.’

    Better yet, instead of some of those cheesy driver intro stagings where drivers come out to wild music or crazy drumming, NASCAR could literally build an ark and have the tandem pairings appear together out of that.

    NASCAR may just have to keep the drumming for that style driver introduction or at least consult with Humpy Wheeler, retired track promoter extraordinaire, for some suitable side effects.

    9.  Since one of the biggest complaints regarding tandem racing is the inability of driver of the push car to see, NASCAR should encourage a new activity for the fans in the Fan Zone, that of making cardboard periscopes.

    The sponsors, such as Home Depot and General Mills, ought to be all over this one.  Home Depot could supply the building materials and General Mills, who has already done a special Wheaties cereal box promo with driver Clint Bowyer, could provide the cardboard boxes (for those old enough to remember the cardboard cereal box periscopes, this one is a no brainer).

    Fans could make the periscopes as a fun-filled race day activity and the best fan concoction could be presented to each pushing driver at driver introductions.

    Just in case NASCAR needs some advice on how to build these cardboard up periscopes, here is a helpful link: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cardboard-Periscope/.

    8.  Again, since NASCAR is trying to engage new fans in the racing experience, another fan promotion could be encouraged at tandem race tracks, that of honorary pit crew stenciler.

    One of the biggest issues that has now evolved with this form of racing is that the manufacturer’s brand name is being rubbed off the front and back bumpers of the race cars.  To solve that concern, each manufacturer could have a fan contest to select fans that could very quickly, in 13 seconds or less, stencil the names back on the cars during the pit stops.

    This would not only encourage brand identity, but would also get the fans involved in a whole different aspect of the sport.  And there would be no better way than brand stenciling to get up close and personal with the race team.

    7.  Speaking of brand identity, while this may not make the racing any more exciting but to appeal to the adult fans in the crowd, NASCAR may just have to invite one of its primary sponsors, RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, back to the track for a special cigarette promotion.  After all, the ‘friends with benefits’ type racing may just necessitate a bit of a short smoke break after the intense on-the-track coupling experiences.

    6.  NASCAR may also need to make a change to address the fact that there is inherently an odd number of cars on the track, with 43 starters.

    So, to increase interest, the last car qualified in should get to select a car from outside the field with whom to partner. Just think how interesting this past weekend’s race could have been if Joe Nemechek had selected say Kyle Petty or Rusty Wallace or even better yet Danica Patrick as his wing person.

    5.  In the interest of interest as well as safety, it would also behoove NASCAR to install the back up beeping devices in every race car. In this way, fans at the track and at home would hear the beep, beep, beeping and immediately know who is backing up in the field to find their tandem partners.

    Not only can fans and announcers alike track the cars going forward, but all could keep track of those purposefully dragging their brakes to find the second half of their particular dynamic duo throughout the race and especially on those fateful restarts.

    4.  Another way to involve the fans that NASCAR should consider for this style of racing is to allow a lucky fan at home to do the spotting for their particular race tandem. This would eliminate the wacky practice of having the pushee driver in the front’s spotter take over the spotting duties for the tandem.

    Heck, most of the drivers were confused anyway about who was in their ears from the perches high above on the spotters’ stand so one more weird voice should not be too disconcerting. And it would most certainly liven up the action for all stuck at home unable to attend the race for whatever reason.

    3.  Since the two car tandem style of racing has also been compared to the tango, NASCAR should insist that the dancing pairs perform at least one dip together below the yellow line at some point during the race.  Additional points toward the Chase may also be awarded for style, control, and degree of difficulty of the dance by visiting NASCAR officials of the day Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Toniolli.

    2.  One of the most intriguing ways that NASCAR could make the tandem racing more interesting is to utilize the now defunct qualifying draw to select a very special surprise.

    Just as in days of old, the driver, crew chief or team designee would need to visit the NASCAR spinning ball area outside of the famed NASCAR hauler to select their number.

    But instead of determining the qualifying order, a random number will be designated for that the one special team that will get super glue instead of Vaseline or Pam on their car on the very last pit stop of the race.

    Won’t that be an interesting twist for whoever decides to hook up with that particular car at the tail end of an upcoming Daytona or Talladega race?

    1.  The final way that NASCAR could make the tandem racing more interesting is to approach it all strictly as the square dance that it truly is. Each tandem racing pair should be instructed prior to the race to carefully monitor the NASCAR channel for their calling instructions.

    Drivers will be instructed to “Circle Left, Come Down the Middle, and Do Sa Do.” But the best part will be when NASCAR, sometime during the race but hopefully in the second green, white, checkered attempt, will call “Partner Trade” and the cars will have to scramble to find a whole new partner for the race finale.

    Oh, but that already happened this past race weekend, didn’t it?

    God bless tandem racing and God bless NASCAR.  See you next in Talladega!

  • Notes From The NASCAR Nation: Is Danica Patrick The Secret Sauce?

    Notes From The NASCAR Nation: Is Danica Patrick The Secret Sauce?

    Is Danica Patrick the “secret sauce” in a highly successful marketing concept. It recently became apparent that the answer is a resounding yes.

    Over the years it has been very well known that “Go Daddy.Com” has been the primary sponsor for Danica Patrick’s racing career both in the Indy Racing League and her proposed transition to NASCAR. Let’s face it, the fact that this very attractive race driver has been the face, and in all honesty the body, of the Internet domain company’s advertising campaign has become a marketing marriage made in heaven.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”258″][/media-credit]However there was some brief speculation regarding the future of this marketing relationship, following a report initiated by “The Wall Street Journal”, that said “Go Daddy.Com” had been sold. The story confirmed the fact that the company’s founder and CEO, Bob Parsons, had indeed sold his company to a trio of investors that included KKT and Company, Silver Lake Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures. The sale price of the ultra successful company was a whopping $2.25 billion.

    It turns out that Danica Patrick fans have no reason for concern here. First off no has a stronger belief in her future in motorsports than Bob Parsons. While he will no longer be the “Go Daddy” owner, he has to agreed to stay on as the company’s CEO. He’s also made it crystal clear that the sale of the company he founded will not have any impact on “Go Daddy’s” relationship with his favorite race driver.

    In a comment made to “ESPN” following the announcement that “Go Daddy” had been sold, Elizabeth Driscoll, the company Vice President of Public Relations, said: ” I can tell you that Bob’s been very vocal about how well Danica Patrick has fit into “Go Daddy’s” marketing efforts. The new investors have specifically said they don’t want to mess with “Go Daddy’s” secret sauce.”

    If you’re like me then you probably found yourself wondering why Patrick was being referred to as “secret sauce?” Driscoll’s statement became just a little bit more clear when it was revealed that she meant Patrick was the magic ingredient in the company’s customer service and marketing and they were “very much looking forward to the future on the Internet and the race track.”

    At least we’re now sure that Danica Patrick is going to have full sponsorship for her future racing endeavors. We’re just not exactly sure at the moment where these endeavors will take place.

    But seriously, secret sauce? Isn’t that something they put on hamburgers at fast food restaurants?

  • Fireworks on the track and in the sky

    Fireworks on the track and in the sky

    Daytona’s Coke Zero 400 showed promise. Time and experience had improved the Nationwide race immensely so the Cup series should be just as good. Realistic expectation perhaps, but it didn’t come to pass.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”219″][/media-credit]All week drivers had been asked about the two car tango. There were many opinions and explanations on how it worked. Some liked it. Some didn’t. One of the biggest detractors of the tandem drafting was Dale Earnhardt Jr. “I’d rather have control of my own destiny and be able to go out there and race and just do my own work and worry about my own self. It’s really weird and kinda wrong on some levels to race that way and to think like you think. You take care of somebody and you feel this obligation to take care of them and then worry about having them take care of you and how that makes them feel. Been growing up all these years racin’ for number one-lookin’ out for number one. Doing my job. This is what I need to do. I need to do this to get up through the pack. This is how my car drives and now you are doing it so different. Your thought process and everything you think about during the race is nothing near that. It is just different and weird. It won’t be like that forever I assume and hopefully I am alive and still racin’ when it goes back to the way it was because I just really enjoy lookin’ out for number one, man. If you had a car that drive up through there and you were smart about drafting and knew what you were doing, you could make some cool things happen and that was pretty fun.”

    Elliott Sadler says he likes the two car draft and offered this explanation, “I like the 2 car drafting that we do now and I’ll you the reason behind it. Drafting – restrictor plates – are a tough part of our sport. We hear drivers talk about it all the time. Old drafting where you have 40 cars in one bunch in one pile a lot of the finishes you got are out of your control. A lot of the wrecks you get in, everything really is determined by everyone else around you. We have a lot of those same factors in the 2 car draft. Where things can happen around you and catch in a wreck not of your doing. But with the 2 car tandem if you know what you’re doing as a drafting partner and you make the right decisions as a 2 car tandem you can work your way to the front and actually the pack will split up a little more so actually the big wreck has a little bit less chance of happening and as a driver that’s a good thing. But I do think it’s harder to draft this way.”

    Both drivers were involved in huge last lap crashes of their respective races. The Sprint Cup race ended with two crashes on the white flag lap. The crashes took out 15 cars in the first and 18 cars in the final wreck just yards before the start finish line. This is significant when you remember that the starting field is 43 cars. Many of the cars that did finish were damaged from earlier wrecks in the event.

    At some point words from the drivers and NASCAR start coming back to you. Words like cost containment measures, no down force, racing for track position, driver safety is a priority. At that point you begin making observations.

    Let’s start with cost containment. NASCAR implemented the COT and eliminated testing as cost containment measure for teams. They did so in 2008. Let’s take a good look at this race and ask about the cost containment. 30 cars were involved in the last lap melee. Several more were damaged in the wrecks that happened before the white flag. Let’s break it down to teams. HMS lost 3 cars and damaged the fourth significantly. Joe Gibbs had damage to 2 out of the 3. RCR lost 2 out of 4 with damage to a 3rd. Roush Fenway, had significant damage to 2 out of the 4 but did win the race with a pristine car. Richard Petty Motorsports lost 1 and damaged a second. Red Bull lost 1 and damaged the other. Penske Racing seriously damaged both cars. Those are just the major teams. How cost effective is the decision to not make changes to the car? But even drivers do not believe there will be changes made. “I don’t think they’re going to address that to be honest with you. I think its goes against what they’re trying to do and we’re not turning each other around, the interface works really well and so well we can push.” Stated five time series champion Jimmie Johnson. But at what cost? How long will it be before a driver is seriously hurt?

    NASCAR has stated since 2001, that driver safety is paramount and utmost on their list of priorities. Yet we still have not learned that three lap runs for the checkered flag on super speedways is always disastrous. In was disastrous in 1992 when Rusty Wallace took a wild ride through the tri-oval grass at Talladega. It was disastrous in 2001 when Dale Earnhardt lost his life in a turn 4 crash at Daytona. And it was disastrous in 2011 when 30 cars wrecked on the last lap of the Coke Zero 400. We lost a hero. We hurt another. We destroyed millions of dollars worth of equipment. What does it take for NASCAR to see that Green White Checker finishes don’t belong on restrictor plate tracks?

    The COT’s safety systems have been tested and proven for sure. But they are not fail safe. The cage that surrounds the driver in the new car is stiffer and unyielding. This transfers more impact to the driver. “The driver compartment is stiffer and stronger than it has ever been before it’s going to absorb the impact far less even though we have some impact material and foam around the driver side,” stated Jeff Gordon. He did go on to add that he would not trade the safety measures for what they had before.

    Injuries are not always obvious. In the case of Carl Edwards he lost a crush panel in front of the right rear wheel on his Subway Ford Fusion in an early race crash. After only a few laps on the track Edwards returned to the pits after becoming ill in the car from Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Edwards, who does not run a Koolbox system which would have provided him with a Carbon monoxide filter, did finish the race but was treated with Oxygen post race.

    This race showed the instability in the cars. Numerous times we saw cars in tandem pairs be passed by another tandem and the pair be pulled apart as the side force of the cars was disrupted. The aero dynamic wave, if you will, caused the two cars to become unstable on the track with several cases of spins and wall contact resulting.

    There is no doubt that this race was costly to teams. Thankfully there were no injuries. At least not physically but the financial injuries will take some of the smaller teams a great deal of time to recoup.

    The cup race did not live up to its sister series race. It was a long fairly uninterrupted affair that saw teams dropping back and waiting to the very end to make a run for the front. Those were runs that simply didn’t happen. Some because the tandem was broken up by needed pit stops after the late caution that took pole sitter Mark Martin out of the race. Some because they had simply fallen too far back to make the run and then were caught in the final melees typical of Restrictor Plate racing. Sadly, there seems to be no hope of returning to the old school racing at Daytona or Talladega. But hopefully we will carry with us as a sport the lessons learned from this years Coke Zero Demolition Derby.

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * * * * ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Congratulations to TNT on a great broadcast with readable graphics and limited interruptions for commercials. This was definitely the best broadcast of the year.

    Kudos to Wally Dallenbach and Kyle Petty for having the courage to get in to cars and demonstrate and describe what we were about to see even though they themselves had never done it before.

    Congratulations to Joey Logano on his win in the Subway Jalapeno 250, and also to Kyle Busch for pushing him to that victory.

    Congratulations to Danica Patrick for finally displaying the skills that all of her fans believed her to have in a stock car.

    Congratulations to David Ragan on his victory in the Coke Zero 400 and also to Matt Kenseth for pushing him to that victory.

    That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    Joey Logano Wins The Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona After Spinning Out

    After spinning on lap 26, Joey Logano came back to through the field with a mass of different partners and hooked up with teammate Kyle Busch at the end to win the race.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]”Man, its great to be on the other side of the fence,” Logano said in victory lane. “This is Daytona; I am totally pumped. Gotta thank Kyle for pushing. I could him calling 8 back, 6 back – I knew we had to go. Both spotters did good today.”

    The win marks the first win for Logano at Daytona after pushing numerous drivers to wins.

    “To win here at Daytona is the coolest win of my life,” Logano added. “For me personally, I really needed a win and that is going to help us.”

    With a couple laps to go, Logano and Busch found a way around Elliott Sadler and Tony Stewart. They pulled out to a lead and then lost it near the end as Jason Leftler and Reed Sorenson caught them, but couldn’t get by. Leftler was credited with second, with Sorenson getting third and Busch in fourth.

    The third-place finish for Sorenson allows him to extend his points to eight points over Sadler while winning the Nationwide Dash for Cash $1000 bonus.

    “At the end, I didn’t know where we were going,” Sorenson said. “Gotta thank Jason for coming and getting me as we were stuck back there. We talked about that before the race. I didn’t know where we were going but we had a run. It had to be close at the end for Jason.”

    Justin Allgaier finished fifth while a crashed happened as everybody was racing for sixth on back that began with contact between Mike Wallace and Danica Patrick in the middle of a three/four-wide battle.

    Michael Annett was credited with sixth while Kenny Wallace slid through the grass to finish seventh. Sadler got eighth, followed by Aric Almirola and Patrick.

    Making her 19th NASCAR start, Patrick led 13 laps and was up front all night before being collected in the wreck at the end.

    “Got disconnected about half a lap to go and dropped back to get reconnected with Aric,” she said after scoring the third top 10 of her NASCAR career. “It looked like Mike was struggling there. I kept the car straight and my foot in it, probably not the right thing to do in a wreck.

    “I learned a lot out there. I was glad I got to push a bit as I was thinking, ‘Am I only good as a leader?’.” But the guys did a good job on the Go Daddy Chevrolet.

    Numerous drivers were involved in the wreck, including Steven Wallace who came to rest on pit road and was credited with 11th.

    “It was just a tough day,” he said. “Me and Michael had a shot to win that race and the water temperature kept going up. The motor blew up and all hell broke loose on the front stretch. That’s just craziness at Daytona.”

    A couple of different minor wrecks happened throughout the night involving a couple different drivers. One of the worst wrecks involved Eric McClure, who was transferred to Halifax Medical Centre for precautionary further evaluation.

     

    Unofficial Race Results
    Subway Jalapeno 250, Daytona International Speedway
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=17
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 18 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0
    2 15 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 42
    3 9 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 42
    4 14 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
    5 10 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 39
    6 22 62 Michael Annett Toyota 38
    7 42 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 37
    8 3 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 38
    9 13 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 36
    10 7 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 35
    11 19 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 33
    12 17 11 Brian Scott Toyota 32
    13 2 9 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0
    14 8 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0
    15 21 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 29
    16 6 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 0
    17 11 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
    18 1 4 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
    19 27 141 Jeffrey Earnhardt Chevrolet 0
    20 32 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 24
    21 16 21 Tim George Jr. Chevrolet 24
    22 5 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 22
    23 25 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 21
    24 35 39 Josh Wise Ford 20
    25 24 87 Kevin Conway Toyota 19
    26 23 97 Joe Nemechek Toyota 18
    27 12 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 18
    28 30 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 16
    29 39 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 15
    30 43 107 Danny Efland Chevrolet 14
    31 26 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 13
    32 36 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 12
    33 40 52 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 11
    34 4 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0
    35 41 70 Dennis Setzer Dodge 9
    36 33 113 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 8
    37 37 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 7
    38 34 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 6
    39 20 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    40 38 40 Charles Lewandoski * Chevrolet 4
    41 29 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 3
    42 31 168 Carl Long Chevrolet 2
    43 28 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 1
  • NASCAR Issues Probation and Financial Punch to Richard Childress

    NASCAR Issues Probation and Financial Punch to Richard Childress

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]
    Permanent Press
    NASCAR announced season long probation and a fine of $150,000 against Sprint Cup team owner Richard Childress for an altercation involving Kyle Busch Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.

    It was reported that Childress grabbed Kyle Busch, administered a headlock and punched him several times about the face. The attack took place in the garage after Saturday’s Camping World Series Truck race.

    Shortly after publishing its findings, NASCAR released a statement.

    “The penalty we have announced today for Richard Childress reflects NASCAR’s response to the incident at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. We feel this action is appropriate and are confident all parties involved understand our position on this matter and will move forward appropriately.”

    Speculation about what provoked the incident centers around Busch and his recent on track aggression towards Childress drivers and equipment.

    Busch, already on probation for incidents at Darlington Raceway, was cleared of any wrong doing in the most recent altercation.

    Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, also released a statement about the altercation.

    “First of all, I’m responsible for my actions, plain and simple. As you know, I am a very principled person and have a passion for what we do at Richard Childress Racing. I believe passionately in defending my race teams and my sponsor partners.”

    “In this instance, I let that passion and my emotions get the best of me. I accept the penalty NASCAR announced today and, as a company, we will now focus on this week’s races at Pocono Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.”

    Speculation about what provoked the incident centers around Busch and his recent on track aggression towards Childress drivers and equipment.