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Tag: Roush

  • Hendrick Bending the Rules? Keselowski Thinks So

    Hendrick Bending the Rules? Keselowski Thinks So

    [media-credit name=”Dan Sanger” align=”alignright” width=”249″][/media-credit]Is Hendrick Motorsports bending the rules? Brad Keselowski thinks so. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility. Of course you remember all those times Crew Chief Chad Knaus was suspended and fined? Certainly, like when you were in school, once guilty and always suspected was the rule. That may be part of it but Jimmie Johnson coming from the back of the pack to leading the race  until his engine expired has lots of folks wondering.

    Keselowski commented during the race on how Hendrick cars used what he called “tricks” with their cars. Jack Roush and winner Greg Biffle mentioned at Michigan how they “fell behind” on some things, especially on Carl Edwards’ cars and had to get up to speed on certain things. It has opened up a new can of worms, but is it sour grapes or is it a legitimate gripe? Maybe the Hendrick Motorsports cars have people who just are smarter than other team’s engineers and technicians. No, do not shoot the messenger.

    “There’s parts and pieces that move on the car after inspection that make the (Hendrick) cars more competitive,” Keselowski said. “Some guys have it and some don’t. There’s a question as to the interpretation of the rule.”

    One thing is certain, Keselowski is outspoken and doesn’t pull any punches. He has been watching the HMS cars all season long, and his inability to compete with them over the last few races has him frustrated. Remember this is the same man I wrote about last week after a battle with Marcos Ambrose at Watkins Glen. He doesn’t mind getting beat, but he wants to be on an even playing field. He pointed a finger at his own organization, Penske Racing for racing fairly without pushing the envelope between getting by with something and getting caught.

    “As a group at Penske racing, we have not felt comfortable enough to risk that name and reputation that roger has over those parts and pieces. Others have, which is their prerogative,” Keselowski said. “Living in the gray area …We’re going to have to make a re-evaluation of that internally to decide if that’s the right way to go.”

    I found it interesting that after the race, NASCAR took six or seven cars back to their R&D center to inspect them. “Sometimes, it’s easier to take the whole car than just the engine,” Robin Pemberton said in an interview with Sirius-XM radio. What cars they took was a mystery at the time of this column.

  • Dodge Leaves and Allmendinger Comes Clean

    Dodge Leaves and Allmendinger Comes Clean

    [media-credit id=18 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]What a day for news! Today we learned that the Dodge brand will disappear from NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series at the end of the year. It’s not the first time for Dodge. They left back in 1977, only to return in 2001, but this has to be a blow to the sanctioning body. America’s Big Three automakers belong in NASCAR. It’s an American series featuring cars you can buy at a dealership. The Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Impala, Toyota Camry, and Dodge Charger are all cars that American families buy in large numbers, and now one of the brands is gone.

    Petty Enterprises brought Chrysler Corporation vehicles into the spotlight in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. Richard Petty, the undisputed King of the sport, won more races than anyone else in Plymouths. He later changed to GM cars and even later Fords, but it was always the top brand, even when Chevrolet competed. Add to that successful teams led by Cotton Owens, Harry Hyde, and others. The excitement when Dodge came back was legend. Mopar fans had cars to root for. Ray Evernham, former the crew chief for the fabulously successful Jeff Gordon, spearheaded the new Dodge resurgence along with the Petty family and others. Today it came to an end.

    Looking for reasons is pretty elementary. Dodge had been reduced to a two car team led by Penske Racing. Evernham had sold out to George Gillett which morphed into Richard Petty Motorsports, and with Chrysler’s money problems, only Penske remained. Earlier this year, Penske announced he was switching to Ford and the rest is history. Dodge tried valiantly to find a team, any team, to carry its banner, but in the end, no credible tram wanted them. Just like the 1970’s, when only Ford and Chrysler competed on the NASCAR ovals, the field is reduced to Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota, the only difference being that three manufacturers are competing instead of four—two of the former Big Three and Japanese Toyota.

    Who can blame successful teams for not considering Dodge? Penske was the sole engine supplier, and it would be unlikely that he could build Dodge engines and campaign Fords. Problem No, 2 was the domination of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports especially. Winners of five of the last six championships (a clean sweep if you consider Tony Stewart’s SHR is a satellite team depending on chassis and engine from HMS), why would any Chevrolet team consider switching? Ford teams are so wrapped around the Roush-Yates engine program that is so good, that changing to a manufacturer that has had little success outside of early Evernham successes would be a real gamble. As hard as Dodge worked, it wasn’t going to be, and so they left America’s premier sedan car series.

    That left a hole in what everyone thought would happen. Many believed that Petty Motorsports would move to Dodge as their top team, but apparently that wasn’t to be. RPM, whose contract with Ford and Roush ends at season’s end, is still debating their options, Toyota is a possibility, but this reporter thinks they will stay with Ford. Time will tell.

    *******
    In what has to be the worst PR nightmare this season, A.J. Allmendinger admitted today that he had tested positive for the prescribed drug Adderall. He said he took it to combat fatigue. He said he didn’t know what it was. He took it from a “friend.” For a guy who said he was for concerned what went in his body, he made a bad decision. The human condition. Allmendinger lost a ride of a lifetime. Now the only speculation is who will get the ride in the No, 22 Dodge ride for the rest of the year and the No. 22 Ford ride for 2013. It won’t be Allmendinger. So the drama continues. And they said 2012 was boring,

  • Why Did Matt Kenseth Leave?

    Why Did Matt Kenseth Leave?

    [media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]As my father used to say, “I’d have liked to have been a little birdie”. We will probably never know what was discussed in that verbal intercourse between Jack Roush and his points-leading driver, Matt Kenseth.  But whatever it was saw one of the best drivers in the sport head for Joe Gibbs Racing (or so they say).

    It’s an interesting phenomenon. Last year it was Roush driver Carl Edwards that the Gibbs organization coveted. Carl didn’t take the bait and stayed. This year it was Matt Kenseth and Matt moved on. I guess it’s flattering to the Roush organization that other teams are coming after their drivers, but losing a driver the caliber of Matt Kenseth is quite a blow. I have no inside information, but I think three factors led to Kenseth’s defection.

    First was the sponsorship situation. It is unbelievable to me that a former champion who is always in the front of the field has no sponsorship while lesser teams with lesser drivers get enough money to run the entire season. Matt is low-key and less exciting for sponsors maybe, but it seems to be a problem with Roush-Fenway more often than not.  Rising star Trevor Bayne had to discontinue his Nationwide Series quest because sponsorship could not be found. If the truth were known, Roush has financed Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s Nationwide effort often. The fourth team, the famous No. 6, is without sponsorship. The future seemed to be iffy for Kenseth. If Gibbs is the place he lands, Home Depot is really a solid sponsor and Gibbs seems to find sponsors easily.

    Secondly, Kenseth might have been looking for new scenery. As successful as he has been with RFR, the same old grind gets old. Staying with the same team for a decade makes one look at the grass on the other side. It may be greener. How often does a driver get the opportunity to go to a team with solid sponsorship that is competitive as the one you are leaving? Opportunity knocks but once, an old philosopher once said. Maybe Matt saw this as his last chance.

    Finally, maybe it was the money. If the rumors swirling around last year are any indication, Gibbs offered a very lucrative package to Edwards to lure him away from Roush. Ford and RFR offered more and Edwards stayed. Maybe with the sponsorship problems (lack of resources) made it impossible to make a decent counter offer to Kenseth. Despite all the talk about it not being the money, it always plays a part in every equation. If that money also offers security, it would be hard to turn down.

    In comments today from Stenhouse, it appears this has been a done deal for awhile. “I got the call actually before Road America, but they wouldn’t let me tell anybody,” Stenhouse said. “I got the call last Thursday.” Stenhouse initially thought it was for the fourth car in the stable, but learned earlier this week it was for the car Kenseth is vacating.

    So, Silly Season starts in earnest. With the first domino falling, surely others will follow. If the No. 20 is Kenseth’s destination, will Gibbs field a fourth car for Logano? That has been mentioned. Will Richard Childress shake up his organization? Will Penske stay with A.J. Allmendinger or will he look at another driver for his flagship No. 22 Ford next year? Will Richard Petty Motors stay with Ford or head back to Dodge? Will Dodge field any cars next year? Lots of questions, but with Silly Season happening earlier and earlier these days, most of those answers might come quicker than you think.

  • NASCAR Notebook – Silly Season is Apparently Over

    NASCAR Notebook – Silly Season is Apparently Over

    It looks like the Daytona Pre-Season Thunder event pushed teams to make decisions on 2012. If you remember, David Ragan, David Reutimann, Kurt Busch, and Clint Bowyer were dismissed or left their rides following the 2011 season. One by one, they found employment, but the changes were substantial.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”253″][/media-credit]1. When sponsorship couldn’t be found for the Roush-Fenway No. 6 after the 2011 season, Roush released David Ragan from his contract. Ragan finally found a ride in one of the Front Row Motorsports Fords this weekend, as I predicted. It was also announced that Nationwide Series Champion Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. will be in the Daytona 500 in this car for seems to be a one-shot effort.

    2. After being released from the Michael Waltrip Racing No. 00 car, David Reutimann finally found a ride with Tommy Baldwin Racing for a limited number of races. Reutimann will be replaced by Mark Martin and owner Michael Waltrip in what will become the No.55.

    3. The No. 5 ride vacated by Martin will be filled with Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne had driven the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota in 2011 after leaving Richard Petty Motorsports late in 2010.

    4. After Kurt Busch and Roger Penske agreed to part ways, and after much speculation on who would drive the No. 22 Dodge, A.J. Allmendinger was hired on what many consider to be a one-year contract.

    5. When Allmendinger was given his release from the No, 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford when main sponsor Best Buy left for Roush-Fenway, it was rumored that Kurt Busch would get that ride. Unfortunately, sponsors didn’t feel comfortable with Busch, so Aric Almirola got the ride and got the bonus of Smithfield Foods as a sponsor.

    6. When Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress couldn’t come to terms or a sponsor could not be found, Bowyer left the No. 33 Chevy for Michael Waltrip racing with NAPA as sponsor and using the No. 15. The No. 33, much like the No. 6 at Roush-Fenway, was retired.

    7. Kurt Busch ended up at Phoenix Racing with the No. 51 Chevrolet, which is considered an arm of Hendrick Motorsports. No sponsor has been announced.

    8. Scott Speed found a ride in the No. 95 Bob Leavine Ford for an unannounced number of races, a place Speed raced last year for a few races.

    9. Sadly, TRG Racing, the home of rookie of the year Andy Lally, has apparently closed shop to concentrate on other forms of racing

    Whew, is that ever a mouthful. In the more than 15 years I have been covering the Sprint Cup Series, I cannot remember any more changes. Most of it is a symptom of a not-yet-recovered economy. Things will get better in time. It will be interesting to see how the move to MWR Toyotas treats Martin and Bowyer, how Stenhouse performs in the No. 6 at Daytona, a race that car has been very competitive in, if Kahne can avoid the slump of the No. 5 at Hendrick, how A.J. does in the Penske organization, whether or not Aric Almirola can lead the Pettys back to victory circle, and finally what Kurt Busch will do in James Buescher’s cars. I can’t wait

    ********

    After all the stuff we’ve heard (and stuff is very appropriate in this context) over the years, we were led to believe that some insurance god somewhere had mandated that under no circumstances could cars run faster than 200 mph at Daytona, and something awful would happen if that were the case. Well in Daytona testing this week, even though single car speeds were well below that, 200 mph was fairly common in drafting. NASCAR went to a bigger plate on Friday, and the result was Kurt Busch topping 206 mph, and went back to the smaller plate on Saturday. The result was still speeds in excess of 200 mph, so I guess we can expect some tweaks before next month if the 200 mph insurance mandated limit is still in effect. Or was it ever? Kurt Busch said this week that was common in the two car drafts. I have no idea, but the last two days saw more pack racing.

    *********

    I cannot imagine how it feels to be David Ragan and David Reutimann these days. Ragan was in the car that Mark Martin almost won numerous championships in, and was featured in UPS commercials the last few years. Now, he’s been relegated to running in a car that, well, hasn’t been all that competitive. Reutimann is in the same position. Both have won races in better equipment, but their chances, except at Daytona or Talladega, are slim (anyone can win there). It also points to the big gap in the haves and have-nots.

  • The Smart Money’s On Busch to RPM…Or Not

    The Smart Money’s On Busch to RPM…Or Not

    After the continuing activity during this off-season, I have but one conclusion. You just never know what is going to happen. Witness the separation of Penske Racing and Kurt Busch. Even though Busch pretty much sealed his own fate with his actions this year, you had to feel that a championship caliber driver would not be asked to move on. I was wrong. I imagine sponsor Shell-Pennzoil had a lot to do with that decision. So, the next shoe to drop shouldn’t have been a surprise.

    [media-credit name=”Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”216″][/media-credit]When Best Buy made the decision to head over to Roush-Fenway to sponsor 2011 runner-up Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, it left A.J. Allmendinger without a sponsor, so he had to go looking. Even though it was rumored that David Ragan, also sponsor less since UPS also headed to other teams in Jack Roush’s stable, would possibly take the No. 22 ride. After so much time elapsed, it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen. And Allmendinger had to deal with Robbie Loomis’ comment that he would mortgage his house to get Kurt Busch in Allmendinger’s No. 43 car. Allmendinger got the offer and he jumped. Ragan is still looking for a ride, but he’s not alone. I imagine David Reutimann, replaced by Clint Bowyer, and Brian Vickers, the victim of Red Bull’s closure, are feeling the same pain. It appears the only good job left is the famous No. 43 ride, and with Busch, Ragan, Reutimann, and Vickers looking for a ride, the competition will be fierce.

    On the surface, it looks to be a game between Busch, Ragan, and Reutimann. I don’t see any way that Vickers will be considered for a Richard Petty Motorsports car—too much bad blood between Vickers and Matt Kenseth after last season’s troubles, and you have to remember that RPM is more or less a satellite of RFR. It’s pretty much the same with Busch. After Busch won a championship with RFR, he announced he was leaving for Roger Penske’s operation. Then an alcohol related event at Phoenix led to his firing. There is bad blood between Roush and Busch. Even though King Richard runs his own team, I can’t imagine RPM hiring Busch unless he can bring a sponsor with him. That’s the bottom line. The same could be said for Ragan and Reutimann. Whoever can bring the dollars will get the ride. It’s the way things are done in these times. Whichever driver can finance the No. 43 will get the ride.

    My crystal ball is a little foggy these days, and even though the common opinion is that Ragan will go to RPM’s famous ride, I don’t see it happening. Kurt Busch is a name driver, whose talent has never been in doubt. David Ragan has won one race in his career and might be the choice is sponsorship doesn’t come. Petty has said he is committed to running the No. 43, no matter what. Reutimann is the dark horse. Once again, bringing sponsorship seals the deal. You just never know.

    Look for Ragan to get a ride in one of the Front Row Motorsports cars for 2012. Look for Busch to get the RPM ride. I’ve been wrong before, and like I said the crystal ball is foggy, but I can’t imagine anything else. Reutimann? Who knows? One thing is certain, unless someone has a rabbit up their sleeve, this is the way it will come down, unless Busch Reutimann, and Ragan strike out in finding a sponsorship. Like I said, you just never know,

  • A Harmless Interview With Jeff Gordon

    A Harmless Interview With Jeff Gordon

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”256″][/media-credit]Jeff Gordon let the cat out of the bag, so to speak this week. Well, it was no secret, for that matter. For a long time, it has been said that Stewart-Haas Motorsports Racing got parts and supplies from Rick Hendrick’s organization, but the denials were sharp that the two teams were separate. A telling interview with Gordon this week muddied the water somewhat.

    It seems that Gordon has been asked by several teams to get on his radio channel for drafting purposes and Gordon was not good with that at all. The list of teams that Gordon is willing to talk with includes teammates Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Mark Martin, but he added Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman to the mix. Interesting, isn’t it?

    “We had people coming to us last week wanting our radio approval, and we’re like, ‘No,’” Gordon said. “We’re not ready to do that. Having somebody be able to get on your channel is more complicated than some people are making it out to be. I’m not for that. We want to stay in control of what’s said and be able to talk to the crew chief. I have one of the best spotters, so I want my spotter to be leading the way as much as possible. So we’re very hesitant when it comes to that.”

    Back long ago, Jack Roush was told he could only have four teams. At the time, he had five, so one had to go. He was grandfathered in for a time, but on a date certain, he had to reduce to four teams. So, Roush did exactly that, which left Jamie McMurray’s No. 26 entry out in the cold. Roush sold that team to another owner, as he was told to do.

    He developed alliances with Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing, but never denied that he was supplying cars to those teams. On NASCAR radio and in other places, people were led to believe that Stewart-Haas was totally independent of Hendrick Motorsports except that HMS supplied engines and chassis to Stewart-Haas. Seems that there is more to it than that.

    Roush pretty much is the Ford Racing program, supplying engines and chassis to his own Roush-Fenway racing team as well as Front Row Motorsports, the Wood Brothers, Richard Petty Motorsports, and now the TRG team. Formerly, he supplied the same services to Yates Racing, the team left behind when Robert Yates left the business to son Doug Yates. Chevrolet, on the other hand, has strong teams in HMS, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, and Richard Childress Racing, who operate as separate entities, except for the fact that engines from EGR are supplied to several teams. They always find a way around the rules, don’t they?

    The difference is that it appears there is more to it than that. The fact that Gordon (and maybe other Hendrick teammates) are going to work with Stewart-Haas means that maybe Stewart-Hass is Hendrick Motorsports in kind of a disguised way. Seems that way.

    I find it interesting that all this came about. Despite NASCAR’s rule, a little interview with the former champ showed us what we all knew. Rick Hendrick has six teams. Roush has more than that. Why didn’t they just leave things alone? In the name of competition, they tried to change the domination of one owner over the little guys, and what did they get? More domination. Watch them at Talladega this weekend and see who lines up with whom. That might be more interesting than the race itself.