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Tag: Wally Dallenbach

  • Hot 20 – Saturday night it is Bristol, baby!

    Hot 20 – Saturday night it is Bristol, baby!

    There are races you mark down, make plans for, but there are few venues that seem to provide the kind of action that transforms those events into stand alone spectacles. Daytona is one. Talladega is another. You might want to add Darlington, for tradition sake, and Sonoma to the mix. Charlotte hosts the longest and next year they break out the road course for its second date. Then there are the two in Bristol, Tennessee.

    While we continue to yearn for announcers who captivate us with their voices, delivery, dialogue, banter, information, or entertainment value, it does not matter this Saturday night. This time, the track will take care of all that itself. No one is going to run away from the pack. Lapped cars will matter if only for being in the way. Fenders are going to be dented, drivers are going to get hot, and fans are going to find their time well spent. That is not always the case in NASCAR. It is damn near becoming the exception to the rule, but Saturday night they are in Bristol.

    I am not sure if we will have another offering from a shrill voiced fellow with a distinctive accent, but if your head announcer does not sound something like Ken Squier, Chris Economaki, or at the very least Mike Joy, do not hire them. If your booth announcers do not have the bantering chemistry of Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach, you have failed. If the race sucks, at least your announcers can not. The name of the game is to keep us watching. Thankfully, this is Bristol, so that does not matter as much this week.

    It will be interesting to see how many of its 162,000 seats will be filled in Thunder Valley’s stadium like layout. If they fail to turn out to watch the action on the 0.533 mile track, if they are not crowded on the couch to take it all in at home, do not expect things to get any better when they get to Chicago, Dover, or Kansas. In future, a general rule of thumb would be if a race track is not designed to be the next Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, Sonoma, or even a Martinsville, do not build it.

    If I did not follow the sport, if I did not know what each race means to each driver, if I had no idea what the Chase was or what the points meant, if I did not know the difference between an Earnhardt and an Erlich Bachman, I probably would watch only a dozen events each season for their stand alone entertainment value.

    The race Saturday night at Bristol would be one of them.

    1. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 4 WINS (933 Pts)
    If you want to win, you got to beat him…team mate or not…

    2. KYLE LARSON – 3 WINS (804 Pts)
    …just like Larson did last Sunday.

    3. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 3 WINS (592 Pts)
    Won at Bristol in the spring. Why not on a summer night?

    4. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 2 WINS (720 Pts)
    If Johnson does not win, another two-time Bristol winner would not mind wearing the suds.

    5. RICKY STENHOUSE, JR. – 2 WINS (505 Pts)
    Better half could be without a ride at SHR next year. I didn’t even know he and Kurt were dating.

    6. KYLE BUSCH – 1 WIN (797 Pts)
    They may be from Las Vegas, but Bristol is Busch country.

    7. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (787 Pts)
    Harvick is a champion, yet less popular than Junior or Danica. Maybe more so after last week.

    8. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (710 Pts)
    It is a girl!

    9. RYAN BLANEY – 1 WIN (592 Pts)
    Maybe Blaney can be the next Junior. You know, someone Harvick can harp on.

    10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (554 Pts)
    Going into his 600th career race, the brothers have each claimed five at Thunder Valley.

    11. RYAN NEWMAN – 1 WIN (536 Pts)
    The invisible man was fourth last week while averaging 15.9 over the season.

    12. KASEY KAHNE – 1 WIN (438 Pts)
    After wrecking with Suarez on Sunday, I bet he wished he was still with the good hands people.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 1 WIN (436 Pts)
    Top Ten last week was his first since he won at Charlotte in late May.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 685 POINTS
    Probably a near lock for the Chase, but that first career win sure would be nice.

    15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 675 POINTS
    Could be 40 points higher if not for wrecking at Martinsville and Pocono.

    16. MATT KENSETH – 654 POINTS
    Odds of 4x Bristol winner making the Chase are better than driving a competitive car next year.

    17. CLINT BOWYER – 623 POINTS
    Pit penalties and a flat tire ruined his plans last week, and did him no favors hunting down Matt.

    18. JOEY LOGANO – 556 POINTS (1 Win)
    Might feel the worst, but if he came first it would turn his frown upside down.

    19. ERIK JONES – 524 POINTS
    Has a string of three Top Tens. Now he needs a Top One.

    20. DANIEL SUAREZ – 515 POINTS
    Actually 17th in points, but race winners Stenhouse, Kahne, and Dillon now sit ahead of him.

  • The Final Word – As we await the next great announcer, 16 will soon become 12 after Dover

    The Final Word – As we await the next great announcer, 16 will soon become 12 after Dover

    Mistakes. They happen. You just have to learn to overcome them, hopefully not to be repeated. On Sunday I made a mistake, and I know that it will never happen again.

    I listened to some of Vin Scully’s final broadcast for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then I turned the channel to listen to those describing the action for the race at New Hampshire. Big mistake. I went from an 88-year old icon describing the action, informing me with tidbits of information about the 18 players penciled in to the lineups, hitting me with trivia of all descriptions to keep me engaged even during the down times, and kept me glued to his every word and at the same time keeping up with the progress of the game. Scully was a true artist. You would think with 43 drivers, 43 crew chiefs, and 258 crew men, NASCAR announcers would have a vast canvas on which to paint their pictures.

    Be it baseball, football, or describing the action on the track, Scully is the template all should attempt to emulate. The action is often slow in developing, what is newsworthy might take a while to unfold, but you are never bored. You want to stay tuned so you did not miss anything, be it something on the field of play or just as likely some entertaining commentary that amused or educated.

    In NASCAR, Ken Squier did exactly that. A more contemporary team, in my opinion, was Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. They made me laugh, learn, and stay tuned to the broadcast. I did not want to miss a thing. Some wonder why I keep returning to this theme. Have you noticed anything changing for the better yet? You have your answer. I am tired of seeing fans leave, grandstands coming down, and attendance figures hidden away. Aren’t you?

    I think there are announcers out there who do a fine job but not near enough. If a radio or television station or network does not have one, they need to find such a wordsmith. Broadcast schools should produce such skilled practitioners of the art who through time and experience will become the verbal Rembrandts of their time, those who will keep us listening, watching, and caring. To fail to do so is a mistake.

    Kevin Harvick made no mistakes in Chicago, but he suffered misfortune to finish 20th. At Loudon, he suffered neither, got past the 20 of Matt Kenseth to punch his ticket to the Round of Twelve in the Chase. It was his 100th race for Stewart-Haas and his 11th victory for them.

    Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson all had good finishes. They were good enough to join Harvick among the Top Eight on the day. Kyle Larson was just out of the Top Ten, but that was good enough to move him back into contention for the next round. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott had to settle for Top Fifteen finishes, but even they managed to increase their wiggle room in points.

    Things did not go so good for Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, or Chris Buescher, as that quartet heads to Dover needing to make up some ground before the cut-off. There were no expectations for Buescher, who at 30 points in the weeds needs to win Sunday to advance. Stewart, on the other hand, is hoping to head off to retirement with a stronger challenge, but after finishing 23rd last weekend he is 11 points out. With Dillon and McMurray only five out, he would need to leapfrog ahead of them both and still catch Larson to do it without taking the checkered flag.

    Stewart won at Dover just over three years ago, so it might be a mistake to count him out just yet. However, since that victory, Johnson had taken three there, with Harvick, Kenseth, and the semi-retired Jeff Gordon with the others. In fact, 10 of Johnson’s 77 career decisions have come at Dover. Betting against him this Sunday might prove to be the bigger mistake.

  • The Final Word – Four were hot at Atlanta while most others were in a deep freeze

    The Final Word – Four were hot at Atlanta while most others were in a deep freeze

    Any more global warming and a guy could freeze to death. Last week, we had temperatures higher than Sunday at Atlanta. It is actually snowing where I am, a ten hour drive north of the Montana border, so seeing somewhere warm at this time of year is a good thing. Atlanta did not provide that good thing, unless you happened to be a fan of one of four drivers.

    Joey Logano took the pole, led early, and finished fourth. Kevin Harvick then led a bunch, the most of anyone, and wound up second. Dale Earnhardt Jr. led for a moment, a brief moment, but was near the point the entire day, finishing third. Then there was Jimmie Johnson, who closed the door on the Closer, after he got caught up in traffic, to claim his 71st Cup victory.

    Johnson started beyond 30th, as did 13 others who failed to even make it through tech inspection, never mind even attempting to qualify. Jeff Gordon failed four times. We are left to wonder if all these teams became that dumb that quick, or have the lasers used for measuring become that precise that quick, or is there another explanation? Only 15 of 49 cars made it through on their first attempt, with Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth among those who failed to get in a qualifying run.

    Okay, Travis Kvapil did not either, but he had better reason. Among the many reasons the cars get taken to the track in a majestically painted hauler apparently is to warn thieves that this is something too hot for them to handle. Put the car in a plain white trailer towed behind a pick-up truck, park it outside a hotel, and a thief could wind up with the surprise of his life. They found the car left parked in a rural area after the thieves unloaded it, but the tools, and spare engine are as gone as the trailer they were in at the moment. You can see the No. 44 car at Las Vegas this weekend.

    Winning or being in the Top 16 is the goal in order to make the Chase. Logano and Johnson are pretty much locked in. A.J. Allmendinger (seventh on Sunday), Carl Edwards (12th), and Danica Patrick (16th) are now in, while Denny Hamlin (38th), Michael Annett (29th), and Austin Dillon (39th) have slipped to the outside. Others heading to Las Vegas seeking to move up are such veterans as Kenseth (18th in the standings), Ryan Newman (21st), Brad Keselowski (23rd), Jamie McMurray (32nd), Gordon (35th) and Stewart (36th).

    Brian Vickers returns to the No. 55 Toyota this weekend after mending from a heart issue. His stand-in at Atlanta was 22-year old Brett Moffitt, who finished eighth in just his eighth Cup event. Interestingly enough, that one result has him just 14 points out, 24th in the rankings, and just two behind Keselowski. I hope somebody has the kid’s phone number.

    There is no excuse to have a bad announcer who was a former driver. Keselowski did a good job during his Xfinity broadcast stint. Harvick was great during his. I still love Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. There is a lot of talent out there. While announcing is a very important component to keeping fans watching and listening, I have noticed some other components.

    There is the visual excitement, like a tight battle for the lead, a formation of drivers only inches apart, or charging at break neck speed down city streets, as they do at Monte Carlo. Atlanta was not like that, at least it wasn’t until Hamlin or Greg Biffle went sideways. Then it became exciting, in a video game kind of way.

    There is the leader of the race. You like that driver, it is entertaining. If you do not, it is not as enjoyable. I found my own enjoyment factor went up when Kevin and Jimmie replaced Joey on point. I am sure the new Mrs. Logano saw this differently, as she should.

    There was a time when we were made to feel like we were part of a fraternity, with promos and commercials geared to fans just like you. When was the last time we were asked “how bad have you got it?” Do you look at a big brown truck any differently? NAPA was not just car parts, it was about teammates and being at the wrong track. Is anyone still sorry about what happened to Tony’s little car? In the words of Hank Williams, why doesn’t NASCAR and its sponsors love us like they used to do?

    I loved being in Las Vegas 14 months ago. It got so cool there I damn near had to put a jacket over my T-shirt, shorts, and sandals. What a wonderful way to experience winter. Yet, the Deep South was almost a deep freeze Sunday at Atlanta, and when I was at Daytona one February a few years ago. If that is how things are now in the south, there is no way I am visiting Boston until the Red Sox are playing in front of a short-sleeve crowd at Fenway. I will risk a sun burn over frost bite any day.

  • Countdown to Daytona: 90

    Countdown to Daytona: 90

    As 2011 wraps up and Tony Stewart enjoys his third Sprint Cup title, many teams are already looking to Daytona and the 2012 season, hoping they’ll be the team seated at the champions’ table next year. We’ll count you down to next year’s Daytona 500 (its only 90 days away!) with some numberology for each number as the Super Bowl of NASCAR draws closer.

    [media-credit name=”NASCARMedia/Motorsports Images & Archives” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]A car no. 90 was entered in NASCAR’s first-ever race by none other than future two-time champion Tim Flock. Flock finished fifth in that race at Charlotte Speedway (not the same as the current track). He would use the number 90 just eight more times before changing to 91; then his famous number 300. However, the name most associated with car no. 90 is Junie Donlavey.

    A longtime resident of Richmond, Donlavey fielded his first car in 1950 with Runt Harris. Donlavey would dabble in the sport over the next 15 years, but began his long association with the number in 1965 with driver Sonny Hutchins.

    Donlavey’s sole win as an owner came in the 1981 Mason-Dixon 500, when driver Jody Ridley outran Bobby Allison over the last 20 laps to earn both his and Donlavey’s only victory. The victory didn’t come without controversy, however, as Allison’s car owner, Harry Rainer filed a protest, claiming that “No question we were a lap ahead of Ridley”. Although NASCAR admitted to a scoring communication difficulty, they upheld Ridley’s victory after 20 minutes.

    “This has got to be a bigger thrill for Junie than me”, said Ridley. “I’m a rookie in the Grand Nationals. I just can’t believe it. This is the biggest thrill of my life.” Ridley raced for Donlavey through the 1982 season before driving for Robert Mcentrye and Rahmoc. His final Cup race came in 1986.

    Donlavey was well known for giving young drivers a start in racing. Notably, Ken Schrader drove for Donlavey for a three year stint, garnering Rookie of the Year honors in 1985 and nearly winning the 1987 Firecracker 400, losing the lead with two laps to go. Coincidentally, the loss came to Allison, who changed tires during a late caution and stole the victory.

    [media-credit name=”NASCARMedia/Motorsports Images & Archives” align=”alignright” width=”104″][/media-credit]Ricky Rudd, Ernie Irvan, and Mike Wallace all drove for Donlavey in the early parts of their career. Notable drivers who made their debut for Donlavey include Joe Weatherly, Harry Gant, Robby Gordon and current TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach Jr.

    In a recent interview I conducted, Dallenbach said he had “Nothing but great memories” in his time with Donlavey. “I drove for him in my rookie deal into NASCAR, and Junie and the whole team were fantastic. I learned a lot and they were great people. Junie has given a lot of guys opportunities; opportunities they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. For what he had to work with, he did a great job. Junie never really had what you could call a major sponsor. “Orkin Pest Control and Ford Motorsports Sportswear were the only major primary sponsors Dallenbach had for his rookie season.

    Donlavey was also notable for giving older drivers a shot behind the wheel. Benny Parsons, Lennie Pond, Buddy Baker, Dick Trickle, and Charlie Glotzbach all drove Donlavey livery towards the end of their careers.

    Donlavey’s last start as a car owner came in the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 where Jason Hedlesky, current spotter for Carl Edwards drove a Lucas Oil backed machine; dropping out early due to handling issues.

    His former crew chief and current owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., told a USA Today reporter at the time “It’s kind of a shame that he’s gotten to this point where he can’t run successfully week in and week out,” But Junie never really cared about that.” Donlavey seemed to agree, saying that “I have met so many nice people that, if I had to trade the people I met for money, there wouldn’t be enough money around.”

    Dallenbach also agreed, saying “Junie liked [having] the team in Virginia, with friends and family working on the car. In his time, you could do that, but I don’t think Junie wanted to become a big-time Cup team. I think he had the opportunity to do that, but that would have required moving the operation to Charlotte”.

    That was indeed the case, as Sara Lee reportedly pulled their sponsorship after the 2001 season when Donlavey refused to move his team to North Carolina.

    Since then, the no. 90 has been used sparingly, most recently with Scott Riggs driving for Raymond Key at Phoenix in 2010. In total, car no. 90 has obtained two poles, one victory, 64 top five, and 231 top-ten finishes in the course of 918 starts.