A 2013 NASCAR Wish List

With Christmas quickly approaching, the 2012 season firmly in the rear view mirror, and January's testing season on the horizon, many possibilities surround NASCAR's Sprint Cup teams.  Drivers are wondering how the new cars will race, Crew Chiefs are trying to adjust their track notes to the chassis changes, and fans are hoping bowl season will keep their minds off the lack of racing to watch.

Below are my top 5 NASCAR wishes this Christmas; wishes for fans, for drivers, and with crew members in mind.  Please include some NASCAR wishes of your own in the comment section below!

Wish #5: Repaired Restrictor-Plate Racing

During the past few years, racing at Talladega and Daytona has been odd, sometimes boring, and always leaves at least half of the fans dissappointed.  With "tandem racing" becoming the norm, even with small adjustments by NASCAR, the racing has been an evolving mess that has determined itself.  Sometimes the racing is good, but races with only 10 or so cars being competitive for the first 90% of the race will not keep fans, or even drivers satisfied.

The new car template that has given teams a more product-identifiable image has a more rounded, less flat front bumper, so one would hope that staying linked up will be more difficult, but only time will tell.  As long as drivers feel they can link up with another driver, for however long, and pull away, tandem racing will remain.  However, if NASCAR could continue to allow more speed, be it with smaller plates or not, drivers will feel less comfortable having someone shoving them around the track.

Wish #4: A New Rivalry

Ok, so most of us have paid attention to the on and off track "dissagreeent" between Jeff Gordon and Clint Boyer.  Perhaps that will continue into 2013, perhaps not, but what NASCAR needs is another great ON TRACK rivalry.  I don't mind hearing a driver  "jaw-jacking" before or after a race about another driving, but prove it on the track!  Yes, Gordon and Bowyer did somewhat the last race, but neither were racing for a championship at that point.

The problem with this generation of drivers is that they don't quite have the "showmanship" that yesteryear's drivers did.  Yes, they are polished and great for sponsors, but that is not what I mean.  Instead of playing up on-track tensions or throwing out a taunting challenge, leading to added tension and raised efforts, they show their aggravation on track by tearing up cars or try to "fight" in the garage.  Usually that is all followed up by a stone faced "pretty boy" trying to sound good for their sponsor.

Lets see a Petty-Pearson rivalry, or a Earnhardt-Waltrip rivalry.  Run your mouth all you want, but prove who is best at racing, not who is best at wrecking.

Wish #3: More Cars On The Track

For the past few years, more and more owners of small teams have seen it more profitable for them to "start and park" their cars. They make a race only to run a few laps and call it a day. In turn, they spend less on tires, take less risk of wrecking, and can use an engine more, lowering their overall operating costs leaving more for pay.

In turn, less lower tier drivers and teams can make a name for themselves and/or move up through "the ranks" of the sport. Whether or not they have bettered or worsened the overall sponsorship market around the sport is for someone else to decide. The simple fact that drivers are starting and parking, simply being satisfied with being an "also ran" is just a sad comment on the sport in general.

Wish #2: More Fans In The Stands

The state of the economy and everyone's tightening wallet was very apparent during the 2012 season.  Empty seats at Bristol, Martinsville, and Daytona were amazing, not to mention the attendance at less important races.  People are having some difficulty buying 2-4 $60 and up tickets, yes, but spending that $240 plus the two night stay at a motel, concessions and a tshirt and not too many families can handle a family race weekend these days.

Is there anything NASCAR can do about it?  Not much, in my opinion.  It is possible that tracks could charge even less, especially for Nationwide and Truck Series races, which survive mostly on sponsor money, not track attendance money.  Either way, the likelihood that the entry-level price to attend a race will drop to bring in fans is miniscule.  A better overall economy and more door banging are the only things that can fill all the seats.

Wish #1: A Return To What Works!

One of the best moves NASCAR is making for the 2013 season is a return of auto brand identification to the cars.  This brings back some, however small an amount, of the old school character of the sport.  No, there will not be any huge spoilers or bench seats, but seeing a car that I could imagine driving down the highway beating and banging with a driver I can't stand makes me want to watch more racing.

What NASCAR needs to do is to continue a return of some of the 'old school' aspects of the sport that truly worked.  Bringing back a Labor Day race at Darlington, for example, would be a move that would not only make older fan's happy, but it could also be a way to accquaint new fans with some NASCAR roots.  Along those same line, NASCAR could dedicate one or two races each season that they would move around between a set of 4 or 5 tracks.  Iowa, Milwaukee, Rockingham, Road America, or even a street race similar to Indycar's Grand Prix of Baltimore would be great races to have every other or ever third year to bring something different to NASCAR and bring NASCAR to some new markets.  Could you imagine a NASCAR race through the streets of a metropolitan city?

There, those are my top 5 NASCAR wishes for next year, what are yours?
 

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Drivers, Crew Chiefs And Job Applications, Oh My!!

Although there is generally a drop-off in the amount of NASCAR drama to comment on once the season has ended, the 2011-2012 off-season is proving to provide a wealth of material.  Yes, the off-season is known as the end of "silly season" for a reason, but usually the drivers that are looking to secure a ride in November and December are coming from mid to lower tier teams. 

This year the available driver pool is packed with 2 drivers from top tier teams, Kurt Busch from Penske and David Ragan from Roush Fenway, and 2 drivers from mid tier teams, Brian Vickers from Red Bull and David Reutimann from Michael Waltrip Racing.  While each of these drivers carry there own issues, they all have won at the highest level of stock car racing and one of them is a former Sprint Cup Champion.

Not only has their been a heavy load of drivers coming on the "market" this fall, there are also a couple of winning crew chiefs available.  After winning 5 of 10 Chase races and the 2011 Spring Cup Championship, Darian Grubb apparently was not quite achieving the level of success Tony Stewart was looking for, so he is now looking for a job.  Also, after an up and down year, mostly down, Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin, is now out of his seat at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Although a couple of the above have just exited their positions, two of them are rumored to be close to nailing down their next gig.  David Ragan been supposedly putting on a full court press to land in the seat of the #22 Penske Racing Dodge vacated by Kurt Busch.  Ragan had been under contract with Roush Fenway Racing through 2012, even though his #6 Ford was without sponsorship next season and was unlikely to run a full schedule.  Ragan has now been released from his contract by RFR, but nothing concrete has been commented on by Penske Racing.

Darian Grubb, defending crew chief champion, has been said to be the leading candidate for the crew chief slot for the #11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.  Although he has less career wins than former crew chief Mike Ford, Grubb is coming off of his championship run with Tony Stewart, so if he and Hamlin can get up to speed quickly, they could be contenders come Chase time in 2012.

One unanswered question as of yet is, with three winning drivers left available, will any top tiered teams or mid tier teams add a car to their stable?  It is not altogether likely that Vickers, Reutimann, or even Busch in his current state, could land a sponsor big enough to start a new car with a top team like JGR, RFR, Stewart Haas or RCR, but Vickers and especially Busch could definitely land a sponsor large enough for a car with Richard Petty Racing who had flirted with adding a car earlier in the year when all of the Danica craze was going on.  Either way, there will be some new looking cars on the track come January at the Daytona test prior to speedweeks.

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NASCAR’s Greatest Crew Chief

With the announcement this week of 5 new inductees into NASCAR’s Hall Of Fame, NASCAR has recognized some of its greatest competitors. The third induction class will include Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Richie Evans, Dale Inman and Glen Wood. Each of these people have stamped their name on NASCAR in many ways, but for most newer fans, the name of Dale Inman may be a mystery.

It is easily understood, however, that Inman could be relatively unknown to the casual fans of the past 20 years. After all, for most of his career he stood in the shadow of one of NASCAR’s largest heroes. Richard Petty won seven championships, 200 races, and will forever be known as the “King” of NASCAR. He dominated the sport for the better part of two decades. Yet much of his success may have never come about if not for Dale Inman.

Dale Inman, Petty’s first cousin, was the first person to personify what we associate today with title “Crew Chief.” He was Petty’s crew chief from 1960 until leaving the team after winning the Daytona 500 in 1981. He had 192 victories and 7 championships with Richard Petty, along with 10 straight, and 27 total in 1967. His ability to set up the 43 and to keep the handling to Petty’s liking in no small part helped Petty become the “King.”

After leaving Petty in 1981, Inman worked with Dale Earnhardt on the #2 Wrangler car for part of the season. Earnhardt, the defending champion, left the team mid-season due to an owner change, but had several top 5 finishes with Inman in what could have been a budding relationship. Earnhardt would go on to race for Richard Childress and win 6 more championships, while Inman would join Terry Labonte a few years later for Labonte’s first championship.

His role in creating the basis for the crew chief position, along with his 190 plus wins and 8 championships definitely makes Inman the most important, if not the best crew chief of all time.

There are those, such as Leonard Wood, who would later be credited as one of the best and smartest crew chiefs in NASCAR history. However, to place Wood, and others of that day, in context, they were generally hailed as great for finding a way to beat the 43. While Wood and others tried to outsmart other teams by being innovative, Petty, with Inman, simply dominated. They pounded out every race with consistent, powerful cars and a driver that often would assume the lead as if it were a birthright.

NASCAR fanatic or casual fan, anyone can appreciate the special ability and character it takes for a person to build the caliber of career that Dale Inman built over three decades. Not only did he work with a high caliber athlete, but he excelled with him consistently for 21 plus years as his crew chief. Then to top it off, he reached the top of the sport again with another driver. Well known or not, he was definitely the best.

Follow Joseph on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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Oh, What A Difference A Year Can Make

Last year, the talk of the garage, at times, was that the two car team of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing was on the rise and could be the next team to challenge for a spot amongst the series’ best. They won 4 races, including the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the race at Watkins Glen, and the fall race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. And, although coming up short, both of their drivers, Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya, were on the edge of a Chase berth during the summer.

Down the garage just a bit, there was another team that was struggling for its existence. Although it had the name of the other 7 time champ, Richard Petty Motorsports was being run by George Gillett, Jr. straight into the ground. The team had debt up to its eyeballs, drivers jumping ship, like Kasey Kahne, and a rumor that the doors would be closing. The drivers that currently drive for RPM, Marcos Ambrose and A.J. Allmendinger, were struggling. Ambrose finished 2010 with 2 top five’s and 4 top ten’s, while A.J. finished slightly better with 2 top five’s and 8 top ten’s.

But my, oh my, how things can change in the off season.

RPM was bought back by Richard Petty and a group of investors, placing the control of the team back under someone with proven ability to win in NASCAR. Although there was much to do in the off-season, and many unknowns for the coming year, the RPM crew worked hard, and apparently well. In the first 11 races of this season, the RPM duo has compiled a combined 2 top five’s and 5 top ten finishes. Another great stat for the RPM team is that in 2010 they had a total of 11 DNF’s. So far, for 2011, they have only 1.

Meanwhile, over at EGR, Montoya and McMurray are struggling to find their rhythm from last year. Although Montoya began the year with a head full of steam, lately he has been deflated. His average finish for the first six races was 11th, however, for the last four, his average finish has been 28.5. His teammate has had only two top ten finishes so far, and ranks a dismal 26th in laps run on the lead lap.

We all know about the wide array of changes made at RPM in the off-season to bring about their improvement in finishes. What we don’t know, and Mr. Ganassi, no doubt, will be working to find out, is what was changed at EGR to bring about their disappointing racing.


Follow Joseph Davis on Twitter @the_Bumpdrafter

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What Do Carl Edwards, Marcos Ambrose, And Dale Earnhardt Jr. Have In Common?

The 2010 season saw many surprises.  Between "Have at it boys!", return of the spoiler, and the rookie of the year driving the "Extenze" car, I'm not sure any of us have an idea what to expect from 2011!  There were, however, some changes at the end of the year that could indicate an upward trend for 3 drivers.

Edwards, Ambrose, and Earnhardt Jr. each experienced some change in direction at the end of the year and I am sure that each of them are eager to begin 2011!  For Edwards, the changes came earlier in the year, but in the last 5 races the 99 team obviously began reeping their rewards.  Edwards' average finish for the last five races was 9.2, with back to back wins to finish the season.  I am sure the 99 team is eager to see if they can continue their dominance from the last two races and compete again with Jimmie Johnson.

For Ambrose, 2010 was not a good year.  He had 6 top ten finishes this year, with none coming in the final 10 races.  To make it worse, with only 5 or so races left, he had no definite ride for next year: the team he was moving to, RPM, was possibly going out of business.  Thanks to the King, the outlook now for Ambrose in 2011 is much better.  He will be with RPM, a much better team than he was with in 2010, and will have a much better shot at winning.

Lastly, Earnhardt Jr. had much to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving!  For one, the 2010 season was over.  2010 brought nothing but confusion to Jr: he had great starts and the handling would go away, or he would unload a so so car and could not improve all weekend.  Nothing seemed to work.  Now in 2011 he will have a new Crew Chief, new team, new shop, and a new roommate, Jimmie Johnson.  I'm sure Earnhardt Jr is as eager to begin 2011 as the other two drivers, if not more so, but is also a little anxious.  If he does not perform with the changes Hendrick made in the off season, there will be no doubt where the problem is.  I for one hope that does not happen, and have a hunch that it won't.  While typing that I'm trying my best impersonation of Dale Earnhardt's trademark S--- eating grin...

Bring on 2011!!!

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A New Richard Petty Motorsports

No more confusing combination of Gillette, Yates, and Petty in ownership of four sub-par teams. Richard Petty, along with Medallion Financial Corporation and DGB Investments, have bought what is left of Richard Petty Motorsports. The word, so far, is that Petty will have contol over day to day operations.

The improvement will be that someone with intimate knowledge of NASCAR, yea, the "King", will be making operational decisions. The previous management of RPM was doomed to follow the teams before it ran by NASCAR outsiders-the exception being Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

The only questions left for me is who will actually run the team, and what happens to Yates Racing? Will the new corporate ownership allow Petty to truly run the team or will the money dry up if there is no immediate success? And will the best horsepower producers of the 1990's begin a new team or stay in a support role, making engines for Ford teams? 9HS94EASKFKJ

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The 5 Busiest Teams In The Offseason

There are many teams that have much to accomplish in the offseason. The 2011 season holds many unknowns: what teams will be competing, who will be strong, and who will flop. These are the five I think have the most to sort out in the next 2 months.

#5. The #18 Team.  To say Busch had an up and down season in 2010 would be an understatement.  Busch had 3 wins and got into the Chase, which would make a good season for most drivers.  In the month of May alone, Busch had 2 wins and in points races had an average finish of 3rd.  However, in the final 10 races, Busch's average finish was a dismal 18th, with an average finish of 21st in the final five races.  The telling stat for Busch in the final 5 races is that his average starting position was 25th.  Something is wrong with the #18 team, and I doubt it will sit well with "Shrub" this off-season.

#4. Richard Petty Motorsports.  With drivers Ambrose and Allmendinger, whose average finishes in 2010 were 22nd and 19th respectively, Petty has the unenviable task of rebuilding a team that has been built, bought, reformed, and torn apart in the matter of a couple years.  He has lost the big sponsorship of Budweiser, and is reportedly keeping the sponsorship of Stanley and working on Best Buy.  Releasing employees, training new employees, and attempting to restructure two teams into competitors will make for a stressful off-season to say the least.

#3. The #31 Team.  Burton made the Chase in 2010, largely due to a string of good finishes in the Summer, but that is where the good news ends.  Although Burton seemed to have some strong cars during the season, victory lane always stayed out of reach.  With the arrival of the Chase, Burton's team fell apart.  Burton had one top five and one other top ten in the Chase with an average finish of 21st and an average finish of 27th in the final five races.  Burton seemed exhausted by Homestead.  Much work to do on the CAT Team for Richard Childress in order to bring them back to the success they had a couple years ago.

#2. The #11 Team.  Hamlin was very successful in 2010; he had an average finish of 13th for the season and 7th for the Chase.  There is not much work needed in the off-season, but that doesn't mean the Gibbs crew won't be busy.  Neither Hamlin nor Gibbs like second place, and they won't settle for a "so close" finish.  Look for the #11 Team to be less worried about extra wins going into the Chase, and more concerned about dominance in the last ten races.  I think they are probably studying the Knaus playbook.

#1. Hendrick Motorsports.  Obviously not the team that finished #1 in points, but definitely the 9th, 13th and 21st place finishers.  Between drivers learning to communicate with new crew chiefs, moving teams from one garage to the other, and figuring out who has which pit crew, there is much to do in the next two months.  The next issue is which personality will be dominant at the 48/88 garage?  The Champ or the most popular driver?  Good luck Mr. Hendrick, I hope it works!

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