Tag: Bobby Labonte

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Auld Lang Syne!

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 THIS WEEKS STORY LINES:

1.   ROBBY GORDON REMAINS IN 3RD @ DAKAR RALL(nascar.com)

2.   2009 BUD SHOOTOUT FORMAT CHANGES:(2009 Bud Shootout)

3.   KESELOWSKI TO RACE SEVEN CUP RACES:(HMS PR)

4.   RUETIMANN TO RUN FULL CUP SEASON:(scene daily)

5.   TESTING AT MANY NON NASCAR SANCTIONED TRACKS:(speedtv)

6.   TIM MCCREADIE INJURED @ CHILI BOWL:(chili bowl.com)

7.   VERIZON BUYS ALLTEL:(AP)

8.   GILLILAND POSSIBLY OUT AT YATES:(scenedaily)

9.   MAX SIEGEL LEAVES DEI:(espn.com)

10.  MIKE SKINNER LOOKING FOR A RIDE(daytona beach news journal)

11.  REGAN SMITH IN #78 FURNITURE ROW CHEVY:(KUSA9NEWS)

12.  YATES AND HALL OF FAME RACING PARTNER UP:(sports business journal)

13.  BOBBY LABAONTE IN THE #96 HOF FORD:(nascar.com)

 

It oftens seems that even before one NASCAR season ends, the teams are already looking forward to the next season.  That is especially true for the non Chasers!!  Fortunately, thanks to one of the shortest off-seasons in professional sports, the wait is just about over ( 29 days,15 hours and 10 minutes from this writing)!!

 

 

You know that song you hear every New Year’s Eve?  You know that one about not forgetting old acquaintences?  Did you ever wonder what that phrase is in the chorus?

 

 

The most common song for most English-speaking people to sing at New Year’s Eve is the old Scottish song “Auld Lang Syne”.  Isn’t it a little bit odd how we sing that song and have no idea just what it means.  Would it be funny if it meant “Old Slow Buick Roadmasters” or something like that????  Actually, a good translation of that phase “auld lang syne” is “times gone by”.  So when we sing this song, we are saying, “We will drink a cup of kindness yet, for times gone by”

 

 

That might be true for the fans of the 2008 Champion.  As for the rest of us, our cups are brimming over with something else!!!!   It is extremely true for this reporter, last year was good but this year will be great!  A new year brings in all the hope and excitement, much like a child opening presents on Christmas morning.  This year is by far no exception.  There are more changes in the garage area than husbands on Elizabeth Taylor’s and Zsa Zsa Gabor’s resume!!!  There are drivers that are changing teams, crew chiefs changing teams, mergers of teams, emerging new teams, sponsors changing teams, and some established teams running a limited schedule.  Many of the teams are still searching and scrambling for that ever elusive sponsorship dollar!  The global recession has had a huge impact on the NASCAR community this off season.

 

 

Most of us don’t want to reminisce about the blown tire, Kyle Busch (aka The Las Vegas Weasel) crashing our favorite driver on the last laps of the race, or a bad pit stop.  Did I mention that we really didn’t want to waste time reflecting on TLVW crashing our favorite driver( read #88 JR) at Richmond and winning the race???????  All those memories are now relegated to the book called HISTORY!  History books are good to read, but the only books that I am intersted in reading regarding NASCAR focus on the future and this season!!!  The only Eve that I am now interested in is February 14, the night before the Daytona 500!!  I have an appointment with the Sprint Cup Tower row 48 seat 6 for the Dual 150’s, Trucks race, Nationwide race and the Daytona 500!!!

 

COMMENTARY:

 

 

As you can see in the story lines listed above, there are tumultuous activities going on in the garage area.  I strongly suggest that you click on to each of the links above and read those articles.  They are a good resource to what is happening this week in NASCAR! There are drivers with new teams, sponsors with new teams, merged operations, and a couple of new race teams all together!!  So get out your scorecard and sharpen up you memory skills, cause I can hear those V8’s starting to get warmed up!! 

This reporter’s New Year’s resolutions:

1. I resolve to be in front of the TV when the green drops each Sunday!

2. I resolve to solidly root for #88 each week and defend him against all detractors, foreign and domestic!

3.  I ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NEVER EVER FORGET TIMES GONE BY!!!!

 

Now if you will go back and look at the picture of the Daytona Speedway above.  Notice the black square of seats just on the upper tight side of the Palm tree.   If you squint your eyes you will see this reporter sitting there waiting for the drop of the green flag for the Daytona 500!!!

 

REMEMBER, I LOOKED IT UP SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO!!!

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The End of an Era!

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THIS WEEK’S STORY LINES

1.   IT IS OFFICIAL– PETTY MERGED WITH GEM:(foxsports.com)

2.   ALMENDINGER REPLACES SADLER @ GEM:(espn.com)

3.   LABONTE LOOKING FOR A NEW RIDE:(motorsports soapbox)

4.   WOOD BROS. RUNS A PARTIAL SEASON:(espn.com)

5.   EARNHARDT-GANASSI SCRAMBLES FOR SPONSORS:(racing one)

6.   HMS SUES DEI AND GINN RACING:(SceneDaily)

7.   2009 TENTATIVE TEAM CHART: (jayski.com)

8.   BILL DAVIS SELLS RACE REAMS: (scene daily)

9.   EVERNHAM STILL WANTS A ROLE IN NASCAR:(Charlotte Observer)

The 2009 season will witness an end of an era!!!  On Christmas Eve Petty Enterprises merged with Gilette-Evernham Motorsports.  On the outside that statement really does sound like an earth shaking event, but let us look closer.  Earlier in the 2008 season Richard Petty sold a majority interest in his family business of Petty Enterprises to Boston Ventures.  That is the same Petty Enterprises that his father, legendary NASCAR icon Lee Petty, started in 1949 in NASCAR’s infancy.  The same Petty Enterprises that dominated NASCAR in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.  That is the same Petty Enterprises that produced the “Petty Blue” color scheme on the Plymouths of those glory years.  Richard Petty and NASCAR have been synonymous for the last 50 years!  With this merger, Richard Petty has relinquished his control and influence in Petty Enterprises!!  The details have yet to be made public, but one thing is for sure, the number 43 is now in the Gilette-Evernham Motorsports stable!

 

Speaking of GEM, with this merger just being announce, there are some shake-ups in the driver’s seat there.  It appears that, even after signing a two year contract extenion, Elliot Sadler has been ousted from the #19 Dodge.  A. J. Almendinger is set to replace Sadler in that ride.  It also apears that Reed Sorenson is set to jump into the “newly acquired #43 Dodge GEM Dodge”!!

 

In another sign of the tough times, Bill Davis has sold his racing operations to Triad Racing Development.  The 2009 season for #22 Toyota is still up in the air.  The new owners are trying desparately to secure sponsorship in order to put that car on the track for the 2009 season.  The economic environment is proving to wreak havoc in the NASCAR garage for the 2009 season.  The DEI-Ganassi merger, Earnhardt-Gannasi Racing (EGR) likewise is finding sponsorship a difficult chore.  Even though the new team will be running Chevrolets, they are still “beating the bushes” for sponsorship for their four teams!

 

COMMENTARY:

When this reporter read that Petty Enterprises merged with GEM, it piqued my interest.  When the details come out, it will reveal that Richard Petty will no longer have a stake in his NASCAR racing team.  It appears that the Petty name will remain, but “The King” will not have an owner’s stake in it! 

 

This reporter remembers his one and only conversation with “The King”.  I was about 1987 at the Atlanta airport.  I walked into the restroom in the C concourse “to let out some diet coke”.  As I was standing there a tall slender gentleman walked up next to me.  As I slowly looked to my right I noticed the big hat, sunglasses, and an embroidery of an STP #43 on his hip pocket of his jeans.  Holy Moly, it is Richard Petty!!!  As we washed our hands I engaged him in some conversation.  I first acknowledged how much I loved watching him race!  I then asked him a few questions, which he very gracefully answered.  I then asked him a question that I heard  was true.  I asked “The King”, about his philosphy of signing autographs.  He told me, “Son I will sign autographs til there is nobody left that wants one.  I learned a long time ago that if there is nobody in the stands watching the races, then I don’t make any money! ”

Here I was talking to a NASCAR icon, an American Hero, presumably a wealthy race car owner and businessman.  What really surfaced there was that Richard Petty, Mr. NASCAR, “The King”, was a very humble good ol boy and southern gentleman!!  He was very appreciative that this young airline pilot at the time acknowledged him.  But more importantly, he took time to talk to me, answer my questions and take an interest in what I was asking him.  He wan’t all business!!

 

GOD BLESS YOU RICHARD PETTY!!  THOSE ARE HUGE SHOES THAT YOU LEAVE TO FILL!!

ONCE AGAIN, I LOOKED IT UP SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO!!

IT IS 45 DAYS TILL “GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES”!!!!!!

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND POSPEROUS NEW YEAR

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rain, Fuel, and Pocono

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Story lines:

1.  Pocono History :

2.  Track Design:

3.  Fuel Strategy:

5.  Newman says he has made his decision.  www.jayski.com

6.  Reflections on Indy:  www.nascar.com

7.  Crunch time for the Chase:

 

Pocono is the last race track to be independently owned.  The track was the idea of Drs. Joe amd Rose Mattioli of the Philadelphia area.  Back in 1952 Joe and Rose met at Temple University. Joe was going through Dental School and Rose later became a Podiatrist.  In 1960 they purchased some land in the Pocono Mountains of Pa. with the thought of bringing racing to the New York-Philadelphia area. 

The first track was a 3/4 mile track on site, but by 1971 the track was rebuilt to be a 2 1/2 mile tri-oval.  The track was designed by former Indy 500 winner, Roger Ward.  There a three very distinctive turns and the longest straight way on the NASCAR circuit.  Turn #1 is modeled after the now defunct Trenton Speedway in NJ with a banking of 14 degrees, the Champ Cars used to race there in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s.  Turn #2 is modeled after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a banking of 9 degrees.  And finally, turn #3 is modeled after The Milwaukee Mile with  banking of 6 degrees.

Notable NASCAR firsts at Pocono:

1.  Richard Petty wins inaugural race in 1974.

2  1986, Tim Richmond wins after recovering from an early crash to beat Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine in a photo finish.

3.  1988, Bobby Allison suffers a career ending injury in a first lap crash getting T-boned by by #63 Jocko Maggiacomb.

4.  1999, Bobby Labonte sweeps both races.

5.  2000, Jeremy Mayfield knocks the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. out of the way to win the race. 

6.  2006, Rookie Denny Hamlin sweeps both races.

 

Once again rain played an integral part of the race weekend.  Qualifying was completed on Friday, but Saturday’s practice was completely washed out.  So when the race started, it was the first time that the drivers were in the cars since Friday afternoon.  The drivers made it all the way to the tunnel turn, turn# 2, before there was a wreck!!  Joe Nemechek got under and into Kevin Harvick turning both of the cars around.  Fortunately, nobody got in the retaining wall.  This reporter will admit that ol “Happy ” Harvick really got “up on the wheel” and kept it off the wall!!  It looked a liitle like the race a few weeks ago at “Smoke”‘s track in Ohio where they were sideways slinging dirt everywhere!!!  That race was the Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway that many Cup drivers participated to raise money for The Victory Junction Gang Camp.

 

The race was relatively incident free except for when Menard tangled with Nemechek about mid-race.  Shortly thereafter with 69 laps to go, the rains came.  The rain mainly fell back on the tunnel turn, but NASCAR threw the Red Flag. The delay was fairly short and the NASCAR officials got the track dried and the race was restarted. 

 

Now the crew chiefs had to formulate their fuel strategy.  Could they make it on one more stop or do they have to make two???  The calculators were a smokin’, the tension and excitement was escalating!  As the laps were winding down there was many strategies that were unfolding.  Some teams waited til their pit window opened up, some short pitted, and some were rolling the dice staying out to the end!  Which strategy would be the winning one?

 

Carl Edwards’ crew chief elected to keep him out, hoping that they had enough fuel to go to the end.  It worked!!!  Edwards held off the rest of the field.  A few of the competitors, Dale Jr. included ran out of fuel coming off turn 4.  A slight miscalculation that caused them eight places in the finish!  Remember that I said that Harvick was involved in the first lap spin, he came all the way back and finished fourth today!!

 

With just five races left until the Chase begins, the drivers and the the teams are feeling the pressure.  It is crunch time!  For those on the outside, it is time to make your move to the front!  For those in positions 6-12, you have to solidify your efforts and your position in the standings.  Consistency is key to making The Chase!

 

Finally, both NASCAR and Goodyear have publically apologized to the fans and the race teams for really missing the tire setup last week at Indy.  It is this reporter’s opinion that, in this day and age of technology, it is almost impossible to think that the tire compound was so far off!!!  With all the research that was done prior to emplementing the new car, both agencies should have known the characteristics of the car and the associated tire wear tendencies.

 

You didn’t have to look it up, ’cause I aready did!!!!!