NASCAR fan general discussion thread

[ngdawg]

This was sent to me from a friend in Iowa whose company will be involved in the construction as well as being investors:
Governor signs tax break measure

By
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
May 5, 2005
Newton, Ia. - The governor's signature Wednesday on a 10-year sales
tax break for a $70 million Iowa Speedway project raised the green flag for
developers, who said they will break ground later this month.

The auto-racing track should open next summer for its first race,
investor and Newton lawyer Dennis Chalupa said.

The investor group wants to have the seven-eighths-mile asphalt
track in place before winter.

"We are hoping still this month yet to start construction," Chalupa
said. "We hope to have our first race in July of '06. That's an aggressive
construction schedule."

He said negotiations are under way with sanctioning bodies for
potential races.

Gov. Tom Vilsack joined other lawmakers at Newton City Hall to sign
the legislation that allows U.S. Motorsport Corp., the racetrack's
investors, to capture the first $12.5 million in state sales tax generated
at the facility during the next decade.

The tax break sped through the Statehouse, where many legislators
said they saw it as a risk-free way to help economic development in a city
reeling from layoffs at Maytag Corp., a major local employer.

"It is certainly offering some good news, which there hasn't been a
lot of lately," Chalupa said. "We are hoping it will be a real economic
stimulus to the community, and we think it will be."

The facility will have permanent seating for 25,000 people and
additional temporary seats and a lawn area for a capacity of 81,000. The
track will be located near the city's airport on 232 acres.

NASCAR Nextel Cup star driver Rusty Wallace will have a hand in
track operations.

Construction on the project has been postponed before because of
difficulty in attracting investors.

"It's been a real struggle to get the project financed," Chalupa
said. "Of course, this bill from the state is a lot of assistance in
assuring its success."

Despite the hurdles, Vilsack said the community never lost hope.
"This is about a community that never stopped believing in itself," he
said.

Rep. Danny Carroll, a Repub- lican from Grinnell, helped push the
legislation through the Legislature.

He doesn't expect top NASCAR races at first.

Carroll said investors told him they hope to have races in the next
couple of years from the popular Busch or Craftsman Truck series and ARCA,
which is like a triple-A league of baseball.

"In the beginning in the first year, they are really anticipating
maybe only three races to get started," Carroll said. "Until the track is
built, they won't get any commitments."

> Critics questioned the project's financing and whether the unique
>tax break, a first in Iowa, would set a bad precedent for future economic
>development projects.
>
> Supporters worked to alleviate concerns by offering the tax credit
>as a "pilot project" that will be studied for future consideration and
>including restrictions such as ending the tax break if the track is sold
>and passes from the hands of its Iowa investors.
>
> The Newton community is excited, local officials said.
>
"Newton is going to look at a new future," Newton Mayor Chaz Allen
said. "The stars were aligned."

Investors expect the track to generate about $1 million annually in
state sales tax. City officials expect new businesses springing up near the
track to generate an additional $2.2 million in state sales tax annually.

The city has committed more than $13 million to the project, Allen
said, and is seeking a $5 million road grant from the state. The city had
been seeking $4 million from another state grant program, but agreed to
halt that attempt under the deal for the sales tax break.

In addition to Chalupa, Iowa Speedway investors have been identified
as: ARCA race car owner Larry Clement of Fort Dodge; Brad Manatt of Newton,
president of Manatt's Inc., a construction company that does concrete and
asphalt paving; Manatt's co-owners, Tony Manatt of De Witt and John Manatt
and Mike Manatt, both of Brooklyn; and Stan Clement of Newton.





Copyright © 2004, The Des Moines Register.

[ARTelevision]

On the subject of tracks, we just bought our tickets to the Pocono 500!

Boogity, boogity, boogity, let’s go racin', boys!

[Martian]

ngdawg - I've already made it plain that I'm rooting for Hendrick, so I may be biased. But like I said, I think it's more a case of blaming the guy on top than actual justified complaints. Everyone is driving more aggresively this season and you'd be hard pressed to convince me that Johnson's the out of line and everyone else (particularly DEI) is behaving properly. I mean, it's like the article said, you're running a tight pack at 200 mph; that's a 200 mph traffic jam, essentially, with everyone trying to get out front. You're going to have collisions in that situation, it's a matter of inevitability. I'm not saying Johnson is a saint, simply that he's taking a lot more of the blame than he deserves.

At any rate, I'm still looking forward to today's race (which I will be taping, due to other commitments). Here's hoping for fewer cautions and better racing.

[ngdawg]

Holy Cow, that was a long ass race!! I'm exhausted and I didn't drive!!! Biffle did so well, Jr finished top 10, always good and poor Mikey-if I could I'd give him a hug.....

[ARTelevision]

I don't know about Micheal. Really. Not a good show of behavior. He'll show up on his SPEED TV show this week, I assume. And we'll get his views.

The race was a snore, I thought - narrow strip of a raceable track that it is. Didn't think the Busch race was anything to write home about either. Guess I'll tape over my copies of this week's runs...

[ngdawg]

No, it wasn't his best behavior, but it seldom happens with him-in interview while waiting for his car to be fixed, he was so angry....while get-even is never a good thing or justified, he probably felt good at the moment-there's been worse behavior, for sure. I agree, a bit of a snore, I listened to the scanners more than watched-just jumping up to see when i heard something and sticking to it the last 10 laps.

[paddyjoe]

Originally Posted by ARTelevision

On the subject of tracks, we just bought our tickets to the Pocono 500!

Alright Art, glad to hear that! Be prepared to tailgate for a bit at the end though, cause it can take hours to make your exit.

In honor of your ticket purchase, I dug back through some of my old scrapbooks for a couple particularly memorable photos from Pocono:


Filing in the morning of the race. Thousands of friendly folks, many of some have started drinking beer a bit too soon....




Some of the starting grid on pit road before the race. Recognize anybody? There's Earnhardt of course, and Handsome Harry, but that's not Labonte in the 18, it's Dale Jarrett. Not sure who it was then in the Kodak car, I think probably Ernie Irvin.




Anyway, this race was in July '93, one week after Davey Allison died in that helicopter crash. They held open his pit stall in memory. What a fine racer he was, no telling how many cups he'd have won by now.




Here's your winner crossing the line. I think out of the four times I went to this race, he won three of them. The first time in the old Wrangler car. For my money, the best racer ever. As fine as King Richard was, Earnhardt was one dude NOBODY wanted to see in their rear-view mirror!




Then in a moment that brought tears to everyone's eyes, he was handed a huge #28 flag, and drove a Polish victory lap. Remember, Alan Kulwicki had perished in a plane crash in Bristol earlier that spring.





Fine thread you guys, and Art, what a nice story on Junior Johnson. Colorful people like that are becoming MIA around NASCAR these days. Not that I'm pining for the good ol' days or anything, but it might not hurt to see a couple a guys pull down trackside and start throwing punches, ala Cale and Donnie.... Somebody comes close to that now, and they send 'em to anger management classes. Of course it might not be too long now, that they'll only be four or five teams out there, with each team running nine or ten cars.

Ahh sorry, I really didn't mean to start bitching, cause it is still really fun to watch. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy Pocono Art, and if you get the chance, ya gotta make it down to Richmond or Bristol. Man, now that's some racin'.

[ARTelevision]

Sweet memories and a real good post there, paddyjoe!

BTW, I been watching the Darlington race all week on tape and it does seem in that case it's a "race the track" situation. The Lady in Black is so demanding and unforgiving that the old advice "race the track" seemed to have the day...

It does always come down to good driving, I think.

[Glory's Sun]

Art, I have to agree with you on that. Darlington has long been known as a tough track to run well at. Alot of the newer tracks that allow 3 grooves and such are much more forgiving and allow more room for "exciting racing". While Darlington seems to be a bore, I'd be willing to bet it's quite a difficult race and a good race for the drivers. Maybe not as much as Bristol, but close.

[paddyjoe]

No question about it. The car owners and crew chiefs probably aren't to happy cause they tear up a lot of equipment, but many drivers have gone on record as to what a challange it is, and how much fun they have out there.

If I were driving, I'd much rather deal with a track like this, that challanges me for 400 laps, than one like California, or Chicago, were it's 5 lanes across and you just seem to drive around by yourself all day. I can just imagine how hard they have to concentrate driving 500 miles at Darlington.

It'd be a real shame if they eliminated this track from the schedule. Of course I thought that when they closed North Wilksboro too. In my opinion, these are the type tracks they should be building, not the same old cookie-cutter 1 1/2 milers.

[archer2371]

Well the thing about the Lady in Black is that she's a damn tough track, and that egg shape causes weird braking points at both ends, rather than the similar ones most drivers are used to. Not to mention, that high line is usually the favored one at Darlington and with those Safer Barriers in, that track is not as wide, so the line is actually in the wall. Didn't get to see the race, was out with the boys that night, sounds like it was fun.

[laconic1]

I'll take Darlington over Kansas or Chicagoland any day of the week. It may not have as much side by side racing, but is is raceable. Look at the finish Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch had there a couple of years ago, or the one Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton had back in '97. Kansas did luck out last year with the finish between Nemechek and Rudd, but those tracks just bore me to tears. There isn't anything inherently wrong with a 1 1/2 mile track, Atlanta, Charlotte, and the new Homestead configuration show that, but the medium banking just doesn't work.

[paddyjoe]

Congrats to Kasey Kahne and that whole Dodge team.

Long overdue..........................

[ARTelevision]

Yep. Gotta hand it to the #9 folks.
Hell of a good example of driving and pit crew execution.

Tony Stewart's was one of the more impressive second-place showings ever.

[ngdawg]

Good heavens, the CocaCola600 was a frickin marathon!!! with 22 cautions, one stop, they averaged about 100 miles an hour...
Jr. messed up really bad by nudging his teammate, Michael Waltrip right into a crash with Matt Kenseth. 30 lashes with a wet noodle for that one, Jr..love ya, but really now....get those eyes checked or something!!!!
Don't know the final standings yet, but if Kurt Busch hasn't been knocked out of the top 10 at least, something needs to change in the point system.
The ending was damn good, with Jimmie Johnson barely getting past Bobby LaBonte in the final lap-those are the best kinds of finishes. Bobby LaBonte, upon exiting his car, gave it a swift kick in the side panel....

[laconic1]

I wanted to see Bobby Labonte win so bad, he has had such insanely bad luck, he deserved a win. I don't like Jimmie Johnson either. Dale Jr. really needs to pull his head out of his ass. That is the third wreck he has caused this year by flat out running into somebody, and unfortunately he took out my favorite, Matt Kenseth, who was finally running decent for a change. The bad part is he is so rediculously popular that he can get away with it. Look how he successfully pawned the Talladega wreck off on Jimmie Johnson. The other drivers don't dare say anything because they would have to incur the wrath of all of Jr's fans.
It's amazing to think that was the all time record for cautions. I fell asleep after the Indy 500 and woke up around lap 160 of the 600 and it was close to 4 hours from the time I started watching to the time the race ended. And to think I missed almost half of the race!
Edit: Kurt Busch is 10th in points, 306 out of first. If Mark Martin hadn't been in that wreck Busch would be out of the top 10.

[ngdawg]

link

Jr. hasn't come by his fan base soley on the cute accent and Wranglers, as this article attests. In addition to inheriting dad's fans ( or at least a good deal of them), he has managed to make many more both for his performance and personality. As the author points out, he's still got some growing to do and mistakes will be made. (Besides, unlike best friend Michael, at least he didn't cause a wreck out of sheer anger).

[laconic1]

Looks like Shane Hmiel tested positive for a banned substance again. It's a shame, tens of thousands of people across the country aspire to do what he does for a living and he throws it away like this.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8077451/

[ngdawg]

After seeing the cars tear up so many tires today at the Poconos, one has to wonder...will they now 1) remove those rumble strips that they think are the cause of the damage and 2) bring back shifting instead of braking?

[laconic1]

I have a hard time placing all the blame on the rumble strips since those strips have been there since 1971 with minimal problems until yesterday. Certainly Goodyear shares some responsibility, but when six or seven cars have multiple problems (Ricky Rudd had 6 left front tires go flat yesterday) and no one else has any that seems to be more of a individual team problem than a wholesale problem with Goodyear.

[paddyjoe]

Hey Art.....you out there?

How'd things go for you at Pocono? C'mon and give us the lowdown.

[ARTelevision]

It was just OK - I left early so I could watch the finish on TV. Good thing I taped the race.

[ngdawg]

Link

This time last year Dale Earnhardt Jr. was riding high atop NASCAR with the points lead and three victories en route to six wins and a fifth-place finish in the 10-race, playoff-style Chase for the Nextel Cup.
This season he faces the possibility of not only watching the Chase from the outside but also going winless for the first time since 1999. Few would have expected Junior to have led just five laps all year, recorded more worse-than-30th-place finishes (four) than top-five efforts (three) and failed to earn a pole halfway through the 26-race regular season.

Earnhardt has fallen from ninth to 16th in the past four races. He is 124 points out of the 10th place in the season standings, the last spot assured of advancing to the Chase, which also includes any driver within 400 points of the season leader. But Earnhardt is 504 behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
On the other hand, at least the Chase exists. Under the previous season championship system, Earnhardt - one of the sport's most marketed drivers - would be all but done.

Sunday's Pocono 500 typified his season. He started 34th, moved up to 20th and then fell back after his left front tire blew for the second time in the race and caught fire when the wheel locked. He finished 33rd.

"It's hard to find anything positive about a day like today," Earnhardt said after the race. "It's been a struggle all season, and today was another frustrating race. We had those flat tires - and there wasn't much we could do."

Earnhardt's struggles have been magnified in recent weeks by the improvement of teammate Michael Waltrip, who inherited his cars, car chief Tony Eury Jr. and crewmen when Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) switched drivers in a wholesale shakeup this offseason. Team owner Teresa Earnhardt and vice president Richie Gilmore made the decision to avoid stagnation and to separate Earnhardt and Eury, who clashed at times.
After being initially hampered by engine failures and on-track mishaps, Waltrip has finished better than Earnhardt in six of the past seven races, and he started Sunday's race with his first pole position since 1991. His fifth-place finish vaulted him past Earnhardt to 15th in the season standings, 103 points out of 10th.

Fans and media wondered whether Earnhardt's frustration came to a head May 29 at Lowe's Motor Speedway when Earnhardt bumped Waltrip into the wall and out of the Coca-Cola 600 while both were running in the top 10. Earnhardt apologized, but that incident and the numbers have fueled the perception that DEI is in turmoil. Earnhardt's firing last month after just 10 races of new crew chief Pete Rondeau, who was Waltrip's crew chief for the final few races last season, also was viewed as a panic move.

"When teams implode, sometimes you can't fix them," said three-time champion and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip, Michael's brother. "I'm not sure that's the case, but it sure looks that way."

But Michael Waltrip said looks are deceiving, especially as the object of the change in crews was DEI's long-term health.
"They've had some change," he said of Earnhardt's situation. "I, quite honestly, wanted some change if I was going to drive that car again this year (the one Earnhardt is now driving). So I guess I'm not overly surprised. I do believe, though, that Dale Jr. has the talent and ability to work with his crew. And then Richie Gilmore is bringing both teams together to share information more than we've ever done before. The change is going to be good for DEI."

Through it all Earnhardt tries to be upbeat and confident, seeing everything that has happened as means to an end. He said interim crew chief Steve Hmeil, DEI's director of technical information, has addressed several problem areas - communication between the teams being the most obvious.

"You want (changes of crews cars with Waltrip) to work out the best you can, but you kind of prepare yourself and understand it might not work out," Earnhardt said Saturday. "I wish we could've run better at a couple of racetracks and I'd like to have (won) by now, but I'm not surprised.
I feel you just work and work and work, and we're not doing anything drastically different than our other team, and they're running pretty good every week. You can blame a little of it on the swap, but we were basically in a rut. We have to break that string and get some good fortune going our way and we might not be so bad off."

But late Sunday afternoon, after nothing had gone his way - again - Earnhardt's outlook had changed. "Just going through (the season) ain't no fun," he said.

Earnhardt and Waltrip agree that change was difficult after being around the same people for several years, particularly in Junior's case. Since beginning in NASCAR, Earnhardt had worked with Eury Jr., his cousin, or uncle Tony Sr., now DEI's competition director. The familial relationship became tense and heated at times, but they always understood each other.

Waltrip had forged a similar if calmer bond with crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe the past four years up to last October, when Rondeau took over. It was a period in which Waltrip and Labbe found common ground through risk-taking and unconventional thinking. Vague as that sounds, it yielded results with two Daytona 500 wins and four superspeedway triumphs overall, as well as a top-20 standing.

"With Michael, his notes were my notes," Labbe, who joined Evernham Motorsports this season as Jeremy Mayfield's crew chief, said Saturday. "The thing we were good at, we went outside the box. ... Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but we had success by doing that."

Although the results are just starting to show, Waltrip said he and Eury Jr. hit it off right away. Earnhardt, on the other hand, concedes it was difficult conveying his thoughts and terminology to Rondeau, to say nothing of getting used to a new set of cars.
What nobody foresaw with the swap was how fiercely competitive the teams and drivers would become against each other. Little information was shared, and the teams functioned separately under one roof.

The problems didn't seem apparent at the Daytona 500 as Waltrip started third and Earnhardt fifth. Earnhardt was in the middle of the pack for much of the race before rallying late and leading two laps en route to a third-place finish behind Gordon and Kurt Busch. (Waltrip had engine trouble and finished 37th.)

But the silence continued, which might explain why it seemed more than a coincidence when the teammates collided two weeks ago.

"Tony Jr. said it was hard for him to open a line of communication and information flowing to my team because of the swap and because he wanted to focus on getting Michael in the Chase," said Earnhardt.

"And he didn't want us to hand over the information to the new chief and not garnish any of the credit. It was just shy of spiteful, you know what I mean? ... It was just pride getting in the way, and all the knowledge he gained over the years, he was too proud to basically do the job for Pete. And I was too proud to say, 'Yo, man, why don't you help us out a little bit?' "
One upside to that wreck was that it helped both teams recognize the problem, and Earnhardt said, "Hmeil has worked to keep both teams talking." Eury Jr. even stopped by his motorcoach after qualifying Saturday. The two talked briefly about what worked for Waltrip and how Earnhardt's Chevy responded.
"You can't take four shocks and springs out of Michael's car and throw them in Dale's Jr.'s car and he's going to like it," Eury said. "It doesn't work that way. The people working on Dale's car just have to take our setup and convert it (to his car), just like I would take their information and translate it into Michael's situation and try to get the best out of it."

But time is becoming a factor in this season - and DEI's future. Waltrip's contract is up after the season, while Eury, who's unsigned, has been mentioned as a candidate for several high-profile operations.

However the season ends, Earnhardt believes he and DEI will be stronger. So he's willing to endure second-guessing, as long as it's coming from outsiders.

"You have to be careful not to make things worse than they are," he said. "There's a big difference between understanding what you need to improve and beating yourself up about it. ... I see it as a very steep mountain, but I'm in it to win it."

[laconic1]

I didn't watch yesterdays race, but I listened on the radio while I was doing other things. Other than Tony Stewart nobody had anything for those Roush guys. 4 cars in the top 5, incredible in this day and age. Good to see my driver, Matt Kenseth finally break through with his first top five of the year. He's still 251 points out of the chase, but if he keeps running strong in the next 11 races and Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle stumble, he might have a shot.

[ngdawg]

Carl Edwards, speaking on Speed Channel this week, explained the Roush system and I must say, I'm really impressed. Roush's cars are basically identical-all teams share info and the cars are made to match up. This makes it so that it is really driver vs. driver and no car will have an advantage over another within that organization. Seems to me all owners could take that to heart, especially DEI.

[ngdawg]

My friend in Iowa just sent me this news link

Rusty Wallace was behind the wheel of a big yellow bulldozer that made its way to the top of a mound of rich Iowa soil. The veteran driver was in central Iowa on a hot, steamy, first day of summer to help publicize the official groundbreaking for Iowa Speedway, the 7/8-mile asphalt oval track being built by U.S. Motorsport Corporation.

Hundreds of racing fans joined Wallace, track owners, and racing dignitaries - including top USAC and ARCA officials - in a festive atmosphere that included free pork sandwiches, music, and speeches at the Newton Airport. “We’re going to build this facility. We’re going to showcase this facility, and I’ll promise you we’re going to have some great races,” Wallace told an enthusiastic crowd. He added, “This is a reality. This is one of the only tracks around the country that’s finally got the funding, got the right design group, got everything put together to make this a world-class track”.

Iowa Speedway is located along I-80 on land adjacent to the airport. Wallace is co-designing the state-of-the-art track which will be the industry’s first driver-designed speedway. The “Rusty Wallace Signature Series” track will have a seating capacity of 40,000, including 25,000 permanent seats and 15,000 festival seats.

Andy Vertrees, Chief Operating Officer, said he was pleased by the large turnout of racing fans for the groundbreaking and promised to deliver “big-time racing on a first-rate track” as early as mid-July 2006.

Todd Melfi, General Manager, thanked Newton residents and Iowa officials for their support in making the track a reality and pledged to make the Iowa Speedway “a venue racing fans and drivers will be proud to be associated with”.

Wallace, who finished the day’s event by signing autographs for a long line of racing fans, acknowledged his pending “retirement” from racing but indicated he and his son, Steven, may drive at Iowa Speedway once the track is finished. It would be the kind of event racing fans would pay to see.

[laconic1]

BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
I hate debris cautions! I hate it when someone gets a cheap win at the expense of the best team because of something stupid.

[ngdawg]

He won with good pit stops.....all I can say is:



YEAH, JR! 'BOUT FUKKIN TIME, BABY!

[Craven Morehead]

It was 12 years ago today when Davey Allison died.

[paddyjoe]

Originally Posted by Craven Morehead

It was 12 years ago today when Davey Allison died.

Man, that dude could drive! No telling how many championships he would've won.

[ngdawg]

From AOL Sports:
Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip will not return next season after five years with Dale Earnhardt Inc.

"It was a totally mutual decision between me and the company," Waltrip said Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway, where he'll race Sunday in the New England 300. "It's sad to say that I'm not going to be driving for DEI anymore."

The 42-year-old driver said the decision came after several months of stops and starts. He said one of the reasons he decided to leave was uncertainly over the company's direction. Waltrip is delighted to have Tony Eury Jr. as his crew chief, and would certainly consider taking him to another team.
I was hoping that I could have Tony Jr. back again," he said. "I was never told I couldn't have him, but was never told I could."

The younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip got all four of his career victories driving for the team founded by the late Dale Earnhardt and now headed by his widow, Teresa.

Waltrip's first victory came in 2001, when he crossed the finish line at Daytona International Speedway moments after The Intimidator was killed in the fourth turn while trying to finish third behind Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The departure of Waltrip could cost the team continuing sponsorship with NAPA Auto Parts. Still, DEI vice president Richie Gilmore said in a statement that the company is talking to NAPA about extending its deal.

NAPA has been Waltrip's only DEI sponsor, and he has been its most recognizable spokesman. Waltrip believes the company might go with him to another ride.

"NAPA obviously has a lot invested in me and a lot invested in DEI," he said. "They were hoping there was some way we could stay together."

Waltrip has been the most entertaining pitchman in NASCAR for several years. Like most drivers, he routinely drops the names of several sponsors into interviews, but does it with a sense of humor others seem to lack. He and his brother also have a long-running comedy routine in which the retired Darrell is constantly disappointed when Michael refuses to let him drive his Aaron's-sponsored Busch series car.

But for all his commercial success, the younger Waltrip wants to be known more for his driving. He just doesn't know where he'll be working.

"We've talked to a lot of people about what next year might look like," he said. "There are no real offers, just people interested in what I might do.

"I want to get in a car I can believe I can win with, like the one I got out of."

He refused to criticize Teresa's handling of the team.

"Dale and Teresa gave me an opportunity with a winning organization," Waltrip said earlier in the day in a statement issued by DEI. "My professional relationship with DEI is ending, but my personal relationships have ties that are deep-rooted."


The irony is how well he has done this year after the team switch. DEI may be making a big mistake letting him go.

[paddyjoe]

Without knowing the true inside story, I suppose the writing was on the wall when Jr. crashed Michael out of the Coca-Cola 600.

Not trying to criticize Jr., but I believe he's still got some growing up to do before he can win the Nextel Cup.

[ngdawg]

I'm a fan of both Jr's and Mikey and I tend to agree that he does have some growing up to do, but time's awasting. Kids like Kyle Busch and Reed Sorenson are chomping at the bit.
I think Michael was good for DEI. Maturity as a driver, strong personality and great rapport with the public is a plus in anyone's hand. It seems that, across the board, car owners are disregarding more and more the older drivers and that's a pity.
Just had a thought-perhaps this parting of the ways is for the reasons I said Michael was good for DEI in that there can't be two kings.True, Michael hasn't brought home a major trophy in a long time, but he is well loved.

[stichtongue]

Joining the thread a little late, but better than not joining at all.

I have been a huge fan of the Waltrips... both of them. Nobody was a happier fan than when Michael won each of his 500's. However, he just isn't that great of a driver. Sure, he is probably one of the best restrictor plate drivers out there. But he has never finished in the top ten in points, and only in the top 15 once or twice. He took a top 5 car and team with Jr. and is barely in the top 20.

DEI has no intentions of running three top cars at this point and Mickey was the third leg behind Jr Squared (Martin and Dale). He wised up and saw the writting on the wall. WIth is personality he will land a nice ride somewhere. I hope the best for him, because I am huge fan. A huge honest fan.

My Rant for the Week: Every week, a driver does well (Jr a couple of weeks ago and Kyle this past week in NH) and now their season is salvaged according to the national media. Give me a break, one good finish out of 26 is nothing more than a good finish. Salvaging a season is several good finishes in a row (which IS something that JR is starting to do). I am just tired of the hype of watching a person do well one week and having to hear the rest of week how he is on a championship run.

[Mondak]

See now - Michael is a goof and great as a pitchman...in that he is a value to a team. He is NOT IMHO a winner. He just doesn't have the make-up for it. He is too darn soft. You need to be hungry and the Waltrips are too far removed from Hungry. Dale Sr. and his dad were hungry as hell and that is what kept them on top of their craft. DEI needs to stick with a young crazy driver who finsihes 1st or 43 each week until he learns to make smart decisions. Regardless, he gets a top notch car that is capable of winning every week.

Risk and return DEI- THAT is your way back to the top. Since you are a smaller team, you can choose the path of a safe, middle of the road team that more often than not comes in behind the Hendricks of the world or you can risk, grow your team and win.

The path is clear with their open spot, their choice is not.

[laconic1]

Ok, it is almost time for the chase, with only two races left before the chase begins. Who will make it, who won't? Right now 128 points separate 8th place Carl Edwards and 14th place Dale Jarrett.
Right now Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, and Rusty Wallace are locks to make the chase, all they have to do is take the green flag at the next two races and they are in. Mark Martin, Jeremy Mayfield and Kurt Busch are virtual locks to make the Chase since they all have over a 170 point lead over 10th place Jeff Gordon right now.
The real battle is going to be for positions 8-10. Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Gordon hold those spots right now, but Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Elliot Sadler, and Dale Jarrett are close behind, with Dale Jr, Kevin Harvick, and Joe Nemechek being longshots at this point. The only other drivers with a mathematical chance are Brian Vickers and Jeff Burton, and they will almost certainly be eliminated at California next week.
So who do you think will get spots 8-10? My picks would be Kenseth, Gordon and Newman. Kenseth is easily the hottest driver of the bunch, recovering from a disastrous start to the season with a number of strong recent performances. Gordon had such a good start to the year, then fell off, and is now coming back, not quite up to championship form, but good enough to make the chase. The last pick is tough since nobody else in the contending group is consistently strong right now, but I think Newman gets the nod.

[ngdawg]

As long as SOMEONE knocks Kurt Busch down a step or two
Funny how the press is still pushing on Jr to get in there when he'd need a win, hope some of those 8-14 spots get knocked for a loop with really bad finishes, and then at least do a top 5. Talk about long odds!!! Personally, (and I have heard this before), it should be the top 20 if the points get so close, but rules is rules.
Bristol, both races, was great to watch, as usual. But Dale Jarrett's got some 'splainin to do.

[Borla]

Anyone else think that Gordon will wreck at least one of the other drivers fighting him for the last couple spots?

My two favorite drivers (Junior and Smoke) are both locked in their respective spots, now the only thing I'm rooting for is #24 to have a poor showing tonight.

[laconic1]

Well two of my three picks to get the last three spots were right. I'm so ready for the Chase! Amazing how Kenseth kept having bad luck, getting swept up in other peoples wrecks, engine failures, flat tires, you name it it seemed to happen, and yet he came back and made the chase. Wouldn't it be something if Kenseth wins the championship taking full advantage of the chase format after Nascar changed the points system specifically to prevent him from winning another championship the way he did in '03.

[ngdawg]

UGH! Busch won
And, as much as Gordon grates on my nerves as a person, I gotta feel for him a bit-why are the other Hendricks cars doing well, and he's like the old man who can't keep up?
Mini-rant: I pay a monthly fee for Trackpass Scanner and have had nothing but problems the last 3 weeks. I was told they had server problems. It better get fixed soon!! Nothing better than hearing "I'm driving a fuckin piece of SHIT here!!" as the tv commentators say, "seems Jr. is having some difficulties...."