Off The Wall Racing News

NASCAR EDITION

What Hath NASCAR Wrought? Alliances…

Over the years several alliances have been formed in NASCAR among the various racing teams. The most obvious should be alliances concerning the make of vehicle each team races and for example there’s a lot of cooperation between the Chevrolet teams or between the Ford teams, but not necessarily what I’d call “alliances”. A few years back NASCAR limited the number of cars any one team owner could race then NASCAR’s officials had to get busy inspecting the new “alliances” that sprang up. NASCAR allows technical alliances such as engine development and leasing or chassis building but has made it clear there can be no co-mingling of purse money or sharing of racetrack operations. The difficult economic times we’ve been in since 2009 have spawned several alliances as team owners strive to live on less revenue.

Considering the NASCAR maximum limit of four cars per racing team, in 2011 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) are set to run the maximum of four teams each, but beyond that there comes the alliances. HMS has formed an alliance with Stewart-Hass Racing’s (SHR) two car Sprint Cup team and JR Motorsport’s (JRM) Nationwide team, supporting them with engine development and engineering data. Recently it was announced that Furniture Row Racing has formed an alliance with SHR. Furniture Row’s pit crew on their number 78 Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith will be under the supervision of SHR’s pit crew coach Joe Piette, who also oversees the pit crews for Tony Stewart’s No. 14 team and Ryan Newman’s No. 39 team. So you could say HMS is influencing an ever expanding stable of race teams. Is that as far as these alliances run?

RCR has an engine development and manufacturing partnership with Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) and in a roundabout way this partnership draws in Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing (EGR) a two car Sprint Cup team that also uses DEI engines.

Then there’s RFR’s alliance with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) now running a two car Sprint Cup team concerning engine development and technical support.

Next, along comes Toyota whose existence in NASCAR only dates back to 2007. Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) was first to affiliate with the Japanese auto manufacturer fielding a three car Sprint Cup team and now, after five short years, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is on board with a three car Sprint Cup team, Red Bull Racing with a two car Sprint Cup team, Prism Racing another two car Sprint Cup team, JTG Daugherty Racing (JTG) a single car Sprint Cup team directly affiliated with MWR, Germain Racing, a single car Sprint Cup team, Gunselman Racing, a single car Sprint Cup team, Robby Gordon Motorsports, a single car Sprint Cup team, and NEMCO, a sometimes two car Sprint Cup team making a total of 15 to 16 potential Toyota Sprint Cup entrants each race. Toyota has made it clear that all the teams racing under their banner shall share information for the betterment of the whole. Of all the upper echelon team owners only Joe Gibbs Racing has not formed some sort of alliance other than with Toyota.

I’ve included just a few of the alliances currently in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Racing Series’. It remains only conjecture how many behind the scenes alliances there actually are.

A different deal concerning the four team rule was scrutinized by NASCAR last season when Rick Hendrick announced he had signed Kasey Kahne to an HMS driving contract that included the 2011 season even though he already had four drivers under contract for the year. This brought questions from the other team owners but after checking it out a NASCAR spokesman stated, "Based on conversations with Hendrick Motorsports, the company has a clear understanding of the multi car rule and will abide by it. NASCAR will ensure that the rule is followed as it has with other teams with similar circumstances."

In a strange twist, up pops Red Bull, a Toyota team, announcing they had a 2011 driving agreement with Kahne. Now Kasey's a talented driver, but it seems to me Red Bull, who released Scott Speed last December from their NASCAR Sprint Cup team, would be better served to put an established driver in their car that might stick around for more than one year. The situation also begs a couple of questions; Did Rick Hendrick cut some sort of a deal with Red Bull to take care of Kasey until Mark Martin’s contract runs out? Is this a roundabout way of supporting a fifth team by Rick Hendrick even though Toyota is involved?

Now here comes a very unusual occurrence that in my opinion stretches NASCAR’s alliance rules and once again some of the biggest names in the sport are involved.

What do you get when you take a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet prepared and raced in the 2008 Sprint Cup season, Roger Penske’s automatic points entry for his number 77 car (the Sam Hornish ride that Roger decided not to race in 2011), throw in Toyota nose and tail body sections and finally a young Nationwide driver wanting to get a ride in the big show who happens to have a famous dad that knows how to pull strings to get things done? You get Rusty Wallace’s son Steve driving an RCR Chevrolet made to look like a Rusty Wallace Racing Toyota that automatically qualifies to race in the 2011 Daytona 500 using Roger Penske’s number 77 exemption points. Nice deal… It certainly feels sleazy to me but I haven’t heard a word out of NASCAR…

Then there's the smack talk going on between SB Nation's Jeff Gluck (a favorite NASCAR writer of mine) and the afore mentioned Steve Wallace. Check this out...

It's warmin' up folks! I like it!

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Speaking of alliances, if you want to call them that, let’s talk drafting partners…

Would you like to draft? Don’t mind if I do!

With NARCAR’s Daytona testing completed last week the top speeds posted were just shy of 200 mph despite the use of a smaller restrictor plate. Speeds actually exceeded those posted during December’s Goodyear tire testing on the superspeedway with a larger restrictor plate in use.

Now how was that possible? Why drafting, my dear!

Penske teammates Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski hooked up on the last day of testing to post the top speeds of the three day testing period as they both exceeded 198 mph
in their Dodges. This came as a surprise to me since Saturday’s weather conditions were a lot worse than the prior two days of testing. Thursday was relatively calm and warm (70’s) with 60-70% humidity and light breezes (great racing conditions). Friday saw the wind pick up with scattered showers as a cold front pushed rain clouds in ahead of lower temperatures. Saturday dawned clear and quite a bit colder (highs in the low 60’s with a wind chill at work). The humidity was down to around 30% with 10 to 15 mph wind conditions. If I’m not mistaken, higher humidity equates to higher engine horsepower and we all know how much even a light breeze can affect vehicles traveling at near 200 mph.

Based on the reported speeds and the less than favorable weather conditions when those speeds were produced I immediately thought NASCAR would come out with an even smaller restrictor plate mandate, but now I’m hearing they’re satisfied with the plate size and resulting speeds during the testing period. The only real negative I’ve heard from some of the drivers concerning the testing period was that they couldn’t get enough people on board to run the new track in a pack of ten to twenty cars to get a feel for that type of drafting on the new surface. The explanation I heard concerned the crew chiefs not wanting to have any mishaps that might put them in the garage trying to rebuild their cars with just a couple of weeks left before speed week. Those drivers who participate in the Bud Shootout will get their first taste of pack drafting at that time.

This need to draft certainly leads to some strange bedfellows… Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, first and second in the 2010 Chase standings at the time, helped each other at Talladega last fall…
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Is There Room for Another Elite Team in NASCAR?

Could it Be Red Bull Racing?

If Red Bull’s run in Formula One is any indicator, then 2011 may be a banner year for the five year old NASCAR racing team. By Sebastian Vettel winning Formula One’s Championship in 2010, Red Bull’s sixth year of Formula One competition, a realization about how seriously Red Bull Racing pursues victory has taken hold.

Now, entering its sixth year of NASCAR racing, Red Bull appears poised to challenge the front runners for dominance. Since purchasing Roger Penske’s old Mooresville North Carolina racing facility in early 2006 Red Bull Racing has systematically, step by step, put together an ever stronger two car Sprint Cup racing team. Red Bull’s owner, Austrian/Croatian business entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz assembled an experienced management team putting them next to talented young drivers allowing everyone to grow together. At this point in time Red Bull’s number 83 car shall once again be driven by Brian Vickers while a number 4 Toyota shall be driven under the terms of a one year agreement by Kasey Kahne.

Both Vickers and Kahne are coming off very difficult 2010 seasons for very different reasons.

Blood clots were found in Brian Vickers’ legs and around his lungs just after the eleventh race of the 2010 NASCAR season (the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington). Brian had averaged a 20th place finish across those eleven races with a season high finish of 6th at Martinsville and was 20th in the Chase standings when it all suddenly came to a halt. The next thing Vickers knew, he was in a hospital telling the doctors he had to be out and practicing by next Friday at 10:00 AM. That’s when realization finally set in… He wasn’t going to drive in next weekend’s race and maybe never again. After heart surgery, months of treatment and amid constant speculation that he might be done as a race driver, Brian’s life threatening condition was evidently controlled. Today Brian Vickers is medication-free, fully recuperated and anxiously ready to shove aside all the doubts 2010 presented to him. He wants to get on with the new season. In a recent interview Vickers stated, “Everyone keeps asking me, ‘How’s it feel to be back?’ I guess it feels damn good. You look for all of these words and ways to describe your emotions and your feelings and sometimes there’s just nothing to say.” This after one of Brian’s doctors told him last summer it was doubtful he’d ever drive a race car again. He must be chomping at the bit to get it going. I look for him to challenge for the lead race after race this season. He has the talent and now a newfound desire to make his mark in NASCAR.

For Kasey Kahne, the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is one I’m sure he’d like to totally forget. The year started off full of anticipation as Kasey drove the red number 9 Budweiser Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports but somewhere along the line financial concerns among Petty’s business partners made RPM’s ability to operate week to week race operations questionable. There were stories that speculated whether the RPM haulers would show up at west coast races or whether the team could pay Roush Fenway for necessary parts. With all this negativity swirling around came the announcement that Kasey had signed on with Hendrick Motorsports and would be leaving RPM at the end of the season. Then there came inexplicable car failures that led to questions between Kahne and his racing team’s personnel. Rumors had it that Kasey was concerned for his personal safety as he continued to race substandard equipment prepared by personnel no longer enamored with him. It finally all came to a head after the 31st race of the season. The Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway became Kasey’s last race with RPM when he essentially parked his car and walked away. The next race on the schedule, the Tums 500 at Martinsville found Kasey driving the number 83 Red Bull Toyota to a fourteenth place finish. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders and you could see it in his smiling expression. So now Kasey enters the 2011 season with everyone involved on the same page and a lot to prove, both to himself and his fans.

If I don’t miss the mark too far, I’m thinking this will be a year to remember for Team Red Bull as it attempts to match Red Bull’s sister Formula One racing team that won the driver’s championship last season in its sixth year of operation. Two very hungry drivers may take Team Red Bull to unexpected heights in its sixth season racing the Sprint Cup Series.
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Have You Seen the New Budweiser Color Scheme on Kevin Harvick’s 29 Car?
First appearance reminded me of the Intimidator’s black Good Wrench ride… I don’t think that’s a coincidence…

What’s Kevin thinking as the new season approaches?

“I'm excited as I've ever been about the 2011 season after finishing third in last year's Chase for the Sprint Cup. Last year, we learned how to do something we never had done: Contend until the last week of the season. It was a different mindset. When the pressure came on, we didn't back down and didn't fold. We actually got better. We proved the final 10 weeks that we can do it. We feel like we know how that mindset needs to be when it's time to go this year.”

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Will the third time be a charm?

On Jan. 22nd a Speed TV commentator mentioned that
Josh Wise was testing Dale Jr.'s 88 car at Daytona because Dale had left to attend the wedding of his sister Kelley to L.W. Miller. Here's hoping Kelley's third time around, just like her dad's, will be the one to last forever...
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By the way… Guess who would have won last year’s Sprint Cup Championship if the new, simple (43 thru 1) points system we’re hearing about had been in place…

You got it! Jimmie Johnson.

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Last but not least…

Check out the 2011 Gillette Young Guns from NASCAR…


Kyle Busch in Gillette Young Guns



Denny Hamlin in Gillette Young Guns

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So long for now... 25 Days!