I'm Feelin' Kind of Pollish Again...

I found a good article entitled:

“Dialing It In: Where Does ESPN Go From Here? Why Fans Are So Mad…
by Jay Pennell

Link: http://www.frontstretch.com/jpennell/31695/

This poll is included with the above article:

What does ESPN need to do the most to make things better?

1. Less commercials
2. Different talent in the broadcast booth
3. Focus on all 43 cars
4. More wide shots to see more action
5. All of the above
6. None of the above

The author went back twelve years and compared two NASCAR broadcasts on ESPN from the 1998 season (when NASCAR hit it's high water mark in television ratings) to two similar broadcasts from 2010. What he found might interest you.

By the way… Did you hear about ESPN’s top NASCAR producer (Neil Goldberg with 30 years of televised racing experience) who just got busted in Farmington Connecticut for public indecency, simple trespass, disorderly conduct and breach of peace? In other words… PEEPING TOM!

ESPN hasn’t made a public statement other than to announce Mr. Goldberg will not be with their broadcast team in Fontana this weekend…
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Ya know, last weekend wasn't a good one for Kyle Busch…

First, during the final restart of the Kansas Nationwide race, Busch, running second with teammate Joe Logano first, got sacked by Bad Brad Keselowski who, once the racing went green, shoved Logano past Busch catapulting the 20 car to victory. Busch got snookered on his normally dominating restarts by none other than the guy he mixed it up with at Bristol (yes... the guy that called Busch an ass in front of the Bristol crowd)… Both Logano and Keselowski stated later they had helped each other before and that it was Logano’s turn for the assist.

Do you truly think Brad would have helped Joe if the second place driver was anyone other than Kyle Busch?

To top that off, Kyle got into David Reutimann’s bumper in the Kansas Sprint Cup Chase Race the following day and (IMHO) unintentionally spun the 00 car. Back on the track later in the race Reutimann, without a snowball’s chance in the race by this time, went headhunting. At the urging of his crew chief Rodney Childers, Reutimann paid Kyle back resulting in the 18 sustaining damage to the rear of its drive train causing Busch to ultimately place 21st on the day.

This "payback" severely damaged Kyle’s chances in the Chase.


With all that in mind, tell me what you think:

Do you agree that Kyle:

1. Had it coming on both counts
2. Deserved the Nationwide outcome but not the Cup retaliation
3. Deserved the Cup Outcome but not the Nationwide assist
4. Kyle needs to tone it all down and become an also ran like so many others… You know, so the fans will like him more
5. It was all “That’s Racin”. Let it go
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Finally, the Chase moves way out West to Southern California this weekend…


Who’s the most likely to win in Fontana?

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Kevin Harvick
4. Carl Edwards
5. Jeff Gordon

So you don't think any of these chasers will win? Okay give your gut feeling on who will…

Come on, you can do it!

Vexing about Hexing!

As we enter October, moving through the essential middle kingdom of the Chase, moving ever closer to the most mystical time of the year, it would appear extreme measures may become necessary if we hope to enjoy a different outcome when compared to recent years gone by…

Please enjoy the most appropriate music I could locate for the occasion while I conjure up notions of alternative outcomes…

There are several avenues we can explore…

Perhaps a brewed mixture of envy, jealousy and a pinch of spite… Hmmm?

And what would be the desired effect you’d like to see?

This formula will shrink him down…

He couldn’t reach the control pedals and probably have trouble peering over the steering apparatus... This would yield the desired effect… Yes?

Of course if we add a little hatred to our potion (just a touch, we don’t wish to get too carried away, do we?), it may take on an even more desirable trait if you are so inclined…

Perchance a little too brutal… No?
Physical harm may not be the answer…

Shall we concentrate on the vehicle? Is that more to your liking?

Can you say the words “spontaneous combustion” twenty times while imagining what it feels like to pass your hand over a flame?

Would that suit your fancy?

A little less extreme?

There are chants that will, if spoken with concerted clarity by a group in unison cause air to leave a body and there are other, more refined practices that will twist metal. If applied correctly these practices could force a driver to park for long periods of time on pit lane…

Then there is the most dangerous, virile alternative of all…

DWINDY’S

I'll simply remove all responsibility from your shoulders and carry the burden of guilt myself...

I'll take JJ in the Trifecta!

And an early Happy Halloween everyone!

Bowyer’s Appeal Up In Smoke…

The three person appeal panel Richard Childress recently spoke highly of has confirmed NASCAR’s ruling and penalties levied on Richard’s 33 team. So much for sweet talk…

Now it appears Childress is going to take his appeal to the Supreme Court of NASCAR appeals, the chief appellate officer John Middlebrook. I understand that the ruling quotient in favor of the appealer in NASCAR runs right at 1 out of 3. I haven’t heard what the success rate is for those that lose the initial appeal and then turn to the higher arbiter but I’d be willing to bet it’s a lot worse than 1 out of 3.

Up In Smoke...

Like it or not, Bowyer is toast. Too bad what he and his team did or didn't do had to taint what was a very exciting and enjoyable race. A race won by the unlikeliest driver in the Chase. A race that seemingly was going to set the tone for a different outcome than the past four seasons have yielded. But no…

Now we’re all stuck in the doldrums. Jimmie’s knockin’ on the door once again, three tracks that he enjoys running on are in front of us and we’re all going to get to witness déjà vu all over again.

Let me just say this…

There he is! Take your best shot!

Ready to Rumble?

Now it appears the appealed illegal activities carried out by Richard Childress' Clint Bowyer number 33 Chevrolet team has drawn several comments from JGR's Denny Hamlin who finished second to Bowyer last weekend in New Hampshire. One comment from Denny led to others from Richard Childress and his drivers. As you can imagine, the NASCAR media has been all over it.

Is it simply a war of words or will the displeasure of Hamlin's remarks carry over to tomorrow's Sprint Cup Chase race at Dover...

During practice for the Dover race Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick started bumping and heading off each other followed by a heated exchange in the garage where, ironically, Hamlin's 11 team and Harvick's 29 team found themselves parked right next to each other.

I'm runnin' out of fingers to count up all the vendettas that these guys are carrying around... Will all hell break loose in Dover?

Are We Ready to Rumble?

Sponsors Make The World Go Around

If sponsors are what makes the world go around in NASCAR then there may be some big changes in store as the sport enters 2011.

Recognize any of the following names?



Ryan Newman

Tony Stewart

Kyle Busch

Jeff Gordon

Mark Martin

Brad Keselowski

Sam Hornish Jr.

Justin Allgaier



What do they have in common?

Lack of adequate sponsorship for the 2011 season.

Newman's number 39 needs a sponsor to partner up with the U.S. Army.



Tony is looking for a replacement for Old Spice on the number 14…

Kyle Busch is the owner of a Camping World Truck Series rig and without a commitment real soon he says he’ll shut the operation completely down.



We’ve all heard of the talks between Hendrick Motorsports and Walmart that fell apart a couple of weeks ago. That leaves Jeff Gordon’s number 24 in dire straits with DuPont backing way off on their sponsorship deal.



It’s said that Mark Martin’s number 5 will be painted up with hendrickcars.com (the owner putting his own business on the line)…



I guess Martin’s situation is better than Brad Keselowski being faced with driving a car without any sponsor this week.



Roger Penske is evidently up against it to the point that he’s told Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier they’re going to have to hook up with other owners next year.



2010 Chase drivers, potentially the Truck Series Owner of the Year, a two time and a four time Cup Champion, the dean of current NASCAR drivers and refreshing new names and faces on NASCAR circuits... Apparently no one is immune.



This news is coming out in September and it involves some of the biggest names in the sport. What more bad news will come down as 2010 grinds to completion?



According to Mike Verlander, the director of business development, “As a sport we’ve got to sober up. We may have to learn to get along on $12 million to $15 million instead of $20 million to $25 million (per competitive Sprint Cup teams annually). The sport is not imploding. If Walmart has a couple of bad quarters, aren’t they still the No. 1 retailer in the world? I grew up in Jacksonville. When they say attendance is off at a race and there’s still 100,000 people in the stands, wouldn’t the Jaguars love to have 100,000? It’s all relative."



It looks like this economy is going to not only change the faces in NASCAR, it’s going to change the face of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing itself…







Resource:

http://jacksonville.com/sports/racing/2010-09-21/story/nascars-economic-engine-still-sputtering

Who's Bringin' Home The Bacon?

Wondering which of the owners is raking in the most winnings this season? If you just look at the total 2010 race earnings per owner the two four car teams rise to the top, but we all know that’s not the way to do it. Okay… In an earlier post I used the average earning per team and that yields a pretty good assessment of which owner is doing well, but ultimately the best method of comparison is determining how many starts each owner’s cars have made and come up with an average return per start. The results found are displayed below:

--------------------# of--------------------------2010------------Average/-------Average/ -----36 Race
---Team--------Teams--------Starts------Earnings-----------Team------------Start --------Proj./Team
1----EGR ------------2 -------------53--------$9,409,058------$4,704,529----$177,529 ----$6,391,058
2----JGR ------------3 -------------80-------$12,736,461-----$4,245,487----$159,206 ----$5,731,407
3----RCR ------------3 -------------81-------$12,576,185-----$4,192,062----$155,262 ----$5,589,416
4----HMS ------------4 ------------108------$16,524,972-----$4,131,243----$153,009 ----$5,508,324
5--Stewart-Hass-----2 -------------53--------$7,954,987-----$3,977,494----$150,094 ----$5,403,387
6----RFR ------------4 ------------108------$14,557,391-----$3,639,348----$134,791 ----$4,852,464
7—Penske----------- 3 -------------81-------$10,357,414-----$3,452,471----$127,869 ----$4,603,295
8----RPM ------------3 -------------81-------$10,237,075-----$3,412,358----$126,384 ----$4,549,811
9—Daugherty--------1 -------------27--------$3,287,884------$3,287,884----$121,773 ----$4,383,845
10--Red Bull----------2 -------------54--------$6,312,003------$3,156,002----$116,889 ----$4,208,002
11---MWR-------------3 -------------77--------$8,852,286------$2,950,762----$114,965 ----$4,138,731
12--Wood Br.--------1 --------------9-----------$990,245---------$990,245----$110,027 ----$3,960,980
13---RGM ------------1 -------------26--------$2,718,473------$2,718,473-----$104,557 ----$3,764,040
14—Latitude----------1 ------------19--------$1,907,320------$1,907,320-----$100,385 ----$3,613,869
15--Furn. Row--------1 ------------27--------$2,629,530------$2,629,530------$97,390 ----$3,506,040
16--Front Row--------3 ------------79--------$7,646,569------$2,548,856------$96,792 ----$3,484,512
17-Gunselman--------1 -------------7-----------$641,345--------$641,345------$91,621 ----$3,298,346
18—Germain----------1 -----------18--------$1,600,484------$1,600,484------$88,916 ----$3,200,968
19—Phoenix-----------1 -----------31--------$2,698,101------$2,698,101------$87,036 ----$3,133,279
20---TRG -------------2 ------------24--------$2,085,150------$1,042,575------$86,881 ----$3,127,725
21—NEMCO----------1 ------------26--------$2,077,204------$2,077,204------$79,892 ----$2,876,129
22—Baldwin-----------2 -----------30---------$2,379,668-----$1,189,834-------$79,322 ----$2,855,602
23--Prism -------------1 ------------20---------$1,577,731-----$1,577,731------$78,887 ----$2,839,916
24--Keyed-Up---------1 -------------2------------$157,460-------$157,460------$78,730 ----$2,834,280
25—Whitney----------1 ------------10------------$746,395-------$746,395------$74,640 ----$2,687,022

By taking that average return per start and multiplying by 36 potential starts the season’s projection is determined and seen in the far right hand column.

________________________________________________________________

Analysis

Kudos remain in order for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Even though the two EGR drivers didn’t qualify for the Sprint Cup Chase, the racing organization continues to win when it comes to 2010 earnings. Looking at the average earnings per start, EGR is almost $20,000 per race ahead of the second place Joe Gibbs Racing organization.

Of the top racing teams Rouse-Fenway, Penske and Richard Petty Motorsports are projected to fall below the magic $5 million annual income breakeven figure per team. Here’s hoping these owners have good money managers making their actual breakeven figures less than what’s given as the industry standard for top racing teams.

We all know there are a few team owners who bring a car out, get it qualified and then pull off the track only a few laps into the race. I guess there must be enough money to pay the expenses for these start and parkers or they wouldn’t be doing it…

We all know Joe Nemechek since coming back on the circuit last season has been famous for this start and park practice. To date his NEMCO team has earned a little in excess of $2 million. With 26 starts that works out to $79,892 per start. I have to wonder what it costs the guy to prepare and haul his cars, people and equipment around the country each week. It would be interesting to see those books…

In a recent article Joe wrote, "We’re stretched pretty thin at NEMCO Motorsports but we all enjoy what we’re doing and are here because we love racing." In his 17th season driving in NASCAR Cup Racing "Front Row Joe" is one of the last independent owner/drivers on the circuit.

NASCAR allows the start and park process to happen as the practice fills out each race at 43 participants, but that’s the only good reason I can come up with. Sure I guess it's nice to support a few of the owners, but is this good for the sport? Here are the five biggest offenders in 2010:

-------------------------------------------------------------------Average
--Driver---------------------Team--------Starts----Laps-----per Start
Todd Bodine-----------Gunselman--------6--------294----------49
Michael McDowell------MWR----------18------1004----------56
Joe Nemechek----------NEMCO--------26------1706-----------66
Johnny Sauter-----------Baldwin----------4-------310-----------78
Dave Blaney--------------Prism----------20------1924-----------96

I’d like to see NASCAR continue to limit the number of qualifying entrants to 43 but unless a car is wrecked, the payout sould be based upon laps completed forcing these guys to actually stay on the track. That idea might be a double edged sword though as the races could end up with a lot more traffic for the fast cars and drivers to contend with. What are your thoughts?

How important is it to have a full field of cars?

How much of a problem do the start and parkers present?

Here's the link to Nemechek's article:
http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/joe-nemechek-breaking-the-week-down-nascar-sprint-cup-series/

Who Said That?

Twelve drivers, twelve teams... One trophy...

Here are twelve quotes, each made this week by one of the twelve drivers in the 2010 NASCAR Chase. Can you pick what your favorite driver said?

1. I think it's the most competitive that we have ever been as far as speed and the things that you need to race for wins.

2. Tiger Woods is vulnerable; the Lakers are vulnerable; the Yankees are vulnerable; everybody is.

3. I really do believe going into Homestead, you are going to have three to six cars in a legit shot for the championship.

4. They are all tough. Every race is tough.

5. I can pick about three race tracks every driver is really, really good at.

6. It looks like advantages are smaller and they last a shorter period of time.

7. Man, it is a really close Chase, probably the closest.

8. You hate to sound like an idiot by saying you've just got to be better than the other 11 guys, but that's what it's going to come down to.

9. I don't see anybody running away with this Chase.

10. I always believed that the Chase is about consistency, not make any mistakes and most importantly, be competitive.

11. Yeah, maybe there's no clear-cut favorite right now, the way the past 26 races have gone.

12. I don't know how to handicap it or who to fear the most because everyone has it in them.

Here are the twelve who said such things: Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards.





Not an easy task. Good luck if you dare...