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2/25/2006

Inspection Routine? - Penalties aside, one question unanswered is why crew chief Chad Knaus would attempt such a blatant cheat under the noses of the NASCAR inspectors.

The answer is in the history of procedures at Daytona. One veteran crew chief remarked off the record that in past years NASCAR had not run the cars back through the template inspection areas. Knaus took a calculated gambled and got caught by a unanticipated change in procedure.

2/24/2006

Fuhgetaboutit - Clint Bowyer, driver of the #7 Jack Daniels Chevrolet, was amongst a tough crowd this week. The Raybestos Rookie contender was on the set of the Sopranos this week.

“That was a lot of fun.  It was my first time in New York City so that was an experience all it’s own.  That was my first time being on a set, seeing their world, and it was a neat experience.  I had a good time.” 

Bowyer wasn't able to secure a "sit down" with the family boss Tony Soprano.

“Tony Soprano [actor James Gandolphini]wasn’t there," Bowyer said. " I don’t know their names but I met Tony’s brother in law that does all the whacking and stuff like that [smiles].  I also met Johnny Sack and Frank Vincent.  Frank Vincent is the one that I think has been in Casino and was in Goodfellas and things like that.  He’s the real deal.  He looks like a mobster.  I was joking around with him and I said ‘Heck, they didn’t have to go find actors for this.  You guys aren’t actors.  You’re real life mobsters.  They just brought you over and put a camera in front of you and let you go.’  Those guys are really neat to get to meet.  It’s going to be an honor to have their show on the ol’ hot rod for Vegas.” 

All in all, Bowyer says New York City is just not his thing.

“I thought it was a little too busy for me.  There are a lot of those yellow cabs running around.  It was an experience.  We didn’t get to spend much time there, didn’t really get to go downtown around Times Square or anything like that.  Hopefully we can keep that for the end of the year.” 

2/22/2006

Burton Rocks - Riki Rachtman, host of the nationally syndicated radio program ‘Racing Rocks’ and original host of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, will join Jeff Burton and Team Cingular this weekend as an honorary crew member, serving as gas runner. Rachtman is a big fan of Burton and has vowed to shave his head when Burton claims his next victory.

No Place Like Home – Heading to your home track is special for any driver, but combine that with a second-place finish at Daytona International Speedway and you’ve got the first two weeks of Sacramento native Burney Lamar’s (No. 77 Dollar General Chevrolet) NASCAR Busch Series season.

“There couldn’t be a better way to start the year off than with some momentum,” Lamar said.
For Lamar, a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate, these are arguably the two biggest weeks of his young career – considering the 24-year-old was at home three years ago “watching this kind of stuff from the couch, begging to get any kind of experience in a heavy car.”

Being surrounded with people who have experience in the sport also has been a huge advantage for a driver with only three career series starts to his credit.

“With Kevin (Harvick – No. 33 The Outdoor Channel Chevrolet), Rick Carelli and my crew chief Gene Nead, I have a lot of experience to draw from,” said Lamar, who, like Harvick and Carelli, won Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series. “I talk to all of them about the upcoming race and they offer great advice and talk me through situations, so I will be ready for anything on the track.

“I think Daytona was a great example of how utilizing experience can be to your advantage.”

Lamar is no stranger to California Speedway. In 2005, he won a NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series race at the track.

“My best friend will be there, along with a couple of other people from home,” he said of Saturday’s Stater Bros. 300. “My family isn’t going to make this trip, but they will be in Las Vegas. I’m pretty excited to be coming home.

“I’m not nervous, but I am looking more to capitalize on the momentum from Daytona.”

2/21/2006

Double Jeopardy? - Daytona 500 Champion is like the rest of the NASCAR community in waiting for the final decision to be handed down from crewchief Chad Knaus and his penalty for infractions. The driver of the Lowes #48 car feels as if the team has already served enough of a sentence.

"My version of fair is probably a lot different than anyone else's.  I just said being without my crew chief the biggest race of the year, you know, told we're being penalized for something that took place in qualifying, we served our penalty, went to the back of the field, worked our way up through the duels, went on from there. 

"With that in mind, that is how I would like to see things...we served our penalty.  But knowing that there's past history, crew chiefs have been sent home for four weeks. I think that NASCAR is in a position where they've got to be consistent. 

"I could say that I'm preparing for it to be that, and our team is as well.  I think from my standpoint, we've been through a lot already for a qualifying infraction.  But I also do know that NASCAR is in a position that they have past history, and they have to be consistent in their rulings. 

"So we're preparing for a four week suspension based on that with what happened with Todd Berrier.  I'm mentally preparing for it, the team is, but we're obviously hoping for better than that and we'll have to see what happens." 

Johnson said in a teleconference today that he'll be remorseful if he needs to be.

"I guess if I don't know where I did anything.  If I need to say I'm sorry, I guess I'll say I'm sorry.  I just got in the car and drove around the track and got out of it. 

"I can tell you that Chad Knaus is sorry, and he's in a position and ready to make some statements, from what I understand, later today.  We're living with it.  You know, if there are fans that want to hear that I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and I'm doing everything I can do represent this race team and do the best job possible." (VPS Studios/Worth Canoy photo)  

Nothing but the fax - Suspended crewchief Chad Knauss still got his point across. Sitting in Charlotte, NC., his words reached the assembled crew for the #48 Lowes team through driver Jimmie Johnson.

"The biggest thing today for us was patience," Johnson said. " Chad actually faxed down something he wanted me to read to the guys in the transporter today in our meeting beforehand since he couldn't obviously be there.  I read his statement to the guys.

"Six time winner of the Daytona 500, guy that's batting a thousand, first race as crew chief, wins the Daytona 500.

"Anyway, I really just read something that was from Chad to the crew today, just telling them to do their best job, just the normal stuff to give everybody a shot in the arm, get them excited, get them fired up for the race, something from his side saying, 'I believe in you guys, I've trained you well, do your job today,' and everybody did."

Interim crewchief Darian Grubb says that Knauss had an overwhelming presence in his absence.

"I just wanted to thank Chad for building this team the way he has," Grubb said. " This job is very hard.  I don't want to kid anybody on that.  Chad always has done a great job, but he has trained me very well.  I've worked with him for three years straight.  I think I've learned everything I've ever learned from him.

"This is unbelievable.  I mean, first time out, win the Daytona 500.  I think the only other person that batted a thousand was Randy Dorton.  Those are some huge shoes to fill.  Very honored and very happy to be given the opportunity to do this."

2/18/2006

Freebie Grinch?- Car owners with the largest investment in the sport aren’t thrilled with the new Goodyear tire lease program.

“The tire leasing program, right out of the box cost Roush Racing 1.1 million dollars more than the purchasing program that existed last year,” Geoff Smith, President of Roush Racing, said. “And, on top of that we are still being required to yield very valuable and substantial marketing rights which prevent us from recovering some of that incremental increase in costs.
         
“From a business side it’s very disappointing to us.”

The bulk of the money Smith mentions comes from the deletion of Goodyear tire deals eliminated upon the implementation of the leasing program. Goodyear had a long-standing policy of providing free sets of tires based on performance. With five teams making the Chase in 2005, Roush Racing was receiving a hefty dividend from Goodyear that no longer exists.
         
Why did Goodyear cut out the tires deals?

“NASCAR requested we do it,” Stu Grant, General Manager Global Race Tires Goodyear, “as a way to ensure every team is on a level playing field. Does that hurt the major operations? Yes, it does. Is it necessary? Yes, it is.”

A full report is available at Goodyear Tire Lease

Did you know? - Hall of Fame racing team co-owner Troy Aikman's 33,000 passing yards in the NFL is an incredible feat. However, when you put that stat into NASCAR terms, it only equals just 7.5 laps around Daytona International Speedway. - Thomas Pope

Sleeping with the Enemy - Aikman and Dallas Cowboy Alumni Roger Staubach comprise the Hall of Fame Racing team and how ironic it is they get their cars, engines and engineering help from Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs is the past and present head coach for the Washington Redskins, a noted rival of the Cowboys. Who said Cowboys and Indians can't live in peaceful harmony?

2/17/2006

France just says "No" - Brian France, CEO of NASCAR, debunked one rumor very quickly this afternoon.

France said quite forcefully the rumors suggesting NASCAR would be moving its headquarters to the Charlotte (NC) area were unfounded. France did say the sanctioning body was continuing to increase it's presence in the Queen City however, the headquarters would stay in Daytona.

No Practice, No Problem - Rookie driver Reed Sorenson's crew chief, Jimmy Elledge, isn't concerned about the reduced testing and new tire leasing rules in effect in 2006.
   
"It won't change my testing at all because quite frankly I really
don't much believe in testing at the Kentucky and Nashville because I've
never really been able to get a lot out of that. I believe more in doing my
own track testing at the track with the right tires and the people you are
racing against. The way the testing is structured now, you can do more
efficient testing than ever. You know how you stack up sooner.
   
"The only thing that we have that's a disadvantage for the rookies
right now is they used to give the rookies more test. There are a couple
tracks, Sonoma, Pocono, Martinsville and one other we'll have to go into
blind. That's the only disadvantage."

Better Get A Bigger Boat - When we were working on this deal there were four of five things we weren't really prepared for," said Bill Saunders, Managing Partner of Hall of Fame Racing. "The change in testing was one of those.    

"Well, I think the main thing is we weren't prepared for the budget.
We'd done a lot of research looking at budget items. The increase in those
items over our research was astronomical. We worked a lot on this budgets,
it's just a lot of money."
   
Saunders went on to explain the team was working very hard to find
the right associate sponsors to match with primary sponsor DLP
Technology/Texas Instruments.

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