He Said: Tony Stewart is at it again. He nails his teammate Denny Hamlin in the rear, early in the race, and it,
of course, is Hamlin’s fault. Not content to wreck the leader through his own lack of attention, Stewart decides to
trash Hamlin’s ability and commitment in his post wreck interview.
"All of a sudden he stops on the exit of (Turn) 4 in front of 42 cars and I guess he expects all of us to drive around
him," Said Stewart. "It’s tore up two really good race cars. He tried to crash us on Friday in practice and didn’t
get it done so he finished it off today."
"He’s a young guy and he wants to be successful, but I don’t know if he knows the definition of team right
now."
Wow. What a mentor Stewart
is, what a team leader. Or better yet, what a complete and utterly selfish ass. Perhaps Tony is afraid of not being top dog
at Joe Gibbs Racing anymore.
She Said: Stewart definitely ran his mouth Saturday night. Sounded
more to me as if he was trying to cover his own embarrassment at being caught unawares of realizing he may have loosened his
own teammate going into the turn and then punted him, collecting himself! Perhaps Tony was trying to solicit fan sympathy
in the interview and maybe his fans bought it. Not a chance for most others with wailing like that! Stewart’s already
drilled it into everyone’s heads that he’s a great driver and very capable of racing pretty much anything on four
wheels. Last night’s post-wreck interview was pathetic. He had an opportunity to sheepishly admit he got caught with
his pants down and plowed his teammate. That’s racing, that’s Daytona, and it’s bound to happen. Waaah-Waaah
and insulting a teammate was just asinine from a champion.
Nobody loves me anymore:
He Said: Little Kyle Busch is being snubbed he says. "I guess I'm on the outside looking in now," Busch said.
"I'm probably not going to be invited to the team meetings next week. I think bliss is over at Hendrick Motorsports for Kyle
Busch. We're getting ready for 2008."
Is he being snubbed or
was that just post race frustration? For Hendrick, in a restrictor plate race, it has always been every man for himself at
the end. Terry Labonte followed Jeff Gordon until the last lap at Talladega, in April of 1998, and then left him high and dry to follow his brother
around Gordon. Johnson and Vickers had an “issue” last year at Talladega
as well. Johnson and Gordon both have left each other to go for the win. I see it as Busch just whining. If Hendrick was shuffling
him out then why was his car so good? Besides, historically Gordon drives the high line at any plate track, Busch was running
low. Gordon was high, in front of Busch, before Busch made it to the front. Poor little Shrub.
She Said: Kyle Busch speaks his mind. Actually, it seems both
Busch’s do. Kyle has been kicked to the curb for Dale Earnhardt Jr., and he’s most likely experiencing what
Vickers did last year when his exit was announced. He’s not “really” a teammate anymore. The difference
is that Vickers decided, but Kyle never saw it coming and his aftershocks are still registering. Kyle doesn’t want anything
to change so he can finish his season as he planned but he’s already feeling the winds of change in how the teammates
are relating to him. From what I saw in the racing all day on Saturday, both in Busch and Nextel Cup, I think Kyle’s
checking out what it’s like to run with potential future teammates and he’s enjoying it. Where most thought he’d
be mouthy and bitter post-BGN finishing second, he came out graciously content for doing the best he could with what he had.
And he handled the wild pack finish with Jamie McMurray beautifully to make a WOW finish for Daytona! I don’t’
see any “poor little Shrub” here but definitely a young driver, who’s in charge of his future with a lot
of potential that I look forward to watching develop.
DEI- Smoke and Mirrors?
He Said: I find it quite interesting that since Juniors announcement that he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI),
the team has all of a sudden become competitive. Instead of driving junk at the back of the field, Martin Truex Jr. is a force
to be reckoned with every race. Am I cynical to think that with the departure of the cash cow that Teresa Earnhardt has to
actually put some money into the team for a while to fool new sponsors? Success was not needed when the circuit’s most
popular driver was under her thumb; the race team was just another means to siphon cash into her coffers. It was ok to be
sadly mediocre when the Junior Nation was firmly in her hot little hand, but without him, DEI actually needs to be competitive.
Is it possible that they really were running poorly due to lack of funding? Or did someone sprinkle some fairy dust in the
garage and now everything is ok? Hmmmmmmmmmmm…………
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She Said: Fairy dust at DEI? Ha! I think not but that is an amusing
thought! You may be cynical enough to think Teresa is what ails DEI, but I’ll disagree. I really think it’s all
about timing and a lot of psychology. Before Jr. made it all about him, DEI and RCR had been talking engine program. Now,
that’s a done deal and they’re merged and working together. From what I saw of the DEI and RCR teams this weekend
at Daytona, they all looked good engine-wise (short on luck though). The rest is the psychology of the sport. When the
most popular driver in the sport is in your stable and he’s used to being in the limelight, I’m betting it’s
hard on the remaining teammates to even begin to find the light outside his looming shadow. Now that Jr. has moved on, (and
even though half the season remains, I’m betting he has moved on in his head already), Truex has risen to take center
ring. Bass Pro Shops just re-signed on with him for 3 more years and he’s running strong with the confidence of his
future being a whole lot brighter. In the meantime, Paul Menard still has a lot of work ahead of him, but his day may be coming
yet.
Suspension Change:
He Said: In an unusual move for NASCAR, officials have changed the rules on crew chief suspensions. (NASCAR has
never changed their rules mid-stream before have they?). This week the etch-a-sketch, I mean rule book, says that suspended
crew chiefs are not allowed on race track property. Apparently the media influenced this decision. Does it really change anything?
The only thing low tech about stockcar racing these days is the car itself. (Running air aspirated engines that have been
obsolete for at least 20 years is not the only low tech aspect of these supposedly “stock” cars.) Team communications
however are all up to date. A good computer, webcam and TV set, along with a phone, are all a crew chief needs to be as “on
hand” from the comfort of his living room as he would be from a motor home in the track parking lot. Heck, at Kansas
I sat in Famous Dave’s Restaurant (about a ½ mile from the track) eating their awesome ribs, drinking a cold beer, watching
the truck race on TV in the air conditioned bar while listening to team communications on my 15 year old scanner. Surely Hendrick
has more sophisticated equipment they can use for their crew chiefs. This is nothing but gilding the lily.
She Said: Thank Tony Eury Jr. and Dale Jr. for rubbing NASCAR’s
nose in their own rules so much so that the media made it well-known what a farce their penalties were for crew chiefs! Notice
they didn’t blab Eury’s position at the beginning of his suspension. How unfair is it now when the No. 24 and
48 crew chiefs begin their penalty periods, that they don’t get to do the Eury Jr. motor home office outside the track?
Really, logistically, it’s a joke. Can’t disagree here, at the track or in your own home with track pass and a
Nextel radio, the crew chief’s are still working with the interim chiefs and the teams. Everyone knows NASCAR doesn’t
make knee jerk reactions, unless they’ve been soundly embarrassed by their own. Thanks Jr.’s!
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What if you threw a wreck and no one else showed up:
He Said: How about the David Gilliland incident? Driving in the middle of the pack, his car gets squirrelly, turns
right and then left straight down the track and no one hits him. He hit no one, making a beautiful save on the infield. All
he required was four fresh tires to be on his way to finish 11th. He seems to be finally finding his feet in Cup.
She said: Gotta agree here, too, geez, what are we coming to? Gilliland
handled that spin beautifully and what a masterpiece move but more so on behalf of all the other drivers dodging him too!
Even better though, what if you set the stage for the “big one” and it just didn’t happen? And, everyone
finished happily over the finish line in an incredible finish? That’s the 2007 Pepsi 400! Couldn’t help but
hold my breath for the final laps of the Pepsi 400 as I was absolutely positive we were going to witness the most confounded
mess ever to cross a finish line. And when the checkers flew, I was stunned as Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch finished within
inches of each other with McMurray managing one final lunge forward off the side draft of Busch’s car to win! AND NO
BIG WRECK! How incredible was that? Hats off to all the drivers for a wonderful race finish in Daytona. All I could think
was: WOW!
2006 StockCar Review.
