Stater Bros. 300 and Auto Club 500 - California Speedway

The Fontana race weekend started out well in the Busch Series with David Reutimann. He ran a very solid race all night and ended up 14th, which puts him 11th in points (the #99 is actually 13th in owners points because of the drivers switching cars and all that). The end of the race was actually quite painful, with Casey Mears catching Matt Kenseth at a blistering pace, but unfortunately the laps ran out and Casey settled with 2nd.

Sunday morning began with some stress, as NASCAR Raceday on SPEED reported that the #44 was having issues getting through tech inspection. Apparently something was wrong with the valence, and the UPS Camry went through inspection three times, failing each time. This was about 40 minutes before the race was scheduled to go green, which was really frightening. NASCAR must be annoyed with MWR to begin with, and I was hoping the UPS team would get the car legal quickly; it crossed my mind that NASCAR could get irritated enough that they might tell the team to go home if they couldn’t get it fixed! However, DJ and the #44 were on the starting grid in time for pre-race ceremonies, so that was a relief.

DEI was one of my first worries of the day. 2007 is the debut of all three series using unleaded fuel full time. It was experimented last year in the Busch and Truck series; firstly at Gateway International Raceway for the Busch Series. Notably, Paul Menard blew an engine during that race. Fast forward to Saturday night and the #15 Menards Chevy lost yet another engine. Coincidence? If it was, it isn’t anymore after the Cup race.

On Lap 15—Lap 15!—Martin Truex Jr.’s motor expired and his day was done in dismal 42nd not to mention being in a dangerous points position (38th).

A few laps later Dale Jr. had a tire going down and was forced to pit under green. He was trapped a lap down when the caution came out quickly after. Thankfully the Bud Chevy was fast enough to race its way back onto the lead lap, unfortunately this would be for nothing. On Lap 66 Junior’s problems began when he announced he was having engine issues. Half a dozen laps later he was in the garage. On Lap 111 he returned to the track, only to have the engine go up in smoke soon afterward. The #8 spun in its own oil but amazingly Junior kept it off the wall! He also had a good sense of humor about it, for he gave a bow and a hang ten as he exited the car. His amusement may have decreased some after he saw where he is in points…40th.

Let’s hope DEI can get their engine program straightened out before Vegas. Junior blew two engines there during testing earlier this year.

Kurt Busch had a quiet, solid day that could have been worse if he hadn’t received the Lucky Dog on Lap 91. He used this to his advantage and made up many of the points he lost at Daytona with a 7th place finish; he is now 19th with only 40 points to make up to be in the top 10.

Casey Mears had a rotten race, just the thing he didn’t want to happen at the place he considers to be his home track. The #25 was an ill-handling horror! None of the changes crew chief Darian Grubb made helped—the National Guard/GMAC Chevy had a mind of its own. Casey and team ended the evening 4 laps down in 31st and is 24th in points.

Dale Jarrett also had a miserable time with a UPS Camry that would not handle well and had some other possible internal issues. He, like many others, was trapped a lap down by green flag pit stops, but lost 3 more laps before the race ended with the #44 in 32nd. The upside of that is DJ is now 28th in points! Hopefully he can stay there so we don’t have to worry about using up Champion’s Provisionals.

By far, David Reutimann had the scariest day of our drivers. His plan was to run a smart, steady race, and for a while it looked very good for the #00 team, as David raced his way all the way up to 14th. Unluckily David was caught a lap down as was his MWR teammate, and for the rest of his day he struggled valiantly to leash the Lucky Dog.

Things got very frightening when he was tagged from behind by Greg Biffle with only a handful of laps to go. The Domino’s Camry slammed into the SAFER barrier with astonishing force. Shawn Reutimann (his spotter and cousin) immediately recognized the hard impact of the wreck and called to David repeatedly to talk to him. Meanwhile, David sat slumped forward in his seat, his helmet resting on the steering wheel. He only moved when Shawn yelled at him that there was fire and he needed to get out. David exited his crumpled car with the help of the safety workers and walked with a bit of a wobble to the ambulance. He was kept at the infield care center for a half hour before being released, where he assured everyone he was okay. “I am fine. NASCAR just likes to triple-check, so that is what we had going on.”

At first I was furious with Biffle. David may have been a lapped car but if Biffle wanted to get around him so badly he should have passed him up high. However, a friend of mine heard an interview with Shawn on XM Radio and he said that Biffle found David after the race and told him he didn’t mean to wreck him. I also read on the Roush forums that Biffle was very upset after David wrecked, dropping an F-bomb over the radio and saying that he hadn’t wanted to crash the #00.

That doesn’t matter anymore to me…I’m just relieved that David is okay. Shawn said that the impact was so extreme his left foot broke the clutch, and he has a sinus infection to boot, so today David is sore and sick. Next weekend is an off-week for the Cup boys but the Busch Series heads to the Mexico road course. I hope David is well enough to race.

It really goes to show that so what, MWR is struggling a little bit. Who cares. It could have gotten a lot worse when David hit that wall, so right now I’m glad that all three MWR drivers are alive and able to do the things they love.

*Sigh*

Well, we knew this was coming...

I realized pretty early on during qualifying today that it could come down to either Michael or David making the race. And it did.

For a few seconds I was terrified that David - by either an order or by his own choice - would purposely DNQ himself, but then I stopped and thought about it. First of all, Michael isn't that type of person or team owner, and secondly Ty Norris, who I've noticed has seemed to have taken David under his wing, wouldn't allow that to happen. Thirdly, I don't believe David is that type of driver. Outside the car he may be preciously goofy and nervous, but once he's in the car he turns into a calculating wheelman. Michael didn't hire him to not give it his all and Domino's and Burger King didn't sponsor him to DNQ. David did his job, and even though it meant bumping his boss out of the race, he had to do it.

DJ had his own problems during qualifying, like not having a car capable of making a time. Apparently the UPS Camry could not get out of first gear, so he made two embarrassingly slow circuits around California trying to get up to speed. Another Champion's Provisional used - only 4 left. I think it's about time DJ pulls out that awesome UPS truck and sneaks that onto the track!

Brandon also DNQed, but not for lack of effort. This CJM Racing team is trying so hard! It hurts because I know Brandon has all the potential to be a NASCAR star, and I was interested in DW's opinion on him today. Basically he remarked with some confusion that one second he was an up-and-coming driver with a CTS victory under his belt, and then he's out of a ride (thanks a lot, Hammond). My feelings exactly. These teams are always looking for the next big star when they're right in front of them! I just want to slap them across the face and scream, "Hello!! Brandon Whitt!!"

The DEI boys of Dale Jr. and Martin ran two fast laps, resulting in a 5th and 7th starting spot, respectively. Paul Menard also made the race unlike last weekend, which is great!

Kurt qualified 18th and Casey will take the green in 10th (which is really good considering he struggled mightily in practice!).

Other notable happenings are that Brian Vickers was the fastest star car and the second fastest Toyota behind Dave Blaney. I'm really happy that Brian made it! Actually, I'm happy for all the drivers who made it. John Andretti! He took that underfunded #37 and put it in the field. I really can't stand when fans laugh at the drivers that go home, especially when they are fans of a driver who needs to make it in as well. It's funny because some Michael fans laughed at Red Bull Racing, Paul Menard and Jeremy Mayfield because they DNQed for Daytona. Are they laughing now that karma has come back and bit them? It sucks when your driver DNQs, doesn't it?

I feel that Michael is in trouble now. He's got the biggest points hole ever to climb out of. Not to sound like I have no faith in him, but I'm thinking he won't make it into the top 35 this season. But I'm an MWR fan, too, so if Michael can't be guaranteed in I want David and DJ to be guaranteed in. MWR is Michael's future.

Daytona 500 - Daytona Internat'l Speedway

Despite triumph earlier in the week, the Daytona 500 did not find much else to give our drivers but heartache.

While the majority of the race was uneventful, the bad luck and crashes that did occur seemed to suck in DEI, MWR and Casey and Kurt. The first hint of poor things to come happened early on when Boris Said pushed off of Turn 2 and made contact with the side of David Reutimann’s 00 Camry on Lap 16. While David avoided wrecking, the damage hindered him more than I had expected. He fell a lap down as the race took on a long green flag run.

Michael’s day was dismal from the start. He wanted a spring change and it ended up doing just the opposite of improving the NAPA Camry. The car developed a massive push, causing him to hit the wall and, according to Dale Jarrett’s race report, cut a tire. With a combination of an ill-handling car and a lot of green racing, Michael went 2 laps down, finishing 30th. Because of the 100 point penalty earlier in the week, he will start the season with -27 points. Yikes! On the flip side, at least he didn’t wreck it!

Kurt Busch’s day ended early but not because of poor handling or the Big One. In fact, he led the most laps and had one of the two best cars. However, while riding behind Tony Stewart, in the other best car, havoc broke loose – literally. In Turn 4, Tony’s Chevy wiggled and he let off the gas. Unfortunately, Kurt was currently closing in and could not make evasive action in time. He just barely tapped the 20 and the plumes of smoke that followed indicated a wreck brewing. Because Kurt was so close, when Tony spun and hit the wall hard, Kurt ran into him again, severely injuring the front end of his car. Kurt unnecessarily took all the blame and was very hard on himself. Luckily, Tony did not jump to conclusions (so I did not end up roaring at him through the TV). The #2 car concluded the first race of the year in 41st. Kurt said on a practice broadcast today that after reviewing replays he realizes the crash was not his fault and that he and Tony are good.

Only about 20 laps later, David’s improving run was over. With his lost lap back and damage fixed, he began moving forward. Alas, off of Turn 2, Jimmie Johnson was moving backwards! He got loose and admittedly overcorrected, sending the car on an insane zigzag journey along the backstretch. With so much happening and so little time, David smashed right into the side of the defending Daytona 500 Champion. Several other cars were also collected, including Denny Hamlin. David would finish 40th.

DEI teammates Dale Jr. and Martin ran decently all day, although Junior later stated that the engines weren’t making enough power. It showed. When it came to crunch time in the closing laps, the #8 and #1 could not really make many moves. With only 4 to go, a huge wreck ensued when Matt Kenseth hit his own teammate Jamie McMurray a little to hard. McMurray hit the wall and triggered a domino effect behind him. Dale Jr. was running with Martin behind him when the crash started. This drafting is good until they all start spinning. As a result, both Junior and Martin were taken out in one fell swoop. Dale Jr. finished 32nd with terminal damage. Martin was able to limp it home to a 29th place finish.

Dale Jarrett had a good day. Not a great one, but good. He was never in contention and really seemed fine with riding around at the rear of the field. Although effort may seem to be lacking at first, in reality this saved him from the late-race wrecks, even the enormous one on the last lap of the green-white-checkered. He was the highest finishing Toyota, ending the day in 22nd. DJ’s website says he finished 23rd. Hmm.

Remember “the enormous one on the last lap”? Our last driver, Casey Mears, got taken out in that one. The wreck began just off of Turn 4. Now, it appears that Kyle Busch tagged the apron and got loose, but I noticed something more. Watch Matt Kenseth – he comes down very close to Kyle just before his back end came around. It may not have just been the quick transition in banking that caused Kyle to lose it.

But back to the wreck itself. Cars twisted and turned everywhere. Casey drove blindly – for there is really no other way in that situation – through it and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He hit Clint Bowyer broadside, causing the #07 to flip over and slide in the grass, even cross the finish line, on his roof! Thankfully for Clint, the grass was kind enough to flip him over again because the car had some flames leaping out from under the hood. Clint was able to get out of the car himself. Casey finished 20th – not too bad!

While the wreck happened behind them, Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin battled to the end to be the Daytona 500 Champion. The caution never flew despite the crash, leading to a great finish. Kevin inched out Mark by .02 seconds! Of course, there was all kinds of controversy about NASCAR not throwing the yellow, saying that they wanted Harvick to win on the 6 year anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death. You know what I say to that? Bull! The race ended the way it should have – a race for the win! And if NASCAR had thrown the caution, people would complain that they gave it to Mark. Plain and simple, everyone that was in the wreck would have been in it whether the yellow was out or not.

Congrats to Kevin Harvick! He may get on my nerves from time to time, but he’s a good guy and deserved this win.

On to California. Qualifying for the NEXTEL Cup is only minutes away. It looks like it is going to be a very tough race to get in to. In practice, the star cars swapped speeds quicker than the commentators could broadcast them. It looks like we’ll only know everything when the qualifying session is over. We can only hope!

Bad Busch Series Luck

The opening of the 2007 Busch Series season didn't exactly get off to the start I had hoped. It all started with Casey Mears, who wrecked both his primary and backup cars in practice. As if that weren't bad enough, he had a dismal qualifying lap yesterday and failed to make the race. It wasn't for a lack of effort - his crew worked incredibly hard under a lot of pressure to put a setup in Kyle Busch's backup car - but even though it isn't vital that Casey makes Busch races, it was pretty obvious he was saddened by the DNQ. However, another notable name in J.J. Yeley also didn't make the field, so at least he was in good company (yes, I think Mr. Yeley is a talented driver, and also a very good person).

It didn't get a whole heck of a lot better during the race today. David ran very well up until he started pushing, and then he hit the wall. As a result he lost a tire, but luckily enough that brought out the caution, and the Dream Machine got the Aaron's Lucky Dog and remained on the lead lap! Unfortunately, a short time later he hit the wall again, and that took him out of contention to a 29th place finish.

Dale Jr. ended up 7th behind teammate Martin in 6th, and Scott Wimmer and Todd Kluever also had a one-two finish in 14th and 15th, which I'm pretty satisfied with. What I wasn't too happy about was the racing itself...it just seemed hard to pass. I was really hoping someone would go with Dave Blaney at the end to pass Kevin Harvick, but no luck. Darn! I guess after the wild Craftsman Truck race last night this one just seemed dull. To top it all off, I wasn't impressed with the ESPN coverage. Maybe it will get better...

The Spirit of the 55

I suppose you could say Michael making the Daytona 500 was a miracle. It certainly felt like it after all he's been through this week...the penalties, the fear, the sadness, the stress. But something kept nagging me about the whole deal, something deeper than just sucking it up, buckling down and driving as hard as you can. Suddenly it hit me - a possible reason for how a man could accomplish what so many had already written off as impossible.

He had two angels riding with him in the #55, just as they had ridden in it themselves years ago.

Benny Parsons drove the #55 from 1982 to 1986. Bobby Hamilton took the wheel from 2001 to 2002.

I'm not religious, I don't worship God or any other higher power besides the natural powers of the earth. But I believe in spirits and that they live on in the people and the places they loved the most. And I truly believe they were with Michael on Thursday.

Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for all those who were close to Dale Earnhardt. But maybe, just maybe, he'll be flying with someone when he takes the checkers at Daytona.

From Ruin to Redemption: Part 2

Gatorade Duel #1. Michael would start at the back of the pack in a car that hadn’t been on the track since January. Many wrote him off – no way would he be competitive enough to make it. Even I had my doubts.

But…he was in the race. And anyone with half a brain knows that Michael can draft.

We decided to try out TrackPass Race View, even though I didn’t expect much because according to that, Denny Hamlin caused the Bud Shootout wreck instead of Dale Jr. It was about a quarter to a half a lap behind real time, but it was interesting to watch and somewhat useful during commercials. Michael became our car to track, visually and through audio.

Scott Eggleston, Michael’s replacement crew chief (and, ironically enough, Michael’s crew chief when he won his first race during the Daytona 500 in 2001), and Michael’s spotter who I believe was named Mark, sounded calm but apprehensive. Michael himself still seemed down and out. Not very encouraging.

When the field took the green, Mikey remained in the back for some time. Then, all of a sudden, he was MOVING! I could not believe how good that car was. With a Camry that did not have to lift in the turns and a driver who knows how the air works, the only direction was forward.

The typical draft dance played out, however. Michael got hung out several times. He’d make up spots only to lose them again. Finally, the first caution came out when Jeremy Mayfield was squeezed by Stanton Barrett and Bobby Labonte. Michael was close to top-10 at that point. There was some discussion on the radio. They stayed out…and everyone else pitted.

From last to first!

And who ended up behind him after pit stops? Dale Jr. Unfortunately, that joy didn’t last too long. Since Michael had older tires, he led for some time before Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart decided it was time to go. They started passing on the outside in Turn 1. Off of Turn 2, the spotter told Michael there was a small hole behind the 8. Apparently, Michael decided to make a squeeze. Halfway up the track, he realized there was no room and tried to turn back down. By that time, he picked up a push and nailed Junior pretty good in the left rear. In what disturbingly looked like the Mikey/Junior incident at Charlotte in 2005, Junior did a 180 and spun into the grass along the backstretch. Numb, I watched him slide along. Amazingly, he hit nothing! The damage was minor but he still had to limp it to pit road to avoid tearing the car apart because of flat tires. By the time he got in and out of pit lane, he was a lap down. He was calm, however.

“He turned me,” he said over the radio afterward the near-wreck. “Huh. That’s weird.”

Michael’s car had some right front damage – not a good place. I was devastated. I figured Junior was screwed, but he was in no matter what. Michael would be done for if the injury to his car was harmful to his race. The crew pulled out his fender and sent him back on the track. Now there was only hope.

Michael rode around at the rear of the field, avoiding the wreck that ensued when Robby Gordon turned down across the #84 of AJ Allmendinger. From then on, it was a march straight to the front. Dale Jr. also got his lap back.

Things began to get tense after David Ragan lost a right rear tire and crashed by himself. Michael was close to the other “star cars” – Boris Said, Johnny Sauter (both locked in) and 72-year-old James Hylton. After the restart, it all looked about over for Mikey. Several cars checked up and got loose, including Casey Mears directly in front of him. Luckily for Michael but sadly for Ward Burton, another driver racing for a spot, the wreck occurred a few cars back and Ward was tapped, crashing hard.

It was clear there would be a green-white-checkered. Two laps for Michael to keep Boris Said, Johnny Sauter and Mike Bliss behind him and to pass James Hylton, several cars ahead. But help was on Michael’s side – his friend Ken Schrader in the #21 somehow got right behind the #55 during the caution and agreed to try and push Michael to the Daytona 500. As long as he didn’t do anything crazy. Good old Schrader!

The green-white-checkered laps were some of the two longest laps I’ve ever watched. I felt light-headed. Hylton got hung out. Michael, with Schrader in tow, drafted by him. I only started screaming with half a lap to go.

“GO MIKEY!! GOOO!!!! YES! YOU DID IT YOU DID IT!!”

In the face of controversy, against all odds, Michael raced his way into the biggest NASCAR event of the year. First car to get in. He finished 8th.

And then I heard it over the radio. Because Boris Said was the second car to race in and was already locked into the 500, David Reutimann was next in line by qualifying speed. He was in.

ALL OF MWR WAS IN THE DAYTONA 500!!

Michael sounded on the verge of tears as he thanked his crew over the radio. According to a NASCAR.com article, Scott was in much of the same state. “I don't know how to put it into words,” he said. “I don't cry hardly at all, and I almost cried today.”

David, hearing the news, held his face in his hands and leaned on his parked car, the pressure melting off his shoulders and emotion clear as day on his face as he stood again, just in time to see Ty Norris congratulating him. Dale Jarrett drove beside Mikey on the cool down lap, waving. As they parked, waves turned to joyous clapping.

Just unbelievable. A miracle.

Michael was somber but thankful in his post-race interview. “I'm just sad and happy at the same time,” he said. “That's what Daytona does to you.”

Dale Jarrett was more outspoken and praised his teammate and owner. “I told Michael before this race that if anybody could drive it in, it would be him. He went out and did it.”

To top it all off, Dale Jr. rallied back and finished 2nd! He later said about Michael, “He is a great drafter, a great racer at the restrictor plate tracks. It is no surprise to me [that he made it in].”

David was fortunate for his locked in position, althought he joked, “They say its official, but I'm hoping there isn't a recount or anything. It is Florida, after all.” In the second Duel, his #00 Domino’s Camry had electrical problems and went to the garage.

When it is all said and done, Dale Jr. starts the Daytona 500 in 5th. Michael is 15th, Reutimann 40th and Dale Jarrett 43rd, using his Champion’s Provisional. Kurt Busch will take the green from 3rd after an impressive Duel (and winner Jeff Gordon’s time being disallowed), Martin Truex Jr. 13th and Casey Mears in 17th. Brandon Whitt, as expected, did not make the race but it was not for lack of effort.

BRING ON DAYTONA! WE ARE READY!!

From Ruin to Redemption: Part 1

I want to infuse the emotion and uncertainty in this in as much detail as possible, so because of time constraints I will write this in two parts.

After an agonizing wait, Michael Waltrip’s penalties were announced in a press conference with VP of Corporate Communications, Jim Hunter, and VP of Competition, Robin Pemberton.

Apparently there was some sort of gel-like fuel additive found in the fuel system that leaked into the intake manifold, where the substance was initially discovered Sunday afternoon. According to Hunter and Pemberton, it was something they have never seen before and something that cannot easily be obtained. They denied to say what the substance was, which did not surprise me.

Penalties:

-Michael’s Bud Pole Qualifying time disallowed.

-Michael’s crew chief, Larry (David) Hyder – suspended indefinitely (“A very long time.”).

-Hyder fined $100,000.

-MWR’s VP of Competition, Bobby Kennedy, suspended indefinitely.

-Loss of 100 Champion and Owner points for the #55 NAPA Camry.

Despite the obvious severity of the above penalties, all I could feel was relief – they were letting Michael compete in the Duels. From what they said, they considered suspending Michael and the team as well, so all I could do was thank NASCAR for their mercy. With the incredible size of the infraction, he probably should have been booted.

The battle was not over. Michael bypassed his own backup car and instead took David Reutimann’s, which had seen Daytona Speedway before (unlike Michael’s backup). However, the car did not fit the templates. The MWR team worked on it with all they could.

Last night, Michael released this statement:

“In the past 12 months, Michael Waltrip Racing has hired more than 150 people and we currently employ more than 200. Although we have grown at an accelerated pace, it has been our mission to hire people with high moral value and character to properly represent our sponsors and our ownership.

“During preparations for the 2007 season and especially the 2007 Daytona 500, I specifically requested that our competition teams not disrespect NASCAR, our competitors or our sponsors by blatantly circumventing the rules.

“This is not the action of an organization, a manufacturer or a sponsor. This was an independent act done without consent or authorization from me or any of my executive management team. As an owner, I realize I am ultimately held responsible for the actions of my employees. Therefore, I accept the penalties issued tonight by NASCAR.

“I respect NASCAR’s rules, its people and the sport’s integrity, which is why I am so sad and embarrassed. I am dedicated to get to the bottom of this because I will not let the independent act of an individual or individuals tarnish the incredible accomplishment my organization has made to be where we are today.

“I want to apologize to the other owners, who know how hard I’ve worked to get here in such a short period of time, NASCAR, Toyota, NAPA, all my sponsors, the drivers and especially the fans.”

I greatly appreciated Michael taking full responsibility for what happened and for accepting what he got. A good owner. No excuses. No conspiracy crap. Michael, as the team owner and driver of the #55, ultimately should know what is going into his car. I went to bed feeling shaken but thankful for Michael’s second chance.

This morning, Michael addressed the media for the first time. It was during that conference that we learned that Michael had considered not running in the Duels. Thankfully, support from his wife, Buffy, the garage and even NASCAR itself changed his mind. The guilt Michael must have felt to consider withdrawing himself more than likely cannot be described in words.

We then learned that the #55 Camry was still being worked on as of 11 this morning. At first, NASCAR had stated that the car had to be through inspection by that hour. However, this was waived. Thank you again, NASCAR!!

Nerves were pretty much shot by then – would the car even be ready in time for the 1st Duel? And if it was, would it even be possible for Michael to race his way in, in an unproven car from the back?

The first was answered when Michael appeared on pit road before the his Duel. But…how would he race?

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

A few updates on Michael's situation from SPEED...

NASCAR has apparently escorted Bobby Kennedy (MWR's director of competition) "out of the garage". If that means out of Daytona completely, I don't know yet. However, it doesn't sounds especially good.

The #55 team is frantically working on the backup car, but although Michael was suited up in the garage, practice was over before he could get out on the track. From his expression he looked to be trying to put on a brave face, but in his eyes you could tell he was worried. The last I saw of him he was chasing after DJ's car as it was driving through the garage area.

I'm no Jimmy Spencer fan, but he said something that unfortunately I agree with...that no matter what happens, this has made Toyota look worse than they already do. This is not Toyota's doing - this is Michael Waltrip's doing! The point is, if it was Toyota's doing all the Toyotas would have failed inspection. I realize fans love Michael but now it seems they are grasping onto anything to keep Michael innocent. No driver, no owner is above pushing the envelope! Michael has done it before and he will likely do it again...though that likelihood may go down a bit depending on how severe any penalties he may receive are.

Supposedly NASCAR will be holding a press conference announcing Michael's fate “soon”. Anyone complaining about how long it's taking better watch their words: NASCAR is going to be 100% sure of what the issue is before they make a decision. Would fans rather they just guess?

Thankfully we got some comic relief in the form of a ROTY contender RC car race. The first lap was um, basically a wreck-fest! Crashes, flipping cars! But our hero David Reutimann made it through the chaos and put the entire field a few laps down. You go, David! Brandon was also racing, wearing a flashy black-and-neon orange suit, and looked like he made it through the wreck without damage, but no word on his finishing order.

Thanks, rookies. You put a smile on my face that I really needed!

Michael's Wild Risk: A Nasty Error

I just want an announcement to be made from NASCAR’s lips!!!

The only things that are for certain are that David Hyder has been suspended indefinitely and Michael will not be able to use his primary car. Michael will also not be participating in the first practice, which is going on right now, and he is not accepting interview opportunities. Here are some rumors that are / have been floating around:

-- Michael and the entire #55 team will be suspended for 12 weeks
-- Michael will be suspended for 4 weeks
-- David Hyder will be suspended for a year
-- Apparently the #44 was being reskinned as the #32?? This made no sense to me in the first place when it was posted on Jayski, and since then it was corrected to say that it’s a #00 car (David’s backup car) being reskinned to a #55 (to be Michael’s primary car…if he’s allowed to race at all)
-- All three MWR teams will be suspended. This I’ll have a huge issue with, because it’s not fair that anything wrong with Michael’s car should cause the other two innocent teams to suffer. I’d be half furious at NASCAR and half furious with the #55 team for making this mess to begin with!

Oh, man. This is crazy! To give me even more confidence, here are some Toyota quotes from TRD senior VP Lee White in an article from NASCAR Scene Daily:

“One thing I can tell you is that the elements of ethics, integrity, character, honesty are things that are extremely important, probably paramount, to my company. Are we a little disappointed that one of our teams is involved in things that have transpired here? Yes, we can't deny that. ... Depending on what that outcome is, obviously, we will have some further discussions with that team and decide what our relationship is going to be in the future.

“The rules are the rules, and we expect to participate by the rules. We hold our own people to a very high standard, and certainly we hope we have partnered with the right people and hold their people to a high standard.”

He then goes on to say he’s going to have a meeting with Michael and MWR to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Oi.

Basically, this whole situation has gone downhill very quickly. When NASCAR ran the suspicious #55’s motor this morning, the manifold filled up with the “liquid” again. Obviously there was something intentionally done to the car, for Hyder was expelled from the track. As far as anyone knows right now, Michael will be allowed to practice in David’s backup car, but any further into the future than that is unclear.

I’m at the point where I just want to know what’s going to happen, good or bad. Waiting is killing me.

Daytona Disasters!!!!

I got home from work today, nervous and excited to see how the MWR cars qualified, but the last thing I expected was to discover Michael’s #55 NAPA Camry, as well as an intake manifold, had been confiscated by NASCAR.

Apparently pre-qualifying inspectors found an oil-like substance inside the manifold. They didn’t know what it was and there is not supposed to be any oil in that area, so obviously they seized the part. Michael made his single-car run and posted a decent time that would put him 24th out of 61 cars, but things turned ugly again after the NAPA Camry was done, for NASCAR decided to take the entire car back to North Carolina and basically search it up and down. According to an ESPN video, Marty Smith reports that it isn’t certain if Michael will get the car back in time for the Duels on Thursday. What is even more frightening, he may not be able to race at all if NASCAR detects cheating is the cause of the strange substance. Michael claims it must have been oil, yet Jim Hunter retorts that the inspectors do not think it’s oil.

I’m incredibly upset about this! If this is blatant cheating and not some part malfunction, I’ll be furious that the 55 team – and that includes Michael, because as a team owner / driver I highly doubt he wouldn’t know what’s being done to his car – if NASCAR finds that there was something intentionally done to the manifold. They absolutely cannot afford to be messing around with the rules! Not when they don’t have owners points to fall back on! If anyone thinks that NASCAR “can’t” disqualify Michael and send him home, they’ve done it before. Last year at the Pennsylvania 500, Chad Chaffin failed post-qualifying inspection when his car was too low. He was sent packing.

Brandon Whitt’s ARCA race did not go well, to make this week even better! He hung in the back of the pack until he got caught up in a wreck near the middle of the race, ruining his chances of showcasing his talents. Josh Wise also dropped out of the race because of the damage he received in the same wreck.

David is also in a Duel all by himself – as of now Michael and DJ are in the first Duel, while David is in the second. Great.

Basically the only good things that have really made me happy so far is that Justin Allgaier and Jeremy Clements finished the ARCA race 7th and 3rd respectfully, and David qualified 14th overall, making him 7th in his Duel, which I believe gives him a chance of being locked in on that speed.

I’m so freaked out I don’t even know anything about Junior, Martin, Casey, Kurt and Brandon yet. I’ll have to calm myself down tomorrow and get up to date on them.

And Speedweeks Has Only Just Begun...

One week from now, history will be made with another Daytona 500 winner. A new mini Champion will be crowned.

However, with a little less than a week until the big race, there is plenty to talk about.

Last Thursday, Dale Jr. added to the DEI controversy by stating that he will not resign unless he has majority ownership of the team. This is an extremely bold statement and potentially could be the end of DEI. Apparently, Junior will leave the team at the end of this year if Teresa does not hand more than half of it to her stepson. If Teresa agrees to his terms, Dale Jr. remains and Teresa’s arguable “team owner” status will be reduced.

Sometimes I cringe at what Junior tells the media. This was one of those mouth-dropping instances when I wondered immediately after if he’d regret ever saying anything. For his own sake, announcing something this huge right before the biggest week in NASCAR can lead to a lot of media harassment, team focus blurring and – this is Junior we’re talking about – loads of speculation. However, I believe that Dale Jr. has the right to request this. While many would say he is selfish, greedy and spoiled to make such a demand, I’d challenge anyone to declare that Teresa is fit to be an owner of such a big name team. DEI has been snowballing into disaster for quite some time since Dale Earnhardt died. Maybe it’s time for change. Maybe Junior can bring it back to where it was and where it should be. He did great with Chance 2, of which he had half ownership of (Teresa simply provided the car, and took credit for the two championships…HA!). But, I think the big question is: What will happen if Teresa refuses? Bluntly put, DEI will crumble. Why do you think Kerry and his son Jeffrey were suddenly signed, after years of ignoring Dale’s eldest child? Damage control. Last ditch effort to have an Earnhardt, any Earnhardt, in DEI if Junior decided to leave. However, I don’t think it would be enough to hold the team together. The only person in this situation who has everything to lose? Teresa. So she’d better be thinking real hard about it.

The Bud Shootout ran last night and was our first glimpse at how the Toyotas will perform. Brian Vickers and MWR’s Dale Jarrett hoped to prove that they would be a factor. Dale led from the pole…but that first lap, which he unfortunately didn’t even lead, was the closest he was to the front all night. The #44 team struggled all night, finishing higher than only Bill Elliott in the underfunded #37 car of the cars that were still moving at the end. There was some hope that it was simply a test. According to some of DJ’s comments following the race, that was pretty much what they could do. Not very encouraging, considering he even lost the draft at one point. Brian Vickers led some laps and ran respectfully, finishing 8th. So…still some work to do before the Duels on Thursday.

The Shootout was frustrating for Dale Jr. It seemed he had a good car, but was always the helper and never the recipient. To compound all the problems, he caused a massive wreck in the tri-oval coming to the checkers when he ran into the back of Elliott Sadler. Denny Hamlin was hit, went into the grass, came back out on the track and nearly went upside down when Kasey Kahne slammed him on the driver’s side. Meanwhile, reacting to the whole mess, Junior veered left down pit road, collecting Greg Biffle in the process. Everyone was okay and Junior admitted fault for the crash, thankfully.

Tony Stewart won and proceeded to suck up to Kyle Busch after tapping him from the lead in the middle of a turn many laps before. Better suck up. While I don’t think it was maliciously intentional, it was careless and stupid. Or…just typical Tony.

Qualifying was today, but that’s another story.

Dedication to David

Well, David did a great job today of both breaking my heart and making me love him even more.

After completing second practice in 12th – the second fastest go-or-go-home car – this afternoon he was being interviewed on NASCAR Live. He was asked about the pressure he is being faced with because he has to qualify on time for the Daytona 500, and knowing David, I expected one of the most heartfelt and honest answers a driver could give. I got it.

David paused and the genuine emotion that appeared on his face was as clear as day. He replied after a moment that this was his life, and that qualifying is like life or death. They have to make races – they just have to. When he stopped talking he looked afraid but put a quick smile on his face to mask it. Yet his eyes were averted and he came across as being very shaken. David had just openly shown his heart to the world, and had let the fans into the mind of himself as well as Michael Waltrip, Brian Vickers, Jeremy Mayfield, Ward Burton, Brandon Whitt, Kenny Wallace, Paul Menard and all the other drivers who are not guaranteed a spot in the greatest race in the world.

I couldn’t help but getting choked up myself. In a short time I’ve grown extremely attached to David…he is one of the truest drivers out there. He has so much raw talent and it terrifies me to think that he could miss the Daytona 500 and other races to come. How would Domino’s and the once-skeptical Burger King react if David struggles? How understanding will they be that David is a rookie with a rookie team and a rookie manufacturer? Will they give him a chance to develop or will they demand someone else? Do they see that David could be a champion and a superstar or do they want instant results, like what is becoming more disappointingly popular these days?

Concerning the go-or-go-homers, the magic number of three is being tossed around – the top three fastest single-car qualifiers. They say that if a non-top 35 driver is part of the trio of fastest qualifiers they have a good chance of being locked in. Using today’s second practice, David would be second and Michael would be third, so that gives me hope. But despite all that my stress level is through the roof! If qualifying doesn’t go well tomorrow – okay, technically today – it’s going to be a long week till Thursday.

Happy With Quals!

The starting lineup is set for two races tomorrow, both involving stock cars but in different series: The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and the ARCA/REMAX series. There are a few drivers in each that I’m very interested in, and I’ve been fortunate enough that great things have happened concerning them.

Firstly, Dale Jarrett is in the Bud Shootout tomorrow, which is exciting enough – Toyota’s first competitive race! What’s even better is that during the drawing for the starting lineup last night, DJ drew the pole! It’s awesome that a Toyota, not to mention an MWR Toyota, will start #1 in the first race of the year. Dale was 11th in first practice and 14th in second practice. In first practice also, Kurt, with a striking gold Miller Lite Dodge, was 17th and Dale Jr. was 6th, while in the second session they were 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The #2 will take the green in 17th and the #8 will take off in 19th.

Meanwhile in ARCA, Brandon Whitt attempted to qualify today after being 4th in practice yesterday. He made the field in 23rd place. "We knew we weren't going to be very good by ourselves based on what we saw yesterday during practice,” he said. “But the thing that matters is how we run tomorrow, and we were very pleased with the way the car handled in the draft. Our BWR Camry is set up to be there at the end of the race tomorrow although we didn't want to start quite that far back; we'll just have to take it and move our way up tomorrow.” I’m absolutely thrilled his Toyota is a good car, and hope this ARCA race has a better ending for the #51 BWR ride than the last one.

Josh Wise, running the #22 Eddie Sharp Racing Development Camry (supported by MWR), also qualified today in 18th. This is what he had to say: “The car drove a lot better than it did yesterday and I think that gave me a lot more confidence on how it's going to race. Our ultimate goal is to race good; it's always nice to qualify well, but it's all about the race. This Eddie Sharp Racing team worked really hard to get this car ready for this weekend and we've made a lot of improvements. As long as we are learning and improving, those are the most important things. There’s a lot of pressure being one of the first Toyotas to take to the track in competition, but really no more pressure than I put on myself already. This is an exciting week for Toyota, and I'm just really excited to be a part of it.” Josh seems to be a really nice guy so I will definitely be cheering him on tomorrow.

In spirit, anyway, because I’ll be at work. Figures.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...Oh, Wait...

Another savvy business move by Michael that will likely come under fire once other fans hear about it (though right now I think most are watching Dale Jr.’s situation). David now is basically 37th in points from last year and is listed under Cal Wells as the car owner. This helps him a little bit, but only if qualifying is cancelled or rained out – he would be locked into the field if this was the case (along with Michael, who is 38th in points, and DJ could use his champion's provisional). However, if the qualifying session is held he will still have to qualify on time during the first five races at least, so this isn’t exactly like what Michael did last year with the #77, which guaranteed him into the first five races.

I don’t know what to think about moves like this. The logical part of me says, “Hey, no one was using those points anyway.” But morally, I’ve never been a big fan of someone using owners points he didn’t earn. This bothers me in cases such as Brian Vickers and Casey Mears as well…even though Brian earned points last year he doesn’t get them because he’s in a new ride. I don’t particularly like how the points that guarantee a driver into the field stay with the car, but I suppose it puts some power into the car owner’s hands and makes a team attractive to prospective drivers if the ride is vacated. In the end business is business and all is fair in love and war, I suppose.

I’m also nervous about this specific deal because Cal Wells now has ownership of the 00 (technically the #100). I can see this because MWR hired the ex-PPI team members, but it still makes me uneasy that David’s car is now under “Waltrip-PPI Racing”. It may be just a name like Waltrip-Jasper Racing was last year, but I can’t help being leery of these types of partnerships. I don’t know how much – if any – say Wells has in David’s team, and to me it seems like Michael already has enough to worry about to have to take into account another car owner.

But Michael’s a smart guy so I should put more faith into him! And if it rains any time soon during qualifying I’ll definitely be thankful for those points.

Casey, Meet Darian

I wasn’t quite expecting this announcement yesterday! Not to say I’m disappointed, just a bit surprised, mostly due to timing. Casey now has a new crew chief – Darian Grubb. The same Darian that guided Jimmie Johnson to his first Daytona 500 victory as well as four top 10s in the first four races, including another win at Vegas, while Chad Knaus was suspended. Should I be kicking up my heels in joy? Well…yes and no.

It certainly is exciting because Darian got a lot of good press during his short but productive tenure as Jimmie’s crew chief, and he seems to be a great candidate for a full-time position. But let’s not forget that while NASCAR can suspend someone from the track, they can’t exactly forbid him to stay out of the shop. No doubt Chad was in the shop every day and on the cell phone every chance he could get while the 48 team was at the track, working that Chad magic on the Lowe’s machine. However, racing is a team sport. It’s very unlikely that Darian has little talent, since crew chief calls can be so vital during a race, and that gives me comfort to know he’s got what it takes to end up in Victory Lane with Casey some day.

I’m also a little worried that this move may put a lot of added pressure on Casey to get a victory quickly, especially at Daytona. I imagine it might be encouraging as well as intimidating to be paired with a Daytona 500 champion crew chief while you haven’t won a Cup race yet. Casey is a very underrated drafter and he has all the skill to win at Daytona, but I hope his fans don’t feel like he has to win or run incredibly well because Darian is last year’s 500 defender.

Either way, CJ will be going for it!

Las Vegas Testing

Vegas testing was this week (and here I am, several days late). With the new reconfiguring of the track from 12 to 20 degrees, 50+ teams with over 90 cars showed up for a chance to check out the new surface. Speeds will increase and lap times will decrease, of course, but the one drawback of going fast is dancing toward the edge of control. Several drivers learned this the hard way.

Day 1 brought in impressive times along with some hard wrecks. In the morning, Scott Riggs led with a lap of 29.426 seconds, or 183.511MPH. Compare that to Kasey Kahne’s 2004 track record of 174.904MPH and you can really see the difference 8 degrees of banking can make! Casey Mears and Kurt Busch were 19th and 22nd respectively in their A cars. Then you have to looks down the charts to find David Reutimann in 39th, Martin Truex in 46th, Dale Jr. in 47th, Michael Waltrip in 63rd, Dale Jarrett in 67th and Brandon Whitt in 77th. It looks bad, but with three more sessions the teams can afford to experiment. I’ve heard over and over again that it’s better to find out what doesn’t work for the car.

PM speeds found Riggs’ teammate Kasey Kahne topping the charts. Kurt moved up to 10th and Casey up to 12th. Junior also improved to 28th and Michael to 36th. But Martin dropped to 45th, David to 53rd, Dale to 59th and Brandon to 74th.

Along with speed, incidents marked the day. Five drivers crashed, including Tony Raines, Reed Sorenson, A.J. Allmendinger, Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne. It was reported by NASCAR that Brandon Whitt blew a motor, but the team denied it. Don’t really know what happened there.

Day 2 hoped to bring improvement for the DEI and MWR camps. In the AM, Paul Menard ripped out an amazing 188.370MPH lap. Dale Jr. followed in 14th place. Then came Casey in 20th, Kurt in 28th, D.J. in 29th, David in 49th, Martin in 57th, Michael in 62nd and Brandon in 71st.

In the PM session, some relief was brought to MWR. Michael shot up to 9th place! Elliott Sadler led with the fastest speed of Vegas testing – 188.772MPH. Dale Jr. sat in 20th, Kurt in 22nd, David in 32nd, Martin in 53rd, Brandon in 65th and Dale in 68th. However, amid the celebration about Michael, we found out that the 8 car damaged one motor and completely demolished a second. Even worse, David was among those who crashed, apparently crunching up his right rear. I believe the damage was not too severe. I suppose we should just be thankful that our drivers did not suffer the fate of poor A.J., who wrecked his second and final car on the last day. How miserable! Rookie David Ragan also slapped the wall.

All in all, it’s difficult to say where the teams are at this point. Obviously, the Evernham Dodges are going to contend for the pole come March. Casey and Kurt appear to be in fine shape to race. DEI looks like it may have to put in some extra hours to improve a bit, but if Paul can release a lap like his Day 2 Session 1 speed, he should be easily in the race. It’s really MWR that I am worried about. Despite Michael’s fast lap, their times usually occupied the bottom of the charts. Dale has 6 championship provisionals, so he’s in the Daytona 500, but I don’t know if the provisionals can be used consecutively (the Busch Series made the 1 out of every 5 races rule, I believe). I think David can qualify, but there are so many uncertainties. However, they are in better shape than poor Brandon. He will be lucky to qualify for any race this season.

If you want to look into more detail, the Vegas Testing times can be found on Jayski.

Only a week till the Bud Shootout! Daytona is coming!!