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.