In case you were hiding under a rock this week (as I have been away getting focused on College), here is the rundown on the announcements made during the NASCAR Media Tour this past week.
NASCAR Media Tour Major Announcements/Headlines:
Danica Patrick Will Not Run Indy 500: During the Stewart-Haas Racing Media Tour, Patrick announced that she will forgo the Indianapolis 500 and will instead focus on NASCAR’s longest race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600.
NASCAR Going Public With Every Fine: During the Media Tour, NASCAR CEO Brian France dropped the bomb that he will make every fine against all drivers public, thus ending the elusive ”secret” fines that many drivers last season talked about.
Ford Unveils 2013 Sprint Cup Series Car: The Ford Motor Company unveiled their 2013 race car that will be implemented in 2013 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Drivers including Greg Biffle said the car is “badass”. NASCAR called the unveiling a “historical leap foward”.
Brian France Says Sport Is In Good Place: NASCAR CEO Brian France said in his media press conference that NASCAR is “in a good place”. He recently said in an interview that he would “be shot” if he asked for a change in the Chase Format.
Kevin Harvick Comes Clean about KHI Closing/Says Kyle Busch Relationship Still the Same: Kevin Harvick told reporters during RCR’s media tour that he decided to move on from Kevin Harvick Inc because his wife, DeLana, is expecting in July. Harvick also stated (according to SceneDaily) that his relationship with rival Kyle Busch has not waned, or changed one bit. Congrats to Kevin and DeLana on their pregnancy.
For more stories and such on what happened during the NASCAR Media Tour, check out SceneDaily, and SB Nation.
There’s lots of speculation regarding Danica Patrick’s move to a full-time career in NASCAR. How will she do and what will it mean to the sport and to other women drivers. So let’s look at some indicators that may predict how it will play out.
First, based upon a comparison of her talent and results in IndyCar racing to the talent and results of Sam Hornish Jr. in that series, it doesn’t bode well for Danica in stock car racing at the Cup level. Arguably, she has a great support group around her that many drivers could only dream about having. However, the same could be said for Hornish when he came into NASCAR with Team Penske. Hornish is a driver who had the talent to win eight races in his last 64 starts in IndyCar and get 32 tops fives in those 64 starts (50%) plus an IndyCar championship, yet he has struggled so much in a Cup car. In contrast, Danica managed only one fuel mileage win in 117 starts and no higher a finish in the IndyCar season point standings than fifth. In addition, she managed only 20 top five finishes in those 117 races. With those facts in mind,, why would anyone think Danica’s results will be better than those achieved by Hornish. Her background in racing mirrors Hornish’s in so many ways. They both came up as youngsters running go-karts primarily on road course layouts, not ovals.
So why all the hype? This writer wonders whether she would even have the Cup opportunity if her name was Daniel Patrick or if she was 40 lbs. overweight and homely. In racing today though, bringing sponsorship dollars to a team can often mean more than talent. There are opportunities in series of all types that are available for “funded” drivers. She has a huge fan base and abundant commercial appeal because of her appearance and that means she brings big dollars with her to her NASCAR team. Undoubtedly she will also bring new fans to the sport, those who will attend her races and those who will tune in to watch her on TV.
But what will her long-term impact be if she ends up being a mid-pack driver with even less success than Hornish? In the end, her level of success or lack thereof may have a huge impact on owners considering taking chances on other female drivers. There is no question in my mind that there will be a female driver in Victory Lane in Cup racing within the next ten years. However, I believe it is highly unlikely Danica will be that female and, if she struggles as much as I think she will, she may delay the opportunity for a female driver with more talent and a higher likelihood of being successful in Cup racing to get that chance.
Thus in the plus column, I see Danica being a popular driver who is good for NASCAR in terms of ratings and marketing possibilities. The minus column includes her career in stock cars being detrimental to other more talented female drivers who don’t offer the same package of sex appeal and good looks she offers. Time will tell, of course, but the truth is it is that package that gives her this opportunity more than her talent level.
The offseason has had its share of silliness and wackiness. It had its share of moves by both drivers and crew chiefs. We saw Kurt Busch go from Penske to a low-funded team in Phoenix Racing, we saw AJ Allmendinger leave Richard Petty Motorsports to take over the #22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge, the list goes on.
With the off-season pretty much over, its time to discuss the offseason (or “Silly Season” if you will). Who better to discuss the NASCAR offseason than SB Nation’s Motorsports Editor/guru Jeff Gluck.
SB Nation's Jeff Gluck (Credit: Jeff Gluck's Facebook Page)
Brandon Butler: Thanks for taking the time to do this interview Jeff for me, and for Stock Car Spin readers. First off, as we all know, Kurt Busch was let go from his ride at Penske Racing, and he would then go sign with Phoenix Racing. What are your thoughts on Busch’s stunning move to Phoenix Racing?
Jeff Gluck: As we all know, Kurt Busch was let go from his ride at Penske Racing, and he would then go sign with Phoenix Racing. What are your thoughts on Busch’s stunning move to Phoenix Racing? At first, I thought it might be a bad move by Kurt because a poor season in a mediocre car might damage his on-track reputation (which remains stellar despite his off-track troubles).
But the more I think about it, it seems like a win-win. There really are no expectations, so if he pulls off a top-10 here and there or somehow wins a race, it’ll be a tremendous achievement and it will remind everyone what a great driver he is.
Brandon Butler: With Best Buy leaving Richard Petty Motorsports, AJ Allmendinger decides to leave RPM for Penske Racing to take the job of driving the #22 Shell Dodge. Do you believe Allmendinger will have more success at Penske Racing then he did at RPM?
Jeff Gluck: Allmendinger HAS to have more success at Penske than RPM. If he doesn’t, then he’s going to be labeled as the guy who got chances at big teams but couldn’t capitalize (like Casey Mears). With that being said, I think he’ll have the resources and team behind him to get it done. He’s committed and serious about his new ride, and I think he’ll win a race this season.
Brandon Butler: Tony Stewart had one of (if not) the biggest comebacks in Sprint Cup Series history as he won 5 races during the Chase and went on to win the Sprint Cup Series Championship. If you were to give a prediction, do you think Stewart will repeat?
Jeff Gluck: No, I don’t think Stewart will repeat. Changing crew chiefs is a significant shakeup, and it’ll take time to get the communication down. Plus, Stewart really wasn’t very good for most of last season – until the Chase started and he caught lightning in a bottle. But I don’t see that lightning striking twice (at least not two years in a row). Stewart still has work to do in order to build his team into a consistent contender, which is why he changed crew chiefs in the first place.
Brandon Butler: Jeff, I cannot get through this interview without talking about Dale Earnhardt Jr. He had a better (all-around) year in 2011. He made the Chase by the skin of his fingernails, he had chances to win 1 race in 2011, and now has a great relationship with crew chief Steve Letarte. If you were to give a prediction, do you believe Dale Jr will get back to victory lane in 2012?
Jeff Gluck: Man…I can’t imagine he could go another year without winning. Especially after last year, where he was so close several times. And you know that team is trying everything they can. The thing is, I would have said the same thing at the start of 2009, 2010 and 2011. It’s stunning he’s gone so long without winning one, just because you’d think he’d steal a fuel-mileage or rain-shortened race somewhere along the line. It really is amazing to think there were 18 different winners last year and Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t one of them.
Just based on that fact, I think he’ll win a race this season – maybe three. Heck, he could win the Daytona 500.
Brandon Butler: I hope you are right on that one. Junior Nation would go nuts if he were to win. Lets talk about another Hendrick driver, Mr. 5-time, Jimmie Johnson. in 2011, Johnson’s reign as Champion (for 5 consecutive years) came to an end. Do you think 2012 will be more of a “redemption year” for Jimmie Johnson or will we see him fall off once again?
Jeff Gluck: Yep, I think that’s exactly what will happen. Johnson will win title No. 6 this season after coming out more focused and refreshed than he’s been in years. That team is hungry again, and that’s dangerous for everyone else. Six championships in seven years isn’t too bad, by the way.
Brandon Butler: Your right Jeff. Six championships in just 7 years is a remarkable accomplishment that might not be done again in our lifetime. Final question for you Jeff. 2011 was “the year of the first-time winner”. Marcos Ambrose, David Ragan, Regan Smith, Trevor Bayne, and Paul Menard won their first career race in the Sprint Cup Series. Its always great to see newcomers win races in the Sprint Cup Series. Do you think we’ll continue to see this trend of first-time winners?
Jeff Gluck: I don’t think we will see many first-time winners this year, except for maybe AJ Allmendinger. The thing is, there isn’t much turnover in the Cup Series and most of the regulars have now won already. The only regular drivers who HAVEN’T won a race in their careers are Allmendinger, David Gilliland and Dave Blaney (unless I’m missing someone). So the odds aren’t good on that question.
I want to thank Jeff Gluck for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this interview with me. You can follow Jeff on Twitter (@jeff_gluck), and you can also like him on his Facebook Page.
We have an interview with 2010 NASCAR iRacing.com World Champion and Eutechnyx Setup Guru Richard Towler coming real soon, so check back soon.
I rarely talk about whats going on with the Fansided Network, but because this will affect your reading experience as the reader, I am going to let you guys in on a little something. The Fansided Network has announced that Fansided 3.0 is coming soon..
Now, I know what your thinking. What in the world is Fansided 3.0 Brandon? Is it a robot that will just pop out more sports tories or something? As much as I would personally like that, its not that at all.
Basically Fansided 3.0 is basically a BRAND NEW LAYOUT that will be on Stock Car Spin, and the rest of the Fansided Blog Network. For a preview of this new layout, please visit Arrowhead Addict, the Kansas City Chiefs blog. The network is introducing a feature called “The Hub”. The Hub will bring you the latest and relevent topics and stories going on currently.
As for when this new layout will be released, I currently have no information on that. They are beta-testing the new layout. As soon as I find out any more information, I will update this post.
If you have any comments about the new layout, please feel free to comment on this post, or tweet the blog @SCSBlog on Twitter. I’ll relay the message to Zach and Adam Best.
During NASCAR Preseason Thunder Testing at Daytona International Speedway two weeks ago, Tony Stewart told reporters that he is talking with NASCAR about possibly transferring his points from 2011 to Danica Patrick so that she has a guaranteed spot in the 54th running of the Daytona 500.
SceneDaily’s Bob Pockrass give us details on what Tony Stewart could do as far as transferring points to Patrick so she can run the 500 on February 26th (Its a great read and you might want to check it out).
As far as NASCAR’s rules on transferring points, it really is unfair to smaller teams because that is one more spot that they are not given a chance to earn. I understand that Danica Patrick is a huge star for NASCAR, and she helps sell merchandise and tickets for the sport, but by handing her a spot in one of racing’s biggest races of the year is wrong. She needs to earn it and not just take it.
This rule should honestly be scrapped all together because (as I’ve said) its unfair to the smaller teams who work so hard in order to put out a great car that can race in the Daytona 500. When you are given a spot in the 500 (or any other race for that matter), you should have worked very hard for that spot. We know that every car on the track (when it comes to the Superspeedways) has an equal shot to win the race, and when someone like Danica Patrick comes along and gets a spot in the race without even earning (or racing for) it just takes away from the smaller teams that worked so hard for it.
What do you think? Is NASCAR’s transfer points rules fair for all teams, or do you believe its unfair to those teams who worked hard to earn a spot in the race?
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For more information on SOPA and Protect IP, please visit AmericanCensorship.org or click the stop censorship link in our banner (which is on the top left hand corner of your screen).
David Ragan has been searching for a Cup team for almost all of the off-season now. He tried to persuade Roger Penske to put him in the #22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge, but was unsuccessful. He was also rumored to be linked to RPM and JR Motorsports. With Speedweeks exactly one month away, we now know where the former Roush-Fenway Racing driver will drive for this season.
David Ragan signed a 1-year deal with Front Row Motorsports and will be driving the #34 Ford Fusion, thus replacing Travis Kvapil.
“I’ve been fortunate the last five years (really my whole career) that I’ve had sponsors locked-in the next season, in September-October-November so I’ve never had to go through this process. So I’ve really learned a lot more about the sport than just sitting behind the wheel and driving.” Ragan said. ”We’ve had meetings with potential sponsors that will be onboard throughout the year, a sponsor that’s been in the series some. It’s a good program for me. This offseason, going in I knew that there was going to be some change and I’ve gotten an education on how the process really works a little better”.
David Ragan did what he had to do in order to stay in the Cup Series. Even if it means that you sign with a start-and-park team. Its nice to see Ragan find another ride in the Cup Series, however he should have been raced his way back up to the Sprint Cup Series and ran in the Nationwide Series. He should have tried to reinvent his career in the Nationwide Series, and then pull a comeback to the Sprint Cup Series.
Carl Edwards has been in the Nationwide Series for quite some time now. He has done so much in the Series since his NASCAR debut in 2005. He won the Nationwide Series Title in 2007, and has finished no worse than 3rd in every year he participated in the Nationwide Series (until NASCAR made the rule change stating that drivers cannot run for points in 2 series during the same year).
Despite all the success that Edwards had in the series, he has decided to commit to the Sprint Cup Series, and not compete in the Nationwide Series this season.
“The way we’re approaching this season is, I’m not committing to any races right now”. Edwards said. ”I’m hoping this lets me focus more on the Cup car, lets me be a better Cup racer by maybe having more time during the race weekend to maybe hone the setups in”.
I’m not surprised by the move at the least. Edwards has not been focusing on winning the Sprint Cup championship, and I wonder if his participation in the Nationwide Series had something to do with the fact he didn’t win the Sprint Cup title this past year. If he really wants to win a Cup title, he needs to focus solely on the Sprint Cup schedule instead of driving in different cars (as well as traveling constantly).
This move also allows the competition for the Nationwide Series to be more open for everyone. Carl Edwards (as well as Kyle Busch) have practically dominated the Nationwide Series for the past 3-4 years, and its time that the Nationwide drivers to be more competitive with each other, and not have to worry about the Cup guys coming in.
Image Courtesy of NASCAR Media: Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fastenal Ford, and AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, lead a pack of cars through the tri-oval during Daytona Preseason Thunder at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 14, 2012, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
On Thursday, the 2012 NASCAR season officially kicked off as NASCAR and Sprint Cup teams did some serious testing at Daytona International Speedway. Fans came out in awe as all the teams began testing NASCAR’s restrictor plate package for the 54th running of the Daytona 500. NASCAR had one goal in mind when testing began at Daytona. Bring back the pack. If you don’t know what I am talking about, I am talking about bringing back the old school style of superspeedway racing. Pack racing.
When we lasted visited the Superspeedways in 2011, we saw 2-car tandem racing that (as Dale Jr said) meant you were married to someone. The 2-car tandem racing brought us 2 first-time winners in 2011, and gave us one of the closest finishes in NASCAR History (Jimmie Johnson’s win in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega). Over the course of the 2011 season, fans have voiced their displeasure with the 2-car tandem racing at Talladega and Daytona.
Since the Good Sams Club 500, NASCAR has made it their mission to do everything they can to ensure the 2012 restrictor plate package will bring back the old school style pack racing, and make the 54th running of the Daytona 500 a very exciting race for the fans. NASCAR has definitely listened to the fans, and now that the preseason test is over, many fans and teams have ever reason to be thrilled, happy, excited, etc. I can literally go on with all of the positive thoughts on the test.
See for yourself.
As you can see from the video above, it looks like happy days are here again NASCAR fans. NASCAR has come up with a restrictor plate package that ultimately brought back the old school style of pack racing we’ve come to know, love, and enjoy. Teams and race fans alike are very excited for Speedweeks next month. I’ve been getting tweets from many people who have nothing but great things to say about the Preseason Thunder testing. I tweeted Steve Letarte and asked him for his thoughts on the “pack being back”, and this was what he replied back with.
His tweet says it all. NASCAR has done a great job of getting together a restrictor plate package that literally brought back the pack, so to speak. As NASCAR says “without the fans, there would be no NASCAR”, that saying is true and accurate now more than ever. This guy is now looking forward to Speedweeks, and the beginning of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Courtesy of Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR
With A.J. Allmendinger heading to Penske Racing to drive the #22 Shell Pennzoil Dodge, (after Kurt Busch and Penske had a mutual split) expectations for the former open-wheel star will be high.
Allmendinger has yet to win in the Cup Series. His career best finish was third in the Daytona 500 in 2009. However, Allmendinger has improved his average finish, as well as his average starting position, and has improved his overall position in the Sprint Cup standings in each of his three full seasons in the Sprint Cup Series. Now entering his fourth season with a team that most people would consider and top team in the garage, the pressure will be mounting on Allmendinger to perform at an even higher level.
Busch, now with Phoenix Racing, is taking a step back from the pressures that come along with being a driver for a top multi-million dollar organization. Phoenix Racing is a single-car team that driver Landon Cassill drove for in 32 races last year. Despite racing in 32 races in 2011, Cassill posted only four top 20 finishes. Busch made the chase last year while winning two races, including winning a chase race at Dover. Busch will have Hendrick Motorsports equipment, but he will have limited amount of pit crew members and resources.
If Busch can control his emotions, it will be interesting to watch him in a single-car team with limited funds. With this move, the long unanswered question of is it more the driver or the car, should be answered.
Expect Busch to have a good year, if not great. Once Busch gets adjusted to his new team, he should be a threat to win races by mid-season. While I do not see Busch as a chase contender, I do see him making the chase through the new wild card system. Busch is a good short track driver, especially at Bristol where cars do not seem to mean as much as the driver. Busch will find a way to win this year and he should not be written off by any means.
As for Allmendinger, I expect him to continue his upward climb in his career. He has proven that he belongs in the Cup Series. Now with this opportunity at Penske, Allmendinger can prove he is one of the best. However, I still do not see him visiting victory lane, at least for this year. Allmendinger will have a better all-around year but come short of making the Chase.
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