Let the Hype Begin
If you’ve seen the commercials for the Daytona 500 on Focks during the football play-offs, you’ll have noticed that it’s not the race that’s being hyped but NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel that’s being hyped. She has yet to turn one competitive lap in a Cup car at Daytona and yet the hype is overwhelming. So when the race isn’t in the “All Waltrip All the Time” mode, it’ll be in the “All Danican’t All the Time” mode.
Cruel & Unusual Punishment?
For those fans who may have missed the announcement, Focks will have both of the Motormouth brothers on Focks during the race broadcast. As usual, Jabber Jaws will be in the booth with Motormouth Mikey being in the Hollyweird Motel bumping Hollyweird Hambone to the position of roving reporter. With both Motormouth brothers flapping their gums fast enough to break the sound barrier while they‘re cheerleading & shilling, don’t expect to hear anyone else get a word in edge-wise. Not even Larry Mac with his new Larry Mac to English Dictionary.
Could this be a deliberate attempt by Focks to drive their ratings down to rock bottom so when the TV contract renewal comes up they can go cheap? Something to think about.
Daytona Testing
When the Cup teams went to Daytona to test, Robin Pemberton stated that the teams would race in packs. That was a statement, not a suggestion, which means that once again NA$CAR is trying to mandate driver actions and help manipulate the race similar to what Bill France Sr did at Talladega back in the 60’s when the well-known drivers of the time went on strike because they felt the speeds were too high and that the tires couldn’t handle it leaving a bunch of relative unknowns to compete. Bill France Sr dictated how fast the cars would be driven. What we’re seeing now is the same sort of manipulation to make the race artificially exciting rather than let the drivers actually race, even if it is the two car Brokeback racing we’ve seen the last couple of years.
Missing from the pack racing practice on the last day was SHR which packed up and went home. Considering that NA$CAR’s Celebrity Spokesmodel didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the pack practice, odds are you can expect to see her involved in “The Big One”.
Lotus News
Simona Di Silvestro took the new Lotus Indy car through its paces at Palm Beach International Raceway and Sebring International Raceway. From what I’ve read, Lotus will be running both of their famous livery colors. The BRG & yellow and the black & gold. So for whichever era of Lotus racing you enjoyed, you’ll see a reminder of it.
Dragon Racing, owned by Jay Penske, will be fielding the new Lotus car with Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge behind the wheel. That now makes 2 female drivers behind the wheels of Lotus cars in IndyCar. It’ll be interesting to see Katherine and Simona compare notes of their cars and set-ups while the new car is going through testing. Lotus plans to put 1,000 miles on the current test engine before the testing at Homestead on Jan 23-24. That’s about what Lotus figures to be about half the life cycle of the engine.
On the F-1 side of the Lotus effort, they pioneered an adjustable suspension system which works off of the braking system. Since the driver cannot make the adjustments from the cockpit, FIA has ruled it’s legal despite numerous complaints from other F-1 teams. Once again, we’re seeing racing innovation being made. Hello? NA$CAR?
Dakar Rally
While Robby Gordon didn’t win the rally, he did win a stage or two of it. However, despite having been passed, the sanctioning body said that Robby ran an illegal engine then changed it to illegal duct work doing their best imitation of NA$CAR changing rules in mid-race. Apparently politics came into play after Robby won the final stage of the Rally. It seems that Peterhansel (no, that’s not a German bedroom toy) was supposed to win the last stage but Robby rocked the boat on that one. In an earlier stage of the rally, Robby was trying to pass Peterhansel using the rally’s equivalent to a horn (called a sentinel) however Peterhansel refused to move over and allow the faster Gordon to pass him. Peterhansel should’ve been penalized but wasn’t. Robby had some “kind words” for the Dakar Rally sanctioning body, ASO. One was he might be back next year. The second was “They can kiss my a$$”. While it was a learning experience for Robby, he’s also found another sanctioning body that likes to change rules in mid-race.
RPM & Busch
In one of those “No Duh” statements, RPM stated that the reason they didn’t sign Busch the Elder was that he was poison to sponsors. And it took The King how long to figure that out? I guess he’s getting a little bit slower with age.
Then there’s also the Roush Factor. Considering what Busch the Elder did and said about Roush when he drove for Roush racing, there’s still a lot of animosity there and since Roush builds the engines and cars for RPM, it’s a sure bet that The King wouldn’t have had any new cars or engines had he signed Busch the Elder.
Busch the Elder must be anticipating getting a number of black eyes this season as he’s signed with an eyewear company for sponsorship on the Phoenix Racing car. Last black eye I seem to remember Busch the Elder had came at the hands of Mr Excitement, Jimmy Spencer. However, Busch the Elder has given a number of black eyes to team owners & sponsors. So being able to hide a black eye is important and I’m sure those sunglasses will do a good job.
As to the length of Busch the Elder’s tenure at Phoenix Racing, I’d say it’ll last as long as his past chump provisionals are needed. Then he’ll get the boot the same way Bill Elliott did.
200 MPH Mustang Coming in 2014
When Ford revamps the Mustang for its 60th anniversary celebration, the GT-500 and Mustang Cobra will be equipped with turbo V-8’s that will allow this street car to reach 200 MPH. And as it will be a production model and meets the basic eligibility requirements of a production car, will NA$CAR allow this car to be raced? After all, it is a stock car and isn’t racing stock cars what NA$CAR is supposed to be about?
Bill Lester Rides Again
After being unceremoniously dumped by Autohaus despite a 2nd place season finish, Bill will be back on track in the #18 Muehlner Motorsports Porsche GT 3 for the 24 Hours of Daytona. As it currently stands, this is a one race deal however, I’m sure it will go beyond that based on Bill’s skills and previous experience.
Old Dog, Same Old Tricks
Johnny Benson was planning to make a comeback in 2012 in the Truck Series right up until his sponsor was stolen by NA$CAR’s conjoined incestuous twin I$C to sponsor a race at Michigan. NA$CAR and I$C stealing sponsors is nothing new. They’ve been doing it for decades. However, in these tough economic times, you’d think that with TV contract money coming in and having plenty of sponsors of their own, that they’d leave the sponsor of a popular and well-liked driver like Johnny Benson alone so he could help put butts in the grandstands. But greed trumps common sense once again in the Ivory Towers of Daytona.
Stolen Laptop
In case you missed it, there was a laptop containing drivers’ and NA$CAR officials names and other information that belonged to Aegis Labs that was stolen a while back. Naturally, NA$CAR & Aegis Labs said there was nothing important on the computer and that the laptop was probably in a pawn shop. Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned up on E-Bay with all that supposedly unimportant information on it going to the highest bidder? Or if somebody’s, like Faux King Brian’s, ID was stolen. I can just hear it now. His Royal Highness on the phone talking to Mister Card about a charge on his card. “What do you mean I sent Jeremy Mayfield two dozen roses, a box of chocolates, and a note saying ‘Come back. All is forgiven XOXOXO’?”. Or John Darby talking to American Excuse, “What do you mean I bought a lifetime membership in the Hair Club for Men?”. Or Shrubbery talking to Whiner’s Club, “What do you mean I sent a ton of M&M’s to a diabetic ward? Oh wait, I did. Never mind”.
Curtis Turner for 2016 HOF
Showing posts with label Robby Gordon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robby Gordon. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Will Danica Save NASCAR?
First off, does NASCAR, really need to be saved? Short answer, no.....
but it damn sure can use some help. In the short run, I'm sure Danica's
presence will help.
Jimmy Johnson has won 55 Cup races. As well as 5 Championships, in a row
in what is arguably the most competitive form of motorsports in the world.
Just think for a minute about how many times you see Jimmy on TV in non
racing related situations. Versus Danica who's all over the TV, seemingly
all the time.
Surprisingly, the driver next to Danica, that I see the most on TV outside
of the races is Casey Mears, in his GEICO commercials. Personally I liked
the ones with Mike, & Lauren, Wallace, "story with me is, put him in the
wall." See, if I still remember it. It was an effective commercial, but that
ship has sailed.
The jury's still out on whether she's better known as Danica, the racer, or
Danica, the Go Daddy Girl. The real point here is that she IS, known.
The combination of her talent, looks, & a deep pocket sponsor,
( I'll let you sort these into any order you like, ) have all come together
into the 'perfect marketing storm'.
Until she is able to balance this marketing blitz, (or hype,) with on track
performance, many long time NASCAR fans are going to continue to be turned
off. Regardless of how they feel about this, they're not going to abandon
the sport.
On the other hand, she does have the ability to attract new fans.
In this respect, her presence can't help but be good for the sport.
We've all read the stories about how Dale Jr. winning, will give NASCAR
a big lift. No argument here. Every fan wants to see his, or her, driver
winning. As Dale Jr. has the most fans, then it stands to reason that his
winning would be very good for the sport.
That having been said, this sport is bigger than any of it's stars.
It's bigger than the sum of it's parts, but some of it's parts aren't
doing so well.
My opinion is that overall NASCAR's not nearly as healthy as they
would have us believe. The France family, on the other hand, are
doing extremely well, but are they slowly killing their golden goose?
The economy is getting the lion's share of the blame, & there's no doubt
that it's a big factor, but the decline started before the economic
downturn.
NASCAR has a number of things that need to be addressed to help reverse,
or at least stabilize, it's slide. I'll just focus on a couple of them.
They need exciting on track action. Fights, feuds, & wrecks, serve as
distractions. But until they can come up with a way to make the week, to
week, racing on the so called, 'Cookie Cutter', tracks something that
fans look forward to. Then they've still got a lot of work to do.
Running cars that fans can identify with would be a very good start.
The second thing they need, & this is absolutely critical, is financially
stable owners.
As things stand, being a NASCAR owner, in either Cup, or Nationwide
is absolutely the worst job in the sport. You don't see the drivers going
broke, & leaving the sport, but it's common for owners. Kevin Buckler,
& Rusty Wallace were just the last in a long line, & they won't be the last
for long.
While Rusty, didn't technically go broke. He shuttered his team to avoid it.
Thus proving that his eyesight is still plenty good enough to read the
writing on the wall.
Much has been written about the age of the owners, so I won't plow that
ground again. But I will say this, the sport needs is new owners that will
carry on the traditions laid down by people like the Wood Bros.,
Richard Petty, Rick Hendrick, (regardless of your personal feelings about
him) Roger Penske, Richard Childress, Jack Roush, Joe Gibbs, & yes,
Robby Gordon. It was guys like Robby, that built the sport, & the fact that
he's the only one left, & hanging by a thread is part of the problem.
Instead, we've gotten Bobby Ginn, George Gillett, & Dietrich Mateschitz.
I'm sure that these guys came into the sport, with all the best of intentions.
But the money pit that NASCAR has become, caused them all to flame out
quickly leaving havoc in their wake.
It shouldn't take a business empire to fund a team. A well run team should
pay it's own way. That isn't the case currently. Some of the blame has to
rest with the owners themselves. But a big part of this is on NASCAR.
Two ways this could happen. One would be to franchise the teams, but given the
NASCAR mind set I doubt this will ever happen.
The other way would be for NASCAR to quit sucking up every dollar they can lay
hands on for their own bank account, & see that sponsorship money goes on
cars. Rather than going be the Official whatever, of NASCAR. In the Go Go
days when sponsorship was plentiful this didn't really hurt so much, now it
does.
With the current leadership, (?) a quote from The Man From Snowy River,
comes to mind. "Not Bloody Likely."
The first two Frances, were into racing. Think back to how many times in the
TV era that we saw Bill France. When Cup raced, he was there.
Currently, Brian seems much more into marketing, & leaving the racing to
others. Second thought, that might not be such a bad thing.
I think that if I were called to the NASCAR trailer, by Mike Helton I'd be all
" yes sir, no sir, whatever you say sir". On the other hand, if I were called in by
Brian France, I'd probably have a really hard time not giggling. Helton, seems
like a guy that would have a blackjack in his back pocket. Brian, on the other hand, reminds me more of a guy with a condom in his wallet, & he's carried the same one
for like 5 years.
Bottom line, both Danica, & Dale Jr. have the star power to help NASCAR. But only NASCAR, can solve it's underlying problems.
but it damn sure can use some help. In the short run, I'm sure Danica's
presence will help.
Jimmy Johnson has won 55 Cup races. As well as 5 Championships, in a row
in what is arguably the most competitive form of motorsports in the world.
Just think for a minute about how many times you see Jimmy on TV in non
racing related situations. Versus Danica who's all over the TV, seemingly
all the time.
Surprisingly, the driver next to Danica, that I see the most on TV outside
of the races is Casey Mears, in his GEICO commercials. Personally I liked
the ones with Mike, & Lauren, Wallace, "story with me is, put him in the
wall." See, if I still remember it. It was an effective commercial, but that
ship has sailed.
The jury's still out on whether she's better known as Danica, the racer, or
Danica, the Go Daddy Girl. The real point here is that she IS, known.
The combination of her talent, looks, & a deep pocket sponsor,
( I'll let you sort these into any order you like, ) have all come together
into the 'perfect marketing storm'.
Until she is able to balance this marketing blitz, (or hype,) with on track
performance, many long time NASCAR fans are going to continue to be turned
off. Regardless of how they feel about this, they're not going to abandon
the sport.
On the other hand, she does have the ability to attract new fans.
In this respect, her presence can't help but be good for the sport.
We've all read the stories about how Dale Jr. winning, will give NASCAR
a big lift. No argument here. Every fan wants to see his, or her, driver
winning. As Dale Jr. has the most fans, then it stands to reason that his
winning would be very good for the sport.
That having been said, this sport is bigger than any of it's stars.
It's bigger than the sum of it's parts, but some of it's parts aren't
doing so well.
My opinion is that overall NASCAR's not nearly as healthy as they
would have us believe. The France family, on the other hand, are
doing extremely well, but are they slowly killing their golden goose?
The economy is getting the lion's share of the blame, & there's no doubt
that it's a big factor, but the decline started before the economic
downturn.
NASCAR has a number of things that need to be addressed to help reverse,
or at least stabilize, it's slide. I'll just focus on a couple of them.
They need exciting on track action. Fights, feuds, & wrecks, serve as
distractions. But until they can come up with a way to make the week, to
week, racing on the so called, 'Cookie Cutter', tracks something that
fans look forward to. Then they've still got a lot of work to do.
Running cars that fans can identify with would be a very good start.
The second thing they need, & this is absolutely critical, is financially
stable owners.
As things stand, being a NASCAR owner, in either Cup, or Nationwide
is absolutely the worst job in the sport. You don't see the drivers going
broke, & leaving the sport, but it's common for owners. Kevin Buckler,
& Rusty Wallace were just the last in a long line, & they won't be the last
for long.
While Rusty, didn't technically go broke. He shuttered his team to avoid it.
Thus proving that his eyesight is still plenty good enough to read the
writing on the wall.
Much has been written about the age of the owners, so I won't plow that
ground again. But I will say this, the sport needs is new owners that will
carry on the traditions laid down by people like the Wood Bros.,
Richard Petty, Rick Hendrick, (regardless of your personal feelings about
him) Roger Penske, Richard Childress, Jack Roush, Joe Gibbs, & yes,
Robby Gordon. It was guys like Robby, that built the sport, & the fact that
he's the only one left, & hanging by a thread is part of the problem.
Instead, we've gotten Bobby Ginn, George Gillett, & Dietrich Mateschitz.
I'm sure that these guys came into the sport, with all the best of intentions.
But the money pit that NASCAR has become, caused them all to flame out
quickly leaving havoc in their wake.
It shouldn't take a business empire to fund a team. A well run team should
pay it's own way. That isn't the case currently. Some of the blame has to
rest with the owners themselves. But a big part of this is on NASCAR.
Two ways this could happen. One would be to franchise the teams, but given the
NASCAR mind set I doubt this will ever happen.
The other way would be for NASCAR to quit sucking up every dollar they can lay
hands on for their own bank account, & see that sponsorship money goes on
cars. Rather than going be the Official whatever, of NASCAR. In the Go Go
days when sponsorship was plentiful this didn't really hurt so much, now it
does.
With the current leadership, (?) a quote from The Man From Snowy River,
comes to mind. "Not Bloody Likely."
The first two Frances, were into racing. Think back to how many times in the
TV era that we saw Bill France. When Cup raced, he was there.
Currently, Brian seems much more into marketing, & leaving the racing to
others. Second thought, that might not be such a bad thing.
I think that if I were called to the NASCAR trailer, by Mike Helton I'd be all
" yes sir, no sir, whatever you say sir". On the other hand, if I were called in by
Brian France, I'd probably have a really hard time not giggling. Helton, seems
like a guy that would have a blackjack in his back pocket. Brian, on the other hand, reminds me more of a guy with a condom in his wallet, & he's carried the same one
for like 5 years.
Bottom line, both Danica, & Dale Jr. have the star power to help NASCAR. But only NASCAR, can solve it's underlying problems.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Hot Seat
By Dawg Chapman
Unless you're like the guy in the insurance commercial, & live under a rock.Just why this guy would need insurance always puzzled me, but you get
the idea.
Then you know that as of this writing, a winning Cup seat just become
available, on very short notice. This came about because of a mutual
agreement between Penske, Shell, & Kurt Busch. This strikes me as pretty
significant, because it's probably the only time Bush has been agreeable the
entire season. In a few short months, I'm going to agree to pay my taxes.
It's pretty much the same deal, I expect.
This has to be considers a real serendipitous stroke of luck. Just when some
name drivers had pretty much given up hope of landing a quality ride for 2012,
& were sifting through the available rides. Looking, I'm sure for something
that offered a glimmer of turning into something more than another year of
just hanging on in Cup.
The names most often mentioned are David Reagan, Brian Vickers, David
Reutimann, & Sam Hornish Jr. It's a shame that Clint Bowyer had settled for a seat owned by in his words, "the worst driver in NASCAR." Hmmm, I wonder if there's anything like the "10 second rule" applying to NASCAR contracts? Maybe it could be annulled like a marriage that was never consummated. I really like Clint, but I'll
be unable to pull for him as long as he's driving for Super Shill, but I digress.
One thing that I noticed, was that Elliott Sadler's name was never
mentioned.
I do have a few fantasy picks, & I'm sure you probably do too.
I'd love to see Bobby Labonte, in a good car again. This isn't a put down
of the 47, but as a single car team, they have lots of room for improvement.
Getting out from under Super Shill's umbrella is a good first step, but there's
a lot more steps to be taken before they get to where they want to be. I doubt
Bobby's got time to make the trip. Terry got a similar chance with Hendrick,
late in his career & picked up a second Championship, as a result. Who knows,
maybe lightning could strike twice?
Another good choice, & my personal favorite, would be Robby Gordon.
After 6 Busch years, (sort of like dog years) having Robby on board,
would seem a lot less difficult. Robby's been plowing pretty rocky ground
the last couple of years, & might have a different outlook on being a
little more of an organization man now.
One spot that's empty in Robby's crowded trophy case is for the Indy 500.
If an Indy seat were part of the deal. This could be the perfect win, win
situation for all involved. Another plus that Robby could bring, would be
a ton of very loyal, hard core fans. Way more than any of the other drivers
being considered.
It's no secret, that I think Dave Blaney has been on the short end of
the stick, his NASCAR entire career. I'd dearly love to see what he
could do in a top ride. Again, no disrespect to the 36. I'm happy that
Dave's got a full time ride, that is actually able to race, but...well, you
know.
At this time, it looks like David Ragan his the inside track on the ride,
& of the drivers most mentioned, he's probably the best choice.
One thing is certain, he'll never embarrass the organization, or the
sponsor the way Kurt did.
Whoever ends up in the seat next season, is going to find it a
"hot seat." They're not going to measure up to the criteria that
Shell wants in a driver, so it's sounding like they will be on a one
year contract.
When you consider the alternatives, any driver that's offered the ride,
will jump at the deal. But they need to consider it a year long try out,
& a year like they had this year won't cut it.
Another driver who's in a pretty hot seat, would be Kyle.
I really think both of the Busch Brats should be looking for work
now, but neither his sponsor, or owner was willing to take that
step.....Yet.
I've said several times that "I don't see Kyle as a candy salesman."
One more embarrassing temper tantrum, & Mars/M & M may well
come to the same conclusion.
You can conact Dawg HERE
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Congrats SEAL Team 6, Raymond Parks Jr, Rolling Thunder Modifieds, & Other Things
Congratulations Seal Team 6
A job well done gentlemen on the elimination of terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden and one of his spawn. Hopefully Bin Laden is enjoying his new role as fish food in the Arabian Sea.
After the successful completion of their mission and the announcement to the world of their success, Bruton is donating 1,000 tickets to the Navy SEALs and their families for the upcoming Cup race on Memorial Day weekend.
Richmond Stuff
According to one vendor sales are off by about 25%. He seems to feel they’ll return back to normal when the economy recovers. 2 other vendors said their sales were 50-70% off of what they were in 2009. Either way, it doesn’t sound too good for the vendors at the track.
From what I could see on TV despite Speed‘s best efforts not to show the grandstands, it appears that only 1/3 of the track seating was open for the Busch Series race and that was only half filled. According to a Henrico County Sherriff, he estimated the crowd at about 25,000 for the Busch race. About the same size as last year.
On the Cup race, the blimp shots pretty much said it all as to the track being about half empty. Based on figures from the Henrico County Sherriff’s Office, there were maybe 70,000 people with cars parked in the parking areas. One entire parking lot went unused. It’s a far cry from the 90,000 fans that’s being claimed by some. Sorry Mike Joy, it was not a good-sized crowd. The track seats 112,029 and with only 70,000 people present, that means there were 42,029 people elsewhere.
No problems for the Speed Energy trailer at Richmond and the premiere show of Fast 5 seems to have went without a hitch. The lucky 200 fans who got to see it with Robby Gordon definitely got a thrill from what I heard. The Cup race was also surprising from an exposure point. Robby not only got mentioned but his car was shown, the premiere of the fast 5 movie was mentioned, and also Robby showing up in the motor coach lot driving a faux police car which was tied in with the Fast 5 promotion.
Manufacturer’s Meeting With NA$CAR
According the press release, it’s supposed to be an informal “town hall” meeting. Based on the past town hall meetings with the team owners and drivers, it’s been more one sided than a true meeting. It’s been “NA$CAR talks, you listen”. Hopefully the manufacturers will address the slower than molasses pace at which NA$CAR is moving when it comes to engine technology and incorporating the looks of the street counterparts that than what we see on the track. As it stands, the trucks are supposed to be going generic soon based on an earlier statement from the Truck Series director. That’s not what fans want to see on the track.
A Hall of Fame Must: Raymond Parks Jr.
Without Raymond Parks Jr, Bill France Sr would never have gotten NASCAR off the ground and never been able to keep it going. He was more important to the sport than Bill France Jr. as were the Staley brothers, Red Byron, and Red Vogt and the number of meetings they held at the Wilkes Hotel in North Wilkesboro in order to form NASCAR. Parks money and business savvy were a key part in the formation of the sanctioning body. Unfortunately for Parks, Bill France Sr and a sly lawyer beat both him and the other Founding Fathers of NASCAR out of their rightful place as owners of the sanctioning body. If you really want to find out more about Raymond Parks Jr, read the book “Driving With the Devil” by Neal Thompson. Thompson really lays out both the history of Parks Jr, early stock car racing, and the formation of NASCAR. Parks Jr wasn’t exactly a saint but was one of the colorful characters who got things off the ground and his contributions need to be recognized. And no, I don’t get anything for mentioning the book. It’s a great piece of racing history that fans should read to see how stock car racing started out.
Female Driver to Join Rolling Thunder Modified Series
On May 21, 2011, Lauren Edgerton, Owner and Driver of the #7 modified and Illusion Racing, is scheduled to make the haul from Chesterfield, Virginia to Newport, Tennessee to compete. Lauren is the 2009 East Carolina Speedway Rookie of the Year and UCAR Rookie of the Year, The 2010 Shenandoah Speedway Driver of the Year and the 2010 Shenandoah Speedway UCAR Champion. In Lauren’s four years from 2007 – 2010 she has compiled 18 Wins, 14 Poles, 51 Top 5’s and 73 Top 10’s in 100 starts.
Other Rolling Thunder News
The Rolling Thunder Modifieds will compete for the first time ever in four different states, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina, in the same year during 2011. RTM is a regional modified racing tour which competes on asphalt oval tracks in this region. The cars are IMCA-type Modifieds which use 8” Hoosier racing tires.
Key Motorsports Sponsor DrawTite
Folks know I’m one for helping out the little guys in NA$CAR. Key Motorsports got a sponsor, DrawTite, and needs fans to help them out by going to their sponsor’s web site just to visit. By generating web hits, it’ll show the sponsor that there is a place for them in NA$CAR and with Key Motorsports. And no, I don’t get anything from DrawTite or from Key Motorsports for doing this.
http://www.drawtiteracing.com/
A job well done gentlemen on the elimination of terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden and one of his spawn. Hopefully Bin Laden is enjoying his new role as fish food in the Arabian Sea.
After the successful completion of their mission and the announcement to the world of their success, Bruton is donating 1,000 tickets to the Navy SEALs and their families for the upcoming Cup race on Memorial Day weekend.
Richmond Stuff
According to one vendor sales are off by about 25%. He seems to feel they’ll return back to normal when the economy recovers. 2 other vendors said their sales were 50-70% off of what they were in 2009. Either way, it doesn’t sound too good for the vendors at the track.
From what I could see on TV despite Speed‘s best efforts not to show the grandstands, it appears that only 1/3 of the track seating was open for the Busch Series race and that was only half filled. According to a Henrico County Sherriff, he estimated the crowd at about 25,000 for the Busch race. About the same size as last year.
On the Cup race, the blimp shots pretty much said it all as to the track being about half empty. Based on figures from the Henrico County Sherriff’s Office, there were maybe 70,000 people with cars parked in the parking areas. One entire parking lot went unused. It’s a far cry from the 90,000 fans that’s being claimed by some. Sorry Mike Joy, it was not a good-sized crowd. The track seats 112,029 and with only 70,000 people present, that means there were 42,029 people elsewhere.
No problems for the Speed Energy trailer at Richmond and the premiere show of Fast 5 seems to have went without a hitch. The lucky 200 fans who got to see it with Robby Gordon definitely got a thrill from what I heard. The Cup race was also surprising from an exposure point. Robby not only got mentioned but his car was shown, the premiere of the fast 5 movie was mentioned, and also Robby showing up in the motor coach lot driving a faux police car which was tied in with the Fast 5 promotion.
Manufacturer’s Meeting With NA$CAR
According the press release, it’s supposed to be an informal “town hall” meeting. Based on the past town hall meetings with the team owners and drivers, it’s been more one sided than a true meeting. It’s been “NA$CAR talks, you listen”. Hopefully the manufacturers will address the slower than molasses pace at which NA$CAR is moving when it comes to engine technology and incorporating the looks of the street counterparts that than what we see on the track. As it stands, the trucks are supposed to be going generic soon based on an earlier statement from the Truck Series director. That’s not what fans want to see on the track.
A Hall of Fame Must: Raymond Parks Jr.
Without Raymond Parks Jr, Bill France Sr would never have gotten NASCAR off the ground and never been able to keep it going. He was more important to the sport than Bill France Jr. as were the Staley brothers, Red Byron, and Red Vogt and the number of meetings they held at the Wilkes Hotel in North Wilkesboro in order to form NASCAR. Parks money and business savvy were a key part in the formation of the sanctioning body. Unfortunately for Parks, Bill France Sr and a sly lawyer beat both him and the other Founding Fathers of NASCAR out of their rightful place as owners of the sanctioning body. If you really want to find out more about Raymond Parks Jr, read the book “Driving With the Devil” by Neal Thompson. Thompson really lays out both the history of Parks Jr, early stock car racing, and the formation of NASCAR. Parks Jr wasn’t exactly a saint but was one of the colorful characters who got things off the ground and his contributions need to be recognized. And no, I don’t get anything for mentioning the book. It’s a great piece of racing history that fans should read to see how stock car racing started out.
Female Driver to Join Rolling Thunder Modified Series
On May 21, 2011, Lauren Edgerton, Owner and Driver of the #7 modified and Illusion Racing, is scheduled to make the haul from Chesterfield, Virginia to Newport, Tennessee to compete. Lauren is the 2009 East Carolina Speedway Rookie of the Year and UCAR Rookie of the Year, The 2010 Shenandoah Speedway Driver of the Year and the 2010 Shenandoah Speedway UCAR Champion. In Lauren’s four years from 2007 – 2010 she has compiled 18 Wins, 14 Poles, 51 Top 5’s and 73 Top 10’s in 100 starts.
Other Rolling Thunder News
The Rolling Thunder Modifieds will compete for the first time ever in four different states, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina, in the same year during 2011. RTM is a regional modified racing tour which competes on asphalt oval tracks in this region. The cars are IMCA-type Modifieds which use 8” Hoosier racing tires.
Key Motorsports Sponsor DrawTite
Folks know I’m one for helping out the little guys in NA$CAR. Key Motorsports got a sponsor, DrawTite, and needs fans to help them out by going to their sponsor’s web site just to visit. By generating web hits, it’ll show the sponsor that there is a place for them in NA$CAR and with Key Motorsports. And no, I don’t get anything from DrawTite or from Key Motorsports for doing this.
http://www.drawtiteracing.com/
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tax Deductions, Missing Memorabilia, HOF, & Other Stuff
Sam Ard Donations Can Be Tax Deductible
If you’re looking for a tax deduction for next year, you can donate to the Sam Ard Care Fund through Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) at:
Samuel J. Ard Care Fund
M.R.O.
Smith Tower Suite 405
555 Concord Parkway South
Concord, NC 28027
Ramo Stott Memorabilia Still Missing
Still no word or any leads on the Ramo Stott memorabilia that was stolen from the Stott household in Iowa. There is still a reward for the arrest and conviction of the dirt bags who stole it.
Spinning the Ratings Numbers
NA$CAR’s latest “spin” has to do with the ratings numbers. If they moved a race from one weekend to another, but there was still a race on, then the numbers are still valid. For example, if race #5 of this season is measured against race #5 of last season, then the numbers comparison should be valid. However, because the race locations may be a week earlier or later than last season, the numbers are being skewed to show that this season race at Talladega for example is up versus last year’s race even though they’re not on the same weekend. “Flip it on full spin cycle boys, we want those numbers to look good”.
Nielsen Media Research estimates there are 115.9 million television households in the U.S.A. "Household Rating" is an expression of the percentage of households tuned in to any show at a given time. Therefore, a 1.0 rating would equal an average of 1.159 million households were watching during the program.
2012 HOF Nominees
The announcement was made for next years HOF nominees. And once again I’ll say that Raymond Parks Jr and Red Byron should be inducted. They should’ve both been inducted in the first class. Without the financing of Raymond Parks Jr’s moonshine, Bill France Sr would’ve had to fold up his tent and gone home. In the tradition of real sports, Red Byron should’ve been inducted in the 1st class as he was the first champion. But as this is about family oriented sports entertainment and Faux King Brian doing his best to sever the ties of moonshine and the South to the origins, revising history, and making of what was once a sport, both of them lost out.
After those two, here’s where it gets tricky. There are a lot of worthy folks on the list. The Wood Brothers who revolutionized the pit stop. Two time Grand National and American Motorcycle Association Champion Joe Weatherly. Two time champion Herb Thomas, who’s career was ended early thanks to Carl Kiekhaefer because Herb changed teams and Kiekhaefer was irate about it and had Herb intentionally taken out during a race in Shelby NC after which Herb was never quite the same. Two time Grand National champion Tim Flock who was blackballed by Bill France Sr along with Curtis Turner for trying to form a badly needed drivers’ union which is still needed today is another worthy candidate. There are some sentimental favorites for me on the list. Fireball Roberts, NASCAR’s first real superstar, who was my hero as a kid. Hometown hero Curtis Turner. NASCAR’s original Golden Boy Fred Lorenzen. Cotton Owens who was a success as both an owner and driver and was selected as one of NASCAR’s Top 50 drivers. But despite the accomplishments and contributions of some of these early legends, they won’t make it in because they don’t have the “name recognition” or “star quality” that Faux King Brian is lusting after. Some still have the heavy taint of “redneck”, “Southerner”, and “moonshine” to their names and legends which the Revisionists, PC crowd, and Faux King Brian despise so much. We have one driver who could be selected because of his ethnic background, and no, I’m not going to mention his name because that would be used by Faux King Brian‘s Diversity Program as yet another sham showpiece and actually dishonor the driver. Pick who you want and vote for them. Drop an e-mail to Dustin Long as he’s one of the voting members and let him know who you think should be in the 2012 class and why.
IndyCar Moving Forward
While the dinosaur that is NASCAR still continues on with it’s generic race vehicles and will eventually embrace 1980’s engine technology with the TBI (Throttle Body Injection) system, IndyCar is bringing in engine manufacturers who are using current, state-of-the-art engine technology and will be moving away from their generic 1980’s Dallara bodies to a variety of body styles next season. According to Autoextremist owner/writer Peter De Lorenzo, “Because the buzz at Long Beach wasn't about how great the ALMS is, it was about how many quality teams from the ALMS and Grand-Am were seriously considering giving IndyCar a shot in 2012”. This could boost the car count for IndyCar to levels where they could actually have to resort to “go or go home” qualifying procedures and hurt the Grand-Am Series, which is owned by NA$CAR, because of it‘s dwindling car counts under the “leadership“ of Jim France, Faux King Brian‘s uncle, and the real lack on interest by NA$CAR in the Grand-Am Series and the incorporation of NA$CAR‘s “techniques“ to generate artificial excitement. What’s it going to take to get NA$CAR into the 21st Century, run relevant engine technology, and have race vehicles that actually resemble their street counterparts? A walk-out by the Big 3, which they have threatened to do if NA$CAR doesn’t get off their slower than molasses rear ends and start making the cars readily brand identifiable as either a Mustang, Challenger, or Impala.
Another Woman to Drive in the Indy 500
Conquest Racing has announced that they will be fielding a car for Pippa Mann. This means that the Indy 500 field will have 3 female racers and one female celebrity in the field. Folks don’t know it because Pippa’s not a celebrity but she was the first woman to sit on the pole at IMS and did it in the Indy Light cars. Pippa will be joined by drivers Simona De Silvestro and Ana Beatriz and female celebrity the Queen of Hype.
IndyCar to Bid Bye Bye to the QoH Next Season
It’s looking like the Queen of Hype won’t be back in the IndyCar Series next season based on what sources are telling me. She’ll be spending next season promoting her branding and marketing in NA$CAR full-time instead of the current part-time branding and marketing schedule she’s had the last two seasons. If the branding and marketing schedule on BSPN turned your stomach the last 2 seasons, just wait til next season when it‘s all Danican‘t all the time on BSPN.
No Problems at Talladega for Robby
Robby had his Fast 5/Speed Energy show car and souvenir hauler at Talladega and didn’t have a single problem with his show car being towed, being banned from the I$C tracks, or being accused of “ambush marketing” which is also used by a home improvement company, a car manufacturer, a certain cell phone provider who is the only one allowed thanks to the exclusivity agreement, and the “fine” folks at Focks who employ ambush marketing every time they shill for one certain auto manufacturer who owns Jabber Jaws, certain drivers who are brand names by themselves, the official fuel provider, the official tire provider, and every time they slip in a logo for the Cup and fuel provider on either the roof cam, in-car, or rear cam views with the driver‘s name and car info.
Speaking of which, anyone happen to notice which driver’s fans are being targeted by American Ethernol with the roof cam shots?
SCCA Action at Long Beach
In the SCCA World Challenge race at Long Beach, female driver Shea Holbrook won the Touring Car division. Joey Hand co-piloted the Team BMW RLL M3 to the ALMS GT win at Long Beach. So far he has won the Rolex 24, Sebring, and Long Beach - 3-for-3. Looks like Joey could have a banner year if this keeps up. Can or will anyone step up to the challenge?
US Forces Still Involved With Japanese Relief Efforts
About the only thing we’re hearing about now in the media is the occasional reports about the nuclear reactors that were damaged during the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan but our troops are still there helping with various relief efforts. Now that roads are re-opened, helicopter efforts launched and recovered from the USS Ronald Reagan have been scaled back. Our troops will continue to assist in the relief efforts there until the Japanese government can fully take over for our troops. Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said the U.S. aid underscored the importance of the two nations’ military alliance. “At no other time have I felt as proud of our alliance with the United States,” Kitazawa was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying. So while things may be scaling back some, we’ve still got goodwill ambassadors on the ground lending a helping hand.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Robby's Texas Nightmare
What seemed to be just another race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway has turned into a nightmare for Robby Gordon. As usual Robby, as the owner of Speed Energy Drink, sent the check in to SMI to pay for the lot space for his souvenir hauler and as usual it cleared the bank. That is considered to be a binding contract in several states. No misrepresentation on Robby’s part since it was clearly from Speed Energy Drink. He didn’t have a problem at Las Vegas or Bristol, two other SMI tracks, and didn’t have a problem with the ISC tracks at Daytona, Fontana, Phoenix, or Martinsville. Once Robby’s Speed Energy Drink souvenir hauler and show car showed up, that’s when the nightmare ensued.
First, Texas Motor Speedway towed Robby’s Fast 5 show car away. The show car was there as a part of a Universal Pictures promotion for the upcoming Fast 5 movie. What’s odd is that there were other energy drink show cars parked in the same area that looked like they’d been parked there for several months and none of them were towed. And there were the souvenir haulers for the other energy drinks all along the row of souvenir haulers and nobody was bothering the Junior haulers (Amp Energy Drink splashed all over it), the Red Bull Haulers (Red Bull a competitor of Coca Cola’s Full Throttle), or Shrubbery’s souvenir trailer (with NOS in plain view on the trailer).
SPEED ENERGY
Check it out TMS has threatened to take all of our product and tow our merchandise hauler out of the racetrack! WTF
Then they were wanting to haul away the Speed Energy Drink souvenir hauler and confiscate all of the Speed Energy product that there. When Robby made his initial enquiry as to what was going on, he was told by Texas Motor Speedway that the track was sponsored by Red Bull and it was out of respect to Red Bull that they were doing this. Gee, that sure is funny. All of the SMI tracks are sponsored by Coca Cola, who manufactures the Full Throttle energy drink and distributes Monster Energy Drink. So that would mean that SMI violated their contract with Coca Cola by taking on the Red Bull sponsorship at Texas Motor Speedway. But wait, it gets even better.
Robby’s then sent a Twitter message that he didn’t get permission from the sales department to hand out free samples of the Speed Energy Drink.
Texas Motor Speedway
Every brand who hands out samples needs authorization from our sales team. Every sports venue has these rules, and we're not against anyone.
Since when did a salesman get to override a written contract? The worst that Texas Motor Speedway should’ve been able to do is make them keep the free sample behind the counter. At Charlotte and Atlanta, I’ve had samples handed to me from companies who weren’t on track property. And Robby hasn’t had a problem with this at the other SMI tracks prior to Texas. But wait, it gets even better.
Robby then receives a letter from SMI which prohibits his Speed Energy Drink souvenir hauler from all SMI tracks. Gee, could that be because Robby’s Speed Energy Drink isn’t listed as one of SMI’s “valued partners” that the Speed Energy souvenir hauler is being banned from all the SMI tracks? Since when did tracks have the authority to prohibit sponsors from showing off their wares at the tracks? Didn’t NA$CAR approve Speed Energy as a sponsor? Does this also mean that the tracks can ban certain makes of vehicles from racing because they’re not the “official vehicle” of that particular track?
SPEED ENERGY
Just so you guys know, TMS sent the letter that they gave us to revoke our access to promote to ALL the SMI properties. Which means next SMI track you prob wont get any SPEED Energy. Really?
And how about some of the ads Texas Motor Speedway has used with Dale Jr in his AMP uniform which clearly show the Amp logo and Mountain Dew logo and show the Amp or Mountain Dew car? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical of them as they’re supposed to be a Coca Cola track? Or a Red Bull track if you believe Texas Motor Speedway?
And since the Fast Five movie logos are on the car this weekend, Universal Pictures was expecting some reasonable appearance obligations that Texas Motor Speedway is now interfering with. Will SMI, Gossage, and Bruton stand together when they realize a fight with a major movie studio who has more lawyers than SMI does is the consequence, or will finger pointing ensue?
And how about the actual race coverage? When they showed the Dodge Chargers of the Race graphic, they showed the 2 & 22 cars from a blimp/helicopter shot but the 7 was nowhere to be seen. During the race, there’s usually an accidental shot of Robby’s car usually when he’s near one of the Chosen Ones, he’s in or near a wreck, or he’s being lapped. But no, not a single shot of his car the entire night unlike all the previous race of the season where we at least caught a small glimpse of at least a quarterpanel.
Anyone remember what happened at Las Vegas when Robby Gordon was qualifying? No? Let me refresh your memory with this video clip.
http://youtu.be/UotI8eQynv4
One thing Speed Energy did make clear in a Twitter is that THEY aren’t calling for fans to boycott Texas Motor Speedway
SPEED ENERGY
We would never tell any1 to boycott anything. just showing what is out there. TMS is a great facility & we all want what's best for the sport
So while Speed Energy Drink might not be calling for a boycott, I’m thinking fans might want to rethink their plans involving Texas Motor Speedway, any events they host, any events they sponsor, and also purchasing any goods from any of the track’s sponsors. like Coca Cola, UPS, Dickies, Brookshires, Samsung Mobile, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Chevy, Bank of America, WinStar World Casino, Firestone, and others. Fans might also want to go to the speedway’s web site under the “contacts” section and drop Eddie Gossage, the man who forget to put Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s driver’s uniform in a safe, secure area which resulted in it being stolen, a line and let him know your opinion on this whole deal and your future plans and those of your friends and family members regarding Texas Motor Speedway and the track’s sponsors.
First, Texas Motor Speedway towed Robby’s Fast 5 show car away. The show car was there as a part of a Universal Pictures promotion for the upcoming Fast 5 movie. What’s odd is that there were other energy drink show cars parked in the same area that looked like they’d been parked there for several months and none of them were towed. And there were the souvenir haulers for the other energy drinks all along the row of souvenir haulers and nobody was bothering the Junior haulers (Amp Energy Drink splashed all over it), the Red Bull Haulers (Red Bull a competitor of Coca Cola’s Full Throttle), or Shrubbery’s souvenir trailer (with NOS in plain view on the trailer).
SPEED ENERGY
Check it out TMS has threatened to take all of our product and tow our merchandise hauler out of the racetrack! WTF
Then they were wanting to haul away the Speed Energy Drink souvenir hauler and confiscate all of the Speed Energy product that there. When Robby made his initial enquiry as to what was going on, he was told by Texas Motor Speedway that the track was sponsored by Red Bull and it was out of respect to Red Bull that they were doing this. Gee, that sure is funny. All of the SMI tracks are sponsored by Coca Cola, who manufactures the Full Throttle energy drink and distributes Monster Energy Drink. So that would mean that SMI violated their contract with Coca Cola by taking on the Red Bull sponsorship at Texas Motor Speedway. But wait, it gets even better.
Robby’s then sent a Twitter message that he didn’t get permission from the sales department to hand out free samples of the Speed Energy Drink.
Texas Motor Speedway
Every brand who hands out samples needs authorization from our sales team. Every sports venue has these rules, and we're not against anyone.
Since when did a salesman get to override a written contract? The worst that Texas Motor Speedway should’ve been able to do is make them keep the free sample behind the counter. At Charlotte and Atlanta, I’ve had samples handed to me from companies who weren’t on track property. And Robby hasn’t had a problem with this at the other SMI tracks prior to Texas. But wait, it gets even better.
Robby then receives a letter from SMI which prohibits his Speed Energy Drink souvenir hauler from all SMI tracks. Gee, could that be because Robby’s Speed Energy Drink isn’t listed as one of SMI’s “valued partners” that the Speed Energy souvenir hauler is being banned from all the SMI tracks? Since when did tracks have the authority to prohibit sponsors from showing off their wares at the tracks? Didn’t NA$CAR approve Speed Energy as a sponsor? Does this also mean that the tracks can ban certain makes of vehicles from racing because they’re not the “official vehicle” of that particular track?
SPEED ENERGY
Just so you guys know, TMS sent the letter that they gave us to revoke our access to promote to ALL the SMI properties. Which means next SMI track you prob wont get any SPEED Energy. Really?
And how about some of the ads Texas Motor Speedway has used with Dale Jr in his AMP uniform which clearly show the Amp logo and Mountain Dew logo and show the Amp or Mountain Dew car? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical of them as they’re supposed to be a Coca Cola track? Or a Red Bull track if you believe Texas Motor Speedway?
And since the Fast Five movie logos are on the car this weekend, Universal Pictures was expecting some reasonable appearance obligations that Texas Motor Speedway is now interfering with. Will SMI, Gossage, and Bruton stand together when they realize a fight with a major movie studio who has more lawyers than SMI does is the consequence, or will finger pointing ensue?
And how about the actual race coverage? When they showed the Dodge Chargers of the Race graphic, they showed the 2 & 22 cars from a blimp/helicopter shot but the 7 was nowhere to be seen. During the race, there’s usually an accidental shot of Robby’s car usually when he’s near one of the Chosen Ones, he’s in or near a wreck, or he’s being lapped. But no, not a single shot of his car the entire night unlike all the previous race of the season where we at least caught a small glimpse of at least a quarterpanel.
Anyone remember what happened at Las Vegas when Robby Gordon was qualifying? No? Let me refresh your memory with this video clip.
http://youtu.be/UotI8eQynv4
One thing Speed Energy did make clear in a Twitter is that THEY aren’t calling for fans to boycott Texas Motor Speedway
SPEED ENERGY
We would never tell any1 to boycott anything. just showing what is out there. TMS is a great facility & we all want what's best for the sport
So while Speed Energy Drink might not be calling for a boycott, I’m thinking fans might want to rethink their plans involving Texas Motor Speedway, any events they host, any events they sponsor, and also purchasing any goods from any of the track’s sponsors. like Coca Cola, UPS, Dickies, Brookshires, Samsung Mobile, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Chevy, Bank of America, WinStar World Casino, Firestone, and others. Fans might also want to go to the speedway’s web site under the “contacts” section and drop Eddie Gossage, the man who forget to put Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s driver’s uniform in a safe, secure area which resulted in it being stolen, a line and let him know your opinion on this whole deal and your future plans and those of your friends and family members regarding Texas Motor Speedway and the track’s sponsors.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Provider Issues, Twitter, Firestone, & Legends Helping Legends
Dish Network & LIN Media Making Enemies Quick
In the battle between Dish Network and LIN Media, a lot of stations were cut off from not only Fox but also local news coverage. It appears Dish is not willing to pay LIN Media for a rate increase so LIN Media cut off their service to Dish. This definitely will not help the ratings this weekend and will also serve as an excuse should the ratings be down because of the affected cities. From reading several comments by Dish subscribers, they plan to discontinue service because of this dispute.
Championship Worries
Back in 2003, the big worry was about having a Cup Series champion who didn’t have a win. This same worry is starting to come up now with the Busch Series as a result of the new rules and points restructuring. As it stands right now, and based on the performance of the Buschwackers over the last several years, this problem could be a very real one for Faux King Brian and friends. If it does happen, don’t be a bit surprised if there’s another restructuring of the points system specifically for the Busch Series.
Something to Think About
Old Man Time wins the Busch Series race and gets one headline. The Queen of Hype finishes 4th and gets 11 headlines as of Sunday. Is 4th the new 1st? Or is it that she’s been deemed the new Messiah to save NA$CAR from it’s woes of poor attendance, poor TV ratings, poor souvenir sales, and financial problems caused by their previous Messiah not living to all the hype that was generated by him from the Ivory Towers?
And don't fall for the hype. The Queen of Hype finished 4th, which is the highest finish for a female driver in the Busch Series. Sara Christian finished 5th in the NASCAR Stritctly Stock Series in 1949, which is today's Cup Series. There's a big difference between Cup and Busch. So while she did set a record, she hasn't set THE record. Keep trying.
It’s Official, Firestone is Leaving IndyCar
Firestone announced that they will be leaving the IndyCar Series at the end of the 2011 season. This opens the door for a lot of tire manufacturers to step up and fill the gap. It would be quite a marketing coup if Hoosier got the contract. Hoosier tires on race cars in the Hoosier state. The Dallara “tub” being built in the Hoosier state. Lots of possibilities there on the Hoosier connection if they land the tire contract.
According to Robin Miller of Speed TV, Goodyear, Hoosier, and Cooper are all interested in being the replacement tire company. Miller thinks Goodyear will get the nod.
Twitter Traffic of Interest
I don’t know how many folks heard about Jeremy Mayfield’s interview on Speed TV being stopped by Paul Brooks, but here’s a couple of Tweets regarding that from Mayfield himself:
jeremymayfield
Paul Brooks, "you won't be able to stop my next interview"
jeremymayfield
@beaverlakekid thanks, I'm gonna start telling my side of the story, "everything" they can't control what I say here.
I mentioned Jabber Jaws and his remarks about being a fan.
Darrell Waltrip
hey twitterville, I have absolutely nothing to do with the tv coverage of the Nationwide series, I'm a fan and follow it just like you do !
Just remember what the lamestream whiners said, “if you have media credentials you can’t cheer or applaud”. Not to mention Jabber Jaws own words from the Truck Series days. “You shouldn’t be involved if you’re a fan”. Words to live by there Jabber Jaws. So leave the announcing booth.
Jeff Gluck
Danica was pissed she didn't get the free pass there: "F---- lucky dog!!! Keeps biting my ass!!!" or something like that.
If you believe the hype she should’ve won the race before the green flag dropped. As to the quote by Gluck, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. Ever so ladylike. Maybe she needs to hang out with Jennifer Jo Cobb and learn how a female driver handles adversity.
ESPN Strikes Again
In what was supposed to be an article titled “Danica Patrick Talks Crashes, NASCAR”. This would lead you to think that it’s about her racing in NA$CAR. But no, the first two paragraphs are about promoting IndyCar races in Texas and mentioning there might be a crash. Is that what IndyCar fans turn out for nowadays? Crashes? Isn’t that what they say NA$CAR fans turn out for? She spends more time talking about IndyCar than she does about NA$CAR and her Busch Series races. Maybe it should’ve been titled “Danica Talks About Her 2011 Racing Season”. It seems like sort of deceptive way to get some web hits on the article.
Another “strike” against BSPN came this past weekend when the Busch Series race was pre-empted by college basketball in a number of cities. If the Disney bunch (Disney/ABC/BSPN) knew this would happen, then why even bother bidding on the TV contract and angering race fans around the country who have no interest in college hoops? Any bets more races get pre-empted as March Madness continues?
Oops!
Leave it to Speed TV expert and alienator of race fans everywhere to pull one like this. This is from Bob Pockrass on Twitter last Thursday:
Kenny Wallace gets black-flagged. He says on radio "They're black-flagging me?" And then he says, "Oh, I never signed in."
You’re not a real race car driver if you can’t remember to sign in at the NA$CAR trailer? I guess that’s a good paraphrase of his famous weekly remark.
Your Bias is Showing Again
During Cup qualifying, the almighty Jabbers Jaws couldn’t give the Fords credit for qualifying well. Any time a Chosen One or his favorite brand of car didn’t qualify well, it was because of the bumps on the track even though the Fords ran over the same exact bumps as everyone else.
Astute Observation
Erin made a very astute observation about the so-called “journalists” covering NA$CAR.
If you cover NASCAR you are an entertainment reporter...and as we've all seen covering entertainment requires no ethics!
And she makes a very good point. As NA$CAR events are held in entertainment venues and by their own admission is sports entertainment, they are entertainment and as such, all the ethical standards of “real journalism” do not apply. That means all of these supposed journalist covering NA$CAR are little more than reporters for shows like Entertainment Tonight or magazines like Entertainment Weekly. This explains why there are so many fluff pieces written or shown on the NA$CAR related TV shows. That’s racer-tainment!
Premature Enunciations
Some of the Kool Aid drinkers are saying that all of NA$CAR’s woes are over now and that everything has turned around and everything is sunshine and lollipops. We’re 3 races into the new season. There is no sports competition to speak of at this point, like play-offs or the start of the new stick and ball seasons. Unlike the Kool Aid Kids, I’m not quite ready to pull the patient off of life support yet just because they’re twitching from autonomous system reactions. Lets see how things go when we’ve got March Madness going on, MLB is playing, and the NBA play-offs are hitting their stride.
Robby Gordon on Double Secret Probation
It seems that after a shouting match between Robby and driver of the Stiffy Mobile Kevin Conway over money matters, Conway filed a report with the LVPD and complained to NA$CAR. NA$CAR in turn placed Robby on Indefinite Probation. I wonder just how long that will be considering Curtis Turner was banned for life and re-instated and some other folks more recently who were booted for drug use with indefinite suspensions have been re-instated. Will he have to pray to the Ivory Towers, wear a camel hair fire suit, and do thousands of mea culpas as penance?
Plus a few unanswered questions. Just what was a Busch Series driver (Conway) doing in the Cup garage? That sounds to me like he was looking for trouble. No answer out of NA$CAR. So why didn't they both receive the same punishment? No answer out of NA$CAR. Based on my past experience, unless you have Cup credentials, you can't go into the Cup garage if the area is segregated from the other series. But then the lamestream media isn't asking the questions either, which is no surprise.
Upcoming Events
5th Annual Legends Helping Legends Fundraiser at the Memory Lane Museum
Date: March 26, 2011
Location: Memory Lane Museum
Street: 769 River Highway (Hwy 150) I mile west of I-77 Exit 36
City/Town: Mooresville, NC
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Phone: 704-662-3673
As of right now, there’s expected to be 40 racing personalities there. That’s on the same weekend as the annual Fontana snooze fest so if you want to stay awake for something a little more interesting, you should come to this fundraiser and meet some of the racing greats who drove when it really was stock cars.
Cool Deal
LVMS and the USAF did something pretty cool with the large enlistment ceremony that was done at LVMS before the race. One of my son’s friend’s had her son swear in as part of the ceremony and she’s a very proud mom. I don’t blame her either. So thanks to LVMS for providing the time and space for the enlistment ceremony of these fine young folks who will be serving our country and keeping us safe. Too bad Focks didn’t have the gumption to show this. It would’ve been more interesting than hearing the English language get repeatedly butchered or the continuous yammering of Jabber Jaws.
In the battle between Dish Network and LIN Media, a lot of stations were cut off from not only Fox but also local news coverage. It appears Dish is not willing to pay LIN Media for a rate increase so LIN Media cut off their service to Dish. This definitely will not help the ratings this weekend and will also serve as an excuse should the ratings be down because of the affected cities. From reading several comments by Dish subscribers, they plan to discontinue service because of this dispute.
Championship Worries
Back in 2003, the big worry was about having a Cup Series champion who didn’t have a win. This same worry is starting to come up now with the Busch Series as a result of the new rules and points restructuring. As it stands right now, and based on the performance of the Buschwackers over the last several years, this problem could be a very real one for Faux King Brian and friends. If it does happen, don’t be a bit surprised if there’s another restructuring of the points system specifically for the Busch Series.
Something to Think About
Old Man Time wins the Busch Series race and gets one headline. The Queen of Hype finishes 4th and gets 11 headlines as of Sunday. Is 4th the new 1st? Or is it that she’s been deemed the new Messiah to save NA$CAR from it’s woes of poor attendance, poor TV ratings, poor souvenir sales, and financial problems caused by their previous Messiah not living to all the hype that was generated by him from the Ivory Towers?
And don't fall for the hype. The Queen of Hype finished 4th, which is the highest finish for a female driver in the Busch Series. Sara Christian finished 5th in the NASCAR Stritctly Stock Series in 1949, which is today's Cup Series. There's a big difference between Cup and Busch. So while she did set a record, she hasn't set THE record. Keep trying.
It’s Official, Firestone is Leaving IndyCar
Firestone announced that they will be leaving the IndyCar Series at the end of the 2011 season. This opens the door for a lot of tire manufacturers to step up and fill the gap. It would be quite a marketing coup if Hoosier got the contract. Hoosier tires on race cars in the Hoosier state. The Dallara “tub” being built in the Hoosier state. Lots of possibilities there on the Hoosier connection if they land the tire contract.
According to Robin Miller of Speed TV, Goodyear, Hoosier, and Cooper are all interested in being the replacement tire company. Miller thinks Goodyear will get the nod.
Twitter Traffic of Interest
I don’t know how many folks heard about Jeremy Mayfield’s interview on Speed TV being stopped by Paul Brooks, but here’s a couple of Tweets regarding that from Mayfield himself:
jeremymayfield
Paul Brooks, "you won't be able to stop my next interview"
jeremymayfield
@beaverlakekid thanks, I'm gonna start telling my side of the story, "everything" they can't control what I say here.
I mentioned Jabber Jaws and his remarks about being a fan.
Darrell Waltrip
hey twitterville, I have absolutely nothing to do with the tv coverage of the Nationwide series, I'm a fan and follow it just like you do !
Just remember what the lamestream whiners said, “if you have media credentials you can’t cheer or applaud”. Not to mention Jabber Jaws own words from the Truck Series days. “You shouldn’t be involved if you’re a fan”. Words to live by there Jabber Jaws. So leave the announcing booth.
Jeff Gluck
Danica was pissed she didn't get the free pass there: "F---- lucky dog!!! Keeps biting my ass!!!" or something like that.
If you believe the hype she should’ve won the race before the green flag dropped. As to the quote by Gluck, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. Ever so ladylike. Maybe she needs to hang out with Jennifer Jo Cobb and learn how a female driver handles adversity.
ESPN Strikes Again
In what was supposed to be an article titled “Danica Patrick Talks Crashes, NASCAR”. This would lead you to think that it’s about her racing in NA$CAR. But no, the first two paragraphs are about promoting IndyCar races in Texas and mentioning there might be a crash. Is that what IndyCar fans turn out for nowadays? Crashes? Isn’t that what they say NA$CAR fans turn out for? She spends more time talking about IndyCar than she does about NA$CAR and her Busch Series races. Maybe it should’ve been titled “Danica Talks About Her 2011 Racing Season”. It seems like sort of deceptive way to get some web hits on the article.
Another “strike” against BSPN came this past weekend when the Busch Series race was pre-empted by college basketball in a number of cities. If the Disney bunch (Disney/ABC/BSPN) knew this would happen, then why even bother bidding on the TV contract and angering race fans around the country who have no interest in college hoops? Any bets more races get pre-empted as March Madness continues?
Oops!
Leave it to Speed TV expert and alienator of race fans everywhere to pull one like this. This is from Bob Pockrass on Twitter last Thursday:
Kenny Wallace gets black-flagged. He says on radio "They're black-flagging me?" And then he says, "Oh, I never signed in."
You’re not a real race car driver if you can’t remember to sign in at the NA$CAR trailer? I guess that’s a good paraphrase of his famous weekly remark.
Your Bias is Showing Again
During Cup qualifying, the almighty Jabbers Jaws couldn’t give the Fords credit for qualifying well. Any time a Chosen One or his favorite brand of car didn’t qualify well, it was because of the bumps on the track even though the Fords ran over the same exact bumps as everyone else.
Astute Observation
Erin made a very astute observation about the so-called “journalists” covering NA$CAR.
If you cover NASCAR you are an entertainment reporter...and as we've all seen covering entertainment requires no ethics!
And she makes a very good point. As NA$CAR events are held in entertainment venues and by their own admission is sports entertainment, they are entertainment and as such, all the ethical standards of “real journalism” do not apply. That means all of these supposed journalist covering NA$CAR are little more than reporters for shows like Entertainment Tonight or magazines like Entertainment Weekly. This explains why there are so many fluff pieces written or shown on the NA$CAR related TV shows. That’s racer-tainment!
Premature Enunciations
Some of the Kool Aid drinkers are saying that all of NA$CAR’s woes are over now and that everything has turned around and everything is sunshine and lollipops. We’re 3 races into the new season. There is no sports competition to speak of at this point, like play-offs or the start of the new stick and ball seasons. Unlike the Kool Aid Kids, I’m not quite ready to pull the patient off of life support yet just because they’re twitching from autonomous system reactions. Lets see how things go when we’ve got March Madness going on, MLB is playing, and the NBA play-offs are hitting their stride.
Robby Gordon on Double Secret Probation
It seems that after a shouting match between Robby and driver of the Stiffy Mobile Kevin Conway over money matters, Conway filed a report with the LVPD and complained to NA$CAR. NA$CAR in turn placed Robby on Indefinite Probation. I wonder just how long that will be considering Curtis Turner was banned for life and re-instated and some other folks more recently who were booted for drug use with indefinite suspensions have been re-instated. Will he have to pray to the Ivory Towers, wear a camel hair fire suit, and do thousands of mea culpas as penance?
Plus a few unanswered questions. Just what was a Busch Series driver (Conway) doing in the Cup garage? That sounds to me like he was looking for trouble. No answer out of NA$CAR. So why didn't they both receive the same punishment? No answer out of NA$CAR. Based on my past experience, unless you have Cup credentials, you can't go into the Cup garage if the area is segregated from the other series. But then the lamestream media isn't asking the questions either, which is no surprise.
Upcoming Events
5th Annual Legends Helping Legends Fundraiser at the Memory Lane Museum
Date: March 26, 2011
Location: Memory Lane Museum
Street: 769 River Highway (Hwy 150) I mile west of I-77 Exit 36
City/Town: Mooresville, NC
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Phone: 704-662-3673
As of right now, there’s expected to be 40 racing personalities there. That’s on the same weekend as the annual Fontana snooze fest so if you want to stay awake for something a little more interesting, you should come to this fundraiser and meet some of the racing greats who drove when it really was stock cars.
Cool Deal
LVMS and the USAF did something pretty cool with the large enlistment ceremony that was done at LVMS before the race. One of my son’s friend’s had her son swear in as part of the ceremony and she’s a very proud mom. I don’t blame her either. So thanks to LVMS for providing the time and space for the enlistment ceremony of these fine young folks who will be serving our country and keeping us safe. Too bad Focks didn’t have the gumption to show this. It would’ve been more interesting than hearing the English language get repeatedly butchered or the continuous yammering of Jabber Jaws.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Never Ending Rules Changes, Safety Concerns, and Other Stuff
Daytona Rules Changes Seem Never Ending This Season
I asked when the insurance company would force NA$CAR to slow the cars down and every time the Cup and Busch Series cars got above the 200 MPH limit, a new set of rules and specs were issued. We were assured that after the grill changes nothing else would be done. Well, guess what? Both the Cup and Busch Series were made to run smaller restrictor plates. So all the testing the teams did over the off-season at Daytona was for nothing. About the only info that was useful was the tire wear info and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the tires were the next thing changed before Sunday’s race. And I also wouldn’t be a bit surprised if NA$CAR did something else to make the races even worse than what they’re going to be. Maybe have the teams carry an extra 1,000 lbs of ballast or a boat anchor to “improve the show”.
Safety Concerns
Something that has been mentioned since the introduction of the generic race vehicle has been the inability of the drivers to see out the rear of the car or to see through the car ahead of them leaving drivers to pretty much drive blind when they’re on the restrictor plate tracks. This is a major safety issue which seems to have fallen on deaf ears just like what the fans really want. For once, it would be nice if NA$CAR actually was pro-active with safety rather than their usual reactive. Like maybe using Lexan for the rear spoiler so the drivers can see who’s behind them or through the car ahead of them. They use it for the “glass” in the cars. So why not use it for the spoiler to give the drivers more visibility.
You’re Bias is Showing
During the coverage of the practice session in which Jr wrecked his car, it didn’t take long for someone to find a scapegoat. They placed blame on Robby Gordon. Last season, Robby was partially immune from criticism of anything happening on the track in close proximity to him because of the make of decals that were on the generic kit car he was driving. Now that he’s sporting Dodge decals on the generic machine, he’ll be the official scapegoat of anything that happens within 100 yards of him. Even if it’s 100 yards behind him, it’ll be Robby’s fault. Just watch.
Keeping the Records Straight
I’ve mentioned from time to time that NA$CAR needs to correct the record of Bobby Allison to show he has 85 wins and not 84. For some reason they steadfastly refuse to give him credit for a Winston Cup win he got driving a Mustang in 1971 at Bowman-Gray Stadium even though Bill France Sr. asked him to enter the race and run the Mustang.
Another bit of record-keeping NA$CAR refuses to acknowledge is the 1982 Sam Ard actually won 16 races. According to NA$CAR, they didn’t start keeping track of the Busch Series records until 1983. However, some recent records were turned up that showed Sam had 16 wins that season which means that his actual record is still intact and that Shrubbery still hasn’t broken it.
I think an unbiased, outside source needs to come in and correct the record books so that drivers get the credit they’re due and that history and any integrity that might possibly exists in the grout of the bathroom floor next to the mold and mildew of NA$CAR can be maintained.
Promises Promises
I don’t know how many folks remember a tune of that name but having been a musician in my youth it was a song I was familiar with. It seems that during an interview last year with a female reporter from MRN that Kyle “Shrubbery” Busch made a promise to once again help out Sam Ard when he officially broke his record. Now don’t get me wrong here folks. I know what he did when he tied Sam’s record. He made a $100,000 donation to help Sam and Jo Ard out and it was very much appreciated by them and by a lot of race fans whose opinions of Shrubbery aren’t exactly that great. However, if he’s going to make a promise to help the Ard’s out a second time, then he needs to step up and do it. Let the fans know he’s a man of his word.
Tim Kohuth Sentenced
Tom Kohuth, who was the shop chief with Ultra Motorsports when I had a chance to work with them and first started writing for Laidbackracing.com, was sentenced to a minimum of 9-½ years in jail after a plea agreement on 2nd degree murder charges back in September of last year. This info seems to have been kept very low key. He was driving under the influence when the rollback he was driving crossed a media and hit another vehicle killing the driver. If Tim’s name might sound familiar, he’s part of the reason why Kenny Schrader give us 1-½ thumbs up. My thanks to Ray Dunlap from Speed TV for the info.
Another Interesting Point on Ethanol
Floyd brought this one to my attention. Since ethanol has reduced our gas mileage it means we have to fill up more often. And since we have to fill up more often, we’re helping to fill up the state and federal coffers more often through taxes placed on gasoline by both state and federal governments. Is it any wonder the states aren’t complaining about the reduced gas mileage and why E-15 is being pushed? Less mileage, more fill-ups, more tax revenue.
More on Fuel Injection
My buddy and fellow military veteran Richard was listening to Sirius 128 when they had someone on talking about the pending move to fuel injection. And the interviewee said something that is very, very true when you really look at it. Since the cars will all have to have NA$CAR’s password code to run the fuel injection system and use NA$CAR’s software to run the engines, NA$CAR has effectively created a spec series engine for the cars. It won’t matter what make the car engine is, they’ll all be running the same program which makes them all equal just like a true spec series engine. Just when the snail’s pace towards returning some branding to the cars was happening, we get NA$CAR making something else on the car just like the old IROC cars. You can bet the Big 3 won’t be happy when they figure that one out especially as they want the current, state-of-the-art technology to be used and not the antiquated technology NA$CAR keeps using.
I asked when the insurance company would force NA$CAR to slow the cars down and every time the Cup and Busch Series cars got above the 200 MPH limit, a new set of rules and specs were issued. We were assured that after the grill changes nothing else would be done. Well, guess what? Both the Cup and Busch Series were made to run smaller restrictor plates. So all the testing the teams did over the off-season at Daytona was for nothing. About the only info that was useful was the tire wear info and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the tires were the next thing changed before Sunday’s race. And I also wouldn’t be a bit surprised if NA$CAR did something else to make the races even worse than what they’re going to be. Maybe have the teams carry an extra 1,000 lbs of ballast or a boat anchor to “improve the show”.
Safety Concerns
Something that has been mentioned since the introduction of the generic race vehicle has been the inability of the drivers to see out the rear of the car or to see through the car ahead of them leaving drivers to pretty much drive blind when they’re on the restrictor plate tracks. This is a major safety issue which seems to have fallen on deaf ears just like what the fans really want. For once, it would be nice if NA$CAR actually was pro-active with safety rather than their usual reactive. Like maybe using Lexan for the rear spoiler so the drivers can see who’s behind them or through the car ahead of them. They use it for the “glass” in the cars. So why not use it for the spoiler to give the drivers more visibility.
You’re Bias is Showing
During the coverage of the practice session in which Jr wrecked his car, it didn’t take long for someone to find a scapegoat. They placed blame on Robby Gordon. Last season, Robby was partially immune from criticism of anything happening on the track in close proximity to him because of the make of decals that were on the generic kit car he was driving. Now that he’s sporting Dodge decals on the generic machine, he’ll be the official scapegoat of anything that happens within 100 yards of him. Even if it’s 100 yards behind him, it’ll be Robby’s fault. Just watch.
Keeping the Records Straight
I’ve mentioned from time to time that NA$CAR needs to correct the record of Bobby Allison to show he has 85 wins and not 84. For some reason they steadfastly refuse to give him credit for a Winston Cup win he got driving a Mustang in 1971 at Bowman-Gray Stadium even though Bill France Sr. asked him to enter the race and run the Mustang.
Another bit of record-keeping NA$CAR refuses to acknowledge is the 1982 Sam Ard actually won 16 races. According to NA$CAR, they didn’t start keeping track of the Busch Series records until 1983. However, some recent records were turned up that showed Sam had 16 wins that season which means that his actual record is still intact and that Shrubbery still hasn’t broken it.
I think an unbiased, outside source needs to come in and correct the record books so that drivers get the credit they’re due and that history and any integrity that might possibly exists in the grout of the bathroom floor next to the mold and mildew of NA$CAR can be maintained.
Promises Promises
I don’t know how many folks remember a tune of that name but having been a musician in my youth it was a song I was familiar with. It seems that during an interview last year with a female reporter from MRN that Kyle “Shrubbery” Busch made a promise to once again help out Sam Ard when he officially broke his record. Now don’t get me wrong here folks. I know what he did when he tied Sam’s record. He made a $100,000 donation to help Sam and Jo Ard out and it was very much appreciated by them and by a lot of race fans whose opinions of Shrubbery aren’t exactly that great. However, if he’s going to make a promise to help the Ard’s out a second time, then he needs to step up and do it. Let the fans know he’s a man of his word.
Tim Kohuth Sentenced
Tom Kohuth, who was the shop chief with Ultra Motorsports when I had a chance to work with them and first started writing for Laidbackracing.com, was sentenced to a minimum of 9-½ years in jail after a plea agreement on 2nd degree murder charges back in September of last year. This info seems to have been kept very low key. He was driving under the influence when the rollback he was driving crossed a media and hit another vehicle killing the driver. If Tim’s name might sound familiar, he’s part of the reason why Kenny Schrader give us 1-½ thumbs up. My thanks to Ray Dunlap from Speed TV for the info.
Another Interesting Point on Ethanol
Floyd brought this one to my attention. Since ethanol has reduced our gas mileage it means we have to fill up more often. And since we have to fill up more often, we’re helping to fill up the state and federal coffers more often through taxes placed on gasoline by both state and federal governments. Is it any wonder the states aren’t complaining about the reduced gas mileage and why E-15 is being pushed? Less mileage, more fill-ups, more tax revenue.
More on Fuel Injection
My buddy and fellow military veteran Richard was listening to Sirius 128 when they had someone on talking about the pending move to fuel injection. And the interviewee said something that is very, very true when you really look at it. Since the cars will all have to have NA$CAR’s password code to run the fuel injection system and use NA$CAR’s software to run the engines, NA$CAR has effectively created a spec series engine for the cars. It won’t matter what make the car engine is, they’ll all be running the same program which makes them all equal just like a true spec series engine. Just when the snail’s pace towards returning some branding to the cars was happening, we get NA$CAR making something else on the car just like the old IROC cars. You can bet the Big 3 won’t be happy when they figure that one out especially as they want the current, state-of-the-art technology to be used and not the antiquated technology NA$CAR keeps using.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Exclusivity Agreement
In the past, I’ve written about how the exclusivity deals have kept the teams from getting certain sponsors like telecommunications companies, gasoline companies, and tire companies as sponsors. What I have done is to include a copy from 2009 owner’s document that I found on-line which spells out the exclusivity deals. You’ll notice that even though there is nothing about manufacturers of telecommunications devices in the exclusivity agreement, companies like Motorola, LG, Apple, Blackberry, you have to go to Section 13 to find out just what all is prohibited as far as a telecommunications device. Basically, even a cheap $5 walkie-talkie is prohibited.
And who makes the final determination on whether or not a product doesn’t meet the exclusivity agreement? Well, it’s supposedly NA$CAR but as we saw a couple of years back when Robby Gordon ran Motorola as a sponsor on his car, the Cup Series sponsor raised heck about it and Robby was restricted solely to running the company logo and not any graphics of Motorola’s actual products which range from cell phones to military communications equipment.
And remember what happened to RCR and Mr. Happy when Shell came on board as a sponsor? Once again, it was supposedly NA$CAR who had them change the size of the decals on the car but we know better than that. It was the official fuel provider who caused the actual changes with NA$CAR acting as the hatchet man.
This is a bit long, so my apologies for that, but it is what was on a 2009 Team Owner's Contract. So go ahead and read why the teams are so restricted on finding sponsors.
(a} Sprint Exclusivity. I agree that, in addition to the advertising and promotional rights granted in Section 2, when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or any advertising and promotion using my name, likeness, or based on my participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo. trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me. the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew member’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series uniforms, or the car owner's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing car, as well as the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers. I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Telecommunications Category shall be made by NASCAR at its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.Sprint Exclusivity.
I agree that, in addition to the advertising and promotional rights granted in Section 2, when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or any advertising and promotion using my name, likeness, or based on my participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo. trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me. the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew member’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series uniforms, or the car owner's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing car, as well as the team's equipment, and/or haulers. I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Telecommunications Category shall be made by NASCAR at its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
(b} Goodyear Exclusivity. I agree that when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event, unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo, trademark, or service identification of a company in the Tire Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me, the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.Goodyear Exclusivity.
I agree that when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event, unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo, trademark, or service identification of a company in the Tire Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me, the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and car owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Tire Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes a NASCAR racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and ear owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Tire Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes a NASCAR racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.
(c) Sunoco Exclusivity. I also agree that no company in the Fuel Category (as defined in Section 13 below) shall be permitted to sponsor a car, driver, or team for any product in the Fuel Category. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a company in the Fuel Category may also manufacture lubricants (i.e., motor oil, etc.) and products other than automotive fuel (collectively "Non-Fuel Products"). Companies in the Fuel Category may sponsor a car, driver, or team for any Non-Fuel product provided that the team's racing car must primarily feature the product, brand. logo, trademark or service identification of the Non-Fuel Product. Specifically, any and all Non-Fuel Product branding must appear in a visually dominant manner comprising at least 2/3 of such lnnding on the racing car in conjunction with any corporate fuel company name comprising no more than 1/3 of such branding on the racing car. These branding ratios also apply to the driver's and crew members' uniforms, the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or hauler and any other at-track branding.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark or service identification of a company in the Fuel Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes any NASCAR Series branded racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR branded or NASCAR-style racing vehicle. I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in Fuel Category or the branding ratios comply with this provision, shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
I also agree that no company in the Fuel Category (as defined in Section 13 below) shall be permitted to sponsor a car, driver, or team for any product in the Fuel Category. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a company in the Fuel Category may also manufacture lubricants (i.e., motor oil, etc.) and products other than automotive fuel (collectively "Non-Fuel Products"). Companies in the Fuel Category may sponsor a car, driver, or team for any Non-Fuel product provided that the team's racing car must primarily feature the product, brand. logo, trademark or service identification of the Non-Fuel Product. Specifically, any and all Non-Fuel Product branding must appear in a visually dominant manner comprising at least 2/3 of such lnnding on the racing car in conjunction with any corporate fuel company name comprising no more than 1/3 of such branding on the racing car. These branding ratios also apply to the driver's and crew members' uniforms, the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or hauler and any other at-track branding.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark or service identification of a company in the Fuel Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes any NASCAR Series branded racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR branded or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in Fuel Category or the branding ratios comply with this provision, shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
And who makes the final determination on whether or not a product doesn’t meet the exclusivity agreement? Well, it’s supposedly NA$CAR but as we saw a couple of years back when Robby Gordon ran Motorola as a sponsor on his car, the Cup Series sponsor raised heck about it and Robby was restricted solely to running the company logo and not any graphics of Motorola’s actual products which range from cell phones to military communications equipment.
And remember what happened to RCR and Mr. Happy when Shell came on board as a sponsor? Once again, it was supposedly NA$CAR who had them change the size of the decals on the car but we know better than that. It was the official fuel provider who caused the actual changes with NA$CAR acting as the hatchet man.
This is a bit long, so my apologies for that, but it is what was on a 2009 Team Owner's Contract. So go ahead and read why the teams are so restricted on finding sponsors.
(a} Sprint Exclusivity. I agree that, in addition to the advertising and promotional rights granted in Section 2, when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or any advertising and promotion using my name, likeness, or based on my participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo. trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me. the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew member’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series uniforms, or the car owner's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing car, as well as the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers. I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Telecommunications Category shall be made by NASCAR at its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.Sprint Exclusivity.
I agree that, in addition to the advertising and promotional rights granted in Section 2, when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or any advertising and promotion using my name, likeness, or based on my participation in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo. trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me. the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew member’ NASCAR Sprint Cup Series uniforms, or the car owner's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing car, as well as the team's equipment, and/or haulers. I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Telecommunications Category, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Telecommunications Category shall be made by NASCAR at its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
(b} Goodyear Exclusivity. I agree that when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event, unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo, trademark, or service identification of a company in the Tire Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me, the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.Goodyear Exclusivity.
I agree that when participating in any way in any 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event, unless otherwise expressly authorized in writing by NASCAR, no product, brand, logo, trademark, or service identification of a company in the Tire Category (as defined in Section 13 below) and as determined in NASCAR's sole discretion, will be used or displayed anywhere by me, the team, or any employee or affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to, on the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and car owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Tire Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes a NASCAR racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and ear owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark. or service identification of a company in the Tire Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes a NASCAR racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.agree that NASCAR may, in its sole discretion, refuse to permit or limit the use or display of a product, brand, logo, trademark or since identification of a company in the Tire Category by me, the team, or any employee or any affiliate thereof during the Event, including, but not limited to the driver's or crew members' uniforms, or the car owner's racing car. the team's equipment, and/or haulers.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in the Tire Category shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, actual use of tires other than Goodyear on team equipment other than the racing car (e.g., pit carts and haulers) shall not be considered a breach of the terms of this Agreement.
(c) Sunoco Exclusivity. I also agree that no company in the Fuel Category (as defined in Section 13 below) shall be permitted to sponsor a car, driver, or team for any product in the Fuel Category. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a company in the Fuel Category may also manufacture lubricants (i.e., motor oil, etc.) and products other than automotive fuel (collectively "Non-Fuel Products"). Companies in the Fuel Category may sponsor a car, driver, or team for any Non-Fuel product provided that the team's racing car must primarily feature the product, brand. logo, trademark or service identification of the Non-Fuel Product. Specifically, any and all Non-Fuel Product branding must appear in a visually dominant manner comprising at least 2/3 of such lnnding on the racing car in conjunction with any corporate fuel company name comprising no more than 1/3 of such branding on the racing car. These branding ratios also apply to the driver's and crew members' uniforms, the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or hauler and any other at-track branding.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark or service identification of a company in the Fuel Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes any NASCAR Series branded racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR branded or NASCAR-style racing vehicle. I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in Fuel Category or the branding ratios comply with this provision, shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
I also agree that no company in the Fuel Category (as defined in Section 13 below) shall be permitted to sponsor a car, driver, or team for any product in the Fuel Category. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a company in the Fuel Category may also manufacture lubricants (i.e., motor oil, etc.) and products other than automotive fuel (collectively "Non-Fuel Products"). Companies in the Fuel Category may sponsor a car, driver, or team for any Non-Fuel product provided that the team's racing car must primarily feature the product, brand. logo, trademark or service identification of the Non-Fuel Product. Specifically, any and all Non-Fuel Product branding must appear in a visually dominant manner comprising at least 2/3 of such lnnding on the racing car in conjunction with any corporate fuel company name comprising no more than 1/3 of such branding on the racing car. These branding ratios also apply to the driver's and crew members' uniforms, the car owner's racing car, the team's equipment, and/or hauler and any other at-track branding.
I agree that no team member, including, but not limited to, the driver and owner, may advertise or promote a product, brand, logo, trademark or service identification of a company in the Fuel Category, whether in conjunction with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Event or not, if said advertising or promotion includes any NASCAR Series branded racing (e.g., driver, crew member) suit, whether worn by the team member or not, and/or a NASCAR branded or NASCAR-style racing vehicle.
I understand and agree that all determinations of whether a company is in Fuel Category or the branding ratios comply with this provision, shall be made by NASCAR in its sole discretion and are final and non-litigable.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Dakar Rally Day 1 - Team Hummer
As there’s not much going on with the Beach Boy Bubbas, I’ve been trying to keep up with Team Hummer’s and Robby Gordon’s efforts. They didn’t seem to have any problems going through scrutineering, the Dakar Rally equivalent to NA$CAR’s tech inspection but much more involved as it includes safety equipment not found on Cup cars, lots of paperwork which must be carried, and a navigation system which is furnished by the sanctioning body, ASO. ASO’s scrutinizing is nothing like Frank Zappa’s Central Scrutinizer from the Joe’s Garage albums. Robby is well-known on the Dakar Rally circuit, around the globe, and had fans screaming out his name when he drove his Hummer out of the scrutineering area.
Eliseo Salazar is driving a second Hummer, the Speed Energy/Cristal CERO Hummer. As a native of Chile, he’ll have a big fan following on that part of the course and have the “home field” advantage over his competitors when they get to Chile.
This year, Team Hummer has 6 support vehicles: 2 6X6 Freightliners, 1 H1, 1 Chevy crew cab 4X4, 2 motorcycles. The plan is to have one Freightliner leading to the next bivouac and the other as the caboose with the two 4X4's in the middle. Each of the 6X6's will also have a motorcycle for quick response, something that would have been good to have last year. Last year, Team Hummer had what was basically a mobile motel. This year, the mobile motel was left home. Everybody gets to rough it in a tent, including Robby, Eliseo, and the other drivers and “co-pilots”.
The bike rider who won the Baja 1000 in 2010, Quinn Cody, will also be carrying the Speed Energy Drink sponsorship and colors on his #15 bike.
Unlike the same old, same old opening ceremonies we see week after week during the NA$CAR races, the Dakar Rally ceremonies seem to be a little more flexible and fluid to the moment. Some folks may have heard the term “jumping the shark”. Well, after the fans started screaming they wanted Robby to jump the podium in his Hummer during the opening ceremonies, ASO officials had a quick confab and gave Robby the “thumbs up” to go ahead and do it. Imagine how many weeks it would take NA$CAR to discuss whether or not a driver could jump the podium. You’ve got to give it to the ASO folks for giving the fans what they want, unlike NA$CAR.
It seems Stage 1 had it’s own set of unique problems that plagued everyone. Lots and lots of mud. Besides a communication problem between Robby and his navigator due to a failed microphone, they ran out of windshield washer fluid causing them to lose time, about 11 minutes, and go off road at one point. Robby’s teammate Eliseo Salazar finished Day 1 in 28th place, 34 minutes, 25 seconds behind first place.
Day 2 is a mixed bag with narrow mountain roads and some rough terrain. As the Hummers don’t run a turbo-charged engine, they’ll probably lose some ground til they get to the rough terrain.
You can follow the Dakar Rally and the progress of Team Hummer at http://www.dakar.com/ or catch the daily half hour recap on Versus at 3:30 PM and at either 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM, depending on the night, so check your schedule.
Eliseo Salazar is driving a second Hummer, the Speed Energy/Cristal CERO Hummer. As a native of Chile, he’ll have a big fan following on that part of the course and have the “home field” advantage over his competitors when they get to Chile.
This year, Team Hummer has 6 support vehicles: 2 6X6 Freightliners, 1 H1, 1 Chevy crew cab 4X4, 2 motorcycles. The plan is to have one Freightliner leading to the next bivouac and the other as the caboose with the two 4X4's in the middle. Each of the 6X6's will also have a motorcycle for quick response, something that would have been good to have last year. Last year, Team Hummer had what was basically a mobile motel. This year, the mobile motel was left home. Everybody gets to rough it in a tent, including Robby, Eliseo, and the other drivers and “co-pilots”.
The bike rider who won the Baja 1000 in 2010, Quinn Cody, will also be carrying the Speed Energy Drink sponsorship and colors on his #15 bike.
Unlike the same old, same old opening ceremonies we see week after week during the NA$CAR races, the Dakar Rally ceremonies seem to be a little more flexible and fluid to the moment. Some folks may have heard the term “jumping the shark”. Well, after the fans started screaming they wanted Robby to jump the podium in his Hummer during the opening ceremonies, ASO officials had a quick confab and gave Robby the “thumbs up” to go ahead and do it. Imagine how many weeks it would take NA$CAR to discuss whether or not a driver could jump the podium. You’ve got to give it to the ASO folks for giving the fans what they want, unlike NA$CAR.
It seems Stage 1 had it’s own set of unique problems that plagued everyone. Lots and lots of mud. Besides a communication problem between Robby and his navigator due to a failed microphone, they ran out of windshield washer fluid causing them to lose time, about 11 minutes, and go off road at one point. Robby’s teammate Eliseo Salazar finished Day 1 in 28th place, 34 minutes, 25 seconds behind first place.
Day 2 is a mixed bag with narrow mountain roads and some rough terrain. As the Hummers don’t run a turbo-charged engine, they’ll probably lose some ground til they get to the rough terrain.
You can follow the Dakar Rally and the progress of Team Hummer at http://www.dakar.com/ or catch the daily half hour recap on Versus at 3:30 PM and at either 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM, depending on the night, so check your schedule.
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