Series continues to grow. If the rumor is true, that would leave only two manufacturers, one of which is said to be on their way out of NA$CAR altogether within the next few years (GM). The Truck Series, which has the best racing action of any of the Top 3 Series in NA$CAR, has been treated like an illegitimate red-headed stepchild since it’s inception and not received the same promotional efforts as the Cup and Busch Series causing it to have smaller crowds and smaller purses despite its’ superior racing. It seems pretty obvious that the “ostrich with its’ head in the sand” or the medical condition of “cranial-rectalitis” is being used as the main business plan down in the Ivory Towers of Daytona for running not just the Truck Series but all 3 series based on the smaller crowds and continued poor TV ratings for Cup and Busch Series. Just because the ratings may have been up this past weekend, they’re still in the hole when compared to what they were like before Faux King Brian took over.
Since the announcement of the end of the lawsuit between GEM and Robby Gordon Motorsports, Robby has lost all technical support from GEM (which he wasn’t getting anyways) and has gone to Penske for engines for the rest of the season, which leaves me wondering where he’ll go for support on other things, like chassis, suspension, etc. But along with this, another rumor has popped up regarding Robby and that’s to the brand of car he’ll be running next season. One rumor has him going back to Chevy as he was seen talking with long time friend and former employer Richard Childress. It turns out they were just having lunch together which they do from time to time. The DEI rumor is interesting but “Have you driven a Ford lately?” seems to be what the latest rumors are saying. However, if you go back to last season, you’ll remember Robby levied some pretty powerful accusations about the lack of power his engines had versus the ones being used by the Roush teams. So I don’t put much faith in this latest rumor, but stranger things have happened. Nobody ever thought The King would drive a Ford.
The big announcement regarding the drug policy was made. Drivers, over-the-wall crew members, and officials will be tested. Sounds good so far. But they’re not testing other crew members, owners, or shop personnel which I consider to be a necessity. Also missing is a list of what’s considered to be substances that can be abused. The recent non-story about Ron Hornaday using steroids for a thyroid condition really makes you wonder about the media as a whole. But it also makes you wonder about folks using steroids for performance enhancement on pit crews and possibly behind the wheel. You can bet that if a driver who is somewhat athletic explodes into anger a few times, there will be some speculation about ‘Roid Rage. I know personally that certain types of steroids are used for pain management, particularly for the lower back (lower lumbar region). Considering what the over-the-wall crews do race after race, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were having this treatment from time to time. What is also missing from the new program is what’s considered to be permissible for use. Things like cough syrups, cold medications, pain medication, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxers, and over-the-counter drugs are missing. I don’t know how true it is, but supposedly if you eat enough poppy seeds like those that come on some types of dinner rolls, you can supposedly come up positive for opiates on urinalysis. I do know that certain liquors that are consumed in Europe and the Middle East can also give positive indications for narcotics even though there’s not enough in them to cause a problem other than making a bad hangover seem even worse. Of course, when they say officials will be tested, you can bet it’s not going to be anyone from the Ivory Towers. We all know, based on a palm tree hunting incident in Daytona that a certain someone might come up positive for alcohol if he was tested. Rumor has it that he would be declared a fire hazard if he’s cut. So while it’s a step forward in some aspects, it’s still lacking in others. As one person pointed out, all it’ll take is a high powered lawyer to make a joke of the program.
I’m glad to see Banjo Matthews and Benny Parsons being inducted into the NC Auto Racing HOF. Benny was a good driver and mechanic before he became an announcer and Banjo Matthews did some things with cars and chassis' that are still being used today. So they’re both getting a well deserved award. It’s too bad they’re not here to accept the awards.
I read about the engines being stolen from Yates engine shop and thought to myself “Gee, who would steal Busch Series racing engines?” You can’t exactly unload them anywhere. They can’t exactly be put in a street car unless you know what you’re doing. So the obvious thing is a competitor of some sorts. Maybe another engine building outfit or a race team or manufacturer who can’t develop their own technology. And this on the heels of an announcement that someone from McLaren (an F-1 team that stole Ferrari proprietary technology) was coming to NA$CAR to work for a team which stole proprietary technology. You‘ve got to love the irony of that.
And speaking of F-1, they’re going to try their first night race in Singapore. This could be interesting. Local businesses seem to think it’ll be a big boost to them economically. I haven’t seen any interviews with the drivers but I’m sure that if things don’t go well, we’ll probably get an earful on at least one sports network.
Another racial discrimination lawsuit on the books. I sure would love to be the lawyer who’s handling these cases. I don’t know if this is a case of just piling on or if it’s actually legit. Based on what’s been reported so far, it’s hard to say. I’ve never heard of anyone being fired for aggressive language. If aggressive language is grounds for firing someone, there’d be a lot of out of work drivers and crew chiefs and that’s based on what a lot of us have heard on crew radios.
Along with this, two of the officials named in the Grant lawsuit have been dismissed by NA$CAR. To me, this says something isn’t quite right and maybe there is something to Grant’s claim regarding these two officials. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what else shakes out of this lawsuit.
Nothing against Brad Keselowski, but if he’s going to drive for Hendrick in a couple of races, how does the 5 car ownership rule affect him and Hendrick Motorsports? You can bet this has raised an eyebrow with Jack Roush.
The NA$CAR equivalent of “The Big Dig” or the “Bridge to Nowhere“? It seems that the good citizens of Charlotte are being asked to dump more money into the NA$CAR HOF. This after the sham of a contest for the city to house it and to build the thing in the first place. If I were a voter, I’d be asking some serious questions about the whole deal and wanting a recall vote on the city council for wasting taxpayer dollars.
It’s good to see Jeremy Mayfield is doing some test driving for Ganassi. Hopefully this will keep his name out there in the garage area and maybe he can get picked up by one of the teams needing a driver next season. With all the Silly Season stuff going on right now, who knows?
I got a sniff of a rumor regarding the recent
merger of NA$CAR and the Grand Am Series
and it doesn’t sound too good if it’s true.
Supposedly pressure is being put on some Cup
teams to build Grand Am cars by the Ivory
Tower gang. With the current state of things in
NA$CAR with manufacturers cutting back and
sponsorship money being hard to come by,
forcing teams to participate in the Grand Am
Series could spell disaster for any Cup teams
forced to participate in this venture and possibly
hasten the exit of the manufacturers from racing
if it’s true.
Cold, flu, and pneumonia season are approaching
so be sure to get your vaccinations. Flu and pneumonia vaccines are already hitting the doctors’ offices in preparation for this fall and winter. We want to have everyone healthy so they’ll be back next season.
While our Navy and Coast Guard were delivering humanitarian aid by sea to Georgia in Eurasia, the US European Command (EUCOM) was airlifting aid out of Ramstein Air Base. It just goes to show to what lengths our military folks go to assists folks in need. Great job folks.
Motherhood, Apple Pie, and John Wayne
Mad Mikie
Curmudgeon at Large
Want to chat with other race fans about this article and other NASCAR stuff?
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Mike here
Go visit our home page, called appropriately The Pits & check out our photos & pages. Our most popular page; Race Recon is where you get all the info you need to go to the races including local camping, hotels, bars, restaurants, tracks, golf & other important race weekend information. We also have attending a NASCAR Race tips, tailgating tips & recipes, stories, trivia, quotes & more! While you are surfing see if you are a REAL RACE FAN. Be sure to read the Fan Fables, LAIDBACK RACING’S adventures with the tailgating race fan at NASCAR tracks.
