projections of cuts up to 40% is starting to look realistic. 40% at Hendrick would be more than 150 layoffs. There is almost no new sponsors looking seriously, the old ones are trying hard to cut back. However, I am hearing that small teams can actually race competitively with 8-9 guys coming to the track (not including race day pit crews).
If this is true, then we could very well see some of the underdogs making some major gains and better finishes than what they’re currently doing. Providing His Royal Highness doesn’t interfere based on the possible team franchising which comes up for review next season.
The move by Petty to Ford doesn’t come as that big of a surprise. The merger with Yates Racing does come as a surprise. I’ve had several discussions with several folks about Dodge not being able to support both Penske and Petty. Looks like I was right. However, it seems that there was some background info that isn’t widely known about that I’m trying to get verified in regards to NA$CAR not allowing Penske and Petty to switch to the Japanese brand manufacturer. If this is true, I think there may be some Federal laws regarding work rights, etc. that may have been violated.
Also tied into the merger deal, is Sorenson going to be the odd man out or will mediocre at best Menard be the odd man out? I guess we’ll see as more talks and stories continue. There’s still the “big question” of who will be driving the famed #43 car.
Several things we didn’t hear about at Richmond and it’s strange as part of it is directly related to the safety and well being of the fans. There were several fights that happened at the track (not on the track), public intoxication arrests, theft from fans’ camp sites and then the biggie; a woman being sexually assaulted by two men. Folks, in the interest of public safety and the safety of race fans, I’m asking you all to boycott Richmond International Raceway until NA$CAR/I$C and the local police can ensure that the safety of race fans attending the races at Richmond can be guaranteed. If they want the big bucks that we fans lay out for race tickets and to camp out and tailgate, then we should be able to do so in a safe environment. So until they can assure our safety, we need to get their attention the only way we know of and that’s by impacting their wallet.
Going back to the fuel injection deal and NA$CAR, the one thing to think about falls along the same lines as the Crusty Old Toilet. Before NA$CAR will make the move to fuel injection, they’ll probably buy a company that makes fuel injection systems or they’ll have them made at their super secret R&D facility so they can charge the teams outlandish amounts of money for the injection systems like they do the Spec Car. And you can bet that if the fuel injection deal falls along the same lines as the Kit Car did, one of the manufacturers, the one who paid NA$CAR $93 million, will be the one designing the system so they can maintain their advantage.
Strange how McMurray is going to Yates, then RPM, then Chip and Dale Racing. Who knows? By the time next season starts, he might be driving a Yugo for Vinnie Babaganoosh Racing and Delicatessen.
Now that the play-offs have started, Tony’s lead has disappeared and Old Man Time goes in with the lead because of his 4 wins. The debate from several years ago about a winless champion rages once again. It could happen. It may not happen. This is one of the nightmare scenarios with Faux King Brian’s play-off system. Had he taken the entire play-off system that the Hooters Pro Cup Series uses instead of just taking one part of it, we would have a much better and complete play-off system for determining the champion. But this is what happens when you do things half gluteus maximus’ed.
Neither Shrubbery nor Matt Kenseth made the play-offs and this was something that Jules the Engine Guy and I had been discussing at great lengths. With Shrubbery not making the play-offs, a lot of the hype that NA$CAR was hoping for is gone. So who in the Top 12 will get the hype? Eight out of the blocks, Mark Martin will as he’s the leader. Whoever comes out of Loudon with the win or highest finish should get the most hype in theory. But as we know, His Majesty has a one heck of a love affair with the Hendrick boys, so expect them to get the most hype overall.
Interesting how they published the initial ratings for Richmond. While they may have been #1 for those time slots, we don’t know how they were as compared to last season. Were they up, down, or stagnant?
There’s a lot of speculation on who will take over ownership of the 26 car since Yates merged with RPM. Roush sort of shot himself in the foot with his uninvited trying to run the Wood Brothers. And as there aren’t that many ford teams left, that leaves him in a bit of a pickle. He could always try putting the 26 under Boris Said, but how would that work out with the current team deal with Carter and Simo? Hey Jack, Laidback Racing wouldn’t mind being the “owner” of the 26 car. Laidback could be the chief mechanic, Race Mama could be the team manager, Frankie could handle the tires, Chesapeake Dave could handle the PR stuff, the Twins could befuddle the inspectors and officials, and I could urinate in the Royal Drunken Sot’s Wheaties every morning.
Interesting that Biffle’s crew is named the Pit Bulls. I seem to recall a show on Speed with a similar name that was cancelled despite high ratings because they asked very embarrassing questions about His Royal Highness and NA$CAR. Will Gluteus Maximus Cranius force them to change their name because of the bad memories associated with the defunct show?
I was reading Larry Woody’s piece about the merger mania that has been running rampant,
http://www.racintoday.com/archives/9886
And while it’s funny, he makes some very good points. Take what Larry wrote and add in the pending franchising review coming up next season. Then it really starts making sense and starts looking very scary. And with what’s happening right now with His Royal (Im) Potent-ate gunning for the independent and start and park teams, it really starts making even more sense than it did before. Be afraid folks. It ain’t your daddy’s NA$CAR and it isn’t even our NA$CAR.
Going back to the last urinalysis test that was done by Jeremy Mayfield, some folks have said that there wasn’t a witness for his Lab Corp test which came back clean. Well, contrary to what some folks have said, I have turned up a witness to it. I know the witness rather well and consider the witness to be very trustworthy. And based on what the witness told me, there was no tampering on the part of Mayfield or anyone on Mayfield’s side. So put that in your water pipe and smoke it Pharaoh Ramses Posthole.
Along with this, the NA$CAR controlled media continues to pile on their usual garbage attacks. When it came out that Mayfield was being sued by some parts suppliers, this was their lead story. Of course, what they failed to mention was that Mayfield had already talked with them and will have them paid off by December. A fact conveniently omitted by the lamestream media. And since NA$CAR’s start witness, the evil step-mother, is having some legal problems of her own, there’s maybe one line mentioning it and that one is buried in the background. I wonder how they’ll handle her guilty verdict on some of her pending trials?
While making a few phone calls to some various folks I hadn’t talked to in a while, I asked them about the Mayfield case and if they saw any similarities to that of Tim Richmond. To a person, they all agreed that the case bore all the hallmarks of another Tim Richmond case and said that they wouldn’t put it passed NA$CAR to do the same thing to Mayfield as they did to Tim Richmond in regards to his urinalysis samples. The only reason I don’t mention their names is that they all still have various ties to the racing community and still depend on it for their livelihood.
Here it is Monday, September 14th, and there’s not a single word out of the lamestream media about the first of the Lisa Mayfield trials. But you can bet that the next time there’s something even slightly abnormal about Jeremy Mayfield or him having to pay somebody for parts, they’ll splash it across the web as their lead article.
Something else we didn’t hear about from the lamestream media was that the trial of Lisa Mayfield for assault and trespassing which was supposed to be held on September 14th was given a continuance until November 14th since she didn’t show up for court. Now, why didn’t His Majesty’s star witness against Jeremy Mayfield show up? Could it be because she wasn’t notified at her false addresses? Or maybe it was because she was attending school at Intoxicated State University? Or could it be that she was afraid to face the truth in regards to her assault and trespassing charges? Come November 14th, we’ll know for sure, whether or not she shows up. The DA said she would only get one continuance and that’s it, so if she doesn’t show up next time, she’ll be joining the Orange Jumpsuit Club for failure to appear and will still have to face the music for the assault and trespassing charges.
And take notice of this folks. Since it was NA$CAR’s star witness and it wasn’t favorable to NA$CAR or their controlled media attack dogs, there was nothing mentioned; another example of the media bias surrounding the whole Jeremy Mayfield lawsuit against NA$CAR.
Apparently the National Highway Transportation
Safety Administration (NHSTA) is pushing for
more states to use blood test rather than blowing
up “balloons” for alcohol and drug testing of
suspect drivers. Now while this doesn’t have an
impact right now on NA$CAR, if it becomes the
approved standard for drug testing, it could mean
that eventually it will become the standard and
when that happens, that means NA$CAR will
probably go along with that. Now, if it should
become the standard before September 2010, it
could have a major impact on the Mayfield case.
Of course, if the rumors are true, a certain palm
tree hunter will be passing out the next time he
sees a needle.
As I’m on the road, I don’t have access to a lot of my usual materials and sources, but I want to congratulate Kaziah Hancock at Project Compassion, www.heropaintings.com , for winning the XO Awards for her work in doing oil paintings of our fallen heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I also want to thank the Patriot Guard Riders for the service they provided for one of my old comrades, Mike Hartzog, who passed away a couple of weeks ago from cancer. Mike was a great guy with a wicked sense of humor and having a send off by the Patriot Guard Riders was definitely fitting for the Harley rider that Mike was.
Motherhood, Apple Pie, and John Wayne
Mad Mikie, Curmudgeon at Large
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Mike here
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