Shelby 427 Predictions

I have time for a quick blog before leaving for the track to attend the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here are some quick predictions:

There will not be as many cautions as yesterday's race. However, the majority of those cautions will happen in the first and last parts of the race, with long stretches in the middle. Those long stretches are typical at this track, both before and after the track was changed.

There will be a near capacity crowd in the stands. Yesterday's Nationwide race was already far better attended than the big event, the Cup race, at Fontana. Drivers on the radio were very aware of how large the crowd was, and were commenting on the difference between the two facilities attendance.

There will be multiple speeding violations. Those cars were coming in very hot in the Sam's Town 330, and I predict more of the same today.

The weather will be beautiful, requiring both sun-screen, and jackets, all in the same race.

The traffic will be horrendous! The highway construction project will hopefully be done in time for the race next year!

The race will show the "Haves" vs the "Have Nots" The top funded teams will come in with the best finishes. For drivers like David Gilliland, finishing in one piece will be great, and a Top 25 will be nearly a win!

Roush will continue to dominate in this race, in spite of the miserable qualifying and practice speeds.

One house guest claims that Jeff Gordon will win. Another member of our group would be thrilled to see Elliott Sadler finish much better than his practice speeds would show. Of course, I just want David Gilliland to have a safe race, and bring that car home in one piece!

Look for me in the stands! I will be the one waving!

Three David's Battling NASCAR's Goliath

Three David's, all battling the Goliath of racing at NASCAR's pinnacle. David Ragan, David Reutimann, and David Gilliland. In their first year, they were all vilified by their more experienced peers, but are now earning respect in the garage. They all have some very strong similarities, going far beyond the common first names.



Family Legacy - Each David comes from a family rich in racing heritage.

• David Ragan's father, Ken, had 50 Cup race starts over a career spanning 8 years. His best finish was 11th at Talladega in 1984. He also managed 600 Racing, the Harrisburg plant that produces Legends, Bandoleros and Thunder Roadsters.
  

• David Gilliland's father Butch is also well-known on the short track, but his history is primarily West Coast. Winner of the 1997 Winston West Championship, Butch also raced 12 Craftsman Truck races and 10 Races at the Winston Cup level.
  

• David Reutimann's father is known to the world as Buzzie. Buzzie is shown as having only raced in one 'Grand National' race back in 1963, but that was a top ten finish! He is best known for his hard-charging style on the short tracks. There are four generations of racers in the Reutimann family.
  

The history of the David's:

• Ragan worked in the shop of Dash series driver Cam Strader, and also prepared the late model cars that he was to drive in 2002. Ragan worked countless hours preparing the cars that Strader would race to the 2001 series Championship.
  

• Gilliland grew up working on the cars owned by his father. Indeed, at the age of 20, Gilliland was awarded the Champion Crew Chief of the Year award after his father became the 1997 NASCAR Winston West Champion.
  

• Reutimann's whole family history is nothing but working on cars. Generations have raced out of the Zephryhills Florida garage, where the 4th generation is now hitting the tracks.
  

As much as they are similar, there are also some noticeable differences.

Age
Ragan is the youngster of the group. Born in 1985, he is certainly the youngest when stacked up to Reutimann' age of 38 and Gilliland's 32 years.

How they got started:

• After a handful of races in the upper levels, Ragan was able to snag a ride through Jack Roush's driver tests.

• After spending several competitive years in the late model series on the West Coast, Gilliland entered just a couple of truck races, and a limited Busch schedule, before he snatched the checkered flag at Kentucky, thereby catapulting him into the Robert Yates ride.

• Reutimann worked his way up from Late models, then drove a handful of Busch series races before driving for Darrell Waltrip in the Truck series. That most certainly opened the door into his ride for Darrell's brother Michael, where he is currently driving both the Nationwide and the Sprint Cup series.
  

Their current Cup rides:

• Ragan is driving the #6 car for Roush-Fenway Racing. He sits 17th in the points.

• Gilliland is driving in the newly rebuilt Yates Racing #38 ride, and is sitting 22nd in the points.

• Reutimann is driving the #44 car for Michael Waltrip Racing. He is currently at 27th in the points.

Crew Chiefs

• Ragan - 20 year veteran Jimmy Fennig

• Gilliland - 1st year Cup CC, one year in Busch as a Crew Chief, Cully Barraclough

• Reutimann - 11 year Cup veteran Ryan Pemberton

Equipment

• Ragan- state of the art from Roush-Fenway Racing
  

• Gilliland-struggled last year in equipment that was not drivable by even the likes of team mate Ricky Rudd. Now working the the equivalent of a start-up organization, running partly unsponsored. Yates Racing is buying cars and services from Roush-Fenway.
  

• Reutimann-struggling last year, not only in a start up team, but the first year for the Toyota first year attempt in NASCAR.

All three drivers are talented. All three are being noted as up and coming drivers. And all three have shown marked improvement in the last year. All three, eventually, will show that they can compete on equal footing with the Goliath's of NASCAR. It will be worth watching how their careers progress.

Musings from the Marbles: Bristol Rain Delay Version

Sadler is Sadder?

Has Elliott Sadler stepped on his own flapping tongue when it comes to disparaging Jack Roush’s issues with so-called cheating? I received a couple of 'instantly deleted' comments from fans of Sadler, that tried to use profanity and threats to tell me to stop what I was writing in my Snafam Blog. In the last week, I have since discovered that I am not alone in my feelings about this subject. Various message boards have multipe posts that called Sadler a variety of names. Other blogs, including Jennifer St.Antoine, Matt McLauglin, and Phil, aka One Lugnut Short show that not all of NASCAR fandom believe that Sadler actually had the intelligence to be insulted. For those that believe in Kharma (or is that "Carma?") it appears that Sadler suffered for his own sins of disclosure, by being the cause of no less than three cautions at Atlanta. Then again, perhaps there was thought that it would be better to not have a car in decent shape for post-race tech inspection, as Sadler admitted to being party to cheating in his previous rides. I'm just sayin!

Top 35 points switching?

During the off season, it was discovered that Roger Penske had been granted permission from NASCAR to swap the points of Kurt Busch's car with Sam Hornish's car. It was thought that, with qualifying out of the way, that Sam would be able to be solidly in the top 35 points. And if there were issues, Kurt could use his past Champion's provisional to get into the race.

Now we have a whole new mess, at least from Kurt's perspective. After 4 races, according to the Owners points list from Motorsportsone.net shows, Sam is in 36 and Kurt is in 10th. Several articles tell of Kurt's paling face when told of the possibility of points switching again, as he is tired of getting the scraps of the bottom 35. (Last choice on tires, transporter out in the boonies, late inspection before practice, etc.) Other's that COULD switch points would be Kyle Petty and Bobby Labonte, Patrick Carpentier with either Kasey Kahne or Elliott Sadler, and the does Michael McDowell really deserve to reap the rewards of the Jarrett/Reutiman dance? I am betting that if a widespread points-swap happens next week, NASCAR is going to step in and stop it.

In my opinion, if the point swap continues, NASCAR should allow it, but assess a penalty, say 100 points, to allow it to happen. That would probably take care of the situation.

Tires and Tony, another Retread!

I admit it. I am not a Tony Stewart fan. In the past, I was a very fervent fan of his. But the more he spoke, the more I was embarassed to even mention his name. While he is an amazingly talented driver, he is his own worst enemy.

Last week, he dumped his anger at Goodyear into the waiting microphones of the NASCAR media. My first inclination including muttering 'crybaby' under my breath. Then, other drivers chimed in, and backed up many of Tony's claims, while disagreeing with the way the message was delivered. I listened, I read, and I formulated my own opinion that perhaps Tony was right, for THIS issue.

And then, Goodyear, as reported by the Associated Press writer, Jenna Fryer, is not ammenable to inviting Tony for any further tire tests. It seems he was angry for having to attend one during his off season, and was uncommunicative during the test. So, Tony, instead of being part of the solution, became part of the problem.

Retiring Drivers, how loyal to the sport is the younger generation?

Bristol will be the last points race for Dale Jarrett. We have watched many of sports veteran's start to migrate away from the driver's seat. Rusty left, and is in the booth. Mark Martin is driving a reduced schedule. Terry Labonte is gone. Bill Elliott is on his last run, Kenny Schrader is finding it harder to get rides in the Cup series. In my opinion, those drivers are the last of a dying breed. They came into the sport older than our current drivers. They did not get top rides immediately, but had to work hard and prove their worth. I honestly do not see many of our current crop of drivers lasting into their late forties and early fifties.

Drivers Union

Suddenly, the dreaded words "Drivers Union" is rearing its ugly head. Again. It amazes me that number of fans who WANT to see a union formed. Have we learned nothing from the strikes in the baseball industry? With that said, I think it is time for Brian France and Mike Helton to create a better way for drivers to voice their opinion, and to help shape the future of the sport. When I hear that drivers do not feel that their opinions are being heard, I can't help but think of the questions used by the Gallup business consulting division, where an important Q12 question would be (for the workplace) "My Opinions Count!" Increasing driver engagement for the future of the sport, rather than for 'what is in it for the driver' can only be beneficial.

Chrissy Wallace debut

Chrissy Wallace, daughter of Mike Wallace, appears to have had a successful test at Martinsville in the truck series. It also appears that she will be in a truck soon, driving for Germain Racing. In the past, it has been noticed that many of the female drivers tend to get 'spun' out early in a race. The unspoken word has been that it is still hard for a female to 'make it' in this 'man's sport.'

I would advise, however, that the Good Ole Boys think twice about spinning out Chrissy. I hear she has inherited an extremely agressive Wallace gene, one that comes with back-up from a Daddy and Two Uncles. And possibly a cousin.

Wax On, Wax Off!

On Monday, March 17, 2008, Sirius listeners of Channel 128 will be given an exclusive look into the makings of classic radio. Again, I am not a Tony Stewart fan. But, Tony has invited all of his haters to join in with the Operation Wax Smoke culmination. After a challenge by Kevin Harvick, whose fans raised nearly $50K, Kevin added in the rest to total $100,000 for charity. The sounds you will hear on the radio program will be Tony getting his back hair ripped off, waxed strip by waxed strip. I admit it, I contributed to it,in the midst of my ire following one of Tony's idiotic moments of blaming David Gilliland for 'brake checking during practice'.

I now will get to hear the rewards of my donation. I will enjoy it!

Jump on the Hate Jack Bandwagon!

The first three race weekends of the 2008 NASCAR season have already been rife with controversy.

• Daytona Speedweeks saw 5 Busch teams get nailed for infractions involving an oil tank lid.An unapproved nose tarnished Robby Gordon’s brand new Dodge affiliation.
  
• California saw empty stands, with nasty weather only partly to blame. A feeble attempt by NASCAR to run the race late at night was met with derision and anger by NASCAR fans.
• Vegas saw, for the first time, some really outstanding racing, but the post race discussion was focused on Jeff Gordon’s comments stemming from a particularly bad wreck. And then, the famous Carl Edwards Victory Backflip showed to the world, what the NASCAR inspectors had already found: An illegally unfastened oil compartment cover.
  

On Wednesday, NASCAR handed out penalties for the #99 team owned by Jack Roush.

NASCAR has issued penalties and fines to the #99 team that competes in the Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rule infractions found last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The #99 car driven by Carl Edwards was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-2.1J (any device or duct work that permits air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, the inside of the car to the trunk area, or the floors, firewalls, crush panels and wheel wells passing air into or out of the car) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book. The violations were found during post-race inspection at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 2. As a result, Edwards and car owner Jack Roush have been penalized 100 championship driver and 100 championship owner points, respectively. In the event the #99 team qualifies for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the team will not receive the 10 bonus points for the UAW-Dodge 400 victory used for determining the Chase seeding order. Crew chief Bob Osborne has been fined $100,000, suspended from the next six Sprint Cup Series events, suspended from NASCAR until April 30 and placed on probation until Dec. 31.(NASCAR PR)

Jack issued a brief statement that was PR speak on the penalties, and that they were considering an appeal.

(If you are new to the sport, and don’t understand why this is an issue, take a moment to read Diandra Leslie-Pelecky’s blog The Science of….Missing Oil Tank Covers . Her book is on it’s way to my house, I can’t wait to see what other information about the Science of NASCAR will help to fill out my knowledge base.)

Suddenly, the first salvo was fired over the bow of Jack Roush’s good ship Integrity. The shooter? No less than former Roush employee Lee White, now working for Toyota. In an ESPN article , White claimed that Jack did this intentionally. The battle between Jack and Lee has escalated. Jack gave very detailed explanations of what happened, and fired a few salvo’s back at Lee White. White is now recanting his statements, but admits he probably will wait to personally apologize, as Jack might still be a bit too angry.

Amazing to several people is the number of drivers that so willingly jumped on the “Jack did it intentionally” bandwagon. Laudable voices from the garage include Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and what? who? Elliott Sadler?

My Friday afternoon group of NASCAR fans all hooted and howled when hearing of Sadler’s statement:

“I think that it insults my intelligence as a race car driver when you try and tell me that you accidentally left the oil tank lid off. If you go to any owner, any engineer, any driver any crew chief and ask them is that an advantage, ‘heck yeah it’s an advantage’. I’ve been doing that half of my career. When driving the 21 and 38 car, we pulled the shifter boot off and the oil tank lid off until NASCAR started to tech it.

• First, even Sadler fans had a giggle over the ‘intelligence’ comment. This is a driver who has made a career of being a likeable doofus, one that proved it by making an ill-conceived jump off a stage and landing firmly on a rail, instead of into the waiting arms of burly security guards. He beaned one of his Trackside cohosts during a softball toss. He joyfully jumped into wet towel contests during a rain delay ‘pool party’ on Speed channel. His Myspace page, for the short time that it was public and not private, showed pictures of his partying behavior. Indeed Sadler's commercials for Nextel, Tylenol, and Speed TV show that Sadler allows himself to be placed in the role of a clown. Fellow blogger One Lugnut Short, has even created a hilarious Elliott Sadler Drinking Game , since Sadler’s race comments are predictable and unoriginal. Never once would I, or many of my race friends, have considered Sadler to be a serious spokesperson for NASCAR.

• Second, many in the NASCAR Net World are pretty sure that Sadler was willing to jump on the Jack Bash Wagon because of an incident dating back to several years ago in a Busch race, where Carl Edwards punted Sadler for the win. There does appear to be continuing animosity towards Carl. Sadler’s business manager and spotter, Brett Griffin, even slammed Carl on the private Sadler Fan Club message board last year, after Carl and team mate Matt Kenseth had a confrontation that was very nearly physical in nature. Griffin claimed that the Sadler fans were now seeing what everyone in the garage knew about Carl.
  

• Third, after Sadler made essentially the same statements (as above) on Sirius Speedway Friday afternoon, host Dave Moody pointed out that hopefully GEM’s gig was a good one, because he was probably not going to get hired by Roush Fenway, if Sadler was ever looking for a ride. Sadler’s commentary at that point, turned into effusive gushing praise of Carl and his driving skill, but it came off as a huge ‘whoops, gotta backtrack now!’ moment. I saw a huge amount of irony in Sadler making the statements, after his own Team Owner was caught at Daytona in 2007 using bolts that did not meet 2007 inspection, and for an wheel well violation on the #9 car. Come to think of it, he also admitted to being a cheater, and also shoved the Yates and Wood Brothers teams firmly into the path of a moving bus. Way to go, Esad!
  

I don’t think this issue is over. I will be looking for more news releases over the next few days.