Elliott Sadler Gets Fired: Debunking Rumors and Myths!

For two days, listeners of Sirius radio have been inundated with callers expressing their own opinions on the 'firing' of Elliott Sadler. Searching the internet forums and message boards finds the same widely ranging opinions, with several based on incorrect facts.

The initial reports of the 'firing' of Elliott Sadler from Gillett-Evernham Motorsports reported that at the same time Sadler was fired, Ray Evernham was also cleaning out his office. Many jumped to the conclusion that Ray was leaving because Elliott was fired. It now appears that the joint Elliott Fired-Ray Packs Up rumors were more of a coincidence.

Ray Evernham was on Sirius, not once, but twice, this week. On Monday, Ray joined Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody. Joining Dave for the interview was Pit Reporter Danielle Frye. Ray was asked some of Dave Moody's typical soft-ball questions, where Ray claimed he was 'caught by surprise' by the news. Ray also claimed he did not have knowledge of what decisions were made. Later in the interview, Moody started to ask Ray a broad question about Ray's participation in the driver change, and Danielle interrupted, and asked point blank....if Ray knew about AJ replacing Sadler. Ray admitted Tom (Reddin?, GEM CEO? ) had asked him the question, quite a while ago. So much for being 'surprised!'

Ray also was interviewed by David Poole, on Sirius's show, The Morning Drive, on Tuesday of this week. Ray came on to specifically address Poole's assertion that perhaps Ray was 'burned out.' Ray quickly stated that was not the case, and he was preparing for his new career. As regular listeners to Moody's show know, Ray has been steadily methodically removing himself from GEM, and has created a new office for his new career as a track owner/promoter. Ray said the timing of cleaning his office out was always in this time frame, hence it was a coincidence that he left, and Sadler being let go were revealed to the press at the same time.

Many bloggers and forum members have made an assumption that Sadler was informed of the decision to 'let him go' on Christmas Eve, or right before the holiday. Apparently, after hearing from some Sirius guests (people 'in the business,') this rumor had been floating around among race team members for a few weeks. This certainly ties in with the flight time line of Elliott's personal aircraft's trips, as mentioned in blogger One Lugnut Short's blog entry titled "Elliott Sadler, You're Fired!" (Take the time to read Lugnut's take on Andrew Lloyd Weber and Elliott Sadler, it is a gem!)

Jayski reported that Sadler's contract will be bought out by George Gillett. This makes sense, and is indeed part of most driver contracts. (i.e. if someone wants out early, that same someone has to pay a fee to break the contract. Sadler indeed forfeited all of his future prize monies with Wood Brothers so that he could leave for Yates Racing, way back in 2002.) Ray discussed that there were a lot of things he could not say, not only for sensitivity of the subject, but because of 'disparagement clauses!' Many have complained that Sadler has not come out of the Virginia woods to talk about this, but due to the disparagement clause, Sadler will likely not discuss this at all, or at the least, it will be softened up with the typical 'side step' that Sadler does so well. Some believe that Sadler and GEM have not yet finalized what those 'out clause' payments will detail, and there will be nothing to hear from Sadler until that is settled. This also explains why there has been no comment from Brett Griffin, Sadler's business manager, and spotter, aka Spotter Dude and Bird Man, even though Spotter Dude has been lurking on the Sadler message forum for a few days!

At some point, Sadler will have to speak on this. I am sure, though, he will refrain from commentary until he has a new ride in place. He usually does a noticeable job of not throwing his former teams 'under the bus' so I am expecting nothing less than politically correct biz-babble from Sadler.

This situation has to be a blessing to the majority of the NASCAR media regulars. Normally, this time is very difficult for the media. They are still working, but there is very little noise coming from the team shops. Adding in the fact that many teams are on furlough or on extended vacations, the news coming out of the shops is spotty. Sirius hosts are thrilled to have something, indeed anything, to talk about this time of year!

NASCAR testing begins on the West Coast!

Daytona testing is complete. The media tour is done, the media members are checking in with stories after being feted, wined and dined, and by now, all of the buffet tables are cleared, packed up, and the shops are back to business as usual.

Business as usual also for the transporter drivers heading out for a long trip to the West Coast. Reports had them leaving Wednesday and Thursday, so we should see them rolling into Vegas this weekend.

This year, there are two test sessions, one at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and one at California Speedway. Both should be very important to finding the right set-up for the COT on the intermediate tracks.

First up, Vegas! After a predicted round of storms, the weather should be cool and clear for the testing session on Monday and Tuesday.

Second, Thursday and Friday will find the SoCal fans flocking to testing at California Speedway. There will be a test session that extends into night on Thursday. The original idea was that the track in Fontana has a night race, but I am unsure of how testing in January in temperatures in the 40's will give any information for cars running in September with temps in the 90's to 100's.

Fans will have access to both testing sessions. For once, Cali will have a better deal for fans, as they will be allowing access to the infield bleachers for a pittance of a charitable donation.

LVMS has missed the mark on not allowing fans into the Neon Garage for testing. In addition, they have been ineffective in communicating that to the fans. One caption posted on their site on January 9th claimed fans WOULD be allowed in, while other articles, and an 'insiders' newsletter claimed no access allowed. It took an email to a writer for the local newspaper to get clarification on this.

And, California Speedway has even scheduled some Driver/Fan interactions. Gillian Zucker was on Sirius this morning, and she claims that she is thrilled with the way fan participation has increased over the years, for testing sessions at California. See, California Speedway CAN get it right, and do something better than Bruton Smith's Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Tony Stewart and David Gilliland: Last Dance!

Fortunately, the pre-Infineon activities by two Hendrick Crew Chiefs have deflected the attention away from the Stewart and Gilliland incident. So, this blog will finish up some loose ends with the TS/DG issue, and I will then direct my attention to a whole bunch of small thoughts about other issues in other blogs.


David, on Wednesday, finally stepped up to the podium and answered some questions. His first response follows, and can be sourced on various sites:

David Gilliland appeared on the Wednesday, June 20th edition of Claire B. Lang's XM Satellite Radio Show, "Dialed In" (Channel 144/XM Sports Nation/4pm ET) regarding his perspective on last weekend's incidents during Nextel Cup Happy Hour at Michigan where the #38 of Gilliland and the #20 of Tony Stewart made contact and Stewart hit the wall and suffered some right side damage. All teams repaired the cars. Tony finished the race in 3rd, and David Gilliland wound up finishing 17th.

"You know, like I said I'm not a guy who is going to go out and say, 'believe me believe me' and try and be that guy. But, you know, my main concern was other drivers and when those kind of statements are made…I was/ I am concerned. So going into Sunday's race I was a little bit disappointed and kind of in question about how the other drivers felt. In driver's introductions it made me feel very, very good – at least ten drivers came up to me on their own and said, 'You're not worried about what Tony said are you?' and they said, 'Do not worry about it, he says something about everybody every week - its somebody else every week, it's never his fault for anything he does.' They all said that they have been through it - on that side of it. So that really put that whole situation to rest for myself."

"He's the guy at the racetrack that never gives anybody an inch. And anytime in practice obviously I mean he was, he misjudged it and ran into the back of me. And I just feel like, he's the guy I looked up to for so many years when I wasn't racing in the series and now, to have him say those kinds of things about you... it's not the best feeling. It's something that will go on and we will race as hard as we can each week and try to perform our best."

I also listened to David on Sirius Radio's The Driver's Seat for a half hour long interview. I was VERY impressed with his answers! He was matter of fact, but yet you could hear his disappointment in someone he admired. He would not say anything derogatory about Tony, even when given an opportunity. Well done David, well done!

After the show, John Kernan and Ricky Craven mentioned they were both surprised to learn that the incident did not involve pitting, as discussed in the one-sided article by NASCAR.com's Joe Menzer. (It is amazing that mis-information by a journalist was believed by so many other journalists. If I could find the video of the incident on the 'net, why could the rest of them not? Or was it just easier to ignore David's side of the issue?)

At any rate, Ricky and John both expressed disappointment with Tony using a 2-hour long format to attack David, when David could not answer directly. They felt it would have been better for Tony to have David on the show to defend himself, or to settle it in the motorcoach. Ricky said it would have been much more befitting of a two time Champ to put his arm around the rookie and say "Let's talk!" I agree, Ricky!

Then, the fans called in. I was impressed that the fans were 100% behind David. And the number of calls beginning with "I am a fan of Tony Stewart, BUT...." followed by denouncing him, was even more impressive. Ricky also expressed sorrow that David's children had heard Tony's tirade on TV. Ricky has children and was very sensitive to what a child hears about his parentsAnd speaking of children, a fellow Blogspot Blogger contacted me! His blog, Black Flag, is very thought provoking. He directed me to his Father's Day article, How Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart Help Me Do My Job as a Dad

In this blog, CC, as a father, recognizes that all sports stars are role models, especially for children! His final statements say it all!

Life is about choices. When things aren't going his way, I'm not afraid to ask my son,"Are you going to do this like Tony Stewart or Jeff Burton."

It almost always makes him stop and think. He'll take a deep breath and say, "Mr. Burton"

Tony Stewart: Actions Detrimental

I thought I was calmed down from the incident that caused my last Tony Stewart rant. I made the mistake of leaving my car radio on for a few minutes when the Tony Stewart show started on Sirius. Ten minutes later, I turned it off in disgust, as Tony began an anti-Gilliland lecture that was nothing but irrational and a pointed attack.

Then, while struggling to return to sleep (after a wrong number caller on my phone), I turned on the radio in the wee hours of dawn. Once again, there was the replay of Tony's vitriol. I listened as I drifted in and out of sleep.

Tony can't and won't let this go. He truly believes that he was totally in the right. His name-calling on the show tells me that he intends to try and crucify David, using his fans. He declared that after the incident, he was on the way to 'go find him (David)' and that Tony's handlers had to hold him back, reminding Tony that he was still on probation.

A caller asked him "If you know you have issues with him, why did you get so close to him?" Tony admitted he probably should not have been that close to him on the track, but would not admit why he was that close. (I am guessing it was an intimidation attempt.)

Today, while listening to David Poole and Mike Bagley on The Morning Drive on Sirius, the callers have overwhelmingly been against Tony's actions and Tony's conversations. One caller brought up something that illustrates Tony's lack of control.

Tony admitted at the beginning of the show last night that he was late to the show. (He apparently is late for almost everything.) And due to his lateness, he was driving, by his own admission, at 130 mph to get home in time to be on the air.

This is not the first time that Tony has bragged of excessive speed on the roadway. While (again) running late for the broadcast from Las Vegas, he bragged he was speeding at 100+ mph on the I15, a local highway that is 5 lanes of congestion and has serious accidents daily, with fatalities at least every month. We don't need an 'idiot' like Tony driving stupidly and putting innocents in danger.

Tony also complained he lost his hat and his sunglasses from his speeding last night. His comments about his sunglasses could well cause his personal services sponsor to read him the riot act. He laughed that the glasses only cost about 5 bucks to make, but they were sell for over $100 bucks. I am sure Oakley loves that cavalier attitude.

Tony continues to exhibit a distinct lack of control. If things do not go the way he thinks they should, he has a tantrum. If he seriously is concerned that David is a bad driver, he could take the time to talk with David, in a non-aggressive manner and HELP him. At this point the other drivers on the track are going to have to be cautious whenever they see Tony near the 38, because they know that Tony likes his little revenge games.

And thank you to Ricky Rudd for defending his team mate.

AS FAR AS DAVID GILLILAND GOES, TONY STEWART SUGGESTED LAST WEEK AFTER THEIR PRACTICE INCIDENT THAT HE MIGHT NEED MORE TIME IN THE MINOR LEAGUES. DO YOU THINK DAVID BELONGS IN NEXTEL CUP?
“I think he definitely belongs and let me kind of clear up something here. Tony is Tony. What else can you say? You can’t question his driver ability. Everybody knows he’s one of the best if not the best out there, but he kind of has a habit of running his mouth at the wrong time. David got blamed for that wreck, but that wasn’t David’s fault. No one ever came around and asked anybody else what happened, but the videotaped clearly shows what happened and Tony screwed up. He just misjudged his distance and ran into the back of David. David doesn’t really have a presence out here. He can’t fight that battle, but I can tell you one thing, that was not David Gilliland’s fault the other day. But the media seemed to jump on it and wrote it the way Tony spoke it, but, anyway, that being said, David definitely belongs in Cup racing. He has all the talents and he adapts quicker than anybody I’ve ever seen when we go to a strange race track. He’s right up to speed immediately. Our program and our team is not where it needs to be yet. They’ve been working very hard trying to get there and they’re making progress, but I think before you can make a judgment on David, the whole thing has to come together. Our speedway program is second to none. Our Daytona [International Speedway] and Talladega [Superspeedway] stuff, there’s not a team out there that has better speedway stuff, and if you look at it that way—and that’s the only really fair chance David’s had this year—and he’s been very competitive in all those races. He’s run extremely well.”

I do get tired of hearing that 'Tony is Tony' excuse, though. It is like excusing the school bully for beating up on kids for lunch change. It is a shame that we have a two time Champion acting this way. I can't help but wonder how Dale, SR would have handled this. Surely, not this way!

Miscellanea from the Marbles

NASCAR moves fast, and not just the cars. The news and rumors move even faster! I am taking a moment to comment on some of the items that piqued my interest.

• Cingular is the new AT&T! So far, it is AT&T 2, NASCAR 0. Many have hailed the judicial decision as being right and just. But is it really? It may indeed be a deal breaker for our sport. IF NASCAR cannot enforce the exculsive part of the Sprint-Nextel contract, will the series sponsor hang around?
  

AT&T has won so far. It appears that the next round of court briefs will not receive judgment until later in the summer. Even if AT&T loses the next round, they have been able to rebrand their car, and their new brand will be in front of the consumer's face every Sunday.

• The greatest conversation of the last two weeks is the Monstor Job Search for Junior's New Ride. Amid all of the speculation, the 'net has been busy with conjecture on Teresa Earnhardt's part in 'driving JR away.' We then discover that SR left everything to Teresa. I had personally wondered why JR was asking for 51% of the business, when there were other children that would not have been able to take part in the same level of the company. And I have to wonder just how difficult it was for Teresa. By JR's own admission, the stepmom-stepson relationship was rocky for years. I can't help but feel there are two sides to this story, and the truth is somewhere in the middle.

• The Black Helicopter squad is still active. NASCAR apparantly is still attempting to control the way the races end. The latest entry claims that Casey Mear's win was another award for the Hendrick organization. Sorry, the kid won that race, fair and square.
  

• Speaking of Conspiracy Theories....the media is not immune! I heard, on my favorite Satellite Radio, two different members of the Talent Pool claim that NASCAR is forcing Goodyear to give the crappy tires to the SMI tracks. Hmmmm!

• One great suggestion that came up a few weeks ago on Sirius, was to have NASCAR Contol be live on one of theSirius Driver Feeds! Now, that is a GREAT idea! Listening to David Hoots during a race would give the home-bound race fan an opportunity to hear the decisions from NASCAR while the race is running. I LOVE this idea. I don't currently utilize the Sirius Driver Feeds, because my drivers are not part of the line-up. Instead, I pay NASCAR.com for their Trackpass scanner. Having NASCAR Control on one of the Sirius feeds would be a bonus!
  

• And speaking of NASCAR.com, I love the Raceview! I know many have issues with it...but I saw a first hand 'view' of the wrecks (my driver included) at Charlotte. It is well worth the $$ for me!

• Father's Day is next month, and I just finished reading a charming article by Dorothy Schrader, daughter of Kenny! Check out Growing up a driver’s daughter. It is very charming, and gives great insight into the lives of the driver's families.
  

• And finally, I must thank Humpy for a wonderful Memorial Day show. The salute to the military was inspiring and touching. The bagpipes version of Amazing Grace, followed by Taps, left me weepy. Then the reuniting of the family of a military service man made me run for the tissues. God Bless all of our military, those who serve abroad and at home, and the family members who continue to support their heroes.
  

Dear Tony Stewart,

Dear Tony,

I have liked you since the beginning of my NASCAR fandom. I admired your fire and your passion. I managed for years to shrug off your issues as being a sign of passion. However, the last few weeks have pushed me past the line of Tony Apologists, right into the line of Disgusted with Tony.

It is very easy for a two-time NASCAR Champion to get too big for his britches. Three years ago, I waited in line for you to show up for an appearance in Vegas. You were an hour late. I waited again the following year. You were 45 minutes late. You complained about feeling like you were in a fish bowl, at Daytona and Vegas, because fans were staring at you through the glass. You seem to enjoy it more when you don't have to interact with fans. Come to think of it, you don't enjoy interacting with reporters, either. Beware, Tony, as both of those groups can make you or break you.

You have had your hide tanned by Mr. Helton, and from what I read, Mr. Gibbs is next in line with the paddle in hand. According to Jenne Fryer, Mike Helton refuses to even talk about how he feels about you now. Mike was a poker bud of yours.

You recently dissed the sport of NASCAR, the one that pays for your living. You got spanked for it, then went right out on the track for the Busch race, and you were promptly a factor in two crashes.

One of those crashes was because you had contact with the car of David Gilliland. When David was questioned afterwards, and indeed was PRESSURED about your part of it, he steadfastly refused to say anything negative about you. Take a look, Tony:

• DAVID GILLILAND – No. 25 freecreditreport.com Ford Fusion (Finished 37th) – “Our freecreditreport.com Ford Fusion was running real good today, but, I don’t know. There was a little bit of contact there and sent me spinning. It’s too bad we ended our day soon, but we had a good car. It felt really good to run up front there.” YOUR THOUGHTS ON TONY’S DRIVING OUT THERE TODAY? “It’s a little rough, but, I mean, if it was the last lap you could swallow it a little easier. It’s just Talladega. You’re running close and bump-drafting and everything else. You’re real close. It’s just kind of the nature of the beast, especially here, so it’s just one of those deals I guess.” YOU HEAR ABOUT THE YOUNGER DRIVERS KNOWING WHEN TO RACE AND HERE YOU HAVE A VETERAN GETTING INTO THE BACK OF YOU. “Yeah, a little bit. But I think the track gives everybody so much confidence that it gets them into trouble, but it’s just too bad. Like I said, our freecreditreport.com Ford Fusion was real good today and it just felt good running up front there. I wish we could have finished up there.”

Too bad you, a veteran, could not be nearly as graceful. Instead, the post-race interview today, after the Cup race, had you throwing out a cheap shot about David "lucking into his ride."

I am no longer apologizing for your "heated emotions' excuse. I am no longer buying into your 'woe is me' attitude. I am no longer going to believe a word you say.

And one more thing, Tony, you claimed that David was getting back at you for taking him out after the Busch race. That implies two things:

1. You took him out deliberately.
2. You expected that action from him, because YOU would have reacted that way. You assumed that he did it because that would have been your response.

I find it amazing that after Daytona, you reported that David was a great driver. And now, he 'lucked' into his ride. So, he is good when he helps you, and then becomes a bad driver because he got into you. One doesn't lose talent like that, Tony.

Oh, and Tony...the reason why you got jacked up by David at the end, was because you drove right down in front of him. You were not driving a straight line on the track, your straight line was going off of the wall down to the bottom. You went right in front of him. Man up, Tony, and take some of the blame on yourself.

In the meantime, I am cutting my Tony Stewart Fan Club card into pieces. My Sirius radio, which is turned on 24/7 to the NASCAR channel, will be turned off for two hours on Tuesdays from now on. I will drive out of my way, go past Home Depot straight to your competitor. I will check in my house for any sponsor's products whose badges you have worn in the last year, and clean them out. Coca-Cola out, Hello Pepsi products. Old Spice will never be in this house again. Did your comments about David Gilliland cause this? Yes, because it was the last straw heaped on the back of a very heavily laden camel. At this point, an apology from you is about as valuable as a counterfeit dollar bill.

Just remember this Tony, not all of the boo's you received at the track come from JR fans. Many come from former fans who no longer believe in you.

For being such a good driver, you certainly are looking more and more like the southbound end of a northbound mule. And a pompous mule, at that.

Very Sincerely,

One extremely peeved SNAFAM


Tony, the decal says it all!

“If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.” Abraham Lincoln.