Gillland:Forever Branded as a NASCAR Bad Boy!

When one action overwhelms perception!

NASCAR is filled with personalities, ranging from drivers through the owners, NASCAR officials, and indeed, the track owners. Sometimes, one instance can make an impact on how that person will be perceived forever. At Texas Motor Speedway, during the fall Sprint Cup race, we saw an event of pure payback that still is discussed in the media, and has indeed become a label for all actions both previous and future. David Gilliland suddenly became a Bad Boy!

David Gilliland was 2 laps down in 23rd position, and had been told by his crew chief to keep his spot, as they were racing for points position with many of the cars behind them. They also needed to maintain position with an eye on several cars that were only a lap down, as one of them having problems could mean the difference in points and in money for the beleaguered Yates Racing organization.

Many of David's fans, and a few fans of other drivers, were privy to the actions on the track that day. Apparently, ABC was not as informed, as they did not show any of the events leading up to David's 'moment'. Through the 3-D View of NASCAR.com's Raceview, we saw David get punted several times by Juan Pablo Montoya. And those stalwart fans also know that this is not the first time that JPM has punted David. David 'lost it' and for many of his fans, it was about danged time! Would it have been better at a short track? Yes. Would it have been better for David to just loosen JPM? Yes. But it did not happen that way and it appears that David will now be defined by that act for the rest of his career in NASCAR.

To quote David, “Juan and I had been going back and forth for a few laps. Juan got into my left rear and actually lifted my car. I hate that both cars were torn up. I was out there racing. I meant to get him loose but I didn't mean to wreck him and ruin both of our days. I feel real bad for my team and Yates Racing."

Those who know David know that he is one of the nicest men on the track. Somewhat shy and a plain speaker, he usually does not give the practiced and polished persona that many NASCAR drivers ooze publicly. However his fans hear David on the scanner, and they understand that he is passionate and forthright in his communication, and yet the communication is clear of profanity and disrespect to his team members. There are many drivers in NASCAR's top series who cannot make that claim. I have always marveled that the Public Persona of some of NASCAR's top drivers can be at total odds with their persona in private, and the scanner chatter is one of the first places to hear the difference. And yet, many of the media will continue to discuss David's transgression as if he were the worst of Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Kevin Harvick rolled into one!

For instance, we have a writer for Foxsports, Kristin Valus, who proclaims that David should go to Anger Management class! Huh? While she mentions the obvious issue at TMS, she also cites David Gilliland at Watkins Glen, as having issues with Michael McDowell. The situation there is widely accepted by the vast majority of NASCAR media not named Kristin, that the WG incident was not David's fault. In fact, the only person who proclaimed otherwise, was McD's team owner, Michael Waltrip, who has since dumped the same driver he so staunchly defended. (And yes, Mikey is totally believable, after Jet-Fuel-Gate, and Track-Bar-Gate!)

Many drivers in NASCAR become defined by specific acts. Those actions become a benchmark for all actions past and future. What is important to understand, is that one act does not define the personality for ever and ever. If it did, then we would see many of NASCAR's top drivers being defined only by their bad parts, and not by their 'good parts.' For instance, Tony Stewart would not be forgiven for many of his on track antics even though he is widely known as a very kind and generous man.

There is so much good about David Gilliland, and I am still a staunch fan! I know that he is not perfect, and yet what David IS, is something that anyone who takes the time to know David will find out, there is a good man under all of that negative perception. Given a half a chance, and a full sponsor, I have no doubts that David will show the world what he can do! And even if he doesn't shed the mantle of 'the dastardly deed' he will make his way into respect by most of NASCAR's drivers, especially those that have already felt the wrath of the JPM bumper!

More Miscellanea from the Marbles

Penalty's Painful Penance:

Tony Eury, Jr, Crew Chief for the DEI #8 Budweiser team, was said to have been parked in the motorcoach lot during NHIS weekend, in spite of still serving a 6-week suspension. While on the top of the motorcoach watching practice, he was said to have removed his shirt due to heat. At the end of the day, he discovered he was sunburned to the point of blistering. Ouch!

That may be the most pain any member of the 8 team felt while Tony was serving his sentence. In fact, that may be the most pain felt by ANY of the Suspended Chiefs. It has been noticed by many that the teams with Probational Crew Chiefs have not failed as much as expected. The truth has come out, that the crew chiefs have been violating the spirit of the suspension, and are still at the track, and participating in team decisions during the weekend.

Look for NASCAR to restrict those shenanigans! Brian France, during a teleconference stated
that NASCAR was looking into it. My personal suggestion is to send those crew chiefs out into Short-Track Land, and have them join the inspection team. Then on Cup day, they should be joining David Hoots in Race Control, unable to use cell phones or any other device to contact their teams. Keep them busy on race weekend, far too busy to get into trouble. After all, it works for many teen-agers that are grounded!

Grace Under Pressure

There is a certain cachet to winning races. It is easy to be gracious with fans, media, and other drivers when one is on top of the world. It takes an extra amount of maturity to show grace when your world has turned upside down.

Kasey Kahne? Went from winning 6 races last year, and this year has been struggling to get past his single Top 10. When he is frustrated, he blames the other drivers around the track, complete with cheap shots. (David Gilliland and David Stremme were targets, for example.)

Tony Stewart? Well, I have already been vocal about him. He will occasionaly admit to being in the wrong, rarely. It is sad that he is a two-time champ.

Juan Montoya? The instances of his arrogance are too numerous to mention. Great driver, but lacking in social skills.

Denny Hamlin? Thank heavens he finally got a win! The look on his face was rapidly assuming the same dark thunderous expressions worn by his Two-Time Champ team mate!

Kyle Busch? He leaves the Texas race while his team is still trying to fix his car. At Atlanta. after clashing on track with his brother Kurt, refuses to address the media. Word in the garage is that it was rather 'frosty' in the Busch family for quite awhile. And let us not forget how he dissed his car while standing in Victory Lane.

How many times have we heard bad things about Jeff Burton over-reacting under pressure? Bobby Labonte? Terry Labonte? And for heaven's sake, even Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Dale Jr have not expressed such extreme lack of class. And on the rare occasions they have been wrong, they are the first to acknowledge they were wrong.

Brad Keselowski is this week's winner of Grace under Pressure, How to Be Bigger Than The Situation. After having the race of his life, and being spun out on the final lap, he only expressed disappointment for himself, without casting blame. During radio interviews in the week after, he told us he knows that it does no good to get angry. Good for you, Brad!

Silly Season in Full Swing!

So far, we have seen the high-profile driver switch-abouts from the high profile Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch. Other rumors abound with David Reutimann and Ryan Newman. The whole set of drivers from Evernham Motorsports have been the subject of rampant rumors. Those rumors persist, even though Ray declared, due to the pending merger with Canadiens owner Gillett Jr., that all of his drivers have committed to EMS. And yet, the rumors persist as the teams continue to struggle.

In addition, Sadler's Team Director has stepped off of the pit box, and Ray has committed to being on the box with his interim TD for the next race.

Drivers in Need of Parking?

When I heard that Ted Musgrave had been parked for a race in NCTS, I was astounded, as it seemed so far unreal when compared to past penalties. I especially wondered why the NCTS seemed to have so little trouble with parking a driver, and yet the NEXTEL Cup seemed to be holding back. Then I read the following quote from TMS promoter Eddie Gossage "But the day you park a popular driver is the day I'll be demanding money back from my purse and sanctioning fee from NASCAR because there will be some people not showing up because their favorite driver isn't at the track. It puts NASCAR in a bind. It really does." Enough said! Parking a Cup driver will be one of the last steps that NASCAR will ever take.

We are now approaching the 'crossed-flags' of the 2007 racing season. Look for a report card in the near future!

Them Texans ain't so bad, at TMS!

Texas Motor Speedway! Things ARE Bigger AND Better in Texas! Having returned from my first trip to this raceway, I flew away from the experience totally exhausted and thrilled to have been there.

Texas is famous for its host of friendly outgoing souls. This is so true! We had a loosely planned, last minute weekend, and I met with my buds from Texas, and a few others from the rest of the world. My thanks to Phil, Jenell, David, and Susan...you guys are the best of hosts! The SFCers who also attended provided me with certainty that there are still some good folks left in the world. Thanks Robin, Mel, and Alnee! And to a certain SpotterDude, you may not have remembered who I was, but I appreciate being included in a special presentation. You have ALMOST converted me back.

The other favorite saying about Texas is ....if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes! Over the course of 3 days, I experienced rain, hail, tornadoes, freezing, biting winds, and baking sun. All in three days. Fortunately, the tornado did not come near the RV park at the track, as we had folks who were unable to make a run for safety. While all of the Texans were as reassuring as possible, this writer used to live in Oklahoma, and is very familiar with the damages that can happen from this kind of unusual weather.

I had many opportunities to meet other racing personalities. Once again, I cannot believe how so many drivers, owners, and TV personalities are so open to their fans. And oh...RICHARD PETTY! It is wonderful to meet a hero!

Oh yeah...the racing? WONDERFUL! The Cup race had some long, green flag runs, but the end was amazing. The crowd was on its feet for 20 laps. TWENTY laps!!!! It gives me solid hopes that in just a few years, Vegas will have just as exciting finishes.

Just a few notes about the weekend:

• I am sure that Eddie Gossage was relieved that the tornado did not touch down at the track. The RV park had most of the 'roads' clogged with folks trying to get to the grandstand. By the time we looked to join the 'rush to shelter' the roads were full of pick-ups. We realized that we had some who could not make a run for it, so we elected to stay. I am sure that Eddie will check out that evacuation plan, and in the future, there will be a more comprehensive plan for evacuation.
• The track information has very specific rules about cooler sizes. Unfortunately, the security staff was not enforcing the rules. I saw coolers that were far to large to fit in the rows, and some sitting in the stairways. I have no objection to coolers, but some of the seating areas could have used more leg room, and adding the coolers made it dangerous to try and climb over seats to head for the 'other facilities.' Twice, I stumbled over others' coolers.
  
• What's the Buzz? Where in the heck did all of the bees come from? In the last 60 laps, suddenly there was a group of bees flying around. Smaller than a swarm, it was still enough to make a few allergic folks flee in panic.
  
• Leaving TMS is the same as leaving the Vegas race. Just expect to tailgate, and hang out for a few hours. Traffic will be non-moving for at least an hour.
• Nationwide...thanks for the trolley's and golf carts! They were a life-saver!

There is no sound in the world like the sound of a full field of roaring sports cars passing by on the parade lap, except for the sound of the full field passing by to the green flag!

There is no view like the brightly colored cars zooming by so fast that you can't even focus on who is who, unless you pick them out and stare at them through the turns.

There is no aroma quite like the exhaust and the smoke from the rubber from a burnout!

There is no crowd experience quite like the crowd at TMS...a mere 170 thousand of my closest friends.

There is no experience ever quite like a race. And a race at TMS is just that much more special.