Trouble in Turn2

A brief history of the #40 car. Once upon a time there was a driver named Sterling Marlin. He was hired to drive a racecar full time for Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates Racing (This was before they changed their name to Chip Ganassi/Felix Sabates Mostly Riding Around). And he drove quite well. He won 2 races in 2001 and 2002. He finished 3rd in the points in ‘01 and was even leading the point standings for most of ‘02. He drove the #40 Coors Light car, which at the time was the organization’s flagship team. Unfortunately his 2002 was ended early by a wreck at Kansas.

The years went by and while Marlin was not quite the same, he still was a solid driver, holding his own at most tracks and running quite well at others. Despite his serious injury, he was still a top 20 driver and managed to keep the #40 car there as well.

One day in 2005 Felix Sabates came along and asked Marlin to stop driving the #40 Cup car. He explained that Coors Light didn’t believe old people drank beer anymore. Since Sterling was old, he could no longer identify with this bourgeoisie of beer drinkers. A fresh, young driver named Daivd Stremme would be the one that the public would look to when thirsty. Sabates also offered Marlin the chance to “hang out”, run some Busch races (note: at that time old people still drank Busch beer) and collect a six-figure check. Marlin was so blown away by Sabates’ offer that he joined MB2 sports and drove fulltime in the Cup series in 2006 and 2007 (based on reports he made much more than six figures).

• Aric Almirola will drive the #8 car for DEI next year. Almirola is definitely talented and, depending on Martin Truex’s 2009 status, becomes DEI’s #1 or #2 driver. He’s certainly more talented than Regan Smith and Paul Menard. What I can’t figure out is why Almirola hasn’t been entered into any Nationwide races this year? Even if the cost is too much for DEI to bear, there has to be another Nationwide team they could farm him out to for seat time. That would be like the Yankees telling Joba Chamberlain, “We think you will be our #1 starting pitcher in 2009. To prepare for this high profile role, we will have you sporadically start 10 times this year. The rest of the time we’d like you to pitch batting practice and have bullpen sessions.”

  NASCAR will surely tout it as a victory for diversity, but I prefer to look at it as a good young driver who has paid his dues in the lower ranks including the Truck series that earned his chance. Whether that chance was accelerated by the Drive for Diversity program, I don’t fully know.

• Speaking of DEI, NASCAR impounded the #1 car of Martin Truex Jr. Since it’s a new DEI car, it came with all the latest DEI technology. Technology like a radar for where 17th place is on the track, an in-car #3 diecast retail store, and a gas pedal that wouldn’t go all the way to the floor. Reports that Truex wanted to drive one of Haas-CNC or Penske’s backup cars are completely false as well.

• I saw Baby Mama last weekend at the cheap theater. I’m a big fan of Amy Poehler and for three dollars it was defintely worth watching. If you are a fan of 30 Rock, you should enjoy this movie too. Tina Fey plays essentially her same role as Liz Lemon on 30 Rock: mostly serious, having to clean up others’ mistakes but also free to stray into comedy as well. That allowed Poehler , who I think is one of the funniest female actors around, to shine as the white trash surrogate. If you’re looking for a night to mentally unplug, it’s a good choice.

I was lazy this weekend and never lined anyone up for this week’s Know Your NASCAR Bloggers Series. Ah, the beauty of not having an editor, deadline and no pay. The interviews will resume next week, but for now I thought I’d compile some of the best answers from the bloggers I’ve featured so far. It’s an incredibly diverse group that defies all stereotypes about NASCAR fans. Here’s a sample:

Why do you blog? Or what made you start blogging? I decided to start a Ryan Newman Fan blog because I was tired of scouring the internet looking for any news that I could about Ryan Newman and Penske Racing. I could find the info, but I really wished that it was all laid out in one location. I decided there had to be other Ryan Newman fans that wanted the same thing. I knew nothing (and probably still don’t) about blogging or running a website. But I try to have as much information about Ryan Newman on my site as possible. In fact it could be said that it has become obsessive.[Mike Pratt-Ryan Newman Fan]

How long have you been a NASCAR fan?
I have been a NASCAR fan for 7 years. I’ve been aware of NASCAR my entire life and knew the major driver’s names and what not (plus Jeff Gordon is from Vallejo, CA which is only 20 or so miles from where I grew up) but it wasn’t until Dale Earnhardt’s death that I really focused on the races. I’m sad it happened that way. Around that same time the MTV True Life documentary “I’m A Race Car Driver” was aired and that really pulled me in to the sport. It was really fascinating to me all of the tradition and pomp and circumstance that goes into each and every race.[Valli Hilaire-The Fast and Fabulous]

How much time per day do you spend blogging?
If you’re asking me, not enough considering I cover all major forms of motorsports not just NASCAR. On average I’d say about 6 hours a day. Keep in mind that’s not just pounding on a keyboard, it includes filtering through over 150 news and blog RSS feeds several times a day. It’s good to be “King,” or rather good to be retired and have the time to dedicate to an enjoyable pastime.

Of course if you were to ask my family the question they’d just roll their eyes and point at the dummy in the corner hovered over a keyboard.[Marc Boland-Full Throttle]

How did you get the name for your blog?
I have several student loans to pay for so I sent out notices for the opportunity to have the exclusive naming rights for my blog. I spend several days and nights pouring over sponsors who were willing to be the exclusive sponsor of my blog that…seriously it was less spectacular than that. I wanted the name to be something that truly stated who I was and what I was all about. Plus, I didn’t really like “What’s this Thing Called NASCAR All About?” Hey, that sounds like a cool name too. Maybe I should have gone with that instead. The real story…Trixie came from my alter ego. Trixie grew up in a trailer park and is proud of her redneck and hillbilly roots. Trixie lives in a trailer park and loves NASCAR. I know this may buy into the whole stereotype of a NASCAR fan, but if you have visited The Park, this is so far from the truth.[Amy Peterman-Trixie’s Trailer Park]

What is your favorite NASCAR memory? My favorite NASCAR moment was in 1995 at MIS, I was walking in the garage area, not looking where I was going, and ran straight into Bobby Labonte. BAM! Embarrassed the hell out of me. But Bobby was the one who apologized. What a gentleman.[Charlie Turner-On Pit Row]

What do you enjoy about your blog and the NASCAR blogging community?
The freedom of expression the blog affords, and the community itself. I enjoy reading other bloggers on the same subjects, and being able to exchange ideas and information, without the interference we so often find on the forums. There is nothing I don’t enjoy about the NASCAR online community. Every entry, and every comment–on my own blog or on someone else’s–is as interesting and enjoyable to me as opening Christmas presents was to me as a child.[Jim Grady-Rev’ Jim’s Rants]

With the blog, as I mentioned earlier having a venue for entertaining and informing. And again, the circle of crazies I’m part of and partner with is a lot of fun.

Another aspect is being able to encourage other to blog. Everyone once in a while I hear “you’re a leader; you’re an inspiration.” The former I find highly amusing. I’m just me. No big deal. That said, if I can use where I am to encourage good writers, so much the better. We’re all equals in cyberspace. Hit totals don’t matter. I have yet to see a Sitemeter link on a tombstone. Only quality matters. To have a helping hand in getting good stuff out there… that’s sweet.[Jerry Wilson-Restrictor Plate This]

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about blogging, or the NASCAR online community? That’s a tough one. I would have to say that at times there’s some additional pressure from blogging, and when time constraints come into play I hate it when I go long stretches without writing a word. Like right now for example. My personal schedule has been so swamped that I haven’t written anything since Texas. Not that I haven’t had it in me, just my time for the Lounge has been significantly strained. At that point, I’ve had to prioritize everything that needs done with it, and unfortunately writing has been a little lower on the list than I would like.

Another thing that I dislike are some of the views out there. Not that I don’t respect them, but at times I wonder what planet some of the folks are on. Whether it’s NASCAR fixes races, to some other out of this world comment, the common sense factor is definitely missing. It’s these types of comments that people who aren’t familiar with the sport pick up on, and causes them to stereotype NASCAR and its fans. I’m all for free speech, so don’t get me wrong, but it pains me to think that some people really are that out of touch to think some of the crazy things they do.

One final thought on this, and one thing that pretty much ticks me off, is when someone from some PR company comes and gets a blog at Thunder Lounge. They are there for one purpose, and one purpose only. That purpose is to garner free advertising for their client. From my point of view it’s an insult to me, to our community and to our readers. It says in my mind, “Well, you’re not good enough for our advertising dollars so we’re going to take advantage of you for free.” That just ticks me off to no end. While you can’t necessarily blame the actual people being represented, like they really know what their PR folks are doing every second, somewhere it has to stop. I don’t mind folks blogging and participating that have their own main site. That’s fine by me. But when someone is there to put up one or two posts about their main site or promotion, don’t participate, and never come back, I have issues with it. Needless to say, those blogs are removed really quickly [Luke Poland-Thunder Lounge].

Do you have a favorite driver?
My favorite drivers are Ricky Rudd and Dale Jarrett. So right now, I’m a fan without a driver. It actually sucks…I can’t currently find the driver that compels me to throw my support behind him. [Darren Fauth-One Bad Wheel]

Name something cool that has come as a result of your blog.
A couple of years ago my wife got me a JINX T-shirt that says “Nobody reads my blog.” That made me laugh. Then I cried into my new shirt because it was true. Did you know the salt in tears can really help break in a new T-shirt?[John Newsom-The Spotter]

Do you have any strange or funny stories about your blog (funny or outrageous comments or emails from people, etc.)? Not really other than the occasional solicitor who thinks I could benefit by placing their logo on my site. One offered me a whopping $75.00 blatantly in an email. I wrote back with my usual wit and sarcasm that I accept, my terms are $100 per day paid in advance for a full year. I never heard back! If I could earn a living blogging I’d sell my house and move down near George![Michael Bills-NASCAR Eclectic]

“I have been asked if I was married. I got a 2 or 3 thousand word ‘manifest’ on the evils of the sinners who live in California and how God is going to make them pay by destroying California and have it fall into the Pacific. I sometimes get people emailing me complaining about certain things in NASCAR and asking me to pass it along to NASCAR - I really don’t have a direct line to NASCAR, honestly. I also get people who sometimes email me their NASCAR rants and then thank me at the end for listening to them. It is like they just need someone to vent to and they choose me.”[Bob Ellis 4Ever3]

What is something your readers wouldn’t otherwise know about you or your blog?

I served four years of active duty military service with the United States Marine Corps, to include service in Iraq. Additionally, I still provide operational support to our services.[Tim Zaegel-Do You NASCAR?]

In addition to the NASCAR work, I write comic books. Really. And I’m one of the nation’s foremost experts on the solid waste industry [ seriously]. I’ve done a lot of writing outside NASCAR, some of it in areas far afield from NASCAR. But I’ve NEVER had more fun writing than blogging.

That, and I’m really Kyle Busch. That’s why I’ve been planting pro-Kyle propaganda all along. See, conspiracy theorists? We really are out to get you![Jay Busbee-Yahoo]

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to answer the questions for me. It’s been incredibly fun for me to get to know more about this crazy online NASCAR galaxy. And yes to those paying attention, if this post were a sitcom, this is the point where you would recognize that episode was just a montage episode and the writers mailed it in. It’s also usually a telltale sign the show is about to jump the shark. I promise that I won’t let that happen to this blog.

Tune in next week when we interview Digger the Gopher.

• Cue the Duck Aflac announced they will sponsor Carl Edwards in 2009. Supplemental insurance is extremely important when you break your neck doing a backflip and can’t work. Is something like that covered? I am already predicting a commercial with Edwards and the duck doing flips after a win. Either that or Edwards can take a fake swing at the duck. As part of the contract, the answer to all Aflac trivia questions is now “Carl Edwards”. The deal is also apparently the second richest sponsorship deal behind Amp and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Of course Earnhardt Jr’s deal with Amp is essentially for co-sponsorship, as the #88 hauls in additional cash from the National Guard.

• Bruton Smith bought another track, this time Kentucky Speedway. It’s a good pickup, but with Tony George owning Indiana Avenue and ISC/France Family owning Illinois Avenue, it will be very hard to get the Red Monopoly and build hotels. Since he already owns North Carolina Ave, I would have made a play for Pennsylvania Ave now and Pacific (Northwest) Ave later.

• Tom Bowles of SI.com has an interesting take on Michael Waltrip Racing.
  

  It’s no secret the driver mortgaged his financial future to move ahead with this program and that he took on an investor (Robert Kauffman) in October to salvage the team’s long-term future. But if all three sponsors bail — this is the final year of NAPA’s agreement with the No. 55 — all the investment money in the world won’t keep this program on track. And with a tough economy making sponsorship difficult, this could be the biggest-level program that winds up biting the dust.

  I guess Napa can only make so many self-deprecating commercials about how bad Waltrip runs. I don’t have the inside scoop that Bowles does, but I was surprised by this. Given SI’s credibility, I have to believe there’s some truth, but my guess is that if MWR can keep all three cars inside the top 35 Waltrip can make it work to stay in business.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr had a few interesting comments on the future of JR Motorsports. He’s considering moving his Nationwide team to Cup in 2009. If NASCAR’s second-tier series is just as costly to operate that’s a serious problem for all parties.

  He also had this to say about Martin Truex Jr:
  

  “Why would he want to come drive for me?” Earnhardt Jr. asked. “He’s in good stuff now and he’s going to have great opportunities from other people. And I would never do that to him.”

  To me, that’s a subtle way of saying DEI should be looking for a driver for 2009. Junior was clear that he wouldn’t hire Truex, but if you look at the link to the story it’s titled “Friends don’t let friends drive junk”. That could be interpreted as not hiring Truex for a startup Cup team, or implying that something is already brewing with another top Cup team.

• Just four races after a crew chief shuffle at Ganassi Racing, there is another one this week. Prior to Talladega Jimmy Elledge moved from the #41 car to Juan Pablo Montoya’s #42 team. Now Elledge has left Ganassi and Montoya is not happy. Elledge is pretty well regarded in Cup and will turn up somewhere if he hasn’t already struck a deal. One place that makes sense is JR Motorsports, since Elledge is Earnhardt Jr’s brother-in-law, although that might be too much family even for JRM.

  Meanwhile Brian Pattie moves from the Ganassi Nationwide team to head up the #42 crew. Montoya has one top ten (2nd at Talladega) while Ganassi as an organization only has two all season. Obviously things are not going well at Acronym Racing (That’s CGRwFS for the uninitiated) and Ganassi has already ripped his organization once this year. Instead of shuffling around internal crew chiefs among the teams, it might be time to look outside the organization for a different perspective.

Off the Beaten Path

A chance for me to discuss whatever else is on my mind this week. Hey, if Peter King can write about his lattes every week…

• I don’t get very political, especially in this space, but it’s inescapable right now. I saw a report that the presidential candidates have raised over $900 million dollars. It’s mind boggling and we’re not even to the official presidential race. Worse, the entire point of donating money to a candidate is for them to burn through it. With so many problems in this country and abroad, imagine how many causes a billion dollars could go to.

• I saw Zodiac last weekend. A pretty good thriller/mystery with a lot of good actors too. It’s based on the true story of the Zodiac serial killer in California and focuses on the investigation. Jake Gyllenhal and Mark Ruffalo are both really good. My one complaint was that the movie ended with a postscript. I have a TV that’s at least ten years old and I couldn’t read what it said. Even if I wanted to throw in a spoiler here, I couldn’t.

• Have a great and safe weekend and be sure to get plenty of rest on Saturday night. We’ll all need it on Sunday afternoon.

After three straight races in three different time zones, all the NASCAR drivers were looking forward to the off-week before heading back to work. Like every other person with free time, they look forward to their vacation filled with relaxtion and entertainment. Earlier in the off-week several NASCAR drivers decided to relax and enjoy a night out together. So Dave Blaney, Patrick Carpentier, JJ Yeley, Kyle Petty, Johnny Sauter, Mike Skinner, Bill Elliott, John Andretti, Joe Nemecheck and Dario Franchitti decided to head to a trendy Charlotte nighttime hangout, Club 3-5.

As the group approached the front door, they were suddenly stopped by the bouncer,“Sorry, I can’t let you guys in”.

“What? It’s only 9:00 and it’s a big club, it looks like there’s plenty of room for all of us,” said an irritated Nemechek.

“Yeah, there’s room but we have to save spots for people with better dance skills.”

“Better dance skills? Like who?” asked an incredulous Andretti, “Who’s cooler than us?”
Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kasey Kahne nudged their way through the group and moonwalked their ways inside the door.
“Ok, fine,” responded Andretti, “They’re pretty cool, but who else?”
Just then, Regan Smith and Sam Hornish Jr walked up to the velvet rope and nudged their way past the group of drivers. “Hey Mike, can we get in?”

“Of course guys,” said the bouncer as he opened the rope and motioned them towards the door. Then turning back to the other drivers shrugged and said, “That’s the rules. Those guys have been better dancers this year than any of you. Plus have you ever seen Hornish pop and lock?”

“We just want to get into the club, we don’t expect to dominate the dance floor. That’s only fair,” pleaded Petty.

All right, some of you can still get in, but you’ll have to prove it with your dance moves. I’ll let eight of you in, but the others have to go hang out at the Olive Garden.”

Bill Elliott was the first one to try. He began with a slow, uncoordinated rendition of the Charleston, but then Mike the Bouncer interrupted. “Hey, didn’t you win a dance contest a few years ago? Yeah, you did. 1986 right? Go ahead, you can go in.”

Next up was JJ Yeley. His acrobatic routine began impressively but then as he was squaring up for a flip, he slumped to the ground. “I think I broke my leg!”

“That’s a shame there JJ, but I’m sorry we can’t let you in.”

As Yeley was writhing in pain on the ground, another driver, Michael McDowell limped up to the door on crutches. With a simple nod to Mike the Bouncer, McDowell slipped inside as the door closed behind him. A befuddled Yeley just sat there.

Next up were Franchitti, Carpentier, Skinner and Andretti doing some ballroom dancing. The performance, although awkward without female dance partners, impressed Mike the Bouncer enough. “I’ll let you guys in, but let me see the other dances first. Just stand here for a minute.”

Just then Boris Said walked by and saw all the dancing. “That looks pretty fun, I think I’ll give it a shot too.”
Petty realized there were only three spots left so he went for it. He pulled out the Robot routine he’d learned from his dad back in the 70’s. “Kyle, I’m sorry but it was just too slow. It may have worked in another era, but I can’t let you in.”

So Said proceeded to do a flawless breakdance routine capped with a headspin. “That was amazing! That’s one of the best dances I’ve seen tonight. You’re in for sure!” Just then a lightning bolt lit up the sky followed by a sudden downpour.

“It’s raining! I didn’t even have a chance to go,” cried Blaney as the makeup for his Thriller routine ran down his face.

“You’re right Blaney, we need a way to settle this.” The bouncer paused for a second, “Okay, Elliott, Blaney, Franchitti, Nemechek, Yeley-but you’ll need to switch to your backup routine when you get inside, Sauter, Carpentier and Skinner. You guys can go inside, the rest of you can check out a never-ending pasta bowl.”

“What? You said I was awesome! Now I have even get in because it’s raining?”

“Sorry Boris. The rest of these guys show up every week and try to get into the club, but you just show up from time to time. How would that make sense?”

“None of this makes sense. Come on Boris, let’s go get some breadsticks.” said Andretti.

[Trouble in Turn2 Exclusive] The King is back. Seven time NASCAR Cup champion Richard Petty will replace son Kyle in the #45 car for the upcoming Sprint Cup race at Martinsville. With the younger Petty losing his guaranteed spot inside the top 35, the team will utilize NASCAR’s past champion provisional to make the next six races.

”We thought about moving Bobby [Labonte] to the #45, but that would create more complications, and the public opinion on swapping owner’s points was very negative, so we did the next best thing,” said Petty Enterprises GM Robbie Loomis, “Besides. Imagine the revenue we’ll get from the diecasts.”

Initial concerns about the 70 year old Petty’s safety were immediately dissipated. “Because Richard is a former champion, we will have him in the car for qualifying and then Kyle will take the wheel for practices and the actual race. Richard will make one lap at qualifying speed and the rest is taken care of by NASCAR’s muddied rule book. We’ll start 43rd, but that’s where Kyle typically runs anyways.”

That muddied rule book awards one guaranteed spot to the most recent champion not already qualified for the race. Loomis had no comment when reminded that a more recent champion, Bill Elliott is also entered at Martinsville.

In related news, DEI is applying for a posthumous past champion’s provisional to be transferred from the late Dale Earnhardt Sr to his wife Teresa. This would allow her to pilot the #01 normally driven by Regan Smith.

[googmonify]0055289385:center:468:60[/googmonify]

Its looks are on par with Ugly Betty,
But also harks to the cars driven by Petty,
Fans call it ugly, far from a beauty,
But looks aren’t the C-O-T’s chief duty,

Wider bases, splitters and gasp! A wing,
But it’s safer, slower, and that’s the main thing
It’s not a sleek missile like prior makes
But the C-O-T gives as good as she takes,

Style critics panned it; nothing but yucks,
And last year Kyle Busch said it plain sucks,
Jimmie Johnson won 5 races in the CORN,
Even when Jeff tried to use his Chrome horn,

Fires might start from foam in the doors,
And last year some races were drown out by snores,
Now it’s oh eight and it’s full time gig,
For the Car of Right Now and it will be big,

If cars are like women, she’s far from hot,
But at least this girl can handle a slingshot,
So it looks like a brick, all big and boxy,
If it brings better racing, then I say she’s foxy.

(Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR)

The Daytona 500 is 30 days away. Are you geared up for the new season? Take this simple test to see how (over)prepared you are.

1. The family’s 1998 Taurus is wrapped in a special DeWalt paint scheme.

2. You haven’t used any sick or vacation days since November in preparation for rain delayed races.

3. After spending all winter hoarding peppers for salsa, local grocery stores have posted pictures banning you from buying produce.

4. There’s just one coat of paint left on the “Busch Sucks” sign.

5. This is a common discussion at work:
   coworker: “Can you quick run this report for me?”
   You: “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!”
   coworker: “Whatever”

6. The teenager worker at the gas station is irritated because you keep yelling at him to lower the track bar and pull a spring rubber.

7. Fire-grill-drills. A practice where a family member attempts to run to the grill, check and turn the meat and safely return before the end of the commercial break. (That’s right, you practice on the NFL playoffs to be ready for Daytona, and probably the Super Bowl too.)

8. Your BAL (Blood Amp Level) is so high that your skin has a Mountain Dew green hue (not only are you ready for Daytona, but also qualify as a human battery).

9. The whole family is sporting Boris Said afros. Unfortunate morning byproduct: Boris Said Bed Head.

10. Your new HANS device just arrived from from eBay. Now you can watch races without fear of whiplash.

This one is too easy to pass up.

:After this, a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park.”

Your turn…

Source: RacingOne.com

1. Radio to his crew every ten laps saying, “I think I’ve got a vibration… sike.” (Note: sike is required)

2. On the victory podium, make like the other Jimmy Johnson and yell, “How ‘bout them Cowboys!”

3. Shave his head to match Chad Knaus’ hairdo.

4. Turn up the intensity of his celebration and give two fistpumps.

5. With ten laps left and only 18 cars left in the race do a burnout, head to the garage and celebrate early.

6. In the post race interview start by saying, “I just want to thank Chad Knaus for working so hard to find a way to conceal the traction control and afterburners from NASCAR detection.”

7. Finally take Elliott Sadler’s advice and arc more entering the turns. You’d be surprised how well it works.

8. With every challenge met in NASCAR, announce his immediate retirement to pursue a career in the IRL.

9. Win his fifth straight race.

10. In effort to make a closer race and boost ratings, let his wife Chandra drive at Homestead.

“Do I really have a chance in this Chase thing?”

“I know Gil said to take two tires, but seriously where did the other two go?”

Tires? Check. Firesuit? Check. Mysterious lighting? Check. Ladies…Ladies?

A reflective Clint Bowyer reenacts his high school yearbook picture.

“I do look like Dolph Lundgren!“

Now for the “you” in You Write the Caption, starting…now.