My Two Cents Worth for 11/9/04

By Todd Berger, LGR Staff Correspondent

There were some folks that were distraught when I wrote earlier this fall that the Talladega race was the most entertaining race of the year.  Well, you can all relax, because I think the Phoenix race was the race of the year so far.  I also think that it too could be a model for the new tracks in New York as well as the Pacific Northwest.

It was pleasantly surprising to see the Richard Childress entries running well at Phoenix.  With 10 laps to go, all three were in the top twelve.  This has happened so infrequently that it surprises me NOT to hear how upset Childress is about how his teams have fared this year.  There will be more shakeups at RCR between now and Speed weeks, and I’m guessing none of them will truly address the problem.  Firing Robby certainly isn’t going to solve it and hiring Dave Blaney isn’t going to solve it either.

I was disappointed that Robby Gordon blew a motor so late in the show.  He finished fourth in the Busch race on Saturday and ran up front all day long Sunday until the motor let go.  Of course, that won’t silence any of the “Robby can’t drive” folks, but I don’t care about that much anymore anyway.

Speaking of Robby, it was announced that he would be partnering with Jim Smith to run the #7 car next year as a Ford, either with Jack Daniels, John Deere, or some combination of those and his current sponsors.  I think John Deere is in play for sure, considering how Robby was wearing a John Deere hat before the Atlanta race.  That was funny too, in my opinion.  I was not terribly amused that he didn’t remove the hat for the national anthem, but who am I to say?  Oh, and what of those folks who thought Robby “burned his bridges with Ford?”  I guess no t-shirt will get in the way of a good driver getting a ride and a manufacturer desperate for drivers and owners to run their equipment.

Another guy I felt bad for was Casey Mears.  He ran well all day and as has become more the rule than the exception, he couldn’t close the deal.  Bad luck, bad timing or bad driving, whatever the case, that team just can’t quite seem to get it together.  He’s 22nd in points which is WAY better than last year, but I’m guessing that 2005 will be his S_ _ T or get off the pot year in Nextel Cup.

It was nice to hear Junior again taking responsibility for last week’s accident and saying HE cost the team a lot of points.  I continue to be shocked that people are still blaming Carl Edwards and calling for his head. 

Kurt Busch has to be the luckiest driver alive this year and appears to be pulling pages from the Matt Kenseth 2003 playbook.  Think back at how many times this year that Kurt Busch has spun and hit nothing AND been hit by nothing.  He did it two weeks in a row, for heaven’s sake and all he had to show for it was a crease in the right front fender.  It’s Kurt’s title to lose and I’m not sure he can now.  It seems that all the obstacles that could be thrown at him have been, and he’s avoided them with equal parts skill and dumb luck.  Talk about running between raindrops…

(That said, if he wins the Championship, I may pull my eyes out with two shrimp forks, but we’ll cross that bridge when we have to decide whether or not to light it on fire).

I am surprised at how poorly three teams are doing right now, considering that they are three of our last four Champions:  Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Bobby Labonte.  Labonte in particular is surprising in that he has but one top ten since Daytona in July.  That is almost unthinkable to me. 

A reader sent an interesting theory to me, and I will tell it to you (briefly) for your consideration.  It’s possible that Joe Gibbs Racing is in some fair to moderate financial trouble.  Interstate is no longer the true primary sponsor on Bobby’s car as Wellbutrin has been on the car a lot lately.  Maybe they are having some sponsorship dollar woes.  Fatback was an expensive alternative for a crew chief, and he didn’t stay long at all.  Joe Gibbs left the team to return to the NFL for four or five million a year.  JGR brought on a huge sponsor, FedEx, to compete with Jarrett and UPS, and they signed Jason Leffler as the driver?  Wouldn’t a high profile, high dollar guy have been more expected? 

Something to consider, huh?

I was one of the many people who thought that the Chase contestants would be getting far more publicity than normal at the expense of the drivers in 11th and beyond.  It seems that I was wrong to a degree.  The guys running 6th thru 10th like Mayfield and Kenseth and Stewart can’t get on TV long enough to know they’re even in the race.  Sadler can’t get noticed because he keeps falling out of races.  Newman was invisible over the last several weeks, and only found his way on to TV this week because he won the pole, fell a lap down early, and fought back to finish second.

With only two weeks to go, there are still seven drivers mathematically alive for the title.  Realistically however, only Busch, Gordon, Junior and Johnson are alive.  While the other three drivers have a chance, the chance of them passing all four of the abovementioned drivers is not only minimal, they are nearly non-existent. 

New points system standings:

1 Busch 6191

2 Gordon -41

3 Earnhardt Jr. -47

4 Johnson - 48

5 Martin -102

6 Stewart -142

7 Newman -150

8 Sadler -322

9 Kenseth -336

10 Mayfield -355

the chase for 11th
11 McMurray 4286

12 Jarrett –215

Old Points System

1 Gordon 4702

2 Earnhardt Jr. 4645  -57

3 Johnson 4640  -62

4 Busch 4480  -222

5 Stewart 4424  -278

6 Martin 4287  -415

7 McMurray 4286  -416

8 Newman 4222  -480

9 Kenseth 4162  -540

10 Sadler 4160  -542

11 Jarrett 4071  -631

12 Kahne 4070  -632

13 Harvick 4027  -675

14 Mayfield 4019  -683

15 Labonte 4007  -695

While we still have a four-car chase, if NASCAR had left things alone, we’d be cheering for the best three-car race we’ve seen since 1992.  I don’t want to keep beating this dead horse, but if it needs beating…

(Oh yeah, if Busch leads no laps and finishes third in both races, he can’t be caught). 

It was nice to hear about the quiet driver protest led by Dale Earnhardt Jr.  In recent years, crowding of fans in the garage had grown to epic proportions, and after much complaining, NASCAR implemented the hot / cold pass system, which was intended to limit garage access while drivers and teams were trying to work. 

In recent weeks and months, the problem has come back with a vengeance, and many drivers have grown upset over the issue.  To demonstrate the issue to NASCAR and its officials Saturday, Junior walked thru the garage picking up quite a pack of fans.  He then sat on the top step of the NASCAR trailer and signed autographs, making it impossible for NASCAR officials to enter or exit the trailer. 

I am going to reserve an official comment on NASCAR’s proposed changes to qualifying until they are made official.  I am in favor of the fastest cars making the field, but I am also in favor of the guys that go to the races every week making the shows.  I am in favor of two-day shows and qualifying in race trim as well.  More on this story as information trickles in…

I like that many of the competitors are complaining about the idiotic caution thrown at Atlanta last week when Kevin Harvick stalled / broke at the far end of pit road.  NASCAR had earlier let Elliott Sadler sit sideways, perpendicular to the pit wall, for far more than the usually allowed five minutes.  Again, more of the same as it relates to consistency in interpretation and implementation of the rules.

Yesterday on several occasions it was made public that drivers stayed on the track with flat tires.  Much like a driver saying over the radio that he is going to wreck someone intentionally, I think NASCAR has a duty to get dangerous cars off of the track.  I know Kasey Kahne finished fifth, but he endangered other drivers beside himself by staying out on the track. 

Another thing that is irking me coming down the stretch is how some of the chase contestants are complaining about how they’re being raced by lapped cars and other drivers NOT in the chase. 

While I don’t think it’s right for a guy several laps down to be racing the leaders like Biffle did at Atlanta last week, I think it’s fine for the guy in danger of losing a lap to race the leader hard.  I also think that whether you’re Jeff Gordon or Jeff Green, you owe it to your team and your sponsors to race as hard as you can every lap you’re out there and try to win.  Otherwise, don’t go out there at all.  This is another reason why my idea of paying the same number of points from 30th to last would help eliminate this problem.

NASCAR has begun talking out loud about slowing down the fuel flow rate from the pit cans to lessen the need for lightning fast pit stops.  Crewmen are mad because they feel NASCAR is catering to the owners and infringing on the ability of the best of the best crewmen to make good money. 

While I am sorry that the demand for people capable of turning a 13.5 second pit stop will be affected, I think the racing ON THE TRACK will be better for it.  We the fans care about seeing racing and passing on the track.  Who cares if your favorite driver passes three guys in the pits?  That’s not racing…it’s time management.  Bring passing back out on the track where it belongs.  Or, help us to realize that there isn’t as much on-track passing as there ought to be, and work harder on making the cars less aero-dependant and make them more reliant on mechanical grip.

There are just two races to go folks, and almost anything can happen.  Stay tuned…