Full Throttle

Toyota’s move into NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup division has been widely reported as a three team, 6 car effort. Jim Aust, vice president of Toyota Motorsports and president and CEO of TRD has consistently and adamantly denied they would expand beyond that plan.

File this in the “the best laid plans of mice and men” category.

Apparently Aust didn’t account for the “Jefferson’s Factor,” and a couple of NCTS teams are looking to emulate George and Louise (Weezie) Jefferson with plans in place for “Movin’ On Up” to a “dee-luxe apartment” in NEXTEL Cup.

Aust, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that two of its current teams in the Craftsman Truck Series are hoping to run some races in 2007 with the new Car of Tomorrow.

Both Germain Racing and Wyler Racing approached Aust and Toyota with their plans. Germain’s current drivers are Cup veterans Ted Musgrave (305 Cup Starts) and Todd Bodine (226 Cup Starts) while Wyler’s roster includes Jack Sprague who has 24 Cup starts to his credit.

Aust said it was something of a surprise when the Germain and Wyler teams approached him about competing in Cup next year.

“We had planned on only running three teams and six cars next year, but these guys came forward and said they’d like to look into running some races with the Car of Tomorrow to test the water,” Aust said. “This just came up in the last couple of weeks.

“Both teams have said they would like to eventually come up into the (Cup) series sometime in the next couple of years and this could be a good test for them.”

Sounds like a good plan to me. What better time for them to be “Movin’ On Up” than ‘07 when all the Cup teams will be starting with a blank sheet of paper. It may not level the playing field for them but some of the bumps would be shaved off the top.

Germain Racing seems to be in the best position, Musgrave had success while driving for Roush’s Cup team and Bodine is no slouch either having been the hottest NCTS driver dating back to October last year.

This is offered with apologies to composer Ja’net DuBois:

Well we’re Movin’ on Up!
Movin’ on Up!
To the NEXTEL Cup side!
Movin’ on Up!
To a dee-luxe apartment in the HWSBO sky[box], We’re movin’ on up!
Movin’ on Up!
To the NEXTEL Cup side!
Movin’ on Up!
We’ve finally got a piece of the multi-billion dollar pie!

Fish don’t fry in the kitchen,
Beans don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’
Just to get up that hill.
Now we’re up in the big leagues,
Gettin’ our turn at bat!
As long as we live,
It’s Germain, Wyler and Brian, baby!
There ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!
Hooray, We’re Movin’ on Up!
Movin’ on Up!
To the NEXTEL Cup side!
Movin’ on Up!
To a dee-luxe apartment in the HWSBO sky[box], We’re Movin’ on Up!
Movin’ on Up!
To the NEXTEL Cup side!
Movin’ on Up!
We’ve finally got a piece of the NEXTEL Cup sponsored by Allstate, AMD, America Online, Aplus, Best Western, Budweiser, Busch Beer, Centrix Financial, Callaway Golf, Checker’s/Rally’s, Chevrolet, Coca Cola, Combos, Craftsman Tools, etc, etc, ad infinitum pie!

NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Germain Racing, Wyler Racing, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Damned if I know, you better keep asking “Gladys.” In sifting through various reports I don’t have a friggin’ clue. Most Associated Press reports are full of NASCAR boilerplate; These quotes from Tuesday’s test session at LMS for example.

“I think there’s definitely something to work with here,” Ryan Newman said. “It’s aesthetically not pleasing to me, but that’s not the point. It’s all about the racing.”

Jeff Burton commenting on the CoT’s appearance:

“It’s my take that people come to races to watch races … not to see a car ride around a race track,” Burton said. “They want to see good competitive races. Nobody didn’t come to Talladega when we had wickers on the roof and Gurney lips on the spoilers. They came to see a race, and I think they’ll do the same thing with this car with the wing on it.”

“It’s a good car,” Casey Mears said. “I don’t feel like it’s much off of what we ran this weekend. The rear of the car feels a good bit more stable than what I had this weekend.”

Well that sounds good, and to give the development team credit, this test went off without any spins or crashes. What’s more encouraging is the test was conducted in the heat of the day when the track offers the least amount of adhesion. It should also be noted this test followed testing done in a wind tunnel the first week of May. (Can we assume they solved the problem of transporters being too small to hold the CoT?)

Competition director Robin Pemberton reflecting on how close the CoT was to it’s final version had this to say: “It’s pretty much it,” he said. “There might be some (changed) details, but if all the manufacturers work through and get their noses submitted, then we’ll be close. It’s ongoing, but we got some good feedback today from the teams.”

“Changed details” is an interesting way to put it. Enter NASCAR’s resident crumudgen (not counting myself) Jack Roush. Jack in the Hat’s Mongol Hoard wasn’t part of this test along with the remaining Ford teams and Toyota.

Jack’s reasoning for missing the test seems sound and calls into question what Pemberton’s definition of “changed details” is.

Roush said he wasn

Yea, I’m talking to you, all of you. As you entered Lowes Motor Speedway this past weekend did you sign a petition that was offered to those entering? No? Well that’s a good thing.

If you did, your as nuts as these people. (via Stock Car Gazette)

Petition To Stop Kentucky Lawsuit.

As race fans made their way into Lowe

The title says it all about this weeks lead item in the NASCAR Cesspool and as noted previously John Darby, Director of Competition should be given a Darwin Award for his “13.5 gallon solution” that contributed in large part to making the Coca-Cola 600 the “PitStop 600″ at Lowes Motor Speedway. Last time I checked Lowes already had a PitStop competition (Won by Martin Truex’s Crew), there was no need to have a second event wrapped inside what allegedly was a motor race.

And BTW, can’t we shitcan the “13.5 gallon solution” for Daytona and Talladega as well. It has never produced the results advertised - to break-up the field and eliminate The Big One - so why bother?

With that rant out of the way let’s talk RYR. Lets talk [lame duck] Dale Jarrett “(What’s Japanese for ” lameduck?”). Lets talk about the “Yates family reasserting themselves as the managers of their family-owned business.” As we all know that hands-on management style led to the firing of General Manager Eddie D’Hondt as the Yates Family first edict. Then the Law of Unintended Consequences kicked in.

The small print on D’Hondt’s r

BMW Sauber star Jacques Villeneuve is becoming increasingly concerned that he might not figure on next year’s Formula 1 grid. Who’d a thunk it!

Villeneuve’s two-year contract with BMW is up at the end of the season, and when asked if he would like to continue in F1 beyond 2006 he said he would, but his options are limited.

“Yes. Who with? Right now? No idea,

OK, can we nominate the brain child that came up with the “13.5 gallon solution” for a Darwin Award now? Can John Darby, Director of Competition, be placed at the tail end of the line for “natural selection?”

Really, I’m not kidding! It’s not often, if ever, I criticize a race of any type. But the “PitStop 600″ was an abomination. Worse than last year’s levigating debacle for one reason. Back in the day when I spent more time patroling the bar scene my bladder held more than Darby’s fuel cell.

The result was a race that resembled a string of 40 lap heat races and more pitstop errors than Brittney has silicone gel.

The only saving grace was the dominate car won the race. No one deserved it more than Kasey Kahne. As for the rest that’ll have to wait until I put out this weeks NASCAR Cesspool. I’m too pressed for time at the moment to note anything but Kasey’s performance and the Roush Mongol Hoard all finishing in the top ten.

Later.

NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Lowes Motor Speedway, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

Not the preferred method of course, (allow unlimited Cup testing) but having two of them knocked out before the 10 lap mark did thin the “Whacker Brigade” a little.

Surely both McMurray and Smoke have another opinion with each ending the night with a trip to the crash house - McMurray with an aching noggin’ and Smoke a sore shoulder - but at least they can blame being competitive for their aches and pains. Unlike Elliot Sadler who started the event and finished in 19^th after cracking his skull Friday jumping off a stage.

Don’t misunderstand, the Busch regulars still need the field thinned a bit more as the best any of them could do was the 9^th place effort of Todd Kluever.

The top of the field held all the usual (Cup) suspects with Carl Edwards passing Casey Mears on the final restart with six laps to go to win the Carquest Auto Parts 300. Kurt Busch followed with J.J. Yeley, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in trail. Regan Smith finished 10^th.

NASCAR, Lowes Motor Speedway, Busch Series, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

“Old Dog,” Michael Schumacher.

“New Dog,” Fernando Alonzo.

With a minute left in qualifying Michael Schumacher was sitting on fast time as he made his last lap. In trail was Alonzo, both on the track an on the time sheets. As time wound down Alonzo clicked off two blazing times in sectors 1 & 2 with a very real possibility of snatching pole position.

As Schumacher entered Rascasse for the final time the Ferrari inexplicably slowed and stopped on the tarmac just outside the racing line. During the press conference Schumacher claimed he had not wanted to reverse out of the spot because of the following traffic and when he tried to go forward the engine had stopped running.

End result is Alonzo had his last chance for the pole disappear and will have to line-up from second. At least as this is written. The stewards are investigating the incident to determine if the “Old Dog” learned a new trick or whether the Ferrari getting loose and stalling was legit.

UPDATE: It was nice while it lasted wasn’t it Schumie? Sitting on the pole I mean, he sits on the back row now alongside teamate Massa.

F1, Formula One, FIA, Monaco, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle

The name Senna has as much resonance in Monaco as the reverberating roar of Formula One cars howling through the tunnel and along the harbourside.

This weekend, 12 years since three times world champion Ayrton Senna crashed and died in the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, the name is back.

Bruno Senna, 22-year-old nephew of the great Brazilian who won a record six times in the Mediterranean principality including five in a row, is competing in a Porsche support race.

He is not just along for the ride, either.

“My main reason to come here was to learn the track for the future,” he told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

That future, inevitably, is Formula One but Senna is prepared to bide his time.

“The ultimate aim is not only Formula One, it’s being successful there,” he said. “There’s no point in arriving there and being kicked out so that’s why I’m not in a hurry. I need to get well prepared before getting there.”
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Michael Waltrip’s dance card will be full Saturday evening after qualifying 35^th for the Busch Series Carquest Auto Parts 300.

However Mikey is lacking an opportunity to perform Sunday during the Coca-Cola 600. He is among 9 other drivers that failed to qualify for the longest race of the season. I would suspect, as happened in the past with other drivers, Waltrip may be doing a little “garage surfing” looking for a ride to buy his way into the 600.

A likely candidate to receive a quick cash injection would be 43^rd quailfier Derrike Cope in the Sundance Vacations Dodge. I could be wrong and Mikey will just pack-up and go home. Or maybe Cope just won’t be bought and Mikey stays in the hope someone will need a relief driver (His height cuts down any possibilities for that to happen).

In any case what Waltrip should be doing is bow down before the altar of TRD and beg forgiveness, then pledge on a stack of Toyota Stock Options that he won’t be on the non-qualifier list for his new master next year.

UPDATE: They don’t call me the NASCAR Nostradamus for nothin’. “Waltrip buys ride for Coca-Cola 600,” can ya guess which one?

Michael Waltrip, NASCAR, NEXTEL Cup, Lowes Motor Speedway, Coca-Cola 600, Auto Racing, Motorsports, Full Throttle