The 4th of July Cesspool
A stupid pre-race move makes this weeks NASCAR Cesspool. Michael Waltrip ’s crew chief, Tony Eury Jr. , missed the drivers’ meeting before the race. He was nabbed when race director David Hoots twice called for the “crew chief of the 15″ to signal his presence. Hoots calls for one driver or crew chief, ostensibly at random, each race to assure mandatory attendance. Sorry guy, you got busted. Step right up to the window and pay the man.
If I’m not mistaken this is the first pool entry for the Craftsman Truck Series. Who’s the genius behind letting a a used car salesman giving the command to start engines, and then screwing it up! For someone that is in a profession noted for having “silver tongues” when attempting to sell a 5 year old Yugo it was a sad display. Stringing more than three words together must have been beyond his capabilities.
Elliott Sadler, and crew join this weeks Cesspool. While not entirely his fault - the yellow came out just as the pit window opened for many teams - running out of gas and the resultant push back into the pits via wrecker was a sorryful sight. Because the pits were closed as the yellow came out he doesn’t deserve a full dunk into the dung pool of infamy, just a couple of toes will suffice.
The racing press gets this nod. For weeks we’ve been inundated with Little “E” stories about his fall from grace and his “Chase” demise, that quickly turned to printed eulogies as Earnhardt fell 140 plus points out of the 400 point window. With Dale’s third place finish in the 400 the worm has turned. My favorite headline of many similar is, “He’s Baaaack, Next Stop, The Chase.” The following Earnhardt quote issued after his third place finish at Daytona sums up the reality of the current situation.
“But I understand this is Daytona, and there aren’t any more Daytona’s and Talladega’s before the chase (which begins in September). We have to work hard to gain ground on these other tracks where we haven’t had success yet.”
Exactly, it’s also the reason why I stand by my position Earnhardt is still dead as far as the Chase is concerned. The four plate races are so foreign to any of the other 32 events as to render any comparison moot. The nature of plate racing can place you 1st and one lap later in 40th. In addition the cars run at these events are totally different in aerodynamics and how the engines are engineered. Dale Jr. as evidenced by his quote “gets it,” most of the press and fans don’t. If the Jr. fans feel better by hanging their hat on this result more power to ya. Don’t start crying after he returns to his previous mediocre performance when the team isn’t propped up by plate races.
The sanctioning body NASCAR makes the grade into the pool this week. After numerous reminders by the NBC broadcast crew how the drivers were warned about ducking below the white line, many did. Nascar’s response to date has been to ignore their own admonishments. There were no in race penalties handed out and as yet none after the fact. So what is it, a warning that carried the weight of possible penalties, or empty words made to not only confuse the issue, but undermine any future “warnings” given by NASCAR? Maybe it was the euphoria of the holiday weekend, the IRL issued the same white line warning for its Kansas race and no penalties were handed down there either.
Mark Martin’s luck takes a dip this week. Martin’s Daytona history reads just as the old axiom says, “without bad luck he wouldn’t have any luck at all.” Put another way it’s a Vincent Price horror story on four wheels, and his much hated restrictor plates. And here is the irony, I predict when Mark returns to the speedway driving a Craftsman Series truck next Feb. he wins his first time out in a Roush Ford Ranger. And don’t be surprised to see fellow “rocking chair” rider Rusty Wallace close behind.
That winds up the Cesspool for the week, as always, if you feel I missed someone feel free to add his, her or it in the comments section. See ya in Chi-Town!
So NASCAR and IRL didn’t enforce out-of-bound rules? Maybe they’re finally figuring out there are not supposed to be any out-of-bound rules - if it’s paved and it isn’t pit road, it’s fair game for passing.
You may have hit on a concept that racing has been losing by over-regulating the world. What’s the big deal about getting below the white line? It’s been promoted as a safety consideration. Based on everything I’ve seen of late, it may be safer diving inside and low than trying to go high on any oval track, unless you’re talking about the high banked tracks like ‘Dega or Daytona.
George, it’s the same mindset behind banning racing to the yellow - they say, “If they didn’t have this yellow-line rule there would be ferocious wrecks,” and yet that cannot cite one actual incident as justification.
No, I wouldn’t see Jeff Gordon’s point because he is a wuss.
Petty and Cale’s race to the finish of the 1984 Firecracker showed how NON-dangerous racing to the yellow was - the lapped cars saw them coming and moved aside accordingly.
So no, you can’t prove me wrong and you’d better stop trying. Racing to the yellow is safe. Period, end of discussion.
No, I wouldn
Marc, I call it as it is - Gordon and virtually all the other drivers nowadays just lie on camera. Demeaning Gordon is appropriate because he deserves it.
The ARCA crash you mention didn’t have people racing back to the yellow. That is the fact. The facts are on the side of racing back to the yellow, not on your side.
The issue is closed and you lost - go back to racing to the caution and stop trying to argue against it, boy.
The facts are on the side of racing back to the yellow, not on your side.
As is the norm you offer statements with nothing to back them up.
And this little bit needs some explaining: …caution and stop trying to argue against it, boy.
Unfortunatly I don’t have the time to listen to it. But I will point you in the direction of my comment policy. More specificly item number three, consider yourself warned. This isn’t Rantville where anything and everything goes, there are rules and they will be followed.
Marc, as is the norm it is history that backs me up. You still have not named one race where racing to the yellow caused a wreck. Why? Because you can’t.
You still have not named one race where racing to the yellow caused a wreck.
Really! Just because you may have not viewed the video of the ARCA wreck that clearly shows a race to the flag doesn’t make that statement true. If you choose to believe otherwise your misguided, at best..
It also shows no matter what evidence is given you will take the opposite view facts be damned. Just for the record here is the report from the Daytona Beach News:
And as the ARCA video clearly shows drivers behind the top two finishers didn’t maintain their positions, they raced to the flag.
As you well know, I assume, the rule was changed from a “gentlemen’s agreement” between competitors not to race to the yellow to a hard and fast rule in 2003. That was a result of a late race crash by Dale Jarrett, and again the NASCAR video available at the provided link clearly shows the dangers of the leaders racing by the crippled car of Jarrett.
I suspect you won’t except that evidence either. After all expert on scene testimony by those that are far more knowlegable than either you or I are called “wussies” in your world.
Marc, they didn’t maintain their positions because the rule is don’t jump off the throttle - we see the exact same thing in NASCAR every year; I remember a couple of years ago Jeff Hammond talked a little bit about that. They were not racing back to the flag.
That gentlemen’s agreement was never worth whatever paper writers wrote on it - they put it in place solely as an excuse for teammates to let other teammates get back on the lead lap.
I was at that NHIS race in that Jarrett wreck - everyone slowed down EXCEPT MICHAEL WALTIP. It was HIS fault and no one else’s (and not the rule’s fault) that that happened. HE was solely at fault there.
So no, I don’t accept your “evidence” because there is zero reason to accept it - it is false evidence. Racing back to the caution is safe, that is the fact - go back to that rule and drop the field-freeze and lucky dog rules. They are wussification of the sport.
Who would be the non-wuss; the driver straddling the track in a dead car with a target on his door that all but says “hit here”? Or the driver desperate to get a lap back trying to get around the target? Doesn’t make sense to me, leave the caution rule as it is. It may be more exciting to you the spectator, because it’s not your ass on the line.
Exactly George!
I tend to believe Mike’s middle name is “Contrariant,” but I could be wrong it’s just a guess based on past experiance. The one reference I gave Mike from someone that does put his ass on the line was labled as a “wuss.” When you discount a first person account it only highlights how weak you’re own position is.
No, George, the wuss would be the driver who knows racing to the caution is safe but whines about how “dangerous” it is. It doesn’t make sense to you? It’s because you’re not trying to make sense of it. Go back to racing to the yellow. Period. “It’s not your ass on the line.” It doesn’t matter - these racecar drivers know it is safe, they’re just too overpaid and underworked to be all that tough anymore.
Marc, when you discount the account of a grossly overpaid and underworked prima donna such as Jeff Gordon, it illustrates how dishonest he is. I don’t take him seriously on anything, because he doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously. He is a wuss.
“No, George, the wuss would be the driver who knows racing to the caution is safe but whines about how
“Marc, when you discount the account of a grossly overpaid and underworked prima donna such as Jeff Gordon, it illustrates how dishonest he is.”
Mike, in your opinion, who is a top money making driver in his field that is not a wuss? You sound like you have penny envy. They are all making whatever the market pays. Period. If you were in his situation would you work for 1/4 his earnings? I think not.
I am not a Jeff Gordon fan, my nickname for him used to be “The Little C**ksucker” when he was married to that bible thumping money hungry loser Brooke. But his accomplishments as a driver and his skill behind the wheel are beyond question. I may not like him but I RESPECT him. Respect is a quality you seem to lack. Who out there doe you respect, and not necessarily like? Anyone?
Don’t expect a rational answer George.
That ability seems to be in short supply when Mike opines on the subject of auto racing.
Marc, I don’t project, I state facts. The bad habit is denying the truth as you do.
George, who is a top-money driver who isn’t a wuss? Tomas Scheckter is one who does not project any of the weaknesses that so many WC guys show. “They’re all making what the market pays.” Yes they are. That does not give them the right to make statements contrary to reality. That they make these statements comes because they do not have the gumption, the hunger, that race drivers are supposed to have.
Would I work for 1/4 of his earnings? Yes I would. Tom Brady took a paycut to stay with the Patriots; Jerome Bettis took a paycut to stay with the Steelers. We’re actually seeing players taking paycuts to stay with teams.
“His accomplishments behind the wheel….” are the result of having a gigantic resource and technology advantage from the first laps he turned in Hendrick Motorsports cars. He is almost literally the only WC champion who at no point of his career ever had to struggle, to pinch pennies, to slum it in weaker racecars.
Who do I respect? I respect the so-called “weaker” drivers and teams, because they have the same talent as Gordon but have been shortchanged by the racing system - factories have shortchanged them in engineering help, sponsors have been diverted from their teams toward bigger teams or NASCAR itself - they have gotten a raw deal in racing.
Staying on respect, here is what I respect the most - facing ferocity in competition and not letting it get to you. When drivers race, they should WANT to have to race the entire field, because that is what makes a racer. Drivers should want the rule to be race to the yellow, because it is fundamentally the only fair way to do it; drivers should never gripe about the risk involved because it is overrated.
One word.
Delusional !
Marc, the one word is truthful.