NASCAR Offseason Withdrawal Therapy Thread 2005

Various News Sites ^ | 11-21-05 | Me & Jack

[WestCoastGal]

**Welcome**
Well here we are again, another year of racing, gone by in a flash! Is it Daytona yet? Are we there yet?

This forum is to help us get through the offseason by posting news, silly season rumors and anything else devoted to Nascar.

[Jackknife]

Shame, shame: NASCAR annoyed with drivers who skipped ceremonies

This is unacceptable behavior, IMO. These guys owe it to the sanctioning body, and their fans, to be there.

[WestCoastGal]

NASCAR president Mike Helton plans to speak with the drivers who failed to attend last week's ceremonies in New York, Hunter said. The sanctioning body also is considering ways to ensure future attendance.

---

What is this high school?


It's also been reported somewhere that Dale Jr only gave a 10 second thank you video accepting the MPD award. Well, truth be told he taped a 90 second message which Nascar CUT and ONLY showed at the breakfast. Nascar disrespected the fans that voted for Jr since they didn't get to see his message at all. Their viewership was probably way down and will continue that way until they change the setup, their rules, and the entertainment.

Jr does have a very nice written thank you message on his DaleJr.com board under his running journal notes which he updates for his fans.

I don't see any reason for those who weren't in the top 10 to attend. No one saw any of the other drivers or even heard from them at the banquet. So what's the point? It's supposed to be for the fans. If Nascar hadn't instituted the Chase it might be different, but now it's all about the top 10 and that's it. I didn't see DJ, Rudd, Harvick, or anyone else, even though they may have been there,

[GRRRRR]

Agreed, whadda load of crayola!

Jeff was off, competing somewhere else...Jr was busy...TUFF NUTZ Helton...kiss my lugs!

[SouthTexas]

NASCAR basically removed the 30+ drivers from the series with ten races to go in the season. Everything is about "the chase", with the chosen 10 receiving massive amounts of coverage and the "others" relegated to the back of the pack. This was NASCAR's decision, theirs and theirs alone and if sponsors start negotiating their support for everything up to the chase, but not into, it would not surprise me. The whole game is about getting your name out and the chase format blatantly ignores that.

NOT a fan of the chase!

[WestCoastGal]

IIRC Jeff was ill last year with the flu so he didn't go to Paris for the race. BUT he made it to the banquet flu and all.

[SouthTexas]

I held my tongue last year because I am a Jeff Gordon fan and it would seem just so many sour grapes to complain about how he SHOULD have had the championship. Well, that's not the case this year and Helton is upset because the "stars" didn't show up? Why? It is their own stupid game that put Jeff and Jr. on the sidelines and they are "upset" because they didn't show up?

They are d*mn lucky they had 43 drivers show up for the last ten races!

[steveegg]

I guess NA$¢AR didn't want Flash to run in the non-NA$¢AR-affiliated Race of Champions (not to be confused with the NA$¢AR-affiliated, NA$¢AR-style, NA$¢AR-track-only, NA$¢AR-dominated IROC).

While I'm here, the latest dose of Jayski -

• Todd Parrott found a home at the #43 as crew chief.
• Mikey will get the majority of the crew from the #22 (I wouldn't be surprised if the #55 gets the owners' points too).
• More TV rumors; it's allegedly an 8-year deal, Fox/FX gets the first half of the Cup season, TNT gets a few races in the middle, ESPN/ABC gets the last part including the Chase, ESPN2 gets the whole Busch schedule, and Rusty will be somewhere on TV.
• More #77/Kodak rumors (Will they stay or will they go? Will they run or will they...ahem!)
• Texas Terry will not run the Bud Shootout, at least not in the #96 HOF Racing Chevy.
• The National SprintCar League is done.
• Speaking of the Race of Champions, Flash and the rest of Team USA lost to eventual champ Team Scandinavia in the semis of the head-to-head competition after Flash single-handedly knocked out Team Brazil.

[WestCoastGal]

Yes it was the constant new rules that screwed up some of the teams. The spoiler height, the gears change and other rules they made up as they went along like camber and tire issues. Let's not forget the track levigating debacle.

All of that seems to have made a big difference at Hendrick, DEI and others. Roush was the only one who seemed to figure it out.

[tubebender]

Jr and Flash should have hired Jeff Foxworthy to represent them. I'll bet Brains France would have had his microphone cut off and security escort him out. And then maybe not.....

[NormsRevenge]

My guess, 33 teams were told to pack it in after 2/3's of the season was over, they did. I'd be curious if fans were polled , how they would respond as well.

Flash won 11th place which meant an extra million so it may have been worth his while tom show but he gets the money either way so...

Personally, I don't hold any ill will towards any who did not attend. It was a kiss&hug fest for the Top 10 and the biggy sponsors night otherwise, so no harm done, imo.

[SouthTexas]

The 'kiss & hug' fest is how I view the last ten races. I think it may have been DW that brought up the sponsorship issue, but why SHOULD they pay for a car for the full season when they don't get the advertisement?

[SouthTexas]

Ya think?LOLOL

[WestCoastGal]

The Amazing Race is on now.

Sorry, that's the only race I could come up with. It's a fun show anyhow. ;)

[WestCoastGal]

This is interesting.....

Carter out at Penske? hearing #2 Miller Lite crew chief, Larry Carter has been released from his duties at Penske Racing and is looking for work, supposedly Roy McCauley, Chief Engineer for the #12 team of Ryan Newman will be Kurt Busch's crew chief.(12-7-2005)

http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htmpposedly

[WestCoastGal]

Sad day when the #3 crewchief leaves RCR......[just wondering what the big guy is thinking about all this, his crewchief, his sponsor, NAPA -all jumping ship] I hope there's no curse like the Babe did.

Hamlin leaves RCR for BDR? UPDATE Official - Hamlin, Finley to #55 Waltrip: hearing [or have learned] that crew chief Kevin Hamlin has left Richard Childress Racing and will be the new crew chief at Bill Davis Racing for Dave Blaney and the #22 Caterpillar Dodge with former #22 crew chief Derrick Finley moving over to the #55 NAPA Auto Parts Dodge that Michael Waltrip will drive in 2006.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio show/Sporting News)(11-29-2005)

Jayski

[steveegg]

Rest of the daily dose of Jayski -

• The TV deal is OFFICIAL, starts in 2007, runs through 2014 (explanation partially courtesy Speed)-
  • Fox (no mention of FX) gets the Bud Shootout, the first 13 points Cup races, some of the qualifying (presumably for its races, and this includes the actual qualifying for the Daytona 500/Gatorade Duels), and 2 Truck races.
  • Speed keeps the other Truck races, qualifying and practices for some Cup races (presumably for the Fox and TNT portions of the schedule), and gets the Gatorade Duels and the Open/All-Star Challenge.
  • TNT gets Cup races 13-19
  • ABC/ESPN get the last 17 Cup races (with the entire Chase on ABC), the entire Busch series (mostly on ESPN/ESPN2, with at least 4 races on ABC), and qualifying/practice for both series on ESPN/ESPN2 (I doubt they'll share the qualifying/practice for their part of the schedule with Speed).

• Crash will continue to use DEI engines until Menard makes some more.
• #77 news - there should be an official announcement soon.

[WestCoastGal]

We're gonna need a road map to figure out which channel to watch!

[SouthTexas]

Will you please go out and close the gate? It is entirely too cold down here already.

[WestCoastGal]

How cold is it? [using my Ed McMahon voice]

[SouthTexas]

It's 39 and falling. 25+ north wind. At least the drizzle stopped, for the time being anyway.

Hope it's dry your way because I KNOW it's a lot colder!