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Posted on 11/21/2008 5:30:10 PM PST by WestCoastGal
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Scouts and cars get ready for PineWood Derby http://www.daytonausa.com/group_sales/birthday_parties/boy_scout_days/
Whatever you do, don't click here.
I used to hold strong on the mandatory 43-car field, but I’d almost rather see fewer cars that can be competitive instead of field fillers. It would stink to see Petty fold, but I’m not sure the family’s heart is in it anymore. Charity and Victory Junction seems to be their new ambition.
Some gave all........the forgotten hero’s.
“Nobody is immune,” Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick said. “So many jobs here in Charlotte are depending on our sport.”
Nobody knows exactly what the final tally of layoffs will be. DEI released 116 employees within the last week and Ganassi Racing released 71 earlier this year, when Dario Franchitti’s team folded due to lack of sponsorship.
Petty Enterprises, still without full sponsors on either of its cars for 2009, has let 30 people go. Bill Davis Racing is down to a handful of employees until it finds sponsor help. Hall of Fame Racing has notified its 44 employees that unless it finds sponsor help in the next month many of them will be looking for jobs.
Michael Waltrip Racing, the Wood Brothers and Roush Fenway Racing all have let go a dozen or so employees.
Even Hendrick Motorsports, which captured its eighth title in the past 14 years when Jimmie Johnson claimed his third straight championship, has trimmed 12 employees.
The cuts will continue through the end of the year as teams get a full understanding of what they face.
“There’s a lot of good people looking for jobs,” said Mike Dillon, the general manager of Richard Childress Racing, which has attempted to shift personnel to different areas to avoid major layoffs. “If there’s 50 people, that’s too many. It stinks.
“But all of these race teams have been fat for a long time. These sponsors were giving money and people were racing with no consideration for how much they were spending.”
Lots more at link.
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=newton_david&page=InsideTheHauler
That was great, thanks for posting the link. :)
Now I feel guilty for scolding both of my dogs for being bad today.
Just give your dogs written reprimands. You’ll feel better about it, they won’t take any offense, and while you’re writing about their misbehavior, you’ll usually figure out where you failed as their pack leader ;-)
Daytona isn’t too far off!!!!
Either is the Masters!!!!
When we all say, WELCOME BACK ELDRICK!!!
Jeff Gordon will be driving the #24 National Guard car in 8 races in 2009.
I guess this is instead of the sponsorship for Landon Cassill in the NW series and loss of Nicorette sponsorship???
Comes from a diecast site, not official from Hendrick.
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/thesundayhauler/vpost?id=3122254&trail=15#5
LOL Good idea.
Searching for pad and pen. :)
Not quite. :)
Lot’s of turkey to look forward to next week, then Christmas shopping. Then New Years and then we will skip the inauguration and WA LA la it’s Feb!!
Don’t worry the off season is only four days.
Top Ten Things I Want To Say About The 2008 NASCAR Season
Jeff Meyer · Wednesday November 19, 2008
10. Brian France could disappear off the face of the earth tomorrow and no one would notice. Well OK, we would notice because someone with some competence would be running the show. However, this guy has been here five years now and still, every time he speaks or appears in public, you are left with a profound sense of waste. This guy is not bright enough to tie the laces on his loafers. Oh, that’s right; loafers don’t have laces!
9. The ban on testing will not save the teams one bit of money. As it has been pointed out on this site before, the teams that could afford testing will spend it some other (possibly more expensive) way. The teams that couldn’t afford massive testing, well, they ain’t got the money to save anyway and are only hurt further.
8. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. This is either the start of something better than either had by themselves – OR – a massive train wreck waiting to happen. DEI was a once proud and formidable contender in the Cup garage that has become nothing more than an “also ran.” Chip Ganassi Racing, which never really was anything super special in the Series, also seems to have a super fast revolving door when it comes to personnel. Me, I’m standing aside and betting on the train wreck.
7. Sponsors and NASCAR. If NASCAR truly wanted to help the teams, they would put a “freeze” on any company becoming the “official” anything of NASCAR. They should direct them instead to various teams that need help. Stop stealing the limited dollars that are out there. NASCAR is NOT losing money. They are just not making as big of PROFIT as in the past. They should facilitate the union of struggling teams and companies that want to invest. Brian even has a company to make a profit from that, too … it is called Brand Sense. Look it up.
Four words: Grand Theft Auto Race.
6. Kyle Busch. What a year! All I will say about Kyle is…thank God for Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus!
5. Regan Smith got screwed! I still say Smith was forced below the yellow line by Stewart at Talladega, robbing him of his first victory. If that weren’t enough, Smith was named Rookie of the Year for 2008 and still has no set car to drive in ’09! Here’s hoping his current contract allowed him to keep all the prize monies for the ROTY award so at least he won’t go hungry.
4. My “Best T-shirt I’ve Seen at a Race” award goes out to an unknown fan at the Nationwide race in St. Louis. It simply read – “Kyle Busch Sucks”! This guy got more cheers than Kyle gets boos every time he came back to the stands with a beverage!
3. Jimmie Johnson is no Cale Yarborough. Yes, J.J. and Chad are very good. There is no denying what they have done. However, when a sport has changed the point system as drastically as NASCAR has, it’s like saying the ’07 Patriots were better than the ’72 Dolphins simply because they won more games!
2. Thank you, Dale Jarrett, for being my NASCAR hero for all these years. If you thought Tony Stewart got a bit teary eyed last Sunday, you should have seen me during the spring Bristol race!
1. The best thing about the whole 2008 season? Meeting a very special and beautiful Canadian nurse whose favorite driver is the same as mine! At least that will cut down on future arguments on Sunday afternoon as to whose driver is best! Thank you, NASCAR!
http://www.frontstretch.com/jmeyer/21754/
Really??
The Frontstretch Newsletter
DEI 116
Ganassi 71
Petty 23
Wood Bros 22
Stewart-Haas 16
Hendrick 12
Hall of Fame Unknown
Yates Unknown
Bill Davis Unknown, but down to bare bones staff at shop
And this quote also from same article:
“Unemployment Announcements are expected to pick up after
Thanksgiving in early December when teams come to grips
with a lack of sponsorship for 2009.”
I've never been to the 500 but I never miss the Firecracker, err Pepsi, err Coke something or other 400. I've already gotten my tickets for this years race. BTW, the Superstretch is closed for the 400 this year.
Here's one.
Thanks for the thread!
With racing over, now I don’t have to argue with the wife about whether we watch the race on the big screen tv, or the football game(s). Just football. Unfortunately, the Chiefs suck this year. But Go Chiefs!! anyhow.
And flipper in the 99 is supposed to be getting married sometime soon. His wife to be is a doctor at a rehab hospital in Columbia, Mo. just up the road from us.
Lets see if a wedding revvs him up just a bit more so he can get the championship next season.
And congrats to Jimmy Johnson on 3 in a row. Three championships in a row in any sport is few and far between.
although I am not really a fan of JJ, he proves what a person can accomplish in life with a lot of hard work and dedication.
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