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Posted on 11/21/2008 5:30:10 PM PST by WestCoastGal
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Sounds great...let us know when.
Do they run out at TMS?
Oh yes, that’s where I called you from this summer. ;)
It was thought to be an excellent and bold move by Jeff Gordon's management team as most races are won or lost in the pits.
However, Gordon got more than he bargained for! At the crew's first practice session, not only was the inexperienced crew able to change all 4 wheels in under 6 seconds, but within 12 seconds they had resprayed, rebadged and sold the car to Dale Earnhardt for ten cases of Bud, a bag of weed, and some photos of Jeff Gordon's wife in the shower.
LMAO!
GEM to layoff about 65 from its N’wide program
By The Associated Press
December 17, 2008
12:52 PM EST
type size: + -STATESVILLE, N.C. — Gillett Evernham Motorsports will layoff about 65 employees in several departments as part of scaling back its Nationwide Series program next season.
The No. 9 Dodge will run a partial schedule in the second-tier series in 2009. The team will continue to field at least three Sprint Cup Series teams — for Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson — and is in talks with Petty Enterprises to merge with that organization and house its famed No. 43.
“We are a Sprint Cup team first and foremost, and winning in that series needs to be our primary focus,” CEO Tom Reddin said in a statement Wednesday. “The Nationwide Series is a fantastic series ... [but] we will remained focused on putting all of our effort behind the Cup program in 2009.”
GEM lost sponsor Unilever to JR Motorsports at the end of the season and doesn’t have enough sponsorship in place to run the full Nationwide schedule.
Some of the layoffs came from the engine department, which is being reorganized to align with the number of customers who lease motors from GEM.
The engine department supplied Petty Enterprises and Robby Gordon Motorsports last season, but Gordon is moving to Toyota in 2009.
December 17, 2008
The New Face of NASCAR
By: Dennis Terry
No one really knows what lies ahead in their future. We all have our goals and our expectations concerning the paths we choose to travel, but those most always change in one way or another. Many times those changes are for the best and many times we are left stagnant in disappointment.
In NASCAR, the future is about as uncertain as a debris caution. Even in the best of times, the path you travel is only as solid as your last pit stop or where you finished the last race.
As I see it, the 2009 NASCAR season is eventually going to be recognized as the season that redefined the sport. We have already felt some of the effects of the COT, NASCAR “Super Teams” and the arrival of Toyota.
In 2009, I predict the following issues will change the face of NASCAR for years to come...
1 - There will be no Petty driving and no Petty Enterprises car in the field. Even if a Petty merger does materialize, Richard Petty’s role will be reduced to that of a iconic P.R. front guy. He is no longer an owner, leader or guiding force behind Petty racing.
2 - The future of GM, Chrysler and Dodge is in jeopardy. If all three are able to survive and stay in business their participation in NASCAR is almost guaranteed to change in a very big capacity. Monumental changes to the “Big Three” will most certainly open the door for more forign manufactures to capitalize on NASCAR’s appeal to automobile lovers.
3 - Economic pressures are forcing sponsors to cut spending and some are even leaving the sport all together. On that same note, sponsorship cost are making it prohibitive for many new sponsors to fill those vacancies. Fewer sponsors equals few teams. Plain and simple math on that one. Look for the 43 car field to be reduced as a result.
4 - Layoffs by just about every team in the business has flooded the NASCAR community with employed mechanics, fabricators, P.R. reps., tire changer, etc. No positions have been immune. Many of those unemployed have, or will be, finding jobs in other fields making NASCAR just another page in their photo album. I predict that teams will struggle finding experienced talent to fill future positions as they begin recovering.
5 - TV Broadcast are surely to suffer from a loss of advertising and reduction in media positions. I look for less TV cameras, fewer specialized announcers, reduced coverage of practice and qualifying and most definitely and reduction in the number of racing shows covering the sport during the week.
No Petty on the track, fewer American manufactures, more foreign manufactures, decreased sponsorship, a 43 car field reduced, less employees per team and scaled back TV coverage are all going to change NASCAR as we know it.
Of course, I’m no Nostradamus, so you’ll have to speculate for yourself, or just wait and see the old fashioned way.
DT
Daughter in law sent me that one.
The news Wednesday from Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., was grim — the company will close all 30 of its manufacturing plants for a month beginning Friday because of sagging sales — but indications are the company’s involvement in NASCAR will not change.
An individual with knowledge of the situation said the closings will not alter Dodge’s involvement in NASCAR. Dodge has contracts with Gillett Evernham, Penske Racing and Petty Enterprises. All will be honored next season.
“Dodge will be back next year,” the official said.
Chrysler said in a release Wednesday that tighter credit markets are keeping potential buyers from the showrooms. With a slowing demand, the company said it must match production and save cash.
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/news/story?id=3776677&campaign=rss&source=RPMHeadlines
Nascar.com Drug testing of drivers, teams to begin in January: NASCAR will test drivers for performanc.. http://tinyurl.com/4w9ckz 27 minutes ago from twitterfeed
Jayski......
Earnhardt laps field in consumer index: #99-Carl Edwards and #48-Jimmie Johnson made gains, but #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. remained the runaway leader in the Davie Brown Index, which quantifies an athlete’s relevance to consumer behavior. In polling of avid NASCAR fans conducted after the 2008 season by the Charlotte-based Millsport sports marketing agency, Earnhardt ranked first in awareness and nine “attribute” categories: appeal, notice, trend-setter, influence, trust, endorsement, aspiration, exposure and passion. The DBI also is used to quantify Hollywood celebrities, and Millsport vice president Ken Cohn says Earnhardt is creating a separation from other drivers unlike any celebrity the agency has seen. “Avid fans are at least 20% more passionate about Junior,” Cohn says. Rounding out the top five in overall scores were #8-Mark Martin, #20-Tony Stewart, #31-Jeff Burton and Johnson, who advanced two spots from a NASCAR DBI survey in the spring that also was led by Earnhardt. Edwards, who finished second in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series, jumped 14 spots to sixth overall, ahead of #24-Jeff Gordon, #43-Bobby Labonte, #9-Kasey Kahne and #45-Kyle Petty.(
OK, who do we have left now, Briggs & Stratton?
Atlas shrugged. Sigh.
Looks like we will be saying that quite often through out the next year or two, hopefully it's not three or four.
GM is going bankrupt because of you and all you do is shrug?
<shrug>300hp @ 24mpg</shrug>
...good for towing 12,000 lbs for 250,000 miles and not a UAW fingerprint on the whole rig.
Pinto vs. Corolla yada yada yada.
My American car came from Bowling Green, Kentucky. My GMC pickup was built in Canada. Carry piece from Austria, and backup from Smyrna, Georgia. I have no loyalty to union inflated prices, and perhaps chapter 11 is just what the industry needs to shed the parasites (Pat Buchanan notwithstanding).
300. BWAHAHAHAHAHA.
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