[With thanks to roykeane11]
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So, I’m finally posting again, grin … go figure.
I can’t tell you that I watched the end of today’s Cup race without emotion. In fact, the last several laps were actually exciting, and that had a lot to do with double-file restarts. Kudos to Kahne for making it happen for Petty (et.al.), and kudos (can’t believe I’m saying this) to NASCAR for actually doing something worthwhile for the fans for a change.
However, as much as I was happy to see American (at least formerly Michigan) muscle in the form of Dodge take that checker, just in front of another rarity lately – an owner/driver, and who else could it be but Smoke-can-DO-this-this-year – AND, yet another cool deal with one helluva’ vegamiter in Marcos Ambrose rollin’ in third … wow … all VERY cool … BUT …
Has ANYone been following the rest of the world’s events this weekend … last week … last month?
I feel so blessed to even be able to watch such a race, no matter “who” won … no matter “who” ran well … no matter “who” entirely fucked up out there or in the booth or in NASCAR’s “imperial HQ’s”, which is normally what I gravitate toward writing about when I feel like writing here anymore, granted, grin …
Yet, enough grins.
Who knows who NEDA is?
If you do, then, good. If you don’t, then no doubt you should.
WE ALL SHOULD.
Her death in Iran is no less powerful than our own “shot heard ’round the world”. Simply because what is perceived there can often seem an entirely ludicrously different world-view (to us), and has happened in a part of the world we’ve grown to despise for many reasons NOT directly due to any circumstances the people forced to live there have created in and of themselves … doesn’t mean that this ’shot’ should not be felt by every single one of us.
Neda’s death resonates.
It fucking RESONATES.
Watch the footage. Watch news channels – search ‘Neda’ on YouTube or otherwise. Do NOT let your children see it unless they’re old enough and/or you’re fully prepared to explain it RESPONSIBLY … but SEE IT for yourselves, and then try to tell yourselves “that’s OK – it’s just Iran”.
Screw that prejudice RIGHT now, because NOW’S THE TIME. (Ummmm … might wanna’ take a look at North Korea and China about now, too, but I’m just sayin’ … sigh ..)
Neda, the name/word, is supposed to mean “voice”. The horrific fact AND footage of her death in Iran this weekend? Could not be more clear AS a voice for change.
Does everyone hear it?
I wonder.
Light a candle in your window every night, not just for Neda, but for ALL of those who seek freedom of expression – among so many other freedoms – UNTIL THEY HAVE IT.
Do we have to LIKE or AGREE with Iran, as it HAS stood?
Hell no.
Do we have to like what these brave citizens are trying to work out right now? Their freedom to say ‘NO – ENOUGH.’?
YES.
LIGHT IT UP.
Is this all we can do?
Perhaps, for now. But hopefully not for long.
On this Father’s Day Race Weekend, I salute the fathers of OUR COUNTRY – my ancestors and father, included. Those who fought and died for FREEDOM.
May we always, then, LIGHT IT BRIGHT, for those who follow in their brave footsteps.
* Edit Point: The name/word ‘Neda’ is also said to mean: calling and/or divine calling.
P.S. [much later] … LOL … you’ve really gotta’ hear what Chavez is now sayin’ about Iran’s election’s “triumph”, grin … sorta’ like … well, no, this is a racin’ site, and this shit is truly the sign of some VERY slow …. slllooooooowwwwwwww minds. But, hey … turn on a NEWS channel for a change, and laugh your ass off, at least at the idiots still clingin’ to dictatorship … because, I mean, uh … WOW. SERIOUSLY??
]]>This years edition of the Great American Race was a stinker. No one outside the Roush-Sox headquarters will remember this one fondly. The money changers rung the last dollar out of the ad market. In an effort to make the race go into prime time on the east coast market, they gambled with the Weather Channel and lost.
*BTW for some reason, my media button is not working. I can’t post a dang picture. Gotta find out what is up with that.
So much for Grumpy’s rant tonight. The full post mortem on the Daytona 500 may come later.
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DAYTONA, Kevin Harvick got a great push from the #11 of Denny Hamlin to make the outside pass on Jamie McMurray to claim the victory. Just seconds later, a final crash triggered the yellow flag that sealed the deal for Harvick.
The 28 car field had several names that would not otherwise be in the Shootout in past years. A predictable pattern of lots of cautions and wrecked cars was a big part of the story. Greg Biffle was hit by just about everyone but the pace car.
Grumpy had his doubts about the format. Ok, the race was entertaining anyway. The bow tie boys get the bragging rights on this one. The big cars proved twitchy and most all the drivers fought loose handling. Grumpy hates to see the big multi car wrecks that usually come with a race at Daytona or Talladega. That aside, there were plenty of thrilling moments of three wide racing.
Teams will set up their cars with more handling for the 500. The drivers need to remember to engage the brain before putting the helmet on. Events such as the Shootout and the All-Star race tend to promote aggressive driving, it sells tickets and boosts the TV ratings.
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Daytona International Speedway. At last, the sound of cup cars on the track for practice today. The format for this Shootout is not the same. Gone are the winners of poles from the previous season. There is a reason for that. If you noticed, last year, the pole award was sponsored by COORS. It would hardly do for BUDWEISER to sponsor a race featuring pole winners, now would it? such is the confusing world of how NA$CAR signs corporate sponsors.
The new format is to start the top six teams from each manufacturer that competed in the ‘08 season. Sounds ok so far, right? Well, then they added a wild card entry from each manufacturer. This is commonly refered to as the ‘Tony Stewart rule’. Now, we have a total of 28 entries, seven from each camp. Here is where it gets interesting. Over the winter, some teams folded, some merged, some bought others to gain a spot inside the top 35 in order to insure their start in the first 5 events of the ‘09 season.
Take the former Petty Enterprises as an example. During the ‘08 season, the #43 was driven by Bobby Labonte. The #45 was driven by Kyle Petty, and a few others including past champion, Terry Labonte. By the fall, Petty was looking at no sponsors in the works and deep financial worry. In comes a company named Boston Ventures. They were going to infuse Petty Enterprises with cash and help with the sponsor search. With that news, Bobby Labonte chose to extend his agreement with the #43 going forward. Weeks later, to our astonishment, Labonte is released and has no apparent ride for ‘09. Kyle Petty has no involvement and announces his intent to run the Grand Am Series for ‘09. The team founded by Ray Evernham that brought Dodge back into the cup series took in a partner/co-owner in the Gillett Group. By fall, it seems that Ray Evernham has little or no real duties at GEM. Meanwhile, Boston Venture’s bean counters get a dose of NA$CAR reality. I think I may have this pretty close to the conclusion. At GEM, there is no more E. At Petty Enterprises, there is no cash, no sponsors, no drivers. Richard sits down with Gillett. Gillett has cash, Petty has the name. Out of that, we now have RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS. RPM has 4 teams, the 9 & 19 along with the 43 and 44.
So, back to the Shootout. Ryan Newman is sitting this one out. David Stremme is at the wheel of the #12. Robby Gordon is in, driving a Dodge for the Shootout. This is a little strange since he will campaign a Toyota for the ‘09 season. The 9, 19 & 2 are in. Reed Sorenson in the #43 and A.J. Allmendinger in the #44 are both in. The #44 is the wild card entry.
Among the Chevy drivers, we have all the usual suspects, well most of ‘em. Driving the #07 is Casey Mears. Clint Boyer is sitting out. Umm, Tony Stewart is in as the wild card. So we have 3 RCR entries against 3 HMS cars plus Smoke.
In Fords, we have all 5 Roush-Sox cars. The #98 of Paul Mennard using points earned by the #28 or #38. The wild card is #96 driven by Bobby Labonte. The #96 is owned by Hall of Fame Racing, but aligned with the Doug Yates team.
For The Toyota teams, we have all 3 JGR cars. Joey Lagono debuts in the #20. The #00 and #55 MWR entries will join #83 and then #82 Scott Speed gets the wild card.
Does any of this make sense? Does it really matter?
Next week, Grumpy attempts to explain who is in the top 35 and why.
Drop the green flag and lets see a race!
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The 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals is the official kickoff of the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for NHRA’s Professional competitors, and it marks the annual starting point for the 2009 NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, which features 69 national and divisional events and will attract nearly 5,000 competitors to member tracks across North America.
If you have a need for speed, here is a great show to kick the winter cobwebs out. All the big names will be there. Some in different rides.
Just like the folks in NA$CAR, teams are finding sponsor dollars hard to nail down for the NHRA. We may see some unmarked cars in the staging lanes in all the pro catagories as well as the sportsman classes. Oh sure, John Force is solidly funded. Just like Hendrick Motorsports, JFR will not have much concern about continued support. It will be the ones who have not been winning a lot that will struggle to make the show.
All of the major motorsports are in for a hard time for the foreseeable future. It is one of the rare cases where the competitors actually pay to put on the show.
In the early 90’s Grumpy worked with a race team running a late model short track car. At the time, each crew member had to have a NA$CAR license and pay $15.00 to $20.00 each to enter the pit area. The spectators were paying about $10.00 for admission to see the race. A look around the pits gave the impression the purse was being paid from the back gate income.
Check your listings on ESPN2 for broadcast schedule from Pomona.
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The Rolex 24 is the opening event of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The opening portion will be televised live on FOX from 3-4:30 p.m. ET. Coverage on SPEED continues from 4:30-10 p.m. Saturday and resumes from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sunday.
TELMEX Target Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates won the past three runnings of the event. Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya were on the winning lineup the past two years, and will join 2008 winner Memo Rojas on the team’s No. 01 Lexus Riley.
Defending Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon – part of Ganassi’s winning lineup in 2006 – joins 2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Alex Lloyd on the team’s No. 02 Lexus Riley.
Pruett, the 2008 Daytona Prototype co-champion with Rojas, said the team has been working specifically for this race since three weeks after the 2008 season ended in September.
“For the Rolex 24, 80-percent is preparation to get to Victory Lane,” said Pruett, who won the event overall in 1994 in addition to his 2007 and 2008 triumphs. “But, there’s always that wild card, such as you’re just driving around and someone takes you out from behind. That’s the potential of this race. It always has been, and always will be.”
Dixon recalled the Ganassi victory in 2006, when the car he shared with Casey Mears and Dan Wheldon took two trips to the garage, where the team made major repairs while losing minimal time.
“This race here is definitely more of a team sport,” said Dixon. “When we won this race here in 2006, it was won in the pits. We had all kinds of mechanical problems and we had to go back to the garage, but this team practices doing brakes changes, gearbox changes so often that we didn’t lose much time. They had it all nailed down. If that happened in an IndyCar race and they tried to change a brake or something, we would be out of it. This race is a true team effort, and it’s definitely preparation. This team prepares really well.”
David Donohue won the pole for the event with a lap of 1:40.540 (127.472 mph) in the No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley, edging the Penske Racing Porsche Riley of Timo Bernhard by a scant one-thousandth of a second, 1:40.541 (127.470 mph) in the No. 16 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Porsche Riley.
The top 10 cars were separated by one second – approximately 10 feet. The Daytona Prototypes share the course with the GT class, where Sylvain Tremblay won the pole Thursday in a last-lap effort in the No. 70 SpeedSource Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8. Tremblay, the 2008 Rolex 24 GT winner, ran a lap of 1:49.455 (117.100 mph) to edge the No. 67 TRG Porsche 997 of Andy Lally, 1:49.540 (116.998 mph).
Saturday featured final qualifying, led by Michael Valiante in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley with a lap of 1:42.856 (124.601 mph). Diego Alessi led the GT portion of the session with a lap of 1:52.501 (113.919 mph) in the No. 21 Battery Tender/MCM Pontiac GTO.R.
Two of the Daytona Prototype teams had their times from Thursday’s qualifying disallowed due to technical irregularities.Valiante’s Pontiac Riley was found to be too wide, while the fifth-qualifying No. 22 Alegra Motorsports BMW Riley of Ryan Dalziel was found to be too low due to a splitter failure. While Valiante requalified and will start 17th, the Alegra team did not participate in second round qualifying and will be gridded 19th.
The lone incident of Rolex Series practice involved Bill Lester, who spun and tagged the wall in the No. 45 Victory Junction – Orbit Racing BMW Riley he will co-drive with Kyle Petty, Darren Manning and Leo Hendry Jr.
“Basically, just too much gas too soon,” Lester admitted, but said the car would be repaired. “We’ll be racing tomorrow.”
A field of 49 cars, including 19 Daytona Prototypes, is expected to take the green flag on Saturday.
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Grumpy’s take: The Grand Am Series debuts under the NA$CAR umbrella who took ownership of the series. The racing is always exciting. And it signals to opening of a new season, something we all look forward to at just the right time if you are bored with the stick and ball sports.
The economic woes that have hit NA$CAR teams certainly should have an impact of the Grand Am series as well. Grumpy will be watching for teams who are running with little or no sponsorship.
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2009) – Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will be looking to make history in the Rolex 24 At Daytona from Jan. 24-25, seeking to win America’s premier sports car race for the fourth consecutive time.
Ganassi Racing has a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys entered in the 47th running of the classic, which takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. The race will be covered live on FOX starting at 3 p.m. ET, with coverage continuing on SPEED from 4:30-10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Last year, Ganassi Racing became the first team to win the Rolex 24 in three consecutive years. For 2009, Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya return in the No. 01 TELMEX/Target entry, seeking to win the event for the third straight time. They will be joined by Memo Rojas, who joined Pruett in winning six races last year – including the Rolex 24 — en route to sharing the Daytona Prototype championship in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.
Pruett is the leading class winner in the history of the Rolex 24. He’s won his category eight times, including three overall victories.
“Last year was huge for Ganassi Racing, winning our third in a row,” Pruett said. “Now, we’re going for four, and that says a lot about the team and the commitment Ganassi has made. Even though we didn’t test in October and November, we were fastest in the opening session at Daytona In January. To come here fast right out of the box is a great way to start the year.”
Dario Franchitti also shared in the 2008 Rolex 24 victory. This year, he moves to the No. 02 Target/TELMEX entry, joining 2006 Rolex 24 winner Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd. The potent combination pairs the two most recent Indianapolis 500 winners and IndyCar Series champions with the 2007 Indy Pro Series champ.
“Chip’s going for four in a row, so it should be pretty exciting,” said Franchitti, who joins the Target Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar Series team in 2009. “That’s an amazing statistic, and it speaks volumes for the job that this team does. It’s good to be in the same car with Scott. We are teammates this year, and it gives us the chance to work together after racing against each other for many years. My new engineer, Chris Simmons, is engineering the No. 02 car, so that will also help get us ready for the IndyCar season.”
Franchitti won the Indy 500 and IndyCar Series titles in 2007, driving for Andretti Green Racing. He joined Ganassi Racing last year, competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Dixon, who lost the 2007 crown to Franchitti on the final lap of the season, won titles in 2003 and 2008 for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Ganassi Racing made its Rolex 24 debut in 2004, when championship-bound Pruett and Max Papis combined with Dixon and Jimmy Morales. The team placed all three of its cars in the top seven in the 2005 event, with a Dixon-led team finishing sixth while Pruett took seventh.
After a tight battle throughout the opening 20 hours of last year’s race, Ganassi Racing won by four laps, with Montoya and Pruett leading the final three hours and 19 minutes. Overall, the team led 252 of the 695 circuits, including 128 by Montoya and 118 by Pruett.
Practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. and night practice at 6:30. Friday’s schedule includes final practice and qualifying, plus the Fresh From Florida 200, the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge season opener. For complete reports and live timing and scoring, please visit www.grand-am.com.
MARTINSVILLE has joined a long list of tracks controlled by INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY CORP. to reduce ticket prices for the ‘09 season.
Grumpy wants to think that I$C is responding to the pain felt by the little people who are faced with tightening budgets or job loss. Call it what you like. The phones are not ringing in the ticket offices. Folks are not renewing long held tickets to what has been for many a tradition for years. Even Bristol (GASP) has tickets available. The golden goose that NA$CAR has presided over for decades seems to be choking on the stacks of unsold tickets. It is about time! The day is gone when fans can plan a weekend at the track for a reasonable cost. The fault is not just the soaring ticket prices. It is the whole experience. Hotels, food, swag, you name it. A typical race weekend can easily exceed $1,000 for a couple even if they are within driving distance to the venue.
We are experiencing an economic time that is unprecedented in memory. Everyone knows the news about the stock markets and such. The impact all through the American economy is staggering. Just one year ago, we were eagerly anticipating the new season with the 60th running of the Daytona 500. there were some 50 teams to vie for the 43 starting positions. What a difference a year makes. Teams that were well funded and seemed solid are now in peril. DEI and Ganassi combines to field what may only be 2-3 sponsored cars where once there were 7. Petty Enterprises now looks to be combining with Gillette (not Evernham). Bobby Labonte not signed to drive anything at this point. Just a week ago, it appeared that Elliott Sadler might lose his ride to A.J. Almendinger. Now, perhaps he is safe and A.J. could wind up in the #43.
Bill Davis Racing is gone. Tommy Baldwin racing is born. Furniture Row may only be a part time gig for Nemechek. Yet from the ashes of Petty Enterprises, Richard Childress will debut the #33 Cheerios team. From the ashes of Bill Davis Racing, Childress will take the Caterpillar sponsorship for the #31 team. And in this uncertain time, Tony Stewart will step into the arena in his partnership team to field cars for himself and Ryan Newman.
The picture is by no means complete. We are all gonna need a program to get the drivers straight in our minds with their respective teams. Stay tuned.
Oh, and Happy New Year!
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Elliott Sadler may have lost his ride in the #19 GEM Dodge. Say it ain’t so! Kinda late in the process heading into the ‘09 season to kick someone to the curb. The popular Sadler joins the 2000 Cup Champ, Bobby Labonte in a growing unemployment line that includes; Kyle Petty, Joe Nemechek, Dave Blaney and Scott Riggs. The list is by no means complete.
Sadler has 3 wins in the cup series, but has gone winless since the ‘04 season. Rumor has it that the seat in the #19 will go to A.J. Almindinger. A.J. filled the seat of the #10 for a few races after being released by Team Red Bull. The #10 team started the season with open wheel star, Patrick Carpentier. He was kicked to the curb and may be headed back to the IRL along with Dario Franchitti. Reed Sorenson is signed to drive the #10, coming from what was Ganassi Racing. No sponsor has been announced for that ride yet.
The pressure to perform at this level is going to be insane in the coming season. Teams are shutting down or being bartered into a merge. There is no indication if Petty Enterprises will be able to field the #43 or who will drive it. Bill Davis sold his operation off to investors and will persue other interests. Pretty sad for a guy who just won the Truck Series Championship. Grumpy wonders if congress could toss a couple of billion bucks to save NA$CAR teams with. There are a lot of good people out of work in the Carolinas, you know.
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