Mike Skinner [leading Hornaday at the NTCS race in Tennessee last weekend] will take over Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 00 Toyota in the NASCAR Cup series, replacing rookie Michael McDowell for the next three races.
Waltrip said Tuesday he asked the veteran Skinner to help the team evaluate where it can improve its on-track performance, as Skinner did earlier this year when he drove five races for Red Bull Racing, replacing A.J. Allmendinger. [Uh, maybe by showin' him somethin' like ... "RACE, damn it!" You know ... somethin' like that, lol ... I'm just sayin' ...]
[...]
McDowell, coming off a race at Watkins Glen in which he was involved in a multicar crash, has driven in 17 of 22 Cup races this season without scoring a top-10. The 23-year-old driver is 40th in the standings.
“I support doing whatever it takes to improve the performance of our team,” McDowell said. “No driver wants to get out of the car, but I understand that every part of our program needs to be evaluated, and that certainly includes me. I plan to support Mike Skinner and our team any way I can, and hopefully learn some things that will help when I get back in the car.” Full Story at SI
It’s ABOUT TIME!!
Meaning that it’s great to see Waltrip finally making a call like this, as his organization needs a shot’a Skinner-esque “somethin’” to get in there and MAKE some rough, ragged edges for these guys. Honestly - there’s just been too much “happy-go-lucky” crap goin’ on at MWR (almost gives ya’ a sugar-buzz, then instant crash (pardon pun, lol) nausea, just watchin’ all of their PC/NON-fiery nonsense lately). Point being: all of this happy horseshit on Waltrip’s/MWR’s part simply hasn’t been translating into impressive runs and/OR wins - for McDowell or anyone else, for that matter.
Waltrip, himself, has become so caught up in the business end (as would be expected), that he’s lost his own sense of fierce competitiveness behind that wheel; and he hasn’t acted, in my opinion, as the type of “winning is the ONLY option” leader/drill sergeant, (by example especially), that his team NEEDS … desperately.
Skinner can bring it, IF they take his lead. Let’s hope they do.
Or, let’s just face this: MWR is at a point where “whatever it takes” must become a team mantra, or else they might as well just pack it in altogether. Skinner’ll at least be able to give ‘em ALL some fire/inspiration during these upcoming three races - no matter whether he “wins” or not - as well as a bit more MWR excitement for fans to watch ON-track for a change … so, let’s hope he mixes it up out there, FAST, and the rougher the better!!
Yup … that’s angler’s input on Skinner’s “input”, grin … the rougher the better, as it’s time for MWR to stop, uh, dancin’ around out there and get down to the “business” of hard-as-hell RACIN’ - whatever it takes.
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I think they call Skinner ‘the Principal’ in the NCTS. Not sure who gave him that title or what it really means.
It is amusing that Skinner can’t get a ride in the cup series, but gets called on as a consultant. In that capacity, he has driven for Bill Davis, Team Red Bull, and now for MWR.
Grumpy agrees that it is about time MWR shakes things up a little. Does anyone but me think that MWR is giving McDowell a ‘timeout’ after the move that triggered the big crash at Watkins Glen?
Mcdowell and Gilliland were both invited to the oval office following that incident. NA$CAR decided that no action would be taken against either driver, concluding that it was just hard racing.
Hmm … my memory might not serve me this morning (or much at all lately), lol, but I DO seem to recall something about Big E having some serious thoughts about Skinner & Cup … only perhaps there wasn’t enough time (sigh) back then to truly develop another team around a guy who often pissed everyone on the track off, (just as Big E used to do, especially at his start, and much like Shrub has/does now), because he gave NO ONE quarter — especially not when racin’ for a WIN vs. drivin’ for points. (Or, more especially, at the time, when he had to “run what he brung,” and it was never much “enough” back then … and then - poof - he was out — no support, as I believe he would’ve continued to have from the right party if life and circumstance had gone differently. A “party” we still miss dreadfully, by the way.)
If given the choice, Skinner’ll still take the winS (and risk much FOR every one of them) — NCTS or not — AND THEREBY the championship(s) … but the wins come first for a guy like him. HE at least “gets” the fact that if you stack up enough WINS? Hey — guess what — you’ve also got the POINTS for the championship at the end of the year, without counting ‘em every lap/race, and then “driving” vs. racin’ accordingly. WOW — what a concept.
Perhaps that’s the sort of “principal”-esque mentoring so many of these other teams are needing, to put some FIRE back in their drivers’/crew chiefs’ bellies. To stop being afraid of “penalties” and the “Big Red Truck” and “what other teams will SAY (aka, how much they’ll whine)” and “whether or not other drivers will WORK with you if you don’t cut ‘em slack every other lap until the last 20″, etc., etc., etc.
Nope … perhaps — just perhaps — it’s still just about RACIN’ for Skinner, because so many of these new (and old) teams AND their drivers just don’t freakin’ GET (still OR yet!) that NASCAR hasn’t changed THAT MUCH — it STILL isn’t all about “finesse” and “give/take” like we’ve been hearing from the many and varied PC/PR-robots (and, especially from the “new-NASCAR-fan” MEDIOTS covering them) of late … ad nauseum.
NASCAR IS (and/or “should” be) still about hard, racin’ is rubbin’, nothin’ but FIRST is winnin’ … RACIN’.
Skinner GETS that. Problem is … no present Cup team wants him as a regular because he’s “too old” … LOL … yeah, right. Might not have enough Legano-type longevity for these teams, granted, but “too old”?
That’s merely a reflection of the times, wherein NASCAR/ISC has FAILED its fan-base as well as its sport, and the teams have followed suit. Now they’re ALLLLL about long-term MARKETABILITY with a YOUNGER demo who’ll continue to follow/buy … never understanding that, at the rate they’re going (especially with this COT-pos?) … already … look at the GRANDSTANDS. It’s been a TREND, and they’ve ridden its wave hard & fast … and they’ve thus lost a lot of the base that not only BUILT them, but would’ve also sustained them when the trendites move on — for surely, they will.
They always do. (Let’s just hope the MEDIOTS will go with them, lol.)
POINT being:
I could be wrong, but I’m just not thinkin’ that Skinner’s merely being called upon for his “engineering” input on this COT-pos, grin … nope.
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