All I can say is, it’s about time. Earlier this year I took up the topic of NASCAR and perception. No matter your feelings on the state of the sport, it’s undeniable that the color of coverage shapes what people feel.

Dustin Long interviewed Brian France on the issue of TV coverage. He touched on this issue. He said:

“We fully expect a lot of criticism for any number of reasons, judgment calls that are made, officiating calls that are made and some strategy or policy decisions that are made. We’ve always had that. That’s OK. What I’m saying is in opinions that are under the guise of criticism or being critical that just go on and on and on without much thought that’s different from some policy or rule violation that we didn’t handle correctly, somebody is more than fair to criticize us. It’s just there’s an unprecedented level that occurs when you espouse your opinion about how to do one thing or another.”

If you’re truly being honest with yourself, unless your out gathering news, where you get your news or in this case your racing coverage, is going to shape how you feel about it. For instance if you watch the local TV station that is big into covering local crime, chances are your going to believe crime is higher in your city. Likewise watching Fox News over MSNBC is likely going to shape how you see issues.

How many times in the last two seasons have you heard about ratings declines, or sagging attendance? The fact is attendance is down in the NFL and ratings are down 6% for MLB on ESPN (we’re no worse off than any other sporting event). If you hear something enough (like this race is boring) though you’ll start to believe it, it’s human nature. The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

I personally found the coverage a little much. I doubt the brass at ESPN was thrilled with it. They’re only driving away the audience for programming ESPN’s already paid for.

The NASCAR writer for the Oakland Press wrote a blog post giving kudos to ESPN for standing up to NASCAR. What are they standing up to NASCAR about? At the end of the day they’re only hurting themselves. ESPN is spending $270 million a year or $2.16 billion (from Sports Business Resource Guide) over the life of their contract for the rights to broadcast NASCAR races. Now you tell me, is it in ESPN’s best interest to say, “hey this product we’re broadcasting is really boring?” I don’t think so.

A couple of weeks ago Dustin Long did a wide-ranging interview about the state of the sport with Larry McReynolds, Kyle Petty and Jimmy Spencer. One of their big criticisms was the negativity that comes out of the sport’s media. While I think this was a pot calling the kettle black moment (they went on to criticize the sport pretty heavily) they made a good point.

Larry McReynolds said:

Darrell has put a great analogy. He goes, if you go to a restaurant and you’ve been going to that restaurant for years and you love that restaurant but you constantly read in the paper, it’s a bad restaurant, it’s a bad restaurant. Eventually, you’re going to say, I’m not going to that restaurant. Even if they rehire a complete new chef, staff, you’re still going to be hesitant about going back to that restaurant.

From time to time I like to watch old races and I’ll be honest with you, it really doesn’t look all that different. There aren’t constant battles for the lead, races do sometimes get spread out, and sometimes one car just dominates. The one big difference is you don’t hear Eli Gold or Ken Squier or Bob Jenkins criticizing the product. If you don’t believe me, track down a race from 10 or 15 years ago.

I don’t mean to suggest that NASCAR fans are more susceptible to this. But I do believe that this negativity runs rampant around here; more so than in other sports. When was the last time you were watching an NFL game and heard Joe Buck say how boring it was?

I think just like in every other sport, announcers need to walk a fine line. Criticize the league or sanctioning body for controversial decisions, fine; don’t drive fans off though by criticizing the product.

Looking back: Mr. September

The Physics of NASCAR Wrecks (video)

Stop Yelling And Start Talking

McMurray En Route to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Brian France 1-on-1 Discussing TV

Vintage Insiders

No, I Never Wanted To Be A Driver

2011 Could Be A Good Year For NASCAR

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

Richard Childress Racing is expected to field at least one team in 2010 for team owner Richard Childress’ grandson Austin Dillon. The last time RCR fielded a full time truck series team was 1999. There have also been rumblings that Tim George Jr. will drive a second truck for RCR. As the original championship team in the series, it is exciting to see RCR make a return.

Newcomer organization Turner Motorsports (they will make their debut this weekend) also has plans to run one full time and one part time team in 2010. Ricky Carmichael has said he will jump from Kevin Harvick Inc. to the team to run the full season. In addition to running the #1 car in the Nationwide Series, James Buescher is also expected to run at least 19 races for the team.

And then there’s Kyle Busch Racing (or whatever it’ll be called). While nothing has been announced they are rumored to be running at least two teams in 2010. We’ve heard they might also field a third part time truck for Kyle. With some of the talent they are rumored to be bringing in, this team could be a force very quickly.

In addition to the above teams, Mario Gosselin has said he will run the full 2010 schedule with sponsorship from MyTireMonkey.com. Gosselin’s a two time USAR Pro Cup Champion. This year’s ARCA Re/Max champion Justin Lofton has also said he will go truck racing full time next season with primary sponsorship from his father’s cattle company.It’s uncertain where he’ll end up.

Most existing organizations while not necessarily locked up for 2010, are expected to maintain their truck counts. Just to name a few, Randy Moss Motorsports has said they will be back with Mike Skinner in 2010 and they hope to continue fielding a second truck. Kevin Harvick Inc. has said they will return next season with one full time and one part time truck. And Thorsport has re-signed Johnny Sauter for 2010 and will return with Matt Crafton as well.

Uncertainty does still remain with a few regulars though. Wyler Racing needs to find sponsorship to run the full 2010 schedule; something Stacy Compton says they’re still $500,000 short of. Circle Bar, which will lose James Buescher this year, may be down to just one team next season if a funded driver is not found. At Red Horse Racing the number of teams also looks heavily dependent on sponsorship. Team owner Tom DeLoach has said Timothy Peters will be back though.

Obviously the loss of Roush Fenway is difficult for the series. 2010 will be the first time since its’ inception that Roush won’t compete. Their scaled back efforts this season though made the loss, less difficult to deal with.

Perhaps this post is coming a little too early because there are still quite a few guys who don’t have anything locked up yet, but I’m optimistic 2010 will be a strong year for the series. With ratings up and competition consistently good, I’m looking forward to next season.

Rick Ren Leaving KHI?

We’ve been hearing quite regularly for the last few weeks that crew chief Rick Ren will leave Kevin Harvick Inc. at the end of the season. He’s rumored to be heading to Kyle Busch’s new team to serve in a general manager type role.

As we first reported in July Kyle Busch is expected to start a team fielding two or more Camping World Truck Series teams and possibly a Nationwide Series team in 2010.

Rick Ren joined KHI in 2007 after a stint with Johnny Benson at the now defunct Bill Davis Racing. Since joining the team, he and Ron Hornaday Jr. have racked up 16 wins and one championship (a second looks inevitable this season). He has more than 30 years experience in NASCAR.

On Saturday, during the pre-race show for the Truck Series race on SPEED, the broadcast crew which includes Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip, Adam Alexander, Ray Dunlap, and Krista Voda, all dressed up for Halloween.  The crew were all dressed as characters from “Batman.”  Being as how it was Halloween, I thought it was a neat idea.  If you might remember, this crew did the same thing last year before Halloween at the Texas race, choosing to all dress up as characters from the “Wizard of Oz.”  Dunlap as Dorothy and Alexander as Glenda the Good Witch were priceless.

Apparently though, not everyone thought it was so fun.

I first came across this little situation while trolling some racing forums today.  I then clicked over to the story about the situation at The Daly Planet (Mr. Daly has a picture of the crew, plus there are a ton of comments on his post).

After the race, Matt McLaughlin from Frontstretch.com and Michael Knight from SpinDoctor500blog both chimed in about their dislike of the costumed broadcasters.

First, I’ll give you McLaughlin’s take from his piece on Frontstretch.com:

There have been some badly ill-considered moments in NASCAR broadcasting history. Few of them were as badly conceived, darkly disturbing, or clearly hallucinogenic-ally inspired as the Batman themed pre-race showprior to Saturday’s truck series race. If only that sort of effort, talent and pre-production had been devoted to something useful, SPEEDmight really have been onto something other than ensuring Krista Voda can never show her face in public without shame again. Two words Ms. Voda, “Thigh-master.”

And here are Knight’s thoughts from his blog:

Those who appeared on-air in costume last weekend lost credibility and gave away the honored title of journalist. I now consider them to be actors who dress-up and play a part. They should now be disqualified from membership in any professional journalists’ organization.

After seeing both of those reactions, I was completely blown away.  Are these guys serious?

Before I get into the meat of what I have to say, let me first preface this.  I read McLaughlin’s columns once in a while, and I have enjoyed some of Mr. Knight’s commentary in the past.  I don’t know either man personally, nor do I have anything against them.

Now, it’s one thing to dislike something that happens and write about it, it’s another entirely to go about it as these two have.

There is so much negativity being pushed by the NASCAR media right now, that it’s almost to the point where any commentary is unreadable.  But to throw out such nasty, mean spirited comments and to attack someone personally is absolutely unacceptable.  Krista Voda is a consummate professional and did nothing to deserve McLaughlin’s rath.

Also, before we start removing “journalist” from anyone’s title, lets remember that this crew is covering NASCAR, not the war in Iraq.  If Christiane Amanpour shows up on CNN reporting from a battlefield in Afghanistan wearing a Hannah Montana costume, then I could understand Knight’s problem.  Until then, lets try and remember that NASCAR is entertainment, and meant to be fun.  If the NASCAR on SPEED crew wants to have a little fun with the pre-race show, have at it!

I also think it’s interesting that in a time when TV ratings are down for NASCAR and that so many are complaining about coverage that these two chose to attack the one broadcast who’s ratings continue to climb.  The Truck Series has seen double digit ratings increases for quite a few of their races this season shown on SPEED.  So instead of attacking this group, maybe we should be lauding them and using them as an example for the other networks.  They are obviously doing something right.

So gentlemen, in the future when you decide to throw your opinions around about how badly you dislike something, I’d suggest using a little more tact.  Your methods not only make you look bad, they also hurt your credibility. 

I can’t speak for anyone else, but because of this incident you’ve lost any future audience you may have had with me.  I won’t waste my time on writers who so obviously can’t stand the sport they write about regularly.

Just a quick follow up from a few weeks back, we were asked what Michael “Fatback” McSwain was up to these days.  We have confirmed that he is running an auto repair shop in Dallas, NC. – T.C.

1. From Kenny:

Do you think some drivers might intentionally spin out just to get screen time for their advertisers? I’m thinking about Robby Gordon here, because he seems to bring out a yellow at least once during every race.

While I don’t think this is going on (if it is Robby is doing a very bad job of it because Jim Beam is leaving at the end of the season), anything is possible. One thing to remember though, is if you’re a company sponsoring a lesser team you go into it knowing that you’re not going to get a lot of TV time. These sponsorships are much larger marketing efforts (that can be said for any team). If they just wanted TV time it would be a lot cheaper to buy TV advertisements. – Journo

2. From Ross:

T.C.: It’s probable that someone on the blog has ripped your driver.  Does that make you cringe a bit when you read it?

Nope, everyone is entitled to their opinions.  I know how things really are with my driver, so outside talk doesn’t bother me.  Besides, maybe we’ve ripped my driver on here too… – T.C.

3. From Bobby#7Fan:

What is the deal with NASCAR giving AJ a breath test before practice Friday?  It seems to me it’s just a way to embarrass him.  Did they really think he was throwing back shots before getting into the car?  I saw Tony Stewart scratch his ass before practice once, did they check him for hemorrhoids?

I’ll be honest with you, I was in favor of NASCAR suspending him, but I thought the breathalyzer was over the top. I really don’t know what the purpose of it was. It was a little press for them, but it really only served to add to AJ’s embarrassment. – Journo

4. From AJ:

I don’t know how to ask this in a question but has a superstar from the Nationwide series ever gone on to win the Cup? Two sets of drivers come to mind for me, Matt Kenseth and Jr, and Truex Jr and Clint Bowyer. Both Jr’s were 2 time nationwide champs, but it was the runner ups Matt and Clint that have gone on to preform better on the Cup level. Same for JJ and Stewart, they never really got their barring in the lower level and it wasn’t until they came to Cup that they excelled in stock cars.

Are you asking if any former “Nationwide” champions (before they went to Cup) have gone on to great success in the Cup Series? Ned Jarrett was a Sportsman Division champion and Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle were all Busch Series champions. It’s an interesting point and one I’ve never really thought about. As of now I guess it really isn’t a great indicator of success in the Cup Series. – Journo

5. From Mike:

Since this week was an impound race many cars and most go or go home cars were probably still on some kind of qualifying setup. Since you know it was probably going to be cancelled can you adjust them back to race trim or is there a stop work time? On a normal week can’t you work on it until right before it goes on the track?

Qualifying trim for an impound race is really only a taped up grill, pumped up air pressures, and some other small adjustments.  Once qualifying is cancelled, NASCAR allows the teams to make final adjustments, which includes taking the car out of qualifying “trim.”  On a normal, non-impound weekend, teams can work on the cars right up until they need to be in line for pre-race inspection on race morning. – T.C.

6. From Lost In Texas:

The firing of the #18 crew chief is bothering me.  Can either of you lend some insight into how something like that happens.  How much did Kyle have to say about it?  Sure would to be a fly on the all at JGR.

I would say the situation differs from team to team. Some drivers have more say about these situations than others. Look at Juan Pablo Montoya. He had three different crew chiefs last season, and I can tell you he wasn’t happy about any of the changes. I honestly can’t tell you internally what the conversation was at JGR, but I’d guess there were pretty lengthy discussions between Jimmy Makar and the Gibbs’. I’m a little skeptical of this move too, but they must think this situation will be better. – Journo

7. From Ric:

I have noticed that some over the wall people wear 1 piece suits, others wear two piece suits. Who decides what you wear? What is the pro / con of both of them? Is there another type?

Some teams decide which kind they want their guys to wear, but in many cases it’s just a preference thing.  Often times when Simpson, Impact, or whoever is making the firesuits does their fittings with the crew guys, they will ask what your preference is.  I’m not really sure of pros vs. cons, it’s really just what a guy thinks is most comfortable.  There is also a three piece, which is pants, a top, and then a vest that goes over the top. – T.C.

8. From Ric:

I noticed on the back bumper about middle to right of the car either a cover (guessing about 3?X3?), or something sticking out slightly from the car. What is this?

This is where they put the rear facing on board cameras.  If the car is carrying it, the camera is mounted there, and if it isn’t carrying one the hole is just covered. – T.C.

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

This weekend we got our first glimpse of all four stickered up Nationwide COT’s. I don’t know how you feel about the cars, but in my opinion the manufacturers and teams (of course with NASCAR) did a good job making the cars look more like a production model.

I was fortunate enough to see a Challenger COT early in development and I was happy to see through the process there weren’t any major changes to it’s overall look. By far I think it’s the best looking of the new cars. The Mustang turned out well too.

I think Chevrolet missed out here though in not bringing the Camaro into the sport; though I understand their position. Mark Kent, Director of GM Racing said earlier this year:

“At the end of the day, because of the quest for very close competition and the need to have templated bodies in that series, we felt that by forcing the Camaro into the Nationwide templates that we were compromising the body lines of an iconic car. So at the end of the day we just could not get the Camaro in the Nationwide series to satisfy our requirements.”

It’s understandable they didn’t want to murder the body lines of a car they’ve been working on for many years. Still how cool would that have been?

I digress. NASCAR though now has a problem on its hands. They have visually attractive and realistic looking Nationwide cars competing with the less than handsome Cup Series COT.

After meetings this past week with drivers and team officials, NASCAR said they would make changes in 2011 to the front fascia of the Cup Series COT, presumably to make them look a little better up against the Nationwide COT. Let’s hope the changes are enough.

Now I know many of you aren’t fans of the COT and from the comments I have read elsewhere people are still complaining that this new car is  still “cookie cutter”. In NASCAR’s and the team’s defense though these things could help bring down costs and will certainly make the racing safer; the hope of course is that racing will be better. Whatever the case, it’s hard to complain about the looks of the car; this is the closest we’ve seen to a production model (in my opinion) since the late-80s or early-90s.

With these new good looking cars though, let’s just hope competition isn’t the cost we all pay.

So any thoughts on the new Nationwide COT? Anything you would have liked to have seen done differently? Any hopes for the Cup Series COT? Talk amongst yourselves.

During the pre-race drivers meeting, NASCAR informed the drivers that they would not tolerate overly aggressive driving and bump drafting in the corners.  Violators would be penalized.

The drivers took them seriously, and what proceeded was a 500 mile, 36 car parade with a little three wide racing mixed in.  Jamie McMurray triumphed in the end after all hell broke loose with two late race crashes, one in which Ryan Newman ended up on his lid down the backstretch.

The frustration following the race was evident from both the drivers and the fans.

I think we can all agree that telling the drivers they couldn’t be aggressive during the race was the wrong thing to do.  They couldn’t afford to push the envelope and risk a penalty, so they avoided contact all together, and the racing suffered.  After the decision was made following the first Talladega race this year, in which Carl Edwards ended up in the fence at the finish, to make the openings in the restrictor plates smaller, everyone involved knew the fields were going to end up being even tighter.  In order to counter a rise in the chance for the “big one” NASCAR warned the drivers.  And we all witnessed the result.

The problem with this situation, is that NASCAR is really damned no matter what they do.  They can’t have cars flying into the catchfence but they must strike a balance and still maintain a good show for the fans.  And therein lies the million dollar question.  How does the sport make the superspeedway races entertaining, yet still safe for the fans and drivers?

We heard this week that changes are coming to the COT for the 2011 season, and that NASCAR is seeking input from some of the teams and drivers.  Hopefully, some improvements to the current car will allow the racing to be better at all tracks, including Daytona and Talladega.

You do have to hand it to NASCAR though, at least they are trying to be proactive.

Updates planned for Sprint Cup car in 2011

FIRST LOOK: The New 2010 Nationwide Series Cars

Behind closed doors at NASCAR

Memphis Motorsports Park to cease operations

10 Seconds at Talladega (Video)

Vintage Insiders

Won’t You Be My [Pit Road] Neighbor?

The Other Side of the Garage

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

First, I think the simple answer to the Allmendinger vs. Waltrip situation is Waltrip isn’t being charged with a DWI.  His reported blood alcohol level was 0.06, which is under the legal limit.  Allmendinger, according to the report, was over the legal limit.  Moving on…

In the other major sports in this country, athletes face suspensions and fines for criminal convictions based on their exisiting conduct policies.  Participants in everything from the MLB to the PGA have been suspended for violations, and we have certainly seen some very public examples this year.  NASCAR has taken steps in this direction this season with the adoption of their drug testing policy, but the testing policy really only applies to the race track.

After what has transpired over the last week with both Waltrip and Allmendinger, and looking back over past problems, it may be time for NASCAR to consider instituting a conduct policy for it’s competitors.  Especially in the situations with DWIs/DUIs, NASCAR needs to show that they don’t condone and will not tolerate drivers driving under the influence.  These guys are role models, whether they want to accept it or not, and should be held to a higher standard.  Not to mention the fact that they make a living behind the wheel.

I don’t want this to sound like I’m up on some sort of soap box condemning Waltrip and Allmendinger for their actions.  Nobody is perfect, and sometimes people make mistakes.  We are all guilty.  But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions.  Both will face some level of legal punishment, but I think it’s also important for NASCAR to take a stand.

In terms of a conduct policy, I’m sure those in place for the other sports would be a good place for the sport’s brass to start.  Make it an all-encompassing policy and actually enforce it with stiff penalties.  Sanctions from the governing body would depend on the severity of the crime.  And making this policy available for the fans to see would aid in transparency.

This is certainly something you hope to not have to discuss and implement, but most employers have a conduct policy for their employees and many companies won’t even hire someone with a felony conviction.  Why shouldn’t NASCAR have their own policy?

*Before I turn this discussion over to you, I want to mention a few things.  First, Allmendinger and Waltrip are innocent until proven guilty.  Neither have been convicted of anything.  Second, I don’t want this to turn into a chance to bash either driver.  Comments doing so will be deleted.

This movement toward the funded driver has become the rule instead of the exception in recent years; while not so prevalent in the Cup Series, this is very visible in the Nationwide and Truck Series.

Now I write this not to bash those who are able to fund their own rides. Certainly some of these guys have talent and are more than deserving of their positions. That said, not all of them are.

Again I’ll refrain from naming names, but I think we all can think of a few guys who probably shouldn’t be driving a stock car in one of NASCAR’s national series. Now how would you feel if one of those drivers took their money to your favorite team (if your favorite team hasn’t already accepted money from a funded driver)?

Would that make you feel different about that team? Personally I feel like we hold larger, older, more established organizations to a different standard. I guess it wasn’t so bad when DEI took Paul Menard’s money, but, let’s face it, Paul Menard isn’t that bad.

But what if Childress, Hendrick, JGR or Roush were willing to take money from a not so great funded driver, just for the sake of the paycheck? Or even as has been rumored, Menard to RCR? This is something RCR has never done. Is it just a sign of the times?

Personally I’m conflicted about these situations. From a team standpoint I understand money is tight and these organizations can use these drivers for information and to have another butt in a seat. From the other side though these organizations are taking part in an activity that isn’t looked upon too favorably (especially by fans).

Just something to think about. These situations are likely to occur more often in the future, but I always kind of expected this phenomenon to remain with smaller organizations. Oh and if I hear more about the rumor I referenced at the beginning and can actually do a reasonable job verifying it I’ll spill the beans.

Update: So I guess Catchfence was more comfortable with the rumor than I was. Good timing on my part though, right?

Whatever your feelings are on JWT, you’ve got to wonder what this means for Stephen Leicht. This is a kid who does have talent, but does not have a big sponsor behind him. Let’s hope RCR finds an opportunity for him.

I’ll be honest with you, I have a lot of respect for Richard Childress and his organization, this is a storied organization, but this makes me think a little differently about them. Maybe I’m making too much of this, but it’s a sad day. As TC remarked to me, I hope they’re ready to hire a lot more body hangers.