http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/ NASCAR news and opinion en Copyright 2008 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:57:43 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss before the decision was made.) Not many long-time race fans were pleased with that move, and nowadays, it's looking like it was a really dumb idea. And then there's the track itself. Fans complain it provides boring racing. This February, of course, the excitement it generated came from watching crews try to fix the "weeping" problem, as water seeped from under the asphalt onto the racing surface, causing officials to postpone the race until the next day...after several cars had already wrecked. Californians don't much seem to care about stock car racing, which makes it even more frustrating that tracks in the south, the home of the sport, lost their dates to the state in a misguided attempt to expand NASCAR's footprint. But you can't force people to come see an event in which they have no interest, and that's the root of the problem here. This whole thing is even sadder when you realize that NASCAR has made the same mistake twice now. Ontario Motor Speedway, not far from Fontana, was built in 1970 and drew over 78,000 fans for its inaugural NASCAR race in 1971, but by 1980, the NASCAR race was drawing just 15,000. NASCAR dumped the race and the track was demolished, but NASCAR didn't learn from its mistake. Well, if they don't want NASCAR in California, I can think of a track in North Carolina that's all shined up and ready to go. Just give Andy Hillenburg a call. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/musical_race_dates_wont_save_c.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/musical_race_dates_wont_save_c.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:57:43 -0700 For the third week in a row, a competitive Dale Earnhardt, Jr was denied a Cup win by a poor pit strategy. This time, at Watkins Glen, Junior, running in first, stayed out long after just about everyone else had pitted. After he finally went in, he emerged from the pits in sixth place. Later, his fate was sealed when he once again stayed on the track too long, and was caught by a caution. This time he ended up much further back and finished 22nd. The calls, despite Dale Junior's magnanimous gesture to take the blame, were those of the Crew Chief, Tony Eury, Jr. He held the #88 on the track too long, twice, and then, the second time, tried to shift the blame to NASCAR in a TV interview when he complained about a "cup of dirt on the track" bringing out the caution. Problem is, the debris was was lot more than just a "cup of dirt." The 78 car went into the gravel pit and drove back onto the track, with the COT's shovel-like splitter carrying a bucketload of gravel with him. It was, in other words, a legit caution. So Junior finished poorly in a car that had lead a bunch of laps. Last week, at Pocono, Junior ran out of gas, something that took Eury, Jr by surprise. "We should have been a lap and a half to the good," he said. The decision not to pit for fuel resulted in a lively radio exchange between the cousins. Finish: 12th place. Two weeks ago, at Indianapolis, Eury made the baffling decision to pit the 88 car on lap 7, all the while knowing NASCAR had mandated a competition caution on lap 15. Junior stayed on the track, led for a while, then had to pit under green when a tire went down. He fell to 38th, a lap down. Junior nearly saved the day, by fighting back to finish in 12th place, but he wouldn't have had to do that if it weren't for the bad decision early on. I point all this out because it is evidence of the fact that Tony Eury, Junior was a great Car Chief for Earnhardt Junior and may be a great cousin, but his decisions show he's not a great Crew Chief. Junior is fiercely loyal to his cousin, bringing him from DEI to his new home at Hendrick Motorsports. That's an admirable trait these days, but if Earnhardt made his move to win a championship, then he ought to take a long, hard look at what's holding him up this season. Rick Hendrick has given him a solid car week in and week out, and he's run up front frequently. The boy can still drive. (And yes, he does a have win this year, although, to be frank, luck played a major role in that victory, probably as much as Eury's strategy.) But, thanks to decisions like we've seen for the past three weeks, Junior's not up front at the end of the race. I can't help but feel that, were this anybody other than Junior's cousin, there would be changes made, maybe before the Chase starts. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/time_for_tony_jr_to_go.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/time_for_tony_jr_to_go.html Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:17:40 -0700 NASCAR has responded with a lengthy document denying all the charges. But, as defendants in such cases do, NASCAR then went too far by attempting to discredit Grant in the media by suggesting she's done some pretty bad things herself. Specifically, NASCAR said one of Grant's past boyfriends had filed a temporary restraining order against her. That complaint claimed Grant, now 32, had made death threats and harassing calls to his home and work. NASCAR's attorneys also unearthed a DUI charge, to which Grant had pleaded no contest (she served two days in jail) and found that, later that same year, she was charged with driving with a suspended license while in Atlanta to work a NASCAR event. Grant's attorney said she does not deny those allegations, but that they are "totally irrelevant" to the lawsuit. NASCAR's actions immediately after Grant's lawsuit was fired were to suspend two officials working in the Nationwide Series who were named in her $225 million action against the racing giant, and fire a third, which suggests that NASCAR believed at least some of the allegations Grant made were true. NASCAR, however, has said the actions were unrelated to Grant's claims. The response filed with the court also directly contradicts Grant's claims that she filed complaints about the way she was treated by co-workers, saying she made no complaints at all before her termination, which NASCAR said was not an act of retaliation for complaining about harrassment. The organization will not specifically say what lead to her firing, but said she was frequently late for work and was involved in an altercation with a security guard at Michigan International Speedway. NASCAR has clearly decided to get down in the mud on this one. Bringing up Grant's past legal problems, while not unexpected, demonstrates a kind of panic on the part of the organization. It is nothing more than the legal equivalent of the third-grader's, "Well, she did bad stuff, too!" defense. (Remember when Florida cops believed NASCAR CEO Brian France had been driving drunk in 2006, but couldn't prove it? What if they could have? Would that have had one ounce of bearing on this case? No.) If NASCAR and its personnel did nothing wrong, then it doesn't need to worry about this lawsuit. But trashing Mauricia Grant on unrelated issues does nothing to support the defendant's case in court. NASCAR's legal team is apparently counting on a jury trial, because a competent judge wouldn't see the claims as any kind of legitimate defense, and, of course, none of this can be found in the legal response filed Friday. The smear campaign could become a factor that might cast doubt about Grant's credibility in jurors' minds, however, despite that fact that she could have served time for a DUI and have had a restraining order filed against her, and NASCAR could still have acted illegally in terninating Grant's employment and could still be guilty of failing to act on her complaints of racism and sexism from its employees. NASCAR doesn't need to stoop to this kind of behavior. Personal attacks like these just make the organization look desperate. The tactic could well backfire. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/nascar_fires_back_against_gran.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/08/nascar_fires_back_against_gran.html Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:31:32 -0700 that?) It does not appear that the network cares all that much about propriety. Maybe he'll learn to keep his mouth shut on such matters in the future, at least while he's working for ESPN. On the other hand, it's Rusty Wallace, so that may be asking too much. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/rusty_wallace_tsicks_nose_wher.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/rusty_wallace_tsicks_nose_wher.html Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:33:12 -0700 laps, not multiple seconds. Watch the replays of old races on ESPN, or better yet, catch an episode of "Back in the Day." Heck, in 1973, Yarborough and Petty lapped the field three times at Charlotte before Cale won the race . In '72, A.J. Foyt won the Daytona 500 by five miles. Many other Cup races recorded drivers winning by multiple laps. Then again, in '75, Bobby Allison was two laps back at Darlington when leaders David Pearson and Benny Parsons crashed with 40 laps to go--that race ended with Allison beating Darrell Waltrip by just one car length. Those examples are all from a time most races fans now call the era of "real racing." Maybe it's this generation's video-game mentality--they want to see a leader change every few minutes or they lose interest. Whatever the reason, saying the COT races aren't as exciting as the old days because the front-runners take such a big lead just isn't true. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/fans_short_memories_cloud_thei.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/fans_short_memories_cloud_thei.html Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:20:00 -0700 A couple of sources are reporting that Teresa Earnhardt is looking to sell Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated, and one of the prime candidates to buy the team is Max Siegel, the team's President of Global Operations. She's reportedly hired Bear, Stearns to dispose of the entire operation. The deal, according to one source, is that Teresa would get between $115 and $130 million for the company, but she would keep all rights to the "Dale Earnhardt" and "Intimidator" trademarks, which would keep her in the money for a good long time. The buyer would get the DEI property and race teams. This could well be the best thing Teresa Earnhardt has done for the team since she took over running it after the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001. Derided as a "deadbeat owner' by driver Kevin Harvick (who owns Kevin Harvick, Inc and has teams racing in three series himself) because she is rarely seen at the racetrack, there is little positive that anyone can say for Teresa's business acumen since the death of Senior, except that she's kept the Earnhardt mechandise gravy train rolling. Under her watch, DEI has made a series of mis-steps, and the company was headed into a downward sprial until the arrival of Siegel in 2006. Even after his installation, friction between Teresa and marquee driver Dale Junior (their relationship "ain't no bed of roses," Junior said at the time) ended in his leaving the company, a move that Junior Nation widely regards as her fault and which they're not in a hurry to forget or forgive. Fan venom against her is reportedly one of the reasons the already-reclusive Teresa wants out. Taking the high road, Junior asked that the "Reason #88? Step-Mom" billboard at Texas Motor Speedway be changed earlier this year, but the fact that track owner Eddie Gossage would even propose a sign with a side-swipe at a team owner speaks volumes about Teresa's reputation. The new owner will find himself owner of a team in flux: Mark Martin is leaving the 8 car in the hands of relative newbie Aric Almirola, the 01 car driven this year by Regan Smith has no primary sponsor (and will be cut next year if that can't be remedied), Paul Menard's primary sponsor, his father, may be preparing to jettison Cup racing sponsorships, which would leave the 15 car blank, and Martin Truex, Jr is in serious danger of missing the chase after a lackluster season and a COT rules infraction that will cost the team 150 points. Truex has yet to sign his new contract and may be looking to leave DEI. The sale would make Junior Nation happy. It might also make the company a viable contender again, depending on who buys it. Last year, Tony Stewart said DEI without Junior would become nothing more than "a museum," and while that didn't happen immediately, it still might, if the ship isn't righted. Selling ought to make Teresa happy, too, since it's been clear that running a NASCAR racing team hasn't been all that interesting to her for some time. Her financial future is pretty well ensured if she keeps the rights to the Earnhardt trademarks, and that's all she really needs. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/looks_like_teresas_had_enough.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/looks_like_teresas_had_enough.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:34:39 -0700 by Brian Tetzler Today, car owner Rick Hendrick announced that veteran driver Mark Martin will drive the 5 car in 2009. Martin wants to make one last run at a championship after having been the bridesmaid four times. It sounds like a match made in Heaven. But this is a bad move. It's not that Martin isn't a great driver. He is. It's not that Martin won't help the 5 team get better. He can. It's that Casey Mears had to get screwed for this to happen. In the two short years that Mears drove for Hendrick Motorsports, they changed his crew chief, they changed his team, they changed his car number, and they changed his sponsor. How is anyone supposed to be successful when the rug keeps being pulled from underneath them? Mears has his only career win with Hendrick. It was a fuel mileage victory at the Coca-Cola 600 last year. You could tell how happy the organization was, just by seeing the other drivers and crew members congratulate Mears in Victory Lane. Where did that feeling go? I hope Mears will land a spot with a solid team--a team that will give this young and talented man a chance to drive, without all the distractions he put up with at HMS. I hope he shows NASCAR you can't hold a driver like him down. Ask anybody in the garage--a driver, a crew chief, a tire changer, whoever--and they will all tell you Mark Martin is a class act. He wanted to retire several years ago, and at the last minute, he was asked to drive a little longer, to help out Jack Roush. He did, and then he moved to part time so he could race and still spend time with his family. Martin has been a friend to the Hendrick family for many years, which is why this move shouldn't surprise anyone. He drove the Nationwide car for Hendrick last year. He gave JR Motorsports its first win in Las Vegas this year. But can Mark Martin make the chase? Can he endure a 38-event season, after racing just part time the past few years? Everyone felt for him when he almost won the Daytona 500 in 2007. What's going to happen if he doesn't make the chase? Wouldn't that be a bitter pill to swallow? ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/hendrick_makes_a_big_mistake.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/hendrick_makes_a_big_mistake.html Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:44:45 -0700 Some sports, like football and baseball, don't seem to be much affected by the economy. Oh, sure, there may be fewer fans in the seats, but the teams keep playing anyway, and eventually, the economy comes back around. Then there's NASCAR. This is a terrible time to be a team owner in the top levels of stock-car racing. Sponsorship money is drying up fast, and that's already shut down BAM Racing. This week, Dario Franchitti lost his ride because Chip Ganassi can't find a primary sponsor for his car. And the Yates guys have been runing around with blank, white cars for weeks at a time. MIchael Waltrip Racing can't find a full-time sponsor for the 00 car, and DEI's 01 is sponsored by...DEI, which, according to the company, means the car wil be cut for 2009 if a sponsor isn't secured. The existing major sponsors are playing musical chairs--Caterpillar is moving from the 22 to the 31 (which leaves the Dave Blaney in a tough spot, since he now needs to find another sponsor), and, while Childress is adding another team, they convinced General Mills to move from Bobby Labonte's #43 Petty Enterprises ride to their new car. And Tony Stewart doesn't seem to be taking Home Depot along with him to his (rumored) new ride at Haas-CNC, and even he's reportedly joined the game of musical chairs with existing sponsors: Stewart has been talking to "everyone in the garage," with Office Depot and Old Spice, which is on his Nationwide series car, as the primary candidates, according to ESPN. With the exception of AFLAC, which reportedly outspent Office Depot to be on Carl Edwards' 99 car, there just aren't many new companies trying to buy into the sponsorship game. It costs upwards of $20 million for a company to get into the NASCAR primary-sponsorship game, because, despite NASCAR's efforts to help control costs (with the COT program, for example), the one consistent principle behind auto racing is, "Speed costs money." One estimate suggests that it costs a team a quarter of a million bucks just to unload the car at the track for one race. (Last year, when MWR was about to go under, Waltrip actually based his decision on whether he'd take tires for a late-race pit stop on the fact that they'd save money if they saved the tires instead of using them.) With companies around the country laying off employees, that $20 million is becoming harder to find. The big-time, long-term deals like the 48's Lowe's Home Improvement sponsorship, or the #24's Dupont association, seem to be going the way of the dinosaur; even Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the sport's most popular driver, has a shared sponsorship deal this year. Smaller teams will continue to disappear under these conditions. How long, for example, can EM Motorsports continue to field the 08 Dodge for Johnny Sauter, when the car is covered by FUBAR, an energy drink no one will ever confuse with Powerade, Monster, or Red Bull? Already, the team has withdrawn from races, presumably because it couldn't afford to run. When was the last time the Chicago Cubs didn't play because they couldn't afford to travel? The economic climate can't change fast enough to suit racing teams. If it doesn't, the field's gonna be a lot smaller for next years' Cup races. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/sponsorship_musical_chairs_or.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/07/sponsorship_musical_chairs_or.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:05:13 -0700 The most intersting thing that happened in Sunday's Cup race at Loudon was when Juan Pablo Montoya intentionally smacked Kyle Busch while under caution, causing Busch's 18 car to spin and, in turn, hit Montoya's 42 a split-second later. Montoya went on to admit in a live post-race TV interview that he'd done it on purpose because, he said, Busch had hit him earlier. Busch, on the other hand, denied having done anything to provoke Montoya. NASCAR assessed a two-lap penalty, which, with just 21 laps to go, meant Montoya had no chance to recover Now, my record on predicting NASCAR's actions in this blog isn't so hot, but I gotta figure, this time, Montoya's also going to be hit with some kind of penalty, because he retaliated under caution, which, according to NASCAR is a big no-no, and he put the rest of the field in jeopardy as well, because there were a lot of cars stacked up udner the caution. If not, well, I still think Montoya deserves it. Look, I'm all for the Loren Wallace-school of "put him in the wall" driving when necessary, but only during competition, not during caution periods, and the two-lap penalty didn't hurt Montoya much--he wasn't going to win anyway. His attitude afterwards, that what he did was acceptable, needs to be addressed. This quote from Montoya explains why: "I retaliated. Did I go too far retaliating? Yeah. I think them giving me a two-lap penalty is okay for what I did. The only thing I told them is they always say to be very careful under caution and I said the only reason I did that was because I was defending myself. And there's a fine line on that." No, Juan, there's no line at all on that. You don't wreck people under caution. And the two-lap penalty didn't have much of an effect on a driver who wants contending for a good finish. The incident involved two guys who couldn't have been better-chosen; Montoya, who many fans see as a wreck just waiting to happen, smacks Kyle Busch, the current least-favorite driver in the series, then gets hit himself, thanks to physics. Given the outcome of the confrontation, and the egos involved, I think it is safe to say we'll see further "interaction" between these two. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/montoya_still_doesnt_get_it.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/montoya_still_doesnt_get_it.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:10:00 -0700 Tony Stewart's never been a typical NASCAR guy. After he made his way to stock car racing's top series in 1999, he was paired with a very good Crew Chief, and, within three years, had won a Championship. He followed that up with another two years later. But Tony has never seemed entiely comfortable in the NASCAR environment. He's kept his hand in several other series, and owns both a World of Outlaws and a USAC team as well as the Eldora dirt track. Stewart routinely drives in dirt-track events as well as midget car events. And he's well-known for expressing himself; he doesn't keep criticism of NASCAR to himself, and every now and then, comments on wanting to quit or retire. As far back as 2001, he said he was "unhappy" with NASCAR. So it's a little surprising to hear that he's looking to go into business with Haas-CNC Racing. There are have been stories that go as far as to claim Stewart is trying to round up sponsors for his plans, and that Ryan Newman, reportedly unhappy at Penske, would join him. While these stories are uncomfirmed, Stewart's crew chief since the beginning, Greg Zipadelli, has publicly acknowledged that the fact that Stewart hasn't yet re-signed with Joe Gibbs Racing is making things difficult for the team, calling his explorations "disappointing," and questioning why Stewart would want to leave. "I don't think for just racing there's a better place as far as owners," Zipadelli said. "I don't know if ever in ten years, we've been told, No, we couldn't do something." Earlier this year, the rumor was that Stewart would try to start his own team from scratch, but apparently, he's moved away from that idea, and with good reason--Michael Waltrip demonstrated last year that starting your own Cup team while driving in the series can be a great way to go bankrupt in 36 races. Stewart won't talk about what he's planning, or more importantly, why. Of course, he's still under contract with JGR through next year, and that could be a problem, although with young Joey "Sliced Bread" Logano on the horizon, maybe JGR would be willing to let a disgruntled driver go. But why Tony Stewart would do this in the first place is baffling. He's suggested many times that Cup racing is not all that appealing to him, so why get into a major financial commitment in the sport? And why with a team whose owner is in prison, serving time for tax evasion? Why leave the only team he's ever driven for, with a stable sponsor, and a long-term Crew Chief? Is it because all-American Stewart really didn't like being put in a Toyota--and this would get him back into a Chevy? Possible, but it seems like the hard way to do that. Is he frustrated that his two JGR teammates are getting all the attention nowadays, not to mention all the wins? Again, possibly, but moving to Haas would by no means be the solution to that frustration. JGR has the deep pockets to win; whether Haas could be equally competitive is questionable. If you want to believe that, you also have to buy the idea that only factor keeping the two current Haas cars, the 66 and 70, out of the Top-35 in owners points is the quality of the current drivers. Would Zippy go with Stewart? No one knows that for sure but Zippy, but his comments to the press sound as if he's hapopy to keep working for JGR. If so, Stewart would be looking at breaking in a new Crew chief after a decade with the same guy, one who understands him. This move just doesn't make much sense. Tony's having a tough 2008 season, but his future is likely to be a lot harder if he goes forward with this plan. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/what_in_the_world_is_tony_thin.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/what_in_the_world_is_tony_thin.html Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:52:53 -0700 does come around, at least in stock car racing. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/cant_have_it_both_ways.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/cant_have_it_both_ways.html Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:18:52 -0700 have heard competitors who want to give their fans a good race to watch. The fans are generally making the same complaints as the drivers about the quality of racing this year. But Brian France and his minions can't stop them from expressing an opinion. So when you've made a mistake, like the current car design appears to be, and can't go back, what do you do? Tell the drivers to shut up. This, of course, is the opposite of what NASCAR said would happen earlier in the season, when we were told drivers would be allowed to speak their minds. But when they all began to say the same thing--that the car and the facilities aren't up to par--France shut them down again. That, it seems, a is a lot easier than fixing the problems about which they have complained. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/nascar_under_fire_for_new_car.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/nascar_under_fire_for_new_car.html Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:36:09 -0700 read here. The official word from NASCAR is that it won't comment on the pending litigation. This lawsuit is potentially disasterous for a sport which has been trying to shake its image of a "good ol' Southern boy" background for years. It still struggles with fans who want to display the Confederate flag in the infield during race--although CEO Brian France criticized it on national TV, it is still a common site at races, especially in the South. The Drive for Diversity Program started in 2004 hasn't had much of an impact in bringing non-whites into NASCAR, and this will only slow that process. There's no black driver currently running in any of the NASCAR's top three series, although there are black pit crew members on several teams. The stands at any given race are filled with an overwhelmingly white crowd. Look for NASCAR to settle this quickly, if only to get it out of the headlines faster. Obviously, most writers will not take an editorial position on such a hot-button issue. I don't have the personal experience to judge for myself, either, but I will say this: the specificity found in Grant's lawsuit is tough to discount. ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/lawsuit_brings_uncomfortable_i.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/lawsuit_brings_uncomfortable_i.html Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:33:05 -0700 It was inevitable that, in this tough economic climate, and with the ever-inreasing cost of running a competitive NASCAR Sprint Cup team, the famous Petty family would need to find an outside investor to remain a viable company. That's the way of the future in Cup racing, and it isn't necessarily bad. Boston Ventures Management will have the controlling interest in the company going forward. The infusion of cash the deal will bring may help make the team more competitive. Boston Ventures invests primarily in media and entertainment companies, like Motown Records, and Six Flags Entertainment. But the Pettys also went far outside the racing business for a new CEO, and that's more troubling. Since its 1949, when Lee Petty formed Lee Petty Engineering, the business has been run by family members. That's one of the things fans admired most about the company, even recently, when wins have been few and far between. The selection of an outsider to run Petty Enterprises will not go over well with the same fan base that watched in disappointment as the company left its original home in Level cross for the old Yates shop in Mooresville. Odder, though, is the person actually chosen for the CEO job: failed Midway Games exec David Zucker. During Zucker's rein, Midway lost $300 million, and watched its stock drop nearly 79% in value. In March, he was fired, or allowed to resign, depending on who you believe. Before that, he was President and COO at Playboy Enterprises, and a few years prior, he was an Executive VP at ESPN. Not exactly someone steeped in the racing tradition. In fact, Zucker admitted he's "not a NASCAR racing expert," and went on to explain that he'd be leaning on Robbie Loomis. "It's just a different world out there than it was five, ten years ago," said Richard Petty. Boy, no kidding. But it is hard to believe there wasn't a better choice for the job than Zucker out there someplace. Running a TV sports network is as close as he's come to working in the racing industry, and he was a failure at his last job. (Yes, at the announcement, he said he'd been a fan for years, but so have a lot of people--that's not a qualification to run Petty Enterprises.) Richard Petty may indeed be correct that the company needs him (and Kyle, the "acting CEO") to step aside in favor of a new leader, but is this the right one? The Petty name still has a lot of value in this sport, and for good reason. The last thing The King needs is to see it sullied by a suit who doesn't know what he's doing. http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/it_was_inevitable_that_in.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/it_was_inevitable_that_in.html Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:49:36 -0700 A blog purported to be written by two NASCAR insiders, made the claim, which, while it is unconfirmed, certainly would come as no surprise. The slumping economy has hit several Cup teams, which have found it increasingly difficult to find the funds necessary to operate as sponsors cut advertising budgets. As is usually the case, the teams which can least afford to take the hit are the ones that do. MWR is a team that can't afford it. The question is, how long can the company survive under these conditions? ]]> http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/tough_times_hit_mwr.html http://weblogs.cw2.com/sports/nascar/blog/2008/06/tough_times_hit_mwr.html Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:14:21 -0700