Carl Edwards says “what problems” to new car critics
Sunday, April 6th, 2008 10:39pm CDT
By Charlie Turner, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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Forty two Sprint Cup drivers hated NASCAR’s experiment in stock car design after the Samsung 500 Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.
Jeff Gordon actually parked his car early - after an inevitable spin and wall wack - and insisted that crew chief Steve Letarte “fix the dang thing”. Gordon later returned to the track to taste the results of Letarte’s efforts. The leftovers weren’t much better and after a few more laps Gordon called it a day. Jeff said that they tried every possible set-up. Nothing works for the team. That is not a good sign.
Gordon’s teammate Jimmy Johnson finished second and led sixty-some laps. All-in-all that is a big improvement from recent results, but Johnson says the new car needs help. You can’t drive it in traffic, it needs more down-force. And this is a team that has tested the new car nearly every non-race day for the last two weeks. Hell, Chad - can I hear a hallelujah - Knauss is the crew chief! If they can’t figure it out ……?
Maybe Joe Gibbs Racing can. Not according to third place finisher Kyle Busch who said;
“Was it fun to drive? No. Was it hard to drive? Yes,” Busch said. “Did it survive the day? Yes. So was it a good day? Sure.”
Kyle was asked to talk further about the car and said:
“I’m not going to answer that question. Ask NASCAR that question.”
Ryan Newman finished fourth, but flunked the post-race rectal and will undoubtedly lose points, cash and crew chief attendance for a while. Presumably because they exceeded legality in the effort to fix the problems with the car. So much for the cheating solution.
The race winner was Carl “flipper” Edwards - for the third time this year. Carl doesn’t see the problem. At all. It isn’t so much that Edwards thinks that his new cars handle any better than his competitor’s rides. He just thinks the way that they are is OK. The same for everybody, a challenge to drive for sure but rewarding to master. He likes it.
NASCAR says they have no intention of making big - or even small - changes to the former CoT. That fact may make Carl Edwards the eventual champion of the first Sprint CoT Cup Series.
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Filed Under: Carl Edwards, Charlie Turner, Guest Authors, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Sprint Cup, Texas
Tagged As: Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, kyle busch, Nascar, Samsung 500, Texas Motor Speedway
Trackback URL for: Carl Edwards says “what problems” to new car critics
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Tuesday February 19, 2008
12:30am CST
Published on Thunder Lounge.
It’s OK. Throw me under the bus. The 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 was good. Actually, it was damn good. However, it wasn’t the best ever. It was worthy of being the 50th anniversary though.
The season opener had it all. Drama, strategy, surprises, and [gasp] racing.
The internet trolls will tell you it sucked. Consider the source of that opinion. To them, everything sucks. They long for “the good old days”, yet their memory is clouded with nostalgia. This very well was one of the most competitive 500’s in recent memory. Ignore the fact that the results will tell you that 6 of the top 10 spots were taken by a Dodge. Don’t ask where they came from, we don’t know either. Yet there they are, taking home 1st, 2nd, 5th-7th, and 9th. Round out 2 Toyota’s, a Chevy and a Ford, and call it your top 10.
The lone Chevy? Dale Jr. Ford? Greg Biffle. Add in Smoke and Shrub in 3rd and 4th, and there you have it.
I can only imagine the hearts of the Toyota boys as they came down the backstretch on the final lap. Up to that point, you would be hard pressed to convince a new fan that Toyota wasn’t worth the paper in the Mens Room last season. Kyle Busch was making a scene, as was Tony Stewart. If you take any lessons from this, it better be that Toyota is coming.
However, as with every tale there has to be some drama. As Tony Stewart moved down to pick up his teammate Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman made the charge with his teammate Kurt Busch stuck to his bumper with Gorilla Glue.
The dreams of The Captain, and we don’t mean Morgan, then came true. After all these years, all the trials and tribulations, Roger Penske finally ended up in Victory Lane for the Daytona 500.
It was a typical plate race, chess-like maneuvers and precision positioning for a while, but that’s just the nature of the game. You have to make it to the end to have a chance to win. But the closer you get, the riskier your moves, and if you play your cards right, you win.
Last season, Dodge wasn’t impressive. Pre-season Thunder, still no love. Reed Sorenson showed some promise in the Shootout and Duels, but for most of the 500 Dodge was relatively quiet. They were there at the end though, and Penske has a nice $1,000,000 bonus from Dodge to prove it.
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Filed Under: Chip Ganassi Racing #41, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Daytona, Drivers, Elliot Sadler, Evernham Motorsports #19, Evernham Motorsports #9, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports #88, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Joe Gibbs Racing #20, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Penske Racing #12, Penske Racing #2, Reed Sorenson, Robby Gordon, Robby Gordon Motorsports #7, Roush Racing #16, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tony Stewart, Tracks
Tagged As: Dale Earnhardt Jr, Daytona 500, Elliot Sadler, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Robby Gordon, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart
Trackback URL for: Daytona 500 had it all, but not the greatest ever
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Tuesday February 12, 2008
10:39pm CST
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Kyle Busch
-
2007 Stats
- Organization: Hendrick Motorsports
- Car Number: 5
- Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
- Sponsor: Kellogg’s
- Points: 5th :: 6293 :: -430
- Starts: 36
- Poles: 0
- Wins: 1
- Top 5’s: 11
- Top 10’s: 20
- Winnings: $4,685,520
-
2008 Preview
- Organization: Joe Gibbs Racing
- Car Number: 18
- Crew Chief: Steve Addington
- Sponsor: M&M’s
Wow. Short end of the stick in 2007 or what? Hi, thanks for driving, but you’re getting the boot in favor of NASCAR’s most popular driver.
While many say it’s strictly attitude that cost Kyle Busch his ride at Hendrick, which I don’t deny had a factor in it, what still rolls though my mind with this young talent is whether or not he would still be in that seat this season had Dale Jr. not been on the market. In all honesty, and I may be wrong, I believe he would still be driving for Rick Hendrick.
That aside, when Kyle was good in 2007, he was damn good. What kicked him in the butt finally was that he is his own worst enemy and it starts right below his nose. It’s not really blatant mouth-butter, it stems more from still being young and in that “invinceable” mode. While some people his age are more mature/self aware, some are less. It’s just a part of being young and full of it. He still has some growing up to do, but he’ll get there, settle down, and learn along the way. Such is life when you finish growing up infront of the media.
Looking into 2008, Kyle Busch is rolling right along at his new home with the Gibbs Boys. Smoke leading the way, and an already good friend in Denny Hamlin, the youngest driver in JD’s camp also is the driver that fared best on the track overall in 2007. Kyle seems to be a better fit in that particular crowd than in past years, although the company his former teammates keep would be difficult for just about any driver out there to keep up and fit in with.
Note: information is accurate as of date published. Check Thunder Lounge for additional updates and information.
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Filed Under: Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Sprint Cup, Teams
Tagged As: Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart
Trackback URL for: Daytona 500: 5 Days and Counting
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Friday February 8, 2008
9:25am CST
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Why will Joe Gibbs be as strong and successful in 2008 as they were in 2007? Simple. The differences are slim.
While we all would like to believe differently, and many have came to this unfortunate realization, it is the plain and simple truth.
Between manufacturers, there just isn’t that much difference between cars anymore. Yes, it’s something we’ve seen coming for a while, we’ve had 16 races to get used to the idea, we’ve had plenty of time prior to that to read the cards. It’s happening though, right before our eyes and a further continuation of nothing but a sticker change. Well, that and dropping a different motor under the hood.
The search for proof, like we need it, need go no further than this article on Robby Gordon to see the writing on the wall. That writing is also in bold, italic, underlined, and capitalized letters bigger than Paris Hiltons ego.
It was just a week ago that Robby Gordon announced a surprise move to Dodge.
In that time, a week, he has converted half of his current inventory of cars from Ford to Dodge. Robby currently has about a dozen cars, and growing.
Not to take away from all the hard work the folks in the shop have done, as well as the guys from Evernham that have been helping out, but compared to the time and effort to change the previous car from one manufacturer to another, this seems like a brisk walk in the park.
The time taken averages out to about one car changed per day. Not days, or what used to be weeks, one single day.
Coming around full circle, this is exactly why the Gibbs Guys are not worried about their switch of manufacturer.
They’re real good with motors, and they were already pretty darn good with the rest of it.
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Filed Under: Denny Hamlin, Drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing #11, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Joe Gibbs Racing #20, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Robby Gordon, Robby Gordon Motorsports #7, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tony Stewart
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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Thursday January 31, 2008
2:02pm CST
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Kyle Busch took a moment to talk to the media while attending this weeks test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway about several little tidbits. Among those were communication amongst his team and with his teammates, how the car was handling overall, and competing against Hendrick with a new manufacturer.
It will take some getting used to hearing and saying the #18 M&M’s Camry. Although, funny as it is, in the image attached to this article there’s a funny resemblance between Kyle and an old picture of Elliott. Not a whole lot, but a little bit. Maybe it’s the eyes and the angle, I don’t know.
Getting down to business, Kyle made mention that communication amongst his team and across teams was really well. Having already been friends with teammate Denny Hamlin helped on that front, and he made note that the more challenging line of communication would be with Stewart. However, he reports that all is well on that front and that things are really gelling in the Gibbs Camp.
Speaking with regards to the car, he notes that it’s improving. He discussed a few issues with it as well, like losing down force and becoming a little loose behind other cars. While there are still issues with the car, these teams will get it figured out. They are professionals after all, and the more they work and play with it, the better it will become.
Kyle seems to think that while Toyota will be stronger than in its inaugural season, he sees the Gibbs Camp leading the way and being the Toyota’s that can keep pace with Hendrick Motorsports. While test data is just that, it would seem that JD and Co. are playing well in the new sandbox. Not only have they appeared strong, which they should, but there has been a noticeable improvement amongst all of the Toyota’s as well.
Today marks the first of a two day test session at California, and if the previous two tests are any indication, look for Gibbs and their Toyota brethren to continue to draw attention.
Photo Credit: NASCAR.com
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Filed Under: Drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Kyle Busch, Las Vegas, Nascar, Sprint Cup, Teams, Tracks
Tagged As: joe gibbs racing, kyle busch, testing, toyota
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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday October 24, 2007
10:36am CDT
Published on Thunder Lounge.
That’s right folks. Stick your thermometers in the ground and you may find “it” has frozen over.
In a rare, make that extremely rare, case the National Stock Car Racing Commission has overturned the penalty previously assed to the #5 team in the Busch Series from post race inspections at Kansas.
To be flat honest, NASCAR looked at an exact duplicate of the manifold that sparked the penalty the week before that race. If there were a problem, they would have spoke up then and should have. Hendrick had a strong case for this, and to be honest its being overturned is not too big of a shocker in this particular scenario.
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Filed Under: Busch Series, Drivers, Kansas, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Tracks
Trackback URL for: This Just In: Fire and Brimstone May Be Frozen
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Wednesday October 3, 2007
3:41pm CDT
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Welcome to the first edition of WTF? Wednesday™.
A brief synopsis: Every Wednesday, we’re going to go the extra mile (and possibly throw “the flag”) to ask the all inevitable question that is lurking on everyone’s mind. WTF? If it’s smelling funny, and has to do with NASCAR, we’re going to ask it.
On to this weeks column.
Kyle Bush and his manifold of gold
As you may or may not have heard, NASCAR failed the #5 of Kyle Bush after he swept through (again) to Victory Lane in the Busch Race at Kansas.
They “deemed” his intake manifold to be “illegal”. Yet, here it is Wednesday already and there hasn’t been a word about it since Sunday. WTF?
Hendrick says it’s legit, and that it’s no different than other times. In fact, they even sent one into NASCAR and they inspected it for 2 days earlier last week.
So, what’s “good to go” this week may be “illegal” the next? WTF?
Late this afternoon, NASCAR announced a “fine” of $10,000 for Mike Bumgarner, the crew chief for Kyle Bush in the Busch Nationwide Series for violations found post-race at Kansas.
Bruton Smith “may” build a new “Charlotte”
Bruton wants a drag racing venue at his current location in the capital of NASCAR. Cool, he’s done it at Bristol and Texas to name a few. He gets the required zoning, and begins.
All of a sudden, the City Council (we’re talking Concord, not “technically Charlotte”) decided the other night to overturn the zoning for the area, leaving Mr. Smith in the middle of a project which (currently) can’t be used. WTF?
Supposedly the “City Council” wanted to pull the reins on all the “noise” in the area, as it’s building up around the track in terms of both business and residential neighbors. OK, whatever.
So, Bruton laid out the terms for all to see. If that’s the way it’s going to be, and “noise” is such a concern, I want my tracks together. If I need to relocate my venues to another part of town, I will.
Huh?
Mr. Bruton Smith went on to compare it to a stick/ball team building a new arena in town. It’s still there, just in a different location. This isn’t a ploy or a threat. It’s the facts. If he has to move it to another area of town, he will. He’s already scouting land around the Charlotte area, and I’d bet there’s a few communities welcoming the move with open arms.
So you’ll hear about Charlotte closing, but really it’s just moving to another side of town.
The question is, what would the track be like? Would it mirror the current configuration? Let’s hope not.
Bruton Smith has a few things at his disposal now. He’s got raw data from various sources, and I’d be willing to bet that if indeed a deal can’t be reached, and he does build a new facility, that it will be the best one on the circuit. He knows what is working, and where the future is headed. Expect the facilities to be top notch, and something viable for not only today, but for decades to come.
What about the track itself? Would it be the same thing, or could it be something unique? Here’s a chance to shine. Do something that hasn’t/isn’t being done. Make that track even more special than it already is. 1.5 miles in length? Nah. 2 miles? Maybe, but Michigan and Cali-bore-nia already do it. 1 mile? Dover, New Hampshire. 1.75 miles? 1.25 miles? Hmmm, 600 miles is divisible evenly at 1.25 miles, 1.75 is a tick off, but almost another full lap.
With all the data available, the chance to truly make a “Beast of the Southeast” exists. The fans would dig it (who wants another cookie?), the drivers would dig it, and most of all it would be something different.
We’ll see what happens on that front, but for now in terms of this “out of nowhere” deal, WTF?
Kansas
We aren’t in Kansas anymore, but thoughts sure haven’t left there.
Why was a race that had not a chance of ending before darkness resumed? WTF?
OK, if I had paid to be there, I’d want as much show as possible.
“Technically”, if all the remaining laps went green it could have made the distance. NASCAR isn’t that dumb, so they said we’re going to 225. WTF?
The thing is, when has there been an opportunity to restart a race at all? It would either:
a) go way into the night
b) not enough daylight left, and no lights available
c) wasn’t enough left for it to be worth it.
Kansas was what, 12 or so laps past halfway? NASCAR made the call to continue with as much of a show as possible, which was a good call for fans, just maybe not for your driver. Then again, maybe your driver came out better than if it had been stopped? Then again, the one who would have benefited most from not resuming, ended up with the bonehead move of the race. “Hey Smoke, there’s smoke coming out of your tire.” But, I digress.
Then you have the finish. Biffle cut the motor off coming out of 4 on the final lap, to make sure he had enough fuel to do a burn out. He had half a gallon left, by the way, but NASCAR made him walk over to Victory Lane. WTF? Why couldn’t the guy do a burnout? WTF?
“Da rules” state a reasonable speed, and NASCAR said it was. Some of the competitors didn’t think it was, so they passed under yellow. NASCAR said the field was frozen, so that was that. OK, but also if you pass under yellow, don’t you get a penalty? So if that’s true, and Biffle wasn’t maintaining a reasonable speed (almost half the pace car speed as he crossed the line), then wouldn’t Casey Mears have won with Jeff Gordon finishing second? But, the field was frozen and Biffle maintained a reasonable speed. WTF?
Not even the mighty scoring loops of NASCAR got it right. It had Bowyer listed at 1st, followed by Johnson. Talk about a Charlie Foxtrot drill. Anyone want to wager about a slight modification to the wording in “Da Rules” about this for next season? If there isn’t, we have our last WTF?
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Filed Under: Busch Series, Casey Mears, Charlotte/Lowe's, Clint Bowyer, Drivers, Features, Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports #24, Hendrick Motorsports #25, Hendrick Motorsports #48, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Gibbs Racing #20, Kansas, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Richard Childress Racing #07, Roush Racing #16, Teams, The Chase, Tony Stewart, Tracks, WTF? Wednesday's
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By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Friday September 28, 2007
1:26am CDT
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Yeah, the image says it all. I guess Marc might be rubbing off a bit, but this has been wreaking havoc on my brain since it was made public.
I’m not normally one for Nascar conspiracy/tin foil hat slinging/propeller twirling thoughts. But let’s see what you think, as this is killing me.
Let’s start the progression of events. I’m not convinced that everything is all peachy over at the Yates’ place. Not saying it isn’t, and that I’m not off my rocker. But 2+2 != 4 in this case. The publicly known facts just don’t add up. Let’s follow them in the order we found out about them.
Ricky Rudd says he is leaving Robert Yates Racing at the end of the season. Something about retiring is mentioned. (Note, year before last it was taking a break.)
Robert Yates personally calls Kenny Wallace to set up a meeting about driving the #88 in 2008. This took place over Labor Day weekend, that Sunday to be specific.
Ricky Rudd gets hurt that same day, Kenny’s driven the car since. Doesn’t sound like a bad conversation took place, does it?
A few days later, over the Richmond weekend, we get this big announcement: Robert Yates to retire, Doug Yates to the helm and will re-brand RYR as Yates Racing.
Yates Racing will get cars, technical information, etc from Roush Racing. Roush Racing’s development driver, Travis Kvapil, will be headed to the #88.
Woah paint! A week earlier, Robert was talking to Kenny, and yet here’s a done deal with Kvapil? Hmmm, something isn’t right, and Kenny gets the shaft again. Not that it was exactly Hendrick or Gibbs, but it wasn’t ERR or FRR.
Then the silence falls. It was the quiet before the storm.
Last week, Mr. Junior makes his big announcement. The #88 Mountain Dew Amp Energy Drink National Guard Wrangler Trojan Foot Creme Chevy. Or, whatever it was.
Huh? What was that? Um, 88? Didn’t Doug Yates just say a bit ago that Yates Racing would be fielding the #38 with David Gilliland and the #88 with Travis Kvapil? Are we down by the docks? Something smell fishy here folks.
Is the madness over? Oh no. So let’s carry on to the next little tidbit before we fill in the dots.
Mars Inc. (read as Snickers, and M&M’s) announces that it will be heading to Joe Gibbs Racing and the #18 with Kyle Busch. What? Didn’t Interstate Batteries CEO say they were on the hood for 2008 at that press conference? Now they’re backing down? What the…
Are you following me on this? Let me back the truck up so that we have all readers on board with this. It’s time to fill in the dots on this.
Here’s what my mind says went down.
Ricky gets fed up (again), and remembers why he left for the Wood Brothers to begin with. What that is, I don’t know, but Ricky hasn’t looked happy for most of the season. If I was in a bottom end car, from a team that’s supposed to be top end, I’d be a little depressed after a while too. He decides to part ways. He may/may not have been talking to RCR about the fourth car, or potentially another opportunity. Something not at the back of the pack, else he’s headed for the front porch and a glass of tea.
Robert is talking to Kenny Wallace about a job, yet a couple days later it’s filled and all that hoopla. If the position was known to be filled, why would Robert talk to Kenny at all?
Behind the scenes here, Kelly is talking to Robert and asking about the #28 for Junior, and Robert ponies up the #88 instead.
Doug’s been talking to Roush on the side, and was made the offer of a lifetime. While mulling it over, he finds out about the 88 being released by its owner (Robert Yates), gets pissed, and announces the Roush deal. It’s been rumored that Ol’ Jack needs to move a team out of his shop in a bit (wink wink, nudge nudge), so why not make Roush #2 with the same folks he builds engines with. Of course he can’t profit from the teams winnings, but I bet the toilet seats aren’t going to be cheap. With this “partnership” or “leasing” in terms of well, everything, there’s his out when the time comes. But who shall it be? Hmmm…
Robert announces out of nowhere that he’s retiring, (Not wanting any part of that mess, and to spite Doug?)
Why the press release said 88, I have no idea.
Now, Mars/Snickers/M&M’s gets all pissed off because they were quite pleased with the opportunity to work with Kenny. That being sent to the gutters, they opt out on a performance clause, and walk. Can’t go to Evernham (because of Sadler), couldn’t follow Ricky (I’m sure because of a similar clause), so what’s left at the top? Here comes Gibbs, and hey, wanna throw a bone to the Shrub? They bite.
This is one big soap opera.
It may not be in that order, or exactly like that, but it could be close. Just think about it. The scenario of events doesn’t make sense whatsoever.
I can’t imagine Kenny wasn’t open to the idea of a full time ride. It would be higher in the points than FRR was and will continue to be. Not to mention, if it went bad, would he be subbing for Ricky at the moment? I doubt it, as bad as he wants to race.
So what we have here, is something some folks might refer to as a soup sandwich. Then again, maybe some phrase about a football bat comes to mind.
On top of all that crap, Newman/Haas/Lanigan are left out in the cold and wondering what happened? Um, hello, we’re a partnership now, right? Um, guys? Hey, guys? Hello? Buhler?
Something with this deal stinks to high heaven. Even the rats won’t touch it. So what in the world happened? OK, maybe kicking off the #88 wasn’t part of it. Then again, maybe it was and Doug didn’t find out until after California. Who knows? Not me, I’m just filling in the dots on this piece of swiss cheese.
That being said, something just isn’t right about this whole deal. Maybe it was planned all along? Then why the announcement about partnering with Newman/Haas/Lanigan? A decoy? Yeah, whatever. I don’t buy it. Something went wrong, and someone got hurt.
But who? Kenny had expectations, obviously sent awry. David Gilliland? Just a pawn in the game, happy to have a ride. Ricky Rudd? No pun intended. Robert Yates? Shouldn’t his legacy remain as RYR, even with Doug at the helm? That was what it sounded like anytime he mentioned “down the road”.
My thoughts on this are pretty scattered, I know. However, I can’t say that the overall theory is that far out there. There’s much not being told. It’s the kinda stuff that’ll show up on page 385 in a memoirs style book one day. Long after this mess has been forgotten. I can only hope to read it someday, and satisfy my curiosity.
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Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Junior, David Gilliland, Drivers, Joe Gibbs Racing #18, Kenny Wallace, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates Racing #38, Robert Yates Racing #88, Yates Racing #28
Trackback URL for: Does This Whole Yates Deal Make Sense?
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Saturday June 16, 2007
3:56pm CDT
Published on Thunder Lounge.
Hell no, according to Jack Roush, in not so many words. “I’ve been there, and done that,” said the Cat in the Hat according to the Roanoke Times.
Hmmm, could it be Kyle burned that bridge when he originally went to Hendrick after jumping ship with Roush? Anybody care to recall the fight Ford put up initially? Then again, if that wasn’t enough to piss Jack off, add in their stint as Kurt’s “PR” department, and Kyle’s yapping mouth, and then you have a recipe for a situation where Jack would probably rather drink turpentine and whiz on a brush fire.
Nope, Jack doesn’t want any part of that. Not to mention that “technically” he doesn’t have an open seat to begin with. Then again, “technically” neither did Hendrick and we all know what happened there.
It’s apparent that Kyle is, or at least was, playing the role of a mushroom. Something about being kept in the dark and being fed bulls**t comes to mind. At least, that’s what his new agent would like us to think. Kyle fired his previous representation and has mentioned to the media that he was uninformed and kept in the dark in terms of negotiations with his contract, that his then current agent had received inquiries from other teams, and as to how negotiations were going. Naturally his previous agent would provide fuel to the fire, that same fire Jack is aiming for after ingesting turpentine, but simply replied that he’s handled matters professionally for many other drivers (including Johnson, Mears, and several others) and all were quite successful and handled with the utmost care and professionalism.
He said, she said, he said. Wah. Wah. Wah. Wah.
Yates has said publicly that they are very interested in acquiring Kyle, and would even love to unite the brothers under the same roof. Something which Kurt says he isn’t interested in and is committed to Penske, and something Kyle isn’t interested in either as he doesn’t want to be in the shrub in the shadow of the Busch. He’ll always be Kurt’s little brother but he wants to be known as Kyle, who just happens to be Kurt’s brother as well.
Can’t say that Kyle probably didn’t seal his own fate, but then again maybe not. There are people out there referring to the fact that it may be possible that with such an existing relationship with Rick Hendrick, that the media and the rest of us have been blind to the actions behind the scenes. That such discussions have been ongoing since as early as the off-season to see if it could come to light.
Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
You certainly do tend to think of Richard Childress before Rick Hendrick when it comes to those whom Junior is close to. That’s because of Dale Earnhardt though, and not Dale Earnhardt Jr. That coupled with Hendrick not apparently having room in the inn, caught quite a lot of people off guard when the announcement came. Well, until Marty Smith reported it on ESPN.com the night before.
So what’s in Kyle’s future now? Both RCR and Joe Gibbs apparently are looking to expand to add a fourth team, then there is Ginn who is interested. DEI’s Max Siegel said they would be very interested and Kyle would be one of a few on their short list.
Then again, one Mr. Ray Evernham is quite interested as well, and ready to expand to a fourth team as well. Ray’s even already opened up the lines of communication as well. Kyle’s said he’s like to keep it Chevy, but has also said he isn’t “married” to Chevy either. Meaning, he’s not contractually bound to Chevrolet to drive their brand.
While the door is being closed at Hendrick, and he’ll probably be excluded from certain Hendrick meetings ala “Vickers style”, he’s still a 22 year old driver with quite a career in front of him. His image needs polished up a bit in terms of actions and words, but then again is it really that bad? Like him or not, at least you know what is on his mind and he isn’t some media zombie.
That all being said, while it stings being left out of one situation the future certainly appears to be bright indeed. What comes of it is anyone’s guess, but at least now there are ton’s of possibilities and opportunities ahead.
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Filed Under: Drivers, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Nextel Cup
Trackback URL for: Kyle Busch Back To Roush…
By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Tuesday April 17, 2007
1:31pm CDT
Published on Thunder Lounge.
You know, some people out there are just plain idiots. We’re talking major, or wish they were major, media outlets and their ridiculous love affair with Dale Junior. They love to write about him, at times they love to hate him, then there are the times they want to bring out the big guns to pop a fly on the wall. It’s no wonder that half the crap you folks write is a distant memory by the time the ink dries on the worthless rags you write for.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a one-sided opinion on the Lounge, but every now and then a driver gets beat up in the press over something so stupid that we need to take a stance. Not to back away from a neutral position, but when something isn’t right, someone should say so. So we’ll continue.
What is the damn deal here with beating up Dale Earnhardt Jr. for hopping into the #5 of Kyle Busch to finish out the race at Texas last Sunday? It’s nothing but selfishly trying to grab a few readers, and smells worse than a rotten jar of Jay-Bee’s. Granted that jar of Jay-Bee’s still works, and maybe even better. Granted your readers ain’t biting on the stench you’re slinging out, unlike ol’ Mr. Whiskers that’ll snatch up the mouthful of Jay-Bee’s quicker than a Texas twister snatchin’ up some poor guy’s trailer.
Then there’s the folks that think Junior’s going to head to Hendrick just from jumpin’ in that seat. Come on people. Did common sense just walk out the door for a vacation? Hello, there’s no room there.
Here’s the plain and simple truth. Nothing more, nothing less.
A) Team Chevy. With a new kid on the block, every point counts. Granted it wasn’t a teammate by owner, but it sure was by manufacturer.
B) Junior’s got friends everywhere. You think they refer to the garage area as a big family for nothing? When someone needs help back there, and you can help, you do it.
C) Hello, Junior’s in a big contract negotiation if you haven’t heard already. Why pass up the opportunity to hop into someone else’s stuff, and see what it’s got? OK, so it was torn up. That’s OK though. Junior’s driven his stuff in a similar condition, and there are some comparisons which can be made. One of which that he commented on was how smooth the steering was, and he said he could tell it was a pretty hot car before the accident. There you have it. Now he knows a little bit, granted not a lot but a little bit, about some of the quality of equipment which isn’t from his current provider in DEI. Not talking teams and their effort, but the equipment results from having the backing, additional equipment, and R & D to put into the effort. By the way, Jr., I hear Cal Wells has got a Chassis Dyno up for grabs.
D) He’s a racer, and Ken Schrader always sums it up best when he tells the story about how you could put wheels on a popsicle stick (or hot dog) and these guys would be out there to race it.
That’s all there is to it, really. No need to whine, cry, or call Junior stupid because of “What if he misses the chase by 3 points behind Kyle Busch”, or “What if he misses the title by 3 points to Kyle Busch”, or any of that crap. And it is crap.
So next time you want to pick on someone, do for them screwing up. Don’t just sit there and jump all over someone for doing not only what was a favor and helping hand, but for doing what was right.
/rant
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Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Inc #8, Dale Earnhardt Junior, Drivers, Hendrick Motorsports #5, Kyle Busch, Nascar, Nextel Cup, Teams, Texas, The Soapbox, Tracks
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