Mr. Bigglesworth In Nascar?

By Luke, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.

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[thumb:357:r:s=1:l=x]Full Throttle had a piece here recently in regards to the whole Toyota/Dale Jarrett/RYR/UPS circus as reported by LastCowboys.com and their little birdies. It’s an interesting take on the account of both writers, and goes along with something we mentioned here at the ThunderLounge briefly in our “Awaiting Toyota’s Grand Entrance” piece. These articles take it to a whole new level, but they make some damn good points.

Well, according to Clint over at LostCowboys.com he is so confident that he stated the following:

Mark my word….Jarrett will be out of that car soon. If I’m wrong, I’ll shave my cat.

Well now, that spells confidence to me.

I’m on board with Full Throttle’s thinking on this one. I’m intrigued by it. It immediately brings images to my mind of Dr. Evil and Mr. Bigglesworth, and why make billions, when we could make millions. Definitely got a smile on my face, but it doesn’t end there.

While the piece is humorous because of the cat remarks, Clint makes some excellent points. Not only are they excellent, but they’re damn good as well.

The points reflect today’s Nascar environment, and even looking back 4 or 5 years it’s something we would have laughed at the thought of. That’s how quick our sport has changed. Much of this can be attributed the the Chase format, and some of it to simply being the times we live in. And, they’re a changin’.

So what’s the whole deal about? It comes down to basic common sense, really. Don’t take us wrong there isn’t anything officially stated, so it can be chalked up as mere speculation at this point, but it does make sense in today’s environment.

Here we go.

So, Dale Jarrett has announced he’s moving to Michael Waltrip Racing next year. We all know this. However, looking at the big picture it’s only one third of the way through the season. Clint makes the point about the motivation of the #88 team, which is true. They just got kicked in the nuts with a steel-toed boot. Full Throttle brings up the point and reflecting back to the Busch/McMurray deals last year, and how they ended up throughout the season. Granted Kurt made the chase, but was relieved of duty at Phoenix the day before the race. He missed the final two races, as Roush no longer felt compelled to handle situations with him. They “officially retired as Kurt’s PR reps”, and felt no need to keep him in the car after that. Why should they? And this big swap deal wasn’t mentioned until mid-summer, and not finalized until fall. Jarrett’s deal is official, and announced, and we’re a third of the way into the season. Not to mention that all the distractions that come with it between now and then.

It’s no secret the Ford and Yates are pissed. They have a right to be. Not only is DJ bailing from the team, but to another manufacturer as well. However at the same time, it’s DJ’s choice too. His contract is up, it’s his career. In a sense, they should be thankful for the opportunity to start building earlier than if Dale kept in the seat for the next two years. In the long run, they will be better off. Yates has made statements, but still no official word from the RYR.com site on the issue. It’s not even mentioned. And it’s not because their news page is a month old either.

So what the heck does this have to do with Ward, a possibly bald cat, and Yates?

It’s been reported that if UPS is to stay with Yates as sponsor of the #88, they don’t want some fancy young gun. They want an experienced driver, with the skills to get the job done. Sure, that’s all fine and dandy. But, there’s one problem. Who’s available to fit that bill? Simple. Ward Burton is, as is Ricky Rudd. Other than that everyone else is either not what they’re looking for, or under contract somewhere else.

LostCowboys.com has been digging in the back alley’s and trying to find out what’s going on. Their sources report that indeed Ward is headed to the #88. Whether their sources are correct has yet to be seen. However, let’s say for the sake of speculation that it ends up coming through.

So if Ward hit’s the #88 team would it be better to just show up at Daytona, and live for a month or better with the media coverage of “Ward Burton driving formerly driven by Dale Jarrett”, or throw two sheets to the wind and start getting the team ready for 2007 as early as possible, and cut your losses for 2006?

We saw lot’s of changes once the chase started last year because if you’re not in the top 10 and racing for the Cup, why not get a jump on the chemistry for the following season?

Right now, DJ’s in 12th and only 58 points out of the top 10. While “officially” RYR has said they’re in it for the season with DJ and going to make sure they give him the best… yadda yadda yadda. It’s the basic PR spewing from a team owner to make sure everybody is happy. Sponsor, media, fans, etc. What’s the real deal going on, with out all the PR politics and crap that goes with it? What’s the dirt?

LostCowboys.com seems to think that in their opinion someone else will be behind the wheel of the #88 come Homestead, and probably much sooner than we think.

For the big picture, I could see it as a possible scenario. Here’s why.

If this actually comes to be true, it’s an advantage for Yates in building towards 2007. Why not go ahead and if DJ wants to go with a new team and manufacturer, let him. RYR can afford to buy out the remaining months on the contract, and they can begin preparations for 2007 sooner than later. Clint seems to think it will be sooner than the Chase. I’m not completely agreed to that line of thinking, but I wouldn’t rule it out either.

For the sake of discussion let’s say DJ is in 14th place come Richmond, but until the checkered flag drops had a chance of making the chase. Also, that he’s still in the #88 at this point.

Ok so the checkers fall and DJ’s out of the Chase. Come Monday, RYR announces that effective immediately Dale Jarret will be replaced by [insert driver here] for the remainder of the 2006 season, and beyond. It’s a plausible theory. Mainly because now that the team wouldn’t be in the chase, why not build for 2007 with the new driver, and get all the media out of the habit of associating Dale with the team prior to Daytona. MWR will have cars, and even Bill Elliot is going to help them out and run a total of 5 races this year for MWR with Burger King on the hood. Kind of ironic, since Bill’s always been associated with their competitor McDonald’s. Hey, that’s the way the sponsorship cookie crumbles, and it takes money to race. So, it wouldn’t be bad on the MWR side either. They would get a 10 race jump on 2007 as well, and at least be able to work on team chemistry and communication before they rip off the bodies and change them to Camry’s, and change the engine as well.

Now, what if the move came earlier? This is what the LostCowboys.com article is betting on. In my opinion, it would be a move made out of spite by RYR and Ford. Mainly to drop DJ in MWR’s hands before they could be ready to field a car for DJ. Opps! Sorry about your bad luck. However, would MWR be ready? Are they ready now? One thing for sure, whether you like or dislike Michael Waltrip, you have to credit his business abilities. In their discussions I can’t see anyway that this particular scenario didn’t come up at least once. Even if it was simply one of those “What if…” types of questions. My bet in Vegas would be that on some level MWR has some sort of contingency plan for this, just in case.

Also thrown around the rumor mill was the name of one Mr. Awesome Bill coming back to full time racing. However, it was a rumor/speculation, and we haven’t heard or seen any reference that Mr. Elliot is looking to return to a full time schedule after running part time since 2004. However, it almost makes you wonder. He went out on such a high note, that I honestly expected him in his post race interview at Homestead to announce he’d thrown the retirement deal out and would be back the following year. He definitely went out with a bang, and one that has perhaps stuck in the back of his mind. That’s mere pondering on something most likely not the case, but my mind still wonders about it.

In the end, while we thought that last year’s silly season in Nascar was entertaining, it’s very well shaping up this year to surpass it. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any sillier than it had, someone one-ups it. Seems to be the trend over the last couple of years, and one that could very well continue for years to come.

Anybody know who’s available after 2007?

Currently, as of this article’s publishing, Jayski lists the following driver’s as having a contract expiring in 2007:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr (#8, Budweiser Chevy Monte Carlo, DEI)
• Scott Riggs (#10, Valvoline Dodge Charger, Valvoline Evernham Racing)
• Sterling Marlin (#14 Waste Management Chevy Monte Carlo, MB2 Motorsports)
• Jeff Burton (#31 Cingular Wireless Chevy Monte Carlo, Richard Childress Racing)

What will next year bring? Personally, I see Jr and Burton as a lock-in for their current location. But what about Scott and Sterling? Of course, there are several driver’s that don’t have a listing for a contract expiration date. But whatever next year brings, hang on because it could be yet another roller coaster ride as the season progresses.

Filed Under: Damn Good Points, Nascar, Nextel Cup





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