One Lugnut Short

Just for Giggles

2009-11-17T14:55:00.001-06:00

I'll be blogging more soon...stay tuned

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS

2009-03-24T08:22:00.007-05:00

Normally, I don't blog about such events but there is something special going on with the #71 race team, David Gilliland and the Gilliland Fan club that is note worthy.

Fow sometime now, the David Gilliland fans have been posting on his fan club message board offering help in any way to the TRG race team. How many times have we heard similar offers from fans of other drivers, but those offers went unheard. This story is different, just as the reason many Gilliland fan's support their driver in the first place, there is a grass roots feeling and appreciation from the race team going back to the fans. Yesterday this post appeared on the Fan club from the Director of Marketing at TRG Motorsports:

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

My name is Lloyd Wideman, I am the Director of Marketing for TRG Motorsports. I spoke with Daniela just before getting out and on the road to Bristol about getting the Fan Club on the race car for one or more events... How could I turn down a fellow Missourian???

I ran some concepts past the ownership and spoke to David about the ideas... Here is what we have to work with:

What ever the amount of money you raise, $5 or $5000... we will provide you with the Deck Lid (trunk) for a race. The entire space is yours to do whatever you want with it.

We can put Martinsville together pretty quickly if ya'll would like to do it there!

If you need help developing a concept, please let me know.
Lloyd

Things happen quickly in motorsports and this is no exception. Don't be surprised to see this nice tribute (pictured above) on the rear deck lid of the #71 car as soon as this weekend, and maybe even more races to come.

I noticed last weekend at Bristol the #71 car sporting a 'blank white patch' covering the hood. At first thought, I was thinking that it may have been placed there to 'cover' a late race sponsorship that may have fell through. But I really think this was simply an ingenious way to say 'your company logo here', without being so blunt. This fresh approach just might be what the doctor ordered. Lets hope so!

We have been hearing a lot of 'talk' from drivers and owners about how they want to 'return to their roots' for the average fan. So far, there is one race team that is willing to say 'thank you' to their fans in a different way. 'My Driver' and his posse should take note.

Elliott Sadler stop number 2 of the 2009 ‘No Excuses Tour’—Same song, different verse

2009-02-26T17:28:00.001-06:00

California Dreamin turned out to be another California nightmare for Elliott Sadler and his 19 team. The buzz words were already flowing in pre-race and qualifying quotes, almost in an eerie foreshadowing of the Sunday to come.

“We have a lot of effort put into our front clips, front geometry, trying to get the front tires to work as efficient as we can. Some owners may be thinking its body, motors, rear clips, center cage….there are many things that you can work on. Right now we’re really working on our front clips area, bump stop and front geometry stuff. As a team, we think that’s where we need to be better. Right now, that’s where the emphasis has been with winter testing so far.”

Listening via the greatness of PitCommand, it was pretty clear from the start that Sadler was not happy but it goes further than that.

Lap 5 caution (rain)
Sadler after five (really 4) short laps tells CC Kevin Buskirk that there is a problem with the front end by announcing that the 19 car is ‘a little snug in the middle and a little snug back in the gas….and that the splitter seemed to be dragging a bit’, in the corners. After a small exchange that the 19 team finally figured out that the radios used need the ‘big antenna’ in order for Sadler to hear them (maybe the Best Buy Geek Squad should assist) another ‘track position’ pit strategy move instead of making an honest attempt to ‘fix’ an ill handling car, 2 tires and a half pound out of the right rear was the pit call. The 19 entered the pits running 25th, and took the green flag running 21st.

Side note: This caution lasted over 15 laps and it was during this caution that Sadler was asking for the dreaded TRACKBAR change in order to give him some more ‘forward bite’. Since the last pit stop, no green flag laps had been run, and Sadler is already ‘complaining’ about the car. Not that there is anything wrong with this, except for the ‘strategy’ 2 tire stop laps before. Why not simply make the changes, take four tires, lose a few positions , in the name of making the car better in the long run? But I have been a broken record about this for almost a decade.

Lap 35 scanner chat:
Sadler tells Buskirk that the 19 is ‘still dragging the splitter on entry’, and is a ‘little free off’. The 19 car is running 26th at this time.

Lap 41 caution (rain):
Sadler reinforces that the ‘splitter is still dragging too much on entry’ He goes a bit more in depth for his CC with ‘Front end is trying to work, its better than yesterday.’ And lastly again states he wants ‘a little more forward bite on exit’. Buskirk quickly and commandly tells the 19 team to go up on all 4 tire pressures and to add a ‘packer’. (not sure which tire the bump stop was added to though). Sadler added that he didn’t think it would need much, maybe a ‘1/16th’, not much more. The 19 enter the pits running 27th, and took the field running 39th. It was then decided after a nice suggestion by Brett Griffin that it might be a good idea to ‘top off’ because there were only two cars running behind the 19. After topping off, the 19 takes the green flag running 40th.

Just before taking the green scanner chatter:
Buskirk wants to clarify; ‘As I understand, you were tight from dragging the splitter, not chassis tight right’? Sadler responds with a not very confident, ‘I think so’.

Lap 48 scanner chatter (running 35th)
Sadler; ‘I don’t know if the bump did anything, but I think it took a lot of the rear grip away’. No response on Pit Command

Laps 66 scanner chatter (running 34th)
Sadler states that the 19 ‘is not driving as good as it did the last run. Don’t know if is the tires or that bump stop.’ Buskirk answers; ‘I hear ya, we are gunna make a change.’

Lap 85 green flag stop: (running 31st)
Buskirk calls for 4 tires and one round down on the TRACKBAR (something Sadler was calling for since the first caution) The 19 cycles through pits stops running 33rd.

Lap 88, the 19 goes one lap down running 32nd.

Lap 91 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Sadler; ‘Still just way on the splitter on low pressures’.
Buskirk; ‘Just give us what you got, I know its bad’. (someone give Kevin a pom pom next time!)

Lap 95 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Sadler; ‘Not sure what changes we made, but I cannot use the brakes, the more I use the brakes the more the car slids.’
Buskirk; ’10-4’ (followed by some more cheer leading)

Lap 105 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Sadler; ‘the car doesn’t like the changes…..grip, slide, grip, slide’.

Lap 109 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Sadler; ‘We done something to this thing, the front end is really gone’.
Buskirk; ‘All we was a little air pressure adjustment and down one on the TRACKBAR.’

Lap 121 green flag stop (running 31st)
Sadler wanted to pit a few laps earlier and stated he was worried about the right front tire wear.
The pit called for 4 tires, one round up on the TRACKBAR (the ‘180’ from the pit stop at lap 85, so take a drink in the Elliott Sadler Drinking Game). After pit cycles through, the 19 is still running 31st. Buskirk notes to Sadler that the ‘tires were perfect, just perfect’.

Lap 130 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Buskirk waves his pom poms once again by stating, ‘hang in there bud, we can make something out of this day. ‘

Lap 141 caution (rain, running 31st)
Sadler; ‘Front end not working like I need it to, when I am on the brakes. Its just not doing what I need it to do….I think we need to be thinking about strategy, do the opposite of what everyone else does……..it’s just bound up on the front end on entry, a little free up off……I would rather have the free off.’
Buskirk; ‘Well I don’t know what is going on, if it (the splitter) is hitting the RF or hitting the LF.’ At this point, Buskirk is almost begging Sadler to give proper communication of what the car is doing. Sadler still could not give a good answer. The 19 pits, 4 tires, and takes the packers back out (another ‘180’, take a drink). Buskirk asks the 19 crew to take a bit of extra time, to check the splitter to see where the dragging is.

Back to green lap 151 running 33rd.

Lap 153 scanner chatter (running 33rd)
Sadler; ‘Is the splitter hitting?
Buskirk; ‘It was hitting on the left front.’

Lap 168 scanner chatter (running 31st)
Sadler; ‘Too tight in the middle, still sliding the nose…..what ever we are doing to it, its just bad.’

Lap 170 caution (running 31st)
Buskirk; ‘Got a lot of air in the front end, we can take that out.’
Sadler; ‘okay, do you think that will help me off?’
Now Sadler is not so concerned about the ‘front end’, and the tight entry and middle, but has more of a problem with the car getting looser off the corner.

Long caution (rain) and the 19 finally pits with one to go on lap 175 for 4 tires, down on the front pressures (no other changes mentioned)

Lap 198 scanner chatter (running 29th)
Sadler; ‘‘Do we have anymore room in the front tires, I would like more of that, and maybe something to help the exit’

Lap 206 scanner chatter (running 29th)
Buskirk; “we are gunna pit in 7 laps’
Sadler; ‘need help in the center, and forward bite off’
Buskirk; ‘We have a plan’

Lap 207 caution (running 29th)
Buskirk; ’ save gas…all the time under caution’ followed by some more cheerleading, ‘I can tell you a trying, I appriciate it.’
Sadler; ‘I am trying but there is something about this front end’
Buskirk; ‘Okay so we ARE better than yesterday right?’
Sadler; ‘Oh yeah, we are way better, I don’t know if this tire is different from Rockingham, or what.’

I still will question how data from a 1 mile track that has a reputation that ‘eats’ tires, can translate to a two mile superspeedway with long sweeping turns, and speeds that reach 200+ mph.

restart lap 215 (running 25th)

Lap 227 scanner chatter (running 26th)
Sadler; ‘we just really unhooked the back, there is just not much I can do with it’ (loose car)
Buskirk; ‘just do the best you can’
Sadler; ‘I feel like I am killing the right rear.’
Buskirk; ‘the tires have been great’

Lap 232 scanner chatter (running 26th)
Sadler; ‘I just can’t get it any gas’
Buskirk; ‘its okay, those are good laps’

lap 235 scanner chatter (running 26th)
Sadler; ‘My right rear is gone, sorry, this last adjustment we just changed the balance of the car a bunch’

After the 8 car blows up, the 19 car is now running 25th and finishes the race in that position.

Post race scanner chatter (finished 25th)
Buskirk; ‘What did we do to the car on last stop’
Sadler; ‘I think the air out of the LR made it looser, extremely loose on exit.’
Buskirk; ’10-4, I’ll write that down’.

So the word of the day was ‘front end’, well maybe this is simply ‘excuse number 1’ in the early season. Lets hope not. It's on the Las Vegas!

Another Failed Bit

2009-02-23T12:26:00.005-06:00

It was just a little less than a year ago when Elliott Sadler, along with a few sidekicks used their influence and went public with their nationwide sales pitch for ‘Sheridan Ridge’. This week we now find that all five have either pulled out completely or filed quick claim deeds in order to recoup the original investment. Needless to say, this latest venture in which Sadler made claims of “it’s going to be great”, is just another in a long list that can be trashed with the likes of VLP, Infield Parking, MySpace and even the Sadler Fan Club.

I guess it was questionable enough that this resort’s website hosts pictures of existing completed buildings and such, we now found out that although the subdivision plats and erosion and sediment control plans were filed and approved by Smyth County more than a year ago, there has been no construction on the site. So where are these beautiful buildings that are on this site?

Of course, when eventually ask, I am sure that Sadler will fall back on the old standby justification that it ‘wasn’t his fault’, and that he ‘had no control’ over the situation, even though as being named ‘Advisory Board Member’. Sadler himself spoke last summer and comment about the ‘commitment’ to the ‘buildings’ that they are building and such, but it is getting clearer that Sadler was simply ‘shilling’ the product.

Also this week, there were a handful of Sadler quotes concerning what he would do if he wanted to get more fans in the seats at Fontana.

"I would go to every Boys and Girls Club, the Girl Scouts, middle school -- give away tickets, give them a chance to come to this race that might not have come before. You might make a fan; you might not. If you don't make a fan, what have you lost? You really haven't lost anything, because you didn't have anyone in the seat anyhow.

"If you gain a fan, you maybe gain a couple tickets for next year. That's my Emporia (Va.) opinion, which is not worth two cents out here in Los Angeles, California."

Not that this is a bad idea at all, but just as Eddie Gossage fired back at Dale JR last month for JR’s opinion that ‘tracks should do more for the fans’. I think it is fair to ask Elliott Sadler the same question and give him an opportunity to show just what added value has he added to his fans, and more specifically his fan club, over the past few years.

In 2004, (probably the peak of Sadler’s fan club and trackside popularity) his fan club annual dues were $10 for a single membership. Today that same package will cost you $25. Also in 2004, access to the Fan Club’s message board where many fan offers and personal insight from both Sadler and his spotter/PR Brett Griffin was free of charge. Today one has to become a fan club member to access these posts.

Before that, Sadler’s fan ‘appreciation day’ was a free ‘come as you are’ event and was truly directed at the fan. Today this event has become a commercial spectacle costing fans a minimum of $25 just to get on the property. If one would want to feel truly appreciated, that comes with a fee upwards to $250. For someone that just a few years ago would have much signage and fan sightings at trackside events and grand stand events, it is interesting to see the lack there of these days.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand everything comes with a price, but when one is willing to give advice at no expense of his own, one should be ready for some backlash. Eddie made that very clear to JR and JR also responded and the fans a better for it.

That being said, The changes to Sadler’s website ElliottSadler.com have been enjoyable to see. I also (along with others) have been critical of previous releases of this site, but there seems to be someone that is ‘getting it’. While the site is not full of bells and whistles, it is easy to navigate, and seems to be emphasizing content. The ‘news’ section is still pretty generic, but it does give a central location that is updated in a timely manner with pre and post race/qualifying quotes can be found along with race recaps. The added fan question section is a nice touch as well. While the ‘fluff’ pieces in the new video section are probably not for me, it is also a nice added touch that many might enjoy. So kudos for the Sadler camp for the change, and hopefully it will continue.

Caly race recap should be up on Wed, it was interesting.

Elliott Sadler stop number 1 of the 2009 ‘No Excuses Tour’ – Is the glass half full or is it half empty?

2009-02-17T13:32:00.008-06:00

Breaking down the roller coaster ride for the ‘Southern Gentleman’ that was also known as the Daytona 500 last Sunday afternoon and a few other notable items:

After the ‘Duals’ and the post race comments by Sadler where the claim was made that they were ‘laying back’ to help a teammate get into the 500, I was perplexed a bit and had a few questions. While I didn’t take the best of notes, I do remember it no time was the 44 car (A.J. Almendinger) found itself actually behind the 19 car. Even after the final caution the 44 car was restarting well ahead of the 19. So the term ‘laying back’ might have been a bit of mis-information, although it was pretty obvious that when the 44 did get hung out, the 19 was very willing to hang with him and be a nice pusher. Props to the 19 for that and that makes the glass half full at this point.

That being said, it was on to the ‘500’ and all the hoopla that goes with it and a few observations:

Lap 25 competition caution:
After the competition caution on lap 25 (actually the 2nd caution of the day) Sadler was complaining that the car was doing much the same as it was in the Duals, which was the car, was pushing in the corners. Not as bad as Thursday, but non the less, the car was not what Sadler wanted. New CC Kevin Buskirk, pulled from his bag of tricks something that 48 CC Chad Knauss does almost every race, which was to tweak the inner liner pressures. (This is something that has been very successful for the 48, but used very rarely by any of the plethora of former Sadler CCs. Even with the 55 car not helping by stopping short in his pit box and the 19 team having to push the car back just a bit in order for Sadler to exit the stall safely, the 19 entered pit road running 16th, and when the green flag fell, remained 16th. That’s a half full glass if I ever saw one.

One interesting note was that after the stop and before taking the green flag, Sadler was already asking for a ‘little wedge’ before even seeing the results of the previous stop.

Lap 51 scanner chatter:
Sadler asked Buskirk if they could ‘go any further on the front inner liner pressures’ (Me thinks Sadler was liking the direction the changes were going) and Buskirk answered with, ‘we have a lot more room’.

Sadler then does something that I have been critical of him for years. He tells Buskirk to ‘give him a little more of that (inner liner pressure change) BUT THEN the ‘greedy’ Elliott comes out. He then asks for a ‘little more grip on entry…..maybe track bar’. A confused Buskirk asks for a clarification by saying, ‘rear grip?’ At that point Sadler brushes the wall and the focus is changed to if there was any significant damage to the 19 car. Brett Griffin quickly responds always the optimist with ‘you are good, letters still on the tires’. Again, we have a half full glass!

Lap 55 caution:
A quick exchange between driver and CC before the stop, the plan is four tires, and again going with more front inner liner pressures and Buskirk agrees to make a track bar change to ‘help the rear’. The 19 entered pit road running 17th and took the green flag running 16th, another great stop considering the 19 team also popped the right front fender out a bit (from brushing the wall) and according to Buskirk, ‘everything is perfect’. Also it was at this stop that driver and CC had good communication concerning the impending weather with Buskirk reminding Sadler that ‘weather was coming, and a lot of it’. Sadler obviously thinking some strategy asked if they would ‘get to lap 114’, and Sadler was assured they would along with some encouragement from Buskirk. That’s another half full glass.

Lap 76 scanner chatter:
The 19 car is having a slight bit of over heating issues and Sadler smartly is getting out of the draft occasionally to help cool the engine.

Lap 80 caution:
Sadler complains that the 19 is a ‘little bit tighter’ (something the team was fighting all week) and Buskirk explains that ‘everything is the same’ but he also questions that the track bar change maybe part of the problem. Sadler agrees, and wants the trackbar changed back to where it was before the last stop (see the Elliott Sadler Drinking Game, and take a drink). The 19 entered pit road running 22nd and took the green flag running 24th. Buskirk tell s Sadler that there was some ‘trash on the grill’, but they also ‘pulled one row of tape, but it shouldn’t matter much’ where the 19 was racing. Sadler didn’t sound like he was buying what Buskirk was saying though. For the first time in 2009 the glass is half empty.

Lap 100 scanner chatter:
Sadler feels that the ‘tape hurt him a lot and made the car pushy’ (although it has been that way all week) Buskirk attempts to encourage Sadler by telling him that he is ‘doing a great job. He also asks for temps, but I never heard an answer.

Lap 107 scanner chatter:
Buskirk asks again for temps, and this time Sadler responds with ‘230/250’. Griffin chimes in with a well timed reminder that ‘rain is coming’, but also adds that there is a ‘long ways to go’. At this point on lap 107, the 19 car is running 11th, the highest the team had been in the running order all day. That glass is filling back up.

Laps 115 – 117 green flag stops begin:
Lap 115 saw the first cars coming in for green flag stops, but these stops were really a bit early. Tire issues being a concern I guess. But on lap 117, Sadler’s voice came over the scanner in an almost panic mode, that he ‘had a vibration’. Less than a straight away later, Sadler announces he is ‘coming in this time by’, Buskirk agrees. At that point the whole race changed for the 19, as Sadler entered pit road, we all hear the voice of Griffin proudly announcing that the ‘caution was out’! We have heard for years that Sadler just has a lot of ‘bad luck’, but this event alone might make up for all of them as now the 19 when the race goes back to green will restart the race in ‘P1’, and frankly giving the team a realistic chance to win the Daytona 500. Now that’s another half full glass!

Lap 124 caution, the ‘big one’:
At this point, I thought there might be a great chance that the ‘ever coming’ rains would actually happen with the 19 at pace speed just behind the pace car and then making a trip to victory lane. But by lap 132, the race did indeed go back to green with the 19 leading the field.

Lap 139 green flag scanner chatter:
Sadler must have been feeling the pressure from the cars behind and vented his frustration about the weather by saying, ‘just my luck Kevin, rain on the radar, no rain on the track’. Buskirk made huge kudos with this race fan when the CC ‘spanked’ Sadler for his comment by saying, ‘don’t be like that….we have had some great luck today’. Buskirk would be most correct with this statement, and I am guessing that when Sadler reflects on the race, there were some extraordinary things that happened to his favor, but just not the end result.

A lap later, coming off turn four, Sadler saw that the 17 and 29 car were going to make a good run and Sadler had a 50/50 choice to make of which line he was going to run exiting the tri-oval. We will never know which decision would have been better, and that is not the point. The point is that for a first leg of a marathon season, the 19 team as a whole performed well and not simply because of the end result. From the pre-race prep, to pit stops, to spotting and help missing a potential race ending wreck, to the driver showing smarts and patience and thinking big picture, this was a great effort over-all, and even would have been had the 19 finished 20th.

Post race
Yes, Sadler looked and sounded like a beaten puppy dog in his post race presser, but that to shall pass. We all have seen Sadler tug at the heartstrings in the passed for the sympathy vote, and is getting just that with some of the fans with not x chromosomes. That’s expected. Just a guess, but when Sadler finally returned to his motor coach Sunday night, had a couple of cold ones, there was some good reflection of the events known as the '500' before boarding his jet Monday morning for the trip back to Statesville. But it is on to California and frankly a track that can be used as a benchmark for teams of where they are at in relation to others. But after week one of the ‘No Excuses Tour’, the glass is clearly half full.

Later this week, some interesting fan's reactions to the 'last lap' pass and some pretty good changes on the revamped ElliottSadler.com pages.

Quick hits on the Bud Shootout

2009-02-09T10:06:00.003-06:00

1) The C.O.T. at plate tracks.

I remember the first COT plate race at Dega a little over a year and a half ago and how many complained that the COT was not race able at a plate track. Knowing the Dega and Daytona are very different in terms of car setup, I will throw this out there. I truly loved the way the COT cars handled on the very bumpy plate track last Saturday night. The cars were squirrelly, but not in an overly dangerous way. It was obvious that the cars were a handful, but that also contributed to the action on the track, and gave just another reason for the more skilled drivers to move to the front, not just the driver who happens to have the most aerodynamic car.

2) NASCAR’s version of John Madden

It has been a nice couple of months not having to listen to anything Jimmy Spencer has to say. Has there every been anyone in a NASCAR pre-race show say so much, yet adding so little to a broadcast? I should have known better to tune into Speed’s pre Shootout coverage, but I honestly thought after a couple month lay-off, he would have brought something useful to the table. I was wrong again. Maybe Frank Caliendo should add a ‘Spencer’ to his repertoire.

3) Elliott Sadler grade card

While his night was cut short, it really shouldn’t be considered a failure night for the driver of the 19. After getting shuffled to the rear of the lead draft, Sadler was battling a slightly looser car than he would have like, but from his post race comments, it appeared that there was a plan in place. The more fuel the 19 burn, the more the car seemed to ‘come to him’. But just as an ‘mismatched’ bump draft that ended M. Waltrip’s day from Sadler, Sadler’s day himself was ended in a similar way by David Stremme. It should be noted that Sadler was very gracious in his post race comments, and pointed no fingers. So while Sadler DNF’ed this race, if this race were to count on the scorecard, I would have graded it a solid B-. But grades don’t start to count until next Sunday.

4) Anonymity on the message boards?

Not directly Bud Shootout related, but note worthy anyway. I mentioned on this blog a couple of years ago the comedy and out right libel that was prevalent on the ‘Elliott Sadler Topix Forum’. Seems that 100s of anonymous posters from another TOPIX forum are now being targeted in class action lawsuit and now a Tarrant County judge has ruled that their true identities and IP address’ be revealed and turned over to the courts. Looking at the history of the TOPIX Elliott Sadler forum and some of the claims made there, it is pretty clear that a handful of ‘Sybils’ from Richmond, New Jersey, Louisiana, Atlanta and even Emporia should be concerned simply because of their written styles and claims. TOPIX has 30 days to comply with this court order and it will be interesting to see if there is any 'spill over' to other Forums. From what I have been reading, even when the posters ‘Tor’ in attempt to hide their IP address, it can be traced. History shows that Sadler is not afraid to turn to the courts to get his way, and frankly, it is about time for that place.

On to the big dance on Sunday. It has begun!

2009 Elliott Sadler; The ‘No Excuses’ tour begins Saturday night

2009-02-06T12:14:00.005-06:00

In ten or so years of full time Cup driving, Elliott Sadler has run the gambit when it comes to on track performance or lack there of. He has also run the gambit with the excuses for this performance. But after this eventful off-season, if he was smart, Sadler should bill this upcoming season as the ‘No Excuses’ Season.

And before this season even commences, lets put some of these excuses to rest, and to be fair, many of these excuse have not come from the driver of the 19, but from his official fan club members.

1) The ‘We just need some time to get the driver/Crew Chief communication down, so every knows what I want in a car’.

One only needs to read Sadler’s pre-season quotes about his crew chief for 2009.

“For anyone out there who isn’t familiar with Kevin Buskirk you will be very soon. Kevin’s worked with some of the best in the business. He worked with me in 2004 on the No. 38 team at Yates when we won three poles and two races and made the Chase. He won the Daytona 500 as an engineer on the No. 29 team at Richard Childress Racing in 2007. The guy flat out knows what he’s doing and we are thrilled that he came over to join us for 2009.”

Now I do think the Buskirk is a great choice for Sadler’s CC, especially after losing Childers. However, on the flip side, he only has a handful of race calling the shots on the pit box. Over all, Sadler is beaming with confidence about his new crew chief, so scratch that excuse.

2) The “If only Elliott was getting the same equipment as Kasey’ or ‘getting competitive equipment’ over-all.’

Brett Griffin has already been quoted on a previous blog that the equipment is pretty much equal each week. But the rub is what the team and driver does with that equipment. It was good enough for the 9 car to earn a few appearances in victory lane, and we all know that earning a chance to victory lane is a priority and a benchmark of 'season success' for Sadler.

3) The ‘because of the firing and then re-hiring, the 19 team and owner will see to it that Sadler will not have a chance to perform well on Sundays, after-all they don't want him driving anymore’.

Break out all the Tin Foiled Hats you want, but this conspiracy just won’t hold any water, especially in these economic/sponsor times. The risk/reward simply is not there. But Sadler himself squelches this theory with this quote.

“The No. 19 Dodge team has a lot to prove this year. We are coming in with a big, and when I say big—I mean HUGE chip on our shoulders and we want to make sure that we are competitive each and every week of the season. There is no room for error and each and every member of this team is going to be held accountable. The No. 19 team has been given the tools to be successful and now it is up to all of us to use those tools and get this car competitive and into victory lane.”

Remember the words from the driver himself, ‘each and every member of the team is going to be held accountable’. If ten or so races into the season, one of the other Richard Petty Motorsports cars is having sponsor issues but is getting results on Sundays, don’t be surprised to see a ‘sponsorship change’ in mid season.

4) The ‘if only we could get rid of this bad luck’.

This most likely is the worst excuse of all time, as how soon we all forget the races where you have good luck. The races where fuel mileage came into play, or when attrition came into play for top 10 finishes. Yes, bad luck can happen, but there is not one driver/team that over the course of a full season experiences any more or less bad luck than anyone else.

Let the season begin, and let the results speak for themselves. 2009, the year of no excuses! I'm keeping score, are you?

post script: I am thinking that the Sadler Fan Club should have 'No Excuses' T-shirts printed up, just as a reminder!

New Jersey fan now an OU Believer

2009-01-26T21:30:00.003-06:00

Sometimes, things just need to be retold. After all, many times it is only the negative that gets posted, but this North Easterner 'gets it'

from RIVALS.COM

Editor, The Transcript:

As a communications and messaging strategist based in Princeton, N.J., I am blessed (or cursed) with a hypersensitvity to how people communicate, and what message people send through verbal communication, body language and actions.

On a recent business trip to Miami, I spent a few days at the Fontainbleu Hotel, and happened to coincide with the BCS title game. Little did I know upon my arrival that I would spend the next few days with the Sooner Nation, including the team, and what seemed like an endless sea of maroon and white.

I was born on the campus of Purdue University and did my undergrad work at an ACC school, so I was no stranger to college football and passionate fans.

That being said, the sheer number of fans and the intensity and devotion to OU was overwhelming. I didn't know what to expect -- I do know one thing I did not expect was to become an overnight fan of the OU players and the fans from Oklahoma.

In my world, everything you do communicates a message, and I mean everything. This was no different for the OU players and fans.

The reality was that the few acres that the Fontainblue sits on had become Oklahoma with a beach for the week. Maroon and white everywhere. Thousands of fans. I was not wearing maroon and white, I speak with a Northeastern accent, and knew no one else there except for my small group. That didnt stop nearly everyone I encountered from starting a conversation, smiling and generally being warm and inclusive -- I am still wondering if there was a pregame tailgate I wasn't invited to.

I happened to be in the auxiliary lobby of the hotel at the same time as the OU players on the morning following the devastating defeat. That being said, as I was walking through the lobby to the restaurant, I casually told one player in passing, "you guys played well, you should be proud." He, and three teammates standing with him, smiled and thanked me -- and then started a conversation, asking about where I was from, what I did, etc. This cascaded into a number of conversations with a number of players.

These players have been in the national media spotlight all year, had tens of thousands of fans, many three times their age, follow them to Miami, a few will be instant millionaires next year, and they had just had what for many had to be one of the roughest nights of their college lives. I am not a coach, agent, writer or even a fan and was dressed in a sweatsuit. The players could have nodded or just said nothing and it would be completely understandable. They did the opposite.

Everything you do sends a message, and the message sent by the actions and conduct of the OU players and fans did more, in my eyes, for the university and state of Oklahoma than any advertising program could have.

In an era where there are endless stories of players and fans behaving poorly, stories of egotistical and arrogant athletes and stories of big time programs getting into some sort of hot water (stories that have included OU in years past), the class and dignity exhibited by the fans and players of OU did the university and the state proud. You might not have won the game but I guarantee you did gain new fans of Sooner Nation. Congratulations.

Matt Eventoff

Princeton, N.J.

Now it is time to let the LugNutting begin, just a few more weeks till the 500.

Did Elliott Sadler really keep a straight face?

2009-01-15T14:35:00.005-06:00

There is damage control, and then there is Sadler Damage Control and yesterday the NASCAR Nation was treated to a taste SDC.

Damage control is the term used in the Merchant Marine, maritime industry and navies for the emergency control of situations that may hazard the sinking of a ship.

Examples are:
* rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline,
*damage from grounding (running aground) or hard berthing against a wharf,
* temporary fixing of bomb or explosive damage.

Sadler Damage Control is the use of a controlled press conference to air ‘his side’ of his professional and personal issues.

Examples are:
*Claim that you were ‘blind sided’ yet you were told this was a possibility of a driver change almost a month prior
*Claim that you ‘don’t think it is fair to say that the team didn’t want me’, all the while this very same team told you to ‘entertain any other offers’.
*Saying it was a ‘family situation’ while allowing your lawyer to name people in a potential suit that you haven’t even respected enough to speak with them one on one.
*After the fact, saying that your employers were ‘very fair and up front’ yet suing to keep your ride, then later saying it was his lawyers ‘strategy’ and his was simply trusting him.
*Comparing other sports such as football and baseball and key personnel changes but omitting that those changes do not involve any type of court case.
*Lastly, claim to be taking the ‘high road’.

A couple of odd observations I came away with from this press conference; 1) When Sadler was commenting on the ‘legal’ threats and such, he would say that he had to ‘protect MY sponsors’, then when speaking about the 19 team and the future the tune changed to ‘OUR sponsors’. 2) Sadler commented a couple of times that he feels that a few of hierarchy in the GEM food chain are truly ‘Sadler Fans’. Note to Elliott, being a ‘fan’ and taking an honest and realistic evaluation of performance must be segregated. While I am still your fan, I am also honest about your on track performance.

Those were just obvious examples of the Sadler spin and damage control tactics that this blog has been pointing out for years. But Sadler also said some very significant things about his 19 team and the upcoming season that might get over looked.

“We've got our team headed in the right direction. We feel like we've got a handle on things in the direction we want to go.”

This could simply be another example of the ‘pre-season’ Sadler glad handling, but by saying this he is building a case for a ‘no excuses season’.

“The reason why I really wanted Kevin is the history we had together already. If we had a chance to go get another crew chief or another person that I hadn’t worked with before, of course there would be some type of learning curve that would take longer than what Kevin and mine is going to be.”

So would it be fair to throw out the ‘learning curve’ excuse for the first third of the season then? Sadler made numerous comments about how familiar to two were/are.

“History shows you have to be successful in the first seven or eight races to have a legitimate chance of making the Chase.”

Just for fun, lets take a look at Sadler standings after the first 7 races:
2008 – 20th in driver points (finished 24th)
2007 – 16th in driver points (finished 25th)
2006 – 12th in driver points (finished 22nd)
2005 - 8th in driver points (finished 13th)
2004 - 5th in driver points (finished 9th)
2003 – 20th in driver points (finished 22nd)

So it looks like Sadler has some stats to back up his claim and understanding how important the first 7 or so races are. The reason why this is ‘key’ is the A.J. Allmendinger has sponsorship for only 7 points races so far this season. Sadler’s statement alone would be ‘justification’ for a driver change around race 7 of Allmendinger somehow was in the top 15 or so in points, while Sadler was in the 20s. Just a speculatory thought!

“Last year we were trying to - because Kasey had some really successful runs, and we all want to work together as close as we can. But mine and Kasey's style are just not the same. We just do not drive the car the exact same. We hold the steering wheel a little different. It would be like Tiger Woods playing golf with Phil Mickelson's golf clubs with the same shafts in them. You try to do the same thing, but it's just not tailored to what I was trying to do.”

This is not an excuse for last season’s results be any means, but the fact that Sadler and his new crew chief understand the differences is key. We already know that the equipment between the 9 and 19 is the same and verified not only by Sadler, but his spotter (Brett Griffin) and others associated with the team last season. But now the team is identifying ‘how to use’ that equipment to the best advantage. While this may have been attempted in the past, this is one of the first times in Sadler’s career where they have openly admitted this approach. This can only be a good thing.

“I do know A.J.'s and Kasey's style are very close, probably more than what mine and Kasey's are.”

Another ‘justification’ for a driver change? I seem to remember that Ray Evernham himself thought that Elliott and Kasey had ‘similar’ styles and one of the reasons for Sadler joining the 19 team in the first place, but I guess over time that theory was found to be untrue.

“As we move forward with four teams, I think generally all the cars will be built alike, but each crew chief is going to have to put his own little bit on it to give the driver what he needs.”

Again, the equipment is the same, this is important to remember come ‘excuse time’.

“I'm the senior member of the team; I have to be the leader of the team and initiate conversation and make sure we're all on the same page and stuff like that. I don't foresee any problems going on with A.J. and I. I like his style; he's very aggressive. He's a good guy to be around. We have had our differences, but you know what, I played on a lot of sports teams growing up, and I think any time you get competitive people fighting for the same real estate, you're going to have some type of differences of opinion.”

This is a huge step in the right direction and one that Sadler should be commended for. It does make sense that he would not have much of an opportunity to speak to A.J. during this off-season, as there would be little reason for A.J. to be at the GEM garage since he is/was technically still a free agent.

“I think that's every team's goal (to make the Chase) at the beginning of the season. I think we can make it happen. I have that much confidence in Kevin who we brought in as a crew chief, and a lot of things are going to have to go right for us, but we can do it. We can be a part of that.”

There is nothing wrong with setting lofty goals. But just don’t ‘give up’ once you realize that the goal has become unattainable.

“Well, I'll tell you what, statistics don't lie no matter what you're talking about or who you're talking about. Not having a Dodge in the Chase I think means that, yeah, we have fallen behind a little bit. Does that mean it's the manufacture's fault? No, it's not. It means us as Dodge teams have to do a better job, whether it's working together more or figuring out more information to run faster.”

Be careful saying that ‘statistics don’t lie’, if you honestly believe that, then you are saying to everyone that you are an ‘average middle of the pack driver with one banner year under his belt in a decade of racing’. Remember, this is a ‘no excuses’ season coming up!

“Maybe I've lost some of that confidence maybe from some of the media and stuff in the sport, but I want to gain that back. I want to be a top tier driver in this sport, and I've got to get my butt in gear and I've got to do good and race hard each and every lap and make that happen. This is the best motivation I've had in a long, long time to make sure when I start at Daytona to start off on the right foot and do the best job I can.”

Yes Elliott, it is put up or shut up time. The clock is ticking.

Who is really driving the GEM bus these days anyway?

2009-01-12T12:07:00.005-06:00

Well, Friday afternoon while enjoying the Miami sun I get texted that Elliott Sadler is ‘back in the 19’. Even though I was still in a state of depression from the previous night’s National Championship game, this news was some of the most unusual driver/owner dilemmas I have seen in sometime, probably not seen since the days of Robert Yates, and Ricky Rudd (note; irony alert)

So what happen now? (Thanks once again Mr. Weber) Lets look at a few different aspects of this question:

So Sadler now has his ‘#19’ back for the 2009 season. Or does he? The latest reports say that A.J. Allmendinger will now run the #10 car for the Bud Shootout and 8 ‘other’ races during the season. If GEM is smart (yes, we know that might be a stretch) this means that A.J. will have an ‘8 race showdown/shootout’ with Sadler and the best results may very well get the sponsor(s) for the remainder of the season. The loser goes home or simply becomes a figurehead and back-up driver for GEM . If I do the math right, this
would make the spring Texas race an interesting one.

Because of mergers and other team’s downsizing, the #10 team should be in the top 35 in owner points and like the 19, locked into the first handful of race. That being said, both GEM teams should be considered playing on a level playing field. Sadler has had the luxury for 5 or so years of not having to perform week in and week out in order to keep a ride. Now it very well could be that for eight weeks, he may have to.

Can he step up his game? I really don’t know. Will he give his best effort? Of course he will. But just what happens if things go south early on? One can be a ‘sponsor’s” dream all they want, but over time, even that can wear off with mediocre on track results every week. I don’t see Masterfoods knocking on the door lately, and even with their ‘bad boy’ driver. The appearances in victory lane, the Chase and running up front most weeks far out weigh another ‘TeVee face’ glad-handing his sponsors every interview.

The plus side is that Sadler has a history of coming out of the gates strong in most seasons.

Kevin Buskirk to the rescue!

I have always been a silent fan of Kevin and while he might be considered a ‘journeyman’ in the NASCAR ranks, wherever he has gone, the team he was with has seen success. He brings a lot of COT knowledge after heading up DEI’s testing program this past year and even has an insight to ‘Sadlereeze’ after being his crew chief for 9 races at the end of the 2005 season. Considering my ‘8 race theory’ above, this hire might be the most significant GEM decision in this have fiasco and one that might be the different maker.

While I am optimistic about Buskirk, he joins the long list of crew chiefs for Sadler and will most likely be blamed if the 19 car continues to run mid pack. It is really amazing the revisionist history many of the Sadler faithful present to the table when it comes to former crew chiefs. This blog has showed time and time again, that there is a common denominator that for years has gone unchanged. A dozen or so crew chiefs can’t always be wrong can they? Someday, maybe they can all get together for diner one night, and ‘exchange’ Sadler anecdotes, someone bring a camera, but better get a large table reserved first.

Putting on the tin foiled hat for a moment:

In my research of Buskirk, I stumbled across something that I had not connected before. Remember when Sadler finally came clean with Robert Yates and the NASCAR Nation that the ‘real’ reason he wanted out of the two years remaining on his contract had more to do with a ‘difference in team philosophy’ and the direction that the team was going? Well, that may have been the truth, but there is another striking ‘coincidence’ from that season. It seems the Buskirk left RYR in early April of the 2006 season to go to what became a successful stink with RCR. It was two weeks later when the first ‘report’ of Sadler wanting out of his contract from RYR surfaced. So was Burkirk the real missing link? Maybe, maybe not.

We have all heard the stories that Sadler ‘getting his ride back’ was not only ‘dollar/court’ driven, but sponsor driven as well. Even though they are not scientific, I have yet to see an Internet poll that supports Sadler getting his ride back, and most show an overwhelming favor toward A.J. From a sponsor’s standpoint, I wonder if this data is ever considered? I’ll leave that one up to Best Buy.

Not even sure what to say...

2009-01-09T08:08:00.004-06:00

But here goes...

I don't even have the words to truly convey how I feel right now. I am ticked off, upset, disappointed, and frustrated as hell about this loss.

BUT...

I am proud of our team. I am proud of our coaches. We went into the game and played it well-prepared and ready to play. OU didn't lay down and die. OU didn't take Florida lightly. It was a well-fought game between two, of what I feel, are STILL the best 2 teams in the country. Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong side of the W/L column. Florida beat us. No excuses. If they are better than us, they are not better by much. It's no consolation, I know, but it is what it is. So, I extend my congrats to the Gators and their fans (and they were very gracious before, during and after the game, unlike LSU fans from 2004). And many came up after the game when we were leaving Dolphin Stadium (talk about a great venue to watch football) and were honest enough with themselves to thank their lucky stars that they stopped us inside the 10 yard line twice. Otherwise, we all might be feeling a little bit better right now by celebrating our 8th NC.

I don't know what else to say. But again, I'm proud of our team and of our coaching staff. I'll take Stoops and his crew of coaches, along with the magnitude of the success that he has brought back to Norman any day, and EVERY day! Anyway, that's all from me for now, we are off for one last day on the beach and some Florida sunshine.

Again, congrats to the Gators. They were better last night.

Frustrated and Crushed but STILL Proud,
Okla21fan

What I have learned from Florida sports radio this morning

2009-01-08T11:08:00.006-06:00

gunna try blogging via the greatness of the blackberry, hope the formating works.

live from south beach (and when did southbeach go topless?)

here is what the guys on 790theTicket have to say:

florida's defense will shut down oklahoma.
tim tebow is god and there is no way oklahoma can stop this offense.

some think Utah is more deserving and may be a better match up.

the big 12 is mediocre as usual...the bowl season proved that.

they have been predicting scores of 49-24, 49-17, 35-14, 55-21 today...nobody and I mean nobody has picked Oklahoma
oklahoma has no shot at staying in this game...they have never faced the speed like this.

urban meyer will out coach bob stoops.

dominique franks is an idiot...he basically gave oklahoma the kiss of death by talking trash about tim tebow

I AM LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! BOOMER!

btw, side note: sooner fans are everywhere in south Beach, maybe a 4 to 1 ratio. i guess the gator fans are driving down as we speak. off to do some tailgating and to the stadium. see ya later alligator!

My fun at the DFW airport this afternoon

2009-01-06T12:26:00.006-06:00

So I had to get to the airport at DFW this afternoon around noonish to catch the flight for the 'big game' in Miami Thursday night. I KNEW the place would be crawling with horns, so I made sure to wear an OU sweatshirt and cap...shorts and flip flops and just a general happy feeling and pride for the Sooners.

Not TWO seconds after checking my bags at the curbside check in, out comes, "45-35!!!" A horn fan yells while waiting to catch the shuttle. I quietly speak back, "How'd that work out for ya?" I then pulled out my Blackberry and say, "Give me your address...I'll send you a post card from South Beach!!" He turned and walked away.

Then, while I stood in line to check in, Texas fans double taking all over the place...hundreds of them...completely disgusted to see me. A fresh reminder of their party being over and the REAL party getting started.

So then I am about to go through security and four Texas fans...all men...were right behind me. A lady walking beside me and in a business suit told me I was awfully brave to be wearing that today. I told her, "Brave? I'm just heading to Miami for the national championship!"

So then we are standing in line and I was trying to call my good friend, 'Benny the Sooner fan', to tell him about the fun I was having. Since I knew he was at work and wasn't flying out till Wed. I just acted like he was on the phone.

"HEY, MAN! WHAT TIME DOES YOUR FLIGHT GET TO MIAMI??"

"OH, YEAH! FIRST ROUND AT THE CLEVELANDER IS ON ME!!"

"YEAH, THEY BLEW THEIR SHOT LAST NIGHT!!"

"OH, THE BEACH IS GONNA BE AWESOME! SEE YOU AT THE FOUNTAIN BLUE!!"

If looks could kill!

We may get drilled Thursday night, but having a little fun at the expense of a Horn fan is always priceless. We board in 10 minutes, BOOMER SOONER!!

Time to feed that monster! See ya in a few days.

Buenvenidos a Miami!!!!!

Elliott Sadler's shoe is on the other foot, lets go to court!

2009-01-05T13:02:00.005-06:00

When the shoe is on the other foot, Elliott Sadler threatens to go to court. Some have called it Karma, others call it ironic, but the firing of Elliott Sadler might be more comical than anything else. One thing we do know is that Sadler appears to have chosen to not air his case in the media and there has not been a peep from the ‘Southern Gentleman’ since this story broke.

A few items we ‘know’ and a few items we ‘speculate’:

Sadler and his attorney John Buric are not only seeking full compensation of the two years remaining on Sadler’s contract, but also asking for that compensation to be trebled (3 times the award)

Sadler claims that he was not aware that GEM was an any ‘active negotiation’ with other driver(s) to replace him and that he was not informed of the decision until Dec 30th (even though the original story broke nationwide three days prior)

Buric conceded that there was ‘communication’ between GEM and Sadler that a driver change was being considered prior to the story breaking.

Sadler signed a contract extension in the spring of 2008 (running through the 2010 season), although it was not officially announced until late May of 2008

Sadler in his two full seasons with GEM finished 25th in points in 2007, and 24th in 2008.

Now a few items who know from Sadler’s past:

Sadler has broken two previous contracts himself and in the latest instance began negotiating his newer contract BEFORE notifying his current owner of his intentions.

In both cases above, Sadler cited ‘performance’ of his equipment and ‘chances of winning a race/championship’ as a justification for breaking the contract.

So if Sadler is willing to break contracts because he feels the race team, as a whole is not as competitive as he would like, then the converse should also be true. It should be fair to say that when Sadler signed his two-year contract extension in early April, he was also saying that he was getting competitive equipment. If Sadler is such the marketable driver (on and off the track), he would be foolish to resign with GEM if there equipment was inferior or inferior enough to be used as a viable excuse for poor performance.

GEM and the sole owner before them, had a history of terminating drivers with remaining years on their contracts based on a lack of on track performance. The most recent being the former driver of the 19 car, and ironically the driver from where Sadler’s current problems came from. Jeremy Mayfield chose a bit different tactic in his court strategy and air much of the team’s dirty laundry with the press prior to filing his claim. His agreement/settlement however also had a ‘gag order’ placed on it, where neither party would/could comment on the details of the settlement.

My hope for a resolution:

Just a guess, but I am thinking that Sadler’s positioning to a nice, quiet out of court settlement would be preferred. From a personal stand point; I hope this will become the furthest from the truth. I truly hope this goes to a court of law where BOTH parties can air the grievances publicly and that we as fans can really see just what happened. AND, if Sadler is truly due compensation, I hope he receives it, and yes treble the amount due to him, as the chances of him ever returning to the ‘Cup Elite’ while not that great anyway, are pretty much dissolved at this point. If the judgment for no compensation is granted, so be it as well. Chances of either happening though is about as good as me getting a CUP ride next year based on my 4.99 Iracing safety rating alone. Like most driver/owner disputes, this will be swept under the carpet and both parties will ‘claim’ victory after the fact.

Elliott Sadler, you're fired!

2008-12-30T13:09:00.007-06:00

Remember when Marty Mcfly was ‘fired’ via a fax in ‘Back to the Future II’? One has to wonder if that was the manner in which GEM fired Elliott Sadler even though there was two years left on his contract. There is never a good time to let ANY employee go, and there is never a pleasant way to do it, but business decisions like this are made every day in the ‘real world’ and when I have been asked over and over via email and phone calls if I ‘was surprised by this move’, my answer has been the same every time. ‘Not really’

There have been many questions by the Sadler faithful of when and why the GEM management did this and I have a couple of theories (as speculation is pretty much all we can go by at this point until the principals speak up.)

Question #1; When was the Sadler camp informed?

OneLugNutShort’s theory: We pretty much all know that Elliott has been spending much of, if not all of the off season at home in Emporia (getting ready for his big date) and at his hunting camp(s) which are located near Emporia (which allows dog hunting). I would think that a decision of this magnitude would have to be done ‘face to face’ and at the GEM shop/offices. Tracking Elliott’s private jet in December reveals two possible dates. Dec 1st in which the jet made two trips before noon est between Statesville and Emporia. (1st trip to pick up Elliott at home in Emporia and the second trip to return him) Allowing for a little over two hours in Statesville in between leaving open for the possible ‘meeting’ time. The second possible date would fall on December 14th when Sadler's jet had spent the previous two days in Emporia only to fly to Statesville, where the plane set idle for almost 8 hours before flying to Greensboro, NC, where the jet has set idle since.

Just speculation but I think that Sadler was informed on Dec 1st personally (a Monday), and that the team would be ‘privately’ informed in Dec 15th (another Monday) thus allowing Sadler to ‘clear’ out his personal affects the day before on Dec 14th, a Sunday.

Question #2: Why did GEM do this?

The question of the week and there are many reasons. But I am reminded of a post by Brett Griffin on SFC that pretty much sums up the hirings and firings in the NASCAR CUP world as we have come to know it today.

“To quote Eddie Wood in 1999 when I first met him, "Brett, if this were easy everybody would do it".

Well, it isn't easy and that's why the best of the best survive -- drivers, crewmembers, owners and sponsors! (Hopefully if business managers and spotters fall into that saying I'll be around for at least a little while longer!) No one is exempt from that rule anymore. If you don't believe me just look at the lack of sponsors this year, look at the good ol' boys that no longer drive on a regular basis in the Cup Series or look at the teams who used to be around that you'll never hear of again -- the pioneer owners now down to a handful of smart business guys.”
Brett Griffin 3/10/08

I have read and seen some of the ‘excuses/justifications’ from some of the Sadler faithful going from ‘marketability and likeability’ to ‘equal equipment’ to the need to be with a more ‘loyal company’ and even ‘bad luck’. While these are factors that must be considered, they do not always carry as much weight, as the Sadler fan wants them to. Lets take a short look at each:

Marketability:
This can by a real touchy and unique subject and no matter how nice one is in front of the camera, if one doesn’t perform well and up to expectations on the track, the marketability can take a back seat. Looking back at the past couple of years, just where has Sadler ‘fit’ into his sponsor’s marketability plans? Other than the occasional cardboard stand-up at Best Buy in all honestly would it make any difference if it was A.J. Allmendinger or who ever. Sure Sadler lists his favorite fast food at the ‘Big Mac’, but I don’t see many add campaigns. There was the ‘Sonoco’ ad campaign but I think that was directed more towards the ‘likeability’ aspect (so below). Is A.J. as marketable as Sadler? On the short term, that answer is no, but when Sadler was cutting his teeth with the Wood Brothers, neither was he.

Likeability:
I have never been a fan of the ‘side show’ acts of Trackside Live, but there are many fans that do. That being said these appearances have to have added to his ‘likeability’ for many, but does that translate into sponsorship dollars and opportunity? Looking at that other ‘regular’ drivers on these types of shows, it appears to be more about shock value and an act, than the content of the show itself. Is A.J. as likeable as Sadler? Depends on your tastes, Ask me two years from now, but he is not unlikable at this point.

side bar: 2008 marked Elliott's Sadler's omission from the CHEX Most Popular Driver Award finalist (finishing in the top 10 in fan voting) after making the list in 2006 and 2007. Before 2006, Sadler had never been a finalist.

Equal equipment:
This has been an Achilles heal for a lot of drivers/fans when justifying poor performance. For the 2008 season, again I will fall back on a Brett Griffin quote from about 1/3 into the 2008 season.

“Are we getting the same stuff? Yes. Are there cars the same? No. And, they never will be. They have different teams and the reality is they may be similar but they'll never be the same... a round of wedge here, a track bar adjustment there, a degree more of right front camber on the right front, 50 pounds more spring in the right rear -- that's called racing man. And, that's what keeps us all coming back -- to see who will be the best next week
Brett Griffin 3/19/08”

Brett brings up some great points, which was further validated after the Spring Michigan race where Sadler asked to have ‘the same stuff as Kasey was getting’. Then crew chief Rodney Childers explained that the ‘stuff was the same, with the exception of the front end stuff the you (Elliott) don’t like’.

I think cutting to the core of what Brett was stating is that each driver gets different results from similar equipment. While that result may only be a quarter a tenth a lap difference over a fuel run, over the course of a race, that can be the difference between a top 10 and finishing a lap down. Is A.J. one of these drivers that can get that quarter a tenth? I honestly have no clue.

Loyal company/team:
Actually this is sort of amusing considering the history of GEM/Evernham and also considering Sadler himself. We are speaking of a driver with 10 full CUP seasons under his belt and raced for 3 different teams. Two of which Sadler broke existing and recently signed contracts to go to another race team. I have heard of one comment that Sadler did not burn any bridges when using ‘out clauses’ and such. Not sure, but I would be very surprised if Doug Yates has been waiting on Sadler’s door step to offer him his old job back. While time may have healed some open wounds with the Wood Brothers, even in their current state would they even consider Sadler again?

Bad Luck:
How many years is this one going to be used? It has been a staple since 2005. Lets just leave this one alone for now.

So what happens now? (Thanks Mr. Weber)
Is there a ride out there for Sadler? Of course. Will it be a ‘better’ ride than the 19? In the short term, no (there is a reason why the ride was open in the first place), but on the long run, who knows?

I think that Sadler puts his best seasons together when there are not high expectations placed on them. I don’t think he will ever be the ‘dominant’ driver of the tier one group (and there are only a handful of those), but he can still get the job done after ten years. When he focuses and has the drive, he is a smarter/better driver now than he was in the 2004 ‘chase’ season. And he will still have the best spotter in the business if he chooses.

The road is long, but I still believe there is ample time for a methodical return for the ‘Southern Gentleman’ on the track. You will bounce back, Elliott.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elliott Sadler

2008-12-29T10:09:00.004-06:00

One can't help wondering if recent conversations between Elliott Sadler and PR man Brett Griffin might have been similar to scene #5 from Andrew Lloyd Weber's, EVITA, 'Another suitcase in another hall'. In this 'silly' time, one can have a giggle now and then. After all, it is good for the soul!

"ANOTHER RIDE IN ANOTHER GARAGE"
(a parody of "Another suitcase in another hall")

ELLIOTT
I don't expect my rides to last for long
Never fool myself that my dreams will come true
Being used to mediocrity I anticipate it
But all the same I hate it--wouldn't you?
So what happens now?

BRETT
Another ride in another garage

ELLIOTT
So what happens now?

BRETT
Take your picture off a sponsor’s wall

ELLIOTT
Where am I going to?

BRETT
You'll get by, you always have before

ELLIOTT
Where am I going to?
Time and time again I've said that I don't care
That I'm immune to gloom, that I'm hard through and through
But every time it matters all my fans desert me
So anyone can hurt me--and they do
So what happens now?

BRETT
Another ride in another garage

ELLIOTT
So what happens now?

BRETT
Take your picture off a sponsor’s wall

ELLIOTT
Where am I going to?

BRETT
You'll get by you always have before

ELLIOTT
Where am I going go?
Call in three months time and I'll be fine I know
Well maybe not that fine, but I'll survive anyhow
I won't recall the teams and races of each sad occasion
But that's no consolation--here and now
So what happens now?

BRETT
Another ride in another garage

ELLIOTT
So what happens now?

BRETT
Take your picture off a sponsor’s wall

ELLIOTT
Where am I going to?

BRETT
You'll get by, you always have before

ELLIOTT
Where am I going to?

BRETT
Don't ask anymore

Elliott Sadler...his name is A.J. Allmendinger

2008-12-27T18:25:00.009-06:00

update 4:45 CST 12/28/08
Seems the Sadler faithful are getting a bit restless, and understandably so. They would like some answers or at the very least some words of wisdom from either the 'former' driver of the 19 or his PR man. Brett is still lurking but the cat has got his tongue so far. The questioning on SFC has even brought out some that swore they would never post there again. But like history has shown, the 'paying' Sadler fan is left out in the cold. At least so far.

update: 8:30 CST 12/27/08
Brett Griffin (aka spotterman) was lurking on the SFC message board a little more than an hour ago. There is little doubt that he saw the thread concerning this story yet made no denial or comment. It is a usual practice for Sadler's PR man, to normally squelch such a rumor. Maybe he is simply gathering his thoughts though.

I have to think there is more to this rumor than simply firing a driver. (but this is the 'Evernham way')

Remember when Elliott Sadler didn't have the courtesy to call a fellow CUP driver by name? Ego aside, it was a classless move and one that was criticized on this blog. Now there is a hard core rumor from what most call a very credible source that Sadler will be replaced this up coming season by good ole 'WhatHisName'.

This just 6 months after Sadler had signed a multi year extension to his existing contract. Can anyone say IRONY alert???? Seems there must be some pesky 'out clause' being used by GEM. Double irony alert.

Let the spin cycle begin and I am sure I will receive word from SFC and other Sadler opinion sites and will be happy to post the spin. And lastly, it was also just a few months ago that I jokingly said that Sadler would be the next driver in the 8 car at DEI. (well, I was close, just didn't get the car number right) Maybe my jokes are reality, maybe not. Can't wait to see A.J. on IRacing next time.

More to come on this story.

A few things we, as Sooner fans, should know...

2008-12-20T21:59:00.001-06:00

...about the Florida Gators. Having the benefit of CBSC (the college cable channel for CBS and hence, the SEC) and DVR, I have now seen multiple Gator games on tape. The first thing I have to say is, wow. They are damn good. Their O is multiple and dangerous, their D is fast, aggressive, and smart, and their special teams are special (to the tune of blocking 8 kicks this year, returning 2 punts for TD, and hitting 75/76 XP and 11/12 FG).

Things most of us already know:

Tebow is very athletic and very accurate, which could give us serious fits. He runs very well when he needs to, can hit most throws with ease, and when he's on fire, he will tear any D apart. He is like Zac Robinson in a lot of ways (remember the number of 'dead to rights' moments we had him in OU-OSU?) but better.

The top three options at RB for UF are not only fast, but very quick, can find the hole quickly, make a quick cut, a move, and be off to the races. That goes for Rainey, Demps, and Harvin. They are fast, to be sure, but that only counts after you make the first and second level miss, and they do that at least as well as any running back we have faced. All three of them.

Brandon Spikes is the real deal at LB. He is among the best LBs I have seen this year on tape. He plays very fast, has great instincts, and is dangerous for passers across the middle (4 INT, 2 returned for TD). He was absolutely brilliant against LSU. None of their other LBs (They've started 5 at the Will and Sam combined over the year) are much to write home about, but they are good.

Things most of us don't know:

Their front four are very, very good. Maybe the best we've faced. Their rotation is awesome. Dunlap isn't even a starter all the time, but he is a headhunter (12 TFL, 9 Sack). Cunningham and Trattou are the listed starters, and they are very, very good. Very much like Beal and Alexander in our last few games. Their interior is stout. Terron Sanders and Lawrence Marsh allow the ends to have some freedom. Sanders was the one that recovered that fumble against UGA and broke loose for 20 yards to set the score up (very athletic move for a 300 pound man).

Their secondary is among the best we've seen, again, maybe THE best. Black is a Ballhawk and so is Wright. Black leads the SEC in picks with 6 and has 2 TDs. Haden and Jenkins are lockdown cover corners. Both have three picks.

Their O-Line is big, agile, and strong. They average about 312. The Pouncey twins are damn good, and they're not even the best blockers on the team. Phil Trautwein probably takes that honor (although it's close). These guys grade out very high and pancake the hell out of D-Lines.

So... All things considered, we've got our work cut out for us. Is it NASCAR season yet??? I hope not.

A (very) long statistical analysis of OU and Florida

2008-12-18T09:43:00.005-06:00

Yes, I have been distracted from NASCAR over the past few weeks and after the new year I will offer my never ending opinions of the goings on with the sport and especially 'my driver' and the #19 GEM team. But it is not every day that your college football team makes it to a BCS champ game:

I know the prevailing wisdom seems to be that Florida is going to beat us 65-63, but I don't see it playing out that way. I have come to a different conclusion. One team may light up the scoreboard, but I don't think both teams will. I think it's either a blowout, or a very close game with a lower final score than people expect. The reason I believe this is OU and Florida's recipes for success are extremely similar. Dynamic offenses that are put in favorable positions by opportunistic defenses. Because I love my team, but more so because I'm a massive 'numbers cruncher', I've done some exhaustive investigative web-surfing to support this supposition. This is a very long post, and very stat-heavy, so go ahead and stop reading...right about....now.

An opportunistic defense creates turnovers and momentum-changing events like quarterback sacks and tackles for loss. I'll start there.

Turnover Margin

No surprise, Oklahoma and Florida are 1st and 2nd nationally in turnover margin. Oklahoma is +1.77 per game, Florida +1.69. This seems like a push, however if you dive a little deeper the statistics reveal a little more. Florida leads the nation in passes intercepted with 24. However, Sam Bradford has thrown just one interception since the Texas game, or one interception in his last 257 attempts. Tim Tebow has thrown 3 interceptions for the year on 258 attempts. It seems unlikely either team will gain an advantage in this department. OU may have an advantage in fumbles. We've recovered 17 fumbles on the year, while Florida has lost 8 fumbles. Conversely, Florida has only recovered 9 fumbles on the year, while OU has only lost two fumbles on the season. That in itself is amazing, and is the lowest total of any team in the country. The next lowest team has 4. For reference, OU has lost two fumbles on 1,036 plays for the season for an average of one fumble lost every 538 plays. Florida has lost 8 fumbles on the season on 800 plays for an average of one fumble lost every 100 plays. I would give OU a very, very slight advantage in the turnover department. If we can recover just one fumble in the game it may be the difference.
Verdict-Slight advantage to OU

Sacks/Tackles For Loss

OU is 3rd nationally with 42 quarterback sacks. Florida is 33rd with 32 quarterback sacks. OU averages a sack against the opposition once every 11.83 pass attempts. Florida gets a sack once every 12.57 pass attempts. Guess who numbers 1 and 2 are in sacks? Texas and TCU. In case you're wondering, 7 of the 11 sacks OU has allowed on the season were to Texas and TCU. We've faced 3 other teams on the season with more sacks than Florida: Cincinnati, Texas Tech, and Nebraska. Those 3 teams combined for a total of 2 sacks against us. OU has allowed a total of 11 quarterback sacks on the year which is 4th best statistically. Florida has allowed 16, which is 13th best. This is where it gets interesting though-OU allows a sack every 43.27pass attempts, Florida allows a sack every 18.68 pass attempts. Florida has also faced more defenses that are statistically weaker in quarterback sacks. I'm not sure how significant this will turn out to be, but it appears to be an advantage for OU

There is a pretty significant discrepancy in our advantage in tackles for loss. OU ranks 9th nationally with nearly 8 per game, Florida is 85th with just over 5 per game. Both teams are nearly identical in TFL allowed. OU 12th, Fla 14th, both allowing just over 4 per game.
Verdict-Advantage to OU

3rd down offense/defense

I believe this is one of the most overlooked stats in football. Converting 3rd downs offensively allows a team to sustain drives and retain momentum. Conversely, a defense's ability to stop the opposing team from converting 3rd downs kills momentum and gives the other team the ball back. Not surprisingly , OU and Florida both excel in each category.

OU is 7th nationally with a 3rd down conversion rate of 51.6%. Florida is 13th with a conversion rate of 49.3%. What's interesting is we've already faced 5 teams with a higher conversion rate than Florida. Texas-2nd 57.1%, Texas Tech-4th 54.5%, Mizzou-5th 54.4%, TCU-8th 51.5%, and Kansas 11th 50%.

Again, both teams are nearly identical in 3rd down defense. Florida is 15th nationally, allowing opposing offenses to convert 31.8% of the time. OU is 21st, allowing a 33.3 conversion rate. Something to consider about this statistic that lends itself in OU's favor-OU's defense has faced 5 of the top 11 offenses in converting 3rd downs. This would appear to be a good sign for us defensively. There's a common theme that manifests through these statistics-TCU and Cincinnati. These are very solid teams. TCU is 5th, Cincinnati is 6th in this category.
Verdict-Even

Defense

I'll attempt to dissect the defensive statistics a little now. FYI, I won't be breaking down the offensive numbers. Most of us know them anyway. Defense is supposedly an overwhelming advantage for Florida, but the statistics reveal some interesting things. I'll break this down in 3 categories-Rush defense, pass defense, and total defense.

Rush Defense

OU and Florida are nearly identical in rush defense. Florida ranks 16th nationally, OU ranks 18th. However, OU has a slight advantage in yards per carry allowed (OU 3.24-UF 3.33). Once again, we faced the top two defenses in these statistical categories this year: TCU and Texas. If you exclude quarterback sacks, we had identical yards per carry averages against Texas and TCU-2.43. What's encouraging is we're averaging 5.74 ypc since the Texas game. Florida averages 5.96 ypc on the year.
Verdict-Even

Pass Defense

This is where it supposedly gets ugly for us. A casual glance at the statistics would support this theory. OU ranks 99th at 253 ypg allowed. Fla ranks 19th at 174 ypg. However, once again, if you dive deeper there's more to the story...First off, a difference of only 79 ypg translates into a difference of 80 spots in the rankings. More interesting tidbits...OU has more pass attempts against than any other team in the nation (497). Florida averages 7 fewer pass attempts against its defense a game less than OU. OU's defense allows 12.01 ypc and 6.62 ypa. Florida allows 10.47 and 5.45. In pass efficiency defense Florida is 2nd nationally. One of the primary reasons for this is they lead the nation in passes intercepted. As discussed previously, you wouldn't think this would be a major factor against us. OU ranks 41st nationally in pass efficiency defense, and 1st in the Big 12. TCU ranks 4th nationally, and Cincinnati 28th. This area is obviously still an advantage for Fla, but its not as drastic as you would be led to believe.
Verdict-Advantage to Florida

Total Defense

The defensive rankings are really easy to be fooled by. It's been proclaimed over and over again by the media that the only team in the Big 12 that plays defense is Texas (50th in yards allowed nationally,). But Texas allows only 20 fewer ypg than we do. We're 2nd in the Big 12 in this category behind Texas, but only 65th nationally. The 3-game stretch of Texas, KU, and KSU earned us the reputation of having a terrible defense, and rightfully so. We allowed 438 yards to Texas, 491 to KU, and 550 to KSU . Now...can anyone tell me if anything might have happened in the Texas game that created this sudden inability to stop opposing offenses? A major upheaval in personnel, perhaps? Anyone?

Once the defense settled in and identified a suitable replacement for Reynolds we've allowed a respectable 350 ypg since the Kansas State game. For reference, that's against the 12th (Nebraska), 4th (Texas Tech), 7th (OSU), 6th (Mizzou), and 77th (damn you, TAMU!) ranked offenses nationally. We're not as bad defensively as everyone seems to think.

Florida allows 279 ypg, which is 9th nationally. They allow 4.4 yards per play on the season. OU allows 5.06 yards per play on the season. OU's defense has faced 922 plays this season, which is the 5th most of any team. Florida's defense has faced 826 plays on the season. Florida has played 4 teams this year that rank 97th or lower in total offense (!), not including a lower division team, The Citadel. The highest ranked offense they've played against this year is Georgia's, which ranks 21st. The second highest ranked offense they faced belonged to Ole Miss (37th), and we all know the result of that game. TCU is ranked 2nd in total defense, Cincinatti is 26th.

Just judging from the statistics I'm inclined to give the advantage to Florida, but not by a substantial margin.
Verdict-Slight advantage to Florida

Special Teams

This will be the last area I dissect. It's pretty bad...but maybe not as bad as you would think.

I keep hearing about how great Florida's special teams are, but the statistics I have don't back that up. I can't find statistics on blocked field goals/punts, which they may very well be proficient at. What I do have is a little surprising. We rank 107th nationally (not surprising) in kickoff return average defense with an average of 24.1 per return. Florida is not a whole let better though, they rank 90th with a 22.4 average. We're dead last out of 119 teams in kick-off touchdowns allowed (4). However, Florida has not ran a kickoff back for a touchdown this year. What's surprising is Florida's relative ineptness at returning kickoffs. You would think with all their (alleged) sub 4.3, Olympic team alternate sprinters they would be among the best in the country in this category. They rank 44th, with a 21.83 average. We rank 7th, with a 25.17 return average, which also surprised me.

They're better at punt returns, which may not benefit them significantly because we don't punt a lot. They're 8th nationally, with a 14.4 average and 2 td's. We're 70th nationally, with a 8.3 average and 1 touchdown. We're actually outstanding at punt return coverage, we've allowed a return on 9 punts for a total of 49 yards. Florida is equally impressive, allowing 63 yards on 13 returns for the season. Hopefully we won't have to punt the ball much, because we have the 5th worst average of all teams at 36.37 yards per punt. Fla averages 42.79 yards per punt. We have punted more than them, 51times for us, 42 for them.
Verdict-Advantage Florida, but not as bad as we thought

Final Analysis

Using all of this information, I'll go ahead and offer a prediction. I'll get to that in a minute. The statistics indicate a matchup between two very evenly matched teams. Some things I didn't include because it seemed like common sense, such as an OU advantage in total offense. What all the statistics reveal to me is if both teams play their A+ game, OU wins narrowly. However, both teams are so evenly matched and so similar in game plan that even a -1 in turnover differential could make all the difference. This is also with the assumption that OU's A+ team shows up. That is the key variable in the entire equation. What OU team shows up? Is it the team that went on the road to Stillwater and out dueled OSU's best team in a quarter-century, or is it the team that was by embarrassed in the Fiesta Bowl? That leads me to another troublesome observation...we've seen a team in the last year a lot like Florida...and that team was West Virginia. Except Florida has better athletes, and more of them. However, despite the media love affair with Tim Tebow I'm of the opinion he's less dangerous than Pat White. West Virginia probably had a superior running game to Florida, but Florida's offense is more diverse. Attempting to pick this game objectively I think it would be somewhat irresponsible to pick OU, given our recent history in bowl games. I won't make anyone happy with this, but if I'm picking with my head I'd be forced to pick Florida. But if this team plays like we all know its capable of, I do think we have the superior team and can therefore achieve victory.

All roads in the Big 12 South lead to.........

2008-12-01T21:43:00.005-06:00

Three teams tied for the Big 12 South Division Championship in 2008. Shiny, new trophies now reside in Norman, Austin and Lubbock. Lubbock? Yes Lubbock, where Texas Tech claims just as much of the crown as Oklahoma and Texas. All are 7-1.

You remember Texas Tech. After 10 games and back-to-back wins over Oklahoma State and Texas, the Red Raiders were 10-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation. The college football world was all awash with Tech's high-powered offense and obviously improved defense, and for good reason.

Then OU happened. Tech ran into a buzz saw on Owen Field and lost by 44 points. Mike Leach's program went from belle of the ball to the alternate at an eight-year-old's birthday party. Talk of Tech vanished faster than Michael Crabtree's short jaunt into the end zone, and the reasons for that aren't pretty.

Yet call up Big12Sports.com and there Tech remains, tied atop the Big 12 South and part of this triangle that has everybody's diastolic number well north of 100. PR campaigns aside, Tech is and must be part of the discussion. Tech is just as tied as Oklahoma and Texas.

Ties in sports were made to be broken, NFL games and at least one past MLB All-Star game notwithstanding. When available, the best way to break ties is through head to head match-ups although a quick look through the NCAA basketball bracket will reveal teams in the tourney that were beaten by teams that were left out. Still, head-to-head works pretty well until three teams tie, and each of the teams can claim a victory over one of the other three, but not both.

So here we sit, trying to find a South team to go to Kansas City for the Big 12 title game, and staring squarely into the eyes of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Let's talk about the BCS as a tie-breaker.

You can hate the BCS if you choose and Lord knows a lot of people do. But the fact remains that the BCS is the system we use to determine the participants for the national championship game and the most lucrative bowls.

When each college football season commences, the six BCS conferences have two clearly defined goals: 1) Get two teams into BCS games and, 2) Get one of the teams into the national championship game.

And that is why the Big 12 Conference implemented a tie-breaker plank that includes the BCS. Some want to argue that it doesn't belong, but like most arguments against the BCS or even a playoff, it is impossible to look at the circumstances in any one particular year, and think that a remedy for this season would necessarily work in subsequent years. Here's why.

Let's say that OU, UT and TTU all were tied just as they are now, but that instead of OU and UT holding down the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in the BCS they held down Nos. 2 and 4, respectively, with USC sitting at No. 3.

Now, if you're the Big 12 and you're in that scenario, which tie-breaker makes the most sense? Do you want to dislodge Oklahoma and forfeit a potential spot in the national title game? Of course not.

But ignoring precedent we're now getting a plethora of other tie-breaking suggestions, including one that recommends a point differential. For Heaven's sake, in the attempt to perfect a system let's not forfeit sportsmanship.

Remember the fallout from Oklahoma's 77-0 win a few years ago. What if that score had been 90-0 in the interest of breaking a tie? Think for a moment about the ugliness of a road team, already up by four or five touchdowns, punching in another as time expires.

And what about teams that win with defense rather than a high-powered offense. Is 60-20 more valuable than 35-0? I guess a point differential could be capped ala the NFL, but in college ball would that really solve anything?

Question the BCS all you want, but as long as the BCS is here, you can't question tie-breakers that are pointed in that direction.

Now, what you can question is posturing, politicking, etc. As an Accounting professional, I am all for advocacy and holding a standard while putting the best foot forward, and to be sure, OU did those things. But when one team goes to a rival's stadium to face a rival that is unbeaten at home and ranked No. 11/12 nationally, and wins by 20 points, then falls in the human polls, the human element has taken a turn that raises a lot of questions.

Tell you what, get on Google and find me the instances in which a ranked team has beaten another ranked team under those same circumstances and then dropped in the polls. It's not unprecedented but it is rare on rare.

Bottom line is this … three teams tied for the Big 12 South championship. Three. That tie is being broken in a manner that best maximizes a system, whether it's flawed or not, that determines college football's highest honor.

Here's to hoping that the process can play out with professionalism and the high road still intact.

BOOMER!!

Rock, Paper, Scissors

2008-11-30T15:56:00.004-06:00

Paper beats Rock in Dallas.
Scissors nick Paper in Lubbock.
Rock smashes Scissors in Norman…and keeps on rolling.

Sorry Paper.

THAT was Oklahoma Football!!!!

2008-11-23T15:37:00.009-06:00

A post game Bob Stoops acknowledges the Sooner faithful after 'calling' them out the week before the OU/TT game

What a game, for sure, but I get the sense that something happened last night which is bigger than the standard undressing of Texas Tech we tend to do annually (the last two trips to Lubbock notwithstanding).

This sense I got reminds me in a way of the feeling I got after meltdown in the 2004 Orange Bowl against USC. I came away from that game with the fear,nay, knowledge,that something had changed. The Sooners were no longer bulletproof. Bob Stoops didn't walk on water after all. We could be blown out just like everyone else. Since that time the program hasn't been the same. The players have seemed as a whole not to have 'it', whatever 'it' is. Stoops seems to have lost an edge. Even the fans have developed what I'd describe as a cautious optimism about big games rather than the confidence we had before that night.

I think a switch turned off that night in Miami. And even after big wins of the Texas and Mizzou and more Big 12 Championships since that night, it still feels like the switch has been off.

But last night it's like the good old days all over again. We had two weeks of anticipation, of listening to talking heads rag on the Sooners, of hearing again and again how losing to Ole Miss at home is of much higher quality than losing to UT in Dallas. The whole world was watching and they saw OU play in a way I'm not sure they have since Mike Stoops was calling the defensive play calls.. They played smart, consistently seeming to be in position and creating big plays on D. The execution and want to by the O line was a sight to behold. The crowd and players and coaches seemed to be one group last night. The Whole nation saw what Sooner football is all about.

Maybe we'll win at OSU next week, and with some fortune we'll play and beat Mizzou in the Big 12 Conference Champ game.. And maybe we'll even play for and win all the marbles. And maybe we won't, we'll see.

But wouldn't it be nice to take a Sooner team to the scene of the crime in Miami and show the world that OU has turned the switch back on? Because damn, it sure felt like we did last night. And it can't be put it into words, but I wonder if there is some people in the college football world thinking that 'big game Bob' and the Sooners are back. I sure hope so! I am just thankful to be an active part of that game in the stands, a memory I will not soon forget. The whole college football world saw it and saw it on a big stage.

"OU never left and yet it feels like the Sooners are back."

BOOMER!

HIATUS

2008-11-04T10:46:00.003-06:00

hiatus
–noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

1.	a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

2.	a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

3.	any gap or opening.

From the many emails I have received over the past month or so, it's clear that there are some people that have been wondering about my whereabouts. Rest assured that everything is fine, but I have had a few distractions that has taken away from the weekly grind of OneLugnutShort. From work, to Oklahoma football, to even making it to a few NASCAR tracks.

I have many stories to tell, and the never ending research has not stopped, and yes, there are some interesting developments. As the NASCAR and College Football season wind down, I will be back to more blogging.

BOOMER!!!!

2008-09-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

PLINKING and POP SHOTS

2008-08-15T09:44:00.006-05:00

Here are a few little tidbits that have been floating around lately in NASCAR and Sadlerville. Nothing really mind-boggling but sometimes you just have to take a step back and ask ‘what is the deal here’?

The ‘tongue and cheek’ picture above is one that is linked from this blog by other sites more than any other picture for reasons that I have no idea. Literally, this blog receives over a 100 hit a day from this, but really that’s not important. We all have heard the engagement news and fall out by some from it, but I have to wonder something. According to Sadler, his future wife has in three weeks, already made all the wedding arrangements for a January wedding. Three weeks? I’m thinking that the Sadler PR Machine should employ Amanda to plan and get the details for the next ‘bigger than ever’ Sadler Barn Party. That way Sadler fans would not have to wait and wait and wait for the ‘more info coming soon’ excuses in order to make travel plans.

Speaking of the Sadler PR Machine, they have been working overtime the past few weeks and there are all kinds of ‘feel good’ fluff stories being written. Even going so far as Brett Griffin making a few token appearances on the Sadler Fan Club Message Board. While his presence is always welcome and insightful, this time Griffin dropped the ball on a few pending and direct questions. Griffin conveniently ignored questions concerning the demise of VLP. Frankly, the fans just want to know what happened, after all it was Brett and Elliott that less than a year ago, spoke of ‘how great and fun this is going to be’. But like most Sadler PR nightmares, just don’t speak of it and it will eventually go away.

Seems I am not the only one who is critical of the Sadler PR Machine and just how behind the times they seem to be. NASCAR INSIDERS recently blogged about the 'BEST and WORST' NASCAR driver websites and guess who was 'number two' on the worst list? Yep, it seems that they have also seen through the facade of ElliottSadler.com and the presentation there. Quoting the blogger:
"If I was a race fan searching out my favorite driver’s website, I’d want a slick place where I could hang out, get news, see some photos, or maybe catch a podcast or a blog. These five just don’t deliver........In today’s corporate NASCAR, I feel like it reflects badly on drivers who have a crappy website. I’m sure their sponsors are less then thrilled also. More and more, the first place most of us go for information is the internet."
Remember all the promises of 'exclusive' content and that Sadler himself would be 'stopping by for frequent updates'? These guys would like to have seen those claims actually become reality aswell.

Remember a few weeks ago the comments made by Elliott Sadler and his opinion concerning the Roush/Yates alliance and that Roush ‘never helped Yates and still doesn't’? I made it clear that he was simply doing the ‘Sadler Speak’ routine and made a small mention wondering how Robbie Gordon feels about his alliance with GEM. If you were listening to HotPass from the Watkins Glen race during the red flag you would have heard Robbie expressing his discontent to Larry McReynolds that ‘he wasn’t getting the same engines as the other GEM cars’. I received the normal hate emails not liking my comment to Sadler about ‘glass houses’, but it seems that it is justified in this case at least Robbie thinks so.

On to Michigan, and a pretty unusual promotion for the 19 team. It seems that Stanley Tools and Ace Hardware have pledged a million dollar donation on one condition. That the 19 goes to victory lane on Sunday. So Sadler jumps on the bandwagon and once again requests his fans to donate money by stopping by an Ace Hardware store and purchase a "Racing for a Miracle" icon. Again we see the ever growing trend of a multi millionaire holding his hand out to the masses whom many are living pay check to pay check. (more on this in a future blog) To his credit, Sadler did spend a couple of hours Thursday at Sparrow Hospital, the Children's Miracle Network area hospital in Lansing, Michigan and that was a good thing. But the premise of having a third party to donate a substantial amount of money to a charity for a win does lend to the ‘tin foil hat’ theories if they came to fruition. Chances are Lloyds of London has already ‘done the math’ and realized that the odds are pretty good to risk a million dollar payout on a driver who has one top 5 in 19 attempts and an average finish of 23rd.

And lastly, I have been cautiously optimistic about the way the 19 has been running over the past couple of months, and taking aside the ‘bad luck’ excuse weeks is the 19 really becoming a contender or an apparition? I have voiced displeasure in the past concerning how the 19 seems to be more concerned with ‘track position and two tire stops’ more than ‘fixing the car’ and making it better for the final 1/3 of races and I still think that displeasure is justified. Looking at the NASCAR scoring loop data, the numbers still tell a story that the 19 does significantly more ‘passing’ in the pits than on the track. The final results over the past few months also show the risk verses reward with relying too much on such a strategy. Is the 19 better than they were this time last year? Of course it is and things will only get better I think. But playing the strategy game week after week and rolling the dice is not the best way to prepare a race team to be a contender next season.

Time to reload the plinker!

DID I HEAR THIS CORRECTLY?

2008-08-12T09:14:00.007-05:00

I must admit that I didn’t and don’t watch ‘this week in NASCAR’ regularly, but I did catch some innerweb rantings concerning Michael Waltrip’s comments about the ‘big one’ at Watkins glen last week. So thru the greatness of Tivo, I was able to catch the show late Monday night.

In a nutshell, Waltrip accused the driver of the 38 car, David Gilliland of purposely causing this wreck. Now this is eerily similar to the claims Elliott Sadler made when he was knocked out of the All-star race. (Funny how thier careers mirror each other as well) We have all seen the replays and one just has to wonder what Waltrip is smoking!

Now I am not going to lay blame on either driver as both contributed in their own ways. Gilliland ‘maybe’ could have given a bit more room once the 00 stuck a nose under the left rear quarter panel, and McDowell ‘maybe’ could have showed a bit more patience and not tried to complete the pass in a single turn. (The 00 would have been in a good passing position on the next right hand turn number 1 if needed)

We all saw the result of ‘hard driving’ by BOTH drivers, but that is a product of the late stages of a road course race. I have seen some calling McDowell’s move a ‘rookie’ mistake, but I have seen worse road course Bonzai moves by such ‘ringers’ like Ricky Rudd or even Robbie Gordon. But Waltrip’s accusations are simply over the top, and his justifications are even more humorous. To say that Gilliland is ‘fighting to keep his job’ or ‘just trying to stay in the top 35’ is priceless, and the look of disbelief on co-panelist’s face, Greg Biffle was something out of a Saturday Night Live skit.

While host Steve Byrnes did question Watrip’s reasoning somewhat, like most hosts, he treated his weekly guest with ‘softball’ questions and skirted the real issue. This again was much how Dave Moody lobbed softballs at guest Elliott Sadler when Sadler was ranting about being wrecked at the All-star on Moody's Sirius radio show. My question to these hosts; Are you that afraid to ask the really hard-core questions for fear of losing a guest (or even your show). Maybe you guys should take a page from Tim Russert. He would not waffle simply to keep a guest, but would ask FAIR but hard questions of his guests, and expected at the very least reasonable answers. If he didn’t get that, he would call out his guest, and that’s what gave him much credibility.

Lastly, there is a right way and a wrong way to publicly voice your opinion about matters like these. One only has to look at David Gilliland’s post race comments and all his comments since, to see the ‘right way’. And this is coming from a driver with less than 3 seasons in CUP; maybe some of the ‘veterans’ should take note.

DID I HEAR THIS CORRECTLY part two:

Thru the greatness of the innerweb, many NASCAR fans aid their race day TeVee coverage by joining chat room and exchanging information such as scanner chat and ‘race view’ coverage. Frankly, it has enhanced that TeVee race day experience for many. However, some last Sunday seemed to fall victim to one of the oldest tricks in the innerweb books. That would be the ‘driveby’ post by some anonymous or unknown chat room member who claimed that MRN reported there were ‘team orders’ for the 00 car to wreck the 38. The 'claim' was that these team orders originated from the driver of the 55 (Michael Watrip) scanner chat. This ‘claim’ spread like wildfire in a handful of driver chat rooms, but little if any verification could be found. If one takes a peek at some of the driver’s message board they can see the fallout of this driveby even two days later.

I had MRN playing during the race, in addition to Elliott Sadler’s scanner along with the Official’s channel. I did not recall hearing anything about it, so I took the report with huge grains of salt. This week, I visited over 20 message boards, and there was absolutely no mention of the supposed MRN report. Frankly, it would be impossible for such a statement to be made, and not have it hit ANY of the other boards, including the NASCAR.com chat room.

Another blogger buddy, stayed up quite late Sunday night to listen to the MRN replay on Sirius. Even after the wreck there was no mention backing said driveby. To be clear, there was NO mention of ANY inter-radio communication between Waltrip and McDowell from any of the broadcasters on MRN. NONE!

I’ll file this one under another driveby that claimed a few victims, but those victims have fallen for stuff like this before, so I cannot say I am surprised.

I LOVES ME SOME DOCUMENTARIES

2008-08-08T10:00:00.012-05:00

I love documentaries. And since this weekend's race is a road course and something that rarely peaks my undivided interest, this weekend maybe a good opportunity to rework my all time favorite documentary list.

Now from this list, I do eliminate all Ken Burns-type, historical, and educational documentaries. I love those as well, but those would automatically be rated higher than the silly, left of center types. This list is compiled entirely of the absurd, the odd, the weird, the uncomfortable, and the off-the-beaten path films. The documentaries that likely would never make the PBS cut, but surely are worth your time, and will have you talking about them with your buddies for years to come.

See here is the 'top seven' (so far)

#1
American Movie – 1999

The lives of Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank will amuse you as Mark has a quest to make a movie. Mike has a quest to tell stories of his unfortunate drug experiences and has awesome guitar skills. I really love it. Although the idea that they are two burnouts from Wisconsin no doubt affects my judgement.

#2
Grizzly Man – 2005

Without question, one of my absolute favorites. The Werner Herzog look at the incredibly odd Timothy Treadwell and his relationship with the Grizzly Bears in Alaska. They loved him, he loved them, they ate him. So crazy, that most think this is not a real documentary. But alas, it is. Note to self, never allow yourself to become a part of the food chain.

#3
King of Kong – A Fistful of Quarters – 2007

I wasn’t sure about this one, but when I gave it a chance it absolutely got a great review from me. Love Steve Wiebe, hate Billy Mitchell, love everything about Steve and Billy’s quest to out Donkey Kong each other. The amazing real people who surround the governing bodies of video game record keeping is too great to believe. A very solid film.

#4
Super Size Me – 2004

Morgan Spurlock’s amazing look at why America is fat..and getting fatter. His experiment of eating nothing but McDonald’s for 30 straight days may in fact shorten his life, but it was very entertaining. A very good job of experiments inside documentaries that proved solid.

#5
Okie Noodling

There is something just wrong with sticking your hands in underwater holes and trying to pull a fish out that would not fit as a carry on piece of luggage at the airport. This compeling documentary has you asking yourself over and over, 'why do they do it?' But like a train wreck, you keep watching wondering what will come out of the next hole.

#6
Trekkies – 1997

A good documentary to me is one that focuses on a corner of civilization that you would not otherwise see, and then just let the cameras tell the story. This film is about those who are obsessed with Star Trek and all things that go with it. I especially enjoyed the lady who wore her Star Trek uniform to her jury service for the Whitewater Trial. So many documentaries have basically used this as a template for their film, and it works quite well.

#7
Confessions of a Super Hero – 2007

This is a great look at the life of those who stand on Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood dressed as various comic book superheroes and the lives that go with them. Many are there because they are on the road to stardom (they hope) and it is the more realistic outcome of the “Hollywood dream”. It’s fascinating and wonderful all at the same time.

So if you get bored with the NASCAR right turn show, go ahead and give a couple of these a look see. Which leads to the next question. Surely someone has captured the oddities and amusement from the perspective of the RV race fan during a Dega week and weekend, or have they? It might make for a interesting time waster. Someone call Micheal Moore!

Sarbanes-Oxley

2008-08-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

Its the dog days of Summer, and time for another SOX audit. Thank you, Enron, Tyco International, Adelphia, Peregrine Systems, WorldCom and a few others.

Lots going on in NASCAR and Sadler, but it will have to wait till next week. And don't forget, the SOONERS started fall drills this week! BOOMER!

ELLIOTT SADLER @ INDY

2008-07-28T10:46:00.012-05:00

Sadler's weekend would have made a good spaghetti western!

The Good:
I am not really going to go off on a TIRE-ade concerning the obvious problem with yesterday’s race, but will touch on the exceptional performance of the 19 team. “Team” being at an utmost importance.

In a race that in all honesty was about a dozen or so ‘heat races’, the 19 team’s success started near the end of the first practice on Friday. Stuck deep in the speed charts, the 19 team made some significant changes near the end of first practice and by the time the 2nd practice before qualifying was over, the 19 looked to be a pretty fast car. Sadler did indeed back up those practice runs with a solid qualifying effort, something that would prove to be beneficial on Sunday.

Come race day, after the first 10 laps, it became painfully obvious that this race was going to require a unique strategy. Like Sadler said in his post race interviews, track position was key. Now I don’t 100% agree with this statement (see the 88’s ability to move up through the field), I think for the 19 it was imperative to stay in touch with the leaders. The car simply was not ‘good enough’ to make wholesale passes ‘on the track’ with the exception of one 10 lap segment in the later stages of the race, but it was good enough to ‘maintain’ positions even when others behind had four fresh tires as opposed to the 19’s two.

The driver made few mistakes on the track (maybe once when the 19 get hung out and lost a half dozen spots, but Sadler later in the same run was able to make those spots back). The over the wall gang seemed to be flawless as well. The crew chief had a plan, and stuck to it for the most part (aside from going with Sadler on a wedge change, only to ‘change it back’ the next stop. TAKE A DRINK!!!)

All in all, it was a great team effort for the 19. Something that could fuel the flames of optimism for the remainder of the season, and build to 2009. It was an impressive day.

The Bad:
A while back I mention about the demise of the ‘Victory Lane Players’ (VLP) with no warning to the paying fans. It has been over two weeks since Sadler fans were cut off, and even though they have raised questions, not a peep from either Sadler, or PR dude, Brett Griffin. (In fact, neither have even logged into the fan club since the beginning of June) Leaving room for much speculation and even animosity. But what really happened to VLP? We may never know, but at the very least an explanation should be in order from the ones that pitched this deal to their fans in the first place.

I don’t lay blame on Sadler, Griffin or even VLP for this fiasco, but maybe it was just a deal that went bad. Or just making poor choices from the very beginning when VLP announced that they would be partnering with Power Play Development. Power Play Development’s stability (or lack there of) is well documented by simply tracking their stock value. That value started the downward trend at the beginning of 2008, and ended a few weeks ago with a value of zero. Thus the shutdown of VLP.

But for the ones that had their names imprinted on this deal, I would be very surprised if they had no knowledge of what was about to transpire. If they did know, that’s fine, but at least let your paying fans know after the fact of the circumstances. If they didn’t know, well that is just poor business and would lead to skepticism for any other deals. (See Sheridan Ridge?) I am not saying the Sheridan Ridge is a bad investment, but what I am implying is that there seems to be a long list of ‘its going to be great’ plugs from Sadler that after a year or so, simply get swept under the rug. Compound this with the fact that both VLP and Sheridan Ridge are represented by the Cox Group. If that name rings a bell with long time Sadler fans, it is because Cox represented Sadler when he was with the Wood Brothers and how Sadler and Brett Griffin met each other in the first place. Rumor has it that at the very least, Cox has been stepping up to the plate attempting to honor complaints from disgruntled paying members for their prizes and/or refunds. Too bad you had hear that from me, and not from Sadler himself. It is the least he can do, but enjoy the silence.

The Ugly:
Elliott Sadler, if you have a beef with Jack Roush, why don’t you just come out and say it?

Sadler on Yates Racing this past week;

"When I was there, they never helped us," said Sadler, who drove for the Yates organization from 2003 until the middle of the 2006 season. "And [RFR] still doesn't help them. I really feel for those guys [at Yates Racing].”

Be careful Elliott when using such extremes as ‘never’ as one can just flashback to the 2006 season to see the beginning of the Roush/Yates partnership in it’s infancy. Roush began providing chassis to Yates that spring, and it was at Chicago where Sadler drove a Roush chassis. You should remember that weekend Elliott, as you complained about the car from the moment you climb in it. Complaints from the pedal configuration to the seat height to lack of handling. The Roush-Yates engine alliance was formed during Sadler's tenure at Yates as well. In early 2006, he whined alot, about how bad the Yates built chassis's were, and how good the Roush ones were. So Robert got him a Roush chassis, and Sadler couldn't drive it for whatever reasons.

Was the real reason for the split with Yates and the ‘difference in philosophy’, the impending merger with Roush racing? The Sadler animosity towards Roush could be seen as far back is his Wood Brothers days when he also voiced concern about the lack of Roush support. Even though his lone win with the Wood Brothers was with a Roush motor and chassis.

The timing of Sadler’s statement is interesting and comes on the heels of Roush’s comments concerning next-door neighbor, Jamie McMurray’s lack of production, and Jamie’s future status with Roush. This could fall in line with the rumors of Jamie either leaving the Roush stable, or that he is the candidate of being the team that goes to Yates when the 4-team rule is in effect. Remember, even Robert said that once Sadler heard how much money Jamie was making, that Sadler lost his focus while at Yates.

I really think that Doug Yates and Max Jones are getting exactly what they are paying for. They are buying chassis, and with that purchase they receive the engineering help. I wonder though, because Doug owns part of the engine deal, we rarely see Yates cars getting sub-par powerplants, when compared to Jack's cars.

Roush also has helped in the marketing for both the 28 and 38 this year and been instrumental in many of the sponsorships seen on the Yates cars.

Do I think that the 28 and 38 are getting top of the line equipment from Roush? I think the obvious answer is NO, and frankly, that is not the deal. But I do think that Roush's second level equipment, if that is indeed what Yates is getting, is still far better than what many of the teams out there have in their stable, and especially better than what equipment we seem to see with other teams get with their ‘alliances’. I also have to wonder how Robby Gordon feels about the equipment he is getting from GEM these days.

It also should be noted the Sadler comment after the '600' at Lowes this past spring where Sadler was even questioning the equality of equipment compared to his team mate in the 9 car. CC Rodney Childers explained to him that he is "getting exactly the same stuff, except for the front end stuff that you (Sadler) don't like." Sadler then requested to 'forget the stuff I like, just give me the same stuff as the 9". Whether that has happened or not has never been clear. But it is safe to say that the problem may not always be equal equipment, but what Sadler likes and dislikes.

Glass houses Elliott, glass houses.

EVERYONE HAS THEIR VICES, ONE OF MINE IS ONLINE RACING

2008-07-22T12:51:00.009-05:00

Yes, I “online race” and while I don’t think I could ever see myself piloting some 3000 lb ‘weapon’ (and if I was to do it, ‘weapon’ would be the correct term for me) for real, I have learned to appreciate just what CUP drivers do with their skill week in and week out vicariously through online computer sim racing.

A little history;

It was sometime in the early 1990’s when I casually picked up a copy of a Papyrus game called “Indianapolis 500, The Simulation” that probably sparked my ‘racing career’. This 16-bit technology was pretty neat, but even then I came to realize that ‘racing’ against the computer AI was very predictable. A few years later, ‘NASCAR 1’ was born and shortly after the release, more importantly, ‘online racing’ came to fruition with the creation of ‘Hawaii’. Hawaii was a ‘dial-up’ host in which racers could log in and race using a long distance phone connection. Needless to say, for many, racking up triple digit phone bills was not uncommon.

But around 1996, something very unique happened in the on-line racing community that had never been seen before. The ‘Total Entertainment Network’ (TEN) was created and we saw an explosion of growth for sim racers. For 15 or so dollars a month, one could race online against others ultimately up to 43 car fields. Friendships, racing teams and on-line leagues were formed and this greatness continued till late 1999 with the emergence of ‘NASCAR 3’ which featured ‘online racing hosting’ capabilities. This ‘hosting’ capability was the end of TEN and also the end of the ‘sim racing community’ as we knew it. Leagues, race teams, and racers were now segregated into much smaller groups and this hurt online racing as a whole.

Yes there still were the very established leagues and race teams that continued on and even more sophisticated race simulations developed, but something seemed to be missing for many of us we enjoyed TEN. There was something to be said for ‘pay to play’ race networks that brought out ‘better’ racing for some reason. (If anyone experienced the chaos of a free Papy pickup race server, you probably understand where I am going with this)

So for many, sim racing online became something of a weekly ‘mundane’ event consisting of logging in to a league server, and spending a few hours racing in their league, then logging out. It sometimes became a blur and the numbers seemed to drop every year, even with better sims being offered.

Around 2004 rumors spawned of a ‘new’ development team pulling their resources to create a new and innovative online racing concept. With the backing of John Henry (yes, the same John Henry as in Roush/Fenway Racing) IRACING.COM was established. 4 years of ‘development’ and beta testing later, IRACING went ‘live’ with a limited release last month. I was given the opportunity and given an invitation for this limited release and while I had my doubts about the concept originally, I can safely say that I am hooked once again.

The IRACING concept is pretty simple. Start our as a ‘rookie’ in a ‘Legends’ car, and work your way through the ranks by obtaining higher licenses which enable you to drive in a more sophisticated race series. Something else that IRACING does is when joining a race; the software pairs you up with other drivers based on skill level, and ‘IRating’. Thus helping eliminating the ‘sand bagging’ that can go on in pick up racing.

Back in the ‘TEN’ days, I would occasional get in a race with Dale JR or T.J. Majors but those days have been long gone, or so I thought. In a recent race night, I raced against the likes of A.J. Allmendinger and Brad Keseloski, as there are a handful of NASCAR drivers who also enjoy passing some time on IRACING. While I see his stats a lot, my racing times are not nocturnal enough to see JR on the track yet.

Also, after less than a month of racing, many of the old ‘TEN’ names and friends have come out of the woodwork. It is truly amazing catching a name in one of the pre-race chat rooms and getting their on-line racing pedigree and where/what they have been up to since those TEN days. One common theme that has come up is the ever-growing ‘cheating’ theories that always seem to along with most online gamers. However, IRACING seems to have had this in mind with their presentation of the gaming platform. There was little downloading of software and all your gaming information and software drivers are hosted on their servers. Now I am not 100% sure this format is ‘cheat proof’, it is something that has not been seen in online racing ever.

This passed week, I ‘purchased’ a late model car in preparation for moving up from a ‘rookie’ license to a ‘class D’. So practicing with much more power under the hood, and a larger and heavier car to control is a must. While the Rookie Legends aren't so much of a handful to drive, they do require a bit of smoothness and tenacity to get the best from them. Be it ‘nerfing’ off the apron at South Boston, or feeling the tire spin or roughness of the NASCAR pit box at the Lowes ‘legends infield track’, these little cars are a blast to drive around the short ovals. In fact when I ramp up my Logitek G25 force feedback and 40 laps will have you feeling quite exhausted both physically and mentally as you lap 4 turns in 18 seconds or so with 11 other racers. The rookie models are rev limited but still pretty tail happy. The advanced rookie models really scream and feel quite wild. I have had to go back to my old set-up notes from the old days and that just adds more to the fun (Where is my race team's engineer when I need him? Maybe I can solicit the help of Josh Browne, wonder if he has some spare time for a sim racer? Probably not though, the 83 and 84 cars are running pretty good these days)

The heavily controlled race environment IRACING offers was something that I was skeptical about. Especially with the ‘pay to play’ and ‘World of Witchcraft gaining level after level’ theory, but I must say that the concept is very enjoyable and so far worth the 20 bucks a month (although I’ll probably soon change my subscription to an ‘annual’ membership that comes out to around $13 a month).

So after a little over a month of racing, I can safely say I am hooked on the IRACING concept.

My name is Phil, and I am an IRACER.

CAT FIGHT!!!!!!!

2008-07-20T18:43:00.006-05:00

Even the 'girls' have their issues on the track. Warning: Danica drops and F-bomb! Milka thinks Danica needs to cool off and gives her a great towel throw (twice).

UPDATE: This newer YouTube video adds a bit more to the story by showing some of the practice session and why Danica got her feathers ruffled.

ELLIOTT SADLER's "LEGAL" TROUBLE

2008-07-18T11:28:00.001-05:00

According to 'NASCAR fan' Jonathan Lee Riches (inmate #40948-018), currently incarcerated at the Williamsburg, SC Federal Correction Institute, feels he is in imminent danger thanks to Elliott Sadler and Dave Blaney.

On April 10th, 2008, Riches filed the above in the South Carolina Federal Court claiming that Sadler and Blaney had conspired in an attempt to gain an advantage during the Pennsylvania 500 by giving other drivers 'left over' M&M's and Jack Daniels causing a 'sugar high and drinking high', and crashing. The motive given for Sadler and Blaney was not the obvious (winning a race), but more political in nature. Giving Presidential candidate Barack Obama an advantage by controlling the automotive industry. Riches seeks a restraining order against Sadler and Blaney. Somehow , I am thinking the neither CUP driver will be visiting the Williamsburg, SC Federal Correction Institute any time soon anyways. What a country.

Sadler was not alone on April 10th in the SC Federal Court as Riches filed nearly 70 claims on that day, including his team mate, Kasey Khane, and owner GEM. Other notables filed that day were Martin Truex JR, Scott Riggs, and even Cinco de Mayo (yes, the holiday).

At least this filing was not as detailed as "Riches v. Gordon et al" filed on Sept 12, 2007 where Riches alleged that defendant Jeff Gordon conspired with Barry Bonds, Michael Vick and others to drive his life insane, create madness in the world, and use #24 as a weapon of mass destruction. Riches further alleged in the 3 page filing that defendant tied him to the bumper during the Talladega race, took Kit from Night Rider, used his #24 car in illegal car fights at Jiffy Lube Express, and used the #24 to hit Juan Valdez's horse. Riches seeked a preliminary injunction to prevent defendant from driving off without paying at Sunoco stations.

Wikipedia has this to say about Riches:
Since January 8, 2006, Riches has filed over one thousand lawsuits in federal district courts across the country, some of which have received considerable press attention. Among the more famous defendants of his lawsuits are New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, U.S. President George W. Bush,entrepreneur Martha Stewart, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, entrepreneur Steve Jobs, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton,and pop star Britney Spears.

So what does Elliott Sadler (or Even PR dude Brett Griffin) think about this? Chances are he hasn't heard a word about it. (until now) The courts dismissed the case almost immediately and probably didn't notify Sadler or even send a note from them saying what happened.

Jonathan Lee Riches

According to the Federal Bureau of Prison's Web site, Riches' projected release date is March of 2012. It also states that the crimes that landed him in jail in the first place were mainly related to identity theft and fraud. Note to Elliott Sadler, you might want to stay away from South Carolina for a while in 2012!

Yes, July is a 'slow' month for racing!!!!!

Randomniss

2008-07-15T08:48:00.012-05:00

Testing, Testing, One Two Three

Well, I had almost finished my thoughts on the new Nascar Cup testing proposal but when I glanced over to the 'Queen of NASCAR Physics' blog, I saw that a teacher could do a much better job of breaking these rules down. Stop by Stock Car Science for Diandra's 'lecture', it is worth the time.

R.I.P. VLP.NET

Seems the rumors over the past month or so have come true and VLP.net have closed their doors. No longer are the references to VLP on any of Elliott Sadler's official websites. Judging from the slowness in other updates from his sites, its pretty clear that the Sadler PR machine had much pre warning that this was going to take place, unlike the PAYING members of the site. I guess its just too bad for those paying SFC fans who were coaxed to play in a 'members only' tournament with Sadler himself that won a '30 day free membership', just a couple of weeks ago. Chalk this up to another 'failed' venture in which Sadler claimed was 'going to be great'. Maybe it was, but short lived and once again, it is the fan that is being slighted.

The Great American Lager?

With the sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev for a reported 52 billion dollars. There are already the mumblings the the new owners will be scaling back their advertising campaigns. A-B is probably the most recognized sponsor in any sport, be it football, baseball or even NASCAR. In the short term I can't see how this would effect the GEM 9 car team, but one has to wonder if GEM maybe sponsor searching a couple of years down the road.

Let the Dominoes fall

2008-07-09T12:24:00.007-05:00

With the news that Tony Stewart has been given the official okie dokie to leave Joe Gibbs Racing, the path has been cleared for the falling dominoes of this summer’s silly season. So the seat that has produced two CUP Championships is now open and it goes down hill from there. So lets put on the tin foiled hat and see what opportunities are out there for Elliott Sadler and see if another ‘plan’ is in the works. [insert music ‘Tempted by a fruit of another’, by Squeeze]

Now I realize that Sadler has just recently signed an extension to his contract with GEM which runs though 2010, but we all know that is just a piece of paper. I also realize that Sadler has also been quoted during the announcement that "This is the place where I want to race," when referring the GEM. But let’s be frank here, Sadler has been known to say one thing to the press while at the same time making ‘deals’ behind the scenes. [insert 2nd chorus ‘Tempted by a fruit of another’, by Squeeze]

Also during the announcement Sadler can be quoted; “I think what we are building here is special and something other drivers and crew members envy”. Ironically he said very similar things after signing his extension with Yates only to bolt less than a year later. Yes, the 19 team is running good, although the over all results don’t show it all the time. But when ‘Tempted’, Elliott Sadler has that wandering eye, no matter how happy he says he is.

PR Man/Spotter Brett Griffin has been AWOL for SFC for months now (something he also did in the ’06 silly season. Is a ‘plan’ in the works?) Lets get that tin foil hat on and have some fun (if Jayski can do it, why not myself)by starting at the top and look at some of the possible open rides.

Sadler to the 20 car?
The main problem here has little to do with on track performance or even off track fun. The real problem is that Sadler or his family does not own any Toyota dealerships, or do they? Not to mention that Sadler's ‘new’ house has just recently been completed, so there goes any chance of a “Home Depot’ home improvement advertising campaign.

Sadler to the 1 car?
If Truex leaves DEI [insert 3rd chorus ‘Tempted by a fruit of another’, by Squeeze] and if the rumors are true that BASS PRO is signed through 2010, for some reason I am thinking that Sadler would be the sponsor’s dream. Maybe even better than Purina when Sadler was in the 38 and having a gazillion dogs! I have always felt that Sadler would end up at DEI at some point in his career, may as well strike will the iron is hot.

Sadler to the 12 car?
Either Alltel or if the merger works out, Verizon should be on the 12 car in ’09. Since Sadler has been involved in an on and off ‘long distance’ relationship and now a date has been set, the chances for a no ‘family plan’ ad campaign could be in the works. Only one draw back might be for a driver who has a history of bad ‘driver/Crew Chief’ communication skills, shilling for a communications mogul might be a problem and nix the deal.

Sadler to the 21?
Just like ole times and little has changed. Sponsorship problems, low expectations, no pressure. Sadler could ‘work hard and play hard’ all he wants and the owners would just be happy to be there. Drawback is that the 21 would fail to make too many races, forcing Sadler to have to pay out of his own pocket to jetset from track to track.

Sadler to the 33?
Another DEI/RCR venture looking for a pilot. General Mills/Cheerios is the sponsor and there are some good possibilities here. ‘A WAFFLE MAKER?’ not being a ‘morning’ person Sadler could let us all know the importance of a well-balanced breakfast. Rutledge will have to been involved somehow.

So its Elliott Sadler to the 1 car in 2009, you read it hear first!!!
See? This Jayski thingy isn’t so hard!

Really, it has been a Goodyear

2008-07-07T10:49:00.006-05:00

One of these tires will fail during the race for no reason, can you tell which one?

Having watched a plethora of plate races and it is rare that I sit back and say ‘Elliott Sadler has a really good chance to win this thing’. Now one might think that looking at Sadler’s plate finishes over the years that I haven’t been watching many of the efforts by Sadler at plate tracks. But in all honesty, there have only been two or three times when I felt that if Sadler could pilot his car to the lead in the final moments of a race, that he would be able to hold off the competition. Before Saturday night, the last time was at a fall Dega race 4 or so years ago where Sadler ended up rumbling and tumbling down the back stretch after a ‘Dale Jr fake’. But last Saturday night, I thought the 19 did have a car that could have held off the front-runners, it is just too bad we will never know if I was right.

It was truly an orchestration to listen to spotter, Brett Griffin help the 19 thru the field not once but twice in just over a 100 or so laps. I have said it before and will continue until I hear different, that there is not a better spotter in the business. The symphony played last Saturday was once of enjoyment, fulfillment and frankly, racing smarts. The 19 made smart moves on the track, worked with drafting partners (even though his team mate bailed on him a time or two) and showed a lot of patience when needed. Seems the 19 team did indeed have a plan in mind when they pretty much gave up their qualifying effort in order to have a better race trim car for a night race.

But the Racing God did raise his scepter and poked a hole in the 19’s right front tire ending any chances for a ‘good day’. It happens, and it is a part of racing, and it will happen again at some point.

This morning, I stopped by ElliottSadler.com to get some of the ‘exclusive’ content there. And boy is it ‘exclusive’ all right. It is pretty clear that in least the last few ‘race reviews’ have not been written by Sadler’s PR man, Brett Griffin, so lets get that observation out there from the start. Below are a couple of comments about who ever is writing this ‘exclusive’ content and the spin placed on it.

1) Note to Elliott Sadler; How about ponying up and giving who ever writes this exclusive content a subscription to at the very least NASCAR.com Trackpass Scanner. The week before, when Trackpass Scanner was FREE, there were some nice ‘exclusive’ scanner chat quotes, while this week and the weeks prior there have been none.
2) ‘Getting blocked’ in the pits? I guess that’s a nice spin on the dodge post race quote of ‘I made a mistake in the pits’. Honestly, it is okay to admit that the driver messed up, it happens.
3) ‘The Gillett Evernham Motorsports team attempted to fix the damaged car but the race’s laps wound down before it could return.’????? Maybe the writer turned off the TeVee and missed that the 19 did indeed return and picked up a whopping 3 points, thanks to the hard work of the team. It should also be noted that CC Rodney Childers gave Sadler the option of ‘coming in a few laps early’ because there was nothing to gain, points wise, and Sadler chose to stick it out and not have a DNF. Good for him!
4) Where is the ‘GARMIN’ love? If one is going to embellish Dodge Post Race Quotes, one might want to get a complete sponsor plug in as well. (side bar: I just purchased a Garmin GPS this past weekend, and while I did shop for it at Best Buy, I went with Amazon.com and it’s $100 less price tag. And there is no ‘15% restocking fee’ either!)

So it is on to Chicago and the 19 team really doesn’t have much to show in terms of results the past few weeks, but the team really has become a sleeper. While not completely over the hump, the 19 team looks to have turned the corner. Chicagoland traditionally is not one of Sadler stronger tracks but the way this season has gone, who knows where he will end up. I little birdy told me that she thought that Elliott's attitude was much better than in the past couple of a years. Listening on PitCommand I would have to agree.

Answer me this?

2008-07-04T21:29:00.003-05:00

Looking at the qualifying speeds its clear the some race teams 'locked in' the top 35 are more concerned about qualifying during the heat of the day, and racing in the evening. Its pretty clear that all three GEM teams had a plan in mind. The 9 and 19 going with the 'lets make a good night race and handling car' while the 10 ( a go or go homer) needed to have a car that could qualify on speed during the day.

Because this race is an impound race, different strategies are needed and sadly NASCAR has made a huge mistake. Race in the evening? Why not qualify in the evening?

The 10 car, even though it made the race, will now have to make major changes early in the race. The question is , will they have the 'fiasco' that the 21 car and the Wood Brothers showed us at spring Dega? Lets hope not.

As for the 19, time will tell, but I have a hunch there was a 'plan' and knew their qualifying time would stink. Come race time, if the plan comes to together, the GEM headliners should be okay.

Of course,unless 30+ other cars had the same plan.

Have a good 4th and during this great day, how about thanking a one of those police officers or firemen doing 'damage' control on this holiday. They are heroes too.

Catching Up

2008-07-02T09:36:00.011-05:00

The 2nd quarter is now behind us and financials have been submitted in preparation for the semi annual SOX. Audit. So the past couple of weeks have been spent more on the ‘real job’ end than the blogger end. So I have a few items that need catching up.

The Queen of NASCAR Physics:

Rumor has it that Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, fondly called by some bloggers as the ‘Queen of NASCAR Physics’ will be in Daytona this weekend shadowing the 19 team and driver Elliott Sadler for a postscript to her book in preparation for the paper back release. Chances are she will also be spending some time with former 19 crew chief, Josh Browne and giving us some insight to the success of the 83 and 84 Red Bull team. They have really turned things around and it will be interesting to his take on how things are going. And I am sure she will want to have a visit with Rodney Childers to hear how the recent surge for the 19 team has effected the team's attitude as well. Not the "Driver's Speak" quotes we read week in and week out, but the real nuts and bolts of how the team is doing.

Another charity scam?

Here we go again! Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has charged former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner Gene Christiansen and others with misuse of charitable funds, alleging that they diverted money from People Against Drugs Affordable Public Housing, Inc., to pay Christiansen’s salary, support the Green Light Racing Craftsman Truck Series team. Now I have read both the court filings and the Charity’s tax forms from the time in question and it will be interesting to see just how this suit plays out. Either Christainsen was ignorant of the law when it comes to charitable organizations or he was simply an idiot or arrogant, as he did little to mask where these charitable funds were going. This suit could (and should) be a wake up call to any charitable organization that ‘helps’ out even some poor local racer who also happens to be a member of the organization, in trade for of few privileges or peaks for the charity’s hierarchy. Charitable funds going for a ‘set of tires’, just might not be the most legal thing to do these days even though said organization’s logo is somewhere on the car (no matter how big or small). I wonder if the RED Cross is buying tires for Greg Biffle and the 16 team in exchange for a logo on the B post. Chances are, that answer is NO. More to come on this subject as it develops.

Anatomy of a ‘top 5’

It wasn’t 30 minutes after the ‘checkered’ flag of last Sunday’s Loudon race did my mail box begin to fill with the ‘how about that 19 finish’ emails. I think to be fair; one really should break down the race into a couple of different segments and the decisions made in those segments.

The beginning of the race, showed the 19 with a good starting position near the front of the field. ‘Track position’ was not a factor, but within the first 75 laps, the 19 car found itself falling back to the mid 20s. So much for track position, but more importantly, the 19 had missed something in the race day setup. Since Sadler first joined GEM over two years ago, the ‘two tire stop’ or ‘gas only stop’ has been a huge player. Now in some cases this is a good strategy, however too often the 19’s car handling before the stop was not to the driver’s liking. What seems to happen is that more times than not, is a two-tire stop along with some sort of chassis/air pressure change. The problem with doing that is now the 19 team has lost their baseline for latter four tire stops and chassis changes. When Sadler dropped into the mid 20s, the first words out of his mouth was ‘track position’, while CC Rodney Childers seemed to be leaning towards ‘fixing the car’. Childers lost that battle with Sadler, and went for the 2-tire ‘track position’ stop. The gamble didn’t pay off even before leaving pit road, as 20+ other cars had the same idea. Understand, I would have had little issue had the 19 been running good lap times, but this obviously was not the case. The result of this move, like so many times before, is the 19 falling a lap down before the 100 lap mark and no baseline for which direction to go with chassis changes. And 'take a drink' with the 'This is the worst the car has been all weekend' line from the driver.

But after the 19 fell a lap down, there was a change in strategy and one that seems to make the 19 car better with each stop. First, was the ‘communication factor’ between Sadler and Childers. Seems Sadler was self admittedly not being as clear as he could with his handling descriptions of the 19. (Where have we heard this before?) Once this communication issue seemed to be solve, the 19 made some changes that obviously improved the car (all four tire stops BTW). One other point needed to make, is that Sadler also changed his line coming out of turn four and as spotter Brett Griffin noticed, ‘you are killing them out of four’. After a few more cautions the 19 was able to get the Lucky Dog with 90 or so laps left in the race and now had a car that truly could run with the top 10. This was seen by marching through the mid-pack field with ease and the ever optimistic Griffin saying, ‘one a lap, go get em’.

At this point the 19 made the risky call of staying out (with a good car) and either hoping for a few race-ending cautions (not uncommon at Loudon) to stretch the fuel mileage out, or for the weather to shorten the race. Now some might think I am being hypocritical or short sighted because I feel this move was a brilliant move by the 19 team and condemning the ‘two tire stops’ from earlier in the race. The difference to me is that the 19 late in the race, was a ‘contender’ and it was not in the first 100 laps. Also the success of the 5 car staying out earlier in the race when they also had a good handling car didn’t hurt the decision either.

Did the 19 have enough fuel to go the 301 laps? Doesn’t really matter now. I guess if one can chalk up some of the recent ‘bad’ finishes to bad luck, one can chalk this one up to good luck. But I think that is a bit of simpleton thinking. There was much more involved with this finish than just luck. Next week’s plate race will have move luck involved in getting a top 5 than the one we saw at Loudon.

The Countdown begins:

Less than 60 days to the home opener for Oklahoma Sooners Football! This is going to be a very interesting year in College Football and maybe one with more balance among the top 25 than ever. My early prediction is the BCS NC game will feature both teams with one or more losses. But never the less, the countdown to football season has begun.

BOOMER!!!!!!

The Racing God never forgets

2008-06-24T10:55:00.004-05:00

Jimmy Spencer used to be considered the racer who “doesn’t forget”, but after listening to his dribble over the past couple of years on the Speed channel, its pretty clear his memory is fading. But last Sunday we got to see the ‘Road Course Racing God’ in full retaliation mode.

Before we get into the minutia, lets preface a bit that I feel that road courses by nature are as much of a crap shoot as a plate race or even a Bristol race. There are just so many things that can happen that the driver cannot control which affects the final outcome of races. I am glad that NASCAR has the foresight to not add a road course to the Chase.

It took the Racing God about a year to repay Juan Pablo Montoya back for his multiple rough driving win at this very track last year, but with the help of a similar hard charging Aussi making his very first Cup start, the Racing God lashed back. JPM was clipped and spun costing him several positions and it looked to be something that JPM might not rebound from. However, the Racing God did show mercy to JPM by throwing a caution as well. Marcus Ambrose was attempting to pass (and had the line) of the 26 car, Jamie McMurray when JPM took a lower line in the hairpin turn 11. Who knows is Ambrose saw JPM, but never the less, the contact was enough to send the 42 car for a spin. Seems though afterwards, both Ambrose and JPM were able to works things out, with little harm or little foul.

Flash forward a handful of laps, and Ambrose would feel the wrath of the Racing God via a ‘dive bombing’ Elliott Sadler. Much to my dismay as a fan of Sadler, he showed no remorse at all for his ‘Stuka’ tactic, whether it be on the scanner or in his post race interviews. I would have hoped that Sadler would have directed a comment and an "I'm sorry for ended your day" to a former employer who gave him his career big break, he expects that when it happens to him. To date, it is almost like it never happened at all. (I am sure Dave Moody will be happy to lob some softballs Sadler's way and not touch on this racing incident later today) Now this may not be such a huge deal, but Sadler (and some of his fans) have demanded apologies from others this season when they felt they were ‘wronged’ and ruining a good effort with a great car.

While, Ambrose showed all weekend, that the 21 Wood Brothers Ford was a ‘great car’, by leading two of the three practices, qualifying in the top ten and running in the top ten much of the day. But the post race interviews from Ambrose, were ones of class, and satisfaction of the effort given by the 21 team for the whole weekend. No finger pointing at some other driver, ‘ruining’ his day, just a lot of excitement from an up an comer in the Cup series. I remember someone else who used to be that way too!

The Racing God didn’t forget either, and decided to will upon the offender, a slow leaking right rear tire. While not ruining the 19’s day, it surely did put a damper on a fine effort. Adding insult to injury, the 19’s tire finally exploded as the 19 crossed the start/finish line, which resulted in another car making some solid contact pretty much destroying the 19’s rear end. No one likes to see a good car wrecked after the fact, well, maybe the Racing God does.

But all of these on-track incidents could have been worse as I was reminded of the 1991 Sonoma race when Ricky Rudd also tapped a car from behind and ‘moved’ them out of his way while on his way to what we thought would be a checkered flag finish. History shows that NASCAR, and not the Racing God stepped in and stripped Rudd of the win. My how times have changed. But the Racing God still never forgets.

Look for NASCAR TeVee ratings to rise even more!

2008-06-18T10:43:00.005-05:00

A report on the Golf Channel, citing unnamed sources, said Woods would have surgery on his ACL. It also said he suffered a small stress fracture in his left leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open. Tiger is not expected to return to the PGA tour until the 2009 season.

One less distraction (or TeVee competition) on Sunday for NASCAR broadcasts.

Putting the Tin Foil Hat on

2008-06-16T10:23:00.005-05:00

Going to try my best and put the tin foil hat on and share some deep thoughts.

What happened to the end of the longest line penalty?
Why was the 88 car allowed to not once, but twice, pass the pace car while conserving fuel on the last caution? Maybe Junior was just 'contesting' his position after the last green flag scoring loop and felt the 88 should restart on front of the pace car!

Why didn't NASCAR admonish Richard Petty?
In 2006, Richard Petty publicly spoke out against 'women in NASCAR'. "I just don’t think it’s a sport for women,” Petty can be quoted in an AP interview. I wonder if King Richard's ever greeted or commented about Mauricia Grant in the same manner that he did about Janet Gruthrie by saying, "She’s no lady. If she was she’d be at home. There’s a lot of differences in being a lady and being a woman."

Elliott Sadler speakith with forked tongue!
From his post race quotes:
"We had to start in the back and pretty much drove our way to the front to finish ninth." So I guess Elliott Sadler is saying he 'drove' up to the front, meaning that the cars they passed for position were done on the track? I might agree but there is one problem, What Sadler says later on in his post race quotes. "Strategy, that’s what it should be about. That’s why crew chiefs make the big bucks; you have to know when to stay out, when to take two or when to get gas only." Last time I checks, 'driving to the front' and use 'race strategy' are two different things. The 9 and the 19 cars were basically equal most of the race, the 9 chose to pit and stretch the fuel window(as the 88 did), the 19 chose to stay out. 'Good luck', probably gave the 88 a win, the 9 about 10 or so spots, and the 19 5 or so spots. Yes, it was good strategy on all parts, but not 'driving up to the front'. Driving up to 15th or so maybe (and remember, the 19 started in the mid 20s), but you would have never known listening to the 'give up' by Sadler with about 30 or so laps to go. Lets just call this on of those 'good luck' weekends, and Sadler was due for one of those. (and don't forget, the 19 'gave up' 5 bonus points by choosing to pit when they could have run just one more lap and inherit the lead)

In Defense of Sadler:
com·mu·ni·ca·tion Listen to the pronunciation of communication
Pronunciation:
\kə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən\
Function:
noun
a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior

Now I have often criticized Sadler for has lack of clarity with his communication to his crew chief, but when he asks a question as simple as "How long till we pit?" One would expect a simple answer. What Sadler got was 'We are on lap xxx and we will pit on lap yyy'. Understand we are dealing with a college dropout who is doing his best to make a 3500 lb missile go as fast as it can in a circle. All the while dealing with 42 other 3500 lb missiles. Making him 'do the math' is just one other unnecessary thing for a driver to do. Thankfully, Brett came to the rescue after a moment and said "15 more laps buddy just keep hitting your marks". Maybe GEM can add a calculator to the dash in the future!

Just shut up and drive:
So NASCAR puts the clamps down on driver criticism of the C.O.T. I have seen that some feel that this was not NASCAR's place as the drivers "don't work for them". Well if not for NASCAR most of these guys would stroking their craft of some local track for pennies. Don't bite the hand that feeds ya!

Be thankful that Michigan does not produce a lot of cautions:
As the final round of the U.S. Open broadcast was looming and Tiger was going into the round leading the field. We all know what that does for TeVee ratings. Speaking of Tiger, did anyone else notice that most of the time he winced in pain from his bum knee was after a 'bad' shot?

Taking that tin foil hat off, it gives me a headache!

Lawsuits, complaints, and crying wolf, Oh MY

2008-06-11T09:36:00.009-05:00

It has been an interesting week for NASCAR and let the spin begin.

Lawsuit: $225 million in damages for racial and sexual harassment file by an ex-official.
We all have read the accusations or at least a summation of them filed by former NASCAR employee Mauricia Grant and if what she says is true, someone has some ‘esplanin’ to do.

From a fan’s perspective, all of this is very disturbing; although this fan is not surprised of the possibility that much of this could be true. Just speaking from experience of attending races, one does not have to search very hard to see and hear this kind of despicable attitude from the atypical NASCAR race fan. HOWEVER, I don’t think we, as average fans would have enough day-to-day access of the inner workings of the race weekend garage to pass a judgment of gran't claims.

The challenge faced by Grant (and her attorneys) is actually proving beyond a reasonable doubt that these accusations really took place. Marc at Full Throttle brings up some nice points concerning the ‘language’ of the suit. Personally, I still think there is something more to all of this, than just ‘lawyer speak’.

David Scott tried a couple of times to prove his claims of racial discrimination and neither time received a favorable judgment. It should be noted that his accusations did not include any NASCAR race officials, but rather against other team’s hauler drivers. (Whom btw NASCAR reprimanded pretty severely) So NASCAR does seem to have taken a stand against such behavior. But one may have to ask the question if NASCAR used some sort of double standard when it comes to their own employees?

But this is not the first time a high profile sport or organization has had to answer in court to similar accusations. The University of Arkansas had former (and fired) head coach Nolan Richardson file a similar suit of racial discrimination. Again, on the surface, these accusations did not seem that unbelievable considering the mantra/perception and location of where the alleged incidents took place. However, when it came time for Richardson to take the stand, his accusations appeared to be more mere misunderstanding of perception. Richardson also was not successful in his claim as well.

Is Grant’s suit frivolous? That remains to be seen, but what I am finding interesting is the common theme among the majority of NASCAR fans voicing their opinion over the innerweb. That opinion is that this is just a disgruntled ex-employee trying to make a quick buck and that all of this is B.S. Understand that these are many of the same fans that claim NASCAR fixes races, ignored violations and other tin foil hat conspiracies. One would think that if those conspiracies could happen, Grant’s accusations could as well.

One thing for sure is that Grant was involved with both pre and post race inspections, and pit officiating, and there has been ZERO mention in the suit of such directives substantiating these theories. One would think that if she were aware of such things, it would be mentioned prominently as NASCAR’s credibility is at stake. I am sure that Grant is not the only disgruntled ex NASCAR employee, but for some reason they are in hiding just now. The NBA has one disgruntled ex-employee and is having to answer some questions, but to date, NASCAR does not have this problem.

COMPLAINTS:

Elliott Sadler made a most interesting scanner comment at the conclusion of the Pocono race last Sunday. He asked crew chief Rodney Childers if ‘there was any possible way they could go to Michigan like the 9 (car)’? Childers responded with ‘it is all the same stuff except the front end stuff YOU don’t like’. Sadler came back with ‘ Well, forget what I like, and just make it the same as his’.

This maybe a genius move by Sadler, or it maybe the beginning of the downfall. ‘Equal’ equipment should be associated with equal results. Jeremy Mayfield made similar claims towards the end of his career with Evernham as well and that didn’t work out to well for him.

I am just not sure that Sadler wants to be compared to his teammate in an apples to apples sort of way.

CRYING WOLF:

Also late in the Pocono race, Sadler made the claim after just being passed by most the field that he ‘had a tire going down’. This can happen to EVERY driver but how many times do we hear ‘my motor is getting ready to blow up’ or ‘something is wrong with these tire’ and such. We actually heard BOTH just last Sunday. Over time, this has to wear on the psyche of the crew chief and the crew over-all. You could almost hear the ‘here we go again’, coming from Brett Griffin when he mentioned that ‘you are not racing anyone, just stick it out and hope for a caution’. I am sure the buzz at the GEM shop is the latest round of 'phantom phlatz'.

Needless to say, history will show that all the tire pressures were up and there was no flat. Aesop would be proud.

Like the news teases used to say; film at 11. There will be more to say on all these topics as time goes on.

Randomness

2008-06-07T16:26:00.013-05:00

Summer is here in Dallas, and its getting hot. Might even hit triple digits this weekend. But that didn't stop me from making it to the track last night to see the CTS running at TMS. Here are a couple of random thoughts.

The Candy Man:
I decided to listen to Kyle Busch on the scanner most the night and first and foremost, his channel is not 'family friendly'. Be prepared for numerous 'F'-bombs and other words on George Carlin's '7 words your can't say on TeVee'. But once you filter through that, one can see and hear that this driver has 'it'. 'It' being that unique combination of skill and daring that sets them apart from the field. Early in the race, he (yes he, and not his CC) chose to give up track position and make major changes to the front end of the truck, under a caution by opening the hood and adjusting the front suspension. The 51 team not only did this once, but twice under the first two cautions. Both times falling back to the rear of the field.

One of my main complaints over the years with 'my driver', Elliott Sadler, is when the car 'stinks' early in a race, many times the choice is to not to try to fix the car, but to 'go for track position' with a two tire stop or even by staying out. More times than not, this strategy does not work. And last night, watching the 51 truck only solidifies my opinion.

What a difference a spotter makes:
I am not sure if Busch's spotter was his regular CUP spotter, but after listening to Brett Griffin for 9 or so years, Brett should be offering a school on how to be an effective spotter. From the drop of the first green flag, where the 51 spotter said; 'pace car is off.......hold...hold....there he goes...' to 'car high......car high.....almost.....almost....you got him', I was dismayed at the lack of precise spotter to driver communication. It will be refreshing to hear Brett and his immediate 'clear' or 'green flag' tomorrow. On race day Brett, you still da man! (Now if we can just work on that Monday thru Thursday 'PR' stuff)

Where is David Hoots when you need him:
I think last night was the first NASCAR event I have attended live and with a scanner where Race Director David Hoots was not in control, and it showed. Cautions, especially late in the race took an eternity to go back to green, and I don't think it was because of the severity of the wrecks or the cause of cautions. It just seemed to be a reactive attempt on the part of RACE CONTROL to get the track race ready and not proactive. From finding debris 4 or 5 laps into caution, or deciding to bring 3 jet dryers on the track to blow stay-dry that had been placed on the apron. Note to who ever was in the tower; and Kyle Busch said it best. "We don't race down there." And then after all of that, finally taking account for the Lucky dog, thus losing one more green flag lap. I guess it just gives you a greater appreciation for the job David Hoots does and has done over the years. I know someday David will retire, I just hope there is someone waiting in the wings to take the ball and go to the mound.

Dirt is for Farming!!!!:
I just read Steve Wronkowicz' blog from On Pit Row about the Prelude to a Dream race held earlier this week. He thinks and others agree that the CUP series should run a race on the dirt and I agree as well. But I do have a different spin from simply running a race at one of the ARCA dirt tracks. Many years ago, I wrote a commentary on CatchFence.com concerning this very issue. So hear me out.

If Bristol can cover a track with 36 degree banking with dirt and run sprint and modified cars, then why couldn’t some other track do that? This track would have to be at least (or close to) a mile in length, and have a long enough pit road to accommodate up to 43 cars. I am thinking that a track that is currently not on the Cup schedule should be used in this venture. A track that is wide, relatively flat, and in a pretty large ‘market’ area.

The perfect track that fits this bill just might be Gateway International Speedway near St. Louis, Mo. The flat, egg shaped oval would offer some great challenges to all CUP teams and some great racing to boot.

Of course, there would be some other logistics other than simply putting a dirt surface on the track. Would you also cover pit road with the same surface? For safety reasons alone, I would leave pit road alone as I wouldn’t want to put the over the wall crews in any more danger with a slicker surface than what is already being used.

Could NASCAR and some savvy engineers make this work? I really don't know, but what a sight and spectacle it would be. I'd go for sure.

On to the IRL race tonight and Danica Mania'

Countdown to the 'BIG MOVE'

2008-06-06T10:32:00.008-05:00

Yes, there will be racing at Pocono this weekend come rain or shine. No, NASCAR has not accepted Goodyear rain tires for this weekend's racing. But whether it rains this weekend or not there still will be some of the 'best' racing and strategy seen in all of NASCAR.

This 'racing' is what the locals in the Pocono infield call the 'BIG MOVE'.

The 'BIG MOVE' in a nut shell, is a mad dash in the middle of the night for RVers and campers much like an Oklahoma Landrun, to stake their claims in the open infield area near Turn 1 and the Long Pond straightaway. These areas are gated shut till an unannounced time in the middle of the night, early Sunday morning of race day. There is little or no warning, but those wishing to get a prime spot must be on the look out from about midnight to about 4 in the morning. One just never knows when the lone gate will be opened.

RVers and campers will stealthily try to park their RVs near or have easy access to this gate. Some might think there is more strategy for the BIG MOVE than a Dega race and I probably would agree. From 'drafting partners' to spotters to blockers, you can see it all. Once opened, the dash begins and what a sight it is to see. RV drivers for some strange reason (may have something to do with the consumption of alcohol much of the night) all of the sudden feel that they now are in all terrain vehicles and go bounding sometimes 4 and 5 wide over the 'moguls' of the Pocono infield.I had the wonderful opportunity to witness this event first hand in 2004 and it probably is the most idiotic 'plan' I have seen at any track. But like most train wrecks, I stood from a semi safe distance, watched in awe and got a huge kick out of it. It is a sight to say the least.

I guess the track doesn't have a problem with this, and I am sure they have good justifications for it, but it is something unique. If you ever get a chance to see the 'BIG MOVE', it is worth staying up late the Saturday before a Pocono CUP race. Good luck BIG MOVERS, and hope everyone stays safe and may the best RV win!

Tommy had a summer camp/barn party too!

2008-06-04T13:04:00.015-05:00

Catch this other clip from the Rock opera, ‘Tommy’ that was sent to me this morning. (I really need to brush up on some of the great ‘60s classics), while it is not an event such as the Barn Party, there are similarities. Just a note, the following scene of the Rock Opera is titled “We’re not gunna take it”. Where the faithful get fed up with the chosen one's actions. (sound that irony alarm)

Since I have been allowing ‘anonymous’ comments I do sometimes not post them usually for language, or because of the ‘junior high schoolyard rhetoric, or because the comments simply are not applicable. The other day I received a comment on the blog “He’s a pin ball wizard” from ‘TrueFan’. In actuality, “ TrueFan’s” name is Kim from Louisiana and last time I was told, an officer in the Plaid19 Inc. What is ironic is that fact that I was actually taking up for Sadler in that particular blog (as well as Brett).

Here is her comment:

“You are a ******* . [edited due to vulgar content] You do not know what you are talking about most of the time. Who died and made you nascar god? You know, with fans like you, Sadler does not need any because you are far from what classifies as a fan. You try to talk like you know everything about all the tracks but you have no clue, especially since you haven't been to all the tracks. Why don't you try talking about another driver, do true Sadler fans a favor and become a non fan of Sadler and choose another driver to be a fan of so you can criticize them. Why are you always talking about Kool-aid, what is wrong with Kool-aid, it happens to a very well liked drink among kids and adults. I do not know why I wrote this because it will not be shown to the public because it actually expresses an honest opinion opposite of your own. You do not publish those that like Sadler, you only publish those that criticize him.”

Well, for starters, we now know the last paragraph of the clack attack is not a truthful statement. But I have been asked a few times from others about the ‘fanship’ of my driver, Elliott Sadler. I have stated numerous times and rarely criticize the on track performance of Sadler. His on track driving style and the way he races others is one of the primary reasons I became of fan of his in the first place over 10 years ago. However, I do draw the line in the sand and will point out errors or issues that have been made with Sadler’s off-track life styles. Yes, that also includes the way I perceive the treatment of his fans.

I don’t place an invisible force field around ‘my driver’ and turn a blind eye just because I claim to be a ‘true fan’. (What the heck is that anyway?) If one scans the innerweb, there are 100s of sites/blogs that also point out other’s perception of issues when it comes to ‘NA$CAR’ the ‘cheater 48 team’, FRANCECAR, or ‘the gay Jeff Gordon’ but for some reason, these people are still considered ‘fans’ and as long as one agrees with them, everything is fine.

The person making the comment above surely understands where the term drinking the Kool-aid comes from, as seen from this picture posted on their private message board. A board where they have plenty of mud to sling, but they hide behind the vial of secrecy, which of course is their right. This message board has even gone so far to have a complete section of their forum dedicated to this blog, while having other sections with similar views concerning the off-track stuff of Sadler. (someone that irony alarm again)

Remember this picture?
Yes, it originated from the same site, but also remember that it was this blog that pointed out that Josh Browne may have not been the real issue with how poorly the 19 car was running at the beginning of the 2007 season and no reason to use him as the scapegoat. Judging from the revelations GEM made midway in that season, it appears at the very least I was on the right track. Some where I have to think that Josh has a little snicker every time he looks at the points standings and see one of his cars is just 197 points from making the CHASE and seeing the 19 just 144 points from dropping out of the top 35 in owner points. Its just a feeling.

I don’t hide behind a double secret message board to express my views, whether they are positive or negative. My contact information is clearly stated, and Brett has even more of my personal information available to him due to a security breach from the Texas Motor Speedway. (Mr. Gossage was not very happy about this when he was informed as well). There has been a standing offer to the powers that be to submit any type of rebuttal to blogs posted here, but none have been received.

Not sure I have ever claimed to be an expert or a ‘God’ of Nascar, but like 99% of other NASCAR fans, I have an opinion. The majority of time that opinion is based upon my observations, be it TeeVee, print or live at the track just like anyone else. It may not always have a popular opinion with Sadler fans, but that doesn’t make that opinion less valid. I also wasn’t aware of the prerequisite of attending EVERY NASCAR track in order to have an opinion of them or even the drivers who race them. If that is the case, there are only a handful of people who should ever be able to opine about this sport.

Frank Burns from M*A*S*H fame said it best and it must apply to what Kim considers a ‘true fan’.

“Unless we all conform, unless we follow our leaders blindly, there is no possible way we can remain free.”
I refuse to conform, and follow blindly, yet I remain free and a fan.

One of the biggest and longest Dallas Cowboy 'homers' is WFAA's Sports Director, Dale Hanson. Judging from this rant below, and a few others, I guess he is not a 'true fan' for speaking his mind.

Someday the 19 (or what ever car Sadler is driving) may win a race again. I will cheer him on and hopefully I might even see this take place live. And if he continues with the treatment of his fans, make excuses for poor performances, blame others, or make poor PR choices, I will comment on those as well. As I don't ever want to show up at a race looking like this

He’s a Pinball Wizard!

2008-06-03T09:33:00.004-05:00

I couldn’t help being reminded of the ’69 rock opera 'Tommy’ and it’s signature song when watching the results of lap 19 at Dover last Sunday. I am sure that Tony Stewart was thinking ‘there’s got to be a twist’ as well after his tongue and cheek comments as well. Scanning the innerweb, the finger pointing has commenced among the race fans and the Kool-aid is flowing. But who really is to blame?

I regress to ‘Tommy’ first and the ‘Overture’ from the rock opera for a better explanation.

‘SEE ME’
Some of the most obvious finger pointing for both the initial wreck and the aftermath are being laid upon the ‘eyes in the skies’; the spotters. I have listened to Brett Griffin for close to ten years now, and have much respect for his in race duties as a spotter (and will must likely continue to do so). Some say that Griffin was ‘asleep’ and didn’t warn Sadler early enough when the 19 car was changing its line and moved to the bottom of the track. Frankly, I disagree with that line of thinking.

Understand that the events leading up to this wreck started less than a couple of seconds before. Exiting turn 2 (note, this was also an area of the track the in the pre-race conversations, Brett had mentioned to Sadler that he ‘would have trouble clearing’ because of lack of a clean line of site) the 40 car ahead of the 19 seemed to be a little loose on exit and enable the 19 to close at a pretty high rate. During this time, the 19 was ‘clear’ and Sadler made the decision to change his line and move down the track to attempted to get around the slower 40 car.

I wonder if the 19 car may have lifted slightly or not got on the gas as much as normal during this time (in order not to run into the back of the 40 car) thus allowing for the 38 car to also close from a 3 to 4 car length, to the eventual contact. But all three cars were coming off the corner at significantly different speeds. Just about the time of contact, Griffin announces that the 38 was ‘looking low’, followed by ‘inside’, and we all know the result. My point is, that the time it took for all this to happen was about the time it takes to say ‘That deaf, dumb and blind kid’. Not a lot of time at all.

‘FEEL ME’
Some are saying that the 38 should have ‘slowed’ when the 19 came down, and again I disagree. At no time does it appear that the 38 changes his lower line exiting the corner (frankly, he was as low as he could go without driving on the apron, which at Dover is not a good idea) The 38 had a run on BOTH cars and when the 38 ‘stuck his nose’ under the 19, he was simply driving his line. At no time was there a ‘3 wide’ situation and isn’t ‘racing’ taking advantage of an opportunity to pass a slower car? Now had the 19 actually ‘got a nose’ under the 40 car and we would have heard Griffin mention ‘car high’, this 3 wide theory may have some validation. But we all know that Griffin never said this.

‘TOUCH ME’
There are some pretty high forces on the rear wheels of cars when exiting such a high banked, high speed corner seen at Dover and like we saw, it does not take much contact at all to force the back end around. To me, had this contact occurred just a moment later the results may have been very different. But unfortunately we all know it didn’t.

‘HEAL ME’
I have never really been a fan of Tony Stewart but after the past few weeks, one has to get a giggle out of his post wreck comments. I realize that some are taking what he said literally but it is sarcasm at its finest. Lets face it, Sadler has been a thorn in Tony’s side the past month or so and had the roles been reversed, the fireworks would be booming. Heck there are still actually some Kool-Aid drinkers that think ‘Almendingergate’ was an intentional act. Now multiply those feelings times two and the fact that the Chase is looming around the corner.

Bottom line, make all the excuses you want, this was just another example of one of the ‘racin dealios’. It happens, and will happen again. Of course had this happened on corner entry and not corner exit, all bets are off.

An Open Letter to OneLugnutShort

2008-05-31T19:11:00.004-05:00

I received this email in my inbox this week and this should be shared.

Two Classes of Sadler Fans – Which Circle Do You Travel In?

Dear Mr. Lugnut,

I am a regular reader of OneLugnutShort and have been a proud member of the Sadler Fan Club for a few years now. Sometimes I have a bone to pick with you about the way you seem to go at Elliott Sadler, his family, or his business manager. Sometimes I think you might be onto something (not just ON something)!! As time goes on, I got to admit that I keep leanin’ to the thinkin’ you might have a case for wondering what in sam the Sadler Camp is really thinking.

I had been considering attending the race at Richmond this September, but since nothing had been “officially” announced regarding a Sadler Fan Club event, I held off making any solid plans. Now that it’s finally been announced, I don’t feel so bad about the idea that I might be “missing out”. I’m not missing out on much. I’m sure it will be a great event, and those that can afford to attend will have a great time. The Sadlers have a lovely place and are quite hospitable. However, I don’t know that I could justify spending an additional $250 for this VIP Barn Party ticket, even if there were still some available.

This past weekend I looked into airfares to Richmond and what it would actually cost me to go. I’d be looking at about $800 + Taxes, Airport Fees and Fuel Surcharges (which didn’t exist or were at least 20% less, less than two months ago). Add to this race tickets, hotel for at least 6 nights, and a car rental and I’m looking at a minimum of about $1800. And at that price, I haven’t even bought anything to eat, a souvenir of any kind, or gas for said rental car.

Add to that the SFC Membership fee ($20) and the “regular” Barn Party ticket of $50. Now do I want to fly 2000 miles to be a “second class” fan and NOT get that VIP ticket? On the other hand, after spending over $2-Grand, can I justify shelling out another $250 for that VIP ticket? That $250 could cover at least two nights in the hotel, or a good portion of the week’s car rental. Or even new stuff at the souvenir hauler. Since I still don’t really have any of the new sponsor gear yet, that might be a good place to spend it.

The cost of this VIP ticket might be more reasonable if you’re an east coaster, or live on the right side of the country. But I considered another acquaintance living in Virginia. This friend and her husband have two teens whom I know would love to go to the Barn Party. A family of four could attend for $200 (plus that family Fan Club Membership of $25). This same family of four would have to cough up $1000 for those sold-out VIP tickets! That could put a serious dent in any family’s vacation/entertainment budget! They live in Virginia but would still probably have to get a room for at least one night, even if they didn’t go to the Richmond race. There are additional costs and incidentals all over the place for that kind of “just overnight” trip. That $1025 really just covers tickets!

In 2004, a fan could take the Double Duty Tour with Robby Gordon and fly from Charlotte to Indianapolis (and back) and attend BOTH the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 with Robby’s entourage for $1000. Granted it was four years ago (prior to these rising airfares and fuel surcharges), and there are the additional costs of getting to and staying in Charlotte, but that’s a pretty cool trip indeed! Ok, maybe not for a family of four… And maybe it is comparing apples to oranges… But I think the Double Duty deal even included a BBQ with Robby & the Team at the shop during the week prior to the 600 and “Double Duty” souvenirs. People can say what they want about Robby. Not many would dispute he loves to race, and that such a trip would likely be very interesting, a learning experience and one of those “once in a lifetime” deals for any race fan!

I had considered Charlotte for the 600 or the All Star Race and hitting Sadler’s Bowling Event (which seemed like fun at a fairly accessible price), but had too much going on this spring to make it happen. I guess it all comes down to a question of how bad do you want it? How much are you willing to pay to meet your driver and be part of the fun, the exclusivity? If people are willing to pay, this type of Pay-Per-Use Fan Club Charity Events Sadler throws will continue to be a success.

In any marketing endeavor, the first and most critical question to be asked and answered is “Who is your audience?”. If I had the chance to ask the Sadlers or Sadler’s business manager a question, it would be just that. Who is your target fan? Who do you want to appeal to? Who do you want to make yourself accessible to?

I’d ask just to see what they’d say. Because it seems rather clear to me the purpose for these Fan Club events benefiting charity is not to allow Sadler to connect with his average fan, but to raise money for the worthy causes near and dear to the heart of the Sadler family. It’s hard to fault them for that. They have contributed much to Autism Awareness, school children right in their hometown of Emporia, Victory Junction Gang Camp and other great causes, and have used their celebrity to do so. Commendable indeed. To that end of course, they want to appeal to the fan with the largest amount of disposable income.

I know it’s hard for anyone, especially a public figure, to please all the people all the time. It’s just not going to happen. The Sadlers are successful business people and live in an income bracket (or two or three or five) above most of us. So maybe they just don’t realize it. But even the items Sadler auctions off for charity (race helmets, etc.) are not cost accessible for an average or just-below-middle income person. How about a free draw once a year for all current fan club members? One lucky winner gets a helmet or other cool Sadler memorabilia – and no, I don’t want his used race shoes!

So who does Sadler want to make himself accessible to? I’m confident I know who it is NOT. It is NOT the typical, middle class American Nascar prides itself on appealing to. The fan and the families that Nascar sponsors pay big big bucks to keep their company names and products top-of-mind with. Sadler’s chosen audience doesn’t seem to include many of the average folk I have met in my race travellings that consider themselves Sadler fans. The focus of these fan club events is not to allow his “average” fans exclusive access or even to say “Thanks for your support”. It seems to be to get a hold of the fan’s money to further Sadler charity endeavors. Therefore any Sadler fan with hopes of attending such an event should have a good portion of disposable income or good credit available that will allow them to be included in the Sadler Fan Club’s fundraising activities.

Like it or not, this is how Sadler has chosen to make himself accessible to his fans. Maybe that’s why I didn’t join the Sadler Fan Club this year. I can say I am a fan without handing over $20, or trying to get an “exclusive” $250 VIP ticket to an event that’s going to cost me more than $2-Grand to get to. I still cheer for him on race day, listen to the 19 scanner on Trackpass, and I still give to charity - within my means, within my budget (yes, I support a few worthy causes too). But these are not the kind of Nascar circles I personally can afford to travel in, ‘nor the Joneses I want to try to keep up with. Maybe in a couple years when I save up enough to get back to Virginia, I’ll be ready to part with that $2-Grand. Of course, the way the cost of a barrel of crude is going, in a couple of years jet fuel might be equal to gold itself, and that $2-Grand could be mighty cheap in comparison! Oh well. C’est la vie.

I hope anyone going to this fall’s Barn Party has a magnificent time and make a mountain of great memories. I hope the Sadlers, Dale Jarrett and Kasey Khane raise a ton of money for their Foundations. I’ll be waiting hear just how much was given to charity too. If they should choose to tell those of us living in a lower income bracket.

Thanks for listening, Lugnut. Keep on truckin’!

Sincerely,

A West Side Sadler Fan

The Physics of NASCAR

2008-05-28T11:48:00.025-05:00

The Physics of NASCAR
How to make Steel+Gas+Rubber=Speed

We read and hear almost every race just how “NASCAR allows total access for it’s fans”, but in most cases that could not be further from the truth. Yes, there is much garage and pit access available and NASCAR fans can see from a distance the inner workings on race weekend, but do they really understand what they are looking at?

Have you ever asked yourself after a NASCAR penalty just what made the part illegal and what was the advantage gained?

Have you ever wondered why ‘your driver’ week in and week out seems to lose time exiting the corners? What are the other teams doing that your team is not?

Have you ever wondered why cooler track surface temperatures cause better grip and faster speeds at speedways?

Many answers to many questions are at your fingertips in “The Physics of NASCAR”.

Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky treats us to a rare glimpse behind the curtain with extensive access to race shops, crew chiefs, mechanics, team engineers, pit crews and more! She has applied her love for Physics and maybe more importantly her ability to speak at a level that every NASCAR fan can understand. She uses complex Physics formulas and translates what is actually going on (both good and bad) on the track that contrast the 15 second explanations of ‘the air was taken off the spoiler from the famous ‘cut away car’ TeVee segments we see each week, by explaining in depth and in layman’s terms what effects take place on various parts of the car when this happens.

This book especially intrigued me personally from the start with a forward from “my driver’s” team owner Ray Evernham and Diandra’s exclusive ‘embedding’ of Evernham Motorsports.

From the first chapter (‘Bones of Contention’), Diandra reveals the inner workings of the NASCAR chassis base, to addressing the advancements of the physics involved in safety innovations, to the final chapter (The Checkered Flag) where she spends her last race weekend with the 19 team (Elliott Sadler) at the Lowes Motor Speedway and the 2007 Coca-Cola 600. She never takes off her ‘teaching hat’, the questions she asked and the answers she received were conveyed in such a manner that I felt I wasn’t being instructed or lectured to, but I was being ‘pushed’ to ask for more. (Fortunately she has continued her work on her blog here and the revelations can continue and grow just as NASCAR does)

Through her ‘embedding’ at the beginning of the 2007 season with EMS, she also was able to reveal some of the personal sides of the ‘faceless’ who lurk behind the scenes and even the airwaves. From ‘Kiwi’ (a shock specialist) calling the race over-the-wall guys ‘locusts’ (“because they arrive on Sunday, eat everything, and then leave”), and noting that Brett Griffin, ‘ever the optimist’ (I consider the best spotter in the business), to the frustration of Team Director Josh Browne revealing much more than just the “driver’s speak” of ‘the guys and team have worked hard all week” that we read in the Dodge post race quotes. (Somewhere residing in the bowels of the innerweb there is still that very tasteless 'For Sale' sign that needs to be destroyed.)

Reading this book is nothing like reading a textbook (although much of it could be used as one), the book has the flow and fluidity of a 43 car field rolling through the “S’s” at Sonoma or Watkins Glen. She brings rocket science, the human element and the pageantry of a NASCAR Race Day altogether and leaves the reader asking for more. This is a great read for any NASCAR Fan, and a must read for any Elliott Sadler fan. If I could only have two books about NASCAR in my possession, this would be one of them. The other? Well, NASCAR doesn’t publish publicly their RULE BOOK!

About the Author

Diandra Leslie-Pelecky is a professor of physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she researches bio-medical nanomaterials. Dr. Leslie-Pelecky (affectionately called by some bloggers as 'the Queen of NASCAR Physics') has published widely on her academic research and improving science education at all levels. This is her first book.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

* Publisher: Dutton — 2008
* Author: Diandra Leslie-Pelecky
* Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket — 6¼ x 9¼ inches
* Pages: 288 — Black and white illustrations
* ISBN: 9780525950530

The Barn Party Fluster Cuck

2008-05-27T09:49:00.007-05:00

The emails are pouring in from the Sadler 'faithful' (now thats a relative term) concerning the Elliott Sadler 2008 Barn Party announcement. Looks like there are many question marks, followed by some unhappy fans.

More to come later in the week on this.

But lets give a shout out to the 19 team and a solid top 10. Lets hope this just isn't a blind dog finding a bone and ole MO can keep on trucking!

A couple of months ago, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky had a copy of 'The Physics of Nascar' sent to me for a review. If all goes well, Later this week I should have the finishing touches completed and post it here. This book is a must read for every Sadler fan, as well as any Nascar fan.

The 'Godfather' of the Oklahoma Wishbone

2008-05-23T12:09:00.008-05:00

Late yesterday evening the news came across that wires that Former Oklahoma Quarterback and Lieutenant Governor, Jack Mildren had finally lost his battle with stomach cancer.

See the footage below for a taste of Mildren’s brilliant captaincy of the ‘bone against a hapless Oklahoma State team, a clue of the reads and on-field brainbrawn that got Oklahoma 472.4 yards rushing per game in 1971, a standing record in the NCAA’s books.

I actually attending this Sugar Bowl game as a young Lugnut of 9 years old. #11 was greatness in the 40-22 win over Auburn.

From his presence on the field to the political world to being on the radio, the guy brought a very personal touch to everything he did. His call-it-like-I-see- it mentality was refreshing, not afraid to hold back what he thought.

'Thanks' to Jack for being a Sooner and a class act.
You'll be missed.

Jack Mildren
October 10, 1949-May 22, 2008

Elliott Sadler, open mouth, insert foot…..part two

2008-05-21T09:27:00.009-05:00

I few weeks ago I blogged that Elliott Sadler should really think before he speaks. Even some of his most ‘loyal’ fans agreed with comments like ‘he should just read from a script cause when he doesn’t, he just makes himself sound foolish'. Well, once again, Elliott Sadler has made himself look foolish with his comments from his weekly Sirius radio show with host Dave Moody.

It was only fair after Sadler's emotional comments he made when he just got out of a wrecked car last Saturday night that Sadler has a chance to speak more calmly about the contact between him and A.J. Allmendinger. And also have a chance to address the ‘bad press’ and fallout after his comments. Frankly, I have yet to read ANY writer support Sadler’s stance after his actions from the week before at Darlington. (If someone can find any, feel free to post them in the comments section)

While I still think Moody lobs softballs from time to time with his ‘regular’ guests, he did give Sadler every opportunity for some damage control. Once again, we hear Sadler open his mouth, and insert his foot.

Dave Moody: We are hoping to see more of you this weekend than last.

ES: Yeah, that was really hard to swallow. I am still as mad now as I was the other night. We really had a fast racecar, and wanted to run some and make it into the All-star race. I am glad my teammate got in the show and just had a tremendous night. Great call by Kenny to win the race. A lot of optimism for our team because of that.

Dave Moody: Have you had an opportunity to talk to AJ about it…to clear the road a bit between the 2 of you?

ES: No I have not. I am sure we'll bump into each other this weekend in Charlotte.

I am very frustrated with it. I want to say….talk about this today. There is a HUGE difference, and believe me you don't have to take my word for you can ask the other 42 drivers who race week in and week out. ….. Huge Difference in spinning under somebody and taking them out with you. That we see every week…when a guy gets on the bottom and gets loose and spins out and that is a big accident 99% of the time and not meaning to do that….there is a huge difference with that and just hitting somebody with your front bumper, which mean you could just lift off the gas and not run into him….a huge difference our…the way we race against each other because of that…..a big difference to see someone spin out under somebody and taking them out and running into the back of them. There is a lot of INTENT there, and intention to making that happen..there is still a lot of frustration there about that…..

Reagan Swain was one of the first to mention that Sadler was throwing stone from within his glass house, and others have jumped on this bandwagon. Sadler’s justifications simply don't fly and here is why.

1) In both wrecks that the 19 was involved with (Darlington and the All-Star), it appears that the car on the inside gets loose and makes contact with a car running outside of them. Of course it is clear to see that in the Darlington wreck, the 19 slid up into the 20 where the contact was with the 19s right rear quarter panel, to the 20’s left front quarter panel. But the bottom line is that the car running the inside lost control. The results after that fact is moot. And there was no front bumper to rear bumper contact as Sadler is insinuating.
2) Sadler uses the word ‘spinning’ as a justification. When comparing to two wrecks, I fail to see any car ‘spin’, once again, the term ‘getting loose’ is more appropriate.
3) Sadler mentions that ’42 other drivers’ agree that there is a huge difference. I am not sure what series Sadler is referring to, but I have yet to see any other CUP drivers support him in this cause.
4) Lastly, there is the ‘intent’ accusation. This is a very slippery slope Sadler is walking on, and only exposes Sadler as a whiner more than ever. Just as I did not fault Sadler at all for his wreck with the 20 car at Darlington, I’ll do the same for Allmendinger. In BOTH cases, there was no intent to wreck another car that can be seen, especially that early in either race.

Now what seems to be over looked by Sadler, and conveniently so, was that just the last green flag lap before this restart, it was Sadler himself who slid up the track almost in the very same spot, as did Allmendinger. (and thus the 84 car actually passed the 19, but Nascar refered to the previous scoring loop) Had there been a car on the outside of the 19 when this happened, the results would have been similar.

Allmendinger, just as Sadler was Darlington, has been very humble in his choice of words and in his public apology to Sadler and the 19 team. But for some reason, this has fallen on Sadler’s deaf ears.

I think that Brett Griffin addressed this issue a bit better with this post on SFC.

“Most people are gonna defend their favorite drivers. It's part of the sport. I can promise you every Tony Stewart fan was probably happy... nature of the sport. What sucked for us is that's the car that was so fast at the test, that sat on the pole... and that we felt like we could win the 600 win. That's why we were all so frustrated. Hopefully the guys will bring a good car and we'll have a good run. AJ didn't mean to do it but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Just ask TS. “

I have ventured over to a handful of Stewart boards after Darlington and after the All-Star and it was interesting to see the responses. After Darlington, I expected to see the mud slinging towards Sadler and the petty name-calling, but to my surprise I saw none of that. The TS fans were very understanding and showed little knee jerk reactions. I guess that comes with the success TS have been able to enjoy over the years. Even when ‘Karma’ could have been used after Sadler was out of the All-Star, there was little mention of ‘pay backs’. It just seemed to me that TS fans don’t like to see anyone get wrecked, whether if it is their driver or another driver.

Also it seems the Brett doesn’t agree with Sadler in terms of ‘intent’ either. I do agree with his frustration even admit the fact, it “doesn’t make it any easier to swallow”, as I was just as frustrated and echoed Brett’s F-Bomb over the scanner. When one has high expectations and early weekend ‘success’ as the 19 did, it stinks to have the results that were handed to them. The unknowns are the ones that sometimes can sting the most.

Problem is that Sadler is acting like a spoiled kid (something his Mom mentioned the week before?) when commenting on this accident over 72 hours later. There is no speaking out of emotion excuse that can be used now. That free pass was used up Saturday night.

Remember, this was a NON POINTS race and DW even made the comment to Sadler before the race to ‘bring the car home in first, or don’t bring it home at all’, and Sadler agreed with that mantra. Of course, that mantra doesn’t apply to next week and the 600. Frankly, I am just as optimistic about the 19’s chances seeing the success from last week.

I would much rather be wrecked in the All-Star than in the 600 when I felt I had a good car. One has to feel that the car used last week, if not wrecked would probably have been this week’s back-up car. So that being said, the 19 has reason to look forward to racing this weekend.

I remember Sadler's sophmore season when it was just about this time of the year and the Wood Brothers were very concerned about the number of cars in the stable that were 'raceday ready', because of all the wrecks Sadler was involved in. I haven't really kept track of Allmendinger, but I would be surprised if the number of wrecked cars would be any higher than back in the 2000 season. How soon we forget sometimes.

I got over the All-Star race late Saturday night; Maybe Sadler should do the same. Sadler is scheduled to appear on 'Nascar tonight' on ESPN2 Wednesday, only time will tell if he choses to use up another mulligan.

Elliott Sadler, next time just give the THUMBS UP!

2008-05-19T09:44:00.010-05:00

There is still time for Elliott Sadler to rethink his emotional statements from last Saturday night's All-Star 'open' Race.

One could say that he was just speaking out of anger of just being taken out of a non points race, but so far the 'Southern Gentleman' has been very quite. Sadler apologists are in full defense mode and are fully consumed in the effects of the kool-aid. Maybe instead of passing the cup around, they should just take a moment to read that 'Whats his name' did indeed address the contact and took FULL responsibility for it. Much the same way the Sadler did the week before for his 'rookie mistake' during a POINTS RACE.

But this blog from SNAFAM pretty much says it all and much better than I could. At least until either Sadler or Brett Griffin decide to come out of hiding and renege on their not very well thought out original comments.

I'm not holding my breath though, but if they do re-address this, I'll be happy to post it, but maybe next time this happens Elliott, just give a simple THUMBS UP on TeVee. Chances are it will be a better PR move. I am sure there will be more to say about this as time goes on.

A no Win Situation for Elliott Sadler

2008-05-16T07:11:00.006-05:00

First, let me state that for any sport I am not in favor of 'fan voting' for an All-Star event. Major League Baseball, for example, is more about a popularity contest than about which player is more deserving based on performance from the season.

The past week, Dale Jr made a comment that he hoped his 'Nation' would 'vote Elliott Sadler into the All-Star race'. While on the surface this is a nice gesture, but it does put Sadler in a no win situation.

1) If he doesn't 'race' his way into the race. (which in itself is not an easy thing to do) There can be the perception that Sadler just doesn't have 'what it takes' to make such a race.

2) If he does indeed get voted in, and doesn't run well, also the 'what it takes' perception maybe perceived.

In today's 'all or nothing' attitude with many fans (and that includes all sports), many times what gets lost are the little things that prevented the high level success. In Dallas, many fans call this the 'Superbowl or Bust' syndrome.

On the other hand, if Sadler is voted in with the help of the JR Nation, it may just be the "Racing God's" returning the favor from the 2000 All-Star Open when Sadler had a very good car that night, but the effort was cut short by an aggressive Mike Skinner (then driving the 31 car for RCR).

Watching this video reminds me of a few things. The first thing is that the contact looks very similar to the Sadler/Stewart contact from Darlington last week. Also the video doesn't show the previous couple of laps where the 31car was running the 21car 'up the track' almost every corner. But then again, that is a product of a non points race I guess.

Honestly, the only way for Sadler to 'win', is for him to drive the 19 car into victory lane at some point Saturday night. And sadly, that is not very fair.

Even Hitler wants to attend the Elliott Sadler Barn Party!

2008-05-12T09:36:00.006-05:00

But he too is frustrated with the lack of timely information and official releases for the Sadler Fan Club event!

It's the middle of May, and still waiting for 'more details to come'. Only leaks of information and speculation. One has to wonder just how realistic this spoof is for the everyday Sadler fan reaction upon hearing about this stuff from other fan clubs.

That was quick

2008-05-11T19:03:00.006-05:00

Before one could say "track too tough to tame" the 19 was behind the wall. And it wasn't long after that the emails began to flow my directions asking what I thought of 'my driver' now.

Now I have rarely faulted the on track 'Southern Gentleman', and once again in this case, I don't fault him at all. I certainly didn't fault the new Candyman last week for getting into the 'Nation' last week, and this week is no different for the 19.

A few observations though:

I like what Spotterman (Brett Griffin) was doing just after contact. He never quit spotting, and was coaching Elliott to 'keep the car up there if you can' (out of harm's way). Once the green flag flies, Griffin never quits, you got to give credit where credit is due.

Also the way Sadler handled the post race. While in many ways one could consider he was being a bit hard on himself, he took full responsibility. It might be one thing if Sadler attempted to pull moves like this out of his butt week in and week out, but this is something that rarely happens.

It will be interesting to hear Tony Stewart on Sirius Monday with his response. Honestly, there isn't much he can say that Sadler hasn't.

Some are falling into the bad luck Sadler' trap, and that maybe true. But I'll just chalk this one up to just one of those deals that happen now and then.

If you are a fan, you plan

2008-05-09T11:05:00.005-05:00

I was reading some of the NHL message boards the other day and saw many complaints concerning the NHL TeVee package and was reminded of some of the whining from a few weeks ago when ESPN was forced to shift some programing.

In a nutshell, ESPN was forced to move the NationWide broadcast to ESPN Classic (also broad casted on Speed I believe) in favor of a NBA play-off game. I saw that some NASCAR fans were upset about this move because either they didn't have ESPN Classic programing, or because the race would not be broadcast in High Def. And of course, it was all "NA$CAR's" fault.

Now I don't really consider myself a huge hockey fan, but when the play-offs role around I will try to tune in, especially when the Dallas Stars have advanced to the conference finals. Last night was 'game 1' between Dallas and Detroit and one would think that someone living in the DFW area would have no problem tuning in. No such luck for the 'fair weather' hockey fan. It seems that VERSUS is only offered by Dish Network on their highest level (and pricing) packages. I do have the 'top 200' package (mainly because it offers all the Nascar and College Football programing I seek), but to receive VERSUS, I need the 'top 250' package.

I have little room to complain though, because if I really cared about the NHL (and more specifically the Stars), I would have ponied up in order to receive the programing I desired. The same would be said if the Nascar TeVee package changed to some obscure network, I would gladly pay the extra bucks because it is a priority for me. If i am a fan, I'll plan.

Elliott Sadler spoofs 'Chocolate Rain'

2008-05-07T07:36:00.008-05:00

21 million YouTube hits later, the 'Chocolate Rain' Phenomena took an unlikely twist this week when Elliott Sadler recorded his own version of the song. "Southern Gent' is sure to become an over night YouTube sensation once released. Double secret inside sources have leaked the lyrics of 'Southern Gent' and a photo from the recording session.

"Southern Gent"
(sung to the tune of 'Chocolate Rain')

Southern Gent
EA Sports will never be the same
Southern Gent
Track Side Live is getting pretty lame

Southern Gent
Growing hair, what happened to your shame?
Southern Gent
Aruba trips can give you some back pain

Southern Gent
Pre-race quotes have just become a game
Southern Gent
Decrypted words of just who is to blame

Southern Gent
It’s so cool to speak some Sadlereese
Southern Gent
Of course a portion will go to Charity

Southern Gent
Jet setting across the U.S.A.
Southern Gent
Love the games that people play

Southern Gent
What happens when you only have four?
Southern Gent
Or late night banging on your door?

Southern Gent
Trying to continue to be the heartthrob
Southern Gent
Remembering it’s still a job

Southern Gent
Another Crew Chief comes and goes
Southern Gent
Remember your ride is the one you chose

Southern Gent
Parties inside your Motor Coach
Southern Gent
Teachers are the very last to know

Southern Gent
Trying hard to go fast and turn left
Southern Gent
Wondering if he will ever be the best

Southern Gent
Fans aren’t true unless they can pay
Southern Gent
Deserted souvenir haulers on the way

Southern Gent
Do you miss the Candyman?
Southern Gent
Remember when you had some vocal fans

Southern Gent
16 bologna burgers ain’t no thang
Southern Gent
What is the one thing you might want to change?

Southern Gent
Driving clean and with some respect
Southern Gent
Hoping others don’t get you wrecked

Southern Gent
Searching for two thousand and four
Southern Gent
Feeling the pressure more and more

Southern Gent
What ever happened to that master ‘plan’?
Southern Gent
Hawking your name to sell some land

Southern Gent
Forgetting about the average fan
Southern Gent
Taking advantage while you can

Southern Gent
Finding out that MySpace is the devil
Southern Gent
Never know if you are on the level

Southern Gent
What ever happened to ‘quiet confidence’?
Southern Gent
Gone are the days of good ole Diamond Ridge

Southern Gent
A contract is just a piece of paper
Southern Gent
Don’t tell them now, just tell them later

Southern Gent
Make them think you are such a great guy
Southern Gent
Look a little closer and see the lie

Southern Gent
After all this time, surely there’s something more
Southern Gent
How much longer before everyone gets bored

Let the Youtube searchs begin! and feel free to add a verse or two in the comment section.

Next year’s budget is finished

2008-05-06T09:47:00.008-05:00

When it is budget time, the outside world stops and this budget ‘season’ was no exception. Signing off on an annual budget that is larger than a multi car ‘tier one ‘ Sprint Cup team is really not that hard, but it is time consuming.

That being said, I have finally been able to collect my thoughts from last Saturday’s fine race at Richmond. It is always interesting to take a back seat and watch the fall-out from such a ‘controversial’ race, before commenting. Here are some thoughts:

There will always be a ‘Villain’Kyle Busch is playing the leading role as the ‘villain’. Now all that is missing is a Russian accent or a cheesy mustache. The ‘Junior Nation’ (actually much of the Nascar Nation) has turned the late race contact into grounds for an execution. On the track, it was simply two race car drivers fighting for the same 18 or so inches of race track. I saw no intent what so ever on either part. I did see two drivers wanting and fighting tooth and nail to win a race. (I wish ‘my driver’ would be in position to do that someday) BOTH had changed their racing lines in order to make it more difficult for the other, that’s called ‘racing’.

One doesn’t have to like little Busch at all, but the Junior Nation’s memory grows shorter with each passing race. How soon they forget when Junior ‘turned’ Kyle when Kyle was in the CHASE at Kansas last year. Not that two wrongs make it right, but the point is that ‘their driver’ is not immune from causing other driver’s grief. (BTW, JR went on to a top ten finish that day while Kyle finished in the high 30s)

But their has always been a villain. If you look back through the eras of Nascar they can be easy to spot. From Little Busch, to Tony Stewart, to Jimmy Spencer, to Dale Earnhardt SR, to Darrell Waltrip, to even someone as gracious as Morgan Shepherd (waiting for lightning strike). All these race drivers at one time in their young careers were not the most ‘favorite’ when it came to the mainstream race fan. And yes, the BOO BIRDS could be heard during driver intros. One thing for sure nowadays though, is that there is more of a microscope on the ‘villain’ today, than in previous eras and Kyle will have to deal with that off the track.

Like the ‘magic towel’ in Soccer:Ever watched a World Cup Soccer game and see a player get taken down and the player rolls in pain holding his knee? Well, what the player is doing is trying to ‘sell’ his ‘injury’ in order to get the official (referee) to call a penalty. Whether a penalty is called or not, what happens next is almost comical. A trainer comes to the player who is still flopping in pain and applies the ‘magic towel’ for a few moments. Then all of the sudden said player jumps to his feet as if nothing had happened. This is how I equate the stunt that Denny Hamlin attempted to pull. Should Nascar have taking the action that they did? Of course, and the reason was that precedent had been set numerous times in the past few years. Honestly, two laps may not have been enough, but on the other hand, Hamlin doesn’t have a history of actions like this. So he does warrant some leniency.

Just Brakes!!!!!Another promising qualifying effort slips away to a not so thrilling finish for the 19. but it could have been worse. Elliott Sadler pointed the finger at ‘changing the brakes’ from last year, and that very well could be the case but I have a few concerns. Sadler did have a history of ‘using up the brakes’ (his words, not mine) when he was with RYR from time to time, so maybe the problems might be more driver induced and not an equipment flaw. Had the 9 or 10 cars also had brake issues it may have supported Sadler’s claim a bit, but neither car reported that. The 9 car did however have some rear brake issues at Phoenix earlier this year, but from the sounds of the explanations, these two were not related. (The 9 car was not over heating, but that the rears were not disengaging when the brake peddle was lifted) And isn’t it odd that there were no complaints from Sadler about these brakes at Phoenix? One would think that if this were really a problem, it would have been mentioned before.

‘Over heating’ brakes is a product of racing at shorter track and is not uncommon. I think that more times than not, it is caused more by ‘driver abuse’ than a part failing. Should Sadler blame the brakes? Nope. Should Sadler blame himself? Nope. It is just one of those things that happen, and frankly, Sadler made the best out of a bad situation. He stayed out of trouble. He and his spotter (Brett Griffin) were able to maneuver out of harm’s way of the ‘big one’ this time, and through attrition of others, was able to take home a top 20.

Not what the 19 team wanted, but it could have been much worse. Especially at a track that could be considered one of Sadler’s Achilles Heal. On to the Old Lady in Black, and a track that should bring some optimism for Sadler fans.

"We got clipped!!!"

2008-04-28T15:00:00.006-05:00

"We got clipped!", were some of the final words over the 19 scanner by Brett Griffin following the final lap 'big one'. But maybe Griffin should have said 'We got Jipped!!!"

But unfortunately for the 19 team, this is a product of plate racing, and I am sure if we dug deep enough we can find a plate race from the past where Sadler gained 15 or so spots because of missing a late race big one. But that doesn't help the 19 team today.

I thought this Dega race was a pretty good one in terms of 'racing'. Like we saw last fall, if the drivers chose to race, there was two, three and four wide action. I felt during the later stages of the race that there were about 20 or so cars (including the 19) that had a legitimate shot of winning if the pieces fell into place the last 2 or so laps.

As for the 19 team, this race should be looked at like a baseball box score when a batter hits a screaming line drive into the gap, but the center fielder makes a diving catch for the out. It may not count for much, but to the batter, he knows he had good contact, but just got jipped. And can't wait for the next at-bat against that pitcher. The 19 team can say the same thing about their efforts at Dega yesterday.

On to the 'Action track' and another at-bat!

Can you hear me now?

2008-04-24T09:13:00.008-05:00

I get blasted all the time via email from folks that feel I am ‘picking’ on poor, poor Elliott Sadler and that I should leave him alone. But as time goes by, it is funny to see how some of their perceptions change.

I have never met this person, but she seems to be singing a similar song that I have been singing for years when it comes to how the Sadler Fan Club conducts business. She recently joined the Kyle Busch Fan Club and compares her experience from just a couple of years ago dealing with SFC. She does not pull any punches:

“Two years ago, I joined another driver's fan club and was so disappointed by what I received, I called and requested a refund. Since then, I have not thought fan clubs were a good idea..... All indications are that Kyle Busch is a very, very classy young man and a savvy business person. He understands and appreciates his fans and values their loyalty. He obviously realizes you get what you give and if you treat people the right way, they will support you and reciprocate understanding.”

And then she twisted the dagger

“For two years, I have wondered why a great guy, like Elliott Sadler, has such a pitiful fan club organization.”

Her frustration is clear and something that is becoming more commonplace with each passing season when it comes to what is now being called ‘Sadler Speak’. ‘Sadler Speak’, has been noted on this blog a handful of times, and with just a quick look at the Fan Club site, it can still be seen today. For example when purchasing a SFC membership, one can read this:

“Everyone who joins the Sadler Fan Club now will be joining for 2008. Each member will receive a fan package after the first of the 2008 calendar year. The contents of the 2008 Fan Package will be listed at a later date.”

The irony lies is that the initial shipping of the fan club packages went out almost 2 months ago. But for new, prospective members, one still has to hear the ‘later date’ promises.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Just this week, the Sadler PR machine was once again in full damage control mode when some details for the annual ‘Sadler Barn Party’ leaked out to ANOTHER FAN CLUB! For what ever reason, members of ‘Club Kahne’ were informed that Barn Party would also be a joint venture of the Kasey Kahne and Dale Jarrett Fan Clubs. So much for ‘exclusitivity’ that SFC members have been promised over and over.

Thus the need for an ‘update’ from the “Southern Gentleman” himself. While it is great to hear that Bel is doing well, and that Sadler’s back is doing better. (Don’t worry about that ‘Fandango’ appearance at TMS with an ‘80%’ back doing his best Eddie Van Halen imitation) Once again we hear the excuses and ‘details to come’ spin from Sadler (really I should be fair and say that it is most likely ‘Spotterman’ doing the writing)

“The Barn Party plans are coming along. Blake is nailed down, Kasey Kahne is nailed down and so is Dale Jarrett. It'll be a blast. I think Sean posted the dates a few weeks ago but just in case it's going to be Sept. 3. It was easy to lock my schedule down but dealing with other guys that have crazy schedules, too, made it take a little longer to get all of the details together. We'll have information coming out soon regarding tickets.”

Side note:
Blake huh? I guess that helps explain some of the very unflattering MySpace pictures taken in Sadler’s Motorcoach at TMS. Must have been ‘negotiating’ and getting things lined out, but someone was missing!

Remember just a week or so ago I blogged about this very thing and listed the order of questions many fans will have when it comes to an event like this? Just in case you forgot:

1) What is the date of the event so I can make some plans (take off work, make travel reservations, lodging etc)
2) When will tickets for the event go on sale?
3) How many tickets can a single member purchase?
4) Can I bring a non fan club member guest?
5) What are the specific details of the event (how long, who will be appearing etc)

Again, we are still stuck on STEP TWO!!!!!!

More promises of ‘details coming soon’, and ‘bigger and better’. But I would question is ‘bigger’ really ‘better’? The exclusive part of being a SFC member and access seems to be fading in the wind. Much like the not very well thought out VLP SFC poker tourneys. Where supposedly ‘private’ passwords were made public and many SFC members were left out in the cold.

Can you hear me now? Probably not. Some will continue to drink the kool aid no matter what, but as time goes by, others will move on. The Gal that wrote that Sporting News Blog, obviously has.

BOOMER!!!!!!

2008-04-22T08:41:00.008-05:00

April 22, 1889: Biggest Oklahoma land rush begins

OU fans hear this question all the time; 'Where does Boomer Sooner come from?'

119 years ago today, at precisely high noon, thousands of would-be settlers make a mad dash into the newly opened Oklahoma Territory to claim cheap land. It was to be the first of many land runs, but later land openings were conducted by means of a lottery because of widespread cheating.

There were five land runs in Oklahoma:

1. Land Run of 1889 took place on this day at high noon in 1889 and involved the settlement of the Unassigned Lands (most of modern day Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties).

2. September 22, 1891: Land run to settle Iowa, Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie, and Shawnee lands. (Your correspondent's great gandfather Jim Lester made that one. Unfortunately, he got hooked out of his claim five years later because he hadn't "made the required improvements to the land." See, you didn't get to keep your claim unless you threw up appropriate buildings on it. He just farmed his, and being single, lived in a shack. No biggy, he ended up buying a quarter section in Okfuskee County and made a go of it, eventually acquiring a whole 160 acre section just northeast of Okemah. That area is still known as Lester Township. My great grandpa is buried in the Welty cemetery. His daughter (my granny), raised on that place married a boy from Lone Grove, OK and they settled in Ardmore in the 1920's.)

3. April 19, 1892: Land run to settle the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands.

4. September 16, 1893: Cherokee Strip Land Run. The Run of the Cherokee Strip opened nearly 7,000,000 acres to settlement. The land was purchased from the Cherokees for $7,000,000.

5. May 23, 1895: Land run to settle the Kickapoo lands

In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison agreed, making the first of a long series of authorizations that eventually removed most of Indian Territory from Indian control.

To begin the process of white settlement, Harrison chose to open a 1.9 million-acre section in the central part of modern Oklahoma that the government had never assigned to any specific tribe.

On March 3, 1889, Harrison announced the government would open the 1.9 million-acre tract of Indian Territory for settlement precisely at noon on April 22. Anyone could join the race for the land, but no one was supposed to jump the gun.

With only seven weeks to prepare, land-hungry Americans quickly began to gather around the borders of the irregular rectangle of territory. Referred to as "Boomers," by the appointed day more than 50,000 hopefuls were living in tent cities on all four sides of the territory.

The events that day at Fort Reno on the western border were typical. At 11:50 a.m., soldiers called for everyone to form a line. When the hands of the clock reached noon, the cannon of the fort boomed, and the soldiers signaled the settlers to start.

With the crack of hundreds of whips, thousands of Boomers streamed into the territory in wagons, on horseback, and on foot. All told, from 50,000 to 60,000 settlers entered the territory that day. By nightfall, they had staked thousands of claims either on town lots or quarter section farm plots. Towns like Norman, Oklahoma City, Kingfisher, and Guthrie sprang into being almost overnight.

An extraordinary display of both the pioneer spirit and the American lust for land, the first Oklahoma land rush was also plagued by greed and fraud. Cases involving "Sooners"--people who had entered the territory before the legal date and time--overloaded courts for years to come.

By 1905, white Americans owned most of the land in Indian Territory. Two years later, the area once known as Indian Territory entered the Union as a part of the new state of Oklahoma.

As time went on, "Sooner" came to be a synonym of Progressivism. The Sooner was an "energetic individual who travels ahead of the human procession." He was prosperous, ambitious, competent, a "can-do" individual. And Oklahoma was the Sooner State, the land of opportunity, enterprise and economic expansion, very much in the Progressive spirit that engulfed the old South in the 1920s.

The Media is a funny animal

2008-04-21T11:20:00.007-05:00

After another great weekend of watching some ‘grass roots’ racing at ThunderHill Raceway featuring the TSRS (Texas Super Racing Series) and the Nascar Grand National Camping World West Series, there are still some that will complain. This year it seems that the complaints are coming for Media members who were denied their media access to this event due to not filling out the proper paper work in advance.

What the writer omits is that while this event was held at a ‘local track’, there were procedures put into place that were dictated not only by the race promoter (Full Throttle Productions), but also most likely by Nascar itself. So the writer’s statement of;

“I can understand if this happened maybe at Daytona, Talledega or Texas Motor Speedway. But we are talking about Thunderhill Raceway, a 3/8-mile short track in Kyle, Texas.”

is moot. The reason is simple, and because this was a Nascar Sanctioned event, one could assume beyond a reasonable doubt that media procedures would be different than a normal race weekend at THR.A couple of years ago, David Poole got on one of his whining-blogs about how the treatment of the media has changed over the years. He went on to complain about the free food offered, and even one time went so far as to complain about the live entertainment at the ‘press banquet’ in NYC during the awards ceremony week.

Sometime these guys (and gals) need to step back, and spend some race weekend as ‘just a normal race fan’, which includes making sure that they understand the tracks rules before ever leaving the house. Paying to park (if charged) and not parking within a stones throw of the venue, Paying the admission price, and even going through the sometimes hassle of pre-ordering tickets, Paying for refreshments, waiting in line. Their perspective and their coverage might change a bit.

I also found it funny that this writer also later stated that he was hired at the San Antonio Express-News in 1987, he was instructed by his editors at the San Antonio Express-News to never pay admission for an event that he covered for the paper. While that maybe the newspaper’s policy, it as just a further example of the arrogance sometimes shown by the ‘professional’ media. I wonder what the reaction of the San Antonio Express-News might be if one of their advertising sponsors who are paying big bucks for ad space, decide that they don’t have to follow the newspaper’s pre-ad rules. Then want to renegotiate the ad price because this newspaper does not ‘pay admission’ to cover events.

The writer in this case is taking much for granted and by writing the article is deflecting the real issue at hand. His lack of pre-race preparation. Asking most ‘regular fans’ just how much preparation they do before setting foot on a speedway property and they will tell you that it starts, weeks, and sometimes months in advance. Why? Because rules change and ignorance of those rules is not a very good excuse.

Like I said, I am just a regular race fan, but here is what I got for my admission price ($30.00). Two very competitive races, and 15 minutes after the race was over, full access to the pit and crew areas. I watched and listened to post race interviews from just a few feet away from both print and TeVee media. I watched post race inspections and was just as close to the ‘action’ as any other media person with full credentials. I guess what I didn’t have access to was the ‘media room’ in the press box, with the catered food and drinks.

Late in the race, I had a passing conversation with the track owner and was able to express my thanks for all her hard work putting an event like this together. It was refreshing that she was willing to walk through the masses and speak to the fans. Maybe that is just the different set of priorities that some of the local media took exception to where the race fan’s efforts came first, not just catering to someone with a press credential.

The track owner, the race promoter, Nascar, TSRS and everyone behind the scenes should be commended for their efforts. I’ll surely be back from Dallas next year for this event, and frankly will be down for a couple of ‘weekly race series’ events at THR as well.

Here We Go Again!

2008-04-15T14:53:00.008-05:00

About this time last year I was fortunate to stumble about a diamond in the rough when I was invited for a weekend of short track racing at Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas. (just a few miles south of Austin) Now many race fans 'back East' just wouldn't understand the joy of driving close to 5 hours one way just to see some asphalt short track racing, but because 'everything is bigger in Texas', that is just goes with the territory.

So it is back the THR for the Camping World West Series and the TSRS (Texas Super Racing Series) for a night of up close and personal observation for the 'everyday race fan'. A place where pit passes run about $25 and the friendly staff is more than willing to lend a helping hand when needed and go the extra mile for their patrons.

A place where one can walk up an observe a Nascar post race inspection or walk just a few feet and eaves drop on the comments of such up-starts as Joey Logano about the night of racing.

A place where one can mosey up and listen in on the pre-race driver's meetings and hear just what these local racers and promoters go through each week to put on a good show for us race fans.

A place that does have rules, but the list of rules are not so long that one ponders and asks, 'why not just make a set off rules of things I CAN do, it would be shorter that way'. A place where the main rule is just use common sense.

A place where the choice of beverage and food is still reasonable in price (Don't get me started about the 6 freakin Dollar Ice Tea at TMS), and served with a smile and a 'thank you'.
After going last year, I also noticed that HDNET broad casted the race, so throughout the summer I would tune into these broadcasts. The picture quality of HDNET is second to none and the night race formats make for some great race watching on TeVee. If you ever have the chance to catch any of these broadcasts, you should check them out. If not for the racing, just do it for the picture quality alone.

So yes, to some, driving 5 hours to watch a bunch of people I honestly don't follow go around in circles for a couple hours is truly a joy. Something I look forward to each spring now.

Phoenix quick hits

2008-04-14T10:56:00.005-05:00

You just knew it was going to be a strange night when the FOX hierarchy decided to forgo the pre-race ceremony broadcast, in favor of a Major TeVee Market Area rained delayed Baseball broadcast. Actually, I understand their logic, I don't have to like it, but I understand it. But there were a few 'Heidi' jokes in the 'race chat' that I frequent during races.

Listening to the 19 team's scanner chat was pretty interesting. Elliott Sadler once again didn't like his car, but he also seemed to have a sense of focus and priority about his communication for the changes he wanted. That can only be viewed as a good sign. I understand that only a little more than halfway of the race was complete when the 19 had the terminal mechanical problems, but it would have been very interesting to see how the cooler track temps would have effected Sadler in the long run.

After the 19 went out of the race, I switch to listening to the 48 team (my ole standby back in the days of only having a dozen or so cars on TrackPass) The calmness and drive this team seems to have when going through adversity in a nut shell, is breath taking. Even near the end of the race when fuel windows were in question there was no panic over the scanner. I guess that why there are a couple of Sprint Cups in the 48's trophy case these days.

Over all, it was another entertaining race. I just wish the 19 can get rid of those inner demons when they have what seems to be a competitive car. Maybe in two weeks at Dega!.

The Long Wait is Over, well sort of

2008-04-11T09:13:00.011-05:00

Word from Sadlerville has finally come down and the Sadler Fan Club Barn party date has finally been announced. But the story just doesn’t stop there with the SFC Webmaster’s announcement.

The ‘Goatfish’ states “Sept 3rd which is the Wed before the Fall Richmond race will be the date of the Barn Party”. (Hallelujah chorus in the background) Now Sadler fans are scrambling to find the best airfares, and might be a bit distraught and dismayed when they realize that airfare prices have risen over 25% to 50% since the original claims of ‘details coming soon’. To many Sadler fans, that 25% to 50% is a significant price to have to pay due to the procrastination of this announcement.

I don’t think many expected full details to be announce before the beginning of this year, but my contention has been since the original announcement that the fan event was indeed going to take place over 8 MONTHS AGO, simply announcing a date so fans can make travel arrangements should have been a priority. But it seems that the mantra when it comes to the consideration of the paying Sadler Fan Club members, is on a ‘need to know’ basis. How many times have we heard “Stay tuned and look for details soon!!” I have lost count!

There is a natural progression for fan questions when it comes to events like these, but for some reason the powers that be at SFC don’t understand them. What is this natural progression and curiosity for fans after the original announcement of an event? (and trust me, these questions have been asked over and over and have not been answered for some strange reason)
1) What is the date of the event so I can make some plans (take off work, make travel reservations, lodging etc)
2) When will tickets for the event go on sale?
3) How many tickets can a single member purchase?
4) Can I bring a non fan club member guest?
5) What are the specific details of the event (how long, who will be appearing etc)

So after 8 months and some waffling, this event that has been promised to be ‘bigger and better than ever’ has finally got passed step NUMBER ONE. (Hallelujah chorus in the background) It might not be so bad had we not had to go through 6 or so months of quotes like these:

“The plan is to announce a fan club party (aka barn party) 'details' before the end of the year.” Brett Griffin, October, 2007

“This year we plan on having more fan events including a bigger and better barn party. Our folks are working out the details now and we're hoping you'll like the lineup of drivers and entertainment we're trying to put together. We should have details out regarding the event in September by February.” Elliott Sadler, January 2008

“It would be safe to say we have a date for the barn party. I know you guys are eager to find out as Sean and I have been getting numerous Emails. What's happened is the barn party is going to have multiple celebrities so we can't announce it until "everyone" is ready. Can you save a date? Yes I can help you with that. To be safe... save 2 days -- sept 3 & 4” We'll make an official announcement as soon as we can get everyone's blessing on what we'll be able to release. Brett Griffin, January 2008

“"We should have some information to announce for the Barn Party soon along with other Fan Club news for 2008." SFC Webmaster, January 2008

since those quotes, nothing has been said about this event nor questions been answered when asked. Me thinks this has been strung out long enough and the paying Sadler Fan Club members are indeed paying for it with ever-rising travel costs. ‘Steps 2, 3 and 4’ should not be that difficult to figure out and announce let alone step 1. Step 5 at this time really as not applicable till closer to the event anyway.

Now before the hate mail starts flowing, this event is probably one of the ‘top’ events offered by any Nascar driver to their fan club. I have yet to speak with a fan club member who attended the ‘annual’ party two years ago who felt they did not have a good time or felt like it was not worth it. But the fact is that not everyone has a private jet to fly around the country on a whim, or live with in a stones throw of Emporia. It is funny that there is a movement to ‘get back to your roots’ and return to catering to the ‘average fan’, instead of the ‘cooperate luxury suite’ fan. But the first 8 months since the announcement of the barn party, some may need to hitch a ride or sneak into a pool party just to feel like they are a part of something.

I realize that working out details for the recent 2 year contract extension between Sadler and GEM does take priority (but we all know those contracts don't mean much anyway), like always, I am sure there will be ‘more details coming soon’.

On to Phoenix where Elliott Sadler got those "Bob Uecker" qualifying tickets and is starting on the front rooooowwww!

Just Thinkin

2008-04-09T07:47:00.005-05:00

So Ryan Newman was hit with a 25 point reduction for having his right rear quarter panel being to high in post race inspection.

from Nascar:
NASCAR has issued penalties and fines to the #12 team that competes in the Sprint Cup Series, as a result of rule infractions found last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. The #12 car driven by Ryan Newman was found to be in violation of Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment used do not conform to NASCAR rules); and 12.8.1C (right rear quarter panel height did not meet the required specification; too high in post race inspection) of the 2008 NASCAR rule book. As a result, Newman and car owner Roger Penske have been penalized 25 championship driver and 25 championship owner points, respectively. Crew chief Roy McCauley has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

My knee jerk reaction was 'why not the standard C.O.T. 100 point penalty'? But I didin't have to search for long to realize that there has already been a precedence set in a C.O.T. race last season. Flash back to the fall Dover race last season and you will see:

The #99 Ford driven by Edwards was found to be too low in the right rear area, which violated Sections 12-4-A (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-Q (car, car parts, components and/or equipment not conforming to NASCAR rules); and 20-12.8.1C (failed to meet minimum rear car heights) of NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Technical Bulletin #3 dated April 10, 2007. In addition, those infractions have resulted in a $25,000 fine for Edwards’ crew chief Bob Osborne, plus a penalty of 25 car owner championship points for Roush Fenway Racing. Osborne also has been placed on probation until Dec. 31.

So it appears that if Nascar cannot have reasonable suspicion that the violation was intentional for a height violation, then the standard penalty will be 25 points. (and the above)

I don't see a problem with that.

Another TMS race weekend in the books

2008-04-08T09:22:00.011-05:00

I survived yet another TMS race weekend and once again the most fan friendly track on the circuit delivers. That not to say that TMS couldn’t do a better job with some things, but over all, the race weekend experience is second to none from any other Cup track I have attended. Late last night I received an email that Brett Griffin (aka spotterman) had made yet another post on SFC so I thought it would be interesting to re-post his perspective of the race weekend, compared to mine (just a typical race fan).

Brett: Did Texas Suck? Well, it depends on what we're talking about?
1. Fandango rocked. That's one of the coolest fan events of the year! Elliott and Jeff Gordon rocked out!!

Phil: Fandango is probably my least favorite event of the weekend. For me I simply don’t like that type of sideshow. However, that being said, I do understand that I am in the minority and that there are a lot of fans that love this event. It is a very nice fireworks display at the end!

Brett: 2. The weather was finally nice. Thank goodness!!

Phil: The area did need that storm that hit over night Thursday and for the average RV race fan, that storm probably aloud for fire pits in the RV areas. Note to Eddie Gossage: We all understand the dangers of open pit fires and that they should be handled with care, but when your WEBSITE with the camping rules don’t include a ‘change’ from previous years due to the Forth Worth Fire Marshal’s ‘memo’ dated near the first of January, expect a little back lash.

Brett: 3. The race was boring. This is one of the best tracks on the circuit. Jimmie said I didn't realize how bad these cars drive even when they are good... after he hasn't been in the game at the last few larger tracks.

Phil: This race reminded me of the 1999 TMS race (btw, that race was Elliott Sadler’s first ever top ten finish). The ’99 race had a similar amount of cautions and also like last Sunday’s race, had a very long green flag run of over 100 laps in the final 1/3 of the race. The ’99 race ended under caution just as this race would have had it not been for the green/white/checker. And yes, after the ’99 race, the consensus was that was a ‘boring race’ as well. The saving grace for that race was the winner (Terry Labonte) being a home state favorite.

Brett: 4. Jeff Gordon -- wow he dominated at some of the larger tracks early on. Sunday, he looked like we did at ATl and it bit him and he turned it into a test session. They'll recover but it goes to show you need something to drive!

Phil: Every race team gets a mulligan, and the 24 used theirs up.

Brett: 5. Elliott Sadler -- This Elliott's second best track in my opinion. We didn't capitalize on Sunday. At times we were a top 15 team and at times we weren't. There were several cars sliding around worse than ours but overall we just needed more overall grip!

Phil: I think that’s a pretty fair assessment for the effort over-all. Track position was key through-out the day, and when the 19 was able to take advantage of the 42 and 17 getting together, the 19 was able to run with the majority of the lead lap cars. What I did find interesting was that when this segment was taking place, Sadler was still not happy with his car, and the opportunity for drinking game consumption almost tripled. I guess a driver is never satisfied with his racecar.

Brett: 6. Carl Edwards -- Wow. On Fire! I guess he did think it was fun to drive considering his team is dominating these larger tracks... swap him with one of "the others" and see how he likes it. LOL! He may be LOST!

Phil: No ‘oil pan gate’ needed, just as I would guess that the infraction really didn’t gain a significant advantage in the first place. But Nascar did that right thing, with the penalty accessed. Even though at no time intent was proven. Carl was correct though with his quote that in racing there will always be cars that a ‘better’ than others. The C.O.T. is still work in progress, and what I find interesting, is that it is not just a single manufacturer claiming foul. Remember the ‘Ford/ Chevy’ advantage wars of the late ‘90s and ‘00s? Then Nascar would add or cut a little spoiler off one manufacturer or add some to another to ‘create equal racing’. Talk about a mess!

Brett: 7. NASCAR -- several guys were worn out after the race most notably the 11 and 12... are these cars to hot or is the first hot race of the year to blame? Please make it where these guys can race. Late race cautions aren't going to bail you out every week.

Phil: TMS is traditionally the ‘first hot race’ of the season. Just guessing but I think driver comfort had more to do with not being acclimated yet. As far as making the cars where the guys can race? Maybe that has more to do with ‘acclimation’ of the C.O.T. as well. I realize Nascar limits testing in an attempt to save the teams money, but at this stage of the C.O.T. maybe having more testing with Goodyear would be more beneficial than mid season C.O.T. aero changes. Just a guess though, I'm thinking Michael McDowell is pretty happy about using the C.O.T.

Brett: 8. 12 car -- typical COT fine is my guess...

Phil: Don’t see how it could be anything different either.

Brett: 9. E's back -- Sunday I'd say he was 95%

Phil: Back injuries are no fun and unpredictable. Glad to see that this injury hasn’t seemed to play a huge role over the past two weeks.

Brett: 10. Texas Motor Speedway -- Best Promoter in the sport. One of my favorite tracks. Great crowd!! Great state. Great people. I can't wait to come back!

Phil: There is a reason why I relocated to Texas some 10 years ago!

Lastly, a week or so ago I finished reading this book: The Physics of Nascar. I have been asked to pen a short review which I hope to have finished in a week or so, but if you are an Elliott Sadler fan (even if you are not) and followed the 19 team last year this is a must read book. More to come on this subject.

"Good Job 19…..Good Job"

2008-03-31T09:08:00.005-05:00

Brett Griffin (aka Spotterman) doesn’t really like it when fans can listen to scanner chatter during races via Trackpss and such because he thinks that not everything said should be for the general public. That may or may not be correct, but having total access is something that sets Nascar apart from most other sports. So after the health issues Elliott Sadler was having last week, there was of course a more heightened sense of awareness and curiosity for listening to the 19 scanner at Martinsville.

Nascar.com’s Raygan Swan had a nice ‘fluffer’ piece about Sadler’s effort yesterday but she really didn’t do it justice. For one, she made this comment after Sadler had summarized how he felt during the race and that he had taken Tylenol to help with his pain:

“What? No Goody's on hand? Nice sponsor plug, Sadler. Even in pain you're thinking of your backers.”

Raygan, you are taking to Elliott Sadler, not Richard Petty. Sadler is a member of ‘Team Tylenol’, how can you forget about ‘Rabbit release gels’ or this spot from last season?

Team Tylenol presents “The Pain of Bristol” with Elliott Sadler
"Wherin you’re a’ Bristow
Theyuh’s jus’ no breyuhk, no reyuhst
Sow yew jus’ reyuhlly on tawp o’d wheeyuhl th’ whowuhl’ tiime an’
Th’ g-fowuhses awe definadlty pullin’ a lodda loawuhd own yer showuhlduhs
So yew hayuhve a lodda ayches an’ payuhns when tha’ rayuhs is ovuh’wit.
Annc’r: Rapid Release Gels from Team Tyelnol! Think Fast!
Annc’r Tag (very fast read): Use only as directed!"

Look for a spring Martinsville ’08 version on your TeVee in the near future. My only question is, did Sadler check the expiration date of those Tylenol’s?

Once again, I have gone a bit of topic.

While listening to the scanner, all day there was a sense of ‘team’ and unity. I made the comment to a friend that “I don’t know what kind of ‘happy pills’ the 19 team took today, but everyone sounds so upbeat”. I haven’t heard this type of optimism, resolve and positive attitude since the 2004 season. It was refreshing to say the least.

Maybe it was having a substitute driver (one that had won the CTS race the day before) waiting with fire suit on and ready to jump in the car at any time and if that driver did well, what would be the result of the speculation. Just what would have been the talk today, had Setzer garnered a top 15 finish? But the simple fact is, that we will never know because Sadler was able to overcome adversity both on and off the track and bring home one of his best finishes in his career at a track that should be considered not one of his strong suits.

But it just didn’t end with the driver. Brett Griffin (aka spotterman), while he may think he didn’t have the best spotting effort, he was key in keeping the 19 relatively clean. But maybe more importantly, he was a ‘rock’of encouragement. For those playing the ‘Elliott Sadler drinking game’, the consumption opportunities came more from the plethora of ‘attababys’ and not from ‘this caw not likin this set of tars’. Crew Chief Rodney Childers sounded upbeat as well, and while the car wasn’t the best or where the driver wanted it, there were improvements made throughout the race.

After the race on the cool down lap, there was a ‘mystery voice’ comment made over the scanner that pretty much summed up this race weekend. “Good job 19………good job”. Chances are that mystery voice was Mark McArdle. If you remember back in January when GEM was going through some key personnel changes when Ray Evernham was scaling back his race weekend duties, Mark McArdle took over all the ‘competition responsibilities’. Some closer to GEM than I am feel that if GEM is to truly turn their ship around, McArdle may play a key role in it.

While I am not afraid to voice my opinions of “my driver’s” off track antics and PR decisions, I’ll be happy to eat some crow when he steps up to the plate like he did yesterday. After all, crow is not so bad, as long as you cook it right!!!!!

Good job 19……..good job

Elliott Sadler 'backs out'

2008-03-29T11:11:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, the Sadler camp was in full damage control mode, and for good reason. When word that Sadler had somehow injured has back during a mid week workout the speculation began.

ESPN was quick to jump on the 'reporting' wagon and reported that Sadler's injury occurred on Wednesday morning an that Sadler had also despite this injury decided to play a round of golf that afternoon and then planed attend the UNC basketball game in Charlotte on Thursday night. Jumping the gun would be an understatement!

From the statements on ElliottSadler.com, yes, Sadler did indeed sustain this injury on Wednesday, but to be honest, back injuries are a very unique thing. Ask anyone who has 'thrown their back out', just when the injury occurred and how, and what their activities were 12 to 24 hours after the initial injury, and many times they will tell you that while there was some minor discomfort, and it didn't seem to be bad.

So it is probably true the Sadler did indeed have a nice round of golf Wednesday afternoon and its probably a safe bet he didn't experience much discomfort. However, by early Thursday morning I'm guessing Sadler knew there was a problem.

Looking at the flight plans filed and take off and landing times from Sadler's private jet on Thursday, there was no intention of going to Charlotte for the UNC game Thursday night. From Statesville (Sadler's jet is based there)to Emporia, and a few hours later to Blue Ridge (near Martinsville) Sadler appears to have one thing in mind, and that was to get healthy enough to race on Sunday.

Like I said, back injuries are a very unique thing, and different for everyone and frankly, different from other types of injuries. Curt Shilling in the 2004 American League Championship Series became a hero to some when he pitched with a bloody, stitched up right ankle that had been operated on just days before. But for a NASCAR driver, and an injury like Sadler's, simply taping up and deadening the injury with medication is not an option.

Sadler most likely can't receive any muscle relaxers or even most pain killers and expect to drive. I am sure NASCAR frowns on such things. It is uncomfortable enough to be strapped into a race car for hours even when healthy.

Bottom line, back injuries stink, and I don't envy what Sadler is going through. Especially when something like this happens in what appears to be just an 'everyday' routine.

Hopefully this injury too shall pass.

The Cat in the Tin Foiled Hat -- speaks out

2008-03-28T13:28:00.003-05:00

You have to give Jack some credit for speaking out on what should now be called 'part gate'. The never ending saga between Jack Roush and his arch nemesis , Toyota.

Here are a few of the volleys thrown out by Jack according to this article.

"A theft did occur"

"It's lawyer time"

"The other team, a non-descript Toyota team, went behind the toolbox and took my bar and put it with their bars and took it home. That is a fact."

While there still seems to be a few holes in Jack's story it will be interesting to see how all this plays out. But like in 'oil lid gate', I am still not sure that intent can be proven.

There is a bit of irony in Jack's story; Remember Jack being very vocal about Toyota coming in with 'big money' and hiring away current race team personnel? Now it seems that in order to verify Jack's suspicions, he needed the aid of a former Toyota employee, now working for Roush racing!

One thing is for sure, this story probably won't just go away now.

The Cat in the Tin Foiled Hat!

2008-03-26T08:27:00.005-05:00

A little over a week ago, Elliott Sadler attempted to throw some grenades at the 99 team and Roush Racing in general for ‘oil lid gate’. The problem was that he would not actually lay his cards on the table and give his ‘reasoning’ for his accusations and I pointed that out in this blog. While I defended Roush as far as there has been no evidence sited there was a premeditated attempt to violate Nascar rules, it seems that Jack has once again fallen into the bluff or posturing trap without presented the evidence.

Earlier this week, Roush threw another volley where he claimed that an "un-named Toyota team had acquired a proprietary part". Now first off this actually might be true, but I do have some problems with the way Jack is presenting and handling this situation. It is more ‘WWF’ (Where is Hermie Sadler when you need him?) and grandstanding then trying to go through proper channels and get this taken care of. Maybe Jack should challenge Lee White to a no holds bared cage match, and Hermie could promote it!!! Think of the possibilities. But I digress.

Jack has a history of claiming foul only to be thwarted and his accusations being shot down. How many times in the late 90s did he claim that the 24 team was tampering with the tires late in races? Jack also seems to have a personal problem with Toyota and has made every attempt to rally support even going so far as to invoke ‘Nationalism’ and Pearl Harbor. We are talking about a person who once paid an employee of his in Japanese Yen because that employee drove a Datsun to work everyday.

The timing of all of this just seems a bit strange to me. Why did Jack wait almost three weeks to mention this? That answer is quite obvious though because he had other damage control to take care of with ‘oil lid gate’. Even though he once again still tried to deflect the attention back at Toyota with another ‘un-named’ claim that "other Toyota teams were guilty of Michael Waltrip’s ‘Jet Fuel gate’ and they too should have been punished".

Why not name either those teams, or even this part stealing team now? That answer is simple, Jack and his organization might be thrown into a tailspin of a lawsuit. Jack if you really do have the evidence you say you do, go all in and force the hand of Toyota, until you do, this is just another example of your paranoia of Tokyo Rose.

And lastly, I wonder how Jack feels about Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Redsox and their opening day pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka or even worse, the opening day game winning pitcher, Hideki Okajima. After all, isn't baseball "America's game"?

Remember the Speak-N-Spell?

2008-03-17T11:00:00.009-05:00

Back in 1978 Texas Instruments came out with the ingenious toy call the Speak-N-Spell. Now one make be asking just what good would a Nascar Crew Chief do with such a child's toy, but seeing Elliott Sadler go through crew chief after crew chief, maybe a different approach might be needed and Texas Instruments might be able to help. Or even Best Buy for that matter.

We have come to know (and some love) what is now being called 'Sadlereese' . 'Sadlereese' is the common but unique southern draw and accent of the driver of the 19 car. But maybe the problems Sadler has had the past 4 or so years is not that the CC is not listening to Sadler's feedback, but that can't 'hear' it. Remember the great words of Sidney Dean in "White Men Can't Jump"?

"Look man, Your can listen to Jimi but you can't hear him. There's a difference man. Just because your listening to him doesn't mean you're hearing him."

RodneyChilders, here is a quick reference or cheat sheet might help out with the 19 team's communication: or in 'Sadlereese' - commuunikayshun

The car, the team, hard work and happy -- The cah, the teyuhm, haarrd wuurk an hayuhppy

Motorcoach playing X-Box -- Motuhcowuhch playuhn Ehx-baawkx

You got me, birdman? -- Ya gowuht me, birdmayuhn?

10-4 -- Teyuhn-fowuh

The car doesn’t like this set of tires…-- The cah duhsn’t liike this seyuht of tahrs…

Were these the same set of codes?? -- Were theyse th’ sayuhm seyuht of cowduhs??

Go back to the way it was before -- Go bayuhk to the waay it wuuz befowuh

This is by far the worst the car has been all weekend -- This is bah fawuh the wuust the cah has beyuhn all weekeyuhnd…

You the man, Brett -- You da mayuhn Breyuhtt.

Football -- foowbaawuh?

Please, Please, Please, what ever you do, don’t make the car any looser! -- Puh-leeuhze, Puh-leeuhze, Puh-leeuhze, whut evah ya do, dowuhn’t mayuhk th’ cah eeny loowsuh!

Track position is going to be really really important --Trayuhk powzehshuhn gonna be reyuhlly reyuhlly impowduhnt

Top 10 car -- Tawuhp teyuhn cah

The guys on the team worked really really hard --The gauhs owhn da teyuhm wuhkuhd reyuhlly reyuhlly haawuhd

Really really bad luck -- Reyhully reyuhlly bayuhd luukh

I’m looking forward to next weekend -- Ahm luukin’ fowwaad ta neyuhxt weykeyuhd…

Emporia – Empowreeuh

Charlotte – Shawlawuht

Best Buy – Bess’Baauh

Stanley – Stayuhnlayuh

Siemens - Seemiins

Dodge - Daawuhgh

Coca Cola – Caouwkuh Couwluh

Allstate – Allstaayuh

Nascar – Naascah

Gillette Evernham Motorsports – G’lett Evernhayuhm Mowtuhspowuhts

Elliott & Hermie Sadler Foundation – Elleeyut ayun’ Huhrmee Saaluh Fowuhdayshun

VLP - Victorhy Layuhn Playuhs Cluuhb

Poker - Powkuh

Sheridan Ridge – Sheruhdun Rayuhdge

Woods – wuuds

Springs – sprayuhngs

Shocks – shaawuhks

Car of Tomorrow – cah uh tomawwuh

Bump stop – buhhump staawuhp

Spring rubber – sprayuhng ruhhbuhh

Track bar - Traak bawuh

Wedge – Weyuhdge

tight - tyuht

Loose - Loowuhs

Center off - Cennuh owuhff

10-4 -- Teyuhn-fowuh

Wheel chatter - Wheeuhl chayttuh

Forward bite - Fowaad biite

Wheel hop – whayle haawuhp

Or if worse comes to worse, maybe the 19 team can just start listening to Jimi. Rodney you really can hear him!

'Tars!!!!!' or in English 'Tires!!!'

2008-03-12T09:34:00.006-05:00

Stock Car Science has written a very nice blog about just how those Goodyears work (or sometimes don't work). Hopefully part two of her blog on this subject will deal with the Crew Chiefs pushing the camber limits over specs and other factors which can cause even the best tires to wear prematurely and fail.

It seems to be a fine line between what drivers want and what Goodyear (and Nascar) determines to be a safe tire for a race venue. But I'll say this, Nascar should stick to a single tire supplier, as a 'tire war' (as seen in the late '90s) would literally kill the sport. (as well as put driver safety in great jeopardy) The problem is that CCs and team owners would use the softest tire available and most aggressive camber setting, simply because it would make them faster. All the while, the tire manufacturers would be in the business to SELL tires, and would be forced to make an even softer tire. The domino effect might never end until the unspeakable happens.

But go check out Stock Car Science, its worth the trip.

Elliott Sadler; open mouth, insert foot

2008-03-10T09:25:00.007-05:00

One of my pet peeves is when Nascar fans will knee jerk with their reactions to something that has happened in the sport. This usually consists of passing judgment without actually waiting for all the information to come to the surface. This past weekend, I read and saw a press conference with Elliott Sadler in which he fell victim to such a knee jerk reaction. I waited a couple of days for the “Southern Gentleman” to at the very least, make an honest retraction, but to date no such attempt has been made.

Sadler’s original answer to this question:

DO YOU THINK THAT ROUSH WAS TRYING TO CHEAT WITH THE 99 CAR LAST WEEK IN VEGAS?
“I think that it insults my intelligence as a race car driver when you try and tell me that you accidentally left the oil tank lid off. If you go to any owner, any engineer, any driver any crew chief and ask them is that an advantage, ‘heck yeah it’s an advantage’. I’ve been doing that half of my career. When driving the 21 and 38 car, we pulled the shifter boot off and the oil tank lid off until NASCAR started to tech it. It’s 100 lbs of downforce. “Let me try and put this in perspective for you. We spend three to four million dollars a year going to the wind tunnel trying to change body shapes, trying to do underneath the car, changing crush panels and doing stuff like that all the time – trying to get a gain and trying to get and advantage - when all you have to do is take the oil tank lid off and you get 100 counts of downforce. There’s a beautiful picture of Carl Edwards doing a back-flip – I’m not taking anything away from Carl Edwards, he’s an amazing race car driver. But someone took a picture of him doing a black-flip in the right side of the car and the oil tank lid is eight inches off the top of the tank. That’s not just one bolt. And the right side safety window latches were loose – that’s were the hot air was going. They did a good job and figured it out and made it work. I’m impressed on how they did it – it was smart and it worked out for them – they won the race.”

DID THEY LEAVE IT OFF BY MISTAKE?
“One bolt isn’t going to raise it up seven inches off the top of the lid.”

SHOULD THERE BE A DISTINCTION WHEN A RULES INFRATCTION IS OBVIOUSLY UNINTENTIONAL?
“Yeah, I think there should be differences between pre-race and post-race. If they’re pretty happy with 100 points and 100,000 pre-race, make it 200 points and 200,000 after the race being the one you got to race that way. “When you present a car for inspection I understand slapping you on the wrist and saying ‘look, let’s make sure this doesn’t happy again’. I think that it should be more. If my team cheats this weekend on Sunday and I get a competitive advantage – and I get caught with it – I think that it should be more than what it is when somebody gets caught before the race. I just think that it keeps it all in line and keeps it all fair because you actually didn’t get to race with a competitive advantage.”

When the initial post race inspection failure reports started coming out, and after doing some quick research of just what an oil tank cooler lid truly was, I too was skeptical of Jack Roush’s explanation that ‘one bolt failed causing the cooler lid to become loose’. The reason for this skepticism was due to the fact that most teams attach the oil cooler lid with multiple bolts and the failure of just one bolt should not have the same results as the 99 car. But after seeing and hearing Roush’s more detailed explanation it became very clear that the configuration of the 99 (and all Roush team’s) oil cooler lids truly did only have one bolt (really it was more like a ‘fastener’) holding this lid down. I agree with Nascar and the 99 team’s penalties and the fact that there was not doubt that a rules infraction had occurred. However, I have none (zero, nada) belief that this was done intentionally. Even Lee White from Toyota has backed off his original statement of Roush’s intent that the infraction was done on purpose with this comment.

"I want to recant that. I will tell you categorically, I have been friends with Jack Roush for almost 25 years and he doesn't cheat. He never has. He certainly never did when I was with him. In my opinion, he never will."

So White understands he was wrong and is man enough to admit it, however I have yet to see anything from Sadler. And Sadler took plenty of jabs.

Lets dive in a little deeper to what Sadler was saying.

“I think that it insults my intelligence as a race car driver when you try and tell me that you accidentally left the oil tank lid off.”
First mistake for Sadler, he is speculating that the infraction was controlled by the driver and or race team member, and no where did Jack Roush say it was ‘accidentally left off’.

“If you go to any owner, any engineer, any driver any crew chief and ask them is that an advantage, ‘heck yeah it’s an advantage’. I’ve been doing that half of my career. When driving the 21 and 38 car, we pulled the shifter boot off and the oil tank lid off until NASCAR started to tech it. It’s 100 lbs of downforce.”
Now the ‘Southern Gentleman’ has just ADMITTED to being a cheater, as long as he was confident he would not get caught. Maybe Nascar should put an asterisk beside those 3 wins with the Wood Brothers and Robert Yates Racing, since Sadler has been ‘doing this half his career’. While Nascar is at it, they may as well asterisk the handful of Nationwide (then Busch) Series wins with Diamond Ridge Motorsports as well. With that statement, Sadler has in one moment, tarnished his whole racing career.

“But someone took a picture of him doing a black-flip in the right side of the car and the oil tank lid is eight inches off the top of the tank. That’s not just one bolt.”
Before making such a pointed statement, Sadler might want to do a little for due diligence. Had he done so, he would have known that there truly was only one fastener, and that fastener did fail at some point.

“When you present a car for inspection I understand slapping you on the wrist and saying ‘look, let’s make sure this doesn’t happy again’.”
That’s an interesting twist, especially when one considers the 19’s penalties are Daytona last year for using hollowed out rear wing bolts that allowed air to pass through the trunk of the car, thus creating an aero advantage. The ‘excuse’ was that the 19 had used those same bolts the season before. The irony is that they knew it was illegal, but it was just another example of Sadler cheating, thinking he would not get caught. Or put it another way, Nascar decided to ‘tech’ those bolts so Sadler had to stop using that particular ‘cheat’.

“If my team cheats this weekend on Sunday and I get a competitive advantage – and I get caught with it….”
Since Sadler has already admitted to cheating half his career, it appears in his eyes that the act of cheating is not the issue, it is getting caught. The duality of his statement is simply amazing.

Elliott Sadler (and a handful of other drivers who I really don’t follow) should take the high road, just as Lee White did. He should also apologize for his comments and frankly, that apology should be a public one. His original statement was not some pit reporter cramming a microphone in Sadler’s face and getting an emotional reaction, this was a planned, sit down press conference. But I would not hold my breath waiting for such an apology. Elliott, you maybe 'insulted', but you may want to use up a mulligan and use up a do-over. Your 'intelligence' in this matter does not seem to have a complete comprehension.

A Broken Record

2008-03-05T11:05:00.004-06:00

Before I start, I just wanted to link one of the most informative blogs to come along in a long time.. It is called Stock Car Science. While it is a new blog, just the first couple of entries are very, very informative. A must see!

In mid January, I bloged about how Elliott Sadler and his PR people have the bad habit of just a lot of talk and very little action. Even though I sited examples of this I did receive the usual share of hate mail from the Plaid Clad and the Blind 19. But still there has been no definitive date set for the biggest Sadler Fan Club Event of the year, despite promises from Sadler himself, his PR person (Brett Griffin), his fan club Webmaster and others.

Sure Griffin in January, narrowed the date of the Sadler Fan Club Barn Party down to two days in September, but even that does not really help SFC fans who have to make travel arrangements and even time of work. All the while, flights prices have risen significantly, and what little hotels in the area are being booked.

SFC fans have continually questioned the powers that be of just what the date is going to be for obvious reasons, and still are receiving the ‘canned’ SFC official response of “Getting the entertainment & drivers on the same date & time schedule is a work in progress” or “We should have details out regarding the event in September by February”.

SFC members have also already started questioning of when their fan packets should be mailed to them. Like clockwork the other canned response of “we are waiting for some special gifts to arrive”. Are these some of the same ‘special gifts’ that SFC members had to question just ‘what was the special gift’ last season?

Has anyone noticed the short lines at the shared 19-souvenir hauler these days? One reason just might be the fan interaction, or lack their of from their driver. Gone are the days of standing 5 or 6 deep waiting to purchase some sort of ‘Southern Gentleman’ goodies, now it seems to be just a walk up window.

This is the last paragraph from the original blog, and is still applicable today:

“Bottom line, announcing a ‘bigger and better’ event and still four months (now six months) later not even announcing an event date is not ‘showing it’. The specific details and “who’s who” of this event is not the priority for the everyday fan at this time. After all, history has shown that SFC fans have been disappointed before because they were forced to speculate on event dates, and even questioned the fan club about said dates, only to be later told that no event would be held. The sting of the 2004 ‘fan event’ still bites at many of the Sadler Fans who have continued to stay on the band wagon. But that wagon has more room on it every day.”

February has now come and gone (along with the other earlier announcement dates), and still SFC fans are left out in the cold.

Three races in, and what do we know?

2008-03-04T09:06:00.002-06:00

In all honesty, we don’t know much that can be used when the Chase comes around some 23 races from now. But you can make a few observations:

Ratings are up
For the third week in a row the overnight TeVee ratings are up from last year. I guess all those fans that vowed never to watch a race again are sneaking peaks now and then.

Speaking of TeVee
Thanks to CawsnJaws.com we see that 76% of the Las Vegas race was broadcast. Compared to 74% in 2007, 76% in 2003 and 76% in 2002. Looks as though the commercial break time for Nascar broadcasts at least for Las Vegas has pretty much been the status quo.

It was Interference PA!
Remember the Mayberry episode where Opie is playing touch football with Mrs. Crump’s niece and the niece intercepts on of Opie’s passes? ‘It was pass interference Pa!’ When the TeVee cameraman got in the way of the tire catcher for the 99 team midway through the race, cause a tire to roll across pit road. After reviewing Nascar felt that had the cameraman not got in the way, the normal result would have been for the tire to find it’s rightful place. This is not much different from ‘fan interference’ in Major League Baseball where in the umpire’s judgment, a fan or any other person who is not an actual participant of the game, interferes with a play. The umpire can award runners additional bases, call runners out or pretty much do what ever he thinks would have been the result of the play had the interference not occurred. Nascar did the same thing in the case of the 99 and it was the right thing to do.

Then there is post race inspection
Now this is where things could get interesting. The 99 fails post race inspection for having what Nascar called a ‘missing’ an oil reservoir casing cap. This is slightly more serious then the five Nationwide teams who were fined and docked points for having these caps ‘not properly fastened’. The question for Nascar will be are these two incidences related?

Side bar:
To make matters worse for the 99, it was revealed that the 99 also had an ‘issue’ with the front fenders after the California win. Nascar brushed this off as a ‘gray area’, but I have to wonder just what was the difference from the 99’s wheel wells, and the 24/48’s from Sonoma last year that cost both 100 points/$100,000/6 week CC suspension.

Another great start:
Like most years we are seeing another great start for Elliott Sadler and the 19 team. Still I have to hold back my enjoyment, as this could be just another aberration seen in previous seasons. For example, just last year, Sadler finished 6th at Daytona, 24th at Caly, and 14th at LV. Sounds familiar? It probably does as Sadler has finished 6th (Daytona), 24th (Caly) and 12th (LV) this year, and we all know how last year turned out. And if you really want to queue the ‘Twilight Zone’ music, in 2006 his finishes in the first three races were 4th (Daytona) 24th (Caly) and 14th (LV). Do do do do do do do do doooooooooo.

Speaking of the ‘Southern Gentleman’
Sadler was guilty of what he later found out to be a ‘half a mile an hour’ over the pit road speed limit early in the LV race. The ‘scoring loops’ don’t lie, but I will say that one of the justifications presented over the 19 scanner for ‘Spotterman’ made a lot of sense. Because the 19 was not the only car hit for speeding on entry, (the 2 & 16) during the same stops Griffin made the comment that the ‘1st pace car speeds must have been messed up and others didn’t get a good reading’. The 2, 16, and 19 were all in the first pace group before the race, and gauged their RPM based on the same pace car. But I will say that there was much confusion on the 19 team, agreeing with a good pace speed as Sadler originally claimed that pace speed was ‘3950 (rpms) 2nd gear’, while the Crew Chief claimed the engineers calculated the pace rpms to be in the 3700 range (rpms) in 2nd gear. When it was all said and done, the 19 went with a 3850 (rpms) in 2nd gear, and that proved to be just a tad over.

Never the less, the 19 was able to hang in there and catch a ‘lucky’ caution getting that much needed lap back, and came away with a nice finish. However, I still believe that Nascar needs to come up with a better solution to gauging pit road speeds BEFORE race day. Maybe have the pit stall traps set up during practice as well, so teams can monitor their speeds? Or at the end of practices, have an addition 10 minutes where team’s can run through the pits a hand full of times, clocking pit road speeds. It has to be better than a ‘one time shot’ on the back stretch hoping to ‘match’ the pace car speeds.