Just for Giggles

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

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.

Did Elliott Sadler really keep a straight face?

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?

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.

Elliott Sadler, you're fired!

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.

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

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.

EVERYONE HAS THEIR VICES, ONE OF MINE IS ONLINE RACING

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.

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

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.