Can somebody please explain to me at what point it became commonplace to openly discuss sponsorship deals that were “in the works” or “close” to being done? I’m going to pick on two organizations here, but they certainly aren’t the only offenders. Within the last several weeks we’ve had both Ty Norris and Cal Wells from [...]
Archive for September, 2008
“We’re Close on a Sponsorship Deal.” Yeah, Sure You Are
September 30th, 2008 
T.C. 
Posted in The Business of NASCAR 
Tags: Aric Almirola, business, Cal Wells, race team, Sponsor, sponsorship, Ty Norris 
11 Comments »Fair Punishment and Kyle Petty
September 29th, 2008 Journo Penalties have been a popular topic around here lately. And why not? They provide good story lines and passions on either side. The source of the controversy this weekend was Juan Pablo Montoya, who after taking the pole at Kansas was penalized for having too much gas pressure in a rear shock. Unlike many around [...]
Yes, That was Me Falling Down on TV
September 28th, 2008 T.C. Agility. To be a successful tire changer, you’ve got to have it. Being able to move quickly and efficiently around the car is extremely important to having fast stops. Besides speed, agility is also needed to dodge obstacles on pit road including air hoses, lugnuts, tires, and other race cars. A lot of pit crew [...]
The NASCAR Week That Was: September 21-27
September 26th, 2008 Journo Another week down, and more dominoes fall. AJ Allmendinger led the rumor mill this week after suggesting he may be out of the #84 Red Bull Toyota as early as next week. Many are expecting his empty seat to be filled by Mike Skinner and Scott Speed for the remainder of the season. In other news, [...]
Aren’t The Playoffs Great?
September 25th, 2008 Journo When NASCAR announced in 2004 that they would be instituting the Chase, I have to admit I was a skeptic. Why punish a guy who has had a perfect season, but wasn’t so great in the final few races? And then I got to thinking, isn’t this what every other major sport does? The Chase [...]
Drug Testing: It Ain’t No Thang…
September 24th, 2008 T.C. A major topic of conversation over the weekend, and into this week has been NASCAR’s announcement of their improved drug testing policy for next season. If you don’t know already, the policy says that all drivers, over-the-wall crew members, and officials will be tested before the season starts. Then, each week, individuals from each group will [...]
Posted in NASCAR News Tags: drug testing, illegal drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, testing policy 2 Comments »Too Little, Too Late for Allmendinger
September 23rd, 2008 T.C. One of the few remaining Silly Season dominoes finally fell today, with the announcement that A.J. Allmendinger would not be returning to Team Red Bull for the 2009 season. Allmendinger will supposedly pilot the #84 for this weekend’s Cup race at Kansas, but it may very well be his last. Red Bull development driver Scott [...]
Posted in NASCAR News Tags: A.J. Allmendinger, Jay Frye, Jimmy Elledge, mike skinner, Scott Speed, Silly Season, Team Red Bull 6 Comments »McMurray Victim of Crew Swap?
September 22nd, 2008 T.C. I had an interesting email today from a reader regarding the pit crew changes made by Robbie Reiser and the Roush Fenway Cup teams. During the weeks leading up to the Chase, the crew chiefs and management at RFR decided to make some changes to some of their pit crews in order to strengthen certain [...]
Posted in Racing Observations Tags: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, pit crew, Robbie Reiser, roush fenway 6 Comments »It’s About Time
September 21st, 2008 Journo If there is one thing that can be said about NASCAR, it is that they are not in a big hurry to do things. The introduction of the new drug policy after years of high profile incidents comes just in time for the start of the 2009 season. While the changes are certainly necessary and a [...]
Posted in NASCAR News Tags: David Poole, drug policy, drug testing, Drugs, NASCAR, NASCAR drugs 1 Comment »The NASCAR Week That Was: September 14-20
September 20th, 2008 Journo NASCAR finally instituted a new drug policy this week after months of discussion following several high profile incidents. The new rule requires all drivers, officials and over-the-wall crew members to be tested prior to the beginning of the season, and additionally institutes weekly random testing. The old system, which allows NASCAR to test if there is reasonable suspicion, [...]
