September 16th, 2010 
Journo Is Rusty Wallace Racing becoming the new Robby Gordon Motorsports?
RWR announced this week yet another management change. The team released #62 crew chief Brad Parrott, and named Larry Carter general manager and interim crew chief of the #62.
Team owner Rusty Wallace told Sirius Speedway yesterday that he is “tired of jacking around, running outside the Top-10.” He said the problem with the teams was a lack of chemistry.
Besides appreciation for the wonderful – and quote worthy – description, I can’t help but think this is wishful thinking on Rusty’s part.
Parrott joins a long and distinguished list of crew chiefs that have come and gone from RWR over the past few seasons. The list includes Bryan Berry, Tony Liberati, Harold Holly and Trip Bruce. The rate of turnover is reaching Robby Gordon levels (ask Larry Carter about that) – and to be frank every time I see a new crew chief named over there I wonder to myself how long it’s going to last.
It’s hard to believe in all the crew chiefs they’ve gone through (truly a diverse group of guys with personality types that run the gamut) they never found one who clicked with the driver and/or team.
Obviously performance hasn’t been stellar, but maybe the crew chiefs aren’t the problem. I hate to say this, but maybe it’s Rusty (unrealistic expectations), or maybe it’s the drivers.
Don’t get me wrong, Brendan Gaughan and Steve Wallace are both good guys (Brendan is probably the nicest guy in the garage), but both are at a point in their careers that consistent and/or great finishes are going to be sporadic.
Brendan has always been good for a decent run here and there, but the peak of his career has probably passed. He hasn’t won a national event since his almost-championship winning Truck Series season in 2003. He also hasn’t averaged a finish in a national series better than 16.5 since 2003.
And Steve is still a driver very much in development. Could he eventually win races. Absolutely. But is it possible that he won’t pan out? Sure. I think the expectations for Steve need to be realistic given his current abilities. He’ll run well some weeks and won’t others.
I think too often crew chiefs become the scapegoat of the organizations they work for. The best crew chief in the world can’t make a driver drive, or turn a driver into something he is not.
For the time being Steve’s crew chief Scott McDougall looks to be in an OK position, but it’s hard not to wonder how long that will last if Steve doesn’t start performing better. The million dollar question though is what happens to Larry Carter if/when Brendan doesn’t start performing better?
They might not quite be RGM at this point, but I can tell if I was a crew chief I’d think twice before heading over to RWR.
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I wonder is there line of guys rushing for jobs like this? I might think a talented prospect might skip over team that has this type of turnover…… Do guys skip teams like this, or do guys rush into anything?
Hmmmm.. Who knows why some teams can “DO IT”, and some teams cant figure it out, so they keep changing things…….. actually this story makes me wonder why so many folks seem to hate winners like Jimmy Johnson.
Poor Rusty cant figure out to put together a winning team, but JJ’s team has done it 4 years in a row. It is intersting that part of his pay off is a lot of haters…. it makes no sense.
Good luck Rusty….keep at it..
It is not just changing crew chiefs often. RWR has been through three of the four manufacturer’s (Dodge, Chevy, and now, Toyota) in the last 3-4 years. RWR has also struggled to keep their teams fully sponsored, including having one major sponsor (US Fidelis) who stiffed them. Add to that all of the heat Rusty takes for being a “homer” when working for ESPN broadcasts. Therefore, RWR’s recent struggles don’t suprise me.
All that said, I hope RWR hangs on because the full-time, non-Cup-affiliated, but competitive NNS teams seem to be a dying breed.
I am with the driver ability folks. Seems that Steve is an OK driver, but will never achieve anywhere near what Rusty did. Brendan has been the same, not a flash or an up & comer, just an OK driver. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Rusty’s team to be a thing of the past in a yr. or so.
IMO the silver spoon is the likely culprit.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe Steve would run better if he were with another top notch team. He did very well in Arca and the lower series. It seemed he only struggled after joining RWR.
I saw Kenny doing a commercial for one of those useless air intake inserts that he knows (and we know) does nothing for mpg or power. I think this is indicative of the entire RWR operation.
Yes, US Fidelis stiffed Rusty $500K, but they did make good on $8 million. But I actually feel bad for the individuals that bought product from US Fidelis. Rusty and Steve put their name on the line backing a scam product while the customers are out money. The commercial with Steve and Rusty brought in $175 million plus. The owners at the time the deal was signed with Rusty were being investigated by 43 attorney generals, postmaster general, dept of insurance, so all the red flags were there, but Rusty went for the money. Do a google search on Us Fidelis, Rusty you should be very proud of the millions you help them steal from ordinary people.