Deal making at the restrictor plate tracks is not a new phenomenon. The drivers are constantly working through spotters and crew chiefs to find that always important “dancing partner.” In this new era of the tandem draft however, finding the right guy to work with most likely will mean the difference between a chance at [...]
Archive for June, 2011
I’m Calling BS On All Pre-Daytona “Deals”
June 29th, 2011 
T.C. 
Posted in Racing Observations 
Tags: Daytona, deals, draft, drafting, drivers, restrictor plate, tandem 
10 Comments »Ask The Insiders Wednesday #132
June 29th, 2011 T.C. From one coast to the other. After racing on the West Coast last weekend, we head down to Daytona this week for a shootout under the lights. While we work through a short week, here is the 132nd edition of Ask The Insiders Wednesday. If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all [...]
2011 Silly Season In Full Effect
June 28th, 2011 Journo With the announcement last week that Red Bull was ceasing its NASCAR operations at the end of the season, the 2011 Silly Season went into full overdrive. While the number of available rides just potentially got cut by one, the number of unanswered questions increased. Can Red Bull find investors? What will Brian Vickers do [...]
Mayhem And Paybacks Rule The Weekend
June 27th, 2011 T.C. We saw it at both Road America and Infineon. Bent sheet metal and angry drivers filled the garage area after the races. You would have thought we had just raced at Martinsville or the old Bristol. Papis was angry with Villeneuve, Stewart and Vickers were at odds, and no NASCAR clash is complete without a [...]
The NASCAR Week That Was: June 19-25
June 25th, 2011 Journo The announcement on Tuesday that Red Bull would be exiting NASCAR a the end of the season dominated the news this week. Team Vice President and General Manager Jay Frye said they were seeking outside investors to take over. Without investors, the future of team driver Brian Vickers remains unclear. In other news, NASCAR announced [...]
Knaus’ Pit Crew Plan Not Working
June 24th, 2011 T.C. By now, I’m sure you know by heart the story behind Jimmie Johnson’s pit crew. The team struggles at Texas, gets replaced by Jeff Gordon’s crew for the remainder of the Chase, and all but a few are gone at season’s end. Coming into 2011, Chad Knaus decided to go in a different direction with [...]
Posted in Over The Wall Tags: Chad Knaus, hendrick motorsports, Jimmie Johnson, pit crew, pit road, pit stop 15 Comments »For Red Bull, Performance Issues But No Serious Changes
June 23rd, 2011 Journo I got an email from a reader on Monday pointing out something I hadn’t put much thought into. He wrote asking us to talk about the Toyota engine program and how in five years the teams using Toyota built motors, Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing, only had one win not decided by weather [...]
Ask The Insiders Wednesday #131
June 22nd, 2011 T.C. We’ve got a weekend full of left and right turns coming up. The Nationwide Series heads north to Road America in Wisconsin, and the Cup cars are on the left coast at Sonoma. Expect plenty of action from both races. While NASCAR deviates, we’ve got our regular Wednesday lineup of reader questions and our attempts [...]
Red Bull Racing, We Barely Knew Ye
June 20th, 2011 T.C. After five years in existence, we learned via Jenna Fryer on Monday that Red Bull Racing will be no more after this season. There are a lot of rumors and speculation about the future of the organization, but plan A at this point appears to involve manager Jay Frye and the hope of attracting outside [...]
Posted in NASCAR News, The Business of NASCAR Tags: Brian Vickers, formula 1, Jay Frye, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR, Red Bull Racing 14 Comments »Menard And Cassill Pleasantly Surprising At Michigan
June 20th, 2011 Journo By winning at Michigan Denny Hamlin became the 10th different winner of the season. His hard fought victory over Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and his own teammate, Kyle Busch, added to what’s been a thrilling season marked by a diverse cast of characters. Adding to that cast Sunday were Paul Menard and Landon Cassill. In [...]
