Just two and a half weeks left until Daytona and you know what that means? It was media tour time around Charlotte this week and the sport was buzzing. Through all of that NASCAR led the news with rule changes and the announced promotion of Cup Series Director John Darby. Among the changes, NASCAR made the move to the spoiler official, announced a larger restrictor plate, and instituted crew limits in the Nationwide Series. NASCAR also announced this week that the Truck Series would return to Darlington Raceway. The addition comes after Milwaukee lost its date.  And finally some drivers found homes for the season. Keyed-Up Motorsports announced Casey Mears would drive for them in 2010, while David Gilliand will drive for BAM Racing in Daytona and Front Row for most of the rest of 2010. This is the NASCAR week that was January 17 to 23, 2010.

Lessons learned from Harry Davis

NASCAR to Drivers: “Boys, Have At It.”

Fox responds to Roush’s critical comments

Ganassi nods to workers, says media should too

Not even Kenseth safe from declining economy (submitted by Rebecca Kivak of Skirts and Scuffs)

Vintage Insiders

I’m In A Daytona State of Mind

A Drag Race To The Board Room

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

From the moment the news leaked earlier in the week that Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby was moving to a new position within NASCAR, speculation has run rampant that he’s being pushed out, demoted, or being made a scapegoat. Even fans have gotten in on the act, applauding Darby’s move (in a bad way).

Now lets be fair. John Darby’s got one of the most difficult jobs in the garage. He spends much of his year away from home and gets to deal with a bunch of “creative”, ego-maniacs (though I don’t think he’s complaining).

Is he a dictator? Some would probably make that argument. The truth is, if you’re not you’re going to get walked all over very quickly. He’s got to serve as the policeman, the judge, the jury and sometimes the executioner. Despite all of that he’s one of the most respected guys in the garage. That says something about his character.

I know what you’re saying, “he was a supporter and propagator of the COT.” And while that may be true, we fail to remember, that arguably is his job. He’s got to be one of the chief supporters of NASCAR’s initiatives. If you’re looking for someone to blame for the COT I’d suggest starting with Gary Nelson and Brett Bodine.

As far as decision making goes, remember he does have people he answers to. John Darby is by no means the be-all-end-all at NASCAR or even over the Cup Series. Often when you get called to the trailer, you get the pleasure of meeting with both he and Mike Helton; and sometimes others.

I don’t believe John Darby was forced out. I don’t think NASCAR had any reason to do it, and I think their actions would indicate that’s probably true.

The fact is no one’s perfect; John Darby included. Has he made mistakes? Sure (who hasn’t?). But can we blame him for everything that’s wrong with NASCAR? Absolutely not.

As the old proverb goes “before criticizing a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” Even if you don’t respect his tenure as Cup Series Director, respect his commitment to the sport. John Darby is a good man.

Condolences to the Davis Family

We here at TNI want to send our condolences to Marc Davis, his family and friends on the passing of Marc’s father Harry.

Harry, a former NBC News cameraman, was a big guy with a big heart. He was a fierce advocate of his son and his son’s career. Though he was a relative newcomer to the sport,  Harry will be missed. The sport could use more people like him.

Click here for a writeup from his former employer.

It’s a busy NASCAR week, as the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour means a ton of news and announcements.  And the Media Tour means we inch ever closer to Daytona.  And as we do, it’s Wednesday again, and that means more of your questions and our answers.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Ric:

Have heard that sometimes they adjust tire pressure on the inner tire to make a difference in the outer tire pressure. Is this common practice?

Yes, at the tracks where inner liners are used (they aren’t at places like Martinsville) the pressure of the liner affects handling characteristics and it is adjusted.  Somebody who knows more about tires could tell you why, but you don’t want the pressures to be equal.  When this happens, you’ll hear the TV guys say the tire has “equalized.” – T.C.

2. From Connie:

I saw something on TV about Jimmie Johnson  doing some show on/at Daytona before the new season starts ?

Jimmie is doing HBO’s 24/7 series. It’ll be four episodes and is being billed as a behind the scenes look at Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team. It starts next Tuesday (the 26th) at 10 p.m. and airs the next three Tuesdays at the same time. More info here. You might also want to check out Speed’s show on Joe Gibbs Racing’s push to Daytona. It too is four episodes and starts Sunday at 6 p.m. – Journo

3. From Ella:

NASCAR  is considering changing to a spoiler on the COT.  If that happens this season, will that change how the cars run?  Will it negate the test data collected on the cars so far?  Will it be a big impact or a small glitch for the crew chiefs, drivers and crews?

Yes, the handling of the cars will be different with a spoiler.  Teams will pretty much be starting over with data, because a spoiler will affect a car differently than the wing.  There will definitely be an adjustment period for the teams and the drivers, but just how big of a deal it will be remains to be seen.  I think we won’t know for sure until the teams get some track time with the new configuration. – T.C.

4. From Kevin:

Hey guys, I read something last week about RCR and their troubles last year.  They referenced a very specific part of their cars that was the root of their problems.  They didn’t say exactly what it was, but it was clear they all knew what it was, and after they realized what it was and started changing it on all their cars they got it turned around.  It appears it worked and they did run better in the Chase.  Do you guys know the part of the car they were referring to?

Let me put it this way.  If I don’t work for RCR, I probably don’t know what it is, as they aren’t saying.  If I do work for RCR, I can’t say because I don’t want other teams to know what we figured out.  So either way, I can’t say. – T.C.

5. From Patrick:

With the rear wing on its way out will we see more rear deck lid ads?

Every car that I know of (except maybe Penske) still utilizes the decklid for sponsor space. It will certainly be more visible, but it won’t change from what they do now. – Journo

6. From BB:

Just wondering why Michael Waltrip is running the 51 as opposed to the 55 this year, and if you have any news on why SPEED cancelled TWIN?

From Michael Waltrip’s Twitter: “i needed a change from the 55. we won Daytona in the 15. 51 is a variation of that. sorta in memory of.” And as far as TWIN goes, Speed President Hunter Nickell told Sports Business Journal, “the news and analysis format, hosted by Steve Byrnes, Michael Waltrip and a variety of other guests, “just wasn’t connecting with the fans anymore.” So TWIN will not be returning. Speed is adding several new shows though. Check out the article here (SBJ subscription required). – Journo

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

After the 2008 season, we decided to look back over the season and see how we did in terms of reporting on rumors and breaking some news.  In the end, we got eight correct, had two pushes, screwed one up, and had three rumors outstanding.  With 2009 behind us, I thought it would be fun to again do the same thing.  I’m going to start with the three bits we had outstanding, and then we’ll move into 2009.

Fastenal to RCR:  After the info we heard, we thought this one was in the books.  Even Jayski reported at one point that this was going to happen, even mentioning a driver lineup.  But in the end, Fastenal ended up at JR Motorsports for the ‘09 season.  Scratch this one.

Rule Changes Coming to the Truck Series:  NASCAR did indeed make changes to the Truck Series rules for 2009, and we were close.  We first reported they were only going to allow only four crew members over the wall and that they would initiate a hard card limit.  They did indeed limit both, but we missed the crew limit by one.  It was five members over the wall and not four.  I’m still giving us the point here.  Plus one for the Insiders.

BDR Employees Laid Off:  This indeed was true, and what was left of BDR was turned into Triad Racing Technologies.  TRT supplies teams with Toyota engines, chassis, and some other services.  Plus one for the Insiders.

First Crew Member Tests Positive: In my post following the Daytona 500, I let you know that I’d heard NASCAR had caught it’s first offender of the new substance abuse policy.  We found out a short time later that it was a Mayfield Motorsports employee, and he was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR.  It was strange foreshadowing for the summer to come and drug testing.  Plus one for the Insiders.

RMM Cuts Salaries: Early in the season, we heard that Randy Moss Motorsports had cut it’s employees salaries by as much as 35%.  While no official announcement was ever put out, this was indeed true.  The budget for the #5 Tundra for Mike Skinner was limited at best, which led to the cuts.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Trouble At Trail: 2009 was supposed to be the first season for minority owned Trail Motorsport.  But what started off with much fan fare and press, fizzled before it ever got started.  We first told you in April about the problems internally at Trail.  On it’s own, the team never fielded a race car at a Truck Series, Nationwide Series, or Cup Series event.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Kyle Busch, Team Owner in 2010: We were the first to tell you about Kyle Busch’s plans to start his own NASCAR team for the 2010 season.  In July, we reported that construction was ongoing on a new race shop for Kyle and that he, Johnny Benson, and Brian Ickler may drive for the new team.  Busch will indeed have a team in 2010, with two full time trucks.  One for himself and Brian Ickler, and another for Tayler Malsam.  If sponsorship can be found, Benson may run a third truck.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Parker Kligerman, Wyler Racing, & Michael McDowell: In September we told you that ARCA driver Parker Kligerman would run some NNS races for Penske, that Wyler Racing may be closing up shop, and that Michael McDowell would run at New Hampshire for Thorsport Racing.  Kligerman ended up running at Kansas and Homestead for Penske Racing.  Wyler did make it to the end of the season, but from what we know just barely.  As of today, there is no word on Wyler Racing’s 2010 plans.  And finally, McDowell did run at NHMS for Thorsport.  He ran the #98 truck, that was painted up like a police car.  We will call that plus two and minus one for the Insiders.

Your Favorite Team and a Funded Driver: While we did write a post mentioning a rumor, we wrote the post more as commentary then actually reporting the rumor.  The post itself was about John Wes Townley and his impending move to Richard Childress Racing.  Townley will indeed race for RCR in 2010, and will compete full time in the NNS in the #21 Zaxbys Chevrolet.  Since we didn’t call the driver out, nor did we get anything wrong, I’ll give us a push.

Rick Ren Gone from KHI: We told you before Homestead that Kevin Harvick Inc. crew chief Rick Ren was leaving at the end of the season, possibly to take a managerial role at Kyle Busch’s new team.  This rumor was actually denied publicly by Kevin Harvick, but in the end turned out to be true.  Ren will serve as the Director of Operations for KBM this season.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Eric Phillips to KBM: To add to this stout lineup for 2010, we were the first to tell you about Eric Phillips leaving Randy Moss Motorsports for Kyle Busch Motorsports.  Phillips will serve as crew chief for the #18 truck piloted by Busch and Brian Ickler for this season.  We were certainly all over the KBM stuff in ‘09.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Biffle and Baker Curb: And last but not least, after it was reported by SceneDaily.com that Baker Curb was working on a deal with a Cup driver for the 2010 NNS season, we told you that Cup driver was Greg Biffle.  Biffle will pilot the #27 Red Man Ford Fusion for Baker Curb this season in an undetermined number of races.  Plus one for the Insiders.

Looking back over all the rumors, I think we had another pretty good year.  We got eleven right, missed two calls, and had one push.  So over the last two years, that makes us 19-3-3 on the scoreboard.  We certainly don’t know it all or hear it all, and we also won’t report every rumor we hear.   But I think this shows that when you hear a rumor from TNI, odds are pretty good it’s true.  What do you think?

Roush Fenway Racing led the news this week as they worked out a deal to liquidate the #26 team. The deal with Vermont businessman Bill Jenkins gives him equipment, points and the number for a start-up team. Jenkins has named Frank Stoddard as crew chief. We also got quasi-confirmation of NASCAR’s anticipated switch back to a spoiler this week. In a memo to teams this week, Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said they would hold a test at Charlotte in March. He said the switch would not happen before Martinsville. This is the NASCAR week that was January 10 to 16, 2010.

Life still a struggle for ‘Black Monday’ victims

Piquet Jr. Headed To NASCAR; Starr To Randy Moss Motorsports

Spin at work after ABC-ESPN shift

Clearing up the confusion on the fate of the 26 car in Cup

Petty has no time to waste

Vintage Insiders

Entourage

Respect the Trucks

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

I know this is getting beat to death around the NASCAR world, but I think it’s a worthy subject. I’m talking about NASCAR, at least preliminarily, relenting on changes to the COT.

As of right now nothing has been done and nothing has been announced and all we’ve got from NASCAR is  “maybe talk,” but truly it’s a great start. Throughout the season we saw a sanctioning body more engaged with drivers and team owners, holding town hall style meetings and asking their opinions on a wide number of subjects.

In addition the sanctioning body is utilizing the Fan Council and tapping into the sentiments of the most important people involved in the sport. While they’re only occasional surveys, I promise NASCAR is listening. You screamed about Digger and they brought it to David Hill; he unfortunately didn’t listen.

Back to the COT though, this is something NASCAR has consistently refused to make changes to in the years since its introduction; and honestly that probably wasn’t a bad thing. Can you imagine being a crew chief or driver and trying to figure out a car they were constantly making changes to? It would have been a disaster.

Now they’re talking to drivers and owners and looking at making a change to the car. A wing or a spoiler? It makes no difference to me. I’m not offended by the aesthetics of the car (and certainly don’t have to drive one), but I know I’m in the minority on that. What effect will it have? I honestly have no idea. The reaction to it is clearly mixed throughout the garage. We’ll see how it works on track.

The point is NASCAR is listening; and they’re actually considering changes based on what people are saying. This really is huge. In addition to the possible changes to the COT, they’re expected to make some rule changes. The media tour is next week; NASCAR’s turn is Thursday, so expect some announcements from them.

I know this is hard to believe sometimes, but the folks at NASCAR really do want you to be happy. Happy fans, make for good bottom lines. And as we say here so often, this is a business.

A Clarification on the #26 Points Situation

We had a question in Ask the Insiders this week about the points situation of the #26. Here was my response:

I honestly haven’t heard anything about this deal, but it’s my understanding from the way NASCAR has done things in the past that they won’t be allowed to sell owner points. The problem arises because the past team owner would be listed as the owner. As Jack Roush already has four teams he can’t be listed as an owner on another car (this would be the same issue for RPM). This is very similar to the DEI-Ginn points situation (they would have exceeded the car limit). NASCAR allowed DEI to sell the points to RCR and Front Row last year because they didn’t exceed the car limit. You’ll notice Teresa Earnhardt is listed as the owner on the #34 and Bobby Ginn as owner of the #33. If NASCAR operates like they did in the past I would expect the points to disappear.

Well NASCAR didn’t operate like they did in the past and allowed Roush to essentially sell the points through a “comprehensive services agreement” to a new team owner. NASCAR clarified today (story here and here), saying this was a ONE TIME deal that they were allowing because they were forcing Roush’s downsizing. Fair enough.

In these situations in the past NASCAR has required the team owner transferring the points to somehow be involved in the team. That’s why you see Bobby Ginn listed as a team owner at RCR and why Smith Ganassi Racing has Ganassi in its name (and why Ganassi is listed as the team owner of the #42). Obviously neither of these men has anything to do with the teams that took their points, but it placates NASCAR so that’s what’s done. For all intents and purposes, while they don’t technically allow it, the points are sold.

The end of the NASCAR offseason draws ever closer, but to tide you over until Daytona arrives, we’ve got more reader questions and answers.  If you don’t know what this post is, we answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, right here.  So if you’ve got one, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send one to us.  On to the questions…

1. From Ric:

How much accuracy do you have in tire pressure?

Most digital tire pressure gauges read pressures to the tenth of a pound.  From there, it is about how accurate your gauge is. - T.C.

2. From Marc:

Happy New Year!  Has there been any more talk about the disposition of the two “orphan” teams, the 26 from Roush and one of the Petty/Yates teams?  I realize that NASCAR has to approve of any sale and nixed DEI selling their fifth team after buying Ginn, but they did let Teresa Earnhardt use the #15 points to enter Front Row’s #34 last year.  Could another such deal be in the works for, say, the new Fords of #37 being “owned” by Max Jones, or will the two teams just disappear, allowing the 82 and 71 in the top 35 (and the 09 if the 07 disappears after Daytona)?

Good timing. Jayski’s reporting a Vermont businessman is buying the #26 equipment from Roush. I honestly haven’t heard anything about this deal, but it’s my understanding from the way NASCAR has done things in the past that they won’t be allowed to sell owner points. The problem arises because the past team owner would be listed as the owner. As Jack Roush already has four teams he can’t be listed as an owner on another car (this would be the same issue for RPM). This is very similar to the DEI-Ginn points situation (they would have exceeded the car limit). NASCAR allowed DEI to sell the points to RCR and Front Row last year because they didn’t exceed the car limit. You’ll notice Teresa Earnhardt is listed as the owner on the #34 and Bobby Ginn as owner of the #33. If NASCAR operates like they did in the past I would expect the points to disappear. Richard Childress though would be allowed to sell his points if he so chooses.- Journo

3. From Jeff:

My question is about car numbers.  Back in 1993, Petty Enterprises ran the 44 instead of the 43, but the next year, they went back to the 43.  If I remember correctly, this was because NASCAR  told them that if they did not use the 43, it could be assigned to another team.  Am I right or wrong about this, and if that is the case, why haven’t they done the same with the number 3?

NASCAR holds all the rights to the numbers. No one technically owns any number. So if NASCAR wanted to, they could giveaway the #3. Would they do that? No. This is a courtesy to both Richard Childress and the Earnhardt family. Should Richard Childress decide he wanted to use it, he would certainly be allowed to. There isn’t a shortage of numbers so there really is no reason why NASCAR would allow someone to use the #3. – Journo

4. From Lyn:

Hey, after reading the last column, it seems as if you still have some hope for Reed Sorenson to do well. Is this true?  Personally I think he has all the talent in the world, he was just thrust into Cup way to fast with a team that couldn’t provide quality equipment, even RPM couldn’t do that.

While I think Reed was pushed too fast into Cup, my confidence in his abilities are not great. Reed has had opportunities at decent teams, and just hasn’t done anything. His average finish actually got worse every year he was at Ganassi. At RPM he had even fewer excuses because AJ Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne all out-performed him. Kasey Kahne even won two races in 2009 and participated in the Chase. I think the Nationwide Series is a good place for Reed. He’s always been competitive there. Maybe he’ll be ready at some point to give the Cup Series another try, but I don’t think he’s got it right now. – Journo

5. From Dennis M:

When will NASCAR wake up and shorten the caution periods for minor incidents like debris? We see the debris, we watch them pick it up and then we watch five to seven more laps of yellow flag parade. It would be a lot more interesting if you had to take your chances with a pit stop instead of knowing you had a yellow flag for X number of laps. Pick up the debris and put the green out!

With the rules the way they are, caution periods last a little longer because of pit stops, the lucky dog, and the wave around rules.  I think NASCAR tries to use “quicky yellows” as often as they can, but sometimes cleanup crews need more time.  With that said, don’t expect to see any changes here any time soon.  NASCAR is always going to take as much time as they see fit to make sure the racing surface is as safe as possible. – T.C.

6. From Brian:

Here’s my question for Ask The Insiders:  Does NASCAR require that a Cup team have a pit crew when they show up at the track?  Can you qualify and start the race without a crew?   Can you keep racing without a crew?

NASCAR doesn’t require teams to have a crew. In fact next time you’re at a race look for the start and park teams on pit road; they usually have one or two guys in the pit. You could keep racing without a crew but you’re going to have trouble when you need fuel or tires. The point of a pit crew is to service the car and do it quickly. Without one you can neither service the car nor do it quickly. – Journo

7. From Jerry:

Guys I responded to your question a few weeks ago about changes NASCAR should make. One of the things I said was get rid of the wing. Lee Spencer is reporting today that it looks like that is a change coming by Bristol. What do you think?

I’m taking a wait and see attitude with this one.  I haven’t really talked to anybody about this one yet and I don’t know enough about aerodynamics to know how this will affect the COT.  I’m also not sure if this is the magic bullet that will fix the “bad” racing everyone has complained about.  What I do know, is that this change will cost teams thousands of dollars, because all of their old data will become useless when this change is made. - T.C.

8. From Anonymous:

Was reading an article that the rear wing will be replaced with the spoiler. Have you seen this change implemented yet? Now to get rid of the splitter and a more aesthetic nose!  Enough of the off season. Come on Speed Weeks 2010!!!

I have yet to see a car with a spoiler on it yet.  I’m sure it’s only a matter of time though.  The teams won’t make any major changes to their fleets until they know for sure the change is coming. – T.C.

9. From Kevin:

Hi Guys, I have a couple of questions about RWR.  Do Rusty’s long term plans include going to the Cup Series?  Also, do you guys expect they will see great improvement with the switch to Toyota/JGR? Also, how much longer/how many cars will little Rusty get to wreck?  That would be a good bet this year!!  I know some people hate Rusty, and he can be a jerk sometimes, but I hope he has success b/c the sport needs owners like him.

I honestly don’t know what their long term plans currently are. There has been talk over the years about them going to the Cup Series, but like all things that takes money. It’ll be interesting to see how the JGR program works this time. Remember Hall of Fame had a technical alliance with Gibbs a couple of seasons ago and that didn’t turn out well. I think some changes have been made from that initial program though, so it might be a good thing. I know Rusty would like to see Steve in the Cup Series, so they’re in this for the long haul. – Journo

And that brings yet another “Ask The Insiders Wednesday” to a close.  Thanks to everyone who sent in questions.  And remember, if you’d like to be a part of next week, click on the ”Ask the Insiders” tab at the top of the page and send your question in!

If there is one thing I’ve learned about changing tires in my career, it’s that the only way to be successful is to get my head straight.  If I’m not focused when I step off the wall, I’m defeated before I’ve even started.  Hitting 20 lugnuts becomes very difficult, and mistakes are in my future.  But keeping my wits about me, remaining calm, and not letting my mind wander all lead to my success.  And while carrying tires and jacking might be the same, changing seems to me to take just a little bit more.

The actual technique and fundamentals to being a good tire changer are really very simple.  I could probably teach them to someone in just a few short sessions.  As long as you get a good set, keep your elbows up, wrists locked, square the shoulders, stay low, and hit them hard, you’ll have a good shot of doing well.  But where the trouble starts is when the mind wanders or isn’t focused.

When one pits a car during a race, there are a ton of distractions.  You are surrounded by thousands of people, both in the stands and on pit road; you’ve got a driver and crew chief yacking in your ears; and there are cars coming and going all around you on pit road.  When it’s time to go though, you’ve got to learn to block it all out and just see your own car and do your own job.

One area that was a struggle for me early on, and I would imagine is something that all changers deal with at one time or another, is confidence.  If I don’t believe I can step off the wall and hit just 20 lugnuts, no amount of luck in the world will make that happen for me.  I’ve heard it said that to be the best, you’ve got to believe you’re the best.  This certainly goes for pitting race cars too.  But there is a fine line between being confident and being cocky.  I’ve never understood those guys who think they are the baddest, yet make mistakes, and then blame others.  Confidence will get a guy a long way in his career.  Cockiness and a bad attitude will end it pretty quickly.

And to go right along with the idea of staying confident, one must be able to bounce back from mistakes and the crazy things that happen sometimes.  No crew member will ever go through their career mistake free.  Lugnuts will be dropped, jack posts will be missed, and tires won’t always be studded.  What separates the good guys from the great guys, besides consistency, is the ability to deal with the mistake, not make it worse, and then forget it ever happened.  Dwelling on a mistake and letting it affect you mentally can be extremely detrimental.

Every sport on this planet takes a combination of physical ability, hardwork, heart, and mental focus to be successful.  Pitting a race car is no different.  Crew guys must have all the tools to make it to the top and remain there.  But (and I’m going to give my profession some kudos here) where a mistake in a football game might get you benched, a mistake on pit road could get somebody hurt.  How’s that for pressure?

Just over a month left to Daytona, things are beginning to fall into place across all three series. It was announced Ken Schrader would drive Team Red Bull Racing’s #84 for the Budweiser Shootout. Bill Elliott is rumored to be working on a deal to drive Roush-Fenway’s #6 car in the Shootout. Aric Almirola said this week he expects to drive for Phoenix Racing in 2010 and Brendan Gaughan will return to Rusty Wallace Racing. On the crew chief side, Doug Richert was named crew chief for the new Keyed-Up Motorsports, Scott McDougall for Steve Wallace, and Gene Nead for Mike Skinner. And finally NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said this week the sanctioning body is considering making changes to the COT and to various rules. Poston said the goal is to improve the competition of the sport. This is the NASCAR week that was January 3 to 9, 2010.

Petty not completely sold on Patrick’s NASCAR try

NASCAR Says Rear Spoliers, Yellow Lines, “No Bumping Zones” May Disappear in 2010

Ray Evernham talks about his future and NASCAR’s future

NASCAR TV taking fans to different places; More Mayfield mayhem among attorneys

Vintage Insiders

Need Bargaining Help? Use The Media For Leverage

Ganassi’s Area 51

**Remember if you have a NASCAR blog or website and would like a recent article you wrote featured in this section email me and you could be part of next week’s NASCAR Week That Was. Please only send stuff you have written.**

The state of traditional media, print, broadcast or otherwise, throughout the United States is at best rocky right now, at worst, it’s at death’s door. While many would argue the reports of the demise of traditional media are overstated or exaggerated, one thing is for sure, it ain’t like it used to be.

The number of “traditional” media covering NASCAR every weekend are rapidly declining. The use of AP wire stories and advent of Internet news sites has made the costly coverage of NASCAR unnecessary. The death of newspapers and cost cutting in media has aided that decline and become the new normal.

That new normal became disturbingly clear on Tuesday as Street and Smith’s shut down the venerable NASCAR Scene. The weekly publication which had been around since 1977 under one name or another was a standard among fans and a mainstay in the garage.

Unfortunately Street and Smith’s could no longer make NASCAR Scene (or turn SceneDaily.com into) a profitable product for their business.

This move left some of the most experienced and well-respected journalists in the garage without jobs and the sport without a few of its biggest advocates. While certainly some will find jobs elsewhere, nothing on the horizon will fill the void being left by Scene.

Last spring I wrote on here about the Future of NASCAR Media. What that future is, is still hard to say. We lost David Poole last spring and his spot at the Charlotte Observer was never really filled. While Jim Utter has become the lead motorsports reporter for the paper, he has other responsibilities, including covering the UNC Charlotte 49ers. Now NASCAR Scene is gone and SceneDaily.com will no doubt become a scaled back version of its former self.

Though some traditional media in the form of ESPN and FoxSports among others remain entrenched in the sport, the burden is increasingly falling to new media. The problem that medium faces though is a familiar one to those trying to keep traditional publications afloat: how to monetize them effectively. It’s a shame Street and Smith’s couldn’t find a way to make SceneDaily.com their profitable vehicle.

Tuesday was a sad day for the sport. The NASCAR Scene reporters were/are among the best. They brought experience and expertise and a consistent outlet for news and information. Here’s hoping they all land on their feet (preferably somewhere in the garage before Daytona).