Monday, January 22, 2007

Early impressions from the media tour

  • If you apply the new Chase format to last year’s results, Tony Stewart would have finished second in the final standings instead of 11th after just missing the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He would’ve led Jimmie Johnson by nine points going into the final race at Homestead, but Johnson would have won the title by 16. Of course, everybody would’ve raced differently under those different circumstances, but I knew somebody would ask.
  • NASCAR presented the seven drivers in the fourth year’s class of the Drive for Diversity program at Monday’s media tour stop. The group includes Chris Bristol, who won at Hickory Motor Speedway last year, as well as Michael Gallegos, Paul Harraka, Jessica Helberg, Jesus Hernandez, Peter Hernandez and Lloyd Mack. The program is advancing beyond weekly tracks into the Grand National Division’s Busch East and West series and the Wheelen All-American Series, which is a good step. But money will ultimately determine whether any of those names become household words, and unless NASCAR starts putting a bunch of its own into the program instead of just funneling sponsors’ money that way, progress is going to continue to be slow in coming.
  • Sometimes your "uh-oh" meter goes off when you meet somebody relatively new to racing, and sometimes you get a sense the guy might be around a while. I might be 1,000 percent wrong, but at least based on first impressions I think Bobby Ginn is going to be a good car owner for a long time in the Nextel Cup Series.
  • Ricky Carmichael is one of the absolute best motorcycle racers alive today, but he’s going to start trying to become a stock-car driver at short tracks in Florida for Ginn Racing under Mark Martin’s tutelage. "Let’s be honest," said Carmichael, who’s 27. "The Cup guys are the best drivers in the world. I’m not even about to say I’m ready to be at that level. …That’s like saying Jimmie Johnson and Tony (Stewart) should come and race me. You have to be real. I’m not ready to be a Cup driver by any means." Mabye not, but with that kind of attitude he might get there some day.

  • 4 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    FranceCar reminds me of the soap...As the World Turns!

    Ginn has the cash and desire to make it happen!

    BTW...I'm staying at a Ginn joint called Hammock Beach, above Daytona in the spring!

    captgee said...

    nascar has allowed the teams too much latitude in rules infringements.the #48 team's response last year was not remorseful in the least,they were"just bending the rules".if the punishment was severe, then they would concentrate on racing, not "cheating".johnson's race team was not severely punished,and they thought they shouldn't have got the small penalties that they received.my opinion is a race or two suspension would be an apt deterent for "cheaters".there are not any "grey areas" according to the rules,you adhere are you are cheating.

    Anonymous said...

    Someone must put nascar to the task how can it be fair for the other 57 or 56 teams and all the outside 35 teams to get a fair shot at making the race when the already in teams can cheat and still race , the right thing for nascar to do is send them all home and give the other competitors a chance to race , nascar has no integorty of there own. they are the worlds worse dictatorship .

    Anonymous said...

    OK I'm not the best speller ,but I do have (INTEGRITY) nascar does not and has not for a long time , the world is starting to see them for what they are and our Govorment will one day go after them as they did Microsoft .... you watch and see ...............