866 replies to this topic

[red stick]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse? If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are ALL Johnson-friendly tracks?

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

7. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

8. Can Brad Keselowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

On to Speedweeks!

Edited by red stick, 02 November 2009 - 22:08.

[red stick]

Hungrier Hendrick drivers? We definitely need a road course in the chase. ASAP.

Amen to a road course. Although some will argue that's just a different kind of lottery. Albeit one that focuses on a driver's skill sets, not his restrictor-plate karma.

[whitewaterMkII]

If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are all Johnson-friendly tracks?

C'mon.
They are both Vulcans, they will and can out logic any track and/or any set of rules.
It's a Jimmy/Chad world, the rest of the drivers are just allowed to live in it.

[whitewaterMkII]

I think we should lift restrictions on restrictor plates. Also hire an aerodynamicist to figure out how to make the car stay on the ground while going backwards after an accident. We saw two flying this weekend? At least one? Maybe those flaps on the hood should be placed on the trunk too, and block the air going under the rear wing when going in the wrong way.

With 750hp at Taladega they would be forced to brake before the turns right? That's what we need to make things interesting. We also have to learn how to deal with risk, the way we did in the 70's. It's racing, not a ride in the park.

I don't think it matters anymore what kind of flaps they put all over it, the bottoms of the cars are so slick the thing is up in the air before any of the flaps are even deployed.

[OfficeLinebacker]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse. If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are all Johnson-friendly tracks?

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

7. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

8. Can Brad Keslowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

On to Speedweeks!

2. I think it's an excuse, they can do it all.
3. Not a fluke. Not sure if it's sustainable across an entire season. From Montoya's view, definitely, he's the most relaxed guy in the garage!
8. LOL. I think he'll be the crosshairs of the "friends" for at least a while. Hopefully he learns his lesson before Penske's repair bill gets too high.

[red stick]

C'mon.
They are both Vulcans, they will and can out logic any track and/or any set of rules.
It's a Jimmy/Chad world, the rest of the drivers are just allowed to live in it.

I agree. Change the tracks and they'll quickly adapt. One day we'll regale our grandchildren with stories of how Jimmie Johnson won four/five/six? cups in a row.

[red stick]

2. I think it's an excuse, they can do it all.

3. Not a fluke. Not sure if it's sustainable across an entire season. From Montoya's view, definitely, he's the most relaxed guy in the garage!

I'd like to think he figured something out this year that will make him more dangerous next year. I think he's enjoying driving Hendrick-breathed-upon Chevys.

8. LOL. I think he'll be the crosshairs of the "friends" for at least a while. Hopefully he learns his lesson before Penske's repair bill gets too high.

I suspect that driving for "The Captain" will calm him down a bit. I don't know who's calling his races for Finch, but the Penske operation is a little different . . .

[red stick]

I guess there should be a Junior question too.

9. Will the Earnhardt, Jr./McGrew pairing lead to better results in 2010? Or has Junior found that it's not the equipment, it's him?

Edited by red stick, 02 November 2009 - 22:27.

[firebone]

Only question I have

Why is Dale Jr. still in NASCAR?

[paulogman]

I think talladega should just be removed from the schedule, or at the very least make use of some chicanes or something to slow the cars down. or even make talladega the road course instead of oval configuration

[John B]

And a jump even further to 2011... after four years changes are planned to the appearance of the Cup car with alterations 'from the center forward.' As I suspected last year when the sportier Nationwide COT was going through its first tests the Cup car may be influenced by the new Nationwide model, which includes the Ford Mustang pony car.

Here's a good gallery from Talladega tests of the Nationwide, with several in full paint schemes.

http://www.autoblog....rs-at-talladega

Edited by John B, 02 November 2009 - 23:41.

[WildmouseX]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse? If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are ALL Johnson-friendly tracks?

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

7. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

8. Can Brad Keselowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

On to Speedweeks!

nascar history has waves of driver/crew chiefs that dominate. - petty won everything till earnahrdt showed up. then earnahardt won everything till gordon showed up - now it's jimmy's/knaus's turn. don't think it matters which tracks are in the schedule, as long as those two are together, they're gunna spank everyone.

montoya was doing very well all year, but the late season performance bump can probably be mostly attributed to harvick, and the other R.C.R. drivers developing and testing set-up's for him. - i'd expect him to pick up 2010 where he leaves off, even if those guys arn't still working as closely with him early on, he's still learned alot in car feal, and will still retain all the notes they passed to the team from this year.

the Fiat deal has me worried a little, as i've been a life long fan of dodge - though the charger hasn't been singled out as one that will be dropped next year, and dodge has made a point to say that nascar is a big part of their recovery plan with fiat. after watching how dalimer tore that company apart (hey lets buy dodge and tell them to quit making the #1 selling economy car of all time, then liquidate half the company and dump them)- it's a troubling time. if fiat achives my hopes of restoring that company to it's rightful place though, i may just have to make my first non dodge purchase an alfa romeo.

R.C.R. is already recovering, their cars have been up front the last 10 races or so. with the loss of jack daniels on the 07 at the start of the year, and Harvick and Shell looking to leave for stewart/hass at the end of the year - they will be seeing more trouble next year off the track then on it.

Roush is going to see a surge next year with the full implimentation of the new ford engine, this year was mostly focused on developing that and looking for homes for all the guys he has to let go after homestead. with the addition of petty into the ford camp through the yates merger they'll see way more resources then they've had recently.. yates has only had 1 or 2 cars to help ford out for years - now it's looking like it could a second 4 car team which will bring them much closer to the resources that hendricks has.

Tony and Ryan won't miss a beat. they're both are solid drivers, and with hendrick cars they know they're set - the break out year for them will be 2011 when harvick moves into that shop. - then it's all about developing Danica for the fourth team. look for her in KHI trucks and Jr. motorsports nationwide cars the next two year's. - nothing has been made offical yet, but the KHI truck- jr. motorsport/hendricks nationwide - Stewart/Hass cup path, is the best option she has to start off with top equiptment all through the learning curve.

kurt busch is gunna have to help brad out alot before he will help a help to kurt - but if any driver knows how to settle another drive down - it's kurt. been there / done that. it took mark martin to settle kurt down, so he knows how to do it right.

Edited by WildmouseX, 03 November 2009 - 02:10.

[WildmouseX]

I'd like to think he figured something out this year that will make him more dangerous next year. I think he's enjoying driving Hendrick-breathed-upon Chevys.

not to rain on your parade, but monty's driving cars from R.C.R. not hendricks. - though they're all still chevy. i think his team has learned alot this year once burton and harvick started testing stuff for him in the chase.

[WildmouseX]

I think talladega should just be removed from the schedule, or at the very least make use of some chicanes or something to slow the cars down. or even make talladega the road course instead of oval configuration

Talladega is a staple track in nascar, it's not going anywhere. even the discussions of reducing the banking to force breaking into the corners are falling on def ears.

[red stick]

And a jump even further to 2011... after four years changes are planned to the appearance of the Cup car with alterations 'from the center forward.' As I suspected last year when the sportier Nationwide COT was going through its first tests the Cup car may be influenced by the new Nationwide model, which includes the Ford Mustang pony car.

Here's a good gallery from Talladega tests of the Nationwide, with several in full paint schemes.

http://www.autoblog....rs-at-talladega

Don't know which is uglier, the Mustang or the Challenger. Since they're both attractive street cars, it's a crime either way.

Edited by red stick, 03 November 2009 - 05:26.

[red stick]

not to rain on your parade, but monty's driving cars from R.C.R. not hendricks. - though they're all still chevy. i think his team has learned alot this year once burton and harvick started testing stuff for him in the chase.

Oops.

[Youichi]

Only question I have

Why is Dale Jr. still in NASCAR?

Thats easy, he has millions of fans, so the sponsors love him.

The one that puzzles me is Casey Mears ?

Edited by Youichi, 03 November 2009 - 09:22.

[The Ragged Edge]

i may just have to make my first non dodge purchase an alfa romeo.

Buy an Alfa? Dont bother and save your money. Your better off using that money as a deposit, for a buy to let for your future pension, than waste it on a Alfa.

[LuckyStrike1]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

No one. But yes, the tracks in the Chase will change next year and include Watkins Glen.

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse? If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are ALL Johnson-friendly tracks?

They're just that good.

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

Hopefully not and if it continues he will defend his second place in the championship. Behind Johnson.

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

Chrysler who what?

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

Please anyone wanna merge with us?

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

Last question first - they need to finish ahead of the others. Tada. Roush will bounce back. Or just bounce.

97. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

There will be more of the same. Strong before The Chase where they have to slot firmly behind the Hendrick cars so as not to upset their customer cars deal.

8. Can Brad Keselowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

On to Speedweeks!

Does he have friends?

[WildmouseX]

big news for monty fans today on jayski......

So, what's the holdup in EGR's decision to remain with Chevy or move to Toyota? Perhaps it's the "E" in EGR. Can anyone really imagine the Earnhardt name associated with Toyota? Since Teresa Earnhardt is not at the racetrack on a weekly basis, that might be a tough answer to get. And with the current General Motors situation, Chevy is in no position to offer EGR a new and improved deal. Maybe Chip Ganassi believes delaying the decision will prevent the current engine builders from sabotaging the cars? But since Ganassi didn't want to answer the question of manufacturers on Sunday, what do we know? Richard Childress Racing's engine department  which supplies motors for EGR  was expecting a call on Friday from the Ganassi camp regarding their status for next season. It never came. Principals at EGR are expected to meet with Toyota again on Tuesday. EGR has had discussions with Joe Gibbs Racing about supplying engines for next season. Apparently Toyota Racing Development, which provides Michael Waltrip Racing and Red Bull Racing with engines, does not have the capacity at this time to be a supplier for EGR.

An announcement on the driver that will replace #1-Martin Truex Jr. could come this week, sources close to the situation said. Jamie McMurray, who is losing his ride at Roush Fenway Racing because the organization has to reach the four-car cap, is one candidate. Bobby Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion, is the other. EGR co-owner Chip Ganassi wants McMurray. Bass Pro Shops, which will sponsor the #1 for 20 races next season, isn't sure he fits the image.
UPDATE: It's no secret that Bass Pro Shops has a contract to sponsor the #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car that McMurray is slotted to drive next year. And it's no secret that Bass Pro Shops wants to move to the #39 car with Ryan Newman. Now, this is not a knock on BPS, which has offered tremendous support to many racing programs in and beyond NASCAR. But McMurray's contract with EGR has been prepared but lacking signatures for some time. No, McMurray is not going to apply for his NRA membership any time soon, but he will go above and beyond for his sponsors whether it's Bass Pro or anyone else.

chip was the one who brought jammie into cup when sterling marlin was hurt, and got a few wins out of him that first year - could be a good fit to get them back together.

and related news - since labonte is also being considered for the #1

Torrey Galida, a former Ford and Roush Fenway Racing executive who most recently was president of the motorsports division for sports marketing company Millsport, has taken a new job as executive vice president and chief marketing officer of #71-TRG Motorsports. One of his main priorities will be finding sponsorship so the team can race every race in 2010. Galida said the team plans to make its first partial-season sponsorship announcement in a few weeks. TRG Motorsports has run the full season, mostly with David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte in the driver's seat. Galida said the team would like for Labonte, the 2000 Cup champion, to drive next year.

Edited by WildmouseX, 03 November 2009 - 13:12.

[crashgate]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

do not be so sure there will be some strange doings in the last 3 races. wait and see.

[red stick]

There will be more of the same. Strong before The Chase where they have to slot firmly behind the Hendrick cars so as not to upset their customer cars deal.

Interesting semi-conspiratorial theory you have there.

[B Squared]

Interesting semi-conspiratorial theory you have there.

I cannot believe that someone as competitive as Tony Stewart would ever agree to having to take a dive so he can keep his deal with Hendricks. I also cannot believe that any self-respecting racer at Hendricks would expect him to do so. If the stipulation that Stewart's team had to be behind the "factory" cars at any time in the season was in the contract offered up, I believe he would have left it on the table unsigned.

B²

[BMW_F1]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse? If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are ALL Johnson-friendly tracks?

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

7. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

8. Can Brad Keselowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

On to Speedweeks!

1. I think they should.. not because of Johnson’s dominance but because I think they can do better – for example scrapping Dega and replacing it with a road course.
The race last Sunday was ridiculous to say the least. In a normal race it would be impossible to have all chase contenders crashing with the exception of JJ. Without this result and a road course in the mix where JJ is usually outclassed by the better road race drivers, the championship would be much closer than what it is now. Another idea is to alternate the short tracks by having Bristol one year and Martisville the next. I also see that there are 3 races that have very similar characteristics (Atlanta, Texas, and Kansas) . maybe they should consider dropping Kansas or Texas for one year and add Pocono or Darlington.

2. I think that they can adapt to anything but the questions is would they beat everyone else with the same dominance if the tracks for the chase are changed ? I am not so sure. I struggle to see JJ beating JPM or Stewart at Walkins Glen or Sonoma for example. He also does not have a very good record at Bristol.

3. Definitely not a fluke. Everyone in NASCAR knows how good of a race car driver Juan is and how he was held up by his poor equipment last year and the first half of this year. All the crew chief changes and everything else that was going on with the team also prevented them from building that strong relationship that each driver needs to have with his crew chief in order to be successful. Now that he has that we are starting to see results.. And ultimately I believe JPM has become a better NASCAR driver with more experience in the series. He’s also been seen in the garage talking with Mark Martin a lot and getting his feedback. Like JJ said, once JPM visits victory lane on an oval for the first time, we are going to see a lot more of that coming.

4. No comment.

5. I really have no idea what happened to RCR and Rousch this season. Their engines are up to the task as proven by JPM but their cars are lacking something that is keeping them from being competitive and I have no clue what this could be. It could be that last year the Hendricks team was not as good as this year, as they were just starting to figure out the COT, and that’s why we saw good competition coming from Rousch and RCR.

7. Tony will continue his form next year . What I want to see is who that third driver would be.? Harvick/AJ/Trulli ??

Edited by BMW_F1, 03 November 2009 - 17:02.

[red stick]

I cannot believe that someone as competitive as Tony Stewart would ever agree to having to take a dive so he can keep his deal with Hendricks. I also cannot believe that any self-respecting racer at Hendricks would expect him to do so. If the stipulation that Stewart's team had to be behind the "factory" cars at any time in the season was in the contract offered up, I believe he would have left it on the table unsigned.

B²

Agreed. Should have put the after my reply.

[dexter311]

I for one would love to see a road-course replacing one of those bland cookie-cutter tracks in the Chase. Either Infineon or the Glen, doesn't matter, either one would spice things up a bit.

Unfortunately Talladega is there to stay, but it seems like any rules (like the ridiculous bump-drafting rule last weekend) either make the racing boring as batsh!t or don't change anything anyway. They'll have to keep it restricted (it'd be suicide to give them 800hp at a superspeedway) but there has to be some sort of freedom to let them race FFS.

Whatever they do, I really hope Montoya's form continues into 2010, his first oval win (of many I hope) will surely come next year. And as always I'm gunning for Ambrose too, he's 18th in the standings this year and if he can hold of Logano he's won the Rookie of the year (yes, he's not a "rookie" per se, but we all know it's his first season in Cup).

[DLaw]

Some F1 guy showed up at MWR

http://pic.gd/3cb5cf
http://pic.gd/bf6231

[WildmouseX]

Some F1 guy showed up at MWR

http://pic.gd/3cb5cf
http://pic.gd/bf6231

who would have thought that following michael waltrips tweet's would pay off. nice.

[OfficeLinebacker]

He wants clear rules about how to race, which are very strongly enforced amongst the drivers, he's in the right place!

[Lazy Prodigy]

Where will you go that Johnson is not good? Bristol and Sonoma? Everywhere else he does fine. They need to hope that a drivers build up a huge advantage that no body else be caught like Gordon in 2007. He still would have won 1 of his 3 and possibly 2 of 4 under the old system. In 2007 he would have lost by over 300 points and in 2008 by 16. He simply gets the job done when he needs too and I dont think that would change if the tracks were different because what are the bad tracks for him? Bristol, Sanoma and? If he doesnt crash there he finishes just outside of the top 10. Hardly a place where anyone but Jeff Gordon & Tony Stewart would make up points. The only chance anyone has is to out run him over a full season, now more than ever with the current cars.

[dexter311]

Some F1 guy showed up at MWR

http://pic.gd/3cb5cf
http://pic.gd/bf6231

An Italian sitting in an Aussie's American racecar... NASCAR's getting very "multicultural" now isn't it!

Since Toyota's pulling out of F1, Jarno might be looking for a drive after all...

[OfficeLinebacker]

An Italian with a Finnish name sitting in an Aussie's American racecar... NASCAR's getting very "multicultural" now isn't it!

Fixed for truth!

[WildmouseX]

Wallmendinger leading the way to 2010 for RPM - from jayski....

AJ Allmendinger makes his Ford Racing debut this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver will race the remaining three races of the 2009 season in a Ford Fusion. Race fans will recognize the familiar "Petty Blue" and red paint scheme on #44 for the rest of the season. Last week at Talladega, Elliott Sadler drove a Ford to a ninth-place finish. Allmendinger will be the only Petty driver in a Ford in any of the remaining 2009 races. "This is exciting stuff. It's like a new beginning for Richard Petty Motorsports. Whenever you do something new you are a little bit excited and a little bit nervous because you haven't done it before. Elliott drove a Ford for us at Talladega last week and everyone was really positive about the experience. It's our turn this week tire testing a Ford in Daytona and we'll drive one at Phoenix and Homestead as well."

[potmotr]

Here's a question that perhaps OLB might be able to answer.

How did Montoya get those scars on his right arm?

http://img88.imagesh...tal2tb11313.jpg

[OfficeLinebacker]

Here's a question that perhaps OLB might be able to answer.

How did Montoya get those scars on his right arm?

http://img88.imagesh...tal2tb11313.jpg

I can't say I remember ever seeing them. My only guess is the supposed tennis accident?

In other news, Danica and JR Motorsports close to a deal: http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=4622687

As one of the comments said, YAY! Two of the most overrated drivers in the world in the same team!

[John B]

Restricting Stewart-Haas by contract is unlikely, but it's reasonable to wonder if the level of Hendrick assistance and technology might change somewhat with the Chase and title on the line - a little less sharing of useful data.

[WildmouseX]

more news on Danica - GoDaddy.com may be trying to gear her up for the #5 car when martin's done with it....from jayski.

: Danica Patrick is nearing completion of a two-year contract with JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Nationwide Series operation owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., and a source close to the negotiations described them as "in the final phase." The partnership is expected to make its on-track debut during next February's Daytona Speedweeks. Both the Patrick and Earnhardt camps declined comment. Patrick will compete in NASCAR's second-largest series for JR Motorsports while continuing to race full-time for Andretti Green Racing in IndyCar. Earnhardt and Patrick already have a corporate connection, in current sponsorship deals with GoDaddy.com. The Web site registration service is a sponsor on JR Motorsports' #88 Chevy, which has been earned four Nationwide Series wins this season with Brad Keselowski at the wheel. Keselowski is leaving the team at season's end to drive for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. GoDaddy.co, also recently signed on to sponsor Hendrick's #5 Chevy beginning in 2010. That car is currently driven by Mark Martin, who is signed through 2011.

also on jayski.....

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a special paint scheme on his #42 Target Chevy for the Dickie's 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.(TMS)(10-27-2009)
UPDATE:Target partnered with four Hispanic influencers to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with its annual Dream In Color campaign, which celebrates diversity. The campaign features Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver Juan Pablo Montoya. The #42 Target Chevy team will run a very special Dream In Color paint scheme at Texas Motor Speedway. The 2009 dreamers were selected by Target for their compelling and encouraging stories and their passion to inspire greatness in others. Please visit target.com/dreamincolor for more information.

Edited by WildmouseX, 05 November 2009 - 00:34.

[V8 Fireworks]

ooo... Toyota go the bling http://www.autoblog....at-talladega#21

They don't look half bad. The two pony cars and the two family sedans look good seperately, but mixtures of the two ain't gonna look quite right out on the track IMO.

Why didn't Chevy join the party with the Camaro?

[nosaj100]

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on winning the 2009 Sprint Cup. May as well start thinking about next year. Some topics of interest:

1. Now that Johnson has four straight Cups, who can stop him from winning a fifth? Or will NASCAR have to think about altering the schedule during the Chase to get away from Johnson-friendly tracks?

Another Hendrick car could stop him. And if they are going to alter the points system (no indication that they will), they should use the F1 system. Follow the link below. Look at how ridiculously close the points are. Plus, it eliminates the whole 10 race season that makes the Chase flawed.

http://36races.blogs...rdon-would.html

2. Is the "Johnson-friendly track" theory just a lame excuse? If NASCAR changes the Chase schedule will we discover, to our horror/glee, that Johnson and Knaus can adapt to anything, and they are ALL Johnson-friendly tracks?

It's a partially valid excuse. Chad Knaus had the foresight that the Chase tracks are all that matters and specifically tested and built all his cars towards those tracks. Considering the ridiculous amount of cookie cutter tracks, focusing on those 10 tracks doesn't hurt that much. Based on the competitions' performance, no one else realized this till it was too late. Now Nascar has a testing ban making it difficult to play catch-up.

3. Was the late season success of Montoya a fluke? What if he starts 2010 the way he ended 2009 and drives that way all year?

Driver-wise, no. He's figured it out. The question will be is if EGR can be stable enough to provide him with good equipment.

4. Now that Fiat will phase out Dodge, have we seen the end of Chrysler in NASCAR? Or are 300s about to take the track?

They are done. I expect 2010 to be their last year with Penske switching to Toyota.

5. Can Richard Childress Racing recover? Or was its lack of performance in 2009 a harbinger of things to come? (Shades of Yates)

They will pick it back up. From what I hear, they got complacent back at the shop. When you get that way in racing, you get left behind

6. Same question for Roush? Or will they just buy Hendrick prepared cars and label them as Fords? :tongue firmly in cheek: More seriously, what will it take for Biffle and Edwards to rediscover their prior winning ways?

Everything that I've seen and heard from people around the biz says Roush/Fenway has become more of a business. They've become more interested in penny pinching than providing a real racing product. Until they get rid of the business people the Fenway group has brought in to manage (or at least the attitude), I don't expect them to get much better.

7. Sophomore slump for Tony Stewart and Haas/Stewart?

No slump. They are basically a Hendrick team. All their stuff comes from Hendrick and a large majority of their employees were from Hendrick. As long as HMS does well, SHR will do well.

8. Can Brad Keselowski help Kurt Busch restore some luster at Penske? Or will he spend the year dodging all the friends he made in 2009?

He'll be much better than Stremme was that's for sure but being with Dodge will hurt them the most. A move to Toyota or even Ford would help restore the team more than anything. As for Brad, don't get to use to him in a Penske car. It's heavily rumored he's going back to HMS once a ride frees up. He basically on loan.

[maccaFTW]

If you want to stop Johnson from winning titles, the only way to do it is to eliminate the Chase. The #48 crew didn't get it done over an entire season in 2002 and 2003 despite running a Hendrick car, the latter being one in which they royally blew it in terms of consistency. Johnson may still win a title under a full-year championship, but it becomes less likely as it's harder to maintain peak performance over 36 races.

I don't think saying that Johnson would only have won one of the three titles he has currently under the old system is really true. All of the teams have adjusted their strategies for the Chase.

[WildmouseX]

2010 news from jayski today.....

NASCAR will implement a one-day rookie orientation seminar next February for newcomers to its three national touring series. The annual program will be designed for rookies and drivers 22 and under, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Wednesday. It will focus on NASCAR rules and policies as well as the adjustment to competing on the national stock-car circuit. "It's something we've been looking at for the last two or three years," Poston said. "We looked at what all the other leagues do, and one thing we realized is all the other leagues do this, and there seems to be a lot of benefit both for the league and their participants." The program will include University of Central Florida professor Dr. Richard Lapchick of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports to address professional and personal conduct and Aegis Laboratories' Dr. David Black to address the NASCAR substance-abuse policy. NASCAR Chairman Brian France also would be one of the presenters with other NASCAR executives, NASCAR's medical liaisons, series directors, veteran drivers and track operators. "We want to do this to touch base with drivers that are new to the national series and make sure that they have an opportunity at their very start to get face-to-face with NASCAR executives, to understand the sport and who we are," Poston said. "It's really to welcome to the national series, welcome them to the sport and also to answer any questions that they have." NASCAR has an 18-year-old age limit for its three national touring series and has toyed with the idea of increasing the age minimum for the Sprint Cup Series. Poston said that is still under consideration.

Raymond Key, younger brother of NASCAR Nationwide Series team owner Curtis Key, announced he is currently assembling a Sprint Cup Series team with assistance from Key Motorsports. Key's Sprint Cup team, Keyed Up Motorsports, plans to debut in the 2010 Daytona 500. Key Motorsports, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, is providing technical and engineering support as well as engines, personnel and shop space to Keyed Up Motorsports for the Sprint Cup effort. Key Motorsports, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, is providing technical and engineering support as well as engines, personnel and shop space to Keyed Up Motorsports for the Sprint Cup effort. "I am excited to be working with Raymond and Keyed Up Motorsports on the Sprint Cup program," Curtis Key said. "Raymond has traveled with our Truck and Nationwide teams and has been a lot of help to us. He has wanted to start his own team and he feels it is the right time." Keyed Up Motorsports will field Chevrolets purchased from Dale Earnhardt, Inc., with the team being committed to the the first five races on the 2010 Sprint Cup Series schedule which include Daytona, California, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Bristol. Curtis and Raymond Key, both Virginia businessmen who developed their companies from humble beginnings, have selected #90 for the Keyed Up Motorsports entry, a number that is rich in Virginia racing history [#90 was run for decades by Virginia based Junie Donlavey, winning once at Dover]. While no announcements were made regarding a driver or sponsor for the #90 Keyed Up Motorsports Sprint Cup Series team, team owner Raymond Key says it will not be a start and park team.

[Burai]

If you want to stop Johnson from winning titles, the only way to do it is to eliminate the Chase. The #48 crew didn't get it done over an entire season in 2002 and 2003 despite running a Hendrick car, the latter being one in which they royally blew it in terms of consistency. Johnson may still win a title under a full-year championship, but it becomes less likely as it's harder to maintain peak performance over 36 races.

I don't think saying that Johnson would only have won one of the three titles he has currently under the old system is really true. All of the teams have adjusted their strategies for the Chase.

Exactly.

The Chase was a good idea, but now Jimmi and Chad know how to play the game it's completely backfired.

I do like the idea of adopting F1 points though... Even Bernie's medal system would have worked great:

1 - Johnson - 6 wins
2 - Martin - 5
3 - Stewart - 4
4 - Ky Busch - 4 (Stewart has more second places)
5 - Hamlin - 3

[Sausage]

If you want to stop Johnson from winning titles, the only way to do it is to eliminate the Chase. The #48 crew didn't get it done over an entire season in 2002 and 2003 despite running a Hendrick car, the latter being one in which they royally blew it in terms of consistency. Johnson may still win a title under a full-year championship, but it becomes less likely as it's harder to maintain peak performance over 36 races.

I don't think saying that Johnson would only have won one of the three titles he has currently under the old system is really true. All of the teams have adjusted their strategies for the Chase.

Now JJ and Hendrick don't even care about the regular season, they just drive around collecting top10s and start work when the chase begins. When the season has no chase I think they will work all year and they will dominate the whole season. It is like Rossi few years ago, he would hangs behind someone whole race and then 3 laps to go he overtakes and wins easy but if he wanted he would win by big margins every race.

[red stick]

Welcome nosaj100.

Interesting take on Roush. Kenseth started off strong but faded, and Edwards, whom many here thought would challenge Johnson this year, is thus far winless. I'd like to think there's enough of the racer in Jack Roush to overcome his corporate partners, if that's the problem, so I guess the new year will tell.

My question on RCR was largely tongue-in-cheek, driven by the drop from three cars in the Chase to none. Which I guess might make for some interesting speculation: Who made the Chase this year but won't next year, and vice-versa?

[WildmouseX]

My question on RCR was largely tongue-in-cheek, driven by the drop from three cars in the Chase to none. Which I guess might make for some interesting speculation: Who made the Chase this year but won't next year, and vice-versa?

as i pointed out in the 2009 thread, they do have a car in the chase - it's just run under the EGR banner with the #42 on the side of it.

[WildmouseX]

new on jayski this afternoon...

The three major car racing circuits -- Formula One, NASCAR, and Indy Car -- have built a multibillion dollar business. Formula One revenue, including sponsorships and broadcast fees, is estimated at $3.9 billion a year, which is more per event than either the NFL or The Premier League of soccer clubs. Toyota has elected to pull out of Formula One because of cost considerations. The world's largest car company has lost money for more than a year. Reuters estimates that Toyota has spent $300 million per year on its Formula One campaign. Honda (HMC) pulled its cars from the circuit earlier this year.
The Toyota retreat can be added to news that the Obama Administration has pressured Chevy and Dodge to pull out of the NASCAR racing series to save $250 million a year. The two companies have been pillars of NASCAR and there are no other auto firms with large enough budgets to replace them.(MSN's Money Central blog by Top Stocks writer Douglas A. McIntyre, an editor at 24/7 Wall St), however, both GM/Chevy and Dodge reps have said over and over, that both Chevy and Dodge are committed to the sport, for at least 2010 anyway.

[pingu666]

Welcome nosaj100.

Interesting take on Roush. Kenseth started off strong but faded, and Edwards, whom many here thought would challenge Johnson this year, is thus far winless. I'd like to think there's enough of the racer in Jack Roush to overcome his corporate partners, if that's the problem, so I guess the new year will tell.

My question on RCR was largely tongue-in-cheek, driven by the drop from three cars in the Chase to none. Which I guess might make for some interesting speculation: Who made the Chase this year but won't next year, and vice-versa?

utter wildcard prediction... JJ wont make the chase next year

[whitewaterMkII]

"The Toyota retreat can be added to news that the Obama Administration has pressured Chevy and Dodge to pull out of the NASCAR racing series to save $250 million a year."

Pretty F'in stupid for the Government to get involved in the marketing efforts of any of the entities that they decided to bail..., errrr, loan money to.
But, hey, it wouldn't surprise me at all for this administration to write off all motorsports fans and the racing industry as a whole.

Edited by whitewaterMkII, 06 November 2009 - 02:21.