Happy Friday everyone. Habbajeeba, we made it through the week! Today In Nascar History June 5, 1988: Subbing for Harry Gant, who was injured the week before in the Coca-Cola 600, Morgan Shepherd finishes second in the No. 33 Skoal Bandit Chevrolet in the Budweiser 500 at Dover. He leads 110 laps but finishes 21 seconds behind winner Bill Elliott. Thanks to Anthony for the heads up on these… Two really cool events going on at the moment. Please let your fans know about www.vest4k9. com and www.smokescamaro.com. Greg and Tony are doing some great work for their foundations, and allows fans some fun opportunities. From Mansi Hey, Comments from the Peanut Gallery
From Lou Hi Momma, As a longtime racing fan and a longtime NASCAR fan I can only say one thing about Jeff Meyer's article in your June 4 newsletter. That one thing would be RIGHT ON! The Old Man of NASCAR, Lou Elliott Bits and Pieces NASCAR officially adopts double-file restarts in Cup Series races DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR announced Thursday a change to its race format with the addition of “Double-File Restarts — Shootout Style” throughout each race. Beginning with this weekend at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart. “We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: ‘double-file restarts — shootout style’ are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France. “This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.” “I’m excited about it,” said two-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. “The good thing is that when they drop the green, you’re going to be racing with the guys you’re racing for position instead of trying to clear lapped cars. “Since NASCAR has adapted the ‘free pass,’ I think that’s something that now justifies being able to put those lapped cars to the back and let them race with each other, and let the guys who are racing on the lead lap do the same. I’m behind NASCAR 100 percent on this.” Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick said, “I think it’s great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it already is. This will not only benefit the lead-lap cars, but also the cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds.” NASCAR recently used the “double-file” format for its non-points Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series in the near future. Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had been lapped would start in a line next to them. Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then restart next to the leader. Regardless of where the leader starts, drivers in odd number positions (third, fifth, seventh places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (fourth, sixth, eighth places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race. The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” However, a new element beginning this week will be that the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race. Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference. NASCAR's Most Valuable Teams: To date, all 13 races have been won by five of the sport's most valuable teams; six have come from Hendrick Motorsports, which tops Forbe's list this year. No. 2: Roush Fenway Racing. Richard Childress Racing is third. Since Forbe's valuations last year, four of the top 15 most valuable teams have disappeared, either through mergers or an exit from the sport, leaving a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots. Forbe's estimate the average top 10 team fell in value by 6% to $148 million in 2009 from $158 million last year. Partly to blame: Sponsors renewing deals with teams now have more leverage than ever to negotiate a better deal. Hendrick Motorsports is ranked #1, worth $350 million followed by Roush Fenway Racing ($270m), Richard Childress Racing ($167m), Joe Gibbs Racing ($144) and Richard Petty Motorsports ($131). See full story and top 10 list at Forbes.com.
Special scheme for Sorenson at Pocono: There aren’t many guarantees in racing but this weekend in Pocono, #43 Valvoline Dodge driver Reed Sorenson will carry a guarantee on the hood of his Dodge. Sorenson will drive the “Valvoline Engine Guarantee” Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports. The paint scheme is part of Valvoline’s new engine guarantee program. Anyone can go to Valvoline.com and signup and Valvoline will guarantee the engine for up to 300,000 miles. The guarantee program couldn’t come at a better time. The front stretch at the 2.5-mile triangular shaped track is the longest one of the toughest on engines in the sport.(RPM) GM to Sell Saturn Brand to Penske Dealership Chain GM strikes tentative deal to sell Saturn brand to Penske Automotive Group dealer chain By Dan Strumpf and Tom Krisher, AP Auto Writers NEW YORK (AP) -- General Motors Corp. has a tentative deal to sell its Saturn brand to former race car driver and dealership group owner Roger Penske, both companies said Friday. Penske has signed a memorandum of understanding that would give his dealership chain, Penske Automotive Group, Saturn's 350 dealerships, the companies said. Penske said that he expects to offer all the dealers new franchise agreements and will retain all 13,000 Saturn employees for the immediate term. "I would expect that the model that we're putting together, the distribution model, will be profitable day one," Penske said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We'll have less costs. We'll not be in the manufacturing side." Neither Penske nor GM would say how much Penske is paying for the brand. Penske said he expects the deal to close in the third quarter. Penske Automotive Group also distributes Daimler AG's Smart subcompacts in the U.S., but Smart has its own dealership network and Saturn dealers will continue to exclusively distribute Saturn vehicles, Penske said. Initially, GM will continue to produce on a contract basis the Saturn Aura sedan as well as the Vue and Outlook SUVs, the companies said. But Penske said he is in talks with manufacturers around the world about building Saturn cars in the future. "We will be selling as many GM cars -- a many GM-produced cars -- under the Saturn brand as possible," Penske told reporters in a conference call Friday. GM had announced plans earlier this year to sell the Saturn brand. The car maker launched Saturn in 1990 with the tagline "a different kind of car company." GM's hope was that Saturn would attract younger buyers with smaller, hipper cars to better compete with Japanese imports. It built a new plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., devoted to Saturn production. The factory had more flexible work rules than traditional GM plants for the employees who built the cars. Despite a cult-like following that drew thousands to annual reunions in Spring Hill, the brand never made money for GM. The factory stopped making Saturns in 2007 and currently builds only the Chevrolet Traverse. As GM focused more on high-profit pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, Saturn began to languish in the late 1990s. Then in 2006, car buyers began to find Saturn's new models more appealing. But after a good year in 2007, sales dropped 22 percent last year as the U.S. car market withered. Today, Saturn production is scattered at plants across the U.S. The Aura is built at GM's factory at Kansas City, Kansas. The Outlook is built in Lansing, Mich., while the Vue is built in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. The Saturn Sky roadster is built in Wilmington, Del., but that plant is scheduled to close in July and the model will be discontinued. The Saturn Astra was imported from GM's plant in Antwerp, Belgium, and was discontinued last year. Penske Automotive will take over the separate Saturn parts factory in Spring Hill, which will continue to make Saturn components. Penske Automotive owns the second-largest U.S. automobile retail chain by sales and consistently scores high in customer satisfaction surveys. The company also has race teams in the IndyCar, NASCAR and Grand-Am series. Penske received wide acclaim for heading Detroit's successful effort to host the 2006 Super Bowl. Carl F. Galeana, who owns two Saturn dealerships north of Detroit, said Friday he was thrilled that Penske would be the Saturn buyer. "Roger Penske is an icon in the business world," Galeana said. "I've worked with him personally. Nobody works harder than Roger Penske." Galeana said the fact that Penske is interested in Saturn means the brand has value. "It allows Saturn to get back to its original roots, which is to be an independent car company," he said. GM, which filed for bankruptcy court protection on Monday, has said it plans to shed its Saturn, Hummer, Pontiac and Saab brands. Earlier this week, GM said it found a buyer for Hummer in China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. However, any such deal would require Chinese Commerce Ministry approval, and reports in state-run newspapers Friday said Sichuan Tengzhong had not yet obtained such an approval. Tom Krisher reported from Detroit. Biffle-Edwards situation needs attention by Larry McReynolds/foxsports.com I just have to say, other than maybe the Daytona 500, the races at Talladega and the All-Star race, Sunday's race at Dover was one of the most exciting ones of the NASCAR on FOX 2009 schedule. Sure, Jimmie Johnson dominated the race, but that last pit stop really changed the complexion of the race. Those last 25 laps sure were exciting. I know I looked down from the TV booth and I couldn't find a single person of the 100,000-plus that were in the grandstands in their seats. They were all up on their feet cheering. Actually there was a lot of good side-by-side racing from the waving of the green flag Sunday. I know we were flirting with potential tire-wear issues. It did obviously end up biting a few teams. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards got together again Sunday. Do I know if there is something going on there? No, but I also know that if I am Jack Roush, I am getting both those boys on the phone and asking them if there is something we need to resolve. I really don't care if there is rivalry among the teams or the organizations because as we keep saying, a rivalry is a good thing. It doesn't matter what kind of sports fan you are. You just like rivalries. Whether it's the Cowboys and Redskins, the Yankees and the Red Sox, or Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rivalries spark interest because people are watching closely to see what happens next. We continue to see a lot of our veteran drivers making some noise. Personally, I think it is a wonderful thing. I just think it is good for our sport that NASCAR isn't being dominated by young kids. Dover is just one of those race tracks due to its configuration, the surface, etc. that always has and hopefully always will promote good side-by-side racing. We had a lot of things happen last week that had nothing to do with on-track action. Dale Jr. got a new crew chief. NASCAR held a Town Hall meeting with the drivers and the owners. It all lended itself to movement in a positive direction. Lance McGrew didn't come in and wave his magic wand over the No. 88 and make it instantly a winner. Nobody expected that. I did see, for whatever the reason, a new energized Dale Jr. You could see it in some of his TV interview and hear it in his voice on the radio. I have also heard nothing but positive comments coming out of the NASCAR meetings last week. I think you will see double file restarts be instituted come Pocono and I have yet to hear anyone have any complaints about that. The leader will always be the leader and he won't ever be six or seven cars back on a restart like we have had in the past. Burton Baffled By RCR’s March Backward By Rick Minter | Senior Writer | RacinToday.com Over the years, Dale Earnhardt made Richard Childress look mighty good as a car owner. Now his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is indirectly helping to keep Childress from looking pretty bad. Earnhardt’s struggles at Hendrick Motorsports and his recent crew chief swap have overshadowed the struggles of Richard Childress Racing, a story that likely would be drawing much more attention if not for the Earnhardt saga. Childress, who has been able to put three drivers in the Chase in the past, now has four teams and only one driver, Jeff Burton, in the elite group. The RCR team is winless so far this season, but Burton has two third-place finishes this season, at Las Vegas and Richmond, and his average is 14.6. He’s 10th in the standing, but just 20 markers ahead of 12th-place Mark Martin. Clint Bowyer, who moved over to a new group at RCR when the fourth team was added, started the season fairly strong, with four top-six finishes in the first six races, but since then his best finish is an 11th last week at Dover. He left Martinsville, the sixth race of the season, second in the standings, 89 points behind Jeff Gordon. Now he’s 16th, 404 behind leader Tony Stewart and 118 out of the top 12. Kevin Harvick started the season with a runner-up run in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 then finished fourth at Atlanta a few races later. But his nose-dive has seen his average finish drop to 22.7, and he’s 24th in the standings, 306 away from 12th place. Newcomer Casey Mears has two ninth-place runs, at Richmond and Dover, but is averaging 21.1 and is 21st in the standings, 261 out of 12th. Childress announced at Talladega Superspeedway that he was swapping the crews of Harvick and Mears, but so far the results haven’t significantly improved, although Mears did get his only two top-10s since being teamed with Todd Berrier’s outfit. Burton, the guy who usually has an answer for everything NASCAR, seems stumped when trying to explain his own team’s struggles. “I’m not trying to be a smart guy here when I say this, but if we knew what the problem was we wouldn’t have it,” he said during his meeting with the press at Dover. “I believe that one of the things that hurt us is not testing.” He said that in the past the RCR teams did lots of mid-week, on-track work. NASCAR has imposed strict limits on testing this year in an attempt to save teams money. “The 29 (Kevin Harvick) and the 31 (Burton’s team) spent a lot of time testing, and I think that we got a lot of benefit out of that,” he said. “We may not have been as prepared as a lot of teams without being able to test.” Burton did get a chance to work on that this week. He was part of a Goodyear tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and also turned some laps at Virginia International Raceway to prepare for the upcoming road-course races at Infineon and Watkins Glen. But it’s not just a lack of testing that has the team in a multi-car slide, he said. In fact, as far back as the mid-point of the Chase last year, Burton acknowledged that their cars needed more speed if he was going to be a contender for the title. As it was he had all top-10s in the Chase races leading up to a win at Charlotte, where he left second in the standings. From that point on, he ended the season with finishes of 17th, 18th, 13th, ninth and 40th and wound up sixth in the stadings. “I think we’ve gotten a little behind in a lot of areas,” he said. “One of the things that was clear to us coming into this year and last year and I openly talked about it is we were on the verge of not being good enough last year. We had one of two ways to go – we could either improve or we couldn’t improve. We worked very hard to improve, but we started the year out and the changes that we made we haven’t improved.” Now that it’s clear that the team is off track, it’s time for more changes, he said. “We were able to take that assessment really early, and now we’re trying to do things differently, and we’re trying to get better during the year where some people got better during the winter,” he said. “We just made some decisions that weren’t ultimately the correct decisions. “It wasn’t because we weren’t working, it wasn’t because we weren’t trying, but we just made some decisions that didn’t work. Now we have to look at every department and try to figure out how to do every category better. “That’s the only way we’re going to get better.” A job half done by Darrell Waltrip/foxsports.com Well folks, as you know Sunday at Dover was the NASCAR on FOX team's last TV broadcast of the year. It also marks the halfway point — races — for the race to the Chase. When we left the TV booth on Sunday in Dover, we just felt like we are leaving with so many things unfinished. There are issues, ideas and storylines that we have addressed and it just kills you professionally to have to walk away with the job half done. We are just leaving so many loose ends for someone else to come in and tie up. Certainly the way we at FOX cover things is not the way that TNT covers it, nor ESPN/ABC. I have to tell you, all of us at FOX had an empty feeling when we left the track Sunday afternoon knowing full well that we won't be back until Daytona in February. It's emotional because we take our work very seriously. We put a lot of emotion in what we do plus we take a lot of pride in what we do. There's no doubt this has been a tough year. Our two biggest races, the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, were rain-shortened. That has a huge impact on the TV ratings. A lot of critics want to point their finger at one thing and say that's the reason. I really don't think you can do that. There simply isn't just one reason. I believe our country has and is going through a whole revamping of lifestyles. I think folks are spending more time with the families, going to church, going on picnics, etc. I just think people are doing other things right now. With the economy the way it is — people's jobs and livelihoods in jeopardy — I just think people are being more conservative. You see that with the empty seats in the grandstands. People simply can't afford right now to be going to the races like they are accustomed to because they just don't know what tomorrow will bring. When you feel vulnerable and things are going well, you want to surround yourself with your friends and family and do things together that might simply not include sitting around the television for four hours every Sunday. You see it across the board: One of my favorite shows, "American Idol," was down about 10-15 percent this year. Sure, we at FOX aren't happy about it. But when we compare ourselves against other professional sports, we feel like we've held our own pretty well. I am proud of what we have been able to do this season with our portion of the NASCAR races. There have also been a few races where the on track action wasn't all that great. That's where I am the proudest of our team. When the racing isn't all that great, I think our guys and gals really step up to keep it fresh, exciting and keeping the fans informed and educated of what's going on. That's really all we can do. We have fun with the telecast. We are, after all, in the sports entertainment business. We have a well-rounded group of individuals whose knowledge, experience and love for our sport is second to none. They just don't get any better. The positive side of the NASCAR TV package being broken up over three groups, I believe, is it gives the fans viewpoints from different folks in our sport. It gives you, the fan, different perspectives throughout the season. All three groups are in this together with the same goal as to help grow our sport. I want to applaud NASCAR for holding their Town Hall meeting with the drivers and the owners. In the past they have held private meetings or meetings with a smaller group, so something of this magnitude, I believe, is a good thing. I just hope it wasn't for show. I hope some of the things that were suggested will be implemented. Let's not forget that NASCAR has its hands full. Attendance is sagging. The ratings are down a little bit. Their drug policy has had a shining light on it these last few weeks. The other recent issue, which certainly was a surprise to most of us, was what happened to Carl Long. Quite honestly, I am still not over that. I still can't understand why the poorest guy in the garage gets the biggest fine in NASCAR history. He had an engine that was slightly out of spec. His engine was 17/1000ths out of spec. We aren't talking cubic inches here folks, we are talking thousandths of inches. Listen to me: NASCAR is perfectly correct that the engine was too big. By the rule book that was an illegal engine and they have every right to take it, put Carl on probation and fine him as well. Nobody has nor should question NASCAR's right to do that. What none of us understand and what we are all questioning is the magnitude of the fine and the harshness of it. I can't find anyone in the garage that believes it was a justifiable penalty for someone like Carl Long. No one's saying Carl should get an exception. What we are saying is give the man something that is reasonable. The largest NASCAR fine in history to the poorest competitor in the garage? Sorry folks, I just don't understand or accept it. In the same breath though, I am not on the Appeals Board and no one has called and asked me, so it's just my opinion. One of the positives that did come out of the meeting was the double-line restarts. I think everybody is excited about that. It's not new, though. We have covered the All Star Race for nine years now and every year we have said we thought it was a great way to create some additional excitement. I just think it will be a real positive for our sport. It will create some new situations that we've never seen before during regular season races, just like we saw in the All Star Race a few weeks ago. The cool thing is there is no downside to it. The Lucky Dog rule allows us to have double-line restarts. Now all the cars on the lead lap are racing each other. Now all the cars one lap down are racing each other. If there's any downside at all to it, it's a guy with a fast car that is two or three laps down that isn't eligible for the Lucky Dog. So that might be something they have to look at once we get into this deal. We need to have the leader of the race at the head of the field. He doesn't need to be mired six or seven cars back behind cars that are on the tail end of the lead lap. I have said it before, people at home don't understand the leader of the race restarting in basically the 15th spot. It just simplifies things. We have to think "fan friendly." Cleaning up the front of the field, waving around the tail end of the lead lap cars and putting the leader up front where he is supposed to be as leader are all positives. As you saw Sunday at Dover, there is one less Jr. on Dale Jr.'s crew with Tony Eury Jr. being replaced. Lance McGrew has taken over the crew chief duties of the No. 88 and Lance is a sharp guy. He led Brian Vickers to the Nationwide championship at Hendricks. Based on what I saw Sunday at Dover, I think Lance and Dale Jr. will be fine. I think this is the change that Dale Jr. needed to turn his year around. I know talent and ability. Dale Jr. has it. If he gets hot then watch out. I am happy that this change happened because I think it's what Dale needed. Oh, by the way Pocono is this weekend and there are two little words that describe that place to a "T" — fuel mileage. Just remember, fuel mileage. You run Pocono like a road course. You can pit there and not lose a lap. Timing those pit stops just right can sometimes get you a huge advantage. Fuel mileage is the key to success at Pocono. Oh, by the way II I think this has been an interesting year so far with our first-time winners. You had Brad Keselowski winning at Talladega. You had David Reutimann winning the Coca Cola 600. You had Brian Scott winning the Dover truck race. So we've got some different faces in different places in 2009 and that's been exciting to watch, too. Up front: Brian Williams By Kris Johnson | Nascar Illustrated Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News” is the face and voice of the news to millions of Americans. The 49-year-old has received a mantle full of awards including five Emmys and the industry’s highest honor: the Peabody Award. But Williams ditches his trademark reserve when he talks racing. A longtime NASCAR fan, Williams spoke with NASCAR Illustrated about his deep-seated need for speed and his good friend Dale Earnhardt Sr. NASCAR Illustrated: You’ve been with NBC since 1993, and a lot of folks might not remember you hosted coverage of the network’s first NASCAR events back in 1999. Did you ever see that as a possible career path? Brian Williams: Our sports division chairman, Dick Ebersol, knew I was a big fan and it was a big day when NBC bought the NASCAR TV rights. I was floored when he came to me and said, “Would you like to be the on-air host of the Homestead race?” It was very exciting, but it took a lot of explaining — “don’t adjust your sets. There hasn’t been a news event. I’m just here because I love the sport.” NI: Your best guess on if President Barack Obama will attend a NASCAR race? Williams: I think he will. He’s very astute politically. I don’t know how much exposure, if any, he’s had to the sport, but Ronald Reagan taught us that there is great political capital if presidents seem authentic about wanting to be there. NI: What are you driving these days? Williams: I have a Mustang GT. I can admit to a little after-market [enhancement] on it. And my other car is a Jeep Cherokee with a Hemi engine. You gotta have a Hemi. NI: Do you treat your daily commute into New York City like a race? Williams: Who among us does not? [laughs] Absolutely. I can’t be behind the wheel and not treat it as a race. I’ve had just enough seat time in my life. I was lucky enough to drive the Mello Yello car at Talladega to an average lap speed of 181 mph. That’s knowing you’re alive. NI: You and your son Douglas were in victory lane at Talladega to celebrate Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s win in 1999. What do you remember about that day? Williams: It was one of the more unbelievable days of my life, and a picture of that day — signed by Dale — hangs above my son’s bed. We went to see Dale before the race at his transporter. Very imposing guy, but in person he was so warm and had both his hands on my son’s shoulders. Douglas said, “Can I touch the No. 3 car?” And Dale walked him down and he put his little hand on the car. Dale said, “I’ll make you a deal. If I win, this will be my good-luck charm. You get your daddy to bring you down to victory lane.” NI: How did you and Earnhardt become friends? Williams: I had come to know Dale through interviewing him. I get great, great blessings and advantages in this job. NI: As a fan, has it been hard to follow another driver? Williams: I won’t lie to you. Since Dale’s death, it’s been tough. I still catch myself looking for that black No. 3 when they come around. NI: When was the last time you and Earnhardt were together? I still have [a message from around that time]. Dale had left a voice mail, saying, “Hey, Brian. Just wondering if you’re coming down to Daytona.” Instead of going to Daytona, I went on a vacation with my family. So, I got back from his funeral and there’s his voice on my phone. This article originally appeared in the April issue of Nascar Illustrated Waid's World A NASCAR BLOG BY Steve Waid Not even Jimmie Johnson can top Junior Nation Jimmie Johnson seems to fly under the radar these days. That thought struck me after the three-time series champion won the Autism Speaks 400 Sprint Cup race at Dover. His achievement was duly recognized but almost as an afterthought. It appeared it was overshadowed by news generated on and off the track. There was the ouster of Tony Eury Jr. as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief – that event made the cover of NASCAR Scene – and Lance McGrew’s first outing as the pit boss for Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team at Dover. There was Jeremy Mayfield’s ongoing legal sparring with NASCAR over his suspension for alleged substance abuse. There were the back-and-forth vocal salvos between Kyle Busch and Earnhardt Jr. There’s more, but I trust you get the idea. As said, Johnson’s victory has been duly noted, but it should also be noted that it was achieved by a masterful display of driving skill. True, Johnson dominated the race, but after a final pit stop for four tires, delayed because of trouble changing the left-front tire, he found himself in eighth place with 27 laps to go. There was considerable doubt he had enough time to retake the lead. Fresh rubber likely made his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet faster than several cars ahead of him, which included those of leaders Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart, that had taken right-side tires only. But Johnson shot through the competition without laying a bumper on anyone. He moved into second behind Stewart with nine laps to go. Johnson dogged Stewart and then, with three laps remaining, made a nifty move on the outside in Turn 3 to make the pass and earn his second victory of the season. Johnson’s late-race pursuit of victory was a work of art. Sure, he had a fast car for the entire race. But a fast car doesn’t come from eighth place to first in less than 27 laps unless its driver knows what he’s doing – and is able to meet the challenge. Johnson said he was driving over his head. If so, that he was still able to win is indicative of his skill. And at least to some, what he accomplished was a mere blip on the media radar, given the many other issues. Maybe Johnson doesn’t mind at all. He certainly doesn’t want to be any part of anything controversial. He’d much rather go about his business and attract attention only when he changes his hairstyle. The Dover victory moved Johnson into third place in the Sprint Cup point standings. He’s just 18 points behind teammate Jeff Gordon and 64 behind leader Tony Stewart. He’s on track to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship. If that happens, he’ll be all over the radar. Jack man's gift lifts family's spirits By Marty Smith/ESPN.com Jeff Kerr is the jack of hearts. Kerr, like most every other Sprint Cup Series crew member, strolled into Time Warner Arena on May 14 focused on earning the $10,000 prize for individual skill supremacy in the pit crew challenge. He was motivated by the money like never before. Ten grand is a pretty penny, not to mention the bragging rights an individual skills winner gets to carry up and down pit lane for the rest of the season. Kerr knew all about that. He'd won the jack man contest before. But Kerr, who hoists Martin Truex Jr.'s Chevys skyward every Sunday, wasn't interested in spending the cash or gloating about his prowess. He wanted to give it away, to donate to those in need. In late April, Kerr heard the story of Preston Loyd, a 4-year-old boy whose family attended the same Mooresville, N.C., church that Kerr and his family attended. Young Preston had been inside the Loyd home watching television the afternoon of April 22 and ran outside unbeknownst to his grandfather, who was mowing the family's lawn on a riding mower. Grandfather never saw Preston -- who had uncharacteristically exited the house through the back door -- and accidentally backed over him. Below his chest down to his waist, from his spinal column over, the entire left side of Preston's torso was sheared off. He lost all ribs on his left side, along with his stomach, spleen and left kidney. His liver was lacerated. His arm was cut badly. Preston was airlifted to Charlotte Medical Center, and upon arrival the trauma surgeon gave the boy less than a 50 percent chance of survival. It was more grim than that at the scene. Kevin Clark, a 23-year veteran volunteer fireman at Lake Norman Volunteer Fire Dept., now deputy chief, was en route to pick up his own 4-year-old when the call came from dispatch. He knew immediately that it was bad. He was the first responder to the scene. "I went in and the grandfather was white, white. Preston was white, white, too," Clark said. "It was a terrible injury. In all my years of experience, a young child doesn't have that much blood. My opinion is he didn't have anything left in him." Clark took Preston from the grandfather and rolled him over. That's when he noticed the gaping wound. Preston's lung was severed, so Clark used his hand to try to seal the wound. Two other volunteers arrived to assist his breathing. He was losing air quickly. "He 'postured,' which in a kid is usually a sign that he's done," Clark said. "Children, their little bodies are great at compensating, but when they're done, they're done. I thought it was over. He was in rough shape." And that wasn't the only emergency situation on site. "I thought we'd actually have to figure out who to work on first -- I thought the grandfather was going to have a massive coronary, right there," Clark said. "One of the paramedics said that it was the most intense seven minutes he'd ever been involved in at a scene," said Ashton Loyd, Preston's father. "One of the nurses told me everything had to happen perfectly for Preston to be alive." Clark agreed. "He's a miracle. He really is," Clark said. "His little heart just kept going. Twice I thought we lost him." Ashton is a former athlete, having played and coached football at Davidson University before choosing a career as an agent for Nationwide Insurance. "I can't really put into words what this has been like," Ashton said. "One of my biggest struggles, as an athlete, a coach, a guy in general, we're used to being fixers. We didn't run that play right. We didn't have the camber adjusted right. We can fix that. That's fixable. Now we're better. That's not the case in something like this." Kerr was heartbroken when he heard the story. He has a little boy around Preston's age. He couldn't fathom the pain. So the Sunday before the pit crew competition, Kerr sent Ashton a text message to this effect: "If I manage to win, the money is yours." "He was very broken down about it," Kerr said bashfully. "It was just one of those things I felt led to do. They're a good family in a bad situation." Thing is, it's not like they were best friends. "I would call us casual friends," Ashton said. "Misty [Kerr's wife] found me and said, 'Jeff told me to remind you if he wins anything in the pit crew challenge, he's giving it to you.'" Kerr instead was overwhelmed by the human spirit, moved to assist those in need. Ashton watched the competition intently, and when Kerr posted the quickest time among Cup jack men, it took him a moment to grasp the magnitude of the gift. "I kept tabs on it, yeah," Ashton said, laughing. "It was like, 'Wow.' I hadn't even processed it at the time -- OK, he's going to donate. Then you see him standing there with the big check for 10 G's and I'm thinking, 'He can't give me $10,000.'" Ashton Loyd's spirit is infectious. Here his sweet little boy is terribly injured, and he's concerned about the tax ramifications of Kerr's gift. "I started thinking, 'OK, well, if he does think he's donating that money, they're going to send him a [Form] 1099. I have to give him the tax dollars back!'" Ashton says this experience has made him a better man, more patient. He wouldn't wish this hell on anybody, certainly. But his faith, already quite strong, is stronger. He and his wife, Cinamon, are humbled by the outpouring of generosity. Gorgeous sympathy cards arrive in the mail with stories from folks they don't know who've experienced similar tragedy. Some worse. Oddly, they're comforting to the Loyds. Checks show up from anonymous donors -- $500 here, $100 there. Doctors haven't offered an official timeline on Preston's recovery just yet, but using "country-boy logic," Ashton estimates they'll have their little boy home by the end of the summer. Three days after the accident, that seemed impossible. Preston experienced a hypoxic brain injury during the accident. He never stopped breathing, but his brain was deprived of oxygen during the trauma. The prognosis for future cognition was a concern. There were challenges in the beginning with bleeding, too. Ashton is uncertain his son will ever have a stomach again. For the next year or so, he'll have a spit fistula, meaning his esophagus terminates outside the body. After Preston grows a bit more, doctors plan to reattach his esophagus to his intestines. The future holds much rehab, including plastic surgery and skin grafts. But now, after 32 days in a coma, Preston is awake and jovial. Preston recently spoke for 30 minutes with his preschool teacher. His best buddy, little Miller, showed up with some goodies the other day, too, and they had a fine ol' time cutting up. Preston will have to relearn some things, but he seems to be well on the way to cognitive recovery. "Is it absolutely Preston all the time? No," Ashton said. "But the neurologist came in yesterday and Preston was talking to the nurse. The neurologist said, 'Well, OK, I think that's about all I need to see.' The progress we have made has been crazy. We're already out of ICU, which I didn't think that would ever happen this quickly." Back at the track, Kerr's crewmate Mark Kennerly handed him $200. A random fan and his wife offered another $200. "It's the most amazing thing," Ashton said. "The human spirit's not so bad after all." Indeed. Jeff Kerr should be an example to us all. "If I was in that position, I'd hope somebody would do that for me," Kerr said. "I think about the grandfather -- that would be the worst punishment of all. They need that money more than I do." The world needs a few more Jeff Kerrs. Kyle Busch a man of his words By Ed Hinton/ESPN.com One thing about Kyle Busch: You always know where he stands. He's the most honest man in NASCAR. After races, he either takes a bow or takes a hike. He either wins big and flaunts it, or loses big and stomps away silently. He ran three races and took three hikes at Dover this past weekend. You don't see much of him around those second- and third-place news conferences NASCAR makes drivers do in the media centers after races. He doesn't do runner-up very well. This Cup season he has finished in the top three four times, and three of those were wins. The rest of the time, his finishes have been in the double digits, except for a sixth-place in the Coca-Cola 600, a race he would have won -- that, or finished in the double digits again -- if not for rain. He had no choice but to sit on pit road in the drizzle under a red flag and let NASCAR call the 600 after 227 laps of the scheduled 400, with David Reutimann sitting at the front. Of those 227 laps completed, Busch had led 173. If they had gone green again, Busch would have four wins this year -- that, or he would have played hell with the finish, just as he did in the All-Star Race. Whenever he takes a hike, refusing to speak to the media or even his own public-relations people, it's always obvious why. In Saturday's Nationwide race, he led at the final restart and got bumped from behind by teammate Joey Logano so that both slid up the track and Brad Keselowski won. In the Truck race that same evening, a blown tire with 14 laps to go cost Busch a win. In the Cup race, he fought a terrible car up into the top five, only to feel a vibration. (With his experience that weekend, there was reason to suspect it was a bad tire.) It was a rare broken splitter. Three times, he took a hike. Three times, why not? What could he contribute to the chronicling of the race except some more outrage that his detracting legions would call whining? Busch will be bashed regardless. The NASCAR public has chosen him as the driver it loves to hate. Give the NASCAR public this: It always picks a really good one to hate, e.g., Jeff Gordon for years, and Dale Earnhardt before that, and Darrell Waltrip before that. Busch didn't exactly come into Dover with his guns blazing at Dale Earnhardt Jr. He was doing what he was told -- participating in the Friday media conference NASCAR requires of its top 12 drivers in the points standings. He wasn't taking shots. He was giving honest answers. In fact, he opened with candor about being robbed by rain at Charlotte: "Hopefully, we don't have a rain-shortened race." He was still stinging from that and made no secret of it. I guess I started the Earnhardt stuff. My intention was to get a lot of drivers' reactions to the hottest news story of the day by far, Earnhardt's being separated from his cousin and longtime crew chief, Tony Eury Jr., with Lance McGrew as the replacement. Busch just happened to be the first driver I asked. "You gotta make the most popular driver in the sport competitive," he said. "So you do what you gotta do, I guess." Now what about that wasn't true? From team owner Rick Hendrick to NASCAR chairman Brian France to senior statesman Jeff Gordon, they've all been saying the same thing -- exactly the same thing Busch said. Now, here are some quotes that will bore you because they aren't sexy, but they should be published here to further illustrate his honesty. Somebody else asked Busch what McGrew might bring to Earnhardt that Eury didn't. "I don't know," Busch said. "I've never worked with Eury, so I don't know." See? Candor. If he doesn't know, he'll tell you he doesn't know. He continued regarding McGrew, "I only worked with him in Nationwide in 2004 [while Busch was at Hendrick]. So the better question to ask might be to Brad Keselowski. He worked with him recently. … I couldn't tell you. I don't know." Not much news there. So reporters kept pushing for comments on McGrew. What was McGrew like? "Always trying to stay ahead of the curve," Busch said, but added, "just like any other crew chief does." Still no news. Most of the time, honesty is boring. But in his tendency to tell not just the truth but the whole truth, Busch added something he does know about McGrew at this time: "He's got his hands full having to deal with what's going on, and if Junior doesn't run well, he's [McGrew] going to be the problem again." And then: "It's never Junior; it's always the crew chief." Busch spoke the truth as he saw it, and we all wrote it and/or aired sound bites of it, because the media knew that would be much more interesting to you, the public, than a lot of "I couldn't tell you" or "I don't know" from NASCAR's best and most controversial young driver about NASCAR's most popular driver. It was very much the same as when he had said at Martinsville, Va., back in March, "I'm proud of the fact that I'm outperforming a guy [Earnhardt] that replaced me at Hendrick." He had been asked, and he answered. But only the interesting part went out to the world. Chopped off the end was his conclusion, "But that's not what this sport is all about. This sport is to be the most consistent and keep learning and to keep getting better and ultimately to try to win championships." Even before that, after his win at Bristol on March 22, only the sound bite came out: "There's probably too much pressure on one guy's shoulders who doesn't seem to win very often." Now what in the world is untrue about that? From anybody but Kyle Busch, that would have been taken as a statement of sympathy. And it is a fact that, since Earnhardt squeezed Busch out of the Hendrick stable for the start of last season, Kyle Busch has won 11 Cup races and Dale Earnhardt Jr. has won one. Busch is asked, and Busch is honest. That's all. I would rather have one of him as a NASCAR driver than 10 of those who mealymouthed this past weekend about how sometimes you've just got to make changes on a team. You the public decry the political correctness and the platitudes coming from the mouths of NASCAR drivers. You e-mail me all the time about that. And then Busch tells you the truth, and you can't deny it, so you e-mail me making fun of Busch's appearance -- and mine, for being the messenger for what he said. You can call him all sorts of names so terrible that you the plaintiffs sound as though you're in middle school. But there are two names you never call him, because you know you can't: a phony, or a liar. NASCAR ON TV THIS WEEK
All times Eastern Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
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