From the Marbles
Tough financial news for Speedway Motorsports Inc.
For all the talk of recovery in the world of NASCAR, there’s still the sobering reality of hard economic news, as we saw this week with the release of the fourth quarter results of Speedway Motorsports (NYSE: TRK).
The news wasn’t good. In the fourth quarter, SMI lost $15.2 million, or 36 cents per share, compared to a loss of $4.9 million, or 11 cents per share, in the same quarter of 2008. Revenue dropped from $130.6 million to $90.5 million.
There were, however, extenuating circumstances. One was the change in scheduling of the Atlanta race from October 2008 to September 2009; that pushed the race into the third quarter from the fourth. Also contributing to the bottom-line problems were the huge discounts in tickets to draw fans.
Finally, SMI was forced to take an $18.9 million writedown because of the decline in value of its interest in Motorsports Authentics, the NASCAR souvenir company. Motorsports Authentics’ problems are well-documented; the company is on the edge of bankruptcy and owes millions to entities including many NASCAR teams. SMI chief Bruton Smith has called the investment in Motorsports Authentics "the worst decision I have ever made in my business life."
The news is not totally dire, however; the company projects earnings of between $1 and $1.40 on sales of between $500 million and $533 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had higher expectations of the company, projecting profits of $1.44 per share on sales of $536.4 million.
It would be easy — and wrong — to project the health of the sport based on a snapshot like this. But what’s clear is that NASCAR’s recovery will be coming along a bit slower than the economy as a whole.
Texas Motor Speedway using 99/12 wreck in advertising
The Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski wreck: scary accident, referendum on NASCAR safety, and now, advertising campaign!
That billboard above is for Texas Motor Speedway’s upcoming Samsung 500 race, and it uses the 99/12 wreck as a promotional device. Over the line, or all fair? Over at ESPNDallas.com, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage noted his own internal dialogue:
After finding out that, fortunately, nobody was injured, thoughts immediately turned to – what else? – promotion. We’ve riled some people up over the years with some of our advertising. That’s typically a good thing, a very good thing in advertising and marketing.
But understanding the sensitivity of this terrifying accident and recognizing the potential injuries – or worse – that could have occurred, how do you use this incident in promotion without going over the line?
NASCAR made his decision for him. After keeping the "have at it" mantra intact, NASCAR paved the way for Gossage to continue his line of "approved" ads:
You have perhaps seen the ads and the billboards. A shot of Jimmie Johnson’s crumpled car with the headline, "Door Dings. Approved." Or a shot of a wild-eyed Juan Pablo Montoya, headlined, "Road Rage. Approved." Or a shot of Joey Logano’s car flipping over and over reading, "Tailgating. Approved."
Who approved it? I don’t know. You? Me. Some other fan? Some other driver? That’s up to you to decide. We’re just causing the debate to take place.
"Approved" is a pretty awkward slogan, but hey, we’ll roll with it. Question is, is Gossage exploiting the wreck for Texas’ gain? Actually, strike that. Of course he’s exploiting the wreck. The real question is, is that the right thing to do?
Personally, I’ve got no problem with it. I’m not upset by the "promoting the wreck" angle; the only fans worse than the bloodthirsty types who go looking for wrecks are those who self-righteously complain about the bloodthirsty types. NASCAR uses wrecks, or at least the threat of wrecks, in all kinds of promotion.
But this may be different; this was a deliberate act of vengeance, not a byproduct of good hard racin’. So what’s your take, folks? Over the yellow line, or in the groove?
Is it too early to ask what’s up with Stewart-Haas Racing?
We’re only four races into the season, with more than 20 to go before the Chase even arrives. There’s a lot of time for change, both positive and negative. Even so, with at least 18 guys good enough to make the Chase, there’s no such thing as a waste-able week any longer.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Stewart-Haas Racing. Last year’s darling has become this year’s 2009-model Richard Childress Racing. Tony Stewart has two top-10 finishes, but has only led seven of more than 1,000 laps this season, and currently sits 8th in points. Ryan Newman has been much worse, posting no finish higher than 17th, and currently sitting in 29th position.
It’s quite a shift from 2009, when both Stewart and Newman stunned the entire NASCAR world by making the Chase and, in Stewart’s case, running in first place all season prior to the Chase.
Still, there’s no reason yet to panic. 2009 was a miracle first season, and while 2010 hasn’t yet measured up, that could be a case of early-season shakeouts moreso than a reversion to the predicted mean, as they say in statistics. Plus, as Newman points out, he didn’t exactly run lights-out the first part of last year, either: "If you look
at 2009, when we rebounded, we didn’t keep that performance going," he said at a press conference last week. "We
had I think four or five top fives in a row, then we fell off. We
maintained an 8th- to 10th-place position for the next 10 races or so,
which was not ideal."
For what it’s worth, Newman went on an early-season run in which he posted top-10s at eight of 10 races last year, a run that began at Bristol. And guess where we’re heading next?
As for Stewart? His run began one week later. Starting at Martinsville, he notched top-10 finishes in 15 of 17 races, including two wins. Thus, yes, there is precedent.
"I know there’s plenty of potential and there’s a lot of season left," Newman said.
"The law of averages works out for everybody except for Jimmie Johnson."
So how about it, SHR fans? Concerned yet, or are you playing it cool for now?
Hey! Slacker! Hook up with a charitable project for NASCAR Day!
NASCAR Day is on May 21, and NASCAR’s charitable wing, the NASCAR Foundation, will be supporting five community service projects around the country. So how about you get up off the couch and see what you can do to help out, huh? Here are the five projects:
• Renovation of part of the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta
• Working with Bank of America for racing-themed education at Daytona International Speedway
• Building a playground at the Kansas City Ronald McDonald House with Sprint
• Helping out A Place for Hope project near Charlotte
• Working with a youth initiative at Auto Club Speedway in California.
NASCAR Day dates to 2004, and has raised almost $8 million for various charities. You can help out by buying a $5 lapel pin or volunteering at one of the projects. For more info, check out the NASCAR Foundation’s web page.
Hey! Slacker! Hook up with a charitable project for NASCAR Day!
Drivers take to Twitter for some Q&A, giveaways
If you need any more evidence that we’re not living in the old days of NASCAR any longer — and that’s not always a bad thing — you need look no farther than Wednesday, when no less than five past and current Sprint Cup drivers jumped on Twitter for some impromptu question-and-answer sessions with whatever lucky fans happened to be online at the time. (You can tell they’re the real guys, because they tend to be, shall we say, less concerned with rules of grammar and spelling than their PR reps.) Here’s a sample:
• Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin): "yes i miss tony [Stewart] as a teammate.. but we are closer now then when we were actually teammates.. he is very good to me on the track." Hamlin also revealed that it costs about $120,000 to run a truck race.
• Kyle Busch (@kylebusch), on what color M&M is his favorite: "Red. He just like me. Hard outside. Soft sweet inside. Lmao"
• Kyle Petty (@kylepetty) gave the reason for why his father used to race with a rag in his mouth: "kept his mouth from drying out"
• Elliott Sadler (@elliott_sadler) gave his preferred form of fried baloney burgers: "fried in onions and green peppers wit butter!!"
Plus, Kevin Harvick (@kevinharvick) gave away tickets to Bristol and asked fans to help him select his intro song at BMS, and Scott Speed (@scottspeed) asked fans for fashion tips: "Should I dye my
hair black with Blue chunks? Kinda like Scott from Austin powers? If I
get 75% Y I am ganna do it for Bristol! Promise 
"
Okay, so it’s not groundbreaking info, but it’s still a cool connection to drivers. The people who are on Twitter, Facebook and other social-networking services are a tiny fraction of the overall fanbase. But those who are, are more plugged in than anybody else. So jump on — follow The Marbles at @jaybusbee if you do — and get in the game. You never know when your favorite driver might give you a shout.
Lost Marbles: Richard Petty’s final race and this new Gordon kid
Did you know that The Marbles has been around since NASCAR’s beginnings? It’s true!* And we’ve just recently come across a treasure trove of old Marbles posts from days gone by! Check out what was being said right here during the greatest moments in NASCAR history, only on Lost Marbles!
Well folks, the 1992 season has come to a close and we’ve got ourselves a changing of the guard, but more on that in a minute. I’m still catching my breath from that epic championship battle.
Bill Elliott just needed to beat Alan Kulwicki by 11 points and the title was his. And all Kulwicki had to do was hold serve, and boy, did he ever.
Yeah, Bill won the race, but thanks to a great move by Alan’s crew chief, Paul Andrews, The Hooters car (in the appropriately named Hooters 500) stayed out a few extra laps before pitting for a gas and go.
Those extra laps were the difference as when Elliott finally passed Kulwicki, he could only lead 102 laps. Alan led 103. That was the 10 point swing.
This was one of the best races in NASCAR history. What a great sport this is, given that the drivers were separated by just a couple of positions going into the final race of a 29 race season. I think we’re going to have some more points races like that, and Alan’s success bodes well for successful drivers owning their own race teams. This could continue to become a trend.
Back to that changing of the guard thing. Yes, this was the last race for the great Richard Petty, the greatest NASCAR driver who will ever live. But Richard got caught up in a wreck and finished 35th. However, he and his crew were able to get back on track for Richard to be running at the finish.
Some people think that this new kid, name of Jeff Gordon, is going to be the next Richard Petty, but I don’t see it. His car control was terrible all day, and he hit the wall and finished 31st. You’ve got to have good car control to succeed in NASCAR, as well as a personality that resonates with the fans, and Gordon’s California attitude and rainbow car and firesuit aren’t something that many fans are going to take a liking to. You heard it here first: this kid’s going to be a giant disappointment.
*-For the irony-challenged: no, it’s not true. This is satire.
Lost Marbles: Richard Petty’s final race and this new Gordon kid
Meet Dale Earnhardt Jr., now in pleasing cartoon form!
Hey, dig this! Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to be a cartoon on the Handy Manny Show! First announced at the Daytona 500, "Handy Manny Big Race" is now officially on the Disney Channel slate for March 20.
Now, I don’t know much about Handy Manny — I’m a Spongebob Man myself — but according to the plot summary, Manny and his tools will serve as a pit crew at the Wood Valley 500 race. (Must have been a tough year in Wood Valley; no sponsorship packages.) OK, so here’s the deal: "Manny and the tools have to help Elliot fix up his used race car in order to enter the race, and luckily the car turns out better than expected, but not Elliot! Elliot is too nervous to drive!" (Hey, you would be too, if Carl Edwards was on the track.)
So anyway, enter Junior. "Dale’s character, Chase Davis, must step in to help out and Manny gets behind the wheel to try to win the race for the entire team." (Hey, why isn’t Dale driving? He’s a NASCAR driver, and … oh. Never mind.)
Anyway, check the show out on March 20th on the Disney Channel. And send us clips. Please.
Feud of the week: Atlanta vs. Kentucky for a 2011 race
Yes, He With The Chin Hair vs. He With The Muscles is even more obvious than last week’s McMurray-Montoya feud, but that Barbaro has been beaten enough. He’s getting tired.
Instead, let’s talk about Atlanta Motor Speedway, site of He With the Chin Hair’s flip on Sunday.
Why Atlanta? Well, because Atlanta seems to be the odds-on favorite to lose a race date to Kentucky Speedway.
So should Atlanta go on an all-out jihad against Kentucky, finding a way to slip the grease from the Varsity’s grease traps into the water at the Jim Beam distillery in an attempt to sabotage the state’s reputation? (Cue the "does Kentucky have a reputation enough to salvage?" jokes.)
Probably not. Kentucky Speedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., the same track that owns Atlanta. If NASCAR and Bruton Smith, the chairman of SMI, can get their legal battles smoothed over, Kentucky’s getting a race, and the only way that Kentucky can get a race is if another SMI track sacrifices a race date.
That’s not going to happen at Charlotte, which is NASCAR’s hub, or New Hampshire, which is the only NASCAR presence in the Northeast. And if Bruton even so much as threatened to take away a race date from Bristol — a ridiculously farfetched idea to begin with given the attendance — NASCAR fans would get even more riled up than they do when Junior’s in the lead.
According to various estimates, Atlanta had anywhere from 60,000-70,000 people at Sunday’s race, and the track capacity is roughly 100,000. The logical scenario is to let Atlanta keep the Labor Day weekend date, allowing the Southeast to keep the tradition (I know, I know, it’s not Darlington) and transferring the spring date to Kentucky. Of course, March may be a little chilly that time of year near the Ohio River, but the 2011 schedule isn’t going to look much like the 2010 one.
Your Jeremy Mayfield update: yep, it’s still rolling
Those of you complaining about the Edwards/Keselowski drama, cheer up — at least we’re talking about on-track action. Could be worse; remember that this time last year, we were about to descend into discussion of meth use and urine tests, courtesy of one Jeremy Mayfield.
Alas, the story’s not done yet, and won’t be for some time. Quick version: Mayfield failed a drug test in May, was suspended, protested, was reinstated, failed another drug test, and was suspended again. Court cases and accusations of everything from home meth labs to murder followed; you can see a complete timeline here.
One particularly fascinating aspect of the case is the defamation lawsuit that Lisa Mayfield filed against her stepson after Jeremy accused her of being involved in the 2007 death of his father. According to Scene Daily, Lisa Mayfield’s attorney is now seeking to depose ESPN.com reporter David Newton: "ESPN reporter David Newton and ESPN are essential and material
witnesses to the facts and circumstances involved in this cause of
action," Lisa Mayfield’s attorney wrote in a request to the North Carolina Superior Court.
And in related — literally speaking — news, Mayfield’s former brother-in-law was one of two crewmen suspended on Tuesday for violations of NASCAR’s substance-abuse policy. William David Keith, spotter for David Gilliland and brother of Mayfield’s first wife, was suspended, as was Matthew Huffstetler, a crew member on the Daisy Ramirez Motorsports No. 1 Camping World Truck series team.
Keith has been involved Mayfield’s ongoing legal problems; he claimed in a deposition last year that he saw Mayfield using methamphetamine on multiple occasions. Keith’s statements were part of NASCAR’s motion to force Mayfield to undergo a comprehensive physical and mental examination; that motion is pending.
Of course, one might expect that seeing a significant witness in a drug-use case get tagged himself for drug use might weaken said case. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston tried to put a positive spin on the situation in a statement to Scene Daily: "It just shows that anyone can be tested at any time, and a positive test results in an immediate suspension." Front Row Motorsports expressed disappointment with Keith.
Bottom line, the Mayfield story won’t resolve for many months yet, if ever. Here’s hoping it doesn’t wreck too many more lives along the way.
Without a doubt, Carl Edwards got preferential treatment
Imagine for a second if it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. flying through the evening Atlanta air Sunday night instead of Brad Keselowski.
Imagine if it was a start-and-parker who sent Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson airborne with a deliberate tap to the bumper.
Still think we’d be talking about a three-race probation?
When NASCAR handed down its penalty for Edwards on Tuesday — three races of probation, the equivalent of being told "I’ll let you go this time, but next time, mister, next time … " – reaction was immediate and split right down the middle. Some fans and media indicated they were satisfied with the punishment (particularly the media who made sure to pat themselves on the back at how right they were in guessing the sentencing). Others screamed that this was far too weak of a punishment for such a violent act of retaliation.
But those were the fans. Let’s look at some of the drivers’ reactions, via Twitter (all responses sic’d]:
• Robby Gordon: Just heard the news. I wonder what would of happened to me in that situation? Hmmm someone playing favorites? 
• Kevin Harvick: huh! suprised by the penalty lack there of … i’m thinkging about asking for a refund for all of my penalties!!!!
• Kyle Busch (responding to Harvick): Me too! Let me kno how that goes. Lmao.
• Regan Smith: Gotta say I think NASCAR handled the situation the right way, glad 2 c they ackowledged the car getting airborne is the biggest issue
• Kyle Petty: For me I am deeply saddened by the decision that #NASCAR made on this issue. I love this Business,will always support it, but not this…
Many other drivers, including Clint Bowyer and Elliott Sadler, expressed a desire to find out exactly why Keselowski’s car flipped and declined direct comment on the punishment.
Clearly, though, there’s a sentiment that Edwards got off easy, possibly because of his burgeoning "golden boy" status in NASCAR. (As Delana Harvick, Kevin’s wife, put it on her own page: "i can’t understand what a 3-race probation actually does. maybe @kevinharvick should awe shucks more. seems to work.")
And you know what? He did get off easy. If it had been someone else other than a controversial rookie flying through the air, if it had been a less notable driver causing the wreck, you can bet the hammer would have hit harder.
But Edwards is the new face of NASCAR, a guy with nearly as many commercials as Dale Earnhardt Jr., and you can expect him to be carrying much of the public-face load the closer Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon get to retirement. After his own wreck at Talladega last year, Edwards visited everyone from Ellen Degeneres to Larry King; think that’ll happen with Keselowski?
NASCAR, like every other enterprise, is a celebritocracy; the brighter lights get the biggest breaks. In this instance, Edwards may well have sweet-talked his way into a lighter punishment. If Robby Gordon were to do the same thing, we’d be looking at a ten-race suspension. Is it fair? No. But it’s the way of the world.
Hopefully the rest of NASCAR’s celebrity elite won’t be trying the same moves as Carl. "Could have been hurt" is a lot easier to blow off than "was hurt."
Midnight Marbles, where you’re all on probation for three races
So … quiet days in NASCAR these days, huh?
We’ve had the Edwards/Keselowski Atlanta spin, we’ve had Dale Earnhardt Jr. failing to live up to his pole position, we’ve had Jimmie Johnson not winning! And we’ve had plenty of new visitors to our site this week. If you’re one of them, welcome. This is where we hang to talk about anything and everything, NASCAR or not.
Oh, and after reading through the first hundred or so of the thousands of driveby comments, well, I kinda lost it. Not so much "lost it" as decided to offer up a few responses, via Twitter, on the most common quickie comments. Yes, it got fun on Monday night. (Yes, this is a shameless bid to get you to sign up for Twitter and follow me at @jaybusbee. Trust me, if you like The Marbles, the Twitter feed is like the must-see DVD extras.) Anyway, here’s what I had to say on Twitter Monday night:
Notes for
commenters: 1. Calling it "CRAPCAR" or "NA$CAR" isn’t nearly as funny
as you think it is. 2. Racing was NOT better in… (cont’d)….the "old
days." It wasn’t. Deal with it. 3. If you say you’re giving up on
NASCAR, beat it. Nobody wants to hear your whine. (cont’d) 4.NASCAR IS a
sport. And even if it wasn’t, who cares? Does any other sport have this
many whiners? (Well, Duke hoops, but it’s the team.)
I feel so much better now … though it’s looking like I may need to offer up a sequel after Tuesday’s NASCAR statement on Edwards. Feel free to leave your own rants in the comments below, and we’ll see you back here soon!
Midnight Marbles, where you’re all on probation for three races
Atlanta race ratings tick up! Salvation is at hand!
OK, I’m not going to lie to you — the Atlanta Aerial Assault provided by Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards was very, very good for our numbers. Seems lots of people were interested in one driver potentially sending another one into orbit. But that notwithstanding, TV ratings were up across the board for NASCAR and the Atlanta race.
NASCAR on Fox’s coverage earned a 4.7 rating and an 11 share, a 2 percent increase over last year’s comparable race. An estimated 3.7 million households watched the race, making it the weekend’s top sporting event by a long shot. (The competition included a marquee Lakers-Magic NBA game.)
You can spin this any number of ways. First off, it was the initial race that didn’t face the Olympics; previous races had been off 14 percent from 2009. Second, it’s possible that people aren’t quite as down on NASCAR as the haters would like to believe. Third, it’s worth noting that the ratings were particularly strong in the Southeast, the leading indicator of NASCAR’s popularity. Ratings increased by 32 percent in Charlotte, 26 percent in Greensboro and 25 percent in Atlanta.
We’ve got a long, long way to go before NASCAR can proclaim the turnaround complete. But with all the attention that the sport received because of Edwards/Jet Ski, it’s a shame that we don’t have a race this weekend to capitalize on that.
NASCAR Ratings [Jayski.com]
Join us for the latest Marbles chat, Wednesday at 1 ET
Time for another Marbles chat! Whatever, oh ever, shall we talk about? Chat commences Wednesday at 1 p.m. Eastern. Be here, or we’ll spin ya into the fence.
NASCAR: Probation, no suspension for Edwards
NASCAR has made its ruling: the boys can keep on havin’ at it.
On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR president Mike Helton announced his decision on punishment for Sunday’s spectacular Carl Edwards/Brad Keselowski wreck: probation for three races. No fine, no suspension.
In the immediate aftermath of the wreck, NASCAR summoned Edwards to the hauler, where they "made it very clear these actions were not acceptable," Helton said. "This did go beyond putting driving in the hands of the drivers." Helton indicated that Edwards understood the severity of his actions. NASCAR plans to hold a sit-down with Edwards, Keselowski and their respective owners, Jack Roush and Roger Penske, to "clear the air" and allow them to get back to "hard, competitive, side-by-side racing."
(On a related note, Helton also questioned why the 12 car took flight at a track like Atlanta, which traditionally doesn’t see the kinds of flying cars that occur at places like Talladega. NASCAR will be investigating how exactly that happened, with the intention of figuring how to prevent it in the future.)
Certainly, this decision won’t sit well with those who feel NASCAR already plays too fast and loose with driver safety. Many fans and media observers wanted Edwards parked for a race or the season, with some going to the absurd lengths like advocating criminal charges.
On the other hand, NASCAR had said that this would be a year in which the gloves would be off and drivers would be permitted to police themselves — "Boys, have at it, and have fun," as NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton famously put it back in January.
So NASCAR was thus in a bind — do they condone this kind of violent retaliation, or do they drop the hammer and negate the whole "have at it" philosophy?
The fundamental question in the wreck was whether the punishment should address the intent of the wreck, or the outcome. The intent was obvious; Edwards meant to screw up Keselowski’s day by spinning him and denying him a top-10 finish. It’s the kind of payback that happens all the time. The outcome, of course, was far beyond that, the kind of scary aerial maneuver that can end very, very badly.
The Edwards/Keselowski feud is now all square. But here’s betting that the next driver to send somebody airborne isn’t going to get off quite so easily.
_______
For more daily NASCAR and automotive news throughout the 2010 season, click here to bookmark Yahoo! Sports’ From The Marbles blog and follow us on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
Related stories:
Did Keselowski deserve Edwards’ payback? A video compendium
Jimmie Johnson doesn’t have a nickname? Really?
Let’s not mince words: what the heck happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
Atlanta on TV: Were we all watching the same race?
Ever get the feeling that you’re not watching the same race as the crew broadcasting it?
Well, if you have, you’re not alone. Numerous times during Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 524.5, basic facts were misstated about the race and its events. No wonder Twitter is becoming the place to go to actually know what’s going on during the race. (Make sure to follow Jay and me there.)
For example, Jeff Gordon didn’t pit under green a second time; he had a speeding penalty. Darrell Waltrip started explaining that the yaw in the Hendrick chassis was putting stress on the right side tires, and therefore causing all of the tire problems. Certainly a plausible theory, but DW apparently didn’t take into account that Mark Martin and Tony Stewart had left-side tire problems. Larry McReynolds told us that Kenseth was losing positions — as he was sitting in fourth and holding. (And did anyone else notice that it took all the Hendrick cars but Jimmie Johnson to have a problem for Larry Mac to conclude that Hendrick may be doing something to cause them?)
And since tire problems were a constant theme of the race, why couldn’t Fox have asked a spokesperson from Goodyear a few questions? Goodyear had a rep taking questions in the media center, so even the Monday morning newspapers beat Fox to the tire story!
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal to ask for a broadcast crew to get their sequence of events and facts straight. Heck, isn’t that part of the job description? However, given some bad production, Fox was heading for a bad grade even with a good performance from the guys in the booth.
The Good: Fox did a good job of getting Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski as soon as possible.
The Bad: Viewers completely missed Kasey Kahne passing Kurt Busch for the lead with approximately 70 laps to go. Passes for the lead during the midpoint of races sometimes happen under commercial, but it wasn’t even replayed after they came back from caution! When Denny Hamlin blew a tire while leading with about 40 laps to go, Fox took their sweet time getting back from commercial to tell us that Hamlin had a problem. No one mentioned that Michael McDowell was the first to park and therefore subject to an engine takedown. Where did the field rundown at the end of the race go? First it was too big, and now it’s gone. Is there no happy medium?
The Grade: C-. There are enough flashes of competence to think that Fox is going to have a complete broadcast, but Sunday was incredibly disjointed.
Carl Edwards updates Facebook with his side of the story
Another season, another Carl Edwards flip drama. As soon as Edwards’ collision sent Brad Keselowski flying into the Atlanta dusk on Sunday night, the screaming began — was it intentional? Was it payback? Did Edwards realize he could’ve killed somebody?
Edwards took to Facebook to explain himself, and the answers were, in order, yes, yes and no. In short, Edwards himself confirmed what everybody already suspected:
My options: Considering that Brad wrecks me with no regard for anyones safety or hard work, should I: A-Keep letting him wreck me? B-Confront him after the race? C-Wait til bristol and collect other cars? or D-Take care of it now? I want to be clear that I was surprised at his flight and very relieved when he walked away. Every person has to decide what code they want to live by and hopefully this explains mine.
So there you have it. Carl Edwards likes the frontier justice. (And there’s video evidence showing he may have a point.)
On a related note, no, Carl is not interested in playing Farmville with you, though he’d be happy to rub someone out in Mafia Wars. Poke him.
Carl Edwards Fan Page [Facebook]
_______
For more daily NASCAR and automotive news throughout the 2010 season, click here to bookmark Yahoo! Sports’ From The Marbles blog and follow us on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
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Did Keselowski deserve Edwards’ payback? A video compendium
Jimmie Johnson doesn’t have a nickname? Really?
Let’s not mince words: what the heck happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
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Let’s not mince words: what the hell happened to Junior?
Take a good look at that photo there. It’s from the very start of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500, and it marks the very last time that Dale Earnhardt Jr. would reach the start/finish line before anybody else.
Shortly after this picture was taken, Kyle Busch absolutely blew past Junior on the outside, taking the lead before the end of Turn 1. And although Kyle wouldn’t win — the victory went to someone another branch up the Busch DNA chain — the result for Junior was the same: fast start, disappointing finish.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the year it all came together? Wasn’t this supposed to be the year everything was going to be different? Wasn’t the bat-outta-hell charge at the end of the Daytona 500 supposed to be the opening act on Junior Nation Domination? What the hell happened?
This week’s excuse — and, granted, this time it may be valid — was the tires, which went south for every member of the Hendrick team. "We got two bad right side tires and right rear tires," Earnhardt said. "It felt [like] the damn wheels were coming off. We pitted and the wheel was fine, but the car was vibrating so bad I couldn’t hardly see."
We are literally running out of places on the car to blame for Junior’s lack of success. I think we’re down to the windshield and the window netting at this point.
I try, man. I really try. I want Junior to succeed, because his success is the best thing for NASCAR. I want to believe that he’s a quality driver who’s just missing by inches, inches that turn into laps. I don’t want to think that the mindless haters who can’t string together anything more comprehensible than JR SUX and "Hey, has anybody noticed he’s not as good as his daddy?" might actually have a point.
Golf has a saying: "drive for show, putt for dough." In other words, anybody can bang the ball a mile off the tee and look tough, but it’s the elite who can knock down the putts and close out the big holes when the pressure’s the greatest. In NASCAR, we could modify that to "drive for show, pit (or pass) for dough."
When he’s got nobody else on the track, Junior’s one of the best there is. He’s already got three top-4 starting positions in just four races, including a record-breaking pole run on Friday night. But introduce that pesky element of other drivers, and things start to go sideways in a hurry.
Junior’s supporters will no doubt point to that second-place finish at Daytona, plus the fact that he now sits exactly seven points out of the Chase. But that’s just short-term rationalization; when Paul Menard and Scott Speed are ahead of you in the rankings, something’s definitely amiss. Junior needs to start giving people something to cheer about, not merely justify.
Jimmie Johnson doesn’t have a nickname? Really?
Interesting piece from David Caraviello of NASCAR.com Monday on how Jimmie Johnson doesn’t have a nickname:
There’s a Rowdy and a Happy, an Ironman and an Iceman, a Smoke and a Smokey. There’s a Junebug and a Jaws, a Mayor and a Herman, a Franchise and a Four-Time and a Sliced Bread. There’s a Front Row Joe and a Million Dollar Bill, a Gentleman Ned and a Handsome Harry, a Mr. Excitement and a Cousin Carl. There’s a Cotton and a Buckshot, a Rocketman and a Fireball. There’s a Big Bud and a Little Bud, a Tiny and a Red, and of course an Intimidator and a Silver Fox and a King.
And then there’s Jimmie. Plain ol’ Jimmie.
See, I’d disagree. Around here, we’ve thrown out a few nicknames that are ever-so-slowly starting to make their way into the NASCAR mainstream — "Senator" Jeff Burton and "Rawhide" Clint Bowyer, for two. And the commenters at the Marbles have a way of creating their own little unique monikers for their drivers. And Jimmie isn’t exempt. Matter of fact, I discussed this very issue with Jimmie almost two years ago. Here’s what he had to say:
Around here, we try to give drivers new nicknames. What’s the best nickname you’ve ever had?
Jimmie: I’ve been very fortunate to dodge a nickname throughout my entire career. I’ve never had one.
Anybody ever called you Johnny?
Jimmie: No, I’ve not heard that one.
Caraviello suggests "The Foreman." Now, no disrespect to Mr. Caraviello intended, but that’s just a flat-out awful nickname. Here, offhand, are a few that we’ve come up with here in recent months and on Twitter:
• Jimbot (effective, but he ain’t gonna like it)
• Johnny Jimson (funny, but nobody’s gonna get it)
• The Hammer (Hank Aaron would say you can’t touch this)
• Horseshoe (best of the lot)
So here it is. I’m going to start calling him Horseshoe until somebody comes up with something better. Have at it in the comments, folks.
Did Keselowski deserve Edwards’ payback? A video compendium
Let’s start here — no driver deserves to get flipped in the air and risk death. Nobody’s advocating that, nobody wants that.
But Brad Keselowski can’t claim that he doesn’t deserve at least some measure of payback for what he’s done over the last couple of years in Sprint Cup and Nationwide-level racing. He’s dumped several top-level NASCAR drivers, and he’s drawn criticism from many more.
Sunday’s flip was terrifying, and you can see by the look on Keselowski’s face above that he was deeply shaken. Thing is, could this be a case of Keselowski sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind? Has he, by his own actions, set in motion retaliation that ended up being worse than anything he ever did?
Let’s review the video evidence, shall we?
We’ve all seen the videos of Carl Edwards’ flip at Talladega last year. You can argue whether Keselowski was to blame; many say he wasn’t, and there’s evidence to support that. But last fall at the same track, Keselowski apparently contributed to a Big One that torpedoed the Cup chances of Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon:
But it was the Nationwide Series where Keselowski has had the most, shall we say, "incidents." Here’s the dustup between Edwards and Keselowski in Memphis last year that may have precipitated Sunday’s wreck:
Also last fall, Keselowski got into longtime rival Denny Hamlin in Dover:
After the Dover incident, Hamlin and Keselowski had this to say on their feud:
Two weeks later in Fontana, Keselowski tangled with Justin Allgaier:
Later in the race, Keselowski got into it with Hamlin and Greg Biffle:
And in Phoenix a few weeks later, Hamlin and Keselowski once again crossed paths:
Check out these reactions from Phoenix, particularly Jason Ratcliff, Kyle Busch’s crew chief, who said, "Somebody’s going to get angry and [retaliate] at a higher-speed racetrack."
Finally, in Homestead, Hamlin gave a clinic on how to spin somebody:
And looking back, here’s where it all began, as Keselowski, Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. got into a fight that spilled over into their crews.
So there you have it. Many drivers have knocked Keselowski for being immature and reckless. Perhaps after this, everybody will think a little more about their actions. And perhaps not.
F1 legend Stirling Moss plummets down elevator shaft, lives
This is a severely cringeworthy story that, thankfully, ended up OK, so we can exhale and relax a little with it.
Don’t know about you, but falling down an elevator shaft is one of my phobias. How many times has a door opened and you’ve walked blindly onto an elevator … never knowing when you might be walking off a cliff!
Well, just that scenario happened to F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss this past weekend, though fortunately it wasn’t a cliff, it was an elevator in his three-story home. He broke both ankles and chipped four vertebrae, but is otherwise fine. According to a statement, Moss said his "body still has the same resilience to injury as it did in his racing days."
Speaking of which, let’s check out one of those times, the 1961 Monaco Grand Prix:
Moss won 16 Grand Prix events and was runner-up for the World Championship four times. Glad he’s OK, and I’m betting he takes the stairs once he’s walking again.
Moss falls down elevator shaft at London home [AP via Yahoo! Sports]
Ranking Jimmie, Kevin, Clint and the rest three races in
[Reader Jeffrey Boswell brings us a set of post-Vegas power rankings, along with a bit of commentary and hypothetical driver quotes. Offer up your thoughts below. --JB]
1. Jimmie Johnson: With a crafty four-tire pit stop during the race’s final caution, Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team outsmarted the competition once again. Johnson’s full set of fresh tires allowed him to catch and pass teammate Jeff Gordon, who opted for two tires. Johnson’s win in the Shelby American 427 moved him up seven spots to fifth in the points, and also made him NASCAR’s all-time wins leader at 1.5 mile tracks.
What Johnson should have said:
"How often can you say you ‘had no luck’ in Vegas and still came out a winner? I called everyone’s two tires and raised them two more … The Lowe’s team goes into every race with the intention of winning. We always anticipate victory. Suffice it so say my wife isn’t the only one ‘expecting’ on this team."
2. Kevin Harvick: For the second week in a row, Harvick finished runner-up to Jimmie Johnson, this time in Las Vegas in a race in which luck played no part in Johnson’s win. Although winless for the year, Harvick and the No. 29 Chevrolet team served notice to Johnson that they’ll be on Johnson’s tail all year.
What Harvick should have said:
"Everybody knows Kevin Harvick pulls no punches. Literally and figuratively. I like to speak as frankly as John Mayer tweets. On that note, in regards to Johnson, if you take the ‘lucky’ away from ‘lucky S.O.B,’ you still get ‘S.O.B.’"
3. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer opted to stay on the track while the leaders pitted during the final caution on lap 230 of the Shelby American 427. Crew chief Shane Wilson’s gamble paid off. Bowyer led three laps after the restart, and the track position helped secure an eighth-place finish, Bowyer’s third top-10 result of the year. He trails Richard Childress teammate Kevin Harvick by 47 in the point standings.
What Bowyer should have said:
"The No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevy was again strong. And speaking of the Hamburger Helper mascot, I’ve got to ‘hand’ it to Shane for making such a gutsy call. He knows when to gamble; I know when to drive. Like Lady GaGa, he showed his ‘Poker Face,’ like Burt Reynolds, I drove like ‘Stroker Ace.’"
4. Mark Martin: After spending much of the day hovering around the top 15, Martin made a late charge to the front, finishing fourth at Las Vegas to put a decisive Hendrick Motorsports stamp on the Shelby American 427. Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished first and third, respectively, and collectively led 237 of 267 laps. Martin jumped three spots in the point standings to third, and trails Kevin Harvick by 49.
What Martin should have said:
"There was some concern about mechanical issues prior to the race, mostly due to the wheel issues experienced by Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. earlier in the year. Like Guns N’ Roses, we feared we might face some ‘Axl’ problems. But they never a-Rose."
5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth recovered from an early tire-vibration issues that forced an extra pit stop to finish fifth at Las Vegas, his third top-10 finish of the year. Kenseth and the No. 17 Royal Crown Ford benefitted from a late caution that allowed the car to remain on the lead lap. Kenseth is now fourth in the points, 58 behind Kevin Harvick.
What Kenseth should have said:
"Last year, Las Vegas was the beginning of the end for this team. After two wins to start 2009, things went downhill starting in Vegas. Luckily, I wasn’t under Crown Royal sponsorship then. Otherwise, the season would have been known as a royal ‘flush.’"
6. Greg Biffle: Always strong on Las Vegas’ 1.5 mile oval, Biffle again showed prowess with a solid tenth-place result that could have been much better if not for an unfortunate pit incident. On lap 109, Biffle, running fourth, entered his pit box, but was blocked in when he tried to exit by A.J. Allmendinger’s No. 43 car. Biffle restarted in 25th, and spent the balance of the race making up ground, and handling issues prevented a top-5 run. Biffle fell three spots in the Sprint Cup point standings to sixth, and is 63 out of first.
What Biffle should have said:
"Not since Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrestled at Daytona in 1979 have I seen anyone so intent on going for the ‘pin.’ NASCAR wants to take our wings? This is one time when I could really have used them."
7. Carl Edwards: After welcoming a baby daughter, Anne, on Wednesday, Edwards hoped to ride the euphoria of fatherhood into victory lane at Las Vegas. But after a loose No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion put him a lap down early, focus shifted from winning the race to regaining that lost lap. Edwards returned to the lead lap on lap 230, and battled his way to a 12th-place finish.
What Edwards should have said:
"In light of the fact that I’m winless in Cup races since 2008, I think it’s totally appropriate to call me ‘Daddy-0. This role as a father will be something entirely new for me. Midnight feedings. Diaper changes. Bedtime stories. And giving Anne her pacifier for the first time will truly be a memorable moment, for me and for Matt Kenseth. Finally, Matt will have good reason to call me a ‘pacifist.’"
8. Jeff Burton: Burton fought back from a lap down to finish 11th at Las Vegas, just missing out on a top-10 result to match those of his Richard Childress racing teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer. Burton now sits seventh in the point standings, 76 behind Harvick.
What Burton should have said:
"RCR keeps piling up the top finishes, but we’ve yet to cash in with a victory. I predict that will change in Atlanta, where I will shock the world with an earth-moving win, appropriately in the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy."
9. Joey Logano: Logano showed the patience and poise of a veteran with a sixth in the Shelby American 427, his second consecutive top-10 finish after his fifth last week in Fontana. The 19-year-old prodigy again outraced his teammates, as fellow Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin finished 15th and 19th, respectively. Logano is now eighth in the Sprint Cup point standings, 93 out of first.
What Logano should have said:
"The early consensus was that the veterans, Hamlin and Busch, would lead this team, and I, the young guy, would follow. Now, everyone’s wondering when the members of this team are going to start ‘acting their age.’ Hamlin and Busch should be better than that. If I’m ‘Sliced Bread,’ then those two are loafing."
10. Jeff Gordon: Gordon, in the No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, dominated from the start in the Shelby American 427, leading the first 52 laps after qualifying second. He lost that edge, however, on the race’s final pit stop, when crew chief Steve Letarte elected for two tires while Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson took four. Johnson easily tracked down the No. 24, leaving Gordon with a third-place finish and a load of disappointment.
What Gordon should have said:
"That’s one decision we’d like to have back. But we’ll build on the positives and forget that mistake. As they say, ‘What mis-happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Sure, we should have gone with four tires. And sure, hearing of Johnson’s greatness is grate-ing, and tiresome. But give the man credit. He won in Las Vegas, earning a championship belt for his effort. And, until someone knocks the four-time champ off his pedestal, he, like a tire, will remain ‘still-belted.’"
Thanks to Jeremy for the rankings, and have your say in the comments below.
Running wide open: the Kobalt Tools/Atlanta comment thread
ATLANTA, GA. — The Marbles is live from Atlanta, and that means we’re going to be bringing you along for all kinds of inside-the-infield action. (Not inside-the-garage. They don’t let us near that place after that incident with the arc welder.*) Anyway, you can follow me on Twitter at @jaybusbee as I give updates from throughout the garage and infield throughout the morning. During the race, I’ll be doing the live chat out on the mothership. But feel free to hang here and chat about whatever comes into your mind in greater detail. Race starts a little after 1 p.m. Eastern, and the pole is held by that fella there at right, Dale something-or-other. Enjoy the race!
*-To my bosses: I’m kidding. I’m not banned. I blamed the "incident" on some ESPN guys.
Edwards sends Keselowski flying; was it intentional?
NASCAR has taken the reins off its drivers this year, and perhaps as a result we have the first spectacular wreck of the season. As with so many wrecks of the last few months, it involved Brad Keselowski — but the difference this time is, Keselowski was the victim, not the instigator.
Late in the race, Keselowski was powering to a top-10 finish when Carl Edwards, more than a hundred laps down thanks to a Keselowski-caused wreck from earlier in the afternoon, snapped his wheel upward into the No. 12 Dodge, and …
The wreck was ironic, a virtual photo-negative of last year at Talladega when Keselowski spun Edwards and sent the 99 careening into the fence:
This time, there were no fan injuries, and Keselowski himself was fortunately unhurt, if a bit dazed. ("Did I just fly?" he asked his crew chief over the radio. Yes, Brad, yes, you did.)
What this wreck will do is put NASCAR’s new "Boys, have at it" rule to the test. NASCAR immediately black-flagged Edwards and called him to the hauler; there’s been no word as of post time on any penalties. But should there be any? Should Edwards lose points or be fined?
After the race, Edwards came thisclose to admitting the wreck was intentional: "Brad knows the deal between him and I," he said. "The scary part is that his car went airborne, which was not at all what I [pause] expected." The pause was significant; this is speculation, but Edwards certainly seemed like he wanted to just spin Keselowski, not send him halfway into orbit.
"It could have killed somebody in the grandstands," Keselowski said. "I know that’s a little ironic that it’s got me saying that, but at least I didn’t do it intentionally when it happened. It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they’re going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands."
_______
For more daily NASCAR and automotive news throughout the 2010 season, click here to bookmark Yahoo! Sports’ From The Marbles blog and follow us on Twitter.
Four Wide: Are Jeff and Jimmie no longer BFF?
Bringing you the best in NASCAR news and info to get your day rolling right … or left, whichever.
• OK, we all know that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are, like, best buds and stuff — but could the race to get championship No. 5 put a dent in that friendship? [Fox News]
• Las Vegas may not have had the best racing of the year so far, but 140,000 people turned out to see the Jeff and Jimmie Show, which ain’t bad. [Las Vegas Review Journal]
• So how did NASCAR end up at Daytona in the first place? Handy history lesson for those of you who want to catch up. [Calgary Herald]
• Life’s rocky for everybody, but teams and drivers are bending over backward to accommodate their sponsors. Don’t leave us! Don’t leave us! [USA Today]
• All right, enough with the Cup drivers in the Nationwide Series. [Bump Drafts]
Got a link/tip? Hit us up at jay.busbee@yahoo.com and follow us on Twitter.
News from the track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Here’s the latest news and info coming out of Atlanta Motor Speedway as we prepare for this weekend’s Kobalt Tools 500. We’ll be continuously updating this post, so check back often.
• NASCAR will honor Wendell Scott, the first African-American to drive in NASCAR’s Cup series, by placing a commemorative sticker on every driver’s car. Scott’s first start came March 4, 1961 in Spartanburg, S.C. On Dec. 1, 1963, he became the first African-American to win a Cup-level race.
• The gold medal-winning bobsled team from last week’s Olympics will be appearing on Sunday. The team rode a Geoff Bodine-backed bobsled, and was the first U.S. team to win gold since 1948.
• Weather at the track is cool but clear, and there’s no rain forecast for Sunday.
• What’s AJ Allmendinger going to do with his off week? Why, go go-karting in Homestead, of course. (Via @amsupdates)
• Kevin Harvick is extremely confident about his ability to beat the 48 team, and notes that "to be the best, you have to beat the best."
• Kyle Busch greeted the media with a "nice to see you all again." Only the top 12 get invited to the media center for press conferences each week, and it’s been awhile since Kyle was in that august group.
• Like Harvick, Kyle praised the 48 team. But he went a step farther: "There’s no question the 48 team is the best, probably in history."
• Jeff Burton is calm about the 48: "I’m around a lot of people who get pissed off — ‘How’d he win that?’ I’m not … that’s not luck, it’s skill. My motivation is not with knocking him off, it’s with me getting better."
• Jimmie Johnson laughed about the Kobalt Tools commercial. When asked if he could play a straight man in commercials, he replied, deadpan, "What’s a straight man?" (Translation: yes.)
• Greg Biffle talked a bit about getting less attention than Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards at Roush Fenway: "I don’t want to be under the radar anymore."
• Mark Martin on the idea of using a larger restrictor plate at Talladega: "I’m not sure it’s good for color of hair as drivers. But it’s definitely good for fans."
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