The Spin Out Zone – Multi-Car Teams Get Bumped and Special Quick Bumps

With Saturday night being their last televised race of 2002, NASCAR on FOX
wanted to go out with a bang. Through the efforts of many, even those not
directly employed by FOX including, The Marine Corps Honor Guard, Jessica
Simpson, an American bald eagle, fireworks, THE BIG ONE, Michael Waltrip’s
second win at Daytona and the upset, beer can – seat cushion throwing fans, I
believe they accomplished their goal.

On several occasions this year I have been critical of FOX, especially for
their NON-FAMILY commercials during races promoting their shows and for the lack
of behind the scenes coverage. With that said, I would like to take a brief
moment to thank them for doing a great job on making sure we had the best seat
in the house for the first part of this season.

Hold on – here is the bump and the SPIN OUT!

QUICK BUMP ZONE!

Quick bump 1 goes to – Major League Baseball!

What does this have to do with NASCAR? NOTHING! I just think as NASCAR fans
we can sit back, shake our heads about this one and be thankful that it’s not
our sport.

Quick bump 2 goes to – Kurt Busch!

Why would I bump Kurt Busch? Well, because he came out and apologized for
getting mad and showing his temper. Kurt was rather upset Saturday night about
several situations and let his emotions show over his radio. NASCAR hit him with
an unsportsmanlike penalty and parked him for four laps. I do agree, on a track
like Daytona, park him if his emotions have gotten the best of him to protect
those racing around him. But Kurt, don’t apologize for getting mad and showing
emotion. I think drivers today are so scared of the NASCAR brass, they’ll
apologize for anything, even for just getting mad. Give me a break, you can’t
get in the face of another driver without being put on probation and you can’t
get mad over the radio or you’ll be expected to apologize to everyone. NASCAR
should let them race, let them disagree and let them get mad without making any
apologies.

Quick bump 3 goes to – Ricky Rudd!

Ricky, driving the #28 has been one of the best things you’ve ever done.
Remember last year? If you’re gonna retire, RETIRE, but why in the world would
you remotely think about leaving the #28 to drive for Jerry Jones? Do you need
the money that bad?

THE SPIN OUT!

I don’t claim to be the brightest light in the house, but I think I’ve got
this restrictor plate racing figured out?

To the fans and racing teams out there that believe Dale Jr. did the right
thing this past weekend and it’s every driver for themselves, when it comes to
restrictor plate racing – you are wrong! But, before you start emailing me and
telling me I’m nuts, first I ask that you hear me out.

Let’s look outside the box and glance at the big picture. Drivers race
because yes it’s fun and the money is good, but I believe most would say it’s
because they want to WIN. However, when you choose to race in the Winston Cup
series, yes it’s to win, but because it’s a series, the challenge is greater
than just winning a race. The challenge is the championship. Unless of course
you are so far behind in points, then a win is a must!

As a driver belonging to a multi-car organization, your approach to a
restrictor plate race should be modeled after DEI. With the DEI program, as much
as everyone talks about engines, I think it goes beyond engines. In my eyes,
it’s all about teamwork.

For teams racing Daytona and Talladega, winning should be the goal, not for
one specific driver, but for the organization in general. It’s the only way to
approach restrictor plate racing. Look at last weekend, once the two DEI cars
got to the front it was basically over. How many times have we seen this happen
between Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr., just about every time. When Bobby Hamilton
won Talladega, Joe Nemechek his teammate at the time was there at the end to
help him out. Another example, even though they weren’t teammates, Kenny Wallace
helped Dale Earnhardt win at Talladega. Heck, it works at Lowe’s too, just ask
Matt Kenseth.

You have to look at Daytona and Talladega as point races, not necessarily
ones to win. First you know you must survive the big one and then follow a
friend or teammate to the front. If you have a teammate, do as Michael and Dale
Jr. did, agree to back each other up. Michael led 99 laps and Dale Jr. was
behind him most of the time without making any type of a move, until the end.
Dale Jr. was sticking to the game plan until his crew chief expressed the need
to win. The result, he terminated the plan and ended up not only loosing the
race, but several positions.

Rusty Wallace had a car that could have won. If Rusty and his teammate Ryan
Newman were second and third behind Michael at the end, I think Team Penske
would have walked away with this one. But Ryan decided to do his own thing, he
left Rusty out to dry and paid the price. Sterling Marlin and his teammate Jimmy
Spencer stuck together and walked away with great 3rd and 4th place finishes. It
adds up folks! Until the rules change, the most successful way to approach
restrictor plate racing is using the old; you’ve got get through me to get to
him philosophy. Pick up the points and win at a track that is winnable.

This weeks SPIN OUT goes to – those drivers and teams of a multi-car
organization that try to run restrictor plate races for themselves! Because it
can’t be more obvious, in these types of races – if you work as a TEAM, you’ll
win as a TEAM!

Until next week, happy bumping!