Pre-Talladega Miscellanea & Burning Questions
Talladega now beckons and some miscellanea stands alongside the road:
The silly season got hilarious with two developments – the firing of Buckshot
Jones from Petty Enterprises and the release of Tony Furr from Hendrick
Motorsports. The former had been the source of rumors for several weeks, while
the latter exploded to the surprise of all.
The irony of Jones’ firing – and it is a common irony in racing – is that it
came as he and the #44 had begun getting something going, after strong efforts
at Las Vegas and Atlanta, a commendable effort at Darlington despite crash
damage, and a strong effort at Texas wiped out by two ill-timed yellows during
green flag stops.
One story has it that Georgia Pacific gave Jones and team owner Kyle Petty
what amounted to a six to eight-race ultimatum at Daytona – which would
presumably have been the source of the previous Jones-fired rumors. The
Martinsville effort – a rough one almost from the beginning – presumably was the
effort that precipitated the firing.
There is further irony here – when Jones was hired for the #44 he brought
Georgia Pacific sponsorship with him, a sponsorship that came about after an impromptu
autograph session by Jones at Atlanta.
Steve Grissom will drive the #44 at Talladega, but there seems little
realistic chance he will be in the car for the rest of the season. If this is
how it turns out, it is regrettable, as Grissom, a former Grand National and
All-Pro champion, has run well over the years in Cup, GN, and Trucks – in which
he’d likely be racing but for the insistence of Hot Wheels Latin America on
Carlos Contreras.
The driver rumored for the #44 has been Joe Nemechek, whom Kyle has been
courting according to the varied rumors that have circulated – and it may be
that Front Row Joe and the Pettys can get a deal worked out by Charlotte.
The other silly season surprise was the release of Tony Furr as crew chief
for Rick Hendrick’s #25 team. Furr has seen two Winston Cup wins, both
breakthrough efforts for the drivers involved – the ’97 Firecracker for John
Andretti and Cale Yarborough, and the 2000 Dixie 500 for Jerry Nadeau. Furr has
also had numerous inspection spats, often resulting in fines, with NASCAR over
the years.
On the one hand the end of Furr’s tenure with Hendrick is a surprise, but on
the other the rumor has been that Nadeau nearly got fired himself last year
after abysmal relations with his crew; there was also his episode at Daytona
climaxing with his "brownies" comment. So was Furr’s exit from
Nadeau’s team really a surprise?
An angle largely lost in the saga of The Winston’s possible move out of
Charlotte – it’s been pointed out to me that the prospect of such a change comes
after SMI’s stockbroker files his lawsuit for a second Texas Motor Speedway
date.
Hmmmm…..
A great example of the saying "The more things change, the more they
stay the same."
In 1992 Chevrolet was uncompetitive in the first eight races of the year,
failing to win and recording only one second in that span. Ford won all eight of
the first races of the season.
Ten years later, Chevy has failed to win in the first eight races, has shown
little competitive spark anywhere, and has just one second so far. The only
difference this time is that GM HAS won in that span while Ford has just three
wins this time. Dodge has the other three and GM’s two wins are from Pontiac.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
How’s this for a switch?
Not two years ago Grand
National entry lists exceeded Winston
Cup ones, especially at big-money races like Talladega. Now compare
Talladega’s Grand National list with Winston Cup’s.
NOL has its Burning Questions area – here’s mine:
Q – How Strong Will The Draft Be?
At Daytona the aero-clean configuration drafted better than most expected
after the sub-par Shootout, but the weakness of the draft without the roof
spoiler was apparent. It should be better at Talladega, since the draft usually
works better there anyway.
Q – How Little Relevance Will Qualifying Have?
In the Grand National field, no relevance at all, since right now the entry
list only shows 42 entries (this may change by the time this missive sees
computer print) and thus no one has to worry about burning a provisional. In the
Winston Cup field four guys will go home, but other than that qualifying won’t
mean anything – it never does at this place.
Q – Will Chevrolet Get Off The Skids This Weekend?
Talladega being what it is, that can go just about any way. The extra height
of Ford’s spoiler after Daytona should drag them a hair, but with Chevy’s
program in such disarray it’s tougher than normal to visualize a Chevrolet
winning.
Q – Will This One Go Caution-Free?
I doubt it – caution-free is a rarity anywhere. And with the one-engine rule
we may see a few teams flirt with less reliability.
Q – Will Blocking Be A Bigger Issue Than At Daytona?
If NASCAR doesn’t yank out those left-side mirrors, probably, though the high
grooves and the extra width tend to allow an attacker to fake low and pass high
better.
While big-league NASCAR tackles its biggest and wildest track, Grand
National’s New England cousins open their season this weekend at Lee, NH. GN
North kicks off 2002 with a trip to a 3/8 miler that can be as ornery as you can
imagine. Such is among the contrasts that make this sport so much fun.