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Dale Earnhardt vs David Pearson: Who Wins NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Final Lap?

by Charlie Turner

I'm Charlie Turner co-host of the syndicated, mostly NASCAR radio show On Pit Row. Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. Oh yeah, Steve is an idiot. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

May 31, 2009 10:40 am CDT 49 Comments

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We’ve come a long way from the first brackets in the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie. The whole thing probably stretched out a bit too long. But we got here. And “here” in this case is a last lap, green-white-checker finish between The Silver Fox and the Intimidator.

Dale Earnhardt won 76 times in 676 Cup Series starts and was one of only two seven time series champions. His win total is seventh best all-time. He won consecutive titles three different times and was a series runner-up three times. Earnhardt only won the Daytona 500 once - in ‘98 - but is the all-time leader in wins at Daytona International Speedway with 34. It was said that Earnhardt could “see the air” when he raced at the restrictor plate tracks at Daytona and Talladega. I don’t know about all that. But he sure saw the checkered flag plain enough at those two tracks.

Read a couple comments from Senior fans below.

Dale Earnhardt all the way. Dale is the only driver who went from rookie of the year to champion in consecutive seasons. In his second season Dale led the point standings all year long, except the first race when he finished second. His percentage of 1.02 average finish in one season (1980) is the best ever. - Gary Redd

Dale Senior by far. Regarding wrecks, Dale has the lowest DNF percentage by a driver with over 500 starts. Junior (Johnson) had over two and a half times more DNF’s than Dale and many more wrecks than Dale. Well over half of Dale’s DNF’s were engine failures not wrecks. You have to be running at the finish to win championship’s and Dale it seven times, Junior Zero. - Ben Shirley

David Pearson is second on the all-time Cup Series victory list with 105 and is a three time Winston Cup champ. He won the ‘76 Daytona 500, set a record for super speedway qualifying by winning 11 straight poles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In ‘73, Pearson won 11 of the 18 Cup races that he entered. He did all this while rarely entering as many races as his contemporaries. Pearson missed alot of races. According to The Blount Report, NASCAR’s Most Overated & Underrated, The Fox raced is 75 percent of the races in only four seasons in his career. Pearson won the championship three of those years and finished third in the other.

Here are a couple of typical comments from Pearson fans.

I’m picking David Pearson for the upset, because from the old racing I’ve watched and old stories I’ve read and heard, he had more talent than Petty. Half the wins of Petty + running half the time = as good if not better than The King. I’m sending Pearson to the finals. - Matt Mercer

Had Pearson run a full schedule his entire career, he’d have won more championships than The King. Jeff Gordon, while probably one of the best of the current breed of drivers, doesn’t hold a candle to the Silver Fox. Under the current rules and schedule, Jeff won’t match his record. - themadman

To get to the Final Lap of the Tourney, Pearson’s fans voted him over the likes of Jeff Gordon and the King himself, Richard Petty. Earnhardt fans rallied after a close, first round match up with Bobby Isaac to sweep past Junior Johnson and then Darrell Waltrip in the Four Wide Final.

Dale Earnhardt against David Pearson - slamming doors and grinning all the while. That’s how I see this head-to-head battle in the final. Two of the Greatest NASCAR Drivers ever. We’ve had celebrities like Bobby Labonte, Geoffrey Bodine, Dave Despain and Dustin Long all vote in this thing. But we want to know who YOU think should win. Who will you choose? Please leave your comments.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends, The King, The Pettys, The Waltrips

Tagged with: Charlotte Motor Speedway, David Pearson, Junior Johnson, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers, NASCAR's Most Overated & Underrated, Richard Petty, The Blount Report, Winston Cup

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Kyle Busch Is Toying With Us

by James Jones, Special To NASCAR commentary,NASCAR video,NASCAR pictures, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

Sundays of my youth consisted of NASCAR racing and cold bottles of Mountain Dew. Thirty years later not much has changed for me. However, nearly everything has changed in NASCAR.

May 29, 2009 11:07 pm CDT 4 Comments

I’m guessing Kyle Busch sadistically burned ants with a magnifying glass as a kid. I can visualize him squatting down in the driveway under the hot Vegas sun. Calmly and with fine adjustments to the magnifying glass, he focuses the sun’s rays. One by one he toys with the ants by applying a little burn here and a little burn there.

When it comes to Earnhardt Jr. and his legions of fans, Kyle may very well toy with them too via the same method- a little burn here, a little burn there. Earnhardt’s team was recently reorganized with a crew chief change (Eury Jr. out, Lance McGrew in). This change has been something than many fans (including a large portion of ‘Earnhardt Nation’) and media have said needed to happen.

During a media interview this weekend, Kyle was asked for his thought on the crew chief changes at the #88 team.

“You’ve got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you gotta do what you gotta do, I guess. You know it’s, uh, he’s [Earnhardt Jr.] the one who brought that crew chief [Eury Jr.] on. He’s the one who pulled so hard to bring Eury Jr. in. It looked like it was working there in the beginning, and uh, just hasn’t worked since summer of last year really. So, whatever makes them better I guess.”

Later in the interview Kyle was asked about Eury’s replacement, Lance McGrew (with whom Kyle has worked with in the past). Following some comments on McGrew’s past responsiblities with the team, portions of Kyle’s answers have been perceived as ‘burns’ to Earnhardt Jr..

“He’s [McGrew] got his hands full, I guess. You know, having to deal with what’s going on, and if Junior doesn’t run well, then he [McGrew] is going to be the ‘problem’ again. It’s never Junior; it’s always the crew chief.

Now, I watched the media interview and the tone of Kyle’s responses are quite different than what one may get from just reading the ‘hot points’ pulled out of the interview and quoted on blogs and forum threads.

So is Kyle just answering the questions with brutal honesty? Is he saying what many in the garage and grandstand are thinking, but are afraid or unwilling to say? Or is this just a thumb-to-nose at Hendrick Motorsports and Earnhardt Jr. after being let go to make room for Jr.?

I don’t know, but it could simply be that Kyle knows his role within the sport right now- the villain. As such, he finds opportunities to apply a little burn here and a little burn there as he polarizes fans and competitors alike. One thing is for sure, he refuses to be cast into NASCAR’s all too common politically correct mold.

What do you think?

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch, NASCAR

Tagged with: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Kyle Busch, Lance McGrew, Tony Eury Jr

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Did Rick Hendrick Take the Bait this Week?

by Charlie Turner

May 29, 2009 10:13 pm CDT No Comments

The fishing was slow at Lowes Motor Speedway Memorial Day weekend. A cold front came through bringing a rainy end to the holiday racing and the Coca Cola 600.

The race was cut to just past half distance and the several rain-caused cautions gave the normal Wall-Bait feeders a break. The walls of Lowes Motorspeedway are mostly clean. But you can’t say that no one hit the wall in Charlotte.

The rain didn’t hide the continued futility of the Amp Energy No. 88 team. The combo of Junior’s, Earnhardt and Eury, had been nibbling at the crash bait for most of the fishing season. This week, the boss bit.

Rick Hendrick has decided that the experiment in NASCAR in-breeding has failed. The cousins Earnhardt didn’t get the job done. Dale Junior has a new crew chief and Tony Junior has….a respite from scapegoat-ism.

Dover will most assuredly see more sheet metal in the wall. But there may not be a bigger hit in NASCAR this year than the one Earnhardt fans have taken so far.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Lowes Motor Speedway, NASCAR, Wall Bait

Tagged with: Rick Hendrick, Tony Eury Jr, Wall Bait

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Is Mark Martin Going to Be Derailed by Changes to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Team?

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary,NASCAR video,NASCAR pictures, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the writer of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog, which you can access through the links on the right. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

May 28, 2009 7:12 pm CDT 8 Comments

As I was reading a story this afternoon on what new Dale Earnhardt Jr. crew chief Lance McGrew plans for the #88 team, I started worrying about the chances of Mark Martin’s title run this year. McGrew says that among the first items to be evaluated is the #88 team’s relationship with that of their shop-mate, the #5 team. McGrew says that they aren’t a unified outfit because they were two entities brought together, unlike the #24 and #48 teams. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the #5 and #25 teams were together since what, 2002 when Hendrick added a 4th car? The teams have been there, with mixed success, since the days of Terry Labonte/Kyle Busch in the #5 and Joe Nemechek/Brian Vickers/Casey Mears in the #25. McGrew was even a big part of that #25 team, serving as crew chief for Vickers in that time. I have to wonder why McGrew seems to fault the new combination of Martin and crew chief Alan Gustafson in the #5 for being successful. Maybe I’m reading the story wrong, but that’s how it looks.

My main concern here is that Martin’s team has been very successful with fast cars nearly ever week of the year while Earnhardt Jr. and his team haven’t adjusted their equipment to meet the demands of 2009 yet. It’s no guarantee the change will work the first time around. Is McGrew implying that he wants to change the way Gustafson is running the #5 team? This quote scares me:

“Basically, the crew chiefs have to steer the ship. If you want [the 5/88] building to perform and function with the 24/48 shop does, it has to be managed like the 24/48 shop is. The crew chiefs steer the ship there. I feel like you have to do that in unison, because the idea is to have two teams in one building that operate as one. Those [24 and 48] teams do that. Right now that’s not happening [in the 5 and 88 shop].”

Right. Because it’s the #5 team’s responsibility for the #88 not using the notes and setups the #5, #24, and #48 do. McGrew is right about this part: ideally, both teams in the shop should operate as one. It seems that the #88 team led by Tony Eury Jr. was willing to break away from that and do things their own way.

All I’m saying is, this could easily drag down Martin during the rest of the 2009 season. If McGrew wants to change the #5 team’s method (which is clearly working) it could derail Martin’s title hopes this season. I do not want that to happen and I suspect that even Dale Jr. himself wouldn’t want that to happen. Hendrick needs to be careful he isn’t tearing down the strong to build up the weak.

Photo credit: Sports Illustrated

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin, NASCAR

Tagged with: Alan Gustafson, Brian Vickers, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Busch, Lance McGrew, Mark Martin, NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup Series, Terry Labonte, Tony Eury Jr

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One and Done: Best Buy 400 Benefiting Student Clubs for Autism Speaks

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary,NASCAR video,NASCAR pictures, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

If OnPitRow.com was a NASCAR team, I’d be the development driver of the bunch. In the same way that young hotshots like Joey Logano have been driving since they were in grade school, I’ve been following and writing about all forms of motorsports since I was barely old enough to talk.

May 28, 2009 5:10 pm CDT 2 Comments

This weekend, the Sprint Cup Series visits the esteemed speedway at Dover, Delaware commonly referred to as “The Monster Mile.” The 1-mile concrete oval responsible for the first win of Martin Truex Jr. and the last win of Kyle Petty will host its 12th 400-mile spring race, after decades of 500-milers and a few 300-milers early on in its history.

With a surprise win in the Coca-Cola 600, David Reutimann broke a streak of three consecutive finishes of worse than 20th place, but don’t expect him to be as good (or lucky) this week. Reuttie’s never finished better than 17th here, and has never completed the race on the lead lap, despite running at the finish all three times he’s run. The other surprise top three finisher last weekend, Robby Gordon, has an average finish of 17.5 at Dover the past two years with one top-10, but is also coming off a penalty that may have sucked some of the wind out of his team’s sails.

So who’s really a good bet for this weekend? All of the following have connections to one owner - Jack Roush. It’s a good thing, too, for Roush Fenway Racing, because it’s about time they pick up the slack and prove that Matt Kenseth’s Daytona and California wins weren’t flukes.

Jamie McMurray: Semi-sleeper alert! McMurray had a great battle for the win with Kenseth in the 2006 running of this race, but didn’t quite seal the deal. He’s never been an obvious pick at the track, having just as many finishes outside the top 20 (four) as single digit finishes. McMurray only finished 21st last weekend, but perhaps the boost of having gained three spots in the points will fuel him this weekend.

Mark Martin: Personal bias aside, there’s almost always a good reason to pick the 5 team these days. They’ve begun to hit their stride, with two wins in the past handful of races, and have elevated themselves from the edge of the top 35 to inside the Chase. Martin is a four-time winner at Dover with one win, seven top-5s, and only four finishes outside the top 20 in his past 15 Dover races.

Carl Edwards: With five consecutive finishes of 3rd or better at Dover, there’s no better time for Edwards to win his first race of the season. He’s led laps in every Dover race the past three years and has the best average finish at the track of any active driver, a 7.7.

Greg Biffle: His 11.2 career average finish at the track is fourth best of all drivers and second best of current Roush Fenway Racing drivers. He has four top-5 finishes at Dover over the past three years, including one win; for the record, the other two finishes were 6th and 8th.

Kyle Busch: He either finishes in the top 5 or craps out at Dover. His average finish of 14.4 is dragged down by two engine failures, both in fall races (2006 and 2008). He is also the defending champion of this race and should be coming off a victory at Charlotte, if not for a caution under which he pitted that handed Reutimann the win when the race was called. Another tidbit: All of Busch’s 270 laps led at Dover come in the spring.

A few final words: This weekend we say goodbye to two major parts of the season thus far. The first, Fox Sports’ coverage of the races, isn’t necessarily a bad thing (good riddance, Digger); the second, the One and Done Spring Thing, is only good for those of us who have bombed in the game thus far (including yours truly). There will be a new set of prizes in the Race to the Chase, starting with next weekend’s race at Pocono and ending with Richmond. If you’ve been unlucky thus far, never fear! You’ll have plenty of shots at redemption.

Finally, although I usually go for publishing these things every Thursday, based on my own schedule, I’m going to be doing my best to push them up a day or two every week, at least for the Race to the Chase. I can’t promise they’ll always be out by Tuesday or Wednesday, but they should be moving up in the week. Thanks to some of our readers for their feedback!

Filed under: One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

Tagged with: Autism Speaks 400, Dover International Speedway, One and Done, One and Done NASCAR Fantasy Racing

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Earnhardt Jr Scapegoats are Dropping Like Flies

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Charlie likes to call me an "idiot". I'm not an "idiot"; I just prefer not to let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

May 28, 2009 4:30 pm CDT 2 Comments

Tony Eury, Jr. must be breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The latest obstacle in the way of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s road to success has been mercifully moved to the research and development side of the Hendricks Motor Sports garage. Tony Eury Jr was released from his duties as the crew chief for his cousin earlier today (Thursday). You just have to wonder if Eury, Jr. had to be muttering under his breath; “What took so long?”

Rick Hendrick was not going to fire Earnhardt; even though much of the disappointing season has to be put squarely on the shoulders of The Intimidator’s son. The well documented brain farts of Earnhardt Jr had to weigh heavy on Eury Jr. It was only a matter of time before Hendrick had to make a move.

“Our performance hasn’t been where it should be,” said Hendrick. “It’s impossible to pin that on any one factor, but a change is the right decision at this point. We have a plan in place, and we’re going to move forward with it.”

That plan revolves around veteran crew chief Lance McGrew. McGrew most recently has been guiding Brad Keselowski’s Cup effort. An effort that resulted in a seventh place finish at Darlington. McGrew has won a Nationwide championship with Brian Vickers in 2003. He has won races from on top of the pit box in all three national series with drivers Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Hendrick, Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and most recently Tony Stewart.

Team manager Brian Whitesell will lead the team this weekend at Dover. Whitesell and Rex Stump, Hendrick Motorsports’ lead chassis engineer, have been assigned to support McGrew on a full-time basis. Whitesell, who won two of seven races as Jeff Gordon’s interim crew chief in 1999, will join McGrew and team engineer Tom Stewart on the no. 88 pit box to assist with race strategy. Hendrick plotted his strategy:

“We’re going to put our full resources toward improving the situation and winning races. It’s going to be a collective effort that includes all of our drivers, all of our crew chiefs and all of our engineers. Everyone in our company will be involved on some level.”

McGrew, Whitesell, Stump and Stewart will give the team something it has not had since Tony Eury, Sr. was Junior’s crew chief; an authority figure to call the shots. The days of indecision and questioning race calls from inside the cockpit will be a thing of the past.

One more questionable piece of this under performing puzzle has been replaced. Now that the “evil step-mother” and the “bumbling crew-chief” are gone from the picture, the focus will now have to center on one person. Once and for all we will see where the problem has been.

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darlington Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, How to fix NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, Nascar Legends, Nationwide Series, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series