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Winning the Brad Keselowski Sweepstakes Could Save a NASCAR Franchise

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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.

July 11, 2009 11:27 am CDT 1 Comment

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The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is barely half over and the speculation of what 2010 brings is in high gear.

Silly Season has started in earnest.  Fox Sports’ Lee Spencer is reporting that Robert Yates Racing may be looking to blow up their lineup in 2010 because of lack of performance from Bobby Labonte and cash cow Paul Menard.

Roger Penske may be looking to shop the seat in the #12 for the second year.  David Stremme has not taken to the new car as quickly as hoped after sitting out the 2008 Cup season.  The hottest property in the 2010 free agent market is Brad Keselowski and he is being looked at to fill that seat.

The Kez has been included in talk of pretty much every open seat for next year; the anticipated fourth cars at Joe Gibbs Racing or third at Stewart-Haas, a move to cup by Junior Motorsports or Keven Harvick, Inc or even replacing Junior at Hendrick.

While no one knows for sure where he will end up yet, I may as well throw my personal hope into the mix.  After years of struggling to make assorted drivers work on a limited budget with 1970’s thought processes one team has taken a step back to try and re-capture it’s former glory days.  While some teams have resorted to start and park strategies to get their teams trough these tough times, The Wood Brothers took to a limited schedule to try and make things work.

Bill Elliott has held down the seat on again and off again until the right deal can happen.  2010 is the year that the once proud team that saw David Pearson, Cale Yarborough and others win races in droves, needs to grab the next hot, can’t miss driver since Sliced Bread.  Keselowski is young, hungry and has proven himself a winner.  Eddie Wood has made hard decisions over the past year.  Adding Keselowski for the entire season could be the piece to the puzzle that brings the Wood Brothers back to the front.

Sponsorship is the key; getting it and getting enough of it to be competitive.  The other hard decision to be made may not be so easy and that would be to give up the teams autonomy.  An alliance with Roush-Fenway/Yates as a satellite team could help solve technical and financial challenges.

One car from Roush-Fenway will be spun off to Yates because of NASCAR’s four team rule.   Common speculation has had either Jamie McMurrey or David Ragan moving to Yates as a third team.  But, instead of sending a lower performing team, send Greg Biffle to become the cornerstone of that operation.  Proven winner Travis Kvapil is available to take over the #96 ride if Ask.com can be convinced to stay on board or other sponsorship can be found.

The Wood Brothers with help from R-F/Y and Keselowski at the wheel could be a combination that returns the once proud team back to respectability and beyond.

photo credit: BethAnne Heisler/ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Ask.com Racing, Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Brad Kesolowski, David Ragan, How to fix NASCAR, Jamie McMurray, NASCAR, NASCAR Rumors, Nascar Legends, Paul Menard, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, The Wood Brothers, Yates Racing 

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Junior Johnson vs Dale Earnhardt: NASCAR’s 8 Greatest Drivers Face off

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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

April 29, 2009 1:17 pm CDT 21 Comments

Hard scrabble beginnings didn’t hold these two back. It was all about winning and they both won a bunch themselves and then went on to win some more as car owners. Elite doesn’t really describe the caliber of drivers that remain in the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Junior Johnson won 50 times as a driver and his drivers won 139 races and six Cup series championships for him as an owner. But this tourney isn’t about owners. Johnson won the second ever Daytona 500. He had 46 career poles in 313 starts. Tom Wolfe wrote an article for Esquire magazine in ‘65, calling Johnson “The Last American Hero”. He wasn’t that, but he was one of the greatest.

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.

Earnhardt got by the popular Ned Jarrett in the round of 16 while Junior Johnson won a close one with Awesome Bill Elliott. I think this will be a tough one. Closer than most and maybe the toughest match up yet. Tell us who you think should move on to the final, four-wide finish.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends 

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Stop Jeff Gordon Or Not: Last Day to Vote in the Sweet 16 Greatest NASCAR Drivers

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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

April 22, 2009 10:42 am CDT 2 Comments

Mindy Monday says pu-lease don’t let Jeff Gordon win. But you can vote your bias any way you want. Here’s the recap of the Sweet 16 in the  NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

We’ll leave the voting open until midnight PST.  Join Bootie Barker, Geoff Bodine, Bobby Labonte and many others and let us know who you like.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Modified Racing, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends, Terry Labonte, The King, The Pettys 

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Bill Elliott vs Junior Johnson: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Sweet 16

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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

April 17, 2009 2:00 pm CDT 13 Comments

The Bench Racing region gives us a Sweet 16 faceoff between a relic of NASCAR’s moonshiner era against the driver who is maybe most responsible for the introduction of restrictor plates. Round three of the  NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Bill Elliott - Awesome Bill from Dawsonville - 1988 Winston Cup champion. Steve should be writing this, since he worships Elliott, but it would be hard not to be positive about Bill. With 44 career wins, 55 poles and 320 top tens in 796 starts, Elliott is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest driver club. Maybe though, he is most famous for his other nickname - Million Dollar Bill - given for winning the first ever Winston Million.

Junior Johnson won 50 times as a driver and his drivers won 139 races and six Cup series championships for him as an owner. But this tourney isn’t about owners. Johnson won the second ever Daytona 500. He had 46 career poles in 313 starts. Tom Wolfe wrote an article for Esquire magazine in ‘65, calling Johnson “The Last American Hero”. He wasn’t that, but he was one of the greatest.

The original J J beat Marshall Teague last round and ruined Steve’s upset hopes when he thumped Lee Roy Yarbrough in the opening round. Awesome Bill had his hands full with a round of 32 beatdown with Lee Petty and and opener against Speedy Thompson. Two NASCAR originals - and great ones - but only one can move on. Tell us who you like in the comment section.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, Daytona 500, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends 

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Lee Petty vs Bill Elliott: 64 Greatest NASCAR Drivers Round 2

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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

April 4, 2009 9:37 am CDT 10 Comments

Round two in the Bench Racing Region pits two guys who won in NASCAR with teams that started as family affairs and grew to legenday status. I wonder if the numbers will beat the popularity in the  NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Lee Petty was, of course, the patriarch of the Petty clan. He’s also a three-time Cup Series Champ who had 54 wins - ninth best all-time - in his 427 starts from 1949 to 1964. Petty also won the first ever Daytona 500.

Bill Elliott - Awesome Bill from Dawsonville - 1988 Winston Cup champion. Steve should be writing this, since he worships Elliott, but it would be hard not to be positive about Bill. With 44 career wins, 55 poles and 320 top tens in 796 starts, Elliott is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest driver club. Maybe though, he is most famous for his other nickname - Million Dollar Bill - given for winning the first ever Winston Million.

Elliott got by Speedy Thompson in round one while Lee Petty got the better of Kurt Busch. With three championships and all those wins, Petty will be tough. But Bill didn’t win NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver award all those times without building up a fan base. Right Steve? Let us know what you think.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends, The Pettys 

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Speedy Thompson vs Bill Elliott: NASCAR’s 64 Greatest Drivers Match Up

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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

March 21, 2009 4:41 pm CDT 8 Comments

Two great nicknames and equally impressive resumes are paired up in this one. Who moves on to the round of 32 - Awesome Bill or Speedy - in the NASCAR 64 Greatest Drivers Tournament at Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie.

Alfred “Speedy” Thompson won 20 times and had 106 top tens in 198 Cup Series starts from ‘50 to ‘71. Thompson ’s best points finish was third which he did three times.He died in a crash caused by a suspected heart attack. Speedy Thompson was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest drivers in 1998.

Bill Elliott - Awesome Bill from Dawsonville - 1988 Winston Cup champion. Steve should be writing this, since he worships Elliott, but it would be hard not to be positive about Bill. With 44 career wins, 55 poles and 320 top tens in 796 starts, Elliott is a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest driver club. Maybe though, he is most famous for his other nickname - Million Dollar Bill - given for winning the first ever Winston Million.

So are you a Speedy fan? If so, you may need some help to upset a solid favorite in this duel. Leave a comment.

Filed under: Bill Elliott, NASCAR, NASCAR 64 Greatest Driver Tourney, Nascar Legends 

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