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Really Jack Roush? Really?

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by Mindy Monday, Special To NASCAR commentary and pictures,2010 NASCAR schedule,NASCAR video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

November 30, 2009 3:35 pm CST No Comments

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Mindy Monday is back with a post-championship, Monday Morning Crew Chief NASCAR video.

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It’s about Denny Hamlin vs Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch vs Brian Vickers. And then there’s Danica Patrick vs whichever sexist pig wants to go a round with her.

Jack Roush maybe?

Watch it now.

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Brian Vickers, Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR, NASCAR video 

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Like a Double-Feature at the Trailer Park Drive-in Theatre

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by Mindy Monday, Special To NASCAR commentary and pictures,2010 NASCAR schedule,NASCAR video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

August 21, 2009 9:57 pm CDT 1 Comment
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Mindy Monday congratulates Brian Vickers and Dale Earnhardt Jr, but wonders just what the heck is going on at the Mayfield family trailer park.

Watch it all right here, right now in the latest Monday Morning Crew Chief.

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeremy Mayfield, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR, NASCAR video 

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Did Brian Vickers Embarrass Toyota at Michigan?

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by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

August 17, 2009 10:17 am CDT No Comments

The state of Michigan is a little dysfunctional right now. Unemployment is the highest in the nation. The state’s automaker-heavy  economy is reeling. Many Michiganders seem to be spoiling for a fight.

Before the race, when the track announcer at Michigan International Speedway called for a fan poll - which manufacturer would win the Carfax 400 Sunday? - he left Toyota out. Ford? Loud cheer. Dodge? Loud cheer. Chevy? Real loud cheer. No Toyota, but I’m pretty sure what the reaction would have been.

And I had noticed on Friday, while walking around the NASCAR Experience midway, outside the track, that the huge Toyota tent and display were nowhere to be seen. We’re talking low profile here.

So what happens Sunday? Red Bull Racing’s Brian Vickers splits a potential Hendrick Motorsports, Chevy 1-2-3 sweep, and wins the race for Toyota.

Oh the shame of it all. Jack Roush probably thinks Vickers cheated.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Brian Vickers, Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR, Red Bull Racing 

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

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by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary and pictures,2010 NASCAR schedule,NASCAR video, 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 

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Earnhardt Jr Scapegoats are Dropping Like Flies

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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.

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 

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Ask.com Celebrates Bobby Labonte’s Birthday and Everyone’s Mothers Day

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by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

May 8, 2009 10:01 pm CDT No Comments

I watched qualifying for Saturday’s Southern 500 and most of the Diamond Hill Plywood 300 Nationwide Series race tonight. Maybe Kyle Busch should have won the latter, but he didn’t. Matt Kenseth did. And Matty won the pole for tomorrow’s race too. Watch the Roushies this weekend. And maybe Sam Hornish. Yeah, Sam Hornish Jr.

NASCAR gets the racing out of the way early this weekend so that teams and fans can concentrate on Mothers day. It’s a NASCAR tradition that I appreciate. Quaint, but nice. 

Ask.com is Bobby Labonte’s sponsor on the Hall of Fame Racing no. 96. Labonte’s birthday is this weekend and this week, the official search engine of NASCAR ran a promotion to celebrate.

Hundreds of fans submitted their ideas to Ask.com to be considered as the gift the Official Search Engine of NASCAR presented to Labonte on his 45th birthday. The suggestion from Hilary Mathis of Danville, Ill., inspired the gift - a commemorative racing helmet that includes the names of each fan that sent their supportive wishes and gift ideas over the past week.

Mathis has been a Labonte fan since 1997 and lists him and Brian Vickers as her top-two favorite NASCAR drivers. Ask.com has pulled together Mother’s Day content for fans. A special page on Ask.com includes interviews with the mothers of Jeff Gordon, Casey Mears, Ryan Newman, Reed Sorenson and  Mathis’ fave, Brian Vickers. Here’s the Vickers story - from his mom….

When he was about 10 years old, he and his father were in the basement working on his go-kart getting ready for the next race. He was actually sitting in the go-kart while being weighed and just couldn’t sit still. He started sticking his fingers in the holes on the steering wheel and one of his fingers got stuck. We worked for hours trying to get his finger out, but that only made his finger swell. He wouldn’t let us cut the steering wheel off because it was his favorite one, so we had to take the wheel off the go-kart and he slept with it. He thought his finger would slide out just like it slid in - but that didn’t work. We went to the emergency room the next morning to see if they could get his finger unstuck, but they couldn’t either. And after all that they finally took him down to the maintenance department and had to cut the steering wheel off anyway.

To read more stories straight from the mouth of Brian Vickers’ mom, as well as childhood tales from the moms of NASCAR stars including Jeff Gordon, Reed Sorensen, Ryan Newman and Casey Mears search NASCAR Mother’s Day at Ask.com for some great Mother’s Day material.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Filed under: Ask.com Racing, Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers, Darlington Speedway, NASCAR, Nationwide Series 

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