Latest Headlines

Comments

Sections

Silly Season is in High Gear Earlier than Ever

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.

June 24, 2008 12:11 am CDT 6 Comments

If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

California’s wine country applauds Kyle Busch after winning at Infineon Raceway.

Ever since the incident with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Shrub has been head of the most wanted list of many NASCAR fans. But in a weird twist, after his win at Infineon, hardly a boo was heard. Could the tide be turning in Rowdy’s popularity so soon? He didn’t even give his signature “brat bow” to the fans.

Overshadowing Shrub’s win could be the breaking news that Mark Martin could be leaving DEI to run for his “last” championship at Hendrick Motorsports. Or will he do a shared ride deal with Brad Keselowski? There are lots of rumors revolving around Martin’s future plans.

This weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW asks:

What is the probability that Mark Martin will win a championship if indeed he moves full time to Hendrick Motorsports?

NASCAR journalist Dustin Long with the Roanoke Times will join The Pit Crew at 6pm to discuss all these topics.

Give us your opinions and we may use them on this weeks ON PIT ROW. OPR can be heard via live stream from 5-7pm ET, followed by Inside ARCA from 7-8:30 at www.onpitrow.com

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

Tagged with: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kyle Busch

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Mark Martin Setting Himself Up For More Heartbreak

by Matt Mercer, Special To Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the new guy at Bench Racing and I'm supposed to be the younger perspective. I'm the guy behind The Catfish Show, which you can access through the links on the right.

June 21, 2008 8:12 am CDT 7 Comments

An item came across NASCAR.com and it made me shake my head. Mark Martin one of my 3 favorite drivers in NASCAR history, seems to have made another guarantee. In the story last week at Pocono, he said that he plans on winning at the Brickyard in July. I have no doubt Mark can win the race. I remember 10 years ago at Indy when he had a better car than Jeff Gordon throughout the day, yet couldn’t get around him at the end. I remember when Mark left the 6 for the 01 last year, he said he would have his best chance ever to win the Daytona 500 – and he did, but came up inches short. It saddens me to see someone that’s a traditional pessimist, like Mark, get exciting for something just to be heartbroken again. I felt the heartbreak of the 2002 season because he was so close. Two years later, in the inaugural Chase, Mark arguably had the best team but accidents and bad luck struck again. At that Daytona race 16 months ago, I watched him lead those last several laps as I had a kung-fu grip on a pillow in my room, thinking that maybe, just maybe, this could be the race of his life. It was the race of his life… he finished second again, and I fell to the floor with the air knocked out of my lungs. To be a Mark Martin fan, it’s similar to what being a Red Sox fan must have been like until the 2004 playoffs. In the back of your mind, you know something will happen. I don’t know how many fans understand how much Mark means to his fans, and the heartbreak his fans have gone through with him. Many times, it takes the man himself to keep us fans from going crazy.

Fast forward to this season’s race at Phoenix, which saw Mark lead a bunch of laps and appeared to be on his way to victory. What did Mark have to lose by staying out and gambling? He pitted from the lead, had the best car, so fuel mileage should have been on Tony Gibson’s mind. Yet, it didn’t happen, and surprise, Mark lost. The guarantee at Indianapolis is interesting. He qualified well at Pocono, yet seemed to fall back more and more during the race. DEI seems to be focusing on Truex and Menard at the moment, which is perfectly understandable. The prospect of Truex leaving would put one foot in the ground, I don’t see anyone tearing down the door to get into DEI the way guys would at Gibbs right now. In a certain sense, I think Mark may have to win at Indy to keep DEI relevant. Rumors swirl about the future of the Army sponsorship, given that the 01 has had limited sponsorship, and Bass Pro Shops could be leaving for Tony Stewart’s revamped Haas Racing.

I didn’t like the movie Groundhog Day. I hate recurring dreams. Most of all, I know deep down that Mark Martin won’t win the Brickyard this year. He’ll have a flat tire with 3 to go, he’ll get crashed out by a car 9 laps down, he’ll blow his engine on the white flag lap. The worst part? I’ll still be making him my pick to win. Some habits won’t go away.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Filed under: Chase for the Cup, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Daytona 500, Haas CNC Racing, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, Sprint Cup Series

Tagged with: Brickyard 400, Daytona 500, DEI, Haas CNC Racing, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR, Pocono, Sprint Cup, Tony Gibson, Tony Stewart

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Is Tony Stewart headed for Cup team ownership?

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.

April 12, 2008 2:22 pm CDT 12 Comments

How much more interesting would the Sprint Cup Series be if Tony Stewart were to become a team owner?

According to Fox Sports’ Lee Spencer that possibility was the hot rumor around the Phoenix International Raceway garage on Friday. It seems that Tony may be talking with Haas CNC Racing and Chevrolet about a partnership that would return Stewart to the Bow-tie fold as a driver-owner. And where there is Smoke - there is news.

Lately a few of us had speculated that that Stewart might be a candidate for the #33 seat and General Mills sponsorship at Richard Childress Racing. Others, like my buddy Steve, think that Stewart’s relationships with Joe Gibbs Racing and various pals will stop any potential defection. I wonder if Chevrolet felt that way about their JGR connections before the Coach and the kid said sayonara?

When I brought the latest Tony Stewart rumor up to a colleague a little while ago, he said to me; “…well if he goes to his own team, he’ll never win again.”

I’m not so sure about that. But who’s to say that Tony Stewart would have to drive for his own team? The late Dale Earnhardt never drove for Dale Earnhardt Inc in a Cup race, did he? Of course he did drive the same manufacturer’s car as the team he owned used.

Regardless, this is shaping up to be the story of the year in NASCAR. I do think that the Stewart camp is floating some of this stuff to enhance Tony’s negotiating position with JGR or RCR or whomever. But I’m sure glad that they are.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Haas CNC Racing, Jeff Hammond, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR Rumors, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Richard Childress Racing, Sprint Cup Series, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: blog, Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt, DEI, Haas CNC Racing, Jeff Hammond, Joe Gibbs Racing, motorsports, NASCAR, ON PIT ROW, Richard Childress Racing, Tony Stewart, Toyota

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Earnhardt Junior’s new duds coming to a store near you….

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.

January 31, 2008 10:35 pm CST 4 Comments

Dale Jr's adidas gear

As long as you live in Daytona, that is. Adidas, one of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s new marketing partners is prepping for the launch of their new Three Stripes Dale Jr fan gear.

“Dale Jr. will debut his new three stripes on February 17 at Daytona 500. Working closely with the adidas Innovation Team, they have created a race suit featuring advanced ClimaCool technology. With extreme temperatures in the car, ClimaCool will lower Dale Jr.’s body temperature and combat fatigue, allowing him to be more alert and responsive in those final laps.”

Two days prior to the race, Adidas will roll out their Dale Jr fan gear at The Sports Authority in Daytona. I wonder how those stores will do that week? Here’s a link to more pics of Dale Jr’s new Adidas duds.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR Bidness

Tagged with: Adidas, blog, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daytona, Hendrick Motorsports, motorsports, NASCAR

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

What does NASCAR testing mean?

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.

January 14, 2008 9:38 pm CST 1 Comment

With one week of testing in the books and the second week under way–what have we learned? Anyone–anyone–anyone?

We have seen that the cars from Hendrick Motorsports are fast. Is it learning if you already know the answer? The Toyotas have been fast in all test sessions. But, perhaps they have the most to prove and are just not part of the sandbag parade that has been so prevalent in years past.

It hasn’t really been much of a secret that many teams would come to Daytona testing without much to prove and would, therefore, go through the testing sessions without their best cars or intentions.

There have been exceptions to the rule. Years past would see new car owners, new manufacturers or new drivers with a message to send and Daytona in January was a great place to send that message.

Could that be what Toyota is using the 2008 test for?

This week the Fast Lap asks:

1) With Morgan-McClure being the latest team to close their doors due to lack of sponsorship dollars, who might be next?

2) Are the speeds being turned by the Toyotas at testing, indicative of their 2008 performance?

3) Would Teresa have allowed Junior to open a nightclub in Charlotte and risk distraction?

4) Darrell Waltrip ran a poll to see if he should boogity-boogity-boogity, or not. How do you vote?

Let us know how you feel about these questions, or anything else
that happened since last February in Daytona. If we like your
comments, whether we agree or not, we may use them on the air during
Tuesday’s ON PIT ROW. Leave us a comment on the blog or call the show–toll free at 1-877-502-8255 between 5-7pm ET on Tuesdays.

Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Dale Jarrett, Hendrick Motorsports, Nascar Legends, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Sprint Cup Series, The Fast Lap, The Waltrips, Toyota

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

The votes are in–OPeRs have been awarded

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.

December 12, 2007 9:05 am CST 1 Comment

ON PIT ROW’s OPeR awards were held on Tuesday, December 11, 2007.

Some surprise winners received their first OPeR while others, including SPEED-TV, continued on a win streak. Jeff Gordon was shut out of an OPeR for the first time in memory. Here are the results as voted on by the ON PIT ROW staff:

Best and worst driver:

Best driver award goes to Jimmy Johnson for his late season drive to the championship.
Worst driver award goes to the transport driver that got caught trying to sneak his girlfriend into the race track and being snagged by NASCAR and his bride.

Best and worst crew chief:

Best crew chief is awarded to Chad Knaus for making all the right decisions when it counted most.
Worst crew chief is David Hyder for his ill fated attempt to add rocket power to the Michael Waltrip stable.

Best and worst owner:

Best owner OPeR goes to Rick Hendrick for not only providing the best equipment to the best teams but also bringing in the biggest name in the sport for 2008.
Worst owner goes to, hands down, Bobby Ginn for promises not kept and his ability to "big time" a major sport.

Best and worst team:

Best team is a given. I said the #24 and #48 garage as a combo. Charlie lobbied for just the #48 team for obvious reasons. I finally succumbed.
Worst team was the #10 team with Scott Riggs at the helm most of the year. This was a team with high hopes on a team that was on a roll in 2006. Expectations were not met.

Best and worst post race interview:

Best interview goes to Matt Kenseth as he was able to talk to reporters while teammate Carl Edwards was trying to clean his clock.
Worst post race interview was actually no interview at all. Kyle Busch wins for his "walk away" as Junior was getting into Kyle’s wrecked car. Foreshadowing at its finest.

Worst attempt at "adjusting the the rules":

NASCAR’s insistence on not doing anything about the ridiculous Top 35 rule gets the OPeR for sheer stupidity.

Best Jr. High School-like Drama:

The entire Dale Earnhardt Jr. saga played out like the best he said-she said drama of all time. The parties that be, played the public for all they were worth with the multiple press conferences and the never ending speculation in regards to numbers and sponsors. The whole thing played out like an episode of Hanna Montana.

Best and worst Radio/TV personality:

The best TV personality for 2007 was the newcomer–Kyle Petty. Kyle was glib, refreshing and willing to give true insight into what drivers are thinking. We can’t wait to hear more from Kyle in 2008.
Bill Weber wins the worst Media Personality award for his lack of personality.

Best and worst Nascar Network:

SPEED-TV wins again. They consistently put on a great show. Their pre and post race shows are the best. Combine those shows with the qualifying and race coverage of the Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA and you have a winner.
ABC/ESPN was the big loser. Again great expectations from fans and NASCAR were not met on any level. They need to step up and get it done in 2008.

Best guest to appear ON PIT ROW:

This was the hardest award to give because of all the great people who have made ON PIT ROW so much fun to do. Charlie took Lloyd Moore; the oldest living NASCAR and ARCA winner. I took Jeff Hammond from the sheer number of times that Jeff made time for us. Not only is he always entertaining, but there were several times that Jeff went above and beyond to get to a phone to be on the show. Special honorable mentions go to Lee Spencer from Fox Sports and to David Poole from Sirius and the Charlotte Observer.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Fickies / Getty Images for NASCAR)

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Busch Series, Carl Edwards, Craftsman Truck Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Evernham Motorsports, Jeff Hammond, Live blogs, NASCAR & the Media, Nascar Legends, Nextel Cup Series, The Fast Lap

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

The worst of NASCAR 2007

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.

November 22, 2007 12:15 am CST 6 Comments

Alright NASCAR, we wouldn’t want you to get too big a head or anything. As I sit here preparing the tactics I will employ in the twin tasks of stalking roasted turkey and dealing with the likely disappointment the Detroit Lions will leave me with tomorrow - I thought I would remind the France family that 2007 wasn’t perfect.

It all started in Daytona. The much anticipated debut of Toyota in the Nextel Cup Series along with the masterfully assembled and promoted flagship team of Michael Waltrip Racing crashed before it ever got started due to a stupid attempt by someone at MWR to doctor the fuel in Waltrip’s own NAPA Camry. The resulting penalty was devastating to Mikey, his sponsors and the team.

Has there ever been a rule - in any sport - so universally reviled as the obsolete “Top thirty five” qualifying deal?

There just should have been some way for the surviving Earnhardts to work things out. In the perfect NASCAR world, Dale Junior fans and everyone else involved from sanctioning body to media to sponsors would want to have Junior driving that #8 Budweiser Chevy. The story was a huge distraction throughout the first half of 2007.

After signing a high profile, big ticket contract with Waltrip’s startup Toyota team, classy ex-champ Dale Jarrett suffered through a wasted year as he struggled to make races and showed poorly when he did qualify. Jarrett’s last full season in cup should have been better.

Maybe DJ and sponsor UPS knew something when he left Robert Yates Racing for the joys of Toyota racing. The slide of RYR has been fast and steep. The one-time Ford super team is just a shadow of itself and will now operate as Roush - East.

Craftsman Truck driver Aaron Fike’s arrest for alleged heroin possession in the parking lot of an Ohio amusement park. Nuf’ said.

Robby Gordon’s meltdown in Montreal.

ESPN’s coverage of the Nextel Cup. The early season Busch Series broadcasts gave me hope. The fact that they never fixed the pathetic NASCAR Now with the awful Eric Kuselius should have been warning enough. The race broadcasts went steadily downhill.

I’m probably forgetting something significant. But my stomach is growling and I better go dig out my Honolulu Blue and Silver turkey hunting gear.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Craftsman Truck Series, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Dale Jarrett, It's Only Cheating if You Get Caught, Marcos Ambrose, NASCAR & the Media, Nextel Cup Series, Robby Gordon, Robert Yates Racing, The Waltrips, Toyota

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

Earnhardt Jr gets a break and a test session with the A-team

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.

October 30, 2007 10:35 am CDT 3 Comments

Man, I would have loved to be at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the CoT tests on Monday. Of all the places that I could have been this year, that’s the one I pick. Dale Earnhardt Jr’s first real day with the Hendrick Motorsports team.

Driver’s number one and one "A" weren’t there. Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson were elsewhere for the test. The actual testing for HMS was being handled by team CoT test pilot David Green, Cup driver Casey Mears and the new guy. The new guy being - excuse my assumption - driver one "Aa", Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I have seen the following quote a couple places. This is lifted from Lee Spencer’s column.

"It’s been wild how all this has worked out, how much attention this
got, how hard some of it was and how much fun some of it was,"
Earnhardt said. "As excited as it was, I don’t ever want to do it
again. Hopefully, we’ll have a great time at Rick’s and he’ll keep me
as long as I want to drive."

I’m betting that the great time started in earnest yesterday at AMS. Still sore from the latest weirdness in the (I’ll bet he won’t miss it much) #8 car, Sunday - Earnhardt’s recent memories of life at DEI might have faded for a few hours.

Only three more to go Junior. They’ll keep the seat warm for you.

Picture credit: Rusty Jarrett - Getty Images

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Nextel Cup Series

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

No big surprises in NASCAR’s Friday news

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.

September 8, 2007 1:04 am CDT 3 Comments

Here’s a shocker. The Hendrick Motorsport’s CoT Impalas of Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Kyle the younger Busch grabbed the top spots in qualifying for the Saturday night ~~Sprint~~ Nextel Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if they finish that way tomorrow night as well.

I was a bit caught off by the announcement that Robert Yates will retire at the conclusion of the 2007 season. The move clears the way for Doug Yates to take the reins of the 2 car Ford team. Canceled in the move is the earlier announced merger with the law firm of Newman-Haas-Lanigan. I guess the accident chasers will have to find another failing team to prop.

If N-H-L is looking for another dance partner, maybe Michael Waltrip Racing would suffice. David Reutimann, one highly thought of, fast riser in the garage is worried that sponsorship may not surface for his MWR ride for 2008. He’s talking. He would be as hot a property as is left in the fast evaporating NASCAR Hot Stove league.

Speaking of the Nextel Cup silly season - with the announcements of Regan Smith for the #01 at Dale Earnhardt Inc, Travis Kvapil headed for the #88 for the new Yates Racing and - surprise - Dario Franchitti probably taking the #40 at Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates, and friends, the field is thinning fast.

Sadly, Kenny Wallace looks like the short-term solution to the #88 vacancy. So, the Herminator is available. So are, David Stremme, Scott Riggs, Joe Nemechek, Sterlin Marlin and Tony Raines. Step right up sponsors! That’ll be $ten mill please.

The other two big, non-news items were;

Hendrick Motorsports knows who the sponsor for Dale Jr will be. But Rick Hendrick announced that they won’t announce it just yet. Got t’s to cross. I’s to dot. And that sticky number deal is still keeping them up at night. Apparently the #28 has crept into the conversation. Wake me when it’s over - please.

2. Joe Gibbs Racing will not be invited to Chevrolet’s 2008 planning meetings. Duh?

I think that about covers the Friday night headlines. Pick up your subsciption to the Daily Bugle wherever bird cage supplies are sold. Good night and good news.

Filed under: Car of Tomorrow, Carl Edwards, Chip Ganassi Racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Rumors, Nextel Cup Series, Robert Yates Racing, The Busch Bros, The Daily Bugle

Digg This | Save to del.icio.us

NASCAR teams play musical chairs with their beer sponsors

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.

September 6, 2007 10:12 am CDT 1 Comment

After 14 years–Coors Brewery has decided to leave the sponsorship of Chip Ganassi’s #40 Dodge.

There is always plenty of speculation this time of year about changes in the world of NASCAR. Driver changes, manufacturer changes, and sponsor changes usually head the lists. The "what ifs" start surfacing about mid summer as teams drop out of contention for a shot at a championship (in years past) or qualifying for the Chase for the Championship.

Sometimes you get caught off guard; as happened this week with the announcement that long time Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates sponsor Coors Light would be moving along in 2008.

"After much evaluation on both of our parts, we agreed that having Coors Light back as a sponsor on the #40 Dodge was not going to meet the marketing objectives of either organization," said Chip Ganassi Racing Teams’ President Steve Lauletta. "Coors has been a tremendous partner over the last 14 years and we wish them nothing but the best. We continue to weigh our sponsorship opportunities for the #40 and an announcement on that will be forthcoming. CGRFS has always prided itself on not only our long-term partnerships but also on our ability to attract new sponsors to the sport - just as we did earlier this year with Wrigley and Memorex."

Budweiser has been looking for new opportunities since Dale Earnhardt Jr. decided to fly the DEI coop and it looks now like DEI may be a front runner to land Coors as a replacement for Bud. Could Regan Smith be the new–younger–hipper spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Brew? Don’t count against it, as we could see Kasey Kahne as the new Bud (Light)-man, Regan pushing lo-cal Coors and Kurt Busch continuing to hawk the Miller Lite brand.

Or could the drop-dead curveball be Kasey driving the #9 Coors Lite Dodge? Where have I seen something like that before?