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NASCAR Charges Mayfield with Fraud

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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.

June 6, 2009 9:16 am CDT 3 Comments

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How much bad PR is NASCAR willing to foist upon itself?

The court of public opinion, for the most part, has not been kind to NASCAR in light of recent penalties waged on small teams.  Jeremy Mayfield’s drug test, Carl Long’s fine and suspension along with Robby Gordon’s fines sure look like NASCAR is singling out the little guy.

NASCAR is not admitting to any type of favoritism to its larger teams, but it is hard for the casual fan to wonder about all the suspensions and fines that were levied against Hendrick Motor Sports and their crew chiefs, Chad Knaus and Steve Letarte.   HMS was on a two year run of fines and suspensions that were no where near the severity that has been levied against Long.

NASCAR has not fared well in the fan’s perception of how they have handled the entire Jeremy Mayfield situation.  From not having a list of banned substances to allowing Mayfield access to the race track after he was banned, NASCAR has looked foolish at times during this process.  Mayfield may be guilty of what NASCAR alleges, but even if he is, NASCAR has positioned itself to be the bad guy.

Mayfield filed a lawsuit to regain his rights to drive and own a race car.  This is a logical step and one that fans can see the merits in.  It is the American way to fight for what you believe in and Mayfield is using the court system to try and accomplish that.  But what has NASCAR done?

First they petition to have the hearing moved to Federal court thus delaying the proceedings that would have brought the matter to a timely conclusion.  Now to add even more bad press and to further sway the public’s opinion toward NASCAR’s persecution of the little guy they file a counter suit against Mayfield.

In that counter suit they claim Mayfield willfully violated the substance abuse policy, breached his NASCAR contract and of defrauding competitors of earnings.  David Newton at ESPN.com has a great article on the legal wranglings and is definitely worth the read.  The counter suit on NASCAR’s part smells more of revenge seeking.

With all that NASCAR has been trying to do in the past three weeks to try and show fans that they are concerned over the product they are putting out, why would they revert to the pettiness of a counter suit?

NASCAR does not want drivers, owners, crew members or anyone else involved in the sport to question their decisions and directives.  Carl Long, after his appeal was denied talked about the fatherly way the sport had been run under Bills Senior and Junior and how it is no longer so.  The first two France family members had a feel for how to run a business where all of it’s stars are independent contractors.  The current regime seems to have forgotten that the fans come to watch those independant contractors; not NASCR officials.

To paraphrase from baseball; “How do you know if a NASCAR official did a good job? Because you never noticed he was there.”

Brian France and the entire NASCAR heirarchy is getting noticed way too much.  And much of that notice is their own fault.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: ESPN, Hendrick Motorsports, How to fix NASCAR, Jeremy Mayfield, NASCAR, NASCAR & the Media, NASCAR Bidness, NASCAR officials, Nextel Cup Series 

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Kyle Busch Is Toying With Us

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by James Jones, Special To Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

When I was younger my Sunday's consisted of drinking Mountain Dew and watching racing. Thirty years later nothing has changed except... I'm drinking Molson Canadian.

May 29, 2009 11:07 pm CDT 4 Comments

Icon SMI 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 

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Did Rick Hendrick Take the Bait this Week?

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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

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 

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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 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 7 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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Mark Martin’s Darlington Win Moves His Comeback to the Next Level

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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 12, 2009 4:09 am CDT 1 Comment

Mark Martin said after his first win of the season that he was back to win races; a championship wasn’t why he came to Hendrick Motorsports.

He went on to question if he could win another.  If he could, then his thoughts might turn elsewhere.  Saturday night at Darlington the oldest man on the circuit tamed the oldest lady.  The Lady in Black couldn’t get the best of Martin despite the hard time it gave to a myriad of other drivers.

I’m just very, very happy right now, and I don’t need to say, you know, we’re gonna win a whole bunch more races this year.  We’re going to race just like we raced this race and all the other ones, and the ones we cross the line first, we’ll take the trophy.  It could happen.  But if not, at least we got two instead of one.  That’s the way I look at it (smiling).  Don’t take those kind of answers from me as pessimistic or a lack of confidence.  All I want to do is be happy and have fun doing this.  If you don’t set yourself up for disappointment, then it’s much easier.

A record 17 cautions for 73 laps slowed the race but not the action.  The resurrected Southern 500 delivered some of the greatest racing of the year.  Martin held off teammate Jimmie Johnson for the win.  Hendrick affiliated cars filled six of the top seven finishing spots.

Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman finished third and fourth respectively, share technical information and more with the Hendrick teams.  Even Talladega winner Brad Kezelowski, driving a fifth Hendrick car finished in seventh.  The only HMS driver to struggle–again was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., finishing 27th.

This week’s BUZZ ON PIT ROW is all about Martin:

What does Mark Martin’s second win of the season say about his championship hopes?

Let us know what you think and we could use your comments on this week’s radio show.  Tune in every Tuesday from 5-7pm ET right here.  Or give the show a call at 1-800-645-2946 and you could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if your call is the Shell Nitrogen Enriched call of the Day..

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darlington Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin, NASCAR, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio 

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