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There’s a New Kyle Coming and He’s Coming Fast : NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie on Logano has Dover Crowd on its Feet as Johnson Wins
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NASCAR Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Car Makers

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

November 15, 2008 12:59 pm UTC No Comments

Let’s hear your best Brian France impersonation. We think Mindy’s is pretty damn good.

The newest Monday Morning Crew Chief gets into the King of France’s latest brilliance and Jimmy Johnson’s mortal lock of the 2009 Sprint Cup.

You can watch Monday Morning Crew Chief right here and see Mindy’s take on how NASCAR could save dough for the teams and how fond she is of numbers.

She even sings in this one. But watch it anyway!

Filed under: Bench Racing TV, Brian France, Brian Vickers, Chase for the Cup, Jimmy Johnson, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR Rumors, NASCAR video, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Red Bull Racing, Scott Speed, Testing news, The Pettys, The Wood Brothers, Top 35 Rule

Tagged with: Brian France, Eddie DeHondt, Jimmy Johnson, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Red Bull Racing, Scott Speed

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Truck Series Gang Mentality

by Matt Mercer, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I'm the former blogger of The Catfish Show NASCAR Blog and a contributor to On Pit Row. Follow me on Twitter: @mattmercer

November 13, 2008 2:10 am UTC 3 Comments

Sometimes, I can’t tell if the Ford 200 is a race or a fight. An active tradition for the last several years in the Trucks has been for championship teams to double their efforts. The trend has had some high points and very low points, and it looks to continue Friday night as the razor-thin margin between Ron Hornaday and Johnny Benson will make for some intense racing.

Three years really set the trend for this action: 2002, 2003, and 2007.

In 2002, Mike Bliss ended up winning the championship over Rick Crawford and Ted Musgrave by 46 and 51 points respectively. In that race, it was Ron Hornaday driving a second IWX truck and taking the win, thus taking possible points away from Crawford and Musgrave. Bliss finished a comfortable 5th and won the title.

2003 set the bar from gang mentality, as each championship team (with the exception of Dennis Setzer and Morgan-Dollar) entered at least 1 extra truck in the race, with Jim Smith and Ultra Motorsports throwing 5 – count ‘em, 5 – trucks in the race, and sure enough one of them played a huge part in the outcome of the championship battle. Smith had entered his 2 full-time trucks with Ted Musgrave and Andy Houston behind the wheel, along with hired guns Marty Houston (Andy’s brother), Tracy Hines, and P.J. Jones. Marty took out championship leader Brendan Gaughan in the race, creating championship chaos that allowed Travis Kvapil to win the 2003 title over Setzer and Musgrave.

Last year, Bill Davis and Kevin Harvick participated in the fight, and what Harvick lacked in trucks he made up for by piloting the second truck himself. Davis entered his championship contender Skinner, Johnny Benson, Jacques Villeneuve, and Cup driver Dave Blaney in the field. Skinner of course finished 35th and allowed Hornaday to secure the title.

Adding the trucks in the finale could prove to be a smart decision, like it was in 2002. It could take out a championship contender by hiring a crappy driver, like 2003. Or, it could be a non-factor, like it was last season. Harvick is driving the #2 truck again this weekend and Davis has entered ’09 driver Taylor Malsam in an extra truck to go along Skinner, Brian Scott, and Scott Speed to flank Benson. Will it be a factor? We’ll find out Friday. Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phoenix race turned out to be the PG version of the battle.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Craftsman Truck Series, Dave Blaney, Jacques Villeneuve, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, Scott Speed

Tagged with: andy houston, Bill Davis Racing, brendan gaughan, brian scott, Craftsman Truck Series, dennis setzer, Ford 200, Homestead, Homestead-Miami Speedway, jim smith, Johnny Benson, marty houston, Mike Bliss, p.j. jones, Phoenix International Raceway, rick crawford, ron hornaday, Scott Speed, taylor malsam, ted musgrave, tracy hines, trucks, ultra motorsports

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Cousin Carl is Good–But Can it Continue

by Steve Wronkowicz

I am co-host of the syndicated radio show: ON PIT ROW. Over ten years on the air and three on the net; see what can happen when I don't let the facts get in the way of my opinions.

November 3, 2008 10:49 pm UTC No Comments

Carl Edwards did what he needed to do again at Texas and gained some ground on Jimmy Johnson.

The problem is whether he was able to gain enough ground to keep his championship hopes alive. There is still a bit over one hundred points separating the two and all JJ has to do is get a couple of seventh place finishes at Phoenix and Homestead to gain his third consecutive title.

Edwards‘ win came on a late race gamble by crew chief Bob Osborne to not take fuel and slow the #99 down to conserve fuel. Cousin Carl had this to say about that decision:

Never had Bob yell at me for going too fast, but he did tonight. I just was so nervous that we were missing something. I thought there’s no way we can go this slow, save this much fuel, and still be leading this race. They did a really great job, though. That was cool. You know, of all the ways you can win a race, fuel mileage isn’t the most exciting one. But we had I believe a dominant car all day. The car was very fast. We got behind on that last pit stop. It was very cool to still win the thing.

The other sub plot from Texa involved a couple of non-Chase drivers. Juan Pablo Montoya and David Gilliland got into a couple of shunts that resulted in Gilliland pulling a full “Scott Speed” on JPM and sent him into the wall at 180mph.

And that leads to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Who are you believing–Montoya’s “He wrecked me” or Gilliland’s “I miscalculated”?

Give us your thoughts and we could use your comments on this week’s ON PIT ROW. You can listen from 5-7pm ET at www.onpitrow.com. Or call us direct at 877-502-8255 and you could win a Kevin Harvick bobblehead if your call is deemed The Shell Gunk Free Call of the Week.

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Filed under: Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Jimmy Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, NASCAR, NASCAR Fantasy Gaming, Roush Racing, Scott Speed

Tagged with: Carl Edwards, david gilliland, Jimmy Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya

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Quick Hits: Texas Motor Speedway

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

October 29, 2008 8:04 pm UTC 1 Comment

This weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for the third to last race in this year’s Chase for the Cup. By this point, all but the 12 Chase teams are in preparation mode for 2009, experimenting with new setups and personnel. Many drivers with limited Sprint Cup experience are attempting to make starts this weekend in preparation for next year, including Joey Logano, Bryan Clauson, and Brad Keselowski.

However, one of the most intriguing driver-team combinations attempting to make the race this weekend is Max Papis and Germain Racing. Papis, a former CART competitor who made two starts for Haas CNC Racing earlier this year, will drive a No. 13 GEICO Toyota for Germain in 18 Sprint Cup races next year, and possibly attempt up to 25 depending upon sponsorship. Papis will also attempt to qualify at Homestead, regardless of whether he makes the race this weekend or not.

This is the next natural step in Germain’s progression from a Truck Series-only team up to NASCAR’s top level. Formed in late 2004, the No. 30 truck has consistently been one of the series’ best, winning the championship in 2006 with Todd Bodine. The team added a second truck in 2005 and a Nationwide Series team in 2007, experiencing success with both.

Currently, Mike Wallace has that No. 7 Nationwide team 8th in series’ points. Bodine has the No. 30 in 3rd in the Truck Series, and Justin Marks has impressed in the No. 9 truck, winning a pole at Texas and finishing 8th at Daytona. Bodine also made one Nationwide start for the team in a second car this year, finishing 4th at Darlington. In other words, the brothers Germain – Bob, Stephen, and Richard – have managed to make all of their cars competitive, regardless of who’s in them or how often they compete.

With its expansion into Cup racing with Papis, Germain has picked the optimum time to move up the ladder. With many teams pressed for sponsorship in a difficult economic climate, the Sprint Cup field should be shrinking next year, making it much easier for a team that doesn’t plan on attempting all 36 races to make the most of its limited schedule.

Germain also has never expanded beyond its means to be competitive. While the 2005 season was a trying one for the second truck, much of that was based on Shige Hattori’s lack of stock-car experience. While Ted Musgrave only won one race in the No. 9 truck in 2006 and 2007, he also had 28 top-10s in 49 starts for the team and two top-10 finishes in points.

The team only moved up to the Nationwide Series after establishing a strong foundation with Bodine last year. In five races, the team had an average finish of 17.8 (negatively affected by a crash at Homestead that led to a 37th place finish) and led 15 laps at Gateway. They also waited to move up until finding the right driver (Wallace) and sponsor (GEICO), and the team has carved its niche in the series despite most of the wins and top finishes going to Cup “claim jumpers” running in both series.

Even with the recent trend of open-wheel flameouts, don’t expect Papis to disappear in the first year of his four-year contract with the team. Papis, unlike some of the other open-wheel drivers to give NASCAR a try recently, has been successful in many different forms of motorsport. He won a handful of CART races in the late 1990s with Team Rahal and has driven for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. He also won the 2002 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Papis has also had his share of remarkable and memorable drives in other series. He nearly won the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona in a car that had been damaged by collisions. After unlapping himself in the final stint of the race, Papis pushed his car to the max, only losing by 64 seconds at a track in which fast laps can take nearly 2 minutes.

In other words, though we’ve all heard this before, Papis has the talent to succeed in a limited schedule with Germain. And unlike drivers like Villeneuve, Carpentier, Hornish, and Allmendinger, he has the team behind him to do it.

Before the green flag drops on this weekend’s festivites, here are this week’s Quick Hits:

5. A few interesting notes from Motorsports Authentics’ sell sheets for 2009 die-cast:

At Stewart-Haas Racing, Burger King is featured on the B-pillar of Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet. Also, DirecTV is featured on the B-pillar of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet. It is no longer on the No. 07 Chevrolet of Casey Mears.

At Gillett Evernham Motorsports, McDonald’s has vacated its post on the lower quarter panel of Elliott Sadler’s No. 19 Dodge. Allstate is also gone from the lower quarter panel of Kasey Kahne’s No. 9 Dodge.

Finally, Scott Speed will run a No. 82 Red Bull Toyota next year, as opposed to a No. 84. No word on why the change occurred.

4. A recent rumor suggests that Wood Brothers Racing is looking around the garage for a new partner after JTG Daugherty Racing’s defection to Toyota for 2009. That partnership could come in the form of a deal with Hall of Fame Racing, which currently fields Toyotas for former Wood driver Ken Schrader. Hall of Fame would also bring a top-flight sponsorship, in the form of Texas Instruments, and a bona-fide driving talent in Brad Coleman to the partnership. Hall of Fame’s current deal with Joe Gibbs Racing expires after Homestead.

3. An interesting note: No Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has finished in the top 10 all season. Sam Hornish Jr.’s 13th at the Coca-Cola 600 is the best finish for any contender. Aric Almirola’s 8th at Bristol does not apply, as he is not registered for the award. Regan Smith’s win at Talladega, had it been upheld, would have been the only top-10.

2. While Kyle Petty has been unable to lay down any serious Sprint Cup plans for next year, he may have a full time Rolex Sports Car Series deal in place for 2009. Petty will run the No. 45 Orbit Racing BMW Prototype at next year’s 24 Hours of Daytona, and potentially beyond. No word yet on if the Wells Fargo sponsorship currently tied to Petty in Sprint Cup would transfer with him, remain in NASCAR, or both.

1. Kodak is leaving the sport after a successful sponsorship campaign that spanned over two decades and produced three Daytona 500 wins. Drivers like Ernie Irvan, Sterling Marlin, Bobby Hamilton, and most recently Ryan Newman piloted the gold cars for Morgan-McClure Motorsports and Penske Racing from the late 1980s to this year. Kodak will also abandon its sponsorship programs in all other forms of motorsports, including those in the Rolex Sports Car Series and Indy Racing League.

Finally, congratulations to Newman for winning last weekend’s Truck Series race at Atlanta, and Carl Edwards for winning the Nationwide race in Memphis and Atlanta’s Sprint Cup event.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Coleman, Carl Edwards, Casey Mears, Craftsman Truck Series, Elliott Sadler, Germain Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Haas CNC Racing, Jacques Villeneuve, Kasey Kahne, Kenny Shrader, Max Papis, NASCAR, Nationwide Series, Regan Smith, Ryan Newman, Sam Hornish Jr, Scott Speed, Sprint Cup Series, Stewart Haas Racing, The Wood Brothers

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Too Much Testosterone and Not Enough Brains

by Charlie Turner

October 17, 2008 3:22 pm UTC 4 Comments

That’s Mindy Monday’s diagnosis for what happened in the ARCA RE/MAX Series finale at Toledo Speedway. She has opinions on Felix Sabates’ theories and Ray Everham’s dreams too.

Watch the newest Monday Morning Crew Chief right here, right now.

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Bench Racing TV, Evernham Motorsports, Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Justin Allgaier, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

Tagged with: ARCA Remax Series, Felix Sabates, Justin Allgaier, Mike Bliss, Mindy Monday, Monday Morning Crew Chief, NASCAR video, Ray Evernham, ricky stenhouse jr., Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

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ARCA Video: Championship Weekend Fast Lap Show

by Charlie Turner

October 15, 2008 3:03 pm UTC No Comments

It was a wild weekend. ARCA brought off one of the best Championship Weekends in the organization’s history thanks to perfect weather, a convincing ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series finale and Justin Allgaier’s come-from-behind ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship.

Oh, and there was that little thing with Scott Speed and Ricky Stenhouse Jr, taking each other out of the race and championship. There was that.

Steve and I wrapped up the weekend with an ON PIT ROW on the Road version of The Fast Lap Show. Watch it here.

Filed under: ARCA Remax Series, Bench Racing TV, Eddie Sharp Racing, Inside ARCA, Justin Allgaier, On Pit Row The Fastest Two Hours on Radio, Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

Tagged with: ARCA, ARCA Championship Weekend, ARCA Remax Series, Fast Lap, Justin Allgaier, Lincon Welders Truck Series, racing video, ricky stenhouse jr., Scott Speed, Toledo Speedway

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