November 17th - November 21st, 2008
Thursday: Editor's Note: This column has been postponed until Monday due to technical issues for Matt McLaughlin. NASCAR's testing ban for 2009 has race teams and fans up in arms. Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off and puts the ban under the microscope, dissecting the pros and cons of cutting costs in this way.
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Did You Notice? Where Are The Sponsors? Martinsville Madness ... And Beyond
Thomas Bowles · Tuesday October 23, 2007
Editor’s Note : Still not getting the Frontstretch newsletter, delivered FREE right to your inbox? Well, we’re doing everything we can to get you to hop on board; so, here’s a little preview of what you’re missing. What follows is a special edition of “Did You Notice,” a weekly column that appears in the newsletter each Wednesday. If you like what you read, don’t hesitate to click here to sign up for the newsletter as soon as you can; it’s the only way you’ll be able to find this newest Frontstretch feature each and every week!
Did You Notice? … That even with all the driver changes in motion for next year, there has been just one primary sponsor announced for 2008 that's new to the sport? Sure, a few old faithfuls are moving on up from the Busch Series; 3M is increasing its involvement to sponsor the No. 16 Cup car next year, for example. But most of the sponsorship movement has been in the form of recycled material: Budweiser moving to the No. 9, M & M's to the No. 18, and so on. In the meantime, Domino's and Burger King are cutting ties with Michael Waltrip Racing, leaving the No. 00 car sponsorless along with a handful of others: Yates Racing (Nos. 28 and 38), Bill Davis Racing/Jacques Villeneuve (No. 27), the Haas CNC cars (Nos. 66 and 70), Chip Ganassi Racing/Dario Franchitti (No. 40 - although Canadian Club is rumored) and perhaps even the No. 10 Gillett Evernham entry if Valvoline moves elsewhere. Right now, Pepsi / Mountain Dew is the only clear-cut new sponsor you could claim for the Cup series; and even then, you'd have an argument, as the company has sponsored Jeff Gordon in a handful of races over the past decade. In the meantime, companies that in the past could sponsor one car with ease now have to team up with someone else to share space over the course of the season: Interstate Batteries and M&M's are one such example for Joe Gibbs Racing next year.
So, let's summarize…five to six unsponsored cars on tap for 2008, with one brand new sponsor added, which flocked immediately to the series' most popular driver. And you wonder why investors are coming into the sport? They're the only people left willing to pour in the amount of money needed to make these teams competitive nowadays…
This is going to get ugly.
Did You Notice? … That over in the Craftsman Truck Series, Ron Hornaday is contending for the title with an organization fielding just one full-time team – an amazing scenario considering the current NASCAR economic climate. The No. 33 truck has had a teammate for roughly two-thirds of races this season, but the rest of the time, it's been Hornaday alone carrying the Kevin Harvick, Inc. banner to their highest level of success. Considering the amount of top-level manufacturing support main rival Mike Skinner receives from Toyota, it makes Hornaday's 2007 season all the more impressive. In case you're wondering, the gap between the two stands at just 11 points with four races left to run.
Did You Notice? … That Carl Edwards' much-publicized incident with Matt Kenseth occurred after the guy had spent hours in a steaming car with all the fans off? At a track where carbon monoxide poisoning can be severe, Edwards was suffering from alternator problems which forced him to cut electrical power in order to survive the race.
"The thing was overheating and I didn't have my fan on in there," said Edwards. "I was getting a little hot … we're auctioning off this City of Hope suit and helmet and it's going to be the sweatiest auction item in the history of the world."
That's not a total excuse; in today's Mirror Driving, you'll read about an incident on the track where Kenseth and Edwards made contact, another reason why Edwards was none too happy with his teammate after the race. But it's not out of the question the difficult conditions in the race car could have easily affected Edwards' state of mind; I mean, think of how Ricky Rudd needed an oxygen mask here after winning underneath similar conditions in 1998? These are things that should lead to someone getting the benefit of the doubt; and for those speculating on possible drug use over one post-race shove … that's why I sometimes cringe when people use the word "media" next to my name. Those people should be ashamed of themselves, and I don’t want to be associated with those who speculate off of one incident like that…
Did You Notice? … That if Casey Mears had made the Chase, he'd be in fourth in points right now with 5,820. That would have, hypothetically, left Hendrick cars 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th in the playoffs; and as it is, if Kyle Busch hadn't been wrecked by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. you'd likely have numbers even better than that. Is there any question left as to how Hendrick dominated the sport this year? No? OK, we can move on.
Did You Notice? … That even though most fans have openly said they don't care, this two-man championship battle is proving to be a great matchup on paper. Right now, Jeff Gordon leads Jimmie Johnson by 53 points – but that number seems destined to shrink. The No. 48 team wrapped up their title last year with finishes of 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, and 9th; in comparison, Gordon had runs of 6th, 9th, 4th, and 24th over that same stretch. If both repeated those same performances this year (forgetting about laps led), the title would actually go to Johnson by 53 points - so believe me, this thing ain't over yet, by any means.
I just hope you haven't dozed off already.
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How does Jimmie Johnson compare to Cale Yarborough?
Ten things we hated about the 2008 season
Ten things we loved about the 2008 season
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