NAPA to End Longtime Relationship With Michael Waltrip Racing After 2013

Michael Waltrip (left) and Martin Truex, Jr are far from all smiles
after news that NAPA will leave MWR after 2013 (Google Images)

They say that "when t rains, it pours." If that's the case, then Michael Waltrip may want to start taking swimming lessons because the little black rain cloud that has been over his team the last two weeks just grew into an all-out hurricane.

In what could be the most shocking sponsorship news in recent memory, NAPA Auto Parts announced Thursday morning that they will not return to Michael Waltrip Racing for the 2014 season. This comes as a result of the team's actions at Richmond two weeks ago when it tried to manipulate the outcome of the race to get Martin Truex, Jr and NAPA into the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup when Clint Bowyer intentionally spun in the closing laps and Brian Vickers pitted late to forfeit his position to Truex.

After thorough consideration, NAPA has made the difficult decision to end its sponsorship arrangement with Michael Waltrip Racing effective December 31, 2013," the company posted on it's Facebook page Thursday morning. "NAPA believes in fair play and does not condone actions such as those that led to the penalties assessed by NASCAR. We remain supportive of the millions of NASCAR fans and will evaluate our future position in motorsports."

While the news came as a surprise, it was not unexpected. NAPA announced after MWR's actions at Richmond that it was reviewing it's relationship with the team and that it would make a decision regarding that partnership. The auto parts giant is leaving MWR with two years left on it's contract and, at roughly around $15 million per year, that is going to leave a major void in Waltrip's lineup.

Martin Truex Jr's lone win for NAPA so far came this past June
at Infineon Raceway (Google Images)

Perhaps the biggest reason this news came as such a shock is that NAPA has been a sponsor of Waltrip since he began driving for Dale Earnhardt, Incorporated in 2001. In that time, he won four races from 2001 through 2003, including a pair of Daytona 500 victories. While he has not had a very illustrious career, the auto parts supplier, Waltrip has seldom been seen without some article of clothing emblazed with the NAPA shield. It was that loyalty that prompted them to stick with him when he began MWR in 2007. However, this is when the downward spiral begins.

In one of the several inspections before the 2007 Daytona 500, Waltrip's Toyota was found to have a mysterious fluid (it was never confirmed, but many maintain it was some sort of jet fuel) in the intake manifold that was meant to enhance performance. Waltrip eventually qualified for the race, but the scandal cast a dark shadow over the team and it's partners. Waltrip went on to miss 25 total races that year and, in an off track incident, crashed his personal car in the early hours of the morning and left the scene of the accident. Waltrip vehemently denied being under the influence of alcohol, but whether he was or not was never determined.

Through all of the controversy, struggles and missed races, NAPA Auto Parts was a constant at MWR. They stuck by their driver and even poked fun at him in several television commercials. But you can only poke a sleeping bear so many times before it wakes up and bites you. And that is exactly what appears to have happened Thursday.

After all of those trials, NAPA appeared content with where MWR was, despite only netting one win in four seasons with Truex. They renewed their partnership with the driver last August in their home base of Atlanta and were set to remain a major backer of MWR through the 2015 season. But after the fallout from that intentional spin by his teammate that got him into the Chase, Truex is now without a sponsor for the next two seasons. He was an innocent bystander when Bowyer spun his car to purposefully cause the caution that got him into the playoffs, but his team is the one that is taking the brunt of the fallout.



Waltrip (left) and Truex after they thought they had made the Chase
(Google Images)

MWR released a statement and it appears that they are more than ready to move on without the auto parts giant.

"Michael Waltrip Racing respects the decision NAPA announced today following the events at Richmond. There is no doubt, the story of Michael Waltrip Racing begins with NAPA Auto Parts, but there are many more chapters yet to be written. MWR has the infrastructure and support of Toyota for three teams plus three Chase-caliber, race-winning drivers. With the support of our corporate partners we are preparing to field three teams in 2014. MWR is a resilient organization capable of winning races and competing for the championship and that remains our sole focus. "

Waltrip himself also put out a release and he seemed much more apologetic than the man who just one week ago threw team general manager, Ty Norris, under the bus for the team's actions, showed almost no remorse and called his detractors "mean."

"NAPA has been with me from winning two Daytona 500s, to missing races with a new start-up team, and back to victory lane again" said Waltrip. "The relationship grew far past that of just a sponsor, but more of a partner and a friend. We will not be racing a NAPA car in 2014, but I have friendships that will last a lifetime. To the fans and those who made their voice heard through social media, as the owner, I am responsible for all actions of MWR. I sincerely apologize for the role our team played and for the lines NASCAR has ruled were crossed by our actions at Richmond. NASCAR met with the competitors in Chicago and we all know how we are expected to race forward. "

But while he has finally apologized for his teams transgressions, it is too little too late for Waltrip, whose team is still without much of its integrity, credibility and, now, without one of the most lucrative sponsors in the garage. Until the hurricane surrounding MWR subsides and the damage is assessed, there is no telling how costly this gaffe will wind up being.

NASCAR Slams MWR for Richmond Shenanigans; Truex Out of Chase, Newman In

MWR in hot water after NASCAR penalties (Google Images)

When NASCAR said that they would look into whether Clint Bowyer spun his 5-Hour Energy Toyota intentionally with just seven laps left in Saturday night's race in Richmond to help teammate Martin Truex, Jr make the Chase, most fans probably did not expect much in the way of penalties. Perhaps just probation and a "don't do that again," as has been the case in the past. But when the sanctioning body announced it's penalties late Monday night, they left many fans, drivers and reporters surprised by what they heard.

After an in-depth investigation into what happened Saturday night, NASCAR decided to drop the hammer on Michael Waltrip Racing. Each of the team's three cars (Nos. 15, 55, 56) have been docked 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points and crew chiefs Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) have been place on probation until Dec. 31. MWR was also fined a staggering $300,000 and the team's General Manager, Ty Norris, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR competition. But perhaps the biggest part of the penalty is that Truex has been bumped out of the Chase for the Cup field and Ryan Newman has taken his place.



Bowyer's spin continues to confuse (Google Images) 

Because the penalties were assessed after the race and not before the Chase seeding, Truex falls to 17th in the standings, which puts Newman ahead of him. Because both drivers had only one win, Newman got the final of two Wild Card slots Truex previously held. MWR has already announced that they have accepted NASCAR's penalties and will not appeal.

NASCAR president Mike Helton said that there was no concrete evidence that Bowyer spun intentionally, but they were convinced that the team tried to alter the outcome of the event because of what was said over the No. 55 car's radio between driver Brian Vickers and Norris, who also spots for Vickers. Late in the race, Norris implored Vickers to pit his car to help Truex gain the single point he needed to gain a Wild Card spot. "Are you talking to me?" responded Vickers. "I don't understand. Pit right now?" Norris responded, "You've got to pit this time. We need that one point." Truex  would gain that lone point for passing Vickers while he was on pit road and when Vickers returned to the track, he asked his team if they had found something wrong with one of his tires that would have warranted an unscheduled stop. Norris simply replied, "I'll see you after the race Brian. I owe you a kiss."

Meanwhile on teammate Clint Bowyer's radio, spotter Brett Griffin tells his driver that "that 39's going to win the race." On the next lap, Pattie asks his driver if he's hot inside the car and if his arm hurts. "Scratch it," Pattie says. Bowyer then proceeds to execute a controlled spin and move on. You can watch the video below and judge for yourselves whether it appeared premeditated.

"Obviously, we're very pleased with NASCAR s decision to provide Ryan Newman' s rightful place in this year's Chase," Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart said in a statement. "NASCAR was put in a very difficult position Saturday night at Richmond and we commend the sanctioning body for taking the time to do the necessary due diligence to ensure that the right call was made. " SHR driver Ryan Newman added, "I am proud that NASCAR took a stand with respect to what went on Saturday night at Richmond. I know it was a tough decision to make. With that being said, myself, Matt Borland (crew chief) and this entire #39 team are looking forward to competing for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. "

In addition to announcing that they would not appeal NASCAR's ruling, MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip released a statement saying, "what occurred on the #55 radio at the end of Saturday night 's race in Richmond was a split-second decision made by team spotter Ty Norris to bring the #55 to pit lane and help a teammate earn a place in the Chase. We regret the decision and its impact. We apologize to NASCAR, our fellow competitors, partners and fans who were disappointed in our actions. We will learn from this and move on. As general manager, Ty Norris has been an integral part of Michael Waltrip Racing since its founding and has my and (co-owner) Rob Kauffman' s full support."

Jeff Burton Out at RCR After 2013; Newman, Dillon May Replace Him

,

Jeff Burton will not return to RCR next season (Google Images)

Another major domino has fallen this silly season and made the 2014 season that much clearer. NASCAR veteran, and longtime fan favorite, Jeff Burton announced Wednesday afternoon that he will not return to Richard Childress Racing after eight seasons together. This has lead many to speculate, not only as to who will replace the 46-year-old racer, but also about what his new plans might be. The leading candidates for the open seat are Ryan Newman and Childress' grandson Austin Dillon.

Burton and his owner held a teleconference today and explained that the South Boston, Va. driver's contract ran through the 2014 season, and once that deal ran out, Burton would run a partial schedule beginning with the 2015 season. But when there was no funding available to make that happen, the duo decided to expedite the process by a year.

"There has been a lot of rumors and speculation over the last several months concerning my time at RCR," Burton said Wednesday. "This is not necessarily the best thing in the world for me, but my wife and I have talked a lot about it. We've been in a lot of situations where we had no idea what was going to happen next, and every time we ended up in a better situation. I'm an optimistic person and I'm going to work to make this a better situation as well."



Burton has driven for Caterpillar since 2009 (Google Images)

Burton went on to say that the financial state of Childress Racing is what prompted the move. With limited funding for next year, it would not have been feasible for RCR to run the majority of Burton's schedule out of his own pocket.

"I had gone to Richard a while ago and told him at the end of 2014, I would step back and not run a full schedule anymore,." said Burton. We're just accelerating that a year early, to give RCR an opportunity to continue to move that team forward and put the funding in place with a really good driver that can go out and be successful."

"We have been working hard to try and get all the funding in place to have four Sprint Cup teams in 2014," said Childress. "With the date on the calendar getting closer to 2014, we just couldn't run partially funded teams next year. Knowing what Jeff's plans were in 2015, he and I worked out an agreement for him to step out of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet after this season."

Sources had Burton moving to either Swan Racing's No. 30 car or one of the two rides at Tommy Baldwin Racing next year. Other rumors have him jumping to the broadcast booth to join NBC Sports when they begin live race broadcasts in 2015. But contrary to these reports, Burton said that he has not spoken to any teams and that he has no concrete plans in place for 2014.

Burton's most recent win was at Charlotte in 2008
(Google Images)

"This is a scary time. It's also an exciting time. It's a little but of both," said Burton of finding a ride for next year. "The one thing I know is I want to be involved in the sport. I like the people. I like the camaraderie. I like the competition. I like the atmosphere. I'm comfortable at a racetrack, and I want to stay involved." Burton also said that he wants to be in a competitive car and that, if none were available in the Cup Series, he would consider a move back down to the Nationwide Series.

As far as who will land the No. 31 car next year, most signs point to Newman. Because Caterpillar will stay with the team and likely sponsor around 24 races, Newman bringing along his current sponsor, Quicken Loans, would fill out the team's sponsorship slate quite nicely. Another option would be for Childress to give the ride to his grandson. Though it hasn't been formally announced, an AdvoCare press release saying they were leaving RCR's Nationwide Series program indicated they were doing so because Dillon would be moving to the Sprint Cup Series next year. While Newman is the most likely candidate, Childress could possibly find it easier to foot the bill for some races so his grandson could run the full schedule.

Burton moved to RCR in the final races of the 2004 season from Roush Racing's No. 99 car. He has won 21 times in his career, including four times for RCR. He has qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup three times, once in 2006 and again in 2008 and 2010. However, since that most recent championship bid, Burton has finished 20th and 19th in 2011 and 2012 respectively. While he made a solid run at the top ten in points over this summer, bad racing luck has relegated him to 22nd in points heading into this weekend's race at Richmond International Raceway.

Childers Leaving MWR for SHR and Harvick in 2014

Rodney Childers will leave MWR for Kevin Harvick's new team at SHR
next season (Google Images)

While the rumors had been circulating for quite some time, it still came as a surprise when Rodney Childers announced Friday morning that he would leave Michael Waltrip Racing after the 2013 season. The consensus in the garage area is that he is headed to Stewart-Haas Racing to turn wrenches on Kevin Harvick's No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet.

"As far as next year, it's not actually 100 percent done, but I think everybody has a good idea what it is," Childers said. "Going to SHR and working with Harvick is an opportunity that not many people ever get. I was afraid if I didn't take it, I would regret it the rest of my life. That's not something I wanted to do." MWR confirmed the news, which no doubt took the organization by surprise. Last week, the team announced Brian Vickers as the full-time driver of their No. 55 entry next year, but they did not announce that Childers would be back with the team. Despite this, MWR co-owner Michael Waltrip was more than confident a deal would get done.

"We feel like it's imminent," he said of re-signing the 37-year-old Childers. "It's going to happen. Obviously, putting together a driver/sponsor combination to go race for a championship is very appealing." However, that combination proved not appealing enough to Childers, who now will have the chance to work with Harvick, a 21-time winner in NASCAR's premiere series, and the chance to work on the Hendrick Motorsports equipment SHR runs on a weekly basis. MWR has made major gains since they began and then nearly went bankrupt in 2007, but they are not at the same level as SHR, who won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship with driver and co-owner Tony Stewart.

Childers (left) poses with then-driver David Reutimann
after the duo won Chicago in 2010 (Google Images)

While there are many reasons, both personal and professional, why Childers made this decision, he said there was not one major factor that led him to this point. “There was no one big thing that stood out at all. Everybody at MWR has treated me great for five years and really has had no issues at all," he said. "It's just a personal decision. I've thought about it for a long time and just woke up one day and that's what my heart told me I should do." He also said it was difficult to explain his decision to his team. "I was pretty much a mess trying to tell them," he said. "This team is the best group of guys I have ever been around and a pretty big family. After being here for five years, it's pretty hard to walk away from that." But while Childers values the relationship with his crewmen, it is the relationship he has with Vickers, who he has known since childhood, that may have taken a serious blow.

"The part with Brian is the hardest part for sure," he said. "We've had a long relationship together. It'll be difficult these next few races together, but hopefully they work out. I think after a while it will blow over and hopefully, we'll remain friends like we've always been our whole lives." But the 29-year-old Vickers did not sound as sure as his soon to be former crew chief.

"I was only disappointed the way it was handled with the team and me personally," said a clearly annoyed Vickers. "But at the end of the day, if someone wants to leave, they should leave. The last thing you'd ever want is someone on your team who doesn't want to be there, whatever the reason is." He also told reporters after Friday's first practice session that the "foundation" of his team would not crumble because of "one brick," saying he was in the situation he is for next year because of MWR as an organization and not simply because of Childers. He also did not know who would be atop his pit box next year, but said he is anxious to find out.

As far as what the rest of the year holds for Childers, he said he is "not exactly sure yet." It would not be surprising to see MWR release him from his contract early (the team released Mark Martin of his driving duties 13 races early to fill in for the injured Tony Stewart, coincidentally, at SHR). "We're just going to play it day by day and talk things over and see what's best for MWR," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this team a winning contender when I leave.

 "All in all, we'll do the best job we can, move forward wit everything and do the best job we can for the rest of the year (or however many more races they allow me to do this)," Childers said. "They've been pretty good about it so far."

Childers joined MWR in 2009 after a five-year stint at Gillette-Evernham Motorsports and a one-year deal at MB2 Motorsports. A former driver himself, he has won three times as a crew chief at NASCAR's top level. His first two victories came with David Reutimann in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2010 race at Chicagoland Speedway. He also won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Vickers this past July.

UPDATE: Childers has been officially let go by MWR. Competition Director, Scott Miller will sit atop Vickers's pit box for the final 12 races of the season. Childers took his crew out to lunch one final time, tweeting a picture of he and his crew at "the Last Supper." (8/26/13)

"It's Only Business;" Corporate Inner-Workings of NASCAR Can Be Puzzling for Fans

Austin Dillon, who drives for his grandfather, Richard Childress, subbed
for Tony Stewart Sunday (Google Images)

NASCAR has always been different than conventional stick and ball sports. That used to be simply because the equipment required was a 3,400 lb. race car rather than a bat and a glove. And the inner workings of the sport used to be no simpler than trying your best to build a car that goes faster than the other 42 cars on the track each week and promote your sponsor in a good light. But now, the sport is driven by corporate sponsor interests and those interests can cause the deck to shuffle, enough so that fans can be left wondering how stock car racing became so complicated. Nowadays, contract or no, big moves can still be made and fans may feel that they need a scorecard to keep track of them.

Case in point. This past weekend at Michigan International Speedway, Austin Dillon was tapped to drive the No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing while the car's regular wheelman, Tony Stewart, recovers from a broken leg. Dillon typically drives for his grandfather's team, Richard Childress Racing, running a full Nationwide schedule and a handful of Cup events in preparation for a full-time move to the series in 2014. Dillon, ridiculous looking cowboy hat or not, is quite likely the next big Cup star (next to Kyle Larson), so why would he turn down the opportunity to run what is essentially a Hendrick Motorsports Chevy? There's a lot of information that he could learn right?

Wrong. Fox Sports 1 reported during practice that the team kept Dillon to generalized terminology in describing how the car felt on track. The notebooks were closed, with SHR not wanting Dillon to report anything he could learn back to "Pop-Pop." So what other reason could Dillon have for moving over to the No. 14 at MIS and later this year at Talladega? Stewart and Dillon both share a sponsor in Bass Pro Shops. No doubt Johnny Morris, owner of Bass Pro, had at least little input as to who pinch hit for Smoke.



Martin will have to trade in that royal blue suit
for a black and orange one (Google Image)

So who will fill in in Stewart's Chevrolet SS for the other 12 races Dillon doesn't run? Why Mark Martin of course! That's right. The same Mark Martin who has driven a Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry the past two seasons, and was still under contract to do so for nine more events this year. The team made it no secret that they loved having the 54-year-old driver in their cars from the day they unceremoniously kicked David Reutimann to the curb so Martin could fill his seat. Martin was the same way, praising the efforts of his team, crew chief Rodney Childers, sponsor Aaron's  and Toyota Racing Development. But now, MWR says that this move "makes sense for (the team)," because now they can get a head start with Brian Vickers, who will drive the 55 car in 2014. Suddenly Martin's supposedly valued experience and knowledge of the sport is no longer required. Likewise, fans will now have to unassociated him with Aaron's, who had done a commendable job of making Martin part of their brand, having featured him in commercials with Waltrip since 2012. Now, Martin will have to eat soda cookies for Mobil 1 instead of polishing the headlights on his Aaron's Dream Machine.

But it is not only contracts and sponsor relationships that are now apparently devoid of meaning in NASCAR racing. Words have recently proven to ring just as hollow.
 
Ryan Newman was told before the race weekend at Loudon, New Hampshire that he was the first casualty of the team's acquisition of Kevin Harvick. The reasoning? SHR just doesn't have the funding or resources to run a fourth car. "We're not ready to expand to a fourth team," Stewart said. "I truly wish we were able to facilitate four teams at this time.  We're just not able to do that.  Down the road, I'm sure if that becomes a possibility, he'll most definitely be on the list to fill the fourth seat again." Newman responded to the news of his ouster by going out the next week by not only winning the pole for the Brickyard 400, but the race as well.

Well, this past weekend at Michigan, rumors began to circulate that SHR had, in fact scrounged up enough funding to run a fourth car in next year. So just who is at the top of the list to drive this fourth car?



Busch may head to SHR in 2014 (Google Image)

That would be one Kurt Busch. The hot-headed driver, who's career has had something of a rebirth this year at Furniture Row Racing is rumored to be in talks with SHR to drive a fourth Chevy with sponsorship from Haas Automation, a leading producer of CNC machining tools and the company owned by the "H" in SHR, Gene Haas. This would be a similar model that MWR has followed the past two season's branding the team's No. 15 and No. 55 cars with co-owner, millionaire Rob Kauffman's company, RK Motors. SHR did not confirm or deny talks with Busch, but team spokesman Mike Arning said, "Stewart-Haas Racing constantly strives to improve itself, and expansion is something that is often discussed. If the right opportunity presents itself, it's something the team will certainly consider."

Newman's situation brings to mind the one that faced Reutimann at MWR referenced earlier. He was, at the time, the only driver to win under the MWR banner, victorious in the 2009 Coke 600 and the 2010 race at Chicago. After winning that event, the team offered the Florida driver a 2-year contract extension, saying he and his team had proven themselves worthy of a new deal. But one year later, sponsor Aaron's and Waltrip decided to replace the driver once known around the shop as "The Franchise," with Martin, the driver who has become known by many fans as being like "The Favre," due to his unwillingness to hang up his helmet. With one full year left on that new contract he earned with a hard fought victory (he held off Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon to get it), and just three races left in the 2011 season, Waltrip texted (yes, TEXTED) Reutimann that he was out and that Martin was in for the 2012 season. At the time, Reutimann was told, "It's just business." He responded with, "It's only business if it doesn't happen to you."

Now Newman, who was no doubt fed that same cliché, and had been promised the fourth car that SHR is now miraculously able to run , has received the same slap-in-the-face treatment Reutimann did two seasons ago. Stewart had promised a future ride to his fishing buddy, but it appears that promise was nothing more than a whopper of a fish story that Newman fell for hook, line and sinker.

STP still sponsors Petty's famous 43 car today (Google Images)

There was, however, a time in NASCAR when sponsor relationships were valued, contracts were worth more than the paper they were printed on, and fans could rest assured that their driver would race for the same team for at least a whole season. Seven-time champion Richard Petty made his name racing STP-sponsored Dodges and Pontiacs from 1972 until he retired in 1992. In fact, STP and "The King" still enjoy a successful business relationship, with Petty still making appearances on their behalf and shooting commercials for the oil treatment producer. Dale Earnhardt will forever be linked to his jet black No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet. While he is also associated with the yellow and blue Wrangler Jeans Machine he ran from 1982 to 1987, Earnhardt will forever be known as "The Man in Black" because of his relationship with Goodwrench and a paint scheme that remained unchanged from 1988 until his death in 2001. Jeff Gordon has been sponsored in some form or fashion by DuPont since his rookie campaign in 1993. Waltrip, the antithesis of Gordon (winning just four races in over 25 years as a driver), has been synonymous with NAPA Auto Parts since 2001. Dale Jarrett had the UPS "Package Car" from 2001 to 2008.

Yes, NASCAR is now ruled by sponsorship dollars, and the current economic state is such that many drivers need multiple companies to fill out their racing schedule, as one sponsor can no longer write a big check to cover the full 36-race schedule. The latter is bad enough for continuity, but when drivers that have major corporate backing change allegiances at the drop of a hat, fans could be left to wonder, not only what car number their favorite driver is in this week, but "how good can my driver's old sponsor be if he doesn't endorse them anymore?"  NASCAR is more business than sport these days, and that business model relies on fans buying the participating sponsors' products to make their cars go 'round. If fans begin to think of their favorite drivers as businessmen instead of racers, then the sport of stock car racing may be closing in on it's final laps.

Stewart Sidelined Till 2014, Martin Moves to No. 14, Vickers to No. 55

Smoke won't climb back into his No. 14 SS until 2014 (Google Images)

Tony Stewart, who broke the tibia and fibula in a 440 Winged Sprint Car wreck three weeks ago, confirmed Monday afternoon that he will not race again in the 2013 Sprint Cup Series season. This came as no surprise, since the three-time champion no doubt wants to return to his Chevrolet in top form, which will require sitting out for the foreseeable future. Also not surprisingly, it was announced that Mark Martin will fill in for Stewart in 12 of the season's final 13 events (Austin Dillon will drive the No. 14 at Talladega), which means that Brian Vickers will climb behind the wheel of the now vacant No. 55 he split with Martin and team owner Michael Waltrip since 2012. Waltrip will wheel the No. 55 at Talladega as originally scheduled.

Martin has had success in Hednrick-powerd
Chevys before (Google Images)

This unusual game of musical chairs was put in motion over the course of the last weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Stewart's car had been driven by road racer Max Papis at Watkins Glen the week before and Dillon at MIS (both drivers finished 15th and 14th respectively). Stewart-Haas Racing competition director, Greg Zipadelli, had stated that the team wanted to use one or two drivers for sake of continuity. Meanwhile at Michael Waltrip Racing, Vickers had just been named the full-time driver of the team's No. 55 Aaron's Toyota for next year, as Martin would be moving on to another, still unknown opportunity. So with Vickers scheduled to run the No. 55 at Bristol this weekend anyway, rumors began to persist that Martin would not only fill in for Stewart in Thunder Valley, but in all of the following races as well. This would also allow Vickers and his team to get a head start on next season.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed to be out of the Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy for so long, but the team is in very good hands with Mark Martin and Austin Dillon," Stewart said. "Mark is someone I' ve looked up to my entire career and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Austin is a great young talent, and he showed that Sunday at Michigan. Greg Zipadelli, Steve Addington and everybody at SHR supports them 100 percent. This isn' t a situation anyone wanted, but we' re going to make the best of it. In the meantime, my focus is on getting healthy and getting back into my Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevy. "

On it's face, this move seems like a lot of work for just a dozen races. Why didn't SHR just tap a Nationwide driver like Regan Smith or allow Dillon to run the rest of the races? Well for one, the 54-year-old Martin has raced Hendrick powered Chevrolets before, winning five races in 2009 for the NASCAR juggernaut. He would also provide a consistent face for Bass Pro Shops and Mobil 1 until Stewart makes his return at Speedweeks 2014. Martin filled in for the then injured Denny Hamlin at Martinsville, but Aaron's would not permit him to run any other races for the team, which meant Vickers filled in for Hamlin. But now, Aaron's knows that Vickers will run their car full-time next year, so why not allow him to get a jump on it with his team and also allow fans to begin associating him with their brand? This is a move that, in the long run, should benefit all those involved.

"Aaron's is supportive of the arrangement with Mark Martin agreeing to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing ," said Ronald W. Allen, Aaron's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We're energized about Vickers' availability to drive the No. 55 Aaron's Dream Machine for the remainder of the season. MWR talked about how this move would better position our team for 2014 while helping Stewart-Haas Racing so we believe this is the best of all possible outcomes for everyone."



Stewart's lone win of 2013 came at Dover in June (Google Images)

Vickers, who is also driving a full slate of Nationwide Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing, added, "No one wants to see Tony out of the 14, but I am appreciative of the opportunity to get more  seat time in the 55 as a result."

The three-time Cup Series winner added, "I didn't think things could get any better than last weeks announcement with Aaron's, but having a chance to run the rest of the 2013 season creates a tremendous opportunity for our team and we're excited that this came together the way it did. Mark gets to help out Tony and we get to start our program early in the No. 55."

Despite having nine pole starts, 16 top-five finishes, 23 top-10s and leading over 1,200 laps in his 46 starts at Bristol,  Martin is keeping his expectations for Saturday night's race realistic, citing the difficulty he faced when hopping in Hamlin's No. 11 at Martinsville.

"It's going to be challenging and challenges are good for me," he said. "They drive me hard and I will do everything I can to step up to the plate."

In all, Martin has claimed 40 victories, 56 pole awards, 271 top-fives and 452 top-10s in 870 starts in NASCAR's premier series. The No. 14 is currently ranked 13th in owner points, just 10 points out of the top-10. The team is also currently in line for one of the two wild-card spots thanks to Stewart's win at Dover's this past June.

Before Fox Sports 1 Goes Live, Mike Joy Eulogizes Speed Channel

 

The channel that began as SpeedVision officially
signed off Saturday morning (Google Images)



 

So long, Speed. It was an awesome ride.

 

At 6 a.m. on August 17, motorsports fans across the United States were forced to bid farewell to the television channel that had become the self-proclaimed "Motorsports Authority." Known today simply as Speed, the channel which began life as SpeedVision was the go-to network for race fans and gear heads alike, covering NASCAR, GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car races, V8 Supercars and Formula 1 events, and a wealth of other automotive programs like Pinks, My Classic Car, Chop Cut Rebuild, the drag racing game show Pass Time and Barrett-Jackson auctions from Palm Beach to Las Vegas.

 

Speed was killed by parent company NewsCorp so it could be replaced with a new network called Fox Sports 1. Featuring NASCAR qualifying and practice sessions and the full Camping World Truck Series season, Fox Sports 1 will also broadcast college sports, baseball, soccer and UFC. It will also feature sports news and feature programming. All of this rebranding is a strategic move that NewsCorp believes will enable Fox to compete with sports  juggernaut ESPN; an effort that many Speed fans of Speed believe to be in vein.

 

The final program to air on Speed was a rerun of Sprint Cup Series qualifying for Sunday's Pure Michigan 400 from earlier in the day. Upon the conclusion of the telecast, the network cut to Joy, standing unaccompanied in the  Michigan International Speedway press box. The veteran broadcaster spoke eloquently of Speed's history and also of the potential of Fox Sports 1 and he also reminded fans of why he is easily one of the best play-by-play men in the business.

 

“For 18 years, it’s been our honor and privilege to present motorsports and automotive-related programming to you on the network that began as Speedvision, became Speed Channel and is now known as Speed," said Joy. “From the visionaries who started this network, from maintenance to management, from the talent to the truck drivers, we’ve shared your passion for motorsports over lo these many years."

 

The veteran racing analyst then thanked Speed fans for their loyalty and passion saying, “We love that you care as much about your cars as family, God and country. And so do we. But now it’s time to switch off the ignition and turn in the keys. This is the end of Speed in America.

“We hope you’ll follow us on our new journey to Fox Sports 1," continued Joy, "because all your favorite live NASCAR programming and much more is coming along with us."

Joy then closed, as usual, with class, simplicity and professionalism, “So now, it’s goodnight and farewell to America’s motorsports authority. Speed.”

You can watch Joy deliver this eulogy, of sorts, in the video below. It begins around the 1:20 mark.

The network then cut to Curt Menefee, host of Fox NFL Sunday, who welcomed fans to the new network, vowing that Fox Sports 1 "will share your passion for the game, never take ourselves too seriously and most importantly, never put ourselves above the game nor the athletes."

Menefee also said the new channel will, "be informative without ever sacrificing accuracy. We work for you, the fan, and every day we will live up to this simple promise. Now let’s get on with the show.”

No doubt there are more than a few race fans who are disappointed because of this switch, knowing that their favorite automotive shows, as well as Speed originals like Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain, Race Hub and Trackside will no longer have a home. A great many fans will also be perturbed about paying more for a channel that is viewed by some as simply an ESPN clone. The switch will no doubt take some getting used to, but perhaps Fox Sports 1 will indeed prove to be a viable competitor to the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Only time will tell.

But while it is still unclear how Fox Sports 1 will be received by race fans, one thing is for certain: Speed may be gone, but it will not soon be forgotten.

Montoya Out at Ganassi After 2013 Season

Juan Pablo Montoya will not return to the No. 42 Target
car in 2014 (Google Images)

Yet another world renowned open wheel champion has failed to find regular success racing in NASCAR's premier level. The Associated Press broke a story late Tuesday night that Juan Pablo Montoya's contract for next season had not been renewed, news that was later confirmed by Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates co-owner Felix Sabates in an exclusive interview with Dave Moody on SiriusXM Radio's SiriusXM Speedway.

 The former owner of Sabco Motorsports told Moody that, "We have decided not to renew his contract. It was a difficult decision, but he understands the profession, and that you've got to move on in life sometimes." Sabates also talked about the frustration of underperforming, despite having equipment that is capable of winning. "You can't point a finger at one person. We win as a team and we lose as a team. We've had a lot of things happen to us -- last year and this year -- that weren't anybody's fault. But sometimes you have to make a change, hoping that maybe your bad luck will go away."



Montoya celebrates his 2010 victory at Watkins Glen (Google Images)

A native of Bogota, Columbia, Montoya has won many of motor racing's premier events, the Indianapolis 500, the Grand Prix of Monoco and the Rolex 24 Hour of Daytona to name just a few. But he could never find that same level of success in stock car racing, however he did experience more of it than others like Patrick Carpentier and Dario Franchitti. While they never made it past their rookie seasons, Montoya has amassed two Sprint Cup wins in 239 starts and one Nationwide Series win in 23 starts. His first win came in 2007, his rookie season, at the Sonoma road course and finished a respectable 20th in the final points standings. Since then, he has scored a second win on the road course at Watkins Glen in 2010 and made one Chase appearance in 2009, finishing a career best eighth overall. Since that result, Montoya has finished no better than 17th in points, doing so in 2010. Two seasons ago, Montoya ranked 21st in points and finished 22nd overall in 2012.






Montoya (left) celebrates his Sonoma win with owner
Chip Ganassi (Google Images)

While Montoya will not be back, Sabates confirmed that the No. 42 Chevrolet SS will return in 2014 with funding from Target. This will undoubtedly add more intrigue to "Silly Season." With drivers like Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch not locked up for next season, it would no doubt be hard for these two proven winners to turn down a chance at a fully funded car with horsepower courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports. However, there is also the variable of up and comer Kyle Larson. Signed to a long term contract with Ganassi, he is believed to be the next big thing. But it would be hard to believe team principals would promote Larson after only running a full Nationwide slate and a handful of truck races.Joey Logano was heralded as the "best thing since sliced bread" and was brought to Sprint Cup by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2009 after just 19 Nationwide starts. Four seasons 
later, Logano has just a pair of victories at Nascar's top level and, as a rule, he has been mediocre at best.
Sabates also told Moody that there could possibly be opportunities for Montoya to run a full schedule of races for Ganassi in either the IZOD Indy Car Series or the GRAND AM Rolex Sports Car Series. "We are still hoping to get some things worked out with Juan," he said. "We hope he will still be in the picture."

After 22 races so far this season,  Montoya ranks 22nd in points with three top fives and five top tens. He also came the closest he has been to winning a race on an oval, losing the lead late in races at Richmond and Dover. Meanwhile, his teammate Jamie McMurray is listed 15th in points, with a single top five result -- a second place at Kentucky -- and five top ten finishes.

Vickers, Aaron's to Race Full-Time for Waltrip Racing in '14, '15

Brian Vickers poses with his new ride for 2014 (Google Images)

In what was arguably one of the worst kept secrets in the garage area, it was officially announced Tuesday afternoon that Brian Vickers will pilot Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 Camry with funding from longtime Waltrip sponsor Aaron's on the 2014 and 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tours. What was surprising was the announcement that the lease-to-own retailer will be on Vickers's hood for every one of the 36 events on tap for next year. Full season sponsorships are few and far between in this day and age and 2014 will mark the first time Aaron's has backed a driver full-time since they did so for David Reutimann's No. 00 team back in 2009.

"This is huge," said the 29-year-old Vickers. "This is for me a very special moment, something I wasn’t sure would ever happen again. … It is an accomplishment itself to be back (in Cup) full time but the hard work is still ahead of us. We still have to go out and perform."

 Vickers and his team have already done so this season, scoring a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. While the victory did not seal the deal for Vickers, Aaron’s CEO Ronald Allen did say that it didn't hurt. He also called the Thomasville, NC native "a real competitor, which is important. He wants to win races. And he has the character and integrity that we look for in folks who represent Aaron’s."



Brian Vickers and the Aaron's Dream Machine at
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Google Images)

Waltrip made no bones about the fact that he wanted Vickers to run the No. 55 for the championship next year, saying so fairly emphatically after the driver won his third career Cup race this past July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. But getting a deal done that would make that hope a reality was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. Aaron's has also been funding an ARCA car and Camping World Series truck for  up-and-comer Chase Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup champion Bill Elliott, at Hendrick Motorsports. Team owner Rick Hendrick had been looking for the company to provide more funding to enable the younger Elliott to run a full slate of Nationwide Series races next season. Allen said that  the No. 55 team will, in fact, be the company's focus and that they will be spending more on Vickers than they have this past season. However, they would not disclose just how much more.


Aaron's has also proven to be one of the more fickle sponsors in the garage area. After winning two races and four pole starts with the aforementioned Reutimann (once known as "The Franchise" around the MWR shop) at the wheel, the company decided to unceremoniously dump the driver with three races left in the 2011 campaign, despite his having two years left on his contract with MWR. Since then, Aaron's has enjoyed decidedly mediocre results with Vickers, Waltrip and "future Hall of Famer" Mark Martin behind the wheel. So it would have been no surprise to see them bolt for the fresh-faced and consistently fast Elliott quicker than Waltrip could say "NAPA Know How." Elliott already has four top ten results in as many Truck Series starts this season and became the youngest ARCA Series winner when he won at Pocono in June. In seven career starts in the series, he has yet to finish outside of the top ten.


Vickers (right) talks with Brad Keselowski at Martinsville (Google Images)

But the powers that be at Aaron's decided to stick with Vickers, whose career has been anything but predictable. After winning the 2003 Busch Series title for Hendrick Motorsports, Vickers was promoted to Cup full-time in 2004. After two winless seasons, he finally broke through and won the fall race at Talladega in 2006. However, this proved too little too late, as Vickers was released and subsequently signed with Toyota startup team Red Bull Racing in 2007. After another two year winless drought, Vickers and his team won a fuel mileage race at Michigan in 2009 en route to Vickers's first, and so far only, Chase berth. But just as quickly as his career caught fire, it hit another road block. Part way through the 2010 season, Vickers was sidelined after 11 races with severe blood clots cause by a hole in his heart, a condition that very well could have killed him. He did not make a return until the 2011 season, a year which saw him be fairly rough on equipment and be released when Red Bull Racing folded at year's end. Vicker's has been part-time at MWR ever since. This season he is also running for the Nationwide title in a car prepared by Joe Gibbs Racing.

The one piece of the puzzle that has not yet fallen into place is MWR's ability to resign crew chief Rodney Childers to a new contract. The team has said that they are "close," but when asked about Childers's status, officials did not sound as certain a deal would get done with him as they did about Vickers. Childers has all three of his career wins with MWR, scoring the first two with Reutimann and his latest one with Vickers. The team is hopeful that a deal will get done because Vickers and Childers have a long history in racing together, and because the crew chief's name has come up as the possible new head wrench for Kevin Havick's new team at Stewart-Haas Racing.

But the future at MWR has still become that much clearer, and both parties are very optimistic about what that future holds. Vickers told reporters, "I can't put into words how this makes me feel. I've really found my home at MWR over the past few years, and I've enjoyed getting to know the Aaron's associates and customers. I am honored that Aaron's is welcoming me into their family full-time. Knowing that I have a top-notch team and a dedicated sponsor for a full season is a really great feeling every driver dreams about, and like everyone else, I want to win races and win a championship."

Mudsummer Classic Proves NASCAR in Desperate Need of More Short Tracks

NASCAR's truckers give fans a traditional Eldora four-wide salute
before the green flag (Google Images)

At a tiny half-mile dirt track in the cornfields of Rossburg, Ohio, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series ran the sport's first race on a dirt oval in 43-years. This history making event was dubbed the Mudsummer Classic at the Eldora Speedway and sold out months in advance of its scheduled July 24th date. That same weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series' will be competing at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This track is the synonymous with motorsports greatness, having been conquered by names like Andretti, Foyt, Unser, Mears, Gordon and Earnhardt. So, in a week with two major NASCAR events, it would stand to reason that the sport's top tier series racing at the hallowed Brickyard would garner more attention than it's third tier level racing in a cornfields in Ohio, right?

Wrong.


Despite NASCAR's top two series racing at "the Brickyard," it was the half-mile bullring of Eldora that got fans the most excited. Those in the motorsports industry and those in the grandstands had waited with baited breath for the first NASCAR-sanctioned dirt race in nearly half a century and the Mudsummer Classic did not disappoint.

After qualifying was held, five heat races were run to set the field before the event. These eight lap sprints were followed by a last-chance for those who didn't get in through their heat race, and then the evening culminated with the A-Main feature race. This type of format has been suggested by fans as one that should be adopted as the new norm for NASCAR qualifying because it provides a little extra excitement from the usual format of simply taking the quickest of the two laps that a driver runs. The feature race consisted of 150 laps which were divided into 60, 50 and 40 lap segments. This is a much different structure than the typical practice on Friday, qualify Saturday and race on Sunday. It is quicker and proved very exciting for those in attendance. The race proved to be a duel between youngsters Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, with Dillon claiming his first truck win since 2011.


Sparks fly as Kyle Larson (30) races teammate Ryan Newman (34)
for second at Eldora (Google Images)

The next day, in Speedway, Indiana, the Nationwide Series drivers took to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Until last season, the series had always raced at Lucas Oil Raceway (formerly known as Indianapolis Raceway Park), the short track down the street from the Brickyard. The half-mile short track was always a fan favorite, selling most, if not all of its 30,000 seats annually, and it also provided some very memorable moments, such as Jason Leffler's final NASCAR win. The attraction was simply the drivers racing door-to-door, beating and banging for every position. Unfortunately, in 2012, the Nationwide Series race was moved to Indy to create what NASCAR has dubbed a "Super Weekend" to help drum up attendance for the Brickyard 400. While evidence of this moves success remains to be seen, one thing remains certain; many fans undoubtedly wish the move had never been made at all.

Instead of watching drivers rough each other up for a victory, fans saw Kyle Busch and his No. 54 team run away from the field to his eighth Nationwide win this season and a chance to kiss the bricks (which should be an honor reserved specifically for racing's top levels, not a second tier, feeder series. But that's another story). After winning the pole for the race, Busch led 92 of the race's 100 circuits en route to what would be his 59th win in the series. There was little to no passing anywhere on the track, but it made no difference since no one could touch Busch, who was in his own zip code for the better part of the afternoon. And Sunday's Brickyard 400 was simply more of the same.

While it was Ryan Newman who got to lock lips with the famous yard of bricks at the end of the race, it was Jimmie Johnson who picked up where Busch left off the day before, proving to be more than the field could handle. Only Newman's No. 39 could keep pace with Johnson and after a pit strategy call, it was Newman who beat a quickly closing Johnson to claim his first Indy win before an estimated crowd of 70,000 fans. That may sound like a decent number, but considering that the speedway can seat 257,000 people and that this race used to fill around 200,000 of those seats, it would appear that NASCAR needs to rethink its "Super Weekend" idea.


Ryan Newman poses with the yard of bricks after
 his Brickyard 400 win (Google Images)

The solution is simple and, thanks to the Mudsummer Classic, it is now right in front of the powers that be; the sport simply needs more short track races. The truck race at Eldora was the tenth most watched truck race in the history of the series and the most watched sporting event on television that night. On the other hand, ratings for the Brickyard 400 were up 9% from last year, earning a 3.6 U.S. household rating, averaging 5,460,351 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. But as far as attendance goes, Eldora sold out months in advance, while the Brickyard sold little more than a quarter of its seats for the Cup Series race. Good television ratings are nice, but if the grandstands are empty, not many people are going to bother to tune in.

Most, if not all of the drivers in Sprint Cup cut their teeth racing on local short tracks on Saturday nights and most would probably like to see the sport make a return to its roots. Stock car racing began with drivers racing on short dirt ovals all around the southeast, and later moving to paved tracks. But the racing was hard, close and exciting. All that mattered was winning and making enough prize money to be able to run the next race. Now, the almighty dollar rules the sport and it has led NASCAR to bigger and more famous venues simply because they can afford to write a big check and host a NASCAR event. While it is a big deal for NASCAR to race at a track as famous as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the place was not designed to host events where drivers run 3,400 lb. stock cars, and the quality of the racing there shows it every year.

Tony Stewart chastised members of the media after the Brickyard 400 who dared criticize the on-track product, saying simply, "This is RACING, not PASSING" and directed them to the highway nearby if they wanted to see cars pass one another. Well Smoke, considering you own the track that hosted the most watched hosted one of the most watched races in NASCAR history, you should know firsthand what competitive, exciting racing looks like. Passing and racing are indeed two different things. Constant passing does not make good racing, but neither does each car running in a circle three seconds behind the one ahead of it because passing is impossible. Fans want close, side by side racing, where their driver can pass and have a shot at the win, and that is just what a short track will provide them.

The ball is now in NASCAR's court. Either the sport will make a return to its roots and run on more half-mile bullrings, or it will continue to run on big, flat two-mile ovals, where passing is almost non-existent and clean air is king. It's easy to maintain the status quo, but in this instance, making changes may be just what the sport needs to do to compete against stick-and-ball sports. Hopefully, NASCAR will make the decision that is best for the sport and, just as importantly, the one that gives the fans what they want to see.

Despite Jason Leffler Tragedy, NASCAR Will Perservere

There is a quote attributed to Ernest Hemmingway which claims, "There are but three true sports -- bullfighting, mountain climbing, and motor-racing. The rest are merely games." Whether it be baseball, football, or hockey, all sports involve a certain amount of risk. But the three mentioned in the previous quote are different. Unlike other stick-and-ball sports, when a race car driver straps into his seat and rolls off the starting grid, there is a very high likelihood that he may not roll back down pit lane when the checkers wave.

This cold, hard fact was brought back to the forefront of the minds of race fans everywhere Wednesday night when Jason Leffler was taken from us much too soon due to a horrific wreck at New Jersey's Bridgeport Speedway. The former USAC champion known simply as "LEFturn" was running second in a heat race when his car hit the wall and rolled several times. Leffler was airlifted to an area hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy would later reveal that a blunt force neck injury was the cause of death. Leffler was only 37-years-old.

I, like many others, had seen through Twitter that Leffler had been injured in a dirt racing accident and assumed he would be out a few races and then back again once he had recovered. I was also in the group that refused to believe that that same wreck had, in fact, claimed Leffler's life, dismissing it as a news outlet merely trying to get ahead on a story in a "Dewey defeats Truman" moment. But as more networks picked up the story, the cold, shocking, and confusing reality of what had taken place began to set in.

NASCAR fans are fortunate. We have not experienced the loss of one of our racing heroes since Dale Earnhardt was killed on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. While that loss still lingers over the sport 12 years later, stock car racing fans are admittedly, and thankfully, out of practice when it comes to having to make sense of the tragic loss of a driver in the heat of competition. There have been numerous safety advances in out sport, namely the HANS Device and SAFER Barriers, in the years since The Intimidator was taken from us, but Leffler was lost in a dirt racing accident, where the safety advances are not as far along as those in NASCAR. Leffler was racing a 410 Winged Sprint Car when he crashed Wednesday night. These are vehicles with 410 cubic inch engines that make around 800 horsepower and are capable of getting these tiny open wheeled machines up to 160 miles per hour. With the lack of the modern safety equipment NASCAR mandates all its drivers use, when one of these cars wrecks, there is a very great potential for the unthinkable to happen.

The advancements made to keep drivers safe that NASCAR has pioneered in recent years are a Godsend. But while they have made our sport that much safer, it will never be "safe." As long as race cars can break 200 mph there is a risk that they might blow a tire or bump another car or experience a part failure and then hit the outside retaining wall or a competitor's car. Hard. Until the laws of physics are revised, this will always be the case. Even with the modern safety advances in the Sprint Cup Series, we saw Denny Hamlin miss several weeks after a hard wreck at Auto Club Speedway left him with a compression fracture in his vertebrae. Take away the safer car and HANS Device and God only knows how that wreck could have ended. Race fans are fortunate in that they only  have to endure tragedies like this but once in a blue moon. But racing is still not fair, nor will it ever be, and the sport we all love so much can sometimes break our hearts.

Race car drivers have a unique relationship with death. They flirt with it whenever they climb behind the wheel and, even after tragedies like the one Wednesday night, they still believe that the same fate simply cannot befall them.While others would cringe at the idea of strapping into an 800 horsepower missile and driving it inches from 42 other 800 horsepower  missiles on a weekly basis, men like Leffler sign up and assume the risk because it is something that they love to do. As legendary NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squire put it, "these are common men doing uncommon things." Many drivers will run on dirt tracks and in late model races on their days off from their "day jobs" in NASCAR. Names like Kahne, Stewart, Reutimann, Blaney, Yeley, Busch, Wallace, Crafton and Sauter all race in their free time because it is in their DNA. Leffler was without a full-time NASCAR ride this season, so he returned to the dirt racing that had allowed him to make his name in the first place. Racing was what he loved and lived to do. He loved speed, he loved competition and he loved winning.


But more than that perhaps, Leffler loved his 5-year-old son, Charlie Dean. And Charlie, in turn, love his father more than anything. Telling a 5-year-old boy that his father is not coming home from the race track is something that no mother should ever have to do. While many fans lost a favorite driver, Charlie Dean lost his best friend, his hero, an his father all at once. That kind of loss is simply unfathomable, unspeakable and intolerable. There are no words that can possibly describe that type of sadness. Undoubtedly the biggest tragedy in the wake of last night's accident is that Charlie's father was taken from him in the prime of his life and that his father will not be able to watch him grow into a young man.

But if there is any good news that can be taken from this horrific event, it is that new ways to make dirt racing safer may come about as a result of Leffler's tragic passing. Social media has also shown the true heat of the NASCAR community. Multiple fans on Twitter are eagerly awaiting the arrangement of a trust fund so that they can donate to help the Leffler family, show that they care about Charlie Dean and show how much they loved his father. Every fan has a driver that they love and every fan has a driver that they love to hate. But it is during times like this that fans set all that aside and we are simply one community of NASCAR fans. Because our heroes drive race cars. Sometimes they win, and sometimes they lose. And sometimes, they don't come back at all.

On Sunday, there will be a race at the Michigan International Speedway. While we are still mourning, the roar of the engines, the whine of the air guns changing tires and the cheers of the fans in the stands will be nothing but therapeutic. Because racers race, no matter what. And on Sunday, 43 drivers will do so in memory of one of their own; gone much, much too soon.

Godspeed Jason Leffler. Rest in peace.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith.

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown which the Lord,

the Righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day.

2 Timothy 4:7,8

BREAKING: NASCAR Racer Jason Leffler Killed in Sprint Car Wreck

Jason Leffler, 37, was killed Wednesday night in a dirt track race in New Jersey

Tragedy struck the NASCAR community Wednesday night when Jason Leffler was taken from us much too soon following a frightening wreck in a 410 Sprint car at the Bridgeport Speedway in Bridgeport, New Jersey. Leffler was running second in a heat race at the time of the accident, which was reportedly a result of a faulty part that caused the car to make contact with the outside wall. The former USAC champion was rushed to Crozer-Chester Medical Center where he later succumbed to his injuries. New Jersey State Police declared him dead shortly after 9 p.m. Leffler was just 37 years old.

 

Known among drivers and fans for his familiar faux hawk and the "LefTurn" decal that graced the roof rails of his Leffler began his career in 1999 and made 423 starts across NASCAR's three national touring series, the most recent one coming just this past Sunday at Pocono when he ran just eight laps in a start-and-park effort. But despite his many starts, he only managed just two Nationwide Series wins and a Camping World Truck Series victory. He also made three Indycar  Series starts, and finished 17th in the 2000 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

 

While he never truly made it at the Cup Series level, Leffler did drive for a couple of established organizations while on the Sprint Cup tour. After running a full Nationwide Series season with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2000, Leffler got his first break in 2001 with Chip Ganassi Racing in the No. 01 Cingular Wireless Dodge, running the full schedule and scoring a pole at Kansas Speedway and 10th at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It would be the only top ten of his Cup career. His ride went away at season's end after failing to qualify for five of the 36 races on the schedule.

 

The mangled remains of Jason Leffler's sprint car

After losing his first chance at NASCAR's top level, Leffler went down to the Truck Series and scored a win at Dover in 2003. He also ran a 10 Cup races for Haas-CNC Racing that same year. The 2004 season brought more success for Leffler, with the Long Beach Calif. native scoring one win and 17 top tens in 27 Nationwide Series starts for Haas-CNC. This opened up another path to the Cup Series, with Joe Gibbs Racing signing Leffler to drive their No. 11 Monte Carlo with sponsorship from FedEx. But just like his first Cup ride with Ganassi, Leffler lost the ride after just 21 races, during which time he missed the Coca-Cola 600 and was ranked 35th in the standings. The rest of the schedule was filled out by drivers like Terry Labonte, J.J. Yeley and, the team's current wheelman, Denny Hamlin.



Leffler returned to the Nationwide Series, running the tour on a full-time basis from 2006 until 2011. He found success racing cars for Braun Racing, which would later become Turner-Scott Motorsports, scoring what would be his final NASCAR win in 2007 at Indianapolis Raceway with a late pass of David Reutimann, and finishing a career best third in points that same season.



But despite spending over a decade in NASCAR, Leffler's bread and butter was dirt track racing. He was inducted into the National Midget Hall of Fame in 2003 after a career that had seen him win four USAC championships, three of which were consecutive from 1997 to 1999. He also won a USAC Silver Crown title in 1998. After not being able to find a stable, competitive NASCAR ride, Leffler spent much of this year running on dirt.

 

A devoted racer, Leffler was also a devoted father. Professionals within the racing industry and fans alike mentioned the profound effect this tragedy will have on Leffler's five-year-old son, Charlie Dean, who graduated from Kindergarten just a few weeks ago.



Jason Leffler and his son, Charlie  Dean

Nationwide Opening Day Marred By Horrific Last Lap Wreck

Kyle Larson's No. 32 as it hits the catchfence (Google Images)

 



The season opener for the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series was 119 laps of side-by-side action. A few spins early by Scott Lagasse, Jr and Regan Smith were the only incidents that slowed the tandem racing that was so prevalent in the Sprint Cup Series last season. The DRIVE4COPD 300 also saw 34 lead changes among 20 different cars, a record for the Nascar's second-tier series at the famed superspeedway. It was a balmy 83-degrees outside and fans were getting ready for what was shaping up to be a breathtaking finish.

But a multi-car wreck with just four laps to go meant that the field would be bunched back together for the final run to the finish. The wreck collected championship contenders Austin Dillon, Michael Annett and Elliott Sadler, as well as Joe Nemechek, Matt Kenseth, Johanna Long and a few other drivers. It was triggered when Annett tried to slide in behind Dillon, bouncing his No. 3 off Sadler's Camry and sending them both into the outside wall while Sadler drove on. Dillon took at least two more vicious hits before making it back to pit road.

But this wreck merely set the stage for what was to come. What was supposed to be an exciting finish to a fantastic race would soon go very wrong very fast.

Larson's demolished car (32) slides past Regan Smith's
to the infield (Google Images)

As the field made its way off the final turn on the last lap, Regan Smith blocked a move by Brad Keselowski in an attempt to win the biggest race of the season. Instead, the JR Motorsports driver got clipped by Keselowski's Mustang and both hit the outside wall and collected, for all intents and purposes, the rest of the field and cleared a path for Tony Stewart to win his 19th race at Daytona. This was also his seventh win in his last nine starts in this race. But as Stewart took the win, somthing very frightening had taken place behind him.

This wreck also sent the car of rookie Kyle Larson into the catch fence. When his No. 32 machine landed, everything in front of the firewall was sheared from the car. The engine lay flaming just inside the grandstand side of the fence along with a wheel. The other tire off Larson's Camaro had gone over the fence and about 20 rows into the stands, hub, spindle and all.

In total, 28 fans were given medical treatment, 14 at the track's medical facility and 14 were taken to hospitals. Twelve of those were brought up the road to Halifax Medical Center. A Halifax spokesman said that of those 12, only seven needed treatment for injuries sustained from the crash and the other five were for issues like heat exhaustion. The latest news has two of these seven fans in critical condition and unfortunately one of them is a child. The other has head trauma that hospital officials say could be life-threatening. Area police said that six people were sent to Halifax Urgent Care in Port Orange and another was transported to Florida Memorial Hospital, all for minor injuries.



Larson's engine and tire lay on the wrong side
of the catchfence (Google Images)

There will be a press conference at the track's media center tomorrow at 9 a.m. EST to update fans on the condition of those injured.
NASCAR racing is an exciting sport. Unfortunately, it is also a dangerous one. Sometimes we forget this and when we are reminded, it can be sobering to say the least. The drivers all know that they assume the risks involved when they sign up to race on a weekly basis. The fans merely show up to spend a weekend with family and friends and enjoy an exciting race. The thought of something like what happened today actually occurring is the furthest thing from their minds. But we have seen wrecks of this nature before and, while extremely rare, they are a possibility.

Larson's machine was traveling close to 200 m.p.h. and while the grandstands looked like a bomb had gone off, the fence did serve to keep the engine and, ultimately the car, from landing in the seats. This is ultimately a reminder that racing is safer, and more can and will be done to make it safer still, but it will never be entirely safe, no matter how much we want it to be.

Repairs to the fence will continue through the night and the track should be ready to go for the 55th running of the Daytona 500 Sunday morning. Please keep the fans that were injured, as well as their families, in your thoughts and prayers.

If you haven't seen the wreck yet, the video is below:

Waltrip Racing Celebrates Success, But Refuses to Acknowledge the Arduous Path There

Former MWR teammates David Reutimann (00) and Martin truex, Jr (56)
draft around Talladega in the fall of 2011.

Th 2012 season proved to be Michael Waltrip Racing's best yet. They won three races with new hire Clint Bowyer. Both Boywer and Martin Truex, Jr, now MWR's most senior driver, made the Chase for the first time in the team's history. Bowyer had a shot at the title and finished second in points. The fact is that the three car team had a banner year this past season.

The fact is also that, while 2012 was very kind to MWR, most all of their previous seasons were anything but.

Michael Waltrip started the team which bears his name in 2006, preparing to run three cars in the 2007 Daytona 500. Waltrip had a deal to drive his familiar NAPA-sponsored car and the team had also signed Dale Jarrett to drive a Camry draped in his familiar UPS colors. But there was also a third car that had yet to be filled. Some speculated the driver would be Travis Kvapil. Still others speculated Scott Wimmer would take the helm. Neither driver got the ride.

Reutimann walks from his demolished Toyota
at California in 2007

Instead it was announced at a block party in Zephyrhills, Florida that David Reutimann, a dirt track racer who had driven three seasons for Waltrip's brother Darrell in the Craftsman Truck Series, would climb behind the wheel of a Camry co-sponsored by Domino's Pizza and Burger King. The car would also carry the number 00 on the sides, a number which had always been run on dirt cars by Reutimann's grandfather and father, dirt track legend "Buzzie" Reutimann. Getting his big break in the Cup Series with his family number meant this was going to be a special year for Reutimann.
Well, that dream season quickly turned into a nightmare. Waltrip's car was found to have an unknown substance, supposedly jet fuel, in his No. 55's intake manifold prompting Nascar to confiscate his car and force him to qualify for the 500 through the Gatorade Duel races. He did and all three MWR entries made the field. But as the year progressed, Waltrip missed a whopping 22 races, Jarrett missed 12 and Reutimann missed only 10 events.

While Waltrip and Jarrett have since retired and every one of those original sponsors have left for other teams, or the sport altogether, Reutimann remained a constant at MWR.

In 2007 he was involved in a horrific wreck, which would have probably killed him had it not been for the safer barriers at California Speedway and was forced to qualify for every race from his debut in Daytona that same year through the spring Texas race in 2008. Through thick and thin, good and bad , success and failure, Reutimann stood behind his team believing that they would, one day, enjoy the same level of achievement as teams like Hendrick, Roush and Gibbs. At one point, Reutimann had the opportunity to join Richard Childress Racing, but turned the offer down to remain with the team that gave him his first big opportunity.

After winning a Busch Series race and finishing a very solid second in the series points in 2007, Reutimann finished 16th in points after nearly making the Chase in 2009 and also scored MWR's first Cup Series win in the Coca-Cola 600. But the race was rain shortened so, naturally, the race never really counted as an actual win in the eyes of many fans. So one year later at Chicagoland Speedway, Reutimann outran Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards to score his, and his team's, second Cup Series win and silenced his critics once and for all.



Reutimann celebrates his Chicago win with his No. 00 team

This success also earned Reutimann the nickname of "the Franchise" since he was MWR's most accomplished driver to date.
But after a mediocre 2011 season, with three weeks left in the season, Waltrip showed his true colors when he released Reutimann from his contract one year early, replaced him with Nascar's answer to a really bad itch, Mark Martin, and called the move "just business." That is the thanks Reutimann got after everything he had done for Waltrip and his organization. Drivers like Bowyer, Truex and Martin would not have touched MWR with a 50-foot pole when the team started. But with Reutimann pouring his blood, sweat and tears into his No. 00 team to make them better and better, it was easy for these drivers to suddenly take notice.

While MWR won three races and made the Chase in 2012, Reutimann was reduced from a race winner to a field filler when he was tabbed to race the No. 10 car for Tommy Baldwin Racing when Danica Patrick was not behind the wheel. It was as if this was MWR's first year on the circuit and they simply came out of nowhere and won. This was simply not the case. It was through the hard work of a quiet, soft spoken dirt racer from South Florida that MWR is running up front every week. The team simply turns a blind eye, refusing to acknowledge where they came from and those who helped to get them there. How can the team enjoy their accomplishments without remembering the struggles they faced, the people they faced them with and those who helped them through it? It is simply disrespectful, childish and arrogant behavior from an owner who prides himself on representing the sport of Nascar racing with as much integrity as possible.

David Reutimann will probably never get the credit he rightly deserves for the role he played in building MWR and that is truly a shame.