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As we enter the second
quarter of NASCAR
racing, we have time to
examine the picture that
has presented itself.
Imagine NASCAR as a
meticulously planted and
carefully tended
garden. (Its fan’s
choice on what food
group each driver is
placed in!) Now it is
time to sort the goods
from the overly ripe or
still green. The ladies
of Passin’ & Sassin’
have heated up the
pressure cooker on the
various sections of the
NASCAR garden, and are
prepared to toss a few
pieces into the cooker
with the right dose of
sassy seasoning. We’ll
tell you who we think
are “in” and who we
think is “out” of the
pressure cooker of this
sport.
We begin with the
Rookies of the 2008 Cup
series. Quite a few are
ripe for the picking.
To choose from, we have
Dario Franchitti, Regan
Smith, Sam Hornish Jr.,
Jacques Villeneuve,
Patrick Carpentier, and
Michael McDowell. All
these drivers are vying
for Rookie of the Year
honors, where are they
standing in terms of
heat?
Shannon Poe: I
think that Michael
McDowell flew out of the
pressure cooker with
that impressive wreck at
Texas during
qualifying. Villeneuve
is in the pressure
cooker, and needs to
start a race.
Franchitti is
side lined at the moment
with a broken left
ankle.
Chris Campbell:
IN:
Smith and Hornish are
neck and neck in the
standings so I think
they are in their own
pressure cooker.
Carpentier might want to
step it up or he may be
looking to return to
open wheel. OUT:
Franchitti is not in
one, as Ganassi is a
patient owner and
willing to give him time
to adjust to NASCAR. I
think the same for
McDowell and Michael
Waltrip Racing, I
believe Waltrip will
wait it out for a season
or two. Villeneuve
hasn’t started a race
and thus has no pressure
like the others.
Up next for your
consideration are the
manufacturers in the
sport. The choices are
Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge,
and Toyota. Who can
stand up to the
competitive heat, and
who’s cooling their
heels in reserve?
Shannon Poe:
Is Toyota really putting
out the results, or do
we have a helping hand
from the COT? As far as
I am concerned, there
seems to be an
advantage, and the COT
came along full time
rapidly to help that
manufacturer out. Ford
is in a serious pressure
cooker, they are
dwindling down steadily
in NASCAR. I’d put
Dodge in there along
with Ford, they aren’t
showing me much more
than a Daytona 500 win.
Chevrolet is out of the
cooker for now, but is
showing some signs of
strain. Again, I think
it stems from the COT
and a new learning curve
thrown at teams this
year.
Chris Campbell:
OUT:
Toyota is definitely not
in the cooker along with
Chevrolet. Consistently
in the top echelon,
these two manufacturers
have started figuring
out the COT. IN:
Dodge and Ford are in.
Ford is in due to they
don’t have the number of
teams as the other
manufacturers and is in
jeopardy of staying in
the sport. Dodge just
hasn’t made a splash to
get noticed much this
season beyond the win by
Newman in Daytona.
Without a racetrack,
there cannot be any
racing. Which tracks
are where it’s at, and
which are under pressure
to become a happening
venue?
Shannon Poe:
California Speedway
needs an overhaul. A
leaking track? That was
insane, and caused so
much uproar back in
February. I’m throwing
that track in the cooker
with a side of Pocono
and Las Vegas. I plain
hate Pocono and Las
Vegas continues to put
me to sleep season after
season. COT aside,
Vegas is not
impressive. Add the car
to this scenario, and it
became worse in my
opinion. Out of the
cooker would be
Talladega, a track that
continues to provide
edge of your seat
action, and the paving
job from last year has
really worked wonders in
reducing wrecks and
driver errors.
Chris Campbell:
IN:
California and Pocono
repeatedly every year we
talk about the boring
races, the non-sellouts
(even before the economy
and gas prices kicked
in). OUT: Bristol
and Talladega. Bristol
is always a fan favorite
and they will never
allow this track to
become a dustbowl.
Talladega proved this
past week that they can
have an awesome race
even when other races
have become dull and
predictable. Lowes is
getting to this level as
well. Humpy really has a
good thumb on the pulse
of the race fan.
Next up are the Drivers
and teams of the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series.
Select a few drivers and
their teams who you deem
to be on fire in a good
way, or perhaps entering
the cooker to be stewed
and later dried.
Shannon Poe:
On fire, I have to put
Kyle Busch, Denny
Hamlin, and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt
Jr is under pressure for
a win, but it’s a
pressure of his own
making. He is his own
worst enemy. Kyle Busch
continues to be the
driver to watch; and the
decision is out of your
hands because whether
you like it or not, he’s
in the picture
constantly. Those also
standing on the good
side would be every
driver from RCR. The
horizon shows this to be
a good year so far for
them. In danger of the
pressure cooker is Carl
Edwards. He’s hot one
minute, cold the next.
Edwards needs to build
better consistency.
Also in danger of the
cooker is Tony Stewart.
He can dominate a race,
but runs out of steam
before the end; usually
through no fault of his
own. Tongues wagging
about contract
termination and an
examination of his
options over a year
before it’s time could
prove distracting to
overall success. In the
pressure cooker is Matt
Kenseth, Jamie McMurray,
and Martin Truex Jr.
All are victims of bad
luck, decisions, and
inconsistency.
Chris Campbell:
ON FIRE:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is
starting to show how
good of a driver he
really is and how we
remember him in the
Busch series when he
dominated the field.
Kyle Busch is on a tear,
to the detriment of most
other drivers out there.
You can also put any of
the three RCR drivers in
this category; they are
proving to be tough
competition this season
to date. STEWED
TOMATOES: Jeff
Gordon’s finishes are
that of a mediocre
driver. We know he can
drive, he has talent,
but this team is missing
something. Elliott
Sadler & Kurt Busch are
two other drivers who
are not meeting their
potential or
expectations.
Unfortunately, Bobby
Labonte is in this group
of drivers without the
“drive”. I understand
his reasons for going to
Petty, but he has gone
from being a top driver,
to nothing more than a
car in the field. A
waste of his talent.
The final section of
this garden to be
examined is one of an
economical fare. How
does racetrack
attendance vs.
television ratings stand
up to the pressure in
this cooker?
Shannon Poe:
Right now, the
television ratings are
strong, and will get
stronger since
economy-wise, people are
struggling to attend the
races. To keep a base
audience, the COT has
some issues to work
out. Track attendance
is becoming more
unpredictable. Short
tracks like Bristol and
Richmond are continuing
to sell out without
issue; but I think the
“cookie cutter” tracks
like California, Texas,
and Las Vegas are going
to suffer in the near
future. We’ve discussed
previously the cost of
tickets, lodging, and
provisions. Now we have
to add fuel prices that
are crippling the
average citizen beyond
comfort. In the
pressure cooker,
attendance has to be
coming to a boil, and
soon. Outside for now
are ratings—although as
we enter summer snoozing
time, I expect that to
recede some. Depends on
who’s atop the standings
from week to week.
Chris Campbell:
IN:
The television ratings
mean more than
attendance because of
the economy. However,
the ratings are not
going to get better if
the races aren’t more
competitive and fun to
watch. The TV announcers
are very biased and they
focus on a few drivers
instead of the entire
field. OUT: No
one is out of the
pressure in this
grouping because of the
economic downturn of the
country and the expenses
associated with
attending a race.
Q: Predictions for the
pole and race winner at
Richmond International
Raceway?
Shannon Poe: Pole:
Denny Hamlin, the
Virginia native knows
his way around this
track. /
Race Winner:
Earnhardt Jr, parallels
follow this man. This
is the time to win; in
his 301 start at a
racetrack he’s been
previously successful.
Chris Campbell:
Pole:
Happy Harvick /
Race Winner:
Because he has been so
close all year and his
last win was here – Dale
Earnhardt Jr.
Do you have a question
or comment? Email them
to
passin@speedwaymedia.com.
All emails received are
the property of Passin’
& Sassin’ and may be
featured in future
columns. The opinion
commentary above was
created solely by the
individuals of Passin’ &
Sassin’. The opinions of
the writers are not by
definition the
viewpoints of
Speedwaymedia.com, nor
any entity affiliated
with NASCAR
or its sponsors.
J
You can
contact Passin' and Sassin' at
passin@speedwaymedia.com
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