by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Was That A Start Or What? Y’all are probably thinking I’m talking about the start of the NASCAR season, and in essence I really am, but also I mean the start of my third season with Entertaining U. Will really outdid himself with a two-page spread about NASCAR and the pictures in my monster column, so I couldn’t be more tickled. He told me I would be the “Featured Article” last week and man I was shocked when he only cut about a thousand words from what I submitted and then threw in some of the pics that John and I took at Media Day. Thank You little Buddy, cause you let me share a lot of things with our readers and that’s what a newspaper does anywho, ain’t it? I know, I know, don’t expect that every week, but I sure liked it and I hope all of y’all did too.
Now you all know that I like nothing better than to get onto NASCAR, and y’all know who else, but this week I think they acted just a little weak in some spots and too strong in others. Then again, they make the rules and I don’t. I think every form of media in the world has run something about Michael Waltrip Racing and even my 96 year old Mother talked to me about it. With Michael’s crew chief and team director being fined and suspended, why even Buffy got tagged 100 points along with Michael, but at least no monetary fines where levied against them. What I don’t like is that he still raced in the 500 and I felt that wasn’t right. He should have been booted just like the other guys that where sent home. To mess with your fuel is the worst infraction that can happen in racing and all he gets is a hundred points in the hole, come on guys, you should have sent his butt home!
NASCAR says that they will announce next week just what the additive was, and the speculation has been everything from Sterno to rocket fuel, but I guarantee you there’s somebody at MWR that knows what, where, and when. Yes, I know that a driver can’t spend every minute watching his car, neither can an owner, but I would think that some trusted soul could do that for them. Waltrip says that the investigation about those three things is in full swing and he ain’t letting up for a second until someone comes clean or he finds out. Michael, they still don’t know who was behind the “Grassy Nole” and they never will, or perhaps they just don’t want to find out who it was. Was this some single individual that wanted to cause you trouble? Was it a misguided fan that slipped down to Cape Kennedy and scoped up a little substance lying around?
All of you know, just as well as I do, that the real perpetrator ain’t never going to “fess up,” as Michael hopes they will, and unless that guy Monk gets on the case, no one will ever be caught. I think it is sad that I have to write how I feel. He’s a cheater and he should have been dumped for this week. Maybe the pressure of owning a team added to the fact that he is the “Flagship” team for Toyota’s entrance to Cup is causing a lot of changes in his way of doing business. You know, the guy has got to be so many things at one time, but dang it Mikey, just what the heck is going on? Toyota said that MWR has used two of three strikes, as they put it, against them and if something like this happens again the violating team will “face the loss of the manufacturer’s support.”
When the news broke about this happening, the rumor mill got started real fast saying “NAPA was pulling out,” and “Toyota was right behind,” but it never came to that and a realistic fan would know that. These two companies have put too much into Michael Waltrip and his abilities to organize a team, and to drive a racecar, for that to happen. Now, I have always said that when it was announced that Toyota was coming to Cup Big, Brother Darrell probably had a bunch to do with MWR getting the sponsorship. I tell you this, the words “fly on the wall,” when Mikey and D W got alone, have real meaning here. Well NAPA and Toyota aren’t pulling out, and Michael has been saying he’s sorry to everyone from corporate presidents, fellow competitors, fans and just about anybody that will listen to him, but will these people ever forgive or even more importantly, should we?
As for the rest of the stretchers of the rules (or pushers of the envelope as they may be called) were they penalized not enough or too much? What about Ray Evernham and his guys and the way NASCAR came down on them? Was what they did as bad as Waltrip, or were they just trying for that edge? How about Kenseth and Jack? Did NASCAR get heavy with them also? Does it do any good for either of these teams to appeal the spanking they got, or should they just grin and bear, it knowing it sure could have been worse? Was the cookie jar lid left a bit too open and these guys thought it was possible to grab a cookie and nobody would see? Just where is that line that we sometimes see when NASCAR catches a driver or a team and flushes out the cheaters (for lack of a better word)?
I’m out on a skinny one here mentioning Jeff Gordon and his post race inspection troubles with the height of the car, and I know I’ll hear about this. Yes, I feel there can be “unintentional” (as NASCAR put it) failures to the working of a car that should not be penalized, and the move to the rear of the starting field was, well let’s just say, a little much. That’s like when a driver wins a race, and perhaps it’s his first win or even his 50th one, and he gets so excited he jumps up and down on the roof of his car. Is it right for him to receive a fine, loss of points or even the chance of the win being taken away? I think no, because things like that do happen, and with Gordon’s “misaligned, unsafe, part failure,” (all words used by NASCAR) in this case aren’t in the rule book. There needs to be more in stone and less in sand, but heck, didn’t it all start on a beach?
Now just a little about the Daytona 500. Not too much because I need to let Will have more room for advertisements, cause you know why? Yea, my big raise. Four words best tell my race day in the stands, COLD – COLD – COLDER & WINDY. It wasn’t too bad while we stayed in the hospitality village, where I could sit out of the wind and relax with plenty to eat. It wasn’t so bad when the sun was up over the edge of the seats in turn one, but when that rascal dropped down and put us in the shade, It Got Cold!! I stayed as long as I could, but since Jeffy wasn’t up front and Tony, Jimmie and, soon to be gone from DEI, Junior were waaaaaaaay baaaack it was time to retreat and head home.
So I did miss the fairly “big one,” but heck it was at the other end of the track and the big TV about 100 yards away just wouldn’t have showed up that well. I got the report on the way home and today the tape of the last few laps and I’ve got to say, “Harvick won the race” no ifs ands or buts. Now John, y’all know John, we talked Tuesday and he said that Harvick won also, but it would have been nice if Kevin would have let Martin win, you know, just out of respect. You know what I told him? “Respect,” where’s the respect in racing, ain’t nobody got respect for racing? They got one thing in mind: winning! I learned that quite awhile back when some of my readers told me about myself when I said I thought Jeff Gordon should have let Jimmie Johnson win one, and they were right. But you see, John ain’t no Harvick fan either.
OK that’s it for this week and I know if’n y’all want to get on to me you can do it at tinynascars@yahoo.com, but also remember, I write it my way not your way, and if my guy beat your guy in the 2007 Daytona 500, I’m happy. Also, If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!
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