The Spin Out Zone
NASCAR OPINIONS - NEWS & INTERVIEWS
Nationally respected columnist Mike Harper's SpinOutZone.com
October & November 2003
Warm and Fuzzy Drivers Get Bumped and Quick Bumps
The Spin Out Zone
By Mike Harper
SpinOutZone@aol.com
11/23/2003
Hold on - here is the bump and the SPIN OUT!
To be honest, I am kind of glad the 2003 season is now behind us. With no real drama concerning the points race, it seemed the racing became more about the money and less about racing. It seemed more drivers began begging for others to pull over so they could take positions versus racing for the position.
I found the lower NASCAR series more exciting because several drivers were in the title chase. Yeah, I am glad the season is done and like many of you, I am ready to say goodbye to RJR and the Winston brand from NASCAR. So, after 33 years - GOODBYE! Now leave!
I would like to take a second to thank everyone for their well wishes. Many of you know what life has been like around the SPIN OUT work place over the last several weeks and your support has been most comforting. For you as I have promised, here are some QUICK BUMPS!
QUICK BUMPS
#1: Promote Scott Wimmer to the Nextel Cup and demote Kenny Wallace to the Busch Series - I bet life couldn't be any better at Bill Davis Racing. Mr. Davis your lawyer called and he forgot to tell you that Dodge still wants their money back.
#2: Sterling Marlin at the beach? Sterling playing in an all ladies tug of war match? Sterling being verbally attacked by some Dale Jr. fan who got ticked off over his wife loosing a stupid tug of war game? Sterling tossing the ticked off fan in the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas? Sterling getting sued cause some ticked off fan got wet? Sounds like a pretty good time to me! Where do I sign up?
#3: Hey Jimmy Spencer, is your lawsuit against Chip Ganassi over with yet? By the way, who does your hair? I love it!
#4: Is it really legal to own and race FIVE trucks? Jimmy Smith you can kiss my - Sorry Brendan Gaughan that word is not worth $10,000 to me!
#5: Why is it that Brendan Gaughan can say a THREE letter word beginning with A and ending with SS and he gets fined, but Kevin Harvick can say it during last weeks pre-race show and nothing happens? Go figure!
#6: If Ward Burton was too old for AOL to race the #30, how are the rumors about Kenny Schrader true?
#7: I was taught that 1+1=2. So, wouldn't you agree that Mike Ford leaving Bill Elliott for Dale Jarrett mean that Bill is doing something like retiring or running a limited schedule next year? Hum YEP!
#8: Todd Bodine rumors of going to Richard Childress Racing? Somebody slap me silly if that happens!
#9: I am so glad the Ford commercials are done! You know the ones - 7 of the Top 10 drivers in 2002 drove Fords! How are they going to SPIN - 1 driver in the Top 10 drove a Ford in 2003? At least he was the champion!
#10: Pontiac! What the HECK is a Pontiac?
WARM & FUZZY DRIVERS
Sounds like NASCAR is going to move forward and play with the points system. The current system sure seemed to work in the Busch Series and in the Craftsman Truck Series. So, what went wrong in the Winston Cup Series?
As I play connect the dots with this issue, I always find myself back at the same point. The same point that I brought up back at the beginning of the 2003 season. The same point that seems to be getting worst year over year! We have no real rivalries! Everyone loves everyone! In such a competing sport, I have never seen so much love!
Sure, I can understand respecting each other and I can even understand some liking each other, but that's about it!
Toward the end of the season, all we heard is how Matt Kenseth is such a great friend to Kevin Harvick, Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart. Heck, Tony called Matt with a few weeks left and gave him a pep talk. What in the world is up with that? Doesn't Tony and Matt have competing sponsors in Dewalt and Ridgid?
Kenny Wallace mentioned that he would let Matt get by him because he didn't want something to happen where he would get blamed for taking out the championship leader. Is this racing?
Out of 43 drivers, Matt had FOUR teammates on the track. Add Ricky Rudd to the mix because of the #21 connection to Roush Racing and Matt has five allies. Plus, add everyone who thinks Matt is a great guy and folks, unless Matt has equipment failure, things looked real good for him toward the end of the season.
Don't get me wrong! Matt deserved this championship, he was the most consistent driver in 2003, but other drivers really didn't make it very hard on him at all. With the exception of Kevin Harvick in a few races, people stayed away from him or let him go by. Even Matt allowed a few drivers by when things got a bit racy.
My point is, we do not have rivalries today like we had a few years ago. With rivalries we found increased passion to race and an increased desire to beat the heck out of the other competitors. This made the points race tight! But now, all this love in NASCAR's top racing series is getting to be a bit frustrating.
Who is to blame? I think there is enough blame to go around regarding this issue! Today, we see owners owning 3 to 5 cars, we see NASCAR fining drivers from everything from finger pointing to name calling and we also see drivers who have built strong relationships with other drivers. Teammates, friendships and NASCAR are hindering the rivalry process. Sure, we might see a few with enough passion and guts to mix it up with other drivers, but BEHOLD - NASCAR will put you on probation if you do it.
In my eyes, 2003 was the year of the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. In both of those series, we saw heavy competition, we saw heated rivalries and even during the last race, we saw "you know what" hit the fan! It was enjoyable and well worth the time to watch. If a simpleminded fan can figure this out, what must sponsors be thinking about? Where is the value?
I applaud Stacker 2 in their choice of going back to the Busch Series. They will be competing against another product within their industry, plus getting the value of exciting racing. I know people are talking about the boom NASCAR is feeling with increased viewers, but unless something changes to bring the rivalry back, people will tune in on Saturday instead of Sunday.
Seeing Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. basically holding hands at the Nextel sponsorship announcement made me realize, there is a lot of love in NASCAR.
Man, I need a freakin tissue!
This week's SPIN OUT goes to - WARM & FUZZY DRIVERS - Coming soon to theaters near you, NASCAR 2004 - A Love Story!
God Bless our Troops, our President and America!
Until next week, happy bumping!
Copyright 11/23/2003
by Mike Harper
MBV Motorsports Gets Bumped
The Spin Out Zone
By Mike Harper
SpinOutZone@aol.com
10/23/2003
Hold on - here is the bump and the SPIN OUT!
With the announcement of a driver change for the #10 Valvoline Pontiac, today has got to be a sad day if you are a member of the Johnny Benson entourage or a Johnny Benson FAN. NASCAR's nicest driver has found himself without a ride for the 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series thanks to a direction change at MBV Motorsports.
I am just one out of the thousands of Johnny B FANS who I am sure are trying to pick themselves off the floor, catch a breath and try to understand what MBV Motorsports was thinking by firing Johnny Benson. Though I understand the need to improve a race team by changing drivers, this move by MBV leaves me scratching my head.
In most cases, owners will remove a driver due to poor performance. Regarding the MBV and the Johnny Benson situation, I believe poor performance is not the reason they are giving Johnny his walking papers. Actually I think the MBV management is trying shift blame toward Johnny so they - the MBV management themselves - are not placed under the corporate microscope from the Valvoline executives. With Scott Riggs taking over the #10 Pontiac wheel next year, this team has bought more time to make something happen.
I certainly do not know the whole story behind the scenes at MBV, my opinion is MY perspective of what I've read and noticed from this team and their actions. Also, I feel I have a good enough knowledge of how corporate America works. I see Valvoline who owns part of the #10 team, demanding results. I believe in the eyes of General Manager Jay Frye, the easiest way to retain Valvoline's involvement and to protect his position is to eliminate Johnny and then silently correct internal issues. With Scott, he gets a younger driver who is just as talented as Johnny. The driver transition period buys him some time and in the end if the plan works, all will be good. Again, this is my opinion!
I am sure you are wondering how I came to these conclusions. Let me explain.
First, let's take a look at Johnny Benson. Johnny was the 1993 ASA Champion, 1994 Busch Series Rookie of the Year, 1995 Busch Series Champion and the 1996 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year. This guy has talent!
Just looking at his performance over the past two seasons even though he has been with this team for some time, in 2002 Johnny found himself under the constant luck of the 4 R's. You know, Rain, Ribs, Recked (Wrecked - I'm trying to make a point!) and Rockingham. If rain didn't end a race early, then broken ribs kept Johnny out of the racecar. Several hard wrecks, not the fault of Johnny's slowed his pace in the points, however Johnny did find his first win at Rockingham. At the end of the year, the #10 team ended strong and with all the pain and suffering behind them, they had a foundation to built on with their seven Top 10 finishes.
This year, Johnny found himself sitting 6th in Winston Cup points after the fourth race. However, bad luck again struck in many forms throughout the season. As you will find, these are not performance issues.
Johnny has been involved in a crash in nine different races this year. Someone else caused all of the wrecks and Johnny found himself as a victim in every case. Remember the fourth lap crash when Ryan Newman blew a tire at Talledega? Johnny does. The Chicagoland crash when Johnny was one of the fastest cars, but was taken out at the same time when Bobby Labonte jumped from his fiery Chevrolet. Johnny does. How about Darlington, when Casey Mears got into Jeff Gordon and took out a few cars. Again, Johnny does. Who could forget Kansas when Johnny was running forth and got hit by Dale Jr. under caution, then after recovering got taken out by Mark Martin? Johnny hasn't forgotten. Some of us haven't either.
In two races Johnny had brake problems, he lost an engine at Texas running in the Top 10 with 20 laps to go and lost two races on fuel strategies. Another two races were lost due to poor pit performances, one race was lost because of tires and back at Pocono he finished 25th with no practice with an ill setup car.
In races where Johnny was able to finish, when nothing went wrong, a true measurement of his performance - he finished 19th at Daytona, 14th and 19th at Bristol, 9th and 14th at Richmond, 13th at Rockingham and Indianapolis, 12th at Las Vegas, 11th at Atlanta, 10th at Michigan and finally 5th at Dover. He did have a 28th run at Watkins Glen, but who cares, it's a road course.
If you look at these statistics, these are pretty darn good! When given good equipment, Johnny Benson will drive it to the Top 20 just about every time!
In my eyes, all MBV can do by putting someone else in the #10 Pontiac is to try to change their luck.
Don't get me wrong, I am a big Scott Riggs fan. I like Scott and I think he is the next big thing. But, even Scott knows he can't win without better equipment. Just read between the lines when he said this during the announcement of him taking over the ride, "I'm going to work with the team to get everything I can out of the cars and hope to reward them with some wins."
I am being critical of MBV Motorsports because I don't think they realize they just lost a very talented driver, only to replace him with another talented driver. If Johnny couldn't win in the equipment, I would bet that Scott isn't going to fair much better, unless MBV is willing to make some internal changes outside the driver-crew chief positions. If they are going to invest more next year in the team, then be fair and tell the fans that this team intends to invest more. James Rocco, part team owner and senior vice president of The Valvoline Company made some comments regarding this situation that was somewhat offending in my eyes. He says "Johnny Benson is a tough, talented driver with a lot of heart, he gave the team its first win and is a good ambassador for Valvoline Racing. We wish him the best." But, then Mr. Rocco turned right around and said "Scott Riggs is a winner, he is a hard-charger who has excelled in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR Busch Series. He has the talent to compete at the NASCAR Nextel Cup level and continue Valvoline's winning legacy." I took his comments to say Johnny was good - but Scott is so much better. I understand the corporate SPIN, but putting a band-aid over MBV's issues will not shake their bad luck or their moderate equipment.
If I'm Richard Childress, I just found my new #30 AOL driver. If I were Ricky Craven, I would be begging Cal Wells to hire Johnny Benson as my teammate. If Cal Wells misses out on the combination of James Ince and Johnny Benson, I may just SPIN OUT Cal for missing out on a great opportunity.
I would love to see Johnny in the #43 Petty Dodge, however with little financial commitment, bad engines and a year behind in technology, if I was consulting Johnny, I would recommend staying away from that situation. However, if Petty dropped Penske engines into the #43 Dodge, I would serious look at the deal.
DEI is another dream opportunity.
I truly feel Johnny will land in a good ride. I think many will be happy to see Johnny in a better situation, better equipment and better technology. I have a good feeling we will see Johnny Benson win some races in 2004.
You know - I knew something was up when Johnny's crew chief James Ince, left the team a few weeks ago. Something smelled like burnt rubber.
This week's SPIN OUT goes to - MBV MOTORSPORTS - Starting today my motor oil will begin with a HAV instead of VALV----OLINE!
God Bless our Troops, our President and America!
Until next week, happy bumping!
Copyright 10/23/2003
by Mike Harper
Silly Season Participants Get Bumped
The Spin Out Zone
By Mike Harper
SpinOutZone@aol.com
10/3/2003
Hold on - here is the bump and the SPIN OUT!
Before we tackle Silly Season, I would like to throw out my opinion on the Burn Out Debate discussed on Speed Channel's Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain. Many believe the burn out done by the winner at the end of the race is wrong and should be stopped. Others think it's great and the winner should keep on burning it up! I say why can't a race winner celebrate in a fashion that best fits their personality? Unless the track, NASCAR, owner or sponsor tells drivers to stop, why stop? Sponsors love it because it makes for great marketing and most owners love it because in today's NASCAR it's very hard to win a race, unless your name is Ryan Newman!
SILLY SEASON
Rumors are hot and heavy with the 2003 season coming to an end. Like years past, driver and crew chief changes and fighting to retain or obtain sponsors are the hottest rumors as owners prepare for the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
I often wonder why Silly Season is such a big deal. Similar to other sports, like when a player gets cut from a team, drivers loose their job and need to search out another opportunity in NASCAR. Is this Silly? Not really, but why some of these drivers are allowed to driver in NASCAR's top racing series is.
One of the most common scenarios in NASCAR is when a good driver gets fired then finds another ride in the same series. In most cases, those drivers do not perform any better in a new car unless they are fortunate enough to land in one of NASCAR's top organizations that provide great equipment.
When I look at the 2003 Silly Season participants in Winston Cup, I wonder to myself why owners put the media and fans through this process. Looking at the owners who have multiple car organizations, you have to ask if one of their cars is specifically in the series only to assist their primary team or teams by doing "real-time" or "real-race" testing. Both DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) and RCR (Richard Childress Racing) have three Winston Cup teams. Both organizations have teams in the top 5 in Winston Cup Points and both organizations have teams sitting just outside the top 10 in Winston Cup Points. The third team for both organizations sit outside the top 30 meaning the performance of these third teams are not matching up to their teammates which I find actually interesting. So, are these third teams in place to obtain data for the others within the organization? If I am a sponsor on the car, I've got to ask that question. In both third team cases, drivers have been switched and just this week, Richard Childress owner of RCR told Steve Park the driver of the #30 AOL Chevrolet, RCR's third car, that he would not be in the car next year.
If the other team cars are winning and running well, why isn't the third car? I can't image two of three cars within the same organization is much better than the other. The only conclusion would be that it's the personnel or driver - unless they are testing or doing something else to better the organization at the expense of a sponsor.
DEI and RCR aren't the only ones - Hendrick Motorsports in reality have four teams not counting motor program partners. Three of the four are doing very well, all in the Top 10 in Winston Cup Points. The forth team is sitting in 25th. Roush Racing who have four teams plus one that is owned by Mark Martin who is a Roush Driver have two teams in the top 10, two others in the Top 16 and one sitting 19th in Winston Cup Points. In today's NASCAR, technology wins races and I can't help but to think Silly Season isn't really all that silly because in reality, the owners are truly controlling the silliness.
When we look at this years Silly Season participants, my biggest question is why aren't these guys taking a good hard look in the NASCAR mirror and making good sound career decisions. Some drivers who have real God given talent to drive will find a ride without much problem. But let's face it, some are there only to fill the field and because NASCAR owners tend to take care of their own, these guys provide us with a season filled with silly rumors. These are the guys I wish would move on to find success in another series.
I like Steve Park and I have watched him through the years, but I honestly think he came back way too soon after his injury in 2001. Today, he is a driver who has been in the best equipment in NASCAR, without great success and now he has been told that he will not drive the #30 car next year. For next year, I would much rather see Steve take a Busch Series ride over a Nextel Cup Series ride. Go back and work on the skills, go after a Busch Series Championship and come back into the Nextel Cup Series in a few years and give it a final run.
Same holds true for Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Wallace, Todd Bodine, Jeff Green and Larry Foyt. Granted some of these guys are older and will probably not have another shot in the top series, but for heaven sakes, you are constantly, year after year finding it hard to break the top 20-25 in points. All these drivers would make the Busch Series exciting and most have won in that series. Go there and succeed!
Another Silly Season rumor is that Bill Elliott is retiring. Come on! Here is a guy who has been around a long time. I believe he'll be what 48 next week? And, he is still kicking some rear end. He sits 15th in Winston Cup Points and is ahead of Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin and rookie Greg Biffle. Retire? HECK, he could still win races unlike many in the series and who knows, a Nextel Cup Series Championship is not out of the question.
I think the best-kept 2003 Silly Season secret is John Andretti. If I was the brain trust over at RCR or DEI, I would jump at the opportunity of grabbing him. Since leaving Petty and finding himself in much better equipment he has done very well. Finding him a 2004 ride with RCR or DEI could make him a top 10 contender.
More rumors? Okay, instead of talking about Jeff Burton or Greg Biffle how about taking all the guys who haven't won a race in a few years who sit outside the top 25 in Winston Cup Points and move them to the Busch or Truck Series. Ensure drivers who are having success in other series like Busch or ARCA get a chance in next years Nextel Cup Series. Competitors like Scott Riggs, Jason Keller, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Scott Wimmer, Johnny Sauter, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Jason Jarrett would without a doubt add a higher level of competition to the Nextel Cup Series. Owners tend to bank on drivers who have been in the Winston Cup Series forever and for whatever reason have not proven they belong there. They should move aside so the fans can truly get the most entertainment for their dollar.
This week's SPIN OUT goes to - SILLY SEASON PARTICIPANTS! If year after year you run outside the top 25 in points, just having a ride in NASCAR's top racing series is just plain SILLY!
God Bless our Troops, our President and America!
Until next week, happy bumping!
Copyright 10/3/2003
by Mike Harper