2009 NASCAR Season

[CajunlostinCali]

Would be best explained by who exactly is driving what for whom. Silly season had it's season and then it had an off season. Here is a partial rundown by team to be completed by Daytona which runs 22 days away.

RCR

Same top lineup with an addition of Casey Mears to the 7 car. Boyer moves to the new 33 car but leaves his points from last year with the 7 along with crew. Boyer, in the General Mills car will have to earn his way through the first 5 races.

RCR has been missing just a lil sumpin over the last few seasons and inevitably, it has been horsepower. With the new Chevy engine out the crate and an equal playing field (No Sanctioned Testing) this should bring them closer to the front. Jeff Burton in the 31 will be flashing his new CAT colors, long time sponsor for his brother Ward. Nothing will change for the 29 Harvick team.

HMS

Power Daddy has added some old flavor and you will find Sir Mark Martin flying the 5 car for this and next year. His deal is looking for an immediate, if not soon there after championship. Deal is there are 7 championships right in front of him and they know how to get them. I would put a few bucks on the old man cause he has shown he can jump in just about any ride and make them a contender.

Jimmy Johnson, Vonderboy, has the last three consecutive with all the looks of getting four in a row. Only thing stopping the 48 crew is themselves. My early season Championship prediction for sure. Serious though, NOBODY adjust through a race better. NOBODY unloads on Thursday any better. NOBODY runs better through the Chase. I phuckin hate him...Gordon has been WTF last couple of years. Highly unpredictable cars that like to start well but finish mid pack. Gotta wonder if there will be a change for the 24 crew...

...More Later

[CajunlostinCali]

Roush Fenway Racing

The man that wants everything still wants all five teams intact at the end of this season. He states why, in these economic times would NASCAR allow a sponsor to leave the garage? NASCAR said tough sh!t back to Jack and that is that! Just goes to show, Jack doesn't like to share as it was my impression that the fifth car would go to Yates and there would come greater share technology between the two. So for this year there are no changes at RFR cept David Regan will fly the UPS colors and Carl Edwards will have some Subway pimping to do.

Same drivers with the same crew chiefs with the exception of Larry Carter from the 26 moving over to Yates. A very new Ford engine is being unveiled this year. I see a few hick ups adjusting but certainly an improvement from last year. Carl and Matt will improve equally as they have shown that they are adjusting very well to the new car throughout the end of the 2008 season. Biffle is always a WTF, but it is not his fault! Simply put, he has bad luck. Seems he had a problem with tires and someone putting the bumper on him throughout last year. He just finished a tire test in Atlanta and he was smoking the joint. A phenomenal tire is being brought to Atlanta this year and look out, they say it behaves like the track was just repaved. Atlanta of old has returned...

If I had tp put money on it, Jamie Mac will be looking for a new ride next season. Just sayin

[tigerleg24]

I will need some kind flow chart to figure out who is drive for what team this year.

How do you think Smoke is going to this year with his own team?

[CajunlostinCali]

Originally Posted by tigerleg24

I will need some kind flow chart to figure out who is drive for what team this year.

How do you think Smoke is going to this year with his own team?

Smoke and Newman miss the chase but so does Lagono in the 20! Zippy is signed through 010 and would not be shocked if Tony has growing pains with his new chief, Zippy and Smoke could remarry in 011. Newman will take a while to develop as he has less natural talent and more of a technical approach.

Too many people running around that organization and they need a year to make the mistakes necessary to learn from. I say minimally, Smoke runs a top 15ish while Newman will be a top 20 car this year.

Tony has become very good at putting the right people in the right places and building success. His ARCA and world of outlaws teams win. His track in El Dora is huge with success, now a flagship for a local dirt tracks. With dedicated sponsorship I believe inside 4 years he is a championship contender. Next year he should be a chase contender.

[DRC]

I think Nascar has some economic issues that may result in point qualifying being moot. I was listening to the big press conference on Sirius the other day with all the Nascar brass and they seemed to indicate fielding 43 cars a week wasnt a given. They talked about technology restrictions in order for small teams to compete cost wise. They also talked about reducing ticket prices for the fans. They admitted some races last year where poorly attended and some normal sellouts didnt happen. They tried to be upbeat but the underlying tone was a little glum.

[orlandotiger]

Originally Posted by drc40

I think Nascar has some economic issues that may result in point qualifying being moot. I was listening to the big press conference on Sirius the other day with all the Nascar brass and they seemed to indicate fielding 43 cars a week wasnt a given. They talked about technology restrictions in order for small teams to compete cost wise. They also talked about reducing ticket prices for the fans. They admitted some races last year where poorly attended and some normal sellouts didnt happen. They tried to be upbeat but the underlying tone was a little glum.

I didn't hear this press conference but I did notice that on the daytona 500 webpage there were tickets left when in past years this race is sold out by now, additionally they were offering discounted tickets. We go to the Bud Shoot Out every year and the 400 but for some reason never have gone to 500. We are planning the tailgate tomorrow for the Shoot Out, I am getting excited!

[mctiger]

Originally Posted by drc40

I think Nascar has some economic issues that may result in point qualifying being moot. I was listening to the big press conference on Sirius the other day with all the Nascar brass and they seemed to indicate fielding 43 cars a week wasnt a given. They talked about technology restrictions in order for small teams to compete cost wise. They also talked about reducing ticket prices for the fans. They admitted some races last year where poorly attended and some normal sellouts didnt happen. They tried to be upbeat but the underlying tone was a little glum.

I saw a theory of why things went down (namely, attendance and TV ratings) over the last 2 years. I think its dead-on and NASCAR doesn't see it. The race start times are too late! Races used to always start about 1-2 ET, 12-1 CST. Two years ago they backed everything up to where races typically start around 3:00 ET, trying to increase the West Coast TV audience. It not only failed (too much else to do in Cali, I guess) but they are losing the East Coast audiences because the races end up pushing into the dinner hour and prime time. I can relate....many's the Sunday over the last 2 years when darkness has been falling, my wife's getting supper on the table, and these guys are crawling through yellow after yellow after yellow. They need to move the races back up into the early hours and finish in the daytime. Other than the 600, NASCAR was not meant to start in daylight and finish at night.

[DRC]

Originally Posted by mctiger

I saw a theory of why things went down (namely, attendance and TV ratings) over the last 2 years. I think its dead-on and NASCAR doesn't see it. The race start times are too late!

I have to agree with this but I think its only partially responsible for Nascar's downward trend. I think the COT has resulted in BORING races. Just look at tracks like Bristol where you were guaranteed some good bumping, spinning out and a few wrecks to shake up the leaderboard. This car sticks to the track like glue and results in boring lap after boring lap. On the higher speed tracks these cars are so evenly matched that passing has become the exception, not the rule. Many races are won on track position and pit stops only.

[CajunlostinCali]

Originally Posted by drc40

I think the COT has resulted in BORING races. Just look at tracks like Bristol where you were guaranteed some good bumping, spinning out and a few wrecks to shake up the leaderboard. Many races are won on track position and pit stops only.

I think the COT is in it's learning patterns for how it is going to race these old features. Although I agree the mile and a halfs are just kind of one after the other leaving the racing in the turns, small tracks now having been visited 3 are stacking notes for better racing. Bristol last summer was three times better since the COT's debut in Bristol. A lot of tracks have made upgrades and that by itself creats a waiting period for better racing. The sport is experiencing a lot of change and now the changes just need to catch up with each other. Last year was the first full season of notes and for some, that is better, bad for the rest.

Originally Posted by mctiger

The race start times are too late! Races used to always start about 1-2 ET, 12-1 CST. Two years ago they backed everything up to where races typically start around 3:00 ET, trying to increase the West Coast TV audience.

I agree. I have been in California for 9 years and the start time has increased by an hour and a half since. I think the season needs to be shorten and remove some of these repeat stops to increase the economy of the first stop. Some tracks deserve a second date where some will just suck altogether.

Originally Posted by drc40

the Nascar brass and they seemed to indicate fielding 43 cars a week wasnt a given. They talked about technology restrictions in order for small teams to compete cost wise.

Disposable income for entertainment affects all sports but this sport cost more on the R&D which is the greatest cost for calculating unknown results. Tracks hold anywhere from 90,000 to 200,000+ fans which NASCAR is used to selling out. There is gonna be leaks in that size of a crowd. Some pretty creative ways to attract fans to drop a buck are developed every day. As I pointed out though, sh!t holes like Fontana with 150,000 (est) seats have a hard time filling the majority where TV or the beach is a better option. Watch Fontana the week after Daytona and see how many empty seats will be there. What does all this mean? Jeff Gordon with have to fly commercial OR ride share with 20 others.

[Beer]

This is the year for the "88"

that is all.

[DownOnTheBayou]

Originally Posted by Beer

This is the year for the "88"

that is all.

I would like to see that as well.

But i just don't think he can do it. There's something missing in Jr. He's got the talent, but he doesn't have that 'fire' or 'will' to win. At least it seams that way. He definitely ain't "intimidating" like his father was.

But I do hope he wins a championship soon.

[Hot Sauce]

Originally Posted by CajunlostinCali

Zippy is signed through 010 and would not be shocked if Tony has growing pains with his new chief, Zippy and Smoke could remarry in 011.

That would be nice seeing them hookup together.


Gonna take some time not seeing Tony in that #20 Home Depot.

Give'em hell Tony!

[CajunlostinCali]

Originally Posted by DownOnTheBayou

I would like to see that as well.

But i just don't think he can do it. There's something missing in Jr. He's got the talent, but he doesn't have that 'fire' or 'will' to win. At least it seams that way. He definitely ain't "intimidating" like his father was.

But I do hope he wins a championship soon.

I think Jr. is a hype monster. I love the dude as a human being, just that the hype overshadows his talent. I feel his problem is communication and in that he is unable to effectively communicate changes he wants versus changes he gets. He and whatever crew have always had a hard time adjusting for the better in a race. The only person that truly ever understood his needs was Eury Sr.

Although I included HMS I excluded Jr. That is I find him independent given his communication efforts. He has the talent to always be a top 5 driver, just not the luck to be consistent year round. Mark Martin is living proof.

He may very well compete for a season top 3, but he will not win a championship this year.

[Beer]

Originally Posted by CajunlostinCali

I think Jr. is a hype monster. I love the dude as a human being, just that the hype overshadows his talent. I feel his problem is communication and in that he is unable to effectively communicate changes he wants versus changes he gets. He and whatever crew have always had a hard time adjusting for the better in a race. The only person that truly ever understood his needs was Eury Sr.

Although I included HMS I excluded Jr. That is I find him independent given his communication efforts. He has the talent to always be a top 5 driver, just not the luck to be consistent year round. Mark Martin is living proof.

He may very well compete for a season top 3, but he will not win a championship this year.

He does carry a lot of hype, however I think he may be too caught up in being a celebrity. Perhaps his heart isn't truly in racing or maybe its just a little too consumed with when he will next appear on MtV Cribs. As for Eury Jr. IMHO his cuz cost him at least a handful of races last season. Left him on the track too long at times, brought him in when he shouldn't have at others. I just don't think TUjr is a very good crew chief. You mentioned the 48 and again, IMO, Knauss is the best CC in the sport. The guy Always makes the right call, Always. You would think that with Big Ricks Big Wallet they could get dale a big time shot caller.

you know, one with 20 inch wheels on the impala

[CajunlostinCali]

JGR

Leading the pack in expectations this year is none other then shrub. Lil turd won 8 races, had 17 top 5's and 21 top 10's with two poles and finished 10th in points. So phuck em. He is however a fantasy steal but I won't say where...

Denny Hamlin is suffering from sophomore blues but I think due more to the fact that JGR fell behind a tick with a full season of the COT. His crew and sponsor remain intact so with a pocket full of notes, the coach might just be elevating him to a position of leadership and over-watching MILF target Joey Lagono. Sure the kid can race but now it is the big time and the fact that Zippy can bring it, it is ALL about communication so I gotta geaux with "sliced bread" finishing mid pack come seasons end with rookie of the year honors to get his trip to New York. I will fully expect both the 11 and the 18 to return to the chase this year.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Wow, what a goat phuck they got here! Driver line up:

1 Martin Truex Jr.
8 Aric Almirola
42 Juan Pablo Montoya
41 ? Thats right ?

What can you say about this motley crew? All is merged however there is no sponsor and no driver for the 41. As for every one else's sponsors, there are still too many questions to answer, and they are the ones with the answers. Points? I won't even begin to answer that mess, somehow I believe they don't even know the answer. They will all drive Chevy's and retain at least a portion of sponsorship from last year.

Truex seems to be the most sound driver in the bunch as he has a history with his crew and crew chief. Almirola has a T O N of talent but lacks the experience necessary to even be considered a contender and there is pimp daddy Juan Pablo, I did not think he would come along as quick as he did. He still drives like a madman, great for the sport but this year I expect him to finish higher then Truex...Just a gut feeling on that one

[Crip*TEAM KATT]

What I think are NASCARs problems

1.) They should stay on FOX all Season! I cant stand watching the NBC crew!

2.) Season should be shortened like Cali said and cut out some of the repeat visits to a quite a few tracks. Once Football season gets here Nascar becomes the redhead step child!

Now Cali who do you see as the newcomers to watch this season??????

[CajunlostinCali]

[quote]

Originally Posted by Crip*TEAM KATT

1.) They should stay on FOX all Season! I cant stand watching the NBC crew!

If they could ban boogity, boogity, boogity I would agree. In fairness to NBC they have made positive upgrades to the booth. I hated hearing Alan Bestwick call a race and he got booted, Rusty in the booth was nauseating and he got demoted as well. I like Andy Petree and the addition of Kyle Petty but I agree, overall FOX puts on a better show.

who do you see as the newcomers to watch this season??????

Only two newcomers to speak of, fact is there are more veterans looking for rides then new faces however the two noobs are Joey Lagano and Scott Speed. Scott Speed ran 5 races last year so I am unsure if he can run for rookie of the year. He has awesome car control and calls for effective changes so for him it is going to be how well his equipment unloads and how well they can effect changes. He ran 16 truck races and in a mediocre truck and he produced 1 win, 4 top 5's and 9 top 10's with a pole. I like him...A Lot

Joey Lagano is without a doubt one of the most natural racers to arrive on the circuit in a long time. His deal though is getting used to the car and later, getting used to driving around all of the talent available. Head to head I give Speed the nod it is just the equipment makes the difference. I would expect Lagano to run away with rookie of the year honors.

[mctiger]

[quote=CajunlostinCali;893283]

Scott Speed ran 5 races last year so I am unsure if he can run for rookie of the year.

I think the limit is 6, so he should qualify for ROY.

[CajunlostinCali]

Yates Racing

What a come back for YR last season. Just when they were on the ledge the, old man retires from running a business and bust out his tool box to work on engines, and the new generation takes off. YR did very well last year running the front of mid pack and finishing off races consistently better then they started. Things have changed for this year with some returns and some not so sure's. This years line up includes:

Travis Kvapil returns yet still without sponsorship for the 28. WTF? Dude is a pure racer so I just don't get why it is so hard to put stickers on that hood. With that, his points are transfered to Bobby Labonte in the 96 car recently sponsored by ask.com. Labonte runs the Hall of Fame Racing collaboration through Yates. Paul Menard inherits the points from the now parked 38 car driven by David Gilliland who remains on contract through the end of this season.

Paul Menard is a douche, no doubt about it as without any raw talent, he exist through his family name. Prick will always have a job.

As a side note; Bobby Labonte has driven a Pontiac, a Chevy, a Dodge, and A Ford. Withstanding an Oldsmobile and a Toyota he has about wheeled em all.

[mctiger]

[quote=mctiger;893730]

Originally Posted by CajunlostinCali

I think the limit is 6, so he should qualify for ROY.

OK, according to Jayski.com, the minimum is 7 races, with Speed, Logano and Max Papis expected to be the only competitors for ROY this year. However, the site says Papis will only do half the season in the #13 Geico car.

[CajunlostinCali]

Richard Petty Motorsports

Here erupts a brand new organization born from GEM and Petty merger. The irony in this deal is Gillette has controlling interest as GEM purchased the Petty group however the Petty namesake lives on. I would say the only thing holding this organization back is time to necessary to "get with it" and "DODGE". Here is the line up:

Kasey Kahne, MILF mobster rolls out another season for the BUD Klan, odd as Petty has a thing about booze sponsors. Anyhow the three skanks always hunting him down must get a grip as All State has moved on.

Elliot Sadler IS back in the 19. Elliot got himself a red hair when, after the merger he found out he was out a ride. Seems he knows his contracts and threw a lawsuit out to keep his ride. All was washed soon after and you can expect to see him define why it is he is a mid pack driver in a DODGE every other Sunday here on out. Don’t get me wrong. I love the dude but serious, DODGE is a heap of sh!t in terms of racing and I fully expect this year will be the same.

Reed Sorenson will wheel the 43 car and he will have everything on the hood except Target. I like Reed, a lot. Dude is a great driver but I must say it again…DODGE. Good luck Reed!

Rounding out this organization is AJ Allmendinger in the 44 supposedly with Valvoline on the hood. Dude just got this ride a few days ago and rightfully so. He was the one rumored to the 19 car and well, Elliot settled that. I like AJ, not a lot, but he really came along the second half of last season so he gets props for not blowing a promising open wheel career.

[CajunlostinCali]

Michael Waltrip Racing



But seriously folks that David Reutiman can flat out drive a race car. Dude is the class of the team and I expect he shall continue to grow to a higher level. He is now wheeling the 00 dream machine while UPS fulfills their responsibilities before getting the hell out of MWR ville.

*EDIT* Just announced that Aarons will sponsor the double knot for the full season.

Michael, well that is another subject. Dude can draft but...He would be better fitted just smiling and trying to run a business. Matter of fact, his own guy, that he hired, told him, shape up of get out of the car! Thats right, he said if you suck again this year boss, your out of the car!!!

Here is my prediction: He is out of the car, we just gotta watch him fail one more time to get the boot. BUT, that is another year of watching that fine ass Buffy prance around again. MILF of the decade if there was a vote.

Have a Coke and a smile! BUFFAY

[CajunlostinCali]

9 days 1 hour and 15 minutes for the Daytona 500

Penske Championship Racing

Seaux the name changes and that due to the slight merger with Bill Davis, now minority owner. What effects belong here is Davis gives up the 22 to Penske yet you will not see the 22, just it's points now transferred to the 77 somewhat driven by Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish had a decent season but compared to all other open wheel defects simply did not run as well. Why? Again I say DODGE. Starting to feel it now???

David Stremme will drive the 12 car vacated by Ryan Newman. Stremme has a less then storied career with mediocre success driving for Ganassi but still has the talent to be really good in a decent ride. Unfortunately the 12 is not a very good ride and I am afraid the best success seen in that car now drives what I believe a better car for Stewart Hass in the now, Army car.

Kurt Busch continues his little bit better than mediocre success in the deuce. He has a new crew chief in Jeff Thousand, once famous crew chief in the Rusty Wallace hay days of the early 80’s. Kurt is loaded in talent and I expect him to champion the effort for the Penske organization however…
DODGE will prevent him from even making the chase. He may win a race with the possibilities of a good rain strategy. One never knows!

Line up for the Bud Shootout THIS SATURDAY:

#98-Menard, Ford, chose 22nd, starts 1st POLE
#19-Sadler, Dodge, chose 20th, starts 2nd
#43-Sorenson, Dodge, chose 16th, starts 3rd
#82-Speed, Toyota, chose 27th, starts 4th
#11-Hamlin, Toyota, chose 3rd, starts 5th
#14-Stewart, Chevy, chose 25th, starts 6th
#83-Vickers, Toyota, chose 15th, starts 7th
#96-Labonte, Ford, chose 26th, starts 8th
#88-Earnhardt Jr., Chevy, chose 21st, starts 9th
#18-Busch, Toyota, chose 11th, starts 10th
#99-Edwards, Ford, chose 2nd, starts 11th
#2-Busch, Dodge, chose 12th, starts 12th
#7-Gordon, Dodge, chose 24th, starts 13th
#9-Kahne, Dodge, chose 4th, starts 14th
#26-McMurray, Ford, chose 18th, starts 15th
#6-Ragan, Ford, chose 14th, starts 16th
#55-Waltrip, Toyota, chose 23rd, starts 17th
#44-Allmendinger, Dodge, chose 28th/last, starts 18th
#20-Logano, Toyota, chose 7th, starts 19th
#12-David Stremme, Dodge, chose 8th, starts 20th
#48-Johnson, Chevy, chose 1st, starts 21st
#00-Reutimann, Toyota, chose 19th, starts 22nd
#31-Burton, Chevy, chose 13th, starts 23rd
#07-Mears, Chevy, chose 9th, starts 24th
#17-Kenseth, Ford, chose 10th, starts 25th
#16-Biffle, Ford, chose 6th, starts 26th
#29-Harvick, Chevy, chose 5th, starts 27th
#24-Gordon, Chevy, chose 17th, starts 28th

[orlandotiger]

I can't wait, I am spending all day today prepping for the Jamabalya that I am doing at the tailgate tomorrow! Mom also sent me a King Cake to bring for dessert! I am going to teach these Floridians a thing or two about tailgating!

[CajunlostinCali]

My Bud Shootout top ten picks:

1. Jimmy Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Jr
4. AJ Almendinger
5. Smoke and Newman both looked great in 500 practice
6. David Regan
7. Carl Edwards
8. Greg Biffle
9. Shrub
10. David Reutiman

I have never top ten'd before. See how it goes.

As a bonus I pick the 20 to crash.