(photo courtesy of Christa L. Thomas)

When Rick Hendrick pulled “the big crew chief swap” last year he wasn’t really sure if the paring of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Latarte was really going to work as a team.  As the season closed out, he realized that . . . → Read More: Dale Jr. and Latarte Worked Well As A Team In 2011]]>

 

(photo courtesy of Christa L. Thomas)

The big crew chief swap

When Rick Hendrick pulled “the big crew chief swap” last year he wasn’t really sure if the paring of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Latarte was really going to work as a team.  As the season closed out, he realized that his experiment was very successful.  As a results, the third generation driver, Dale, Jr., has realized that he doesn’t want Hendrick to mess with that team combination for 2012!

“As soon as I got in the truck in the morning (at the track), I never left until the day was over with,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I never did that in my entire career until (last) year. I always went back to the bus in between practices. I was never there early.”

It was evident from the team’s performance last season the two men work well together. In their inaugural season, Earnhardt Jr. enjoyed his best performance since 2006 when he placed fifth in the series points. Even though he didn’t possess a victory when the 2011 season ended, he was close on at least two occasions, he had made the Chase for the first time since 2008 and he had collected four top-5s and 12 top-10s en route to a seventh-place finish in the driver standings.

The Tony Eury,Sr. comparison

For Earnhardt Jr., last year was the first time he’d had a crew chief that was “tough” on him since his NASCAR Busch (now Nationwide) Series days when he won two championships, 1998-99. Then it was Tony Eury Sr., better known as “Pops”, who oversaw the team. Dale Earnhardt wanted “Pops” to take care of his son when he couldn’t be there and he did.

“Pops is really hard, strict, but he doesn’t want detailed reports or written feedback,” Earnhardt Jr. explained. “He doesn’t need you there early to talk to you. He’s a man of very few words, but when you messed up, you were in trouble; you got your tail chewed off. Steve doesn’t do that, but Pops’ approach is just as effective. Both ways you’re accountable or you’re not going to be there. But Pops is a little more like a drill sergeant and Steve’s a lot more like a cheerleader. Steve is a little more structured. Pops is as good as anybody in the sport, but they’re two different approaches.”

“I told him (Latarte) during the off-season, ‘I worry that you’re going to relax a little bit the more we’re together, the more we become friends,’ he might let me off the hook and I don’t want that to happen,” Earnhardt Jr. said during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Steve has his expectations, his rules; this is what you’re going to do. I need this from you. That was good.”

The Hendrick experiment was validated

During the two men’s inaugural season together, Earnhardt Jr. experienced something for the first time in his career: Expectations from a crew chief that involved more than simply showing up with a helmet and driving. Now the 37-year-old Earnhardt Jr. is expected to complete forms about each race, provide information on the car and participate in discussions about it in the garage.

Hendrick believes the Earnhardt Jr./Letarte team will show its potential in 2012, and be very comparable to the Dale,Jr./ Pops combination.  That combination of Pops and Dale, Jr. netted the driver and crew chief two successive Nationwide titles before stepping up to the Sprint cup level!

Being a charter member of Junior Nation, I, too, am very hopeful that this is a year that will give Junior Nation the opportunity to celebrate in victory lane on more than one occasion!

What are your views?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(WOMR file photo)

I just returned back to my hometown after witnessing a very exciting finish to the Good Sam’s 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.  As the staff there at the track says , “SIZE DOES MATTER”!  After all it is not just another race track, this is Talladega!

The . . . → Read More: Bowyer Wins The Good Sam’s 500]]>

(WOMR file photo)

I just returned back to my hometown after witnessing a very exciting finish to the Good Sam’s 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.  As the staff there at the track says , “SIZE DOES MATTER”!  After all it is not just another race track, this is Talladega!

The weather started out on the cool side for  the Sprint Cup practice and session on Friday.  The weather on Saturday for the Cup qualifying and the Camping World Trucks race was a little warmer.  However, on Sunday the weather was superb!

As the green flag was dropped, there were two strategies that unfolded throughout the race.  One strategy was to run up front all day and race hard for the lead.  The other strategy, and not a strategy that I would use if I were racing at Talladega, was to fall back to the back of the pack to try to avoid “the big one”.  The latter strategy has some validity, nevertheless, you are at the mercy of the tempo of the race.  Laying back in the back of the pack, you are held hostage to the tempo of the race, ie., yellow flags, close proximity to probable wrecks,  and ultimately the ability to weave your way to the front when “it is time to go”.

All four of the Hendrick Motorsports race car teams choose to “lay back” and make their charge to the front in the very late stages of the race.  Unfortunately, all four teams were caught back in the pack when three wrecks happened in the final 20 laps.

The pairing of Junior and Johnson led only a combined two laps Sunday, spending much of the race in the rear of the field in an attempt to avoid trouble. Johnson suffered a scare with about 25 laps remaining when Andy Lally caromed off his car and up into the wall, but the damage to his vehicle was minor. The real problems came at the end, when the drivers dealt with their own individual difficulties, and a flurry of cautions didn’t provide them enough of an opportunity to climb back up through the field.

“Whenever we thought they were getting a little bit crazy, we’d move into the safe areas and we rode there most of the day with a lot of other people doing the same thing,” Earnhardt said. “Then at the end, we had a lot of cautions late. We wanted to try to work our way toward the front in the last 20 laps. The cautions kept coming out, and we ran over some debris and we had to come to pit road. We just didn’t have the track position at the end to make a run with two laps to go. Just not enough time.”

It didn’t help that the water in Johnson’s engine-cooling system climbed perilously high. NASCAR lowered pressure-relief valve settings in the cars this week in a tacit attempt to break up some of the two-car drafting. Push for too long, and risk engine overheating and failure. Johnson found himself trying to play the role of pusher while also dealing with debris on his car’s front end — a recipe for overheating.

“We planned our strategy like we had hoped to,” Johnson said. “And on that last restart at the end, we had some issues with my car overheating. That last caution that came out, I got some trash and grass and stuff on the grille of the car. We were out of sequence the way we were lined up. I was going to push Junior, and I had to be in the lead the way we had the debris on the grille. And then as we went to make our switch, the pack was organized and with the [final-laps] situation, there’s not a lot of time to get organized, and we lost our momentum there, and got to the outside and kind of stalled out up on the top, and finished far worse than we had hoped to.”

Clint Bowyer surged past Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton through the tri-oval on the final lap at Talladega Superspeedway to win Sunday’s Good Sam Club 500.  Bowyer, who will leave RCR for Michael Waltrip Racing next season, beat Burton to the start/finish line by .018 seconds to record his first victory of the season and the fifth of his career. The win was the 100th in the Sprint Cup Series for team owner Richard Childress.

On a two-lap run to the finish that followed the ninth caution of the race, Bowyer, the defending winner of the race, pushed Burton to a lead of more than 20 car lengths over the pack that was chasing them. That gave Bowyer the luxury of a slingshot move past Burton in the tri-oval. Bowyer nosed ahead 1,200 feet from the finish line and held on?barely.

“Whenever you leave here not wrecked, you ought to be happy, but at the same time, I’m heartbroke we didn’t win the race,” said Burton, who recorded his first top-five finish in more than a year. “Having said all of that, I don’t know what I would have done different.

“Honestly, I thought he made his move too early. I kind of gave him the bottom, because you tend to be able to pull them back to you better when you’re on their right rear quarter panel. He made his move really early, I thought. I thought I’d be able to pull back to him, but he had a lot of momentum when he made the move.”

Bowyer realized he was taking his shot early but decided to seize the moment when Burton gave him the inside line.

“He kind of moved up off of [Turn] 4, and I knew it was too early to go, but it was going to be a drag race, and it would give us both a shot at it,” Bowyer said. “He worked so well with me all day long. You hate that it comes down to that, but it is what it is, and you owe it to your team and your sponsors to go out and win the race.

“Unfortunately, it came down to that situation, but — trust me — I was prepared to push him to the win, no matter what the cost was, if we’d have had people breathing down our necks. It just wasn’t meant to be for him. He’s been a great teammate, and I’ve learned a lot from him — but he’s already won a lot of races [21], and I’ve only won five.”

Dave Blaney, pushed by Brad Keselowski, ran third, with Keselowski taking the flag in fourth in a race that saw only five drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup finish in the top 24. Keselowski gained three positions to third in the Chase standings.

 Red Bull Racing teammates Brian Vickers and Kasey Kahne finished fifth and six, followed by Chase drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.  Michael Waltrip Racing teammates Michael Waltrip and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top 10.

Here is the unofficial results of the Good Sam’s 500 from Talladega Superspeedway.

Here is the Chase standings following the Good Sam’s 500.

Twelve drivers, now four races, one championship, who will be the last man standing?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Gregg Ellman)

This season Kevin Harvick has truly earned his nickname, “Mr. Where Did He Come From?”!  In securing three victories in first twelve races, Harvick has only led a total of nine laps.   Actually he has not led all nine of those laps, just the portion that counts, . . . → Read More: “Mr. Where Did He Come From” Steals The Coca Cola 600]]>

(photo courtesy Gregg Ellman)

This season Kevin Harvick has truly earned his nickname, “Mr. Where Did He Come From?”!  In securing three victories in first twelve races, Harvick has only led a total of nine laps.   Actually he has not led all nine of those laps, just the portion that counts, that is , the portion of the lap that is at the start/finish.

For one victory he overtook five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson coming out of turn #4, as the checkered flag was waving. The other two came at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s expense! The first was at Martinsville Speedway in April when Harvick passed the third generation driver with four laps remaining. The second occurred Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 when Earnhardt Jr.’s Chevrolet ran out of fuel on the final lap and Harvick passed him for the victory. In a few hundred feet, Earnhardt Jr.’s winless streak was extended to 105 races and Harvick jumped three positions in the standings to second, just 36 points behind  the leader Carl Edwards.

Ironically, it was the second time on Sunday the race leader had faltered in the final turn on the final lap. Just hours earlier in the Indianapolis 500, the National Guard-sponsored car driven by rookie J R Hildebrand had slammed into the fourth-turn wall, allowing second-place Dan Wheldon to take the victory. At Charlotte, it was a lack of fuel that cost Earnhardt Jr.’s National Guard-sponsored car the win.

“We weren’t supposed to make it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We were gonna run out of gas and we knew it. I tried to save a ton of gas. I didn’t save enough, but I tried to save as much as I could. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but if we would have won, it would have been a gift.”

It was no secret in the Coca-Cola 600’s closing stages that fuel conservation on the 1.5-mile track was critical. Even Harvick’s crew had figured after his final stop that he would be one and a half  laps short. With the laps winding down and a green-white-checker finish eminent due to Johnson’s Chevrolet blowing an engine with five laps remaining, it was a Richard Childress Racing train that made the difference. At one point during the 14th and final caution period, Harvick cut off the engine in his RCR Chevrolet and was pushed by teammate Jeff Burton, who in turn was pushed by teammate Paul Menard. While Burton and Menard assisted Harvick, leader Greg Biffle pitted for fuel.

When the race restarted for its green-white-checker finish, Kasey Kahne led, Earnhardt Jr. was second, Denny Hamlin third, Brad Keselowski fourth and Harvick fifth. Kahne elected to restart on the outside and as they charged into turn one, Keselowski hit Kahne in the rear, the cars stacked up and Burton slid sideways as Earnhardt Jr. shot into the lead. It appeared to the delight of the crowd that Earnhardt Jr. would return to victory lane for the first time since June 2008 at Michigan.

With only 1 lap remaining, Dale Jr. possessed a healthy lead. Harvick, who was third, powered around Hamlin as his Toyota sputtered on the backstretch. Then, in turn 3, the engine in Earnhardt Jr.’s Chevrolet suffered from fuel starvation, shut off, and the victory was handed to Kevin “Mr. Where Did He Come From” Harvick.

In retrospect, Harvick most likely won the Coca Cola 600 because of his fuel conservation on the last yellow flag laps.  However, it was not solely his doing.  He had both teammates, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard pushing him with his engine off to save fuel.  That three car freight train, Menard basically pushing both cars, should be questioned by NASCAR as to the legality of that act!

Therefore, the question begs to be asked, “Is is legal for teammate(s) to push one another around the track, during yellow flag laps, in order to save fuel and possibly win the race”?

What are your thoughts on that issue?

Here is the unofficial results from the Coca Cola 600.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(workingonmyredneck file photo)

After three years of lost hope, futility, and numerous crew chiefs, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may have found the catalyst he was looking for in the form of his new crew chief, Steve Latarte.

After listening into this race team at both Daytona and Las Vegas, via WOMR’s race scanner, . . . → Read More: Dale Jr. Off To A Fast Start in 2011]]>

(workingonmyredneck file photo)

After three years of lost hope, futility, and numerous crew chiefs, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may have found the catalyst he was looking for in the form of his new crew chief, Steve Latarte.

After listening into this race team at both Daytona and Las Vegas, via WOMR’s race scanner, it appears that NASCAR’s most popular race car driver has seemingly rediscovered, through Latarte, his lost confidence!  For those race fans who are among the Junior Nation loyalists, WOMR included, it has been very difficult to watch “the prodigal son” continually under-perform for the last three years.  It was quite obvious that his lack of performance had shattered his confidence!

Anybody who knows anything about NASCAR and, in particular, the Sprint Cup series, was certain that Junior’s move to the elite Hendrick Motorsports team in 2008 would end his downward spiral.  But, despite Rick Hendrick’s hands-on approach with Earnhardt, trying to give him every chance of succeeding, the combination has produced one win and one post-season appearance in three seasons.

But the results of the first three races of 2010 have raised the hopes of both Earnhardt and his legion of fans.  He began the Cup season by winning the pole for the Daytona 500.

But a crash in practice forced Dale Earnhardt Jr. to start the Daytona 500 from the back of the field, and a race crash relegated Earnhardt,Jr. to a 24th place finish.

Since then, though, he has finished 10th at Phoenix and eighth on Sunday at Las Vegas, placing Earnhardt 10th in the points as the Cup season pauses for an off week before heading to Bristol.

It’s the first time that Earnhardt has put together two top-10 finishes since the middle of last season at Loudon (eighth) and Daytona (fourth).

It’s not exactly a charge to the front, but watching Earnhardt being interviewed, one can see a change in attitude – a newfound hope. And you can hear it clearly in his voice.

A lot of that is the result of his pairing with Letarte, who was Jeff Gordon’s crew chief the last few years. The move by Hendrick was part of wholesale changes to three of his four Cup teams. All of them have worked pretty well, but this one appears to be have made the biggest impact.

“We’re just doing what we’re supposed to do, I reckon,’’ Earnhardt said after the Las Vegas race. “We didn’t have too bad a car in practice and I just didn’t nail it in qualifying. I didn’t drive good. I thought guys were running on the top and that maybe I needed to run there in qualifying and so I ran there and that wasn’t the thing to do.

“But I guess the best thing that we did all day long was the adjustments. I kept telling Stevie what I thought I needed and what the car felt like it was doing wrong and he was hitting on it every time. We were kind of working together on some ideas and we hit on one idea that was really good and it really woke the car up.

“We decided to take four (tires) at the end and I’ll back Stevie’s call there. It might have cost us a spot in hindsight, but we just need to run good and get good finishes under our belt and keep their confidence and keep my confidence up. Mid-way through the race was the first time in a long time I actually was feeling like I could beat them guys, you know? That I was around. It gave me a lot of confidence today; we just need to keep doing that.”

Junior Nation has heard this tune before after the occasional good finish, but there appears to more to this story this year.

“It’s fun in this hauler, man,’’ Earnhardt said. “When you’re running good, everything is easier to do. But I really enjoy brainstorming with Steve and I think having worked with him, I’ve become better at helping him just in a short period of time. But it’s fun to brainstorm with and work with him and I just want to do good.

“Failure at this point is completely unacceptable and I’ve got to put it all out on the line and do everything I can to make this work,’’ Junior added.

Some critics have insisted that the advent of NASCAR’s big, heavy Car of Tomorrow has been Earnhardt’s downfall. But he insists he’s going to make this latest team work, whatever the equipment.

“If it don’t work with (Letarte), I got nowhere else to go,’’ Earnhardt said. “I got no other options, really other than just to race myself into oblivion with my own team and Tony (Eury) Jr. and them guys.

“But I want this to work. I want to be in a CoT the rest of my career as long as I can and I want to be successful and so I’m just trying to work hard man. We’re getting better. It feels like it’s working.

“It’s a fun team; a great group of guys,’’ Junior added. “I’m proud to be a part of it and hope I can keep working well and keep doing well.”

This year it is obvious, this combination has no other choice but to work magic for Dale Jr.  Is this the year that Dale Jr. makes a serious challenge for the Sprint Cup championship?  Is  Steve Latarte just what the doctor/Rick Hendrick ordered?

It appears that all is well in Junior Nation, as well as NASCAR!

What is your view on this run towards the top for the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard team?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(workingonmyredneck file photo)

It has been almost a week since the “feel good” story of the 2011 Daytona 500 happened. As WOMR was preparing for the trip down to Daytona this year, the over whelming story line was the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s tragic death.  Most all of the media . . . → Read More: The 2011 Daytona 500: A Reflection]]>

(workingonmyredneck file photo)

It has been almost a week since the “feel good” story of the 2011 Daytona 500 happened. As WOMR was preparing for the trip down to Daytona this year, the over whelming story line was the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s tragic death.  Most all of the media was focusing in on celebrating the life of “The Intimidator”.

However, coinciding with this 10th anniversary was the release of Michael Waltrip’s book, “In The Blink of An Eye”.  WOMR finished reading the before making the journey to Daytona.  It is a must read for the NASCAR fan.  Waltrip describes his early years and his desire to follow his older brother Darrell Waltrip into the racing world, his relationship with his family, specifically ol DW, his relationship with Richard Petty, and specifically his relationship with Dale Earnhardt, Sr.

Mikey relives the day that he broke his 0 fer 462 string, that is how he described his lack of wins in his NASCAR career up to that point.  That day was February 18, 2001, the day that he won the Daytona 500, also the day that his good friend and boss lost his life in the Daytona 500.  It was supposed to be the very best day of his life!  Unfortunately, it turned out to be the, self described, worst day of his life!

Notwithstanding all of the above, there were media writers with two other story lines.  One of which was what it would be like if Michael Waltrip would win the 2011 Daytona 500, a fitting tribute by Michael to Dale,Sr.  Other writers were giving credence to the fact that, because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had won the pole for 2011 Dayton 500, “the prodigal son” could have an excellent shot at winning the 2011 Daytona 500.

But not one single writer had given any thought to the idea that the Wood Brothers Racing had any possible chance to score a Daytona 500 victory!

Nevertheless, reflecting back on Trevor Bayne, the Wood Brothers, and the happenings of this year’s “Great American Race”, the story was such a fairy tale come true.  The Hollywood movie script writers, in their wildest dreams, couldn’t have written this story, and made it believable!

The fact that the Wood Brothers, one of the oldest and most storied race teams in NASCAR, had not won a Sprint Cup race in ten years.  Secondly they hire, with the help of Jack Roush, a 19 year old race car driver that is relatively unheard of to drive their very famous Motorcraft #21 Ford in race 17 races for 2011.  This combination does not make for winning the Daytona 500 these days.

Nevertheless, that is exactly what transpired on February 20, 2011.

What a great story not just for motor sports, but for all sports!  This is the story of the ultimate underdog triumphantly over-coming astronomical odds!

What are your views on this 2011 ultimate feel good story in NASCAR?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

This year’s running of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500, is filled with many story lines.  The dichotomies are abundant.  The stories range from triumph to tragedy, hope to gloom, happiness to sorrow, and everywhere in between.  Quite possibly, this race could be the key that unlocks . . . → Read More: The Dichotomy of The 2011 Daytona 500]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

This year’s running of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500, is filled with many story lines.  The dichotomies are abundant.  The stories range from triumph to tragedy, hope to gloom, happiness to sorrow, and everywhere in between.  Quite possibly, this race could be the key that unlocks one of the biggest sports stories in the first part of the 21st century!  “The prodigal son” returns and triumphantly reclaims redemption”.

The sports writers that cover the NASCAR beat have written every story imaginable, covered all the angles, searched every nook and cranny, on Dale Earnhardt, Jr. since Dale Earnhardt, Sr. met his untimely and tragic death on February 18, 2001.  Dale Jr. has been scrutinized, viewed under the microscope, and analyzed more than any other NASCAR race car driver over these last 10 years.

On Saturday, Dale Jr. won the pole with the fastest qualifying time of the day.  It has become very apparent that he and one of his teammates, Jeff Gordon, have very fast race cars for this year’s Daytona 500.  Could the 2011 Daytona 500 have a similar ending as the 2001 Pepsi 400?  That poses a very interesting story line for this year.  You do remember how the 2001 Pepsi 400 played out, don’t you?

Let WOMR refresh you memory!

NASCAR, and “the prodigal son”, returned to Daytona for the running of the 2001 Pepsi 400 in July, just a mere 4 1/2 months after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, Sr.  As the evening unfurled, and the laps wound down, “the prodigal son”, Dale Jr., weaves his way to the head of the pack.  The crowd of over 200,000 goes berserk!  With those maneuvers the entire grandstands were standing and cheering wildly!

The fairy tale was starting to unfold.  As Dale Earnhardt, Jr. comes off turn four, leading the pack, with his teammate Michael Waltrip’s front bumper glued firmly to his back bumper pushing him, “the prodigal son” wins his first race back at the track that claimed his father’s life just less than five months earlier!  Hollywood could not have scripted this movie any better!

Nevertheless, recent times have not been so good for Dale Jr.  The wins have been very scarce, just two victories since joining Hendrick Motorsports three years ago.  However, in  this past off season there has been some earthshaking movements over at the HMS complex.  From Saturday’s qualifying efforts it would appear that it has paid off for both Dale Jr. and Jeff Gordon, they comprise the front row for the 2011 Daytona 500!

In light of this, the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt, Sr’s death, and in light of the scarcity of wins  for Dale,Jr. lately, and in light of all the media hype and articles that are and will be written, wouldn’t it be fitting, even though somewhat bittersweet, if around 5pm this Sunday evening, that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is being swarmed by all the media, full of smiles, and is hugging the Harley J. Earl trophy as he celebrates his second Daytona 500 victory of his career?

How fitting and bittersweet that would be for “the prodigal son”, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., to be the victor!  All would be good in NASCAR, as well as Junior Nation!  Could this be a reality Sunday?  Are the Hollywood script writers sharpening up their pencils?

What are your thoughts?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

The Earnhardt’s heroic/tragic relationship  with the Daytona International Speedway added another chapter to its fabled storybook as Dale Jr. won the pole for the 2011 Daytona 500 on Feb.20th.  This pole award comes on the 10th anniversary of his father’s untimely death on the last lap of . . . → Read More: Junior Nation Celebrates With The Pole]]>

(photo courtesy Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

The Earnhardt’s heroic/tragic relationship  with the Daytona International Speedway added another chapter to its fabled storybook as Dale Jr. won the pole for the 2011 Daytona 500 on Feb.20th.  This pole award comes on the 10th anniversary of his father’s untimely death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

This was first pole for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the annual Daytona 500, and only the second for the Earnhardt family.  Dale,Sr. only scored one pole in the Daytona 500 in all of his starts in February’s “Great American Race”.  That pole for Dale Sr. came in the 1996 Daytona 500, just five years before his untimely death.

For Junior, this was the first qualifying attempt after the earth-shaking shakeup at Hendrick Motorsports.  Maybe this is advance notice of what is come with the new team of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Steve Letarte as his crew chief.

Accompanying Earnhardt on the front row is his Hendrick teammate, Jeff Gordon.

“I feel great,” Earnhardt said in the media room after qualifying. “I mean, it’s hard for me to sit up here and do all the talking because I didn’t do anything today other than hold the wheel. The engine does a large majority of the work, and the body on the car has to be perfectly situated to get the most speed out of the car. Steve here has to plan the car out, get the attitude of the car just right for the maximum speed.

“Those three things right there are the biggest players. I’m only maybe, you know, 5/10ths of a percent of what happened today. So all the credit really goes to all those guys that built the car and built the engine, put the car together in the 8/48 shop.”

Letarte said, yep, good car.

“We’re happy the car had speed,” Letarte said. “It’s a test of speed. Racing is a test speed. Today we had the most speed.”

Jeff Gordon,too, put up some big speed in Sunday’s qualifying attempt, he will be looking for his fourth Daytona 500 win.

Sunday’s pole run by Earnhardt Jr. will surely add to the emotion surround this year’s 500 – the emotion generated by the 10-year-anniversary of the death of the man who had become the face of the sport.

His son said that he could not allow himself to get caught up in that emotion.

“I’m here to race,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I understand the situation. I’m looking forward to seeing how my father’s remembered and honored throughout the week. I’ll enjoy that. I don’t really get into the hypothetical, fairytale sort of stuff.

“I just want to focus on my job, what I need to do every single corner, every single lap, what’s best for me at this moment, what gets me closer to Victory Lane on Sunday. That’s all I’m going to concern myself with.”

Only Dale, Jr. and Gordon are locked in their starting positions for the Daytona 500. All the rest of the field will have their starting positions slated by either how they finish in their Duel 150 qualifying race or speed, it can be very complicated procedure.

The running of the 53rd annual Daytona already has many storylines, the two car drafts, the new racing surface, the 10th anniversary of the tragic death Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Dale Earnhardt, Jr. winning the pole, and quite possibility Dale Jr.winning this year’s running of “The Great American Race”!

So as you can see, all is well in Junior Nation today!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It doesn’t seem to matter where Harvick starts the 75-lap exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. Last year he won from the second position. Two years ago he claimed his first Shootout win from 27th on the grid.  Harvick will try to win his third Bud Shootout in . . . → Read More: Dale Jr. Starts On The Pole For The Bud Shootout]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It doesn’t seem to matter where Harvick starts the 75-lap exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. Last year he won from the second position. Two years ago he claimed his first Shootout win from 27th on the grid.  Harvick will try to win his third Bud Shootout in a row, this time starting from the 18th position.

“That’ll be all right,” Harvick said after unwrapping the No. 18 placard from the Budweiser bottle he chose in the blind qualifying draw Friday night.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the 2003 and ’08 Shootouts, drew the pole for Saturday’s race.

“You knew it, didn’t you?” draw party show host Kenny Wallace asked Earnhardt after the selection.

“I did,” Earnhardt said. “We’re good.”

Three-time Shootout winner Tony Stewart starts from the outside of the front row after drawing the No. 2 position. Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin will line up third and fourth, respectively.

The race will be run in segments of 25 and 50 laps, with a 10-minute break between. Green-flag and caution laps count toward the total.

It’s an eclectic field for the 33rd running of the race that originated as the Busch Clash. Originally, the event was an exhibition for pole winners from the previous season, but when Coors Light took over sponsorship of the Cup pole award from Budweiser, it created a conflict that necessitated a change in eligibility requirements for the Shootout.

NASCAR is still feeling its way through that process, and changes to the eligibility rules this year dramatically altered the composition of the field. All 12 Chase drivers from 2010 qualified, along with past Cup Series champions, past Budweiser Shootout winners, past winners of points races at Daytona, and Cup rookies of the year for the past 10 years.

That last provision punched the tickets of Kasey Kahne, Juan Montoya and Joey Logano, who otherwise wouldn’t have made the field. It also gave entry to Regan Smith and Kevin Conway, neither of whom has won a race in any of NASCAR’s top three series.

With the new surface that was laid down in the off season, it should make for a very fast, wild, and exciting dash for the cash Saturday night!

Here is the starting lineup for the Bud Shootout:

Budweiser Shootout

Starting Lineup

What is your thoughts on this new surface and the 2011 Bud Shootout?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

As the media reported last week, there was a major shakeup, a crew chief swap, a company upheaval, or whatever you would like to call it, at Hendrick Motorsports!

After closer scrutiny, it appears that the way this swap is going to really happen is as follows:

Dale . . . → Read More: How The HMS Crew Chief Swap Really Worked]]>

Photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

As the media reported last week, there was a major shakeup, a crew chief swap, a company upheaval, or whatever you would like to call it, at Hendrick Motorsports!

After closer scrutiny, it appears that the way this swap is going to really happen is as follows:

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the #88, all his sponsors, AMP and the National Guard, etc., are really moving into the #24 shop with all its equipment in tact.  Crew chief Steve Latarte and all the #24 support and race team is staying put in their shop.

Jeff Gordon, the #24 and all his sponsors, are moving over to the #5 shop with Alan Gustafson.  All the #5  support and race team staying intact, as well.

Likewise, Mark Martin, the #5 and all his associated sponsors will move over to the #88 shop with all the #88 support and race team in tact, as well.

So in the final analysis, the real movement in all this crew swap upheaval at Hendrick is that the three drivers affected are shifting to new race shops/buildings within the organization.  Those particular race teams are changing paint schemes and numbers to reflect their new driver’s sponsors and affiliations.

That, my friends, in a nutshell is the final analysis of “The Great Shakeup AT HMS”!

And as Paul Harvey used to say,”now you know the rest of the story”

What is your take on the “New Hendrick Motorsports” lineup?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDENCK!

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

In a Wednesday morning teleconference with the media, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick reiterated that the massive changes going on at his race shop, Hendrick Motorsports, are the results of his belief that people on his team “had gotten complacent”.  He said that since his announcement of . . . → Read More: More From Hendrick On The Major Shakeup]]>

(photo courtesy Jason Smith/Getty Images)

In a Wednesday morning teleconference with the media, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick reiterated that the massive changes going on at his race shop, Hendrick Motorsports, are the results of his belief that people on his team “had gotten complacent”.  He said that since his announcement of the change of crew chiefs in three of the four race teams that his organization fields in the Sprint Cup level, there is a “new energy” in the entire organization.

Hendrick announced the changes, the planning for which began after the race at Texas Motor Speedway three weeks ago, on Tuesday. The only team not affected is that of Jimmie Johnson, who won his fifth straight championship last weekend.

The biggest changes involved the movement of three of his four crew chiefs. Those changes see Steve Letarte moving from the car of Jeff Gordon to the car of Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Lance McGrew going from the car of Earnhardt to that of Mark Martin; and Alan Gustafson going from Martin to Gordon.

Hendrick said that he is still looking at changing over-the-wall people up but that “is a work in progress”.

“Significant changes need to be made for sure” on the pit crews, Hendrick said.  He said that no people in the race shops will be moved around.

Hendrick said that the decision to make the moves was his and, “It’s not one of those things that you can vote on.”

“We all needed something to get excited about,” Hendrick said, “a new challenge.”

Hendrick denied media assertions made in the hours since the changes were announced that the situation of Earnhardt was the major emphasis. Instead, he said, it was to “pair people up that I thought would be good together.”

He did say that the failure of Earnhardt to perform at consistently high levels, Earnhardt has won just one points race since joining HMS for the 2008 season, has been frustrating to Hendrick.

“I have never had as much pressure” as when Earnhardt joined the team,” Hendrick said. “I knew when I brought him on the world would be watching.”

Hendrick said he thinks Letarte, who has been with Gordon since 2006, is a perfect match with Earnhardt.

“He,” Hendrick said of Letarte, “has tremendous people skills. He is a leader and is a no-nonsense guy when he come to the race but he has the ability to make people feel comfortable and at the same time get the job done. With the kind of season Junior’s had, Stevie will be a perfect fit for him.”

While no votes were taken at HMS about the moves, Hendrick did say that Gordon signed off on the move to make Gustafson his crew chief.

And, he said the problems which Gordon had during this year’s Chase were not the fault of Letarte.

“Toward the end, we had all kind of problems. I feel like this is exactly what they need and that is why we did it now. We don’t have a lot of down time but there is enough time for them to work some together and get comfortable with each other.”

It looks like this major shift in three of the four race teams at HMS could be a win-win situation for all three race teams.

What is your take on this upheaval at HMS?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!