(photo courtesy Kyle Busch Motorsports)

Kyle Busch has learned from the mistakes he made last season and he is ready to make a fresh go of it in 2012. Busch said during Monday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Tour he knows he can’t continue to . . . → Read More: The New Kyle Busch?]]>

(photo courtesy Kyle Busch Motorsports)

The 2012 version of “The New Kyle Busch”

Kyle Busch has learned from the mistakes he made last season and he is ready to make a fresh go of it in 2012. Busch said during Monday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Tour he knows he can’t continue to display the kinds of emotional actions that led to so much controversy, and one might add, much more trouble last year.  Therein lies the reason for the 2012 version of the old version of “The New Kyle Busch”!

“I’ve got fans all the time that tell me they don’t want to see me change,” Busch said. “I’ve tried to keep that, but ultimately, it’s not going to work. If you keep getting in trouble, you’re not going to be here very long. I’m trying to change something.”

Although Joe Gibbs Racing management hasn’t officially commented on Busch’s limited Nationwide Series schedule this season, which will see time spent in both a Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, as well as a JGR ride, but no truck series starts, it is speculated sponsor M&M’s also had a say in the decision. Busch insists he has support from his race team, sponsors and most importantly his family and friends that have helped him work through the situation and concentrate on moving ahead in his life both professionally and personally.

Are we ready for the Busch brothers teamed together?

Ol Kylie will team with his brother “Potty Mouth” Kurt at KBM this year in the Nationwide Series. “I was feeling pretty good about our ownership chances in Nationwide, that’s going to be hard to beat,” J.D. Gibbs said about the Busch brothers pairing.” Joe Gibbs said he wasn’t in the discussions of Kyle racing for his own team. “I will say that I was not in that meeting or we would not be doing this,” Gibbs said. “These two (Busch and J.D. Gibbs) got together and somehow we are now racing against him.”

As for the day when KBM might be elevated to a Sprint Cup operation, Busch sees it down the road because of all the current complications associated with such a move. “That’s obviously something I look forward to doing,” Busch said. “The Cup side is kind of difficult just due to the constrictions that NASCAR puts on all of us with me driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Essentially I could have one team, but if JGR ever went to four teams I would have to shut mine down so that makes it tough.”

As long as ol Kylie drives for JGR, or for that matter any Sprint Cup team, bringing KBM to the Sprint Cup level would count against his owner towards the maximum of four race teams.  Thereby, complicating the issue of elevating KBM to the Sprint Cup level while still driving for another race team.

Backed themselves into a corner

So for you die-hard Kylie fans who love “the bad boy image” of Kyle Busch, think about what just happened to his role model, big brother Kurt!  Big brother was summarily fired from his second race team!  Kurt did find employment with Phoenix Racing for 2012, not exactly a Roush-Fenway Racing or a Penske Racing caliber team.

It is my opinion that the Busch brothers are very edgy with their “us against the world”mentality.  That attitude has caused both brothers some problems with their car owners and sponsors.  Witness what happened to Kurt at the end of 2011, proof positive of the Busch attitude being problematic!  Additionally, the JGR/M&M’s difficulty, M&M’s removing sponsorship from Kyle for the last two races of 2011, only goes to fortify the thought that “the bad boy” image can only go so far before that attitude categorizes you as a persona non grata in the sport!

What are your thoughts on the teaming of the Busch brothers at Kyle Busch Motorsports?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

(WOMR file photo)

In 2011 six different race teams placed drivers into the Chase.  However, no other race organization was as disappointed in their season as the Joe Gibbs Racing teams.  JGR has won three Sprint Cup championships since the 2000 race season, and . . . → Read More: Joe Gibbs Racing: A Challenging 2012?]]>

Hamlin returning to the garage area @ Phoenix

(WOMR file photo)

In 2011 six different race teams placed drivers into the Chase.  However, no other race organization was as disappointed in their season as the Joe Gibbs Racing teams.  JGR has won three Sprint Cup championships since the 2000 race season, and has been extremely competitive in all those years.  However, no other team will be under such close scrutiny in the beginning of the  2012 season, as it looks to regain its championship luster of old, either.

In 2011 Joe Gibbs Racing won just a total of four (4)  races!  That is the lowest total of victories since 2007 for JGR.  The JGR slide from dominance was evident in the final results of the 2011 season showing that Denny Hamlin and Kyle Bush finishing ninth and twelfth respectively.  Meanwhile, Joey Logano, aka “Sliced Bread”, finished a very disappointing twenty-fourth in points!  It appears that the nickname, “sliced bread”, might need to be changed to something more appropriate for Logano!  After all, he is not taking the Sprint Cup by storm, as previously anticipated.
On track, the JGR squad lacked the performance is showed in 2010, when Hamlin nearly won the championship. On top of that, there were myriad issues that caused the team problems: Getting caught with “unapproved” oil pans at Michigan designed to give the cars a lower center of gravity in the front end; a stunning 16 engine failures in practice, qualifying and races; and, of course, the Kyle Busch Texas debacle, where he was parked for the weekend after deliberately wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. under caution in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

Since the 2011 season ended, there have been a multitude of changes that have happened at Joe Gibbs Racing.

Greg Zipadelli, who had been crew chief of the  #20 JGR Cup car since Tony Stewart was a rookie in 1999, left to rejoin Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing. Zipadelli will be replaced by Jason Ratcliff, who won two championships as a crew chief in JGR’s NASCAR Nationwide Series operation.

Mike Ford, the only crew chief Hamlin had since he was a rookie in 2006, was released after the season and replaced by Darian Grubb, who led Stewart to the 2011 Cup championship.

JGR is discontinuing building its own engines, and for 2012 will receive ones built by TRD, U.S.A., Toyota’s racing arm in America. TRD also provides engines for Michael Waltrip Racing and other Toyota teams.

As for the mercurial, sharped tongued, and at times a very loose cannon, ol Kylie Busch, 2012 will be a pivotal season. On Jan. 19, he will announce the driver and car lineup for his Kyle Busch Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series team. After the Texas incident, Busch is expected to greatly scale back his driving in the Nationwide and Truck Series, with Jason Leffler rumored to be driving the #18 KBM truck.

Even though there are many questions ahead this season for JGR as a whole, Hamlin is optimistic about returning to championship contention after a year in which he struggled badly with his self-confidence.

As for Busch, he’s yet to finish higher than eighth in points since joining JGR in 2008 and only one of his 23 career Sprint Cup victories has come in a Chase race, and that was back in his rookie season of 2005.

One additional challenge for JGR is institutional knowledge: With the demise of Red Bull, JGR and Michael Waltrip Racing are the only two multi-car Toyota teams realistically capable of winning at this point.  Therefore, there are less race teams with which to compare notes and ideas.  The net results is less data and information, which equates to less total racing knowledge each race weekend.

So as you can see, JGR has their work cut out for them, with new crew chiefs in place, a new race engine program, and some confidence issues within the driver corps.  It will be quite interesting to see if JGR can work its magic from within the organization to return the teams to its former winning swagger.

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

It has just been confirmed by Joe Gibbs Racing that they have given Greg Zipadelli his unconditional release!  Those rumors had been flowing throughout the garage area in the final races of the Chase this year.  The release from Joe Gibbs Racing paves the way for Zippy to . . . → Read More: Greg Zipadelli New SHR Director of Competition]]>

(WOMR file photo)

Breaking News:

It has just been confirmed by Joe Gibbs Racing that they have given Greg Zipadelli his unconditional release!  Those rumors had been flowing throughout the garage area in the final races of the Chase this year.  The release from Joe Gibbs Racing paves the way for Zippy to be hired, and announced later today at Stewart-Haas Racing, as the new director of competition.  This reprises the very successful relationship that Tony and Greg had for ten years at Joe Gibbs Racing, where they combined for two Sprint Cup championships.  Granted, Zippy will not be in the capacity of crew chief for Stewart, nevertheless, Zipadelli will actually have a greater influence company-wide in his capacity of the director of competition for SHR.

Additionally, the garage word is that Zipadelli will be Danica Patrick’s crew chief, at least for the 2012 Daytona 500!

In the wake of this monumental shake-up at Joe Gibbs Racing, it is reported that Jason Ratcliff, the crew chief on the JGR #18 Nationwide team, will be announced later today as the replacement for Zipadelli, as the new crew chief on the JGR #20 Home Depot Toyota driven by Joey Logano.

To the average race fan, these transactions could almost resemble a multi team, multi-player trade in the NFL, MLB, or the NBA.  Now check this idea out!

Darian Grubb is terminated from SHR and lands a job at JGR as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief.  Greg Zipadelli works to secure a release from his contract so that he can take the job of SHR director of competition.    All the while, Steve Addington had his fill of Kurt Busch and his vile rants, resigns from Penske Racing, and gains employment at SHR as Stewart’s new crew chief on the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy.

With these two “new hires”, Addington and Zipadelli, is Stewart-Haas Racing now the new Joe Gibbs Racing?

So far it has worked out for everyone except Kurt Busch.  It seems that KuBu is still working with a sports psychologist, trying to harness his anger and direct it towards more positive results, and all the while desperately looking for some kind of gainful employment for the 2012 race season!  There are rumors of a possible hook-up with Richard Petty Motorsports for Kurt.

This off-season is anything but OFF!

Stay tuned for more of “the silly season”!

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

(WOMR file photo)

It didn’t take too long for Darian Grubb to find new employment.  The new employer is the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEx Toyota racing team.  It was announced that Grubb has been hired to replace Mike Ford as Denny Hamlin’s new crew chief for the 2012 race season.

“Darian . . . → Read More: Darian Grubb Lands With Joe Gibbs Racing]]>

(WOMR file photo)

It didn’t take too long for Darian Grubb to find new employment.  The new employer is the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEx Toyota racing team.  It was announced that Grubb has been hired to replace Mike Ford as Denny Hamlin’s new crew chief for the 2012 race season.

“Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our #11 FedEx team,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Obviously he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship and we are excited to have him working with Denny toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

Grubb is coming off a remarkably impressive championship run with driver Tony Stewart at Stewart-Haas Racing.  That championships run included winning five of the 10 Chase races en route to capturing the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. He spent the past three seasons as crew chief for Stewart on the Stewart-Haas Racing #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy.  Prior to joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb spent six years with Hendrick Motorsports, rising through the organization’s engineering ranks, and gaining invaluable crew chief experience.

“I’m thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Grubb. “The chance to work with Denny is something I’m excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs you can’t help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here and I’m looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization.”

So it appears that after being summarily dismissed by SHR prior to beginning the Chase, and guiding Tony Stewart to 5 victories out of the 10 during the Chase, Darian Grubb has landed on his feet, and secured a job at another premier race team in NASCAR!

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

(WOMR file photo)

This is the first of a series of articles reflecting upon the 2011 NASCAR season.

It has been a few years since there was such a contentious relationship between a driver and the media.  The last time that a driver and members of the media had a difficult relationship . . . → Read More: NASCAR, Drivers, And The Media]]>

(WOMR file photo)

This is the first of a series of articles reflecting upon the 2011 NASCAR season.

It has been a few years since there was such a contentious relationship between a driver and the media.  The last time that a driver and members of the media had a difficult relationship was the infamous problem that occurred between the current Sprint Cup, Tony Stewart and a photo-journalist.

Stewart got physical, shoving the journalist, breaking some of his equipment, and causing a big stir!  NASCAR responded by requiring Stewart to attend “anger management” classes.  Stewart’s sponsor, Home Depot, got involved in the situation, as well, and fined Stewart $50,000 for his “anger outbreak”!  Additionally, Home depot required Tony Stewart to attend anger management classes to try to come to gripes with his temper.  That was the first time in NASCAR history that a sponsor had fined its own driver for “bad behavior”!

That incident embarrassed Stewart, his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, as well as his sponsor, Home Depot.

This year there has been a never-ending tale of verbal abuse, “mouth cancer”, that Kurt Busch has spewed over the radios aimed at his crew chief, pit crew team, and even to his owner, Roger Penske.  The KuBu hostilities erupted most recently at the season’s closing race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.  ESPN’s pit reported, Dr. Jerry Punch was on the receiving end of Kurt’s F-bombs, additional profanities, and one big M-F bomb lobed as in-coming to Punch while waiting to be interviewed!

Both Kurt Busch and his employer, Penske Racing, have been very busy this year issuing apology after apology for Kurt’s tirades.  However, issuing apology after apology for the same bad behavior starts to get very old, and is starting to fall on deaf ears.  Busch’s boss, Roger Penske, is the ultimate class act in racing, and in business as well, and you can bet he is starting to get tired of this repetitive bad behavior that he is having to deal with from KuBu.

Meanwhile, Kurt’s kid brother Kyle the shrub, was suspended by NASCAR for a race weekend because of his actions on the track.  His Sprint Cup car ran its final two races without primary sponsor M&M’s.  The company opted out because of Kyle’s behavior.  When a sponsor does that, it’s the ultimate warning signal to a race team!

The Busch brothers are extremely talented and when they can control their temper they’re pleasant company.  But I’m tired of excuses for their blowups – that they’re fiery, intense and competitive.  That kind of excuse doesn’t really cut it at this level of competition.  All the drivers are intense and competitive, or they wouldn’t have made it this far in their career!

No driver was more intense, fiery, and  competitive and Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, and ol DW, Darrell Waltrip.  Nevertheless, these greats were never embroiled in such confrontations with reporters.

Sure, dealing with the media can be a pain in the you-know-what.  It’s often inconvenient, the questions get tiresome and drivers aren’t always in a chatty mood.  But it’s part of the job!  Without media coverage no sport, pro or amateur, can survive.  That’s particularly true in a sponsor-driven sport like NASCAR.  Companies don’t spend millions of dollars to advertise their product on a race car because the board members like the smell of burning rubber.  They do it for the exposure.  When that exposure turns sour and negative, sponsors become uncomfortable.

Back in the ’70s, when big sponsor money first began to pour into NASCAR, drivers understood that part of their job was to help promote the sport and its sponsors.  That meant cooperating with the media, which was just starting to seriously cover stock car racing.  The more exposure the sport received, the more sponsors wanted to be part of it, and the more sponsors, the more money for teams and drivers.

Drivers back then were smart enough to understand it. I’m not sure about some of today’s young hot-shots.  Back then the drivers, owners, and sponsors were all singing “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore” in perfect harmony!

These days, I’m always amused when I hear a driver say that all he wants to do is drive his race car and be left alone. Fine. He’s free to go out and race at any of hundreds of obscure little dirt bowls around the country.  He’ll be left alone, and also left without a pay check!  If he wants to play in the big leagues, there are certain big-league obligations that come along with the job.

Some drivers are like other celebrities, they want to bask in the fame and attention when it’s convenient, and turn it off when it’s not.  They don’t want to be “bothered,” or have to do anything they don’t want to do, like deal with the meddlesome media.  Read the last sentence of the previous paragraph!

Maligned as it sometimes is, media coverage is the life’s-blood of the sport.

Roger Penske, Joe Gibbs, as well as other team owners with problem children understand that.  In the wake of this season’s embarrassments, you can bet that they’ll remind their drivers about where their paychecks come from.

What are your views?

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

(WOMR file photo)

Mars, Inc., has disassociated itself from NASCAR driver Kyle Busch for the remaining two Sprint Cup Series races of the 2011 season, removing the paint scheme of primary sponsor M&M’S from the Joe Gibbs Racing M&M’s #18 Toyota Camry until 2012!  The decision by Mars, Inc. to disassociate . . . → Read More: Mars, Inc. “Parks” Kyle]]>

(WOMR file photo)

Mars, Inc., has disassociated itself from NASCAR driver Kyle Busch for the remaining two Sprint Cup Series races of the 2011 season, removing the paint scheme of primary sponsor M&M’S from the Joe Gibbs Racing M&M’s #18 Toyota Camry until 2012!  The decision by Mars, Inc. to disassociate the company from Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing until the 2012 season.

This is the latest fallout from Kyle’s temper tantrum, deliberate crashing of Ron Hornaday last weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway. For those of you who may have forgotten, or failed to see the replay, check out this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tVWHGTA2xY

Mars, Inc. made a decision to withdraw its sponsorship on the  JGR #18 Toyota for the final two races of the 2011 season.  However, Mars, Inc. noted that the M&M’s paint scheme will once again adorn the JGR #18 Toyota in 2012, with one caveat!   A Mars official said Busch will be the driver, “with the expectation that no future incident” takes place.

“We strongly support Mars’ decision,” team-owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement issued Thursday evening from Avondale, Ariz., site of Sunday’s Chase for the Sprint Cup Race No. 9 at Phoenix International Raceway. “This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of.”

Interstate Batteries will step up to the plate and sponsor Kyle and the JGR #18 Toyota for the final two races of the year.  CEO Norm Miller of Interstate Batteries has been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing since the beginning of JGR, and ultimately has become a personal friend of the Gibbs family.

JGR and Kyle Busch are set to address this sponsorship situation in a press conference from Phoenix International Raceway Friday morning at 9:30 am (MST).

Mars, Inc., announced the decision via a release issued from Hackettstown, N.J., Thursday evening.

“As a proud member of the racing community, Mars and the M&M’S® brand strongly support the partnership we have with Joe Gibbs Racing and are committed to NASCAR,” said Debra A. Sandler, chief consumer officer, Mars Chocolate North America. “Yet, Kyle’s recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars. While we do not condone Kyle’s recent actions, we do believe that he has shown remorse and has expressed a desire to change. We believe our decision will have a positive impact on Kyle and will help him return next season ready to win.”

It has become very obvious that corporate America takes extremely seriously the image that it’s spokesman represents.  The primary sponsors in NASCAR write a huge checks, in the neighborhood of $15-20 million dollars annually, to have their images/colors prominently displayed on the race car.  In exchange, corporate America is expecting a good return commensurate with their investment.  Likewise, those NASCAR drivers are now representing their corporate partners, both on and off the race track.

With that thought in mind, Mars, Inc. felt that it was in their best interest to remove their colors from Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota for the remaining races of this season.  Mars, Inc., in essence, parked Kyle by removing financial support for the remaining races of 2011.

What are your thoughts?

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

(WOMR file photo)

Before I get into a deatiled discussion of the Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday crashfest Friday night at the Texas Motor Speedway, I would like to take you on a short refresher course in the emergence of NASCAR to the world back in February 1979.  Rather than describing the . . . → Read More: Kyle Busch Fallout?]]>

(WOMR file photo)

NASCAR 101

Before I get into a deatiled discussion of the Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday crashfest Friday night at the Texas Motor
Speedway, I would like to take you on a short refresher course in the emergence of NASCAR to the world back in February 1979.  Rather than describing the event, watch this short video of that incident which introduced the world to the “good old boy world” of NASCAR?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXbHQtZH8dE

Now that you have had a quick historical refresher of NASCAR 101, let’s review and discuss the events of Friday night at the Texas Motor Speedway.

After reading many articles this weekend, listening to the “talking heads”, and re-watching the video regarding the Kyle Busch/Ron Hornaday Camping World Truck race crash on lap 13, there are many questions that need answering.  Likewise, there are many implications and ramifications that extend farther than just Kyle Busch and Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Just a quick recap of the events of Friday night

The Kyle Busch loose-your-temper-stuff-your-competitor-head-first-into-the-retaining-wall-under-yellow-flag-conditions recap, is as follows.  Ron Hornaday and Kyle Busch were racing for second position when they encountered the slower #07 truck of Johnny Chapman, running down in the lower groove.  Hornaday got to Chapman first, moved to the right slightly to avoid hitting Chapman.  Hornaday did not quite get clear of the slower truck, however so lightly brushed Chapman’s right side.  That contact loosened up Hornaday’s truck, thereby sending Hornaday’s truck up the track slightly into Busch’s truck.  The Hornaday/Busch contact was very slight, with very limited damage to either truck.  Nevertheless, both Hornaday and Busch lightly grazed the outside retaining wall.  That incident brought out the first yellow flag of the race.

What happened under the yellow flag is what became the huge issue of Friday night!  As all the trucks were slowing to obey the yellow flag conditions, ol Kylie with a major chapped rectum, sped up, got on Hornaday’s rear bumper, mashed the accelerator to the mat.  Busch really worked the rear of Hornaday’s truck over until Busch was able to stick Hornaday, nose first, into the outside retaining wall, at about 150 MPH!

Here is the video of that event:

NOTE: Listen to Busch’s spotter pleading to him not to do what he was about to do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tVWHGTA2xY

As a results of this incident Friday night, NASCAR made the decision to “park” Kyle Busch for the entire weekend.  After viewing the video you could easily see that NASCAR had really no choice in their decision.  NASCAR had to regain control of a situation that quickly escalated totally out of control!

NASCAR’s parking of Kyle Busch for the weekend has far-reaching implications and ramifications that encompass more than just Kyle Busch Motorsports.  Therefore, I will try to list some of the fallout that this event has stirred up!

Kyle Busch Motorsports

How is Traxxas, Toyota, M&M’s, Dollar General Store, as well as the other associate sponsors, looking at this incident and viewing its repercussions?  What effect is this event going to have on sponsorship dollars for KBM?  What effect does Friday night have on all Kyle Busch Motorsports employees.  There is one torn up race truck that had the capability of winning the race Friday night, in fact, it is probably junk because of a lost temper of its owner/driver!

Truck Series driver relationships

After this event Friday night, it would seem logical that most of the drivers in the garage area for this racing series has taken a very negative approach to Kyle Busch.  Ol Kylie has lost quite a bit of the respect that he once had amongst the driver core.  One could say that Kyle Busch has taken on the form of cancer in the Camping World Truck garage!

Joe Gibbs Racing

Now we are getting into the real meat of the issue.  Kyle’s real paycheck comes from his “day job” at Joe Gibbs Racing!  His truck racing at his own company, Kyle Busch Motorsports, is really for the fun of racing.  Even though the Camping World Series is separate, and different from his job at JGR, they are and will be forever intertwined, as long as Busch races in this series.  As was in this case, a sanction in one series will almost always be a sanction in all series!

As I mentioned above, Kyle’s “bread and butter” comes from JGR, and because Busch is the corporate image in NASCAR  for his JGR sponsors, that event has to be explained to all who have money invested in the JGR #18 Toyota.  Therefore, by Saturday morning both Joe and J.D. Gibbs, more than likely, had set their phones on fire from all the “splainin” that the two were having to do with their sponsors!

And this breaking news

Earlier Sunday, the sponsor of Busch’s Cup team, M&M’s, posted the following statement on its Facebook page in response to comments being left by readers:

“The recent actions by Kyle Busch are not consistent with the values of M&M’s and we’re very disappointed. Like you, we hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard and we have expressed our concerns directly to Joe Gibbs Racing.”

The M&M’s response is just one of the sponsors for the JGR #18 Toyota.  In light of the M&M’s released response, one could only assume that the other sponsors, both primary and associate, of that race team are inquiring and responding to JGR in a like manner.  It is not a good time to be either Joe or J.D. Gibbs, with all the damage control that has obviously been going on this weekend.

The Camping World, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup Series

How will all three elite series drivers relate to Kyle after this latest loss of temper and overtly aggressive behavior?  It would appear that Kyle now has lost most, if not all, of the respect that he might have garnered over his racing career in these series.  There is no doubt that Kyle Busch is an extremely talented race car driver, however, the litany of bad behaviors that have come to light over his short career in NASCAR may now have him under extreme scrutiny in the foreseeable future.

Additional penalties from NASCAR

NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for his actions during the Nov. 4 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2011 NASCAR Rule Book.  On Monday, the parking directive was lifted by NASCAR. In issuing Monday’s penalty, NASCAR went on to say that “if during the remaining NASCAR events in 2011 there is another action by the competitor that is deemed by NASCAR officials as detrimental to stock car racing or to NASCAR, or is disruptive to the orderly conduct of an event, the competitor will be suspended indefinitely from NASCAR.”

I am reasonably sure that there are more issues to cover relating to this past weekend’s headline event.  However, I reserve those issues to another post shortly.

What we have witnessed this weekend is that in NASCAR, just as in life, there are always wide-spread ramifications to our actions.  There are many more people affected by our decisions and choices in life than just ourselves!

What are your views on the past weekend in Texas?

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

(photo courtesy Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Joe Gibbs Racing president, J.D.Gibbs, doesn’t want to change Denny Hamlin, he just would like very much for the driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota to be a little smarter and use better judgement when expressing his views on controversial topics!

Race car drivers are not known . . . → Read More: JGR Prez Wants Hamlin To Zip It]]>

(photo courtesy Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

Joe Gibbs Racing president, J.D.Gibbs, doesn’t want to change Denny Hamlin, he just would like very much for the driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota to be a little smarter and use better judgement when expressing his views on controversial topics!

Race car drivers are not known for the tact and diplomacy, rather, they are known for their aggressiveness, determination, and raw emotions.  So therefore, it was not uncommon to have a driver, in this case Denny Hamlin, to ignite and instigate a “garage fire” by opening his mouth before he engaged his brain!

Hamlin created a stir when he criticized Clint Bowyer’s excuse for why his car flunked a follow-up inspection after winning at New Hampshire. Kevin Harvick, Bowyer’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, retaliated against Hamlin during Saturday’s practice and the two Chase drivers most likely talked at length about their heritage, discussed their mother’s profession, and finally exchanged profound and prolific profanities in the garage!

Gibbs spoke with Hamlin about his comments that sparked a weekend full of acrimony.

”I think looking back now, I think, yeah, he wishes he could take back some of that and not make that the issue that it’s become,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs wasn’t worried about tempers flaring Sunday or perhaps down the line as the pressure grows in the title hunt. Gibbs wants to keep the focus on racing, not his driver popping off.

”It’s just distracting. That’s what you don’t want, distractions when you’re in the Chase,” Gibbs said.

However, Hamlin considered the issue over.

”They wanted to voice their displeasure the way they did. That’s fine,” Hamlin said. ”I didn’t see those guys really all day. So everyone I think was focused on their own race. I think there’s too much to lose within this Chase for anyone to really do anything that’s out of the ordinary or make a dumb move. There’s too much at stake for these race teams.”

WOMR wonders, is this issue really over?

Drivers seem to have memories like an elephant!  You might keep an eye out for a Richard Childress driver that has all but been eliminated from the championship, taking his shot at Hamlin in the upcoming weeks.

Do you think that Hamlin may have to extract himself from a pile of crumpled sheet metal in the near future?  If the president of Joe Gibbs Racing has to make a public statement as a veiled apology for Hamlin, it would appear that maybe JGR is very concerned that one of their star drivers may have just painted a bulls eye on his car, and in this case, stomped all over his sexual organ!  What do you think?

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

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It appears that Kevin Harvick has his team mates back.  It also appears that Harvick didn’t take to kindly to Denny Hamlin’s assertion that Harvick’s team mate, Clint Bowyer is a cheater! Additionally, it appears that Harvick didn’t like the accusation from Hamlin that Richard Childress Racing, as . . . → Read More: Harvick Has Team Mate Bowyer’s Back]]>

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

It appears that Kevin Harvick has his team mates back.  It also appears that Harvick didn’t take to kindly to Denny Hamlin’s assertion that Harvick’s team mate, Clint Bowyer is a cheater! Additionally, it appears that Harvick didn’t like the accusation from Hamlin that Richard Childress Racing, as a whole, are cheaters!

The Richard Childress Racing driver, Harvick, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Hamlin, mixed it up both on the track and in the garage area Friday morning.  The mix up resulted in some cosmetic damage to the race cars, and some bruised egos.

The incidents occurred a day after Hamlin called Bowyer, who was penalized by NASCAR after the car he drove last weekend did not pass inspection on Tuesday, and the RCR team cheaters.

Early in a 45-minute practice session, as their cars were building speed on the track, Harvick bumped into the rear of Hamlin’s car, and Hamlin responded with a tap of his own.

Later, in the garage, they exchanged words, and had to be separated by NASCAR Sprint Cup series director John Darby.  After the war of words, neither Hamlin nor Harvick would talk to the slew of reporters, who had gathered in the garage area after the word got out about the confrontation.

Additionally, it was announced Saturday that the appeal for the Bowyer penalty will be heard on Wednesday afternoon.

Would you cover your best friend’s back, your team mate’s back, or your brother’s back?  Did Hamlin call out the wrong dog?  Harvick can be a pit bull!  The RCR boys might be the wrong team to call out for a good old fashion alley fight!

What is your take on the Harvick-Hamlin feud?

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