Working On My Redneck ™ » the black #3

Austin Dillon Wins At Las Vegas

Leon — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 21:08:52 +0000

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

Austin Dillon’s remarkable rookie season rolled on Saturday night as he took the lead with 35 laps to go and went on to win the Smith’s Food and Drug Stores 350 Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This was the second win for the Richard Childress Racing #3 Bass Pro Sports Chevy Silverado Truck team in the 2010 season. This victory was the only bright spot for RCR this week, in light of the huge penalty levied against RCR’s #33 Cheerios Chevy Sprint Cup team after their Louden, N.H. victory last Sunday.

Here is the unofficial results from the Smiths Food and Drug Stores 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday night.

The black #3 is back in the winning column! What are your thoughts of the black #3 back in victory lane?

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

Nationwide New Cars Appear

Leon — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:18:45 +0000

(photo Jeff Gluck/SB Nation)

This weekend the Nationwide Series brings their new generation race cars to the track for their first introductory race of 2010. These new cars will incorporate all of the new safety elements from the Sprint Cup CoT (Car of Tomorrow/Today).

The new Nationwide cars will move the driver a little further to the center of the car, a bigger “greenhouse” (cockpit area), and increase side protection from possible T-bone crashes. The body is wider and the wheelbase has been increased from 105 inches to 110 inches.

Ford, Dodge, Chevy, and Toyota all have their respective versions of the new car on display this weekend racing at Daytona. Ford has badged their new car the Ford Mustang. Dodge has elected to have their Dodge Challenger the name badge for their entry. However, both Toyota and Chevy have kept the Impala and Camry, respectively, as their entries.

The Nationwide officials are very quick to point out that these new rides are not to be confused with the Car of Tomorrow (CoT) moniker bestowed on the Sprint Cup cars a couple of years ago. Could it be that the Nationwide is really using the Car of Yesterday?

This new designed race car is a far departure from the homogenized look for the past decade or two. The only way to decipher a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota in the past was to read the decal on the front or rear bumper. Conversely, these Nationwide cars are designed to resemble the actual lines and the look of that car!

Workingonmyredneck, (WOMR) is very excited to see these new race cars out on the track this afternoon. But of utmost interest, is the first view of the Wrangler #3 Chevy driven for this race by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.! When he first rolls off pit lane in practice this afternoon there will be some old memories conjured up in the race fans’ minds constituting some big smiles, there will be most definitely huge cheers, and quite possibly some tears from some of the die-hard Black #3 fans!

What is your view on the new Nationwide race car?

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

Is There A Change In Dale Jr’s Future?

Leon — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:09:38 +0000

(photo courtesy Leon Hammack)

After the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Rick Hendrick and Richard Childress were joking when they announced that they had formed a joint company in order to put Darrel Waltrip back into a race car. Quite honestly a meeting of those two minds isn’t a bad idea. Childress and Hendrick ought to put their minds together to solve a problem that is clearly growing, that of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports.

It is obvious that the Earnhardt-Hendrick equation has not added up in 2 1/2 years. Junior has only won two races for HMS, the 2008 Bud Shootout and the June 2008 Michigan race.

The shape of thing to come may appear to be nebulous right now, but there may be clues to what the future may hold for Dale,Jr.

Last September Austin Dillon, Richard Childress’ grandson, made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway driving a black # 3 Chevy Silverado. Even though the paint scheme commemorated the 40th anniversary of RCR in NASCAR, it was eerily reminiscent of the black #3 Goodwrench Chevy by Dale Earnhardt,Sr. The bottom line is that the black #3 was back on the race track in one of NASCAR’s elite series.

In late April there was an announcement that Dale,Jr. would drive the #3 Wrangler Chevy in the July Daytona Nationwide race. The paint scheme is a replica of the blue and yellow Wrangler car that Dale,Sr. drove before the Goodwrench sponsorship.

Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhart, Inc., and JR Motorsports are jointly putting this deal together and all have a piece of this action. RCR is the owner of record, Jr Motorsports will build and prepare the car, Hendrick will supply the motors.

If introducing the #3 into the truck and nationwide series was the start, then the next logical step seems obvious. An Earnhardt in the #3 RCR Chevy would solve a litany of impending problems, maybe after an interim move to JR Motorsports for 2011. That would solve the question of Kahne’s ride in 2011.

However, is Hendrick willing to sell his interest in Jr Motorsports? That would be required if JR Motorsports were to have a Sprint Cup team in 2011. Is the Wrangler #3 truly a “one off” deal? Is Childress really interested in making that kind of move? Is Dale,Jr really serious about not moving his Nationwide team up to the Sprint Cup level? Is this a move that Dale,Jr. really would contemplate, moving back into his father’s shadow in the black #3?

What do you think about these scenarios?

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