Pit Pass Radio

As I sit here watching Speed and waiting for the Bristol Cup race to start I am reminded of the time I covered the race there in the spring of ‘06. In the days leading up to the race I had been keeping an eye on the weather for the area since my trip would involve an 8 hour drive. Frozen precipitation was predicted for at least part of the weekend. Snow? No way, I thought. Rain maybe, but not snow.

When I arrived at a friend’s house on Thursday evening we watched the local weather forecasts. It quickly became apparent that snow might, indeed fall during the Bristol weekend.

Friday morning revealed an overcast sky as I made the 20 minute drive over to the track. There was a little rain but nothing much. It was chilly as I interviewed drivers that morning. You might remember that Kevin Harvick had some choice words about Kurt Busch in the media center that morning; something about Kurt’s ears and the fact that he (Busch) would soon embarrass Roger Penske.

Race cars finally got onto the track Friday afternoon, preparing for an afternoon qualifying session. Then it began.

Snow.

It snowed harder and harder until the announcement was made that Cup qualifying would be canceled. The field would be set according to the previous year’s owner points. I left the track wondering if the snow would be a factor in the Busch (now Nationwide) race on Saturday as well as the Cup race on Sunday.

Even the King took cover!

On Saturday morning, I got up and immediately looked outside. Flurries. The snow let up a bit as I made my way to the track. By the time I got into the track the snow had stopped and it looked like the Busch race would be run.

Indeed, the race got underway as scheduled, but early on the clouds began to look ominous. Then, a caution flag…for snow. The cars were brought onto pit road and covered. I was fortunate to be in one of the suites high above the speedway for the race and I was able to witness something I had never seen at a racetrack.

A snowball fight!

Fans began to lob snowballs across the track toward pit road and then, the drivers and crews began to make their own snowballs and throw them back toward the stands! I saw Michael Waltrip himself take part in this odd form of entertainment! It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen at a racetrack!

Eventually the race resumed and Kyle Busch was flagged the winner. Sunday there was a little snow on my truck and some sleet and snow falling as I drove to the track for the main event. Tailgaters were undaunted, though, and I saw some who had there grills set-up. Who cares if it’s freezing?

Another Busch, Kurt, win his first race for Roger Penske in the number 2 car he had taken over from Rusty Wallace. Kurt got out of his car for a post race celebration at the start-finish line. He laid down on the track and began to wave his arms and legs. What?

Snow angels.

It was a weekend I will never forget. I will always be able to say I was there when the snowball fight broke out at Bristol!

The melee at the end of the Centurion Boats at the Glen last Sunday was one of the worst road course wrecks we’ve seen in a long time. Hardly ever do you see an incident at the Glen (or Sonoma) that results in so many mangled race cars. It’s very fortunate that none of the drivers were hurt badly. There have been many opinions out there about the cause of the crash. Jimmy Spencer said on NASCAR Victory Lane that the wreck was clearly Michael McDowell’s fault in the double zero car. Michael Waltrip, owner of the #00 who also has a race review show on Speed, predictably defended his driver.

“David Gilliland just lost his cool there. It happens. He just lost it.” What? Wait, am I missing something? Granted the replays didn’t show everything, and I certainly wasn’t there as Mikey was, but come on. There appeared to be some door banging getting into the final turn there at the Glen (some call it turn 11) and coming off the corner, the #00 of McDowell veered left and drove the #38 of Gilliland hard into the tire barrier. McDowell was able to continue on whereas Gilliland was bounced back onto the racetrack directly in front of oncoming cars at a very narrow section of the track, which was immediately blocked with wrecking cars. Gilliland was pounded very hard several times in the passenger-side door by the likes of Max Papis in the #70, Joe Nemechek in the #78 and others.

Now I know that they are having another tough season and things are not looking great for MWR right now, but please, let’s not turn a blind eye to the obvious. Both drivers said afterwards (after seeing the video in the NASCAR hauler) that the incident was your basic “racing deal”. My opinion is that Gilliland is being generous. He was on the outside of the turn, side-by-side with McDowell, when he was run into the tire barrier. I guarantee if this had been Tony Stewart or Jeff Gordon who had gotten slammed into the wall they would’ve given the rookie, McDowell, an ear full.

Look, we all have our own varied opinions on these things (thank goodness) and I may be totally wrong about this, but I don’t think I am. By the way, it’s very ironic, don’t you think, that McDowell was replaced by Mike Skinner almost immediately after the race…

Oh yeah, that’s been planned for weeks and had nothing to do with the wreck, I know.

My family and I are very happy to be in North Carolina now. While my wife has found a good job here, I am still actively seeking employment in the NASCAR/Broadcasting industry. With the tight economy, I know a lot of companies are not hiring right now, and certainly some are downsizing (see Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates) but I am confident something will open up soon.

If your Charlotte area company is in need of a hard-working radio production type who has 18 + years in broadcasting, please let me know! You can email me here.

Thanks!

I just read David Poole’s observations on thatsracin.com concerning road racing. He relates the fact that he gets criticized because he doesn’t like road course racing very much. I agree with him that NASCAR Racing has built its popularity on ovals and that NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing is far and away the most popular form of auto racing in North America. I wouldn’t have disagreed with Mr. Poole at all five or ten years ago. But, I have to admit, these days I absolutely love me some road course racing. Don’t get me wrong, I have been a fan of the sport for over 30 years and for many of those years didn’t give a flip about road racing. In today’s world of “cookie cutter” mile and a half tracks, though, I relish the road courses as places where the drivers can show another dimension of their incredible talent. I look forward to the unique pit strategies and the way the regulars have to deal with the ringers. It amazes me how certain drivers who have come from oval backgrounds have flourished on road courses. In the late 80’s and early 90’s you pretty much knew who was going to be good on the road courses. Guys like Rudd, Wallace, Labonte and Martin always seemed to do well turning left and right using fancy footwork to keep the rpm’s up in the days before transmissions had straight cut gears. Now there are so many good road racers in the field it is hard to tell they haven’t been doing it for their whole careers. I was shocked in Jeff Gordon’s early days when he seemed to get the hang of road course racing right away. I don’t know why I was shocked, he was (and is) great at everything involving that racecar. Now a guy like Kyle Busch comes along and he looks he just got off the plane from LeMans or Monaco.

I would not mind seeing another road course or two on the schedule, and believe me, it’s hard for me to believe I’m saying that. I definitely think there should be one in the Chase (sorry Mr. Poole). I truly love NASCAR Racing on the road courses and can’t wait for the Centurion Boats at The Glen this weekend.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been racing at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 15 years now. I remember the buzz surrounding that first tire test back in 1992. Several cars took to the track, including #28 Texaco/Havoline Ford of Davey Allison. Sadly, Davey would not get a chance to race at the Brickyard. Ernie Irvan, driving Davey’s car, had a legitimate shot at winning the inaugural Brickyard 400 until he had a tire go down with the checkered flag in sight.

The winners have been varied throughout the years among the sport’s biggest names including Earnhardt, Gordon, Labonte, Rudd as well as Dale Jarrett. Although the racing is not always as competitive as some fans might wish for it to be on the big, flat, four-cornered track, this is always a special place to come to and to soak in the historical significance of what Indy means.

I think it was Al Unser Jr. who, in describing his love for the Speedway, said “You just don’t know what Indy means!” We know it is hallowed ground…whatever types of cars run there. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will always be an Indy car track first. However, NASCAR’s race there has certainly risen to one of the elite motorsports events of the year.

Now, lets see if anyone can stop the Shrubby juggernaut.

Hey…his teammate is pretty good at Indy : )

My wife got the job in NC and we are currently looking for a place to live. We need to be in the area just East of Concord. It is so cool that I am going to be living near the hub of the the NASCAR world. I am currently looking for a job in the industry. We’ll see what happens.

I’m very proud of my wife. She has worked very hard for this and it should be a great next step for her. More updates soon…

With my part-time work at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and a local radio station, my weekends are full. Usually I’m at work when the Cup race is run.  I find myself wishing for rain delays, which would allow me to catch at least a portion of the race (I get off at 5 central). This has been quite a transition for me, as I’m used to being in front of my TV for every race if at all possible (unless I’m at the track!).

Thankfully, my brother gives me text updates…especially on how “our” cars are doing in the race. After such a great run for the 38 at Sonoma, yesterday was pretty pathetic for both the 38 and the 28 at Loudon. Both cars went a lap down early and Gilliland spent much of the day trying to get his lap back. Kvapil and the 28 team evidently missed the setup pretty badly on the flat one-mile oval. I decided that I would just watch the recap on nascar.com rather than my dvr recording of the race. Turns out it was a typically boring race at New Hampshire till the end, kicked off by Jamie McMurray running into the back of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the 88 was trying to get to pit road.

This led to several cars electing to stay out on the track with the rain coming quickly. Most of the contenders chose to pit and lost their ever coveted “track position”. Kurt Busch stayed in front during the final few laps leading up to the red flag for rain, although Robby Gordon, trying to get his lap back, did his best to spin Kurt out.

Eh…ho hum. I guess Michael Waltrip Racing will stay open another week on the “strength” of his 2nd place run. (Write this down…Michael Waltrip Racing will not make it two more years. I believe he will sell his share of the organization and get out. After that, with nobody willing to let him drive for them, he will retire and do TV full time. You heard it here first). I am glad for J.J. Yeley’s 3rd place run. He’s a good guy and they needed that badly.

David Gilliland finished 28th and Travis Kvapil 36th. Not too good. I’m looking forward to Daytona where the Yates cars should be much better.

Time to head back to school. This is the start of the final leg of my (long) college career. I can’t wait till this is all over. My wife is on her way to Charlotte for an interview for her next teaching job. I know she will do great, get hired and we will be one step closer to our new home! I can’t wait to be there.

I have to applaud David Gilliland and the whole FreeCreditReport.com race team for Yates Racing. Starting 31st, the Cully Barraclough led team used great pit strategy and a good racecar to notch David Gilliland’s career best finish, a 2nd, in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“Our strategy was pretty good,” Gilliland explained. “We’ve done a lot of road course testing to try and get our fuel mileage the best we can, and you know, the cautions fell right for us today, too. It put us in a position to be able to run in the top six or seven there, and we were able to stay up there. Our car was good enough to stay up there, which is good. “When you’re back in the back, there’s a lot more stuff that happens and you take more chances coming up through there,” Gilliland went on to say. “Our fuel mileage was good. I was conserving fuel up until we had those last couple cautions and my crew chief just said go ahead and go and give it all you’ve got.”

The 38 team was able to stretch the last two runs to 43 laps each to retain their track position and grab a runner up finish to Kyle Busch. Winning at Infineon is nothing new for Gilly, as he has been racing here for many years in the West Series. He also served as the crew chief for his dad, Butch, as they won races here, close to his hometown of Riverside, California. David survived a few late cautions (during which Cully was telling him to “Save, save save!”, fuel that is). On the final restart, Gilliland held off multiple Sonoma winner Jeff Gordon to claim the 2nd spot. Gordon was impressed with Gilliland’s run:

“I wasn’t around him enough to know what he did most of the race, but there at the end he was definitely impressive,” Gordon said. “He was good on the restarts. He would get in there, and I thought he was going to have something for Kyle there at the end. I think actually if all the speedy-dry hadn’t been on the racetrack, he might have.”

Fans of Yates Racing are hoping that the team will be able to build on the momentum of this terrific run and have a great 2nd half of the season. Travis Kvapil in the Yates number 28 had a decent run, starting 41st and finishing 22nd. Both teams have had really good performance at times this season, and need to continue the success as they continue to court full-time sponsors for both cars.

Wow! Kasey Kahne does it again! It sure looks like Gillette/Evernham Motorsports has found something as Kahne continues to excel in qualifying and in the races. He took the pole at Infineon Raceway yesterday and has been on an incredible roll since the All-Star weekend in Charlotte. Even his teammate, Elliott Sadler is showing improvement, grabbing the 6th spot for tomorrow’s race.

On the other end of the spectrum, Dario Franchitti. Struggling to make the transition from open-wheel cars to stock cars this season, the 2007 IRL and Indy 500 champ failed to make the field for the race on Sunday. This is the same track at which he dominated, led the most laps, and won last season in an IRL car. With this year’s unification (finally) between IRL and Champ Car (CART, whatever), Dario might be wishing he had stayed put.

The Yates Racing guys qualified in the back (Gilliland 31st, Kvapil 41st). Here’s hoping that they can play the strategy game and get those cars up close to the front. How about the CHP sponsorship on the 28? Is that cool or what?