Today I'm serving up a buffet of NASCAR tidbits regarding last week's version of NASCAR's musical chairs, seasoned with my own opinions of course.
Appetizer: When asked, "Have you ever left the track thinking your car wasn't drivable (after a wreck) ant it actually still was? Clint Bowyer replied, "Well, I think if you tear your race car up the least you can do is stick around to see if they can fix it." source Motorsport.com
Clint knows where its at, and obviously he thinks Kyle doesn't.
Main Course: Kyle Busch, " I couldn't even drive it into the garage area and went on the radio and said that the car was pretty much done, and there was no conversation so I figured they were just going to work on it an load it up. I was pretty beaten up from two heavy crashes that weekend. I was in the trailer changing my clothes and no one came in and discussed anything with me, went to the motor home and then the airport." This was paraphrased from the video found here.
Right here Kyle is showing something that I think is becoming a greater problem in today's society and not just in NASCAR - not accepting responsibility for his actions or inaction. Hey Kyle, just because no one said something doesn't mean you shouldn't ask. How hard would it have been to see the guys before you left for the airport? Could it have been that the reason no one was talking to you was because they were busting their butts off to get your car back out on the track?
Clint's right, he doesn't get it.
Second Helping: Jeff Gordon was stunned after the race when he learned Earnhardt was in Busch's car.
"I was shocked and surprised that, one, somebody asked him to get in, and that there was even a reason for him to get in," Gordon said. "The other thing is that he agreed to drive. It was very cool, though. That was an awesome thing that he did for a friend and speaks volumes about Junior. The smile on his face getting out of the car said a lot about Junior, too. Obviously surprised." - source: Lee Spencer FoxSports.com
My interpretation of this is - " Why would you ask a major competitor to get into one of our cars? Where the #@$* was Kyle? What? You've got to be kidding! Good thing Jimmie didn't do that or I fire his California Raisin Butt. The smile on Jr's face was because he was obviously surprised that the car ran better wrecked than his DEI car unwrecked."
Belt Loosening Third Helping: "From a competitive standpoint, even though the car's wrecked, it's a good opportunity to get in there and just see what the other half is living like. Not that I can look in there and see what springs and shocks they got, but I could definitely tell about the attitude of the car, the grip that car had and take that information and try to work with it." -source Lee Spencer FoxSports.com
My interpretation of this is - "See the smile on my face? I learned a little bit more than you think I did and you know if things don't work out with DEI I could see myself at Hendrick's place next year - he'll probably give me 51% anyway."
Dessert: "I think Junior knows if he wants to win a title he's going to have to go to a different team. We don't have a spot open, but I'd love to be his teammate. I'd love to see him with a team of our caliber. That would be interesting." Lee Spencer FoxSports.com
What he is really saying is that he'll give up his part ownership in both the 24 and 48 cars to get Junior on his side and convince Rick to get rid of Busch in the process.
Update as of 10:00 am:
Here is a rumour that I just found regarding the Dale Jr contract negotiations:
"The Dale Jr. / DEI contract negotiations continue and the influence of ace negotiator Max Siegel may be bearing success. One contact told me on the down-low that the 51 percent (or majority ownership) that Dale Jr. requires to stay with DEI has essentially been negotiated – agreed to by Teresa Earnhardt. But that she, in turn, is requesting that an independent, impartial review board be set up within DEI that would take into consideration and review any major operational changes that Dale Jr. would want to take place – acting like a board of directors it seems to me, with Dale Jr. basically reporting to it. So far, this has been balked at – but stranger management structures have survived in the business world". - source Glen Grissom Max Chevy Magazine
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images