When I originally started blogging a few years ago, I swore that I was going to remain focused on the smaller series that don’t usually get the amount of press coverage that NASCAR’s main series receives.  Sadly, if you have followed this blog much at all, you know this has not been the case.

Starting next year, I’ll be returning the focus of the blog back to some of the lesser known series.  Look for more content on ARCA, ASA and the USAR Hooters Pro Cup.  Now, you’ll still see some content from NASCAR but probably not very much from the main series.  Look for more on the Truck Series and, some on the Nationwide series.

As this season winds down, and I think about next year’s goals, one thing I’d like to get growing next year is the racingfaces forums.  If you are associated with one of the lesser known series or shoot, if you like a driver in the Sprint Cup that doesn’t get a lot of press even, let me know and we’ll create a forum for that topic.  The only thing I ask in return is that you become a moderator of that particular forum and help manage it.

I have valued my readers over the past few years and hope that you will continue reading as we rededicate the blog to it’s original intention.

jc

I’ve been waiting for Tony Stewart to win just to see if I was correct and, as it turns out, I was.  Since my original theory has been somewhat validated, I’ll share it.  First of all, some history.  Back in 2002, I believe, Tony Stewart was accused of hitting a photographer and shoving a fan after a race.  These were two separate incidents, the first of which landed him on probation with NASCAR for the rest of the year.  That was also the year he earned his first championship. 

Reportedly Tony also attended anger management sessions and, for a great while seamed genuinely changed.  I was timid about accepting this change, however, but in 2005, who could help themselves.  Here was “nice” Tony, coming from a non-eventful start of the season to begin winning everything.  Best part, after the wins, he’d climb the fence “for the fans”.  As you probably know, Tony went on to grab his second championship that year.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, Tony emerged as the “elder statesman” commenting on camera about the dangers of “bump drafting” stating that someone was going to get killed.  Over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Tony sometime seemed mildly annoyed at the media during interviews.  Along comes the 2008 season and, Katie, bar the door.  Tony’s in a Toyota and seems flat out pissed off whenever he’s on camera.  That is except when he’s talking about Stewart-Haas racing.  Now, I don’t understand that because just about everyone else, including his teammates has done very well in Toyota’s this year.  During interviews, he is rough on the media to the point of damn near calling them idiots.  Old Tony is back.

Well, after his win in Talladega last Sunday, he was back to being nice Tony in the post-race interviews.  Now, I don’t want to ding the guy too bad but after the two “big ones” no true competition was left to mount a challenge for the win.  Granted, they all count when they’re in the W column but who else was there to win?

The reason I point this out is, over the history of NASCAR, there have been some true “Class Acts” when it comes to drivers.  The one that comes to my mind first is the King, Richard Petty.  No matter how he run, he always seemed to have a smile and a good word.  Most recently, Carl Edwards seems to subscribe to the same philosophy. 

Fans are the lifeblood of these drivers.  A good bit of their income comes from merchandise and endorsements.  Positive public perception among the fans is paramount to doing well in both.  No one wants to buy merchandise from an asshole and, who wants to buy a product from a company that has a jerk for a pitchman?  Tony really needs to figure this out fast, especially since he’s formed his own team. 

What do you think?  Do you like the nice or the mean Tony or do you even care?

Since the passing of Dale Earnhardt and the departure of Dale Earnhardt Jr., I have slipped from being a fan of DEI, well, to being a “hater”.  Don’t get me wrong, during the early part of the decade, when Dale’s influence was still being felt, I loved DEI.  They could do no wrong.  Dale had the incredible vision to see how good a little known driver named Michael Waltrip could be and, his son, Jr., was driving Ralph Earnhardt’s old number 8.  And both were strong drivers!  Especially on the restrictor plate tracks.

As we moved further into the decade and farther away from Dale Sr’s death, DEI started to appear like it was falling apart.  DEI went from a team that was able to grab several wins a year to a team that, since 2005, has only had one win per year.  Worse part is they are winless this year.  The last win they nailed was Martin Truex, Jr. in the Spring Dover race, over a year ago.

I, like many, was utterly in shock when Dale Earnhardt. Jr. announced last year that he was leaving DEI and going to Hendrick Motorsports.  Shoot, this was where Jeff Gordon was and as we old school fans remember, he’s the “candy ass” from California.  DEI, namely, Teresa Earnhardt, had refused to give up an ownership stake in DEI, DALE EARNHARDT INC to DALE EARNHARDT JR.  This was absolutely ridiculous to me.  As a father, I can only imagine that Dale Sr. probably thought that one day he’d be doing some type of ownership stake to his children.  The fact that this was being refused was very disheartening.  In my mind, I envisioned Teresa Earnhardt as Cruella de Vil.

Now, I have a funny, somewhat related story to pass along.  Michael Waltrip was addressing the group for Media day this year and told of how he was informed about his leaving DEI: “At Dover in June, Dale Jr. said that I wasn’t a part of that teams long-term plan. Evidently, he didn’t know he wasn’t either.”

So, here we are, DEI has started slipping since the death of Dale Sr., they’ve canned Michael Waltrip and lost Dale Jr.  Teresa looks like the wicked stepmother.  Things can’t get any worse, or can they?

Paul Menard announced that he would be leaving DEI and heading to Yates Racing in 2009.  Now, on the surface, this doesn’t sound horrible but, with Paul Menard goes Menard’s sponsor, oldly enough, “Menards”.  So, we’ve now lost a major sponsor.  But, it’s still not that bad…  Or is it?  US Army has announced that DEI is out.  This leaves only Bass Pro Shops as a major sponsor on Truex’s car.  So, unless sponsorship is found, DEI may be a one-car team next year.

I’m a betting about now, Teresa is wishing she could have a do-over.  Is it better to own 49% of a winning team with the most popular driver in NASCAR at the helm or 100% of a team that is swirling the bowl waiting for the flush to finish? 

And, along those lines, I need a do-over also.  Dale Jr.’s joining Hendrick was a good thing.  He seems fairly happy and he’s running pretty good also.  Plus, as I’ve mentioned before, Kyle’s getting the Hendrick boot to make room for Jr. is one of the things that I bet lit a fire in his belly.  Both of those have made for a fairly good season.