Bleacher Report - Articles by Tom Giannini

The Silliest Season

Tom Giannini — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:59:31 -0400

2009 will certainly have a different look as many drivers will be sporting their new cars and firesuits. This year's silly season has been one of the most changed-filled in years and offers many drivers a fresh start as they head into 2009.

From Tony Stewart to Casey Mears to Mark Martin, this silly season has included some of the biggest names in the sport and it seemingly has no end in sight.

No. 00, David Reutimann: David Reutimann will be back in the No. 00 car for the 2009 season. Aaron's will be primary sponsor for 18 races and Michael Waltrip Racing is still searching for a sponsor for the remainder of the season. David Reutimann has been getting hot lately and hopes to bring that momentum into the 2009 season.

No. 07, Casey Mears: Casey Mears will be piloting the No. 07 Jack Daniels Chevrolet in 2009 as he looks to light a fire under his career and get it pointed in the right direction. Casey will be in the fifth different car in five years but hopes this is the one to get him to victory lane. He will be replacing Clint Bowyer as Bowyer moves to the No. 33 car, a fellow Richard Childress Racing car.

No. 5, Mark Martin: Mark Martin will join Hendrick Motorsports in 2009 and will try one last time (as of now) to win a Sprint Cup Series Championship. Kellogg's and Car Quest will return as the dual primary sponsors. Mark Martin has ran well with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, putting the car into contention for victories several times this year and with the top notch Hendrick equipment, looks for him to be a legitimate Chase contender next year.

No. 6, David Ragan: UPS has signed on to sponsor Ragan's No.6 in 2009. Ragan, just shy of missing the Chase this year is just the young and up and coming driver UPS needs.

No. 8, Aric Almirola: Aric Almirola will drive the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Chevy full time since the driver he shared the car with, Mark Martin, took a ride up with Hendrick Motorsports. No word on sponsors for this car yet.

No. 10, Reed Sorenson: Recently signing for Gillett Everham Motorsports, Reed Sorenson was chosen to replace Patrick Carpentier in the third Gillette Evernham car. It is not official yet as to what number he will drive but word in the garage is it will most likely be the No. 10 car.

There is no word as to a sponsor yet but Valvoline looks unlikely with their increased support for Roush Fenway Racing. Sorenson has struggled throughout his young career but feels confident that with the right equipment, he will be competitive and Gillette Evernham will provide him with that.

No. 12, David Stremme: David Stremme is making a comeback and he hopes it will be more successful than the last stint he had in the series. Alltel is returning as the primary sponsor for the Penske Dodge. Penske, although with two wins this season, has struggled to run up front all season so look for David to have a rough start in his new ride but in time, he will be competitive, Stremme has shown flashes of greatness and has a lot of potential.

No. 14, Tony Stewart: Probably the biggest story of this silly season this season has Tony Stewart leaving Joe Gibbs Racing to dip his feet into the ownership waters. Stewart, the two-time Spring Cup Series Champion bought into Haas/CNC Racing and became part owner of the newly named Stewart/Haas Racing.

Office Depot and Old Spice have joined Stewart's efforts and will serve as dual primary sponsors. Stewart has chosen the No. 4 in honor of his hero, AJ Foyt. This team will receive Hendrick Motorsports equipment so look for them to at least contend for a Chase spot.

No. 20, Joey Lagano: With Tony Stewart going to drive for his own team, it left this top notch car without a driver and teen driving sensation Joey Lagano promptly filled it.

Lagano will pilot the Home Depot Toyota and hopes to be Rookie of the Year. Lagano has struggled in his first two Sprint Cup Series races and with limited Nationwide experience, although he won in his third career start, look for him to struggle as he gets his career going but in time, he will be a great driver.

No. 24, Jeff Gordon: No changes here as to driver and sponsor but he will have a different paint scheme, something rare for that No. 24 car. Rumors have the paint scheme having a black base.

No. 31, Jeff Burton: No big changes to this team except a change in sponsor. Caterpillar has signed on to be the primary sponsor of the No. 31 Richard Childress car in 2009.

No. 33, Clint Bowyer: Clint Bowyer is a Richard Childress Racing driver for the 2008 season and will be again in 2009, just in a different car. He will be sponsored by General Mills/Cheerios. Richard Childress is weighing in on the idea of merging or buying a car to get the car in the top 35. Look for Clint to run well next year as log as he can qualify—he is currently sitting sixth in points and finished out last year third in points.

No. 39, Ryan Newman: The 2008 Daytona 500 Champion will take to Daytona in Feburary in a Stewart/Haas Chevrolet. No word on how long Newman has signed but it is a multi-year contract. Rumored sponsors have been Burger King and the U.S. Army. Newman chose the No. 39 because his first USAC midget victory came in that number.

No. 41, AJ Allmendinger?: It is still a very fresh rumor but it seems most likely Allmendinger will wind up in Ganassi's No. 41 Dodge.

No. 44, Michael McDowell? Josh Wise?: No word on the driver for this car next year and no sponsor has even been rumored to this car. Reutimann will not return to this car next year as he will be in the #00 car again.

No. 45, Kyle Petty? Chad McCumbee?: As of now, it looks as if Chad McCumbee will drive the No. 45 full time as Kyle Petty makes the move to the tv booth but Kyle has said in the recent past that he wants to run a few more years.

No. 47? No. 59?, Marcos Ambrose: Marcos Ambrose will run for Rookie of the Year in 2009 with Kingsford and Little Debbie's being the sponsors. Marcos has run very well in the Nationwide Series with a win at Watkins Glen.

No. 84, Scott Speed: Along with the recent announcement that AJ Allmendinger will not return to the car in 2009 came an announcement that Scott Speed will run for Rookie of the Year in it in 2009.

No. 96, Brad Coleman: Looks like Coleman will drive the #96 DLP car full time in 2009 unless the deal falls through or he finds another car. JJ Yeley was let go earlier in the year and now Coleman is sharing the car with Ken Schrader and Joey Lagano.

No. 99, Carl Edwards: No big changes but Aflac has signed on to be the primary sponsor in 2009 replacing Office Depot which went with Tony Stewart on his move to ownership.

Nationwide Car of Tomorrow Spotted

Tom Giannini — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:17:55 -0400

After months of waiting and speculation, we finally get our first glimpse at the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow.

The current Nationwide Series car has a 105-inch wheelbase, but this new car will have a 110-inch wheelbase, the same as the current Sprint Cup Series car.

All of the safety advancements integrated in the new Sprint Cup Series car will also be in the Nationwide car, and they have been well received.

Following wrecks such as Michael McDowell's at Texas or Jeff Gordon's at Las Vegas, the new safety advancements have already proven their effectiveness in keeping a driver safe.

The biggest difference from the Sprint Cup Series car is the body, and the fact there is no wing but a spoiler. The splitter in the front has carried over but looks much less pronounced.

There were cars at the test from each of the four manufacturers: Dodge bringing what looks like a Challenger; Chevy testing a car that looks like their new Malibu; Ford taking what looks like the new Taurus; and Toyota looks as if they are keeping the Camry.

The new car has been well received by drivers.

"It feels a lot like the car we're racing now. Compared to when we first ran the Car of Tomorrow in the Cup series, this is a lot smaller change for us to go to this car," said Carl Edwards after finishing up his test session.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, has not singled out a date to implement the new car but is looking for it to be used in 2010.

Dodge to pull support from Craftsman Truck Series

Tom Giannini — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:14:12 -0400

With the rough economy and high cost of racing, it was only a matter a time before NASCAR started feeling the effects. Dodge has been a staple in the Craftsman Truck Series but it's peak came between the years of 2001 and 2004 winning 36 of 99 races. Dodge than scaled back to one team in 2008, that team being Bobby Hamilton Racing.

This week it was announced that the team would no longer receive support from Dodge effectively severing Dodge's long standing partnership with the series.

This leaves us to ponder the question: Are the other series next? With rumors circulating for years that Dodge will pull out of NASCAR, is it finally happening? Dodge Motorsports senior manager Mike Delahanty say that the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series are unaffected but with the economy, they may not be unaffected too much longer.

Dodge currently has only four wins on the year with three different drivers, one coming because of strategy at New Hampshire and the manufacturer sits in last place in the manufacturers standing in 2008.

Dodge in the Nationwide Series has fared even worse with no wins in the 2008 series and only 14 top tens among all of their drivers.

Dodge's performance issues and now the fact that they are pulling out of the Craftsman Truck Series leaves us wondering about their future in the sport.

Too Many Commercials

Tom Giannini — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:41:26 -0400

Do you remember the 2007 Pepsi 400 at Daytona?

What's the first thing that stands out? The margin of victory of .005 seconds? Jamie McMurray snapping a 166-race winless streak?

Or maybe it was the fact that there were barely any commercials.

TNT debuted it's "Wide-Open Coverage" that night giving viewers 22 percent more racing action instead of commercials. The ground-breaking coverage featured no national commercial breaks and had limited commercials for local advertising.

Now the question is: Why can't that be every week?

With commercial breaks seeming more frequent than ever, why can't TV networks work a deal with seemingly endless amounts of sponsors to keep commercial breaks to a minimum and keep the rating up?

If lack of sponsorship for such an idea is unavailable, adopt an idea from the Indy Racing League and run a side-by-side in which commercials and the race are shown simultaneously.

This surely would increase ratings and allow sponsors of the event to get the word out of their product.

NASCAR fans on the whole understand that without commercials, they would be paying for it, but to say that fans can't have a free, uninterrupted race when there are legitimate ideas out there doesn't seem right to me.

NASCAR: Bring Back the Rock

Tom Giannini — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:40:37 -0400

Remember the days when the Sprint Cup Series would pull into Rockingham, NC ready to put on a show?

The track where Matt Kenseth inched out Kasey Kahne at the line in 2004? Where drivers would wheel their cars over the extremely bumpy surface, inches apart from each other? Remember the days when fans flocked from miles and miles away to see a race at a historic track?

Rockingham hosted its first Sprint Cup race in 1965 and, until 2004, hosted some of the best racing in NASCAR's history, only to be plagued by low attendance and a loss of their fall date, the fan favorite.

The spring race remained, but it fell during a time of year when weather was often poor and unpredictable, making attendance lower and lower until the date was given to the Auto Club Speedway in sunny southern California.

The Rockingham Speedway has been dormant since losing its date (except for Sprint Cup testing, ARCA/Remax Series races, and movie and commercial shoots.)

Now, NASCAR fans are beginning to speak up and voice their opinions about wanting the historic racetrack back on the circuit.

The question is: Why isn't NASCAR answering the wants of the fan base by returning a date to the track?

Surely the Auto Club Speedway, with its reputation of less-than-stellar races and a track record of not selling out, could be eliminated. The last race there only fetched a crowd only two-thirds of the track's capacity.

Now here is a proposal for you: Give Rockingham its date in the fall back. Its racing would be just the thing the new Chase format needs. Move Atlanta to the second race of the season which would be a great race to follow up the Daytona 500, and demote California back to a single race venue.

Will Elliott Sadler Be in Victory Lane Soon?

Tom Giannini — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:21:34 -0400

2004 saw Elliott Sadler in the midst of the first ever NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. Since then it has been all downhill for the driver. Sadler, an Emporia, VA native and 10-year veteran on the circuit hit a rough patch in 2005.

The beginning of the 2006 season did not play out as Sadler would have hoped, leading him to join Gillette Evernham Motorsports halfway through the season in a car outside of the top-35. Sadler, known for his qualifying abilities, then almost took the pole in his first qualifying effort with the new team, at Michigan. A 10th place run that day put the team in the top-35, and they never looked back.

Surely, after the success the Dodge team shared in 2006, 2007 would be a breakthrough year. But faced with the new Car of Tomorrow and tough competition, Sadler finished 25th in points and it looked like a comeback would never happen.

2008 rolled around and Sadler, with his new sponsors Best Buy and Stanley Tools, took to Daytona with Chase hopes in mind. His season was set off on the right foot with a sixth place run at Daytona.

But his success was short-lived. Blown tires, blown engines, bad luck, and a lack of speed kept his team down in the points. With the introduction of brand new cars in the Gillette Evernham Motorsports stable a quater of the way through the year, speed certainly picked up.

The team started seeing results as they rolled into Charlotte, finishing eighth in the longest race of the year and then ninth at Michigan. With a season-best run of fifth at New Hampshire, this team really hit their stride and rolled into Indianapolis as a favorite to win the race.

Sadler led 5 laps in the caution-marred Indianapolis race and ran in the top-five all day. Sadler felt he had a chance to win the race at the end when he was running in second, faster than the leader with 12 laps to go when a competition yellow came out for teams to change tires.

Sadler's crew went to work, but it wasn't quick enough as Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Denny Hamlin all beat him off of pit road. The race resumed and Sadler could not do anything as Johnson and Edwards were the class of the field all day. Sadler made a run at third but ran out of laps, finishing fourth.

"You know, we're not kissing the bricks. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and those guys for that," Sadler said after the race. Sadler has been running in the top-10 week in and week out. It may only be a matter of time before he wins a race.