Well, it's now 2008. The teams are now in the midst of their "Winter Thunder" testing at Daytona, Las Vegas, and for some reason, at Fontana. I guess they're choosing to test at Fontana to see if they can generate some excitement at that facility. After all, since Californians can't seem to fill the seats at this particular track, maybe a "pre-show" might help, but I sincerely doubt it! Take a date away and see what they do then! I'll touch on this later!
Getting back to the New Year, like any race fan, I have some wishes for the new 2008 season.
First and foremost, I wish for another Roush Cup Championship. And I really don't care who wins the title, but in order of preference, I pick Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, and my last choice is David Ragan, but only because of his lack of experience. Give him a couple of really good seasons, and he will be a force to be reckoned with!
I wish for David Ragan to have his break-out year and get, not only his first Cup win, but also add at least one other victory. Then maybe his critics will shut up.
Next, I wish for Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray to both have very stellar years with at least three wins each! and maybe too, have them both make a run for the Cup, and both make The Chase. If there are any drivers who deserve to win, it's these two, and they should not be denied this year.
Next, I wish for Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards to be the two drivers to fight it out for the title, both to race #26, then through the chase to the title. Then, may the best man win! And if it did come down to being between those two, that Homestead race will be the quietest race ever watched in my house!
And speaking of Matt and Carl, I wish for them to resolve this personality problem between them, and that they become the best of friends. (Too bad Mark Martin wasn't still with Roush! He would straighten this situation out!)
And speaking of Mr. Martin, as much as I'm a bit disappointed in the fact that he's not only driving for a Chevrolet team, but for D.E.I. as well, and as much as he's now driving a number I've despised for the last seven years, I wish for him to stick that car in Victory Lane just once this year! Take that, Junior!
Digressing from Roush Racing, I wish first time Cup wins for several drivers who also deserve to win. First off, for Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland to win, taking advantage of Yates Racing's new alliance with Roush making the car bodies for Yates. Next, I wish for Toyota's first three wins to be given to them by Dave Blaney, David Reutimann and Jacques Villenueve . Take that, Tony!
Next, I wish for the end of the domination by Hendrick. I would like to see their collective butts get a good whipping at Daytona by Roush, and for that to set the stage for the rest of the 2008 season! I really don't like wishing ill-will on anyone, but I do not like Hendrick Motorsports, or any of their "chosen ones", and I would love to see Jeffy, Jimmie, and Junior to be held win less all year, then for the three of them to all miss the chase! Take that, Junior Nation!
Next, I wish NASCAR would do something about their precious C.O.T. For the most part, the car has merit. But, for crying out loud, get rid of that dorky NOPI wing and cut down the size of that splitter! Here's an idea, keep the basic car, but make it so that the entire front and rear sheet metal has to be "factory original". That would give the car a somewhat stock appearance.
Next, I wish good fortune for two Rookies, Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve. Like I said, I hope Jacques hands Toyota their third victory, after Blaney and Reutimann hand them their first two!
Next, I wish for another Roush Nationwide (formally Busch) Series Championship, and I'll even go as far as to say I hope it's David Ragan who does it!
Next, my wish for the Truck Series is that Eric Darnell goes on a tare and wins several races and the title. And I wish for Colin Braun to win a race or two on his way to the "Rookie Of The Year"!
Next, I wish for NASCAR to really pay attention to the races and the attendance, and to really shake up the schedule for 2009. Here is what I would like to see: First, get rid of Martinsville all together. As much as NASCAR is in a downward path, they have out-grown this facility. NASCAR should just bite the bullet, settle this ludicrous lawsuit, and replace a Martinsville race with one race at Kentucky, and another race at a track in either Memphis or Nashville. Take one date away from California, and I suggest the September date, and give it back to Darlington. Replace Darlington's May date with a race at this really cool track in North Carolina, at a place called Rockingham. Further, take one date each away from New Hampshire, Dover, Atlanta, Pocono, and believe it or not, until they find a viable solution to boring restrictor plate races, Talladega. And for that matter, find another road course to replace Watkins Glen, say Brainerd in Minnesota or Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin, two of the most beautiful road courses in the United States. Wouldn't a race at one of those tracks be a hoot! And maybe too, replace one of those oval track dates with a Cup Race at "The Milwaukee Mile". While they're at it, replace another oval track date with a race at Rusty's track in Iowa. After all, it just doesn't seem like the west coast or New York, or the Northwest, are truly interested in having NASCAR tracks in their area! But most of all, I wish for one race a year that pays homage to NASCAR's roots. I'm talking about a dirt track at one of the Illinois Fairground tracks where ARCA races! Bet that race would sell out in one day!
And saying all that, I wish that everyone would get their act in gear and get on with the major remodeling of the Cayuga Speedway! For those of you who don't know, the Cayuga Speedway owners want to expand the track from the current 5/8 of a mile (reputed to have been designed after the famous North Wilksborough Speedway) to a mile in length, and with 80,000 seats! I know it would take a while to convince the Mandarins of NASCAR that the track would deserve a Cup date, but we can hope, can't we?
Next, I wish that both Brian France and Bruton Smith see the error of their ways and let someone whose interest is in keeping fans happy, and not lining their pockets take over the NASCAR merchandising. And when they do, and the licencing gets straightened out, I wish for Jack Roush to buy back the Checkered Flag Sports Company, and give us back the quality diecasts we grew accustomed to from the former Team Caliber. Maybe then, I'll feel like I'm actually getting my dollar's worth when I buy a diecast.
And saying that, I wish that Brian France would wake up and realise that not all NASCAR fans are Junior, Senior, or Jeff Gordan fans! In fact, I know there are fans who do not like, never have liked, nor ever will like, those three drivers. I am one of them! Which leads me to my next wish. Not only do I wish that from France, but I wish the TV commentators would realise it too! Last year, I got so sick of "All Junior, all the time", and for thinking that there was only two drivers in the race (the two from Hendrick), that watching a race was sickening! The best one was Richmond in September. David Ragan finished third, and the gang from ESPN/ABC seemed shocked! "Where did he come from?" they asked. Well, Messrs. Punch, Wallace, and Petree, David was in the top-10 all race, but you three were so wrapped up in Junior, Jeffy-poo, and Cheater-boy, that you didn't notice! Wake-up!
And here's one that makes my blood boil every time it happens. Next time Chad Knaus gets caught breaking the rules, I wish NASCAR would ban him for life! And make sure that he stays away from the track! And set a precedent, park the #48 team for at least five races, driver and all! And once the team returns, if Knaus is caught making contact through the cell phone, or internet, or whatever way, sit the team out again! And make them sit out until Knaus is permanently removed from Hendrick Motorsports and racing altogether! You would have done that long ago if Knaus had of been a Roush Crew Chief, and you know it! Hey Mr. France, and Mr. Helton, show us that you are not as partial to Hendrick and his band of cheaters as everyone thinks you are! I dare you!
But most of all, I wish for a safe year in racing, and that this "Car Of Tomorrow", which is now the "Car Of Today" , doesn't make a total dud out of the racing.
Now, bring on 2008!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
ENOUGH ALREADY!
It's been quite a while since I last updated my blog. It's not that I haven't had anything interesting to write about - there has. I just haven't had the time. The Bristol race was one thing that was interesting. Everyone else seemed to complain that the changes to the track have literally killed racing there. Personally, I thought that this year's race was one of the better ones they've had. I'm not saying that just because my favorite driver won! Let's face it, it was nice to see a race at Bristol where the pace car didn't lead the most laps! It was also different to see green flag pit stops at that track. It was, overall, one of the best races by far, ever run at Bristol.
At this point, I'm not going to start writing about my absolute disappointment concerning Motorsports Authentics. In short, however, I will make the following comment about the poor quality of their product. I have been a diecast collector for some time and thought there 2007 cars were the worst I have ever seen. I certainly don't think there are worth the price they are selling them for. I did find something, however, that gave me a little hope for the future of diecast collecting. According to the "Pyramid Racing"s web site, Checkered Flag Motorsports, which is, for the most part, the old "Team Caliber", is releasing a Matt Kenseth diecast! If they are still of the same quality and detail as the old Team Caliber, then there's hope.
What has really become annoying recently, for me at least, can be summed up in three words: Dale Earnhardt Junior! First of all, I will say that I am not a fan of this driver, never have been, nor will I ever be. I was never a fan of his Daddy, not even when he drove a Ford for Bud Moore. It really wonder where the so-called "Junior Nation" has come from. Moreover, why have the "Powers-that-be" within NASCAR have such a love affair with this driver? I mean, what has he done? OK, so he was a two-time Busch Series Champion. I guess that gives a bit of credibility to his popularity. Today, however, not many people hold a Busch Championship with much regard. (Take that, Mr. Hapless Harvick!) As a side note, I still think it would be awesome if Carl Edwards not only wins the Busch title this year, but could also get the Cup title too, thus eliminating the arrogance of the Hendrick team! That's something that Harvick couldn't do last year.
Back to Junior - OK, he was two-time Busch Champion. In 2000, however, he moved up to the Cup series, along with Matt Kenseth. It was predicted, at that time, that Junior would become Rookie-Of-The-Year, and then to start winning Championship after Championship. But wait, Junior didn't win the Rookie-Of-The-Year for 2000! Matt Kenseth did! Remember Matt? He drives for Jack Roush. Remember that name: M-a-t-t K-e-n-s-e-t-h. So, 2001 was supposed to be Junior's year! Admittedly, 2001 didn't start out very well for the Earnhardt family with the death of Earnhardt Senior, but Junior Nation still gathered steam! Among the races won by him that year was the very next race at Daytona, and the fall race at Talladega exactly one year after his father's last win there. Still, Junior had no championship. None that year or the following and none in 2003. Wait... who was the 2003 Champion? What was his name again? Matt somebody! Oh ya, Matt Kenseth! How could this be, asked Junior Nation! Our boy is the greatest driver today, just like his Daddy was in his day!
After 2003, NASCAR was so desperate to give Junior a Championship, they even created "The Chase For The Nextel Cup", a concept which at the time, the fans hated, and still do. Junior couldn't pull off a championship in 2004 and didn't even make The Chase in 2005. His last win was at Richmond in 2006, and (surprise!) he missed the Chase again this year. NASCAR even increased the field from ten eligible drivers to twelve,and still Junior is on the outside looking in. What is so sad is the TV coverage lately. Since ESPN took over televising the races, most of the time, one gets the impression that there is only one driver in the race (Guess who?) The broadcast of the California race was absolutely pathetic! This race was all Junior, all the time. With the race at Richmond being the last chance for poor Junior to get into The Chase, I could only imagine what the race broadcast was like. Luckily I didn't have to sit through it. I was there in person! While sitting in the grandstands at Richmond that night, I listened to the MRN broadcast on my scanner. It was refreshing to hear them at least acknowledge there were 43 drivers in the field and not just one - something ESPN has been unable to do this year. Since Junior has missed The Chase, now the Media frenzy has turned to whether Junior can win a race before season's end. Don't hold your breath! After all, could you handle the Media's reaction to a Junior winning a race? Could you handle the expectant cheering from ABC or ESPN, (the ones currently broadcasting the races)? For that matter, could you handle the coverage from other forms of media? Or The-Powers-That-Be at NASCAR? If he ever did win again, I fear that the reaction from France and Helton would be so frightening that it would probably be best reserved for private audiences. What a scary thought!
On to more publicity and more fighting within D.E.I! Now it's over the Number 8. Junior, and his misguided fans want Teresa to release ownership of the Number 8 to Hendrick. Teresa said no and stood her ground and when said that her late husband started D.E.I with the number 8 and she was keeping it in his memory. Junior and 'Junior Nation' were more than relieved when Ford team owner Robert Yates was 'convinced' by NASCAR to release his number 88 to Hendrick. Junior's problems appear to be over and now, all the Junior nation members have to do is run to the nearest tattoo parlour and get a second number 8 added to their... wherever. Thank you, Brian France!
So what is my point after writing all this? It's simple: ENOUGH ALREADY! I AM SICK OF HEARING ABOUT JUNIOR! In case the media doesn't know it, there are about 48 to 50 other drivers out there, aside from Junior. There is "Temperamental Tony" Stewart , Jimmie "The Cheater" Johnson, or the 'Whiner' who drives the number 24. Mark Martin didn't get nearly the publicity for leaving Roush after 19 years, as Junior did for leaving D.E.I. As for sponsors, there are so many teams right now with sponsorship issues. The media does not seem to care much about other drivers like Greg Biffle or David Reutimann, both of whom have had recent issues with sponsorship. They become, rather, wrapped up in Junior's sponsorship issues that other drivers become insignificant. So long as Junior is getting a new sponsor the media has something to print.
For the last five years, Junior has been voted "Most Popular Driver" by the fans. Rest assured, I wasn't one of those fans! My votes went to Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup Champion, and Carl Edwards. Rather than give Junior all the publicity for doing nothing, lets instead, give some attention, and exposure to some of the other drivers who both deserve it and can drive a race car. Drivers like Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards who are both still in the running for the Championship. Or there are "One Problem" Montoya, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, and David Reutimann, just to name a few. They deserve the attention far more than "The Chosen One"!
At this point, I'm not going to start writing about my absolute disappointment concerning Motorsports Authentics. In short, however, I will make the following comment about the poor quality of their product. I have been a diecast collector for some time and thought there 2007 cars were the worst I have ever seen. I certainly don't think there are worth the price they are selling them for. I did find something, however, that gave me a little hope for the future of diecast collecting. According to the "Pyramid Racing"s web site, Checkered Flag Motorsports, which is, for the most part, the old "Team Caliber", is releasing a Matt Kenseth diecast! If they are still of the same quality and detail as the old Team Caliber, then there's hope.
What has really become annoying recently, for me at least, can be summed up in three words: Dale Earnhardt Junior! First of all, I will say that I am not a fan of this driver, never have been, nor will I ever be. I was never a fan of his Daddy, not even when he drove a Ford for Bud Moore. It really wonder where the so-called "Junior Nation" has come from. Moreover, why have the "Powers-that-be" within NASCAR have such a love affair with this driver? I mean, what has he done? OK, so he was a two-time Busch Series Champion. I guess that gives a bit of credibility to his popularity. Today, however, not many people hold a Busch Championship with much regard. (Take that, Mr. Hapless Harvick!) As a side note, I still think it would be awesome if Carl Edwards not only wins the Busch title this year, but could also get the Cup title too, thus eliminating the arrogance of the Hendrick team! That's something that Harvick couldn't do last year.
Back to Junior - OK, he was two-time Busch Champion. In 2000, however, he moved up to the Cup series, along with Matt Kenseth. It was predicted, at that time, that Junior would become Rookie-Of-The-Year, and then to start winning Championship after Championship. But wait, Junior didn't win the Rookie-Of-The-Year for 2000! Matt Kenseth did! Remember Matt? He drives for Jack Roush. Remember that name: M-a-t-t K-e-n-s-e-t-h. So, 2001 was supposed to be Junior's year! Admittedly, 2001 didn't start out very well for the Earnhardt family with the death of Earnhardt Senior, but Junior Nation still gathered steam! Among the races won by him that year was the very next race at Daytona, and the fall race at Talladega exactly one year after his father's last win there. Still, Junior had no championship. None that year or the following and none in 2003. Wait... who was the 2003 Champion? What was his name again? Matt somebody! Oh ya, Matt Kenseth! How could this be, asked Junior Nation! Our boy is the greatest driver today, just like his Daddy was in his day!
After 2003, NASCAR was so desperate to give Junior a Championship, they even created "The Chase For The Nextel Cup", a concept which at the time, the fans hated, and still do. Junior couldn't pull off a championship in 2004 and didn't even make The Chase in 2005. His last win was at Richmond in 2006, and (surprise!) he missed the Chase again this year. NASCAR even increased the field from ten eligible drivers to twelve,and still Junior is on the outside looking in. What is so sad is the TV coverage lately. Since ESPN took over televising the races, most of the time, one gets the impression that there is only one driver in the race (Guess who?) The broadcast of the California race was absolutely pathetic! This race was all Junior, all the time. With the race at Richmond being the last chance for poor Junior to get into The Chase, I could only imagine what the race broadcast was like. Luckily I didn't have to sit through it. I was there in person! While sitting in the grandstands at Richmond that night, I listened to the MRN broadcast on my scanner. It was refreshing to hear them at least acknowledge there were 43 drivers in the field and not just one - something ESPN has been unable to do this year. Since Junior has missed The Chase, now the Media frenzy has turned to whether Junior can win a race before season's end. Don't hold your breath! After all, could you handle the Media's reaction to a Junior winning a race? Could you handle the expectant cheering from ABC or ESPN, (the ones currently broadcasting the races)? For that matter, could you handle the coverage from other forms of media? Or The-Powers-That-Be at NASCAR? If he ever did win again, I fear that the reaction from France and Helton would be so frightening that it would probably be best reserved for private audiences. What a scary thought!
But wait, there's more...
Earlier this year, all the Media buzz was about the conflict between Junior and his step-mother, Teresa. They seemed forget the Car-Of-Tomorrow and all the cheating scandals, especially with regard to the Hendrick drivers. All the Media wanted to write about was the alleged dispute between Junior and Teresa Earnhardt. Let's face it, if it wasn't for Teresa, there would never have been a Dale Earnhardt Incorporated! Dale Senior certainly didn't have the business sense to run D.E.I. With the media focused on Junior, Teresa and the ownership of the business, did people honestly think that Junior was capable of running this team and partying at the same time? I certainly didn't think so. He is simply not that smart! Next, Junior leaves the safety of D.E.I. and goes straight to Hendrick Motorsports, where he will be the number three driver! Not Number One, as he was at D.E.I., but number three! He will, at least, still have fast cars, albeit illegal ones, but fast none-the-less. He will now have to learn not to push any issues through tech inspection!
On to more publicity and more fighting within D.E.I! Now it's over the Number 8. Junior, and his misguided fans want Teresa to release ownership of the Number 8 to Hendrick. Teresa said no and stood her ground and when said that her late husband started D.E.I with the number 8 and she was keeping it in his memory. Junior and 'Junior Nation' were more than relieved when Ford team owner Robert Yates was 'convinced' by NASCAR to release his number 88 to Hendrick. Junior's problems appear to be over and now, all the Junior nation members have to do is run to the nearest tattoo parlour and get a second number 8 added to their... wherever. Thank you, Brian France!
So what is my point after writing all this? It's simple: ENOUGH ALREADY! I AM SICK OF HEARING ABOUT JUNIOR! In case the media doesn't know it, there are about 48 to 50 other drivers out there, aside from Junior. There is "Temperamental Tony" Stewart , Jimmie "The Cheater" Johnson, or the 'Whiner' who drives the number 24. Mark Martin didn't get nearly the publicity for leaving Roush after 19 years, as Junior did for leaving D.E.I. As for sponsors, there are so many teams right now with sponsorship issues. The media does not seem to care much about other drivers like Greg Biffle or David Reutimann, both of whom have had recent issues with sponsorship. They become, rather, wrapped up in Junior's sponsorship issues that other drivers become insignificant. So long as Junior is getting a new sponsor the media has something to print.
For the last five years, Junior has been voted "Most Popular Driver" by the fans. Rest assured, I wasn't one of those fans! My votes went to Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup Champion, and Carl Edwards. Rather than give Junior all the publicity for doing nothing, lets instead, give some attention, and exposure to some of the other drivers who both deserve it and can drive a race car. Drivers like Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards who are both still in the running for the Championship. Or there are "One Problem" Montoya, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, and David Reutimann, just to name a few. They deserve the attention far more than "The Chosen One"!
By the way, even though "The Whiner" in the number 24 now has a commanding lead in the points, I'm still hoping Edwards or Kenseth can still beat this other undeserving driver! If Matt Kenseth was to win his second Cup Title, I think Junior Nation would certainly implode!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
An Open Letter To Jack Roush
Dear Mr. Roush,
First of all, I have been a fan of yours since the days when you and Wayne Gapp were the scourge of the Pro-Stock circuit in the NHRA! then you went into road racing, then to NASCAR. I have followed your teams week after week! Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and anybody else who climbed into one of your stock cars were the ones I cheered for! And I bought their diecasts! You see Mr. Roush, I have approximately 900 diecasts, of which 700 or so are NASCAR, and of those, about 80% are of your drivers. Oh, those Team Caliber cars were so detailed! Better than anything Action could produce! The Owner's Series were second to none! And even the Preferred Series were far superior to the Action Elite Series! Then there were the "special finishes". The steel finish and gold finishes of 2001. The dark chrome finishes of 2002 and 2003. The pearl finishes of 2004. Then you outdid yourself. You brought out those nickle finish cars in 2005 and the copper finishes in 2006! You even threw in a few "colourchrome specials" along the way! Yes, you should see my collection, Mr. Roush! I even have one car that you personally autographed for me at your museum in Livonia last year! I guess since you took over Team Caliber, it stood to reason that these diecasts would be the best.
Then came the sale of Team Caliber to Motorsports Authentics in 2005!
Well, Mr. Roush, as I began to acquire any 2006 cars, including those beautiful copper-finish cars, I thought that it wasn't as bad as I thought. And I thought it was going to be pretty bad! I mean, anything that Brian France, half-owner of Motorsports Authentics (Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports Incorporated is the other half-owner), gets involved with usually ends up as a joke of its former self. Take NASCAR for instance. But, the name "Team Caliber" was still there, though later in 2006, that slowly disappeared, being replaced by the Motorsports Authentics name. But, thankfully, the quality was still there.
Then came the "seasonal specials" in December 2006!
Mr. Roush, I acquired both Mark's and Carl's Christmas cars, and I also received the "Christmas Special". Now, this particular car was a colourchrome special Owner's Series in 2002, 2003, and 2004. It was slightly demoted to the Preferred Series in 2005, but it was still a colourchrome car, and it was still highly detailed, and still a high quality diecast! But, these three 2006 Christmas cars were so disappointing! No colourchrome finish, no great detail, very poor quality! I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I was in those cars, and I was not looking forward to 2007, collecting-wise. To date, I only have 1 single 2007 1/24th scale diecast, and it's of Carl Edwards' #99 Office Depot car. And yes Mr. Roush, I was totally disappointed. I mean, by now, I would have acquired at least half the cars out there for your teams! I do have a number of 1/64th cars, but it's not the same anymore. Even the selection is pathetic! There are hardly any Busch cars available, and the 1/64th cars are becoming few and far between. Many cars are only available in the 1/24th size!
But wait! I happened to see one of the cars from Checkered Flag Motorsports! And Mr. Roush, I was impressed! Apparently, this company was started up by some of the people who were responsible for Team Caliber when you owned the company! The detail was there! The special finishes were there, though somewhat buried, giving you a random change of acquiring one! The cars are worth buying, though the only drivers available are Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin, Robby Gordon, and Kenny Schrader.
And this brings me to the purpose of this letter...
Please, Mr. Roush, could you give us collectors some very serious consideration and sign a contract with Checkered Flag Motorsports to create and distribute your team cars? All of your team cars! All of your Busch cars! All of your Cup cars! And please, Mr. Roush, your Trucks! And do it in both scales! The 1/24th scale cars in the Preferred Series, and the 1/64th's even if the 1/64th's were "Pit Stop" only, as they were since 2004, they were still a quality product! Then I would gladly be ordering the cars in! after all, then they would be worth collecting! And if you rememeber, the Team caliber boxes had the saying, "Anything else is just a toy!". Well, Mr. Roush, I hate to say it, but the Motorsports Authentic diecasts are just that, toys!
Would you at least think about it for 2008, Mr. Roush? Please?
Thank you,
Just sign me,
Ken, An avid, although disappointed lately, diecast collector
First of all, I have been a fan of yours since the days when you and Wayne Gapp were the scourge of the Pro-Stock circuit in the NHRA! then you went into road racing, then to NASCAR. I have followed your teams week after week! Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and anybody else who climbed into one of your stock cars were the ones I cheered for! And I bought their diecasts! You see Mr. Roush, I have approximately 900 diecasts, of which 700 or so are NASCAR, and of those, about 80% are of your drivers. Oh, those Team Caliber cars were so detailed! Better than anything Action could produce! The Owner's Series were second to none! And even the Preferred Series were far superior to the Action Elite Series! Then there were the "special finishes". The steel finish and gold finishes of 2001. The dark chrome finishes of 2002 and 2003. The pearl finishes of 2004. Then you outdid yourself. You brought out those nickle finish cars in 2005 and the copper finishes in 2006! You even threw in a few "colourchrome specials" along the way! Yes, you should see my collection, Mr. Roush! I even have one car that you personally autographed for me at your museum in Livonia last year! I guess since you took over Team Caliber, it stood to reason that these diecasts would be the best.
Then came the sale of Team Caliber to Motorsports Authentics in 2005!
Well, Mr. Roush, as I began to acquire any 2006 cars, including those beautiful copper-finish cars, I thought that it wasn't as bad as I thought. And I thought it was going to be pretty bad! I mean, anything that Brian France, half-owner of Motorsports Authentics (Bruton Smith of Speedway Motorsports Incorporated is the other half-owner), gets involved with usually ends up as a joke of its former self. Take NASCAR for instance. But, the name "Team Caliber" was still there, though later in 2006, that slowly disappeared, being replaced by the Motorsports Authentics name. But, thankfully, the quality was still there.
Then came the "seasonal specials" in December 2006!
Mr. Roush, I acquired both Mark's and Carl's Christmas cars, and I also received the "Christmas Special". Now, this particular car was a colourchrome special Owner's Series in 2002, 2003, and 2004. It was slightly demoted to the Preferred Series in 2005, but it was still a colourchrome car, and it was still highly detailed, and still a high quality diecast! But, these three 2006 Christmas cars were so disappointing! No colourchrome finish, no great detail, very poor quality! I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I was in those cars, and I was not looking forward to 2007, collecting-wise. To date, I only have 1 single 2007 1/24th scale diecast, and it's of Carl Edwards' #99 Office Depot car. And yes Mr. Roush, I was totally disappointed. I mean, by now, I would have acquired at least half the cars out there for your teams! I do have a number of 1/64th cars, but it's not the same anymore. Even the selection is pathetic! There are hardly any Busch cars available, and the 1/64th cars are becoming few and far between. Many cars are only available in the 1/24th size!
But wait! I happened to see one of the cars from Checkered Flag Motorsports! And Mr. Roush, I was impressed! Apparently, this company was started up by some of the people who were responsible for Team Caliber when you owned the company! The detail was there! The special finishes were there, though somewhat buried, giving you a random change of acquiring one! The cars are worth buying, though the only drivers available are Mark Martin, Sterling Marlin, Robby Gordon, and Kenny Schrader.
And this brings me to the purpose of this letter...
Please, Mr. Roush, could you give us collectors some very serious consideration and sign a contract with Checkered Flag Motorsports to create and distribute your team cars? All of your team cars! All of your Busch cars! All of your Cup cars! And please, Mr. Roush, your Trucks! And do it in both scales! The 1/24th scale cars in the Preferred Series, and the 1/64th's even if the 1/64th's were "Pit Stop" only, as they were since 2004, they were still a quality product! Then I would gladly be ordering the cars in! after all, then they would be worth collecting! And if you rememeber, the Team caliber boxes had the saying, "Anything else is just a toy!". Well, Mr. Roush, I hate to say it, but the Motorsports Authentic diecasts are just that, toys!
Would you at least think about it for 2008, Mr. Roush? Please?
Thank you,
Just sign me,
Ken, An avid, although disappointed lately, diecast collector
Thursday, July 12, 2007
You Call This Team Work?
Unless you've been sleeping for the last few days, by now you must have picked up some of the many conversations that came out of last weekend's Daytona Firecracker 400. One of the more popular topics was about team work, or in the case of Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, the lack thereof. Now, if you work at a place similar to the one I do, being a team player, and being able to work together, is an important part of success for a business. That goes for any company. Obviously, there seems to be a lack of team work at Joe Gibbs Racing. By now, you must have heard Tony's rant about Denny, and the resulting crash between the two. Let's face it, Denny was in front, and obviously Tony thought that, because he's the senior member of the team, Denny should have gotten out of his way (out of everyone's way!). The result was two good cars taken out of the race by an ego that's way too big! The crash was completely Tony's fault. To add insult to injury, "Mr. Perfect" didn't have the guts to admit that he's a goof, and apologize for what he did. Instead, he chose to throw his teammate under the bus! Come on, Tony! Be a human being for once, lose that ego, and admit that you made a totally dumb mistake! That's what being a team player is all about!
Which brings me to Kyle Busch. According to poor Kyle, his teammates Mr. Gordon and Mr. Johnson, abandoned him at the end of the race! But, according to Mr. Gordon's substitute crew chief, when it comes down to the last 10 laps, it's every man for himself. I think any driver, or crew chief, will say that! So, despite the fact that Kyle was in the position to win, again, the egos took over, and neither Jimmie or Jeffy offered any help to give Kyle a chance to not only sweep both the Cup and Busch race that weekend, but to do it on the same day (thanks to Mother Nature). Instead, Kyle had to rely on his brother for help, and there really wasn't a lot that Kurt could do for Little Brother! Well Kyle, before you get your shorts in a knot, think back to who was leading at the last restart. Seems to me it was your other teammate, Casey Mears... and what did you and Jeffy and Jimmie do? You all hung Casey out to dry! At least you three got a top-10! Casey wound up, what, 19th! So Kyle, don't complain too much! After all, there is no such thing as team orders at Hendrick's, is there! Ya, right!
Now, this brings me to Roush-Fenway, and in particular, Carl Edwards. First of all, Jamie McMurray truly deserved that win! He has been running well this year, and is not far from taking Junior's place in the 'Race For The Chase'. During those last few laps, Jamie must have felt like he had a Roush bulls-eye painted on the back of his car! First, he gets pushed ahead by Kenseth. Then, The Biff gives him a shove to push him further ahead. Then, when they are coming down to the line, it was Carl's turn to give Jamie a shot in the behind to give him a push to get ahead of the previously mentioned Mr. Busch! Next thing you know, the Roush guys are lined up on the outside, and Jamie beats Kyle by the closest margin since they started electronic scoring at Daytona! The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been to have David Ragan move from 12th to at least 10th! Imagine if all 5 Roush cars finished in the top-10!
Carl said it after the race: had he tried to go for the win himself, he would have gone three wide with Jamie and Kyle, and there would not have been a Roush car in Victory Lane! Carl, as well as Greg and Matt, did what they could to win themselves. When it appeared that none of them could win, they all did what they could do to help out their teammate win the race and Jamie won his first race since October of 2002. This wasn't the first time Carl has helped out his teammates. Does anyone remember the Truck race at Daytona in February? Well, Carl had some transmission trouble at the start and lost about 10 laps. Once he got back into the race, first he helped Travis Kvapil get to the lead and then he helped Eric Darnell get up to the front. Had that late caution not happened, and there wasn't a single-file restart with Carl shuffled way back, I think he would have hung onto Travis' bumper, and Travis would have won that race instead of Sprague! As luck would have it, however, Travis was snookered right at the end and wound up 3rd.
Anyway, I think that last weekend's race showed us a lot about who knows how to work as a team, and who are just out there for themselves! Obviously, Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick believe in 'every man for themselves'. Now, I know Jack Roush has said that he doesn't care who wins, as long as the cars come home in one piece. From what I saw Saturday night, at least his drivers know how to work together. During the end of the last race, they didn't show off their egos! Tony, Kyle, Jeffy, and Jimmie could take a lesson from Carl, Matt, Greg, David, and Jamie.
Which brings me to Kyle Busch. According to poor Kyle, his teammates Mr. Gordon and Mr. Johnson, abandoned him at the end of the race! But, according to Mr. Gordon's substitute crew chief, when it comes down to the last 10 laps, it's every man for himself. I think any driver, or crew chief, will say that! So, despite the fact that Kyle was in the position to win, again, the egos took over, and neither Jimmie or Jeffy offered any help to give Kyle a chance to not only sweep both the Cup and Busch race that weekend, but to do it on the same day (thanks to Mother Nature). Instead, Kyle had to rely on his brother for help, and there really wasn't a lot that Kurt could do for Little Brother! Well Kyle, before you get your shorts in a knot, think back to who was leading at the last restart. Seems to me it was your other teammate, Casey Mears... and what did you and Jeffy and Jimmie do? You all hung Casey out to dry! At least you three got a top-10! Casey wound up, what, 19th! So Kyle, don't complain too much! After all, there is no such thing as team orders at Hendrick's, is there! Ya, right!
Now, this brings me to Roush-Fenway, and in particular, Carl Edwards. First of all, Jamie McMurray truly deserved that win! He has been running well this year, and is not far from taking Junior's place in the 'Race For The Chase'. During those last few laps, Jamie must have felt like he had a Roush bulls-eye painted on the back of his car! First, he gets pushed ahead by Kenseth. Then, The Biff gives him a shove to push him further ahead. Then, when they are coming down to the line, it was Carl's turn to give Jamie a shot in the behind to give him a push to get ahead of the previously mentioned Mr. Busch! Next thing you know, the Roush guys are lined up on the outside, and Jamie beats Kyle by the closest margin since they started electronic scoring at Daytona! The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been to have David Ragan move from 12th to at least 10th! Imagine if all 5 Roush cars finished in the top-10!
Carl said it after the race: had he tried to go for the win himself, he would have gone three wide with Jamie and Kyle, and there would not have been a Roush car in Victory Lane! Carl, as well as Greg and Matt, did what they could to win themselves. When it appeared that none of them could win, they all did what they could do to help out their teammate win the race and Jamie won his first race since October of 2002. This wasn't the first time Carl has helped out his teammates. Does anyone remember the Truck race at Daytona in February? Well, Carl had some transmission trouble at the start and lost about 10 laps. Once he got back into the race, first he helped Travis Kvapil get to the lead and then he helped Eric Darnell get up to the front. Had that late caution not happened, and there wasn't a single-file restart with Carl shuffled way back, I think he would have hung onto Travis' bumper, and Travis would have won that race instead of Sprague! As luck would have it, however, Travis was snookered right at the end and wound up 3rd.
Anyway, I think that last weekend's race showed us a lot about who knows how to work as a team, and who are just out there for themselves! Obviously, Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick believe in 'every man for themselves'. Now, I know Jack Roush has said that he doesn't care who wins, as long as the cars come home in one piece. From what I saw Saturday night, at least his drivers know how to work together. During the end of the last race, they didn't show off their egos! Tony, Kyle, Jeffy, and Jimmie could take a lesson from Carl, Matt, Greg, David, and Jamie.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
My Introduction
Well, this is my first blog! I am calling this blog Krabby Ken's NASCAR comments because, first, I've been a fan of NASCAR since the days when Fred Lorenzen and Fireball Roberts were rubbing fenders together, and second, I can't say that I really like what's happened to "my NASCAR" since Brian France has taken over from his father, Bill France Jr. NASCAR has become too bland these days. The cars are all similar, the drivers have become too "vanilla", and the races are not as competitive as they once were. Or are they? Well, the races are quite competitive compared to what they used to be! Look back at the races from forty years ago. For example, when Ned Jarrett won the 1965 Southern 500, he finished 14 laps ahead of the second place car. 14 laps! Today, it's not uncommon for 25 to 30 cars to finish on the lead lap, unless it's a demolition derby at Bristol, or a no-passing-allowed track like Martinsville. As for the drivers, are they as bland as I think? Yes they are, and I blame both NASCAR and Corporate America for that. Let a driver show too much emotion and wham! Here's a nice penalty for you. Can you just imagine what Brian France and Mike Helton would have done to Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough if they had been in charge when the 1979 Daytona 500 was run? And don't even think about criticising NASCAR, or you will be losing points. As much as I can't stand Tony Stewart, at least he makes it somewhat interesting as we wait to hear him shoot off his mouth.
Which brings me to "The Car Of Tomorrow". As much as many say they don't like this monstrosity, I say, give it a chance. After all, a race car fashioned after the Craftsman Truck can't be all bad! And let's face it, the most competitive NASCAR series is the Truck Series. But, yes, this new car is different, but, overall, it takes the control out of the crew chief's hands and puts it back in the driver's hands. And while that rear wing looks kind of dorky, is that any more so than what you see kids putting on the back of their hopped-up Hondas these days? The only criticism I have for the new car is the splitter. It sticks out way too far. I'm sure that Tony or Jeffy have figured out that it would be so easy to just slide up and lean that splitter against someones rear tire enough to cut the tire down. in fact, wasn't at Phoenix where Jeffy tried to do just that to Tony? Anyway, that splitter should follow the profile of the front end of the car and extend out no further than the upper part of the fenders and grill area. And for now, I'll reserve any further judgement on this car until I see it up close when I get to Richmond in September.
In the C.O.T. races so far, it has definitely been a Hendrick benefit, but that's quickly coming to an end. The one team that appears to be behind is Roush. However, looks are deceiving. Matt Kenseth has had good runs in the car, as had Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle, with Edwards gaining the most ground lately. Sure Johnson and Gordon have won the most C.O.T. races, but both of them better look over their shoulders. There's a red and black Ford, or a yellow and black (or whatever scheme Matt's running) Ford that's about to change the running order. Once Roush gets that first C.O.T. win, look out!
Which brings me to "The Car Of Tomorrow". As much as many say they don't like this monstrosity, I say, give it a chance. After all, a race car fashioned after the Craftsman Truck can't be all bad! And let's face it, the most competitive NASCAR series is the Truck Series. But, yes, this new car is different, but, overall, it takes the control out of the crew chief's hands and puts it back in the driver's hands. And while that rear wing looks kind of dorky, is that any more so than what you see kids putting on the back of their hopped-up Hondas these days? The only criticism I have for the new car is the splitter. It sticks out way too far. I'm sure that Tony or Jeffy have figured out that it would be so easy to just slide up and lean that splitter against someones rear tire enough to cut the tire down. in fact, wasn't at Phoenix where Jeffy tried to do just that to Tony? Anyway, that splitter should follow the profile of the front end of the car and extend out no further than the upper part of the fenders and grill area. And for now, I'll reserve any further judgement on this car until I see it up close when I get to Richmond in September.
In the C.O.T. races so far, it has definitely been a Hendrick benefit, but that's quickly coming to an end. The one team that appears to be behind is Roush. However, looks are deceiving. Matt Kenseth has had good runs in the car, as had Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle, with Edwards gaining the most ground lately. Sure Johnson and Gordon have won the most C.O.T. races, but both of them better look over their shoulders. There's a red and black Ford, or a yellow and black (or whatever scheme Matt's running) Ford that's about to change the running order. Once Roush gets that first C.O.T. win, look out!
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