Fuel To The Earnhardt Fire

Well leave it to ole' Kevin Harvick to throw gasoline on the DEI fire. Yesterday in the 2007 preseason media tour Harvick made the following quote about DEI head Teresa Earnhardt:

"It's hard when you have what I call a deadbeat owner that doesn't come to the racetrack," Harvick told reporters during a stop at Richard Childress Racing.
"You always see Richard Childress. You always see Chip Ganassi. All these owners, they all come to the racetrack. It's not just a money pit that somebody says, 'Well, I can make money off of Dale Jr. I can make money off of Dale Earnhardt.' " Read the rest of the article here: http://www.wral.com/sports/nascar/story/1177059/

Dale Jr. defended Teresa's actions but this does throw more speculation out there. Could Richard Childress be making a play at returning the Earnhardt name to Welcome, NC as a teammate of Kevin Harvick? Wow! What a story that would be. The place where Dale Earnhardt Sr. made his mark and Dale Jr. returning the glory. I see a possibility here if no contract can be worked out with DEI. Who knows, only time will tell. Interesting fodder for watercooler talk. Regardless, Childress Racing had a superb 2006 with all of its drivers and will continue that modus operandi in 2007.

Shocker! NASCAR changes rules again!!!

Well friends they've done it again. NASCAR has changed the rules of the NEXTEL CUP points system. The top 12 drivers will get in the CHASE in 2007 and there will be more focus on winning races instead of just trying to finish in the top ten. Sounds good to me. More details can be found today at the soon to be revamped Turner South website www.nascar.com

For a quick assesment of what a difference the new system will make consider this:
Kasey Kahne started the Chase in 10th place last year but if the new system were in place Kahne would start first because he would receive additional points for his 5 victories. This is going to place much emphasis on winning races and could see drivers going a lot harder and not trying to lay back and stay out of wrecks late in races just to get the points. Could make things very interesting. It should produce harder racing and that's what it's all about.
What do you think?

Will Dale Jr. Fly the coop?

A big press conference in Daytona earlier this week has the NASCAR world abuzz. With the 2007 season less than a month away, the talk is whether Dale Jr. will leave DEI or stay.
On Monday, Dale Jr. expressed what many have known for years. He and stepmom(and leader of DEI)Teresa Earnhardt don't really see eye to eye. I thought it was quite revealing when Dale Jr. said he feels the same way now as he felt about Teresa when he was six years old. You have to remember, this is not Dale's real mom and as a first grader he probably held some resentment in his mind towards her because his real mother was taken away from him when Dale Sr. divorced his first wife. The thing is, if Dale Jr. should leave DEI then the team would fall apart. Dale is the marketing muscle behind the entire organization.
No matter what Teresa thinks there's no way Dale Jr. can stop being a public personality and in my opinion a rock star..... I have seen it with my own eyes.
How do I know Dale Jr. is a rock star?

Back in 2005 my band played a corporate party for Lowes Home Improvement in Charlotte at Lowes Motor Speedway. It was a private deal for Lowes employees from across the southeast and their guests(about 5000 people were there) and many NASCAR drivers were in attendance. Even Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon did not get the cheers and crush of people that Dale Jr. got. I was amazed. The second Dale Jr. stepped on the stage the crowd pressed forward and cameras starting flashing like the Brown Mountain Lights. It was staggering to see and made me realize that Dale Jr. is a rock star. And Dale's stepmom said last month in the Wall Street Journal that he needs to decide whether he's gonna be a public personality or whether he's gonna drive a race car. Well I think from my experience he is a celebrity and nothing will change that. The question remains; Will this division between Dale Jr. and his step-mom be too great to overcome? And if Dale Jr. leaves DEI where will he go? Which team will he join? Or will he form his own team? He certainly could get the sponsors. Marketers know he is money in the bank!
Here's a link to the story on the Daytona press conference from Dale Jr.
http://www.thatsracin.com/mld/thatsracin/16412209.htm
What do you think?

The NASCAR 2007 Countdown is on!!!!

The 2007 NASCAR season on FOX 50 is getting set to crank up and I'm already excited. Gonna be a blast!!
Some NASCAR drivers will be involved in the open wheel racing on January 27th with the 45th annual Rolex 24 Hour Race at Daytona. This is a grueling race and always fun to watch. The green flag drops at 12:3opm Sunday January 27 on FOX 50.
Then the granddaddy race week of them all....Daytona Speed Weeks kicks off on Saturday February 10 with the Budweiser Shootout at 8pm on FOX 50.
And the official first NEXTEL Cup points race of the 2007 season is Sunday February 18th.....the Daytona 500 at 2pm on FOX 50.....yeah baby!!!
By my count that's only 39 days away!!!
The countdown is on!!!!