Edition 9, August 10th - 2007

The Car of Tomorrow, Good For Drivers

With the Mid Am Racing Series taking a few weeks off to freshen their rides and get ready for the final points push, I decided to step off the porch if you will, and voice my opinion about a couple hot topics in the Nextel Series. During this time we suggest you visit your local short track and watch the great talent that is coming forward. I recently went to the Saturday night program at DRP in Wis. Dells, and young Ross Kenseth is going to give his father a run for his money some day in the not too distant future. But let’s get back to my two topics of discussion.

Nascar's Car of Tomorrow (COT)

I have been a fence sitter on whether I liked this vehicle for some time. Once I liked the concept COT, and next time I felt that it was an ugly vehicle and that all cars looked the same. Bottom line is this vehicle is going to be raced next year, so I tried to accept the big spoiler and strange body style. I still think they are going to wear about an inch off the front nose on bumpy tracks, but that is the race engineer’s job to figure out and correct. Bottom line is this new body style is supposed to save teams money, as they will not need to have several different style cars for small, intermediate, and longer tracks. This should make the fabricators job less hectic.

But the real reason I support the car of tomorrow is that I sincerely believe that it will save lives and help prevent serious injuries. The body is wider and taller and the driver sits farther away from the door; and that my friends, is the one feature that will help protect driver’s lives. How many times have we watched a race car snap around and hit on the drivers door or worse yet watch a car helpless on the track and get t-boned in the drivers door. We have had driver’s careers ended by a hit from a competitor that can not avoid the collision, and if we can slow down that trend we must do it. The front spoiler and rear wings are on the cars to help hold them down onto the track, and if that helps keep cars from going airborne we should do this also. Some of us more experienced race fans will never forget Bobby Allison spinning his Miller car, then backing down a front stretch, getting airborne and then going over the retaining wall, and tearing out a hundred feet of catch fence and injuring several spectators. This accident could have killed several people.

So let’s support the car of tomorrow. I am sure that the design will need to be refined, but most of all we need safety at the races.

Let's All Stop Kicking Robbie Gordon

I previewed this topic with some of my family and work associates, and against their advice, I am going to present my views anyway. It was Daytona race week 2005, and the Eli Gold radio talk show was interviewing Cup and Busch drivers in front of Daytona USA . Three drivers at a time were brought on stage for q uestions and answers from call in and live audience. My wife, our friends from Florida , and I were standing and watching the proceedings and after the interviews, the drivers would go down by the crowd and sign autographs for a short time. I watched lines form in front of Jeff Burton, and Greg Biffle, then I glanced over and Robbie was standing there, putting the top back on his pen. He had no line. I remember the look on his face.

Now some would say why would you support someone like Robbie? I am not a Robbie fan, I have none of his merchandise, and I do not necessarily cheer for him, which is my prerogative as a race fan. My point is I respect that he is a good enough driver to stay in the points, and on a good day he can stay in the hunt with the leaders. Robbie will take chances that others may not, and I believe a lot of this aggression is based on his need to be successful in a one car, owner-driver situation. I do not support rough driving, but I understand drivers sometimes drive themselves into situations they should not be in. I witnessed the tap from the Intimidator into the back of #2 Wallace at Talledega several years ago and watched Rusty barrel roll down the front stretch. I do not believe any action was taken on that incident.

Now that Robbie has received his punishment in the Marcos Ambrose incident, let’s see if he tones down some of his aggressive driving. Give the guy at least one more chance; after all he is driving the famous #7 car and maybe Kulwicki can reach down and help Robbie find a good finish and a larger fan base.

Racing to the Checkers

Jim