All Purpose NASCAR Thread

The other rookies are Ragan and Reutimann (in Michael Waltrip equipment).

Would be a horribly disastrous season if he wasn't ROY.

 

I wouldn't sell Reutimann short. I don't think he's going to do well in Cup because of his affiliation with Waltrip. However, I think he'll do very well in Busch. It's funny that Waltrip couldn't qualify for races with his Busch team for some races, yet Reutimann could take that same equipment at a tough track full of Cup drivers and get a top 5.

 

Isn't Menard going to be a rookie?

 

skippy, it's why I pointed out he was in Waltrip equipment. I've talked with Reutimann, find him to be a very good guy and he can drive.

And yeah, Gluck, Menard too. Forgot about that guy.

 

I can't see Menard doing a whole lot better. As for Reutimann, I know you can't turn down the kind of opportunity he's been given, but I really would have liked to have seen him run just the Busch Series THEN make the jump to Cup. Who knows? Maybe Waltrip's deal with Toyota will provide the kind of money to give that team the opportunity to win races...

 

Toyota ain't winning races any time soon.

Unlike Dodge, which actually forked over coin to sign up some respectable teams (Bill Davis, Petty, then Penske a couple years in) when they returned to the sport, Tayota (as Mr. Foyt would say) decided to build from the ground up -- except for Davis' team, which hasn't done anything since Dodge yanked its support. And you could question their sanity in backing the Michael Waltrip program at all, since Michael ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

I've always thought Waltrip was a poor driver but a good businessman. He might not win for his team, but somebody else probably will (although not next year). I'll bet you he eventually becomes a good, established owner in the sport. He certainly knows how to sell.

 

Here's the telling thing: Dave Blaney had a pretty good run for Davis toward the end of the year, and did respectably well with what he was given. Much better, in fact, than Waltrip.

Blaney: two top-10 finishes, 10 top-20s, started 36 races.
Waltrip: ZERO top-10 finishes, FOUR top-20s, started only 33 races. And he bought his way into one of them.

 

And he missed three.

Jeff, Michael sucks as a driver, and sure he can sell, but I don't sense that he knows anything about running a business. Going by Ty Norris' record at DEI, sans plate races, I don't know whether that team will win races anytime soon. DJ ain't getting it done, that's for sure.

 

Not to quibble, but I'd say Stewart and Johnson are the faces of GM at this point.

Davis' cars ran quite well when they had the factory support. I would expect they'd be the most successful of the Toyota bunch come next year.

And, Jay, those sponsors will be gone within two years. Sponsors aren't gonna pay $15 million per just to see their cars ride around in 30th place.

 

None of those Dodge teams who jumped to that brand in '01 that you mentioned were any good...They STILL haven't won anything. And you left out Ganassi and Evernham, who WERE good and Evernham DID win a race in '01 and Ganassi almost won a championship until McMurrary blew it by winning too quick and letting NASCAR know something wasn't quite kosher with that team. I don't know that Toyota will win a Cup race next year, but I think it's safe to say they have a shot in the Busch Series.

 

Have you met Dale Earnhardt's kid yet? Souvenirs for Driver 8 outsell both --- and probably both combined, given Johnson's lack of popularity.