Tony Takes On Goodyear

I really appreciate Tony Stewart taking Goodyear to task after the Atlanta race. Tony is a person who speaks his conviction and in the racing world he has the street credibility to back it up.

He felt like the tire was inferior and not suited for the track or the cars and he spoke his mind. He is smart enough to know that sometimes you have to take the argument to a certain level of absurdity before you get anyone's attention.

If he only mildly complains then nothing gets done and the problem persists. It was obvious to anyone watching the Atlanta race that the drivers were not comfortable and it made for less than scintillating racing. Tony realized that if he went nuclear he could get some attention, and boy did it work.

The next day, there was more talk about Tony's tire tirade than Kyle Busch getting Toyota their first win (sorry about that Kyle) but for Tony it was mission accomplished. A lot other drivers agreed with Tony, including Dale Jr., but they weren't willing to climb on the soap box and give the sermon.

Give Tony credit. If Goodyear produces a tire that promotes better racing, then we've all got one person to thank. To paraphrase the late U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, "extremism in the defense of better racing is no vice."

Daytona in Review

Daytona verified a lot of what we already knew heading into the 2008 Sprint Cup Season.

1. Toyota is going to be a player this year.  All the old Toyota teams, Bill Davis Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and Red Bull were improved and we all knew Joe Gibbs racing would be very competitive. Joe Gibbs almost won the 500, Tony Stewart was leading at the white flag, and Kyle Busch easily had the fastest car in the race.

2. Dale Jr. is still the biggest deal in this sport even if he is not driving for DEI or Budweiser.  The crowd in Daytona went ballistic when he took the lead.  The crowd around his souvenir rig was absolutely incredible; everywhere you looked, race fans were sporting expensive new 88 jackets.

3. The so-called car of tomorrow produced a pretty good show, especially during the last 50 laps. The drivers decided to ride for the first 150 laps and race for the final 50. Hopefully the on track product will continue to improve over time.

We found out a couple of other interesting items.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson don't win EVERY race.

Kurt Busch is a real team player.  Without his help, Ryan Newman doesn't win the Daytona 500.  Mark Martin has stated the Kurt is the ultimate team player.  Eventually, his public perception will turn around.

The Dodge teams look to be somewhat improved.  Six of the top ten in Daytona carried the Mopar brand.  Don't know if Dodge is going to dominate but they will be better.  Both the Gillette-Evernham and Ganassi looked vastly improved.

Overall, the 50^th running of the Daytona 500 was very satisfying and produced a great finish.  I've got to admit I'm already looking forward to next year.  

Now the real season begins.        

Changes

NASCAR fans have been asked to digest more than their share of change through the years, and Doug warns that more is on the way in 2008.