2013 Nascar Silly Season

[HJJ]

Nice chance to pick up some cheap NAPA #56 swag from now to the end of the year. Really hoping FS1 drops Mikey and "Herman" from their broadcast team.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by HJJ

Nice chance to pick up some cheap NAPA #56 swag from now to the end of the year. Really hoping FS1 drops Mikey and "Herman" from their broadcast team.

The question might be whether the other supporters of MWR stay aboard... Toyota, 5 Hour Energy, Aarons... their commitment isnt exactly small... and they too have been leveraging their association with the team...

Might not be much fun for anyone down that way...

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Paradise City

Can MWR stagger on in 2014 without NAPA? Can't see the other sponsors too thrilled with this and headhunting new ones are going to be ten times as tough.

Oops...



I guess all an Aarons car did was hot lap the pitlane when asked to do so...

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

I reckon it took some serious balls for Napa Auto Parts to stand up and say that they wont tolerate bad sportsmanship, that they consider the sanctuoning of the MWR team by NASCAR to be serious enough to terminate the sponsorship!

Maybe it will be a serious lesson to those that try and manipulate a result as MWR attempted to do.

That Mr Waltrip has been anything but contrite, seemingly sorry for being caught as opposed to being sorry for doing something wrong, also likely rubbed the sponsor up the wrong way

Have we heard anything at all from Toyota as yet?

It would not be a surprise to see Napa at Penske or someone similar in the future

Ouch!!

[fieldodreams79]

Well, good for NAPA, I guess...
Good for some other team looking for sponsors.


Speaking of sponsors, the Cheerios #3, looks, um intimidating. Perhaps they could make it sweet and put Honey Nut on it for some races.

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

The question might be whether the other supporters of MWR stay aboard... Toyota, 5 Hour Energy, Aarons... their commitment isnt exactly small... and they too have been leveraging their association with the team...

Might not be much fun for anyone down that way...

From the MWR presser this A.M.

Waltrip to meet media; other sponsors issue statements UPDATE: Michael Waltrip will hold a media availability at 8:00am/et Friday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage in New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Thursday afternoon, Michael Waltrip Racing's other primary sponsors issued the following statements:
5-Hour Energy: "Living Essentials, the makers of 5-hour ENERGY shots, is still evaluating its ongoing participation in NASCAR. A decision is not expected until the 2013 racing season is over."
Aaron's: "Aaron's would like to thank NASCAR fans for their continued loyalty during this time of uncertainty. We became a sponsor of MWR 14 years ago and remain dedicated to MWR, to NASCAR and to the fans."(9-20-2013)
UPDATE: Some notes from the press conference, as posted to Twitter by various media members in attendance:
• Michael Waltrip says he can't say he wasn't "overly surprised" by NAPA's decision.
• NAPA wasn't thrilled about the way things were handled "but we put them in this position" says Waltrip
• Waltrip says there was "no master plan to manipulate the race"
• He still insists that #15-Clint Bowyer did not spin on purpose at Richmond
• Waltrip expects Michael Waltrip Racing will remain 3 cars in 2014
• The team's focus is now on finding a sponsor for #56-Martin Truex, Jr.
• He says it's possible that RK Motors - Rob Kauffman's muscle car company - could sponsor the #56 next season
• "There's a lot of concern," says Waltrip. Says he's been "concerned and worried about the future". Will work to regain trust.
• Michael Waltrip: "Yes I was scared and uncertain of our future. After speaking to all our partners, they're going to stick with us."
• Michael Waltrip has talked to Martin Truex Jr. and asked for patience but says team won't stand in Truex's way if he wants to exit.
• Waltrip expects 5-Hour Energy will stay.(9-20-2013)

[FIRE]

Don't understand this MWR bashing. Yes they did something wrong but do we really think this or running illegal cars did not happen before?

[Paradise City]

MWR made the sport look very foolish in front of a global audience with some very rash maneuvers. It's cynical to say it but that's what it comes down to. NASCAR had to react and I think they reacted smartly if not justly. Biting fines but they left an MWR car in the chase as a kind of coded reminder to NAPA that the team is competitive and has a future. It wasn't enough. I wouldn't be surprised to hear of other problems within NAPA and this was the excuse they needed to exit? I dunno. Either way, it's in noone's interest to see MWR sink.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Don't understand this MWR bashing. Yes they did something wrong but do we really think this or running illegal cars did not happen before?

Not sure its a 'bashing', but the management of that team is a concern when the bloke with the name over the door says what he did was ok.. from a results achievement perspective, ignoring the impacts to his team drivers and his team sponsors. It was extremely clumsy.

You can imagine NAPA seeing it that way too, watching the car they backed fall out of the Chase on penalty caused by these decisions, dragging their name theu the mud a little, intended or not.

Mr Bowyer looks a little grubby here too

From the outside looking in, MWR seems to have lost some respect in their paddock, with team owners & drivers alike

[MJ_N_09]

For all I know, it could be hypothetical but just now, on the ESPN prerace show, Rusty Wallace mentioned some crazy rumor. He was hearing from the garage area that JGR would start up a 4th team, with Truex Jr. being the driver and the sponsor being NAPA. That's huge if it's actually true and not something some random guy took 5 minutes to make up.

[HJJ]

No Cup race at Road America in 2014: Wisconsin racing fans won't get the NASCAR Sprint Cup race they have craved and that had been rumored, at least not next year. As for NASCAR at Road America, Bruggenthies said the deal for the fifth running of the Nationwide Series in 2014 is all but done and he is confident it again will fall on the third weekend in June. Bruggenthies has made it no secret he'd like to bring NASCAR's premier division to Road America. Changes to the Sprint Cup Series are anticipated in 2015 to coincide with a new television contract, but the fact that the 2014 schedule hasn't been announced had led to speculation they could come sooner. That flared up again last week. "They like our event. They like Road America," Bruggenthies said. "They're not saying no. Will it be next year? No. We're continuing to bring our facility up to a standard for the Cup guys, because, understand, they don't run in the rain, they've got a couple more horsepower and they go a little faster, so what we've done in Turn 1 and Turn 5 with barriers and the fencing are what we're doing at Turn 6 and Turn 8 at the end of this season." The Sprint Cup Series races twice on road courses, although NASCAR has seen some interest in adding a third, possibly as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship shootout. One possibility floated was that Sonoma Raceway in California could move into the Chase, freeing up the Sunday on the weekend Road America typically has Nationwide. "When and if they go more road racing, we hope to be considered," Bruggenthies said. "There's no guarantees, obviously."(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(9-28-2013)

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[gomick]

Sonoma is a crap track, no brainer to go to Road America... And a few more Road Courses!

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by MJ_N_09

For all I know, it could be hypothetical but just now, on the ESPN prerace show, Rusty Wallace mentioned some crazy rumor. He was hearing from the garage area that JGR would start up a 4th team, with Truex Jr. being the driver and the sponsor being NAPA. That's huge if it's actually true and not something some random guy took 5 minutes to make up.

It would be an elegant solution for NAPA.. although taking the NAPA budget to FRR might have been more interesting...

[Paradise City]

I'd say NAPA was half mulling leaving the sport anyway and just wanted a window of opportunity to do it. That's my instinct.

[MJ_N_09]

5 Hour Energy will remain with MWR and their #15. MWR still wants to keep the #56 going for Truex, otherwise Truex would head to Furniture Row Racing. FRR even said that they would wait on Truex to make his decision. The team wants Ryan Blaney or Sam Hornish Jr. otherwise.

[HJJ]

Larson to make Cup debut at Charlotte: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR) announced that young driving sensation, Kyle Larson, will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) debut for Team Target in the Phoenix Racing #51 Target Chevy at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 12. In addition, he will run the NSCS race in Martinsville in the #51 Target Chevy on Oct. 27. In August, EGR announced that Larson would take over the reins of the #42 Target Chevy SS beginning in 2014. Larson, who is currently running full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), will also compete in the NNS race at Charlotte in the #32 Target Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports. Next season, the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) Champion, will continue to run full-time in the NNS and compete for Rookie of the Year honors in the NSCS in the #42 Target Chevy SS.
Before becoming the full-time Target driver in the NSCS in 2014, Larson will drive under the Target banner for his two 2013 NSCS starts in Charlotte and Martinsville and in one NNS race in Charlotte. Larsons 2013 Target paint scheme in the #51 and #32 Chevys will be white and carry the familiar Target bullseye in red.(EGR). Justin Allgaier had been announced as driving in three races in the #51, one being Charlotte, but looks like that was changed to Kansas as Allgaier is in the #51 at Kansas.(10-1-2013)

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[HJJ]

Germain Racing to switch to Chevy: #13-Germain Racing is changing manufacturers once again. Ending a two-year relationship with Ford, team owner Bob Germain informed Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates Engines, on Tuesday that his company will be moving to General Motors for 2014. We value Germain Racing as a customer, and we hate to see them leave, Yates said. We wish them well. Germain is expected to form an engine and technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing similar to the relationship Furniture Row Racing. Germain Cup driver Casey Mears drove for RCR in 2009. Attempts to reach Germain Racing owner Bob Germain for comment have been unsuccessful.(FoxSports)(10-1-2013).

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[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by MJ_N_09

5 Hour Energy will remain with MWR and their #15. MWR still wants to keep the #56 going for Truex, otherwise Truex would head to Furniture Row Racing. FRR even said that they would wait on Truex to make his decision. The team wants Ryan Blaney or Sam Hornish Jr. otherwise.

Where might Mr Waltrip pull a lazy $15 million or so from sponsors when they discover the reason the one they had left them because of unsporting behaviour?

[MJ_N_09]

So, Travis Kvapil has been charged with domestic violence. I wonder what will happen to him after this week. Article is on Jayski if you would like to read more.

[FPV8U]

So Domestic Violence and your ok to race but take a banned substance and your our of your seat straight away?

[FIRE]

Split between MWR and Kaufmann?

[HJJ]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Split between MWR and Kaufmann?

Sounds like it.

Burton to MWR? Ownership split at MWR?: the sport continues to await some word from Rob Kauffman (part owner of MWR) about the Michael Waltrip Racing Richmond controversy. Kauffman, 49, is Waltrip's business partner, joining in late 2007. Kauffman's primary business is as a private equity investment manager, with his Fortress Investment Group, with some $17 billion under management. Kauffman himself is listed by Forbes as one of the world's top billionaires. Now comes word from people close to the situation that Kauffman may be planning to separate himself officially from Waltrip's racing operations and establish his own NASCAR team. Kauffman's pick for his driver, again, according to people familiar with it all, is Jeff Burton. Burton says he's got a driving deal for 2014 but says he can't say anything more than that right now. Burton currently drives for Richard Childress' Chevy team; if Kauffman does do his own team, it would most like be with Toyota. A spokesman for Waltrip and Kauffman says he is unfamiliar with such a Kauffman-Burton scenario.(MikeMulhern.net)(10-12-2013)

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[MJ_N_09]

Yeah, If I was Waltrip or Hyder, I'd be thinking to myself every moment, "Was it worth it?" It clearly wasn't. I'm convinced that there will be no #56 next year for MWR as the crew chief even asked to leave after this year., so where does Truex go? Probably here:

Truex Jr. to Furniture Row? A spokesman for the Barney Visser-Todd Berrier Chevy [#78 Furniture Row Racing] operation says the team is "very hopeful" of signing Martin Truex Jr. to a contract for 2014. Truex was victim of the Richmond (MWR) controversy, first making the championship playoffs in a hard stretch charge...only to be bounced out of the chase and replaced by #24-Jeff Gordon, in the wake of the #15-Clint Bowyer/#55-Brian Vickers flap. Not only did Truex get booted from the playoffs for no fault of his own, his sponsor NAPA is pulling the plug at the end of the season over the controversy. That has many Waltrip people quite worried about their own jobs for next season.(MikeMulhern.net)(10-12-2013)

[Cynic]

There's something very cloak-and-dagger going on with the whole #56 operation. During the pre-race show yesterday it was reported that Truex's crewchief has handed his notice in at MWR but won't (or can't?) say what his future plans are, or if they still include Martin.

[MJ_N_09]

Originally Posted by Cynic

There's something very cloak-and-dagger going on with the whole #56 operation. During the pre-race show yesterday it was reported that Truex's crewchief has handed his notice in at MWR but won't (or can't?) say what his future plans are, or if they still include Martin.

Reported now, the #56 will be run only part time next year. I bet that Mark Martin comes back to MWR to take this ride and share it with Waltrip. For sure, 'Ol mikey will run Daytona and 'Dega in this car, if anything. From the Jayski article, it sounds like Kauffman will stay at MWR and restructure it.

And once again, Brian Vickers has blood clots and will miss the rest of the season, for both Cup and NNS. He's expected to be fine for next year.