One Bad Wheel Blogs - Latest Comments

Re: A Stimulus Package For Some NASCAR Fans

Stan Dupp — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:46:19 -0000

Yea Baby!!!!!

Re: Harvick, Hamlin & Busch on CMT Cribs

Mary Byrnes — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:16:25 -0000

Isn't it just great that you are so successful, so rich and so kool.
I just wish I can afford my rent of $600.00 a month and can get medical treatment once in a while you live a dream come true god bless you. It is kind of nice to see some people have everything life has to offer.

A new fan,
Mary Byrnes from Clay, NY

Re: A Stimulus Package For Some NASCAR Fans

James_J — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:30:18 -0000

Oh, "they should perform lap dances." LOL
That's good Matt, very good.
How in the world did I miss that?

Re: A Stimulus Package For Some NASCAR Fans

Matt — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:34:11 -0000

They should perform lap dances?

Re: A Stimulus Package For Some NASCAR Fans

Justin — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:18:14 -0000

James, that is probably one of your best written pieces. I guess it is easy to write so effortlessly on a subject that is so near and dear to your....heart.

Re: $23 Billion Photo Opp Performed by Busch and Montoya?

mattherdy — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:06:00 -0000

Not taking away from their performances, but at first glance it doesn’t appear like anything special or odd. Both drivers likely exceeded most fans expectations as Kyle performed much better than he normally does at Talladega, and Juan posted such a good finish in the restrictor plate race in only his sophomore year in the series.
Alex Jeffreys

Re: Tips for Naming Your Fantasy NASCAR Team

Ryan — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:56:48 -0000

I've got my bases covered in terms of team names over the years. A few notable names I've had were Dalejr#1 Fan (when i'm in a league with an auction and I want to drive up his price :),The Punisher (when I'm mad), Spatula State Culinary School (Feeling lazy), The Ultimate Rainbow Warriors (Got Gordon on my team), and then my classic name Speed.

Re: Jimmie Johnson On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated

James_J — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:06:54 -0000

Grab your popcorn boys and girls. This could get interesting, but only if Darren can come up with even half as many reasons why Jimmie Johnson is supposedly so terrible.

Someone pass the salt while we wait.

LOL

Re: Jimmie Johnson On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated

nascargeek — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:31:37 -0000

Ok Pam..but besides those things?

haha.

I doubt I have ever read such a thorough, concise, well-thought out response. Excellent points. Thanks for taking the time to write. I must say too that JJ looked dashing and rugged all at the same time with his beard.

I won't promise no Jimmie tirades this year..but I will consider your points before flying off the handle.

Re: Jimmie Johnson On The Cover Of Sports Illustrated

Pam — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:34:32 -0000

[b]The driver…[/b]

He’s learned patience. If his car isn’t what he needs, he works with Chad to get it better. He never gives up.

He’s a smooth driver. He works at finding the best line around a track. He can finesse his way through a pack

He’s a clean driver. He can actually win races without being a bully.

He never berates his team. He seems to be understanding of other’s mistakes. You don’t see him blaming his team – [i]ever[/i] – for a poor performance.

[b]The person…[/b]

He’s a humble person. He never shows an ounce of arrogance and doesn’t boast about his accomplishments.

He shows a certain loyalty toward those who have helped him

He shows respect for his family, his employer, his friends, his team and his teammates; and cherishes the respect he gets from others.

He works hard and makes certain that at the end of the day he has given 100% to be the best he can be. He approaches his sport with diligence, a certain firmness of purpose, and never wavers from what he has set a goal.

He’s grounded. For all his success, he still doesn’t have a big head. I think he has his priorities in order. Things like family, God, Country, still have meaning in his life.

He shows compassion toward his fellow man through his foundation.

He’s just a good person, and it’s great to see good things happen to good people.

[b]The “vanilla” issue…[/b]

If people consider professionalism as vanilla, so be it. When did egotism and arrogance become more appealing than humility, simplicity, modesty, and unpretentiousness? I think it’s ridiculous that some people don’t like someone for the sole reason that they’re not “edgy” enough. When did people start thinking that good sportsmanship and good manners are things that are boring?

Sports can be a good way to instill confidence and pride in one’s self. It is one of the reasons we involve our young people in sports. In doing so it’s only natural for young people to look up to athletes as role models. I would think people would want their children to act more like a Jimmie Johnson than a Kyle Busch. Why does acting in a professional decorum turn people off?

Jimmie is well spoken and acts with a professional etiquette which shows the respect he has for the sport, his employer and his sponsor. I’m sure there are times he wants to fly off the handle about other drivers, or give a smart-ass answer to a media person who just asked him the same question he heard for the tenth time that day. But he shows self-discipline and I believe he double checks what he wants to say before he opens his mouth. Is it boring? I guess that’s subject to those listening. If you’re a media person looking for a good story, or a broadcaster looking to feed on something exciting, then Jimmie isn’t your cup of tea. But for me he’s the cream in my coffee.

Re: RCR: The Ohio State Buckeyes of NASCAR

Ryan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:54:35 -0000

I guess this makes Penske the Michigan of NASCAR because it will be a rebuilding year?

The problem with RCR is that Johnson is both consistent and fast. Joey Logano last year was the model of consistency because both his average start and finsish were the same, 37th.

Re: Has the 4-car team outgrown its usefulness?

James_J — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:41:31 -0000

Let's see how long it stays three teams. They're rumoring 4 teams for Daytona (with no driver or sponsor specified for the 4th car). Almirola in the 8 car doesn't have full sponsorship. The trend with DEI news is that within a week or two it all changes. So....

If they keep three cars running and the 8 car only has partial sponsorship, then I'll bet the 3rd car is kept on the track simply to fulfill the rumored contract stipulation from Bass Pro Shops on the 1 car that DEI must have 3 or more full time cars in the organization.

Re: RCR: The Ohio State Buckeyes of NASCAR

James_J — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:38:01 -0000

Dang Mike. You lumped my favorite drivers, race team and college football team all into one post.
THANKS! LOL

Anyway, I agree that RCR is just a step or two behind. Hopefully they'll be able to find that additional speed that Burton is calling for as the missing element keeping RCR from being mentioned in the same breath as HMS and JGR.

Re: Has the 4-car team outgrown its usefulness?

mike — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:34:15 -0000

I'm glad to see DEI-Ganassi took my advice and went down to three teams this week.

Re: Bud Shootout Needs Red Flagged

mike — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 13:38:48 -0000

It's annoying that the format changes almost yearly (the drivers forget how many laps and when mandatory pit stops are),and the lineup criteria is a farce, but the race has a purpose: promoting the season and the Daytona 500. Dale Jr won last year and created instant buzz. Stewart and Kurt Busch had a mysterious quasi-fight in last year's practice session. Denny Hamlin as a surprise winner in 2006. There is always something newsworthy that comes out of the Shootout.

I suggest a new criteria for the lineup. 1. A footrace that instantly qualifies the top 18 finishers. 2. A wildcard pie eating contest for the fastest 2 drivers. 3. Dale Jr and Jeff Gordon make it every year (they're great plate races, polarizing drivers and still makes more sense than having David Stremme in the Shootout).

Re: Bud Shootout Needs Red Flagged

USARfans — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:18:29 -0000

More and more like a staged wrestling match every year. The one really getting the shaft seems to be Coors. They barely get any coverage at all.

Re: Bud Shootout Needs Red Flagged

Speed — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 10:56:38 -0000

I agree that Robby Gordon, Stremme, Sorenson and Mears shouldn't be in the Shootout. When you combine all of those driver stats from last year (Stremme didn't have a ride) they combined for 2 top 5's and 11 top 10's. Nascar has been making things a little to easy on drivers lately. First they made the Chase 12 drivers to help ensure all of the big stars make the show and that didn't even work. Now they are throwing out more life jackets to get everybody they want in. NASCAR just needs to let things ride for a while and avoid their current knee jerk reactions.

Re: Has the 4-car team outgrown its usefulness?

mike — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:59:52 -0000

What I would like to see is a team make the CoT exciting to race and then have everyone copy that.

Re: Has the 4-car team outgrown its usefulness?

nascargeek — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:27:03 -0000

You make a good point about the 'ability' to expand vs. the 'capability' to expand.

It appears that DEI expanding is much like all the families that "bought that house they couldn't afford just because everyone else was and the mortgage company was willing to give then the loan."

We see where that has led.

I'm getting more annoyed with NASCAR teams for having such a "follow the leader" mentality. One team gets a road course driver...every team gets a road course driver. One team expands...all the teams have to expand.

I'd like to see the monkey-see-monkey-do follow the course of: one team brings back a veteran driver..they all bring back a veteran driver.

Re: Labonte gets a ride, Roush expands to nine teams

James_J — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:59:13 -0000

Perhaps I failed to convey my point. The example of the Microsoft and Verizon deal was just to show their investment in trying to grow Live Search's market share. In other words, Microsoft has the money and willingness right now to market their Live Search product. The fact that Verizon phones will feature Live Search as the default mobile web browser in some of their phones would have nothing to do with Microsoft also sponsoring a NASCAR team with their Live Search product if they wanted to.

Here's a hypothetical example:
Could Sprint keep Duracell from sponsoring Bobby Labonte just because Duracell is the primary battery supplier for Verizon phones?

Re: Labonte gets a ride, Roush expands to nine teams

Lou — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:41:50 -0000

With Sprint being the major stakeholder in NA$CAR, it's not likely that you would ever see any product which involved Verizon.

Re: Talladega Preview: The Rise of the Gibbs Cars

Mark — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:46:46 -0000

plus one
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Re: Labonte gets a ride, Roush expands to nine teams

James_J — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:58:46 -0000

You mentioned Webcrawler and Lycos, but my first thought was.... where was Microsoft's Live.com?

Microsoft has been on a major drive to push their Live.com search, aka Live Search. They recently announced two deals (one each with Dell and Verizon) for distribution of Live Search. Microsoft announced a "... deal with Dell that will see Live Search be the default search engine and a Windows Live toolbar bundled on the bulk of consumer and small-business PCs sold by the computer maker over the next three years. That deal is in addition to a five-year deal with Verizon Wireless, which leaked out earlier on Wednesday." In regards to the Verizon deal, "... Microsoft Live Search will be preloaded on new Verizon Wireless phones and smartphones to provide all local and Internet searches. Microsoft will also power search for Verizon Wireless' VCast content, allowing subscribers to search for ringtones, full music tracks, videos, and other VCast entertainment content and news." [Souce: cnet article: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19... ]

Clearly Microsoft is spending some dough. "Verizon Wireless and Microsoft have declined to discuss financial details of the deal. But a source close to the company said the five-year arrangement is worth a minimum of $650 million." And that's just the Verizon deal! What is a NASCAR team sponsorship cost, $15-$25 million?

I've always been surprised neither Microsoft nor Apple have made a major push into sponsorship in NASCAR teams or the series.

Re: Bobby Labonte Gets Another Go At It

Lou — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:21:29 -0000

http://www.ask.com/web?q=Wi...

Re: Bobby Labonte Gets Another Go At It

Lou — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:10:21 -0000

nascargeek wrote:

"I thought they were doing away with the CP?"

Perhaps you should submit that to ASK.com and see what comes out! :-)