by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Can you smell it? That new car smell that will be coming around next Spring at Bristol or if NASCAR has its way (and just when has NASCAR not had its way) you’ll get a whiff at Daytona in February 2007. The smell will be from the Car of Tomorrow and I’m not too sure if it will be that wonderful smell we get when we buy that new Chevrolet Monte Carlo or the Dodge Charger. It possibly could have the scent of something foreign like a Japanese cherry tree or perhaps pasta and maybe a touch of something not of this world. Whatever the smell its not going to matter, it’s the way the damn thing looks on the track that is going to shock my butt and a bunch of NASCAR fans as well. Have you seen the pictures of the thing, their all over the World Wide Web but when you see it in a race, and it won’t be long, you make your own decision.
Now we all know that NASCAR started developing this newer safer car after the tragedies from 2000 and 2001 and they say along with the manufactures working on the COT that some of the safety features will show up on the dealer’s showroom floor. I thought that the Big Three were going all out to produce a safer car without this added effort, after all, haven’t the foreign car makers already got a jump on them? Did you know that in the passenger car class there are three divisions? The first is the big boys followed by the family car and then there are the small guys. In all three of these there is not a single Chevy, Ford or Dodge. The Lexus ES300 is tops in the larger car with Volkswagen Passat and Golf claiming the next two.
You would think that in the second and third category surely a Big Three would show up but oh no, that’s even worst. For the full-sized pickup contenders don’t think about your F150 Ford and not even your 1500 series Chevy/GMC. It was a Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7 that took top honors and for the crew-cab owners if you not in a Tacoma, you’re not real safe. For the final group of Sport utility vehicles and minivans the guys that have been in NASCAR all these years didn’t even make it in the top three in either class. The only names on this list were, Saturn, Lexus, Honda, Hyundai, Acura and Toyota. Maybe NASCAR will be right about the manufactures incorporating what they learn with developing the COT but then again how long before the safe cars are at your local dealer?
At least NASCAR is ready and from the whisperings around the garage area between NASCAR and teams, they want to get an early start next season with a COT racing at Daytona and probably in the Bud Shootout. The owners don’t think it’s such a great idea because that would mean bring two COT and two Cup cars for the opening of the season and to start with something new that soon when everyone is waiting for some racing just don’t seem right. Can you picture the first race of the year and you got this long awaited event and you look out on the track, here’s these funny looking cars going round and round. Oh Boy, what fun that would be. I don’t care how you paint that thing or whatever amount of decals you put on it, that dad burn car won’t look right and doesn’t belong in NASCAR!
Shoot me Mr. France, run over me with a NASCAR hauler or just ban me from the sport but I will never enjoy watching that car and if any fan says they like it then they are sitting there drinking Evian and white wine. NASCAR plans to introduce the COT next season in various races from Busch to Cup and wanted to have the first superspeedway showing at Talladega’s second race. The only thing about that is it would be during the Chase for the championship which might not be the best time for such a dramatic change as that. I tell ya, whenever they plan to debut the car it will be too soon for me. If NASCAR makes it all that will be racing by 2009 like they hope for, well I’m going back to, well heck I don’t know what I’ll go back to, there ain’t nothing out there left. Guess me and Melinda, she’s my number one finger on the pulse to NASCAR, will be cheering for Australian Rules football, ain’t that right girl?
It is about time and me Mate in Australia I know is just climbing the walls waiting for Sunday’s race at Martinsville. Pete, that’s my Bud in OZ, is about the biggest Ward Burton fan I have ever met. He has got just about every single diecast car, shirt, hat and anything that has got Ward’s name on it. Why back a few years when I was at Speed Week in Daytona, I happened to go the Net Zero hauler to pick up a few things for him and ole Wardie was there signing autographs. I got a couple of cars and took my place in line and when I got up to Ward I told him that the car he was about to sign was for his biggest fan in Australia. Man he got a big smile on his face and asked what was his name and personalized that baby, “To Pete, Thanks A Lot, Ward Burton”.
When Skippy, that’s his nickname, got that car along with a small piece of sheet metal from the Cat car I sent him, he called me and just couldn’t stop talking about it. He mounted the metal to a plaque and put it with the autographed car in the center on his Ward Burton collection and sent me many pictures so that I would know just how special it was to him. Now what is bad on my part is that ever since Burton left NASCAR I have been trying to get Pete to find a new driver but that rascal has been holding out until Ward made a come back and now his wait is over just like a bunch of his fans. I hate to mention here about how Ward has got to qualify for this race since he doesn’t have any points and neither does Morgan McClure Racing to get a provisional. I like Ward Burton and I hope he does make the race and we get a chance to see how he does and if this will lead to a full time ride next year.
Burton says, “I’ve been gone long enough …… I know there have been some changes …… I have to step up and get used to those changes faster and be ready to race this weekend.” About his chances for 2007 with MMR, Larry McClure, team manger said, “We are searching for options for the 2007 season and Ward is certainly a consideration.” I don’t think you could do much better than to have Ward Burton drive that #4 next year or at very least the rest of this season. He has seemed to have changed a lot over the past two years and ready to drive a Cup in all the aspects that is needed to do it. I know that Pete would fly over from OZ if he could get away and I still haven’t heard from him about the news yet so he may just be in flight as I write this article and if he is, well dang it I’ll go to this race with him!
ESPN made the big announcement about their Three in the Booth last week and it is going to be fun to watch these guys next year. Here you have Brad Daugherty a former Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, North Carolina basketball player that went on to play for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He was taken first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA Draft and played for eight seasons in the NBA. Then there’s Andy Petree, long time NASCAR driver, owner and crew chief to Dale Earnhardt helping to win two Winston Cup Championships. The third man in the booth will be Rusty Wallace and what more can ya say about that, ya’ll remember Rusty don’t ya? Yes sir re-Bob, that’s a trio, a triad, a threesome or a trine but these three will to get to be amigos by the time they hit the booth I’m a thinking.
That’s all for this week and if you want to contact me it is real simple, so simple my 15 year old Granddaughter Jennifer can do it at tinynascars@yahoo.com and remember, If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!
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