Sept. 25, 2007 - Jokes Aside, Who's Stewart's Next Shoe?

Paul McMahan could be a stand-up comic. He’s that funny. Add to that he’s a nice guy, and he’s quite intelligent.

But telling jokes and being knowledgeable doesn’t win sprint-car races. With only a handful of victories while driving the No. 20 Bass Pro Shops machine for Tony Stewart Racing, McMahan is looking for work for the 2008 World of Outlaws season.

Too bad for Paul, but not surprising in today’s cut-throat racing world, where production clearly matters. “The organization and sponsors have high expectations, and ultimately, our performance as a team did not achieve our targeted goals,” said McMahan. “We were strong at times, but we simply didn’t mesh as well as we would have liked.”

Stewart, meanwhile, maintains the team is looking to start fresh in 2008.

As we all learned in August, TSR, will expand to a two-car team next season with defending World of Outlaws champion and current point-leader Donny Schatz joining the operation. Now, the question is, who will be the second driver?

At this point I have no idea, but here are some good choices, that will clearly depend on whether the team wants an up-and-coming driver or an experienced veteran, which it will already have with Schatz.

First off, are the easy selections. World of Outlaws veterans Jason Meyers, Daryn Pittman or Craig Dollansky are all proven winners who are traditionally in the top five in the standings and all win their share of races. All are great spokespersons for the sport. Tim Kaeding, who fell off the trail early this year, would be another excellent choice.

Then, there is hot-shot youngster Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who has driven for Stewart’s USAC sprint-car and midget teams this season, and has won in all three USAC divisions. Stenhouse seems on the fast track to a NASCAR driver, and from that standpoint may not want to step back into a winged car full time, but the Mississippi teenager did get his start racing winged sprints.

Here’s another name to consider — Kraig Kinser. Kinser’s NASCAR deal has dried up and he’s been back on track sprint-car racing, winning the Hoosier Fall Classic at Lawrenceburg, Ind., earlier this month. He has all the tools.

And one final idea to consider — Sammy Swindell. Sammy’s gotten older and he hasn’t raced as much this year, but every time he does, he’s fast.

Sept. 18, 2007 - This Job's For Me

After nearly two hours of driving to make the 40-odd-mile journey to Evernham Gillett Motorsports for Budweiser’s announcement it will sponsor the team and driver Kasey Kahne next season, we found what looked like the perfect job.

And the best part is — it would still involve horsepower, real horsepower. About eight to be exact.

I not only want to ride the wagon pulled behind the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, I want to drive the thing. I want to wear the lime green suit — it’s still better than being the Notre Dame leprechaun — and the matching green hat.

While there is the drawback of staring at horses’ behinds all day, the benefits are clear. You get to ride on a really cool wagon. You get to hang out with a really cool dog, the popular Budweiser Dalmatian — and you are surrounded by beer. What else could a man want?

Most of your days will be spent outside in the open air riding in parades and visiting sporting events, including auto races, baseball games and football games. If Budweiser sponsors it, chances are you and your eight-horse team will get a free ride down main street.

Think at the looks you’ll get while traveling parade routes. Young children astounded by the size of the mammoth beasts pulling your wagon. Small dogs wishing they could get their hands on your sidekick the Dalmatian. People looking bored, who are obviously wishing they could get their hands on a box of your Buds. Attractive women eyeing your snappy green suit — well, maybe not…but you get the picture.

And, who knows, on your day off, you may even get to watch the Clydesdales games of football, which have been frequently featured in Bud commercials.

Oh, and you just might get to crack open a cold one or two. What a job!

Sept. 11, 2007 — Defections Won't Kill Open Wheels

Sam Hornish, Jr. is leaving the Indy Racing League. So is newly crowned champion Dario Franchitti.

As a result many in the racing industry, most NASCAR media types, are concerned about the future of the series. We read one report where the author stated: “Will the last one out of open-wheel racing, please turn out the lights.”

That is a clever line and on the surface many may think the defection of Hornish and Franchitti to NASCAR may be a blow to the IndyCar Series, but it will likely be a blip on the radar screen. Open-wheel racing has its share of problems that must be solved for the sport to return to the popularity it once enjoyed, but losing its drivers to NASCAR is not one of them.

Hornish and Franchitti, join former Formula One drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya as high-profile open-wheel racers to turn to NASCAR in the past year. And why shouldn’t they. The exposure is greater and do you know what else is greater in NASCAR — the money. Hornish will make far more money toiling mid-pack in NASCAR than he does as the three-time Indy car champion.

And can the IRL replace its two most recent Indy 500 winners? Absolutely. Outside of the bowling alley in Defiance, Ohio, Hornish is not the most marketable person around and let’s face it, Franchitti is a great driver and very nice guy, but he is better known as Mr. Judd than he is as the Indianapolis 500 winner.

The fact is that the IRL still has its three most marketable properties as drivers in Danica Patrick, Helio Castroneves and Marco Andretti. As well, the Indy Pro Series has developed a host of talented racers the likes of Alex Lloyd and Wade Cunningham who are just waiting to get a chance.

The fact of the matter is that whether the drivers come from the Indy Pro Series, the sprint-car and midget ranks or road racing, there are far more talented race drivers available than there are quality seats. There are a lot of racers waiting for a golden opportunity and maybe empty seats at Penske and Andretti Green will give that to a couple of deserving up and comers.

Besides, has everyone forgotten that Tony Stewart was a successful Indy car driver long before he dressed in Home Depot orange and raced with a roof over his head for the first time?

Sept. 4, 2007 — Excuse Me, Where's The Circus?

No one got hit in the back of the head by a television camera. No one threatened to wrap a microphone cord around anyone’s head. And there were plenty of places to park.

All in all today’s press announcement at Hall of Fame Racing, which named J.J. Yeley to drive the team’s No. 96 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup next season, didn’t even remotely resemble the media circuses that surrounded Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s press announcements earlier this year.

In fact, Earnhardt and Yeley are closer to one another in the Nextel Cup standings (500 points) than they are in the eyes of the media and the fans.

It was a hearty bunch — about a dozen — that turned out to hear Yeley, who will leave Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of the season for single-car land at Hall of Fame Racing, which was recently purchased by Arizona Diamondbacks execs Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel.

The light turnout was fitting for one of stock-car racing’s most criticized, but most responsible citizens. Garfinkel called Yeley a “dedicated family man.”

At a time when many of his competitors are linked to Paris Hilton and other Hollywood types and still others are finding trouble off-the-track, Yeley drives a race car, drives it very well and goes home to his wife and daughter.

So why then were there so few — and no one from the Charlotte Observer — at the Yeley press conference. Some may say, it was because the 2003 USAC Triple Crown winner is a little boring. Others would say its because he and his new team are irrelevant to what matters in NASCAR racing — neither has won and neither has a great appeal with traditional NASCAR fans.

All of that is probably true, as is the fact, his name is not Earnhardt.

But that said, everyone has started somewhere and most were dismissed in the same manner as Yeley and Hall of Fame Racing. In the early 1980s, a car dealer named Hendrick started a little NASCAR team with a Yankee named Bodine driving.

As a result, Geoff Bodine will always be known as a Daytona 500 winner and Rick Hendrick owns six Cup Series championships.