Tuesday, June 2, 2009 | 3:30 a.m.
Chad Knaus, Jimmie Johnson & Co. have proven, once again, why the No. 48 team has won three championships in a row and could be poised to win an unprecedented fourth. This team understands that adaptability and flexibility, when faced with challenges on the track, are the keys to winning championships. Late in the race at Dover, members of Jimmie’s pit crew stumbled over one another on a pit stop. That sent Johnson from first to eighth place. But, as we have seen time and time again this season, the No. 48 team is able, either with Johnson’s talent or Knaus' strategy, to overcome major obstacles.
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If Dale Jr.’s last name wasn’t Earnhardt do you think there would be so much ink and airtime dedicated to the shuffling of chairs on the deck of the No. 88 team? One thing is for sure, if Dale Jr.’s last name were Jones, the most talked about story this season would be the increasingly impressive season that Stewart-Haas Racing is having. The last owner-driver to lead the points battle was Alan Kulwicki in 1992.
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Several media outlets are reporting that NASCAR is considering implementing double-file restarts by this Sunday’s race at Pocono. I hope this is the case. Pocono isn’t exactly the home of the most exciting racing on the circuit, so I can’t think of a better place to start this new rule. Could this change help the sagging TV ratings? Time will tell. Double-file restarts will only have an effect on the competition for a certain number of laps. Ultimately, it will take more changes to significantly improve the quality of the racing and increase the number of eyes watching the sport.
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“You got to make the most popular driver in the sport competitive, so you got to do what you got to do I guess.” By now you’ve heard Kyle Busch’s quote regarding the crew chief change at the No. 88 team a thousand times. The fans may not love Kyle, but the media sure does. As sure as the sun rises in the East every day, Kyle can always be counted on for a colorful, snarky quote. Kyle generates enough news to almost justify a cartoon every week.
Earnhardt’s response was less provocative, but a lot classier: “He’s always had a chip on his shoulder for me.”
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My final thought has nothing to do with NASCAR, but it’s something that has been on my mind for a few weeks. The media is currently fawning all over the Ford Motor Company for its ability to dodge the need for a government bailout. Judging from the positive tone of some of the reports, you might think that Ford has few challenges on the horizon. Ford’s ability to avoid bankruptcy is very commendable and CEO Alan Mulally’s early decision to mortgage the company’s assets was a great move that has given the company the operating capital it has needed to remain in business and to develop a new product line. I hope Ford and the other domestic auto manufacturers survive, but the reality is that Ford isn’t out of the woods yet: Ford lost $1.4 billion in the first quarter.
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