NASCAR Needs To Change Restart Rules

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June 3, 2013

Dover 2013 — Photo Credit: Matthew O'Haren/USA TODAY Sports

From what I saw, NASCAR made the right call at Dover black flagging Jimmie Johnson but if you step back and take a look at how restarts are policed; you would agree that NASCAR needs to overhaul the entire process. There is a much simpler way of going about restarts that would be better for everyone if they implemented it. Before I get to what that exactly is, here’s a look back at other restart controversies that drastically affected the outcome of races.

There have been many restart controversies in NASCAR; too many actually. It’s a very gray area and it’s always a judgment call on NASCAR’s part. There really isn’t a black and white ruling with restarts and the calls are usually very inconsistent. That’s not a shot at the officials; it’s just a tough thing to police. NASCAR has a restart zone and the 2nd place car is not allowed to pass the leader unless they don’t go by the time the field gets to the end of the restart area. The leader can also be legally passed if they are unable to maintain a reasonable speed. The drivers mess with one another on restarts all the time trying to get that slight advantage that could potentially change the outcome of their race.

Earlier this year, we saw Carl Edwards brake-check the field at Phoenix allowing him to get a considerable gap over Jimmie Johnson. Technically, he didn’t maintain a reasonable speed by slowing down like that but NASCAR let it slide. Last year, there was a Nationwide race at Indianapolis where Elliott Sadler had the win taken away from him after a controversial restart. He beat leader Brad Keselowski to the line, there’s no doubt about that but the circumstances surrounding it is what makes it controversial. Not only did leader Brad Keselowski spin his tires, but Elliott’s teammate Austin Dillon was shoving him so there was no possible way he could back off and give the position back. NASCAR black-flagged him anyway costing him the victory and taking valuable points away from him.

NASCAR usually doesn’t care if the second place car beats the leader to the line as long as it’s by just a small amount but in situations like Sadler’s, there was nothing he could do about it. Another incident was last year at Richmond and that was just a complete mess in more ways than one. Not only did Stewart spin his tires in the worst way, but both he and Edwards thought they were the leader at the time and in control of the race. In the end, Carl was issued a penalty ruining his night. There have been so many problems with restarts the past few years that I could write a book on it and it’s all so unnecessary; there is a much better way to go about restarts. A couple other recent problems were David Ragan in the 2011 Daytona 500 and Johnny Sauter in a truck race at Texas a couple years back.

The question is, how should NASCAR police restarts? The best option in my opinion would be the complete abatement of the current restart rules. NASCAR needs to seriously consider implementing a rule just like Indycar’s. Everyone must stay in formation until the green flag flies and then all bets are off. Just start racing after the green flag is waved with no restart zones or being told to stay in line. That will instantly erase all these games played on restarts, take away all the controversy and it will actually make the races more exciting. With the way it works now, you are at the mercy of the driver alongside you which isn’t right.

This system has worked perfectly in Indycar and would work just as well in NASCAR. No more restart controversies, no more brake-checking, no more holding your breath until you cross the line and most importantly, no more judgment calls. It’s a simple idea that would be a great addition to the racing and make for a better race. You’ll have people fanning out 4-wide before they even get to the stripe as they race off into the corner instead of everyone slowing down and speeding up to make sure they don’t do anything wrong. The only issues they’d have is when an overzealous driver takes off before the restart zone which would be a fairly easy thing to police.

We have easily 10 or more issues with restarts every year across all three national touring divisions and that’s way too many in my eyes. NASCAR is doing the best they can trying to enforce the rules we have in place but it’s an unneeded burden for the drivers and officials to have to deal with. Get rid of the current restart rules and employ Indycar’s; it’s that simple.

NASCAR Champions Featuring ‘Red’ Byron

By

Angie Campbell

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June 3, 2013

Cup Champion – 1949
March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960
Career: 1949 – 1951

Robert ‘Red’ Byron had a short but historic career. Although he only competed for three full seasons, his contributions to NASCAR are significant.

Byron won the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948 on the Daytona Beach road course driving a modified 1939 Ford. He went on that year to win NASCAR’s first championship in the Modified Division.

The following year brought more success as he teamed up with car owner Raymond Parks. In 1949, driving the No. 22 Parks Novelty Oldsmobile, Byron won NASCAR’s first Strictly Stock Division championship; the forerunner to today’s Sprint Cup Series. He competed in six of the eight series races that season, capturing two wins at Daytona and Martinsville.

Byron began racing in 1932 but his career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941. During his stint as a pilot in World War II, he was severely wounded. Byron’s bomber was shot down and he nearly lost a leg. As a result of the injury, he endured constant pain and had to wear a leg brace as well as an orthopedic boot.

After the war he moved to Atlanta and met ‘Red’ Vogt. Vogt was immediately impressed with Byron. He was not only a gifted driver but had an understanding of the strategy it took to win a race. The two men automatically clicked. Vogt was the mastermind behind the innovative modifications that allowed Byron to compete with his injured leg.

In late 1945, Vogt introduced Byron to Raymond Parks. These three men would soon become one of NASCAR’s first super teams.

Byron’s declining health cut short his racing career but he continued his involvement in motorsports. In his later years he was working on developing an American car that could win the 24 Hours of LeMans.

He died of a heart attack on Nov. 11, 1960, in a Chicago hotel room, at the age of 45.

“In so many ways he was the perfect first champion,” Bill France Jr. said of Byron in 1998 when he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. “A guy who loved racing so much he refused to give it up. And he loved his country so much he gave it all he had.”

Accomplishments:

2010 – 2013 Nominee for NASCAR Hall of Fame
2008 – Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
1998 – Named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers”
1966 – Inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Hall of Fame
1949 – Won NASCAR’s first championship in the Strictly Stock Division
1948 – Won NASCAR’s first championship in the Modified Division
1948 – Won the first race sanctioned by NASCAR at Daytona Beach

Casey Mears Rebounds at Dover After Recent Troubles

By

SM Staff

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June 3, 2013

Casey — Photo Credit: Jeff Wackerlin/Motor Racing Network

When it comes to fast single car operations, everyone thinks of Kurt Busch and Furniture Row Racing but there is another single car team out there that is just a couple steps behind the No.78 performance wise. They haven’t been mentioned much because a lot of their great races have been marred by bad luck and accidents not of their own doing. They are Casey Mears and Germain Racing. Casey kicked off the year on a roll finishing 16th or better in four of the first six races. In fact, they were just outside the top-15 in the standings and just a few points short of a provisional chase position. Since then, circumstances outside of their control have dropped them down the leader board but through every crash and misfortune, one thing remained the same and that was the raw speed and pure determination that the team possessed.

This team proved once again at Dover what they can do when bad luck doesn’t hinder their efforts. They qualified 16th beating many of the top organizations and ran top-15 for most of the race. They finished 16th which is very respectable but were trapped a lap down for a good portion of the race stopping them from getting what could have been a 12th or 13th place result.

Throughout the event, I watched Mears pass Clint Bowyer and the defending Sprint Cup Series champ Brad Keselowski with ease as he charged through the field. Two years ago, this team was forced to start and park and they have already built their way up to a solid top-20 organization and with full sponsorship from GEICO Insurance I should add. They haven’t made any imprudent decisions that would dig them a deeper hole; they are actually very meticulous in the way they go about things.

They sit 25th in points due to the bad luck but deserve to be around 18th with how well they’ve run. Five of their past six finishes have been the result of bad luck and I see three races that would have most likely been top-15’s had fate been kinder. There is a fourth race called Talladega where they crashed (as did 30 other people) and who knows where Casey would have ended up if he stayed out of trouble there! If they can get some more good luck on their side like we saw Sunday; I firmly believe we will see them finish top-20 in the point standings, score a couple top-10 results and maybe even steal a victory at a plate race or short track.

If you read through the team’s and Casey’s tweets; you will see that they stay positive through all their travails letting optimism and hope supersede any doubts and concerns they may have. A bunch of bad runs in succession usually kills the morale of a race team but that’s simply not the case with the No.13. They have seen and experienced the lowest of lows in NASCAR and are grateful to even be in the position they are today which in the end, makes them stronger. GEICO has found a diamond in the rough here and I think people are beginning to realize it.

Their perseverance and refuse to lose attitude is why this team has beat the odds and made it in this cut-throat business of auto-racing. You can tell Casey is fired up and determined to keep improving and if the progress continues which I feel it will; I see them in the hunt for a chase berth come 2014. A contingent of people may say that’s a bold and almost ludicrous statement until you actually look at the monumental gains they’ve made in such a short period of time.

Germain Racing is used to the pressure and can handle it with ease which is a virtue not many possess. It’s not just a handful of people on the team either. Everyone from Casey to Bootie Barker and every mechanic that touches the car has the same mind sight and it’s to keep fighting no matter what. They are the next break-out NASCAR team and what they are accomplishing is not unprecedented.

We saw MWR do it, we are watching Furniture Row Racing do it right now and Germain Racing won’t be too far behind. A few years down the road, they’ll be laughing as they reminisce about the days when they were happy to finish 20th as they look on at a shelf full of trophies. They are unwavered by anything bad thrown their way, they refuse to quit, they don’t know the words it can’t be done and because of how bad they want it; their dreams will come to fruition soon and they know it.

Turner Scott Motorsports NCWTS Previews: Texas Motor Speedway I

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SM Archive

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June 3, 2013

Turner Scott Motorsports NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News & Notes:
Texas Motor Speedway I

Jeb Burton

No. 4 Arrowhead Chevrolet Silverado

Texas Motor Speedway I – WinStar World Casino 400

June 7, 2013

Time To Two Step…Jeb Burton heads to Fort Worth, Texas as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) makes its first start of the season at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Burton has never competed at TMS in his short NCWTS career, but he’s proven himself at intermediate tracks. In only 11 NCWTS starts, Burton has scored two poles and three top-10 finishes at tracks one to two miles long.

This Week’s Silverado…Burton and the No. 4 Arrowhead team will utilize powerhouse chassis TSM-220 for Friday’s race at TMS. This is the same chassis Burton and his team used to capture the pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway before bringing home a top-15 finish.

Come Say Hi…Burton and his NCWTS teammates will be signing autographs next to Hospitality Village outside of Turn 1 on Friday, June 7. The session will run from 4:30-5:30 p.m. CDT.

Follow Along…Make sure you stay in the loop with all things Burton and the No. 4 Turner Scott Motorsports team by following along on Twitter and Facebook: @JebBurtonRacing and Facebook.com/JebBurtonRacing.

Watch and Listen…The WinStar World Casino 400 can be seen live on Friday, June 7 on SPEED. Pre-race coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90.

Previous Race Recap…Burton continued his early-season success by taming the ‘Monster Mile’ and capturing his fourth top-10 finish of 2013. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate has been handling himself like a veteran, claiming three poles in the first five races of the season while maintaining second in the NCWTS Driver Point Standings. The rookie qualified third on the board and battled sweltering heat before claiming a ninth-place finish.

Jeb Burton on Racing at Texas Motor Speedway

“I’m looking forward to heading to Texas [Motor Speedway], if for no other reason than the momentum it gives us. It’s good anytime we can race back-to-back weekends because it keeps you in a groove. We’ve been good at intermediate tracks and we’re bringing a good truck, so I’m hoping to get myself one of those cowboy hats in victory lane.”

NCWTS results at Texas Motor Speedway

-No Previous Starts-

James Buescher

No. 31 Ruud Chevrolet Silverado

Texas Motor Speedway I – WinStar World Casino 400
June 7, 2013

Dover Recap…With a never-give-up attitude, James Buescher and the Rheem Crew overcame major adversity at Dover International Speedway last weekend. During the two practice sessions on Thursday afternoon, the Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) crew made many wholesale adjustments to their No. 31 chassis in an effort to tighten up the Rheem Chevrolet Silverado. With a new setup in the truck for qualifying, Buescher was still too loose and, on his second qualifying lap, lost control of the Rheem truck and slapped the outside retaining wall. The damage was too excessive to repair and forced his TSM team to unload the backup Silverado. During the 200-lap race, Buescher was forced to make his way up from the rear of the field and at one point found himself running inside the top three. As the race went on, the handling on the truck went away, and Buescher and the Rheem team were able to salvage a top-15 finish.

Returning Home…Buescher returns to his home track, Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), with the goal of becoming the first driver to win on all surfaces at TMS. Cutting his teeth in racing at TMS, Buescher has already visited victory lane on the short tracks, the dirt track and the road course. The only surface Buescher has yet to win on at TMS is the 1.5-mile oval. After having promising races at TMS, Buescher is looking to close the deal and get his back-to-back championship goal back on track with a win at TMS.

Oklahoma Bound…James, along with his wife Kris, will travel to Moore, Oklahoma this Wednesday, June 5, to assist with cleanup and rebuilding efforts throughout the community that was hit by devastating tornadoes last week. This tragedy hits close to home for the Buescher Family as James’ brother Michael lives in nearby Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Rely on Ruud…This week’s race at TMS was originally planned to be the first Ruud event of the season, but unforeseen circumstances requiring a backup truck forced an early debut last weekend at Dover International Speedway. Ruud will be back onboard this weekend at Texas in front of a large contingent of Ruud supporters. Ruud, part of the Rheem family of quality brands, provides heating, cooling and water heating products for residential and light commercial use. Founded more than 100 years ago by the inventor of the water heater, Edwin Ruud, Rheem acquired the Ruud Company in 1960. Today, Rheem continues developing Ruud products in its tradition of quality, reliability and durability. For more information, please visit www.ruud.com.

Chassis Info…Turner Scott Motorsports will debut a brand-new chassis this coming weekend at TMS. TSM-601 will hit the track for the first time during practice on Thursday afternoon.

Now Appearing…James Buescher will have numerous appearances around the state of Texas this week, with the first events coming at Texas Mesquite Grill in Katy on Monday and Tuesday from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. CDT. Buescher will stop by Century A/C Supply in Houston on Tuesday morning from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. CDT. Buescher will also be featured at the NASCAR autograph session at TMS on Friday afternoon from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CDT. For more information about these events, please visit JamesBuescher.com.

Watch and Listen…The WinStar World Casino 400 can be seen live on Friday, June 7 on SPEED. Race coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90.

James Buescher on returning to Texas Motor Speedway

“I’m really looking forward to returning to my home track this weekend. We had a rough weekend at Dover, but I am confident that my Ruud team can rebound from that. I don’t see a better way to get back on track for our championship hunt than finally getting that elusive win at Texas.”

NCWTS results at Texas Motor Speedway:

Starts: 8

Wins: 0

Poles: 2

Top 5: 0

Top 10: 3

Laps Led: 129

Average Start: 7.8

Average Finish: 12.6

Miguel Paludo

No. 32 Duroline Brakes and Components Chevrolet Silverado

Texas Motor Speedway I – WinStar World Casino 400
June 7, 2013

The Lone Stars…The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) takes top billing this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway for a standalone race in the Lone Star State. Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) is tied with Martinsville Speedway and Kentucky Speedway as the track in which Miguel Paludo has made the most starts. In his five previous events at TMS, Paludo has earned two top 10s, with a best finish of eighth scored in 2011. Intermediate tracks have historically been good to the 29-year-old Brazilian, who has earned 10 of his 17 career top-10 finishes at tracks between one and two miles in length.

Hit The Brakes…The No. 32 Chevrolet returns to Duroline Brakes and Components colors this weekend at TMS. Duroline is recognized as a world-class company present all over the world with its products and services. It utilizes high technology for producing heavy-duty brake linings, guaranteeing high performance and durability on its products with very low noise level. It uses a patented production process called Wave Process which is ecologically correct and contributes to the environment preservation. For more information, visit www.duroline.com.br.

Come Say Hi…Paludo and his NCWTS teammates will be signing autographs next to Hospitality Village outside of Turn 1 on Friday, June 7. The session will run from 4:30-5:30 p.m. CDT.

This Week’s Silverado…Paludo and the No. 32 Duroline Brakes and Components team will unload chassis TSM-600 this weekend. This is a brand new chassis which will be making its first laps at TMS.

Watch and Listen…The WinStar World Casino 400 can be seen live on Friday, June 7 on SPEED. Pre-race coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. EDT, and the event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as SiriusXM Radio, channel 90.

Previous Race Recap…The ‘Monster Mile’ lived up to its name for Paludo in the Lucas Oil 200. Paludo battled the handling of the No. 32 AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet for the duration of the 200-lap race, putting him a lap down early in the event and ultimately resulting in an 18th-place finish at Dover International Speedway.

Miguel Paludo on driving at Texas Motor Speedway

“Texas [Motor Speedway] is one of my favorites of all the tracks we go to. We’ve been so strong on the intermediate tracks this year, both the No. 32 team and Turner Scott Motorsports as a whole, and I don’t think this weekend will be any different. I’ve had this race circled on my calendar for a while now; I really think it’s somewhere that we could get our first win.”

NCWTS results at Texas Motor Speedway:

Starts: 5

Wins: 0

Poles: 0

Top 5: 0

Top 10: 2

Laps Led: 11

Average Start: 13.2

Average Finish: 15.6