That Was the Week That Was –Early July 2013
It was an eventful week in NASCAR Land. It pretty much had everything. Well not everything, but a lot of “stuff” happened. First was the surprising decision that NASCAR decided that it wouldn’t punish those teams who had unapproved aero roof flaps. The decision didn’t come until Thursday, which kept the talk shows going all week. Many thought that NASCAR had dropped the ball, and others just thought it didn’t make any difference. Given the history of severe penalties lately, it did leave the fan base to ponder. Someone once posted me a Photoshop rendering that proclaimed that “Inconsistency is Our Consistency” underneath a NASCAR logo.
Follow that with what became a pretty good Nationwide Series race that ended up going far beyond the usual advertised distance. Despite the fact that Kyle Busch dominated the race, it was a good show. Joe Gibbs Racing has this series figured out, but the top two leaders in the season championship come from JR Motorsports (Regan Smith) and Sam Hornish, Jr. (Penske Racing). Go figure.
The Sprint Cup part of the weekend started with a bang. The news that Ryan Newman would not be returning to Stewart-Haas Racing was not a secret and rumored throughout the garage area. Unless SHR was going to four cars, Newman was the odd name out. Kevin Harvick was moving over with the power sponsor Budweiser and there was no room for Newman. Never has such a talented driver been dropped before, but he would make more news at the race.
Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy team was found low during qualifying and his qualifying time (second fastest) disallowed, so he would start at the rear of the field. No one expected him to stay thee and he finished sixth, but it was another Kyle Busch runaway until the fuel mileage demon raised its evil head. Tony Stewart found himself in front, but so did others. In the end, it was Brian Vickers, running a limited schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing taking the win. Pretty good stuff.
The comments at the end of the race were more interesting. Kyle Busch, on television no less, and who finished second, made some controversial comments. What? You’re shocked? Busch’s comments that Ryan Newman was an idiot and that, “I’m glad he’s out of a job,” was old school NASCAR. Kyle made those comments because Newman and his brother Kurt Busch were involved in a tangle about the halfway mark. It was a glorious day for MWR and Vickers, and it led to speculation on who would occupy the No. 55 Toyota in 2014.
Mark Martin, who has been one of three drivers in the car (Martin, Vickers, and Michael Waltrip who runs the restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega. The jury is out on that. Martin has said he will not return to the No. 55 car in 2014, so speculation is in order.
So, as we continue to the off week heading to Indianapolis, it makes the season much more interesting. Where will Newman end up? Many say RCR or Penske, even though owner Roger Penske is loyal to Sam Hornish, Jr., others say he is headed for Roush or Gibbs. We will know sooner than later. Martin? Some say he will do a final tour with a limited schedule with Roush in the No. 6 car he started out in so long ago. Time will tell.
One thing is certain. Unlike the stick and ball sports, with no free agency and other madness, the result is fluid. The truth is that Hendrick Motorsports is solid with Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kasey Kahne, and others seemingly solid with their lineups, there are few options. It should be a pretty interesting silly season.
Newman & Busch Take Jabs At One Another Following New Hampshire Run-In
Ryan Newman was told last Wednesday that his services at Stewart-Haas Racing would no longer be needed beyond 2013 and that 2007 Daytona 500 winner, Kevin Harvick would fill the vacated seat. Ryan doesn’t know what he will be doing next year or if he’ll even be racing at the Cup level but at least the next race on the schedule was one of his best; New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t go according to plan. The No.39 finished 39th after crashing heavily with Kurt Busch on lap 225. Although both drivers were upset following the untimely end to their days, it’s what happened a few laps earlier involving Newman and another Busch that would make for some animated soundbites that won’t soon be forgotten.
Ryan Newman found himself racing Kyle Busch hard and the two made contact which infuriated Ryan. The two slammed doors and Ryan tried to hit him again going into a corner but only managed to trade some paint with bystander Brad Keselowski. After the race, ESPN asked Kyle Busch what happened and this is what he said…
“Ryan Newman is the biggest, stupid idiot out there….He’s a big ogre and can do whatever he wants because he can probably kick anybody’s butt so no sense getting in a fight with him. Glad he’s out of a job.”
It’s not often that you hear the word “ogre” used to describe a fellow driver and saying that he’s glad Ryan is out of a job turned some heads. It caught the attention of the whole racing community including Newman himself who held nothing back in his incensed reply to Kyle…
“I’m just afraid if I rearranged his face, I might fix it. We know he’s not very bright. He’s a heck of a talent, but he’s not very bright and I’ll leave it at that. I admit to goring Kyle down the straightaway after he blasted me into the corner. I didn’t crash him. He didn’t crash me. I don’t know what he’s got to be mad about. Evidently he’s got a bone to pick for some reason. “
“It seems like after his comments about me not having a ride and all that stuff, seems like he’s got way more to lose than I do, so I think he might check his trap there before he gets too ahead of himself. If he’s going to run his mouth, he better be able to back running his mouth.”
These two drivers are fierce competitors who both wear their emotions on their sleeves and Ryan Newman is never afraid to throw down. Go talk to Juan Pablo Montoya and Joe Logano if you think otherwise. It seems that we have an intense rivalry or feud shaping up between these two who are both vying for a chase berth and one is looking for a ride. In a tweet today, Kyle Busch actually apologized for the last part of his angry comments…
“I want to clarify that I was answering what I felt was two separate questions asked to me at the same time in an interview following the race in Loudon. The first was about how fast Kurt was and the second was how I felt about Ryan Newman blaming me for him getting wrecked.
First I answered the Kurt part. He was fast… Great to see them running well… Was a shame to see him crashed… Nowhere there did I place blame on who wrecked who. I didn’t see it and I still haven’t seen it.
My second answer came from being upset over an incident I had with RN on the track during the race. I answered it in the same response, but it was intended as a completely separate answer.
I was upset because I felt RN raced me poorly, making contact and causing damage to my RF fender that affected the handling on my racecar. This isn’t the first time that I’ve been raced poorly by RN either, which added to my frustration. All this built up and allowed my emotions to spill over for how I felt. I’m not sorry for how I feel in those moments, but could have expressed it better and certainly my comments about someone’s livelihood went too far.”
I doubt Kyle will try to continue this feud but I wouldn’t be too sure about Newman simmering down anytime soon. It will be interesting to see how these two race one another in the future and if anything controversial will unfold. Multiple drivers got angry at each other at Loudon and I believe those instances of intense anger between drivers will only increase as we get closer and closer to Richmond. You will see patience wearing thin and the aggression pick up as some drivers realize that they have to make something happened if they want one of those coveted chase spots and begin taking risks that they wouldn’t normally take.
Lastly, as long as we are taking about on track feuds; take a look at this wild video from a race at the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium that occurred the other night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2F2iHTNDE8&feature=youtu.be
