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♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2006'
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Here is our weekly selection
of bloopers, Inconsistencies, In
decipherable remarks, fractured
moments and maniacal deci
sions from the past season.
Save your money, kid
David Ragan, slated to re
place Mark Martin in 2007, had
a rough day at Martinsville
Speedway, one of the sport's
tougher tracks. Afterward, he
was blamed for several crashes,
drawing the notable ire of veter
an Ken Schrader and reigning
champion Tony Stewart, who
called the 20-year-old Ragan “a
dart without any feathers.”
Ragan and Stewart had never
met, so Ragan took an unusual
step in order to get to know
Stewart. He bid $5,750 at a
charity auction, earning a pre
race ride around Atlanta Motor
Speedway with Stewart.
Stewart noted, somewhat
whimsically, that Ragan could
have saved himself the money by
giving him a phone call.
Keep it fair
In a late-season race at At
lanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR
officials waved a caution flag for
debris at a time when Dale Earn
hardt Jr. needed it in order to pit
without losing a lap. Skeptical re
porters chuckled when the site of
debris was first cited as being in
turn two, then turn three. When
officials issued their "cumulative
report" a few laps later, the rea
son for the caution was listed as
“TBD” for “to be determined."
One observer suggested that
the acronym was really for "to
benefit Date."
He got that right
David Pearson, second in all
time victories with 105, ap
peared at an Atlanta Motor
Speedway press conference
sponsored by Nicorette. After
ward, a local reporter posed a
question to the three-time cham
pion, a former smoker.
"Mr. Pearson, for many years
NASCAR was sponsored by to
bacco, and now it has a busi
ness relationship with a product
that helps people stop smoking,"
said the reporter. "What do you
think that says?"
“I think it pretty much says
that NASCAR will do anything for
money." Pearson replied.
A strange disparity
Two spring races had to be
run on Monday after being rained
out on the scheduled date. After
an estimated crowd of 85,000
went home disappointed, only
20,000 or so showed up the fol
lowing morning at Atlanta. When
similar circumstances occurred
at Talladega the two tracks are
no more than a two-hour drive
apart five races later, a crowd
estimated at 135,000, or about
87 percent as many as the day
before, returned on Monday.
i-EGENOS^WPEGRE
Trivia
Questions
1. The final race of seven-time
champion Richard Petty's ca
reer was also the debut of
what future champion?
2. In what year was Petty's first
championship?
3. In what year did Winston be
come a major sponsor of
NASCAR?
4. In what year did Nextel suc
ceed Winston as the premier
series' corporate sponsor?
Answer
1. Jeff Gordon
2. 1964
3. 1971
4. 2004
■ “The car got really good,
and then I ran into the wall."
Jeff Burton, after an Atlanta
crash.
■ “I was a doctor one year, a
football player and a Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtle a few times.
Maybe this year I'll go as Tony
the Tiger." Kyle Busch, on his
Halloween plans.
■ “I hope this will shake the
branches of corporate America. I
wish I could've been here 20
years ago. Who knows how long
my career will last?” Bill
Lester, on becoming the first
African-American to compete in
NASCAR since Willy T. Ribbs.
■ “If it don't have headers, a
four-speed (transmission) and
slicks, I don't do no good with
it.” Bobby Hamilton, whose
career was interrupted by his
treatment for cancer.
■ ‘I hate to see Kurt Busch
win. What a whiner.” Kevin
Harvick, after finishing second
to Busch in the spring race at
Bristol
■ "I'd still like to whip his
ass. Before the year is over, he'll
make a fool out of Roger
Penske.” Harvick, continuing
his diatribe.
► If you have a question or a comment, write: NASCAR This Week, c/o The Gaston Gazette, PO. Box 1538, Gastonia, NC 28053
Top drivers hit jackpot with postseason awards
■ Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson’s
bonus for winning the title amounted to
$6,785,982, bringing his season total to a record
$15,770,125 and his career earnings to over $44
million during five full-time years at NASCAR’s pre
mier level.
■ The Awards Ceremony, at New York's Waldorf-
Astoria Hotel, was the scene of an awarding of
$22,081,489, divided among the top 10 drivers,
each of whom received more than $1 million.
■ In addition, llth-place finisher Tony Stewart
received a $250,000 bonus, and Stewart’s total
point-fund award was $1,143,888, not to mention
$310,000 for three special awards: Bank of Amer
ica Card Services Mid-Race Leader Award, USG Im
proving the Finish Award and Wix Lap Leader
Award. Stewart’s total earnings in 2006 were
Fizzle at the Finish
NASCAR awards ceremony was scripted, like the racing itself
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
A few observations on the Nextel
Cup Awards Ceremony and the season
that preceded it:
■ The “host,” comedian/actor Jay
Mohr, was handling those duties for
the third year. He was horrible. Rela
tively few of his jokes were funny, and
perhaps the sole high point was his
brief, spontaneous impersonation of
Christopher Walken, prompted by the
onstage appearance of a similarly
spontaneous Dale Earnhardt Jr.
■ Lack of spontaneity is probably the
biggest reason the banquet is a colos
sal bore. One gets the impression that
the humor is watered down by an ap
proval-and-censorship process that is
typical of almost all NASCAR func
tions. In short, the crummy script may
not have been completely Mohr’s fault.
It would be amusing, though, to see
NASCAR officials try to rein in a
Robin Williams or a Jim Carrey.
■ Banquet or no, New York is not ex
actly attuned to NASCAR. Before the
banquet, the city’s premier sports radio
station, WFAN-AM 660, promoted the
chance to meet Jeff Gordon and Kasey
Khan in Times Square. No, Kahne (aka
Khan) isn’t related to Capt. James
Kirk’s archrival. Neither is he heir to
the weiner fortune.
■ Before the season, NASCAR polled
media members as to who would make
the Chase. Those predictions got only
five of the 10 right, though it was a
year of surprises. Few would have pre
dicted that the top three of 2005
Stewart, Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards
would all miss it, not to mention the
two previous champs, Stewart and
Kurt Busch, from the Chase format.
■ Jimmie Johnson was the third
choice in the preseason polling, where
media members predicted a fifth
championship for Jeff Gordon, with
Stewart second.
■ The five Chase participants who
weren’t in the preseason top 10 were
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Bur-
Petty, the doctor that is, earns career honor
By Monte Dutton
NASCAR This Week
Dr. Jerry Petty, who has
cared for many NASCAR driv
ers, officials and crewmen dur
ing his 46-year medical career,
received the Bill France Award
of Excellence for lifetime
achievement in New York City
during Champions Week.
“Dr. Petty certainly knows
our sport, but more important
ly, he knows the competitors
and people who make up our
sport,” said NASCAR President
Mike Helton. “Everyone in
NASCAR appreciates Dr. Pet
ty’s commitment to our sport.”
Petty, 71, joined his Char
lotte, N.C.-based practice in
1968. The Gastonia native be
gan his career in 1960 as an as
sistant neurological surgery
resident at Barnes Hospital in
St. Louis. He moved to Char
lotte Neurosurgery and Spine
Center in 1968.
“He carries that same kind
of passion for the sport and all
of the drivers out there be
cause he wants to see it safe,”
said four-time champion Jeff
$8,739,169. meaning that despite his llth-place
finish in points, the 2005 champion ended up with
the third-highest earnings total.
■ Matt Kenseth, who finished second in the
standings, received $2,841,047 from the point
fund and $75,000 for the Goodyear Gatorback
Fastest Lap Award. The above brought his season
total to $9,524,966, or $102,202 more than he
won in 2003 for the (then) Winston Cup champi
onship.
a Sixth-place Jeff Gordon, the all-time money
leader, collected $1,495,574 from the point fund
for a season total of $7,471,447. With this pay
out, Gordon's career winnings rose to
$82,838,526. Altogether, the point fund provides
monetary benefits to the top 30 in the standings.
The point fund altogether exceeded $30.4 million.
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John Clark/NASCAR This Week
Greg Biffle finished second In the Nextel Cup points race last season, but failed to
make the Chase in 2006. Preseason prognosticators didn't see that coming.
ton, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch. The
five who missed? Stewart, Biffle, Ed
wards, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.
■ Mark Martin was the only driver
who finished precisely where the me
dia predicted. He was ninth.
■ When Vice President Dick Cheney
attended the Pepsi 400, back in July at
Daytona, he referred to the president
of NASCAR as “Big Mike” (Helton)
and said he’d heard that what goes in
the Nextel Cup hauler “is sometimes
more exciting than what happens in
the race itself.” Therein lies the prob
Gordon. “He’s a fan, so he uses
his doctor skills and every
thing he knows and the knowl
edge he has because he wants
to bring better care to the sport
for all of the drivers.”
Petty has worked the infield
care center at Lowe’s (then
Charlotte) Motor Speedway
since 1970 and has been a con
sultant for NASCAR’s med
ical-liaison program since
2002.
A University of North Caroli
na alumnus and 1960 graduate
of the UNC Medical School, Dr.
Petty served as a captain in the
U.S. Air Force’s medical corps
from 1961 to ’63. He and his
wife, Audrey, have four chil
dren and 11 grandchildren. Son
Scott is a radiologist in
Franklin, N.C. Daughter Mary
Key is a speech pathologist,
and daughters Kate Boyd and
Laura Barrett are registered
nurses. Dr. Petty also serves as
a team physician for the Caroli
na Panthers and has done so
since their inaugural 1995 sea
son.
SPORTS
NEXTEt
■
Something special Benny
Parsons, the 1973 Winston Cup
Series champion and NBC tele
vision commentator, won the
Myers Brothers Award, award
ed by the NMPA (National Mo
torsports Press Association)
for his contributions to the
growth of NASCAR.
“All the years that I’ve been
here, been at the breakfast
(which it was until this year)...
seeing all those people receive
the awards, never in my
wildest dreams did I think it
would be me,” said Parsons,
“because, let’s face it, it’s for
the R.J. Reynoldses, the Nex
tels, the Bill Frances and Bru
ton Smiths of the world, people
like that. The real movers and
shakers in this industry.
“I truly appreciate it. I really
do.”
■
Champs gather The 12
champions of NASCAR’s na
tional, regional and local rac
ing series, gathered at Rocke
■ Hamlin was also honored as Raybestos
Rookie of the Year, receiving a $50,000 award.
■ At the NASCAR/NMPA Myers Brothers Lun
cheon in New York, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was named
Chex Cereals Most Popular Driver for the fourth
consecutive year.
■ Chevrolet received the Manufacturers Cham
pionship for the 30th time. This year Chevrolet
drivers won a record 23 races, including seven of
the 10 Chase races. Chevrolet also presented
Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson’s wife,
Chandra, with a 2007 Corvette convertible.
NASCAR Vice President of Corporate Communi
cations Jim Hunter won the Buddy Shuman Award
for his longtime role and impact in the sport.
Monte Dutton
lem. (The same could be said, by the
way, of the Bush White House. - )
■ The latest, and 28 th , champion of
NASCAR’s premier series bears the
rap from his detractors that he is “a
cheater,” an unfair designation that
dates back to his crew chief’s suspen
sion before the Daytona 500 and a gen
eral perception that Chad Knaus has
“stretched the rules.” Outside the
sport, that may qualify as a criticism,
but there isn’t a driver in the garage
area who doesn’t wish he had a crew
chief adept at said stretching.
feller Center on Nov. 30 for a
commemorative photo opportu
nity. It’s the only time during
the year that all of NASCAR’s
champions are together in one
location. Since 2002, this gath
ering has been held in New
York as part of Champions
Week.
■
Big Apple parade On Nov.
29, the top 10 drivers awoke
early, attended a meeting with
NASCAR president Mike Hel
ton, donned their uniforms,
signed autographs, participat
ed in live television interviews,
climbed into their race cars
and drove through the streets
of New York in the so-called
“Victory Lap,” which began
with an appearance on ABC’s
“Good Morning America.”
The parade began in Times
Square and ended at the ESPN
Zone restaurant, where drivers
met with sponsors and media.
“It’s pretty neat to be able to
block off the streets of New
York like they did,” said Kevin
Harvick. “It says a lot for New
THE HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
dfiE
CIA Stock Photo
For the fourth straight year, Dale Earn
hardt Jr. is the Most Popular Driver.
Awards Ceremony
Where: Disney’s Grand Floridian Re
sort, Orlando, Fla.
When: Friday, Dec. 8
Overview: Kevin Harvick’s margin,
824 points, was the widest in the
history of this or any other major se
ries. The moonlighting Nextel Cup
driver won nine races and finished in
the top 10 in 32 of the season’s 35
races. Only two of the top 10 drivers
competed in the Busch Series only.
eRAFTeMAN-TROQ^I
Awards Ceremony
Where: Disney's Grand Floridian Re
sort, Orlando, Fla.
When: Sunday, Dec. 10
Overview: Todd Bodine underscored
Toyota's growing domination of the
trucks, which makes the timing per
fect for the Japanese manufacturer’s
entry into NASCAR's top series. The
top four drivers Bodine, Johnny
Benson, David Reutimann and David
Starr all drove Tundras.
Yi£TTERSFTOMOUR-REAPgf»«I
NASCAR works its restart
a little bit differently
I work three Wissota (Wisconsin-
Minnesota) race tracks as an offi
cial on corner two. I work ... 75-
100 races on weekends. Why is it, in
NASCAR, you cause a yellow or red
(flag and) you don’t restart at the
back of the lap you were running on?
Example, Talladega, Oct. 8,
2006, white-flag lap: The ending
should have been “8" (Dale Earn
hardt Jr.), “48" (Jimmie Johnson),
"25" (Brian Vickers) back to the end
of the lead lap. Done deal.
Another question: Why not give
extra points for taking a pole and
winning that race? That’s a sweep!
Thomas J. Ripienski
Chippewa Falls, Wis.
In the example you cited, the
NASCAR rules calls for the field to be
‘frozen’ at the time of the incident.
This is why Vickers was declared the
winner. If the rules had been config
ured in the manner you suggest, the
winner of that race would have been
Kasey Kahne. Many have called for
bonus points to be granted to pole
winners, but NASCAR has, at least
thus far, declined to make that adjust
ment. Extra points for a sweep? That
seems like a good idea to us. Note
that “NASCAR This Week' is an inde
pendent product and isn't officially af
filiated with NASCAR, so we don't have
any say in the ruling body 's policies.
Send your letters to:
NASCAR This Week
The Gaston Gazette
PO. Box 1538
Gastonia, N.C. 28053
York, accepting what we do
and how big our sport has be
come. It’s great to see all the
people watching and partici
pating.”
“I’ve been fortunate enough
to be part of (the Chase) for all
three years,” said Mark Mar
tin. “It’s gotten bigger every
year. It really gives me a warm
feeling about our sport, that I
love so much, to see the folks
here support it the way they
have.”
After the Victory Lap, cham
pion Jimmie Johnson posed for
photos in Times Square.
“I’ve seen those photos with
all of the other champions, and
it was a moment I was really
looking forward to,” said John
son. “We were out there doing
the photos and there were fans
everywhere, screaming and
yelling and getting involved.
That really made it fun.
“I think our season speaks
for itself. I’m more focused on
experiencing this moment with
my wife, with my team, with
Mr. (Rick) Hendrick (car own
er), with Chad (Knaus, crew
chief).”