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Cheating No Longer Funny Opines Long-time Racing Writer Larry Woody

Current NASCAR

Unlike a recently posted Editorial by a Charlotte Observer writer who knows nothing of NASCAR, this opinion piece comes from the highly regarded Larry Woody who has covered NASCAR for several decades. He says NASCAR could park the driver and stop what was going on if it wanted.

Chad Knaus, crew chief for Jimmie Johnson, is in trouble with the NASCAR inspectors once again. (RacinToday/HHP photo by Tom Copeland)

Woody: Cheatings Not Funny Anymore
Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

I confess that I wouldnt recognize a C-post if Chad Knaus installed one in my breakfast cereal some morning.

Which, based on all the mechanical malfeasances Chad has been charged with during his years in NASCAR, is not out of the realm of possibility.

But whatever a C-post is (an area between the roof and side window of a stock car, I read somewhere), it must be important. Chad was fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for illegally modifying one prior to the Daytona 500.

Driver Jimmie Johnson was docked 25 points, which he easily re-gained last Sunday at Phoenix with a 4th-place finish, with Chad serving at his post (not his C-post) while the penalty is under appeal.

The Daytona bust was Chads fourth since he has been Johnsons crew chief, including the teams five championships seasons. And that doesnt include last seasons incident at Talladega when Chad was over-heard instructing Jimmie to smash his Chevys rear-end into the wall so that it couldnt be examined in post-race inspection. In CSI parlance thats known as destroying the evidence.

They call Jimmie Five Time.

Maybe they should call Chad Four Time.

Apparently Chad is unperturbed by his image as Willie Sutton with a lug wrench. Hes back in trouble, and once again he claims the dog ate his rule book.

Im surprised that nobody seems surprised. The TV guys brushed the whole thing off as no biggie, and even the print media has generally given Chad and Hendrick Motorsports a pass.

Maybe its a matter of conditioning. In the old days of NASCAR the motto was, If youre not cheating youre not trying.

Drivers refused to even call it cheating; they preferred fudging.

I remember how amusing we all thought it was, watching rascally Smokey Yunicks cat-and-mouse games with NASCAR inspectors. And yeah, we tended to pull for the mouse.

But those days are over, lost in the mist and myth of the sports backwoods history like the burning-rubber smoke of a moonshine runner.

Its a new era, and cheatings not funny anymore.

Cheating will eventually do to NASCAR what steroids has done to baseball cast a pall of suspicion over the sport and tarnish the accomplishments of everyone who has the slightest taint.

That includes Jimmie Johnson and his incredible record five consecutive championships.

Did he win them fairly or did he secure his winning edge however slight with the aid of some sort of altered-C-post type of fudging?

That the question can even be posed by a fan of Jimmie which I unabashedly am should send shudders through NASCAR. It ought to embarrass team owner Rick Hendrick so badly that he would order Chad to stop doing it. With Ricks unmatched resources and talent theres no reason to keep sneezing on his opponents back-swing.

Jimmie likewise should put his foot down (hopefully not on an illegally-altered brake pedal). After all, hes the one driving the getaway car and its his legacy that is at risk.

Trust me if Jimmie and Rick had a sit-down with Chad and said No more, there wouldnt be any more. Wed have seen the last Hendrick C-post picked out of NASCARs police lineup.

NASCAR could stop it too if it really wanted to. Instead of spanking a mechanic, park the driver. Too drastic, you say? Well, bear in mind that credibility is like a wedding ring its hard to get back once its flushed down the toilet.

The fact that nobody NASCAR, Rick, Jimmie, Chad, the media seems particularly distressed is, well, distressing.

Larry Woody can be reached at lwoody@racintoday.com
Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com

updated by @dave-fulton: 08/11/18 02:34:17AM

NASCAR Media Group's Poor Research Regarding Richard Petty / What was the Hall of Fame Staff Doing??

Stock Car Racing History

VICTORY JUNCTION GANG CAMP FOUNDERS

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The Bahre Family
Kurt Busch
Carolinas Credit Union Foundation
Goody's
Hugh Hawthorne
Hendrick Motorsports
Leo Hindery, Jr.
Kyle Petty Charity Ride, Inc.
David and Ruth Lind
Sam and Priscilla McCall and David Moon
Johnny Morris
The NASCAR Foundation
Paul Newman
Kyle and Pattie Petty
Richard and Lynda Petty
Sprint
Tony Stewart
Michael and Buffy Waltrip
Jordan Washburn
Walmart

Victory Junction Gang Camp Board of Directors

Pattie Petty Founder; Chairman & CEO
Kyle Petty Founder; Vice-Chairman
Brian Flynn - Treasurer & Chief Operating Officer, Richard Petty Motorsports
Diane Hough Secretary; Executive Director, Kyle Petty Charity Ride
Jon Abramson, MD & Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Brenner Children's Hospital
Carolyn Bechtel - Member, Board of Overseers, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center
Brad Daugherty- Broadcaster/NASCAR Team Owner
Mimi Fitz - Owner, Perfect Designs
Brian Flynn - Treasurer & Chief Operating Officer, Richard Petty Motorsports
Frank Franzese Vice President & General Manager Cricket Communications
Hugh Hawthorne Founder; Retired Owner, Alpine Construction
Rick and Linda Hendrick Founder; CEO, Hendrick Automotive Group
Eddie Jarvis - True Speed Enterprises
Jerry and Linda Neal - Co-founder and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Development, RF Micro Devices
Bea Perez - CMO, The Coca-Cola Company
Richard Petty Founder; President, Richard Petty Motorsports
Bill Rollnick & Nancy Ellison- Board of Directors Mattel, Inc, Co-Chairmen, American Red Cross Gala
Bobby Rice - Chief of Staff & Executive Vice President, Hendrick Motorsports
Paul Sagerman, MD & Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Larry D. Silver - Chief Executive Officer, The Silver Companies
Jordan Washburn - Retired, Morrisette Paper Company & Community Volunteer

NASCAR Media Group's Poor Research Regarding Richard Petty / What was the Hall of Fame Staff Doing??

Stock Car Racing History

Aerial view of Richmond International Raceway - 1988 - after site prep by Hugh Hawthorne's Alpine Construction

NASCAR Media Group's Poor Research Regarding Richard Petty / What was the Hall of Fame Staff Doing??

Stock Car Racing History

Dennis,

Hugh Hawthorne founded Alpine Construction in 1964. His home is on Courthouse Road in Richmond and the Petty Superbird is in his his den there, along with much Roy Clark memorabilia. He and Roy were both born in Meherrin, Virginia between Richmond and South Boston on U.S. 360.

For many years before concrete walls Hugh headed traveling crews for major NASCAR races in charge of guardrail repair and replacement during events.

When Paul Sawyer and Kenneth Campbell dissolved their partnership promoting races in Richmond, Hugh and several others bought Campbell's share. All stock later was reacquired by Paul. Hugh did all of the construction of RIR and it is his bulldozer on which Richard Petty tore up the first bit of asphalt from the old half-mile. That photo and many others may be found on the web site for Alpine Construction:

http://www.alpineconstcorp.com/index.html

Look under "Projects."

Richard Petty on one of Hugh Hawthorne's Alp[ine Construction bulldozers tears up the 1/2-mile asphalt Richmond track in February 1988.

Hugh has been a long time friend of the Petty family and did the site work for Victory Junction Gang Camp. He also is an original member of the Board of Directors for Victory Junction.

Hugh has been an avid collector and has literally warehouses of objects he has collected from different venues. He has been involved for many years in classic cars and for a numer of years I know he was president of one of the big classic car groups.

When we at Wrangler announced we would begin sponsoring the Richmond races in 1981, Hugh contacted me and asked for the birth year of every Wrangler executive and guest we would have at the Fairgrounds in September 1981. On race day, Hugh had an antique automobile for every single Wrangler executive and guest and the model year of each antique vehicle matched the birth year of our exec/guest!! They all rode in one of Hugh's cars in the pre-race parade. I have never seen anything like it.

Hugh is a fine guy.

And by the way, I well remember "Mad Man" with his pencil mustache and his used car dealership on Broad Street, not too far from and across the street from the old Sears store. I also remember that unusual home and his tag line of "I'd give 'em away, but my wife won't let me!" He had that on a billboard on the edge of the dealership and always rode in a little replica Model-T in the annual Tobacco Festival Grand Illuminated Parade.

NASCAR Media Group's Poor Research Regarding Richard Petty / What was the Hall of Fame Staff Doing??

Stock Car Racing History

TMC, Funny you should mention Ed Bruce... actor, singer and writer of the classic "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys."

I was "roped into" naming Bruce as Grand Marshal of the 1983 Wrangler SanforSet 400 at Richmond - we also sponsored Willie Nelson who made a mint singing Ed's song. Ed, wife Patsy and band were there and Ed and the band were to perform at a Saturday afternoon infield cookout for all the NASCAR crews following the Busch Series race.

During Friday afternoon Cup practice, several members of the band decided they'd had enough of the infield and suddenly ran across the backstretch while the cars were at speed. Bill Gazaway red flagged the practice session and told me I would be held personally responsible by NASCAR if any band members were killed. I wasn't a very happy camper because I didn't want them there in the first place.

After the Saturday Busch race we took Ed and his wife and a few others over to Richard Petty's good friend Hugh Hawthorne's home to see the #43 Plymouth SuperBird in Hugh's den.

Doesn't hardly seem like that could be 29 years ago.

NASCAR Media Group's Poor Research Regarding Richard Petty / What was the Hall of Fame Staff Doing??

Stock Car Racing History

Don't know if any of you watched the television piece on the career of Richard Petty produced by NASCAR Media Group, hosted by country singer Trace Adkins, originating from The Hall of Honor at Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame and broadcast on the GAC network Monday night.

This may have been a rebroadcast. I don't know.

What I do know is that I just about jumped out of the recliner when Trace Adkins read the NASCAR Media Group produced script line that said Richard Petty became famous in 1964 when he took his DODGE Hemi to Daytona and won the Daytona 500.

Am I wrong to expect the NASCAR Media Group to get it correct and know that the King's first Daytona 500 win was in a PLYMOUTH?

I thought about dropping them a note, but what good would it do?

Wouldn't you think that somebody at NASCAR, the NASCAR Media Group or the NASCAR Hall of Fame would have caught such a glaring error???

This production did nothing to increase my opinion of the competence of the staff at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Surely someone there would have (or should have) been required to read a script filmed there about NASCAR's all-time Cup winner.

I still question the Hall of Fame staff performing other jobs such as MRN Radio broadcasting when this kinda stuff continues to happen.

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Delaware Auto Racing Book Out Now!

General

ttt for PKL

"And, please Lord, help them miss the jet dryer"

Current NASCAR

NASCAR from the perspective of a Phoenix feature columnist:

NASCAR lots of fun, if you know where to look

by Dan Bickley, columnist - Mar. 4, 2012 11:33 PM
The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

The day begins with a blood-curdling scream, from the woman in the media center who failed to lock the door on the unisex bathroom.

Sorry.

The day ends with Kevin Harvick running out of fuel ("I was a lap short."), Denny Hamlin botching his victory burnout ("New surfaces are not my particular forte."), and team owner Joe Gibbs brushing off questions about a man he once employed with the Redskins (Gregg Williams, the NFL's Most Wanted).

Welcome to just another day in NASCAR paradise, where the weather is mostly sensational, where drivers' wives happily disappear into Scottsdale with the charge card, where thousands of fans file in and out of their biannual race, happily resuming the rest of their lives.

NASCAR is not for everyone. Neither is golf. And yet thousands of Phoenicians enjoy the Waste Management Phoenix Open without savoring a putt. So why do so many of us scoff at this sport?

Russ Grimm loves this stuff. He has an RV in the parking lot. Randy Johnson is here, walking around the track, photographing whatever catches his eye.

Johnson is serious about his new endeavor, something Yankees fans will find highly amusing. He's about to travel to Afghanistan on a USO tour, and his work behind the lens has been well-received. Then again, he stands 6 feet 10, a significant boon to a man and his camera.

On the track, it's getting warm. A worker on pit road sprays Coca-Cola on his portion of track, helping the tires grip a little better. Down the way, a female fan hops over a barricade, pleading with Joey Logano to sign her shirt.

No one seems to care. In NASCAR, the relationship between fans and the competitors remains amazingly close, trusting and unpretentious, blowing away what you see in most other sports.

For those who don't appreciate racing, the key to enjoying NASCAR has little to do with the actual event. It's the experience . It's marveling at the kaleidoscope of vehicles. It's listening to them fire in and out of the garage during practice runs, when they snort and roar like angry dragons.

It's watching crewmembers stack sets of tires in neat rows, high-fiving each other with nervous tension. It's watching Tony Stewart's crew mobilize in crunch time, providing left tires, a splash of fuel and acting like it's a layup drill.

It's hearing the jarring thud of Paul Menard's car when he strikes the wall in front of us. And it's the courage he shows trying to rejoin the race, attempting a 3-point turn with a broken vehicle. Don't try that on the 101.

In NASCAR, the audience rarely is galvanized. Jimmie Johnson was treated with quiet civility, even though his crew chief might be a serial cheater. What to make of our five-time Cup champion now?

Our indifference provides an answer: Racing enthusiasts never cared about him before. Why start now?

Naturally, the only sign of unified voice came when one of the Busch brothers was introduced. Also, when the crowd screamed "Amen!" to conclude the prerace prayer. Down on the track, a race official added a caveat: "And please, Lord, help them miss the jet dryer," he said.

An improving economy would help most, but NASCAR seems to have a bit of wind at its back. Stewart closed last season with a spectacular title run. The Daytona 500 was thrust into prime time on a Monday night, featuring a careening car, a jet dryer and a fiery crash.

Before the encore there was also a remarkable decision from above. NASCAR decided it would not allow golfer Bubba Watson to drive a parade lap in a vehicle he purchased at a local auction.

The General Lee -- better known as the car from the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" -- features a confederate flag on its roof. It's the wrong symbol at the wrong time, when the sport wants to be inclusive and progressive, following a race in Florida where confused fans post real confederate flags on their pickup trucks.

NASCAR's decision commands respect. In return, it's a reminder for the rest of us not to stereotype them for being too redneck or for what might appear to be a pointless accumulation of left-hand turns.

Besides, the pace-car driver I care about is Kenny Lawson. He's a former racer who failed, sold his stuff and rejoined the real world. Then he returned to the track just to help a friend for the weekend. That was 17 years ago.

"It's been a long weekend," Lawson said.

A driver walks by, peeking in the window.

"Don't spin out," the driver says.

And away we go.

Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@ arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to "Bickley and MJ" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on KGME-AM (910).

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/speed/articles/2012/03/04/20120304nascar-pir-phoenix-subway-fresh-fit-500-fun.html#ixzz1oHe2kd3a

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

Janet Had a Heavy Right Foot Says Humpy

Stock Car Racing History

Well, I am envious... I just came back in from cutting the back yard and trimming some trees...

I am calling NOT FAIR!

Janet Had a Heavy Right Foot Says Humpy

Stock Car Racing History

Robin, for the 1988 NASCAR season the late Dave Jarrard who was program manager for Oldsmobile Racing had me ghost writing all Oldsmobile NASCAR News Releases and Press Kit materials and representing the brand for PR at all NASCAR races.

I had the pleasure of joining Darrell Byrant in Darlington Victory Lane when he crew chiefed Lake Speed's Wynn's Olds to victory in the 1988 TranSouth 500. Our old Wilson County Speedway dirt track Late Model champion, J.E. Beard built the engine for that win. Lake had hired him away from Jack Tant Engines.

We have read so much over the years about the Wood Brothers pitting Jim Clark at Indy, but I never realized the NASCAR guys who helped Janet.

I am so glad you recognized Jim Clodfelter and followed up with Darrell who deserved a whole lot of credit for getting that 1989 Darlington win. I recall Darrell as an extremely nice fellow and remember reading some really nice stuff Jim Reep posted here before about Darrell at Concord Speedway.