IF YOU WATCHED INDY OPENING TODAY YOU SAW IT FOR THE LAST TIME
Current NASCAR
Whattsa matter with you people? Get up off the floor and act your age!
Forum Activity for @andy-denardi
Current NASCAR
IF YOU WATCHED INDY OPENING TODAY YOU SAW IT FOR THE LAST TIME
Current NASCAR
The first half of the 500 wasn't the most exciting but the last 100 laps made it worth watching. I'm wondering who they'll get to replace Jim Nabors. His style of singing isn't my style, but he's very good and he's one of the traditions of the race. I'll miss him.
You may remember that I predicted Kurt would finish 7th at Indy. He ran an excellent race with a car that probably wasn't as good as the one he qualified in. He ran with a lot of downforce in order to stay out of trouble and would not have been able to contend for a win. Despite his reputation (or maybe because of it) I've always liked Kurt. I like that he's tried his hand at drag racing and open wheel like drivers used to do.
At first when they announced the red flag at Indy, I wasn't happy. That's not the way they do things in open wheel and they should have finished under yellow. But this isn't just any race, this is Indy, and I want to see a race. Those last eight laps proved that the race officials made the right decision.
I've been so involved with Indy that I didn't follow Charlotte at all until I turned it on during the pace laps. Who's this girl and what is she doing in 3rd place? Seems like she got real good lately and The King might just be eating crow by the end of the season.
3 or 4 cars at Roush next year?
Current NASCAR
The red King Cobra sold on eBay just last week for $600k. Doesn't seem like Bud had owned it in a while. The plain yellow one is in the b&W photo of Bud's shop. The one with the black hood was on a Motor Trend cover and according to another article , was bought by Steve Honnell from Holman & Moody in 1970. Honell also has a red Mercury Cyclone II with the same style body.
If it weren't for NASCAR car owner Bud Moore, there's a good chance that neither this car nor its sibling would be around for us to admire today. The car's design studio clays were destroyed, fiberglass mock-ups of the nose were tucked away at Holman & Moody's shop, and the two running street prototypes were relegated to use as Dearborn "gofer" cars. Moore spotted the King Cobras in 1971 while picking up several Mustangs for the upcoming SCCA season and, being a long-time Ford racer, used his influence to strike a deal on both cars. According to the original receipt, the pair set him back a mere $1200 (!). One car, dressed in bright yellow, was parked at his shop. The other, blue at the time, had a damaged nose which he replaced with regular Torino sheet metal and eventually sold to a local police officer. The car lived out its remaining life as a daily driver and was eventually put to rest in a scrap yard.
They say that legends don't die and, in the case of the blue King Cobra, that statement holds true. Some years later, Ford fanatics Steve Danielle and Dennis Roy were informed of an unusual Torino hull sitting in a South Carolina field. The car was reported to carry a '69-style data plate stamped X0-429-0058-3 as well as prototype stickers and Boss 429 shock towers. The combination was too interesting to pass up so the pair struck a deal and brought the Torino home. Restoration proved to be doubly difficult as they had to first figure out what exactly the car was and then find the ultra-rare pieces needed to complete it. Contacts in the Ford NASCAR world confirmed the car was formerly a King Cobra while other connections guided them towards to the original nose. Once the puzzle pieces were in place, efforts focused on the body. Sanding revealed a Vermillion base coat buried underneath several layers of paint, so the car was re-shot with that high-profile hue.
3 or 4 cars at Roush next year?
Current NASCAR
On paper, Ford pulled out in 1957 too, but we know that wasn't really true.
I don't know how I forgot about Trans-Am, but your mention helped jog my memory. They won the 1970 T/A championship with Bud Moore, so they had to have pulled out at the end of the 1970 season instead of 1969 as I had falsely remembered. And they were supporting NASCAR in '70 too, even planning the King Cobra to compete with the aerocars.I don't even know if they ever officially returned.
But anyway. After winning just about every race that could be won, they shocked everyone and pulled out of all racing. And Chrysler followed, which gave Chevy a reason to jump in with secret (at first) factory support. So while it seems like they would NEVER pull out of NASCAR, they might.
3 or 4 cars at Roush next year?
Current NASCAR
They did in 1969. And they're pulling out of drag racing after this year.
However, they had their fingers in everything in 1969 - LeMans, Formula 1, NASCAR, Indycar, NHRA and probably others I'm missing. It was costing them a lot of money.
Honda is actually campaigning to lure Ford to Indycar to compete with them and Chevrolet. The 100th Indy 500 is in 2017 and Ford had a very successful run there from 1961 to 1987. I can't imagine them pulling out of NASCAR as long as Chevy is still there, but it's been 11 years since they won a manufacturer's championship and Chevy runs a lot of ads to remind people of that.
3 or 4 cars at Roush next year?
Current NASCAR
Michael Shank Racing was successful for Ford in Grand-Am. They won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2012 with AJ Allmendinger. Tried to get an Indycar team going that same year but couldn't get an engine lease so they gave up. They're still running Fords in the TUDOR Series, maybe somebody will hand them a wad of cash to start a Cup team. I don't think Shank is really interested in stock cars, but you go where the money goes.
I don't think Dodge has the cash to come back to stock cars and I can't picture another manufacturer coming in. A couple of years ago, yeah. But not now. Chevy has the best teams and the best drivers. Toyota has great drivers and Gibbs is better than average, I think they'll stick around. Ford doesn't have a whole lot going for it and could bail out for Indycar if they don't get something boiling soon.
3 or 4 cars at Roush next year?
Current NASCAR
Trevor Bayne has secured a full-time drive in the 6 car with Roush Fenway Racing for the 2015 Sprint Cup season. Roush says that this does not necessarily mean that the team will run four cars. The contracts for Biffle and Edwards run out at the end of this year.
So how many cars do you think they'll run next year? I keep hearing rumors of Edwards going to Gibbs but I can't picture it. m I think Kenseth is upset that Roush and Ford tried so hard to keep Edwards last time his contract was up and resented Edwards getting top billing on the team. I don't think Kenseth would encourage Gibbs to sign Carl. I also have the feeling that Carl needs to feel like a superstar and would be uncomfortable working with Kyle Busch.
So I think Edwards stays with Roush. On the other hand, I don't think Biffle is any great shakes. Yeah, he's been top ten in points six of the last ten years, but has declined since his 2nd place finish in 2005. I'd swap Bayne for Biffle. Is Bayne any good? I don't really know. He isn't been lighting any fires in Nationwide but he's got a good following and is an attractive fresh face that may bring in sponsors.
I think Roush is in a bad place right now and if I were Carl Edwards, I'd want out. But there aren't many good teams looking for drivers and Ford will probably give Roush a boot in the butt and tell them to get their act together. There aren't any other teams that can build engines to compete with Hendrick so Ford has no choice but to stick with Roush.
updated by @andy-denardi: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
A STORY THEY SAY SHOULD BE TOLD
Stock Car Racing History
It's a lousy story. The point of the whole thing is to talk up the scholarship and driver development program and they barely mention it. I agree that Kulwicki was one in a million and should be remembered. I agree that he was proud of his degree and it played a big part in his success. But the message should be about what this program will accomplish today not what what Alan accomplished 21 years ago.
2015 NASCAR HOF class
Stock Car Racing History
That's good. I'm expecting we'll see Dave Marcis and JD McDuffie among next year's nominees. More dedicated racers you'll never see.
Although I have some objections to Wendell Scott I can accept this year's HOF class. I still wish they would double the number of entrants because there are so many that came before Bill Elliott I'd like to see get in. No, it shouldn't just be about statistics. That would leave out James Hylton, who competed against the best factory teams and came close but never won a title (and only two races). It leaves out Ken Schrader, Buddy Arrington and Soapy Castles. And a ton of guys who ran the small tracks and never won a Grand National title.
I think the Landmark Award for another member of the France family is ludicrous but they can redeem themselves by keeping it around beyond just this year. There are a couple deserving broadcasters that could get in this way and who I wouldn't consider proper candidates for regular HOF entry. There's Humpy Wheeler and T Wayne Robertson and maybe this is the only way we'll sneak Raymond Parks past the France Family blockade designed to take all the credit for themselves.
I hope we see either Benny Parsons or Ricky Rudd in there next year, and I think they changed the rules, so Mark Martin should be in soon too.
Kurt Busch Crashes at Indy
General
Ever see a Hurst/Buick before?
This one's a festival car for the 1975 Indy 500