Trading Paint: Kahne rises, Yates falls
It's that time of the week again, when NASCAR fans love to trade paint online with each other. This week is no different, as we have enough email to start several new rivalries.
But we also talk about good things, including a great idea to help Kyle Petty's Victory Junction Gang Camp, props to Kasey Kahne for beating Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600, and a mixed bag of other topics.
Let's get rolling (my answers are in italics):
YATES' FATE ("Yates' mess" May 24, 2006)
Robert Yates should fire Dale Jarrett! First, he goes and signs with toilet odor. Unforgivable. Then he walks out after less than one lap of a 600 mile race! Totally unforgivable. Jarrett knew he would have a new spotter, and it was his responsibility to sit the spotter down and say, "this is what I want to know, and this is what I want to hear."
Yates deserves better. He should have fixed the car and put in anyone he could find to drive it! I hope UPS stays with Yates. As Junior Johnson said when he left NASCAR, "The loyalty is gone in this sport. You take someone in, teach them everything you know, then they're off to the highest bidder."
Jim Leavitt
Monticello, Maine
Amen, Jim, Amen! I agree that Jarrett should not have left as quickly as he did. I also see Yates dropping Jarrett before the end of the season. I suspect that if DJ fails to make the Chase for the third year in a row, he'll be gone by early September, if not sooner. For another perspective, read on:
As a UPS corporate employee, there are many of us not happy with the No. 88's results, the driver, the bang for the buck, or our people involved in NASCAR. Dump Jarrett, dump Yates; it's time for the UPS brand to mean something in NASCAR.
Jarrett should drive the truck; that way at least we would see it during the race. Jarrett has become a backmarker, is not competitive and does not represent what "racing" should be.
Jim Perryr
Atlanta
I agree that RYR may not be the dominant team it once was but to blame Robert and Doug Yates is crazy. NASCAR is an ever-changing sport. RYR's problem was that they never added extra teams to their stable. Roush Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have four or five full-time Cup teams. Robert Yates' only bad decision was not to add more Cup teams when he could have back in the late '90s and early 2000s. Also, other successful teams had driver development programs in place in the truck series and Busch series. Yates has only begun his development program this year with young drivers in the 90 car in the Busch Series and with Mary Louise Miller Motorsports in the ARCA/ReMax series. So don't write off RYR. It may not happen this year or next, but look out, we will be back and back with a vengeance.
Ronald Miller
I don't know, maybe it's me, Ronald. You say I'm crazy to blame Robert and Doug Yates for their organization's failures, and yet you proceed to do exactly that.
You are exactly right about the timing of the decline of RYR starting when Ricky Rudd was booted out the door. I had been a big fan of RYR until that time but thought Rudd was not treated fairly. He was consistent and fun to watch but was kicked to the curb for the M&M's money. In hindsight, RYR would have been much better off to have started another team in that situation. The high number of crew chiefs that Jarrett has had also makes you wonder about his attitude. Best of luck to RYR, but it seems as though a large part of the mess is their own fault.
Shannon W. Robbins
Wedowee, Ala.
JIMMIE, KASEY AND LOWE'S
Thank the NASCAR gods! I have been a supporter of Kasey Kahne since the beginning. Knowing that Bill Elliot would tutor him gave me the feeling that Kasey would become a big star in Nextel Cup racing. Watching on Sunday, after he defeated Mr. Egotistical, he acknowledged that Bill should be in attendance; that was a great thing to see. Ray Evernham was a genius in realigning his teams and although Jeremy Mayfield has struggled this season, he is a good enough veteran to overcome the challenge. I think that Kasey will be right in the thick of things when the Chase starts. I am glad that someone besides Jimmie Johnson is a multiple winner and I am really excited that it is Kasey!
Ron Clay
Layton, Utah
Excited? Gee, I couldn't tell, Ron!
I really enjoyed the changes at Lowe's this year. Green flag runs were good, even if they weren't as long, and this race gave teams a chance to roll the dice and use some strategy. After last year, I don't know if it could have gotten worse, but give credit to NASCAR, Lowe's and Goodyear for making necessary changes! Your take?
Jess
Idaho
I think you'll see a similar race again at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte in October, but I suspect NASCAR may still tinker with things for that race, including increasing the fuel tank size from 13.5 to maybe 16 or 17 gallons. I think we can all agree that there were just too many pit stops this past Sunday. A slightly larger fuel cell will help give us what hopefully will be a better mix between action on the track and action in the pits.
Regarding the responses to the "open letter" you sent to Jimmie Johnson. It's called humor, folks. As Tony Stewart would say, "Lighten the &*%# up, you *#@/ *
