Las Vegas

[kaw500]

Still a week and a half away, who's going?

So much drama after 2 events. RGM UP / MWR DOWN.

Moving mountains with shovels.

[hammer down racing]

Vegas is gonna be a fun race to watch. The whole track is different and only a few teams have tested there since the renovation.

[bajafox]

I doubt I'll be back in time from San Felipe...I mean Ensenada that weekend to catch the race...

Glad I went with Sirius satellite though!:D

[FlyHiFlyLo]

RG had a good car at Cali... I wonder how the new track surface will change things up for RGM...

[PLS]

Glad I went with Sirius satellite though!:D

In San Diego, you can now get the races without satellite on 540 AM.

[DEZERTSUB]

I might make it out there. Provided work allows time off....the entire atmosphere of the new track is pretty...upscale.

[Dezert Edge Racing]

I'll be there, sitting in teh petty terrace...


NICK

[snoreracer]

i will be in the infeld all weekend

[AZBadseed]

according to foxsports:

RG moves up from 26 to 24th on the 'Fantasy 50' List.

"moved up 21 spots from qualifying to finish 21st"

i will be watching this one from home...but considering where i have been the last 21 days, my couch will be the best place in the world!

GAS ON!

[DVMchase]

Hammer down: 52 cup teams and 44 busch teams have tested their already. At the end of Jan. and early Feb. nascar has there test session.
It should be interesting with only a 13 gal. fuel cell they are only gonna get about 25-30 laps per tank. So alot of the race should be determined in the pits.

[AZBadseed]

Hammer down: 52 cup teams and 44 busch teams have tested their already. At the end of Jan. and early Feb. nascar has there test session.
It should be interesting with only a 13 gal. fuel cell they are only gonna get about 25-30 laps per tank. So alot of the race should be determined in the pits.

I thought they were using that 17 gallon tank all year this year...or is that next year in the COT?

either way it will be a great race to watch!

[Dezert Edge Racing]

they were saying 18, but no one really knew for sure. As nascar takes pieces of a fuel cell, and has the teams put them together the right way.


NICK

[AZ1000]

Did the Petty thing @ Vegas Saturday for the second time, new banks are sweet, should be fast. But they sure have a ton left to do to the in field to be ready.

[Bricoop]

Anyone know if the cars were prepped in NC or in Anaheim like previous years?

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Car# Driver Sponsor/Manu Owner
1 00David ReutimannDomino's ToyotaCal Wells
2 1Martin Truex Jr.Bass Pro Shops ChevyTeresa Earnhardt
3 01Mark MartinU.S. Army ChevyBobby Ginn
4 2Kurt BuschMiller Lite DodgeRoger Penske
5 4Ward BurtonState Water Heaters ChevyLarry McClure
6 5Kyle BuschKellogg's/Delphi ChevyRick Hendrick
7 6David RaganAAA FordMike Dee
8 7Robby GordonTBA FordRobby Gordon
9 07Clint BowyerJack Daniel's ChevyRichard Childress
10 8Dale Earnhardt Jr.Budweiser ChevyTeresa Earnhardt
11 9Kasey KahneDodge Dealers-UAW DodgeRay Evernham
12 10Scott RiggsAuto Value Bumper-to-Bumper/Valvoline DodgeJames Rocco
13 11Denny HamlinFed Ex Kinko's ChevyJ.D. Gibbs
14 12Ryan NewmanMobil 1 DodgeRoger Penske
15 13Joe NemechekCertainTeed ChevyBobby Ginn
16 14Sterling MarlinPanasonic ChevyBobby Ginn
17 15Paul MenardMenards ChevyTeresa Earnhardt
18 16Greg BiffleAmeriquest/3M FordJack Roush
19 17Matt KensethDeWalt FordJohn Henry
20 18J.J. YeleyInterstate Batteries ChevyJoe Gibbs
21 19Elliott SadlerDodge Dealers-UAW DodgeRay Evernham
22 20Tony StewartHome Depot ChevyJoe Gibbs
23 21Jon WoodU.S. Air Force FordGlen Wood
24 22Dave BlaneyCaterpillar ToyotaBill Davis
25 24Jeff GordonNicorette ChevyRick Hendrick
26 25Casey MearsNational Guard-GMAC ChevyMary Hendrick
27 26Jamie McMurrayCrown Royal FordGeoff Smith
28 29Kevin HarvickShell Pennzoil ChevyRichard Childress
29 31Jeff BurtonCingular Wireless ChevyRichard Childress
30 34Kevin Lepage TBA DodgeBrad Jenkins
31 36Jeremy Mayfield 360 OTC ToyotaGail Davis
32 37John AndrettiTBA DodgeBob Jenkins
33 38David GillilandM&Ms FordRobert Yates
34 39Regan SmithGinn Resorts ChevyBobby Ginn
35 40David StremmeCoors Light DodgeFelix Sabates
36 41Reed SorensonTarget DodgeChip Ganassi
37 42Juan Pablo MontoyaTexaco-Havoline DodgeFloyd Ganassi
38 43Bobby LabonteCheerios DodgeRichard Petty
39 44Dale JarrettUPS ToyotaMichael Waltrip
40 45Kyle PettyWells Fargo DodgeKyle Petty
41 47Ken SchraderOre-Ida/Kingsford/Clorox FordTad Geschickter
42 48Jimmie JohnsonLowe's ChevyJeff Gordon
43 49Mike BlissZoneloans.com DodgeBeth Morgenthau
44 55Michael WaltripNAPA ToyotaElizabeth Waltrip
45 66Jeff GreenBest Buy ChevyGene Haas
46 70Johnny SauterYellow Transportation ChevyGene Haas
47 72Brandon WhittDutch Quality Stone ChevyBryan Mullet
48 78Kenny WallaceFurniture Row ChevyBarney Visser
49 80Aric ArmirolaJoe Gibbs Driven ChevyJ.D. Gibbs
50 83Brian VickersRed Bull ToyotaDany Bahar
51 84AJ AllmendingerRed Bull ToyotaDany Bahar
52 88Ricky RuddSnickers FordRobert Yates
53 96Tony RainesDLP® HDTV ChevyBill Saunders
54 99Carl EdwardsOffice Depot FordGeorgetta Roush

RED = needs to get in on speed, not Top 35 2006 Owners Points
BLUE = not Top 35 2006 Owners Points but has a Champions Provisional Available
# means Rookie of the Year candidate.
If qualifying is rained out or cancelled
the teams making the race would be:
#83, Race winner in 2006/2007 Brian Vickers
#44 Past Champion - 1999 Jarrett
#13, 2 2007 race attempts, 7th in 2007 Owners Pts
#70, 2, 13th
#14, 2, 25th
#15, 2, 35th
#00, 2, 42nd
#37, 2, 44th
missing the race would be:
#36, 2, 46th
#49, 2, 47th
#78, 2, 48th
#4, 2, 49th
#34, 2, 50th
#84, 2, 51st
#72, 2, 52nd
#55, 2, 56th
#39, 1, 55th
#47, 0, n/a
#80, 0, n/a

[JRod]

Anyone with any insight/inside information on who will be on RG's hood this weekend?

[spalind]

Anyone with any insight/inside information on who will be on RG's hood this weekend?

The race is in Vegas and its NOT going to be Harrah's?? That'd be my guess....

[JRod]

Could be Harrah's... although the rumor mill has been running that they didn't renew this year- Also, I heard the Harrahs logo was missing off his merch trailer... And no press releases regarding sponsors other than the Beam press release...

[spalind]

Could be Harrah's... although the rumor mill has been running that they didn't renew this year- Also, I heard the Harrahs logo was missing off his merch trailer... And no press releases regarding sponsors other than the Beam press release...

Hmmm...interesting...maybe one of his Busch sponsors stepping up??

[JRod]

Hmmm...interesting...maybe one of his Busch sponsors stepping up??

That would be awesome- The Motorola car looks sick- Monster would be awesome too... He was in OC a couple days before flying to Las Vegas- Maybe he was inking a Cup deal with monster...or maybe just chilling at home, but one can hope...and hopefully start cool rumors- LOL

[JRod]

Power Rankings from Nascrap are out- I'll save you all the trouble of trying to find it...

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/power_rankings/03/las.vegas/

RG made the rankings finally- here it is...

Robby Gordon

If Robby Gordon fell in a forest and no one was around ... well, same thing as for his NASCAR career: If he quit tomorrow, would anyone notice? Dude can't buy publicity -- but he can drive.

[spalind]

And ESPN just came out with their rankings....RG doesn't even make the top 20 according to them, warranting only a "just missed" notation...
ESPN Power Rankings (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/powerranking)

[b-makk]

Power Rankings from Nascrap are out- I'll save you all the trouble of trying to find it...

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/power_rankings/03/las.vegas/

RG made the rankings finally- here it is...

Robby Gordon

If Robby Gordon fell in a forest and no one was around ... well, same thing as for his NASCAR career: If he quit tomorrow, would anyone notice? Dude can't buy publicity -- but he can drive.


That's a pretty unfair comment.
Fans might not notice if RG quit but they'd celebrate if POS quit.

[bajafox]

"Notice a trend? Stremme is the fourth driver previously not ranked. Yeah, there's a new criteria: How are you running right now, opposed to how you might be in the long run."

Noticed that on Stremme's and T.Stewarts comments...I thought the power ranking were always supposed to be about they ran "right now"...

[JRod]

That's a pretty unfair comment.
Fans might not notice if RG quit but they'd celebrate if POS quit.

I was just glad to see that MW wasn't mentioned...

[kaw500]

Dude can't buy publicity -- but he can drive.

All he needs is one out burst and he'll be in the spotlight again or better yet a nice quiet climb in the points and a run at the chase just might bring some limelight his way as well.:)

[REEVESRacing]

A steady 14th in points is looking pretty good, really like 2 decent finishes in a row, keep it up and good things will happen...

[RGFan]

He is doing what he needs to do. He is finishing and is essentially getting top 20's in the process (I know, 21st in Cali). He is getting to know a new car in the Ford and the COT, but, everyone is getting to know the COT. Top 20's consistantly will be huge come race 26. It may not land him in the chase, but it will buy more respectablilty for Team Gordon, and my friends, respectability and a top 20 finish in the points come years end is what will help add a second and third car in the years to come. I am not expecting a miracle this season, I want to see legitimate growth as a team. I want to see a win, I want to see some top 5's and top 10's..... I want to see less that 6 races out of the top 25.

[AZBadseed]

"If he quit tomorrow, would anyone notice?"

I think the drivers would...(is it just me or does he drive hard for EVERY position)...the #7 car would be a lot easier to pass if RG wasnt driving.

Thats also what makes me a big RG fan...he's a racer, not just a driver like some of the guys in CUP today.

GAS ON!! Vegas Baby....YEAH!!

[AZGirl]

Could be Harrah's... although the rumor mill has been running that they didn't renew this year- Also, I heard the Harrahs logo was missing off his merch trailer... And no press releases regarding sponsors other than the Beam press release...

RG is scheduled to be at an autograph session at Harrah's tonight, according to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.......

http://www.lvms.com/visitor_guide/driver_appearances/

[OffroadExit]

RG is scheduled to be at an autograph session at Harrah's tonight, according to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.......

http://www.lvms.com/visitor_guide/driver_appearances/

hmm...is that race car still sitting out in front of the hotel?

[JRod]

Well, according to the RG board at NOL, someone asked RG directly who would be on the hood, and he didn't get a straight answer- although, they said he was signing autographs in an all black Monster shirt...:confused:

[JRod]

On a positive note, if the hood were empty, he could just put a big sign that said, "Move- I'm about to pass you"

[Bricoop]

100:1 Odds given for Robby Gordon, J.J. Yeley, Dave Blaney, Bobby Labonte, Brian Vickers, Reed Sorenson, Juan Montoya, Paul Menard, Michael Waltrip and Dale Jarrett to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the longest in the field.


Where do I place my bet???

[JRod]

are those odds that any or one of them will win?

Really want a win this weekend, would love a top 10, hoping for at least a lead lap finish-

[Bricoop]

are those odds that any or one of them will win?

Really want a win this weekend, would love a top 10, hoping for at least a lead lap finish-

only one

[DanDan]

HaHaHa! POS is stuck in inspection and is late for practice.

[JRod]

Haven't seen RG on Speed yet, but he was 2nd fastest a minute ago. Someone on the NOL board said his car is Black with Green trim, but nothing on the hood.

POS is still in the inspection line- with his -27 driver points...

[JRod]

For those of you at work, RG is Still the fastest Ford in practice- sitting 6th

[spalind]

For those of you at work, RG is Still the fastest Ford in practice- sitting 6th

NICE!!! Man this is exciting with him running so well early on this year!! I hope it is a Monster on the hood...that'll really irritate Red Bull, Toyota, and Allmindinger and Vickers and such!! Time to head home, crack open a beer and watch qualifying!!

[DanDan]

POS is 42nd fastest. Go home.

RG is 12th.

[JRod]

It sure doesn't look good for POS- Hopefully if he doesn't make the show, we won't have to hear OPOS (Older POS) talk all weekend about how it should be the 43 fastest that qualify...

[JRod]

Well that wasn't how I wanted to see the car- RG just "kissed" the wall- 17th quickest...

[spalind]

Well that wasn't how I wanted to see the car- RG just "kissed" the wall- 17th quickest...

Now was it a kiss like you'd give your sister?? Or was it a full on slobbering kiss like you'd give some hot, drunk, 19 year old girl that you were dreaming about last night?? Oh...I'm speaking out loud??? Uhhhh...nevermind....

[AZGirl]

Now was it a kiss like you'd give your sister?? Or was it a full on slobbering kiss like you'd give some hot, drunk, 19 year old girl that you were dreaming about last night?? Oh...I'm speaking out loud??? Uhhhh...nevermind....

LOL - i thought for a second i was on the Days of Our Lives website - is this As the Racecar Turns??? ;) You guys are great - keep the updates going! Gas On, RG!

[kaw500]

Finally got my track pass working correctly. NOL is? Well you know.

Q is on, speeds are up and RG is 32nd in line.

Per NOL RG was 19th in practice and his sponsor is "Robby Gordon Motorsports"
177.317 MPH 30.454 lap time.

Looks like Q speeds are about 1/2 a second faster than practice RG should start around 25th place.

Long way to go we'll just have to wait and see.

How bad or good was the kiss??????

[DanDan]

HaHa. POS spins on the 2nd lap of his attempt after a pathetic 1st lap. Going home. :)

[kaw500]

POS 31.138 he won't be in this race. Spun on the main straight on lap 2. So how'd it look on TV? Sounded like he was huge loose.

[DanDan]

POS 31.138 he won't be in this race. Spun on the main straight on lap 2. So how'd it look on TV? Sounded like he was huge loose.

He looked loose on the straights. :) RGs not looking real hot but hes in the show.

[kaw500]

RG 30.11 thought he'd do a 29 he will start around 33rd postion hopefully not too much worse that that. A plain black car?????

[TRichards]

OOPS, Did someone forget the Monster decals?

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Rudemann in the d0uble n0thing is going home too! Atleast the haulers will get great gas mileage one the way home. They can draft each other.

[spalind]

OOPS, Did someone forget the Monster decals?

McReynolds on the Speed broadcast said...and I quote..."Robby Gordon is running his car unsponsored this weekend..." don't know how much stock I put in that but...thats what he said....Sure wouldn't surprise me if he shows up on Sunday with a big green M on the hood though...the rest of the car is all set for it...with the green sideskirts and other highlights...

[DanDan]

Rudemann in the d0uble n0thing is going home too! Atleast the haulers will get great gas mileage one the way home. They can draft each other.

If it wasn't for the provisional it would be a 3 truck draft.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

If it wasn't for the provisional it would be a 3 truck draft.

When they get to Bristol they will get really good gas mileage.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Menard Made it in!

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The Furnature Row car and Kenny Wallace booted Almonddinger.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Jarrett use his 3rd PCP...

[Mary Kay]

I am sure Robby will show up Sunday with a big green
M on the car! Way to JPM!

[Mary Kay]

I wonder what Red Bull will do in a few more weeks? Not a very impressive start!

[RGFan]

I wonder what Red Bull will do in a few more weeks? Not a very impressive start!

Do you think that they are regreting not sponsoring Team Gordon now. 3 races, 2 cars, only one car has made one race. How about POS, second week not in.

[JRod]

Not sure why, so don't ask, but I am glad to see Kenny Wallace make a race. Not sure how long he'll last, but making the show is better than usual.

[RGFan]

OOPS, Did someone forget the Monster decals?

Rg has always had a flare for the dramatic:D I hope this is another one of those cases and not a sign of things to come with lack of sponsorship. On to other things, Toyota sucking the way they are is huge. Look, I obviously do not have wind tunnel numbers in front of me, but after seeing the dodge last year with the snow plow for a front end, I have a hard time believing that the camry is aero defficient. as far as chassis set up, with names like Richert, Baldwin and Borland leading 3 of the teams, these guys are not slackers, I do not see that being the entire issue. I am thinking that this may be HP related. I am just speculating, but that would be my guess. What ever it is, while it is still only the third race of the season, Toyota, along with the teams really dropped the ball. I remember when the Dodge came back out a few years ago, you would see Ray Evernham sitting on top of the box with Richard Petty and even Roger Penske . The Dodge teams were very vocal about how they were sharing all of their info with one another for that first year. They all helped each other get off of the ground. It may be just me, but I do not see or hear the Toyota teams talking that way. BDR, POSR, Red Bull should all be working together to get this thing going. I am pretty sure they will be much stronger with the COT, but.........that will not be enough if they want to be secure points wise come next year. One thing is for sure, we will watch POS age before our eyes this season.

[b-makk]

Rg has always had a flare for the dramatic:D I hope this is another one of those cases and not a sign of things to come with lack of sponsorship. On to other things, Toyota sucking the way they are is huge. Look, I obviously do not have wind tunnel numbers in front of me, but after seeing the dodge last year with the snow plow for a front end, I have a hard time believing that the camry is aero defficient. as far as chassis set up, with names like Richert, Baldwin and Borland leading 3 of the teams, these guys are not slackers, I do not see that being the entire issue. I am thinking that this may be HP related. I am just speculating, but that would be my guess. What ever it is, while it is still only the third race of the season, Toyota, along with the teams really dropped the ball. I remember when the Dodge came back out a few years ago, you would see Ray Evernham sitting on top of the box with Richard Petty and even Roger Penske . The Dodge teams were very vocal about how they were sharing all of their info with one another for that first year. They all helped each other get off of the ground. It may be just me, but I do not see or hear the Toyota teams talking that way. BDR, POSR, Red Bull should all be working together to get this thing going. I am pretty sure they will be much stronger with the COT, but.........that will not be enough if they want to be secure points wise come next year. One thing is for sure, we will watch POS age before our eyes this season.

Maybe the problem is too much sharing of information - sharing with POS Racing would drag anybody down! :D

[spalind]

Rg has always had a flare for the dramatic:D I hope this is another one of those cases and not a sign of things to come with lack of sponsorship. On to other things, Toyota sucking the way they are is huge. Look, I obviously do not have wind tunnel numbers in front of me, but after seeing the dodge last year with the snow plow for a front end, I have a hard time believing that the camry is aero defficient. as far as chassis set up, with names like Richert, Baldwin and Borland leading 3 of the teams, these guys are not slackers, I do not see that being the entire issue. I am thinking that this may be HP related. I am just speculating, but that would be my guess. What ever it is, while it is still only the third race of the season, Toyota, along with the teams really dropped the ball. I remember when the Dodge came back out a few years ago, you would see Ray Evernham sitting on top of the box with Richard Petty and even Roger Penske . The Dodge teams were very vocal about how they were sharing all of their info with one another for that first year. They all helped each other get off of the ground. It may be just me, but I do not see or hear the Toyota teams talking that way. BDR, POSR, Red Bull should all be working together to get this thing going. I am pretty sure they will be much stronger with the COT, but.........that will not be enough if they want to be secure points wise come next year. One thing is for sure, we will watch POS age before our eyes this season.

How much would information sharing help with Toyota teams I wonder?? Aren't all their engines made, prepped, and shipped from TRD out in CA and not developed by the individual teams?? That would explain why when one sucks they all suck and (as in the truck series) when one does well it seems like they all do well....

[RGFan]

How much would information sharing help with Toyota teams I wonder?? Aren't all their engines made, prepped, and shipped from TRD out in CA and not developed by the individual teams?? That would explain why when one sucks they all suck and (as in the truck series) when one does well it seems like they all do well....


As far as the HP, you are correct. But if there are other issues that are not as obvious, maybe there is an aero or chassis issue. As seen with the other big teams, the sharing of resources is usually a good thing. Personally, I think that the Toyota teams need to come together as one big team this year and get things figured out. Alot more testing, maybe have a full time R&D team running at non sanctioned racing venues testing every single day, like Kentucky, trying to find some speed. WHile the HP issue is the only issue that makes sense to me personally, I can not imagine that Toyota would come into the this series down on HP. But then again, the results thus far speak for themselves.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

As far as the HP, you are correct. But if there are other issues that are not as obvious, maybe there is an aero or chassis issue. As seen with the other big teams, the sharing of resources is usually a good thing. Personally, I think that the Toyota teams need to come together as one big team this year and get things figured out. Alot more testing, maybe have a full time R&D team running at non sanctioned racing venues testing every single day, like Kentucky, trying to find some speed. WHile the HP issue is the only issue that makes sense to me personally, I can not imagine that Toyota would come into the this series down on HP. But then again, the results thus far speak for themselves.

All their drivers suck or were has beens. Removing Jarrett from the mix all the Toyota drivers combined have have only 9 wins in a collective 40 seasons...

Bill Davis racing allways sucked. Red Bull is brand new with a totally green driver and another driver that is a mid pack runner at best even when he had Hendrick under him for 4 years. David Rudiemann is green as hell and getting all his advise from another lame driver and Dale Jarrett is just running around in circles counting the days in his contract.

Wait till race six or seven, Dale will be out of PCP and another team will scoop Elliott up and he will have 6 PCPs to send someone home every week for a month and a half.

I can almost bet my left nut that MWR is full of over paid premadonnas who all probally got locked into killer contracts with killer money and don't feel they are in a life or death situation.

[RGFan]

WHile you have some valid points FLy, the mid packers as you put it are not in the mid pack, they are not even in the race. You have 3 crew chiefs that have been in the chase, and the coil binding set ups have not gone away on the old car. Bobby Ginn Racing is prime example.......Joe Nemechek.........He is not a has been, he is a never was. He is running in the top 10. The Ginn Team was a "C" Team and is now an "A" Team. Granted Joe is in a Chevy, but come on. Like I have said before, if you put any of these drivers in the 20, 24 or 48, they will be hauling ***. THe current nascar is not set up for the best driver wins, it is set up for the best car wins.........If it was the first, Team Gordon would already have a championship banner. Toyota has clearly dropped the ball IMO

[RGFan]

Is there trouble at RGM? First John Story leaves. Now no sponsorship on the #7 this weekend. Jayski reported that he has sent numerous emails to The RGM PR department with zero returns for weeks. RGM is posting next to zero info on their website this season........Harrah's was listed as the sponsor for this weekend, suddenly they are not, usually John Menard steps up in situations like this in the past, he is not....... People are speculating about Monster, then why are they not now on the car..........Maybe it is nothing, but I am not liking the trend I am seeing....No PR for a high profile race team is not good. No matter what the naysayers have to say, his team is a high profile team. And if the PR team is still intact, they are doing a piss poor job at it. I hate sounding like a pesimist, but he should have stayed with RCR and built RGM as a Truck and or Busch Team with a couple of cars in each and build up from there. Life as a RG fan.................I have been dealing with this crap for over a dozen years now, you would think I would get used to it.....

[FlyHiFlyLo]

WHile you have some valid points FLy, the mid packers as you put it are not in the mid pack, they are not even in the race. You have 3 crew chiefs that have been in the chase, and the coil binding set ups have not gone away on the old car. Bobby Ginn Racing is prime example.......Joe Nemechek.........He is not a has been, he is a never was. He is running in the top 10. The Ginn Team was a "C" Team and is now an "A" Team. Granted Joe is in a Chevy, but come on. Like I have said before, if you put any of these drivers in the 20, 24 or 48, they will be hauling ***. THe current nascar is not set up for the best driver wins, it is set up for the best car wins.........If it was the first, Team Gordon would already have a championship banner. Toyota has clearly dropped the ball IMO


The only mid packer I was speaking of was Vickers.

[Bricoop]

yahoo sports:

Also in the garage was open wheel refugee Ryan Hunter-Reay, seen wearing Robby Gordon Racing attire. But before Gordon can put his good friend Hunter-Reay in a Busch car for his own team, the driver/owner needs to secure adequate sponsor funding.

[RGFan]

Well Fly, the last few years, I think you can add Blaney, Mayfield into that group along with Jarret, IMO anyways. I know it is hard to fathom, but that is exactly what Jarret has been. Hard to believe that in within several years a champion can fall off into mediocrity. Almendinger and Reutiman have no business being in Cup right now, the same goes for POS, which I believe will be proven here in the next 2 years. If POSR still exists in that time, I believe we will see POS retire to "concentrate on running his team". Personally I think Mayfield sucks, but the year before last, he made the Chase. That just goes to prove my point that driver talent does not put these guys into the top 10 in Nascar, but equipment sure seems to get you there.

[RGFan]

yahoo sports:

Also in the garage was open wheel refugee Ryan Hunter-Reay, seen wearing Robby Gordon Racing attire. But before Gordon can put his good friend Hunter-Reay in a Busch car for his own team, the driver/owner needs to secure adequate sponsor funding.


Yeah, Yahoo Sports has always had a boner for RG. That Bob Margolis putz really seems to not have a clue about Nascar and seems to like slamming RG.

[RGFan]

LMAO!!!! Did you guys see the little runt eat crap trying to block Burton for the win......Good win for Burton, he is a class act.

[woundedyak]

Does anyone know what a one race deal cost these days? I don't see why Monster wouldn't step up for a few races.If he didn't have a sponser for the race. Why wouldn't he just put a Monster set up on the car instead of running nothing? I'am sure Monster wouldn't mind.Well,whatever is going on over at RGM, I hope they get it figured out and strat getting some top 15 finishes.

[RGFan]

Does anyone know what a one race deal cost these days? I don't see why Monster wouldn't step up for a few races.If he didn't have a sponser for the race. Why wouldn't he just put a Monster set up on the car instead of running nothing? I'am sure Monster wouldn't mind.Well,whatever is going on over at RGM, I hope they get it figured out and strat getting some top 15 finishes.


Well, the "experts" say it is 15 to 20 million to run a season, so lets say Rg needs 16 million to run a season.....The actual number may be less or a little more, but it is a realistic number..... Divide that by 36 races and I come up with $444,444.44 for a single race. So, essentially about half a million. As far as just pasting Monster stickers on there, you can look at that 2 ways I guess. One, put them on there, give Monster a complimentary welcome to Nascar, a race that Red Bull did not make and give them essentially $500,000 in free advertising, along with not being embarrased about not having sponsorship. Or the second rule of thought, Do not put anyone on there and let everyone know that you need more sponsorship dollars for your team and there are primary sponsor spots open on national TV. Regardless, it is concerning to say the least...:(

On another note, you know what would be funny......Michael Waltrip having to pay RG to carry a POSR sponsor for this weekend........That would be abslolutely hilarious

[DVMchase]

If he doesnt have monster on the car i will be very suprised. All of the crew is wearing monster t-shirts and they sure are giving alot of it away. I have been helping myself out to a few that are in the cooler in front of their hauler. So i guess we will see.

Joe

[RGFan]

If he doesnt have monster on the car i will be very suprised. All of the crew is wearing monster t-shirts and they sure are giving alot of it away. I have been helping myself out to a few that are in the cooler in front of their hauler. So i guess we will see.

Joe


That is some good info. I hope you are right with Monster tagging the car tomorrow

[AZBadseed]

They waited till the last minute to "monsterize" the Dakar gear too...maybe it's just a suprise. waiting until red bull didnt make the show?? now they have the race to themselves?? Could be something that was arranged beforehand waiting for them to get a race where no red bull teams qualified.

[snoreracer]

you have to see the neon garage this is the best thing for the fans . Robby signing at his trailer at 10:30 am.

[RGFan]

RG has always had a flare for the dramatic when it comes to sponsor announcements. Maybe this was planned and this is how he chose to stir up alot of drama and attention to his car..........ANd get a little more press in the process when the Monster colors are finally seen. But, not even he has done something like this before in Nascar.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

I just don't see any advantage to Monster holding back the decals or RGM having some exciting unvailing. They have already missed lots of TV coverage in Quals, Practice and Happy hour and Net/print press.

I think something has prevented them from running the scheme... Like NASCAR, Budwieser or Jim Beam and even Monster.

Jim Beam is actually considered a competitor to Bud... Jack Danials actually had an issue with Childress Vinyards when RCR was courting JD.

Notice there is only one Booze sponsor per owner? They all compete for space for in supermarkets, clubs and bars.

Maybe Micron will chuck some dough their way.

[snoreracer]

sat at vegas

[snoreracer]

more vegas

[tneve22]

more vegas

They even have the tool chest in black and green, but Robby's wearing a JimBeam outfit? Thanks for the pics I bet you had fun!

[snoreracer]

talked to one of Robby's crew members he said" we are working on a big sponsorship deal had the stickers to put on just waiting to finalize deal." here is Robby's car in line up Sunday

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Posted By TOG on NOL.

Found out that Red Bull had leased prime space in Turn 3 for their 'portable suite' and the track had an exclusive with Red Bull and had a problem with Monster Energy in the race....

Monster deal is done, so it's all good..Who cares if car is black today...

[DanDan]

It was a little early for RG to be that aggressive.

[kaw500]

Well that was some good TV time early. This race is going to get ugly.

Taking stickers off a Funmover sucks think I'll watch this for awhile.

[JRod]

The world according to OPOS:
RG causes every wreck, Juantoya is amazing- he didn't reverse in his pit box...and my poor little brother..."

[Scrapiron]

When is the firt race for the COT?

[JRod]

Yeah OPOS- Keep talking about the great track and how fantastic it is- only 3 cautions in the first 20 laps...

[Scrapiron]

Mears is not happy with Robby. Blames him for the wreck trying to go 3 wide with only two lines.

[JRod]

When is the firt race for the COT?

I want to say Bristol- I know it's a short track.

[kaw500]

Yeah OPOS- Keep talking about the great track and how fantastic it is- only 3 cautions in the first 20 laps...


Hard Tires = yellows all day long

[JRod]

Well, I thought too soon, "wow, an actual medium-longish green run"

I stand corrected- ahahaha

[b-makk]

Posted By TOG on NOL.

Found out that Red Bull had leased prime space in Turn 3 for their 'portable suite' and the track had an exclusive with Red Bull and had a problem with Monster Energy in the race....

Monster deal is done, so it's all good..Who cares if car is black today...

That's a big relief!!!!

[JRod]

Seems to indicate Harrah's is really out, so I wonder how many races is Monster in for?

[JRod]

YES!!! I seriously thought Kurt Busch was going to take both Busch's out in one fell swoop!!!

[dezertranger1600]

JJ leading...RG in 19th with 170 to go

[JRod]

Good timing for the caution- RG had another 10 laps or so before he got lapped...and his car was starting to get away from him I think...

[RGFan]

Posted By TOG on NOL.

Found out that Red Bull had leased prime space in Turn 3 for their 'portable suite' and the track had an exclusive with Red Bull and had a problem with Monster Energy in the race....

Monster deal is done, so it's all good..Who cares if car is black today...

Good info Fly. That is BS!!!!! A track should not be able to sanction what sponsors are allowed into each race. They are lucky enough to have Nascar at all. Nascar dropped the ball. They should have backed up RG on this one. But it is cool to see how pissed Red Bull is with RG and Monster. Hey, they had their chance...

[b-makk]

Here's an article on the sponsorship issue:
http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/03/05/scene_daily90.html

[JRod]

Good article- Good find- Really seems like more to the story between the lines, which we knew already.

[JRod]

Good info Fly. That is BS!!!!! A track should not be able to sanction what sponsors are allowed into each race. They are lucky enough to have Nascar at all. Nascar dropped the ball. They should have backed up RG on this one. But it is cool to see how pissed Red Bull is with RG and Monster. Hey, they had their chance...

Yeah, eff 'em. I used to love RedBull, but I am boycotting- officially now.

[hm8425]

Noticed this weekend at the Baja 250 that Travis was driving the 77 truck under Pro Comp colors. I know that Travis Drove for Robby at Laughlin and Robby drove the 77 truck at Parker.

If the article is correct about Monster with him for his off raod stuff and Travis has a deal with Robby, I wonder why Travis did not drive the 77 under Monster colors?

[erikh]

Wow, Robby actually got a scene on a Fox commercial. Nice.

erik

[RGFan]

Noticed this weekend at the Baja 250 that Travis was driving the 77 truck under Pro Comp colors. I know that Travis Drove for Robby at Laughlin and Robby drove the 77 truck at Parker.

If the article is correct about Monster with him for his off raod stuff and Travis has a deal with Robby, I wonder why Travis did not drive the 77 under Monster colors?

That is interesting. But isn't Pro Comp another big sponsor of Team Gordon also?

[JRod]

Wow, Robby actually got a scene on a Fox commercial. Nice.

erik

"Nice?" Robby in a commercial or the girls in the Robby commercial? lol...:D

[kaw500]

Been thru the desert in a car with no name.

Big picture racing top 20 finish keeps RG in the top 15 in points.

[JRod]

That is interesting. But isn't Pro Comp another big sponsor of Team Gordon also?

Yes, Pro Comp is another big sponsor- and marty (travis' dad) runs the 5 for pro comp- Still kind of interesting it wasn't a monster truck- perhaps they spent the money on the cup weekend- oops. Damn Red Bull:mad:

[kaw500]

Good move on the last lap from 19th to finish 17th will keep him soild in the top 15.

RGM in good shape after the 1st three races.

[RGFan]

Another top 20, way to go Team G. Now we need to start working on the qualifying . Strong Job

[JRod]

Missed whatever move he made to go from 17 to 19th, but any move that nets two spots on the last lap is a good one in anyone's book! LOL

[Bricoop]

Missed whatever move he made to go from 17 to 19th, but any move that nets two spots on the last lap is a good one in anyone's book! LOL

You mean to 17th from 19th right?

[Bricoop]

Robby unofficially will stay in 14th.

[JRod]

You mean to 17th from 19th right?

HAHA- Didn't know I had lysdexia!

Fox shows RG 15th in points, but 14th or 15th are both nice.

[RGFan]

HAHA- Didn't know I had lysdexia!

Fox shows RG 15th in points, but 14th or 15th are both nice.

LOL!!!

[kaw500]

You mean to 17th from 19th right?

He got 17th he passed the 18 & 40 on that last lap.

[RGFan]

14th in the points after 3 races, not to shabby. He is 12 out of 10th. Top 20's, top 15's, Top 10's...That is what we need alot of this year.

[RGFan]

HAHA- Didn't know I had lysdexia!

Fox shows RG 15th in points, but 14th or 15th are both nice.

Nascar shows him 14th right now after todays race.....unofficially.
THese are good finishes while Team G is getting their feet wet with the new ford and the COT.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Top 20... Good stuff.

[kaw500]

14th in the points after 3 races, not to shabby. He is 12 out of 10th. Top 20's, top 15's, Top 10's...That is what we need alot of this year.

Your dead on JROD big picture racing for RGM may be a bit boring but it will get the job done.

[JRod]

Nice to see Dale Jr. move into the top35 as well-

[kaw500]

Your dead on JROD big picture racing for RGM may be a bit boring but it will get the job done.

Of course he is there to win but I'm enjoying watching him stay ahead of a lot of other great teams in the points.

[kaw500]

Your dead on JROD big picture racing for RGM may be a bit boring but it will get the job done.

Sorry RGFAN I got the hardcore RG fans mixed up for a moment. But I know JROD was thinking the same thing.

[kaw500]

POS loses another 4 spots in the points:o

[JRod]

Sorry RGFAN I got the hardcore RG fans mixed up for a moment. But I know JROD was thinking the same thing.

HAHA- I was going to correct you, but you're right- It could have been either of us that said it! This big picture racing puts you in position to win when the stars align- and really makes the road course victory that we'll get worth even more.

[RGFan]

It is all good guys, we are all in the same boat, right? This whole Monster thing sucks. Well, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace are slamming Robby again...... How many championships did either of these guys win again? How many people have they caused to crash by being in the way? By the way, has anyone complimented Kenny Wallace on his hair transplant?

[JRod]

Spencer= BOS...bag of...well, you get the idea.

Spencer tried to blame Gilliland for wrecking Kahne too which the video clearly showed was all Kahne's doing- the 38 never touched him!

RG- 4th ford in the points right now- This "boring" big picture racing is way more fun to watch than I thought-

[erikh]

How many more weeks could POS possibly continue with negative points? That's so funny. What a shame for all of his sponsors!

erik

[spalind]

Great finish for 17th...even better that he's run 3 races and had ZERO issues with his engine...Thats huge...All these solid finishes make it so much easier to withstand any hiccups later in the year...He keeps finishing like this and they'll HAVE to talk to about him having a shot at the chase...and remember...its no longer how many points out of 10th that matters anymore...its how many points out of 12th...

[JRod]

How many more weeks could POS possibly continue with negative points? That's so funny. What a shame for all of his sponsors!

erik

I feel about as bad for POS' sponsors as a dude who takes a girl home from a bar and wakes up to find out she was beer-pretty- He still got in bed with her... Will be interesting to see the shenanigans he has to pull to start getting his sponsors in the races- buying points, swapping DJ in to the 55 to use the PCP...maybe he will retire by the end of the year.

[JRod]

Great finish for 17th...even better that he's run 3 races and had ZERO issues with his engine...Thats huge...All these solid finishes make it so much easier to withstand any hiccups later in the year...He keeps finishing like this and they'll HAVE to talk to about him having a shot at the chase...and remember...its no longer how many points out of 10th that matters anymore...its how many points out of 12th...

Great point regarding 12th- which he is only 15 points out of by the way.

[firedog]

How many more weeks could POS possibly continue with negative points? That's so funny. What a shame for all of his sponsors!

erik

NAPA should slide their sponsor $$$ over to someone who is racing, like RG, wouldn't that be funny! Keep up the good work RG!

[RGFan]

Great point regarding 12th- which he is only 15 points out of by the way.

Actually JROD, he is 12 points out of 10th overall after 3 races;)

[JRod]

Actually JROD, he is 12 points out of 10th overall after 3 races;)

Someone double check my math, because I am horrible with numbers- sorry for the formatting- it's how I copied it off of Nascar.com

STANDINGS
2007 Unofficial Driver Standings: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Race 3 of 36

RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS POLES WINS TOP 5 TOP 10
1 -- Mark Martin 495 Leader 3 0 0 3 3
2 +1 Jeff Gordon 489 -6 3 1 0 2 3
3 -1 Jeff Burton 453 -42 3 0 0 2 2
4 +11 Jimmie Johnson 406 -89 3 0 1 2 2
5 +7 Matt Kenseth 397 -98 3 0 1 2 2
6 -2 Kevin Harvick 389 -106 3 0 1 1 1
7 +2 Kyle Busch 382 -113 3 0 0 0 2
8 +10 Denny Hamlin 374 -121 3 0 0 1 1
9 -1 J.J. Yeley 365 -130 3 0 0 0 0
10 +6 Elliott Sadler 342 -153 3 0 0 0 1
11 -1 David Stremme 342 -153 3 0 0 0 0
12 -1 David Gilliland 335 -160 3 1 0 0 1
13 +8 Tony Stewart 332 -163 3 0 0 0 2
14 -- Robby Gordon 330 -165 3 0 0 0 0

[JRod]

Case in point, I used a calculator...LOL. It's all good, usually when my numbers are off, I have spent more money than I have...

[FlyHiFlyLo]

If RG keeps this pace up come race 36 he will be in the big bucks. (avg 110 points) (10th place)

[RGFan]

[QUOTE=FlyHiFlyLo7;262101]If RG keeps this pace up come race 36 he will be in the big bucks. (avg 110 points) (10th place)[/QUOT

I think he needs to score in the top 20 come the end of the season to get the extra cash for next season. Please let me know if I am wrong.

[Bricoop]

[QUOTE=FlyHiFlyLo7;262101]If RG keeps this pace up come race 36 he will be in the big bucks. (avg 110 points) (10th place)[/QUOT

I think he needs to score in the top 20 come the end of the season to get the extra cash for next season. Please let me know if I am wrong.

Top 20 go to NY. But the big money comes w/ the chase.

[Bricoop]

Awe, poor baby.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/03/11/cmears.dearnhardtjr.esadler.notes/index.html

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The #44 is only 15 points above 36th in owner's points. LOL

[RGFan]

Yeah, what will happen when DJ starts missing races. Will he "retire for Bill Elliot" or does Red Bull have their hands on him.

[RGFan]

Who else will we see come out of the woodwork. Obviously, AJ is not cutting it with Red Bull. He needs more time in the minor leagues so to speak. Jeremy Mayfield.......Enough said. How long will DJ put up with the embarrasment. If the COT is not a big hit for Toyota and DJ sucks in it also, I do not see him finishing out the season. Michael Waltrip...........He would be better off driving for the Wood Brothers again. The next few months should be very interesting if Toyota does not pick it up soon... Ray Evernham said that Mayfield was the problem.....Elliot Sadler is 10th in points......Looks like he was right.

[kaw500]

Awe, poor baby.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/03/11/cmears.dearnhardtjr.esadler.notes/index.html

I firgured Casey was PO'd when he came on back the track he gave RG a hard time when he was going by. To think we were discussing RG's lack of mention by the media prior to this race.

I'm a CM fan too and I know he will move on, he is one of my picks to make the chase,

[Mary Kay]

What was it 9 or so laps into the race? I like Robby and have for many years, but he should have never made that move at that point of the race. Oh heck I don't understand why he thought he needed to put his front end in a place where there was not one once of room for it! Casey and Ward should have been mad as all get-out at him! While Robby should have been thanking God he didn't wrech his own race car!
Once again I am a Robby fan but man it could have been a bad deal, he got real lucky!

[RGFan]

What was it 9 or so laps into the race? I like Robby and have for many years, but he should have never made that move at that point of the race. Oh heck I don't understand why he thought he needed to put his front end in a place where there was not one once of room for it! Casey and Ward should have been mad as all get-out at him! While Robby should have been thanking God he didn't wrech his own race car!
Once again I am a Robby fan but man it could have been a bad deal, he got real lucky!


You can say equally that Ward should not have come down on him as well and crowded him. Yeah, it was a pretty daring move for him to stay, but Ward Burton did not help matters. Robby had position on him rolling into the turn. I love it how when someone else does it, it is just racing, but when Robby does it, it was a stupid move. It was not like Robby put his nose under Ward in the turn, it was there on the back straight.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

What was it 9 or so laps into the race? I like Robby and have for many years, but he should have never made that move at that point of the race. Oh heck I don't understand why he thought he needed to put his front end in a place where there was not one once of room for it! Casey and Ward should have been mad as all get-out at him! While Robby should have been thanking God he didn't wrech his own race car!
Once again I am a Robby fan but man it could have been a bad deal, he got real lucky!

Coming from a guy who's user name is Go Hard and Fast..... LOL

[b-makk]

Awe, poor baby.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/03/11/cmears.dearnhardtjr.esadler.notes/index.html

Who is Casey Mears that he can criticize RG so negatively? I didn't mind the guy but Robby's actions don't warrant these comments. I see he's already learned to whine like his #24 teammate. Mears is a one-time Busch winner so I don't think he has earned the right to criticize like that.
These comments make me glad Nascar threw the debris caution 2 years ago at Homestead!

[Mary Kay]

Hey fly hi it happens to be go hard race fast, which is a saying that a short course off-road team uses! not something i pulled out to be funny...lol

by the way not every ONE that belongs to the forum is a man!

all people see things from different points of view, robby under him, ward, was my point of view! i see that you have a different point of view, good for you, life would be boring with a bunch of men whoops i mean people who had the same point of view!

[hm8425]

Awe, poor baby.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/03/11/cmears.dearnhardtjr.esadler.notes/index.html


If Mears had made that move that caused that deal would you be saying poor baby if Robby was mad? Or would you be bad mouthing Mears?

[b-makk]

It is all good guys, we are all in the same boat, right? This whole Monster thing sucks. Well, Jimmy Spencer and Kenny Wallace are slamming Robby again...... How many championships did either of these guys win again? How many people have they caused to crash by being in the way? By the way, has anyone complimented Kenny Wallace on his hair transplant?

You've got to stop watching those lame losers! The only thing they're good for is putting you in a bad mood. They spend all their TV time sucking up to the big teams.

[RGFan]

You can say equally that Ward should not have come down on him as well and crowded him. Yeah, it was a pretty daring move for him to stay, but Ward Burton did not help matters. Robby had position on him rolling into the turn. I love it how when someone else does it, it is just racing, but when Robby does it, it was a stupid move. It was not like Robby put his nose under Ward in the turn, it was there on the back straight.


WHile I am on it, I love it how drivers seem to think that Robby is just supposed to move over, like he has less to race for than they do........Ward Burton needs to step up and accept some blame here. Everyone is so quick to bash RG. Yes I am bias, but my god, what has Casey Mears done that is so great. All he has shown is that he can run midpack his whole life. Well, Casey, why are you running mid pack in a Hendrick car, your excuse at Ganassi was the equipment, the other 3 cars are running in the top 10 for Hendrick overall, you are 34th, Juan Montoya does not seem to have a problem in the 42, running 22nd overall and he has less than 10 races in a Cup Car. Before Casey starts hammering Robby, he needs to take a look in the mirror, how many Cup races has Robby won compared to Casey......Exactly. Get off of the Jeff Gordon Band Wagon Casey Mears, crying does not fit you. But then again, if I was 34th in points in top notch equipment, I would be looking to blame someone else for my problems as well.

[b-makk]

If Mears had made that move that caused that deal would you be saying poor baby if Robby was mad? Or would you be bad mouthing Mears?

I'd be bad mouthing POS

[RGFan]

If Mears had made that move that caused that deal would you be saying poor baby if Robby was mad? Or would you be bad mouthing Mears?


That is the whole point.....IT HAS HAPPENED TO RG........MANY TIMES..........And when it happens, it is "just racing".

[Mary Kay]

That is the whole point.....IT HAS HAPPENED TO RG........MANY TIMES..........And when it happens, it is "just racing".



i don't think anyone can argue that one...from any point of view...robby does tend to get the bad end of the deal 99.9% of the time...

[Jack]

You can say equally that Ward should not have come down on him as well and crowded him. Yeah, it was a pretty daring move for him to stay, but Ward Burton did not help matters. Robby had position on him rolling into the turn. I love it how when someone else does it, it is just racing, but when Robby does it, it was a stupid move. It was not like Robby put his nose under Ward in the turn, it was there on the back straight.


That's the way I saw it.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Hey fly hi it happens to be go hard race fast, which is a saying that a short course off-road team uses! not something i pulled out to be funny...lol

by the way not every ONE that belongs to the forum is a man!

all people see things from different points of view, robby under him, ward, was my point of view! i see that you have a different point of view, good for you, life would be boring with a bunch of men whoops i mean people who had the same point of view!

All right, my bad, Not RG's Fault.... but go hard is a girl... Kewl.

[b-makk]

Why do JJ and Nick Lackey have their hands all over my ladies???

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m123/b-makk/6559288_7_2.jpg

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Fox is really good at twisting stuff... Casey never seen the video of what happened before he said what he said, a FOX guy told him what happened... Now it is just a sound byte. They don't interview RG neither to get the other side... It's just like when Jimmy's tire rolls out the second time nobody pipes up.... But if RG tosses some padding out FOX hunts him down and several days later NACAR uses FOX's "Investigation" to nail him. Jimmy's deal was clear as a bell.

The media sure does have control of some outcomes. Yesterday when Ward came down on RG that was the 8th lap he has raced in almost two years... The boy is green.

[mattb]

Where any of you guys laughing as hard as I was when Robby asked his crew about car #37? It was about 3/4 of the way though on his freq.

[hm8425]

That is the whole point.....IT HAS HAPPENED TO RG........MANY TIMES..........And when it happens, it is "just racing".

I will agree that it has happened to RG. Although I am not a fan of his I have argued in his favor on many occasions that he was done wrong.

I am just wondering if all the die hard Robby fans are willing to admit when Robby makes a mistake or if he takes an unnecessary risk that takes out another racer will they be humble enough to admit it and accept the bashing that they are giving?

[Bricoop]

Where any of you guys laughing as hard as I was when Robby asked his crew about car #37? It was about 3/4 of the way though on his freq.

missed it, what'd he say?

[RGFan]

I will agree that it has happened to RG. Although I am not a fan of his I have argued in his favor on many occasions that he was done wrong.

I am just wondering if all the die hard Robby fans are willing to admit when Robby makes a mistake or if he takes an unnecessary risk that takes out another racer will they be humble enough to admit it and accept the bashing that they are giving?

Trust me, when roll bar gate happened last year, I had to explain to my 6 year old why it was wrong what Robby did and why cheating is never ok. He has had his fair share of faulty accidents, but IMO, yesterday was not one of them

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Should that matter if it is lap 1 or lap 201?

These races on 2 mile tracks and below and excluding road courses aren't 400 miles anymore they are the length of a fuel run. 13 gallon fuel cells amplify the effect and only 15 cars finishing on the lead lap proves that. You must race the fuel tank. Or you will finish 4 laps down.

[bajafox]

Sometimes I wish all I could hear during a race is the crowd and the race cars, the announces are all full of s**t

When Robby made that move it was stupid, dumb, etc

But when Kyle Busch tried to split (forgot who) 2 cars in the final laps and got loose, it was great racing not too mention how it was smart for him to get on the apron to pass his own brother, no danger there...

It's also pretty awesome that Jimmy's crew f'd up in the pits TWICE and only got a quick slap on the hand, just like Daytona 06 "dont do it again Jimmy, got it? Ok, here's your trophy for that great win we just helped you with"

I'll be honest, every week I look less and less forward to watching NASCAR. I'm getting to the point where I just can't stand all the political/media/favortism/rule changing crap

[b-makk]

I'll be honest, every week I look less and less forward to watching NASCAR. I'm getting to the point where I just can't stand all the political/media/favortism/rule changing crap

I'm with you, it's not about racing anymore and it blows! I quit watching all of the pre & post race shows along with all of the weekly shows & now I just watch the races and I find that helps. Less of POS during the week = happier me at the end of the week!

[Hemp]

was there any sort of conclusion or explanation as to why robby had a blank car?

[bajafox]

I'm with you, it's not about racing anymore and it blows! I quit watching all of the pre & post race shows along with all of the weekly shows & now I just watch the races and I find that helps. Less of POS during the week = happier me at the end of the week!

Dont get me started on all the pre-race BS.

I go through half an 18pk just waiting for the race to start and mid-race beer runs are not my thing

[JRod]

was there any sort of conclusion or explanation as to why robby had a blank car?

The best explanation I have for you, based on a compilation of info from several sources, is that RG had the Monster sponsorship all but done, and RedBull put a block on the deal last minute because they had some courtesy tent up in turn 3 at Vegas. So the crew had the Monster swag, the car was black/green, but no sticker. I heard from one source it was on there to start the weekend, but had to be pulled off.

True or not, the Monster deal should be set for a couple races later in the year. Nascar TrackPass was all set for it as they showed his car with a "M" logo this weekend.

[JRod]

I will agree that it has happened to RG. Although I am not a fan of his I have argued in his favor on many occasions that he was done wrong.

I am just wondering if all the die hard Robby fans are willing to admit when Robby makes a mistake or if he takes an unnecessary risk that takes out another racer will they be humble enough to admit it and accept the bashing that they are giving?

RG is no saint- that's why most of us love to watch him. And he definitely is no golden boy of Nascar, so that doesn't help anything- Especially for those with the Microphones that love to grease palms and have their palms greased by whoever's tailpipe they can insert their heads into.

All that said, I was immediately on RGs side during the rollbar thing right away. As time went on, and it appeared he had tossed the padding, I acknowledged the evidence that pointed to what happened. All that said, it still seemed like his punishment and all the negative press he got was way bigger than if it had been someone else.

[dezertranger1600]

I'd be bad mouthing POS

haha good one:D

[JRod]

The best explanation I have for you, based on a compilation of info from several sources, is that RG had the Monster sponsorship all but done, and RedBull put a block on the deal last minute because they had some courtesy tent up in turn 3 at Vegas. So the crew had the Monster swag, the car was black/green, but no sticker. I heard from one source it was on there to start the weekend, but had to be pulled off.

True or not, the Monster deal should be set for a couple races later in the year. Nascar TrackPass was all set for it as they showed his car with a "M" logo this weekend.

Winston Salem Journal reported that the deal was never signed, however the next sentence placed total blame on RG for the early race wreck and stated it as fact- Take it for what it is or isn't worth- another opinion.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

What size tanks will they have in Atlanta?

[firedog]

well??? wasn't it supposed to be the 17 gal cell all season long but that has already changed!

[Scrapiron]

The best explanation I have for you, based on a compilation of info from several sources, is that RG had the Monster sponsorship all but done, and RedBull put a block on the deal last minute because they had some courtesy tent up in turn 3 at Vegas. So the crew had the Monster swag, the car was black/green, but no sticker. I heard from one source it was on there to start the weekend, but had to be pulled off.

True or not, the Monster deal should be set for a couple races later in the year. Nascar TrackPass was all set for it as they showed his car with a "M" logo this weekend.

Not trying to imply anything but the race was the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 so how were they able to run Ford, and Chevy logos? The 31 car is Cingular and it's the Nextel cup series. With that being said I don't see how RedBull could block him from running the monster logo.

[Dezert Edge Racing]

am i the only one here that is goin to put the blame on robby for that second caution? He wedged himself under burton, and ended up collectin Casey. at least he couldve waited a litle bit longer before wrecking at least one good race car.


NICK

[b-makk]

am i the only one here that is goin to put the blame on robby for that second caution? He wedged himself under burton, and ended up collectin Casey. at least he couldve waited a litle bit longer before wrecking at least one good race car.

I'm with you, I'll give Robby 80% of the blame but I don't like what Mears said. He hasn't done enough to be able to talk down on other drivers like that.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Not trying to imply anything but the race was the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 so how were they able to run Ford, and Chevy logos? The 31 car is Cingular and it's the Nextel cup series. With that being said I don't see how RedBull could block him from running the monster logo.


Notice it is still Cingular and not ATT? That's because Cingular and Alltel are grandfathered in from when it was still Winston Cup. NASCAR approves the paint jobs and sponsors. It wasn't till 2005 that NASCAR approved Hard Alcohol. If you went out and got Vivid Video to caugh up 4 million for 12 races you wouldn't get your car 10 feet off the hauler before NASCAR made you strip it.

NASCAR controls the numbers, sponsors, even the paint jobs have to be submited on paper and approved prior to running. Personally, I think that may have been the real reason Monster got stripped from the car. And to make things hard for RG.... "Nope Red Bull is already here on turn 3"... "next time submit your crap right"... Just speculation... I also think it was an offering to Monster in he first place to clear up some other things that may or may not be going on in the desert... Just speculation...

[FlyHiFlyLo]

am i the only one here that is goin to put the blame on robby for that second caution? He wedged himself under burton, and ended up collectin Casey. at least he couldve waited a litle bit longer before wrecking at least one good race car.


NICK


No go right ahead... Casey mears is your boy and we would expect that. We might do the same if it were switched. in fact I bet we would.

By the way, do you think when Rick Hendrick walks in the shop and sees 4 #25 totaled Busch cars and 3 #25 distroyed Cup cars from 3 weekends of racing he thinks Casey is just having bad luck? :eek:

[Bricoop]

So, how much did Monster pay to buy out Harrahs? Also, it surprised me they had to take the M off before the LV, especially because Monster is in the running to become the new grand national sponser.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

So, how much did Monster pay to buy out Harrahs? Also, it surprised me they had to take the M off before the LV, especially because Monster is in the running to become the new grand national sponser.

Harrah's didn't re-up for 2007... They got bought out by some dude.

[kaw500]

am i the only one here that is goin to put the blame on robby for that second caution? He wedged himself under burton, and ended up collectin Casey. at least he couldve waited a litle bit longer before wrecking at least one good race car.


NICK

Where have you been I would have an expected a Sunday post at least. Yeah RG was aggressive and as FLY said we expect nothing less from you if the tables had been turned we'd have been all over CM. What the heck I still want to see him do well at Hendrick I've been a Mears gang fan for a long time.

[Dezert Edge Racing]

No go right ahead... Casey mears is your boy and we would expect that. We might do the same if it were switched. in fact I bet we would.

By the way, do you think when Rick Hendrick walks in the shop and sees 4 #25 totaled Busch cars and 3 #25 distroyed Cup cars from 3 weekends of racing he thinks Casey is just having bad luck? :eek:



lol, i sure hope that that is what he is thinkin. After all, that is the problem. Casey has never seemed to have good luck. lol he'll get those wins soon.

I wouldhave posted sunday or yesterday, but didnt have time. Fell asleep rigtht when i got home on sunday, (had to run all the way to the truck to avoid the bad traffic) and had too much to do yesterday. :o

NICK

[RGFan]

am i the only one here that is goin to put the blame on robby for that second caution? He wedged himself under burton, and ended up collectin Casey. at least he couldve waited a litle bit longer before wrecking at least one good race car.


NICK

We all know I am biased, but I do not know how you can put 80% blame on RG in that. If you watch the replay, Robby had position on Burton when entering the corner, Burton ran him down, he broke loose and away they went. I love how if it was anyone else, it was just a racing deal, but because Robby was involved, it was his fault.....What about Ward Burton, Did he have to block and run Robby down to the apron, RG had position on Ward, Ward should have not crowded him. Why does Casey have the right of way to everyone else. He was just as guilty of going 3 wide as Robby and Ward were. He could have checked up just as easily. Wonder Boy needs to realize that he is 34th in points and is not doing to well in top notch equipment. Rather than popping off a bunch of ignorance, he needs to stfu and not go 3 wide in the beginning of the race. Anyways, it is all good, RG is 14th in points, Casey can cry all he wants, he is in 34th:D

[RGFan]

Even Ward Burton admitted he checked up going into the turn. He will not accept blame but he definetely checked up. Sounds like Ward is not used to racing with the big boys quite yet

[RGFan]

Even Ward Burton admitted he checked up going into the turn on Scene Daily. He will not accept blame but he definetely checked up. Sounds like Ward is not used to racing with the big boys quite yet. Now I want to know about the part when he came down and ran RG into the apron, that is not usually involved with checking up, but he definetely did it.:

.......

[Dezert Edge Racing]

We all know I am biased, but I do not know how you can put 80% blame on RG in that. If you watch the replay, Robby had position on Burton when entering the corner, Burton ran him down, he broke loose and away they went. I love how if it was anyone else, it was just a racing deal, but because Robby was involved, it was his fault.....What about Ward Burton, Did he have to block and run Robby down to the apron, RG had position on Ward, Ward should have not crowded him. Why does Casey have the right of way to everyone else. He was just as guilty of going 3 wide as Robby and Ward were. He could have checked up just as easily. Wonder Boy needs to realize that he is 34th in points and is not doing to well in top notch equipment. Rather than popping off a bunch of ignorance, he needs to stfu and not go 3 wide in the beginning of the race. Anyways, it is all good, RG is 14th in points, Casey can cry all he wants, he is in 34th:D

wow, either you're blind, or you think that robby is in front whenever something happens. Ward and Casey were side by side goin into turn 1, then robby thinks that he can get under burton and make a pass, 3 wide. If you would actually look at the replay, and not just say you did, you would see that. So dont go sayin that Casey is a bad driver just because Robby thought it would be good to go 3 wide in turn 1, only 10 laps into the race. Robby is a good driver, we all know that, but you just dont go 3 wide only 10 laps into a 267 lap race. Before you start sayin that Casey is such a bad driver and that Casey cant drive, actually LOOK at what happened. It even happened right in front of me. GO look on youtube or something and find the replay, then come back and try to make an arguement.

NICK

[b-makk]

Lap 9 http://www.nascar.com/video/race_rewind/2007/03/11/cup.las.rewind.nascar/frameset.exclude.html?MostPopular
After watching 5 replays I'll now lay the blame 70% Robby, 30% Burton, 0% Mears. However, Mears shouldn't be making comments like that!

Yes, Ward came down on Robby but being behind does not give Robby position! You can't just drive low on somebody in the corner and expect them to back off and let you go by.

[RGFan]

wow, either you're blind, or you think that robby is in front whenever something happens. Ward and Casey were side by side goin into turn 1, then robby thinks that he can get under burton and make a pass, 3 wide. If you would actually look at the replay, and not just say you did, you would see that. So dont go sayin that Casey is a bad driver just because Robby thought it would be good to go 3 wide in turn 1, only 10 laps into the race. Robby is a good driver, we all know that, but you just dont go 3 wide only 10 laps into a 267 lap race. Before you start sayin that Casey is such a bad driver and that Casey cant drive, actually LOOK at what happened. It even happened right in front of me. GO look on youtube or something and find the replay, then come back and try to make an arguement.

NICK

I think you are the one that is blind. I just watched the replay again, maybe you watched a different race then the one in Vegas. For any other driver in Nascar, if you have a fender under someone going into a turn, you do not come down on them, that is called blocking my friend......That is what Ward Buton did, if you saw the race as you said you "supposedly did". Ward Burton already admitted that he felt as if his car was going 30 mph Casey Mears opened his mouth with out even seeing the replay and made an *** of himself in the process. That is a fact. Ward Burton checked up and admitted as much. That does not explain why he came down on Robby though. So before you start laying blame why dont you do all of your homework before you start blabbering ignorant half informed statements. Here are some references to better inform you. I have facts backing me up.............. you?????????

www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/03/12/scene_daily98.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze2IhSuysWY

Watch the replay of the race that you "say" you have

After you actually watch the replay, read this reference as to what Ward said and then listen to what Robby said in his race report. If you want to just jump on the band wagon and bash Robby atleast admit it. But if you are actually trying to share fact, do a little more homework before you state your opinion as such.

And as far as me bashing Casey. My point was that someone who is 34th in points while in top notch equipment should not be bashing others. That being said, there is blame to go around. But this by no means was Robby's fault as you and others have stated. What is more funny then anything with this, if it was anyone else, it would have been "Just Racin".

[b-makk]

That's all your opinion and not fact. Fact is nobody knows.

There's a difference between having a fender under someone and diving under someone.

Half informed statements? What, you're not allowed giving your opinion on this board?

Research? The scenedaily story blames Robby. Ward's statement doesn't make sense but he is blaming RG without naming names.

Bashing Mears because he's 34th in points? We're 3 races in and he just got collected in a wreck that wasn't his fault! How is equipment supposed to help that?
Mears didn't make any mistakes until he opened his mouth.

I think you need to ease up a little because you're denying people their opinion. Everything posted on this board is opinion so why should we go research our facts? If "fact" is what Robby Gordon says then according to that logic shouldn't "fact" also be what Casey Mears says? If so, then Nick has done his "research".

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Is it just me or is Robby the man or what. After a half a dozen wrecks and the most lead changes ever at Vegas... RG gets all the press... LOL He's still cashing in on that helmet toss...

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Casey Mears statement was right after the contact and he hadn't even seen the footage yet. The Fox guy told him what happened. But now that Casey said what he said (and can't take it back) it's a sound byte forever. The logic I don't get is what's it matter if it was lap one or lap two sixty one? RG was in the back and needed to move up. Was he supposed to stay back there for 100 laps before it was time to race? 13 gallon fuel cells don't let you just sit back there very long you must move up.

[b-makk]

The logic I don't get is what's it matter if it was lap one or lap two sixty one? RG was in the back and needed to move up. Was he supposed to stay back there for 100 laps before it was time to race? 13 gallon fuel cells don't let you just sit back there very long you must move up.

That's what I don't get either. The commentators always say that it's a long race and they shouldn't be that aggressive early but I think that should only apply to the guys up front. The guys at the back need to be aggressive to stay on the lead lap. What would be the point of driving passively in the back while getting lapped and then driving aggressively in the final 50 laps so you can finish 29th while being the first car 3 laps down??

[RGFan]

That's all your opinion and not fact. Fact is nobody knows.

There's a difference between having a fender under someone and diving under someone.

Half informed statements? What, you're not allowed giving your opinion on this board?

Research? The scenedaily story blames Robby. Ward's statement doesn't make sense but he is blaming RG without naming names.

Bashing Mears because he's 34th in points? We're 3 races in and he just got collected in a wreck that wasn't his fault! How is equipment supposed to help that?
Mears didn't make any mistakes until he opened his mouth.

I think you need to ease up a little because you're denying people their opinion. Everything posted on this board is opinion so why should we go research our facts? If "fact" is what Robby Gordon says then according to that logic shouldn't "fact" also be what Casey Mears says? If so, then Nick has done his "research".


No, he started by denying me of mine by telling me I was blind and that I was giving opinions before ever seeing the race, when infact I watched that replay 10 times with my tivo and had read an article with some telling info and heard an explanation from Rg explaining exactly what I saw.Everyone is entitled to opinions around here, that is what the boards are here for. But Your logic confuses me. You are bashing me now for exactly the same thing as what he did to me. As far as the article, it was against Robby, as most of the racing media is. But there was some key info in that article as well, which helped explain what is going on.

To make a long story short, he stated that it was RG's fault because of what he saw on TV. I responded that it was not all RG's fault, that there was blame to go around. He told me I was blind and need to actually watch the replay instead of just saying I did. I responded that not only did I watch the replay several times but I also found other info supporting my idea of what went down. Maybe you should read exactly how this went down before you start hammering me. Right or wrong, immature or not, I am not going to let someone question me using name calling and questioning my integrity without responding.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The frontstretch . com
"LONE WOLF"
Thompson In Turn 5 · Tommy Thompson · Wednesday March 14, 2007


Owner / Driver Robby Gordon, never one to shy away from the spotlight, became the target of heavy criticism this past weekend at Las Vegas. Early on in the race, he lost control while attemping to pass on the inside of the race track, involving himself in an incident with drivers Casey Mears and Ward Burton, ruining their days. Burton recorded a last place finish as a result of the wreck, and Mears, whose car was able to briefly return, finished a disappointing 40th on the day. The FOX race commentators were in unanimity during the numerous replays of the melee in that Gordon’s failed attempt to execute such an aggressive pass only nineteen laps into the race was ill-advised. Mears minced no words in placing the blame on Gordon. “It amazes me,” Mears said. “Every time I think Robby can’t do anything any more stupid than he’s already done, he one-ups himself.

“It’s so early in the race. The tires are some of the hardest tires to drive we’ve had all year. It’s such a long race, and he puts us three-wide going into Turn 1. It’s ridiculous. He’s trying to pull something off in the first opening laps when it means nothing. I guess he’s trying to be a hero, you know?”

Gordon, on the other hand, believed that he was pinched down onto the apron, causing the car to slide out from underneath him. Whatever his reasoning, the accident hardly left Gordon a victim; he wound up with a 17th place finish in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. That Top 20 run resulted in Gordon’s No. 7 Ford team being positioned in 14th place in the Nextel Cup standings this week, only twelve points behind tenth place driver Elliott Sadler in what is Gordon’s strongest start to a season in years. And though it’s certainly too early in the season for anyone to get their hopes up concerning the season-ending ten race Chase to the Nextel Cup, Gordon sits only five points behind Yates protégé David Gilliland for the twelfth and final qualifying spot.

That Gordon is once again being accused of over aggressive driving in the backdrop of a solid start to his year is neither surprising or particularly newsworthy. Robby Gordon has been a hard-charging, give-no-quarter type of driver his entire racing career. It is a reputation that has followed him through the many disciplines of motorsports that he has participated and enjoyed success in. Whether competing in off-road racing, sport cars, open-wheel or stock car, drivers know that Robby Gordon can be expected, on track, to make the aggressive move more often than not.

However, what has become more apparent is that NASCAR’s media establishment continues to miss or ignore the more intriguing and interesting story on Robby Gordon… that of a driver that continues to survive and prosper in the highly competitive and exclusive club of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing ownership against almost insurmountable odds. It’s a remarkable story that continues to develop and rival the legendary accomplishments of another owner/driver and 1992 Cup Champion, the late Alan Kulwicki; not since then has any “lone wolf” accomplished as much in the ever increasingly expensive, competitive, and unforgiving racing series.

Since the debut of Robby Gordon Motorsports’ Cup entry at the 2005 Daytona 500, this man has understood that nothing was going to come easy. The team was fined $50,000 and docked 25 owner points for a race in which they failed to qualify for (sound familiar, Michael Waltrip?). After that inauspicious beginning Gordon has had to continue overcoming hurdle after hurdle to compete. Blown engines were an early handicap with engines supplied by John Menard, forcing Gordon to abandon the experimental power plants before their true potential could ever be realized. In addition, Gordon recorded several failures to qualify for races during 2005, sometimes as a victim of the Top 35 rule that allowed slower cars into the field even though Gordon’s qualifying speeds were faster. Bad luck and DNF’s due to wrecks and mechanical failure all contributed to relegate Gordon to a 37th place points finish by the end of that season.

It appeared that pessimistic predictions of Gordon’s failure as an owner/driver would come to fruition at that point. “He’s certainly a good driver and certainly has the talent, but trying to make it on your own with your own team — I don’t know if that business model works anymore,” said multi-car owner Chip Ganassi at the time, who Gordon drove for in the Indy Racing League ten years ago. “I could be wrong. More power to him, but I think it’s a tall hill to climb.”

Those doubts on Gordon’s chances of success were echoed by his former car owner, Richard Childress. “If anybody could pull it off in today’s world, Robby could,” Childress said. “You have to admire him for trying to make it as a car owner and a driver. It’s just tough today trying to make it — even tougher than it was — with all the technology. It takes several teams to distribute (the costs).”

Apparently, Robby Gordon never got the memo that he was destined to fail. 2006 saw a marked improvement, as Gordon continued to prove the skeptics wrong. After missing seven races the previous year, Gordon qualified for all thirty-six races and gained Top 35 protection by virtue of his 30th place position in the season-ending point total.

The road as an owner / driver has not gotten easier while Gordon’s gotten better. Having lost his longtime sponsor Harrah’s Resort and Casinos through no fault of his own, Gordon now struggles to simply accumulate the financial backing necessary to compete. This fact and a still unexplained snafu in expected sponsor support from Monster, the energy drink rival to Red Bull, resulted in the No. 7 Ford racing last Sunday with no sponsorship logos on its hood.

Which brings us back to the racing at Las Vegas. Casey Mears understandably was upset with Gordon’s lack of patience during last Sunday’s race, but what Mears fails to understand is that Robby Gordon does not have the luxury of being patient and just “riding” for a while. Unlike the talented driver, who is locked into a long-term contract with the highly successful and well-financed Hendrick Motorsports team, Gordon was driving a car he owns and with no primary sponsorship. In his situation, following is really not an option; Gordon needs to make things happen. When he believes that there is a good possibility of advancing his position, he has to “go for it,” as his very survival in the sport depends on him doing the exceptional…not the expected.

Now, Robby Gordon is not going to win any Mr. Congeniality votes from his on-track peers as a result of that behavior, and certainly, there is not a Most Popular Driver award awaiting him in the near future. But like the aforementioned Kulwicki during his years of fighting against all odds for success and survival, those recognitions are not a priority to him in a sport that will “chew up and spit out” a competitor at the first sign of weakness.

Robby Gordon’s brashness and aggressiveness on the track is a reflection of his overall makeup, and are probably the very traits that have allowed him to endure so far as an owner / driver at the highest level of stock car racing. Yet, there is a bigger story here that fans have yet to catch on to…the story of David vs. Goliath. And it is puzzling to me. Americans generally like to root for the underdog, and in this sport, there is no bigger underdog than Robby Gordon… NASCAR owner/driver.

[RGFan]

Casey Mears statement was right after the contact and he hadn't even seen the footage yet. The Fox guy told him what happened. But now that Casey said what he said (and can't take it back) it's a sound byte forever. The logic I don't get is what's it matter if it was lap one or lap two sixty one? RG was in the back and needed to move up. Was he supposed to stay back there for 100 laps before it was time to race? 13 gallon fuel cells don't let you just sit back there very long you must move up.


That is part of my point.....Racing is racing.....Like I said before, if it had been anyone else, it woud have just been hard racing. I do not care if it is lap 1 or 269. When you are in the back, you need to get to the front. After watching the replay again and again, Robby could have showed a little restraint which I have admited from the start, but why, they are racing. It would not have mattered anyways, Ward checked up, as he admitted himself. Him running RG down to the apron as you can clearly see in the replay, did not help matters. Infact, IMO, that is what caused the wreck. IMO, I believe it was 70/30 Wards fault compared to Robby. Honestly, while Casey Mears was minding his own business up top, you can not tell me that he was not aware via his spotter what was going on below him. He could have checked up as well. That being said, it was not Casey's fault. Ward coming down on Robby would have happened anyways. But when Casey comes on national TV and slams Robby for a situation that he did'nt see with his own two eyes, that is wrong. And still, IMO, for a guy who is 34th in points after 3 races ( he did not get to 34th for only one poor finish), racing for a power house organization, he should not be slamming a guy like he is trash and happens to be 20 points above himself. Casey Mears has not done anything in Nascar that gives him the courtesy of talking down to Robby Gordon like he does not belong.

Ok, you all know where I stand, I am biased, I admit it. After looking at all of the available info, I think it really does paint a better picture of what went down here.

[RGFan]

Good article Fly. Ok, I am done, I have made my point I think. Anyone that I have offended, it is not personal, just lively debate........Time to move on to Atlantan for me

[b-makk]

That Top 20 run resulted in Gordon’s No. 7 Ford team being positioned in 14th place in the Nextel Cup standings this week, only twelve points behind tenth place driver Elliott Sadler in what is Gordon’s strongest start to a season in years.

This is actually his worst start in years! He's behind last year by 6 points and $10,383.
2007 points position 14th with 330 points and winnings of $455,550
2006 points position 14th with 336 points and winnings of $465,933

Great article though, too bad more journalists didn't see it that way. For some reason most journalists would rather beat him down than build him up.

I'll bet the old cronies in the Fox booth and on Speed were upset because their old buddy Ward got taken out. He's from their generation so they'll side with him.

[RGFan]

DW is the RG basher of the group. Larry Mac and Jeff Hammond actually like RG, Jeff went to Indy with RG a few years ago. DW was cool until POS and RG started "touching each other" a few years ago.

[Bricoop]

nice article fly

[b-makk]

3rd with less than 25 laps to go! Man that one still gets me.

Oops, this was supposed to go in the Atlanta post. Again, good article Fly!

[dezertranger1600]

Very good article...suprised to see someone praise RG and not bash him:D

[RGFan]

Mike Mulhern and Jeff Hammond are usually pretty good to RG, but that is it. Dealing with the Robby haters is bad enough, but now Kobe also? Man, I need to go on vactaion for a while.

[Bricoop]

never stops does it:

http://blog.scenedaily.com/index.php/2007/03/14/license-to-race/

[kaw500]

Probably the reason I'm an RG fan is because he goes his own way and as the article points out he is the underdog in NASCAR. One thing for sure with RG it's never dull and I get a kick out of watching him take his own team up against the giants and not back down.

[RGFan]

never stops does it:

http://blog.scenedaily.com/index.php/2007/03/14/license-to-race/

Oh, I just flamed him After stating my opinion on what happened, referencing several sources, I also told him that drivers that have not driven for over 2 years should have to take a test for a license as well. Then I told him that I thought that writers/journalists should have to apply for a Responsible Journalism License as well. I then told him I thought he would need a re-take to pass.

[JRod]

Oh, I just flamed him After stating my opinion on what happened, referencing several sources, I also told him that drivers that have not driven for over 2 years should have to take a test for a license as well. Then I told him that I thought that writers/journalists should have to apply for a Responsible Journalism License as well. I then told him I thought he would need a re-take to pass.

Nice response- the RG bashers are out in full force this week- I heard on the NOL board that the talking heads on Sirius keep bringing th wreck up...inciting more riots...

[Dezert Edge Racing]

No, he started by denying me of mine by telling me I was blind and that I was giving opinions before ever seeing the race, when infact I watched that replay 10 times with my tivo and had read an article with some telling info and heard an explanation from Rg explaining exactly what I saw.Everyone is entitled to opinions around here, that is what the boards are here for. But Your logic confuses me. You are bashing me now for exactly the same thing as what he did to me. As far as the article, it was against Robby, as most of the racing media is. But there was some key info in that article as well, which helped explain what is going on.

To make a long story short, he stated that it was RG's fault because of what he saw on TV. I responded that it was not all RG's fault, that there was blame to go around. He told me I was blind and need to actually watch the replay instead of just saying I did. I responded that not only did I watch the replay several times but I also found other info supporting my idea of what went down. Maybe you should read exactly how this went down before you start hammering me. Right or wrong, immature or not, I am not going to let someone question me using name calling and questioning my integrity without responding.


dude, READ what i have said. I didnt call you blind, but now maybe you are when you cant even coreectly read what I said.

When did i deny you of your opinion? Did you even go to the race? I did, i was right there goin into turn one.

How the hell are you goin to blame 34th in points on Casey not being able to drive in top notch equipment. Wrecked in Daytona, Broken parts in Cali, and wrecked in vegas. Tell me how any of those are his faults.

I thought that when you post on a message board, you can freely state your opinion.

When did i really bash you?

About Casey's comments, yeah, he shouldnt have said that. But look at the cirumstances; if you have a promising car,you get wrecked while going three wide, on only the 10th lap, what would you say? We all know what robby would say if he were put into that situation.

RGFan- you think that the whole world is against Robby dont you? Everytime someone says something negative about Robby, you are the one that comes up with some bs trying to win robby's case.

I can understand defending your driver, but what you are doing is total stupidity.


NICK

[mattb]

Has anyone brought up the fact that Ward's spotter should have mentioned that Robby was below him?
It looks to me that Ward didn't have to go so low if he knew Robby was getting into position.

[randomracer]

The frontstretch . com
"LONE WOLF"
Thompson In Turn 5 · Tommy Thompson · Wednesday March 14, 2007


Owner / Driver Robby Gordon, never one to shy away from the spotlight, became the target of heavy criticism this past weekend at Las Vegas. Early on in the race, he lost control while attemping to pass on the inside of the race track, involving himself in an incident with drivers Casey Mears and Ward Burton, ruining their days. Burton recorded a last place finish as a result of the wreck, and Mears, whose car was able to briefly return, finished a disappointing 40th on the day. The FOX race commentators were in unanimity during the numerous replays of the melee in that Gordon’s failed attempt to execute such an aggressive pass only nineteen laps into the race was ill-advised. Mears minced no words in placing the blame on Gordon. “It amazes me,” Mears said. “Every time I think Robby can’t do anything any more stupid than he’s already done, he one-ups himself.

“It’s so early in the race. The tires are some of the hardest tires to drive we’ve had all year. It’s such a long race, and he puts us three-wide going into Turn 1. It’s ridiculous. He’s trying to pull something off in the first opening laps when it means nothing. I guess he’s trying to be a hero, you know?”

Gordon, on the other hand, believed that he was pinched down onto the apron, causing the car to slide out from underneath him. Whatever his reasoning, the accident hardly left Gordon a victim; he wound up with a 17th place finish in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. That Top 20 run resulted in Gordon’s No. 7 Ford team being positioned in 14th place in the Nextel Cup standings this week, only twelve points behind tenth place driver Elliott Sadler in what is Gordon’s strongest start to a season in years. And though it’s certainly too early in the season for anyone to get their hopes up concerning the season-ending ten race Chase to the Nextel Cup, Gordon sits only five points behind Yates protégé David Gilliland for the twelfth and final qualifying spot.

That Gordon is once again being accused of over aggressive driving in the backdrop of a solid start to his year is neither surprising or particularly newsworthy. Robby Gordon has been a hard-charging, give-no-quarter type of driver his entire racing career. It is a reputation that has followed him through the many disciplines of motorsports that he has participated and enjoyed success in. Whether competing in off-road racing, sport cars, open-wheel or stock car, drivers know that Robby Gordon can be expected, on track, to make the aggressive move more often than not.

However, what has become more apparent is that NASCAR’s media establishment continues to miss or ignore the more intriguing and interesting story on Robby Gordon… that of a driver that continues to survive and prosper in the highly competitive and exclusive club of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing ownership against almost insurmountable odds. It’s a remarkable story that continues to develop and rival the legendary accomplishments of another owner/driver and 1992 Cup Champion, the late Alan Kulwicki; not since then has any “lone wolf” accomplished as much in the ever increasingly expensive, competitive, and unforgiving racing series.

Since the debut of Robby Gordon Motorsports’ Cup entry at the 2005 Daytona 500, this man has understood that nothing was going to come easy. The team was fined $50,000 and docked 25 owner points for a race in which they failed to qualify for (sound familiar, Michael Waltrip?). After that inauspicious beginning Gordon has had to continue overcoming hurdle after hurdle to compete. Blown engines were an early handicap with engines supplied by John Menard, forcing Gordon to abandon the experimental power plants before their true potential could ever be realized. In addition, Gordon recorded several failures to qualify for races during 2005, sometimes as a victim of the Top 35 rule that allowed slower cars into the field even though Gordon’s qualifying speeds were faster. Bad luck and DNF’s due to wrecks and mechanical failure all contributed to relegate Gordon to a 37th place points finish by the end of that season.

It appeared that pessimistic predictions of Gordon’s failure as an owner/driver would come to fruition at that point. “He’s certainly a good driver and certainly has the talent, but trying to make it on your own with your own team — I don’t know if that business model works anymore,” said multi-car owner Chip Ganassi at the time, who Gordon drove for in the Indy Racing League ten years ago. “I could be wrong. More power to him, but I think it’s a tall hill to climb.”

Those doubts on Gordon’s chances of success were echoed by his former car owner, Richard Childress. “If anybody could pull it off in today’s world, Robby could,” Childress said. “You have to admire him for trying to make it as a car owner and a driver. It’s just tough today trying to make it — even tougher than it was — with all the technology. It takes several teams to distribute (the costs).”

Apparently, Robby Gordon never got the memo that he was destined to fail. 2006 saw a marked improvement, as Gordon continued to prove the skeptics wrong. After missing seven races the previous year, Gordon qualified for all thirty-six races and gained Top 35 protection by virtue of his 30th place position in the season-ending point total.

The road as an owner / driver has not gotten easier while Gordon’s gotten better. Having lost his longtime sponsor Harrah’s Resort and Casinos through no fault of his own, Gordon now struggles to simply accumulate the financial backing necessary to compete. This fact and a still unexplained snafu in expected sponsor support from Monster, the energy drink rival to Red Bull, resulted in the No. 7 Ford racing last Sunday with no sponsorship logos on its hood.

Which brings us back to the racing at Las Vegas. Casey Mears understandably was upset with Gordon’s lack of patience during last Sunday’s race, but what Mears fails to understand is that Robby Gordon does not have the luxury of being patient and just “riding” for a while. Unlike the talented driver, who is locked into a long-term contract with the highly successful and well-financed Hendrick Motorsports team, Gordon was driving a car he owns and with no primary sponsorship. In his situation, following is really not an option; Gordon needs to make things happen. When he believes that there is a good possibility of advancing his position, he has to “go for it,” as his very survival in the sport depends on him doing the exceptional…not the expected.

Now, Robby Gordon is not going to win any Mr. Congeniality votes from his on-track peers as a result of that behavior, and certainly, there is not a Most Popular Driver award awaiting him in the near future. But like the aforementioned Kulwicki during his years of fighting against all odds for success and survival, those recognitions are not a priority to him in a sport that will “chew up and spit out” a competitor at the first sign of weakness.

Robby Gordon’s brashness and aggressiveness on the track is a reflection of his overall makeup, and are probably the very traits that have allowed him to endure so far as an owner / driver at the highest level of stock car racing. Yet, there is a bigger story here that fans have yet to catch on to…the story of David vs. Goliath. And it is puzzling to me. Americans generally like to root for the underdog, and in this sport, there is no bigger underdog than Robby Gordon… NASCAR owner/driver.

interesting artical thanks for posting.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

HendrickFan Says:

March 14th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Lee must be forgetting just how talented Robbie Gordon is. I’m a big Hendrick fan and Robby always gives my boy Jeff a run for his money on the road courses (a true test of talent)

I hope the best for Casey Mears but after 3 weekends and 7 distroyed cars, I wouldn’t put too much stock in Casey’s statement. Sure it wasn’t his fault in Vegas but he was quick to blame someone else. Afterall, he didn’t even see the replay when he made his statement. The Fox reporter told him what happened.

You can see very cleary in the replay… as I looked very closely evaluating if Casey played a part in it. Robbie entered the turn under Ward, Ward was behind the 66, The 66 dropped in front of Robbie and Ward followed the 66 right down on top of Robbie’s front fender. My honest opinion is Ward’s spotter didn’t call the inside. As for what lap it happened on. Jeff and Ryan started with Robbie in between them… Where were they? they had allreay moved up many spots. Did anyone ask them not to race on lap 8? When you start 38th you don’t wait till lap 150 to start racing. Especially with a 13 gallon fuel cell.

Lee must think he is some kind of expert. Do you think he got Robbie’s side of the story prior to writing this? 99.9% sure he didn’t. Great way to spoo soap oprea gossip… After all this is a blog not CNN.

[RGFan]

dude, READ what i have said. I didnt call you blind, but now maybe you are when you cant even coreectly read what I said.

When did i deny you of your opinion? Did you even go to the race? I did, i was right there goin into turn one.

How the hell are you goin to blame 34th in points on Casey not being able to drive in top notch equipment. Wrecked in Daytona, Broken parts in Cali, and wrecked in vegas. Tell me how any of those are his faults.

I thought that when you post on a message board, you can freely state your opinion.

When did i really bash you?

About Casey's comments, yeah, he shouldnt have said that. But look at the cirumstances; if you have a promising car,you get wrecked while going three wide, on only the 10th lap, what would you say? We all know what robby would say if he were put into that situation.

RGFan- you think that the whole world is against Robby dont you? Everytime someone says something negative about Robby, you are the one that comes up with some bs trying to win robby's case.

I can understand defending your driver, but what you are doing is total stupidity.


NICK

Dude, is that the best you can do when someone proves you wrong? Take a deep breath, relax, it is OK. Go back to sticking up for Casey Mears and his 7 wrecked cars and his 34th points position. I will go back to sticking up for RG and his zero wrecked cars and 14th points position. If you want to be upset with Robby Gordon for Casey's day, go ahead. But Ward Burton is the one you should be upset with. All kidding aside, I tried to make nice earlier. If you want to pick a fight online, I am not biting. This crap is fun for me. I can spend all day reading and quoting what you said to me as you can with me. The fact of it is you think Robby Gordon caused the wreck. I do not and gave you points as to why. If you do not buy it, so be it. Regardless, it does not matter. So sit back, crack open a cold one and let it go. I have..........Joe

[Bricoop]

Insert favorite quote here:

"that's just racin."
"S**t happens."

[b-makk]

RGFan, RNL Photo, Myself.... what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas...
I'm so confused I don't even know who's to blame anymore but I don't care because RG ended up 17th & has 3 consecutive 100 point races. I'll take that and move on to Atlanta!

[dezertranger1600]

Dude, is that the best you can do when someone proves you wrong? Take a deep breath, relax, it is OK. Go back to sticking up for Casey Mears and his 7 wrecked cars and his 34th points position. I will go back to sticking up for RG and his zero wrecked cars and 14th points position. If you want to be upset with Robby Gordon for Casey's day, go ahead. But Ward Burton is the one you should be upset with. All kidding aside, I tried to make nice earlier. If you want to pick a fight online, I am not biting. This crap is fun for me. I can spend all day reading and quoting what you said to me as you can with me. The fact of it is you think Robby Gordon caused the wreck. I do not and gave you points as to why. If you do not buy it, so be it. Regardless, it does not matter. So sit back, crack open a cold one and let it go. I have..........Joe



Couldnt have said it any better...the 7 cars & points position made me LOL:D

[RGFan]

RGFan, RNL Photo, Myself.... what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas...
I'm so confused I don't even know who's to blame anymore but I don't care because RG ended up 17th & has 3 consecutive 100 point races. I'll take that and move on to Atlanta!

Well said B-makk. On to Atlanta:)

[Dezert Edge Racing]

agreed, on to Atlanta


NICK

[JRod]

B-Makk's next assignment:

Peace in the middle east.

[randy s]

all drivers experience times where if they were to stick their hand in a barrel full of p---y, they'd pull out a d--k. mears is a power snivler.

[snoreracer]

more vegas

[snoreracer]

more pics