New Crew Chief

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Sounds like change is coming... Sooner than later boys.

[Offspring]

If the cc was the problem, it should be evident pretty quick, one to two races I think.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

We'll see.... The new guy is a Champion.

[dezertranger1600]

are we talking about greg irwin?

[TRichards]

Is it bye bye Irwin and hello Fatback? I heard Wood Bros. were contemplating getting rid of Micheal McSwain a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if Schraders cars were any better than RG's.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Is it bye bye Irwin and hello Fatback? I heard Wood Bros. were contemplating getting rid of Micheal McSwain a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if Schraders cars were any better than RG's.

Colder

[Soylent_Green]

My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with a girl who saw a guy pass out at 31 Flavors last night that told her he read on the Nascar.com Robby Gordon board that some zombie guy insinuated that it was going to be Gene Nead.

Thank you, Simone

[dezracer9]

thats the word on the street....

[NIKAL]

Its posted on Jayski that Gene Nead is RG's new crew chief and that Greg left the team. Does anyone know where Gene came from? Also I personally liked Greg. He seemed to know how to handle RG. I hope if Gene is the new CC that he can deal with Robby when Robby gets pissy on the radio. To bad Greg could not stay in some fashoin as maybe shop manger or something. Because to me it seems as most of the problems have been the way these cars have left the shop. I know RGM does not have many employees and Greg was waring many hats. Hall of Fame Racing is a 1 car team and they get their cars and motors from Gibbs and they have more people then RGM. It will be interesting to see what happends.

[Offspring]

Old post from BGN site:

Gene Nead, the 2005 championship crew chief [for Ultra Motorsports' now defunct truck team], has accepted a position leading rookie Busch Series driver Burney Lamar's team at Kevin Harvick Inc. (NASCAR.com) (01-07-06) UPDATE: Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) has named Gene Nead crew chief of the No. 77 Dollar General team and Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Burney Lamar for the 2006 season. After cutting his racing teeth on small tracks in Pennsylvania, Nead moved to the NASCAR ranks with RaDiUs Motorsports and worked his way to become a crew chief in the Busch Series before joining Ultra Motorsports to team up with Ted Musgrave. Nead led his drivers to 10 victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Musgrave finished third in the point standings three straight years (2002-04) before winning the championship in 2005. (KHI PR) (01-09-06)

[DEZERTBOUND]

Should this not be a lead story on the NOL home page?:rolleyes:

Hope this is a move in the right direction, not just a reaction.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Crap... I get my info and two hours later it's all over the streets. Gene Nead Champion Crew Chief... I like that. They had a Company BBQ at RGM today to get everyone bonded together.

[DEZERTBOUND]

Crap... I get my info and two hours later it's all over the streets. Gene Nead Champion Crew Chief... I like that. They had a Company BBQ at RGM today to get everyone bonded together.

As fast as these things seem too happen. Two hours still keeps you as our inside guy..but watch out, I think Nick(trix) has been seen with Bar-b-q sauce on his cheeks.;)

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Jim Beam and Gene Nead... kinda rhyme

[HarleyR]

I worked for Mean Gene while I was at kevin Harvick INC.... pretty smart guy knows his stuff especially the coil bind/bump stop stuff...Rumor has it few years ago his car got taken out at a race and he cut it up and threw it down the isle of the hauler of the car that did the wrecking....

[FlyHiFlyLo]

I worked for Mean Gene while I was at kevin Harvick INC.... pretty smart guy knows his stuff especially the coil bind/bump stop stuff...Rumor has it few years ago his car got taken out at a race and he cut it up and threw it down the isle of the hauler of the car that did the wrecking....

Perfect... Somebody who can grab RG by the neck.

[NIKAL]

The only problem I still see is Gene has not been with a Cup team so he has not been working with anyone who has been working on the COT. I know he was with Ultra, KHI and I thought I heard BDR. But RGM's biggest problem right now is figuring out these COT races. The old car they worked with coil bind and the new cars its about setting up the front end and using the bump stops. Right now I think since RGM thought Greg was not the guy for the job that RGM needed to find someone with some sort of COT experiance. I know they have only raced a few races but a lot of these teams besides RGM had been doing testing over the winter. I hope they can figure it out quickly as I dont think RGM can afford to give Gene several races to get comfortable with the team and continue to slip in the points.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The only problem I still see is Gene has not been with a Cup team so he has not been working with anyone who has been working on the COT. I know he was with Ultra, KHI and I thought I heard BDR. But RGM's biggest problem right now is figuring out these COT races. The old car they worked with coil bind and the new cars its about setting up the front end and using the bump stops. Right now I think since RGM thought Greg was not the guy for the job that RGM needed to find someone with some sort of COT experiance. I know they have only raced a few races but a lot of these teams besides RGM had been doing testing over the winter. I hope they can figure it out quickly as I dont think RGM can afford to give Gene several races to get comfortable with the team and continue to slip in the points.


Several of the last few race results were a direct result of pre race prep or should I say lack there of.

[kaw500]

I will miss listening to GI on the radio he had a way but recently it sounded more and more like he was just guessing. Something had to give. Off to Parker hope to find out RG made the all-star race when I get back on Sunday. Either way I know you guys will get me back up to speed when I check in.

[RGFan]

Man, just when you think things can not get any worse....I need to stop thinking. I pray that this will give them the added kick in the pants that they need desperately, but I think it is just another symptom of not so good things to come......Time will tell. Good Luck Team G

[FlyHiFlyLo]

UPDATE: been told that Erwin is still with the team, no word in what capacity. Also, during Busch Series testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway Monday and Tuesday, Gordon shared testing duties with Ryan Hunter-Reay.(5-17-2007)

It's nice putting Ryan in a Busch car but it would be cool to have a non green driver like Musgrave sharing feedback.

[Mary Kay]

Who is Ryan?

[RGFan]

Looks like Robby is trying to incorporate Ryan, who was supposed to be his Busch Series Driver this year. Ryan is a very promising Open Wheeler/Champ Car Guy who wanted to come race in Nascar. Ryan's Busch plans were put on hold when the whole RYR merger fell thru, and then with the whole Harrah's thing, that did not help matters either. If RG can get him into a car, share some feedback with him, and RG finds what he is saying is compatible to his style, he would be a good guy for testing, I hope that is what he has in mind, I totally forgot about him........ As far as Greg Irwin, I hope he stayed with RGM, that would be a good sign....He knows what is going on over there, maybe he can concentrate on the COT some more in more of an engineering capacity....Plus it does not hurt having him around, he knows RG and knows what he likes. He is a bright mind engineering wise. To be honest, I think he was just spread to thin, which is often a problem with smaller teams. maybe Robby is realizing that Greg can be used for bigger and better things behind the scenes, like running an aggressive testing and engineering program. If this is true, I know I would feel much better about things.

[RGFan]

My understanding with why Ryan is not with Champ Car is the following......After the 2004 season, which he was thought to be the next great American Champ Car Driver, Chip, came along and offered him a test in one of his Target IRL Cars, hoping he could sign him to a contract to drive for him. Well, Champ Car's version of Tony George, Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe did not want to loose Ryan, as he was driving for Herdez Racing and they were no longer participating in Champ Car. Well, they put him with a third tier team in 2005 and his performance fell off drastically, well that was that. WIth two races to go, they dropped Ryan, he was pissed, without a ride and let Kalkhoven know that he gave up a potential ride with CHip Ganassi for this crap......That essentialy ended his Champ Car career. In 2006 he toyed around with some prototype stuff, but started pushing the Nascar thing. I guess that Hendrick was interested, but alot of rumors started flying around about him going with Robby. And then they stopped in the fall. Then they peaked up again and fell off again. And here we are. Ryan is know as a balls to the wall kind of driver, fast is not fast enough, alot like Robby. Hopefully something comes out of it.

[NIKAL]

If its true that Greg is still with the team then that is good. Like I posted earlier I think the CC was not the problem with the problems they have been having come race day. It looked like it was more of the way the cars were leaving the shop. The team seems to be spred to thin. Lets hope that Greg is put into some sort of Shop Manager or something of that type of position where he can focus more on race prep and getting these cars better before they leave the shop. Also with only 50-60 employees amagine how many hours and how many days a week these guy's are working. With being almost 1/3 of the way though the season, I bet the shop crew is getting a little burned out by now. And that is how these little mistakes dont get cought or something might get completly over looked as no one might have ever thought about it.

[randy s]

have they found another shock man? maybe irwin is doing shocks exclusively.

[b-makk]

Don't worry, I'm sure the BBQ fixed everything.

[RGFan]

Don't worry, I'm sure the BBQ fixed everything.

YOu know those BBQ's, they will turn you from worst to first in one afternoon:D

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Who is Ryan?


Ryan is a Champ Car racer that has been hooked up with RG's sister Beccy for several years now. Last year Ryan tried out for the RCR/Chevrolet "Gong Show" and did very well...

[movindirt]

Ryan is know as a balls to the wall kind of driver, fast is not fast enough, alot like Robby.

Hopefully that's true. Sounds like a good fit for Robby if it is.

[NicksTrix]

Don't worry, I'm sure the BBQ fixed everything.

i wonder what flavor Kool Aide they served.... ;)

Gene is a good guy. very sharp. he has a personality very much like jimmy smith. it will be interesting to see how they get along. hopefully it won't just be another crew chief de jour.

[RGFan]

Sounds like Roush and Evernham are in the mix for buying Erwin's services. If he goes and does not stay, that will be a huge sign that things at RGM East are not good and all of the doom and gloom theories may in fact come into play.

[JRod]

Sounds like Roush and Evernham are in the mix for buying Erwin's services. If he goes and does not stay, that will be a huge sign that things at RGM East are not good and all of the doom and gloom theories may in fact come into play.

Everything I am hearing is that GE volunteered to do something different, so hopefully it means he is serious about staying on with RG.

I also wonder if hiring a PR guy and bringing on a new crew chief, while keeping GE isn't a sign of new money at RGMotorsports- More sponsor money hopefully to stop some of the bleeding by not being spread so thin?...

[RGFan]

Everything I am hearing is that GE volunteered to do something different, so hopefully it means he is serious about staying on with RG.

I also wonder if hiring a PR guy and bringing on a new crew chief, while keeping GE isn't a sign of new money at RGMotorsports- More sponsor money hopefully to stop some of the bleeding by not being spread so thin?...

If Erwin stays I would agree with you, but I am sure that Roush and Evernham are making things interesting for him. It would be hard to turn Roush down. With that being said, they showed a decrease in performance with tonights run, this was not the COT, but they sure ran like it was. I just hope if things are that bad over there that RG would pull back, I here morale is pretty down over there right now. Let RGM run the Busch Series and get a ride for next year rather then let somebody else pull the plug (sponsors) on RGM all together and have to shut the doors like in 2000. He has just about used up all of his stock he built up with the tv guys while driving for RCR. I sure wish Ford would step up here and help stop the bleeding......He has had a lot less coverage for the past 6 or 7 races, and that is usually the bottom line for sponsors. When he started this program, he was fresh out of RCR, he had several wins in two years and people knew he could perform. Unfortunately, Nascar is a "what have you done lately" kind of series......We all know the answer to that. WEll, I hope he kicks some butt tomorrow in Pomona!

[JRod]

Some serious butt-kicking in Pomona could be a serious morale booster- For RG and his fans!

[JRod]

From AllHeadlineNews.com

Veteran NASCAR Driver Robby Gordon Has New Crew Chief

May 19, 2007 10:28 p.m. EST

Kevin Carver - AHN Sports News Writer
Concord, NC (AHN) - Robby Gordon switched crew chief options this week and Gene Nead has now been hired by the No.7 Jim Beam Chevrolet team of Robby Gordon.
Former crew chief, Greg Erwin stepped down earlier in the week to take an engineering role with the team. Erwin was not forced to step down though, Erwin decided to do so himself.
"We have spiraled to 31st in points, and Greg told me he needed some help, and he would take an engineering role again if we could find a crew chief, so that's what we did," Gordon said.
Gordon will start in 25th place for Saturday night's Nextel Open and looks to advance to the Nextel All-Star Challenge.

[JRod]

The spin is definitely that GE voluntarily made the move... only time will tell.

[spalind]

If Erwin stays I would agree with you, but I am sure that Roush and Evernham are making things interesting for him. It would be hard to turn Roush down. With that being said, they showed a decrease in performance with tonights run, this was not the COT, but they sure ran like it was. I just hope if things are that bad over there that RG would pull back, I here morale is pretty down over there right now. Let RGM run the Busch Series and get a ride for next year rather then let somebody else pull the plug (sponsors) on RGM all together and have to shut the doors like in 2000. He has just about used up all of his stock he built up with the tv guys while driving for RCR. I sure wish Ford would step up here and help stop the bleeding......He has had a lot less coverage for the past 6 or 7 races, and that is usually the bottom line for sponsors. When he started this program, he was fresh out of RCR, he had several wins in two years and people knew he could perform. Unfortunately, Nascar is a "what have you done lately" kind of series......We all know the answer to that. WEll, I hope he kicks some butt tomorrow in Pomona!

The LAST thing Ford is about to do is funnel any money into ANYTHING besides their core automotive operations...Wouldn't have mattered if he had stayed with Chevy or gone to Dodge even....they're all in the same boat, hemoraging money with stockholders KILLING them for wasting money on none core operations...the only auto company (in NASCAR) with excess $ to spend is Toyota....

[RGFan]

Well, RYR has the right idea....They just hired one of their former engineers back from RCR to run a full time testing team to get up to speed with the COT......This is exactly what RGM should be doing right now......Hopefully they are

[Ryno]

RGM doesn't have the $$$ to do that. Let's face it....Robby is wearing too many hats with the NASCAR team. Then add in Dakar, Desert, and CORR. He needs to either drive for someone else, or take a less active role. I'll support RG until the cows come home, but he needs to scale down the amount of stuff he does, or it's gonna bite him @ some point.

[RGFan]

RGM doesn't have the $$$ to do that. Let's face it....Robby is wearing too many hats with the NASCAR team. Then add in Dakar, Desert, and CORR. He needs to either drive for someone else, or take a less active role. I'll support RG until the cows come home, but he needs to scale down the amount of stuff he does, or it's gonna bite him @ some point.


I could not have said it any better. Drive for someone else in Cup, let his management team grow RGM in Busch and trucks, and let his guys keep doing what they are doing out west. Nextel CUp is just to demanding, to competetive, to tight to be doing it how he is.

[JRod]

Leaving Nextel Cup right now is way too much ground to give up I think. I sure don't have the answer, but it seems like that is a lot of ground to give up. Not to mention, who would he drive for? There really aren't any teams much better off than his own that would be looking for a driver...

[JRod]

The answer has to be aligning with Yates and having a similar benefit as Boris Said has with Roush. Not officially on the same team, but ultimately able to share information/testing costs etc- All the benefits of a having a larger team. Of course, that would require Yates to actually $#!* or get off the pot on something...

[RGFan]

Leaving Nextel Cup right now is way too much ground to give up I think. I sure don't have the answer, but it seems like that is a lot of ground to give up. Not to mention, who would he drive for? There really aren't any teams much better off than his own that would be looking for a driver...

Well, if things keep going the way they are, he is going to give up even more ground, he will not have a sponsor that will give them the time of day, atleast a good sponsor, and there will be not team at all, like in 2000. As far as other teams, RCR is looking to add a 4th car, as is Gibbs and Ginn. Chip Ganassi only has 3 cars as well, and all of these teams are looking to go to 4 cars. Jr will take one of those, most likely Childress, but that is not for sure yet, and Richard or Jeff Burton did not want Robby to leave after 2004. He got along with everyone but Kevin Harvick, and Kevin has grown up alot in the last 3 years. And lets remember, Robby told RC that his team was the only other team he would want to drive for other than his own. RG ran a successful Busch Program right out of the box, who is to say he could not do the same, actually taking the time to build more of the infrastructure, get a 7 post shaker, more engineers, The things it actually takes to be on top now. Grow RGM from the bottom up, not from the top down. All of the big names that have ran and driven their own Cup teams have failed, other than Alan Kulwicki, and that was essentially 2 generations ago race car wise. Look who is doing it right, JR Motorsports, KHI, DEI did it this way as well, and they have not driven full time for their teams.

Look, I do not want RGM to fail, as many are trying to say. BUt the fact of the matter is that they are failing. The ones that say otherwise are being emotional and not logical. If they can correct things and right the ship, then great. But they are not, this was a make or break year for RGM, and they are breaking. I do not look at RG or RGM being a failure if after this season he tells us that hey, we tried, we are not in a postion to step up right now, so I am going to drive for RCR again and we will keep RGM open and grow RGM in the Busch Series and other series. What I and many others will feel as a failure is if RGM continues to be a field filler, which they are as of now, competing for top 30's and top 40's is not competing.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

RGM doesn't have the $$$ to do that. Let's face it....Robby is wearing too many hats with the NASCAR team. Then add in Dakar, Desert, and CORR. He needs to either drive for someone else, or take a less active role. I'll support RG until the cows come home, but he needs to scale down the amount of stuff he does, or it's gonna bite him @ some point.

Nuts! He isn't spreading himself thin, his team is thin. This new CC will turn things. Yates and RGM need to do this testing thing together. They should put together a whole nuther R&D team that tests, splits the costs and attemps races to cushion the top 35 and provides practice/qualifiing feedback for both.

[RGFan]

That would be the smart move, to test together. One would think if they can not come to some sort of agreement on the purchase of RYR, then they could come to some sort of agreement as far as a partnership, share everything as far as info and the test team. THey run the same motors, they would need to run the same chassis, the bodies are the same. They are both hurting for performance right now in an awful way. RG could mentor Gilliland in the road course racing and help RYR with their road course setup's, they could help RG with the restrictor plate program right now, right off of the bat. There is something to gain for all involved here. As far as RG hurting for money, while he may be able to run the rest of the season, he as already said that the Harrah's deal really hurt the program financially and they are having to re-allocate resources to make things work. WHen you have to re-allocate funds, that means you are taking from one department to help another, If they were not hurting financially, that would not need to happen. Hopefully, we can see some improvement, but personally, I think Greg Erwin was the man and it is going to take a fair amount of time for RG and this new crew chief to bond, as is the case with 95% of the teams, and time unfortunately is not on RGM's side with the performance of this season. Hopefully Greg will stay and can help bridge the gap.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

The one thing I seen last night was... RG says the car is loose loose loose.... He comes in and goes out tight. That is the best we've seen this year as far as an adjustable car.

[JRod]

Well, if things keep going the way they are, he is going to give up even more ground, he will not have a sponsor that will give them the time of day, atleast a good sponsor, and there will be not team at all, like in 2000. As far as other teams, RCR is looking to add a 4th car, as is Gibbs and Ginn. Chip Ganassi only has 3 cars as well, and all of these teams are looking to go to 4 cars. Jr will take one of those, most likely Childress, but that is not for sure yet, and Richard or Jeff Burton did not want Robby to leave after 2004. He got along with everyone but Kevin Harvick, and Kevin has grown up alot in the last 3 years. And lets remember, Robby told RC that his team was the only other team he would want to drive for other than his own. RG ran a successful Busch Program right out of the box, who is to say he could not do the same, actually taking the time to build more of the infrastructure, get a 7 post shaker, more engineers, The things it actually takes to be on top now. Grow RGM from the bottom up, not from the top down. All of the big names that have ran and driven their own Cup teams have failed, other than Alan Kulwicki, and that was essentially 2 generations ago race car wise. Look who is doing it right, JR Motorsports, KHI, DEI did it this way as well, and they have not driven full time for their teams.

Look, I do not want RGM to fail, as many are trying to say. BUt the fact of the matter is that they are failing. The ones that say otherwise are being emotional and not logical. If they can correct things and right the ship, then great. But they are not, this was a make or break year for RGM, and they are breaking. I do not look at RG or RGM being a failure if after this season he tells us that hey, we tried, we are not in a postion to step up right now, so I am going to drive for RCR again and we will keep RGM open and grow RGM in the Busch Series and other series. What I and many others will feel as a failure is if RGM continues to be a field filler, which they are as of now, competing for top 30's and top 40's is not competing.

All good points- Guess I am still a glass half full/optimist. I should have been more clear. I am a Ford guy and am pretty stoked to see him back with Ford- under contract. What I should have said was there aren't any other Ford teams looking for another driver that are much better off than him. I sure don't see you wanting RGM to fail- and I think what you're saying has some validity- Maybe the Yates alignment thing could be one last ditch effort, along with the new Crew Chief, to try and go Sinatra style and do it his way...

[RGFan]

All good points- Guess I am still a glass half full/optimist. I should have been more clear. I am a Ford guy and am pretty stoked to see him back with Ford- under contract. What I should have said was there aren't any other Ford teams looking for another driver that are much better off than him. I sure don't see you wanting RGM to fail- and I think what you're saying has some validity- Maybe the Yates alignment thing could be one last ditch effort, along with the new Crew Chief, to try and go Sinatra style and do it his way...

I hate seeing this fail. I really wanted him to show everyone up with this effort, I really did. But at a certian point, you just have to say hey, it is not working. There is still time, but if we die hards are questioning the obvious, then what are sponsors and fair weather fans thinking.......They are thinking what we do not want to adknowledge,....RGM has become field filler of sorts and that means limited tv air time. RG is not doing the things he was doing at RCR. He is not winning, he is not getting top 10's, he is not finishing inside the top 20, He is not doing the Indy Charlotte Double.......These are all of the things that have gained him prominence in the sport. Lets face it, Richard Childress saved RG's ***, in Nascar anyways. After Sabco and then the Morgan McClure debacle, RG was damaged goods, bad attitude, he had a rep for being very difficult to work with. RC and Dale Sr. saw something in RG several years before. RC took a chance and it paid off. WHile I want it to work and still hope it does, I just do not want to see him run his Nascar Career into the ground. He has already used most of his 9 lives in Nascar.

[NicksTrix]

how is robby going to help ryr with a r/c progrram when it's with the COT?
neither of them can get out of their own way with them right now.
they both are way behind the 8 ball in testing with them. the teams that are running well wiht them started testing a year ago with them and have many many miles of information data they've collected.
cream will always rise to the top...

only 1 more speedway race left withe the current car, so is there any value in that?
rgm is in a big hole and it's going to be tough to get out. lets hope they can do it. it won't be just one person that can do it either. it's a team.

[JRod]

He's gotta have something to offer- ahead of rudd and only 33 points behind gilliland- Neither team can be thrilled with their performance. They aren't even comparing to the next Ford team ahead of them on the power curve. It would seem with time/money combined, even if Yates has more info, testing from here on out their efforts could be almost doubled.

[RGFan]

Robby can help mentor David Gilliland, Robby is known as one of the best road course racers in the world. That does have some value, does it not. All of these other teams swear by the help they have recieved from Boris Said and I would put RG against Boris any day of the week on a road course. RGM has also been testing the COT at VIR as well. As I stated before, they are both hurting, but they both have something to offer each other, RYR has usually been a contender on restrictor plate tracks. Whether that will cross over to the COT, we will find that out in October at Talladega. Granted, they need alot of help as well. If they were to partner up, split the costs of the testing program and bring engineers from both sides to help with the testing, I would think the joining of those ideas and resources would be invaluable to both. Without this, I see RGM in a continued downward spiral with little chance of recovery. WIth the switch to Ford, implementing the COT and still having to fight against the powerhouses on top of that, I think the hill will just be to steep.

[RGFan]

Well, they can only go up, RG is in the bottom 3 in points with teams who have raced the COT in all 5 races

[JRod]

Props on the stat- Even though it sucks.

[RGFan]

Greg Biffle's crew chief left Roush Racing yesterday.....Multiple reports have Greg Erwin replacing him as Biffle's new crew chief. If this is true,I think it is fair to say that this ship is beginning to sink, And short of a major announcement including major sponsorship, major team additions and a partnership of some sort (all of the above) this season is pretty much over......Stick a fork in them boys, this is huge. And for a team who is struggling in a major way, things like this happening at times can end up being catastrophic.

[NIKAL]

NOT GOOD!

Tryson leaves the #16? UPDATE Irwin crew chief? Aflac to sponsor?: hearing that #16 Roush Racing crew chief, Pat Tryson, has parted ways with the team and driver Greg Biffle, no word where Tryson may go or who Biffle's crew chief will be for the Coca Cola 600 at LMS.(5-23-2007)
UPDATE: hearing that former #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports crew chief, Greg Erwin will be Biffle's new crew chief. Also hearing that Aflac will sponsor the #16 Ford as the primary in a few races Ameriquest is supposed to sponsor. Ameriquest if looking to get out of their sponsor contract with Roush Fenway Racing.(5-23-2007)

[FlyHiFlyLo]

NOT GOOD!

Tryson leaves the #16? UPDATE Irwin crew chief? Aflac to sponsor?: hearing that #16 Roush Racing crew chief, Pat Tryson, has parted ways with the team and driver Greg Biffle, no word where Tryson may go or who Biffle's crew chief will be for the Coca Cola 600 at LMS.(5-23-2007)
UPDATE: hearing that former #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports crew chief, Greg Erwin will be Biffle's new crew chief. Also hearing that Aflac will sponsor the #16 Ford as the primary in a few races Ameriquest is supposed to sponsor. Ameriquest if looking to get out of their sponsor contract with Roush Fenway Racing.(5-23-2007)

Well clearly Jack Roush never listened to RG's scanner. If that is the case... wellllll Good riddens.... Greg Erwin is no Pat Tryson... That's fo sure!

[RGFan]

FLy, you can not fault the guy for wanting financial/job security if he goes, the man has a family. And from what I was told by friends who know, what was supposed to happen with RGM at this point, year 3, and what has actually happened at RGM, well lets just say there is an argument saying that Greg got the shaft as well ..... From what I have heard, Greg Erwin has given his entire life away for the past two years for the betterment of RGM's Nascar operations. And up to the switch to Ford, Greg had done an admirable job. Everyone else said so, Richard Childress, Jack Roush, Rick Hendrick, A single car owner/driver can not compete in the upper echelon of Nascar. Everyone can spew hypotheticals all they want, but the results are there for everyone to look at, 32nd in points, bottom 3 in points for COT competition, . Everyone said the same of Mike Ford when he was fired for Greg Erwin, he went to Roush and had Mark Martin kicking butt and taking names in the truck series. Loosing John Story, now loosing Greg Erwin, other team members as well, loosing major sponsorship, Dropping like a boat anchor in the points, if people do not see this for what it is, they are blind. I say finish the season if they can, write off their losses, and build RGM East from the ground up, not from the top down. I want to see RG win, I want to see RG drive in competetive equipment. I will never quit on RG, but I am sick and tired of seeing him suck, and I hate to say it, but RGM sucks right now.

[RGFan]

Here is something from Fox Sports

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Pat Tryson and Roush Fenway Racing have parted ways, effective immediately.

Tryson, 43, was most recently crew chief for Greg Biffle and the No. 16 team but moved to that operation at the start of this season after a three-year partnership with Mark Martin on the No. 6 Roush Fenway Ford. Tryson and Martin made the Chase for the Nextel Cup all three season and finished third, third and ninth in the point standings.

"Greg's awesome. Anyone that can't work with Greg is crazy," Tryson said. "He's a great guy and a great racer. If we don't wreck four times, and the brakes don't go out at Martinsville, we'd be in the top five. None of the cars are running well. Matt (Kenseth)'s finishing good, but he's not running well.

"Roush has been good to me the three years that I've been there. Things just haven't gone well for us this year."


Mark Martin had plenty of success with crew chief Pat Tryson, but Greg Biffle couldn't do the same. (Orlando Sentinel, John Raoux / Associated Press)

After Roush-Fenway experienced an uncharacteristically off-year in 2006 with just Kenseth and Martin qualifying for the Chase, the organization has not shown dramatic improvement this season. While Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champ, continues to persevere -- with an assist by one of the strongest pit crews in the sport -- Carl Edwards is just barely in the top 10 in points and Jamie McMurray is 12th. Biffle is 16th, four points behind Martin, who has missed three races this season, and rookie David Ragan, 26th, is nine points outside the top 25.

Tryson said that his phone has been ringing since he received the news Tuesday afternoon, including a call from a top 10 driver. DEI had expressed interest last season in having Tryson crew chief the No. 15 with Paul Menard, but Tryson, who has worked with Roush for most of the last decade, stayed to oversee the No.16 Ford, which is currently 16th in the point standings. DEI VP of competition Richie Gilmore said he'd still be interested in bringing Tryson aboard.

"I think it's a very good possibility," Gilmore said. "That's a guy that we have talked to in the past, and we'd certainly talk to him again."

Tryson added that Chris Andrews, who was formerly with Evernham Motorsports, would be the crew chief for the No. 16, but Greg Erwin's name has been mentioned as a long-term solution. Gene Nead replaced Erwin last week as the crew chief of the No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Ford. Gordon said Wednesday morning that he "would not hold Erwin back if another crew chief position came along."

Lee Spencer is a senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com. Talk racing with Lee at her NASCAR blog.

Chris Andrews, Mike Ford and Greg Erwin, both former RG Crew Chiefs on a big time team, makes you think a little.......

[NIKAL]

UPDATE 2: It was announced today at Roush Fenway Racing that Greg Erwin will take over as crew chief of the team's #16 Nextel Cup entry with driver Greg Biffle. "We obviously weren't performing at a level at which Jack expected and a change was made," said Biffle. Erwin was most recently the crew chief at Robby Gordon Motorsports for the #7 Nextel Cup entry. Prior to the two years at Robby Gordon Motorsports, Erwin accumulated seven years of experience as an engineer at Richard Childress Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing. "I feel that this is one of the top crew chief opportunities in the Nextel Cup garage," said Erwin. "If you could paint a picture of where you would like to go as a crew chief to give it a shot to win and compete for a championship, this is it. I am also excited about the backing of the engineering department at Roush and the resources they offer. The fact that Greg Biffle is the driver was a factor that weighed heavily on my decision. He is a straight forward kind of guy and I look forward to working with him." Chris Andrews, current Engineering Manager at Roush Fenway Racing, will serve as interim crew chief for Greg Biffle and the #16 Dish Network Nextel Cup entry this weekend. Erwin will serve as an advisor on the pit box during Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 before officially taking over crew chief duties on Tuesday, May 29th (ROUSH PR)

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Right, but like I said... He's no Pat Tryson.

[RGFan]

Right, but like I said... He's no Pat Tryson.

We do not know that yet, the only team he has worked on as a crew chief has been underfunded and has had sub par equipment. I think loosing Greg is a huge blow to RGM. Time will tell.

Mike Ford, Chris Andrews, Gil Martin, Greg Erwin, all working for top notch teams, all crew chiefs of RG, and have all moved on to have successful careers elsewhere. He has an eye for crew chiefs, that is for sure.

WHile I am bummed for RGM, this has to hurt them in a big way, no matter what they admit. Greg Erwin has to be relieved a bit. Top notch engineering, support and getting the keys to a team that has a very good shot of making the top 12. Congrats to Greg Erwin for the promotion, because it is and good luck...Thanks for all of the time and effort you have given to RGM

[NIKAL]

Look at it this way, this is an opportunity that Greg Erwin has never had. Greg did very well for what he was given these last few years. I have never meet Greg personally but from what I have seen he seems like a good guy and I for one wish him good luck. He is getting the chance to work with a top caliber team/organization, and he will have resources that he has never had. (It will be like a kid in a candy shop.) Also I am hoping he and Robby have left on good terms and who knows once Greg gets the feel for what is going on with Roush's cars maybe he can give some direction/advice to Robby or Gene. I'm sure Greg would like to see RGM succeed in the future and if he could give them some advice as where they are missing something, I'm sure he would. Remember both teams are Ford and RGM is using Roush power. Who knows maybe Greg was just missing something small in the handling department for RGM and when he see's what Roush is doing compared to what he was doing at RGM, he could pass some small info over to them. Also Biffle and Robby are friends so maybe Biffle can explain something to Robby just as Robby can explain something to Biffle about what Greg is looking for or doing.

Also I think Robby has made more friends then enemies in the garage over the last few years. So maybe some of these guys are willing to help Robby more now then they would have been in the past. Also these teams and crews have Juan Pablo to be pissed off at every week as he seems to wreck someone every week and then he blames someone or something for his mistake.

[DailyPedal]

I don't want to stir things up but I am curious. According to the bio above, GE has an extensive resume. I watched the shows with RGM and got the feeling that he was not an aggressive leader (RG called the shots and made the decisions) and seemed to be guessing on set up a lot. He didn't really sound confident in his decisions. Now I want to be fair, never met the guy, and this is only based on what I saw on TV but it was the impression I got. Perhaps he is a better engineer than crew chief and untimately this could be a plus for RGM if they can get an experienced crew chief willing and able to work with RG on an underfunded team. Just my opinion...

[RGFan]

I don't want to stir things up but I am curious. According to the bio above, GE has an extensive resume. I watched the shows with RGM and got the feeling that he was not an aggressive leader (RG called the shots and made the decisions) and seemed to be guessing on set up a lot. He didn't really sound confident in his decisions. Now I want to be fair, never met the guy, and this is only based on what I saw on TV but it was the impression I got. Perhaps he is a better engineer than crew chief and untimately this could be a plus for RGM if they can get an experienced crew chief willing and able to work with RG on an underfunded team. Just my opinion...


You have good points, but that is the down side of working for an owner/driver.......Would you tell the boss to go F himself and that you were going to run a certian set up??? Robby has had some great crewchiefs, time has told us....Robby's best success came with 2 people, Greg Erwin at RGM last year, when they had some great runs in RGM cars and at RCR when Kevin Hamlin was his crew chief. Kevin Hamlin was the kind of guy who was quiet on the radio but pretty much told RG the way it was, set ups, etc......That was the year RG had the 125 win and the two road course wins and the 16th points finish. I always wondered why RG did not go after Hamlin, they really seemed to click, and that was one year together....Anyways, regardless, Erwin is one of the top engineers in the sport, at least that is what I am told........This is a big loss, and there is no spinning this one to a positive. He may have a better crew chief now, but RGM just lost an incredible engineering mind. And in todays day and age, All of the big teams have engineers who are also successful crew chiefs, but you do not see any successful crew chiefs who have become successful engineers.

[NIKAL]

It was announced that Matt Borland will go over to Haas CNC racing. He will be the new Director of Competition. Its kind of funny he said he did not want that job with MWR as he felt he was not ready to get off the box and off the road. I guess the real reason was he wanted out of MWR. I dont blame him!

I wish John Menard would just go in and buy 51% of RGM and bring Paul over as the second team and then they could start spending some money and building a team like Haas CNC and like Ginn are doing. These are two teams that are doing it right lately. They are spending some money and getting good people and putting them in the right places. Look at the depth of these two team and how they have evolved in the last 2 years. RGM could call themselves MGM "Menard Gordon Motorsports". I know Robby really wants to do this on his own, but if big team like Roush, RCR are saying that they need partners, then its only a matter of time before teams like RGM, HOFR and the Wood Brothers will just go way. Currently Evernham, Petty's and RYR are looking for investors to buy into there teams as they all see this as the way NASCAR orginazations are going.

[RGFan]

It was announced that Matt Borland will go over to Haas CNC racing. He will be the new Director of Competition. Its kind of funny he said he did not want that job with MWR as he felt he was not ready to get off the box and off the road. I guess the real reason was he wanted out of MWR. I dont blame him!

I wish John Menard would just go in and buy 51% of RGM and bring Paul over as the second team and then they could start spending some money and building a team like Haas CNC and like Ginn are doing. These are two teams that are doing it right lately. They are spending some money and getting good people and putting them in the right places. Look at the depth of these two team and how they have evolved in the last 2 years. RGM could call themselves MGM "Menard Gordon Motorsports". I know Robby really wants to do this on his own, but if big team like Roush, RCR are saying that they need partners, then its only a matter of time before teams like RGM, HOFR and the Wood Brothers will just go way. Currently Evernham, Petty's and RYR are looking for investors to buy into there teams as they all see this as the way NASCAR orginazations are going.


Very well said!!;) If the biggest teams in Nascar are looking for more investors when some have in excess of $100 million dollars a year in sponsorship, how in the hell is a team who is running on less then 12 million supposed to compete with that....The answer is they can not, and the results show that.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Stupid mistakes no matter how much money you have will drop you to 32 in the points.

[RGFan]

Yeah, while some stupid mistakes have been made, that is not the only reason they are 32nd, they are at times 4 mph off the pace. That is being far behind the 8 ball. When RGM has not been making mistakes they have been finishing 20 something thru attrition, they have been pretty slow since Vegas. They are underfunded, understaffed and behind the 8 ball. Lots of testing and engineering should cure their major problems. Bummer is, they just lost a very good engineer in Erwin, an engineer who is very familiar with RG and what he likes in a car, both at RCR where he had some success and here at RGM where he has had very little up to now. Testing, Engineering and the tools for the engineers cost money, lots and lots of it. That is why the $100 million dollar teams are on top and the $10 million dollar teams are on the bottom...bottom line unfortunately

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Right, but like I said... He's no Pat Tryson.

The Biff qualifies 38th... Hummmmmm

[RGFan]

LOL!!! Nice try Fly, GE is not the Crew Chief yet, Chris Andrews is at the helm this weekend. Infact, Erwin is chiefing the Verizon car this weekend for RG. GE will be advising for the 16 only this weekend. He will be on the box on SUnday, but will not be calling the shots

[FlyHiFlyLo]

LOL!!! Nice try Fly, GE is not the Crew Chief yet, Chris Andrews is at the helm this weekend. Infact, Erwin is chiefing the Verizon car this weekend for RG. GE will be advising for the 16 only this weekend. He will be on the box on SUnday, but will not be calling the shots


Oh so now the Biff has two former RG crew chiefs screwing him up? :eek:

[RGFan]

I was never fond of Chris Andrews, or rather, his results with RG in 2004 at RCR. Seemed like all of the progress RG made with Kevin Hamlin in 2003 was for not when they brought CHris Andrews over. Moving Hamlin to Sauter was a big mistake IMO. I think RG could have been top 10 that year or close with Hamlin on the box. But as far as Greg Erwin, he was the only positive for RGM since its Nascar re-inception in 05 IMO. GIve it a little time, even Erwin was doing better than Nead is now. It takes more then a couple of races to turn things around......Usually a season atleast if not longer for some.

[movindirt]

From what I've see on Speed and such I just have this strange feeling that RG is making some smart moves right now. I can't put my finger on exactly what but I just see good things in the future for RGM.

[RGFan]

I hope you are right, it is either that or a sinking ship, there is no in between

[movindirt]

Well I am Godlike.... :D :)

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Well I am Godlike.... :D :)

I'm just a skanky whore...

[RGFan]

And I am an elitist............NOT!!!!

[JRod]

larry Mac just confirmed GE is crew chief for the Verizon/Motorola Busch race tonight and will move over to the Biff's pit box tomorrow.

Need a good weekend this weekend- Busch will give some media coverage/momentum, and Cup will hopefully stop the bleeding. RG is about a half second off the leader in HH.

[RGFan]

It is only his second weekend, but I am not to impressed with the new crew chief so far, they seem worse than before, they can not get out of their own way it seems. How long before Jim Beam pulls out...

[JRod]

It is only his second weekend, but I am not to impressed with the new crew chief so far, they seem worse than before, they can not get out of their own way it seems. How long before Jim Beam pulls out...

I don't know- the communication seems to be pretty good and the car has gotten better throughout the race- which is more than I can say for other races this year. Off the truck, the car has to be better though, no question.

[RGFan]

I don't know- the communication seems to be pretty good and the car has gotten better throughout the race- which is more than I can say for other races this year. Off the truck, the car has to be better though, no question.


I do not know about that, they have managed to loose 6 laps over 200 laps, spread pretty evenly. They were 150 laps in, and Robby decided to get a lap back by staying out, they dropped back like 20 positions in 2 laps......We will see, but I am not seeing it so far

[JRod]

I do not know about that, they have managed to loose 6 laps over 200 laps, spread pretty evenly. They were 150 laps in, and Robby decided to get a lap back by staying out, they dropped back like 20 positions in 2 laps......We will see, but I am not seeing it so far

Since the 200 lap mark, they haven't lost anymore spots and they have been running times consistent with the top 10 cars.

It's not all roses yet, but like I said, it could be better, but it could be much worse.

Up to 24th with Ears and KWallace out of the race...

[RGFan]

24th place.......Almost sounds like they turned things around rather than the fact that they are 6 laps down and half of the field has crashed out. If they can hold on, this is the epitomy of what I would call dodging a bullet

[RGFan]

Here is an article about the whole Crew Chief thing.....

COMPILED BY MIKE MULHERN


Today's Top Stories

■ Four months into the season, eight team owners have changed crew chiefs. The most recent is Robby Gordon, who lost Greg Erwin to Jack Roush after Roush cut Pat Tryson.

Roush’s cutting Tryson on the eve of the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s biggest races, was a shocker because Tryson has been Roush’s right-hand man for several years and was the key to much of Mark Martin’s success.

And whether or not Erwin - a bright young engineer who earned his spurs at Richard Childress’ operation - is really the solution Roush is looking for, that loss is a major blow for Gordon. Gordon has been trying very hard to expand to a two-car operation.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Here is an article about the whole Crew Chief thing.....

COMPILED BY MIKE MULHERN


Today's Top Stories

■ Four months into the season, eight team owners have changed crew chiefs. The most recent is Robby Gordon, who lost Greg Erwin to Jack Roush after Roush cut Pat Tryson.

Roush’s cutting Tryson on the eve of the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s biggest races, was a shocker because Tryson has been Roush’s right-hand man for several years and was the key to much of Mark Martin’s success.

And whether or not Erwin - a bright young engineer who earned his spurs at Richard Childress’ operation - is really the solution Roush is looking for, that loss is a major blow for Gordon. Gordon has been trying very hard to expand to a two-car operation.

That is such a joke.... RG had him gone anyways... He didn't "lose him to Roush".

[tneve22]

Wonder if Robby is looking at hiring a new busch crew chief and I wonder who it will be?

[RGFan]

SOme nice insight from Greg Erwin and what is going on over at RGM in this article. From what I heard and how he speaks in the article, it really seems that RGM lost a good one in him.......Peop;e can say what they want. but single car teams are at a ridiculous disadvantage and they need alot more money than the big teams to, per team just to play catch up, money RGM does not have.....Here is the article

If you haven't heard by now, there are two different divisions of teams in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series: the haves, and the have-nots.

Greg Erwin has seen both ends of that spectrum, and now he's making the jump from a single-car team to one with the most entries in the top stock-car racing circuit in the world.

Erwin left Robby Gordon Motorsports to ascend atop the pit box for the No. 16 team driven by championship contender Greg Biffle, and he has some thoughts on his role with the team, the pecking order in the series and what he sees as the future of the sport.

Q: You've been on one side of the fence with a single-car team. What goes through your mind when you see the resources available to you at Roush Fenway Racing?

Erwin: Probably the biggest thing is learning what is there to work with, what's there that's useful and what's there that's not useful yet because it's not far enough down the road or it hasn't been incorporated into the racing teams. All of this engineering, all the R&D, all the testing means nothing to anyone unless it makes it to the racetrack and on the racecar.

Q: What are the biggest challenges of making a move like this?

Erwin: For me, the challenge is to come in here and learn a system and try not to only fix what's broke. We don't need to start over, reinvent the wheel. Most of these guys have a lot of experience; they've all been racing a long time. This organization has a history of winning races and running very well. Greg has all the driving talent in the world necessary to win races and compete for championships.

Q: In your opinion, why hasn't the 16 team competed for titles on a more regular basis?

Erwin: It seems like there are some subtle things that need to happen to help pull this thing together a little bit. I don't know if it's all about equipment, if it's all about people, or if it's all about confidence, but the challenges we're going to face are the same as we faced at Robby's, just in different amounts. I wore a lot of hats at Robby's, finding people for all the different departments, things I'm sure some of these guys don't have to worry that much about. Here, I'm sure the challenges are how to use or incorporate the resources that Mr. Roush provides you to make your car go faster. (Continued)

Q: With chemistry between crew chief and driver being so important, how do you first find it and then keep it?

Erwin: I'm not sure chemistry happens overnight. I think it is, more often than not, a result of performance. I don't know that there's any driver or crew chief out there ... maybe it's the chicken and the egg. All the guys that seem to have real good results and run well week in and week out develop good chemistry. The crew chief has a lot of confidence in the driver and the driver gets a lot of confidence in the crew chief because what he does usually makes the car go fast.

I don't know Greg very well. I've spoken with him on the phone a few times and gotten to speak with him briefly once or twice. But I don't suspect he's much different from any of the other really good drivers out there. You put him in something close, and you work your tail off to make it better, better, better and let him do the rest.

Q: You have an engineering background, and now it seems like even the tire changers have that kind of background. Is that a trend that will continue?

Erwin: No. It might continue, but I think it will go in cycles. What you're seeing right now is car owners investing a lot of money and time in engineering-related tools. They have to take their core group of engineers who run those tools, but it's important to have guys on the car side of it that can at least sort through the results, what comes out of the raw engineering data. They'll say, 'this will work,' this won't work,' and 'I understand what you did here, but I don't think this applies because ...' You can give them a reasonable answer, one that has some facts behind it. It pops up and down.

Q: Is the crew chief's role more an executive role now as opposed to being the guy with all the knowledge?

Erwin: As the cars come better prepared from the shop, the crew chief's role tends to be less of the inventor every weekend and more of a guy that just sort of executes the plan. It gets that way more and more every year, as the programs grow. They become more and more diverse and you're dealing with larger groups of people. Here, we have one of the largest groups in all of racing. It becomes a people job, and the people skills part of it is something you need to learn. I've got a couple of years of doing this under my belt.

Q: The box you're in with the COT is a lot narrower than it is with the current car. Is the role of innovation narrower too?

Erwin: I think NASCAR set the precedent so many years ago, and every year they put the current car in a tighter and tighter box. First it was X number of templates and then it was twice that many, and now it's max camber rules and you can do this and you can't do that. The COT is just an evolution of that. I don't think it's going to meet their initial intention of each of the teams being able to carry fewer cars. Yes, I can see areas where it will cut down on some of the complexities of building a new fleet. The bodies are much more in a window, the chassis is a lot better inspected, the frame rails need to be a certain height -- it takes away the ingenuity on some of the larger teams. Maybe it's not ingenuity, but it's just resources. If somebody tells you that you have the personnel and the budget to build six different kinds of racecar and take them all to the racetrack and figure out which one is the best, then the team with the most people and the most racecars is going to get to the answer a lot quicker.

Q: Extrapolate that back to the single-car team. What does that mean to them?

Erwin: If we had stayed on the current car, I think Robby Gordon Motorsports would have been much further along. What we did well over there was really pay attention to the details of our piece. We didn't have teammates, and that hurts because when your teammate makes an improvement, you don't get to know about it. But on the other hand, it was all hands and all eyes on our racecar every single week. I'm confident that the COT has hurt that program, for many reasons. The bottom line is, you really do take your notebook and your rulebook and everything you thought or saw on your racecars and you put it aside. Now, not only do you have to work on that program, but this thing (the COT) is a totally different animal. You're starting from scratch.

[RGFan]

That is such a joke.... RG had him gone anyways... He didn't "lose him to Roush".

From my understanding of it, he asked for help, so he could focus on engineering. The guy seemed pretty burned out, Good or bad, RG has a tendency of doing that to loyal people, I am friends with a couple of them. if you want to be perfectly honest about it, shame on Robby for not being better prepared and having the money necessary, for not having more sponsors and for not having another car or cars, and for not having a testing team out there testing all of the time. He should have given Greg the resources to be successful as a crew chief. You can bash on him all you want Fly, but this guy helped turn RGM around in 2005, helped them grow leaps and bounds in 2006, and when the business management team of RGM failed at the end of 2006, that set Greg up for failure in 2007, that is the truth. I do not think Gene Nead or anybody else for that matter will get this thing up to where we want it without lots of testing, more sponsors, more teams, and all of that is out of the crew chiefs hands and in the hands of ownership...Not trying to be a dick Fly, just calling it how I see it, this can not all be put on his head, maybe I am misunderstanding you. Back to the topic, hopefully RGM senior management sees this as a shot across the bow, that this is what happens if you do not take care of good people that work hard for you and to start getting serious about the problems at RGM before RGM sinks like so many ohter single car operations in the past.

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Like was said elsewhere, we will see what takes place in the next few weeks. It seems to me tho brakes have been an issue for the last few months... Nothing done... In order for Gene to get the car working he had ALL the track bar out of it... GE is an engineer... Why after 2 years with GE at the point why is that adjustablity not there? three weeks ago the bead hoses being put on wrong? How many times was that tire off the car the two days prior? Did GE ever even give he car a once over right off the truck? COT testing... why was it not done more this year? Was Robby supposed to set that up? GE has been in the garage for how many years? Only spoke to Greg how many times?

[RGFan]

I know what you are saying, but RGM had quite a few issues going on, they lost a couple of pit crew/shop guys to injury, lost a couple of other shop guys in critical positions to other companies.......With GE having to pick up the slack, by himself it sounds like. That aspect of things is not GE's fault, that falls on RG and the business management, GE did not have the resources in either man power or proper equipment to get the job done....I guess we can agree to disagree on this one, like you said, time will tell;)

As far as the brake issue, that has been an issue for the vast majority of the COT's in Nascar, with virtually all of the drivers cooking their brakes. The only teams not having an issue with this are the teams that have been testing long and hard like the Hendricks, Gibbs and Childress Teams.... Even ROush has been having some serious issues with the brakes on the COT's.

[bajafox]

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/features/06/12/inside.garage.gnead.rgordon/index.html

[JRod]

Good find- Of course, finding anything on the new NOL is an amazing feat- HAHAHA

[FlyHiFlyLo]

Good find- Of course, finding anything on the new NOL is an amazing feat- HAHAHA

Yeah then it instantly gets booted from the main page because Jr's little press thing tomorrow...

[JRod]

Yeah then it instantly gets booted from the main page because Jr's little press thing tomorrow...

LOL! RGM sure can't win for losing to get good press...or at least sustained positive attention from the good 'ole boys....