• Home
• The Show
• The Crew
• Bench Racing
• Fast Lap
• Contact Us
• Advertise With Us

Subscribe

• NASCAR
• Sprint Cup
• Drivers
• Nationwide Series
• ARCA Remax Series
• NASCAR Headlines

NASCAR Teams looking at Cha-Cha-Changes

NASCAR’s Silly Season may be wrapping up.

Scott Wimmer, who until recently has been rumored as a possible driver in the new Richard Childress Racing #33 ride, will not return to the Chevy team in 2009.  Wimmer and Jeff Burton combined to win a Nationwide Series owners championship for RCR in 2007.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Wimmer hasn’t posted enough wins in the car and was not the new sponsor’s driver of choice.

RCR has announced that Clint Bowyer will move to the #33 next year with the General Mills sponsorship and soon to be ex-Hendrick driver Casey Mears taking over the #07 Jack Daniels ride for ‘09.  It seems general Mills wasn’t trilled with the former Kellogg’s driver hawking Cheerios.  Will Mears be able to do at RCR what he has not been able to do on a consistent basis at Hendrick Motorsports or at Chip Ganassi Racing?  It will again come down to the equipment that he is given.  Casey could argue that his stuff has been at the bottom of the pecking order at both shops.

Speaking of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates; Chevron-Texaco dropped their little bomb this week that they will no longer be supporting the #42 car of Juan Pablo Montoya after this season.  It seems the Texaco brand is going the way of DeSoto, and they will be investing their advertising monies in a different direction.  Sirius Speedway/Motorsports Soapbox is also reporting that the Target sponsorship that has been gracing the #41 driven by Reed Sorensen may be gone as well.  Chip will have to do some serious sponsor work in the off season to fill the quarter panels of those rides while trying to get the #40 back up and funded.

Maybe the 2009 version of Silly Season is still going strong.  Not only are there still seats to be filled, but more importantly, there are hoods and quarter panels to be filled.  When long time sponsors leave the sport; as Texaco will, Target might and Kodak, Pfiser and Goodwrench have,  the impact can have a long term affect.  Lets hope there are enough  new willing partners to keep the NASCAR ship afloat.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Try our “Rattles from the Catch Can” Quiz and Win Stuff

Do you think you are up on the latest from the NASCAR internet?  Take a shot at our first ever quiz.  We’re calling it Rattles from the Catch Can.  The plan is to take the names of all those who get perfect scores - seven for seven - and that would be 7 correct answers for you contest lawyers out there, and we will pick a winner.  The big winner will get, let’s see…

• DVD “The Daytona 500 - 50 years of the Great American Race”
• ARCA RE/MAX Series official hat
• Crown Royal-Dan Lowry 400 # 26 Jamie McMurray hat
• Boris Said - No Fear Racing T-shirt - great shirt!
• 1 set of “ON PIT ROW”/ “INSIDE ARCA” Mardi Gras beads

All you have to do is play - and keep playing ’till you get it right! Make sure that you enter your email address at the end.  It’s how we validate your score.

If you want to feature this contest on your blog or site by all means be our guest.  And let us know what you think of our first “Rattles from the Catch Can”.

ON PIT ROW & INSIDE ARCA Doubleheader Dynomite Today at 5

Bobby Allison is a tough act to follow. Add to the Hall of Famer a roster of Boris Said, ARCA Insider and former Talladega winner, Phil Parsons, ARCA Iowa winner Matt Hawkins and Red Bull crew chief Patrick Donahue….. Well Steve had a big show to live up to. And he did!

Today - with prayers to the live radio gods - ON PIT ROW will have David Ragan to talk about a week that included a road course in Mexico, plate races in Talladega and short track testing in Toledo.

Later we’ll have Yates Racing driver David Gilliland and one other surprise guest. You’ll have to tune in or come on out to the Toledo Speedway Bar & Grill for that one.

INSIDE ARCA will feature ARCA RE/MAX Series points leader Matt Carter, a return visit from Patrick Donahue - this time as the crew chief of the Kansas 150 Grand winning #2 driven by Scott Speed.

Our ARCA Insider Phil Parsons will be here for his weekly look into the ARCA RE/MAX Series and Kansas Race winner Scott Speed will join us as well.

Rounding out the night of ON PIT RADIO is the ARCA Short Track Report with guests Michigan Motorsports Hall of Famer, Gary Lindahl and ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series points leader Steve Christman to talk about his win at Anderson Speedway.

So what are ya’ gonna do next week Steve?

UPDATE:  The surprise guest was Andy Hillenburg, owner of The Rock - Rockingham Speedway -  and is Andy ever pumped for this week’s Carolina 500!  Did you know that they are going to start 50 ARCA RE/MAX  cars in that race?  Can’t wait.

Photo credit: Icon Sports Media, Inc.

Talladega Sunrise Part 2

Race Day. Up at 5:00am. Shower. Breakfast. Coffee, eggs, grits, ham with red eye gravy. I arrive at the track at 7:00am. We meet in the Media center coffee, doughnuts and cookies are available for the drivers and friends and family who have come along for support.

Check-in includes showing the confirmation letter and signing a one page release form. I have no clue what I really signed, I could’ve been giving away all my worldly possessions to some freaky cult. Aside from the check-in tables, there were about 20 rows of chairs in the room facing an approximately 52” flat screen TV on which they were running a DVD overview/ad for the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure.

At 7:30am they asked us to have a seat. The future drivers were easy to spot -they sort of had that deer-in-the-headlights stare. I was strangely calm. When they started the class, I listened intently to how to find my line, when to shift, how to pass (there would be five other drivers on the track) and most importantly how to avoid kissing the wall. Each driver also would have an in-car instructor. He would be there to give me hand signals on how to drive and maybe a nudge or two to keep me in line. I studied the chart that had the hand signals on it that I would be receiving while on the track. Thumb left; move down; Thumb right: move up; Thumb up: Speed up; Thumb down: Slow down; Fist: Brake; One finger: Shift into first; Two fingers: Shift into second; Three fingers: Shift into third etc. After the class, everyone headed to the pits and were given a ride in the dualies to get the feel for the track. When you are down on the apron, Talladega looks like a wall. My first thought while riding around the apron was ‘No way I’m gonna be driving up there!’ Next my instructor drove up on the 33deg bank and stopped the truck dead. He wanted to show that it would not fall off the steep bank. I, however, had to hang on to the hand strap to keep from ending up in the instructor’s lap. I attentively watched how he moved on the track and got the feel for how to follow the line.

Afterwards, I headed over to the pit area to be fitted for a fire suit and helmet. Then, I went to a table that asked the one and only question of the day : “How tall are you?” I am apparently the same height as Joe Nemecheck because I was assigned to his car. The day was overcast and drizzly and there was a wet spot on the track that needed to be dried so
we were delayed until it was cleaned up. In the meantime, the instructors took all the friends and family members for rides around the track in the dualies. Finally, the time had come. I donned my skull cap and helmet and climbed into Joe’s car and the instructor told me to push the clutch all the way to the floor to make sure I could reach. Then the pit crew
strapped me in (although the guy in charge of connecting the buckle across my crotch was hesitant to reach down and latch me in.) ‘Uh I gotta ….’ He said, and gestured towards my nether regions. I chuckled and replied ‘Strap ‘er in!’ He gave the device one last pull and reached over and turned the ignition on. The car rumbled to a start. The pit crew walked
around the car giving it a final once over then gave the ‘O.K’ to move out.

The next thing I saw, was my instructor’s index finger in my peripheral vision (The sign to shift into first) I was on my way. I drove around the apron gaining speed ; Thumb right; up I went. The Thumbs up: Oh man! Here I go! I pushed my foot down and felt the car speed up. 100mph. I watched the wall coming at me as I constantly guided the wheel left. 120mph.

Lap2: The wall seemed to always be directly in front of me. Keep steering left. At that moment, I was totally convinced that I would hit the wall soon. I felt the icy coldness that turns into paralyzing fear. ‘OMG!’ I thought, ‘I can’t do this! Get me the Hell off this track before I kill myself!’ But then, I remembered that icy road in Kentucky and all the fear melted away. The instructor gave the wheel a little nudge and I focused on my line.

Lap 3: I settled in and started to get the hang of where to move the car. 150mph.

Lap 4: Thumb Left. My car is merrily moving up the track where it wants to be and now I have to move it down to pass someone. Slight nudge. ‘O.K! O.K! I’m moving! Whew! That’s over!’ I’m thinking, ‘I’m nervous out here with five other drivers, I can’t imagine what it would be like with 43 cars out here. Wow.’ I consider the fact that in most sports the participant is pretty confident that they will walk away after it’s over. A race car driver knows there is always a chance they won’t.

Lap 5: Thumb Up. I push down on the accelerator. At this point, the lines on the track appear like dots. Very focused. My instructor gives a nudge to the right on the wheel. I am suddenly right up against the wall. You know - where they said not to go. WTF? Then…

Lap 6: Thumb Up Going faster. Thinking about the speed. The car in it’s line. Checkered Flag. 163mph. Thumb Left. I veer down onto the apron. Thumb Down. I take my foot off the accelerator and feel the car coast.

Turning into the pits. Hard Fist: I put my foot on the brake and come to a stop just barely missing a flustered pit crew member. I’m laughing. My instructor is laughing. He says, “It’s not as easy as it looks!” I reply, “Oh Hell No!”

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Talladega Sunrise Part 1

It was February in Northwest Ohio. A time plagued with seemingly endless weeks of cold, wind, sleet and snow. As often happens that time of year, I had thoughts of heading south .

I had won a three lap ride from The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure and going to Alabama for a few days of relief from the ‘Great White North’ was very appealing. Besides…Racing…So I gave the DJRA base camp in North Carolina call and made a reservation. Then, I decided that a 3-lap ride just wasn’t for me– so I upgraded to a 6 lap drive. I mean, if I was just looking for speed I’d go hop on a roller coaster. I mean how many chances will I get to drive a Cup car?

My drive was scheduled for the 7:30am session on a Saturday so I decided to drive down on Thursday and have time to acclimate myself to the area. It’s approximately a 12 hr drive from where I live to Talladega, so figuring in stops for food, gas, etc. I decided to get up and head out about 4:00am. Now my brain starts processing the reality that I am actually going to be driving a race car on Talladega Superspeedway. It seems unreal. I’m conjuring up mental worse case scenarios. It’s been a while since I’ve driven a stick and I keep hearing that the clutch in these cars is tricky. So I’m picturing myself stalling endlessly in the pits trying to get out on the track. Or maybe I’ll freak out and slam the damn thing into the wall. Possibly, I’ll simply be a wuss and not get the car over 80mph …..Nah….

As it turns out, the ride down to Alabama was far more frightening than driving a cup car. Cruising along I75 at about 75mph most of the way things were looking good very few slow downs due to construction, the traffic was moving fluidly except for the steady sprinkling of rain everything was going smoothly-that should’ve been my first warning. Suddenly, about 20m from the border of Tennessee the black pick-up truck directly in front of me abruptly veers off an slams into the side of the mountain and flips over on its cab. I take my foot off the accelerator and let the car coast. I can feel the tires wanting to slide sideways. In a matter of seconds, the road has become one gigantic skating rink. In front of me are a row of semis not driving more than 5mph heading down a steep downgrade and all along the sides of both south and north bound I75 are vehicles waylaid by the road conditions. (I stopped counting after 8).

One hour and five white knuckle miles later, the road is clear as if there was never any ice at all. It was at that moment that any trepidations I was experiencing about Talladega melted away. After all, in the Cup car, I would be protected by a steel roll cage, strapped in by a Hans device, protected by a helmet, Safer Barriers and surrounded by various other safety precautions not included in your standard passenger vehicle traveling down your local highway. When I arrived, I spent the evening just chillin’.

On Friday morning, I left my hotel and headed over to the track so I could time how long it takes to get there (I so totally don’t want to be late on Saturday). While there, I visited the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum. In the silence of being the only one there and looking at the cars of legends and personal favorites like Richard Petty, Fireball Roberts, Bill Elliott, Shawna Robinson, Patty Moise and Louise Smith, I felt like I was in church. I was keenly aware of the rawness of the inside of the vehicle, thinking of a person rattling around in a sparsely padded passenger compartment for hours sometimes in unbearable heat was awe inspiring. (especially after how uncomfortable I felt after my 12 hours in a cushy vehicle) I took it all in like an unspoken prayer. Then, in a moment of pure orneriness, I grab my cell phone “Hey Steve, guess who’s car I’m standing in front of right now? I’ll give you a hint: he holds the fastest Qualifying record…” (He’s a big Bill Elliott fan) Yeah, I had to rub it in.

Part two tomorrow. Come on back.

Photo credit: BethAnne Heisler - ON PIT ROW

Nationwide Series In Mexico Does Not Disappoint

Kyle Busch outlasted Marcos Ambrose and Scott Pruett to win NASCAR’s south of the border showdown.

Rowdy has made the 2008 NASCAR seasons; Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck, look easy. As Charlie wrote earlier in “Is Kyle Busch the best driver in NASCAR..” The Shrub has been having an unbelievable season so far.

Ambrose and Boris Said had a run in early in the race on Sunday. Said was mad enough to let everyone know his displeasure with Ambrose:

“Just cheap-shotted me and took me out, He hooked my left rear in turn one. He had me sideways for a while and then just turned me around. … I’m not going to cry about it, but I’m going to go apologize to his crew chief because it’s going to cost him a car.”

This type of controversy has become standard when the Nationwide Series moves across the border, whether its north or south.

Rowdy’s win in Mexico City leads to this weeks BUZZ ON PIT ROW:

Kyle Busch leads the Nationwide and Truck Series and is second in Sprint Cup. Is he now the best driver in NASCAR?

photo credit: Icon Sports Media

Racing music for Racing fans

If somehow you’ve never heard any of the music from the ON PIT ROW house band - The Backstretch Boys, tune in to today’s show and listen to the best racing music ever played. You know how it is - many have tried to do music specifically for you race fans, but few have pulled it off. I know because I’m constantly looking for really good, relevant music for our show and there just isn’t very much out there.

But there is the Backstretch Boys. Songs like “Talladega Shuffle”, “Daytona”, “Lady in Black” are great songs, not just great racing songs. “Rockin’ the Rock”, “Fields of Thunder” and “We Dig Dirt” are all on the band’s CD “Rookie Season”.

My favorite, though, is “Checkered Past (A Tribute to Dale)”. Our producer Tony has been playing that song during our pre-show time for a couple months now and I have a hard time getting it out of my head. I hope today’s ON PIT ROW guest, Robert Allred and the Boys don’t mind me calling them our house band because they’ve certainly been featured on bigger stages than ours.

The Backstretch Boys’ music has been featured on “NASCAR Raceday On Speed”, “Fox Sports” and NBC’s “Today Show”. Now we just have to figure a way to get them to do a live gig at the “Thunder Lounge” when that whole party fires up at Texas Motor Speedway, someday.

Check out the Backstretch Boys. Better yet, buy the CD. Buy a bunch of CD’s and spread the music around. This is real “Racing Music for Racing Fans”.

One Helluva Ride author Liz Clarke - live

One of the perks that come with being a part of ON PIT ROW is having the opportunity to talk live with some of the best journalists in sports.  One whom we have yet to talk to is Liz Clarke, writer for The Washington Post and author of the new book NASCAR book “One Helluva Ride.”

I haven’t read the book as yet  but Jerry has a fine review at Restrictorplatethis.com. 

Liz has a live chat in a few minutes, talking Daytona. You can join Liz here and participate live or catch the transcript later. 

We’d like to have her join us ON PIT ROW and give you another chance to talk live with Liz. I’ll keep you posted.

Fantasy NASCAR is alive at ON PIT ROW

Fantasy racing is huge and getting huger.  So are the sales of spell checkers and grammar lessons you say?  Well this is a racing site so let’s talk fantasy NASCAR, shall we?

ON PIT ROW - the fastest two hours on radio - sponsored a little NASCAR fantasy game in 2007 that we called the NASCAR Chain Game.  Not much of a name, I know, but a helluva fun game by all accounts.  With all of our changes to, and launch of, the new OnPitRow.com sites (thanks again Luke), we ran out of time to have a new version of that game ready for the start of 2008.

But OnPitRow.com will be very involved with a very cool  new NASCAR fantasy game called Champs Chumps and Sleepers.  This fantasy racing game was developed by Darren Fauth of One Bad Wheel -#3 on the Sports Media Challenge list of “Most influential NASCAR blogs”.  Here’s an explanation of the rules:

Each week you will pick a new team of 6 drivers.

Champs

Pick two Champs. These are two drivers that you think will do good in the race. But, it’s not a pick Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon every week thing. Your two Champ drivers will be outside of the top 12 in driver points.

Chumps

Pick two Chumps. These are two drivers that you think will not do good in the race. Once again, it’s not the two drivers that squeaked in the race with a good enough qualifying lap. Your two Chump drivers are all within the top 12 in driver points.

Sleepers

Pick two Sleepers. These are two driver that you think will do good in the race. Your two Sleeper drivers are outside the top 20 in driver points.

Definitely a unique concept and it ought to be a real challenge. Here’s an example of how the points will work:

Each week you will receive the same amount of points as your Champ & Sleeper driver’s. The points that your Chump driver’s receive will be deducted from your score.

Example (from the 2007 Daytona 500):

Let’s say you picked Tony Stewart & Dale Earnhardt Jr for your Champs. You picked Michael Waltrip & Juan Pablo Montoya for your Chumps. You picked David Ragan & David Gilliland for your Sleepers.

• CHAMP Drivers Scores: 106 points
  • Tony Stewart: 39
  • Dale Earnhardt Jr: 67
• CHUMP Drivers Scores: 179 points
  • Michael Waltrip: 73
  • Juan Pablo Montoya: 106
• SLEEPER Driver Scores: 302 points
  • David Ragan: 155
  • David Gilliland: 147

Your total score for the week: 106 - 179 + 302 = 229 points

To keep the scoring simpler, any penalty points against a driver do not affect your score. For the first race of 2008, drivers will be categorized by their 2007 NASCAR driver points standings.

ON PIT ROW and OnPitRow.com are sponsoring Champs, Chumps and Sleepers for the 2008 season.  There are some terrific prizes up for grabs and you can even set up your own leagues and play against a group of your own friends.

Sign up today and set up your team.  Steve and I will be playing, so you know you won’t finish last.

New NASCAR Sports Blog Index Fuels Fans Insight

The Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog has been recognized as the fourth most influential NASCAR blog by the folks at Sports Media Challenge in their all new NASCAR Sports Blog Index™ (SBI).   The full press release follows. Pretty cool stuff.

Rounding the turn to the 50th Anniversary of the Daytona 500, and recognizing the legendary strength of NASCAR communities, Sports Media Challenge launches the first ever NASCAR Sports Blog Index™ (SBI). The NASCAR SBI guides fans and brands to blogs where they can listen to and engage in the most influential online NASCAR fan conversations throughout the season.

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) February 6, 2008 — It’s the start of a new season and you can almost hear fan sentiment revving along with the engines. Just over one year since Sports Media Challenge (SMC) launched its first Sports Blog Index™, SMC announced the addition of its NASCAR Sports Blog Index to guide fans to some of the most influential racing-focused venues on the web. The Index is intended to fuel interest and engagement of the sport’s most avid as well as newest followers. The Index points fans to blogs where they can reap perspective and share their own insights on their favorite sport, teams, and sponsors. Recent posts range from car technology and how good the new Toyotas are to Kyle Busch’s ideal woman. Even in the off season, NASCAR’s famed sense of community is alive and well as demonstrated by a single blog post generating as many as 200 comments.

“NASCAR blogs are among the most informed and intelligent across all sports. Bloggers who focus their efforts on team sports generally have an inside track, yet they limit analysis to their favorite competitors. However, the best NASCAR blogs illuminate their favorites and also showcase a particularly well-honed general knowledge and analysis of the sport,” says Kathleen Hessert President of Charlotte, NC based Sports Media Challenge.

From the brand perspective we’re looking for the blogs that have the most influence to help organizations understand their customers better than ever. By intensely and consistently listening to online word-of-mouth, properties and sponsors can better understand and harness invaluable insight

With the help of its proprietary Buzz Manager™ software, Sports Media Challenge analysts monitor millions of sports, entertainment and lifestyle blogs and other social media daily. SMC now publishes a Sports Blog Index for NASCAR, the NFL, NHL, Baseball, College Football, and more.

“From the brand perspective we’re looking for the blogs that have the most influence to help organizations understand their customers better than ever. By intensely and consistently listening to online word-of-mouth, properties and sponsors can better understand and harness invaluable insight,” according to Hessert.

Fans Drive Discussion on 50th Anniversary:
This year, NASCAR will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Daytona 500, and today’s fans want to showcase their knowledge like never before. In addition to mainstream media coverage of NASCAR events, bloggers are covering NASCAR on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Blogs are gaining legitimacy in the eyes of the public and are now posting unique, influential content to which fans can relate. A lack of editorial restriction, original content, and ability to comment directly on a post make blogs particularly attractive to fans.

Sports Media Challenge’s Sports Blog Index is the first ever standard measurement tool to identify the most influential sports and entertainment blogs and is derived from an in-depth analysis of all blogs related to the industry. A blog is rated on three main criteria: influence, fan engagement and quality. These factors are measured through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data, which allows the Sports Blog Index to more accurately rate the true “worth” of a given blog. Influence, which is a measure of the impact a blog has on fan opinion and perceptions, is a key factor in determining a blog’s ranking. Fan engagement is based on quantitative data such as page visits, number of posts, etc. The quality of a given blog’s content is determined by the SMC team, who analyze the humor, sentiment and sarcasm of a blog more effectively than a computer. The inclusion of both quantitative and qualitative data in the rating is what makes the Sports Blog Index unique.

Based on the rating of each blog in the areas of influence, fan engagement and quality, the top ten NASCAR sports blogs are:
1. The Daly Planet (http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com)
2. From the Marbles (http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/nascar_marbles)
3. One Bad Wheel (http://www.onebadwheel.com/blog/)
4. Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie (http://benchracing.typepad.com/)
5. Restrictor Plate This (http://www.restrictorplatethis.com/)
6. Answer This… (http://drinkthis.typepad.com/answer_this/ )
7. NASCAR Ranting and Raving (http://4ever3canadianeh.blogspot.com )
8. Kathy’s Pit Stop (http://blogs.thatsracin.com/kathyspitstop/ )
9. Life in the Turn Lane (http://turn-lane.blogspot.com/ )
10. Full Throttle (http://www.cranialcavity.net/fullthrottle/wp/index.php )

About Buzz Manager
Buzz Manager, a staple service of SMC, is the proprietary search engine focusing explicitly on the sports, entertainment and lifestyle markets. It mines, monitors and analyzes online content and helps identify the most influential blogs in the Sports Blog Index. Buzz Manager tracks and measures the online word-of-mouth and mainstream media exposure of brands within the sports market. A combination of technology and human analysis is used to determine a brand’s awareness and perception. The Sports Blog Index uses the Buzz Manager tracking software to determine ratings for tens of thousands of sports blogs being tracked. Beyond blogs, Buzz Manager also monitors trends on other forms of Fan-generated media, including message boards, Facebook and other social media.

About Sports Media Challenge (www.sportsmediachallenge.com) Since 1988, Sports Media Challenge has helped more than 100 leading university athletic departments, professional leagues, teams and world-class sports personalities protect and enhance their brands through strategic communications, consulting and training. Some of the clients to use its PR and marketing tools include The Universities of Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, THE PGA TOUR, The NFL, MLB and NBA teams as well as NFL MVP Peyton Manning, and NBA great Shaquille O’Neal. Sports Media Challenge has become the industry leader in online word-of-mouth marketing and reputation management.

Copyright © 2008 Bench Racing Productions, LLC. · All rights reserved.
Content may not be duplicated, or redistributed without express written permission.

OnPitRow.com | Bench Racing | Fast Lap | About Us | Contact Us
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertise with us!