ESPN hired Dale Jarrett on a full-time basis this season to benefit from his experience in the sport. Two days after calling his first race at Indy, Jarrett made it very clear that he certainly had a lot to say on Tuesday's NASCAR Now.
"Total disaster," said Jarrett about the Indy race. Host Ryan Burr only had to mention the topic and Jarrett was off and running. The theme of his comments was that NASCAR fans deserve better racing that the COT was delivering on the track.
"We have to make some changes with this car," continued Jarrett. He is the first ESPN analyst to speak-out directly about changing the COT as soon as possible for the good of the sport. Jarrett aimed directly at the fact that regardless of the safety features, the COT had lowered the competition level on the track below what was acceptable.
"I'm not saying we have to get rid of it," said Jarrett about the new car. The benefit of having someone with Jarrett's stature in the sport is that he deals with top executives on these issues. Jarrett said he had personally called Mike Helton earlier on Tuesday to offer his own suggestions on what could be changed. Helton listened and then explained NASCAR's position. This is exactly the kind of direct communication and credibility that is going to vault Jarrett to the top of the NASCAR TV ranks.
Burr pinned him down on what specific things Jarrett wanted to change. Raising the splitter and letting the teams work more with the front end was his idea. In answering, Jarrett also confirmed that NASCAR is looking at a wider wheel for future events that would put down a bigger contact patch and lessen the sidewall problems.
Journalist Terry Blount came along next and he addressed the same issues. Blount tried to expand on Jarrett's comments by reminding fans that problems existed at other tracks this season with different surfaces than Indy. He also pointed out that for the first time NASCAR's Robin Pemberton said he may now be open to changing the body style of the car in the future.
Burr dropped a nice bombshell by announcing that Jimmie Johnson will be driving a Craftsman Truck at Bristol, TN later this season. It will be the Moss Motorsports entry that Johnson will pilot and Jarrett returned to suggest that perhaps Chevrolet "helped" Randy Moss make this arrangement.
Fan favorite DJ Copp was interviewed next by satellite and his comments were worthwhile. As an active crew member, Copp was interesting in explaining the how and why of the very long day for the teams. His point was that pitting every ten laps made the turn-a-round a lot shorter for the crews and that the tire dust was tough to take. Perhaps, some video of his day may have been helpful.
David Reutimann was interviewed from the MWR shops and he was candid in his comments about the COT as well. A bit more diplomatic than Jarrett, Reutimann felt this first year was going to continue to be tough for the COT down the stretch. There was really no reason given why Reutimann was on the show other than the fact he was going to race in ESPN2's upcoming Nationwide Series race in Montreal.
Tim Brewer rounded out the show with a preview of what would happen in Montreal if it rained. NASCAR has windshield wipers, rain tires and brake lights ready to go in order to keep the action going on the track. After what happened in Indy, watching big stock cars on treaded tires with cloudy windshields in the pouring rain on a road course would make this season even more memorable. If only it were for the right reasons.
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38 comments:
GO DJ! He has been somewhat outspoken before but not to this extent. I for one appreciate his candor and since he has everyone's respect (drivers, owners, media, etc) and the knowledge base he will be a hugh asset to ESPN, more than Rusty could ever hope to be.
I think Reut was on because he is driving the NAPA car in Montreal and I think they may be sponsoring the race (they did so last year but I'm not sure about this year)
I would like to use this forum to bring up a hypothetical situation. The tire issue at Indy brings up an issue at ESPN regarding having analysts that are car owners as well.
Mr. Jarrett was very candid with his comments. Would he have been as candid if he owned a car? Would he have said the car was the problem if he would have had to pay for the changes, or would he have used the media platform to demand changes by Goodyear, thus minimizing the cost to him?
Maybe he would have, I don't know. Ray Evernaham did say the car was the problem yesterday, but then again he isn't the primary owner anymore. It just makes me nervouse when so much money is on the line.
I still haven't formulated an opinion about this, however watching Mr. Jarrett holding NASCAR's toes to the fire made me think a bit about it.
Reut was way easier on the tires and COT car than Jarrett was, but last night on TWIN Michael Waltrip was saying what a great finish they had! Also, did ya'll hear that strange music when Tim Brewer was doing his segment.
I have been reading this site from the beginning but rarely post only because I usually agree with most of the posters. I caught NN late and missed DJ's comments, I will try to be up tonight to catch it, but I was so glad to hear from DJC and the effect the race had on the crew members, I appreciate his candor.
YES the music with Brewer's piece was strange and definatey too loud
It was very nice to hear DJCs comments :). I hadn't thought about the little to no rest time that the guys would get.
It'll definitely be interesting to see how they "fix" this mess with the tires for the future. Indy definitely isn't the place for "heat races" :(.
Glad to hear DJ speak out, I'll check it out on the Tivo when I get home. I also agree it's a problem for ESPN having car owners on these shows, they know which side of their bread is buttered.
Bevo
I think it's more than butter but peanut butter and Jelly!! :)
Missed tonights show...not sure I will catch the repeat with the timeslot roulette routine of ESPN. Glad to hear DJ spoke out what MANY OF US have been saying all along.
I have a feeling that if it were not for the driver's special secret agent 007 meeting a couple months back to "STOP BAD MOUTHING THE COT", that more drivers would've honed in on THAT FACT alone as opposed to 'many things came together, unusual circumstances.' yada, yada.
The fact remains yes, tires have been a problem at Indy but the COT has been a more consistent problem and gripe from any message boards I have lurked..including comment sections and jayski and elsewhere.
Thanks for telling us what I missed, JD, NN really needed a later timeslot but that's a wasted breath.
This blog is becoming the MUST CHECK first thing in the AM for me...even worse than it used to be, lol.
:)
i didn't see the show but i'm extremely happy to learn that dj spoke out so forcefully about the car and that he spoke directly to helton about it. this is the first of many steps but dj's credibility as a driver insures that he will be at least heard. i understand that cot is a "work in progress" but i'm weary of being told that the racing is great, that the car isn't the problem and even if it is, the driver safety is what the car is all about. time for folks who have actually driven and worked on this brick to start raising objections and offering remedies.
i agree with ritchie's post as well. one of the new wrinkles in race coverage is the heavy use of owners as commentators. these men certainly have an agenda of their own and it doesn't seem to me that it would include criticizing nascar to any major extent on air.
perhaps the broadcast partners need to start thinking about slowly moving away from this trend, rather than continuing on. i, for one, would much rather listen to crew chiefs and drivers than to owners all the time. we do need to hear the owner voice, to be sure, but we're missing the rest of the equation. it seems to have become unbalanced of late. that's one reason i enjoy nascar now: usually, there is a driver, an owner, and a reporter so we get a broader perspective.
as for djc (as we've come to think of him on this board!): what a diamond in the brake dust he is! i can only hope he'll be used more and more and will continue to bring yet another voice to the discussion: that of an over-the-wall guy!
My answer to Ritchie's question is no. I don't think Jarrett would have been as outspoken with his response if he owned a car. He has always been candid and diplomatic in his comments about NASCAR, it's just now he can go further in my opinion. That was the reason I think Reutimann was more diplomatic in his comments -- he still has a vested interest in getting through each race weekend as smoothly as possible (in two series no less). DJC's perspective was also a good thing to hear after the day the crews went through Sunday.
I think Newracefan has it right, it appears Reutimann was on because he mentioned his NW sponsor is NAPA this weekend instead of Aaron's, and NAPA is the sponsor of the NW race in Montreal.
One thing I did wonder about during the show is where does Jarrett do his satellites from?
I nearly applauded when DJ spoke his piece. And he was obviously well informed and had smart input on what changes might be made to the COT.
I also enjoyed DJ Copp's input. It was unusual to hear from a crew member in circumstances that should have featured them so prominently, and he spoke very informatively.
Tim Brewer's piece confused me. I was at the Glen when they put on the rain tires--but last I knew they had decided it didn't work and they didn't make any more (and that was maybe a year ago?). Has that changed? If there's an insider here who knows more I'd be curious. The reason it didn't work was that they couldn't defrost the inside windshield and couldn't see, and the electronics it would take to put one in there wouldn't be worth the trouble. IIRC, Greg Biffle answered that right on INC late last season. Be curious to know that they're making another try.
I think we are fortunate to have two DJs on NN. Well spoken and informative.
I have a rhetorical question. If the COT is a work in progress, how come no one can "work" on it to make it better? Let the teams experiment. DJ's idea about the splitter and talk of wider tires are first places to start. Maybe the right side weight, too.
As much as the fans complain about rule changes, these would be most welcome.
dot said:
"I have a rhetorical question. If the COT is a work in progress, how come no one can "work" on it to make it better? "
as i read it, when cot was first conceived of, the driving philosophy was two-fold: increase driver safety while reducing the cost involved in having a race team in nascar. we all agree that increasing driver safety is an on-going priority and that many of the cot improvements continued the progress.
where cot has stumbled badly is in the part of the cost-containment strategy that led to everyone having a VERY small box within which to play around. as a consequence, the natural correction that happens when crew chiefs and engineers are allowed to play was mandated out of the cot and everyone had to try & make a brick fly. nascar is determined to make this concept work and so they are sticking by their guns right now. i see this as a beta test: this season, everyone's discovering (painfully) just how out of whack this vehicle is and i suspect there will be changes in the off-season. the fact that the cot has been "delayed" in n'wide says that the cost-containment strategy isn't meeting the mark.
i'd certainly be interested in knowing what dj suggested to helton! and wouldn't it be interesting if nascar engineers spoke directly to team engineers and drivers and solicited their input into the next series of cot refinements?
yeah, that'll happen . . . when bricks drive like race cars.
Thank you Red. I was going to say in my original post that if teams hit on something, share it with everyone else. I'm not mechanically inclined so I won't make suggestions. These guys are paid to figure out what needs to be done without breaking the bank. How much could it cost to raise a splitter?
I'm among those hoping for rain this week at Montreal... I want to see them use those rain tires! And the forecast for Montreal shows rain right now, so they may well use them this week!
i'm from canada..have been a nascar fan since the late 60's early 70's..everyone in the sport knows the cot is a horrid race package..to the point that nascar powers told the drivers to hush..and as it keeps going..more and mroe bad happens with that spec car..if nascar had half a brain..they'd know they can combine all the safety features of the cot with a body package that more closely resembles each brand..and allow certain areas to be tinkered with by each crew...for one..it would make for happy racers mroe confident to push to the limit and truely race..and..the fan would more easily recognize the brand other than a couple decals on the front and rear..its a disgrace..
on to montreal...as i said..i am canadian..and i love that we have a race here..but..nascar picked the absolute wrong venue..in the absolute wrong area..if nascar wants to make big bucks in canada..they'll move it to central ontario...where you have a fan base for nascar thats literally ten tiems bigger than montreals...plus..you'll have a track ..Mosport ..that has ample run off areas and not a looming concrete wall 2 feet from you...road courses need runoff areas..circuit gilles villenueve is notorious for not having that...or..even better...something that appeal on a much much larger scale to the vastly larger american fan base..they'd take it to toronto(formerly Cayuga) speedway's short track...sort of canada's bristol..its a beautiful facility that would take very little to upgrade it to seat the required crowd size nascar wants..i consider this a semi-learned opinion as i have been canada's biggest nascar fan for almost 40 years :D
I am glad someone said it. It was completely obvious to me that NASCAR told everyone to keep their mouth shut on the subject and not to bad mouth Goodyear. Kind of like a "Gag order". There a personalities in NASCAR (Tony) that would have been all over this.
Ray Evernham (a car owner) hinted on Mondays NN that the cOT was a large part of the problem. DJ came right out and said it! With the unmitigated disaster at Indy I think finally even the media felt they could break out of the 'cole of silence' Nascar built around their new car. I was especially happy to hear the reference to the fact that MANY races this year have been stinkers. I think that the uproar from the fans had a lot to do with the unusual candor. Bravo!
I watched last night's show. Dale Jarrett is a breath of fresh air to this long time Nascar fan. He brings a level of objectivity and professionalism we don't often see. His recent driving experience with the COT allows him to make very subtle points about what is happening on the track that long-retired driver/commentators can't touch.Nascar's recent edict to not criticize them I'm sure has muffled cricism of what happened this last weekend. Some of the COT races this year have been complete disappointments with no passing,spread-out cars and a handful of lead-lap cars. I've been very frustrated with Nascar's stubborness to try to make changes to the COT. A workshop with drivers/crew chiefs/owners could come up with a shopping list of changes that wouldn't cost much. I'd love to see what the teams have spent the last two years renting tracks,wind tunnels,buying million dollar 7-posts, on and on for the COT which was to save money.I read here that most cars with more than superficial damage are scrapped rather than go back to Nascars R&D Center for recertification and new RFID stickers. Wider wheels, as Pemberton mentioned would be helpful in dealing with the extra right side loading. As usual,within minutes of Pemberton mentioning wider wheels, a Nascar writer discussing what he said referred to "wider tires" so mis-information is already out there. Raising the splitter an inch as Pemberton mentioned would definitely help the car which has only about 3" of travel. COTs and Craftsman trucks are virtually identical up to the 'A' Post. The Trucks handle completely different (without problems) because the Truck's splitter is way up off the ground allowing more travel. The COTs are just big,heavy Go Carts that go from 3 degrees of camber to 7 degrees of camber in three inches of travel.This has been the worst Nascar season that I can recall. I saw Indy car racing crumble because the techology to make one car two-thousandth of a second faster than the next one resulted in high-attrition,spread out parades. In Nascar, we now have quarter pound changes in air pressure and someones car can turn to junk if the sun comes out! Let me know if you want me to tell you how I really feel!
JD said..."This is exactly the kind of direct communication and credibility that is going to vault Jarrett to the top of the NASCAR TV ranks."
...should have written "has vaulted"
J.D. should be commended for his honest and upfront take on this boondoggle "COT". I'm afraid that the top brass at NASCAR aka CEOs are to far removed from the real world of racing that they will just snub his opinion. It seems anyone that stands up and speaks their mind on this mess will be relagated to the NASCAR hauler and given tounge lashing and leave with their tail tucked between their legs.
Perhaps Kenny Wallace and Jimmy Spencer will use this as a lesson in how a real driver/broadcaster can stand up speak the truth and not worry about his job.
J.D. will show the racing world what class is about and how you can make a difference. This man has the respect and knowledge to hopefully raise some eyebrows at the top and maybe with there infinitate wisdom take his advice.
DP thanks for this blog speaking of respect and knowledge your on top of the game.
I did a little research & answered my own question (I think.) They have grooved tires--not exactly rain tires--for Nationwide series only, not for Cup. Apparently their concern has been the schedule in Mexico & Montreal being tight and they can't afford a 'rain out.' But I don't know if they ever solved the defroster issue--like JD said, that could be quite interesting! BTW, Rob from Canada--I've never seen Mosport or Cayuga in person, but I could never get why they went to Montreal instead of Toronto (unless they felt Montreal needed more 'growth'.) It has always seemed like TV gave a lot more coverage to Mexico, maybe now Canada will get some more attention (especially after last year's race...)
And something new that occurred to me--I hope Dale Jarrett doesn't get an earful from NASCAR for giving his opinion...but it wouldn't surprise me. We'll never know, but we'll see if he's able to be so outspoken in the future.
Thank you Dale Jarrett.
NASCAR can fool some of the fans all the time and all of the fans none of the time.
more mis-information out there on the 'net than can be believed about the tire test in april. seems some commentators, reporters, "journalists" type folks seem unaware of the fact that at least one of the three drivers at that test said that the tires at the test were wearing out in 5-7 laps, that nascar and goodyear knew there was aproblem but that they thought it would "be better" when it came time to race. the driver also said that goodyear DID have a tire that he tested that wore much better but that goodyear decided not to bring it to indy.
my point is that nascar and goodyear had at least 3 months notice that the tire compound that they tested and ultimately brought to indy would not hold up. they also knew that they had a tire that would survive indy gas runs and they opted to not bring that tire.
pemberton can apologize and say they'll investigate and it'll never happen again but he knew (or should have known) that it didn't have to happen in the first place, that they had advance notice of a problem. and if three months isn't enough time to get a better tire constructed, he had to know that he had an alternative tire that would have at least held up for a full gas run.
sometimes, what is not reported is more interesting than what does get headlined.
Just a few comments. I too am glad DJ spoke out on the changes that should be made to the COT and I'm glad to see he talked to NASCAR about it.
That said, here's some things to think about. Having followed NASCAR since 1961, I know that they have never been prone to make significant changes in mid-season, other than an occassional restrictor plate change. I don't see that changing. In fairness, they needed one complete cycle of the tracks to really evaluate how the cars (and teams) were going to be able to perform. Now that they have been everywhere except the Glen, Kansas, and Homestead, I believe both NASCAR and the teams have a pretty good baseline from which to work.
Here is what I believe will happen. In the second half, the cars, tires, and competition will be improved over the first half of the season. I also believe that sometime around late September or early October, NASCAR will announce some changes (including a little more leniency for adjustments) for the cars.
One last comment. As to the dialog on brand identity, I would suspect if you took last years cars, painted one of each brand with primer (no decals or logos), and put all four on the race track at the same time, fewer than 10% of the fans would be able to identify one from the other from the stands. Just my humble opinion.
Speedangel asked:One thing I did wonder about during the show is where does Jarrett do his satellites from?
DJ has his office and a small museum just outside Hickory, NC, at the intersection of Fairgrove Church Road and US Highway 70, just to the east of the Hickory Motor Speedway. A great little showplace for DJ and worth time to see if you're in the area.
I think DJ was able to be honest and outspoken only because he is more independent of NA$CAR than most commentators. I'm sure NA$CAR wants the commentators to be current drivers,owners or NA$CAR employees (one way or another) because they can control them. They can and do get the company line from all who are dependent on them.
We need to understand that this is no longer the COT it is the Car of Now or CON. It replaces the old car which is now the Car of Yesterday or COY. It may be just a bit COY but it is hard to swallow the CON that we have been getting from NASCAR. Any racecar that must be run with the springs collapsed is in serious need of help. MAKE the teams run 'em on the springs and tire wear could then be managed. Additionally 3 cars for a limited number of laps last April does not constitute a tire test. The CON job just keeps getting bigger.
Thanks Tom.
I figured that DJ has a museum or something like that, but I wasn't sure.
Agree with most of the comments made, especially regarding DJ.
I am wondering why none of the after-race shows did not have these comments by Chad Knaus (below). Seems many are blaming NASCAR (who deserves most of the blame)for lack of testing, but these comments definitely clear up the "Why didn't they run a full test at INDY" questions. Plus it appears all parties thought the track would "rubber" up like it had in the past (even DJC expessed surprise on NN).
The comments from Chad are from Bob Margolis' "Observations" column.
Race winning crew chief Chad Knaus said after the race the reason why crew chiefs didn't put Indy on the short list for testing is that it didn't make sense to use up one of the few dates available for testing at a track that didn't have any crossover potential for the data that was gathered.
"For instance," Knaus said, "if you want to go to Richmond, you can use it at Phoenix, Phoenix you can use at Loudon; Lowe's Motor Speedway, go to Texas and Las Vegas. Those are the types of things you want to do."
Knaus also discounted the value of testing at Indy.
"When you come here and test, you have the same problem every year," Knaus said. "About five laps, run the tires, you're done."
I'm glad DJ stepped up and told it like it is. The race WAS a TOTAL disaster. I'd like to hear what he told Helton too. I'm sure Helton/Nascar will totally ignore him. Nascar does NOT like to be told anything.
I am still annoyed at Nascar's response to the situation. Here's a direct quote from Robin Pemberton's video teleconference on Tuesday.
"I can't say enough how sorry we are," Pemberton, the circuit's vice president for competition, said in a conference call with reporters. "It's our responsibility being NASCAR that we don't go through this situation again. We've already gotten after it and we're moving forward with a plan to get ahead of the situation so we don't go through this again. Once again, I think it deserves to be said that the race didn't come off like we had hoped, the fans didn't get what exactly they wanted. We'll do everything in our power so it won't happen again, I can tell you that much."
All Mr. Pemberton and Nascar said is that they are SORRY. No where did they actually apologize to the fans. Their arrogance is unbelievable! If I was a fan who actually went to the race and spent my hard earned dollars on that glorified tire test I would be livid.
It's time Nascar realized that the COT is a pig. Always has been, always will be. Yes, it's safer, but they could have made the old care safer. As a long time fan since the 60's I am fast losing interest in this "spec" racing Nascar has come up with in the name of leveling the playing field. What happened to innovation? What Nascar is trying to pass off as good racing now makes me want to puke.
I felt bad for the drivers. I know that the race was not fun for them. And they were the ones apologizing to the fans after the race for Nascar and Goodyear's ineptitude! Unbelievable.
Nascar should just admit that it was a disaster and give all the ticket holders the same tickets for next years race for free. If any of them will even want to spend the time and money to go to next years race.
We had a term when I was in the military for the COT. It's called FUBAR.
Robin Pemberton and Brett Bodine each have well over 20 years experience in NASCAR and I've always been willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.RP and Brett know and were involved in all the tweaks and quirks that ended up in the old car, and all the games that could be played. Rightly or wrongly I've always presumed that NASCAR did not want to "open" up the COT to changes too soon because they feared then they would be nickled and dimed to death by the teams - 43+ sets of ideas and requests for changes. I believe it was 43 crew chiefs who designed the camel when trying to develop a better horse. I've always figured NASCAR wanted the garage to work with the COT in the initial box to see how far they could take it before opening up the box for changes - which I recognize might be just my wishful thinking. Having been a NASCAR fan since the 1960's and having heard cries of doom many times over the years, I'm willing to be somewhat more patient in seeing changes worked through.
I've respected Dale Jarrett before and now, I just flat out admire him.
He is going to make an extraordinary TV figure for ESPN/ABC.
Bret Bodine helped develop this pig, that is the problem. Bret is relagated to the pace car! He won (1) Cup Race!
I believe Bret is at NASCAR R&D. My point is that Bret and Robin have a great deal of experience on the competition side and lived through all the "tricks" of the old car. They know how the garage works and what to expect of the teams. Bret not only was a mid-pack driver for years, but he bought Jr. Johnson's team when Jr. retired. As I recall, Bret went with NASCAR after lack of financial support forced him to close his team. As far as trying to hold costs down, Bret's been there, done that.
Jarret is 100% dead on. The problem with the tires is the car they are bolted on to. The COT is so top heavy that adjusting ti is almost impossible. You either get lucky and nail it, or go to the back and test (remember Jeff Gordon at Texas?)
They need to keep the COT because it is a LOT safer (again Gorndon and McDowell proved that). But, they MUST fix this car so that the competition level increases or I'm going to stop watching.
Evernham on NN and Biffle on TWIN gave very valid POVs when it came to Sunday's race ...
It was a combination of the COT (& it's weight being evenly spread across all 4 wheels vs making the left heavier than the right when standing still) and the tires and the levigated track ...
For those that think that Nascar & IMS should refund the ticket money / give free tickets ... Did Humpy & Bruton do that after the Coke 600 which had 22 cautions over 600 miles (vs Brickyard's 11 cautions over 400 miles) or any of the 2005 races at Charlotte which accounted for 72 cautions over 5 races all because of tire issues caused by the partially & fully levigatged track??
I don't consider the 2008 Allstate 400 at The Brickyard to be a "total disaster" ... It was a thinking man's race ... Knowing how hard & when to push your car right up to the point before the tires had a problem ... Jr & Mark & Carl felt the tire going and made it to pit road ... JPM & Matt didn't (even though Matt "knew" he should've pitted, but didn't) ...
Nobody promised the tires would last 1 lap let alone 12 or 40 ... This is racing and there are NO guarantees other than someone will win the race & many will go home unhappy &/or losers ... I think the fact that there was only 1 car out of the race & only 6 had any real damage & 36 cars were on the lead lap at the end is a pretty good stat ... Plus, quite a few teams cut away at Kyle's points lead ...
From the article:
"Tim Brewer rounded out the show with a preview of what would happen in Montreal if it rained. NASCAR has windshield wipers, rain tires and brake lights ready to go in order to keep the action going on the track. After what happened in Indy, watching big stock cars on treaded tires with cloudy windshields in the pouring rain on a road course would make this season even more memorable. If only it were for the right reasons."
Now not to split hairs here, but I think you mean they will be using a running light that will be on the cars in the case of inclement weather.
I imagine it'd be worse than driving in New York City if the cars had brake lights.
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