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1. JTG-Daugherty Forms Alliance With Richard Childress Racing; Will They Become the Furniture Row Racing of 2014?
A piece of team backing news came out during the week. JTG Daugherty Racing and Richard Childress Racing announced that they would form a technical alliance. If you are new to the sport, I will summarize what this means. Basically, JTG Daugherty will switch to Chevrolet and run RCR parts, have RCR crew members, and be able to exchange information between each team that they each might not be able to find on their own. This is usually the way to go for small teams like JTG-Daugherty and sometimes it leads to great things. This leads me into my question for the topic. Will this team become the Furniture Row Racing of 2014? If you recall, FRR made the Chase in 2013 for the first time with driver, Kurt Busch. The team had a technical backing from RCR that helped them with parts and support. I personally believe that JTG-Daugherty Racing will end up in the same situation as FRR at the end of 2014 with their team in the Chase. The main reason is the new equipment coupled with their new driver. The team signed A.J. Allmendinger, a former driver for Penske Racing, to drive the car in 2014. Allmendinger has been in the shadows a little bit the past couple of years because he was suspended indefinitely in 2012 for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, but he finished the road to recovery program and is now in good shape to drive a race car. I think Allmendinger, even with the checkered past, was the best fit for the team. I mean, he can drive the fool out of a race car. Some forget he almost won at Martinsville in 2012 and he had a great run at Watkins Glen earlier this year with the same team. With this great equipment from RCR, this team could very well be a threat week in and week out with Allmendinger driving as well as he has lately. I have no doubts about that and remember this when Chase time comes up in 2014.
2. NASCAR Adopts New Sponsorship Rules After NRA Sponsored Texas Race in 2013; Is It Fair?
A bit of race sponsorship news came out during the week. NASCAR announced that they would have new guidelines for race sponsorships that include the race track needing approval from NASCAR to use the sponsor. All this came about from the National Rifle Association sponsoring the Texas race in April. Fox could not get as much advertisement for the race due to the controversy around guns and NASCAR received a lot of hate and redneck stereotyping from the sponsorship. Now, the sport can not have a race sponsor that would evoke controversy or crisis. To me, it is crap, but I think NASCAR has handled this situation well. I mean, I think guns are the greatest thing in our country. We don't call 911 at my house; we use our second amendment rights. But there was a lot of stuff that NASCAR had to deal with due to this very controversial sponsorship. People were stereotyping the sport, sending hate mail to NASCAR for supporting killers, which isn't true, and people weren't that interested in being a part of the race. It just makes me so angry how thick skulled people are sometimes and they don't even see the truth. Guns don't kill people; people kill people. Nonetheless, as much as it irks me, I think NASCAR handled this situation the best they could.
3. NASCAR Buys Iowa Speedway; When Will Cup Make the Trip to the Speedway?
A piece of track ownership news came out during the week. NASCAR announced that it had bought Iowa Speedway. The Speedway has been a staple race for the Truck and Nationwide Series over the past few years, but it has never hosted a Cup Series race. The track was actually part owned by Rusty Wallace, but NASCAR bought it to build up some funds for the track and boost the chances for a new race. This leads me into my question. When will the Speedway invite Cup to have a race at the track? I personally think it won't be long for a race at the track. The main reason is just how the track sells out. It is a bit like Kentucky Speedway. The fans sold those smaller races at the track out and got a Cup race three years ago now. Iowa has been selling the track out for Truck and Nationwide races the past couple of years and it seems like they would be interested in a Cup race and I think NASCAR could sell it out. But I still feel there are a few tracks I would rather have than Iowa like a race for Road America, a second race for Darlington, and a great mixture of other events in the Chase. I mean, I wouldn't be opposed to a race at Iowa, but I would just like NASCAR to consider getting another race at other mainstay tracks in the series before branching out again.
4. Juan Pablo Montoya Possibly Running Future Races in Cup; Is That Smart?
A little bit of interesting news came out during the week. It was announced that Juan Pablo Montoya would possibly run some future Cup races. If you recall, Montoya is leaving NASCAR after being a mainstay since 2006 and he is heading to Roger Penske's IndyCar team full time in 2014. So if the opportunity came up for Montoya to run a Cup race on an off weekend, it sounds like Penske would have a ride waiting for him to race. It is really not smart. The main reason for this is just the fact he should be more worried about IndyCar. I mean, he had some success in NASCAR, don't get me wrong. But is it worth sending him back to just win an oval race? No, it isn't. But, if he has that desire and drive to go back and race in NASCAR, I can't fault him. Racing is something that every driver should want to do at any time. Just look at Tony Stewart. He wants to race every single day and I can't fault him for that. Another thing to mention about this subject is Montoya's new experience on ovals. I mean, he probably has more experience on ovals than anybody in IndyCar. The coin can be flipped to either side, in my opinion. Basically what I'm saying is if he finds success in IndyCar and wants to come back to NASCAR for a few select races, let him. But if he is struggling with what he should be focused on in IndyCar, don't let him jump to another series. It is just as simple as that.
5. How Will Tony Stewart Perform In His Return Next Year?
I wanted to hold off on this topic until maybe a week before Daytona, but I can't wait. As you all know, Tony Stewart broke his leg in a sprint car crash a couple of months before the 2013 season ended and he missed the entire rest of the season. He also announced recently that he would return in time to start the 2014 season. The question that has floated across my mind about that is how will he perform in 2014 in his return? I believe he will have a great and typical Tony Stewart season next year. Now, some will probably think he will struggle because they will compare his situation to Denny Hamlin's situation this year. Listen, Tony Stewart is not Denny Hamlin. No offense to Denny because he is a great driver himself. But Tony Stewart is one of the best drivers of our generation. He runs his mouth a good bit and I love to hear it, but most of all he backs it up. It isn't round about speculation and guesses of how he can do. If Tony Stewart feels like he has recovered and he can win some races in 2014, he is going to do it. No questions asked. He isn't going to struggle because of the pain or make excuses to why something happened. Still, he might struggle a bit because of luck, but he certainly won't be struggling because of his leg.
Well, that brings week number 2 of the off season to a complete close. I hope you guys enjoyed reading through my thoughts and if you guys have any differing opinions on the issues I mentioned, let me know in the comments below. I will continue to write for you guys as the off season progresses. I am currently working on a 2013 NASCAR season recap and a few Flashback Fridays for the next few weeks. In case you guys don't remember what that is, check out some of my past versions of that. That is all I have for today and until we meet again.
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