E
Eagle1
Guest
By Patty Kay
March 19, 2004
About three weeks ago, this forum aired a column about "field fillers" in which this writer discussed the current situation in Cup racing along with the fact that there have always been, and probably will always be teams in the starting field that are not as well endowed as those that capture the TV cameras on a regular basis. If you missed it or wanted to refresh your memory, that column can be accessed here: (Short Fields ~ Short Funding)
More recently, I read a column written by Andy Belmont, one of the "culprits" in today's field-filling attempts. (Field Filler Reporting For Duty)
In his column, Andy came down quite hard on the "media" for not understanding how hard some of the drivers and teams work just to get a second rate car full of used parts to qualify for a race. It's not my intent to question motives or intent here; only to state that taking home a $60K plus check and taking the old boat to the garage after a mere handful of laps is a decent day's pay in the book of most folks. In one case, a car was black-flagged on the first lap for not having a pit crew at the track.
I've taken the liberty of compiling a bit of Cup history on several of the drivers in question, so that you, my gentle readers, can be better acquainted with their struggles and perhaps even their motivation.
Andy Belmont
Since we've already spoken a bit about Andy Belmont, we'll start with him. Andy is 46 years of age, hails from Penndel Pennsylvania and has a wife, Jennifer, and five children. He comes to us from the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where he has finished in the top10 in points for the last three years, but in 72 starts has never won a race there. He was the 1987 NASCAR Goody's Dash Series Rookie of the year and has three wins in that series. Over the years, from 1989 to the present, he has made eleven starts in Cup level races, with a best finish of 28th in 1992. Please note that between 1992 and 2004, he ran no races in Nextel Cup.
Andy Hillenburg
Next, we come to Andy Hillenburg or "The Other Andy" as he's sometimes referred to in the open wheel ranks. (There is a driver with the identical name, who comes from Oklahoma and it tends to be quite confusing at times) Andy is 40 years of age, comes from the wonderful city of Indianapolis, Indiana, has a wife, Michelle and three children. He has a diverse racing background, including stints in ARCA, the NASCAR Busch Series, USAC Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crown cars and the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. In his spare time, he is a test driver for the International Race of Champions and is president of Fast Track High Performance Driving School in Charlotte, N.C. His brief forays into Cup racing show 13 races with a best finish of 22nd at Talladega in 1998.
Carl Long
Next on the list is Carl Long, who became everyone's Darling as his car rolled nose over tail a few times at Rockingham. Carl is 36 years old and lives in Mooresville, NC. If he's married, he's keeping it a secret. Carl started racing at South Boston and Orange County Speedway in 1983. Over the years, he's participated in several racing series including the Winston Touring Series, NASCAR's Slim Jim All Pro Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA, USAR Pro Cup and NASCAR Busch Series. In all he has 48 wins to his credit. He's run in only 9 Cup races to date, with a best finish of 29th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2001.
Joe Ruttman
Moving right along, we come to Joe Ruttman. Joe will turn 60 years old in October of this year, lives in Franklin TN, has a wife, Peggy and three children. He ran his first Cup race in 1963 and has participated in every decade until the present day. Joe has also raced in ARCA, the NASCAR Busch Series, USAC and the Craftsman Truck Series. He's run 222 races at the Cup level without a win, but can claim 19 top-5, 61 top-10 and 140 top-20 finishes.
Kirk Shelmerdine
Kirk probably needs no introduction to anyone in the racing world, having been crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt through four of his seven Championships. Kirk is 46 years old and comes from Winston-Salem NC. Since leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of 1992, he's spent time racing in the ARCA series with some degree of success. He's only managed to qualify for seven races at the Cup level, with a best finish of 26th at Talladega in 1994.
Morgan Shepherd
Last on today's list is Morgan Shepherd. Morgan is 62 years young and lives in Ferguson, NC. He's married to Cindy and has six children. He entered his first Cup race at Hickory Speedway in 1970. His overall stats in Cup racing read 489 starts, with four wins, 63 top-5, 168 top-10 and 308 top-20 finishes. In 1990, Morgan finished a career high fifth in the point race, driving for Bud Moore.
Well, there you have the rundown; six drivers at varying places in their careers, where they came from and a bit of what they've done along the way. Perhaps it's not fair to refer to them as "field fillers" but it's a term that's been used as long as I can remember.
This member of the "media" recognizes that for monetary reasons, there are no better-qualified teams attempting to qualify right now, and it certainly is their right, if they can field a proper car, to attempt to qualify for any race. Still, one has to wonder (Or maybe not) why NASCAR does not institute a more stringent policy on minimum speeds, both in qualifying and in the race.
Cars that are twelve to fourteen miles per hour slower than the pole sitter are NOT competitive, despite the effort that it may entail to get that car into the race, and could indeed, be a deterrent to safety. Once again, cars that are brought to a race with the obvious intent (since it happens repeatedly) of running only handful of laps before hurrying off to cash the check, are merely a joke, but no one's laughing.
Andy Belmont made a very good case for himself, explaining how much it costs to bring a car and a team to the racetrack, and underlining his desire to be a part of the race. The financial part is understood by every race fan over the age of 12. It costs big bucks to go racing in the big leagues. This writer well understands the desire that compels men to race well past their prime and even well out of their league. It's something that you can't take out of a racer, that desire to be in the race.
It seems then, that Andy and I are in perfect agreement on almost every point, yet I have one nagging little question to ask him. Where were you and where was your burning desire to be a part of the race for the twelve years between 1992 and now? Isn't it just possible that the flames of your desire have been fanned by the fact that there are short fields at present, and by the opportunity to take home a rather nice living for a short day's work?
As stated in my previous article, I have no real problem with legitimate backmarkers in a race. Certainly, there can only be one winner and everyone else will fall into line somewhere behind him. Some of the drivers that I admire most have been backmarkers and you might even find one or two of them on the list. What I don't admire one tiny bit is deceit or dishonesty. If one comes to race, then race he should, and that means as many laps as the car will turn, not just the first eight or ten.
That's quite enough for today and for this topic. Maybe the next time, we'll examine why today's fields are short to begin with. Until then, be well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~Patty Kay
You can contact Patty Kay at.. Insider Racing News
March 19, 2004
About three weeks ago, this forum aired a column about "field fillers" in which this writer discussed the current situation in Cup racing along with the fact that there have always been, and probably will always be teams in the starting field that are not as well endowed as those that capture the TV cameras on a regular basis. If you missed it or wanted to refresh your memory, that column can be accessed here: (Short Fields ~ Short Funding)
More recently, I read a column written by Andy Belmont, one of the "culprits" in today's field-filling attempts. (Field Filler Reporting For Duty)
In his column, Andy came down quite hard on the "media" for not understanding how hard some of the drivers and teams work just to get a second rate car full of used parts to qualify for a race. It's not my intent to question motives or intent here; only to state that taking home a $60K plus check and taking the old boat to the garage after a mere handful of laps is a decent day's pay in the book of most folks. In one case, a car was black-flagged on the first lap for not having a pit crew at the track.
I've taken the liberty of compiling a bit of Cup history on several of the drivers in question, so that you, my gentle readers, can be better acquainted with their struggles and perhaps even their motivation.
Andy Belmont
Since we've already spoken a bit about Andy Belmont, we'll start with him. Andy is 46 years of age, hails from Penndel Pennsylvania and has a wife, Jennifer, and five children. He comes to us from the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where he has finished in the top10 in points for the last three years, but in 72 starts has never won a race there. He was the 1987 NASCAR Goody's Dash Series Rookie of the year and has three wins in that series. Over the years, from 1989 to the present, he has made eleven starts in Cup level races, with a best finish of 28th in 1992. Please note that between 1992 and 2004, he ran no races in Nextel Cup.
Andy Hillenburg
Next, we come to Andy Hillenburg or "The Other Andy" as he's sometimes referred to in the open wheel ranks. (There is a driver with the identical name, who comes from Oklahoma and it tends to be quite confusing at times) Andy is 40 years of age, comes from the wonderful city of Indianapolis, Indiana, has a wife, Michelle and three children. He has a diverse racing background, including stints in ARCA, the NASCAR Busch Series, USAC Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crown cars and the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. In his spare time, he is a test driver for the International Race of Champions and is president of Fast Track High Performance Driving School in Charlotte, N.C. His brief forays into Cup racing show 13 races with a best finish of 22nd at Talladega in 1998.
Carl Long
Next on the list is Carl Long, who became everyone's Darling as his car rolled nose over tail a few times at Rockingham. Carl is 36 years old and lives in Mooresville, NC. If he's married, he's keeping it a secret. Carl started racing at South Boston and Orange County Speedway in 1983. Over the years, he's participated in several racing series including the Winston Touring Series, NASCAR's Slim Jim All Pro Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA, USAR Pro Cup and NASCAR Busch Series. In all he has 48 wins to his credit. He's run in only 9 Cup races to date, with a best finish of 29th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2001.
Joe Ruttman
Moving right along, we come to Joe Ruttman. Joe will turn 60 years old in October of this year, lives in Franklin TN, has a wife, Peggy and three children. He ran his first Cup race in 1963 and has participated in every decade until the present day. Joe has also raced in ARCA, the NASCAR Busch Series, USAC and the Craftsman Truck Series. He's run 222 races at the Cup level without a win, but can claim 19 top-5, 61 top-10 and 140 top-20 finishes.
Kirk Shelmerdine
Kirk probably needs no introduction to anyone in the racing world, having been crew chief for the late Dale Earnhardt through four of his seven Championships. Kirk is 46 years old and comes from Winston-Salem NC. Since leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of 1992, he's spent time racing in the ARCA series with some degree of success. He's only managed to qualify for seven races at the Cup level, with a best finish of 26th at Talladega in 1994.
Morgan Shepherd
Last on today's list is Morgan Shepherd. Morgan is 62 years young and lives in Ferguson, NC. He's married to Cindy and has six children. He entered his first Cup race at Hickory Speedway in 1970. His overall stats in Cup racing read 489 starts, with four wins, 63 top-5, 168 top-10 and 308 top-20 finishes. In 1990, Morgan finished a career high fifth in the point race, driving for Bud Moore.
Well, there you have the rundown; six drivers at varying places in their careers, where they came from and a bit of what they've done along the way. Perhaps it's not fair to refer to them as "field fillers" but it's a term that's been used as long as I can remember.
This member of the "media" recognizes that for monetary reasons, there are no better-qualified teams attempting to qualify right now, and it certainly is their right, if they can field a proper car, to attempt to qualify for any race. Still, one has to wonder (Or maybe not) why NASCAR does not institute a more stringent policy on minimum speeds, both in qualifying and in the race.
Cars that are twelve to fourteen miles per hour slower than the pole sitter are NOT competitive, despite the effort that it may entail to get that car into the race, and could indeed, be a deterrent to safety. Once again, cars that are brought to a race with the obvious intent (since it happens repeatedly) of running only handful of laps before hurrying off to cash the check, are merely a joke, but no one's laughing.
Andy Belmont made a very good case for himself, explaining how much it costs to bring a car and a team to the racetrack, and underlining his desire to be a part of the race. The financial part is understood by every race fan over the age of 12. It costs big bucks to go racing in the big leagues. This writer well understands the desire that compels men to race well past their prime and even well out of their league. It's something that you can't take out of a racer, that desire to be in the race.
It seems then, that Andy and I are in perfect agreement on almost every point, yet I have one nagging little question to ask him. Where were you and where was your burning desire to be a part of the race for the twelve years between 1992 and now? Isn't it just possible that the flames of your desire have been fanned by the fact that there are short fields at present, and by the opportunity to take home a rather nice living for a short day's work?
As stated in my previous article, I have no real problem with legitimate backmarkers in a race. Certainly, there can only be one winner and everyone else will fall into line somewhere behind him. Some of the drivers that I admire most have been backmarkers and you might even find one or two of them on the list. What I don't admire one tiny bit is deceit or dishonesty. If one comes to race, then race he should, and that means as many laps as the car will turn, not just the first eight or ten.
That's quite enough for today and for this topic. Maybe the next time, we'll examine why today's fields are short to begin with. Until then, be well gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~Patty Kay
You can contact Patty Kay at.. Insider Racing News
