2022 Silly Season

gnomesayin said:
More like a fait accompli.
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Does nobody understand that Matt had a 2022 option written into his contract, which prevented him from networking with other teams about a 2022 ride? That coupled with news on Brad’s departure and Cindric taking the #2 had Matt on cloud 9 about his 2022 situation, then had that rug pulled out from beneath him when WBR announced they were going with Harrison Burton. He has every right to be emotional.

Matt has nearly the exact same stats as any of the best drivers to climb into a WBR car in decades, but yes let’s all say that it’s his talent that let him go.

Nobody pay attention to the sponsor behind the curtain that is Dex Imaging who is tied to Roger Penske and a young driver with a father who has contact with every person in the garage.
 
Mreh, all this talk of the new car giving all teams a chance is crap. We all know, whether we admit it or not, that putting everyone in a tiny box with "equal" cars just makes those with money even more powerful as they'll be the ones who find those little edges here and there. With "more equal" cars, even small edges will be huge. My bold prediction is the big money powerhouses will become EVEN MORE dominant.

So, to apply this post to the thread, will Keselowski help usher in the engineering changes, etc. that are needed to achieve that jump up to the big boys?
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Does nobody understand that Matt had a 2022 option written into his contract, which prevented him from networking with other teams about a 2022 ride? That coupled with news on Brad’s departure and Cindric taking the #2 had Matt on cloud 9 about his 2022 situation, then had that rug pulled out from beneath him when WBR announced they were going with Harrison Burton. He has every right to be emotional.

Matt has nearly the exact same stats as any of the best drivers to climb into a WBR car in decades, but yes let’s all say that it’s his talent that let him go.

Nobody pay attention to the sponsor behind the curtain that is Dex Imaging who is tied to Roger Penske and a young driver with a father who has contact with every person in the garage.
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I wonder if it would have been any different if Matt was replaced by a proven veteran or someone with an actual resume. Putting a rookie in it is the only problem I have with all this. (And I was a Jeff Burton and thus Harrison fan.)
 
Dr_B_UNC said:
Mreh, all this talk of the new car giving all teams a chance is crap. We all know, whether we admit it or not, that putting everyone in a tiny box with "equal" cars just makes those with money even more powerful as they'll be the ones who find those little edges here and there. With "more equal" cars, even small edges will be huge. My bold prediction is the big money powerhouses will become EVEN MORE dominant.

So, to apply this post to the thread, will Keselowski help usher in the engineering changes, etc. that are needed to achieve that jump up to the big boys?
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I agree that the boys with the dollars almost always rise to the top. Maybe I am giving Brad too much credit but it seems to me he has the business acumen to turn things around at Roush.
 
Dr_B_UNC said:
I wonder if it would have been any different if Matt was replaced by a proven veteran or someone with an actual resume. Putting a rookie in it is the only problem I have with all this. (And I was a Jeff Burton and thus Harrison fan.)
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That, and if Matt was given the chance to talk to other teams about his future and had a ride solidified for 2022 already, if his “woe is me” naysayers would react the same way.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
That, and if Matt was given the chance to talk to other teams about his future and had a ride solidified for 2022 already, if his “woe is me” naysayers would react the same way.
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Still, though... Those contract clauses are worth the paper they're written on. If you're smart, you ALWAYS have an agent talking to prospective rides behind the scenes. Let's not be naive. I think a lot of it is that the Woods frankly didn't like Matt.
 
cheesepuffs said:
Jeff Gordon has clout sitting in a McDonald's drive-thru line. It doesn't disappear when the Fox cameras go live.
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I don't agree. He isn't Dale Sr., and Sr. reminded him of that frequently.
 
StandOnIt said:
Have you found anybody else that agrees with your assessment of Jeff Gordon's announcing yet?
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I think for myself. I don't need "likes." He has a lot of fans. I am not surprised. Clint is a joke, but Jeff is painful. Just horrid. I am glad he took his rightful spot as Hendrick's personal assistant. It's where he belongs, and I don't have to listen to his at best amateur analysis or at worst, his biased BS.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Does nobody understand that Matt had a 2022 option written into his contract, which prevented him from networking with other teams about a 2022 ride? That coupled with news on Brad’s departure and Cindric taking the #2 had Matt on cloud 9 about his 2022 situation, then had that rug pulled out from beneath him when WBR announced they were going with Harrison Burton. He has every right to be emotional.
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Interesting, I haven't heard that being reported. Did Penske or the Woods give him reason to believe he would remain in that car next year, or did he jump to that conclusion himself?

Revman said:
I think for myself. I don't need "likes." He has a lot of fans. I am not surprised. Clint is a joke, but Jeff is painful. Just horrid. I am glad he took his rightful spot as Hendrick's personal assistant. It's where he belongs, and I don't have to listen to his at best amateur analysis or at worst, his biased BS.
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Do you truly believe Jeff Burton is a better commentator than Jeff Gordon?
 
DIDIT said:
I agree that the boys with the dollars almost always rise to the top. Maybe I am giving Brad too much credit but it seems to me he has the business acumen to turn things around at Roush.
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I pray that he does. I would feel so bad for him, his family and everyone at Roush if he fails.
 
Dr_B_UNC said:
I think a lot of it is that the Woods frankly didn't like Matt.
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Maybe, I tend more towards that they didn’t like Matt’s lack of money. Everywhere that I’ve seen other drivers or teammembers talk about him, it’s that he is the kind of guy that everyone wants in the shop because does the job of making the entire shop better. He doesn’t just drive the car and go home on Monday.
 
2 Sweet said:
Interesting, I haven't heard that being reported. Did Penske or the Woods give him reason to believe he would remain in that car next year, or did he jump to that conclusion himself?



Do you truly believe Jeff Burton is a better commentator than Jeff Gordon?
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So, I wonder about that. Why would Penske tell Matt that he was gone, and then hold him to an option to prevent him from actively seeking a way out? Matt has been quoted about this option, and when I heard him mention something like that he was far from definitive in his understanding of his own contract. I seriously doubt the validity of that. It wouldn't make sense.

Yes, Burton is better. That is how bad Gordon is. He looked very uncomfortable in the booth to me....and when Clint invited him to a journey into Clintland, it was over. He was a below average analyst, and a horrid yuk yuk guy like Clint. That booth was a circus, and Gordon was the high wire act that failed. Terrible.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
Maybe, I tend more towards that they didn’t like Matt’s lack of money. Everywhere that I’ve seen other drivers or teammembers talk about him, it’s that he is the kind of guy that everyone wants in the shop because does the job of making the entire shop better. He doesn’t just drive the car and go home on Monday.
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How the hell did he make that shop better? He has been freaking quoted as saying the team was a mess until recently. New hashtag...#MattyDEffect
 
Revman said:
So, I wonder about that. Why would Penske tell Matt that he was gone, and then hold him to an option to prevent him from actively seeking a way out? Matt has been quoted about this option, and when I heard him mention something like that he was far from definitive in his understanding of his own contract. I seriously doubt the validity of that. It wouldn't make sense.

Yes, Burton is better. That is how bad Gordon is. He looked very uncomfortable in the booth to me....and when Clint invited him to a journey into Clintland, it was over. He was a below average analyst, and a horrid yuk yuk guy like Clint. That booth was a circus, and Gordon was the high wire act that failed. Terrible.
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yeah I smell B.S.. It was publically announced and I quoted recently straight out of Penske's mouth that Penske told Matt from the start that he was temporary.. Penske Told him he was there to build his worth as a driver. Matt did that. Good luck.
 
Revman said:
How the hell did he make that shop better? He has been freaking quoted as saying the team was a mess until recently. New hashtag...#MattyDEffect
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I’m gonna make an easy guess to say that you haven’t watched that video where he said that, because either you are completely oblivious to the context from the video or you are slamming Matt again just to slam him.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
I’m gonna make an easy guess to say that you haven’t watched that video where he said that, because either you are completely oblivious to the context from the video or you are slamming Matt again just to slam him.
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I like Matt. I really do, but at some point...enough with the nice guy narrative. If he made the shop better, they wouldn't have needed to "get back on track" or whatever.
 
Revman said:
I like Matt. I really do, but at some point...enough with the nice guy narrative. If he made the shop better, they wouldn't have needed to "get back on track" or whatever
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I think what Matt was trying to say politely was that the crew chief sucked and as soon as they changed the crew chief, their performance immediately improved. Well guess what, I'm pretty damn sure that neither he nor the Wood Brothers probably have a whole lot of input on who the crew chief is, that seems to come down from Team Penske. Matt clearly doesn't have the clout around there to make or demand changes, all he can do is show up at the shop and try do whatever he can to help the team, and the indications are that he does that.
 
Formerjackman said:
I think what Matt was trying to say politely was that the crew chief sucked and as soon as they changed the crew chief, their performance immediately improved. Well guess what, I'm pretty damn sure that neither he nor the Wood Brothers probably have a whole lot of input on who the crew chief is, that seems to come down from Team Penske. Matt clearly doesn't have the clout around there to make or demand changes, all he can do is show up at the shop and try do whatever he can to help the team, and the indications are that he does that.
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Yeah, but here's where it gets tricky with Matt.....He says he is transparent and that he tells his fanbase like it is. Guess not. Again, Matt is a good guy who needs to win more, stay out of social media video, and be a little more quiet. It's okay if I don't know what it takes to have biceps the size of basketballs.
 
Dr_B_UNC said:
Sorry. I obviously missed it.
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No worries. Worthy of a re-post...Perhaps the Matty D sympathizers couldn't see the first post through their watery eyes? Two things we have learned about the Captain this week....1) Listen to what the **** he is telling you, and 2) If you think your balls are big enough to ask for a part of the empire he built, you are dead ass wrong.
 



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ChexOrWrex said:



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All jokes aside, I feel with consistent drivers RWR could move forward.

I hope they can find some direction. Look at the IndyCar partnership, its worked out well so far there. A solid organization to work in conjunction with could be that next step.

The best move going forward is to have the two strongest drivers, Davidson and Yeley, be the primary Cup drivers. Let Cody Ware focus in Xfinity and build from there.

RWR has solid drivers, they need the consistency and continuity to build the team. Rick knows this.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Swapping drivers around like a Saturday night square dance is an odd way of stepping up to the next level. So is trying to run four cars when you haven't found a way to be successful with even one.
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With a solid partnership and/or some technical assistance from another team, they could.

Two consistent cars is all they need, but Rick has to be willing to make that necessary step.
 
Kiante said:
All jokes aside, I feel with consistent drivers RWR could move forward.

I hope they can find some direction. Look at the IndyCar partnership, its worked out well so far there. A solid organization to work in conjunction with could be that next step.

The best move going forward is to have the two strongest drivers, Davidson and Yeley, be the primary Cup drivers. Let Cody Ware focus in Xfinity and build from there.

RWR has solid drivers, they need the consistency and continuity to build the team. Rick knows this.
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Honestly I don't know anything about RWR. What I don't understand is why many people are so critical of what he is doing. Over the years I have followed numerous teams that were and still are back markers. They all work hard and as far as I know they all want to step up to the next level at some point. They are part of the show and usually offer a very unique perspective from a fan's viewpoint, if you are willing to invest a little of your time to get to know them. While the mega teams like Hendrick and Penske put on the show, just go visit one of their shops where you are corralled behind glass viewing windows and sterile souvenir shops and then visit one of these smaller funded teams where you can actually walk the floor where the cars are being worked on and if you want a cap or shirt some lady will open a drawer and show you what they have. Both types of teams have something special to offer.
 
My only issue with RWR is I have yet to see ANY evidence they are actually trying to improve as a team, just make money off the system. RWR is the Chicago Cubs of MOST of my lifetime. It didn't really matter how much the team sucked, because they sold lots of tickets and had a lucrative TV deal. (Ironically enough, I just purchased tickets to go to a game with several family members, and they trade their three best players). I guess if he ends up making gazillions of dollars off his charters, than more power to him, but I just don't believe that if you're SERIOUS about being a contender, you stretch yourself thin and water everything down the way they do. It's JD Stacy without the fraud.
 
DIDIT said:
What I don't understand is why many people are so critical of what he is doing. Over the years I have followed numerous teams that were and still are back markers. They all work hard and as far as I know they all want to step up to the next level at some point.
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Rick hasn't shown he's actually interested in stepping up. You don't build a successful team by changing the (arguably) most important person on a weekly basis. You don't become successful by biting off three cars more than you can chew. RWR is a live demonstration of why the synergies and financial advantages of a multi-car organization don't always pay off on the track.

I don't put him in the same category with the other lower echelon teams. I may make fun of some of them but I think they're in racing because they want to be in racing, not because having a charter can be a successful business model.
 
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