2022 Silly Season

Kiante said:
Money, money, money.

It all has to make sense to Penske. Got to have a capable driver/drivers for the owners championship.

It would be sad to see the program go, but after Cindric graduating, it would make sense for them to step away.

At the same time, it could be a rotation of drivers. The only other driver I could think of in the Ford camp is Gilliland that is even remotely close of being ready. Would be cool to see Zane Smith take over the 22, at least IMHO.
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I don't think they have to restrict it to just the Ford drivers, but even widening the field, I don't see any hot prospects for an Xfinity ride.
 
Kiante said:
Money, money, money.

It all has to make sense to Penske. Got to have a capable driver/drivers for the owners championship.

It would be sad to see the program go, but after Cindric graduating, it would make sense for them to step away.

At the same time, it could be a rotation of drivers. The only other driver I could think of in the Ford camp is Gilliland that is even remotely close of being ready. Would be cool to see Zane Smith take over the 22, at least IMHO.
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Kiante, your post seems to contradict itself. The first paragraph says Penske's Xfinity series plans depend upon having funding lined up. The third paragraph says it might be strategic reasons, i.e. is there a strategic reason to race the minor league series.

I don't have any particular insight into Penske's internal decision making, but I'd guess paragraph three is closer to the truth.There are a lot of people in this thread in recent weeks that claim to know all about Penske's internal decision making, but I'm not buying it.
 
LewTheShoe said:
Kiante, your post seems to contradict itself. The first paragraph says Penske's Xfinity series plans depend upon having funding lined up. The third paragraph says it might be strategic reasons, i.e. is there a strategic reason to race the minor league series.

I don't have any particular insight into Penske's internal decision making, but I'd guess paragraph three is closer to the truth.There are a lot of people in this thread in recent weeks that claim to know all about Penske's internal decision making, but I'm not buying it.
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Matt D isn't in his plans I know that much. Penske plays it close to the vest most of the time.
 
StandOnIt said:
Matt D isn't in his plans I know that much. Penske plays it close to the vest most of the time.
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Penske is brilliant like that. I was never a fan of him but in recent years have gained a lot of respect for the man, and am very eager to see if his "not-so-close to the vest" intentions pan out in the next couple years
 
RacerrecaR said:
Penske is brilliant like that. I was never a fan of him but in recent years have gained a lot of respect for the man, and am very eager to see if his "not-so-close to the vest" intentions pan out in the next couple years
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I hope the old boy hangs in there for awhile. He's good for American racing in general, IndyCar in particular. I also think he can help NASCAR and IndyCar work together for the betterment of both.
 
Old Kid said:
I hope the old boy hangs in there for awhile. He's good for American racing in general, IndyCar in particular. I also think he can help NASCAR and IndyCar work together for the betterment of both.
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He's not going anywhere for a while
 
I fundamentally do not get Bob Jenkins at all.

Gonna start off with saying I think Alfredo getting the boot from the #38 is a blessing in disguise for him. I'm not a huge fan but it's clear he has some semblance of talent, and it'll be wasted riding around in 29th for another year in one of those FRM crapwagons.

But really. Bob is an enigma to me. He refuses to spend money to improve the team(he contacted toyota in 2017 inquiring about a switch, then ran back home with his tail in between his legs for another year of mediocrity), but also refuses to land a big payday by selling those two(or hell, sell one) to a team that has money to burn. (You can't convince me otherwise that Ford didn't have SOMETHING planned for FRM if they bowed out of cup.)

I repeat, I do not understand that man.
Maybe that's his secret genius.

Oh well. At least he's more tolerable than the other Bob that bowed out of the sport recently.

Anyway. Don't expect Matt to go to the 38. Hell, I'd wager he won't be in anything come February, unless Mike Lindell starts MyPillow Racing. There's a few options floating out there for the 38, some probably you all have thought of, one or two that I doubt is on anyone's radar. Maybe if nothing comes of them I'll come back and spill.
(Been a while since I've last been here. Hope y'all have been well.)
 
ahhculdee said:
FRM isn't that bad. 34 had a lot of pace this year.
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McDowell is a solid, reliable mid-20s performer overall who doesn't tear up the hardware. He's good for top 15 finishes at the plate tracks, where he rarely DNFs. If all an owner wants is to be in the game, there are worse choices. I'd rather have him than Wrecky.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
McDowell is a solid, reliable mid-20s performer overall who doesn't tear up the hardware. He's good for top 15 finishes at the plate tracks, where he rarely DNFs. If all an owner wants is to be in the game, there are worse choices. I'd rather have him than Wrecky.
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McDowell is a raw Paul Menard type of driver. Takes care of equipment, races hard but "too" clean, doesn't have the experience in top-tier equipment. At his age he is unlikely to be much more than a 15th place driver even if he got the 9 ride
 
Charlie Spencer said:
McDowell is a solid, reliable mid-20s performer overall who doesn't tear up the hardware. He's good for top 15 finishes at the plate tracks, where he rarely DNFs. If all an owner wants is to be in the game, there are worse choices. I'd rather have him than Wrecky.
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The Stenhouse hate is a bit too much.

I feel as if he could be a fringe playoff driver with JTG going down to one car.
 
Kiante said:
The Stenhouse hate is a bit too much.

I feel as if he could be a fringe playoff driver with JTG going down to one car.
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No hate implied, but the guy has a history of winding up on the hook, when he isn't sending others behind the wall. I'm not saying he does it on purpose. I don't know if he's over-aggressive, careless, or something else, and maybe the new car will suit him better. I'd just rather let someone else pay overtime for the bodywork guys .
 
Charlie Spencer said:
No hate implied, but the guy has a history of winding up on the hook, when he isn't sending others behind the wall. I'm not saying he does it on purpose. I don't know if he's over-aggressive, careless, or something else, and maybe the new car will suit him better. I'd just rather let someone else pay overtime for the bodywork guys .
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as he descends further down the pack, Stenhouse is racing with others who have his same skill level or worse. I think because he has raced for higher tier teams, we expect more from him. I think he overdrives way too much for not only his skill level but for the car he is driving now. Something has to give and it usually does.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
No hate implied, but the guy has a history of winding up on the hook, when he isn't sending others behind the wall. I'm not saying he does it on purpose. I don't know if he's over-aggressive, careless, or something else, and maybe the new car will suit him better. I'd just rather let someone else pay overtime for the bodywork guys .
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I mean outside of Pheonix, Stenhouse has changed and is not back ending cars into walls a lot of times. He spent more time dealing with engine and mechincal failures at JTG.

He's more consistent and honestly has done well in his position there. Like I said previously, going down to one car maybe the best thing going for the team.

If you think he overdrives as often still, I'm not sure what more you want.

Overdriving and wrecking, which he was known for doing at Roush. Or simply getting everything out a car that finished on average around 18th to 20th position, bringing it home in one piece?

Daughtery's words sunk through in telling Ricky not tearing up equipment this year and it showed. Well until the last race of the season where he was trying to divebomb Lajoie and Wallace.
 
RacerrecaR said:
McDowell is a raw Paul Menard type of driver. Takes care of equipment, races hard but "too" clean, doesn't have the experience in top-tier equipment. At his age he is unlikely to be much more than a 15th place driver even if he got the 9 ride
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Oh, true, but it's not like Larson would be taking the #34 to Phoenix. A 15th place driver suits a 15th (lower?) place car.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Oh, true, but it's not like Larson would be taking the #34 to Phoenix. A 15th place driver suits a 15th (lower?) place car.
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Hopefully with this new car the drivers are in control more so than their equipment. Richard Petty or Earnhardt Sr wouldn't be able to drive the #34 to a consistent top-15 but someone like a Kevin Conway could contend for top-15's in Chase Elliot's current car...with enough experience. It's both car and driver
 
I operate under the belief that you can take a lesser driver and put them in the best car out there, and over a season of time they aren't going to be able to carry the car that they have. It was proven time and time again in the IROC series. Similar to the SRX series recently.
 
StandOnIt said:
I operate under the belief that you can take a lesser driver and put them in the best car out there, and over a season of time they aren't going to be able to carry the car that they have. It was proven time and time again in the IROC series. Similar to the SRX series recently.
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Neither IROC nor SRX drivers had ample practice time/experience in their respective cars, which goes back to my point of having experience. Give it a year and the "hacks" of the respective sports could be respective drivers (or winners) with the equipment.
 
RacerrecaR said:
Neither IROC nor SRX drivers had ample practice time/experience in their respective cars, which goes back to my point of having experience. Give it a year and the "hacks" of the respective sports could be respective drivers (or winners) with the equipment.
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Do what? The IROC series was mainly Nascar drivers
 
StandOnIt said:
I operate under the belief that you can take a lesser driver and put them in the best car out there, and over a season of time they aren't going to be able to carry the car that they have. It was proven time and time again in the IROC series. Similar to the SRX series recently.
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A good driver can take a mediocre car farther than a mediocre driver can take a good car?
 
Charlie Spencer said:
A good driver can take a mediocre car farther than a mediocre driver can take a good car?
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exactly and vice versa. A lesser skilled driver can take a good car and make it slower. It's no accident that Larson won the title hands down. No way of telling but I believe if he was in a Ganassi car, Larson would have scored high in the playoffs but he wouldn't have won the Cup. A good driver can only do so much.

So even IF the cars are identical, top 20 drivers aren't going to be racing at the front, and anybody thinking so I believe are going to be disappointed. It could happen and it would be something if it did, but the odds are way lopsided against that.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
A good driver can take a mediocre car farther than a mediocre driver can take a good car?
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I think so. Larson in the 42 then the "48" and *swallows pride* how late career Jimmie did recently with that same team is an extreme example. Results tell me that among the good teams the biggest variable that separates guys is the driver.
 
I think Nascar is trying to skew it that way with the driver and not the car. It has been that way from the start. This latest car is good might be great, but it is also opening the door for more and tighter competition, closer racing and IMO it's going to be a hell of a ride next year with many ups and downs.
 
I think they're will plenty of name calling and no respect comments to go around next year. Probably from the L.A. race onward :biggrin:
 
From my biased perspective the "crew carries driver" movement among some fans was a way to justify Jimmie Johnson whooping their favorite guys every Sunday, and later on Truex doing the same. Give either of those crews a driver who isn't elite then those results don't happen.
 
LJ7201 said:
From my biased perspective the "crew carries driver" movement among some fans was a way to justify Jimmie Johnson whooping their favorite guys every Sunday, and later on Truex doing the same. Give either of those crews a driver who isn't elite then those results don't happen.
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Experience (tenure) plays a huge role.

Hire a brand new manager (with management experience) but with no experience at the specific McDonald's location and they won't succeed right away. Hire a manager from within (with no management experience whatsoever) at the same location and they will be more likely to succeed.

Likewise, the manager hired from within will also likely have a decent comraderie with current employees resulting in the entire operation running smoothly from the onset.
 
Experience doesn't make much of a flip of difference if they are inept to start with. People around here recognize the skill level of a driver who is getting more out of the car than the car has. Larson did it for years with the Ganassi car. Sure many boo birds would point to the win column and try to say Larson didn't have any talent, but most could tell he was a talent in the making.
 
StandOnIt said:
Experience doesn't make much of a flip of difference if they are inept to start with. People around here recognize the skill level of a driver who is getting more out of the car than the car has. Larson did it for years with the Ganassi car. Sure many boo birds would point to the win column and try to say Larson didn't have any talent, but most could tell he was a talent in the making.
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Anybody who didn't recognize his talent is blind. He had the talent but didn't have the right team- he is an anomaly for finding huge success with a new team right out of the gate
 
RacerrecaR said:
All 3 were already established in better rides than Larson. Ganassi was already on a steady downturn with Larson as driver
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Truex started with Dale Jr, Harvick was racing for Childress and Logano wasn't doing anything with JGR. That isn't the point anyway. You said Larson was an anomaly. That means unusual OR unexpected. In that case, who was surprised when Larson did well in a Hendrick car?
 
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