Bowman to the 48.

Nitro Dude said:
Rick is a pretty good business man so if he does bring Larson to the 88 I have to believe he has to have some pretty concrete sponsorship lined up or has something under his sleeve. I don't really see any other reason to do it unless Larson himself has found something. I also can't see Rick bringing him there without Chevy's support. But like everything else it will eventually become clearer to all of us.
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If Chevy was behind Larson's return then they would have stuck him in the 48 with Ally Bank as the sponsor. That didn't happen. It appears that some distance was needed as the ride went to Bowman.
 
Nitro Dude said:
Maybe, unless Ally wasn't on board with the idea themselves.
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Agree. Ally, being more of a consumer product, Larson might be a little too much of a lightning rod for them, and with them being a full season sponsor, they are VERY invested in their driver. IF Larson does go to HMS, look for sponsors that are less "consumer" and likely it will be several smaller sponsorships with less invested in him, and less tied to him. I'm not sure ANYBODY is quite ready for Larson to be the "face" of their product.
 
It seems Ally was not willing to take the chance on Larson, even though Chevy and Hendrick may have been. Or they just straight up preferred Bowman, which works for both sides, being as how the 88 was piecing sponsorship together, and Bowman's current season success.
 
It would have to be pretty tough and a lot of extra pressure on a driver to take over the seat of the most popular driver in NASCAR and then when you finally start to feel like the seat is actually starting to become yours then you leave that seat and take over the seat of a 7 time NASCAR Champion. Besides having to try and fill the shoes of 2 legends you also would have to deal with a lot of fans that have been fans of those 2 legends for so many years and are going to be disappointed no matter how good you do because they want their driver in the car. That being said, I think Alex has done a great job in the 88 and I think he will just keep getting better in the 48.
 
sdj said:
For some reason, I have always thought the #25 was jinxed. :idunno:
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Well, jinx or not, it HAS been kind of a career killer. Schrader, Craven, Nadeau, Vickers..... Nemecheck did fair in the car, but it was his last top tier ride, and he got pushed out for Vickers, which in retrospect was quite a mistake.
 
Nitro Dude said:
It would have to be pretty tough and a lot of extra pressure on a driver to take over the seat of the most popular driver in NASCAR and then when you finally start to feel like the seat is actually starting to become yours then you leave that seat and take over the seat of a 7 time NASCAR Champion. Besides having to try and fill the shoes of 2 legends you also would have to deal with a lot of fans that have been fans of those 2 legends for so many years and are going to be disappointed no matter how good you do because they want their driver in the car. That being said, I think Alex has done a great job in the 88 and I think he will just keep getting better in the 48.
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With all of the musical chairs we've seen, especially at HMS, do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more? Even when Byron has Axalta on the 24, my mind doesn't automatically go to Jeff Gordon, which is surprising being I was a "plank owner" fan of that team. The number 48 is very special for me for multiple reasons, but after a few races with Alex in that car, I'm not sure Jimmie will immediately come to mind, especially since he has no history of success in the Ally paint scheme. Even after two decades of Jimmie Johnson fandom, the #48 will ALWAYS be James Hylton first and foremost to me.
 
Formerjackman said:
With all of the musical chairs we've seen, especially at HMS, do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more? Even when Byron has Axalta on the 24, my mind doesn't automatically go to Jeff Gordon, which is surprising being I was a "plank owner" fan of that team. The number 48 is very special for me for multiple reasons, but after a few races with Alex in that car, I'm not sure Jimmie will immediately come to mind, especially since he has no history of success in the Ally paint scheme. Even after two decades of Jimmie Johnson fandom, the #48 will ALWAYS be James Hylton first and foremost to me.
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It took me quite a while before I didn't think of JR when I saw the 88 and I expect it will be the same with the 48...but next year when I see the 88 I will think of Alex. Damn, I'm going to be so confused next year I may need to get a race fan program guide with a list of all of the drivers and numbers.:)
 
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Formerjackman said:
With all of the musical chairs we've seen, especially at HMS, do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more? Even when Byron has Axalta on the 24, my mind doesn't automatically go to Jeff Gordon, which is surprising being I was a "plank owner" fan of that team. The number 48 is very special for me for multiple reasons, but after a few races with Alex in that car, I'm not sure Jimmie will immediately come to mind, especially since he has no history of success in the Ally paint scheme. Even after two decades of Jimmie Johnson fandom, the #48 will ALWAYS be James Hylton first and foremost to me.
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When the paint scheme is similar I still catch myself thinking that is Jeff Gordon out there for a split second. Now If Lowes was on the 48 and Bowman was driving I would probably have the same thing going on.
 
sdj said:
For some reason, I have always thought the #25 was jinxed. :idunno:
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It was because the winnings were a pension for Ricks dad and the car was experimental and a place to use up old parts.
 
Team Penske said:
It was because the winnings were a pension for Ricks dad and the car was experimental and a place to use up old parts.
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Yes, because Rick wanted to ruin the careers of a half dozen good drivers and piss off Proctor and Gamble, Conwood Tobacco, Anheuser Busch, General Motors and the UAW by holding out the "good stuff'' from them.
 
Here are a few videos that shows his road to where he is at today. Episode # 3 Humble beginnings tells a little about his childhood.
blog.nationwide.com

Alex Bowman: Racing to Win

From his love of racing as a kid to driving for @Hendrick Motorsports, learn all about the new driver of the @Naitonwide 88 Camaro ZL1, Alex Bowman, in this exclusive video series.
blog.nationwide.com blog.nationwide.com
 
I like Alex a lot. Cool guy who’s pretty reserved and funny on podcasts. Also he’s good for a win or two a year.

God though Larson in the 88 beyond excites me. Miss that dude so much
 
eh when Boyer gets renewed I might think Larson is going to Hendrick. Haas can self sponsor Larson and that makes it much simpler to put him in a seat
 
Why does anyone assume that the sponsors on the 14 are tied just to Bowyer? To my knowledge, he didn't bring any of them to the team, and while they might like him, what's to say they wouldn't like someone else just as much?
 
Formerjackman said:
Why does anyone assume that the sponsors on the 14 are tied just to Bowyer? To my knowledge, he didn't bring any of them to the team, and while they might like him, what's to say they wouldn't like someone else just as much?
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StandOnIt said:
I believe SHR has way more backers on the 14 than Clint has. Rush truck centers for one is Tony's baby. They have all Peterbilt equipment from Rush.
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Will they stay for Larson?
 
StandOnIt said:
I believe SHR has way more backers on the 14 than Clint has. Rush truck centers for one is Tony's baby. They have all Peterbilt equipment from Rush.
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Speaking of Tony, that video you saw in the drag racing section of Leah's car breaking in half. He was standing on the starting line watching her. I bet his heart about jumped out of his chest.
 
Isn't the setup still the same where the 24 and 48 are out of one shop and the 9 and 88 are out of another? If not, it's not a big deal if he's changing "teams".
 
acmerocket said:
i dont think its the 25 it just been the 4th car
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But the trouble started when there was only THREE cars. Schrader, for whatever reason could never really get it going, and by the time Craven got in that car, they were already on a five year losing streak. From 1991-1996, Schrader was the senior driver there.
 
aunty dive said:
I love these posts.
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Me to that is why I right them. Was not the 25 car run under Rick's father???
Did the 25 ever have a very strong showing??
Where all the drivers second rate?
The little I know about it comes from Bodine after a few.....
I think I am right, like it or not.
 
The ONLY connection to the 25 team and Papa Joe Hendrick was that only two of the cars could have have Rick listed as the owner. Papa Joe LOVED Schrader, so they put his name on the car as the listed owner. It didn't change ONE THING about how the car was run. Hell Roush had ones his cars listed under his mother, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't making the calls on that car.
The 25 was lights out when it started, but then Tim got sick. Schrader is one heck of an all around racer, but he was never more than a 2nd tier Cup driver, but he did well enough, and was popular enough to keep that ride several years longer than he probably deserved. I think Craven was going to be a real superstar until he got his bell rang twice in less than a month, and was never the same driver.
Wally Dallenbach (a somewhat odd choice I'll admit) was never anything more than a mid pack guy, and then Budweiser left for Dale Jr. Jerry Nadeau ended up getting a ride he was certainly not qualified for, but brought a boatload of sponsorship money from Michael Holigan, a guy with more money than racing sense. After Nadeau, who actually had his moments flamed out, he was replaced mid-season by Joe Nemecheck. Nemecheck was likely never going to be a superstar, but he was solid in that car, but then along came the phenom otherwise known as Brian Vickers. Vickers upset the apple cart by scoring perhaps the biggest upset championship in Busch Series history driving for Ricky Hendrick, who WOULD have been the 25 driver (Not sure that would have been spectacular either) had he too not gotten hurt and had to retire. Joe kind of got washed out of the 25 like the tide going out, with GMAC wanting to throw their sponsorship money behind the hot new kid. Vickers wasn't terrible, but he also lacked experience and perhaps maturity. Ricky Hendrick's death helped seal his fate at HMS, as he lost his strongest advocate on the team, and he looked pretty average compared to his star teammates. The last Hail Mary attempt to salvage the 25 before it was rebranded as the 88 was to put the very nice, but totally outclassed Casey Mears in the car, which was like a minnow in a tank full of wales. Despite the star crossed history of the 25, don't ever forget that Richmond, Benny Parsons (qualifying race) Schrader, Nadeau, Nemechek, Vickers and Mears ALL won in that car, so while it may not have been the cream of the crop, it wasn't a dog either. There aren't a lot of cars out there that have sent six different drivers to victory lane, especially when four of them were 2nd tier guys at best, and one was over the hill.
 
Formerjackman said:
Papa Joe LOVED Schrader, so they put his name on the car as the listed owner. It didn't change ONE THING about how the car was run.
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I never heard anyone claim that Poppa Joe had much to do with running the car.
Are you denying that Nascar had his name on the cheque for the winnings??
 
Team Penske said:
I never heard anyone claim that Poppa Joe had much to do with running the car.
Are you denying that Nascar had his name on the cheque for the winnings??
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No, what I'm telling you is who's name on the car was was absolutely meaningless. It might have well have been Rick's goldfish, and I seriously doubt that when the checks went out they were going to Papa Joe's mail box. If sombody can produce a tax return that says otherwise, I'll change my mind. The 25 team was the victim of some horrible luck and some curious choices for drivers and crew, not some master plan to suck for the benefit of the rest of the HMS stable.
 
Formerjackman said:
The ONLY connection to the 25 team and Papa Joe Hendrick was that only two of the cars could have have Rick listed as the owner. Papa Joe LOVED Schrader, so they put his name on the car as the listed owner. It didn't change ONE THING about how the car was run. Hell Roush had ones his cars listed under his mother, and I'm pretty sure she wasn't making the calls on that car.
The 25 was lights out when it started, but then Tim got sick. Schrader is one heck of an all around racer, but he was never more than a 2nd tier Cup driver, but he did well enough, and was popular enough to keep that ride several years longer than he probably deserved. I think Craven was going to be a real superstar until he got his bell rang twice in less than a month, and was never the same driver.
Wally Dallenbach (a somewhat odd choice I'll admit) was never anything more than a mid pack guy, and then Budweiser left for Dale Jr. Jerry Nadeau ended up getting a ride he was certainly not qualified for, but brought a boatload of sponsorship money from Michael Holigan, a guy with more money than racing sense. After Nadeau, who actually had his moments flamed out, he was replaced mid-season by Joe Nemecheck. Nemecheck was likely never going to be a superstar, but he was solid in that car, but then along came the phenom otherwise known as Brian Vickers. Vickers upset the apple cart by scoring perhaps the biggest upset championship in Busch Series history driving for Ricky Hendrick, who WOULD have been the 25 driver (Not sure that would have been spectacular either) had he too not gotten hurt and had to retire. Joe kind of got washed out of the 25 like the tide going out, with GMAC wanting to throw their sponsorship money behind the hot new kid. Vickers wasn't terrible, but he also lacked experience and perhaps maturity. Ricky Hendrick's death helped seal his fate at HMS, as he lost his strongest advocate on the team, and he looked pretty average compared to his star teammates. The last Hail Mary attempt to salvage the 25 before it was rebranded as the 88 was to put the very nice, but totally outclassed Casey Mears in the car, which was like a minnow in a tank full of wales. Despite the star crossed history of the 25, don't ever forget that Richmond, Benny Parsons (qualifying race) Schrader, Nadeau, Nemechek, Vickers and Mears ALL won in that car, so while it may not have been the cream of the crop, it wasn't a dog either. There aren't a lot of cars out there that have sent six different drivers to victory lane, especially when four of them were 2nd tier guys at best, and one was over the hill.
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The Jackman is our HMS car number 25 historian. What can you tell us about Tim Richmond in the 25?
 
Formerjackman said:
do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more?
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Nope.

Thats kind of a sad thing I’ve struggled with in the last decade or so trying to pull for different guys. It use to be simple... put a #2 on the back window of my car or truck... everyone around town(late 90s and 2000s in the southeast) would identify you to that and would mention something about the race... “How bout Rusty, thought he had that one!”.... something like that... it was cool...

Now these days I feel like the average driver is going to have multiple different numbers... just makes it look like you’re changing drivers every few seasons if you’re actually still pulling for one guy... :laugh::laugh::laugh:

I guess it’s not a big deal to most, but I do see the issue and its annoyed me.
 
i like when jr lost the 8 ,he chose the 88 so his fans could just add a 8. pretty cool of him
 
Formerjackman said:
With all of the musical chairs we've seen, especially at HMS, do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more? Even when Byron has Axalta on the 24, my mind doesn't automatically go to Jeff Gordon, which is surprising being I was a "plank owner" fan of that team. The number 48 is very special for me for multiple reasons, but after a few races with Alex in that car, I'm not sure Jimmie will immediately come to mind, especially since he has no history of success in the Ally paint scheme. Even after two decades of Jimmie Johnson fandom, the #48 will ALWAYS be James Hylton first and foremost to me.
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I think most people will associated the 48 with Jimmie Johnson,much like Dale and Petty.

I feel like there was such a culture to team 48 that Jimmie and Chad's success will always remain.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Formerjackman said:
With all of the musical chairs we've seen, especially at HMS, do people even see a particular car number tied to a driver any more? Even when Byron has Axalta on the 24, my mind doesn't automatically go to Jeff Gordon, which is surprising being I was a "plank owner" fan of that team. The number 48 is very special for me for multiple reasons, but after a few races with Alex in that car, I'm not sure Jimmie will immediately come to mind, especially since he has no history of success in the Ally paint scheme. Even after two decades of Jimmie Johnson fandom, the #48 will ALWAYS be James Hylton first and foremost to me.
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I wonder how many people still think of Petty in the 43. The only one I really think of is Dale Earnhardt in the 3, but even that is starting to change with AD's success this year.
 
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