I am just exhausted already

Jeffrey00

Jeffrey00

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  • Hornish Jr. in the offer-taking stage for a 2014 ride: Sam Hornish Jr. could end the season as 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion  and unemployed. Im in the offer-taking stage right now. At this point they dont have anything for me at Penske (Racing) next year, Hornish said during an interview with RacinToday on Thursday. Its not anything performance-wise. Its strictly money and not on our side of the deal. Theyre having to shuffle things around to accommodate other people. Hornish, driver of Roger Penskes #12 Ford Mustang, will take a 15-point lead over Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing into Saturday afternoons 5-Hour Energy 200 at the 1-mile Dover International Speedway.
    Hornishs other people reference was to 19-year-old Ryan Blaney, a developmental driver under contract to Penske Racing but without a fulltime ride heading into 2014. Blaney scored his breakthrough Nationwide Series win in his second start during Saturday nights Kentucky 300 at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway. Blaneys win was Penskes 10th of the season in the #22 Discount Tire Ford among four different drivers. Hornish finished fourth at Kentucky to retain his point lead with six races remaining. Hornish, who is in his second fulltime Nationwide season for Penske, indicated he was blindsided by the decision that likely will end his six-year stock car association with the organization. Theres not a whole lot of anything out there when I was told this, Hornish said during a telephone interview. If that was the case I should have known at the end of July. I found out a couple of weeks ago and I gave them some time to get ahead of it so it wouldnt look like Im trying to blow them out of the water.
    Hornish said he has begun shopping his services to rival team-owners in the garage area. And what I get is they have no idea Im available, said Hornish. The comments I get from people I do talk to are like, We just put something together you would have been a great candidate for. Im hoping to have something (in NASCAR for 2014). Dont know what itll be or what itll look like, so its not the best feeling. Neither Penske nor Tim Cindric, Penske Racing president, was available this week for comment on Hornishs future. But Hornish, who will drive the No. 12 Snap-on Ford at Dover, said Penske indicated he would be willing to field him in Nationwide again if proper funding could be secured. Asked if he might change his mind if no NASCAR ride materializes and return to the IndyCar Series, Hornish reiterated: I dont see myself doing that.(in part from RacinToday)(9-28-2013)
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You know after I read this report I was pissed, I was livid, I was ready to blast Penske and Nascar. Now I am just exhausted. It is getting really hard to be a fan anymore. I get it Blaney is a talent that can't be passed up. So moving him up is a no brainer. My issue is the fact that they say in doing so means they have no room for Hornish. Bullsh#t!! Last time I remember they have two fully funded cars. Now I blame Nascar for allowing cup guys into NNS, and I blame Penske for not standing up to their sponsors. Penske should step up to Discount and tell them that they are putting Blaney in the 22, not Kesolowski and NOT Logano. So come Daytona you will see Blaney in the 12 and Kesolowski or Logano in the 22. Hornish may have a ride, but you know what he doesn't deserve this. He deserves better than this, better than Penske. I hope Blaney takes the 78 ride, or I hope Penske invest so much into him and then he jumps ship to JGR or another team in Cup. I could probably go on, but I am really just exhausted right now.
 
This makes two times Hornish gets cut by the same organization, right?

First he gets booted off cup and now he gets booted off NW. Penske ought to put him in the truck series and then after the year is done fire him again and thus the hat trick would be complete.

I have lost tons of respect for Roger. His business ethics are sh!tty as far as racing goes.
 
You guys are spot on. I read that and was flabbergasted... Penske has been adamant about having a spot for Hornish jr. come hell or high water ever since he got booted out of the 77 Cup car.. What I'm wondering is WHEN Sam found out and decided to hit the panic button. He should have been lining his ducks up months ago.
 
DUN24 said:
You guys are spot on. I read that and was flabbergasted... Penske has been adamant about having a spot for Hornish jr. come hell or high water ever since he got booted out of the 77 Cup car.. What I'm wondering is WHEN Sam found out and decided to hit the panic button. He should have been lining his ducks up months ago.
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Well to be fair Rodger at the beginning of the season was publicly saying he was committed to Sam at least in NNS and the the goal was to get him back to Cup. Sam was doing his part, and probably just trusted that Rodger was doing his. I don't blame Rodger for needing to make room for Blaney. That part makes sense. What I blame Rodger for is booting Hornish to make that move. There is no reason to Field a full time NNS ride for Kesolowski and Logano. Rodger is just too chicken **** to stand up to the sponsors though. I am just getting tired of actual NNS guys getting the shaft while the Cup guys still get fully funded rides.

Maybe Sam should call up Joe. He'd be a perfect fit for that 20 DG car. Do they have a replacement for Vickers yet?
 
reck said:
This makes two times Hornish gets cut by the same organization, right?

.
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Do you guys forget he was a substitute? I don't like that he's getting screwed.. but last year the only reason he was ever even thought to take over the 22 in cup is because of fan speculation and rumours.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Do you guys forget he was a substitute? I don't like that he's getting screwed.. but last year the only reason he was ever even thought to take over the 22 in cup is because of fan speculation and rumours.
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You must have forgotten that he drove the 77 for Penske in Cup when he came straight from Indy car. That is your history lesson for today.
 
When are they gonna kick the cup boys outta the seats & give the NNS regulars a chance? It's unfair and it's got to be a total confidence killer every time a cup contender signs up for a NNS race. It's like Peyton Manning playing for the Volunteers on Saturday and the Broncos on Sunday. It sounds ridiculous because it is.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
You must have forgotten that he drove the 77 for Penske in Cup when he came straight from Indy car. That is your history lesson for today.
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Forgot.. still.. he should win. Then he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

ChexOrWrex said:
When are they gonna kick the cup boys outta the seats & give the NNS regulars a chance? It's unfair and it's got to be a total confidence killer every time a cup contender signs up for a NNS race. It's like Peyton Manning playing for the Volunteers on Saturday and the Broncos on Sunday. It sounds ridiculous because it is.
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Show me an NNS regular that agrees. I bet you'de be hard pressed to find one. All of you guys that bitch about the cup guys in NNS.. augh... its like trying to stick up for someone who isn't being picked on. Every single driver in any series in NASCAR wants to work toward driving in the cup series. They WANT to race these guys. Its their dream to be racing them, and if they can race with them in the NNS and hold their own it just gives them more confidence and shows the team owners and the sponsors that they have what it takes to race with those guys. The ONLY time Ive EVER seen ANYONE bitch about the cup guys in the NNS is from everyone other than the actual NNS regulars. Why can't you people just get over it? I don't mean you personally Chex, but to everyone that complains about the cup guys in the NNS. You guys realize that they still have to drive 200-300 miles at 180+ MPH with 42 other cars on the track right? They don't just come in and get handed a trophy, they're the better drivers. Which makes the NNS regulars HAVE to step up their game... because after all.. if they cant race the cup guys.. and beat them, in the NNS then what would make anyone think they could do it in cup?
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Forgot.. still.. he should win. Then he wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Show me an NNS regular that agrees. I bet you'de be hard pressed to find one. All of you guys that bitch about the cup guys in NNS.. augh... its like trying to stick up for someone who isn't being picked on. Every single driver in any series in NASCAR wants to work toward driving in the cup series. They WANT to race these guys. Its their dream to be racing them, and if they can race with them in the NNS and hold their own it just gives them more confidence and shows the team owners and the sponsors that they have what it takes to race with those guys. The ONLY time Ive EVER seen ANYONE bitch about the cup guys in the NNS is from everyone other than the actual NNS regulars. Why can't you people just get over it? I don't mean you personally Chex, but to everyone that complains about the cup guys in the NNS. You guys realize that they still have to drive 200-300 miles at 180+ MPH with 42 other cars on the track right? They don't just come in and get handed a trophy, they're the better drivers. Which makes the NNS regulars HAVE to step up their game... because after all.. if they cant race the cup guys.. and beat them, in the NNS then what would make anyone think they could do it in cup?
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I have no problem with Cup guys in NNS if it is done in moderation. Limit them to 5-10 NNS races a year. My issues are with established Cup drivers getting priority in the fully funded cars over the NNS regulars. So I say limit the Cup guys to 5-10 NNS races a year. Then let the sponsors like Monster and Discount Tire that want a full year package sponsor a NNS regular. If they still want to have their name associated with the Cup guys then they can shell out extra to be with the Cup guys for their 5-10 races. If not then let the smaller sponsors that want only 5-10 races a year sponsor the Cup lite program.

For me I think it needs to be a fine balance between having some Cup vets racing with the younger guys, and making sure there are some quality rides available to those NNS regulars that deserve it.

Also NASCAR needs to get rid of the owners championship. Nobody outside of Shrub fans cares about that anyways.
 
This subject has been discussed over and over and over again on here, but since it is being brought up again, here is a video of an interview with Alex Bowman, and about 1 or 2 minutes in he gives his view on Cup drivers in the Nationwide series.
 
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No faster way to kill Nationwide than kick out all the Cup drivers.
It's suicidally dumb. Which is why Nascar won't do it. Nascar has this crazy idea of actually wanting people to watch their races.
The hard-core fans don't care about any of that, of course. They'd be happy if Nationwide had no sponsor, no TV partner, and 50 people in the stands. Which is why they are the worst people to listen to.
 
I don't think Penske owes Sam a damn thing. He gave him Cup and NNS rides for the better part of 6 years. He's had 2 wins in Nationwide to show for it to go along with 9 top 10's in 130 Cup races. Blaney has got 2 truck wins and 1 NNS win in about 1 season's work.

Meanwhile the whole time Penske told Sam to take any offer you can get, the point being no one else was really interested in his services all that much. I doubt he was led on, he hasn't been able to attract sponsors and his performance has been just ok in NNS. If anything Penske has likely prolonged Sam's NASCAR career, when it looked like no one would hire him, Roger gave him a ride.

With the 22 car winning all the time and the 12 car only sometimes contending, I think it clearly shows the disparity in driving ability from the Cup guys and Sam. Even AJ got a couple wins this year driving a Penske car. Sam just isn't Cup material IMO and the stats certainly echo that sentiment.
 
3wideinturn1 said:
I don't think Penske owes Sam a damn thing. He gave him Cup and NNS rides for the better part of 6 years. He's had 2 wins in Nationwide to show for it to go along with 9 top 10's in 130 Cup races. Blaney has got 2 truck wins and 1 NNS win in about 1 season's work.

Meanwhile the whole time Penske told Sam to take any offer you can get, the point being no one else was really interested in his services all that much. I doubt he was led on, he hasn't been able to attract sponsors and his performance has been just ok in NNS. If anything Penske has likely prolonged Sam's NASCAR career, when it looked like no one would hire him, Roger gave him a ride.

With the 22 car winning all the time and the 12 car only sometimes contending, I think it clearly shows the disparity in driving ability from the Cup guys and Sam. Even AJ got a couple wins this year driving a Penske car. Sam just isn't Cup material IMO and the stats certainly echo that sentiment.
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Sam has arguably been the most consistent driver in NNS this year. Also you cant compare the 12 and the 22. The 12 is running for the championship, more conservative approach, and the 22 is only running for wins. The 22 can afford to be more aggressive and take liberties the 12 cant.

Again, my argument isn't about Blaney vs Hornish anyways. I understand that Blaney is a talent that Rodger would be foolish to let go. My whole thing is about saying there isn't room for your current NNS points leader in your two car program. I mean god forbid Brad and Joey have to sit out NNS.
 
this is a fine example that what the 22 can do when only running for wins:

  • Logano fails post-race inspection: #22-Joey Logano's Ford failed post-race inspection at Dover. The car was too low on both front sides. Expect a points penalty to be announced early next week.(9-28-2013)
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StoneTown said:
No faster way to kill Nationwide than kick out all the Cup drivers.
It's suicidally dumb. Which is why Nascar won't do it. Nascar has this crazy idea of actually wanting people to watch their races.
The hard-core fans don't care about any of that, of course. They'd be happy if Nationwide had no sponsor, no TV partner, and 50 people in the stands. Which is why they are the worst people to listen to.
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Yes, as if having those Cup drivers is putting asses in seats now. Have you looked at the stands on a Saturday lately? Hell, I can't even remember the last time I watched an NNS race. And remember, it was fine on it's own for years.
 
Hornish only has one win , Yeah, he's leading the championship but he rarely out performs Logano or Brad K. Ryan Blaney is a young guy who could step up from Nationwide to cup. Obviously, Roger feels Sam can't make the same jump.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
Sam has arguably been the most consistent driver in NNS this year. Also you cant compare the 12 and the 22. The 12 is running for the championship, more conservative approach, and the 22 is only running for wins. The 22 can afford to be more aggressive and take liberties the 12 cant.

Again, my argument isn't about Blaney vs Hornish anyways. I understand that Blaney is a talent that Rodger would be foolish to let go. My whole thing is about saying there isn't room for your current NNS points leader in your two car program. I mean god forbid Brad and Joey have to sit out NNS.
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The 22 is still going for an owners championship. Yes they can be more aggressive with race calls and setups. However I don't think there's any dispute that the 22 (with a multitude of drivers) has had more speed than the 12 car for most of the season. Yes Sam's been consistent, but he doesn't attract sponsors and he hasn't won races like he needed to.

I actually like the guy, but as I've said before I feel like he has plateaued as a driver. He hasn't shown me anything that would lead me to believe he'll be a good Cup driver if he ever gets back there. I think he owes a lot to Roger, and at this point should be thankful for the opportunity he had had. It's just that when I see guys like AJ or Ryan Blaney step in and win, I feel like Sam should be able too as well, or at the very least be competing for those wins.
 
Money. There's a big pile of money if Sam stays in the car. There's a even bigger pile if he doesn't.
 
I think the Nationwide series is going to be pretty exciting the rest of the season, and I would like to see Hornish win the championship. I don't know if that will help him attract more sponsorship, but it sure wouldn't hurt.
 
Penske gave the Indy champ a chance in Cup and Hornish did about as well as most other Indycar drivers attempting Cup. Penske could have let him go then but put him in a NW car and he has been doing alright. I don't know what business decisions are behind Hornish loosing his ride but being a NW champ should help him find a new ride somewhere.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
I have no problem with Cup guys in NNS if it is done in moderation. Limit them to 5-10 NNS races a year. My issues are with established Cup drivers getting priority in the fully funded cars over the NNS regulars. So I say limit the Cup guys to 5-10 NNS races a year. Then let the sponsors like Monster and Discount Tire that want a full year package sponsor a NNS regular. If they still want to have their name associated with the Cup guys then they can shell out extra to be with the Cup guys for their 5-10 races. If not then let the smaller sponsors that want only 5-10 races a year sponsor the Cup lite program.

For me I think it needs to be a fine balance between having some Cup vets racing with the younger guys, and making sure there are some quality rides available to those NNS regulars that deserve it.

Also NASCAR needs to get rid of the owners championship. Nobody outside of Shrub fans cares about that anyways.
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I agree.. but it will never happen. The sponsors run this sport. Well.. actually it's their money, and the fans money. NASCAR wants it. They probably make a lot more on a weekend where the trucks and NNS are at the same track as the cup guys because they can charge more for the full weekend. Plus guys like me like to watch their driver win any race, I wouldn't care if Joey went and won a race in K&N, or ARCA, or in any other series. Racing is racing. I will also tell you that when Joey isn't running the Nationwide race I don't put as much of an emphasis on making sure I see it. I usually watch every race in every series but why wouldn't I want my driver to win if he's entered in the race. I'm sure a lot of fans think the same way. The cup guys are the most popular and for casual fans (which is who NASCAR needs to attract) they're much more likely to attend or watch a lower series race if their favorite driver is in it. As we all know, watching and attending races is what puts the money in NASCAR's pockets.
 
Hornish just took a crap on the big points lead he had. I've watched Hornish make dumb move after dumb move for years. Kahne is following in his footsteps a close second. Neither one are going to win a cup championship, Hornish is barely beating a rookie in N'wide. Make up your mind..got too many cuppers in N'wide? but X cuppers are ok? talk about exhausted. Drivers come and go, Blaney is the future? maybe so, time will tell. But Hornish? I like the guy ,but "like" ,and the future are two different animals.
 
Racing is a tough business, simply obvious I realize but true. I feel bad for Hornish he probably deserves better, but given the choices I would keep young Blaney too.
Who knows how the contracts are written for the 22, and the only people I know who said money is no object are no longer car owners or even in the racing business.

Hopefully Sam gets the FRR #78 if things dont work out for Truax (Truax the better option imo). Sam is decent decent driver, and good PR, I think he will land on his feet, even if another quality NWS ride is the 2014 best offer.
 
I think the marketing of drivers nascar does is god awful. I don't find myself caring that much about the drivers. I can't relate to guys who spew sponsor after sponsor with a fake smile. The young guys are the worst.. I mean I have no idea who Alex Bowman actually is. I know about his sponsors and wooden interviews but thats it. Same with Parker Kilgerman. I only root for him because he's from my home state.Logano had a nickname. Larson drives anything but still I can't really relate to the person.

With Kyle Busch, I know he's a perfectionist at what he does, who's a very passionate race car driver. Juan Montoya is a fun personality, hard racer, adores his family..Clint Bowyer is a goofball.. Dale Earnhardt wanted to win at all costs, sponsors be damned.

I just feel like too many drivers now are walking sponsors with nothing else to offer and that hurts the product because Nascar doesn't know how to show their personality.
 
Nitro Dude said:
I think the Nationwide series is going to be pretty exciting the rest of the season, and I would like to see Hornish win the championship. I don't know if that will help him attract more sponsorship, but it sure wouldn't hurt.
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Sam will have to really work the garage this time to get a ride. He had 4 years in cup and 2 in NW to make himself more viable with sponsors, and he hasn't. It's pretty obvious that the sponsor wants to change to an exciting young talent like Blaney.

Same had more than a fair shot. It's time for Roger to cut the apron strings and let Sam find a sponsor and team to ride with while a younger driver gets his shot.
 
StandOnIt said:
Hornish just took a crap on the big points lead he had. I've watched Hornish make dumb move after dumb move for years. Kahne is following in his footsteps a close second. Neither one are going to win a cup championship, Hornish is barely beating a rookie in N'wide. Make up your mind..got too many cuppers in N'wide? but X cuppers are ok? talk about exhausted. Drivers come and go, Blaney is the future? maybe so, time will tell. But Hornish? I like the guy ,but "like" ,and the future are two different animals.
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What rookie?
 
oh yeah I forgot. Hornish got beat by Rookie Austin Dillon last year. Hornish didn't win a race in N'wide last year came in a distant 4th
 
sloggie said:
The NASCAR sponsorship model is changing. More than ever, it's the Driver's responsibility to bring sponsor dollars. No sponsor, no ride.

Sam's problem is that he's not bring sponsor dollars with him.
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You get it. Sam doesn't. He complains that Roger hasn't brought him a sponsor. :rolleyes:
 
sloggie said:
The NASCAR sponsorship model is changing. More than ever, it's the Driver's responsibility to bring sponsor dollars. No sponsor, no ride.

Sam's problem is that he's not bring sponsor dollars with him.
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Very good point, spot on in fact. The sport has changed just like the business model has. These days, unless you're an elite race winning driver it is imperative that you bring sponsorship dollars to the table. If you're a middling driver like Hornish then the chances at retaining quality rides are very low if you don't bring lots of dollars with you
 
sloggie said:
The NASCAR sponsorship model is changing. More than ever, it's the Driver's responsibility to bring sponsor dollars. No sponsor, no ride.

Sam's problem is that he's not bring sponsor dollars with him.
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I am sorry, but I can do without a sport full of Brendan Gaughans.
 
sloggie said:
The NASCAR sponsorship model is changing. More than ever, it's the Driver's responsibility to bring sponsor dollars. No sponsor, no ride.

Sam's problem is that he's not bring sponsor dollars with him.
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Spot on, absolutely right, but still a sad reality.
 
Jeffrey00 said:
I am sorry, but I can do without a sport full of Brendan Gaughans.
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I agree, I always hope he looses, maybe wrong but I dont care, I dont want to see an explosion of his type.

Not hearing him on Moodys sirrus radio show is the best part of no longer having the service.
 
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