Looks like Jimmie is getting a New Chief

Snappy D said:
That dude lost confidence, his crew chief was so lost...not sure if I’d go that far the 48 has shown signs of life this year. What Jr went through in that time period that 88 was so bad, I felt bad for the guy. Nothing is worse than Lance McGrew. Whew bad memories.
Click to expand...

Yeah Lance wasn't very good in Cup. Mark Martin struggled badly with Lance too so........
 
Oh yes, I like this a lot. Cliff was integral to the success of the 48 team over the past few seasons as Chad’s engineer.
 
AuzGrams said:
What happened to Malec again? Didn't he retire or go to a different organization?
Click to expand...

After being a road warrior going back to Jimmie's days in the ASA series, Ron decided to come off the road and stay in the shop. Ron was a key player through all of the championship years and was very close with Jimmie and was basically Chad's right hand man, so not having him at the track every week may just be another reason for the decline in the 48 car's performance.
 
WARNING... analytics ahead. This post may endanger your gut feel intuitions about relative performance, and may spear a sacred cow or two.

The Athletic has an interesting analysis of the 48's crew chief sacking from data guru David Smith (link for subscribers). Several blunt age-related conclusions are mentioned as well, including JJ, Smoke, and Matt K. Smith's writing style is always ponderous and hard to follow, but sometimes offers kernels of genuine insight.

Before reading the article in the quote box below, be aware that Smith credits the crew chief, not the driver, for a fast car that ranks well in Central Speed Ranking. The driver's job is to convert that speed into good finishes by restarting efficiently, passing efficiently, not crashing, etc. In reality, some drivers are better than others at consistently recording fast lap times from green to checkers. In David Smith's world, those drivers make their crew chiefs look good.
Analysis: With crew chief change, Hendrick is hedging its bets on Jimmie Johnson’s playoff hopes

By David Smith for The Athletic, July 31, 2019

Hendrick Motorsports replaced Jimmie Johnson’s crew chief because the storied organization is probably as confused by the No. 48 team’s season as you are.

In defense of everyone, the team’s year has been confusing. While Johnson, 44 years old come September, is in the middle of what history suggests is a NASCAR driver’s decline, he’s aging gracefully relative to most drivers. The seven-time champion is averaging a 15.1-place finish with the 17th-fastest car, and when compared to fellow Hendrick driver Chase Elliott — a 15.0-place average with the eighth-fastest car — it appears Johnson is carrying his weight in scoring results. He ranks ninth among all driver in Production in Equal Equipment Rating, indicating as much.

But all isn’t right with his world. For the first time in his career, Johnson is struggling to maintain track position. His minus-1.49 percent surplus passing value ranks as the worst among drivers sitting in the top 10 in PEER and means a driver who recorded sky-high passing numbers during his run of championships is finding it difficult to move around Alex Bowman, Daniel Suárez and Paul Menard — drivers near him most in the running order, on average. This isn’t a sign he’s done, but it might be a clear indication of decline, similar to when Tony Stewart’s once-great intermediate passing numbers disappeared or Matt Kenseth became a track position liability in his final two seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, solely dependent on elite car speed for his good outings.

Jimmie Johnson’s Surplus Passing Value, 2015-2019

2015 = +2.96% ( 3rd best in Cup Series )
2016 = +2.74% ( 2nd best )
2017 = +3.78% ( 1st best )
2018 = +2.18% ( 3rd best )
2019 = -1.49% ( 22nd best... not a typo )

This likely represents the beginning of the end, but his ability to get those results hasn’t ended — yet. All this means is that it’s much harder to procure good finishes because there are less reliable pathways to getting them.

Kevin Meendering, recently replaced as Johnson’s crew chief, was supposed to create additional pathways, like gaming green-flag pit cycles for additional track position, or alleviate some obvious obstacles, such as coaxing speed out of a No. 48 car that saw a decline in recent seasons. He didn’t. Now, he’s been reassigned to a senior position within Hendrick, because firing him outright would risk an opposing team hiring him solely for intel on what the organization as a whole is doing right behind closed doors.

From the onset, Meendering profiled as a caretaker crew chief, assigned to Elliott Sadler in the Xfinity Series and tasked with keeping the program afloat while Sadler’s contract came to an excruciating end last year with Hendrick affiliate JR Motorsports. There was nothing tantalizing in his statistical profile — he never produced JRM’s fastest car during his tenure there and his green-flag pit strategy output didn’t suggest any deliberate game-planning that’d benefit a driver unable to pass for position — and the hire felt as if he took over the No. 48 team to ensure the wheels stayed on the car while Johnson drove toward the sunset.

But Johnson managed to eke out finishes this year despite the holes surfacing in his driving repertoire. Prior to the Kentucky race weekend, he was in a good spot, with a 13.4-place average finish and a crash frequency that dropped by 30 percentage points from last year. Staying on the track, and depending on mistakes and bad days from the cars routinely in front of him, was key to scoring his finishes, a chief reason why he stood out as a regression candidate for the season’s second half. Three races later, his average result dropped by nearly two positions (from 13.4 to 15.1).

As Johnson’s crew chief, Meendering lived up to his past experiences, defending his driver’s running position on green-flag pit cycles 62 percent of the time — a tick below the series-wide 65 percent rate — while costing him 17 spots on non-drafting ovals, a bottom-nine positional output among all Cup Series crew chiefs. For a driver who needed as much additional track position assistance as he could get, this was a displeasing occurrence begging to be rectified. Meendering could’ve corrected his strategic design, but it’s clear Hendrick brass and/or Johnson weren’t encouraged by the prospect of it happening.

We’ll know how much of a bugbear Meendering’s race-calling was if new crew chief Cliff Daniels proves a polar opposite in the remaining regular-season events with this weekend’s show at Watkins Glen, typically an affair heavy on long runs, serving as an ideal litmus test. Despite staying out five times in seven instances when a green-flag pit cycle coincided with the end of a stage, Meendering secured Johnson points in those situations just once — one point, to be exact, during Sonoma’s first stage — suggesting a need for better initial track position in order to take advantage of a points-oriented strategy.

Daniels might go for broke, a la Keith Rodden in 2017 or Travis Mack in 2018, strategizing in an odd manner, intent on netting a win — and an automatic playoff spot — in the event a race breaks bizarre. He might also focus on more traditional improvements, but increasing the speed of a car — Johnson’s ranks last among Hendrick’s four entries — is a slow-burn development that can’t be expected to complete its motions before the start of the playoffs.

Realistically, there is not much Daniels can do with the five remaining regular-season races and there’s a chance this is understood internally. Hendrick has likely given him a short-term goal of getting Johnson into the playoffs by any means necessary and if all attempts fail, the veteran driver and 31-year-old crew chief will have 15 races to explore and experiment in advance of next season. The Daniels we see across the next five weeks probably won’t be the Daniels we see during the final 10 this season, and if this is indeed the plan brought to him by Hendrick’s competition department, it’s a nice hedge.

Hedging is what happens when there is legitimate confusion, and there isn’t any part of this No. 48 team that can’t be questioned. Regardless, it’s clear Hendrick recognizes what Johnson can and can’t do during the winter of his career and, right by him, moved quickly on a solution that may give the organization’s long-time bellwether a more fitting conclusion.
Click to expand...
 
LewTheShoe said:
WARNING... analytics ahead. This post may endanger your gut feel intuitions about relative performance, and may spear a sacred cow or two.

The Athletic has an interesting analysis of the 48's crew chief sacking from data guru David Smith (link for subscribers). Several blunt age-related conclusions are mentioned as well, including JJ, Smoke, and Matt K. Smith's writing style is always ponderous and hard to follow, but sometimes offers kernels of genuine insight.

Before reading the article in the quote box below, be aware that Smith credits the crew chief, not the driver, for a fast car that ranks well in Central Speed Ranking. The driver's job is to convert that speed into good finishes by restarting efficiently, passing efficiently, not crashing, etc. In reality, some drivers are better than others at consistently recording fast lap times from green to checkers. In David Smith's world, those drivers make their crew chiefs look good.
Click to expand...
Good read

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Ventisca said:
Diva JJ coming unhinged -- not a good look.
Click to expand...

So first the narrative is that Jimmie is getting old and doesn't give a damn any more, and then when he shows that he clearly DOES give a damn, that's not a good look? Besides, how is that a bad look? Yes, he was pissed, but he walked over there and had a conversation with Blaney, he didn't go over there and deck him, or hurl cuss words at him from 30 feet away. Clint Bowyer a few weeks ago looked unhinged. Jimmie, not so much.
 
Formerjackman said:
So first the narrative is that Jimmie is getting old and doesn't give a damn any more, and then when he shows that he clearly DOES give a damn, that's not a good look? Besides, how is that a bad look? Yes, he was pissed, but he walked over there and had a conversation with Blaney, he didn't go over there and deck him, or hurl cuss words at him from 30 feet away. Clint Bowyer a few weeks ago looked unhinged. Jimmie, not so much.
Click to expand...

You're better than that. Jimmie went small in his interview -- Blaney tries to show respect and Jimmie calls him out for being afraid or some ****. Funny how JJ won't do that crap to Harvick -- because like in the past, Harvick will just go out and hit Jimmie.

This is no longer funny as much as it's sad. Chad no good, Kevin no good -- sure, just try another CC; meanwhile let Jimmie rage about his struggles with the young guns who respect him enough to feel his pain. Pathetic.



Youth Movement (pun intended) young guns are fighting the old guys -- that's good for the sport.
 
Last edited:
Ventisca said:
You're better than that. Jimmie went small in his interview -- Blaney tries to show respect and Jimmie calls him out for being afraid or some sh!t. Funny how JJ won't do that crap to Harvick -- because like in the past, Harvick will just go out and hit Jimmie. This is no longer funny as much as it's sad. Chad no good, Kevin no good -- sure, just try another CC; meanwhile let Jimmie rage about his struggles with the young guns who respect him enough to feel his pain. Pathetic.
Click to expand...

Nice try, but you'll have do to better than this. I see the effort but you're really grasping at straws
 
Ventisca said:
You're better than that. Jimmie went small in his interview -- Blaney tries to show respect and Jimmie calls him out for being afraid or some sh!t. Funny how JJ won't do that crap to Harvick -- because like in the past, Harvick will just go out and hit Jimmie.

This is no longer funny as much as it's sad. Chad no good, Kevin no good -- sure, just try another CC; meanwhile let Jimmie rage about his struggles with the young guns who respect him enough to feel his pain. Pathetic.



Youth Movement (pun intended) young guns are fighting the old guys -- that's good for the sport.
Click to expand...
He did just that with Harvick. Harvick put his hands on Jimmie and Jimmie stood his ground and put his finger in his face. Blaney was clearly shaken in his interview. Not that Jimmie is an intimidating guy but Blaney was clearly shook with guilt. Coming into a thread about a driver to bash a driver is silly.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Ventisca said:
just the truth on Jimmie and his classless act.
Click to expand...

You guys have waited 15 years for this. Congratulations, hopefully you can convince yourself that this weakens his legacy.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
jaqua19 said:
He did just that with Harvick. Harvick put his hands on Jimmie and Jimmie stood his ground and put his finger in his face. Blaney was clearly shaken in his interview. Not that Jimmie is an intimidating guy but Blaney was clearly shook with guilt. Coming into a thread about a driver to bash a driver is silly.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Jimmie shut his yap, put his head down, and retreated.

No one is "scared" of Jimmie -- his classless act is absurd on its face, and has no legitimate purpose but to help him vent his personal frustration.
 
"Classless."

I would have loved to hear the hot take on Clint Bowyer's imitation of what he does with a punching bag a few months ago.
 
It’s amusing to me all the JJ trolls started here in the last year or so. They also contribute nothing to this board by their posts lacking insight, fan awareness, knowledge of the sport or even a little humor. I’m no JJ fan myself, I began to find him likable during his 7th title run after I finally got over him beating up my favorite driver for a decade. The trolls have come out of the woodwork this year...almost makes me miss the death bedders
 
Ventisca said:
Jimmie shut his yap, put his head down, and retreated.

No one is "scared" of Jimmie -- his classless act is absurd on its face, and has no legitimate purpose but to help him vent his personal frustration.
Click to expand...

If you think anything Jimmie did was classless, then you have an odd definition of classless, at least as it applies to NASCAR drivers. Also, SO WHAT if he WAS venting frustrations? Is he NOT allowed?

Here's a hot take; Is it possible Jimmie "overreacted" on purpose to send a message to his new crew chief and his crew and light a fire under them? Stick and ball coaches have been known to do it. I've had bosses do it.
 
Last edited:
Thegeneral23 said:
You can’t tell the truth about JJ on here
Click to expand...
Is Ventisca your burner account? And here’s what you don’t seem to grasp...your version of the truth is different from what another person on here might consider the truth because all the this stuff we type on here isn’t quantifiable it’s just conjuncture at the end of the day. Like for example you say JJ is washed ( your go to quote...”that’s what I’m sayin!!) how can you prove JJ is washed?
 
Snappy D said:
Is Ventisca your burner account? And here’s what you don’t seem to grasp...your version of the truth is different from what another person on here might consider the truth because all the this stuff we type on here isn’t quantifiable it’s just conjuncture at the end of the day. Like for example you say JJ is washed ( your go to quote...”that’s what I’m sayin!!) how can you prove JJ is washed?
Click to expand...
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
 
Thegeneral23 said:
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
Click to expand...
He has a current contract doesn't he? When sponsors see no value in JJ I'd imagine that he will fade away....but we aren't there yet. :idunno:
 
Thegeneral23 said:
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
Click to expand...
He literally has won a championship more recently then Kyle. Can’t wait for Kyle to go through his struggles, happens to all the greats. Happened to Jimmie, Gordon, Earnhardt, Petty, and so on.
 
Thegeneral23 said:
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
Click to expand...

That's the thing that makes racing different from other sports. It doesn't matter how good the driver is if EVERY part of the team doesn't perform 100% the driver looks terrible, and there are dozens of intangibles that most people never consider. Look, I don't know any more than anyone else does how much gas Jimmie still has in the tank, but I also know that it's unfair to judge him at this point considering how horribly inconsistent the HMS cars have been for the last few years, and yes, when you have won seven titles and 83 races, you DO get a pass. Kind of like how Kyle B. gets a pass for being a complete a-hole because he wins a lot of races.
 
Formerjackman said:
If you think anything Jimmie did was classless, then you have an odd definition of classless, at least as it applies to NASCAR drivers. Also, SO WHAT if he WAS venting frustrations? Is he NOT allowed?

Here's a hot take; Is it possible Jimmie "overreacted" on purpose to send a message to his new crew chief and his crew and light a fire under them? Stick and ball coaches have been known to do it. I've had bosses do it.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure this was all setup by Blaney. He started it with this Tweet earlier in the week.
 
Thegeneral23 said:
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
Click to expand...
And you’re wrong again because you make the mistake of comparing racing to stick and ball sports. Apples and oranges, if Jimmie was washed why did Ally sign up to sponsor him? Why hasn’t Rick shown him the door? You’re full of hyperbole...worst in HMS camp this year I’ll give you. But hasn’t done anything In years...he won in 17 comeon man how long you been watching? All the great champions have gone through a dry spell
 
Thegeneral23 said:
No I don’t have enough time to be making a burner account , I say he washed because he doesn’t produce. The guy hasn’t done anything in years.. the same for any sport.. this is the only sport that takes up for guys that’s not producing .. hell chase won yesterday he drives for same organization lol.. even Alex won haha JJ is the worse in the hendrick camp but for some reason he still gets a pass is mind blowing
Click to expand...
.
599605b58ff2b8c6f780523b79b31b7b.jpg


Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Formerjackman said:
If you think anything Jimmie did was classless, then you have an odd definition of classless, at least as it applies to NASCAR drivers.
Click to expand...

Jimmie trying to be the bully -- pathetic and classless. Blaney seems to be about as respectful and clean a racer as you'll find in Cup -- I guess he'll learn sooner or later it won't pay off, especially if you have Jimmie using that against him as he tries to shame Blaney in a post-race interview.

===

“I was trying to hear what he had to say but his lips were quivering so bad he can’t even speak,” Johnson said. “I guess he’s nervous or scared, maybe both, I don’t know what the hell the problem is. … He claims it was racing, I can’t wait to go racing. Everybody stay tuned.
 
1st person troll recount of what happened. funny, I wonder if it will take all week for him to run down saying the same thing differently.
 
jaqua19 said:
No one said anything about scare except for you. Jimmie put his hand up, as if to say, don't do that. Harvick kept coming at him, and wasn't reasonable at the time because he was upset. Jimmie went to talk, not to fight. Can't tell if you are serious or not.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I am a Harvick fan and Jimmie showed more class and was a better man on that day.
It was also a case that was and is typical of both personalities and their approach.
No reason to believe Johnson was ever intimidated.
 
I think after a couple of days Jimmie will have calmed down and will talk to Blaney again with a different attitude.Jimmie seemed a little hotter than I’ve seen from him in a long time. He just doesn’t seem like a grudge holder.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Former Jackman..

Any relation to Hugh Jackman?

:lol2:
Click to expand...

Sorry, other than both of us being pretty darn good looking and almost the same age, (I'm 13 month older) no connection that I am aware of. :D Honestly, I just went to IMDB and looked, and I don't believe I have ever seen a single movie with Hugh Jackman in it.
 
Formerjackman said:
That's the thing that makes racing different from other sports. It doesn't matter how good the driver is if EVERY part of the team doesn't perform 100% the driver looks terrible, and there are dozens of intangibles that most people never consider. Look, I don't know any more than anyone else does how much gas Jimmie still has in the tank, but I also know that it's unfair to judge him at this point considering how horribly inconsistent the HMS cars have been for the last few years, and yes, when you have won seven titles and 83 races, you DO get a pass. Kind of like how Kyle B. gets a pass for being a complete a-hole because he wins a lot of races.
Click to expand...

His issue is that he does not want anyone to be showing any respect to Jimmie. He wants his accomplishments to be ignored and he wants the media, and more importantly, fans, to disregard his accomplishments and treat him as a middle pack driver who has accomplished nothing.

He never was witness to Jimmies reign. He totally ignores the fact that Jimmie won all 7 of his titles against Kyle Busch, won 69 of his 83 races against him. He seems to want people to respect how he is racing now, because it justifies Kyle Busch being the best.

It's simply a matter of not accepting someone Kyle is currently racing against being more accomplished, while also accomplishing 85% of his achievements against his guy, who is "#1"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom