Do you think he would have a ride if Richard weren't his grandfather?
The 4 car
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Bowtie3
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Same could very easily be said about Dale Jr. Would Hendrick have noticed Chase if he weren't Bill's son? Would Roush have looked at Kyle Busch if he weren't Kurt's brother.
To question where a driver has talent because of who his family is is ignorant. To discount talent because of who is paying the bills is rediculous.
He has proven himself at every level. Yes, I think he could have gotten to this level without RC.
Fair enough. Obviously with your name you are a fan of the three car, and as a fan if your satisfied that's all that matters.
LewTheShoe
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Very well said. I'm not a fan of Austin Dillon, and I don't like to hear a young driver talk about "building his brand," but your list of family beneficiaries could be expanded to include many more. Richard Petty. Davey Allison. Myriad Wallaces and Waltrips. John Andretti. Ryan Blaney. And more.
I should have phrased that differently - I meant how many wins has RCR had since Harvick left.
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RCR is playing the long game, making sure the family will have a future.
Richard Petty is still looking out for himself.
Just a few thoughts here. I think there are a few reasons that the 4 team had lost so many races than they should have won. One, Harvick had shown that he struggles on restarts, and with so many races coming down to a GWC, it's easy to see why many slip away. Second, his pit crew has been very inconsistent, especially with pivotal stops. And third, when a team has such a dominant car, it puts the rest of the field in desperation mode where they are willing to take risks with pit strategies, often doing the opposite of the leaders. Sometimes being the dominant car can be a disadvantage.
Regardless, I think being a dominator and letting some races fall by the way side is better than being mediocre and being an occasional closer.
Regardless, I think being a dominator and letting some races fall by the way side is better than being mediocre and being an occasional closer.
Revman
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I think that the 4 dominance is gone. He is good. He is a threat every week. He is not dominant. In 2014, he was unstoppable. In 2015, he was beatable. In 2016, he is one of a few who are very difficult to beat. The package has not necessarily been kind to him, but he has adapted in a surprising way. Certainly, Rodney is a bit piece of that.
I agree with most of this. I still think the 4 team is the most dominant car this year however. Let's not confuse individual teams with overall manufactors. He has the second most laps led, best average finish, most top 10, current true points leader with the most weeks at that position (13/16) and led the most laps in 5 races, which is 2 more than anybody else. Sounds me like the 4 team is the current most dominating and most consistent team.
ted@economy
in the interest of equal time
Years ago , we never talked about a dominant driver without mentioning his dominant crew chief in the same sentence .
Revman
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From the standpoint of my TRD Toyota teams, I felt that we needed a prayer in '14, consistency (everything to go right) in '15, and now I have no problem racing him straight up. Points are really different now, and I only want to lead the last lap.
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Everything in this sport is cyclical. Before long Hendrick will be unbeatable and TRD will be behind the 8-ball and the a year or two will go by and the roles will reverse. Great thing about the sport is the target is always moving. If you aren't moving forward you are going backwards but no matter what always turning left!
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^ Best post in this thread, IMO.
LewTheShoe
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^ Best post? Why? Sure, things are cyclical, the competitive dynamics are always changing, but that is no reason to ignore where things are now. What else are we to discuss here (other than Mark Martin's various championships, of course)?
Maybe we could discuss why no races aren't run in New Zealand. That would be a great start.
ted@economy
in the interest of equal time
Totally agree that manufacturer dominance has always been cyclical . But along side that is the rise and fall of owners and drivers. Junior Johnson had a rise and fall , I think Jack Roush is on the fall side. Penske seems to be still rising , Gibbs too .
DanicaFreak
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you have the V8 supercars......
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Because I think it is. I live in the present, look back fondly at the past, look forward to the future and don't ignore anything.
The Pacific Northwest is bereft of professional Motorsport ... we can discuss that if you like. Will there be anything else, Messieur Shew?
Revman
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Couldn't agree more. David Wilson has been saying since the start of the season that Toyota's dominance wouldn't last, and that they were not bracing for the other teams to catch up, but that they were already planning their response to the inevitable. I hope that the cycle is long because it took 10 years for Toyota to become legit every week. Don't want to wait another 10.
I will say that I don't think Hendrick is missing a thing. Jimmie is Jimmie, and he has a good of a shot at winning everything as anybody. Chase is well on his way. Kasey needs something else, or maybe the sport has passed him by. I want Junior to be great just like everybody else, but I am starting to wonder if maybe he isn't.
Dave Pericak is doing a hell of a job at Ford. It won't be long.
I think Toyota has finally made it to the head table in terms of being elite enough to trade back and fourth with the very best teams in NASCAR year after year - kind of the captain obvious statement.
Childers said something last year that stuck with me - I don't recall the exact quote but it was along the lines of him regretting bringing their A+ equipment to the track mid summer after they had been locked into the chase already. Allowed rivals to see where the bar was set and continue to progress while the SHR sat fat dumb and happy until chase time.
Whether that was BS or not to save face I have no idea but my point is with the current championship format and the lack of meaning mid season races have relative to chase races I can only wonder who is playing possum... If at all.
Sorry for the novel!
Revman
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That quote raised my eyebrow as well. Based on some of the things that the drivers are saying, I do believe that TRD is experimenting, but I wouldn't attribute the fact that Toyota hasn't won since Martin did in the 600 simply to that. The others have caught up to the standard that Toyota had set. Now, to your point, is that the definitive standard, or is there more to come. I took a rash of **** about a TRD Chase spec motor for the 2014 Chase, and TRD has noted that the turn around began then--not last year as some have reported. I am sure that TRD will take their swing at this, and all teams and manufacturers will find out just where the baseline is, and they will have to play the hand they are dealt. I am with Chad Knaus, however, that the stuff will be revealed at Indy. Gonna be fun.