Yahoo Autos Revved Up! Readers React to Week's Biggest Racing News, Feb. 15 Edition
As we get ready for the official kickoff of the 2023 racing season—the granddaddy of ‘em all, the 65th Daytona 500 this Sunday (which also marks the start of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season, as well) – there’s lots to talk about in this week’s edition of REVVED UP!!
Among the topics we cover in the mailbag—along with many of your comments and my analysis—are Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club, Tony Stewart racing full-time in NHRA this season, our NASCAR 75 series stories on Danica Patrick’s incredible 2013 Daytona 500 pole, as well as Buddy Baker and Benny Parsons, F1’s boss calls out Michael Andretti, Kyle Busch’s gun incident south of the border and more.
“Readers, Start Your Engines!!”
How Jimmie Johnson is Changing Legacy Motor Club NASCAR Team
Readers Say:
• jorge.pascal: Stellantis should be negotiating Dodge’s re-entry to NASCAR with Jimmy asap!
• automatters: Somehow I missed the announcement about the rebranding from Petty to Legacy, so when I saw a bunch of people hanging around Legacy Motorsport Club in the garage area during the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum weekend, I thought it was just some sort of club for enthusiastic race fans. Since I follow NASCAR pretty closely and yet missed the announcement, perhaps Legacy Motorsport Club should put some more effort into explaining to a broad audience what they are. Jimmie, are you listening? BTW, I think that the Legacy Motorsport Club should honor King Richard by including some physical reference to Richard Petty on all of its cars, at every race.
• NREsq: Yup, JJ experienced the most accomplished organization in the history of NASCAR, and perhaps all of motor racing, for his entire career. No reason to reinvent that wheel. Expect them to have success sooner than later. But that name...
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: We had a number of great comments about LMC this week. To answer Jorge Pascal, I couldn’t agree more with you: LMC would be the PERFECT platform to bring back Dodge and Mopar to NASCAR. Sure, all Dodge products will be electric starting in 2024, but that shouldn’t stop NASCAR teams from building gas-powered versions – they already do that kind of thing with Ford, Chevy and Toyota anyway! As for Automatters’ comment, I totally agree that Richard Petty should forever be promoted along with LMC. And with all due respect to the new organization, I’m sorry, but a lot of folks will likely continue to refer to the organization as “Richard Petty Motorsports” – and LMC should be okay with that. And as for NREsq’s comment about the LMC name, while I respect Jimmie Johnson and the name change, it’s going to definitely take a while for some folks to get used to. Honestly, when I first heard of LMC’s new moniker, the first thing I thought was, “What, with a name like that, did Richard Petty just buy a Premier League soccer team?” But it will grow on all of you, mark my word. Now, if Team Hendrick changes its name to, say, “Hendrick Motor Club,” that may be pushing it a bit in my mind.
NASCAR Says Kyle Busch's Actions, Prison Sentence Do Not Violate Conduct Policy
Readers Say:
• Mgilly: After the Mall of America incident, I understand why he would want to have a gun with him always. But, as a concerned husband and father, he should know where it's at always, as well. I'm definitely on the fence with this situation. But regardless of the end result, I will be ok with the decision. I guess I feel he's "wrong" for all the "right" reasons.
• bma3889: I think it's none of NASCAR’s business about Kyle Bush's deal in Mexico. What's this "useful" hollow point bullet statement. I hope they are useful. And don't compare Kyle Bush to that America bashing Brittany Griner. Kyle if you read this I hope you kick butt at Daytona!!!!
• LAC12: OMG! Get over it people! The man went out of the country with his wife on vacation, took his hand gun for protection. Everyone else here would do the same. And you know trying to get to the airport on time and packing and trying to not forget anything is hectic!! It's a mistake any of us could have made!
• Motionman: Oh, the irony. Mexico, a country overrun with cartel mobs where murders happen all the time, is calling out somebody with a gun?
• don3669: My guess is Kyle will find a new vacation destination.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: My advice to Kyle is exactly what Don3669 said. Maybe his next vacation should be in the American Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico (where he CAN carry a weapon in his checked luggage because both are American territories). Kyle’s incident reminds me of a rather embarrassing thing that happened to me once about 15 years ago. I was going through TSA security and was flagged to have my carry-on bag checked. They went through it and found a knife!!! But to be fair to me, it was a butter knife and it had peanut butter residue on it. My guess is my Old English Bulldog had it in her mouth and decided to “bury” it not in our backyard, but dropped it into my bag, where it settled at the bottom and I didn’t know about it or see it when I packed it. The TSA guy was real stern, but when I told him how I thought it happened, with the peanut butter and my Bulldog, he actually cracked a smile. Of course, he kept the knife, but it was a small price to pay! Haha.
Tony Stewart Commits to Racing a Full-Season NHRA Schedule
Readers Say:
• Lxsusrcks: Tony should be committed.
• 4274speed: He could be great after what he did at Vegas. Good team
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: Hey, Lxsusrcks, I agree with you, Tony should be committed. But my meaning is a bit different: he should and will be committed to his team and to winning not only races but the Top Alcohol Dragster championship in 2023. He’s in it to win it all, trust me. And don’t be surprised if Tony uses the upcoming season as a potential test before he moves to Top Fuel in 2024. He's only 51 years old. That’s practically a rookie in drag racing. He can easily race another 10 years or more. Look at John Force: he'll be 74 in May and he’s still chasing championships. And fellow competitor Ron Capps will be ONLY 58 in June. Tony should feel right at home when he moves up from NHRA’s minor league to its major league, be it in Top Fuel or Funny Car. Tony has the capability of attracting a lot of racing fans from NASCAR and IndyCar to NHRA. I’m so looking forward to it.
NASCAR 75: Danica Patrick and the Jaw-Dropping 2013 Daytona 500 Pole
Readers Say:
• justbob: She had limited success in anything she drove. You cannot take away that she had some decent results in IndyCar. If the pole position at Daytona is her claim to fame in NASCAR. So be it. The question is why make a big hype of pole positions in the first place? They mean almost nothing in NASCAR. The finishing order is what counts.
Robby Gordon was bad mouthed for pointing out the fact that Danica had a huge advantage because she only weighed approximately 100 lbs. Any reasonable person would not just dismiss that fact as weight is almost everything in racing. Could that or many other questionable results in NASCAR be responsible for this result? The fact is it doesn't matter as even if so, nobody is ever going to admit it. As many other questionable things in racing, it will not change the results.
So I'm going with giving a fairly talented driver her due. She may not have been a top notch racer. But she accomplished what a lot of other drivers would love to say. Whatever the reasons, she accomplished a lot and not so much at the same time. The record show that she won the pole. Do not try to take that away from her, as it would not be fair,
• Lxsusrcks: She performed better in IndyCar and wrecked a lot less. She also attracted a lot of sponsorship money. Using her as a commentator now makes the mute button more valuable than ever to me.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I agree with both readers. Danica earned the Daytona 500 pole fair-and-square (with lots of help from crew chief Tony Gibson) and deserves to be treated with respect for achieving that goal, something many of today’s stars – and even some NASCAR Hall of Famers – never accomplished. As for Lxsusrcks’ comment about the mute button, I’ll only say this: Danica definitely could put a bit more energy, enthusiasm and do a bit more research into her on-air performance. If she learned from James Hinchcliffe, I believe her on-air performance would improve dramatically.
F1 CEO Says Michael Andretti 'Not Smart' to Call Formula 1 Teams 'Greedy'
Readers Say:
• carsareit: I understand the financial position the existing teams have taken to an extent. I personally think the overall show would improve with not only one but two or three more teams. An extra six cars on the grid would do many things other than just add cars in the track. It would open the door for more engine manufacturers to enter the fray. Maybe not only Audi but others as well. Koreans could give it a shot with a Hyundai, Kia or a Genesis entry. Competition, especially in the mid pack would get heavier and it would be a lot more fun for the fans to see 26 cars instead of 20 on the track. There is a budget cap as is which cuts the money teams spend which is unlike the past. Also, the popularity of the sport in the US has seen tickets prizes almost triple and places like Austin breaking its own attendance record. And the schedule is now three more races than in the past so there is even more prize money. So what's the complaint about?
• her5320: Mr. Andretti’s comment wasn’t very tactful. But he may not be far off from being right. The F1 system is basically flawed. Think about it: for some time now there are only three teams considered capable of winning a Grand Prix - Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull/Honda. These teams then supply the engines and drivetrains for the rest of the field. Sure, from time to time some other team might win – when the big three have a bad day, but rarely. F1 is a great sport, and I enjoy watching it, but I would enjoy it even more if there were 20 cars capable winning a race and championship instead of six.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: While Michael Andretti may have made a tactical error with his “greedy” comments, I also understand his frustration. He knows what he can bring to the series and EVERYONE would benefit. But far too many current F1 organizations are so staid (and stale) in their response to change in the sport that they oftentimes can’t see the forest for the trees when it comes to making things better for everybody. Andretti has a passion that few people – including many of t
Follow Autoweek contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski
