Nov 12/08
When Life Serves Lemons, Go Truck Racing!
Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired-Rain in the Desert Edition
By Lori Munro (LAM) and Dennis Michelsen (DMIC)
Back by popular demand the dynamic duo of Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen will thrill and amaze you with their NASCAR wits and acumen every week! If you can't get enough of these nuts on the "Doin' Donuts" radio show every Monday night on RaceTalkRadio at 8pm ET, now you can check out "Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired" every week in print too! Race fans can even join in the debate with our easy to use comments section. Strap in for a wild ride as LAM and DMIC crank it up every week! You might even hear your comments on the radio so join in the fun today!

Changing Channels
DMIC says…While I can understand a horribly rain delayed race getting shuffled off to another channel what happened on Sunday with ABC was disgusting! Can you imagine the many people that record the race investing 3 hours to watch all but the last 30 laps of the event? Oh I suppose more people want to see guys getting hit in the crotch or another edition of snot bubbles from a toddler instead of racing but ABC really had their nerve! Just one quick suggestion to ABC and NASCAR for next season…start the races an hour earlier and this won't be an issue!

LAM says… Wait a minute, I have an even BETTER idea. If old home movies are more important than the last 30 laps of the 9th race in the Chase…. Use old home movies of drivers. Yes… watch in amazement while Sterling Marlin at 4 years of age is given his first Davey Crockett hat. Reel in delight as you see live footage at "the beach" with young Jimmy Spencer with hair in braids like he's staring in the move "10"… can't you just see the flowing locks and smell the ocean breeze?

Obviously, racing isn't the show anymore folks. The show is ruled by advertiser's dollars and everyone who has nothing to do with automobile racing. Give me a break….

Martin Doesn't Drive Them All
DMIC says…It was a bit of a shock to me to see Mark Martin's name pop up on the entry list in a Toyota at the season ending race with Red Bull Racing! Apparently it was also a shock to Chevy since they will have Martin in one of their cars all season in 2009. For years Mark Martin was synonymous with Ford's blue oval. A few farewell tours ago that changed to a Chevy. Maybe Penske can get Mark in a Dodge for a Nationwide Series race and Toyota can get Mark in a truck at Miami so he can have a race in every brand!

LAM says… I have an inside tip as to why this deal fell through. Apparently, Mark simply did NOT want to wear a sparkly shirt and oversized sunglasses or shorts bedazzled with fuchsia glitter. It had nothing to do with car manufacturers and everything to do with fashion sense. On a serious note, I'm thankful that this deal fell through because the last thing you want to do is give a rookie LESS seat time so at least Speed can now show everyone that he truly is - Up to Speed!

Wizard of Knaus
DMIC says…Is Chad Knaus really the best Crew Chief in the business right now or is the No. 48 the best team? The job of Crew Chief has changed a lot over the years. Now in addition to having the head wrench every team has engineers and specialists for every part on the car! Three championships in a row are all the proof anyone needs that Chad Knaus is the most brilliant Crew Chief in the business. This is NOT an insult towards Jimmie Johnson. Back when Jeff Gordon was winning his championships Ray Evernham was clearly at the top of his game. NASCAR racing is becoming even more about strategy and fine lines in setups and Knaus is the best at the details!

LAM says… I too believe whole-heartedly that Chad Knaus… oops, pardon me... the charming Prince K Naus is indeed a modern day Einstein in the garage and on the war wagon. BUT it also takes a complete meeting of the minds and a relationship that works such as what we see between Johnson and K Naus. You can have the best driver in the world and put Barney Fife on the box and get nothing but failure and regret, and vice versa - put Seymour Doolittle in the car with the best crew chief ever on the box and get nowhere. It takes a team, teamwork and a whole bunch of pixie dust and sprinkles to even come near the magic we're seeing as the 48 team makes history.

Maybe Another Lemonade Stand?
DMIC says…The toughest part of this down economy is seeing some of the smaller teams suffer. Bill Davis Racing has always done more with less giving a lot of drivers a chance to race in NASCAR that might have been ignored otherwise. Drivers and sponsors that Bill has brought into the sport have left for better offers but each year BDR finds a way to survive and even thrive winning races at the Craftsman Truck Series level. Now a merger at the Cup level has supposedly fallen apart while funding for the Truck series teams is also hurting. Maybe Bill and Gail need to open a lemonade stand again!

LAM says… Funny you bring up the lemonade stand because it was built due to Davis's premature move from Dodge to Toyota a few years ago. So when you break things down, nothing is fair in love and war and business and sponsors. BDR's possible vacating of the Cup series is unfortunately a sign of these difficult times but I do foresee the organization becoming an even bigger fish in the pond called "Camping World Truck Series" next year. So when you really think about it, it's true that when life gives you lemons... you make lemonade - AND go truck racing!!

Black Monday
DMIC says…After the season finale at Homestead-Miami a lot of crew members will be laid off from their NASCAR jobs. While some of this is a normal process every season it sounds like this year the cuts will be deeper than ever before. When a three time champion is laying off their spotter and teams like JR Motorsports have to cut back to one team you know this sponsor issue is serious! NASCAR has been growing and growing so fast that for some folks in the sport this will be the first downturn experienced. Belt tightening is happening all over in this down economy so it's not a surprise to see it come to NASCAR now. Hopefully NASCAR brass will feel the pain of its teams and not make rule changes that make a bad situation even worse.

LAM says… While I fully agree and understand that we are under hard economic times. Everyone everywhere, from the carpenter to the cashier to the used car salesman, HAS to do some belt tightening and reassess their spending and areas of investment. Running a stock car team is a tough deal because you have to outspend your competition in order to leapfrog past them. You can also reassess what can be eliminated and what should be kept. The thing is, its affecting everyone, not just 1 or 2 teams. It's a broad-spectrum issue and when the dust settles, it will be a matter of survival of the fittest. We may not like it but that's reality. As for Jimmie Johnson's spotter; does anyone really think this individual will be selling pencils on a street corner somewhere? I doubt it. Johnson's spotter is a prime example of how a person NEEDS to be the best they can be in order to marketable. The fact that this guy has helped the 48 team get to the head table 3 times (almost, just a few days away); will secure him a position elsewhere. Why he is being cut is anybody's guess but he'll land on his feet you can be sure of that. As will the BEST carpenter, the BEST cashier, and the BEST used car salesman. Hard times just force one's hand to dig deeper and perform better and in some wild and crazy way, actually raises the bar a notch or two once the dust settles...

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