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NASCAR Chemistry
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Since there have been some major changes as of late in the NASCAR community, I thought it necessary to write about the chemistry of NASCAR. What I'm talking about is the chemistry between driver, crew, crew chief, owner, sponsors, and teammates. To have a great, winning, successful season, a NASCAR driver just can't be the best driver out there. There has to be that perfect CHEMISTRY between all of the things listed above.
Let me give a few examples of teams that seem to have a great chemistry...Hendrick's...only the 48, 24, and 5 cars. Evernham with the 9 car. DEI with the 8. RCR seems to have all of his ducks in a row this year with Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. Roush....the 6, 99, and 16 cars. There are a lot more I could list here that seem to have things going well this year, but, I feel that these are some great examples.
Now, there are some teams, from the same organizations listed above that aren't having a great year. If they are part of the same organization, what is happening with their team that is making them have a much stellar year? Is it the crew, crew chief, the sponsors, driver, etc? Let's take the 25 car of Hendrick's. Brian Vickers is the driver. He is currently 15th in the points standings....the only way he will make it into the Chase is if something drastic happens in the next four races. We all know that Brian Vickers will not be with Hendrick's next season. What is the missing link in his team? He has the same equipment as Jimmie or Jeff or Kyle. They all help each other out. He is a great driver. Is it that Rick Hendrick's isn't paying as much attention to this team? He has proven that he can run up front with the best, so what makes his team lack the performance of the others?
Jamie McMurray moved to Roush Racing in hopes of having a successful season. Roush was so dominate last year....not as dominate this year. In building a new team, it does take time to get the right chemistry to have a winning season. Jamie's team, unfortunately, hasn't found the spark. This is a building year for them, so maybe next year they will shine a little more. Last week's great finish gave them some hope for the rest of the season.
We've seen some teams do a complete turn around when there is one change made. For example, look at Dale Earnhardt, Jr. last season. They gave all of his cars from the 2004 season to Michael Waltrip....and all of Michael Waltrip's to him. Also, they swapped crew chiefs and crews. We all know what happened to Junior's season. For us 8 fans, it wasn't the best. But, with that said, Michael Waltrip, although he had everything that Junior had the year before, he didn't have a great season either...and eventually left DEI. So, even though the chemistry was there for Junior in 2004, that same chemistry was not there for Michael Waltrip. Now, for the 2006 season, the chemistry seems to be back. Junior has been consistent this year...okay, except for a couple of bad finishes. So, is the chemistry back for the 8 car? Hopefully!
Now, let's take a look at Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Dodge. He drives for Ray Evernham. He has had some great wins this season. Is close to being in the Chase. Poor Jeremy Mayfield, former driver of the #19 Dodge of Evernham Motorsports, finished in the top 10 last year, but this year fell out of the top 35. Jeremy was quoted at some point this season, claiming that he wished the owner, Ray Evernham, would be around more at the races, at the shop. Jeremy said he needed HELP! So, since the owner wasn't around very much with the 19 car, the chemistry for that team has crumbled. Elliot Sadler will be taking over this weekend at Michigan. We'll see by the end of the season whether or not Jeremy was the problem or Ray Evernham. Jeremy has proven that he can drive, but maybe he just wasn't with the right team. Gee, the chemistry....a driver never knows when the chemistry won't be there. One year it is, one year it isn't.
How many years does it take to find the chemistry needed to win races, run consistently, and finish in the top 10? I say around 3. Let's take Jimmie Johnson for example. I'm not a 48 fan, but I have to admit that he has a great team this year. His crew chief, Chad Knaus, seems to always know what to do to make the car better. He knows the strategies to use. Everything. For the past three seasons, Jimmie has been building up to win a championship. This year, chances are, it will be. Look at Kevin Harvick....he finally is having an awesome season.
Sponsors can also contribute to making a difference in a winning season and a disappointing season as well. Of course, if a team is doing well, their sponsors will stick by them. It is when things get a little rocky that sponsors tend to bail out. But, since NASCAR is such a huge sport, sponsors are getting advertising constantly. A lot of NASCAR fans buy things because of their driver.
Just like a relationship between a man and a woman, to make something work, there has to be a good chemistry between all involved. If there is a minor problem, it could cause tremendous damage. So, who will be next on the chopping block? We've seen the past few weeks that it is very easy to get axed from a team. Look at Jeremy Mayfield and Elliott Sadler. Drivers, especially since the Chase came into play, are always on the edge of their seat. The pressure.....the thrill......chemistry in NASCAR is like a soap opera! You never know what will happen next.
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