What's going on at RPM?

What is going on at Richard Petty Motorsports?

For most of this season, the organization has been encircled with rumors and stories of financial problems with most cast aside as long as RPM continued to field four Sprint Cup series teams.

In recent months we’ve learned a four-car team was going to cut down to a two car operation in 2011 featuring two drivers - AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose - who are talented but have zero Cup wins between them.

Kasey Kahne is moving to Red Bull in 2011 and then Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. Paul Menard is moving to Richard Childress Racing next year.

Now, five races before the end of the season, more trouble has beset the organization.

We learned Kahne had been working on a deal to move to Red Bull as soon as this weekend and late Wednesday night RPM announced it had released Kahne effective immediately.

RPM said Aric Almirola would drive its No. 9 Ford at Martinsville, Va., this weekend but a driver lineup after that “is to be determined.”

Also Wednesday night, two sources directly associated with RPM told the Observer and ThatsRacin.com the organization had no car or engines from Roush Fenway Racing beyond what’s needed for this weekend. And, no, that’s not a normal occurrence.

In fact, with Martinsville cars and engines already ready and none for Talladega to work on, several RPM employees effectively had nothing to work on Wednesday afternoon at the shop, sources said.

In the background of all this lies the sale of the Liverpool soccer club, which George Gillett owned along with other investors, for far less money than he had hoped. Gillett is also the majority of RPM.

Perhaps we’ll know more when Kahne speaks to the media Friday at Martinsville. But I can tell you, there are many employees at RPM worried about their futures.

It seems rightfully so.

One on one with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett

   Thanks to Ford Racing which provided the transcript of this interview with Ned Jarrett, one of five members of the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class.

   Jarrett won Ford’s firstCup Series driver's championship in 1965. Jarrett, who won two championships overall, is Ford’s all-time winningest driver with 43 victories and is part of only two father-son duos to win NASCAR’s most-coveted championship.

   Q: IT’S BEEN A COUPLE OF DAYS SINCE YOU WERE VOTED INTO THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME. HAS IT SUNK IN YET? 

   It’s beginning to sink in more each day as each day goes by. When it happened, I was almost in shock.  I am one of the three retired drivers that was asked to serve on the voting committee long before any nominee was ever announced, so going into the meeting on Wednesday I didn’t think I had a chance.  But after some of the discussion and I saw I had a lot of support in there, I began to have a better feeling about it. 

   Still, I tried to not let my hopes get too high because I didn’t want too big of a letdown in case I wasn’t voted in.  I was prepared for that, but it’s sinking in and I’m realizing what a great thing it is.  Of course, I knew when they announced the NASCAR Hall of Fame that it would be something very special and special to be a part of, and to be able to get in this early is very rewarding.

   Q: YOU WON FORD’S FIRST DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP AND REMAIN FORD’S ALL-TIME WINNINGEST DRIVER.  WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MEMORIES OF THOSE DAYS?

   My relationship with Ford Motor Company over the years has been great and something that I really appreciate.  Having won the most races in a Ford race car in NASCAR history is very important to me and to have won the first championship for Ford in 1965 is very meaningful to me as well.  I certainly appreciate all that Ford has done for the sport of auto racing over the years.  It’s much more than many fans realize and I appreciate my association with them, too.  They’ve always been a great company to be associated with. 

   I grew up in a Ford family on the farm.  My dad had a Ford car.  We only had one car and that was a Ford, and then when they came out with a Ford tractor, he bought a Ford tractor for the farm.  He had a Ford truck that hauled the lumber from the sawmill that we had, so I grew up in a Ford family and then for one day to be able to race Ford cars and have some success in them is very meaningful to me.

   Q: HAVING YOU AND DALE WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A FORD MUST BE EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL THEN.

   That is very special, too.  Having Dale go along and win a championship in a Ford car, and now is one of the largest Ford dealers in the country, means a lot to our whole family.

   Q: I UNDERSTAND YOU PLAYED GOLF THE DAY AFTER YOUR SELECTION.  HOW DID THAT GO? 

   It was one of the worst rounds of golf I’ve ever had on the golf course.  I told my buddies that I wish they wouldn’t have inducted me into that Hall of Fame because it just tore my golf game up (laughing).  But it was fun to just get out there and relax a little bit.

   Q: WAS THERE A LOT OF STRESS? 

   It certainly had taken its toll as far as my physical and mental being. I didn’t sleep much that night, so I was tired. That didn’t help my golf game any, but, nevertheless, it was nice to be able to go. Our group tees off at 10:30 in the morning and when we make the turn we stop and have a sit down lunch, and then we go out and play the other nine holes. When I walked into the lunch room at Catawba Country Club, there was a good crowd inside and they all stood and gave me a standing ovation. I really appreciated that and it made me feel real good.

Services/memorials for former Bristol Motor Speedway president Jeff Byrd

    Jeff Byrd’s family invites his friends to join them in celebrating Jeff’s life at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at Grace Fellowship Church, 2314 South Greenwood Drive, Johnson City, Tenn., with Dr. Greg Jordan and Dr. David Cagle officiating. 

   A community appreciation service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the infield at Bristol Motor Speedway.

   In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Jeff Byrd Foundation, c/o Kingsport Community Foundation, 625 Market Street, Suite 1400, Knoxville, TN 37902.  Donations also can be made through the website at www.easttennesseefoundation.org.

Jeff Byrd, president and GM of Bristol Motor Speedway, dies

    Jeff Byrd, who was a visible friend to race fans as president and general manager of Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, died on Sunday after a length illness. He was 60.

   Under his leadership, Bristol became one of the most popular tracks in NASCAR. He had led the speedway and its adjacent dragway since January 1996 when Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the facility.

 

   “From his days as a sportswriter to his time at R.J. Reynolds to the last 14 years, Jeff Byrd was one of the greatest promoters both stock car and drag racing has known,” said SMI Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith. “To say his passing leaves a void would be an understatement.

 

   “Simply put, Jeff got it. He understood that more than what happened on the track, it was the experience that fans took home with them that stayed in their memories. And those fans, and the people he worked with at Bristol Motor Speedway, were truly  like family to him.

 

   "Because of the mindset that he possessed, Jeff will stay in our hearts and memories forever."

 

   Prior to joining BMS, Byrd served 23 years in the sports marketing department at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., departing as vice president of business development. He began his career as a sportswriter at the Winston-Salem Journal.

 

   He is survived by his wife, Claudia, daughter, Belton Caldwell and her husband Jerry; son, Christian Byrd and his wife Amy; and seven grandchildren.

 

   Funeral services remain incomplete.

Looking for volunteers to be last one inducted in NASCAR Hall of Fame

   There has been much discussion about next year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame class, but I couldn't disagree more with the theory that it doesn’t matter when anyone is inducted, just that they are.

   If that were really true, why are five inducted at a time? If it doesn’t matter who is first and who is last, then why not induct everyone considered worthy in the very first class?

   The reason is simple: It does matter. It matters to those who do and who do not get in, and it matters to the folks who run the place, whether it’s to sell tickets or get more exposure.

   There's an old addage in journalism: If you aren't first, you're last. Why? Because people remember who is first; people remember who found out first, got in first, did the first of something. There's a similar phrase used in racing: Second is the first loser.

   While in a perfect world it would nice to believe over the course of history of the NASCAR Hall everyone will be held in the same high regard as the first group inducted, the truth is that isn't so.

   Argue about why one nominee got in before another, argue over the process, argue over whether some have been left off the list entirely. But please, don't tell me it doesn't matter when someone gets in.

   I’m still waiting for any of those who believe that to volunteer to be the last one inducted.

Should Carl Edwards be expecting a NASCAR 'secret' fine?

   Carl Edwards had plenty to say about the upcoming Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and although it was said in a much different environment - a formal media availability rather than outside the infield care center - it became obvious the message is one we've heard before.

   Back in the spring, after taking another wild wide in a bad-looking crash in a race at Talladega, Ryan Newman emerged from the infield care center and unloaded on the racing there.

   He said restrictor-plate races shouldn’t be points races, and that racing at Talladega "was something different besides racing.” He claimed Talladega and races like it were more marketing tools than competitions.

   On Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Edwards was asked pointedly, "Should there be races like Talladega?"

   This was Edwards complete answer: "Points should not be awarded at Talladega. In a fair competition they shouldn’t be because it’s so random. It’s just a treacherous race. Now, since there are points awarded, it adds a whole other level of stress to the race. You drive around and if you’re doing really well in the points, every lap your heart is pounding and you’re just trying to predict any wrecks that might happen and the best way to avoid them. I guess in a guy’s position like myself, the reasons that I don’t like it when I’m running well in the points are the same reasons that I look forward to it now.”

   There is one significant difference in the two responses: Newman received an unpublicized, hefty fine from NASCAR for making comments that "materially damage the sport." As of this morning, Edwards - as far as we know - has not.

   I look forward to learning how NASCAR officials plan to make the distinction between the two.

How come the disconnect in the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting?

   One thing was evident in Wednesday's results of the voting for NASCAR's Hall of Fame Class of 2011, and it was this: There was a significant disconnect between the published voting intentions of members of the NASCAR media (whether "official" voters or not) and the rest of the Voting Panel.

   Doesn't it strike anyone else as odd that 90 percent of the media members who made their personal preference choices known ahead of time or right after the vote all basically agreed with four of the five inductees?

   David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip were selected by virtually anyone in the media who offered an opinion of what the second Hall class should look like.

   Yet when the actual vote of the entire panel was compiled Yarborough and Waltrip appeared on less than 45 percent of all voters' ballots.

   Even the fan vote, compiled by NASCAR.com, revealed virtually the same thing: Pearson, Allison, Yarborough and Waltrip all found common support.

   For some reason, the remainder of the voting panel had a different thought process than most media members and NASCAR fans as a group.  I mean generally it's hard to get media and race fans to agree on a lot, but this seemed pretty straight forward.

   Yet one large segment of the voting panel thought differently. What did the media and the fans miss?

   Some component of recognizing NASCAR's history? Certainly, Yarborough and Waltrip and their respective careers encompass most if not all that has contributed to NASCAR's history.

   Is it, as Waltrip suggested, some idea of wanting to recognize people while they are still with us to enjoy it? That's certainly possible. Yet, it seems to me if that were the case, Raymond Parks would have been a shoo-in for the first class.

   In any case, no one should be willing to throw the word "lock" around when it comes to any Hall of Fame class for a long time to come.