Published: November 20, 2008 03:40 pm         

Caution flag just ahead for NASCAR

Commentary by Robert Carter

The North Jefferson News



So “The Chase” is done, and to absolutely no one’s surprise — especially after Carl Edwards fell out of contention at Talladega — Jimmie Johnson has won his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup, becoming the only driver besides Cale Yarborough to accomplish the feat.

That’s all well and good, but we’ve got some major problems facing us in Good Ol’ Boy Land. Problems that may send the sport back to the Good Ol’ Days.

While we celebrate the amazing accomplishment of Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus, and wade through the hyperbole of “Is Jimmie Johnson The Greatest NASCAR Driver Ever?” (answer: not yet), we must face up to this: The teams have a major hangover awaiting them when the haulers and private jets arrive back in Charlotte and Kannapolis this week.

The economic downturn — or recession, if you’re brave enough to say it — is hitting racing hard, especially at the levels below Sprint Cup. Nationwide series teams are cutting out cars, or moving resources from those teams up to Sprint Cup cars. Dodge Motorsports is pulling factory support away from the minor series. The truck series lost its title sponsor, as Craftsman tools gives way to Camping World, the Bowling Green, Kentucky-based purveyor of all things RV. Teams are laying off employees left and right.

But perhaps the biggest reality check came last week, when word came that Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was merging with Chip Ganassi Racing. This deal marks the first time in a long time that rivals have been forced to join forces due to economic conditions outside their control.

The news brought out the expected weeping and gnashing of teeth, plus the obligatory comments from Dale Jr. about his stepmother Teresa’s management of DEI, which basically boils down to, “If Daddy were still here, this never would have happened.”

(Note to Junior: We all loved your dad and still miss him dearly, but it’s time to move on.)

Now comes speculation that goes beyond the normal banter about who keeps his ride and who moves elsewhere. Now we wonder if there will even be enough entries to fill out a full 43-car field at some races.

The cutbacks have inspired the likes of Darrell Waltrip and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Rick Minter (whose stories you read each Saturday on our NASCAR page) to regale us with tales of the old days, when Cale, King Richard, Bobby and Donnie and Ned and such would go from race to race pretty much on the cash they’d won the week before.

Meals weren’t the catered spreads that today’s teams enjoy, but bologna sandwiches or beans and weenies from a can in the back of the hauler. Corporate tents? No, but instead, fans’ own tents pitched in the infield.

It’s easy to dismiss these tales as yarns from old-timers. But there’s still evidence today that, not so long ago, NASCAR was not nearly the big-time operation we’re used to today.

I’ve been fortunate enough to take an occasional drive down a dead-end residential street in Hueytown, where George White’s shop converts vehicles to be used by the handicapped. White was one of Bobby Allison’s pit crew members, and the shop is the old Allison Brothers Racing shop. The walls are still adorned with memorabilia from that team, including a banner celebrating Bobby’s Winston Cup championship.

I’m not joking when I say that there are houses in metro Birmingham today that have more garage space than the old Allison race shop. It amazes me that a place like this turned out winners of three Daytona 500s (would’ve been four if Yarborough hadn’t taken Donnie out in the last lap in 1979) and more than 90 NASCAR races between the two brothers.

And of course, the drivers then did a fair amount of work on their own cars. Does Johnson or Edwards or Gordon do that today? Not likely — they’re off doing personal appearances for corporate sponsors.

There’s nothing at the old Allison shop that remotely compares to today’s gleaming operations of DEI, Ganassi, Joe Gibbs, Hendrick Motorsports and the like. But if those teams are going to make it through the coming tough times, they may have to return to their roots just a bit.

If times get bad enough, maybe you’ll see Teresa Earnhardt down at the nearest Walmart before a race, buying a couple of trays of chicken fingers at the deli counter for the crew.



CORRECTION

Because of an error in information provided, an incorrect date was published in the November 12 edition for the NFL Flag Football exhibition at Gardendale’s Moncrief Park. It will be held this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.