From Jayski’s site: Both drivers joined the organization when it was MB2 Motorsports. Marlin began in 2006 with a base salary of $1.1 million, and that increased to $1.2 million for 2007. Nemechek started with MB2 in 2004 and received $900,000 for 2004, $1 million for 2005, $1.1 million for 2006 and $1.2 million for 2007. Both drivers got to keep 45% of their race winnings (Nemechek, who was 27th in points in 2006, had $4,099,914 million total in race winnings last year, while Marlin, 34th in points, had $3,248,034 million) and 33% of souvenir sales.

What really shouts out at me is that if middle-of-the-road drivers like Nemecheck and Marlin and making $1 million per year, imagine what Gordon, Johnson, and Stewart are making.    Now it becomes very clear as to why NASCAR is attracting open-wheel drivers.

Post from: EveryJoe

Marlin, Nemecheck Sue Ginn Racing

Times are a changin’ in NASCAR and I think it’s a good thing.  Granted, it will take even the most seasoned IRL driver at least a year to feel comfortable driving the Cup cars, but they’re definitely going to bring a new level of competition to the sport.   Juan Pablo Montoya has already shown he’s not afraid to be agressive, much to the dissatisfaction of old-school NASCAR types, but look for all of the IRL drivers to bring that type of agressiveness.

Post from: EveryJoe

IRL Drivers Heading To NASCAR

This makes Johnson a prohibitive favorite for sure.   And what about Jeff Gordon.  Let’s be honest about the 24-team as well.  Gordon won a couple of races that he had no business winning, which definitely helped his momentum in the early part of the year.  But I was skeptical of his team’s real ability even during his hot streak, and I see him fading fairly quickly during the Chase.

If anyone is going to give Johnson a run for the title, it’s going to be Tony Stewart.  He’s not afraid to take chances with a setup that may be too loose, as long as it gives him a chance to win. He’s also more hungry for the title than Gordon, and I think his drive alone will create some great racing.

Post from: EveryJoe

Is Johnson the Favorite Now?

NASCAR needs Robin Miller to keep the pressure on Helton and Co. to keep the decisions coming out of NASCAR HQ honest. That’s not to say that NASCAR would listen to Miller any more than they would anyone else, but Miller does have an incredible amount of credibility, and his voice reaches far and wide.

And talk about a breath of fresh air compared to the current crop of let’s-not-offend-Helton-happy tv shows that are being broadcast today, like “Inside NASCAR”, being hosted by Dave Despain, and his band of characters. It’s a lame show, primarily because Michael Waltrip, Kenny Schrader, et al. are afraid to bite the hand that feeds them.

Post from: EveryJoe

Robin Miller — Come To The Darkside

It’s no secret that 90% of current NASCAR drivers hate the road courses, primarily because they have no experience at them, but they’re fun to watch from a fan perspective. Oddly enough, they can turn into parade-lap racing, which I detest, but on a road race there are certain places that you know passes take place, and it’s a matter of one driver setting up another for a pass.

Road races don’t typically have the type of wrecks that oval tracks do, but that doesn’t mean the racing isn’t exciting.

Post from: EveryJoe

Should NASCAR Add More Road Races?

However, Mayfield has been struggling in Cup cars for the last 5 years, without question. And it was only a year ago when he was involved in a controversy with Ray Evernham, alleging that Evernham wasn’t giving his Cup team enough attention, because Evernham was focusing too much on Erin Crocker, a developmental driver at the time.

Mayfield was subsequently released from Evernham Motorsports, and then signed with Bill Davis Racing. Mayfield did have his 15 minutes of fame when he won at Pocono in 2000, bumping Dale Earnhardt (Sr.) out of the way on the closing laps. NASCAR like other professional sports, has the elite drivers, the 2nd-tier drivers, journeyman drivers, and back-markers that fill the field. Mayfield was a 2nd-tier driver in the early 2000 years, but has fallen back to journeyman status, and these drivers seem to shuffle between the 2nd-tier teams, never really establishing themselves as go-to drivers for the top teams.

Post from: EveryJoe

Is Mayfield Cup Material?

So where is Busch headed? Yates, Evernham, Childress, Ganassi, Ginn, Waltrip, and DEI are all interested in talking with him, and they’ve all said that they’re interested because he has excellent driving skills. Unfortunately, save for Ganassi, none of the other owners listed have the moxie to keep the reins on Busch, and his behavior would continue to spiral out of control.

Jack Rousch, who had Busch under contract when he was 16, said he’s “not interested in revisiting the relationship”. Gee, ya think Rousch knows something about the Busch brothers that the others don’t?

Post from: EveryJoe

Where Is Kyle Busch Headed?

The primary problem is that it’s a virtual flat track. I’d like to see Bob Bahre, owner of the speedway, add some banking to the track, and because it’s only a 1-mile track, I think it would be unique enough to create some excellent racing. The now-defunct Pikes Peak International Speedway, in Colorado Springs, was a 1-mile d-shaped oval, and while the Cup guys never ran there, but Busch drivers at the time (including Kennseth and Earnhardt Jr.) thought it was an excellent track, and were in fact disappointed that NASCAR pulled out.

T.V. ratings are down this year for NASCAR and while it’s nothing to alarmed about, there are things that NASCAR should be looking at to get people excited about racing again.

Post from: EveryJoe

Is It Time for New Hampshire Speedway to Change?

This really doesn’t surprise me because Dodge’s and Ford’s have been srong here for many years, and maybe the Hendrick Motorsports good luck charm has run its course. Actually, there was one more suprise today and that was the good run Michael Waltrip put together. I don’t see this as a ray of hope unfortunately. Waltrip is an average driver at best and given suspect equipment on top of that, well, he won’t run many races this year.

And it was good to see Tony Stewart also put together a good run. He’s been MIA this year as well. On the flip side, Kasey Kahne continues his death spiral towards mediocrity. What’s happened to this kid? Is he really that good, or is just having a really off year?

Post from: EveryJoe

Ford’s Come Screaming Back!

Can Dale Jr. win in short order next year, or will he struggle with the new team? You can bet that this off-season will be plenty busy for Dale Jr. and his new team. They’re going to have work at not only building new cars, but doing some off-season testing as well. Dale Jr. will be using Hendrick horsepower, which will help him tremendously, but his biggest adjustment will probably be with the chassis and crew chief.

I do think he’ll win by mid-season, at least once. More interestingly, the more Dale Jr. wins, the less wins that Gordon and Johnson get. Will this affect team chemistry? Probably not, but each driver’s goal is to win races first, and team chemistry takes a distance second (as it should).

Post from: EveryJoe

Can Dale Jr. Win Immediately With New Team?