hendricksuks - 30 October 2009 10:21 AM

Townley's father is the co-owner of Zaxby's. What part of sponsoring your own car is a problem. At least Townley is not bribing/cheating his way to victory. He's merely allowing his son to participate in a sport anyone would love to be in. Menard is no different. What is wrong with that?

He has every right to put his son in a car. The car wouldn't be there if his son weren't driving it - just like Menard's ride.

However, the difference is this - Paul Menard was competent to move up. JWT isn't. Paul has a NW victory on his resume. Has JWT ever even finished a race?

Let him run in a lower series until he shows some proficiency (or at least the ability to finish even 1 race???). Trucks would be ideal for it right now - there aren't that many fully sponsored trucks, so I'm sure Mr. Townsley could make a deal with a team to let his son run as long as it takes until he can start getting top 10 finishes. Then move him up.

What's really weird is that RCR turned Menard down and sent him to DEI, who was willing to take a buy-a-ride car. Now, RCR is taking a completely unqualified guy in the same situation...

This is dumb - hopefully the kid doesn't hurt himself.

Lovey-Dovey - 30 October 2009 11:48 AM

Still missing my point. It was affordable enough that you didn't need one of the multi-million dollar multicar teams to win, even less to be competitive. I knew a group of working class guys who put a team together in a two car garage, and got quite a few top tens with Sonny Easley, a local Saugus Speedway racer who got that ride by winning the big races at the local tracks. Joe Ruttman didn't get his ride by being either well spoken or pretty. Neither did Trickle or Schrader or Allison. They all earned their way by winning races.

In stock car racing outside from Cup, you are correct. Here in the northeast, there were many famous modifieds that had the best drivers in them, all racing for a living off of purse-money. But to run on NASCAR's national stage, which is what we are talking about here, you had to fund it yourself.

Now it's pretty much the opposite. You have to pay your own way all the way up the ladder, and then maybe you earn the big ride.

skydive24 - 29 October 2009 11:42 AM

This is ridiculous. Townley wrecks every race and still has a ride, now an even better one. And young drivers like LAndon Cassill, Coleman, Clauson, and Bayne sit on the sidelines

That may be, but when a driver has sponsorship, he get doors opened. That and the fact that Zaxby's is owned by his family. He is just like Paul Menard, this guy couldn't win if he was the only guy on track but he keeps getting decent rides, because of his family Sponsorship; Menards Home Improvement Stores.

I have to question RCR. I do not care who brings in how much money, if they suck they will take the team down with them. It will not look good on any Crew Chief's resume to 'lead' JWT to a 25th place average finish in NNWS, so who would want such a job? All it does is bring down the team, first team morale, then as frustration sets in, I would imagine the quality team members would get tired of watching their team flounder at the back, so they will be looking for a better job elsewhere. Good way of sending your employees off to your competition.

johnalex1273 - 30 October 2009 09:49 AM

Thorstar - 29 October 2009 10:52 PM

johnalex1273 - 29 October 2009 10:23 PM

Thorstar - 29 October 2009 10:12 PM

johnalex1273 - 29 October 2009 09:46 PM

auntysquat - 29 October 2009 07:36 PM

^^^ Exactly. Most of the field were cars owned by drivers, many of them of questionable quality and I'm referring to the cars and the guys in them. The only difference between Robbins and the others was the fact that he sang songs for a living.

I think it was Bobbby Allison who told the story of giving Robbins a monster carburetor so he could out qualify Petty at Talledega. Cant remember the story word for word but I'll try to find it.

I don't believe it! Not Mr. Bobby "I don't cheat, never have, never will, everyone else is cheating but me, oh poor me!!!" Allison. No, must have your story mixed up with someone else like Cale, or Pearson, or Benny, but it can't be Booby. He says he never cheated and was always a victim, so it can't be him.

Heres the story. I was close for the most part except he ran it in the race not qualifying.

http://www.cottonowens.com/marty_robbins.html

scroll down to the little story "Marty charges to the front"

Bobby isnt mentioned in the article but I think he built it for Marty though. For fun, not as a cheat.

Yeah, I was just razzin on ol' Bobby. If you ever read the book "Circle of Triumph - The Bobby Allison Story" by Bobby and Ben White you'd see he just plays himself as such a victim. He never did anything wrong and all that. Everything bad as far as being driver and not winning races or titles was someone else cheating to do it. Kinda sad, because you know he cheated just like everyone else. DW rags on him all the time saying stuff like "Bobby is his own worst enemy" and such. After reading that book, I see why.

I do remember Ole Bobby getting cheated out of a race at Atlanta I think when Petty and Yarbourgh had illegal engines but NASCAR let them slide. I think Bobby told NASCAR he was done but then Bill France had a meeting with him and got him to come back.

That happened at Charlotte. Petty and Cale had big motors but the positions held. I just think there is no way he ran all those years without cheating except for the Ontario/Penske tappet deal with the Matador.

And I have to ask you the fans which would the sport be better off with:

The RCR team hiring or retaining a young promising driver, such as Stephen Leicht while the Townley's actually buy out a current Start N Park team for their kid to attempt to run the whole event with. That would keep a full time competitive car competitive, while Townley wrecks a car that would otherwise be parked by lap ten...

Or...

RCR fields a car for Townley, thereby reducing the competitive cars by one.

You be the judge.

I always admired the way Kulwicki Racing handled things after Alan got killed in a plane crash.
Alan's father Gerry had Felix Sabates run the operation till a suitable owner was found. Before Alan got killed, Alan made a pact with his team that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted Jimmy Hensley to drive the car. After Alan died, then main sponsor Hooters wanted their ARCA driver Loy Allen to take over driving duties. Felix balked at the idea, stating that this was a championship team, and it wasn't fair for them to have an unproven driver behind the wheel. Kulwicki Racing stood their guns and named Jimmy Hensley their replacement driver. Hooters pulled out as primary sponsor following Alan's funeral. Kulwicki's associate sponsor, Purolator, another restaurant chain - Bojangles, and some of Alan's favorite charities stepped up to keep the team afloat financially while Hensley drove the car. It was nice to see the team stand their ground in a difficult situation instead of taking the easy way out and just continue to take sponsorship money that came with a low talented driver.

Sicklajoie - 30 October 2009 12:54 PM

I always admired the way Kulwicki Racing handled things after Alan got killed in a plane crash.
Alan's father Gerry had Felix Sabates run the operation till a suitable owner was found. Before Alan got killed, Alan made a pact with his team that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted Jimmy Hensley to drive the car. After Alan died, then main sponsor Hooters wanted their ARCA driver Loy Allen to take over driving duties. Felix balked at the idea, stating that this was a championship team, and it wasn't fair for them to have an unproven driver behind the wheel. Kulwicki Racing stood their guns and named Jimmy Hensley their replacement driver. Hooters pulled out as primary sponsor following Alan's funeral. Kulwicki's associate sponsor, Purolator, another restaurant chain - Bojangles, and some of Alan's favorite charities stepped up to keep the team afloat financially while Hensley drove the car. It was nice to see the team stand their ground in a difficult situation instead of taking the easy way out and just continue to take sponsorship money that came with a low talented driver.

I remember that.Bob Brooks had a good eye for business but he missed badly with the Loy Allen Jr call.

Lovey-Dovey - 30 October 2009 12:34 PM

And I have to ask you the fans which would the sport be better off with:

The RCR team hiring or retaining a young promising driver, such as Stephen Leicht while the Townley's actually buy out a current Start N Park team for their kid to attempt to run the whole event with. That would keep a full time competitive car competitive, while Townley wrecks a car that would otherwise be parked by lap ten...

Or...

RCR fields a car for Townley, thereby reducing the competitive cars by one.

You be the judge.

That's a fair question, and it's not all that simple to answer.

Mr. Townsley Sr. has something to sell - he has sponsorship he's willing to give a team to put his kid in a car for the 2010 NW season. I don't blame him one bit for pitching it to RCR. Until the end of the 2007 season, they were the standard bearer in NW.

On the other hand, at what cost to RCR? Losing someone who could conceivably take over the 29 in 2011 in Stephen Leicht? Not really, I believe they took Stephen out of the car for the remaining races anyway - they had Bowyer running a few that he was scheduled for, and other than last week, I'm fairly sure I read he was through at RCR and looking for work.

A hit in their reputation? Since the start of the 2008 season, after Harvick decided to work on building his own team, they've won a grand total of 4 times in 2 years. Sure, Bowyer won the driver's championship with his 1 win season, but JGR won the owner's title last year. So, what is their reputation? 2007 back it's one thing. 2008 forward, something else.

Assuming the rumor is true, it's a sponsored car. Chances are that means they're going back to being a 2 car team.

I don't know what's better for the sport. I don't know what's better for RCR. I only know that I have to "care" what they do for 40 more races.

johnalex1273 - 29 October 2009 04:33 PM

Talon64 - 29 October 2009 03:25 PM

You're all going to be eating crow when Townley turns out to be one of the best drivers RCR ev.... BWAHAHAHA I can't type it without laughing!

He has 13 DNF's in 26 career Nationwide starts, has only completed 70% of the laps of the races he's qualified for this year and he only had 2 top fives in 23 ARCA starts. This screams full time Nationwide ride with RCR. LMAO

He was as equally bad in the Hooters Pro Cup series. Weapon.

he was in the that series too?there's a video of him driving there?