I know we are only 4 races into the season but I'm waiting for Jr. to wake up already. Its so much better when he is running in the top 10. Even the Fox boys were taking a poll as to what is wrong with DEI. They got 42% saying its the new crew chiefs. I know its a marathon and not a sprint but he has 22 races to get back into this. This is where the new cup rules for the top 10 are really going to help him when he gets back into it.
Yeah, I'd say it's too early to dig his grave but it's obvious that whole team has some major problems. I knew this whole switching cars and teams was going to be a bad idea. That was Jr's Atlanta win car that Waltrip took to 7th place. Cheers to the Napa team, they needed it a good run.
The first couple of races, it was the car's fault for Waltrip's poor finishes. As in Jr's case, in California it was the wrong setup for the new tire package. They seemed to have fixed that problem, but the last few races, it was the driver's fault for bad finishes. Jr. caused the accident in Vegas, and in another dumb move, Jr. was caught speeding on pit row and was 2 laps down for most of the race. Still, Jr. could've gotten back on the lead lap, his car was just not up to doing in. I heard him on the radio constantly complaning about his car's setup. He wasn't able to get in front of the leaders on the restarts to get one of his laps back.
So it's tough to say where the problems lie. I guess its a combination of poor cars and poor driver judgement that is doing them in right now. Hopefully during the break, this team can figure out where the problems are lying and get back on track before it really is too late.
sorry, but i have to agree with the 17% on the Fox Poll..........its DEI's inablility to get a grip on the new tire/spoiler/impound rules.......i think all three at the same time was too much for them to tackle just yet....(and they arent the only ones....look at Stewart, Labonte, Jarrett, etc.)
we all knew that the #8 would struggle at the 1.5 tracks, its just his achilles heel right now......but remember, two years ago, it was short tracks, and last year it was road courses..........he has rebounded nicely at both kinds....its just a matter of time for him to start contending again.
and remember, at Daytona, Jr.'s crew was one of the teams busting out the best pit stop times, so i really dont think you can say its his crew that is slowing him down......although, it would have been nice to have the chassis from last year yesterday though.
Nothing makes me smile more than seeing tiny e struggling with his car. He should be easy to find at Bristol. Just follow the trail of tears. DEI should have never messed with a championship caliber team. They will regret this move. Look for changes if not this year, next year. Tiny won't put up with this for very long I think. Mentally this has got to be eating him up. oh well.
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