So Craftsman Series truck driver Ron Hornaday admitted to using testosterone for a thyroid condition. NASCAR says they are going to have a little talk with Mr. Hornaday, the 2007 series champ.

My first reaction when I saw it last night on TV was, who cares? Then I wondered if maybe there was a new Craftsman Series bench press competition that Hornaday was training for.

No, seriously though, he’s not an athlete so what’s the big deal? Does anybody really believe you’re going to become a better race car driver as a result of using steroids or HGH? If Hornaday was driving around in circles while shooting syringes full of steroids into his buttocks I could see it being a safety issue — otherwise he’s either a) treating a medical condition, or b) a moron.

The only performance issues are with the car, so performance-enhancing drugs (for someone that spends the entire competition sitting down) aren’t a big deal. Are they?

Now, if those pit crew guys start juicing and throwing tires around, then we’ve got a problem (not really).

- Padraic

Pretty stiff business today coming from the turn-left league, or rather NASCAR.
It seems that NASCAR indefinitely suspended seven team members of Joe Gibbs Racing after an attempt to distort engine power in a dynamometer test following Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
In addition, crew chiefs Jason Ratcliff of the No. 18 and Dave Rogers of the No. 20 have been fined $50,000 each and indefinitely suspended from NASCAR duties.
No doubt pretty harsh penatlies for JGR.
I don’t know if these sanctions necessarily mean NASCAR is a sport, but they sure are making an example of JGR.

Andrew

Let’s talk about something other than the NBA, Triple Crown horse racing, or the Rapid Rant, er, ah, I mean Rapid Reply, for a change.
Wednesday’s announcement that one of the most storied teams in NASCAR has turned over majority control to an equity investment company is just another sign of how much money is needed to maintain a competive level in major league auto racing.
Lee Petty started Petty Enterprises back in 1949 in a reaper shed out back of the family home in Level Cross, N.C.
After 268 wins and 10 championship at NASCAR’s top level, the organization has fallen behind the times. A Petty car hasn’t seen victory lane since 1999.
So Boston Ventures will invent millions in capital to bring PE back to a competitive level.
That same day driver Bobby Labonte re-upped to drive the famous 43 Dodge for another four years (at age 44, this essentially amounts to a lifetime contract for Labonte).
The Petty Team is a sentimental pick at most races, but turning things around will take some time. The team has only five top-five finishes since 2000, but Labonte has three of them and gave the 43 it’s best finish in series points (18th) in several year.
This may be a good step for the Petty’s who join Roush Racing and Ray Evernham in signing with outside investors in the last couple years.
But is it a good step for the sport? Long gone are the days when mechanical smarts and good driving was all it took to win races.
Now you need cubic dollars and a driver who looks better hawking soft drinks (or cell phones or allergy pills or car insurance or breakfast cereal…) on television than he/she does on a stopwatch.

Thoughts?

–Jim–

Monday’s court decision allowing former Black Hills Speedway operators Floyd and Patty Weisz to regain control of the beleaguered speedplant in time to apparently salvage part of the 2008 racing season would seem to be good news for racers and race fans alike.
But is this a path to returning BHS to its former glory days or just a temporary stay of execution?
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that more than 120 race cars filled the pits and upwards of 3,000 spectators filled the grandstands at BHS on a typical Friday night during the summer.
Truth is, numbers in both categories have been in decline for more than a decade. Why that is happening when other speedways in less populated areas seem to be surviving if not thriving? Well, that depends on who you ask. Rising gasoline prices, a struggling economy and competition from a plethora of other leisure time actitivities available in the Hills all seem to have taken their toll on the numbers of people wanting to plunk down hard-earned dollars to go racing or even just to sit in the stands and enjoy a night of competition.
One thing seems certain, however, the days of Black Hills Speedway in its present location would seem to be numbered.
Even with thousands of dollars of badly needed upkeep and improvements, the speedway that was three miles from town when it was first built is now surrounded by commercial and residential development that will eventually render the property more valuable as something other than a racetrack.
This is nothing new. Population growth and urban sprawl across the country has swallowed many a speedway, drive-in movie theater, or amusement park.
Finding a new place to race can be done–Gillette’s Thunder Speedway being a prime example–but it’s not easy.
There are some signs of a new track under construction north of town, but there has been no indication of any plans to open in the near future.
So, is the future of racing in western South Dakota bright or bleak as we want to make it?

Jim

Well I suppose it would be fair to say I was pretty shocked when I saw that IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick claimed the rain-delayed Japan Indy 300 by 5.86 seconds over Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon. Patrick led only three of 200 laps, proving it true that it only matters if you lead when the checkered flag comes out.
After 50 tries, Patrick is a winner in IndyCar, arguably the most significant motorsports achievement to date for a female driver.
I admit, I never figured this day would come. Not that a woman would someday win a major race, whether NASCAR, IndyCar or Champ Car, I just figured it would never be Patrick. I can’t put my finger on it, but she never struck me as a serious threat to enter the winner’s circle.
I was wrong.
Andrew

Calling all auto racers out there in the Journal’s Blogosphere:

I’m hoping you’ll share what your plans are for 2008, given that a Black Hills Speedway season continues (as of this posting early Tuesday afternoon) to be in limbo, with a month left before the traditional early May opener.

Are you planning to race elsewhere this year, or has the race car been sold or has been placed under a tarp behind the garage waiting for better times?

Check back for this posting under the “Motorsports” category.

Thanks,

Jim Holland

We keep hearing that a new owner is set to announce the purchase of Black Hills Speedway in the wake of a March 11 auction of the speedway’s frontage property along Highway 44, which is essentially the current pit area for the 3/8ths mile dirt oval.

We’re also hearing that the new as-of-yet unnamed owner(s) plan to operate the property as a speedway and are even planning to open for 2008 season.

An announcement needs to happen and happen soon. The traditional opening day for the track is little more than a month away.  That’s barely enough time to get a reasonable number of cars built for whatever divisions the new owner decides to run at the track.

There are other issues as well. The very real prospect of $4 per gallon gas this summer, coupled with a stumbling economy, will likely limit the number of out-of-town drivers and fans that might make the trip to BHS. Local fans will likely be forced to be very picky about where they spend their hard-earned entertainment dollars.

Can local auto racing survive these tough times?

 –Jim Holland    

The ‘07 Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Nextel Cup season is upon us.  So what do y’all think about all the superior rules interpretation (some call it cheating) going on and all the penalties handed down to the Evernham, Roush, and especially Michael Waltrip teams. Too lenient? Too harsh?

And did Jeff Gordon get away too easy after his car was found to be an inch too low (from what NASCAR called an inadvertent mechanical failure) following Thursday’s Duels?

 Oh, yeah, and give us your pick for the 500 on Sunday. Almost forgot that there is a race amid all the controversy this week.

 Me? I’m picking Stewart. Smoke’s been very confident all week and the 20 was one of the strongest teams at the end of last season.

Junior showed plenty of salt coming back after getting ground-looped by Waltrip in the Duels. And don’t count out Jeff Gordon.  Nobody’s ever won the 500 from 42nd on the grid, which usually means it’s about to happen.

Your turn!

 –Jim Holland, Journal Staff–    

The Journal debuts a new motorsports page in Saturday’s edition, replacing the Lap-by-Lap page.

Lap-by-Lap was a popular addition for NASCAR fans when it was added as a weekly feature several years ago, but lately the content and presentation have been getting decidedly tired.

We’ve been toying with revamping the page to include more national series as well as local coverage.  

What say you of the new format?

 Jim Holland