Hendrick Motorsports: The Evil Empire

Now that the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection has come to an end, it is time to discuss yet another franchise that could shape up to have as dominating a record in a season.

The arrival of thoroughbred Dale Earnhardt Jr. to an already potent Hendrick Motorsports stable gives owner Rick Hendrick the talent that rivals the New York Yankees.

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are already accomplished and established champions.
They have combined for 76 poles, 114 victories, and six series championships, including the last two going to Johnson.

Casey Mears – the “third-string driver” for Hendrick – has accounted for one race win.

I guess winning the last two series championships was not enough for team owner Rick Hendrick. With pockets so deep he could touch his toes through his pants, Hendrick went out and signed perhaps the greatest free agent in the history of NASCAR.

On May 10, 2007, Dale Jr. announced his intention to leave Dale Earnhardt Inc., the company his late father built from the ground up. He hoped to take over DEI as majority owner, but after negotiations fell through, Dale Jr. opted to test the free agency market.

Earnhardt Jr. was a free agent for exactly 34 days when on June 13, he announced he had agreed to a five-year contract to drive for Hendrick Motorsports.

The rich keep getting richer. Richer in regards to winning and championships.

Hendrick Motorsports – just like the New York Yankees – has plenty of championships but spent more money on the best driver that money could buy.

Who will benefit more from the greatest free agent signing in the history of NASCAR?

Obviously, Hendrick already has enough championships and generated income from wins and sponsors to end child hunger and cure cancer, so that would point the arrow of success to Mr. Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Jr., with the backing of Hendrick Motorsports, should add to his career win total of 17 and capture a series championship that has eluded him his entire career.

So, who has more to lose?

Dale Jr. was unable to capture a championship with his own team. If he is unable to win a points championship with Hendrick, one would have to point the finger at Earnhardt’s driving ability, talent, and passion.

Now, let us not put too much pressure on Dale Jr. A job with Hendrick does not guarantee success. Numerous drivers have had their opportunities with the Evil Empire, but for whatever reason could not uphold legacy of Hendrick Motorsports.

Kyle Busch. Kenny Schrader. Ricky Craven. Jerry Nadeau. Brian Vickers. Just to name a few. The aforementioned drivers combined for a mere 12 victories. All of those previous drivers have moved on, leaving the door wide open for Dale Jr.

There are already many questions regarding the upcoming season that are lingering on the minds of racing enthusiasts across the country.

How will Dale Jr. handle not being a team’s top gun? At DEI, Earnhardt Jr. was the team. Despite a run of teammates that achieved great success, Dale Jr. was always the top attraction. Obviously he will still attract attention, but now he will be looked upon as just another teammate to Gordon and Johnson instead of being the team leader.

Can Dale Jr. break out of his father’s shadow and live up to the hype that has followed him since his rookie campaign of 2000? Based on the history of Hendrick Motorsports, all signs point to a series championship on the horizon.

How many trophies will be added to the Hendrick trophy case with the addition of Dale Jr.?

For Dale Jr.’s sake, hopefully he will fare better than the Patriots and not choke in the clutch.

There are many questions, but the answers will not come until February 17 when the Daytona 500 kicks off the season.

Stay tuned.

Tiger Woods: Champ or Chump?

Tiger Woods failed at this year’s U.S. Open. Or did he?

According to the PTI’s and Around the Horns of the world, Woods is a failure and has lost his swagger and edge that has helped him win 12 major championships.

For the second consecutive major of the season, Woods was unable to mount a Sunday charge for a victory, leaving him 0-for-29 in relation to coming from behind to win a major.

In April, Woods came up short in his pursuit of Zach Johnson, who claimed the 2007 Masters – and his first major championship – by two strokes.

Angel Cabrera can now be slumped into the group of “no-names” who have defeated Woods on a Sunday in a major.

But, does Woods’ recent “struggle” really give any indication that he has passed his peak?

Absolutely not.

The man is still the man. He is the best golfer on the planet. When he retires – barring an extreme circumstance – he should be considered the best golfer of all-time.

Give the man some credit. He has had a lot on his plate during the past couple years. Marriage. Death. And now a birth to a daughter. Despite those distractions, Tiger still captured two of the four majors last year in the British Open and PGA Championship.

Tiger’s critics will continue to criticize as long as he fails to win majors. How can the Tony Kornheisers and Michael Wilbons of the world criticize a man who has won 57 official tournaments (Tiger has three wins and two runner-up finishes in 2007 out of 10 entries), 12 majors and quite frankly changed the world’s perspective on golf over the past decade?

Without Tiger Woods, there is no golf worth covering.

As for the other big guns on the PGA tour, there is nobody with the pizzazz and explosion of Woods. Els is foreign. Furyk is boring with an ugly swing. Mickelson continues to break everybody’s hearts with his late-round blow-ups.

It is players like Woods who continue to impress and amaze galleries with clutch shots such as his miraculous chip on the 16th at Augusta in 2005 or his incredible eagle from 209 yards out with a 4-iron at the 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool.

Woods dazzles. He amazes. But most importantly, he entertains. Woods has the power to hype up what is stereotypically a dreary experience.

So, back to the original question. Is Woods a champ or chump? He may struggle from time to time, but every champion does. Not every dynasty is consistently superior. Just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers. Super Bowl champions in 2006. Nothing short of disaster in 2007.

Woods, just like the Steelers, will regroup and recover.

But, I do not feel too sorry for Tiger. He has his 12 major championship trophies to keep him company.

Formula-1: Please Leave Indianapolis Forever

The checkered flag has flown on the eighth United States Grand Prix, and hopefully the half-filled grandstands and less than exciting race will lead to Bernie Eccelstone taking his Formula-1 series elsewhere. Whether the GP relocates to another American state or country, it makes no difference as long as it relocates far away from Indianapolis, because that is what us locals deserve.

Formula-1, you had your chance. You had your chance to put on a great show. You had a chance to not just entertain the American people, but to educate them as well. But instead, you have provided lackluster, anti-climatic finishes and enough controversy to keep David Letterman busy with one-liners for the remainder of his career.

Let us take a look back at some of the lows and lowers of the USGP’s career.

The USGP debuted at Indianapolis in 2000 to a record crowd for an F-1 event. The nearly 250,000 spectators were treated to an uninspiring performance as Michael Schumacher dominated the inagural event.

Schumacher built such a comanding lead that a late-race spin with four laps remaining did nothing to give his fellow drivers a chance. Despite the miscue, Schumacher won by 12 seconds over Ferarri teammate, Rubens Barrichello.

In 2002, the American fans were insulted by the first of two fatal contoversies orchestrated by Formula-1.

With Schumacher well on his way to his second USGP victory in three years, he literally pulled over on the final straighaway and allowed his teammate – Barrichello – to win the race. Do you think Helio Castroneves or Dan Weldon would ever pull over and allow their teammate to win?

The 2002 debacle got the smoke started, but it was the 2005 USGP that turned the smoke into a four-alarm fire with no chance of putting it out.

To make a long story short, Michelin did not provide an acceptable tire for the teams to use in 2005, which led to Michael Schumacher’s younger brother – Ralf – seriously injured in a practice crash. Ralf’s crash led to a revolt in the F-1 garages. Several teams proposed installing a last-minute chicane in the final high-speed turn, but the Ferrari team would not approve of such a measure.

Instead, 16 of the starting 22 cars pulled off before the start and boycotted the race. If the three remaining teams had been Ferarri, McLaren and Renault, it could have been an “exciting” race. But instead, Ferarri’s Schumacher and Barrichello ran circles around two inferior teams en route to an effortless 1-2 podium finish.

This lack of respct for the fans who traveled as many as thousands of miles away will always leave a bitter taste in the mouths of every racing fan.

The numbers do not lie. USGP finishes have been as exciting as watching two turtles race down the highway. Michael Schumacher won five USGPs by 42.81 seconds for an average margin of victory of 8.56. To put that into perspective, the previous 14 Indianapolis 500s dating back to 1990 that have not finished under caution have added up to a margin a victory of 48.31 seconds.

So, what does that mean? A severe lack of competition.

Had USA’s Scott Speed won today – or been at all competitive – the USGP could have a chance at staying in Indianapolis, or even in America. But Speed drives for the lackluster Toro Rosso team which debuted in 2006, but has earned just a single point when Vitantonio Liuzzi raced to an eighth-place finish in the 2006 USGP.

Eccelstone said before today’s USGP that Tony George must do a better job of promting the race for it to suceed. To give George the benefit of the doubt, it is difficult to promote a race with extreme media restrictions and a lack of suspense following the first turn.

It is unfortunate for those American fans who actually do follow Formula-1 racing because today’s USGP winnier Lewis Hamilton – the 22-year old rookie phoenom – appears ready to take this sport by storm.

But, once George kicks Eccelstone and his pathetic form of auto racing to the curb, the only way Americans will be able to watch Formula-1 racing will be on live television at 3 or 4 a.m.

So, I bid you – Bernie Eccelstone and Formula-1 – a fond farewell. And please do not let the door hit you on your way through customs.