Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

A couple of thoughts.

1) Ricky Warner not being there day to day has to be a big impact but nothing they can't get over.  It may take some time to get the right communication going within the team.

2) I don't know anything about Danny's condition, but within any close family, a serious illness has a big effect.

3) Ford engine - as they haven't changed over yet, minimal effect although the testing could be some extra work for Donny.  I don't think they would "tank" anything to put down some additional hype for Ford.

4) Donny always seems to step it up during the month of money.  Tracks get slick, the temp gets higher and there is a premium on traction and car control.  We really haven't see those conditions yet.

5) As someone pointed out, Donny may very well have peaked.  Not that he won't be a factor, but he may not freaking dominate all the time.  He'll be a big winner for a while, then just a winner, etc.  No shame in that.  I don't count him out for a few more Nationals wins and a couple of WoO championships.

6) Donny is still 2nd place in the standings, not like he has "dropped" very far. 29 races, 25 top 5's and 29 top 10's.

A couple of thoughts.

1) Ricky Warner not being there day to day has to be a big impact but nothing they can't get over.  It may take some time to get the right communication going within the team.

2) I don't know anything about Danny's condition, but within any close family, a serious illness has a big effect.

3) Ford engine - as they haven't changed over yet, minimal effect although the testing could be some extra work for Donny.  I don't think they would "tank" anything to put down some additional hype for Ford.

4) Donny always seems to step it up during the month of money.  Tracks get slick, the temp gets higher and there is a premium on traction and car control.  We really haven't see those conditions yet.

5) As someone pointed out, Donny may very well have peaked.  Not that he won't be a factor, but he may not freaking dominate all the time.  He'll be a big winner for a while, then just a winner, etc.  No shame in that.  I don't count him out for a few more Nationals wins and a couple of WoO championships.

6) Donny is still 2nd place in the standings, not like he has "dropped" very far. 29 races, 25 top 5's and 29 top 10's.

I am sure there is a little bit of a gap that is left with Ricky Warner not being the crew chief but that is to be expected at times as he is one of the best ever. In his interview a few weeks ago Donny said that he felt they were gaining on some things and felt the team would be dangerous once they got it clicking. Plus you add the personal stuff with his dad isn't really helping the situation.

I do think the "slow start" by Donny can also be contributed to the other team's performance as well. Logan Schuhart continues to step up his game year after year, Gravel in JJR 41 is a threat each race, Pittman is solid in the 83, and even some of the guys that were not top 5 guys are getting a little more consistent as well. Brent Marks continues to get better and consistent, Kraig Kinser seems to have things running better, Jacob Allen is competitive so I think the gap is shrinking and getting a little harder between Donny & the other teams.

Finally you also have to give a tip of the cap to Brad Sweet & his team. He is figuring out a way to win races now and finish on the podium week in & out. That team has stayed consistent and Brad has continued to develop as a driver. Watch races of him a couple years ago then watch him now. Seems like he is confident that the car can be fast anywhere and is not afraid to move around on the track. A few guys get a certain line set in there head and will not deviate from their game plan but it seems like he is not afraid to test the waters. Earlier this year I felt they could win the championship because of keeping things the same with that team & it was a matter of turning some of those 5th place finishes to 3rd place finishes and those 3rds to wins.

I know this sounds like a crack conspiracy theory, but in the end this is a business, and I think this is a business move.

Imagine Donny continues to dominate in a Chevrolet, and once the Ford is inevetibly dropped in, he struggles. That would be a PR nightmare for Ford, and ultimately bad for business. I believe they are holding it back to create the appearance of some struggling, drop the Ford in, and its a win-win. Either the Ford has some growing pains and its not as visible or newsworthy, or they turn it back on, its competitive out of the box, and the Ford motor is credited with turning things around. Sounds crazy but at the end of the day, this is a brand and a business, both of which Ford will protect at any cost, because thats what good business do. Any fall off when going from his usual domination in a Chevrolet to potential hiccups or growing pains when going to Ford would have been terrible PR for Ford. Its a business and I think its a business decision. 

Can we please stop acting like Ricky isn't still with the team. Can we act like they don't have his set-up books from the 10+ years they were together? All the full-time WoO teams get a few free subscriptions to Dirtvision so driver/crew family can watch from home. Lets not act like he isn't sitting at home watching 90% if not 100% of the races. Yes, I understand that he isn't physically there and that has to count for a little of something but its not like he isn't a phone call away.

My personal opinion is the other teams are just getting that much better, especially the 49 and 41. The 83 is pretty close as well. But in gerneral, all the full-time teams improve from year to year and that makes competition that much harder all throughout the night, qualifying through the A.

And all these teams just happened to get better when Warner isnt on the road with the 15?  I would hope, for their sake, other teams would improve.  And yes while they have access to Warner and his set up books, its not the same.  Warner and Schatz clicked.  

17 top 5's

25 top 10's

He will heat up faster than a junkies spoon.