A Martinsville Fix...........................

Teams have learned in today's super competitive world of NA$CAR, you can't have any throw-away tracks. This is why teams have zoned in on road courses. Not only stepping up the car program but sending drivers to Bob Bondorant's school, hiring coaches, etc.
It looks to me like if Robby intends to stay in NA$CAR, & really wants to be a better than 30th place team. Then it's time to put a full court press on the short tracks, Martinsville, in particular. I don't know how much info the Toyota teams share, but the car needs to be better. If you look at Robby's M'ville stats, (beyond ugly) it can't all be the car. We all know that Robby's background is not short track racing. There are plenty of accomplished drivers available who do have this background, & have had success on these tracks. Ricky Rudd, Sterling Martin, Rickey Craven. Hire a coach, take some time, & work on this. Today, tools are available that weren't previously. There are some very good simulators, so you don't have to drag a car to a track to test. With four short track races a season, even if Robby can improve to mid pack. The results should show in the points.
As a dedicated fan, last week hurt to watch. As a team, to have experienced this had to have hurt more. What they have been doing hasn't worked. It seems to me, that it's time to try something else.

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Permalink Reply by TOG on April 2, 2009 at 8:41am

don't dwell on the past, look to the future, this weekend at Texas, with a brand new chassis.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on April 2, 2009 at 10:31am

Holy crap, I cannot believe people are reacting this way to one f-ing race.

He is ALWAYS bad at Martinsville. Get over it. He runs a single car team that doesnt even have full time sponsorship, he is not going to be competitive at every track. I personally feel it was much more important for RGM to do their homework and spend development dollars on their intermediate equipment and setups, as more than half the schedule takes place on 1.5 mile ovals.

As a small team in Nascar, RGM has to pick their battles. Two bad races at Martinsville a year is not going to sink RGM. I just dont get all of these complaints and issues from "dedicated fans." Complaining about the team, the equipment, the pit crew, hell we even have threads about "what if you were Robbys crew chief." This is Robby Gordon Motorsports, not Hendrick Roush or Gibbs. If the people complaing had any concept of the budget RGM has compared to Hendrick, you would not be so quick to moan after a poor showing.

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Permalink Reply by Bricoop on April 2, 2009 at 11:46am

Completely agree

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Permalink Reply by Dyno_Don on April 2, 2009 at 3:27pm

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Permalink Reply by dawg on April 2, 2009 at 11:02am

I think you guys are missing my point. This was not one bad race. It's like one of eighteen bad races. To say he's ALWAYS bad at Martinsville is my point exactly. To just keep on being bad, is rather pointless. Harry Gant won 3-4 races there. He could probably spend an hour with Robby, & help him a lot. I'm pretty well aware of the limitations that the team is working under. As I said if the goal is just to hang in NA$CAR, & 30-35 works then fine. If the goal is to get into the top 25, where the money is much better. then the short track program is a good place to start.

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Permalink Reply by Matt on April 2, 2009 at 11:24am

I think intermediate tracks are a much better place to start.

Robby cant even operate under a team owner, what makes you think he is going to listen to someone telling him how to drive?

Limited budget, you have to choose your battles. Spend time training the driver (if he actually lets that happen) and developing new cars and setups for 2 races a year? Or how about spending money on intermidiate cars and testing them. Those can be used at 10+ race weekends.

What makes you think Harry Gant would be willing to help Robby out? For the record, Gant was a great short track driver, but the reason he dominated at Martinsville is his team was on of the first to play around with camber at the rear of the car. This is now monitored and limited by Nascar in tech inspection...

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Permalink Reply by dawg on April 2, 2009 at 9:38pm

1 No doubt the intermediate program needs to get better.

2 I don't know. What I do know, is that I'm pretty hard headed. If I had this poor a result for as long as he has there. That I'd begin to figure out that what I was doing wasn't working, & that maybe I'd need to try something different. When Dale Sr. decided that he needed to be better at the road courses. He went to Bondurant, & worked with a coach. I guess I thought if Ironhead could do it. Then maybe Robby could also.

3 If I thought new cars were needed, I wouldn't have even mentioned this. I do think the set ups could be improved. I just don't think that the entire problem can be laid on the cars. I don't think anyone expects Robby to suddenly have an epiphany & start winning at Martinsville. I do think an improvement from 40th to, say mid pack has the potential to be fairly quick, easy, & cheap.

4 I really have no idea if Harry would be willing to help, but coaches are paid, so I wouldn't expect anyone to do this out of the goodness of their hearts. I know that doing what I did for as long as I did you learn some things, sometimes the hard way. If someone really wants to learn, I was happy to help them. I mentioned Harry, but there are a number of people available.

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Permalink Reply by Turtle7 on April 2, 2009 at 12:04pm

Dawg, I am with you on your post. If Robby wants to be a back bencher, then he can continue doing what he has for most of his career. If he wants to get competitive, then he needs to do things like you are suggesting. He is 40 right now and given where he is in the points and the sponsers moving to young guns, do we think that he will be around as a NASCAR driver in another 10 years if he doesn't change? I for one see his career path shortening!

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Permalink Reply by Blue Ridge Rob on April 2, 2009 at 9:01pm

The fact of the matter is Robby could get better at short tracks any time he wanted to IF HE JUST WANTED TO!!! I don't think he enjoys running them so he runs from them. Now one thing I learned a long time ago, if you have a problem run to it not away from it. There are all kinds of short tracks both dirt and asphalt all over the place down here. He probably woundn't have to spend a whole lot of money to buy a short track car himself or he probably could get somebody to let him run their occasionally.
If he would do that when he has the opportunity and don't tell me he couldn't parcel out a Friday or Saturday night during the year (there are short tracks all over the place). He might even find out he likes it. And I agree with Dawg big time that there are all kinds of people he could learn from. Some of the names he mentioned would be great.
If you don't think he can be good at short tracks just look at the Prelude last year. He had a car that was set up by someone (Bloomer) that knows what the hell he is doing. And he went out there and forced Robby to listen to him. Look at the result. He has the talent (at least the driving talent - he seems to be able to fu** up a setup with the very best of them).
RC was exactly right. If he would concentrate on driving and leave the crew chief and car set up to people that know what they are doing he could be Cup Champ. But he is too hard headed and thinks he knows it all. I don't know him but he seems like a strange bird. He treats his fans very well but he is rough as he** on crew chiefs. Frank Kerr is doing pretty good with Ambrose right now and despite Rousch being a little down right now, Greg Erwin is doing OK there. So how is Robby doing.
It's a da** shame for a guy with Robby's talent to be pissing it away. I don't normally curse like this but I am so disgusted with his performance I am not even going to watch NASCAR races any more. I like Dirt Late Models better anyway. Sorry for the vent folks, there are so many things that I DO admire about Robby but he needs to get his stuff tight.

Adios,
BRR

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Permalink Reply by Matt on April 2, 2009 at 9:36pm

Yep, its just that easy, if he wanted to he could. Clearly its just in his mind. Its amazing you thought of that, but Robby has not. Perhaps you should call and let him know...

Give me a break. Not only that, but your comparison to Prelude to a Dream is ridiculous. First off it was a charity race. Second of all, he was running a Bloomquist chassis, which is the equivilent of Hendrick cars in the dirt world. So Scott told him where to drive in which corner; Robbys spotter suggests lines and he tries them every single race that is held at a multi groove track.

Take your complaints a step further, why not have Robby abandon running his own team? Its obvious he could do better running in other peoples equipment. Some of us though like the fact he has to do everything himself, aka his stubborn personality. Tell him he cant do something, he will die trying to prove you wrong. Thats the draw to him, not the fact he will win every week, runs for championships, or films funny commercials.

Just curious, how many years have you people been fans of Robby? I cannot imagine you would be complaining this much if you endured the Sabco fiasco, RG running his own CART team with little success, his brief return to Nascar with the Team Gordon #13, Morgan McClure, the 2005 season for RGM, etc. If you want to root for someone that is going to run for championships and race wins every week, find another driver.

Do I agree he is wasting talent? Yes, probably. But again he is doing it his way. After watching his career for years, I expect nothing less. Its the reason I continue to watch, to enjoy the ride and see if he can ever succeed when everyone in Nascar says he cannot. All this moaning and complaining over one Martinsville finish; and I thought the Dale Jr. fans were annoying...

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Permalink Reply by Blue Ridge Rob on April 3, 2009 at 9:01am

Ah, I've heard of guys like you. Swatting at wind mills and such. I bet you banged your head against the floor when you were a baby. I've always heard it's a wise man that learns from his mistakes. But it is an even wiser man that learns from the mistakes of others.
OK, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraph #1 - It would not be easy for the average person or driver. But I do think Robby has the talent to do what he wants if he would listen and wanted to bad enough.
Paragraph #2 - It is a charity race but you watch the way those guys were driving. They wanted to win that thing. They are all super competitive. And yes he was driving a Bloomquist chassis but a Rocket is just as good or better. And Bloomer didn't suggest he told.
Paragraph #3 - If he would focus on driving he probably would be more effective and have better results but I do admire his grit.
Paragraph #4 - I have admired Robby for years but started pulling for him in NASCAR when Dale Sr. died. I rooted for him in other venues before that. I have been introduced to off road racing by pulling for Robby and have enjoyed following it.
Paragraph #5 - I am glad we agree on something (I think). And just so you know it's not just about Martinsville. It's all of the short tracks. And Dawg's statement that you can't afford to give up any of the tracks is correct. If he is going to play this game he needs to play it.

Finally young whipper snapper, I have been around NASCAR for a long long time. I have seen all of them, gotten to know a few of them. I do recognize talent when I see it. I think Robby has always had it. And this is a personal point of view so I don't care what you think about it, I have always hated to see anyone who has such a great amount of talent waste it. For some reason it just pains me.

I hope you have a nice day.

BRR

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Permalink Reply by Matt on April 3, 2009 at 10:27am

Swatting at windmills? Where do people come up with this stuff?

It was a charity race, period. The guys who run the Dream would have crushed the entire Prelude field. Comparing it to Robby at Martinsville is a stretch. Whether Rocket is better or not, he was in some of if not the best equipment. The same can not be said for RGM in cup. Put Robbie in Jimmie Johnsons car at Martinsville, and I guarentee a top 10 finish. Why can people not understand equipment is part of the equation on this one?

If Robby would do this, if Robby would do that. He wont, he doesnt, get over it. Root for someone else if you dont like it.

Young whipper snapper? Been around Nascar?

Have you worked in the garage? Have you worked with the teams and drivers? Or are you just an expert from watching? I have work experience in the pits and engineering experience on and off the track; dont bring that up unless you can back it up.