I recently gathered Kyle Petty, Jimmy Spencer and Larry McReynolds in a room to discuss the state of NASCAR and other key areas. What was supposed to last 30 minutes went an hour as these three did not hold back on their opinions and even joked afterward that they might be getting a call from NASCAR (or someone else) based on their comments.

 

           Each day through Sunday, I’ll post a segment of the conversation here on my blog. That will coincide with a story that will run Sunday that features comments made in this roundtable discussion. Click here to see Wednesday’s segment on the state of the sport where one of them said: “This sport is in serious trouble.’’ … Click here to see NASCAR's response to comments made in Wednesday's segment. ... Click here to see Thursday’s segment on debris cautions where one said: “Debris cautions drive me freaking crazy.’’ … Click here to see Friday’s segment on Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr. where one of the gang says: “When you start doing that, you’re on a slippery slope.’’

 

            While some will not agree with what they say about the sport or certain drivers or some other issue, their voice remains relevant. They’ve seen the inner workings of the sport. Now they view it differently from their TV jobs but they still retain close contacts to those in the garage and they know what’s going on before most do. They know what drivers and others are really saying even if those people won’t say it to the media.

 

            So without further delay, here’s part of the series. Today’s topic: Who has the most to lose in the sport? (Part of this discussion was edited to tighten it)

 

 

 

            Who has the most to lose for next year if they’re not prepared for the upcoming season?

           

             PETTY: We all have a lot to lose. The whole sport.

 

           McREYNOLDS: I was trying to figure out how to say that but you’re right.

 

           PETTY: We all have a lot to lose. If we are sitting still, if we don’t move again, then we’ve lost, so we all have a lot to lose, meaning from the sponsors to the TV to the drivers, to the owners and as important as anything, the fans. We have a lot to lose in what we have invested in the sport.

 

 

           SPENCER: I think NASCAR really needs to look at the competition side of it, figure out how to get teams like Childress and Roush back involved and keep Ganassi involved. Get the Gibbs teams picked up. Gibbs team is on a downslide. Joey Logano is not performing like he should. He’s a 20-25^th place car. I just think not allowing them guys to test a little bit, that’s hard on rookies. Is it a benefit for Gibbs to test a rookie? Yeah, but in a way, let the kid log laps. I think that’s really hurt that team as far as performance. He gets a little bit of practice. How much can you really do.

 

           “NASCAR really needs to look at this thing as a whole and say how can we do a bunch of things to help. To me you’ve got a lot of young (drivers) coming and yet they’re going to do nothing to help these kids. This is a tough (darn) business. Tough business.

 

 

          McREYNOLDS: It wasn’t too awful long ago, it almost didn’t matter what series you were going to race, whether it was at the top of Cup or move down to this deal here, what used to be Busch East or Busch North, Southwest Tour:  Owner: "what are you credentials. What have you done.' I’m telling you, speaking from experience, working with an 18-year-old kid (his son Brandon) right now, they don’t ask you how many races you’ve run, they don’t ask you how many you’ve won. They don’t ask you where you’ve run. You got any money to bring with you? That’s scary.

 

 

           SPENCER: I don’t agree with that. I think NASCAR needs to look at it and say how can we make this car competitive for everybody. Take some of this engineering out and stuff out of it. They can do it.

 

            But you’ve said make changes to the car, which is going to cost car owners a ton of money.

            SPENCER: It’s not going to cost them money. Dustin, you’re wrong. Yes, change the cars but be careful how you change the cars. I’m not putting all new bodies on these cars. I’m only adding. I listen to Michael Waltrip and he says, let’s try to raise this spoiler. Jeff Hammond has a point if you did some stuff to the rear spoiler. There’s a lot of people that have got ideas out there that could do some things to these cars that wouldn’t cost but a couple thousand dollars.

 

           McREYNOLDS: Just go to a track and try something. You may leave there and you may not change nothing.

 

           SPENCER: Nothing.

 

           McREYNOLDS: Just try it.

 

           SPENCER: It’s not going to cost thousands of dollars.

 

           PETTY: It is. It is. There’s some stupid saying, and I wish I was more educated where if you don’t study history, you’re doomed to repeat it. All right. All we’re doing right now is we’re on the verge and this is a Kyle Petty opinion probably nobody else’s in this room, of repeating exactly what happened to CART and IRL.

 

           SPENCER: We’re closer than you probably realize.

 

           PETTY: With drivers coming in with cash, buying rides, the consolidation of a single car that all look alike with the same wing angles and the same stuff, with two or three engine manufacturers, lining them up in cars and let’s go racing. It killed those races. (And consolidated) ownership. It killed those series. We’re right there at that right now. It’s not going to be a step or two more. If we don’t study what happened to those two organizations 10 or 15 years ago … then we stand right on the edge of that abyss reading to leap into it.

 

            At least publicly you do not have a leader of the sport that has the outward strength of Bill France Sr. or Bill France Jr. (although during Brian France's tenure, NASCAR has improved safety, created the Chase, eliminated racing back to the yellow flag and been more lenient in regards to some driver confrontations, harkening a bit of the sport's charm from the past)

            SPENCER: No.

 

           PETTY: We don’t. Here’s what I was going to say to that. That’s a good point. What I was going to say to that is you’re right, we don’t have that. OK.

 

            Now do you need that type of person?

            PETTY: We don’t have that driver either.

 

           McREYNOLDS: Lost him in February of 2001.

 

           PETTY: We don’t have a driver that had that position that the King had and that Dale and those guys assumed.

 

           SPENCER: Jeff Gordon could have stepped up to it but didn’t.

 

           PETTY: We don’t’ have that. So, the question is and that’s why I used that other as an example, OK? As those voice have gotten weaker. As the leadership voices have faded from a driver’s perspective and as you say from the other perspective that’s a model shift and a model change. That’s a paradigm shift on the way the sport was run with Bill France Sr. to Bill France Jr. to Brian. There’s been a shift. But at the same time, look at the tracks that Senior had to look after, look at what Junior looked after and look at what Brian is having to look at now. It’s increased dramatically. Is that right or wrong? I can’t answer that question. I would be foolish because I’m not walking in his shoes. From a driver’s perspective, I think the drivers do need a consolidated single voice to voice their opinions in an articulate manner to the right people. Maybe not to you. Maybe not to me. But they need to walk up in that truck down there and talk some time.

 

            And you don’t think there’s anybody?

            PETTY: No, I don’t believe there is. I don’t believe there has been, and I don’t believe there is.

 

           McREYNOLDS: There may be somebody that goes up in there but all they come back out and say, it’s OK.

 

           PETTY: That’s why I say, while all that is happening, while all of that appears to have done this, what else has happened? Hendricks has gotten stronger. Gibbs has gotten stronger. Toyota as a manufacturer has gotten stronger. We’ve seen a consolidation of engine manufacturers. I’m thinking, Oh my God, this is open-wheel racing in America. ... You know what I mean? So, the point is, that’s why I say I think there’s lessons to be learned in the history of another division or another form of motorsports that we should be looking at and trying to figure out what was right and what was wrong because some of their stuff was right. I’m not saying all of their stuff was wrong.

 

           SPENCER: I told Bill France this four years, five years ago, I was still racing. If you’re not careful this is going to happen. Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs and Jack Roush are going to get together with two other car owners and warn you that we want this change and that change. If you don’t listen to us, if you don’t do come along and have this agreement, we’ll show you on Friday morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. They’ll warn them. Friday morning comes and they’ll try to unload their cars and they won’t unload them. All the drivers will be sitting in their $2 million buses and everything else. NASCAR will say, OK we’ll just get the Nationwide series to come over here and run. Can’t do that boys. I’m going to tell you why you can’t do that. Same people have that driver under contract. You know what Bill France said to me? You might be right. I never thought of that. But you tell them that today and it goes on deaf ears. (Note: NASCAR has stated that it has an open-door policy for all competitors to discuss issues and held town hall meetings with drivers and car owners earlier this year)

  

           

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           Tomorrow the group discusses the media and they talk about Jimmie Johnson

 

 

            So do you agree or disagree with the gang? What do you like about NASCAR? What would you like to see more of?