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 reseponse 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.’’

 

           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: Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

           Jeff Gordon has only one win in his last 72 races. Now, during that time he does have 46 top-10s, including a series-high 22 this year. Are we about to see another Jeff Gordon charge to championships and multiple victories or are his best days behind?

           PETTY: How long has he been married and how old is his baby?

 

           SPENCER: How much money has he got in the bank?

 

           PETTY; How long has he been married and how old is his baby?

 

           (Gordon was married Nov. 2006 and his daughter was born June 2007)

            PETTY: That’s about (72) races (NOTE: Gordon has run 88 races with 3 wins since his daughter's birth). (Becoming a parent) changes your perspective on where you’re at in life. Anybody that says having kids doesn’t change where you’re at in life is full of crap. That’s the fact Jack. It changes your perspective.

 

            It makes you less of a driver?

            PETTY: No. Things you did before, you don’t do any more.

 

           SPENCER: You don’t take chances.

 

           PETTY: You don’t take as many chances. You don’t do as many things. Unconsciously. It’s not that you think, I’m going to stuff this thing down in there. It’s different.

 

            So a driver with children under the age of 4 can never win a championship?

            PETTY: No. From where he came to having kids at that stage in life. Most of these guys have had kids and have continued or have them early and keep going. I just think it changed his life. Let’s be honest, he made a big deal out of it when he had the baby. This was a life-changing experience.

 

           McREYNOLDS: The one statement he made, he says, I’m not going to miss that baby’s birth. What that told me was if it was born on a Sunday, there would be somebody else driving that car.

 

           PETTY: If you go back, let’s go back to Earnhardt and those guys, do you think they ever went to the hospital when they had a pregnant wife?

 

           McREYNOLDS: Only if it was Monday through Wednesday.

 

           PETTY: That’s exactly right. That sounds very sexist. I will say that. I do think it’s a mindshift.

 

           SPENCER: I agree with them but I also will say this, Jeff Gordon, if you look over Jeff Gordon’s career, Jeff Gordon was ahead of his time when he came to race against Darrell Waltrip and Earnhardt. He started using strategy more so and I think that was Ray Evernham that instilled that in him. Earnhardt and Darrell were pure racers. Gordon was more methodical. You remember the all-star race, they can’t go in there that far. They can’t go in there that deep and make it through and they didn’t and he wins. As he matured with it. If you look, this sport doesn’t reward guys saving tires, saving brakes any more. You’re either on or you’re either off.

 

           And I think this car is a terrible piece of equipment. Absolutely pitiful. I also think that it’s taken the ability of a guy like Jeff Gordon out of the mix simply from the standpoint the car is unpredictable. Very unpredictable. And they can’t fix the car for you. That’s why Jeff Gordon finishes where he finishes.

 

           PETTY: And he’s still finishing good.

 

           SPENCER: NASCAR needs to look at this car. One of the things that NASCAR needs to do this fall is to look at this car, how can we help this sport with Jeff Gordon, with Harvick and Childress, with Roush, how can we make this sport better. We can’t have Mr. Hendrick keep dominating this sport and he is. They’ve got something and it’s an advantage. Bill France would never go to sleep until he figured out how to make it more balanced.

 

           McREYNOLDS: I say this delicately because if I don’t say it exactly right, it will come out that I’m saying Jeff Gordon is not as talented as his numbers show. Not what I’m saying. But when they were winning those, nine, 10, 11 races a year, I mean there’s no question that group was head-and-shoulders above everybody. With everything. Pit stops and everything.

 

           Just strategy, their cars. Everything. Again, talented (darn) race car driver. I don’t want to dilute his numbers because that would be very unfair, but I’m telling you when they were in their heyday, they had every I dotted twice and every T crossed twice. Everywhere they went. Road courses. His talent was above and beyond so many people in road courses. Lot of people caught up now.

 

           SPENCER: You’re right about that.

 

 

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            (Later the group begins discussing Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his struggles this season Here’s what is said:)

 

           McREYNOLDS: My big question there is I don’t know if I can figure out why.

 

           PETTY: Nobody can.

 

           McREYNOLDS: It’s not that he can’t driver a race car.

 

           PETTY: No, it’s not that at all.

 

           SPENCER: I think it’s the car.

 

           McREYNOLDS: It’s fickle. The one thing I will say about Junior and I say this with a little bit of hesitation because here I am questioning another man’s numbers. He struggles just trying to tell them what their car is doing, but you know what, his dad struggled telling you what a car would do. If I had a dollar for every time he told me it’s just not right. It’s not comfortable. Just won’t do right.

 

           SPENCER: Best story ever I heard about that ….

           

           PETTY: That car he had enough confidence in himself too.

 

           McREYNOLDS: He could drive through it.

 

           PETTY: I’ll get it there and then I’ll make up the difference.

 

           SPENCER: The best story ever, I was sitting with Travis Carter last night. Travis Carter always told me this story that Tim Brewer was struggling with Cale or whoever it was. Junior said, Travis you need to fix that car for me. Travis would always fix the car. So he goes strolling over. “Cale, what’s it doing?’ So Travis does some stuff to the car. Cale goes out and runs it and goes, Man Travis that’s way better. They go again and Cale comes in, whatever you done last time, take half of that away and it will be all right. That is a race car driver. That’s what this car don’t let them drivers do. That’s why I don’t think Dale is doing as well. I would struggle with that car. I would try to compensate and you can’t compensate with this car.

 

           PETTY: From a driver’s perspective. Every driver has a feel they look for.

 

           SPENCER: Yep.

           

           PETTY: And when you find that feel, if you can replicate that feel week after week after week …

 

           SPENCER: You do well.

 

           PETTY: If you can’t replicate that feel but you can drive the car to get it close, then you do well.

 

           SPENCER: Yeah.

 

           PETTY: I said when we were doing the Turner races after he had his press conference at Dover, it was the first time I ever heard him admit he was putting pressure on himself or that the fans were putting pressure on him because he said, I’m the guy that has to look in the mirror and say did I live up to my father’s reputation, did I live up to my name? When you start doing that, you’re on a slippery slope.

 

           McREYNOLDS: I listen to a lot of radio transmissions, especially like during practice, biggest difference between Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., it’s not that hard to drive a race car. Jimmie Johnson comes off that race track and, “Chad, it’s doing this getting in, it’s doing this in the middle and it’s doing this off. Sometimes they’re a little fickle but it’s not often. Junior comes in and, man, it’s like it’s all over the place. It’s kind of falling over on the right front getting in. It’s information that is hard to sift through. It’s just like I think Jimmy said, the car is fickle and it has fickled a lot of drivers.

 

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Tomorrow’s topic: Who has the most to lose in the sport?

 

 

            So what did you think of what the three said about Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Was the gang spot on or off base?