Submitted by NASCAR Ranting and Raving Blog
Two things caught my eye tonight while I was web-crawling the usual NASCAR related haunts:
1) NASCAR.com is reporting that ARMY will indeed be pulling its sponsorship from DEI. This is really nothing new, but here is the twist; they are moving to Stewart-Haas Racing to sponsor Ryan Newman in the #39 car.
Hmm … interesting.
2) AJ “The Dinger” Allmendinger is going to drive the last 5 races in GEM’s #10 car, with Mike Wallace handling the duties this weekend at Charlotte as AJ has already committed to drive MWR’s 00 car this week.
This leaves Patrick Carpentier high and dry for the remainder of the year. He was already out at the end of this season anyway because Reed Sorenson was going to be taking over the 10 car next year.
This GEM’s attempt to get the 10 car into the top 35 in Owner Points before the end of year so that Reed will be guaranteed the first 5 starts next year.
Let me tell you, no offense to AJ and Mike, but I don’t think these changes will get that car any closer to the top 35 than when Carpentier was driving it.
Why? Because it is not the driver, it is the car.
Carpentier had to make almost every race on speed this year, and he was pretty successful in doing that. He did everything he could with the equipment that he had and if the brain trust at GEM thinks AJ and Mike, followed by Reed next year, will make a difference then they are mistaken.
They need to look past the driver to their personnel and equipment for the answers and until they do that they will continue to struggle.
Army Car Photo Credit: autoracingsport.com
AJ Photo Credit: onebadwheel.com
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