The Dale Jr. Download - 31 - Chicago with TJ Majors

Episode Date: September 16, 2013

It was not the Chase start Dale Earnhardt Jr. (or NASCAR) had hoped for. TJ Majors joins the gang as we download a disappointing Chicago and what has to happen next. Check out Dirty Mo Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DirtyMoMedia  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is Dale Jr. And you're listening to Dirty Moe Radio. So in the movie Forrest Gump, when Jenny sees the house she grew up in, remember what she said, Mike? Yeah, sometimes they just aren't enough rocks. The Dale Jr. download starts now. All right, with Mike Davis and Dustin Lee, I am Taylor Zarser. I realize that the Dale Jr. download can be heard all over the world on Dale Jr.com. But if you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, and you're a fan of the 80s.

and the Carolina Panthers. That was a bad day. Oh, it was a really, really bad day. Yeah. And the only difference between the Panthers and the Dale Jr. fans is that the Dale Jr. fans, that was a long and bad day. So it was, you know, Panthers was kind of a quick kill there. Oh, man.

What a crazy week in NASCAR. Crazy. I mean, and I don't know that good would ever be used in those nine days. And especially if you throw Dale Jr. in the equation, it was just, it was a bad nine days for NASCAR. So let's talk about both of these things. T.J. Majors is back. He'll be with us in just a little bit. But let's start before we talk about the disappointment of last night for the 88 team,

let's talk about the state of the sport right now. When we were here last, we were speculating about what the penalty would be for Clint Boyer and with all that happened in Richmond. We speculated about a 50-point penalty, which is exactly what happened. Now, I think that Ryan McGee and yours truly were speculating about a 50-point penalty that would be incurred in the chase, not necessarily before it. But that's what he got. Martin Truex, who everyone thinks so highly of, especially around these parts, removed from the chase. And that really was head-scratching.

Ryan Newman was put into the chase. Then later in the week, we hear the audio of David. Gilalins 3018, spotter and crew chief talking about cutting deals to allow Joey Lugano, who's half a straightaway behind him to get in front of him to pick up an extra point so that he can beat Jeff Gordon for the top 10. Lugano's not penalized for any of that, but Jeff Gordon has put into the chase. Mike? Well, probation.

Yeah, right. That hurts. Have you ever seen anything like this? No. I've never seen anything like it. and I'm not going to sit here and just throw stones at NASCAR. However, the one part, I honestly didn't have a big problem with the whole Ligano thing, Ligano and Gilling.

I know some people do. That's fine. I'm just saying me personally, I didn't. The one thing I take away, the biggest problem I had was, you know, after their press conference on Friday, where they announced that they were going to have a 13th driver, well, you just made it harder for my driver and the 11 other drivers that did make the chase, you know, you know, honestly and, you know, without, without any issues, just made it harder for them.

Now, how's that fair? I don't know how it's fair. That, that was my biggest problem. You just made it harder for the guys that absolutely did nothing wrong. And I understand that you're trying, I just, that's the part I didn't like, you know. If you're going to penalize Boyer, even before the chase reset, okay, whatever, it's kind of, kind of weird. I was with you last week.

I thought that after, whatever. But man, now, you know, now, now it's made it harder for everybody. I don't know what the perfect fix is. I do applaud NASCAR for saying, look, here is what we're trying to do. We're trying to make it clear to everyone that we will not tolerate what's happened in the last few days. What happened in Richmond. Our integrity has come into question, maybe more than it ever has. I mean, is that a fair statement?

Yeah. The integrity of the sport is in question maybe more than it's ever has been before. We must do something about it. So I know that's what they were trying to do. Right. Okay. I don't know that putting 13 drivers in the chase, making up the rules as we go along, which is clearly what's happening, changing the rules when the chase starts about restart procedures.

I mean, changing the rules of the sport as we go along, I don't know that that's the answer. But I will applaud NASCAR for this. Manipulating the finish cannot be tolerated. And I know everyone listening to this are going to say, Taylor, come on. for the entire history of NASCAR, if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying, has been one of the mottos. Every single person in the sport has subscribed to that. Every single person in the sport has tried to gain a competitive advantage

with a bigger engine or bigger tires or wreck your car when the race is over, so you don't have to worry about post-race inspection or spinning out so you can stay on the lead lap or whatever it is. I understand letting your teammate lead a lap. I know all those things have happened. Mike, you cannot manipulate your finish, basically quit on it, if you will, in order to allow someone else to be successful. You must run every lap as hard as you can. I'm not condoning cheating.

Right. But I'm not. Right. But if you're trying to go overboard to win, that's one thing. If you quit on it to allow somebody else to win or be successful, that cannot be tolerated. So let me ask you this then. Okay. So then when they call the secret meeting on Saturday.

Right. Saturday. Drivers meeting. And then you're watching ESPN. I know you were in California, but I'm sitting there watching ESPN and that scroll goes across the bottom and it says NASCAR implements new rule where drivers must give 100% of their effort. I'm telling you, I'm not smart enough to know about integrity. That was just funny. Every time I saw that scroll, I laughed out loud.

Yeah. And I'm like, this should be embarrassing to me. But it's too funny to read these words. A new rule, drivers must give 100%. And I cracked up laughing every time I saw it. Yeah, I mean, where are we right now? Like, really? Is that really what have?

We have to say that to everybody. But obviously, we do. And I do applaud Brian, France, Mike Helton, and others for saying, look, there are going to be major, major penalties if we feel you didn't give maximum effort on the track. I do think that that's a good rule in implement. But no matter what happens, in this chase, it's going to be remembered for what, for 13 drivers and the craziness that happened going into it.

Let's talk about this race. I don't really want to, but we have to. Lap 32. Well, first, let me just before we do the race chatter, I thought he had a pretty good car. I mean, you know, the qualifying effort was disappointing. Some of the practice runs were disappointing. But when the actual race was going on in the afternoon, he was really moving up the feet. And he looked like he had one of the five or six best cars.

What did you think? I thought there were different points of the race where the car was better than, you know, others. And that was certainly obvious. You know, I love talking to the people that were actually there. But unfortunately, with it going so late, people are kind of trickling in right now as we're taping this podcast. So I really haven't been able to talk to LaTart and Dale Jr. and everybody. But, you know, I think from what I've gathered, Jr., was, you know, pretty satisfied with the speed. And he felt like he didn't really have a chance to show it off all the way.

to its fullest potential, which, you know, he was sort of coming back up through there. I mean, you know, I know everybody wants to focus on a restart where he lost four or five positions, but frankly, on some of those other restarts where he was restarting, you know, 15th, 16th, he was picking off three, four, or five positions, and I think he was an 11th when they went to pit road and had the incident. So it was just so frustrating. I mean, I'll tell you, I was mad. I'm mad, you know, and I told you before we started the tape in this podcast that, you know, 99% of the time, I think people that punch walls are idiots.

But this is the day when I actually understand them. You know, where it makes no sense, but, you know, it just feels good to be irrational and think, you know, just crazy thoughts. And I'm telling you, this is, it was so frustrating to be able to get our chase off, you know, with this type of star. And this is how you should feel, to be honest. I mean, I don't know how anybody would tell you not to feel that way. Let's hear a few things from the race. Lap 32, a two-tire stop during the first caution of the race takes the 88 from 3. 12th to 3rd.

There you go. By themselves down there. Door, bumper. You're clear. Keep going until I tell you. Cautons out. Clear by two, a lane lower than you. Tights the first 30%, loose to length, 30%.

Road is open. One, two tires on the jack. All clear, all clear, all clear, all clear. Clear, clear, clear, clear. There you go, bud. No pressure in your mirror. Right there. Good job, ma'am.

I think you'll be inside road, P3. I think we got one way around car upstairs. All right, so obviously got all the way up to, third at that point. Then you had the huge rain delay that lasts five hours. Yeah. At least five hours, I guess. Long enough for me to go to Bass Pro Shops.

Yeah. It was actually a little longer than five hours, I guess, because it was before five o'clock that it started, and then they restarted the race just after 10 o'clock. And Dale Jr. came back on the track in seventh place, but then went and pitted and came out of the pits in fourth. and it looked like he had some momentum there. But then, I tell you, speaking of momentum,

it was impossible to get any during the nighttime. Because, I mean, there was this caution after caution after caution. And at lap 169, a gas only stopped during the sixth caution resulted in a pit road pile-up in the 88 sustained front-end damage. Casey Kane was involved. There were some others, too, the seven car. Let's hear it. Yep.

It is open. I'll leave it open to you. Don't slide your tires, sir. Don't find your tires. Come to me. 4,100, 4,100. 3, 2, 1. Right here. 7-8 should keep going. We're 10 away.

All right, gas only. 5. 1 gas only, leave on me. Leave on me. Leave on me. One lane, one lane, one lane. You go two outside. All clear, 4100, 4100.

Check it up here. Stay high, stay high. Stay high. Stay high. Stay high, slow down, slow down, slow down. Watch them here. Go high, high, high, high, high. Go high here.

All right, keep coming outside. All clear, 4,400. You come back, you got damage, I didn't see it. Yes. We're going to look at it. Come up. Come back this time. I've got the hoods bounce.

Probably good at speed, but I don't know. It's rear guys, you go back across. Bradette, you go over, gas man, stays back. But at the end, Caleb, if we have time, we'll plug it one more time. We'll be ready with the can. All right, come this time. Hi, Steve, coming to you behind that five. We are 10 away.

Three. Yep, we've got to work on it. All right, bud. If we get it out of yellow, we're going to keep working on it. Just see what you got here. What do you think? I got a couple questions for you, Taylor. First of all, do you think the no gas, I'm sorry, the gas-only pits call?

Is this the 88 team being more aggressive? Yes. Oh, no, I loved it. I thought it was a good call. Love the call. Right. In fact, they'd been taking two tires. Some people are sitting there arguing that two tires is not the call.

I'm seeing blatant attempts for track position and going up there when you know that there's also threat of rain. Yep, yep. There's threat of rain. We're doing everything we can to win the race, track position. I love the call. The other question I got for you, you mentioned the string of cautions, and that was ironic because you had all these cautions that were coming out over and over and over again, and then when we needed one, it wouldn't come out.

Never came out. But do you think that that had anything to do with restarting those cars too fast, not warming them up? I want to ask TJ this as well, but I know that it was mentioned on Twitter, because everybody's an expert. But, you know, it was just a weird string of cautions of tires blowing up, motors blowing up. It was happening every two, three laps in a same time.

Cars were cold. I mean, let's just be honest about it. And you're sitting there for five hours. The temperature probably went down 25 degrees maybe, you know, and they're just sitting there. So, yeah, I think there's a lot of truth to that. But you're right. I think TJ's a better person to answer that to me. But I thought the same thing as well.

I just think it's a real shame. I think it's a real shame that you're involved in an accident on pit road. And I think it's a real shame that drivers that have absolutely nothing to do with the chase are involved in that as well. But are you mad at Blaney? I mean, of course he didn't mean to do that. And I'm sure he's sick about it, you know, to be in the middle of all that. But, yeah, I mean, your initial reaction is, who are you and what are you doing in my way? You know, I mean, that's your initial reaction.

Wasn't that yours? Oh, yeah. Oh, well, no, my initial was who's in the seven. Right. I didn't know who was in the seven. Yeah. It is Junior Nation's favorite snack. Dale Jr. Potato chips.

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Let's speed dial. Let's welcome back the spotter of the 88 team, T.J. Majors to Dirty Moe to the Dale Jr. download. TJ, it is great to have you back. Hope you're feeling better, man. Yeah, I'm getting there, man. It was good to be back and see a lot of my friends, and it was good to get back there. Yeah, well, good. We are certainly glad to have you back, but I know it was a really long, frustrating Sunday. And does it boil simply down to what happened there on pit road, or is there anything else that was really problematic as well?

You know, I heard that wasn't really the issue with what up didn't have anything to do with. You know, it's definitely a try. Hey, T. J. Taylor and I were just talking about this. Was it a concern at all? with you guys during the rain delay that restarting this race with colder temperatures. I mean, you just mentioned it. You know, what does that do to the car? I mean, did you guys talk about that? Was that a concern?

Steve and I don't have a plan to have that, but we didn't. Are we, you know, you just know that it's going to be. It was just a weird string of cautions, and I didn't know if that was just, you know, typical hard racing or if it was just, if that had something to do with it, there were just, you know, I saw Darrell Waltrip tweeted something about how he thought the colder temperatures were going to do something to these cars before. they actually started happening, but you had Juan Pablo's tire go up in, you know, a million pieces. You have former junior motorsports driver Cole Witt.

Logano's motor expires. And it even seemed like I think they reported Matt Kenseth was even reporting. He thought he had motor issues there for a while. Clearly he didn't because he went on. But I mean, was it just fluky? Yeah. It really was. It really was.

And obviously it's time to move on. TJ, a lot of people on Twitter were asking me last night about Dale Jr. Not feeling well. You're there with him, so you're a much better person to answer this than us. How was he feeling? It certainly seemed like at night that maybe he was battling a stomach problem. Yeah, I think he was all right. I think that rain delay helped him out.

You know, T.J, obviously, Steve Lattard is great in crisis management. Unfortunately, this team has had to deal with a lot of that. this year still made the chase but there were so many weeks where you felt like you had a top five top 10 car even a car that could win the race and something outside of the control of the team happened how this is this seems to hurt the worst now because it's in the chase and really affects you in points how does this team recover to win you know we just keep trying to win every week and you know and you know just keep doing what we've been doing maybe maybe be a little bit more aggressive you know if we there's a lot of race in a lot he's had his miscue throughout the year he

so we got that and the 48 you know he's got to keep going and last question for you tj we'll get you out of here you know naskar made some rule changes over the weekend and one of them had to do with digital radios and how they basically outlawed that right so this was the first race this year maybe the first race in several years where you weren't talking to stevie on a digital radio did that change up anything did it feel different you even had a little bit of a little bit of of radio problems. It seemed like there early in the race where Dale Jr. was having a hard time hearing you.

Did that have anything to do with it? No, I don't think that had anything to do it. I think that might have had, I think that was on. I don't really think it was a problem I am. Well, I did hear Steve say, do you have your cell phone with you? So, I mean, obviously it's a different deal in terms of communication now. TJ, congrats on your Buffalo Bills, pulling out that victory yesterday, man. And I look forward to talking to you after Loudon.

Thanks, man. You got to have a good day. See you. Okay. It's reaction theater time. And something tells me, Mike, since reaction theater is open 24-7, that we're going to hear a lot about the penalties, about NASCAR's thoughts on putting 13 drivers into the chase field.

So we're going to hear some stuff before the Chicago race and then see stuff after. All right, let's hear it. Data plays for this bullshit. You and me both, buddy. Yeah. I think we all kind of feel like we're all dragging today i think i mean how could you not be yeah but you know what you stayed up and watched it there you go next what kind of bull is this even my boy e-hawk couldn't a screw week up like this one you got clint boar

pulling this bull-cheating you got that jackass joey legano pulling some bulls then nascar pulls it out of their ass and got to throw 13 drivers in the chase that's some bull there. And then you got my boy Dale Jr. gets out on the track looking good. Everything's looking good. We're fast. We're running up top. And then we run into some no-name jackass on the pitt stop that screws everything up. Who the hell's that guy anyway? If you ain't nobody and you can't drive a car and run for contention, you shouldn't even build a pit with the other drivers. That screwed everything up and then boom, there goes the motor. What kind of bull is that? Usually I'd say people like that They're nuts, but that might be the most level-headed reaction theater call we have.

You know who I feel bad? I feel bad for you guys. How does it feel to work for an industry that tries to fix its past mistakes after they've already seen the result of it? How does it feel to throw somebody out of the chase and put somebody in it? How does it feel to have a chase format where you say you're going to have 12 drivers in and have it so designed so eloquently, and then add another driver. How does that feel? What if you had a replacement referees, and let's just say two players caught a touchdown in the end zone,

one team win, and the NFL maybe comes back a day later and says, oh, we've decided because of the review of the tape that the other team wins. Would that make any sense? You guys are going to sit here and try to defend it and say, oh, you know, this stuff happens. It's a joke for fans who spend money. call into radio stations or podcasts and express displeasure, I could be doing better things right now. Powerful. Powerful.

You're not going to hear Taylor's Ars are defending. No, listen, look, I don't ever want to tell anybody what they must think or what they have to think. You know, I mean, I think that you have a right to do that. And I've already voiced the problems I've had with it, and Taylor has and everybody has. And listen, this guy, you know, unfortunately, there are people that actually feel the same way he does. I will say this, though. I will say this. There are reasons why I love NASCAR. There are reasons why I love racing. Sure. And it's, but, you know, with cars and there's drivers and stuff. There's so much more into it for me, why I will continue to watch it and support it and love it. And I hope that he gets back to that point.

That it's not just, you know, these one incidences that just completely, like, I'm not going to watch it ever again or I'm never spending my... That's a choice that you have. Sure. However, I'm telling you that I find some value in it, and that that's why I choose to continue. It's so well said because there are certain things, certainly some things that really bother me. But when I watch Casey Kane and Matt Kenseth Battle for the Win in Bristol for 30 laps, I forget about all the problems I have with the sport because that's what I love.

Absolutely. Next. Mike Davis wanted a Jeff Gordon fan to call in and react. Well, here I am. You know, when I said that on Twitter, I wasn't expecting. directing Jeff to have the badass race that he had and to beat us. And so now I'm probably going to end up regretting the call to Jeff Gordon fans. I was actually saying I want to know how you feel for being in the chase now.

But now they're like. I just, I mean, can you imagine what that week must have been like for Jeff Gordon and his team and Alan Gustafson and all those guys not knowing, you know, if they're going to be in the chase or not, probably not thinking they are? He said he found out on TV. Yeah. With everybody else. That is truly remarkable that that's what end up happening for Jeff Gordon.

But can you imagine just sitting there on Friday and then all of a sudden you're like, man, we just gained more than a thousand points and we're in the chase. It's crazy. Yep. Next. One of the guys from the 88 team need to go and find Alan Gustafin and just beat the f***ing out of him this week for celebrating because Bill Jr. blows a motor. Bullshit. It's your fucking teammate. I know it gets you back on the lead lab, but that's your fucking teammate.

You don't celebrate because he blows an engine and brings out the caution? Dale, yeah. Okay, here's what he's talking about. When Dale brought out the – when his motor expired, Jeff Gordon needed a caution. Yes, he did. And so the TV camera – I thought of this, too. Listen, Gustafsson didn't mean anything by it other than he was completely zoned into his team, which he should be. He's the crew chief of it.

However, I understand where this guy is coming from, because he's – Even I was like, what are you going to do, cartwheels next, Alan? You know, because he was happy that Jeff got the caution that he needed. Unfortunately, it was at Dale Jr.'s expense. Yeah, that would have certainly bothered me. Yeah. I missed that. But he didn't do anything.

He just kind of like a little fistpub. I can tell you if the rolls were reversed. There might be some fist bumps too, though. Right, right, right. Next. Okay, Mike, this is bullshit. I mean, I've been riding with you guys for so long, but, oh, I need a drink.

maybe next week and pray to God did everybody else have a damn wreck come on Taladega come on Taladega come on Taladega do what you do oh man

tough times next good try 88 if I have to listen to Dan the junior fan run this week it's going to suck because truly I am

Dan and I am the junior fan You know, we never did really consider all the other people named Dan that happen to be junior fans, and now they kind of have this reputation of being out of shape. Right. Yeah. Yeah, that's not fair. That's not fair. Yeah.

I mean, that's like this one guy that calls in on my show, this Tar Heel fan, Mike and Gastonia, there are other mics in Gastonia. And they're like, I don't want to be associated with that guy. Next. All right, Stevie, and Jr., here's your chance. Your 13th in point, that's the worst you can finish. I don't want to hear any more points racing bowl. Go win races, win this championship.

Let it all hang out. You're not going to finish any worse than you are right now. Go get it done. That's got to be the attitude in T.J. majors, I thought, said it best. You know, hey, we're nine laps short on gas. I don't care we're staying out. I mean, like, you know, like, I mean, it is, it's gamble time. And that is fun, though.

I mean, it's fun from the standpoint of having it. You don't want to be in the position of a nothing to lose kind of situation, but in the same respect, that's absolutely the position they're in. And we felt like they were being aggressive in their calls, but we didn't get a chance to see them really put that to task late in a race, so it's still kind of out there and people feel, you know, anyways. Next. It's 1120 at night since the time.

Race is over. There's literally nowhere to go but up from here. Normally I'd call and say something like, I told you damn Steve LaTart. This is why he got to go for it in the first 26 races. Or I'd say something like, you got to get better on them. I'm not going to say that shit, and now is not the time to be full of piss and vinegar and complain about what we don't have.

Here's what we do have. We got crew team. who's the best in the damn business. We got Hendrick Motorsports equipment. We got Steve LaTartre, and we got Dale Jr. And right now, starting today, nothing to fucking lose. Strap it up, go out there and raise some bids. And I mean raise behind you boys.

Dale, yeah. How about Dado coming in? That's the best call he's ever had. Best call. And then you know what it fires me up. It should. Fire you up? Absolutely.

Datto, Rockney. I hope it fires everybody else up. I hope it fires the 88 team up. Man, I'm telling you, who knew that it would be Datto that would get us out of our funk today? Will you make sure a junior hears that? I think they should play it before every race. There you go. He needs to hear it.

Reaction theater is open 24-7. All you have to do is call toll-free 1-855-740-1902, and leave us your voicemail message. And we'll play the best each week right here on DirtyMoe Radio. And don't forget, there are four flavors of Dale Junior potato chips, crispy, original, zesty alipino, creole and green onion, and Carolina Barbecue. Go to Dale Jr. Foods.com right now to get yours today. Let's throw the white flag. There you go, bloody white flag. Well, life goes on, and it's a busy week for Dale Jr. He's doing

production work for the Hendrick Automotive Group, and also for goodies. Now, you're going to see us really pumping up the new goodies headache relief shot over the next few months. This Thursday, Dale Jr. will appear at Foxwoods Resort and Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut on behalf of Diet Mountain Dew. I hope I said that. right taylor friday morning begins practice and qualifying for sunday sylvania 300 that race is slated for a 2 p.m eastern start on ESPN and lastly and whether you're new to this podcast or one of those wily old veterans i just want to say thank you to everyone who listens each and every week for supporting it for putting your passion on display every week we really appreciate it and it makes this whole experience just truly

unique and i hope it makes it unique for junior nation as well taylor that's it for me yeah and you know what i think i hope everyone heard dan the junior fans call That is absolutely the attitude everybody has to have, and I hope we're talking about a great finish next week. For Dustin Lee, T.J. Majors and Mike Davis, I'm Taylor-A-R-Zarzer. This has been the Dale Jr. Download. Thanks for listening to Dirty Moe Radio. Have you tried the new Dale Jr. Potato Chips? Are you wondering where you can find them? Today is your lucky day. Go to Dale Jr. Foods.com to see where you can find the chips in your area or place an order online. You can have them shipped right to you. That's DaleJ.R. Foods.com.