 | | Bill Lester will attempt to qualify for Sunday's race at Atlanta. If he makes the field, he'll be the first black to race a Cup car since Willy T. Ribbs on June 15, 1986, at Michigan. Credit: Chris Stanford/Getty Images |
NASCAR.COM
March 16, 2006
11:16 AM EST (16:16 GMT)
1. Bill Lester will attempt to qualify at Atlanta this weekend. Big story? Ryan Smithson: Not really. I don't think of him as a black driver. I think of him as a driver who got a really late start driving stock cars. It would not surprise me if he wins a truck race this year. Dave Rodman: If you're just looking at racecars going around a track, they're piloted by racecar drivers -- period. But if you step back and look at the big picture, of course it is -- because Bill's been the standard bearer for the diversity program for years. Duane Cross: We're gonna hear a lot about it -- it'll be a PR boon for Waste Management -- but I'm sure Bill would rather just go racing. And from the fans' perspective, who cares? The fans want the 43 best drivers on any given race day. David Newton: I disagree. I think the fans would go nuts to have a black driver succeed. And it would open up the fan base to levels it's never been before. You can't get around the fact that he's black and that he's in a sport that is predominantly white. Dave Rodman: He's this year's Toyota. He's a black man (Japanese car) in a white man's (American iron) sport. Duane Cross: Why can't we get around it? Who thinks of Tony Stewart as a white driver -- or Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Brent Sherman? He's a driver -- black, white -- doesn't matter. He's a competitor when the green flag drops. Dave Rodman: Newt's right. No one thinks about those guys because the sport is bleached white. But it's rapidly changing, and that's been a good thing, across the board. Duane Cross: They're drivers -- the best man (or woman) wins, regardless of color or gender. The fans couldn't care less what color -- or gender -- the drivers are; they want racing.  | | |
| Inside the Numbers |
| Bill Lester's NCTS stats |
| Year |
Races |
W |
T5 |
T10 |
| 2000 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 |
22 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2003 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 2004 |
25 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| 2005 |
25 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
| 2006 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
105 |
0 |
2 |
6 |
|
 |
David Newton: In an ideal world, maybe that would be so, Duane. But until everything is equal there will be black and white. Nobody thinks of those guys as white drivers, but if they were in the NBA they'd certainly stand out. Duane Cross: Bingo -- and that's where I believe folks lose sight of NASCAR: It's not the NBA, the NFL or MLB. It's racing, and it's a different sport from top to bottom. It has little to do with athletic ability. Ryan Smithson: We are a ways away from having a black driver full-time in Nextel Cup. It's kind of a moot issue until then. Dave Rodman: Bill could compete in Nextel Cup for the rest of this season if a sponsor stepped up to underwrite it. Ability is not the issue -- as usual, money is. Lester is talented, personable and well spoken -- he's just painfully short on stock car experience. David Newton: The black market -- can you say that -- arguably is more important than the Hispanic market NASCAR keeps harping about. Duane Cross: The fans are the ones who ultimately drive the sport; why else do advertisers sponsor the cars and trucks? They want eyeballs and whether they're black, white, male or female makes little difference. Ryan Smithson: There is certainly a "space race" between the teams to get a minority in Cup. Dave Rodman: I'll tell you this: Bill Lester could be Toyota's man in the Cup. He is fearless and fast as any moonshine runner ever was. That'll be pretty critical next year for those un-guaranteed starter Toyota teams. Ryan Smithson: Newt, I can see where you come from, but Bill talks like everyone else. Still irritated if his car doesn't handle well. Dave Rodman: That's because he's a racecar driver. Ryan Smithson: He really wanted to just be a racecar driver, not a danged figurehead. Dave Rodman: He gets it done -- he's more than a figurehead. David Newton: We're not talking about how he talks or drives. We're talking about the color of his skin, which shouldn't be an issue, but because there are no blacks in the sport you can't overlook it. Ryan Smithson: There are plenty of blacks in the garage. I met one Sunday. He was pretty mad they didn't run well. I saw him as a crewman. He didn't look out of place. David Newton: If this weren't an issue, then NASCAR wouldn't have to have a minority program to get a black driver into the sport. Ryan Smithson: Newt, you got me with that point. Duane Cross: It's "other" people -- draw your own conclusions -- who want to talk minorities and diversity. Sure, he's the first black in 20 years to try to qualify for a Cup race, but he's not the first (or even the second). Maybe there never will be a huge black fan base -- who knows? Fans just don't want the sport catering to one group, or two -- minorities, females. Dave Rodman: The diversity program isn't focused on just blacks. It's covering all bases, as it were. Duane Cross: So what happens if Bill doesn't succeed in the Cup car at AMS? Is the whole minority driver initiative set back 20 years? No -- he's just another driver. And I believe Bill wouldn't want it any other way. He doesn't want a break because he's black. He wants a competitive car. David Newton: The difference here and other sports is NASCAR appears to be force-feeding the issue by having Lester attempt to make the Atlanta field. In other cases, such as Tiger Woods', there was no question he would succeed. Duane Cross: Conspiracy theory: If NASCAR wanted a minority driver to succeed, NASCAR would get 'em into a Roush Ford. That hasn't happened yet. Dave Rodman: This is a great case where it's proven NASCAR isn't like other sports, as Duane pointed out. There are very few guarantees -- other than the current guaranteed starter program -- and giving back lost laps. David Newton: So you're telling me this isn't, in a way, a publicity stunt by Bill? Dave Rodman: I don't think it's a stunt -- it's an opportunity. Duane Cross: No, I don't think it's a publicity stunt. I think Bill Lester wants to drive a Cup car. Bill Davis has one at his disposal. Waste Management is footing the bill. Ryan Smithson: It is the same on the PGA Tour as it is in NASCAR. Both Lester and Tiger Woods (when he first started) got sponsor exemptions to make the field. Dave Rodman: Except Bill has no guarantee he's going to make Atlanta. He has to beat nine other men who're in the same boat as he is. |  | | Looking at Smashmouth's latest receipts, Steve Harwell is happy to get any money in his hands. Credit: Getty Images |
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Ryan Smithson: Bill has a sponsor and wants to make the field. Woods got one of the few sponsor exemptions when he started in 1996. Dave Rodman: But he wasn't guaranteed to make the cut, and that's closer to what we're talking about here. David Newton: But if a white driver of the same experience came to Bill and said 'put me in the race,' would that have happened? Ryan Smithson: Bill would have said, 'You got a sponsor?' Duane Cross: If it were a publicity stunt, NASCAR would get Bill into a Roush, DEI, or an RCR car -- really make a splash. This isn't the same thing. Yeah, it's a feel-good story -- but it's not a stunt. Ryan Smithson: That is true, Duane. With a sixth Roush car or whatnot, he'd have a much easier time. David Newton: OK, would Waste Management have given the same opportunity to a white driver with Lester's non-Cup experience? Dave Rodman: If they had the history with him that WM has with Bill in the Truck Series, maybe they would. Duane Cross: I believe so, yes -- Bill Davis would. He gave Scott Wimmer a ride, didn't he? David Newton: You got me on that one. Ryan Smithson: Bill Davis put Scott Wimmer in a Cup car when Scott had only ASA experience. So don't give me that crap, Newt. Wimmer made the race, too. Finished it. Dave Rodman: Scott was already well into Bill's development program. He had three Busch races under his belt, including two top-20s, when he made that Atlanta Cup start -- ironically in the same No. 23 Bill will drive. David Newton: I've surrendered to the Wimmer theory. But I've surrendered only to Wimmer. I still think it's a big deal in many far-reaching ways. 2. Should / will NASCAR have a second tire supplier? Dave Rodman: They did, twice -- and it was without question a debacle. There are a lot of things you want competition about -- but tires ain't one of them, as Goodyear/Hoosier I and II, proved. |  | | All these need is a little rubber 'round the rim. Credit: Getty Images |
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Duane Cross: Without a question, yes we do. Competition is the backbone of the sport. Goodyear would step up its game, Hoosier or Firestone or Michelin would do the same -- and we'd have better rubber for these guys to race on. Ryan Smithson: No, no and no. That creates competition, which is bad. Tire suppliers will sacrifice a little bit of safety for performance. How can you want two suppliers after the F1 fiasco last year? David Newton: I heard Chad Knaus is working on Hoosier tires right now. Dave Rodman: I seriously doubt that. The way ol' Jimmie and Darian and that bunch have been dancing on everyone's heads, I hardly think Chad has wasted much of anything. Ryan Smithson: Oh, stop. In between haircuts, I bet. Duane, you are crazy. That is a good way to discourage the parity we have worked hard to create. Keep everyone on the same tires! It is one less thing to police. Duane Cross: And what would you propose to do about car manufacturers? I guess having different makes of cars is bad for the sport. Wait a minute: Car of Tomorrow -- I stand corrected. Dave Rodman: In a tire war, drivers become pawns, and I don't think anyone who cares about a driver on any level wants to see that happen. Duane Cross: This sport has helped improve the overall safety of cars because the manufacturers pushed the envelope. Same thing would happen with tires. Ryan Smithson: Duane, that Hoosier experiment was a failure. Come on. I know you recall it. David Newton: I agree with Ryan. Two tire manufacturers is just something else to police. Dave Rodman: Well, they did a pretty good job policing it when they had to, from what I recall -- but it would be better if they didn't have to. Duane Cross: Yep -- and Geoff Bodine still would be driving Hoosiers, given the chance. Ryan Smithson: Come on. Separate tire tests, the works. Loy Allen won three poles on Hoosier tires. I rest my case. It didn't work. Duane Cross: Not so -- take different sets of tires on the same test. It wouldn't be hard. Ryan Smithson: Duane, you can't do that. It's different rubber. It would make the tests meaningless. David Newton: What happens when one company develops a better tire that gives teams an edge? Dave Rodman: Cats jump around. History proved that, except for Dave Marcis. Ryan Smithson: You're killing me here. Duane Cross: Get over your Socialist views, guys! Open up the competition and everyone benefits. Ryan Smithson: Duane, one tire manufacturer always beats the other. It won't be a democracy. Duane Cross: If one tire company makes a better mousetrap, the other one needs to hire smarter people. David Newton: But until then you've created a competitive advantage for the teams married to those tires. Dave Rodman: Or you've raised the divorce rate. Ryan Smithson: Duane also wants Kia in the sport, but that is a different argument. Duane Cross: It's supply and demand -- supply a better tire, demand the competition step up. David Newton: Wasn't that what Chad Knaus did? Duane Cross: Ha -- yeah, he did -- and Der Commissar punished him. David Newton: I just think it opens too many more doors for the NASCAR police to get involved. Dave Rodman: They're involved brother, even if Freddie Flintstone was supplying tires. 3. Predicts for Atlanta? Ryan Smithson: No one picked Johnson or Kenseth last week. Dave Rodman: I picked Kyle Busch, so I win by default. Kurt Busch tested Goodyears at AMS, man -- so this weekend's his Penske breakthrough. |  | | Winning is cool and all, but now Jimmie Johnson has two of these. ... Isn't that a bit gauche? Credit: Chris Stanford/Getty Images |
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Duane Cross: What the hell -- Jimmie Johnson: three wins in four races. Ryan Smithson: I don't wanna bet against Johnson at Atlanta. David Newton: I'll go with Carl Edwards: three wins last year at Atlanta, two in Cup and one in Busch. Dave Rodman: I wish I could second that, but Carl's been a touch off this year. Duane Cross: Guys, Chad Knaus' suspension could not have been at better tracks; there are many worse races to miss than Daytona, Cali, Vegas and Atlanta. That team could have rolled out Rodman as its crew chief and done just as well (not to dis Darian Grubb). Dave Rodman: I resemble that. The only way I could have done that was with a hidden wire connected directly to Chez Knaus in N.C. Not that I'm implying one damned thing. David Newton: I was going to pick Bill Lester, but it would be a 'wasted' pick. Duane Cross: Uh-oh, bad pun alert. David Newton: 'Manage' your own comments. Ryan Smithson: I want to get this in: It might be an advantage for Hendrick to have Knaus at home. Knaus is a body man. And he will have more time to perfect his own cars. Dave Rodman: Uh, it's a team sport, Smithson. Darian's cars are his cars. David Newton: So he can work on tires with Hoosier? And Edwards is the body man. Haven't you seen his shirtless photos? Ryan Smithson: Newt, get off the Hoosier talk. I'd rather have Cooper tires. You know, Arnold Palmer? Ryan Smithson: Newt, you would have paid money to be the person who sprayed the water on Edwards' chest before the photo shoot, but that is another story. David Newton: Amanda Beard perhaps. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer. Babe, tomorrow's so far away
There's something I just have to say
I don't think I can hide what I'm feelin' inside
Another day, knowin' I love you
And i, I'm getting too close again
I don't want to see it end
If I tell you tonight will you turn out the light
And walk away knowin' I love you? I'm gonna take you by surprise and make you realize,
Amanda
I'm gonna tell you right away, I can't wait another day,
Amanda
I'm gonna say it like a man and make you understand
Amanda
I love you | 
