Hadley Has A Blog

2011-01-12T16:19:00.000-08:00

2010 Top-35

2010-05-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

'66 'Tang

2009-12-30T16:36:00.000-08:00

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Dover (5/31/09)

2009-06-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

(Click on images to enlarge)

Ouch! Failing drive shaft took Joe Nemechek's #87 out of the race at lap 67. For more info/opinion/analysis, check the notes on the charts.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Lowe's Motor Speedway (5/24/09)

2009-05-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

(Click on images to enlarge)

See notes on graphics. With the season 1/3 complete, it's getting harder to make up ground on Top-35.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Darlington (5/9/09)

2009-05-11T21:54:00.001-07:00

(Click on images to enlarge)

Added "The Race for Top-35" this week looking for trends among the competition for that T-35 Owner position. Going to watch this for a couple of weeks before making predictions about overtaking the competition. When you look at this chart and the "NEMCO #87 Owner Points Tracking", it does look doable.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Richmond (5/2/09)

2009-05-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

(Click on chart to expand)

NEMCO #87 performing surprisingly close to prediction, despite most weeks without sponsorship.

Big tip of the hat to folks like Huckleberry's Barbeque Sauce, Finncastle and Maui Showers for helping to fill the sponsorship gap when they can.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Talladega (4/26/09)

2009-04-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

(Click on chart to expand)

Still pondering how to assess both Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series as a total package for NEMCO #87. In the meantime, 'dega was pretty good to the team. Looked like a Top-10 finish, if not for all the Yellow Flags and restarts in the last dozen laps. Started 17th; finished 14th and on the lead lap. When the car doesn't break, Joe looks very good.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Phoenix (4/18/09)

2009-04-21T17:57:00.001-07:00

(Click on the chart to enlarge it)

Hey, all. Going to change content a little over the next couple of weeks. It makes sense to assess #87 as a package in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. Gonna figure a way to do that and then start doing that over the next couple of weeks.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Texas (4/5/09)

2009-04-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

(Click on chart to expand to full-screen)

Missed making the show by 1/100th second. Not much to say, after that. 35 Owner gained a little, while we lost a little. Still, one data point is not a trend. Hoping for better at Phoenix.
Short week, this week: Nationwide Series Friday night; Sprint Cup Saturday night.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Martinsville (3/29/09)

2009-04-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

(Click on chart to expand it to full screen)

Not much to say this week. DNFs will not get Joe/#87 into Top-35.

Hmm. That sounds kind of harsh. What I meant to say is: #87 gets sponsors = #87 gets some spares (maybe even another car or two) = #87 gets to finish races ... probably with some very good finish positions. Potential sponsors: hooking up with Joe Nemechek is a very positive place for your brand. He is everything honorable about NASCAR and the sport of auto racing. And, your name will be seen and talked about.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Bristol (3/22/09)

2009-03-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

(Click on chart to expand it to full screen)

This is a busy chart this week, friends. Showing "Optimistic" and "More Likely" forecasts for #87 breaking the Top-35 threshold.

This week at Bristol (first time on a short track with our own #87), Joe qualified the #87 Nemco Motorsports/Huckleberry's BBQ Toyota Camry into the 28th spot on the grid (that's 4 in a row on speed - 5, if you count Daytona Quals vs Duels). Rear end gear problems took Joe into the garage and out of the race at lap 82 (of 500). Another tough day ... but, the car is intact for Martinsville (I assume this will be the chassis and set-up they'll use there).

Now, I'm gonna buy me some Huckleberry's BBQ sauce.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Atlanta (3/8/09)

2009-03-10T00:31:00.001-07:00

Excellent qualifying run (8th fastest in the entire field) trumped by parts issues, again (no front brakes and a bad wheel bearing rendering car near impossible to manage around the track). Came out for good at lap 110. Well, the car is still in one piece, anyway.

Added #87 Top-35 prediction this week, based on 1st 4 races. It's optimistic in that it doesn't allow much, if any, wiggle room for more parts issues.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Las Vegas (3/1/09)

2009-03-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

Penalty for pit error (missed lug nut) put #87 down an extra lap early in the race. Lost transmission around midpoint of race (lap 110). By that time, #87 was not going to lose anymore positions at finish and very unlikely to gain any, if they'd put a new transmission in and got back on the track. Better to take an intact car to Atlanta.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Fontana-1 (2/22/09)

2009-02-24T11:09:00.001-08:00

Qualified for Fontana-1. That was the good news ... #87 is fast enough to get in.

Dropped out early due to failed fuel pump. Team decided smartest thing to do is pack up and head straight to Las Vegas with car in one piece and get ready for the next race. Las Vegas is 1.5 miles (vs Fontana 2.0 miles) and slightly increased banking in the turns (20' vs 14', respectively). Historically, a little bit slower track. That can help #87, I think.

NEMCO #87 Owner Points After Daytona-1 (2/15/09)

2009-02-16T22:51:00.001-08:00

Only discouraging thing about Daytona-1 this year remains the way cars qualify - keeps some pretty fast cars (like Joe's #87) out of the line-up.

On the upside, we didn't get our car crashed. We've got assets for SoCal this week. Looking forward to Fontana.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Homestead, 11/16/08

2008-11-17T23:32:00.001-08:00

Well, it's over for 2008 … and it wasn't as pretty as we Joe Nemechek & FRR fans had hoped. Safe to say, a single-car team has some distinct disadvantages to overcome.

I'm going to wait until we learn what FRR's definition of a "limited schedule" is for next season before I speculate much about 2009. I'm guessing performance in the first five races will add or subtract races for FRR. To all my Nemechek Nation Friends, have a good off-season. Go have some fun at your local track.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Phoenix, 11/9/08

2008-11-11T06:43:00.001-08:00

(See chart notes)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Texas, 11/2/08

2008-11-05T21:48:00.001-08:00

(See chart notes)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Martinsville, 10/19/08

2008-10-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

(See chart notes)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Charlotte, 10/11/08

2008-10-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

(See chart notes)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Talladega, 10/05/08

2008-10-07T12:15:00.001-07:00

(See chart notes)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Kansas, 9/28/08

2008-09-29T09:52:00.001-07:00

(See notes on chart)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Dover, 9/21/08

2008-09-22T09:24:00.001-07:00

(See notes on the chart)

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after New Hampshire, 9/14/08

2008-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

Ouch! Sad day at New Hampshire. Car was working pretty good until it slammed into the interior wall (got a bit of a shove from another driver). On the upside, maybe FRR is close to figuring out the intermediate tracks.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Richmond, 9/07/08

2008-09-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm just gonna keep watching this to see how close the "Owner Position 35 Prediction" comes to truth at Season's end. Those early DNQs may have been the killers and we didn't even know it at the time.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Fontana, 8/30/08

2008-09-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

Not pretty. Promising day ended early for FRR #78 and Joe Nemechek. You can read the notes on the chart.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Bristol, 8/23/08

2008-08-24T21:47:00.001-07:00

Official numbers. No change from "unofficial" version posted 8/24. Beginning next week, I'll start tracking how #78 is doing toward picking off the next Owner in the standings.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after MIS, 8/17/08

2008-08-18T09:29:00.001-07:00

As promised, here's the update. Top 35 Owner Prediction line is updated (I left the original T-35 Owner Prediction on the chart for reference). And FRR #78's Recovery line is added. As "must do's" go, it isn't pretty. Basically, FRR #78 has to equal its best two weeks (New Hampshire (6/29) and Daytona (7/5)) every week for the rest of the season ... and/or hope for the teams on the Top 35 "bubble" to collapse right before our eyes.

A disappointing weekend for FRR #78. I'll be updating the chart to show what FRR #78 needs to do to make Top 35 by season's end.

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Watkins Glen, 8/10/08

2008-08-11T09:59:00.001-07:00

FRR/#78 Owner Points update after Pocono, PA, 8/3/08

2008-08-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

FRR #78 Owner Points a/o 7/27/08 (Indy - Brickyard 400)

2008-07-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

FRR #78 Owner Points a/o 7/12/08 (Chicago)

2008-07-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Weird week at Chicago. The Racing gods seem to have whacked the whole bottom third of the field. Net result is #78 is net +/-0 change against the Top 35 owner. Downside is that we lost one spot in the standings AND the Chicago opportunity to make significant gains. Team probably needs the off-week between now and Indianapolis.

FRR #78 Owner Points a/o 7/5/08 (Daytona)

2008-07-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

(Official Owner Standings, as of 7/7/08/1100EDT)

With another Top 20 finish, the #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy picks up another 33 points in the quest to break into the Top 35 this Cup season.

Driver Joe Nemechek and the FRR Team worked hard keeping an ill-handling car on the lead lap throughout the race and began picking off competitors near the end. Finished in 18th, after enduring much of the race in the mid-to-high 30s.

FRR #78 Owner Points a/o 6/29/08 (Loudon, NHMS)

2008-06-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Very encouraging week for FRR/#78. Despite qualifying difficulties, the Team was able to get and KEEP a good car put together throughout the the race. And BIG praise to Joe Nemechek for wheeling that car around such a flat track! Lead lap; 20th place finish!

#78's Top-20 finish resulted in closing the gap to Top-35 by 42 points (combination of #78 improvement and "flattening" of the Top-35 score). If #78 keeps making gains while the bottom third of the current Top 35 owners stay flat, #78 should be in Top-35 before the '08 Season is complete.

FRR #78 Owner Points Update from Infineon, 6/22/08

2008-06-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Oddly enough, we (#78) slipped two spots (to #42) but still managed to close the Top 35 gap by another 14 points. We're in a very tight cluster of teams ... a virtual tie for 40th position. When #78 breaks into T-35, remember that they had to overcome the affects of 3 "Did Not Qualify" races earlier in the season.

FRR #78 Owner Points Update from Michigan, 6/15/08

2008-06-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Official Owner standings after Michigan (6/15/08). If these numbers hold, we lost 2 points in the race for #35. Really need to start bending the FRR curve up in the next couple of weeks.

FRR #78 Owner Points Update from Pocono, 6/8/08

2008-06-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest as of Pocono, 6/8/08. Made up a little ground on Top 35 points threshold.

Updated #78 Sprint Cup Owner Points - Top 35 Prediction

2008-06-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, all. Fell off the Top 35 pace a bit last week (6/1). Need good run at Pocono.

Nemechek/FRR Top-35 Prediction (5/31/08)

2008-05-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

To all my http://www.joenemechek.net/ friends. I'm still working out a couple of the nuances, but I'm thinking the numbers say Top-35 is a doable-do this year ... despite recent setbacks.