[Team Yates]

EGR to switch to Hendrick engines? If Team Red Bull does stay in the Toyota camp, that could open up a Rick Hendrick engineering and engine option for car owner Chip Ganassi and driver #42-Juan Pablo Montoya. Ganassi and Montoya are running Chevrolets this season, with engines supplied through Richard Childress. However General Motors' bankruptcy and racing cutbacks have left a number of issues and sponsorships up in the air.(MikeMulhern.net)(8-10-2009)

[Bob Tanner]

In today's FrontStretch, Matt McLaughlin wrote:
[COLOR="Blue"Tony Stewart continues to pose the biggest challenge to Jimmie Johnson’s bid for four straight titles. But if Stewart is within striking distance heading to Homestead this November, will he really be put in position to bite the hand that feeds him? And by hand, I mean the big, giant hand of Hendrick which is expanding its chassis and equipment business to more than just SHR in 2010 (so much for the “four team” rule). With that said, I hope Stewart-Haas scoops up all the regular season success they can…the postseason’s going to be a prime example of why sharing equipment in this series like one big, happy family instead of having 15, 20, 25 different owners can only go so far.][/color]

Now let's fast forward to 2010 and replace Smoke's name with Montoya's. Instead of Johnson's going for four, change it to just another Hendrick championship.

[WestCoast]

I see it as a good thing. Montoya’s performance increased this year due to Childress engines, if they can get Hendrick stuff next year, fantastic, this should even the field a bit more and highlight the true talent of the middle of the pack teams.
Now if the other Toyota teams could benefit from Gibbs engineering, this would make things even more interesting as well.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I see it as a good thing. Montoya’s performance increased this year due to Childress engines, if they can get Hendrick stuff next year, fantastic, this should even the field a bit more and highlight the true talent of the middle of the pack teams.
Now if the other Toyota teams could benefit from Gibbs engineering, this would make things even more interesting as well.

I'm going to respectfully disagree.

I think it is big mistake to have programs, like engines, primarily in the hands of a very few individuals, especially individuals who have a vested interested in the active competition side of the sport. We've already seen how the megateam concept has virtually destroyed the sport by freezing out individual team owners and making NA__AR a playground almost solely for the biggest and most well funded and well connected. Having these same high rolling players control not only the sanctioning body itself but the power plants too is wrong, wrong, wrong.

Look at CART to see how well having competitors control entire aspects of the components go. Look how March technology was banned in CART until Penske could catch up.

For the short term and for Montoya it might be a good thing, having Hendrick provide engines to Ganassi. But, in the long term and for the overall health of the sport I think it's a move in the exact wrong direction. So, obviously, it'll have NA__AR blessing.

[WestCoast]

The thing with me is, I don't care who controls the sport, I'm interested in "competition", meaning teams should not have to be penalized with lesser equipment.
As you know, even if everyone in the field was driving Johnson's car, JJ would still beat them.

Remember Wilson's win at the Glen?.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

The thing with me is, I don't care who controls the sport, I'm interested in "competition", meaning teams should not have to be penalized with lesser equipment.
As you know, even if everyone in the field was driving Johnson's car, JJ would still beat them.

Remember Wilson's win at the Glen?.

We can agree to disagree.

I believe that when one group controls the sport they also have the power to control the competition, to their benefit. If the group controlling the sport has a vested interest in the competition side (read: they are also competitors) then the chances of overt an capricious control of the competition increases exponentially.

I don't want everyone to have equal equipment. That is way to much like "spec" racing (now defunct IROC, a monument to blandness, for example) for me. I just want everyone to have an equal chance and their success or failure will fall on their shoulders and not some third party. Centralized control of the administration of the sport is one thing. Centralized control of the competition is another completely.

But, you and I can agree to disagree.

[WestCoast]

I agree with you, BUT, it's a know fact that just an engine doesn't make anything equal, but how the team individually tweaks the whole car that makes it superior to the competition. (the whole package)
All you have to do is look at Team Hendrick to understand. (see JJ vs Jr) or any other Organisation for that matter and the disparity between the cars based on driver, crew-chief, and other team members IS that makes the winning difference.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Now let's fast forward to 2010 and replace Smoke's name with Montoya's. Instead of Johnson's going for four, change it to just another Hendrick championship.

I don't think HMS would force SHR, or at least Tony, to back down.
Tony mentioned in the post race interview at the Glen that R.H. told him that it's about time to win some more, then Tony thanked him. SHR also gave some setups to the 18 HMS car from I've read in an article, so the HMS-SHR exchange is 2 ways and, involves know-how/information not just hardware.
Tony is seen as basically a team mate to the 4 official HMS car teams by R.H., so I see him fighting with JJ and JG, just like these 2 though in 2007.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

I don't think HMS would force SHR, or at least Tony, to back down.
Tony mentioned in the post race interview at the Glen that R.H. told him that it's about time to win some more, then Tony thanked him. SHR also gave some setups to the 18 HMS car from I've read in an article, so the HMS-SHR exchange is 2 ways and, involves know-how/information not just hardware.
Tony is seen as basically a team mate to the 4 official HMS car teams by R.H., so I see him fighting with JJ and JG, just like these 2 though in 2007.

I hope so, I hope so. The relationship is just too incestuous for my liking. It's a good thing HMS and SHR can breed and reproduce. My bet would be the offspring would look like something out of the movie, Deliverance.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

I hope so, I hope so. The relationship is just too incestuous for my liking. It's a good thing HMS and SHR can breed and reproduce. My bet would be the offspring would look like something out of the movie, Deliverance.

I meant 88, typo.
But Haas, now SMR, is only in NASCAR thanks to HMS and Chevy.
Isn't that right or am I mistaking ?!

[MikeRaceDayTek]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

I meant 88, typo.
But Haas, now SMR, is only in NASCAR thanks to HMS and Chevy.
Isn't that right or am I mistaking ?!

SHR is competitive due to the caliber of drivers, combined with the HMS support. Let's keep this in perspective. HAAS Motorsports existed before Tony took over, and they had the support of HMS previously. Basically Tony brought in himself and Ryan (Better than Riggs and "driver by commitee" on the 70), more sponsorship dollars, and probably upped the support a bit by throwing more money at HMS, but the support was there before, as was the team.

That's my opinion, no, HMS and Chevy are not the "only reason SHR is in NASCAR".

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

I meant 88, typo.
But Haas, now SMR, is only in NASCAR thanks to HMS and Chevy.
Isn't that right or am I mistaking ?!

I agree with Mike, DOF. My Reader's Digest answer is that Stewart, with his sponsorships are 60% of the reason Haas is still around, with Hendrick accounting for around 30% and Haas himself 10% (This is so low because of (a) his previous fruitless attempts at NA__AR success, and (b) His recent stay with the Federal Judicial System (maybe if he'd come up with a mysterious life-threatening illness which could have been cured only by a reduced sentence, this last might have been moot).

Of course all that is just my personal opinion ans SWAG.

[DOF_power]

Originally Posted by MikeRaceDayTek

SHR is competitive due to the caliber of drivers, combined with the HMS support. Let's keep this in perspective. HAAS Motorsports existed before Tony took over, and they had the support of HMS previously. Basically Tony brought in himself and Ryan (Better than Riggs and "driver by commitee" on the 70), more sponsorship dollars, and probably upped the support a bit by throwing more money at HMS, but the support was there before, as was the team.

That's my opinion, no, HMS and Chevy are not the "only reason SHR is in NASCAR".

Well that was my point as I've heard HMS helped Haas found the team. I've also read GM/Chevy helped Tony to become a team co-owner.

I might add that Tony also brought in some guys/personnel from HMS, RCR and Co. as pointed by Ryan Newman in his articles on the SpeedTV website.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

I might add that Tony also brought in some guys/personnel from HMS, RCR and Co. as pointed by Ryan Newman in his articles on the SpeedTV website.

The main one in the front would be Mr. Grubb who was taught by Knaus. The combo has worked thus far, very well.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Quality88

The main one in the front would be Mr. Grubb who was taught by Knaus. The combo has worked thus far, very well.

My question is: Did he leave Hendrick, or is he just TAD to Stewart/Hass, going over there much like the Hendrick engines flow between both operations?