NASCAR REPORT
Grading this year's silly season moves in NASCAR
Trey Campbell
Nov 12, 2017, 7:32 am
Dale Earnhardt, Jr Hendrick Motorsports courtesy photo
So 2017 has been one of the craziest NASCAR silly season's in recent memory, come 2018 there will be plenty of new faces in somewhat new places next year. Here I will break down each offseason storyline for the 2018 season and give my grade on all the moves, sponsor and number changes going into next season.
Chase Elliott switches to the No. 9 in 2018: A+
You have followed the sport of NASCAR long enough, you would know that the 9 is one of the most popular numbers in the sport. From 1981-1991, NASCAR's most popular driver, Bill Elliott drove the No.9 Coors Light Ford for Melling racing, (he also used this number from 2001-2003). Even though there has been a plethora of drivers that have used this number after he has, Elliott was the man that made the number popular. There is no driver more fitting to take over that number than his son Elliott to carry the legacy his father created. I give this move an A+ not just because of the nostalgic value but because this is something that Chase truly wanted to do from the beginning of his career. It will be good to see an Elliott back in the famous No.9 in 2018.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Announces his retirement at the end of 2017: A-
The biggest storyline of this year without question has been the retirement of arguably the most popular driver in this sport. In April of this year, Earnhardt sent shockwaves through the world of NASCAR when he announced that 2017 would be his final year of full-time competition.
Overall at first, I was a tad bit upset at the news that one of my favorite drivers would be leaving the sport I love. I wondered what was next now that the biggest star in this sport was going to leave but, over time I realized that this was the best move for him. In the end this was Dale realizing that he has accomplished everything that needs to be accomplished in this sport. He has won the Daytona 500 twice (2004, 2014) and has been voted the sport's most popular driver 14 times. It is great that he has sustained a life good enough for himself to be able to walk away and start a new chapter in his life in broadcasting and parenting.
Alex Bowman replaces Dale Earnhardt Jr. Next season: A+
After Earnhardt Jr announced he was leaving the big question was who wouldr replace him? There were many rumors of who would be the next in line including Willam Byron and Matt Kenseth but it was finally announced in July that Alex Bowman will take over. This comes as no surprise seeing how Bowman was the substitute for Earnhardt when he was injured in 2016. This move makes the most sense, due to the fact that Bowman is closest with the sponsors and the team. I think that Bowman is easily the best possible replacement for Earnhardt look for him and his team to be up front next season.
Matt Kenseth announces he is stepping away from full-time competition in 2018: F
2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Matt Kenseth announced that next season he would be taking some "time off" from the sport. This is the move I find the most puzzling; here is a driver that week-in and week-out is always up front and contending for wins and top tens but couldn't find a ride for next season? I find it suspicious that a man that finished in the top 10, 19 times last season can't find a competitive team to race for next season. I give the teams that passed on him an F for not realizing the talent they are passing up. It will be difficult not seeing a good driver racing next season.
Erik Jones replaces Matt Kenseth in 2018: B+
This was probably the most expected out of all the silly season moves. When it was announced that this year Jones will drive for furniture row racing (A team closely related to Joe Gibbs) it seemed as if it was written in the stars for Jones to move over to Gibbs racing sometime soon in the future. I believe this move was inevitable but probably the right choice. Jones has been decent this year with 13 top 10s and four top fives. Kenseth and Jones are almost the same typeof driver seeing how they both camp around in the top ten and let the race come to them, I think this will be a good move and Jones will be a force to be rekoned with in the future.
Darrell Wallace Jr. moves to Richard Petty Motorsports to drive the famed number 43: A++
This has been the most intriguing story of this season for me. Here is a driver that has gone through all sorts of adversity throughout his career, from not having enough sponsorship to finish out his career to hearing insults from "fans" about his race and they believed he got to where he was. To say it has been a tough road for him would be an understatement; the man was sixth in points in the Xfinity series before Jack Roush decided to close up shop. Luckily, he was given an opportunity by the king Richard Petty to fill in for the injured Aric Alimorila in four races this year. In each race he improved a little more and finished a career best eleventh at Kentucky. While it will not come easy for the young Rookie, I believe that NASCAR is getting a great personality and a very talented race car driver. Look for Wallace to be up near the front in 2018.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.