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Buzzmaster

  (1:28 PM)

Randy's here!

Casey Lansdon (Paradise CA)

Did you fell that NASCAR's "daylight" bump drafting policy at Talladega led to what alot of fans said was a "boring single file" race?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:30 PM)

It sure didn't help, but the box that the drivers got put in with the smoothness of Talledega, the re-pave job in 2006, the race cars bumpers lineup perfectly. Two cars pushing each other is like one car with two motors. A few years ago, no one would have thought about doing that. It took the drivers four races to figure out hooking up and joining together, you gained a lot of speed. NASCAR saw that and wanted them to get some space between the cars.

Marcus (VA)

Randy, was that not the worst Talladega race you've ever watched? Also, what are your current thought on the chase? I know that we would have crowned a champion by now in the old format probably, but resetting the points every year is just GIVING Johnson the title. I am so sick of that guy, not to mention how cheesy he and Knaus are.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:31 PM)

I think the drivers are tired of crashing, at least early in the event. So they rode at a 190 MPH single file, uneventful until 25 to go. Then, once they started to dice and move around and bumping and banging, that's when you saw the wrecks. The cars don't cause the wrecks, the drivers cause the wrecks.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:33 PM)

A lot of fans are sick of Jimmie, but it just goes to a point. When Jimmie and his team and Chad are on their A game, their own teammates can't beat them. He doesn't get enough credit for being a good driver. I think the old system, the race would be closer. There would be 3 guys still in the Chase. The 48 car is good and we have other teams beating themselves. The No. 5 car ran out of fuel. THere were 8-10 guys that didn't pit and he did. Is that Jimmie's fault? I once won 14 races out of 22 and people were tired of seeing me win.

Cort (NC)

Brad K now now wrecked out Denny, Carl-2 times, Bliss, Alagier and he added Kurt and Mark Martin to his list of enemies yesterday. WHen is Nascar gonna do something about him?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:34 PM)

That's not NASCAR's place to. Through the course of his career, that could come back to haunt him.

Kevin (Maryland)

I am more and more convinced that Jimmy is the luckiest driver not the best. He never seems to get caught in a wreck, or blow and engine or get a tire down. Your thoughts.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:36 PM)

When you win, you're also lucky. Yes, I won two championships and won a bunch of races those years. Yes, I was lucky, but lucky and good go together. In any sport. You get the right calls at the right time. It's just amazing that with 25 laps to go, Jimmie was in 28th place, thinking he was going to have a bad day. BUt 10 laps later, he was sitting in 11th with the guys in the points race with him were behind him.

David (Arizona)

Why is it that the safety flaps on the COT are not keeping them on the ground?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:38 PM)

Mark Martin's wreck was a racing accident when the car got hit in the position it got hit in. That car could have been going 100 and it was still going to flip. When the car gets turned around backwards, the wing is made for downforce, so when it's turned, it creates lift. It was a perfect storm. It flipped over. Nothing good happens to a race car when it gets into the air. These cars are not airplanes. They need to stay on the ground. NASCAR has done a lot with keeping them on the ground. Now they'll have to look at options with the rear wing, the flaps. I'm sure they'll be looking at all of this.

Troy (East Bay)

Do you think Kyle Busch can win all 3 Nascar races this weekend at Texas?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:39 PM)

Yes. That's all you can say. He's won the last four truck events. His Nationwide team will probably win the championship. He has a great shot of three-peating this weekend.

Heather (Denver)

Is Krissy Wallace the real deal of was that just a sponsor stunt for her to run vs. her father?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:40 PM)

I've watched Krissy in Legends cars and in LAte Model. She did a very very good job. Any time you can go to Hickory and win races, which she did, you're a good race car driver. I wish someone would give her a chance just to see what she can do.

Eddie (Miami)

It's a joie chatting with you. What can Nascar do to help fix the problems at 'Dega?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:42 PM)

Move the fans back. Stiffen the fences. Let the drivers go. It's a race track that was built for speed. THe very first race there they had a boycott and they had a race. If you didn't want to race, you went home. There's no one saying you have to race. It's on the schedule and it's a fun track to race, as a driver. It's a box that they've been put in, but I wouldn't have ever thought about pushing someone around the track 10 years ago. I don't believe the track will ever be flattened. We have to keep the race cars out of the fan area. We can no hurt the race fans. If we can do that, let them go, baby. Tighten the belts.

Matt (Ogdensburg New Jersey)

hey randy now that dale jr knows who his crew cheif is next year do you think he can run great these next three races and finish 2009 on a high note

Randy LaJoie

  (1:44 PM)

For knowing Lance as long as I've known him, smart guy, the driver-crew chief relationship has to be almost brotherly and you have to accept criticism. If Junior lets Lance in and trusts him and respects him, I think it can be great. You need a relationship like Chad and Jimmie. There's no one out there that's close to Chad and Jimmie's. Junior and Lance are going to have to start finishing each other's sentences. Once they do that you better look out.

Rusty (Yuciapa,Ca)

How do you feel Randy, about the old cars with no plates , and returning to what made nascar successfull?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:46 PM)

The reason the COT car was put out was the safety. I'm all for the safety end of it. Can they do somethings body wise that will prevent you from running into the back of each other and most stock car look? Possibly. 25 years ago, you only had 25 cars finishing the lead lap. Having a 30 car, 3-wide draft is not something you saw 25 years ago.

Bill S (High Point, NC)

Randy, You siad you can't hurt the fans, but doesn't it hurt the fans to pay good money to watch a high speed single file race? It can't do much for TV ratings either when people know they can watch the first game and miss very little action on the track?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:46 PM)

Hurting a fan and putting them in a hospital and hurting their feelings because they didn't see 100 lead changes is a little bit different.

Joey (Houston)

Even when the #88 was running up front yesterday it didn't look that strong. Do you think Little Dale's best days are in the past?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:48 PM)

Not at all. You do not win 18 Cup races, 2 Nationwide championships five years ago. He's still a young guy. I don't know if I would want to be as busy as him. Is his effort different than it was during that time? I think so. If he ever gets his focus back to like the guys that are up front, and gives his team on Sunday afternoons and the rest of the schedule 24/7 then he can get back there.

John (Illinois)

Why do drivers gripe so much about safety at Talladega, but you don't hear the same complaints about Daytona? Even Mark Martin ran Daytona in his part time schedule.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:50 PM)

You're never going to stop drivers from griping. When those drivers drove the cars to race tracks and got the car through tech, compared to the drivers now who don't know as much about the cars and how they are put togehter. The whole driver situation is different and they're going to complain. If NASCAR let the drivers run at 200MPH like these cars are capable, they they'd complain that they aren't easy to drive. You're never going to keep them happy.

Jody (NJ)

What do you think about Newman's comments about "being the only engineer out there" meaning that Nascar should consult him?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:52 PM)

I like Ryan, I respect Ryan. He is an engineer. He was very sore last night and the reason was because the seat he sits in is not the best and it's not engineered to him. The wreck he had last night was not violent enough that he should have been sore. I sat in his car last Wednesday to see the vision he had from his car and there's no reason that I should have been able to fit in his seat. I can't fit into his firesuit and I shouldn't be able to fit into his seat. Ryan didn't get hurt, but he is sore. He shouldn't be sore.

Rusty (Yuciapa,Ca)

Randy, What do you see in the future of Nascar? Does Nascar intend to put some tunability back into the next generation car? I agrre the car of today is much safer to race in , but at the same time races have be come predictable and boring I am a 35yr fan , Grew up watching Riverside from the infeild, those races sure seemed better then, Any thoughts?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:54 PM)

The COT Cup car was probably a year too early. They should have done a lot more testing, but then again testing costs money. It was a money issue and obviously NASCAR didn't want to spend it. They could have done some more things and done another year of testing at these race tracks, asking the drivers what they need more from the car, so the drivers don't complain.

Laura (Va)

Is there enough time for Mark to catch the #48...

Randy LaJoie

  (1:55 PM)

The 48 is going to have to implode. He's going to have to wreck. Jeff Gordon is the owner of the race car and if he sits down the driver for an event....that's the only thing I can think of.

Scott (Fl)

When is Nascar going to wake up, remember what got them to where they are the hard side by side racing, the danger element and the controversy. They are on the same road a the Indy car series, loosing fans, changing to much, and not allowin people to see good old fashion hard racin.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:57 PM)

They are trying to provide a show that not everyone is going to like. The audience has changed. Growing up, I was a car kid. Half of it was about the car. It seems like that has gone away and it's about the show and it's about who has the most money and who can buy the most trinkets. The car audience is starting to go back to the short tracks and get away from the technology, where it hasn't come in yet at the local tracks. Once you start getting heavy into the technology, you're going the way of Formula One. That's a snoozefest.

Mike (NJ)

Randy, how many drivers in the Sprint Cup series are using LaJoie seats?

Randy LaJoie

  (1:58 PM)

Five years ago, I had 80% of the market. That has gone to the Hendricks carbon seat. I still have half a dozen guys that are in them. It is the second best seat in the market. Do I feel that the Hendrick seat is good? Absolutely. But at $15,000, it should be good.

Randy LaJoie

  (1:58 PM)

No more restrictor plates from here on out. If Jeff Gordon sets down his drivers for a race, we'll be looking good.

Buzzmaster

  (1:59 PM)

Thanks for chatting Randy!