Whit Bazemore cracks on Fast Jack's pedal job

[vegasnitro]

I think it was cool to hear from Whit (not that I necessarily agree with him). He has never been boring when you stick a microphone in front of him, and judging by the response to this thread in short order, he generates a reaction and reaction generates webpages views, and I kinda like hearing from someone who isn't going to tell me everything is sunshine and lollipops.

There are other people on the sidelines that you may want to hear from, and I am sure John will get to them eventually ... it's ONLY the first week of the season.

Keep up the good work Mr. Kernan.

PS Bazemore drove for Matco in Top Fuel ... so I doubt they hated him that much.

 

[mick]

whit says 'he knows how don s. thinks'.....oh man, that's funny whit!
can't wait for the gatornationals installment.

john, whit mite be a good thing for your ratings/hits; however you
rate websites?....just ask simple questions, then let the man talk....

 

[jackass]

i thought it was great..... Whits keeps things lively.... if everyone get so kissey kissey you end up with a bad interview from NASCAR in the early 2000 days... more of a mr clean moment and BORING as HELL.....lol

 

[SundayNiagara]

just posted a podcast with Whit Bazemore at RPM2Night.com

he recaps Pomona, plus busts on Brandon Bernstein's hair and has some strong things to say about Jack Beckman's pedal job. Check it out when you can.

thanks,
JK

Who???????????????

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Great to hear Whit continue to speak his mind and give some thoughts. I can agree or disagree with him on my own, but it's darn good to hear. I can form my own opinion as I watch the sport. Hopefully Whit will continue to give his insight in other teams and drivers as the season unwinds.

Still a part of my fantasty 3 man booth: Frey, Whit, Dunn.

 

[force fan]

Like he has room to talk about anyone, just jealous he has no ride, LOSER!

Oh how I miss the Baze bashin'!!!!!

 

[mick]

Oh how I miss the Baze bashin'!!!!!

loose lips sink ships.......he's an easy target, that you can not deny.

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Sean, have you ever been asked to help train your replacement? I've been in that situation before and it's not fun and as a human being I don't think it's possible to put on your best face, smile and say, "thank you sir, may I have another." LOL

With all due respect, what difference does that make? I don't believe for a minute that he was forced to stick around and train Jack, so if wasn't able to do the job while maintaining a certain level of respect, then he should've bowed out, period. It's not like there weren't other funny car drivers that wouldn't have stepped up to help. And I'll say it again, I enjoyed Whit's candidness on television, but in this particular case he wasn't showboating in front of the camera to build any hype. He was just plain disrespectful and quite frankly, it was uncomfortable to witness.

Like I said before, I happen to love Whit, but the facts are the facts. He doesn't have a ride and it sure as hell has nothing to do with his ability as a driver.

Sean D

 

[Paul]

Because of Bazemore being a clown like this, his sponsor got tired of it, Jack came in, sponsor in hand, and took the seat.

Chris, if you recall, Matco told Don they were leaving the following year and Don had to find sponsorship for the FC. Jack came in with some $$ and landed the ride. Matco had their choice of TF drivers but yet they chose Whit, so if they were "tired" of Whit I highly doubt they would have had him drive their car when they went to TF. Remember, this is a year before Antron replaced him.

 

[marlin]

Keep on keepin on John ..Whit is Whit ...No problem ..And you are right ...I don't want to hear someone tow the company line.Keep up the good work .

 

[HEMI6point1]

Chris, if you recall, Matco told Don they were leaving the following year and Don had to find sponsorship for the FC. Jack came in with some $$ and landed the ride. Matco had their choice of TF drivers but yet they chose Whit, so if they were "tired" of Whit I highly doubt they would have had him drive their car when they went to TF. Remember, this is a year before Antron replaced him.

And Whit was fired from the TF car because apparently because he got into shouting matches with David Powers (and I'm sure nearly picking fights with Hot Rod over starting line missteps didn't help).

I'm not bashing the guy, I'm just going by what I read at the time.

 

[force fan]

loose lips sink ships.......he's an easy target, that you can not deny.

Loose lips get punched by Cappsie!!! LOL

 

[sdwarf36]

Maybe Jack should critique Whits pedaling? One needs a fire suit-the other shaves his legs for aerodynamics...

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Embrace controversy and enjoy it. Appreciate when you have it and hope it stays. It's no fun when it's absent and those in your sport become stale and
wait for the cue of the teleprompter.

Signed,
NASCAR



thanks Whit.

 

[Greg]

I guess I should have clicked to listen or watch, because I really really like John Kernan, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't see where Whit brings anything to the table really, which is why he continues to be without a ride. He's no longer relevant; it's as simple as that. And when you're no longer relevant you simply fade away into the history books. However, because they dust him off every now and then, and give him some air time here and there, I guess it makes him feel more important than he is. Seriously when you think about it, what does the opinion of a marginal driver (at best), matter to anyone who currently has a ride? I think he truly feels that people care about what he has to say, and I'm sure a couple of people do. I doubt Beckman is one of them.

Don't get me wrong, the sport is stale, and flat boring given the current crop of drivers. There are no personalities that really stand out (I do like Beckman and Head though). However, please don't misconstrue Whit's arrogance and grossly inflated feeling of self-worth as being something the sport is missing. The sport is definitely missing personality, but I hope no one seriously thinks Whit fills that void. People like Beadle, Glidden, Garlits, Kalitta, White, Prudhomme, McEwen, and many others brought life to this sport, and while none of them were saints, they could do their thing without being a complete prick every time they were on camera. They had class. Sure you had some folks like Al Hofmann who could rip into anyone at anytime, but he was also pretty chill as well, and gave respect where it was due.

No, people can praise Whit all they want, but I personally don't miss him and contrary to what he may believe, the sport doesn't need him. If his shtick was as good as what some people believe it to be, then he'd have no problems landing a ride and/or getting a sponsor. I doubt there are many out there that want to put up with the baggage that goes along with whatever extra PR you might get from him. So until something changes, I'm sure he'll have to be content with sitting back and armchair driving with the rest of us.

 

[Pete]

. But if you're going to be professional enough to show up at the track to help the new guy transition into the seat, then be professional enough to do it with grace. You never know who might be listening.

Sean D

Just to keep everything in order, Jack had driven nothing but dragsters. His last TF pass was in 2005 in Dexter Tuttle's dragster. Shoe gave him the opportunity to learn and license in one of his FC's. They "just happened" to use Bazemore's FC at the pre-Indy test session.

So Don made it clear to everyone that Whits job was secure and he wanted to help Jack out.

Whit was extremely vocal about how he felt betrayed and that HE needed those test runs for Indy, blah blah blah.

 

[Bullard Anderson]

Whit Bazemore has earned every right to speak his opinion. He wasn't always been a hired gun at DSR. He perserved and stayed in the sport because he loved it through many setbacks in his early career. His opinion is not always absolute truth, nor absolute fiction. It's entertainment and dead on as far as he is concerned. Somewhat like "our" posts in this forum are for us. Dead on and never wrong!

 

[Toejam]

Glad to see he hasn't changed, still not afraid to say what is on his mind. Good for him, glad to see someone who isn't afraid to go against the grain.

X2! Everyone complains that all these racers are so Cardboard anymore! Then we get someone who says what he thinks and everyone gets all pissed off!

 

[Sean D, shondoo]

Just to keep everything in order, Jack had driven nothing but dragsters. His last TF pass was in 2005 in Dexter Tuttle's dragster. Shoe gave him the opportunity to learn and license in one of his FC's. They "just happened" to use Bazemore's FC at the pre-Indy test session.

So Don made it clear to everyone that Whits job was secure and he wanted to help Jack out.

Whit was extremely vocal about how he felt betrayed and that HE needed those test runs for Indy, blah blah blah.

I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, Pete. When this went down, I'm almost sure the cat was already out of the bag. I might have my timelines wrong, but all I know is that I was there running a nostalgia race with the guys I drove for at the time. I can't remember, however, the date and where it correlated with the U.S. Nationals that year.

Either way it makes no sense. If Whit's job was still "secure", then he had no reason to be a dick. And if he was mad because he thought he needed the pre-Indy tests, then he should've been a dick to the Don, not Jack. On top of that, why would a seasoned driver need a pre-event test that late in the year to start with.................

Sean D

 

[JL]

Keep on keepin on John ..Whit is Whit ...No problem ..And you are right ...I don't want to hear someone tow the company line.Keep up the good work .

Amen Doug... Keep them commin' John and Whit!