There's no truth to the rumor that I've been asked to drive a 3rd team car for Stanton Barrett Motorsports in Mexico City this weekend.In keeping with the politically correct way of publicly discussing deals for NASCAR rides, I will only say this:
"Stanton and I talked about it, but only in a joking kind of way. I was like, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if I drove for you sometime — like maybe at that Busch race in Mexico?' Then he shook his head, muttered something about, 'It's Nationwide now, you tool,' and walked off. That was the last time we ever talked about it until you all started asking me about it here this weekend.
"I don't know what else to tell you. He never asked me, and I never had the chance to reject him. Which, clearly, I would have. I'm with Jeremy Mayfield, I only want to get into a ride that can win, be it in Cup, Nationwide or Trucks."
Apparently, Stanton then turned to his father. Stan Barrett, now in AARP mode, will attempt to qualify SMB's No. 31 as a teammate to Stanton this weekend in Mexico.
9 comments:
Apple doesn't fall far from the tree - neither one of them knows how to race.
Stan had top-10 Cup finishes to his credit at Talladega and Atlanta back in the 1980s. I know that nothing that happened before last week counts in the world these days, but there had to be some ability involved.
How do Stan's finishes stack up against Harry Gant's in the same ride?
The only reason Stan Barrett got that ride was due to being one of Hal Needham’s stunt buddies – ability to drive race cars had nothing to do with it.
Andy- they have more Cup rides than you, doesn't say much for you does it?
...it says I didn't race in Cup - big deal, neither has Jr. Hanley, are both Barretts better then him too? It doesn't change the fact neither Barrett is a successful racer.
Stanton's ½ season at OPS in the late 80's was totally forgettable and without accomplishment - he hasn't exactly improved upon that once you get past series he's started in.
I happen to think where a driver finishes is more important than the series or races they start in.
Marty Robbins started a handful of Cup races, but that doesn't make him better than the 1000's of racers who haven't, but have won features on the short tracks across America.
Andy- still makes them all better than you.
The Barret's are what you would have to call "gimmick racers". The stunt the thing got them connections to the series of NASCAR, when their talent should have never left a local track. Stan got in because he did stunts in movies directed by Hal Needham(Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper etc)who was breaking in as car owner. Plus, Needham was a former stuntman himself. You could almost see Stan be justified along the lines of the "Mart Robbins" novetly the times he drove for lower level car owners. However, there was no reason he should have been teamed with Harry Gant for part of a season when there were tons of Late Model Sportman, Modified, ASA/All Pro etc stars without Cup rides. Stanton is possibly a bit better driver than his dad, but still should not reached the levels he had. The year he ran Oxford, he did absolutley nothing in the weekly events. I was there every week, and the results were pretty much the same. He had good time trialing run and average finsih in the 250, but that was it.(and that was after he ran a season the NASCAR Dash Series) I never heard about him again after that season until watching a Busch Race at Charlotte several years later. He started huge wreck on a restart. I was astonished that not only did he pull such a dumb move, but that he was in the race at all. There were guys from his time period at Oxford who were winning multiple races a season, and some of them only got to go as far as a few Busch North races in their own equipment. And today, with all the talented short trackers we see in this region who can't get a ride, there guys like Stanton, Robert Richardson Jr., and Richard Johns who seem to be in the Nationwide Races every week.
-JMB
Half the drivers out there in the top two series today are "gimmick" drivers. All the more reason to support your local tracks and touring divisions where the real racers are.
Racing at that level became a matter of who could bring money (aka sponsors) to the table a long time ago.
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