LEGENDS SILLY SEASON IN FULL SWING

By Jason Buckley

Every year we see it in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.  Drivers jump rides to another team in hopes they will obtain more success with their new venture.  When Dale Earnhardt, Jr. announced he was leaving Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, it sent a shockwave through the racing community.  When he recently announced he would be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008, the whole world of professional sports felt the rumble as it made headlines internationally.

Paddy Rodenbeck displayed the NPR logo for the first time at Caraway Speedway in early June.  (LN Photo)

Although Legends car racing is not as big as NASCAR, the series mimics the big leagues in many forms.  Recently, the “Silly Season” aspect smacked the series hard with driver movements prior to the Summer Shootout at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (NC).  Two specific drivers that made changes were Paddy Rodenbeck and Scott Knox, both well known in the Legends ranks and both driving for two of the most recognizable race teams in the game.

Rodenbeck currently rides in the top-five in the Pro Division national points.  Driving for Clay Hair Motorsports, Rodenbeck achieved success on the track.  However, Rodenbeck decided it was time for a change, moving to Nick Pistone Racing (NPR) this year about a week before the Summer Shootout.

“We ran well with Clay (Hair, owner of Clay Hair Motorsports), but we were looking a little bit more towards the future,” said Rodenbeck.  “Nick (Pistone, owner of Nick Pistone Racing) runs the Late Models and Super

Trucks, so maybe he can get us into one of those.  Hopefully, we can run a little better with Nick.  So far we have been good with good runs.”

With Rodenbeck’s move to Nick Pistone Racing, he positioned himself as one of many drivers within the NPR stables going for the Summer Shootout championship for the Pro division.  One of his teammates, Scott Knox, was a long-time driver at NPR, and the two looked to battle for the championship on the same side of the coin.  However, a day before the Summer Shootout started, Knox made a change of his own.  He moved from Nick Pistone Racing over to Clay Hair Motorsports, where Rodenbeck came from.

Scott Knox (left) now relies on Clay Hair (right) to get his car set up at the track. (LN Photo)

“It is kind of hard to talk about,” said Knox.  “I have been with Nick Pistone Racing for a long time.  I love Nick to death.  His business has jumped by leaps and bounds.  I was one of his first clients and I will never say anything bad about him.  He has done a lot more for me than I can say.  It was time for me with all the new drivers over there to make a change without any hard feelings.

“Obviously he (Paddy Rodenbeck) sees something Nick has that Clay doesn’t.  I want to come over here to see what Clay has.  He has won many championships, so I figured I would try it out and see what happens.  I will be racing against many of those NPR cars, but we are going to run hard and see what happens.”

The loss of Knox at Nick Pistone Racing didn’t seem to faze Nick Pistone.  He understands the business side of the sport, and is able to separate business from personal.

“I have a bunch of kids moving to the Pro division,” said Pistone.  “Scott and I talked about it.  He didn’t feel comfortable racing against the kids with us.  I think he wanted a change and Paddy wanted a change, so it was like a driver swap.

“Paddy coming over here is more of a benefit to us with the National Points run.  Scott races the Shootout and just 10 times a year.  I hate to lose him, but he only races 10 races a year and Paddy races every weekend, so it benefits the business.  Money is a factor, and I make more money with Paddy.  Plus, it adds more to our program with Paddy.

“Scott and I are still good friends.  This change probably benefits him more to get him more attention for 10 weeks.  Rather than him being with us with 20 cars, he is with Clay and his eight or nine cars.  So Scott is probably going to get more attention and feel more comfortable over there.  I hope he does well, and I think Paddy will do well too.”

Nick Pistone (right) talking with NPR drivers John Stancill (left) and Jordan Anderson (middle). (LN Photo)

Hair also understands the difference between the business of racing and the personal friendships in the sport.  He realizes that while he gained a driver in Knox, he didn’t lose a friend in Rodenbeck.

“Paddy and his father are great friends of mine,” said Hair.  “I guess they were in a little bit of a slump and with change it might help them out a little bit.  He was a great asset and I love him to death.  I hope they have a successful future.

“It is just like Legends Silly Season.  Maybe the change will be good for everyone.  We are changing some of our stuff on how things are handling.  We have a whole new outlook on this and we are looking to have a good year.  We have a great group of drivers so we are going to just come out here and have some fun.”

Even after the move to NPR, Rodenbeck still visits the Clay Hair Motorsports trailer at the track to see his friends.

“I still like Clay,” said Rodenbeck.  “I still go over there and talk with him and joke with him.  I have had a lot of fun with those guys and I look forward to racing against them.”

While Rodenbeck and Knox will still be on two different teams, Hair and Pistone will be cheering for someone they raced against just a short time ago.  The friendships seem to run deep, but it remains to be seen how deep when their former driver gets involved in an on track issue with one of their current drivers, their former teammates. 

Will the friendships still be strong, or will they shatter into a million pieces on pit road? 

Welcome to the Legends Silly Season.