Llinyn IAU JOHNSON: 1991 – Bodine, Marlin Unite gyda gobeithion uchel

Yn 1991, dychwelodd Junior Johnson i weithrediad dau dîm pan ddygwyd Sterling Marlin fel ail yrrwr gyda Maxwell House Coffee fel y noddwr.

Ar ddiwedd 1990, ar ôl i Geoff Bodine helpu Junior Johnson &Associates i gael ei dymor gorau ers 1986, penderfynwyd rhoi tymor arall i Bodine y tu ôl i Fords Johnson.
Ond digwyddodd newidiadau mawr ar gyfer 1991.
Yn y byd cystadleuol iawn, a drutach, o rasio Cwpan Winston NASCAR, roedd timau'n sgramblo i ddod o hyd i'r math o nawdd a fyddai'n caniatáu iddynt gadw'n gyflym gyda datblygu technoleg, ymhlith pethau eraill.
Fel yr oedd eraill wedi'i wneud o'i flaen, penderfynodd Johnson ffurfio ail dîm er mwyn lleihau treuliau. Roedd wedi gwneud yr un peth yng nghanol yr 80au gyda'r gyrwyr Neil Bonnett a Darrell Waltrip.
Daeth Johnson o hyd i noddwr i'w ail dîm. Roedd yn gwybod pa yrrwr yr oedd am ei gael – yr un a oedd wedi ei wrthod ddwy flynedd ynghynt.
Credai Johnson yn ddiffuant y gallai gyrrwr penodol ennill statws uwchsain gyda Junior Johnson &Associates. Felly gwnaeth lawer o gynigion defnyddiol.
Doedden nhw ddim yn gweithio.
Felly ar gyfer 1991, bu'n rhaid i Johnson ddibynnu ar ei ail ddewis, Sterling Marlin, a gweld pa mor dda y byddai ef a Bodine yn perfformio.
Cyfraniadau Iau i'r safle yn ymddangos bob yn ail ddydd Gwener drwy gydol y tymor.
Yr wyf wedi dweud fwy nag unwaith, yn wahanol i'm harferion cytundebol blaenorol, imi lofnodi Geoff Bodine i gytundeb blwyddyn yn 1990.
Yr oedd gennyf fy rhesymau ac, ie, yr oedd gan enw da Geoff fel prifathrawon ac yn groes i hynny rywbeth i'w wneud ag ef.
Ond gyda'n gilydd roeddem wedi bod yn gynhyrchiol ac yn 1990. Enillon ni dair ras a gorffen yn drydydd yn y pwyntiau. Dyna'r Iau Johnson &Associates gorau a wnaed ers i Darrell fod gyda ni yn 1986, ei dymor pencampwriaeth diwethaf.
Felly penderfynais roi blwyddyn arall i Geoff.
Ond byddai newidiadau mawr.
Roeddwn i'n mynd i ddychwelyd i lawdriniaeth dau gar. Roeddwn i'n teimlo bod yn rhaid i mi wneud hynny.
Ar ôl un tymor fel unig yrrwr Johnson, roedd yn ofynnol i Geoff Bodine fod yn un o ddau yn 1991, sefyllfa nad oedd yn ei hoffi o gwbl.

Roeddwn i'n cael problem gydag ambell beth. Roedd wedi cyrraedd y pwynt lle'r oedd tîm un car yn anodd ei ariannu. Erbyn hynny rwy'n golygu ei bod yn anodd gwneud popeth yr oedd yn rhaid i chi ei wneud i ddal i fyny wrth rasio.
Roedd yn rhaid i chi brofi'n helaeth, roedd yn rhaid i chi wneud gwaith ymchwil a datblygu. Ni allech wneud hynny gydag un tîm.
Roedd cymaint o bethau yr oedd yn rhaid i chi eu gwneud, fodd bynnag, ni allai un car fforddio eu gwneud.
Yr oeddwn yn rhesymu y gellid cynnwys dau gost car gyda dau gar. Gallai un tîm wneud gwaith ymchwil a datblygu ac adrodd ar y canlyniadau i'r llall, er enghraifft.
Byddai hynny'n rhoi'r holl fanteision i'r ddau dîm ar draul un.
Roedd yn rhaid iddo fod y ffordd i fynd. Ac rwy'n cyfaddef fy mod wedi ei weld yn gweithio'n eithaf da gyda thimau Rick Hendrick.
Yn eironig, trefniant dau gar Hendrick a adawodd Geoff i ymuno â mi. Ro'n i'n gwybod yn iawn nad oedd e'n mynd i fod yn hapus.
Bryd hynny ychydig o yrwyr oedd am fod yn rhan o dîm dau gar. Rwy'n gwybod bod pethau wedi newid dros y blynyddoedd ond yn ôl bryd hynny, nid oedd yn ddim am fynd.
Hyd yn oed gyda rhannu costau mae angen noddwr ychwanegol ar dîm dau gar. Cefais Budweiser ond bu'n rhaid i mi gael cyllid ychwanegol.
Fe'i cefais pan gytunodd Maxwell House Coffee i gefnogi ail dîm Junior Johnson &Associates.
Nawr roedd angen gyrrwr arnaf.
Roeddwn i'n gwybod pwy oeddwn i eisiau. Roeddwn wedi ymdrechu'n galed i'w gael flwyddyn yn gynharach.
Fel cynifer o rai eraill, yr oeddwn yn dal i fod yn chwilfrydig gan Alan Kulwicki.
Pan gynigiais daith iddo cyn tymor 1990, gwrthododd am ei fod am barhau i fod yn berchen ar ei dîm ei hun, a'i yrru.
Roedd am ddal i fyny â'r hyn yr oedd yn ei wneud a'i weld drwodd i lwyddiant. Dywedodd bryd hynny, pe bai'n ymuno â mi, y byddai'n gwneud iddo deimlo fel cwffio.
Felly roedd Alan yn dal i wneud ei beth ac fe wnaeth hynny'n eithaf da. Yn 1990 enillodd ei ras yrfa gyntaf a gorffennodd yn nawfed yn y pwyntiau.
Roeddwn wedi ei weld yn llwyddo gyda thîm heb ei ariannu'n barhaus. O ystyried hynny, gwyddwn ei fod yn ddyn ifanc gweithgar a phenderfynol.
Rydych chi'n cymryd hynny ac yn rhoi ychydig o amser iddo o bopeth yr oedd yn rhaid iddo ei wneud ac, wel, mae gennych chi uwchsain.
Roeddwn i'n teimlo fy mod wedi cael cyfle gwych i ddod ag Alan i Junior Johnson &Associates. Ar ddiwedd 1990, roedd yn ei chael hi'n anodd dod o hyd i nawdd ac roedd ei dîm yn mynd i fod mewn trafferthion pe na bai modd dod o hyd i'r arian ar gyfer 1991.
Fe wnes i sawl cynnig defnyddiol i Alan. Roedd cymaint, mewn gwirionedd, wedi cyrraedd y pwynt lle'r oedd yn rhaid i mi edrych ar fy nawdd a nodi faint o arian y gallwn ei dalu i yrrwr.
Roedd terfyn y gallwn ei dalu. Felly roedd yn rhaid i mi roi'r gorau i Alan a llofnodais Sterling Marlin.
Yn eironig, un o'r rhesymau a wrthododd Alan oedd ei fod yn sicr bod ganddo noddwr wedi'i leinio ar gyfer 1991, y gallai barhau â'i ffyrdd annibynnol.
Pan ddywedodd wrthyf fod yn rhaid i mi fod yn onest. "Na, Alan," dywedais, "nid oes gennych y noddwr hwnnw."
Mynnodd Alan iddo wneud hynny.
Ceisiais ei berswadio nad oedd. Roedd y noddwr hwnnw, Maxwell House, eisoes wedi llofnodi gyda mi. Roedd gennyf gontract gyda nhw. Dydw i ddim yn siŵr bod Alan erioed wedi fy nghredu.
Ond deallais safbwynt Alan. Teimlai fod ganddo'r arian yr oedd ei angen arno ac roedd am wneud ei beth ei hun – yn gwbl resymegol.
Cafodd Alan noddwr a pharhaodd i rasio yn 1991.
Gyda Geoff a Sterling ar y bwrdd roeddwn i'n gobeithio am bethau da yn y tymor '91. Wel, roedd rhai adegau da, ond yn sicr roedd y niferoedd yn dangos bod gan Junior Johnson &Associates unrhyw beth ond blwyddyn dda.
Ni all fod yn dymor da pan oedd fy uchafbwynt yn cael ei gyhuddo gan NASCAR, unwaith eto, am rasio gydag injan orlawn yn Winston.
Sut y gallwn fod wedi cael injan orlawn pan orffennodd ein Chevrolet 14^Bwydo mewn cae 20 car?
Ataliodd NASCAR y prif Tim Brewer a minnau am bedair ras.
Roedd yn ffars.
Gwnaeth hynny, a chanlyniadau tymor 1991, i mi deimlo efallai fy mod yn dod i ddiwedd y llinell.
Doedd cynhyrchiant ddim mor uchel ag yr oedd wedi bod. Roedd y costau'n uwch. Roedd gwleidyddiaeth, i mi, yn ramant. A doedd o ddim yn hwyl.
Ond yna gwneuthum rai newidiadau ar ddiwedd 1991 a oedd yn caniatáu i Junior Johnson &Associates gael rôl allweddol yn yr hyn sydd wedi gostwng fel un o'r tymhorau mwyaf, a mwyaf rhyfeddol, yn hanes NASCAR.

Attachment 3361In 1991, Junior Johnson returned to a two-team operation when Sterling Marlin was brought on as second driver with Maxwell House Coffee as the sponsor.

At the end of 1990, after Geoff Bodine helped Junior Johnson & Associates have its best season since 1986, it was decided to give Bodine another season behind Johnson’s Fords.
But big changes happened for 1991.
In the highly competitive, and more expensive, world of NASCAR Winston Cup racing, teams were scrambling to find the type of sponsorship that would allow them to keep pace with advancing technology, among other things.
As others had done before him, Johnson decided to form a second team in order to curb expenses. He had done the same thing in the mid-‘80s with drivers Neil Bonnett and Darrell Waltrip.
Johnson found a sponsor for his second team. He knew which driver he wanted – the one that had refused him two years earlier.
Johnson sincerely believed that particular driver could achieve superstar status with Junior Johnson & Associates. So he made many handsome offers.
They didn’t work.
So for 1991, Johnson had to rely on his second choice, Sterling Marlin, and see just how well he and Bodine would perform.
Junior’s contributions to site will appear every other Friday throughout the season.
I’ve said more than once that, unlike my previous contractual practices, I signed Geoff Bodine to a one-year deal in 1990.
I had my reasons and, yes, Geoff’s reputation as headstrong and contrary had something to do with it.
But together we had been productive and in 1990. We won three races and finished third in the point standings. That was the best Junior Johnson & Associates had done since Darrell was with us in 1986, his last championship season.
So I decided to give Geoff another year.
But there would be big changes.
I was going to return to a two-car operation. I felt I had to do so.
Attachment 3362After one season as Johnson’s only driver, Geoff Bodine was required to be one of two in 1991, a situation that he didn’t like at all.

I was having a problem with a few things. It had reached the point where a one-car team was difficult to finance. By that I mean it was difficult to do everything you had to do to keep up in racing.
You had to test extensively, you had to do research and development. You could not do that with one team.
There were just so many things you had to do, however, one car could not afford to do them.
I reasoned that with two cars expenses could be contained. One team could perform research and development work and report the results to the other, for example.
That would give both teams all the benefits at the cost of one.
It had to be the way to go. And I admit I had seen it work pretty well with Rick Hendrick’s teams.
Ironically, it was a Hendrick two-car arrangement that Geoff left to join me. I knew darn well that he wasn’t going to be happy.
At that time few drivers wanted to be a part of a two-car team. I know things have changed over the years but back then, it was strictly a no-no for a go-go.
Even with cost sharing a two-car team needs an additional sponsor. I had Budweiser but I had to have additional funding.
I got it when Maxwell House Coffee agreed to back a second Junior Johnson & Associates team.
Now I needed a driver.
I knew who I wanted. I had tried hard to get him just a year earlier.
Like so many others I remained intrigued by Alan Kulwicki.
When I offered him a ride before the 1990 season he refused because he wanted to continue to own, and drive, for his own team.
He wanted to keep up what he was doing and see it through to success. He said then that if he joined me it would make him feel like a quitter.
So Alan kept doing his thing and he did it quite well. In 1990 he won his first career race and finished ninth in the point standings.
I had seen him achieve success with an under-funded team. Given that, I knew he was a hard-working, determined young man.
You take that and give him a little time off from everything he had to do and, well, you’ve got a superstar.
I felt I had an excellent chance to bring Alan to Junior Johnson & Associates. At the end of 1990, he was struggling to find sponsorship and his team was going to be in trouble if the money for 1991 couldn’t be found.
I made several handsome offers to Alan. So many, in fact, it reached the point where I had to look at my sponsorship and figure how much money I could pay a driver.
There was a limit I could pay. So I had to reluctantly give up on Alan and I signed Sterling Marlin.
Ironically, one of the reasons Alan refused me was that he was certain he had a sponsor lined up for 1991, with which he could continue his independent ways.
When he told me that I had to be honest. “No, Alan,” I said, “you do not have that sponsor.”
Alan insisted he did.
I tried to persuade him that he didn’t. That sponsor, Maxwell House, had already signed with me. I had a contract with them. I’m not sure Alan ever believed me.
But I understood Alan’s position. He felt he had the money he needed and wanted to do his own thing – perfectly logical.
Alan did get a sponsor and continued to race in 1991.
With Geoff and Sterling on board I was hoping for good things in the ’91 season. Well, there were some good moments, but certainly the numbers indicated Junior Johnson & Associates had anything but a good year.
It can’t be a good season when my highlight was being accused by NASCAR, once again, for racing with an oversized engine at The Winston.
How could I have had an oversized engine when our Chevrolet finished 14^th in a 20-car field?
NASCAR suspended crew chief Tim Brewer and me for four races.
It was a farce.
That, and the results of the 1991 season, made me feel that perhaps I was coming to the end of the line.
Productivity wasn’t as high as it had been. Costs were higher. Politics, to me, was rampant. And it wasn’t any fun.
But then I made some changes at the end of 1991 that allowed Junior Johnson & Associates to have a key role in what has gone down as one of the greatest, and most remarkable, seasons in NASCAR history.