Well, that was a little more like it, wasn't it? Coming on the heels of the California race, which we all can't let up on until they change the track, anything would look exciting.
What struck me about the race in Las Vegas on Sunday was how old timey it was, at least for the majority of the race. Attrition, wrecks and mistakes had more to do with the outcome than lead lap passes. A record number of cautions (14) and more engine fireworks than I can remember. People talk of the good old days in NASCAR and this race gave us a little glimpse into the past. There was a time when even the best teams learned how to change tires, calculate gas mileage and drive with fingers crossed, praying their engines held together long enough. Raise your hand all those that take reliability into consideration when making picks pre race these days. Me neither. Although less so, mechanical pride goeth before a fall still.
Jack Roush offered up a reasonable explanation as to at least his team's engine woes claiming a better-than-expected tire combined with what turned out to be the wrong rear-end gear choice lead to the failures. No doubt there'll be some scrambling and figuring before these cats in their hats get to Atlanta. The surface there is worn but it's still high, sustained rpm country that makes valve springs wish they had gone into the Slinky business instead. Hammond and Co. pointed to common suppliers of engine parts for the relatively widespread failures. Are there that few suppliers of top end engine parts out there? Then again isn't it the way things go in this sport and in life that variety is an endangered species? It would be interesting to see who gets what pieces from where.
Still others point to the economy (mostly the types that love buzz words and point to the economy as the reason it rained today). The theory is that corners are being cut and the double-, triple-, quadruple- checking system that insured bulletproof cars in the past is suffering because of it. I don't know. Maybe. Time will tell.
Kyle Busch is just the best natural driver that NASCAR has ever seen. Of course I base that on my deep knowledge of NASCAR history dating to about 1989. If you don't believe me, and you'd be wise not to, would you believe Jeff Gordon? Busch, as annoying as he can be and as limited as his knowledge of television history appears to be, is just that much better than anyone else out there today. There were a few instances during the race, shown in slow-mo replay so that us mortals could actually see it, of drivers getting the wiggles, correcting, the car taking a bite and then heading off in any direction other than straight ahead. Except Busch. To my eye he has this knack for car control that puts him above all others. If his car gets loose coming off a corner, he just seems to be able to coax it back in line with minimal over-correction. The thing just settles back in line. Much as I'd like to see close finishes it was pretty obvious that Busch was going to walk away from everyone else on the final restart.
Jeff Gordon is just lucky. Of course he's talented. You don't win 81 times just because you have good gear. But he is a lucky man. Who else shreds a fender and still comes home sixth AND leads the points at the end of the day? Grrr. This is shades of the luck of Wonder Boy Gordon. And that might not be a bad thing actually. It might be good if two superstars get hot and invincible at the same time (Busch and Gordon, for instance). Any competition would be wonderful to see. It is these stretches of single car dominance that bore me.
Could he have done so with the car of old? The slightest ding on a fender a few years back would have sent Gordon behind the wall. The new car does seem to be much tougher. I'm still not sold on the 'better racing' however.
Bobby Labonte must be feeling alright today. A nice solid 5th. I remember how DW reacted when he finished 5th at Pocono when subbing for Steve Park. It had been so long since he'd finished that close to the head of the field that the man was in tears. It wasn't quite so with Bobby Labonte (although I was surprised to see how long it has been since he's won a race) but he's been away from the performance-oriented limelight for a while.
What racing gods have it in for Mark Martin? What could he have possibly done in this life or a previous to have such crushingly bad luck. Two weeks, two engine failures. There were many, me included, who said/say this is the year that Martin has the keys to the kingdom and is being provided with all that he needs. .....except reliable engines. It still pains me that someone of Martin's standing and street cred gets out of the car after such rotten racing luck and leaves us with the impression that his sole disappointment that day was his failure to give the mighty fine folks at Kellogs a thrill. Where is the selfishness in NASCAR? There are people out there that respect a driver that puts his desire to win and compete above all other considerations. You're risking your life Martin! Stop caring what Tony the Tiger thinks!
Oh Mikey. You're on track to become a respectable driver and owner of a respectable just-outside-the-top-ten team. And then you go and try to pretend you're Harry Gant. When you do well, I cheer. When you do poorly, I join in the chorus of "Retire! Retire!" My clue that the team is doing alright is that young master Reutimann came home with a career-best 4th yesterday. Good stuff.
Talent is key. Patience for sure. But Pride can never be too far away. Jeff Burton, who had a very un-Jeff Burton run last week, lands back in the top 5 this week. I don't think it'll be long before he finds himself in a similar points position. LIkewise, look for Jimmie Johnson and his gang to remind us all of just how annoyingly good they are next week in Atlanta. Johnson will win.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., as a driver, leaves me very unimpressed. I'm beginning to side with the boo birds and say that he is where he is, financially and team-wise, because of his last name. 29th? One engine failure, yes, but not much else to justify his position among fans this year. Not a well-rounded driver. But neither was his father for that matter. If he was as aggressive as his father (Daytona not withstanding) he'd have more wins and maybe more fans, if that's possible.
I'm still pulling for Marcos Ambrose. I just like the guy. And a professional racing champion is a professional racing champion. Besides, he has more claim to being a stock car driver than most anyone else on the tour.
Tony is probably a much tamer fellow these days even after a disappointing run for his cars. Wheel trouble? Bugs to be ironed out. You associate quality and performance with Tony Stewart so I'll doubt we'll see this again. Despite Vegas I get the impression Tony read my early blog and is now intent on proving me wrong in my prediction that the title of owner/driver would drag him down. I think if I were Ryan Newman I wouldn't sleep well at night.
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