There are, at best, the bare-bones makings of two rivalries in the Cup series this year. The first 'rivalry', and it's tenuous at best, is between Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. The Hendrick monster is running at full song now so I expect to see much more of what concluded the race on Sunday. Any racing series benefits from good rivalries but the thought of these two particular drivers and teams being the best NASCAR can produce doesn't exactly thrill me. (By "produce" I don't mean to imply that the fix is in.) I'll accept Rick Hendrick's statement that there are no team orders among his group. But I can't help but envision the struggle between these two teams playing itself out as a chess match rather than a bar fight. My tastes in stock car racing lean tend slightly toward the latter.
The most loved driver and the most hated driver come together in a lopsided fight in the other 'rivalry'. Unfortunately Dale Earnhardt Jr. has brought a knife, and a dull one at that, to a gun fight. His astronomical t-shirt sales numbers, his folksy good nature and his father's legacy are really no match for Kyle Busch's racing stats. Had the PR machine been cranked up before the season started and if Busch and Earnhardt were performing at a more equal level we'd be witnessing some incredible races.
For those Busch haters out there I counsel patience. Cocky driver after cocky driver has been tamed in this series over the years. No driver, not Earnhardt, not Waltrip, not Gordon nor even Petty, is bigger than the sport. While I'm unable to deny his driving skill I'm inclined to believe that to work with him would be a tremendous pain in the ass.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Oh oh...Gordon Is Winning Again...
And so the torch has officially been passed. The massed boos that used to rain down on Jeff Gordon (as well as half-empty beer cans) are now the sole possession of young Master Busch. Gordon (Wonderboy of yesteryear..... some nicknames don't age well) has suffered enough in the eyes of the NASCAR fan. He has served his sentence and paid his debt to society and now has been welcomed back into the fold. The winless streak is over. Let the smattering of applause begin.
There is something familiar about this story for it has played out before in the Cup series. Ol'DW gradually evolved from despised to an official Most Popular Driver during his racing career. (His close association with a certain animated rodent of late might be undoing some of that however.) Discounting the Elvis-like worship since his death, Dale Earnhardt Sr traveled a similar path.
The unofficial role of NASCAR's Most Despised Driver is now being played by Kyle Busch. While Gordon's only sin was winning and winning (too) often, Busch, while also filling that requirement, willingly accepts the mantle of Villain. And he seems to like it. NASCAR's answer to the Iron Sheik.
Don't expect to see Busch (younger) make the same mistake again that he made in Sunday's race. His little bumping fit only worsened his day. I think the same mechanism in his brain that remembers which racing lines don't work, allowing him to adjust accordingly, will come into play with regards to his ill-timed run-ins with other drivers. This fellow's desire to win will eventually trump all his other emotions and he'll at least become slicker in how he gets his point across to a fellow driver during a race.
Though you could have hung a sign that read "Caution - Wet Paint" on the Nationwide race on Saturday (read David Poole's comments on his blog) the Cup race on Sunday was actually pretty good by this season's standards. Though there was limited passing there were enough pit road goofs, on-track goofs, comers and goers and story lines to keep me awake and involved.
Quick-un's:
Carl Edwards:
Monday morning pit stop practice for this crew. Ouch.
Pit Road Mistakes:
Mistakes on pit road, by both driver and crew, have replaced mechanical failure as the unknown that lurks waiting to ruin a good day for a team. On the topic of pit road I second David Poole's comments lamenting the role pit stops have played in deciding races. Pit stops are important but the should not be a substitute for on-track action.
Ambrose Watch:
He was holding his own until another engine let go for this group. Still pulling for him.
Double file restarts:
Lead lap cars have to moved to the back of the pack for restarts. That inside line of cars is ruining the race for the lead. NASCAR needs any help they can get to improve racing at the head of the field. The Lucky Dog rule negates any need for a double-file lapped cars/lead lap cars restart.
There is something familiar about this story for it has played out before in the Cup series. Ol'DW gradually evolved from despised to an official Most Popular Driver during his racing career. (His close association with a certain animated rodent of late might be undoing some of that however.) Discounting the Elvis-like worship since his death, Dale Earnhardt Sr traveled a similar path.
The unofficial role of NASCAR's Most Despised Driver is now being played by Kyle Busch. While Gordon's only sin was winning and winning (too) often, Busch, while also filling that requirement, willingly accepts the mantle of Villain. And he seems to like it. NASCAR's answer to the Iron Sheik.
Don't expect to see Busch (younger) make the same mistake again that he made in Sunday's race. His little bumping fit only worsened his day. I think the same mechanism in his brain that remembers which racing lines don't work, allowing him to adjust accordingly, will come into play with regards to his ill-timed run-ins with other drivers. This fellow's desire to win will eventually trump all his other emotions and he'll at least become slicker in how he gets his point across to a fellow driver during a race.
Though you could have hung a sign that read "Caution - Wet Paint" on the Nationwide race on Saturday (read David Poole's comments on his blog) the Cup race on Sunday was actually pretty good by this season's standards. Though there was limited passing there were enough pit road goofs, on-track goofs, comers and goers and story lines to keep me awake and involved.
Quick-un's:
Carl Edwards:
Monday morning pit stop practice for this crew. Ouch.
Pit Road Mistakes:
Mistakes on pit road, by both driver and crew, have replaced mechanical failure as the unknown that lurks waiting to ruin a good day for a team. On the topic of pit road I second David Poole's comments lamenting the role pit stops have played in deciding races. Pit stops are important but the should not be a substitute for on-track action.
Ambrose Watch:
He was holding his own until another engine let go for this group. Still pulling for him.
Double file restarts:
Lead lap cars have to moved to the back of the pack for restarts. That inside line of cars is ruining the race for the lead. NASCAR needs any help they can get to improve racing at the head of the field. The Lucky Dog rule negates any need for a double-file lapped cars/lead lap cars restart.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thoughts After Martinsville
The Cup race at Martinsville was a step in the right direction. Had Denny Hamlin caught Jimmy Johnson after Johnson's final.... ahem, pass, and we had a closer finish I think this race would have gone down in history as great instead of good. That said I'm content enough with what I saw on Sunday to not look a gift horse in the mouth.
Something seemed different on Sunday as the laps wound down. Has it really been that long since we've had a race that built towards a dramatic conclusion?
Despite the loss Denny Hamlin invested a little in his racing credibility. He no doubt picked up a few fans to go along with those second place points. Don't feel too sorry for him then. The most valuable lessons in life are learned the hard way so don't expect to see him play bridesmaid at a short track again.
An indication that NASCAR has indeed changed, for good or ill I will not say, was on display for a second week. It seems as if the only dispenser of justice these days is NASCAR. The children don't necessarily play nice all the time but most drivers seem unwilling to take it upon themselves to exact on-track revenge. Juan Pablo Montoya might just be the rowdiest driver on the circuit today but even he seems to rein in his aggression quickly. (Despite his silly 'nom de vroom' Kyle "Rowdy" Busch only gives evidence of his young lack of taste. 'Days of Thunder' is a terrible racing movie.)
If Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch ever have a race where all three have race-winning cars, look out. It seems as if one driver is not just a little better than his nearest competitor but a lot better. Product of the new car?
Something seemed different on Sunday as the laps wound down. Has it really been that long since we've had a race that built towards a dramatic conclusion?
Despite the loss Denny Hamlin invested a little in his racing credibility. He no doubt picked up a few fans to go along with those second place points. Don't feel too sorry for him then. The most valuable lessons in life are learned the hard way so don't expect to see him play bridesmaid at a short track again.
An indication that NASCAR has indeed changed, for good or ill I will not say, was on display for a second week. It seems as if the only dispenser of justice these days is NASCAR. The children don't necessarily play nice all the time but most drivers seem unwilling to take it upon themselves to exact on-track revenge. Juan Pablo Montoya might just be the rowdiest driver on the circuit today but even he seems to rein in his aggression quickly. (Despite his silly 'nom de vroom' Kyle "Rowdy" Busch only gives evidence of his young lack of taste. 'Days of Thunder' is a terrible racing movie.)
If Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch ever have a race where all three have race-winning cars, look out. It seems as if one driver is not just a little better than his nearest competitor but a lot better. Product of the new car?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
If I Were King........No more artificial Christmas trees
If I were king of the NASCAR Cup world things would be different. The very name 'NASCAR' is an anachronism. Truly 'stock' car racing probably only existed for about as long as it took for a driver to break a stock front end suspension piece and clobber a wall. In the interests of safety, first and foremost, and a decent racing product 'stock cars' are an ever-evolving toy. All very well and good. Drivers have died as the years rolled on but perhaps, hopefully, we'll have witnessed the last. In a seemingly divided racing world I think it safe to assume that all are in agreement on the safety improvements found in the new style car.
Gone too are the days of mass attrition in races. We take reliability for granted in NASCAR now. Having 43 cars on hand at the finish of each race only increases the odds of having a great finish. Since this is my perfect racing land that would mean 43 lead lap competitive cars. ...fantasy still but it would be cool.
The talking heads and NASCAR spokespersons claim that as the teams gain a better understanding of the new car the on-track product will improve and the hoped-for side-by-side racing will appear. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't have a handle on the aerodynamic problems that seem to plague the new car on those oft-hated mile and a half tracks. (Spit with me now: ptooey) I'm sure NASCAR has someone on that. But so long as the current setup is not working now is the time to implement my suggestion. Keeping everything the same under the skin of the cars, return to your roots NASCAR! Bring back stock appearing bodies! Make each brand identifiable.....
without the aid of stickers!!
I'm guessing a stock Camry body will not fit on the COT chasis with them big ol' racing slicks on there. That's fine. Scale the bodies up. But put back all those nuances that make each particular brand identifiable. It can be done. The wizards that build these cars can mold sheet metal (sheet metal!) as a sculptor molds clay. Add those door seams. Lift those side skirts. Round out those doors. Dirty the car up, aerodynamically speaking. By most accounts the car doesn't drive worth a damn anyway. NASCAR, now is the time to do this. The old school fan (the core fan...NASCAR, are you listening?) is angry. Extend the olive branch. And make it a good impression of an olive branch and not the cheap plastic ones you're using now.
Gone too are the days of mass attrition in races. We take reliability for granted in NASCAR now. Having 43 cars on hand at the finish of each race only increases the odds of having a great finish. Since this is my perfect racing land that would mean 43 lead lap competitive cars. ...fantasy still but it would be cool.
The talking heads and NASCAR spokespersons claim that as the teams gain a better understanding of the new car the on-track product will improve and the hoped-for side-by-side racing will appear. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I don't have a handle on the aerodynamic problems that seem to plague the new car on those oft-hated mile and a half tracks. (Spit with me now: ptooey) I'm sure NASCAR has someone on that. But so long as the current setup is not working now is the time to implement my suggestion. Keeping everything the same under the skin of the cars, return to your roots NASCAR! Bring back stock appearing bodies! Make each brand identifiable.....
without the aid of stickers!!
I'm guessing a stock Camry body will not fit on the COT chasis with them big ol' racing slicks on there. That's fine. Scale the bodies up. But put back all those nuances that make each particular brand identifiable. It can be done. The wizards that build these cars can mold sheet metal (sheet metal!) as a sculptor molds clay. Add those door seams. Lift those side skirts. Round out those doors. Dirty the car up, aerodynamically speaking. By most accounts the car doesn't drive worth a damn anyway. NASCAR, now is the time to do this. The old school fan (the core fan...NASCAR, are you listening?) is angry. Extend the olive branch. And make it a good impression of an olive branch and not the cheap plastic ones you're using now.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Bristol: Help Control the Excitement - Have Your Track Spayed or Neutered
I think we'll need one more race to definitively prove that 'They' have ruined Bristol. Kyle Busch is just so annoyingly good these days that I'm inclined to believe that even if the race on Sunday had taken place on any of the previous Bristol racing surfaces the outcome would be the same. Little or no evidence for or against the charge can then be gleaned from his performance. The same can't be said for what unfolded in his wake.
It was an almighty bore.
Busch spent so little time in contact with 2nd place on back Fox naturally focused on the rest of the field. I didn't see much action back there. I don't blame the designers or builders of the new, progressively-banked surface. They were tasked with creating a second racing line. Mission accomplished. Who I do question is the person or person's who requested said work be undertaken. I ask, from a fan's point of view, what was wrong with Bristol? The driver's love it but I doubt highly that you can sell 160,000 tickets to see more of what was (wasn't?) on display on Sunday. The great season of zzzz saunters on.
For once the Green, White, Checkers rule might actually have guaranteed the 'rightful' winner his win. Lap traffic might have come into play had the last caution flag not come out when it did. Denny Hamlin might, might, have caught Busch. As it was, he had no chance of catching Busch on that last restart. My heart rate actually slowed as the green flew that last time so sure was I of the outcome.
Hooray for Marcos Ambrose. A little street cred earned. It's a shame his engine developed a case of the hiccups late in the race but given how relatively little time he's spent in NASCAR and how thoroughly out of reach from everyone Busch put the win, I think it safe to assume that team and that driver are more than a little proud of their effort. For the first time in my life I think I'm right to say you read it here first: this cat can run with the so-called big boys.
"Phew", says Mark Martin. The accepted take on Martin is that he's a very smart racer. Given that, given his team's ability to build exploding engines and end up saddled with exploding tires coming into Sunday's race and given how well in-hand Busch appeared to have the race as it rolled on, I doubt Martin pushed things very much. I think that team was quite happy to bring it home where they did and start salvaging their season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's excuse list grows. He points to a poor qualifying effort for his poor finish, qualifying 34th, starting at the back and coming home 14th. That doesn't really cut it as Jeff Burton had a poor qualifying run, starting 40th but still managed to come home in 8th position. This poor devil couldn't be feeling more pressure if he was sitting at the bottom of the ocean. I think if his name wasn't Earnhardt and his mug wasn't plastered on a million t-shirts (number one is sales....) he would be winning or at least running better. His folksy demeanor and pedigree obviously appeal to a lot, nay most, NASCAR fans, but if commercial work counted towards championships Michael Waltrip would be the Richard Petty of his time. Earnhardt Jr's halting manner of speech of late is either indicative of a distracted nature or a brain injury. I don't say that lightly or in jest. The man appears too ill-at-ease and fidgety during interviews these days. He doesn't look well.
It was an almighty bore.
Busch spent so little time in contact with 2nd place on back Fox naturally focused on the rest of the field. I didn't see much action back there. I don't blame the designers or builders of the new, progressively-banked surface. They were tasked with creating a second racing line. Mission accomplished. Who I do question is the person or person's who requested said work be undertaken. I ask, from a fan's point of view, what was wrong with Bristol? The driver's love it but I doubt highly that you can sell 160,000 tickets to see more of what was (wasn't?) on display on Sunday. The great season of zzzz saunters on.
For once the Green, White, Checkers rule might actually have guaranteed the 'rightful' winner his win. Lap traffic might have come into play had the last caution flag not come out when it did. Denny Hamlin might, might, have caught Busch. As it was, he had no chance of catching Busch on that last restart. My heart rate actually slowed as the green flew that last time so sure was I of the outcome.
Hooray for Marcos Ambrose. A little street cred earned. It's a shame his engine developed a case of the hiccups late in the race but given how relatively little time he's spent in NASCAR and how thoroughly out of reach from everyone Busch put the win, I think it safe to assume that team and that driver are more than a little proud of their effort. For the first time in my life I think I'm right to say you read it here first: this cat can run with the so-called big boys.
"Phew", says Mark Martin. The accepted take on Martin is that he's a very smart racer. Given that, given his team's ability to build exploding engines and end up saddled with exploding tires coming into Sunday's race and given how well in-hand Busch appeared to have the race as it rolled on, I doubt Martin pushed things very much. I think that team was quite happy to bring it home where they did and start salvaging their season.
Dale Earnhardt Jr's excuse list grows. He points to a poor qualifying effort for his poor finish, qualifying 34th, starting at the back and coming home 14th. That doesn't really cut it as Jeff Burton had a poor qualifying run, starting 40th but still managed to come home in 8th position. This poor devil couldn't be feeling more pressure if he was sitting at the bottom of the ocean. I think if his name wasn't Earnhardt and his mug wasn't plastered on a million t-shirts (number one is sales....) he would be winning or at least running better. His folksy demeanor and pedigree obviously appeal to a lot, nay most, NASCAR fans, but if commercial work counted towards championships Michael Waltrip would be the Richard Petty of his time. Earnhardt Jr's halting manner of speech of late is either indicative of a distracted nature or a brain injury. I don't say that lightly or in jest. The man appears too ill-at-ease and fidgety during interviews these days. He doesn't look well.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My NASCAR Tummy Ache
I'm falling out of love with NASCAR.
Not with stock car racing, mind you. Just with NASCAR. Stock car racing, fear not, I still love you, in more ways than I can count. Those three words, 'stock car racing', still excite me. But NASCAR, you've given me a tummy ache.
I can pinpoint the start of my love affair with this sport to two instances. The first is the still-unbelievable sight of Ricky Rudd making an early case for roof flaps in the Busch Clash in 1984. I had no idea who Ricky Rudd was. I had no idea where Daytona was. I did know that my weekend television would never be the same. As it was explained to me, this, or at least what the drivers had been doing up until the moment Rudd's Ford tried out for the gymnastics team, was stock car racing.
The other moment is seeing my uncle return home from the local quarter mile track one Sunday afternoon with his tales of that day's racing, wiping the dirt and rubber from his face. My uncle was never a racer. He just liked to sit close. His filth and my parent's insistence that the racetrack was "too rough" were enough for my 8 year old brain to conclude that this stock car racing thing was probably the greatest thing ever. I wasn't far off.
But the relationship today is not what it was. Admittedly I'm hardly floating a novel idea here. The griping and complaining, legitimate or otherwise, with all things NASCAR has reached a din of late only just drown out by the beloved roar of the engines.
North Americans are a gluttonous lot. I should know. I'm one. My 'treat' each week is to devour a large pizza while watching the Cup race. Our appetites extend beyond simply food however. Someone, somewhere, after witnessing Jeff Gordon descend from the racing heavens in the early 90's, saw a delicious, deep-fried racing product before them and, some distance away, an immense pile of salivating race fans. In between was a weedy, narrow little foot path. This had to change.
And change it did. That footpath is no more. The space between has been removed and has been replaced with moving sidewalks, conveying race fans around the clock to the biggest racing-related smorgasbord that has ever been. The hungry mob was then free to indulge itself. And indulge we did.
There was a time in the 50's and 60's when the 'Cup' season routinely encompassed 700-plus events. The '68 season is actually just coming to an end. Seriously, there were a lot of races in a season. But how many of those races were televised? I'd be very surprised to learn that any of them were. Perhaps the last few laps of the Daytona 500 were televised here and there. Those fantastic Bud Lindemann "Car and Track" race recap programs are just awesome to watch now (stock-appearing 'stock' cars...how novel) and they give you an indication of how big league stock car racing was meted out sparingly in the past. For those not lucky enough to attend a race it must have been a thrill to have seen that much. In light of today's safe-wall to safe-wall coverage only reading about a race doesn't sound like much fun. But I'm sure fans pored over whatever they could get their hands on "back in the day".
Then along came network and cable television and the sport got some much needed and deserved attention. Even so, I remember in the 80's and even early 90's that it wasn't unusual for me to see a half dozen races or fewer on television.
And now today we have a fully-televised 36 race schedule, plus the whatever-they-are-calling-it-now pre-season race at Daytona and the all-star race, topped with interminable pre-race and pre-pre-race shows, dozens of legitimate Cup-devoted webpages and an animated rodent.
Burp.
It's all too much. We've long since hit the saturation point. There have been and will continue to be some great races at the Cup level. But also in the mix are a few mediocre races and some down right awful races. 500 miles at California twice a year, business interests aside, are not necessary. Unfortunately, the toothpaste is out of the tube.
Aside from naive suggestions of paring down the schedule by a half dozen or so races or shortening most Cup events to 300 to 400 miles, I don't know how to restore the level of excitement to NASCAR Cup racing that I remember from the past. The arguments put forth from the television talking heads of "growing the sport" ring as hollow now as they did when they first appeared in the mid 90's. What's growing when you start getting away from what made the sport the delicious deep-fried product you wanted everyone to try in the first place? We've been back and forth to the great All-You-Can-Eat buffet that is NASCAR Cup racing too many times and now we've gone and eaten ourselves sick.
Not with stock car racing, mind you. Just with NASCAR. Stock car racing, fear not, I still love you, in more ways than I can count. Those three words, 'stock car racing', still excite me. But NASCAR, you've given me a tummy ache.
I can pinpoint the start of my love affair with this sport to two instances. The first is the still-unbelievable sight of Ricky Rudd making an early case for roof flaps in the Busch Clash in 1984. I had no idea who Ricky Rudd was. I had no idea where Daytona was. I did know that my weekend television would never be the same. As it was explained to me, this, or at least what the drivers had been doing up until the moment Rudd's Ford tried out for the gymnastics team, was stock car racing.
The other moment is seeing my uncle return home from the local quarter mile track one Sunday afternoon with his tales of that day's racing, wiping the dirt and rubber from his face. My uncle was never a racer. He just liked to sit close. His filth and my parent's insistence that the racetrack was "too rough" were enough for my 8 year old brain to conclude that this stock car racing thing was probably the greatest thing ever. I wasn't far off.
But the relationship today is not what it was. Admittedly I'm hardly floating a novel idea here. The griping and complaining, legitimate or otherwise, with all things NASCAR has reached a din of late only just drown out by the beloved roar of the engines.
North Americans are a gluttonous lot. I should know. I'm one. My 'treat' each week is to devour a large pizza while watching the Cup race. Our appetites extend beyond simply food however. Someone, somewhere, after witnessing Jeff Gordon descend from the racing heavens in the early 90's, saw a delicious, deep-fried racing product before them and, some distance away, an immense pile of salivating race fans. In between was a weedy, narrow little foot path. This had to change.
And change it did. That footpath is no more. The space between has been removed and has been replaced with moving sidewalks, conveying race fans around the clock to the biggest racing-related smorgasbord that has ever been. The hungry mob was then free to indulge itself. And indulge we did.
There was a time in the 50's and 60's when the 'Cup' season routinely encompassed 700-plus events. The '68 season is actually just coming to an end. Seriously, there were a lot of races in a season. But how many of those races were televised? I'd be very surprised to learn that any of them were. Perhaps the last few laps of the Daytona 500 were televised here and there. Those fantastic Bud Lindemann "Car and Track" race recap programs are just awesome to watch now (stock-appearing 'stock' cars...how novel) and they give you an indication of how big league stock car racing was meted out sparingly in the past. For those not lucky enough to attend a race it must have been a thrill to have seen that much. In light of today's safe-wall to safe-wall coverage only reading about a race doesn't sound like much fun. But I'm sure fans pored over whatever they could get their hands on "back in the day".
Then along came network and cable television and the sport got some much needed and deserved attention. Even so, I remember in the 80's and even early 90's that it wasn't unusual for me to see a half dozen races or fewer on television.
And now today we have a fully-televised 36 race schedule, plus the whatever-they-are-calling-it-now pre-season race at Daytona and the all-star race, topped with interminable pre-race and pre-pre-race shows, dozens of legitimate Cup-devoted webpages and an animated rodent.
Burp.
It's all too much. We've long since hit the saturation point. There have been and will continue to be some great races at the Cup level. But also in the mix are a few mediocre races and some down right awful races. 500 miles at California twice a year, business interests aside, are not necessary. Unfortunately, the toothpaste is out of the tube.
Aside from naive suggestions of paring down the schedule by a half dozen or so races or shortening most Cup events to 300 to 400 miles, I don't know how to restore the level of excitement to NASCAR Cup racing that I remember from the past. The arguments put forth from the television talking heads of "growing the sport" ring as hollow now as they did when they first appeared in the mid 90's. What's growing when you start getting away from what made the sport the delicious deep-fried product you wanted everyone to try in the first place? We've been back and forth to the great All-You-Can-Eat buffet that is NASCAR Cup racing too many times and now we've gone and eaten ourselves sick.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
March Atlanta Race - Busch Whoops Field
It's getting more and more difficult to defend NASCAR to the uninitiated let alone entertain questions about the sport. And it's not as if there are long lines of the NASCAR-curious. I get the feeling NASCAR management has wrung just about every new fan out of the big wet towel that is the North American sports-minded audience. Perhaps I'm being swept along in the seeming flood of "What's wrong with NASCAR?/What can we do to fix NASCAR?"-themed articles, blogs and comments but I'm more inclined to list my gripes with the Cup series these days than rave about how fantastic the racing has been this year.
It hasn't.
The race at Atlanta wasn't a bad race but it wasn't a great race. No doubt about it, Kurt Busch and his boys put a whoopin' on the field and on his own car. Did you see the right side of the #2 after the race? That much should appeal to the grassroots. By Kurt's own admission the run-in's with the wall came at moments in the race when he abandoned his strategy of racing the track instead of racing his competitors. Maybe Kurt bought into the weekend's theme that the Atlanta track has become the "new" Darlington with its reported lack of grip and worn surface? I think he deserves all the more credit for winning if the conditions were that bad.
What a shame then that he had to diminish his win with that silly reverse victory lap. This I expect of someone like Michael Waltrip but not a past Champion. In a series that now rivals professional wrestling for shtick, gimmicks and cringe moments this was a new low. On one hand the broadcasters present a picture of the drivers as fearless warriors, risking life and limb in the quest for glory. On the other hand they come across as mindless corporate shills mugging for the camera awkwardly playing "Garage Band". I'll forgive Kurt Busch this episode as a misguided attempt at originality in a homogenous sea of bland.
One positive thing to say about the teams performance is the point that a driver or a team or a car does not have to be 'off' by much to be really off. Aside from a strategy call win last year the #2 team had very little to show for their efforts at the end of the year. There 43 teams each week all clambering over each other to get to somewhere. Not all of them are striving to get to the top judging from the start and parker's. (Overheating? Really? I think the Bliss team's first item to work on is their imagination.) In a sport measured in terms hundredths and thousandths of seconds there are an enormous number of cracks to fall into. And it doesn't take too much to fall out of sight. My point being is it very difficult to succeed at this level of racing. Kurt Busch didn't forget how to drive. They were just a little off. And no knock on the skill and determination of any driver or team that becomes entirely dominant but it is much more interesting and exciting to see teams rise and fall over the course of weeks and months and seasons. Seems the Busch (elder) team is on the rise.
Lastly, I've developed a new rule of thumb for anticipating the level of excitement to expect during a race, restart, etc. It's an inverse rule. The more the broadcasters (Yes, Fox, I'm looking at you) go bananas and claim the proceedings are "fixin' to get good", the less likely it is something exciting will happen. On matters other than technical I regard the opinions of Mike, Larry and Darrell on par with those of politicians. Luckily they still maintain a chemistry which is enjoyable.
It hasn't.
The race at Atlanta wasn't a bad race but it wasn't a great race. No doubt about it, Kurt Busch and his boys put a whoopin' on the field and on his own car. Did you see the right side of the #2 after the race? That much should appeal to the grassroots. By Kurt's own admission the run-in's with the wall came at moments in the race when he abandoned his strategy of racing the track instead of racing his competitors. Maybe Kurt bought into the weekend's theme that the Atlanta track has become the "new" Darlington with its reported lack of grip and worn surface? I think he deserves all the more credit for winning if the conditions were that bad.
What a shame then that he had to diminish his win with that silly reverse victory lap. This I expect of someone like Michael Waltrip but not a past Champion. In a series that now rivals professional wrestling for shtick, gimmicks and cringe moments this was a new low. On one hand the broadcasters present a picture of the drivers as fearless warriors, risking life and limb in the quest for glory. On the other hand they come across as mindless corporate shills mugging for the camera awkwardly playing "Garage Band". I'll forgive Kurt Busch this episode as a misguided attempt at originality in a homogenous sea of bland.
One positive thing to say about the teams performance is the point that a driver or a team or a car does not have to be 'off' by much to be really off. Aside from a strategy call win last year the #2 team had very little to show for their efforts at the end of the year. There 43 teams each week all clambering over each other to get to somewhere. Not all of them are striving to get to the top judging from the start and parker's. (Overheating? Really? I think the Bliss team's first item to work on is their imagination.) In a sport measured in terms hundredths and thousandths of seconds there are an enormous number of cracks to fall into. And it doesn't take too much to fall out of sight. My point being is it very difficult to succeed at this level of racing. Kurt Busch didn't forget how to drive. They were just a little off. And no knock on the skill and determination of any driver or team that becomes entirely dominant but it is much more interesting and exciting to see teams rise and fall over the course of weeks and months and seasons. Seems the Busch (elder) team is on the rise.
Lastly, I've developed a new rule of thumb for anticipating the level of excitement to expect during a race, restart, etc. It's an inverse rule. The more the broadcasters (Yes, Fox, I'm looking at you) go bananas and claim the proceedings are "fixin' to get good", the less likely it is something exciting will happen. On matters other than technical I regard the opinions of Mike, Larry and Darrell on par with those of politicians. Luckily they still maintain a chemistry which is enjoyable.
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