Pole Day or Another Rainy Day at Indy

Originally Posted on May 14, 2006 on foxsports.com

Saturday was Pole Day at Indy.  Well, it was supposed to be anyway.  The rain has keep the cars off the track sporadically the past few days.  The original plan was for 11 cars to be set on the grid on Saturday and the next 22 cars to be set on Sunday.  Then, next Saturday (the 20th) the remaining 11 cars (for a total of 33) would be set.  Then next Sunday would be Bump Day.  However, Mother Nature had other plans - raining out both Saturday and Sunday and leaving the qualifications in limbo.

Last year, Pole Day was delayed one day by the rain.  This year, after one 35 minute practice session and the start of the second, the day was washed out.

Rain is not merely an inconvenience for the teams.  Because of the rain, the rubber which builds up on the track has been washed off. Thus, the drivers were unsure how fast they would be able to go.  The coole temperatures were another concern, but at least the wind was minimal.  Engineers, drivers, and race planners were unsure how to set up the cars to take advantage of the conditions.  Some of them got it figured out as at the end of the first practice session, Scott Dixon led the filed at over 226 mph.  By the time rain shortened the second session, Dan Wheldon had clocked in at over 227 mph, as had Sam Hornish.

Danica Patrick has not been running as fast as the majority of the field.  When asked if she could reach 228 mph, she said she did not see how given how the car had performed thus far in the practice sessions.  Patrick said she wanted qualifying delayed until next weekend.

After a meeting with IRL officials, IMS officals and others, the decision was made to qualifty  for all 33 spots next Saturday.  Bump Day will then occur as scheduled on Sunday.

At least, if Mother Nature decides to let it happen on that schedule.

I don't know whether to be Offended or Giggle

Originally posted on May 13, 2006

I don't know whether the following racing items make me laugh, cry or if I'm offended by them...

1.  During the Darlington race tonight, Chris Myers commented that Brian Vickers looked like Representative Kennedy driving when he crashed into the barrier.  

2.   Dale Jarrett, who has won over 30 races and 1 championship driving a Ford and who's Dad won in a Ford, has defected to Toyota.  Darrell Waltrip commented that Jarrett would now be driving a Ford Furious, to reflect Ford Motor Co's feelings on this issue.

3.  Michael Waltrip is going to be in charge of the Toyota charge into Nextel Cup racing.  Waltrip has 3 Cup wins (all on restrictor tracks) and no championships, while Jarrett, Waltrip's new employee, has 32 career wins and one championship. 

4.  Tony Stewart complained that his car wouldn't turn in a 10 acre field. 

5.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. reportedly didn't feel well.  Shouldn't all that Bud or Crown Royal he presumably had after his win last week prevented this?

6.  Kevin Harvick had radiator problems after a fist sized chuck of asphalt hit the front of his car.  The rock lodged in the radiator screen until it was removed.  It was never discovered where this chuck came up from the track...

Top 12 Predictions for Darlington

Originally Posted on foxsports.com on May 11, 2006

1.  We will be reminded that there are only 15 races until the field is set for the Chase. 

2.  We will be reminded that of the drivers who were in the Chase last year, thatonly 4 are currently in the top ten. (Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, & Mark Martin).

3.  We will be reminded that the drivers who were in the Chase last year aremired out of the top 10.  [13th (Carl Edwards), 18th (Kurt Busch), 20th (Greg Biffle), 23rd (Ryan Newman), 34th (Jeremy Mayfield).  Rusty Wallace retired at the end of the year.]

4.  We will see at least 1/2 the caution laps run in the race.  This time will be used to discuss #1-3.

5.  However, we will still miss at least 2/3 of the restarts.  Instead of seeing the green flag, we will see the cars coming out of turn 2.

6.  At least one incident resulting in caution will happen while we are at commercial break.

7.  The following drivers will be interviewed either pre or post race {regardless of how they finish}: 

                         A.  Jeff Gordon will be asked (1) whether he thinks his team has "turned the corner" this year; (2) why he does so well at Darlington and (3) what it would mean to him to win at Darlington again.

                         B.  Jimmie Johnson will be asked (1) whether he thinks he can keep up the momentum his team has through the Chase and (2) how his car is running.

                         C.  Tony Stewart's interview will consists of questions on (1) his monkey or dog; (2) his fishing trip; (3) driving in the Indy 500 and whether he's been to IMS yet this year or (4) the goings on at Eldora, his dirt track.

                         D.  Dale Jr will be asked (1) how he celebrated his win; (2) what he thinks of Denny Hamlin running second at Richmond; and (3) if he thinks his team has turned the corner this year.

                         E.  Greg Biffle will be asked (1) how it felt to finally have a top 5 finish at Richmond (2) how he won the race at Darlington last year and (3) what his plan is for winning this year.

                          G.  Kasey Kahne will be asked (1) whether they have found/ fixed the spark plug problem and (2) how he got roped into selling tickets at Kansas Speedway next week.

                          H. Kevin Harvick will be asked about the decision not to pit last week.  He will change the subject and talk about something else while scanning the crowd for something to throw at the interviewer.

                          I.  Whomever wins the pole, unless already listed.  He will be asked how he gets "around here so fast."

                           J. One rookie of your choice - probably Hamlin due to his injury and finishing 2nd last week.  The question, regardless will be "How do you feel about making your first Cup start here at the Lady in Black/ The Track Too Tough to Tame?"

                          K.   Terry LaBonte because it is set to be his last Cup start at Darlington.

8.  At some point, an annoying logo for a Fox program will obstruct the racing on screen.  This will not be during a caution lap because that would be too easy.  Oh well, I guess these things have to be paid for...

9.  There will be a discussion about Rusty Wallace being at the Indianapolis 500.  Danica Patrick may or may not be mentioned.

10.  There will be discussions on tirewear.  Especially once someone earns their "Darlington Stripe" or due to the rough surface of the track causing a tire failure.

11.  The following commercials will be run:  Nextel - J. Mayfield/ T. Stewart = 6 times; NAPA - M. Waltrip = 8 times; State Farm - J. Burton = 4 times; Coca-Cola - various drivers = 1 time; UPS - Dale Jarrett = 7 times; Ford - various drivers  (OAD disorder) = 5 times; Nextel All-Star Challenge = 10 times; Lowes - J. Johnson/ C. Knaus = 3 times; Home Depot - T. Stewart/ G. Zipadelli = 3 times; All-State Ins. - K. Kahne = 3 times; Budweiser - D. Earnhardt Jr. = 8 times (not all necessarily with Jr.); Coors - D. Stremme = 3 times; Fed Ex - D. Hamlin = 9 times; Cingular Wireless - J. Burton = 3 times; Arby's - B. Vickers = 3 times; Busch Series 25th anniversary - various = 12 times.

12.  Oh, yeah, someone will win the race.

Darlington: Earn your Stripes

Originally posted on May 9, 2006 on foxsports.com

I love Darlington.  Darlington owns a special place in my heart nearly equal to Indy (don't tell my hoosier friends or they probably won't let me back in the state!).  It's appropriate that Indy and Darlington are my favorite tracks, as Darlington was modeled after Indy.   The creator of Darlington, Harold Brasington, attended the 1930 Indianapolis 500 and decided to build his own track in South Carolina. 

When Darlington opened on Labor Day, 1950, Brasington anticipated a crowd of 10,000 people.  However, before the end of the day, 25,000 spectators were watching a field of 75 cars take the green flag.  Six hours later, the first Darlington winner, Johnny Mantz, was crowned.  Thus, a tradition and a legacy was born.

I attended the last Southern 500 in 2004, and Darlington definitely left its black stripe on me.  When the Busch and Nextel Cup Series take the track this weekend, it will nearly kill me to be "stuck" at home.

Why do I love Darlington?  It takes the driver's skill to prevent the acquistion of the "Darlington Stripe" by brushing the wall.  The egg shaped configuration of the track (due to a minnow pond near the third corner when built), forces drivers to race the track, not each other.  On top of this, the texture of the track eats tires alive.  Darlington is called "The Track to Tough to Tame" and "The Lady in Black."  Regardless, it is a driver's track - there are more ways for a driver to beat himself than at any other track.

Darlington is easy to love - the racing all around the track is visible from the stands and naturally, there is no substitute for South Carolina hospitality.   

Darlington had two races every year from 1950 to 2004.  One was the "Southern 500" which was held on Labor Day.  The Labor Day race date was given to California Speedway, and the Southern 500 ended after 55 years,  in November, 2004.  Allegedly, Nascar moved the race due to flagging ticket sales at Darlington and the hope that a race in California on a holiday weekend would spur Nascar growth on the West Coast. 

Nascar now runs a Saturday night race on Mother's Day weekend at Darlington.  So far, the race has sold out in 2005, and this year.

Darlington is unique.  It challenges drivers.  It crushes the dreams of those who get cocky and think they've figured her out.  It creates spectacular finishes. 

Darlington is the template that other Nascar tracks have tried to follow since its creation.  So far, they all pale in comparison to the original "Lady in Black."

It's May & That Means: The Indianapolis 500

Originally posted on May 7, 2006 on foxsports.com

The brouhaha and anticipation for the Indianapolis 500 has started - and the race isn't for another 3 weeks.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway publicizes the race as "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."  And it very well may be.  It is one of the few races that even non-race fans know about and watch.  When I was growing up, I thought it was the only race in the world.  It never crossed my mind that the drivers and teams may race at other times of the year or on other tracks.  Who needed other races when there was the Indianapolis 500?  I now know that there are many people who still feel this way, either through ignorance or preference.  I'm not sure that they are entirely wrong.  There is something about the month of May in Indianapolis at the race track that plays on the psyche.

To the average non-gearhead, the race is the main thing.  However, the Indy 500 really runs thoughout the month of May.  The drama of bumping cars out of the race and changing cars doesn't have anything to do with race day.

Here is a brief primer on what happens at the track during the month of May, and what you should be watching for:

Opening Day:  Today (May 7th) was the first day of cars on the track.  The Rookies and those who needed to "Refresh" their racing skills were working on the four skills/speed tests.  So far, both Marco Andretti and PJ Chesson have completed their rookie tests.  The remaining rookie in this year's race is Arie Luyendyk Jr.  Marco's father, Michael is "refreshing" his skills, despite numerous starts as his last start was in 2003.  Michael Andretti has never won the 500 despite 14 attempts.  Marco's Grandfather is Mario Andretti, who won the 500 in 1969.  Luyendyk's father (Arie Luyendyk) won the 500 twice, but has been retired for a few years. 

Pole Day:  Pole Day is set for next Saturday, May 13th.  There are 38 entries with 66 cars registered for the 500.  A driver can try to time in with more than one car.  This is different than what Nascar does each week - the driver is entered and can only run 1 car.  Imagine if Jeff Gordon could qualify one car then decide he wanted to try another car to get the pole.  However, if you elect to try another car, you lose the first car's qualification run.   Pole Day is the only day the pole position is available.   Qualification is based upon the average speed/time of four laps.  Thus, a mistake on just one corner will bog down your average time.  This is what happened to Danica Patrick last year - one bauble cost her the pole position - actually cost her a start in the front row.  Even though bumping can go on for the other positions throughout the remaining days of qualifying, once on the pole at the end of Pole Day, you are set in the field and cannot be bumped.  There are only 33 positions in the 500.  If you qualify 34th, you will be going home without racing.

Second Day & Third Day:  Second Day and Third Day 1 are other days of qualifying.  It is scheduled for May 14th and May 20th.  Again, bumping the slowest car from the field can happen on these days.

Bump Day:  Bump Day is scheduled for May 21st. It is the last chance to qualify for the 500.  Once 33 cars have qualified, the 34th car to qualify is trying to "bump" the slowest car out of the field.  Obviously, that car wants to do well enough to not be the one on the hot seat for the 35th car to qualify.  In 2005, the rule was changed to allow bumping on every qualifying day.  Otherwise, bumping only occurred on Bump Day.  But Bump Day can be exciting - it isn't until the time is up at the end of Bump Day that the field is set for the race. 

Carb Day or Carburetion Day:  Carb Day is the opportunity for cars to run in their race trim instead of their qualifying trim.  A first look at who will be strong under racing conditions.

Past winners competing this year:  There are 6 prior winners competing in this year's 500.  Two of them "unretired" for this race.  Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever Jr decided that the 90th running of the 500 was a race not to miss.  Other past winners in the field include Dan Wheldon (2005), Buddy Lazier (1996), Buddy Rice (2004), and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002).

Danica Patrick:  It seems she has been on TV everywhere promoting her autobiography.  While it is nice to see a woman racing at this level, Patrick is not necessarily a trailblazer.  Given the publicity she received, one would think no woman has every qualified for the 500 before.  In fact, Janet Guthrie qualified 3 times, Lynn St. James qualified for the 500 seven times, and Sarah Fisher qualified five times.  Fisher has the fastest qualification laps for a woman, even though Patrick qualified in a better starting position.

Who's Hot:  Helio Castroneves has been scorching the competition thus far.  His teammate Sam Hornish Jr. is desperate to win the 500.  Hornish has commented that the main thing he wants to accomplish in his career is to win the 500.  The pieces should be in place as the Penske team looks to have it all together this year.  Dan Wheldon is having a great season even though he changed teams from Andretti Green to Ganassi.

Who Knows?  Anthony Foyt IV will be back in Indy cars at the 500, driving for his grandfather, four time winner AJ Foyt Jr.  Larry Foyt,  AJ's son, will also be driving in the 500.  As neither has run IRL races this year, they are wild cards.  Al Unser Jr, Eddie Cheever Jr, and Michael Andretti have also been out of the IRL driver's seat for a period of time.  Andretti is involved with his family team, and Cheever has been running various sports car races to hone his skills.   It remains to be seen if their skills have diminished with their "retirements." 

Doing the Double?  A couple years ago, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon would try to run the double - the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.  To accomplish this means that the driver would run 1100 miles in less than 24 hours.  Given the start times for both races, it is unlikely that anyone can complete both races.  The 500 moved its time back to 1 p.m. EST, and there is not enough time to complete the race, fly to Charlotte, and start the other race.  In some ways, this is a shame, as it is amazing that (a) anyone wants to try this (b) that anyone can do this and (c) that no one will ever win these two premier races on the same day.  If the times were changed, who knows who would try it?  Bobby and Donnie Allison drove in it, and Smokey Yunick prepared cars for it.  Could other Nascar drivers be inticed to do it? 

Behind the Scenes:  The month of May ushers in an exclusive club at IMS - those who love the 500, those who have won the 500, and those who have lost the 500 gather at the track.  Not only racing goes on - there are banquets, poker games, deal making, and networking going on the whole time.  It's no wonder that the racing world loves this race.

So when you watch the 500 on television, remember whether you spend a couple minutes or a couple hours watching the race, that there has been something going on in Indy during the month of May.

 

Buschwacking: A Right to Work?

Originally Posted on May 5, 2006 on Foxsports.com

I've previously commented on "Buschwacking" in this blog.  But an interview with Tony Stewart during last week's Talladega qualifying highlighted the problems with any rule that Nascar tries to promote or change.

Stewart is racing approximately 8 races for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Busch Series this year.   He also has indicated that he will drive a car for Joe Gibbs Racing in a couple more Busch races.  Last year, Stewart ran a comparable schedule.

Stewart commented before qualifying that he had been reading the opinion pages and the comments by people about Cup racers running in Busch Series races.  He expressed his frustration with the authors, and claimed that he had a "right to work" and thus was able to run in the races.

He does have a point.  The races are open to anyone who has a Nascar license and a car which meets specifications.  I doubt that Stewart needs the money, but he is a driven racer who is game to run anything anytime on any surface. 

The promoters, fans, Nascar, and sponsors benefit from the additional exposure from having a Cup driver run in the Busch race.  This year alone, there are 8 Cup drivers racing the entire Busch Series. 

Because of Nascar's restrictions on testing, the new tire deal which requires teams to turn in unused tires and the new Chase format, the Cup teams want their drivers to run in the Busch Series to gather information for the Cup race.   With the money at stake in Cup racing, who can blame them?

However, on the other side of the coin are drivers like Joel Kaufman, Anthony Foyt and Tracy Hines.  These Busch series regulars were attempting to start their rookie season this year.  However, each has ran into difficulties  and has had his schedule trimmed.  Foyt's team folded into another (Jason Leffler kept the ride), and Kaufman and Hines are now sharing a ride in the FitzBradshaw #12.  Each of these drivers is successful - in other series.  Foyt came from the IRL, and Hines is another open wheeler (primarily sprint cars as I recall).  When drivers like Stewart grab up points, money, seats and sponsorships, there is little left to go around.

Nascar is floating the idea of using sports cars (ie camero, mustang, corvette, challenger, etc.) in the Busch Series.  While this seems like  a good idea as the cars would generate their own group of fans, the costs of changing cars will drive some teams completely out of racing. 

In essence, Nascar will make a whole fleet of Busch cars obselete with a rule change.  I doubt the small one or two car operations can afford that kind of turn over given the small purse size in the Busch series.  If Nascar does this, it needs to implement a slow schedule for change to allow the teams to turn over the cars.  If possible, some races could be run with both types of cars (assuming safety, gear ratio, etc could be worked out).

Another solution that has been alluded to is to limit the number of cars that Cup owners can run in the Busch Series - in other words, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Racing would be limited to fewer cars.  Currently there is no limit.  Many Cup teams have affiliation with "smaller" Busch teams.  These affiliations help develop drivers for the Cup teams, but there is no reason that Roush should be fielding teams for each of his Cup drivers.

In addition to those ideas, my two cents is to not allow Cup drivers to drive for their Cup team.  In other words, Michael Waltrip would be OK this year because he drives for his own company in Busch, and Bill Davis Racing in the Cup series.  Tony Stewart is fine to drive for Kevin Harvick, but not for Joe Gibbs Racing.   Jamie McMurray is OK to drive for Rusty Wallace Inc as he drives for Roush Racing in the Cup series. 

Would this slow Buschwacking down?  Maybe or maybe not.  I know it would create several problems - which is the point.  We don't need to give Cup teams any more incentive to run in the Busch Series.  This type of rule may make it possible for a smaller team to pick up a Cup driver - which hopefully leads to better sponsorship deals and continues to grow the sport. 

If drivers want the right to work, fine.  But they need to find a second employeer for the Busch race, not the same team that pays them on Sunday.

 

What Really Happened to Denny Hamlin's Hand

Originally Posted on May 4, 2006 on Foxsports.com

The News Report:   Joe Gibbs Racing reports that rookie Denny Hamlin gashed open his hand at Lowe's Motor Speedway after testing yesterday.  He was reportedly engaged in a foot race around the hauler when he clipped a piece of chrome causing the injury. Hamlin pointed out that despite the injury, he won the race.  He will be able to race on Saturday.

However, I believe that this story has been cleaned up a bit for the masses. 

Here is what really happened:

Kyle Busch was celebrating his 21st birthday in the victory lane area.  Kyle's brother Kurt and his fiancee Eva Bryan baked Kyle a cake.  Well, actually they bought it at Food Lion. 

During the celebration, Greg Biffle's boxer, Foster, ran into the festivities chased by Nicole Lunders, Biffle's girlfriend.

Foster ran behind Kyle, pushing him face first into the cake.  When Kyle came up out of the cake, he spit cake down the front of Bryan's shirt.  An upset Bryan proceeded to yell at Lunders who had stopped chasing her dog because she was laughing so hard at what had happened.  Naturally, Bryan was even more enraged at all of this, so she grabbed Lunders' hair. 

Humpy Wheeler, the President of Lowe's Motor Speedway, was attending the Busch party.  He was shoved by Lunders and Bryan in their skirmish off of victory lane into Tony Stewart, who was walking by carrying his monkey, MoJo.

Stewart caught Wheeler, but dropped MoJo, who promptly ran off toward the garage area.  MoJo caught up to Foster, and jumped on his back.  Stewart and Lunders, who had extracted herself from Bryan, chased the fleeing animals.  Kurt and Eva ran after Stewart and Lunders because they blamed them for ruining Kyle's party.  Kyle, meanwhile, was crying inconsolably in victory lane.

As Stewart and Lunders crossed the first garage, they ran into Kevin and DeLana Harvick and knocked them down.  Stewart yelled apologies and commented that Kurt Busch was chasing him.  Harvick had barely gotten back on his feet when Kurt Busch ran into the garage.   Harvick, upset that DeLana's white pants had gotten oil and grease on them, body slammed Busch as he attempted to run by.  When Busch tried to get up, Harvick grabbed his ear and wouldn't let him.  Eva decided DeLana could hurt her, and instead suggested that they go shopping for a new shirts and pants.

Foster and MoJo continued toward the Joe Gibbs Racing Haulers.  The crew members from the three teams had been packing up to leave.  Denny Hamlin was talking to Greg Zipadelli.  Stewart, who was getting tired, Lunders, Foster and MoJo ran by.  Stewart stopped, collapsed and gasped for breath.  He pleaded for help catching MoJo.  Zipadelli declined as he was watching his son and  daughter, but Hamlin agreed to give pursuit. 

Foster ran over to the #8 hauler, looking for Dale Jr's dog, Killer.  Apparently not finding what he was looking for, he ran on through the garage and then turned back to the Gibbs haulers.

As Foster raced by the Gibbs Hauler, MoJo jumped off his back.  MoJo saw a DLP HD TV playing a video clip of Stewart, so MoJo naturally tried to jump into the televised Stewart's arms.  At this point, Kyle Busch was stumbling around, still upset, trying to find his team.

MoJo's delusion became apparent when he pulled the TV out of its mounting and off the pitbox it was located on.   All this occurred as Kyle walked by.   

Hamlin tried to catch the TV and shoved Kyle out of the way, but the TV  gashed open his hand instead.  And the huge TV landed squarely on Kyle Busch's left foot.   MoJo lost his footing and landed on Kyle's head, screeching.

Stewart, having recovered somewhat from his run, grabbed MoJo and began lecturing Busch on how he was celebrating his 21st birthday in an irresponsible manner.  Or at least, Stewart was until he saw the blood from Hamlin's hand and fainted. 

Kasey Kahne had been watching in amusment while Stewart lectured Busch.  Kahne tried to catch Stewart, but ended up underneath him instead.  Kahne hit his head on the pavement and blacked out.

In the end, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Wheeler, Lunders, Bryan, Hamlin,  Stewart, and Kahne all ended up at the emergency room.  Doctors found minor bruises on the Busch brothers, Lunders, Wheeler and Bryan; Stewart had nothing wrong with him, Kahne was fine given his Talladega injuries, and Hamlin had stitches. 

All parties agreed it would be less embarrassing if Hamlin were the only one who reported injuries.  Nascar is now considering banning wives, girlfriends, pets and HD TVs from the garage area. 

Signs You are Addicted to Racing #2: You Read Books About Racing

Originally Posted on May 4, 2006 on Foxsports.com

I started reading at a young age.  My Mother refused to read the Velveteen Rabbit to me one night (I guess my ploy to stay up later didn't work).  So I had to do it myself.  In my family, punishment would be to go to your room - "And don't you read anything either while you're up there!"

So naturally, as  a race fan, I love to read about my sport.  I have always loved history, and I feel woefully inadequate in racing historical knowledge.  Aside from the magazines, newspaper articles and websites devoted to racing, there are numerous books to boost your nascar or racing knowledge.  So here are a few of my picks if you need to brush up on your racing knowledge (and these are not necessarily nascar titles).

Books:

DW by Darrell Waltrip; Driver #8 by Dale Earnhardt Jr; True Speed by Tony Stewart with Bones Bourcier; As I Recall by Donnie Allison;  Rebel with A Cause by Monte Dutton (Tony Stewart); Racing Back to the Front by  Jeff Gordon; Larry MacReynolds (autobiography);  Real Men Work in the Pits by Jeff Hammond;  Postcards from Pit Road by Monte Dutton, Sunday Money by Jeff MacGregor, Men and Speed,  Cheating by Tom Jensen; Daytona by Ed Hinton;Last Lap, American Zoom and Miracle by Peter Golenboch; Then Junior said to Jeff by David Poole & Jim McLaurin; Haul A** and Turn Left by Monte Dutton; Fate Guides my Destiny by Crocky Wright; Earl! by Dave Argabright w/ Earl Baltes;American Scene by Dave Argabright; anything by Dick Wallen (lot of information and pictures).

Other Sources:  National Speed Sport News - An absolute must for a race fan - covers everything from your local track to Nascar to Formula One; Nascar Scene; Speedway ; Racer.

Nascar has started its own "library" of titles, but there are a lot of other companies publishing books too.  Open wheel lovers should check out some of the "board" books that cover a particular region of the country (ie California Shoes), a series (USAC) or track (Nutley Velodrome).

I am anxiously awaiting my copies of  autobiographies of  AJ Foyt and Chris Economaki (editor of National Speed Sport News).  Hopefully they will arrive in time to read them during the next rain delay - after all, it's spring.

 

True Horsepower: The Kentucky Derby

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on May 4, 2006.

Ladies across the nation are dusting off their best spring hat and perfecting their mint julip recipe.  Meanwhile, gamblers are checking the odds on the favorite (Brother Derek)  who will start in the 18th position (not so good for those of you who don't know).  The Kentucky Derby is this weekend.

When I was growing up, I loved watching the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes a/k/a the Triple Crown of horse racing.  I remember years when a horse would win two of the three.  Regardless of whether the triple was accomplished, it truly was the most exciting 2 minutes in sports.

One thing I learned when watching was to not pick the favorite.  For some reason, being picked the favorite was the kiss of death - at least in the Derby.  I'm sure the crowd got it right sometimes, but usually the horse finished outside the money.  Apparently in horse racing, it doesn't pay to follow the crowd.  Instead, I'd pick a horse I liked the looks of - sometimes I did well (Swale), but most of the time, I didn't.

I visited Churchhill Downs one year.  It was a fascinating place.  I haven't managed to get a ticket to the race, but someday I hope to.  I can't imagine what 15 or so horses charging down the stretch sounds like in person.  And, I can't wait to buy one of those hats!

"I Never Understood the Utility of That Particular Appendage"

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on May 2, 2006.

Before Danica-mania, there was Janet Guthrie.  Guthrie was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame late last week for her contributions to the sport.  It is Guthrie's contributions to the sport that opened doors for Danica, Sarah Fisher and other women to enter motorsports.

Guthrie was the first woman to earn a starting position in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.  And she accomplished it in the same year, 1977.  She ran races in both the Indy car series and Winston Cup in the late 1970's.

It was not easy going for Guthrie, and she had to endure the trash-talking by a large number of the men she raced against.  Guthrie kept her sense of humor and won many of them over by her fearlessness, speed, and her car handling abilities. 

One of the stories Guthrie told during her acceptance speech was about a French driver who was asked what he thought about (professional) women drivers. The driver replied "I think they'd be missing something between the legs." 

"I never understood the utility of that particular appendage" retorted Guthrie to the laughs of the crowd.  She continued by telling another story about out qualifying three time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford.  After her qualification run, David Pearson commented "She's got to have them somewhere."

Guthrie was a racers racer - she's raced a variety of cars and has had success doing it.  Like many of her contemporaries, she drove both the nascar circuit and the indy car circuit along with other series and car types.

Sports Cars

Prior to her success in Indy cars or Nascar, Guthrie spent 13 years in sports car road racing where she built and maintained her own cars.   This was only natural given her physics degree and experience as an aerospace engineer and flight instructer.  During her sports car days, Guthrie had two class victories at the 12 Hours at Sebring.

Indy Cars

In 1976, Guthrie attempted to make the field at Indy, but was not fast enough.  The next year, she showed up and set the fastest time of the day at Indy on May 7th and May 22, 1977.  At the Indianapolis 50, Guthrie had the best finish by a woman until last year - she finished 9th in 1978.  To put this in perspective, in 1978, there were 92 entrants for the Indy 500 with 33 awarded starting spots.

She finished fifth in a race at Milwaukee in 1979, which was the best finish by a woman for 21 years.  That same year, she qualified fourth at Pocono to A.J. Foyt, Danny Ongais and Johnny Parsons.

Nascar

Guthrie is the only woman to lead a Cup race.  Her 6th place finish at Bristol in 1977 is the best finish by a woman in the superspeedway era.

She out qualified and/or finished better than Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Neil Bonnett and Johnny Rutherford at Talladega in 1977.

Guthrie out qualified and/or finished better than Elliott in 7 out of 10 races in which both ran.  She out qualified and/or finished better than Dale Earnhardt in 2 of 3 races in which both ran.  She out qualified and/or finished better than Johnny Rutherford in all 3 races both ran.

Given these statistics, the induction into the Hall of Fame was well deserved.

 Information from janetguthrie.com, nascar.com, indianapolis motorspeedway, indy racing league.

Rain, Rain, Go Away: Things to do during a Rain Delay

Originally Posted on April 30, 2006 on Foxsports.com

Last night, my dirt track race was rained out.  Then today, the Cup race was rained out at Talladega, and is scheduled to run tomorrow.  Any guesses as to how many people call in sick?

Things to do During a Rain Delay at the Track

7.  Watch the crews scramble to cover the cars, throw stuff into the pit box/trailer, and throw down a cover for the pit box (paved tracks only).  And you thought the pit stops were fast.

6.  Listen to the crews or officials talk on the scanner.  Figure out what the inside joke is this week for your favorite team.  If you are truly devoted, they may note the "crazy fan" still sitting in the stands with last year's T-shirt on.

5.  Go buy a hot dog or soda and eat it under the grandstand.  Soggy hot dog buns are not my idea of gourmet food.   Neither is rained downed soda.  Plan ahead - your seat will be wet when you get back.  

4.  Go souvenir shopping.  Where was the Hoosier trailer?

3.  Talk to the people sitting around you.  Refrain from heckling them for their choice in driver.  Unless they start it first...

2.. Run for cover (downpours only please).  I've found this is a great way at a dirt track to meet the drivers.  For some reason, they all end up under the grandstand. 

1.  (My favorite!)  Watch people try to walk into or out of the pit area at a dirt track - the wet track/mud acts like ice.  Count number of falls. Clap those that look the worst. Equally as fun is to watch the women who have on dress shoes and try the same thing - the heels give traction but sink in a bit further...

Things to do During a Rain Delay At Home:

3.  Watch the coverage on TV.  The networks usually drag every driver out of his trailer/ garage to talk.  In my opinion, these can be the best interviews of the year once they get beyond the typical questions (and they will get there because they have hours potentially to fill).

2.  Channel surf.  Usually there is something on TV somewhere.  Today, I was not so lucky (and I refuse to watch coverage of the NFL draft).

1.  Surf the web.  Take time to look at your driver's web page, the owner's web page, the sponsor's web page or industry pages.  Join a chat room, message board or read blogs to connect to other fans.

Signs You Are Addicted to Racing #1: You Love Qualifying

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 27, 2006.

I love Qualifying.  I love sitting at the track and watching one car after another run a couple laps.  It doesn't matter if it is a stock car, a midget or a sprint car (with or without wings).  I love qualifying.

That said, I don't mind heat races to set the field for a race.  Some  tracks have dropped single car qualifying in favor of heat races.  Although heat races can be fun and does shorten the time at the track, it can also tear up the cars unnecessarily. (Not that you can't crash, trash your engine or flip on your qualifying run, but it is less likely). 

I prefer the single car qualifications.  Trying to guess whether the car on the track was faster than the car before it or whether the line the car takes in the corners matters is a source of endless fascination to me.   And, if you can use a scanner, the teams are generally more relaxed and joking around than they are during the race.

I even like watching qualifying on TV - but that is more because of the interviews done than the efforts on the track. 

I know I am in the minority - several Nascar tracks have free qualifying nights, and the majority of the crowd at the dirt track shows up about an hour after qualifications start.  I'm sure it is a sign of my addiction to racing.

As much as the sound of the field taking the green flag will get my heart pounding, the whir of one engine is music to my ears.

 

Bump Drafting Done In by a Softer Bumper? No Way..

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 27, 2009

Nascar has mandated that the teams utilize a "soft" bumper at Talladega this weekend.  The rule change is a direct response to the complaints at Daytona about bump drafting.

As you will remember, Tony Stewart was the most vocal after the Bud Shootout that the bump drafting was out of control.  Stewart believed that unchecked, bump drafting in the corners would result in the death of one of the drivers.  In response, Nascar instituted a new rule that bumping a car from behind in the corners would result in a rough driving penalty.  Infamously, Tony Stewart was the first penalty receipient when he bumped Matt Kenseth on the straight away by slamming together the sides of their cars and driving Kenseth into the grass.  Kenseth received his own penalty for bumping Stewart at the end of pit road.  Kyle Busch received a penalty at Daytona for rough driving as well.

In the intervening races, other drivers have been penalized for rough driving.  The new rule probably won't limit Nascar's discretion in penalizing drivers who bump draft at Talladega, but it will increase the odds that the driver doing the bumping could damage his own car in the process.

In essence the rule removes or disallows some of the bracing that teams placed in the nose of the cars.  Previously, the bracing would allow drivers to hit the back bumper of the car in front of them without damaging their own car.  The "softer" bumper will crumple if it impacts another car.  The crumpling could result in radiator damage, and will definitely result in a loss of aerodynamics (which is crucial at Talladega).

Why would a driver want to hit the car in front of him (or bump draft)?  Cars at Daytona and Talladega can travel faster lined up together than any one car can travel by itself.  In other words, a line of three cars will easily over take a lone car on the track.  This is because of the restrictor plate that limits the horsepower via a limit on the fuel-air mixture going into the engine.  The "draft" or stream of air behind a car (which is punching a hole in the air so to speak) allows the second car in line to pull up on the front car.  A bump by that second car on the straight stretch will cause the front car to accelerate, which in turn speeds up the drafting cars.  Bumping a car in the corner, when the steering wheel is not straight, leads to "Big Ones."  Restrictor plates were required at Talladega and Daytona to slow down the cars after several horrific accidents (i.e. "The Big One"). 

Despite the new rule, I think drivers will find a way to bump draft.  The softer bumpers will have some impact on the race,  but the drivers will still be able to bump draft.  The bumpers are not paper, and will survive some contact.   Dale Jr. has already predicted that it will not stop bump drafting, and while Tony Stewart has endorsed the new rule as a step in the right direction, I don't think even he thinks it will eliminate bump drafting.

The more interesting question is which driver will adjust to the new bumper the quickest?  The veterans have raced Talladega before the reinforced bumpers existed, while the new young guns have only raced during the bump drafting hey day.  Dale Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart have figured out restictor plate racing and excell at it.  Jimmie Johnson has created more than his fair share of Big Ones at Talladega, while Elliott Sadler can't seem to stay off his roof or on four wheels.  Dale Jarrett won the last race at Talladega, and Mark Martin always looks good.

Given that it's Talladega, restrictor plate racing, and a new rule, anything can happen, and probably will.

Bowlsby Rolls on to Stanford

Originally Posted on April 26, 2006 on Foxsports.com

Bob Bowlsby, the University of Iowa' s Athletic Director since 1991, has taken the same position at Stanford.

Bowlsby's tenure at Iowa has been marked by ups and downs.  Depending on your point of view, Bowlsby fired/released/ outlasted Hayden Frye (football), Tom Davis (men's basketball), Dan Gable (wrestling), and Vivien Stringer (women's basketball).  In turn, he hired Kirk Ferentz (football), Steve Alford (men's basketball), Jim Zalesky (wrestling), Tom Brands (wrestling) and Lisa Bluder (women's basketball).

Kirk Ferentz.  While the Ferentz hiring was viewed skeptically at first (who is this guy?), in hindsight Bowlsby had a good eye for talent in that hire.  Ferentz has lead an Iowa football team to enough bowls that it is now unthinkable that the team may not go one year.

Steve Alford.  On the other side of the coin is Steve Alford.  Iowa fans had watched Alford play for Indiana, and knew he had coached a team that had reached the sweet 16.  Once Alford took over the Hawkeyes, the team has endured some rough years - including the Pierre Pierce incident (twice) and some bad seasons.  The past season had the high of winning the Big 10 Tournament, but also had the low of losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  Fans are split fairly evenly over whether Alford should stay or go.

Dan Gable.  Dan Gable is a legend in wrestling circles.  Not only was he an amazing wrestler, he coached teams to championships.  Finishing second was not acceptable in his book.  During Bowlsby's tenure, Gable abruptly left coaching to look a  political career.  Just as shockingly, Gable will return this year to assist the new coach, Tom Brands.

Bowlsby's accomplishments include the multi-million dollar upgrade to Kinnick Stadium and many building projects related to the athletic department.  Raising the funds to do that was no small accomplishment over the past few years. 

Love him or hate him, Bowlsby will be difficult to replace, as there are several looming decisions to be made:  contract extensions for several coaches and  continuing construction and fund drives.

From Senna to Earnhardt: The Development of the HANS device

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 25, 2006.

May 1st marks twelve years since Ayrton Senna was killed during the San Marino Grand Prix at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy.   While leading the race, Senna slid off the track causing his right front tire to break off with its suspension.  The tire and suspension hit Senna in the head, causing  his death.  Senna's death followed by one day the death of another Formula One driver, Roland Ratzenberger, at the same track.

Senna was and is regarded as one of (if not the) best Formula One drivers ever.  Last weekend, another great driver, Michael Schumacher, captured his 66th pole - breaking a tie he held for most poles with Senna.  Ironically, the race last weekend was at Imola.

The race following Senna's death was marred by a serious accident involving another Formula One driver.  While this accident did not result in death, the press and public were disenchanted with the dangers of Formula One racing and began demanding new safety measures. In a twist of fate, Senna had been leading the charge for safety the morning of his death during an informal meeting with other drivers. 

February 18th marked five years since Dale Earnhardt was killed during the Daytona 500.  Earnhardt was and is regarded as one of (if not the) best stock car drivers ever.  Earnhardt was on the final lap of the race when he crashed, ultimately dying from the head injuries he sustained.  Earnhardt's death followed the deaths of Kenny Irwin, Adam Petty and Tony Roper.   

Following Earnhardt's death, the public and the drivers were unhappy with driver safety and demanded that something be done to prevent any further racing deaths.

Fast forwarding to today, most race sanctioning bodies mandate the use of a HANS device (Head And Neck Support) for drivers.  The device is to prevent the violent and often fatal head injuries sustained in high speed / high impact crashes.  The HANS device was brought to the forefront in most American's minds after the death of Earnhardt, however, the device was available well before that. 

And perhaps the tragedy is that the device was available to drivers before the death of Earnhardt and even before the death of Senna.

The HANS Device was developed by Dr. Robert Hubbard , a professor at Michigan State and his brother-in-law, Jim Downing, to prevent head injuries from racing accidents.  After testing, the device was marketed in 1991 - a decade before Earnhardt's fatal crash. 

In October of 1996, (after Senna's death), FIA, Mercedes-Benz, and McClaren contacted Hubbard and formed an agreement to adapt the device to Forumla One use. 

Why mandate HANS?  According to "Helping Hans" by Ross Stonefeld in Atlas F1:

Below are average strengths of the head and neck. The force withstood is dependent on location of impact, strike object size, and bone tissue density amongst other factors.

• Frontal bone (forehead): 1,000 to 1,600lbs of force
• Temporal-parietal (sides of head): 700 - 1900lbs of force.
• Rear skull: 1,440
• Facial: 280 - 520
• Neck (under forward movement): 140

In a full human form crash test simulating a 40mph dead stop impact utilising the HANS device, neck loading was kept under 130lbs whilst the unrestrained head endured over 1,000lbs

"As soon as your head - which weighs, with the helmet, 13 or 14 pounds - has a sudden acceleration, it stretches your neck," (Jim) Downing explains. "If it stretches a little too far, you get a neck fracture or a skull fracture at the base of the skull where your head connects to your spine. With HANS on, the head sort of goes forward then back and looks OK. At the same speed with a fully belted dummy, the head smashes into the steering wheel and it's just appalling. The drivers say, 'Wow. That can't be.' In layman terms, keeping your head close to your body is what it's all about with HANS."

Racing will never be an entirely safe sport.  Hopefully the HANS device, or devices similar to it, can cut down on the number of deaths and the severity of the injuries sustained. 

We will never know if Senna or Earnhardt could have been saved by a HANS device.  But we all know drivers who's lives were saved by it - whether we know it or not.

 

Information gathered from Stonefeld, Wikipedia, Formula One, Jayski, and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.

Gettin' Dirty & Pushin' the Cushion II

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 23, 2006

I am covered in a thin layer of dirt.  I can feel it on my face, arms, and chest.  Women pay hundreds of dollars for mud baths.  Heck, I've paid for a mud/seaweed treatement at the spa a couple years ago.  But  this beauty treatment comes with the price of the dirt track ticket admission.

Although the track crew has wet down the track, as the night progresses, the track dries out.  The breeze kicks the dust up into the stands - I can see it billow  up over my head in the lights.  Like clockwork, every 16 seconds another wave of dust flies off the track and over my seat.  The advantange to a dry track is that at least I am not getting pelted by mud clods at every lap.  The disadvanage?  I can move up the stands to avoid the mud, but not the dust. 

The cushion on the track has moved nearly up to the fencing.  As  a result, several drivers tag the wall and flip over on the roof of their winged sprint cars.  A 1/2 mile lap takes less than 16 seconds - so when they flip, it takes several revolutions to stop.  Fortunately, no one is hurt and all the drivers walk back to the pits.

My ears are ringing.  Qualifications and hot laps were loud, but not as loud as the heats and mains.  However, my ears are ringing less than the Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney or Prince concerts I've attended.  At some of those concerts, I've literally sat in the back row - and I still walked out not able to hear anything.  The Nextel Cup races are louder - even the indoor midget race was louder.  After this race, I'll have some ringing, but not to a great degree.  Nothing can compare to the purr of a 410 full out around the track.  

Already my hair smells like rubber and fuel.  Fortunately, race tracks are the great perfume equalizer.   Regardless what I put on or if I put it on before I left the house, it won't matter after a few laps.  Similarly, the cigarette smoke or body odor of the person two rows down doesn't matter either.  At least the fuel/oil/grease smell does not linger like the smoke smell from the local bar and grill.  And I can still smell the pizza from the concession stand.

My hands are cold.  April in Iowa is notoriously unpredictable.  The day ended at 70+ degrees, but with the breeze and the nightfall, the temperature has dropped.  My hands are cold, but not as cold as the Thanksgiving weekend college football games I've attended.  Nor is it as cold as the last time I played broomball.  I remembered my gloves  and extra clothes to stay warm. 

The races were at times exciting - a few unbelievable moves mixed with a few parades.

The dirt track season has started.  And although the Nextel Cup race was Saturday night, a broadcast paved track race really can't compare to a live dirt track race.  At least, not in my opinion.

 

Top Eleven Things I did on a Off Weekend

Originally Posted on April 20, 2006 on Foxsports.com

With no Nascar, IRL, Champ Car or Formula One races last weekend, and although  there was a lot of dirt track racing going on, I had to find something else (besides watching racing) to do.  Here are the Top Eleven Things I did on the off weekend.

11.  Pondered why there seemed to be more UVA and Virigina Tech fans on the Outer Banks than Duke and North Carolina fans.

10.  Considered the merits of various NFL draft picks.

9.  While captive on a ferry, tried to figure out the Formula One Rules.

8.  Attempted to locate ONE NBA fan.  Unsuccessful.  Attempted to find a Nascar fan.  Located at least enough to cover a starting field.

7.  Got mistaken for a teenager.  (And no, boys, this didn't work as a pick-up line if it was one).

6.  Wrote an actual letter (not e-mail) to a living legend.

5.  While wearing sandals with heels, climbed to the top of a lighthouse. (Not recommended for the faint of heart or those of the unsteady balance).

4.  Debated the following with no resolution:  Wing vs. Non-wing.  World of Outlaws vs. National Sprint Tour.  Dirt vs. Pavement.  Ovals vs Road/Street courses.  Kurt vs. Kyle.  Peyton vs. Eli.

3. Experienced and survived some undertow while walking on the beach/ in the ocean.

2.  Ate BBQ and hushpuppies while drinking sweet tea.

1.  Daydreamed about seeing the first race of the season at Knoxville, the Indy 500 and another Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day.

Louise Smith: Nascar Pioneer

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 16, 2006.

Before Danica-Mania, Janet Guthrie, Lynn St. James, Sarah Fisher, Erin Crocker, Melanie Troxel or Katherine Legge, there was Louise Smith. 

Louise Smith raced in the Nascar Cup series before it was the Cup series.  Back in the day when Bill France (sr, not jr) was promoting a wacky new idea he had  called Nascar, he tried a gimmick.  He tried to find a female racer to beef up local crowds.  He found Smith.

Smith, without support from her husband, would race with the likes of Curits Turner, Ralph Earnhardt (Dale Jr.'s grandfather) and other assorted drivers. 

Smith never won a race in what is the top series - in fact she did not place higher than 16th.  But Smith was a multi-time winner in modified races.

The most famous story about Smith is that she drove her husbands brand new car to Daytona to see the race on the beach shortly after the war (i.e. WWII).  She couldn't resist racing the car - but crashed during the race causing a lot of damage (including smashing in the roof).  The new car had been her husband's, and a friend had managed to  get the car for him when he returned from the war.  Smith tried to drive home, but the car was too damaged, so she left it for repair with a friend.  When she got home, Louise told her husband the car had broken down and was a piece of junk he never should have bought.  He responded by throwing the newspaper at her which detailed her crash and had a photo of the damaged car.  Smith  reported she ran out of  the house at that point so he could "cool off."

Smith did eventually retire from racing, but kept in touch with life at the track, working closely with the Darlington Track.

Smith died this week at 89, and racing lost a true pioneer.  Let's hope someone picks up the torch for her soon.

Nascar Refunds Fines

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 12, 2006

Nascar typically fines teams and individuals who violate its rulebook.  Those fines are collected in a fund.  At the end of the year, the top 25 teams receive  portions of this fund based on where they finish. 

In other words, Jeff Gordon will more than likely get back  the $10,000 fine he paid for his Bristol Brawl with Matt Kenseth.  Never fear, Kenseth will probably get a slice of the pie too.  

Marty Smith at Nascar.com thinks this is outrageous (as do I).  He believes the money should go to charity or to an injured driver fund.  Both are excellent ideas.

The drivers are already generous with their money - many of the drivers have their own foundations or raise money for other charitable organizations.   Nascar started its own foundation this year, as a funnel for money to other organizations. But why not take the money raised from penalties and give it to someone in need, instead of back to the teams at the end of the year.

The injured drivers fund would be available to those drivers who are seriously injured while racing.  Ernie Irvin, Jerry Nadeau and Steve Park are examples who come to mind.  Obviously, no one wants to use the money in this fashion - we all hope no one ever gets hurt.  And I think most people would be fine if it was never touched because no one is that badly injured.  The realities are that we will need it, and probably in the near future.

Another idea would be to start a drivers' pension plan.  Bobby Allison has attempted to get a drivers' pension started for years.  His primary motivation is the  injuries he got  racing, which forced his retirement.  He has indicated that his medical bills nearly bankrupted him.

Nascar (and the teams) have balked at starting a pension.  As the drivers are considered independent contractors, they are responsible for their own retirement plans.  Given the amounts most drivers generate in contracts, sponsorship deals, etc., it seems logical that they could finance their own retirement.  However, there will be drivers who are injured who use up more than they anticipated, leaving them living on the brink of financial ruin.  It would be nice to have a safety plan for those drivers to fall back on.  (I for one do not want to go visit my favorite retired driver who is having to sell his trophys, autograph or race memorabilia to feed his family).

What remains is this:  If Nascar is going to bother to fine teams, then it needs to stop refunding the money at the end of the year.  There are good things that can be done with it - to the benefit of the sport, competitors, or charities.

Texas Tangles: Was this a Short Track? Or just a return to Busch Brother Bashing?

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 9, 2006.

Nascar finished its Texas weekend, celebrated 10 years of racing at the facility, and managed to continue the Busch Brother Bashing that had been going on for several races. 

Kurt Busch v. Greg Biffle:  Although the President had a taped greeting at the track, the majority of the Busch Bashing this weekend was betwen Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle.  Biffle's car had been strong during the first 50 or so laps, but he was cycled out of the lead due to pit stops.  As he was working his way back to the front, he came across Kurt Busch.  Whether Busch or Biffle was to blame for what happened next depends on your point of view.  Busch, who  was down a lap, end up running into Biffle's back bumper, causing him to crash.  Biffle blamed Busch for ended his day.  Biffle's girlfriend, Nicole Lunders, walked to Busch's pit box and had words with Busch's fiancee Eva Bryan. 

Kurt Busch vs. the Media? The news media wanted Busch's reaction to Biffle's wrech after the race.  Busch gave an explanation blaming Biffle for coming up in front of him and slowing down.  When another reporter asked him what happened, Busch snapped back at them that he had answered the question and stormed off into his hauler.  He later came back out and answered a few more questions.  Apparently the Penske PR people have not quite worked their magic with Kurt...

Clint Bowyer vs. Kyle Busch:  Late in the race, Bowyer opted to take 2 tires instead of 4 to gain track position.  As he was sliding backwards in the field, he began racing with Kyle Busch for position.  As they raced, Bowyer crashed.  Bowyer claimed Busch got into him, Busch claimed Bowyer did it on his own.  The tape is unclear.   Given that Bowyer is a rookie and Kyle Busch is,  well, Kyle Busch, both are probably at fault in some way.

Carl Edwards vs. Jeff Gordon vs. Tony Stewart?  Carl Edwards, who was in third place, was racing with Jeff Gordon, who was a lap or two down.  Edwards got out of shape, hit Gordon, hit the wall, narrowly missed hitting Stewart and then crashed into the inside wall.  Needless to say, he was out of the race at that point.  Reporters questioned Edwards and asked if Gordon or Stewart caused the accident, Edwards denied it  and said it was just him pushing too hard at the time.  After the race, reporters went to Stewart and asked him what he thought happened - Stewart said Edwards was driving too hard ("in over his head") and lost it, then commented he was glad Edwards was OK because it looked like a hard hit into the wall.  In other words, the drivers didn't have issues with each other, but the reporters tried to generate a fight.  No one appears to have taken the bait.

Busch Series Racing Notes:  Kurt Busch won his first race in the Busch series, and to celebrate, he did his "trademark" snow angel.  I admit it was somewhat charming at Bristol where it had snowed all weekend, but I'm not sure it should be his "trademark" celebration.

Reed Sorenson may be penalized after it appeared he threw a piece of his rollbar padding/insulation onto the track to cause a caution.  He then called in that there was debris in the corner.  The Fox cameras caught the piece of foam flying out the window - it didn't seem to be certain that Sorenson threw it, but he was penalized by Nascar for the infraction (he was sent to the end of the line and lost about 5 places).  Nascar may exact a point penalty as well. 

More interesting was a conversation that Kyle Busch and his crew chief had immediately after that accident.  Busch was warned not to throw anything on the track to cause a caution because they had caught Sorenson.  Busch replied that he didn't have anything to throw.  Seconds later he remarked it would be stupid to do it since he had an in-car camera. 

You'll remember that Greg Biffle eventually won a Busch race when someone caused a caution by throwing a glove onto the track.  Nascar never found out who caused the caution or lost the glove.   Hmm...

 

Kings Royal by Crown Royal? Corporate Sponsorship at Dirt Tracks

Originally Posted on Foxsports on April 8, 2006.

Crown Royal announced that it would be sponsoring a dirt track race - the King's Royal at Eldora.  Eldora, a revered dirt track built and promoted by Earl Baltes, is now owned by Tony Stewart.  It isn't hard to see that Stewart, who has already drawn Old Spice, Home Depot, and Coca Cola into  sponsorship at Eldora, has the midas touch when it comes to making executives pony up money for local dirt track racing.

For those who don't know, the King's Royal is a race for winged sprint cars, which has a $50,000 to win paycheck.  Traditionally, the World of Outlaws and the All-Star Sprints have raced at the July event.  This year, hopes are that the splintered series (WoO and National Sprint Tour) will both show up at the event.  Given the new corporate sponsorship of the race and the tremendous pay out, drivers would be foolish not to.  For drivers the sponsorship could be used as a platform to get additional sponsorship for their operations.

Fans flocked to the race before, and the sponsorship will not likely affect their attendance.  However, the question for fans is:  Can they take Stewart's corporate sponsorship boon and translate it into a boon for other tracks? 

Should promoters try to duplicate Stewart's success?  Many local dirt tracks have strong local audiences.  The more successful tracks have major races that draw out of towners to the track (Knoxville, Belleville, Anderson, Eldora etc.).  Those tracks have some level of corporate sponsorship, but Stewart's new conquests have upped the ante.  Of course, Stewart is a well-known name in sports given his numerous championships in various forms of racing.  His antics (and temper) are legendary and generate controversy whether earned or not.  But local promoters should look at this new sponsorship as an indication that corporate America may finally be waking up to the potential of small tracks, whose fans are fiercely loyal.

Stewart is hoping that the corporate-powers-that-be continue to shine on Eldora - and hoping that it will even open the television market to the potential of dirt track racing.

Dateline, Mexico City and "Foreigners" in Nascar

Originally Posted on April 6, 2006 on Foxsports.com

I was amazed this week when two commenters on my blog were more interested in discussing immigration issues and the Dateline "Muslim" story than what happened at the race last weekend.   Here is my take on those issues.

Dateline brought some "Muslim -looking" men to the race at Martinsville to see what fans' reaction would be to them.  According to Nascar, nothing happened.  End of story, right?  Not so fast, says Nascar.  Nascar is livid that Dateline would attempt to incite a racial incident at a race. (How will this affect NBC's last season broadcasting the races? Dick Ebersol, where are you in this mess?)  In my opinion, Nascar should use it to bolester its image - we're rednecks, but we don't care what you look like, as long as you aren't pulling for (fill in blank of hated driver of the week here).  I submit to you, had these men been wearing Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, or (horrors), Jeff Gordon T-Shirts, they would have been guaranteed to have a run-in with another fan (probably fans of Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, or any other driver).  Even a Ryan Newman shirt after the race could have generated comments from more than one Junior fan.  Fortunately, the Dateline staffers had not done enough research to figure this out (this fact alone should mean someone loses their job, I mean, there wasn't one person on a network who broadcasts the races who knew this?!?).

In 2004, a group attempted to protest at Nascar races with a group of African-Americans.  It didn't work, as the group would fail to show up at the tracks after making grand pronouncements of tens or hundreds of protestors.  Despite the organization's numerous press releases that they were "really, really, really" going to do it at the next  race, the media finally quit running the story. 

Nascar races have a very vanilla crowd - and we want to gain in Hispanic, Asian, African-American, Muslim or Canadian fans.  There are bound to be a few xenophobic fans in the Nascar Nation (which is several million strong).  It is inevitable.  But I still think the bigger issue is who they are rooting for - not what they look like.

Hopefully, the majority of fans will continue to welcome those who love other drivers regardless of their personal feelings for that driver.

Mexico City has a road circuit that the Busch series races on in March.  Typically, the race has been on a weekend that the Cup series is off.  That way, Cup drivers can Buschwack the race, gain some road course experience and have authentic Mexican food with the Busch teams.  {Teams report an added perk is the Formula One style practice of having rather scantily clad women "helping"  around the track.  Umbrella girls unite!}  Some Buschwackers have boycotted the race - Tony Stewart was rather adament that he had no intention to go to Mexico to race.

Owners complained initially that the costs of racing in Mexico would be too high.  Nascar upped the purse for the race to compensate for that.  Security has been an ongoing issue - the first year (2005) teams were told to stay in specific hotels and not to venture out.  Shuttles were provided to and from the track.  Extra security was hired.  I assume similar measures were taken this year. 

Some fans think that a race in Mexico is a bad idea.  And, since Nascar does run a limited number of races, it seems silly that we have to go out of country to find a track to run on. 

But in the bigger picture, Mexican fans support autoracing.  Formula One is a huge deal in virtually every country but America.  Drivers like Senna (Brazilian) and Fangio (Argentinian) still have fans worldwide.  By racing in Mexico, Nascar hopes to add to its fan base by showing that stock car racing is fun.   Canada is probably next on the list - it draws both the Champ Car series and Formula One.  Again, this is a base Nascar wants to tap to continue its growth.

Are these legitimate arguments for racing out of country?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But I don't think the current polical battle over immigration is a reason to not race in Mexico.  I think arguments can be made about cost, supporting local tracks (ie Mid-Ohio, Milwaukee, Rockingham, Elkhart etc.), travel distance or even safety.  But in the end, Nascar will decide with its pocketbook - if it costs them too much then they probably will stop going there.

My Martinsville Musings

Originally Posted on Foxsports.com on April 3, 2006.

Ah, Martinsville.  The paperclip.  Two drag strips connected with two hairpin turns.  Whatever you call it, don't leave without eating a hotdog!  {Seriously, the teams nearly boycotted last year when the condiments and wrapper were changed. }   The race for the most part was uneventful - at least compared to last week at Bristol.  There were still some interesting storylines...

A crash on lap 2 took several cars out of contention for the win.  The groaning you heard across the country was due to the red #8 being involved.  By the end of the race, Junior had "crashed" again, managed to stay on the lead lap, work his way through traffic, and finish 4th after getting by Kyle Busch.  I don't know that there was much to salvage on the car when it hit the hauler - three of the four corners of the car were missing, based in, or dented and  half the brake fan system was gone.  Most impressive was that the team did not give up - which is a marked difference in attitude from last year at this time.

The lap 2 crash ended Robby Gordon's day.  Robby, one of few owner/drivers, was in the top 15 in points prior to the race, but due to the DNF is 27th in points.

Despite the multiple on track incidents throughout the race, there did not appear to be any Bristol pay-backs.  Jimmie Johnson commented on this after the race - his point was that if the media would quite playing it up, there would be more.  According to Johnson, no one will do it when they know the media is looking to pounce on it, so if they lay off, the paybacks will come.  An interesting theory to be sure.

The one feud that has started is Denny Hamlin vs. Mark Martin.  I'm not clear on what happened, but Hamlin expressed his displeasure with Martin due to two run-ins on the track - one at Las Vegas and one at Martinsville.  Martin has not commented at this point to my knowledge, and Hamlin acknowledged that he still respects Martin but whats to know why he has been singled out.  Knowing Martin, this will be a non-issue by Texas.

The Dodge teams continue to have some trouble with the Charger - their highest finisher was Scott Riggs in 10th.  The highest finishing rookie was Reed Sorenson in a Dodge (12th)

What happened to all the discussion of Roush Racing domination?  The highest finisher was McMurray in 9th, followed by Martin (13th), Edwards (16th), Kenseth (24th) and Biffle (31st).

Jeff Gordon has stalking at Martinsville down to a science.  He's won there 7 times  - and the last few has appeared out of nowhere at the end.  He likes to spice it up - this time he got a flat tire early in the race, which caused a caution.  Conspiracy theorists point out that while Gordon got a caution with no debris apparent on the track, a couple other spins, tire-blow outs and debris went unflagged during the race. 

Does anyone else think that Jeff Gordon's two teammates cut him a break on the final two laps when he slipped on the speedy dry?  I think if any other two cars had been right behind him, he would have been shown the wall.

For a guy edging toward retirement, Mark Martin is sure charging up the points standings - he's currently in 2nd behind Jimmie Johnson.

Since it was Martinsville, I wondered how quickly Stewart would mention the Hendrick Motorsports plane crash in his victory speech.  It was practically the first few words out of his mouth.  In Oct 2004, his pilot, Scott Lathram was on the plane, coming to Martinsville to see Stewart before Lathram left for Iraq.  Apparently Stewart hasn't forgotten him - and still has information on his website to make a donation to Lathram's Memorial Fund.

I don't know which is more fun - watching Tony Stewart climb the fence after he wins or watching him spray Jimmy Spencer with a Coke during the victory lane broadcast.

My vote for one of the coolest trophys anywhere is the Grandfather Clock given at Martinsville, although I'm fond of the "brick" trophy at Indy and the glass palm trees at Darlington.