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Posts Tagged NASCAR

Sears Point Racindeals

Jun 22

Posted by Glen Harness in NASCAR, RacinDeals | Comments off

ROAD RAGE: I’m sitting here doing my best to watch this road race that NASCAR insists on having, and I”m just bored out of my head. The new double-file restart is about the only exiting thing in the race. This is what DVR’s were made for.

NOTE TO TNT: Buddy Baker and Eli Gold are available. Just saying.

WE’RE IN THE US, AREN’T WE?:Last time I checked, the measurement standard here in the US wasn’t the metric system; we use miles for length. So why are we running races of 350 kilometers? Back in the 70′s NASCAR mandated that all Cup races be at least 250 miles. As a result of that, the race at the Fairgrounds in Nashville had to be lengthened to 420 laps. Why isn’t the race at Sears Point the minimum 250 miles? (That’s a rhetorical question by the way; I don’t think race fans could stand another hour of racing to make the additional 32 miles.)

ROAD WARRIORS:How many road races have been won by road racing specialists that replace the regular driver on road courses? I don’t think that many have. I think Said won one once a few years ago (that might have been in the B series), but is it really worth it?

CAR-TOONS: I’ve always said that there are just not enough cartoons on racing broadcasts.

DANICA!: It strikes me that NASCAR teams don’t really want Danica Patrick for her ability to drive a car, but more for her looks. Every story you see about her refers to her as “sexy” or whatever. The new rumor is that she’ll be in Roush car next year. I think that would be a big mistake, both to move to NASCAR and especially to move to a Roush car.

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Actions Detrimental

Jun 17

Posted by Glen Harness in drivers | 2 Comments

NASCAR has this catch-all rule they call “Actions detrimental to the sport of stock car racing.” They can use it to pretty much do anything they want to a team or driver that does something they don’t like.

For example, they can use it to suspend and fine a driver $200,000 for being a few thousandths over the engine displacement while competing in an exhibition race.

They can use it to justify suspending a driver indefinitely for violating an unknown substance abuse rule.

So NASCAR can be pretty free with this rule when they want to be.

The question is, why haven’t they suspended Kyle Busch? His actions in victory lane at Nashville Superspeedway last week were certainly detrimental to the sport: you don’t disrespect one of the race sponsors by smashing their product in victory lane, especially if that product is the unique trophy awarded for winning the race.

Awarding a guitar in Nashville (and I’m being generous in saying that Nashville Superspeedway is in Nashville) goes back at least 25 years. It didn’t catch on until Bob Harmon started giving one to the winner of the All American 400. Better men than Busch (from both a talent and personality perspective) have won that trophy: Sauter, Balough, Wallace, Waltrip, Miller, Purvis, St. Amant, Garvey, Query, Anderson, and Gill all have won one of those trophies (some have more than one), and I daresay they would tell you it’s one of their most prized possessions.

What pains me the most about this is that I saw the talent Busch has and became one of his (few) fans. He reminds me of Earnhardt, Sr. on the track. He’s done some incredible things in that race car. But as his former teammate Tony Stewart learned the hard way, what he does outside the car also has ramifications; he just doesn’t seem to know that yet. For example, I was at a snack machine the other day, and I intentionally did not buy candy produced by Busch’s Cup car sponsor.

Busch has a lot of growing up to do. And I think it amounts to just that: growing up.

NASCAR should have stepped up to the plate and either fined or suspended him from competition. By not doing that, they’ve created a precedent that now allows any driver to show blatant disrespect to a sponsor. And in a sport that exists because of sponsorship dollars, I don’t think NASCAR can afford let that precedent stand.

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NASCAR Has Jumped the Shark

Jun 15

Posted by Glen Harness in NASCAR | Comments off

It’s all downhill from here. NASCAR has officially jumped the shark.

Whether it be punishing drivers and teams way out of proportion to their infraction (see Carl Long), holding drivers to an unknown standard on drug use, or suspending a crew chief until he goes through “sensitivity training”, NASCAR has abandoned their roots and is turning into something that’s not very interesting.

And their ratings show it. NASCAR confused the increased ratings they got when Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was killed at Daytona with actual fan growth. The bump in ratings after Earnhardt’s death was not increased interest in racing, but a macabre interest by the public to see who would get killed next.

NASCAR’s latest idiocy is called “NASCAR Green Clean Air”. It’s supposed to capture the carbon emissions that come from racing. They’re going to plant 10 trees each time they throw a green flag.

This is just another sign that NASCAR is out of touch with reality. Don’t get me wrong, I think planting trees is fine…for the right reasons. But to use a bogus reason like climate change is, well, bogus.

NASCAR has gotten too big and has gotten away from Big Bill France’s vision. There’s nowhere to go but down.

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