Now that I'm back online, I've been catching up a little. I've been watching a lot of music, including one of my favorites, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I don't know that anyone on earth could have possibly taken the place of Ronnie Van Zant, who died in a plane crash in 1977, but his younger brother took on the task, and has done an excellent job. Johnny has a presense on stage that almost rivals his brother's.
The amazing thing about Ronnie Van Zant was his presence. He walked out on every stage like he owned it, the joint they were playing in, and the city where the venue was located. In person, he was rather soft spoken, almost shy. Johnny has been doing that pretty well since his first appearance with the band.
Lynyrd Skynyrd is iconic in southern culture. If you're under the age of 80 and live in my part of the country, you've heard them. If you haven't heard "Sweet Home Alabama", "Tuesday's Gone", "Simple Man", or "Free Bird", you're missing a lot of American culture, especially the southern part of it.
Kudos to Johnny Van Zant, carrying on in the tradition of his big brother and keeping the music alive.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
I Noticed Something Today
This piece is not in the least way NASCAR related, so if you surfed in here to read it, I'm sorry. I would like to share with you a personal reflection though.
Today, I arrived back at work after my lunch break. I didn't eat lunch, but I got some stuff accomplished. I don't have a key to my part of the building so I had to wait until the guy that did have the key got back. I parked in front of a chain link fence looking down the side of the steel warehouse that I work in. From where I sat I could see the truck docks that supplied and relieved the building that I worked in. Close to me, there was a small patch of grass beside the building, leading up to the heat pump that supplied cold and hot air to the section of the building in which I work.
When I stopped watching the activity of the truck currently parked in our dock, my attention shifted to the small patch of grass directly in front of me. I noticed there were some small birds, gray on the back and wings, with white bellies. They were pecking around on the grass. Apparently they were finding something worth their time, because there were several of them pecking around.
I have to admit that I became lost in that moment. These tiny birds were finding some sort of sustenance right here on our little patch of lawn here in early January. Even here in this part of the south, winters can be cold and brutal, at least by our standards. This morning it was 19 F. when I left home. Sunny south? Sure.
It occurred to me that I didn't know what kind of birds these were. When I was a child, my father taught me a lot about birds. My father was not an expert, but he knew a lot about birds. He taught me a lot about the birds that he had seen around where ever he was, which included Europe in the early 1940s. He always liked birds and studied them. Around his house there are probably a handful of bird guides.
These birds were surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Not razor wire, just barbed wire. We really don't have that much to steal here. There is only one gate, which is open during the day, as it was today. The gate provides access for trucks going in and out of our modest facility. At my particular location, only 5 people work full time, including me.
While I watched the birds today, the gate was open. After I had watched them for about 5 minutes, the heat pump near them kicked on, and the birds scattered with that sudden noise. It wasn't that harsh of a noise, but it was sudden. The birds flew up, over the fence, into a nearby group of pine trees.
What struck me was that the birds could have exited the property by the gate, but they didn't have to. The fence that would have kept most people behind it was no problem for them. The fence was simply an obstacle to be overcome.
Sometimes I wonder how many of us live inside fences, circumstances from which we feel that we can never escape, and don't know that it's really as simple as spreading our wings and flying over.
I once knew a man who owned a dog, a big, healthy dog. I noticed that the dog would never jump over or climb under a hassock that the man set out in a doorway. I asked the man why the dog stayed behind that hassock. The man told me that the dog stays behind the hassock because he does not know that he could easily jump over or climb under it. The dog could easily do either but he never knew he could.
Are we this way? I sometimes wonder. Are we like the little birds out there just looking for a scrap of food to keep us going? I know that I am sometimes.
I still don't know what kind of birds I saw today, but I'm going to pick out one of my Dad's guide books and try to identify them. I want to find a way to fly over that fence that I can't seem to get out of.
Today, I arrived back at work after my lunch break. I didn't eat lunch, but I got some stuff accomplished. I don't have a key to my part of the building so I had to wait until the guy that did have the key got back. I parked in front of a chain link fence looking down the side of the steel warehouse that I work in. From where I sat I could see the truck docks that supplied and relieved the building that I worked in. Close to me, there was a small patch of grass beside the building, leading up to the heat pump that supplied cold and hot air to the section of the building in which I work.
When I stopped watching the activity of the truck currently parked in our dock, my attention shifted to the small patch of grass directly in front of me. I noticed there were some small birds, gray on the back and wings, with white bellies. They were pecking around on the grass. Apparently they were finding something worth their time, because there were several of them pecking around.
I have to admit that I became lost in that moment. These tiny birds were finding some sort of sustenance right here on our little patch of lawn here in early January. Even here in this part of the south, winters can be cold and brutal, at least by our standards. This morning it was 19 F. when I left home. Sunny south? Sure.
It occurred to me that I didn't know what kind of birds these were. When I was a child, my father taught me a lot about birds. My father was not an expert, but he knew a lot about birds. He taught me a lot about the birds that he had seen around where ever he was, which included Europe in the early 1940s. He always liked birds and studied them. Around his house there are probably a handful of bird guides.
These birds were surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Not razor wire, just barbed wire. We really don't have that much to steal here. There is only one gate, which is open during the day, as it was today. The gate provides access for trucks going in and out of our modest facility. At my particular location, only 5 people work full time, including me.
While I watched the birds today, the gate was open. After I had watched them for about 5 minutes, the heat pump near them kicked on, and the birds scattered with that sudden noise. It wasn't that harsh of a noise, but it was sudden. The birds flew up, over the fence, into a nearby group of pine trees.
What struck me was that the birds could have exited the property by the gate, but they didn't have to. The fence that would have kept most people behind it was no problem for them. The fence was simply an obstacle to be overcome.
Sometimes I wonder how many of us live inside fences, circumstances from which we feel that we can never escape, and don't know that it's really as simple as spreading our wings and flying over.
I once knew a man who owned a dog, a big, healthy dog. I noticed that the dog would never jump over or climb under a hassock that the man set out in a doorway. I asked the man why the dog stayed behind that hassock. The man told me that the dog stays behind the hassock because he does not know that he could easily jump over or climb under it. The dog could easily do either but he never knew he could.
Are we this way? I sometimes wonder. Are we like the little birds out there just looking for a scrap of food to keep us going? I know that I am sometimes.
I still don't know what kind of birds I saw today, but I'm going to pick out one of my Dad's guide books and try to identify them. I want to find a way to fly over that fence that I can't seem to get out of.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
We're Back!
At least I hope so. I've been trying to get back to this for quite a while, and it has been a while, as you can see.
I'm hoping to make more changes to the site over the coming weeks and get back into the full swing of the season as the month of January goes along. I want to wish Tony Stewart and the entire 14 team, as well as all the good folks at Stewart-Haas Racing heartfelt congratulations over their NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in 2011. I also want to congratulate Ricky Stenhouse and Austin Dillon for their championships in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.
I was very impressed by how Tony Stewart and Darien Grubb overcame an obviously uncomfortable situation in the Chase. To have been told that your services will no longer be needed after the year and still manage to get your driver the championship took quite a lot of doing.
I can't wait until Daytona. This is a time of year full of anticipation for not only the fans, but also the drivers, teams and sponsors. It is a time for rebuilding and recharging the old batteries. It is a time for reflecting and reforming.
I wish everyone the best new year ever, and look forward to bringing you my perspective on the 2012 NASCAR season as it unfolds.
I'm looking forward to getting this party started! I hope you are too.
I'm hoping to make more changes to the site over the coming weeks and get back into the full swing of the season as the month of January goes along. I want to wish Tony Stewart and the entire 14 team, as well as all the good folks at Stewart-Haas Racing heartfelt congratulations over their NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in 2011. I also want to congratulate Ricky Stenhouse and Austin Dillon for their championships in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series.
I was very impressed by how Tony Stewart and Darien Grubb overcame an obviously uncomfortable situation in the Chase. To have been told that your services will no longer be needed after the year and still manage to get your driver the championship took quite a lot of doing.
I can't wait until Daytona. This is a time of year full of anticipation for not only the fans, but also the drivers, teams and sponsors. It is a time for rebuilding and recharging the old batteries. It is a time for reflecting and reforming.
I wish everyone the best new year ever, and look forward to bringing you my perspective on the 2012 NASCAR season as it unfolds.
I'm looking forward to getting this party started! I hope you are too.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sorry.
Sorry I haven't written much lately. Time is short, and I have a lot of commitments that keep me from posting here on a regular basis. I have been keeping up with the NASCAR scene though, and hope to back in somewhat of a regular mode here soon.
I'm looking at at a major redesign on this site as well, and that will hopefully be coming in the next few months. It's not that I don't like it the way it is, but I think I can improve it greatly, and bring more information to you, the reader on a timely basis.
For all of you how have followed me over the last few years, thank you. I hope to be back in touch with you soon.
Happy trails,
Jimmy C
I'm looking at at a major redesign on this site as well, and that will hopefully be coming in the next few months. It's not that I don't like it the way it is, but I think I can improve it greatly, and bring more information to you, the reader on a timely basis.
For all of you how have followed me over the last few years, thank you. I hope to be back in touch with you soon.
Happy trails,
Jimmy C
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Getting A Better Picture... On The Radio
I watched approximately the first half of the Richmond Cup race on FOX at a friend’s house on Saturday night. I was enjoying the racing, as Richmond has always been one of my favorite tracks, which I can say about virtually every short track at which NASCAR conducts business.
Alas, the evening had to end, and I drove home, a trip of about 50 miles. Fortunately for me, I was able to listen to most of the second half of the race on a truly great radio station, WESC, 92.5 FM in Greenville, South Carolina. This station can be heard nearly all the way to Atlanta, and nearly all the way to Charlotte. WESC has been carrying the MRN and PRN broadcasts for at least three decades now.
Back before 2001, when NASCAR signed its TV deal with FOX, et al, I didn’t have cable or satellite TV for the most part. I occasionally caught a race on one of the broadcast networks when it was presented. Prior to 2001, however, I mostly got my NASCAR on the radio, and I don’t remember having any complaints about the coverage. When I caught a TV broadcast on ESPN or the old Nashville Network back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, I loved the treatment that commentators such as Ned Jarrett and Neil Bonnett gave to the races.
In 2001, everything changed, of course. The new TV deal was inked, and once I had basic cable, I was able to watch every single NASCAR Sprint Cup race, as well as the Nationwide and Camping World Truck races. I know, I know, none of these three series were called by those names back in 2001, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll just stick with their current names.
Since I’ve had basic cable, I have probably watched about 95 per cent of all the NASCAR races, plus quite a few ARCA races, as well as some IRL and F1 races. And then there’s the NHRA, but I won’t get into that. Obviously, I’ve missed a few races, but when I wasn’t near a TV, I always had old reliable, which of course is good old WESC, which in turn provided me with MRN and PRN broadcasts.
I’ve had my beefs with all of the TV networks which have broadcast NASCAR events since 2001. I feel that SPEED TV does a great job with the Camping World Truck races. I like Phil Parsons’ commentary nearly as much as I did his late brother Benny’s. If I had it my way, SPEED would broadcast all of the NASCAR races. I’m glad that FOX does about half of the Cup season, however, because I know that not everyone has cable or satellite TV. ESPN, with their sister network ABC, broadcast the late season Cup races. Unfortunately for those without the extra channels, mostly those races are broadcast on ESPN’s channels
Many have questioned the various networks’ commitment to NASCAR over the last few years. ESPN has been a point of contention for many journalists and pundits lately, and in a way, I see their point. From a NASCAR fan’s point of view, it may seem that ESPN doesn’t have the same level of commitment as, say FOX, SPEED, or the handful of races which are broadcast by TNT. All of the major networks, especially the broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) are not primarily sports networks. Sure, they make a lot of money from the sports that they do broadcast. FOX and CBS are doing quite well with their coverage of the NFL. NBC has been giving us the Sunday night NFL game. ESPN is the home of Monday Night Football. CBS and NBC have had great success with their late round PGA golf coverage. I don’t even know who does the NBA or NHL finals anymore, because I basically don’t care, unless my Celtics are playing. I live in South Carolina, so I probably couldn’t even name five NHL teams. Not that we don’t have hockey fans here, because we do, and even have a professional hockey team or two in the area. I just don’t have the time to pay much attention to them.
ESPN, however, is different from the other networks. ESPN covers virtually all sports known to mankind. If you’re a beach volleyball fan, and who isn’t, then ESPN is the place to be. If you like watching professional bowling, ESPN and it’s sister channels are only a remote click away. There are so many sports, and only so many hours in a given day, or week, or year, or for that matter, a lifetime. I’m willing to give ESPN a pass on scrimping a little when NASCAR coverage coincides with the NFL draft. In the USA, which is where ESPN’s primary audience resides, the NFL is king. Of course, I’m only talking about ESPN from a TV standpoint. ESPN.com provides in depth coverage on so many sports that it boggles the mind. At least my mind. I can read about sports I’ve never heard of, much less seen, all on one website. ESPN would need to have about a dozen more TV channels to give every sports fan what they want. Bandwidth is everything, and ESPN does an admirable job with what they’ve got.
I love ESPN. They rock. If I ever have to live without ESPN, I might spend the rest of my life mumbling to myself in a corner. Well, I mean more than I mumble to myself in a corner already. Remind me to tell you how I became a fan of the sport of curling some day. I’m not kidding. It’s now my second or third favorite sport.
I digress, as usual. The point of this little message from me to you is that I realized, about halfway home, listening to the Richmond race as it was called by MRN, was that I had what I felt was a more total picture of the race by listening to the radio than I had from watching the TV coverage that FOX provided. Over the years, I have heard of more than a few fans who told me that they turned on the TV coverage, and muted the sound. Then they turned on the radio and listened to Barney Hall, or whomever was broadcasting the races via radio.
I’ve seen the light. I think I’m going to start doing the same from now on.
I got home and fed the creatures who inhabit the property, and turned on the race on WESC while performing my chores. Finally, I turned on the TV, with the sound muted, though with closed captioning enabled. I saw the Richmond version of the ‘Big One’ that took out Jeff Gordon and a few others. I compared what I heard on the radio to what I read on the closed captioning on TV. (Proving to myself that I can multitask, at least to some degree, though it made my head hurt.) I found that I learned much more, got a clearer picture through the radio broadcast than I did from the images I saw and the words I read on my TV screen. For the rest of the race, I did much the same, and though FOX basically followed Kyle Busch around and around in circles, I got updates on other drivers throughout the field from MRN on a regular basis. FOX really never showed it, but MRN told me about some pretty good racing going on back in the field.
MRN stands for Motor Racing Network, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR. For those of you who like to criticize NASCAR, I offer to you that NASCAR has done at least one thing very well, and that’s what MRN does. MRN does not have the luxury of letting the pictures tell the story. Veteran broadcasters like Barney Hall paint a mental picture by words alone, and they do it very well. MRN has been broadcasting races for so many years that it can be expected that they will provide very high quality coverage of NASCAR events, and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been disappointed.
You want a nominee for the 2011 class for the NASCAR Hall Of Fame? Don’t forget guys like Barney Hall, or Eli Gould, who, as I understand it, also knows a thing or two about college football in the great state of Alabama.
If I were in charge of NASCAR, I think I would require all networks that carry my product to spend quite a bit of time studying how MRN can bring a race alive to a listener by words alone. Show what’s going on back in the field more than just a few times during the race. I don’t mean pay lip service to it, but actually cover it. When the guy leading the race is 2 seconds in front of the second place guy, there might be 4 drivers beating the crap out of each other for 5th, or 10th, or maybe 35th place. So what if the guys racing for 35th are 3 laps down? If it’s the best racing on the track, show it. That’s what the fans at the track are watching. I know. Sometimes I’m one of those fans at the track. I’d rather watch two guys fighting for a spot way back in the field than watch the leader drive away from everyone. I hate it when I read the next day about a race and find out that a particular driver had finished well, but was never shown, nor even mentioned during the broadcast. That seems to happen every week, somehow. Radio, by it’s very nature, requires that the broadcasters cover the entire event, not just the leader. Radio guys know that we can’t see it, so they have to describe it for us. Good radio guys can paint such a vivid picture through words alone that it seems inconsequential that we can’t actually see what’s happening.
There are so many great drivers, crew chiefs, owners, and people behind the scenes that deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame. I’m sure that most, if not all will get there eventually, and they all deserve it.
Just don’t forget the people who bring the Show to your living room, or to your car while you’re driving a lonely highway.
I don’t want to forget about the good people at Performance Racing Network, or PRN. They do a great job as well, slipping in almost seamlessly when MRN isn’t there.
Who knew? I finally got the big picture, and it was all back where I started. Radio. I can see more clearly now.
Alas, the evening had to end, and I drove home, a trip of about 50 miles. Fortunately for me, I was able to listen to most of the second half of the race on a truly great radio station, WESC, 92.5 FM in Greenville, South Carolina. This station can be heard nearly all the way to Atlanta, and nearly all the way to Charlotte. WESC has been carrying the MRN and PRN broadcasts for at least three decades now.
Back before 2001, when NASCAR signed its TV deal with FOX, et al, I didn’t have cable or satellite TV for the most part. I occasionally caught a race on one of the broadcast networks when it was presented. Prior to 2001, however, I mostly got my NASCAR on the radio, and I don’t remember having any complaints about the coverage. When I caught a TV broadcast on ESPN or the old Nashville Network back in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, I loved the treatment that commentators such as Ned Jarrett and Neil Bonnett gave to the races.
In 2001, everything changed, of course. The new TV deal was inked, and once I had basic cable, I was able to watch every single NASCAR Sprint Cup race, as well as the Nationwide and Camping World Truck races. I know, I know, none of these three series were called by those names back in 2001, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll just stick with their current names.
Since I’ve had basic cable, I have probably watched about 95 per cent of all the NASCAR races, plus quite a few ARCA races, as well as some IRL and F1 races. And then there’s the NHRA, but I won’t get into that. Obviously, I’ve missed a few races, but when I wasn’t near a TV, I always had old reliable, which of course is good old WESC, which in turn provided me with MRN and PRN broadcasts.
I’ve had my beefs with all of the TV networks which have broadcast NASCAR events since 2001. I feel that SPEED TV does a great job with the Camping World Truck races. I like Phil Parsons’ commentary nearly as much as I did his late brother Benny’s. If I had it my way, SPEED would broadcast all of the NASCAR races. I’m glad that FOX does about half of the Cup season, however, because I know that not everyone has cable or satellite TV. ESPN, with their sister network ABC, broadcast the late season Cup races. Unfortunately for those without the extra channels, mostly those races are broadcast on ESPN’s channels
Many have questioned the various networks’ commitment to NASCAR over the last few years. ESPN has been a point of contention for many journalists and pundits lately, and in a way, I see their point. From a NASCAR fan’s point of view, it may seem that ESPN doesn’t have the same level of commitment as, say FOX, SPEED, or the handful of races which are broadcast by TNT. All of the major networks, especially the broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) are not primarily sports networks. Sure, they make a lot of money from the sports that they do broadcast. FOX and CBS are doing quite well with their coverage of the NFL. NBC has been giving us the Sunday night NFL game. ESPN is the home of Monday Night Football. CBS and NBC have had great success with their late round PGA golf coverage. I don’t even know who does the NBA or NHL finals anymore, because I basically don’t care, unless my Celtics are playing. I live in South Carolina, so I probably couldn’t even name five NHL teams. Not that we don’t have hockey fans here, because we do, and even have a professional hockey team or two in the area. I just don’t have the time to pay much attention to them.
ESPN, however, is different from the other networks. ESPN covers virtually all sports known to mankind. If you’re a beach volleyball fan, and who isn’t, then ESPN is the place to be. If you like watching professional bowling, ESPN and it’s sister channels are only a remote click away. There are so many sports, and only so many hours in a given day, or week, or year, or for that matter, a lifetime. I’m willing to give ESPN a pass on scrimping a little when NASCAR coverage coincides with the NFL draft. In the USA, which is where ESPN’s primary audience resides, the NFL is king. Of course, I’m only talking about ESPN from a TV standpoint. ESPN.com provides in depth coverage on so many sports that it boggles the mind. At least my mind. I can read about sports I’ve never heard of, much less seen, all on one website. ESPN would need to have about a dozen more TV channels to give every sports fan what they want. Bandwidth is everything, and ESPN does an admirable job with what they’ve got.
I love ESPN. They rock. If I ever have to live without ESPN, I might spend the rest of my life mumbling to myself in a corner. Well, I mean more than I mumble to myself in a corner already. Remind me to tell you how I became a fan of the sport of curling some day. I’m not kidding. It’s now my second or third favorite sport.
I digress, as usual. The point of this little message from me to you is that I realized, about halfway home, listening to the Richmond race as it was called by MRN, was that I had what I felt was a more total picture of the race by listening to the radio than I had from watching the TV coverage that FOX provided. Over the years, I have heard of more than a few fans who told me that they turned on the TV coverage, and muted the sound. Then they turned on the radio and listened to Barney Hall, or whomever was broadcasting the races via radio.
I’ve seen the light. I think I’m going to start doing the same from now on.
I got home and fed the creatures who inhabit the property, and turned on the race on WESC while performing my chores. Finally, I turned on the TV, with the sound muted, though with closed captioning enabled. I saw the Richmond version of the ‘Big One’ that took out Jeff Gordon and a few others. I compared what I heard on the radio to what I read on the closed captioning on TV. (Proving to myself that I can multitask, at least to some degree, though it made my head hurt.) I found that I learned much more, got a clearer picture through the radio broadcast than I did from the images I saw and the words I read on my TV screen. For the rest of the race, I did much the same, and though FOX basically followed Kyle Busch around and around in circles, I got updates on other drivers throughout the field from MRN on a regular basis. FOX really never showed it, but MRN told me about some pretty good racing going on back in the field.
MRN stands for Motor Racing Network, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR. For those of you who like to criticize NASCAR, I offer to you that NASCAR has done at least one thing very well, and that’s what MRN does. MRN does not have the luxury of letting the pictures tell the story. Veteran broadcasters like Barney Hall paint a mental picture by words alone, and they do it very well. MRN has been broadcasting races for so many years that it can be expected that they will provide very high quality coverage of NASCAR events, and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve never been disappointed.
You want a nominee for the 2011 class for the NASCAR Hall Of Fame? Don’t forget guys like Barney Hall, or Eli Gould, who, as I understand it, also knows a thing or two about college football in the great state of Alabama.
If I were in charge of NASCAR, I think I would require all networks that carry my product to spend quite a bit of time studying how MRN can bring a race alive to a listener by words alone. Show what’s going on back in the field more than just a few times during the race. I don’t mean pay lip service to it, but actually cover it. When the guy leading the race is 2 seconds in front of the second place guy, there might be 4 drivers beating the crap out of each other for 5th, or 10th, or maybe 35th place. So what if the guys racing for 35th are 3 laps down? If it’s the best racing on the track, show it. That’s what the fans at the track are watching. I know. Sometimes I’m one of those fans at the track. I’d rather watch two guys fighting for a spot way back in the field than watch the leader drive away from everyone. I hate it when I read the next day about a race and find out that a particular driver had finished well, but was never shown, nor even mentioned during the broadcast. That seems to happen every week, somehow. Radio, by it’s very nature, requires that the broadcasters cover the entire event, not just the leader. Radio guys know that we can’t see it, so they have to describe it for us. Good radio guys can paint such a vivid picture through words alone that it seems inconsequential that we can’t actually see what’s happening.
There are so many great drivers, crew chiefs, owners, and people behind the scenes that deserve to be in the Hall Of Fame. I’m sure that most, if not all will get there eventually, and they all deserve it.
Just don’t forget the people who bring the Show to your living room, or to your car while you’re driving a lonely highway.
I don’t want to forget about the good people at Performance Racing Network, or PRN. They do a great job as well, slipping in almost seamlessly when MRN isn’t there.
Who knew? I finally got the big picture, and it was all back where I started. Radio. I can see more clearly now.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hendrick Teamwork Pays Off at Dega
I’ve ready many pieces written about Sunday’s Talladega race, in which Jimmie Johnson pulled a rabbit out of his hat and won the Aaron’s 499. Not only was the finish basically the closest in NASCAR history, the way in which it came about was a story within itself. Talladega and Daytona are truly races that can’t be won without teamwork. On Sunday, the teamwork that seemed to matter the most was provided by four teams who reside under one corporate umbrella, which is of course Hendrick Motorsports.
All day, it was the 88 pushing the 48, or vice versa, and the 5 and 24 doing the same. They stayed together all day, and in the end, it paid off with a win for Jimmie Johnson, as well as Rick Hendrick, who’s four cars all finished in the top 8.
Various pieces I’ve read have been critical of the 2 by 2 racing that has become prevalent at the restrictor plate tracks this year, and I can’t say that I blame them. The 2 car mini packs are certainly different from anything we’ve ever seen before. To be honest with you, I didn’t much like what I saw beginning at Daytona practice, and in the Daytona 500 itself. I suppose I didn’t like the 2 by 2 style because at first I didn’t really understand it. Leave it to the true experts in the field to figure it out, and by that I mean the best drivers in the world who actually have to make a living at 200 miles per hour, and not the pundits, much less the self appointed pundits, much like me, who spout opinions about it
Strangely enough, the drivers themselves seem to be divided on the issue as well. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dislike of the 2 by 2 packs has probably been the most publicized. Other drivers, including his teammate Jeff Gordon, didn’t seem to have much of a problem with it. It’s a learning experience for all of them, as well as for the fans and the people who write about the sport, and the jury is still out on whether 2 by 2 is a good thing or a bad thing.
About halfway through Sunday’s Dega race, I decided I liked the 2 by 2 tango. The cars still draft, but they’re not in huge packs like they used to be. This has been something that NASCAR has tried to accomplish for years, and I daresay they might be onto something with the current car and tire package. The fastest way around Talladega and Daytona is in 2 car packs working closely together. And I mean closely. NASCAR is a fluid sport, as witnessed by the last 10 years or so probably more than any other time in the sport’s history. If there’s one thing you can say for Brian France, it’s that the sport has probably seen more changes under his leadership than at any other time in NASCAR’s history.
One aspect about the new style of driving at the plate tracks is that I’m not very happy with the pusher being basically the co-pilot to the lead car. That’s the only way it can work though. Were the cars pushing the leaders to the finish on Sunday all giving up all chances to win? Did they think they might get a chance to get to the front in the last second or so? All’s fair in racing, especially in the last turn. I suppose that any of the top 8 or so drivers theoretically had a chance to win, but in practice, it took a tandem of cars driving low, too low, some people thought, to get the checkered flag. The car pushing the winning car of Jimmie Johnson was the car of Dale Jr. Jimmie finished first, and pressed to his back bumper was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale finished 4th, even though he was denting the winning car’s bumper. That’s how close it was.
Until NASCAR changes the aero package or the engine rules themselves at the plate tracks, the 2 by 2 tango is probably what we’re going to see for the foreseeable future. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, it’s just different. To me, Talladega was a different race this time. There were multiple car wrecks, but really no routine ‘Big One’ as has often been seen at the plate tracks for years. I think that’s probably a good thing. I know some of the drivers, such as Dale Jr. like the old style big packs, and it’s exciting to watch, but at the same time, I hate seeing so many good drivers taken out of the mix by someone else’s mistake. That happened at Dega on Sunday, but fortunately, not as many drivers were taken out as were in recent years.
Sometimes different isn’t all that bad.
All day, it was the 88 pushing the 48, or vice versa, and the 5 and 24 doing the same. They stayed together all day, and in the end, it paid off with a win for Jimmie Johnson, as well as Rick Hendrick, who’s four cars all finished in the top 8.
Various pieces I’ve read have been critical of the 2 by 2 racing that has become prevalent at the restrictor plate tracks this year, and I can’t say that I blame them. The 2 car mini packs are certainly different from anything we’ve ever seen before. To be honest with you, I didn’t much like what I saw beginning at Daytona practice, and in the Daytona 500 itself. I suppose I didn’t like the 2 by 2 style because at first I didn’t really understand it. Leave it to the true experts in the field to figure it out, and by that I mean the best drivers in the world who actually have to make a living at 200 miles per hour, and not the pundits, much less the self appointed pundits, much like me, who spout opinions about it
Strangely enough, the drivers themselves seem to be divided on the issue as well. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dislike of the 2 by 2 packs has probably been the most publicized. Other drivers, including his teammate Jeff Gordon, didn’t seem to have much of a problem with it. It’s a learning experience for all of them, as well as for the fans and the people who write about the sport, and the jury is still out on whether 2 by 2 is a good thing or a bad thing.
About halfway through Sunday’s Dega race, I decided I liked the 2 by 2 tango. The cars still draft, but they’re not in huge packs like they used to be. This has been something that NASCAR has tried to accomplish for years, and I daresay they might be onto something with the current car and tire package. The fastest way around Talladega and Daytona is in 2 car packs working closely together. And I mean closely. NASCAR is a fluid sport, as witnessed by the last 10 years or so probably more than any other time in the sport’s history. If there’s one thing you can say for Brian France, it’s that the sport has probably seen more changes under his leadership than at any other time in NASCAR’s history.
One aspect about the new style of driving at the plate tracks is that I’m not very happy with the pusher being basically the co-pilot to the lead car. That’s the only way it can work though. Were the cars pushing the leaders to the finish on Sunday all giving up all chances to win? Did they think they might get a chance to get to the front in the last second or so? All’s fair in racing, especially in the last turn. I suppose that any of the top 8 or so drivers theoretically had a chance to win, but in practice, it took a tandem of cars driving low, too low, some people thought, to get the checkered flag. The car pushing the winning car of Jimmie Johnson was the car of Dale Jr. Jimmie finished first, and pressed to his back bumper was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale finished 4th, even though he was denting the winning car’s bumper. That’s how close it was.
Until NASCAR changes the aero package or the engine rules themselves at the plate tracks, the 2 by 2 tango is probably what we’re going to see for the foreseeable future. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, it’s just different. To me, Talladega was a different race this time. There were multiple car wrecks, but really no routine ‘Big One’ as has often been seen at the plate tracks for years. I think that’s probably a good thing. I know some of the drivers, such as Dale Jr. like the old style big packs, and it’s exciting to watch, but at the same time, I hate seeing so many good drivers taken out of the mix by someone else’s mistake. That happened at Dega on Sunday, but fortunately, not as many drivers were taken out as were in recent years.
Sometimes different isn’t all that bad.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Why Martinsville Endures
Kevin Harvick won at Martinsville today. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came in second, narrowly beating out Kyle Busch for the spot. Juan Pablo Montoya came in 4th, and Jeff Gordon finished 5th.
This was Martinsville at its best. Good racing, good finishes, and the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit keeps putting people into the stands. I don’t think today was a sellout by any means, but for a track in a town rather off the beaten track in southern Virginia, Martinsville never ceases to please.
Several years ago, after Dale Earnhardt died, I figured that eventually we would see Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick racing for wins against each other. This isn’t the first time, obviously, but for me, at least, it was a win-win situation. Nothing can be better than to see two of my favorite drivers fighting for the lead with laps to go at a track like Martinsville. The drag race to the finish line with Dale Jr. just edging out Kyle Busch put the icing on my race day.
It’s not that I don’t like Kyle Busch. Not as a racer at least. I know that Kyle is one of the toughest drivers out there, and he’s smart as well. As far as talent, Kyle Busch has it all.
I’m still working on the personality part of the Kyle Busch equation though. He seems a little more calm so far in 2011, and I like that. His mostly reasoned responses to media question make him better received than his old snarky personality made him sound. If indeed Kyle is really coming around, I welcome him to NASCAR. Be aggressive as you want to be on the track, just don’t whine about it when it all blows up in your face later. Maybe that was just the old Kyle Busch. The new Kyle I’ve seen lately is a lot easier to take, especially on a full stomach. I’m not sure that I like Kyle yet, but I do respect him more.
When Martin Truex Jr.’s throttle got stuck open and he hit the wall, taking Kasey Kahne with him, I gained a lot of respect for Martin when he jumped out of his car and went to check on Kasey. To me, that showed character as a driver. Martin didn’t need to do that, but it was obviously important to him to make sure that a fellow driver was OK after a pretty bad wreck. Fortunately, Kasey was, but Martin what I wish some other drivers would do in the same situation. Go check on the other guy if you’re OK. That’s the old school thing to do.
Martinsville, from it’s bright pink hot dogs down to it’s great racing epitomizes what racing ought to be. Small tracks, small towns, tasty eats, and good hard racing.
What could be better?
This was Martinsville at its best. Good racing, good finishes, and the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit keeps putting people into the stands. I don’t think today was a sellout by any means, but for a track in a town rather off the beaten track in southern Virginia, Martinsville never ceases to please.
Several years ago, after Dale Earnhardt died, I figured that eventually we would see Earnhardt Jr. and Harvick racing for wins against each other. This isn’t the first time, obviously, but for me, at least, it was a win-win situation. Nothing can be better than to see two of my favorite drivers fighting for the lead with laps to go at a track like Martinsville. The drag race to the finish line with Dale Jr. just edging out Kyle Busch put the icing on my race day.
It’s not that I don’t like Kyle Busch. Not as a racer at least. I know that Kyle is one of the toughest drivers out there, and he’s smart as well. As far as talent, Kyle Busch has it all.
I’m still working on the personality part of the Kyle Busch equation though. He seems a little more calm so far in 2011, and I like that. His mostly reasoned responses to media question make him better received than his old snarky personality made him sound. If indeed Kyle is really coming around, I welcome him to NASCAR. Be aggressive as you want to be on the track, just don’t whine about it when it all blows up in your face later. Maybe that was just the old Kyle Busch. The new Kyle I’ve seen lately is a lot easier to take, especially on a full stomach. I’m not sure that I like Kyle yet, but I do respect him more.
When Martin Truex Jr.’s throttle got stuck open and he hit the wall, taking Kasey Kahne with him, I gained a lot of respect for Martin when he jumped out of his car and went to check on Kasey. To me, that showed character as a driver. Martin didn’t need to do that, but it was obviously important to him to make sure that a fellow driver was OK after a pretty bad wreck. Fortunately, Kasey was, but Martin what I wish some other drivers would do in the same situation. Go check on the other guy if you’re OK. That’s the old school thing to do.
Martinsville, from it’s bright pink hot dogs down to it’s great racing epitomizes what racing ought to be. Small tracks, small towns, tasty eats, and good hard racing.
What could be better?
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