Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A few Bristol Notes

Historically, Bristol has been one of the most exciting tracks to see a race. The fall race last year, after being resurfaced, may have been one of the more disappointing races in recent memory there, but even not so good racing at Bristol is still pretty darn good racing.

Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch each have 5 wins at Bristol. This track has always seemed to suit certain drivers' driving styles more than others. Mark Martin and his old teammate Matt Kenseth have each one at Bristol 2 times. Quite a few drivers have won at Thunder Valley 1 time, including Elliot Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett. Bill Elliot has also won a race here.

This being Dale Jarrett's last race, I imagine this is as good a place to end one's career as any. I'll be writing more about Dale later this week.

Of all active drivers, Jeff Gordon easily leads in average starting position, at an incredible 5.5th place start out of 30 total races run. Greg Biffle actually has the best finishing average, with 10.3rd place average of all finishes he's attempted, followed closely by Kevin Harvick, and 10.5th place. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. tie at 11.7th as an average finish.

Another interesting statistic: Kyle Petty will be starting his 49th Bristol race this season. Will he make it an even 50 or more? The odds look very good that he will. Richard Petty started an incredible 60 races at Bristol during his career, followed by Ricky Rudd with 58 starts. Petty only won at Bristol 3 times in his career however. Seems like Bristol was not a track that treated the King kindly sometimes.

Who is the driver with the most wins ever at Bristol? Why Ole DW, of course. Darrell Waltrip won here 12 times. 3 drivers are tied for 2nd place in all time wins at Bristol. Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, and Rusty Wallace all won 9 races here during their careers.

Bristol is an amazing place, with a lot of history. It's Nascar's toughest ticket to get, with seats often being handed down from parents to children. Tickets can be obtained, but they are expensive. Bristol has a seating capacity of 160,000, and there is virtually never an empty seat on race day. In an era where Nascar insists it needs to build 1.5 mile cookie cutter tracks near major metropolitan areas in order to expand, Bristol is the exception to the rule. The Tri-Cities region of Northeastern Tennessee and Southwest Virginia is anything but a major population center. The Tri-Cities region made up of Bristol, TN and Bristol VA (The two Bristols are twin cities, with the state line running down the middle of the towns) and Johnson City and Kingsport TN have roughly a population of 480,000 to 500,000. That population would put the Bristol region in roughly 95th place in the most populous regions of the country. That's a very far cry from New York City.

What makes this place so special, year after year then? Why do people flock from virtually every state and nearly every province to watch a race in Bristol? The track is only slightly over a half mile long, but Bristol's banking is unique. 36 degree in the banking is some very serious banking! It's also the steepest in all of Nascar. The cars achieve incredible speed here. Not like at Atlanta, or Daytona, or Talladega, or California, but these cars are screaming around the banking, and there is a lot of beating and banging going on. In a way it's a return to the true roots of stock car racing. Little half mile bullrings where the drivers aren't afraid to use the old chrome horn, or fender, or anything else that is available to move over the guy in front of them. It's old style racing at it's best, and the fans love it.

Very few drivers leave the track in a great mood after the race. There are a lot of wrecks at Bristol, and a lot of them are just racing accidents, but some consider Bristol a good place to pay another driver back for a perceived injustice that may have occurred at another track like say, Atlanta. With all the contact being made just from normal racing, why not nudge that other fellow a little harder than necessary?

In fact, there is only one driver generally guaranteed to be in a good mood after a race at Bristol. The winner.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Tempering Raw Emotion with Cool Reasoning

Now that I've time to reflect on it, and had a night's rest, I'm going to devote even more precious space here to one of my least favorite drivers; Kyle Busch. This time, I'm going to be a little more composed, and I will use my head, and not my heart.

For those of you who didn't see yesterday's Nationwide race, here's what happened in a nutshell. Kyle Busch led nearly every lap of the race, until he blew a tire and hit the wall late in the race. Kyle didn't just lead, but absolutely dominated the field. Every restart, he basically just drove away, and kept driving away. It was as if his car had about 50 more horse power than any other car did. Was Kyle upset when he crashed out of the race? You bet. Should he have been upset? Of course. I don't blame him for the fact that he was upset. I don't really blame the pit reporters for trying to get a short interview with him too, knowing it was probably going to make for some good TV. Kyle had two options at that point. He could either grant going on live TV or he could have declined to have the interview.

Kyle did the foolish thing. Without stopping, Kyle gave ESPN pit reporter Shannon Spake a couple of very snotty, short answers. I was immediately reminded of a spoiled 10 year old, who had just been sent to his room for the rest of the day.

I watched the race live, and was somewhat perturbed over Kyle's behavior. Later, last night, I replayed that portion of the race, and this time I just went ballistic over Kyle's behavior. I don't know why I went off after seeing it the second time, but I did. I went to my favorite place on the Internet, The Dale Jr. Pit Board, and made a post in which I basically insulted Kyle Busch. And now I realize I am guilty of the same childish behavior that I accused Kyle of. I opened my mouth before I had my emotions fully under control

In retrospect, Kyle probably should have declined the interview. People would have said he was a baby anyway, me included probably. But at least he wouldn't have proven that yes, a 23 year old man can show that he is as emotionally mature as a spoiled brat 10 year old. I'm not saying that Kyle is a spoiled brat, but he, like me, tends to shoot off his mouth when he's upset.

In retrospect, I should have watched the replay of Kyle's interview without a dangerous weapon literally in front of me. That weapon is of course my computer. I'm in control of this puppy. I can use it for good things, or I can use it for bad things. Last night, I made a poor choice, and went to the Pit Board and did something that I shouldn't have done. I made a very negative post about another driver. The Pit Board doesn't ban such talk per se, but they do try to discourage it. I'm on of the people on the Pit Board who tries very hard to keep peace there, but last night I failed miserably. Like a 23 year old driver, this 44 year old fan lost his cool, and said things he shouldn't have said. For those whom I offended, I am deeply sorry and ashamed.

I'm also somewhat ashamed of some of the things I wrote on this very blog last night, but I will not delete what I wrote. I will leave it there so that people will maybe see what I'm talking about.

To Kyle Busch, and his fans I say this. Kyle, you are a fantastic driver. You might just be the best talent out there. Your car control abilities are just out of this world. To some of us, you rub us the wrong way, but you are the real deal, my young friend. You deserve all the accolades you get in this sport. You are truly a great driver. When you have problems, I would suggest that maybe you decline an interview for a while next time. I'm saying that because I know you, like me get emotional about things. Your fans love you because you are such a great driver. I'm sorry for irritating any of your fans by doing things that I shouldn't. I am old enough to know better. When I was 23, I was probably very much like you. At nearly double your age, I should know better.

To all my friends on the Pit Board, I'll be back. I just need to take a little break, but I'll be reading every day. Thanks to those who have had so many kind words for me. I hope this blog will help explain why I was upset with myself last night, and in a lot of ways, I still am.

The Atlanta race is always one of my favorites. I've been to several races there, and as a matter of fact, Atlanta is the only track that I saw two of my favorite drivers win at: Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr. Two of the best days in my life. I wouldn't take a million bucks for either experience.

Thanks for playing along, folks. I'll see you around the next corner!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Here's to you, you big Baby.

Nascar drivers used to be all grown up. I guess Kyle Busch isn't very grown up. He gave some very snotty answers to an ESPN pit reporter today.

Kyle, grow up, It's only a Nationwide race. Tomorrow, when you butt gets stomped in a Cup race, I suppose you'll have a whole new list of people to blame.

Kyle's attitude is very similar to what Tony Stewart has been criticized for for years. I'm thinking putting these two together has not produced stellar results. Tony is not known for enthusiastically seeking out a microphone after a crash out. In Tony's defense, I can say that Tony needs a cooling off period after a crash. Like maybe 20 minutes. Kyle needs to have a cooling off period after a crash too, it would seem. Either a couple of months or a burping.

Kyle, you big baby, you're in the big leagues now. You drive better than just about anyone out there, but you act like such a baby when you blow a tire. If you can ever learn to control that baby temper of yours, you will win a ton of races and championships. You have so much talent that it's shameful to blow off interviews like you did today. You are a baby, and you need to grow up.

Time to back away.

I've been a member on a certain message board for a long time, and today, I let my feelings run away. I said something bad about another driver. I'm sorry, other driver. You big baby. Oops, there I go again.

We live and die by the word, and I posted some stuff that really made 1 person mad. So I'm removing myself from the board for a while. It's never my intent to irritate people. I do it, somehow instinctively, but I never do so purposely.

I write almost on instinct. I think a thought, and my fingers move whether they are on a keyboard or not. I'm not pleasant company on a date because of that sometimes.

Anyone who watched the Nationwide race today probably knows whom the driver is of whom I'm speaking. The big baby. OOps, sorry.

Racing happens. So does my big mouth. Sorry folks. I'm going to be quiet for a while, except on this forum. You are always free to stuff your sock in my mouth here as well.

Racing, and Nascar? I'm here to stay. You can poke me, and you can prod me, but I will talk. It's what my big yap knows how to do best.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Reliable Sources

What is objectivity? What is bias? Is one more important than the other? These are questions being asked by people everywhere today, and of course not just in the racing world. Racing being the emphasis of this blog, however, I shall concentrate on information and misinformation in racing.

Is it possible for a journalist or TV analyst to be totally objective? Lately, a lot of fans have been complaining about Fox commentator Darrell Waltrip's seeming 'love affair' with Kyle Busch. Darrell has even joked about it. To those of us who are not Kyle Busch fans, it can be quite annoying. I think one thing we are forgetting here is that Darrell Waltrip was hired by Fox Sports because he is a former driver and past champion in Nascar. He was hired because he is not afraid to open his mouth and give his opinion. And that's the word: "Opinion". We don't really expect Darrell to be objective, but we at least hope he'll talk about more than one driver.

The same goes with the other former racing professionals, drivers, crew chiefs, or whatever. Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds are former crew chiefs, and all probably have soft spots in their hearts for certain teams, especially the ones they used to work for. The same goes for Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Ray Evernham and pretty much anyone else that I left out. I never really expect to hear an unbiased opinion from any of them, because they are not journalists by trade. The are racers, with all the passion that racers have to bring to the track to be winners in this sport. All have been winners too.

When it comes to the journalists, or in other words, the people that went to college and majored in journalism, or media, or broadcasting, I do have a problem with quite a few of them. It's not my intention to name any names here, but I have seen quite a few instances of bias over the years by the "professionals".

I have seen pit reporters on TV who continually harped on a particular driver's "failure" to win or to qualify well, or to sometimes just be uncooperative. Do the journalists that cover this sport have favorites and non-favorites? Of course they do, but they should be professional enough to not allow their personal biases to cloud their judgment on how to report on a certain driver or team or even an event.

For instance: A few years ago, a certain pit reporter made a very big deal about how a certain driver's team set up their tires, and caused quite a stir in the rest of the media. If the pit reporter had actually caught the team cheating, this would have been news, but at that time, what the team was doing was perfectly legal. Furthermore, they were probably not the only team doing this. What happened was the predictable outrage and led to Nascar banning the practice that the team was using. This is where the pit reporter was making news, not reporting it. I feel that Nascar has the right, under their own rules to police the sport, but should not be taking the word of a TV pit reporter as gospel truth. Had I been in the pits that day and had observed the supposed wrongdoing, Nascar wouldn't have listened to me had I complained about it. The pit reporter was using his status and celebrity to make a scene. The reporter was manufacturing the news, not reporting it.

For instance: A certain Associated Press reporter seems to have a bias against a driver that I truly admire. This person has repeatedly reported basically only the negative aspects of this driver's career. A few years ago, this reporter openly questioned the validity of this driver even having a career. The driver in question has won races, and has actually raced in the now defunct IROC series, which gives an indication of the driver's true credentials. Personal bias in a news story? Isn't that best saved for commentary? That isn't what this reporter has done, however. The reporter has presented the news as objective, and as fact. It is in fact personal opinion, and to me that is not acceptable.

Certain Internet sources are very unreliable as well. A couple of years ago, I was working in a classroom full of sixth graders who were asked to write a report about their favorite sport, and who they admired and didn't admire within that sport. I was in the classroom doing my other job, which means I was repairing equipment, as quietly as possible in the back of the room. I was pleased to hear that several of the students chose Nascar as their favorite sport, but was dismayed to hear some of the "facts" that they found on the Internet. For instance, I learned that Jeff Gordon was gay, that Tony Stewart was an alcoholic, that Jimmie Johnson was gay, that Dale Earnhardt once shot a man, that Dale Earnhardt Jr. was gay, etc. The teacher was not knowledgeable about Nascar in the least, and after class, I asked the teacher if I could see some of the Nascar reports that the students had written. She complied, and I noticed that the students were required to cite sources for the facts in their reports. Most of the "gay" sources cited Wikipedia. The source for Dale Earnhardt's "shooting" was a blogger. The source for Tony being an alcoholic was a site called "IhateStewart.com".

Wikipedia is a great idea that never really worked. Anyone can sign on and edit just about anything. Most of the unsubstantiated stuff is removed, eventually. But I have looked up a lot of drivers on Wiki, and have found comments such as "Dale Jr. is over rated, because he can't drive, has never won a race that he hasn't cheated in, and his daddy paid off Nascar to let him win." I once read a year or so ago that Jeff Gordon once had a homosexual relationship with Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush. I once read that Kevin Harvick beat his wife Delana so badly that she had to be taken to the emergency room. In other words, your child can click on a Wikipedia article and read just about anything as outrageous. If I had kids, I would discourage them from using Wikipedia as a resource for school work.

If you want cold, hard statistics on Nascar, I would recommend Racing Reference Info.
You will find complete stats here, with no opinion at all, unless you read the comments on the individual races themselves. Remember, blogs, such as this, and message boards are pretty much totally opinionated. I'm certainly guilty of that, but I'm not here to report the news. You can get that elsewhere, and I'm not at the track every Sunday, and I'm not in the shops during the week. I've only had in depth conversations with one current Cup driver, and I'm a fan of his. My opinion of him will be clouded because of the personal nature of our conversations, so I'm not qualified to write objectively about him, and on this particular forum, I don't. I do write elsewhere about him, but that's where my bias is welcomed, because I'm writing to fans of this driver. I make no bones about being a Dale Jr. fan on this blog, and that is NOT with whom I have had conversations. (Just wanted to head that off at the pass!)

If you've taken the time to read all of the above outpourings of drivel, I hope you will come away with one conclusion. Be careful what you read, recognize opinion as what it is, and let the statistics speak for themselves.

And I unabashedly say, in a totally objective way, Go Dale Jr! Heh heh heh.

In drought stricken Georgia, Rain is a mixed blessing today

Lord only knows Georgia needs the rain, and it looks like they're getting plenty of it this morning, but it's not exactly what racing fans want to see.

Georgia's lakes have been drying up, and rain is a blessed sight to see, but it's too bad the rain couldn't have waited until next week. It appears that the Trucks and Nationwide practice will be effected today, but there appears to be a good chance that the Cup qualifying and the Trucks race will likely run as scheduled tonight. As of 5:45 AM, Eastern Time, a wide band of rain stretched over much of the Peach State, from central Alabama well into North and South Carolina.

As needed as is the rain, the several Go-or-go-home teams are sweating it out in the early morning showers in Hampton, Ga.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Back to our Roots: Atlanta

Sorry Westerners! You've had your chance, now here we come back to the Southeast, and some of the best stock car racing known to man. Atlanta Motor Speedway isn't actually in Atlanta, but a few miles south in Hampton, Ga. Atlanta has nary a bad seat in the stands, in my experience at least. Atlanta is a 1.5 mile high banked tri-oval, and the speeds that race cars run here is just off the hook.

In recent history, One driver has dominated here, and for a change it's not Jimmie Johnson or Jeff Gordon. It's Bobby Labonte, who has won here 6 times, with all of his wins coming in the 18 Interstate Batteries car. Bill Elliot has won here 5 times, and Jeff has won 4 times, followed by Jimmie with 3 wins here. Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Mark Martin have all won here 2 times. Among the drivers with 1 win each are Kurt Busch, Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, Ken Schrader, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Probably the most remembered win from the last few years was Kevin Harvick's dramatic win at Atlanta only in his 3rd race driving the cup car for Richard Childress. Kevin is a true winner, and he celebrated the life of the driver whom he replaced, Dale Earnhardt.

Atlanta is almost always an exciting race, and I doubt that this week will be any different. Dale Jr. has been running good, and all the Hendrick cars are vowing for vengeance this week. Rouch driver has won 2 in a row, and he will certainly be in the mix. Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch and all of the Evernham drivers want to represent Dodge well also. And don't forget Toyota drivers Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin. All of these boys are hungry for a win.

Don't forget Bobby Labonte back there in a Petty Dodge. Bobby knows how to win here too.

Here's to good racing, good times, and good friends.