‘Dega “Spectacle;” Winning Car Illegal

Okay, fellow fans, now that the blood flow
has returned to my fingertips after gripping the couch yesterday for the final
80 laps of the EA Sports 500, my initial reaction of anger coupled with, well,
anger is still in place.

Why the anger? For starters, it’s safe to
say that this mood started long before NASCAR’s Sunday version of rush hour
traffic on, say, the Dulles Greenway – only at double the speed. Despite the
testing done at Talladega in April AND August of this year, and input from the
19 drivers who participated in the latter, NASCAR officials chose to ignore the
suggestions they solicited and contributed to the last lap wreck that occurred.
Thank God Almighty that no one was injured . . . or worse.

Sterling Marlin and Rusty Wallace vented
openly last week, prior to the festivities, about what would/could happen – and
it did. I agree with both of them, and any other driver of the mindset that
Daytona and Talladega are NOT racing . . . rather a huge wreck waiting to
happen.

So, Mr. Parsons, yesterday you keep trying
to convince those watching the NBC telecast that "this is what the fans
want." Yeah, well, not THIS fan and not most of the other fans I know.
That’s a BS comment – it’s what NASCAR wants reinforced because it puts butts in
seats. Sure, I’ll admit it’s a fairly awesome sight seeing 30+ stock cars
running so close you’d be hard pressed to slide a feather between the sheet
metal, but that’s all it is. An awesome sight.

Because along with that awesome sight is
the chance of human error – one little teensy weensy slip. As happened
yesterday. Again, thank God the final lap did not take yet another driver’s
life, and despite the spectacle of Bobby Labonte’s Pontiac getting airborne, it
was Ricky Craven that I was most worried about. Ricky, SO happy to see you’re
not injured.

Then to add insult to the injury to
intelligence of viewers, while NBC is busy replaying shot-after-shot of the
‘spectacle,’ behind Parson’s voice we hear what sounds an awful lot like Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. doing ‘donuts’ on the front stretch. No, NASCAR, I did not see
this happening, but I did see Junior being able to take a lap around, waving to
the crowds, and then sweep up real close to the outside wall so as to turn back
down . . . and make some smoke.

This part we did see – the fact that there
was NO ‘gate’ in place and that Junior was able to hop up on the window ledge
and celebrate his win. The last time we saw a driver able to get anywhere NEAR
his car in Victory Lane/Circle? Why, come to think of it – Dover, when Junior
won. Of course this was post-Pepsi 400 victory where both he and teammate
Michael Waltrip parked their cars on the front stretch grass and proceeded to
jump up and down in celebration of that big win.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea here, I
happen to be a BIG Earnhardt fan. Like father, like son, I figure. And his
father was one of my favorite drivers – still is. So this has nothing to do with
Junior or DEI or Budweiser.

Before the next statement, it should be
noted that when NBC showed the No. 8 Budweiser Chevy from the rear, it was
somewhat easy to see that the back bumper on the car was a lot lower than those
others on track. When Junior was allowed to jump up on the window ledge, my
first thought was ‘ah ha, now if the car is too low, there’s an excuse!’ Sorry,
memories of Mayfield last season.

Excuse or no excuse, the car was in fact
too low. The car failed post-race technical inspection – according to NASCAR
officials who announced TWO HOURS after the race finish that the roof height was
1/8th of an inch below the minimum 51 inches. (The old theory tossed out at RIR
that the fans should leave the track knowing who the winner is – guess it
doesn’t matter if the car is illegal, eh.)

Déjà vu, too. Remember Richmond,
September 2000 . . . two hours after that race Jeff Gordon’s car was found to
be, uh, illegal. Yet another Winston No Bull 5 million went to Gordon and his
paired fan, leaving Dale Earnhardt Sr. without a win and the million bucks.

So, this time it’s Junior’s turn to keep
the million and the win, but pay the penalty in points and (big deal) monetary
fines. Why is it that the driver of an illegal car is able to keep the win????
Oh wait, I forgot – Tony Stewart finished second. Yep, that’s gotta be it.
Stewart’s not been too kind lately with his thoughts on where NASCAR officials
heads are.

Tony, if it’s any consolation, I’d vote to
award the win to you, which would help somewhat defray JGR’s costs in connection
with the massive destruction of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac, even
though it was an "old car."

As far as Daytona and Talladega races go,
those fans who just love this kind of racing need to stop and think if they’re
willing to accept the possibility of losing another driver. I covered my head
completely when the back end of the #18 bobbled on Sunday afternoon, screaming
(literally!) ‘I can’t watch this happen again.’ I did not uncover my head until
I heard the broadcasters say that Labonte was out of the car, and so was Craven
. . . and that no one had been injured.

Pure and simple, nothing but Rushin’
Roulette. Personally, I hope the drivers never have to face another version of
Daytona or Talladega without NASCAR making some rule changes.

Yes, I know – NASCAR can’t win. Not when
those down south are more interested in providing "thrilling
entertainment" than racing. The thrill left the Beach on February 18, 2001,
and race winners continue to hold onto the pointless victory regardless.

IMHO, this ain’t racing . . . no matter
what ‘they’ say.