Post-Talladega RacinDeals

MEMO TO TRACK OWNERS: I don’t care
if they are a "national recording artist." You need to audition
anyone who claims they can sing the National Anthem. The guy who sung it Sunday
screwed it up big time.

THAT’S RACIN?: Here’s what Bobby Labonte says about Talladega: "You do
not have to have the best car or the best motor to win that race. You just have
to be in the right position on those last couple laps and you can win it. I
don’t mean to sound negative, but it’s not a lot of fun being beat on for 188
laps at 200 mph. It’s not the most physically demanding race, but you are
mentally drained when you are done with this one."

OK, Bobby. Then the next time your crew chief wants to take on two tires in
order to get you track position (or the win), you need to tell him no. You want
to be consistent, right? If running at Talladega isn’t racing, then taking two
tires or getting better gas mileage so you can make it on one less stop isn’t
racing either. Having your pit crew do a 13 second stop putting you out first
isn’t racing. 

I’d guess being in the right position also
means that you don’t move down on Bobby Hamilton when he’s on your inside.

Ward Burton says "If this is racing,
they can have it, and I think everybody in the garage will say that." Well,
Ward, those folks in the garage don’t pay the bills. The fans in the stands and
watching TV pay the bills…every single one of them. The money is just filtered
down to the teams via the products the fans (and non-fans, for that matter) buy. Perhaps if no one watched any
of these races, would Ward be happy?

Jeff Gordon says that’s not racing either.
"I hate it. I don’t think anybody (likes it). The fans do, but that’s about
it," he said. Yeah, let’s do away with something the fans like. 

Here’s a message to all those drivers who
don’t like it or don’t think it’s "racing:" sit home next February.
NASCAR doesn’t need you or your whining.

THAT WAS RACIN: The October
Talladega race was pretty exciting, despite the lack of lead changes. For all
the talk about how "equal" the cars are, it seemed that some cars were
more equal than others. In a post-race interview, Sterling Marlin, while trying
to condemn the rules, actually pointed out why they work so well: drivers in
back up cars were at the front in just a few laps.

I think it is definitely racing when a car
can come out of the pits in the 20’s and still contend for the lead. At any
other non-restrictor plate track, you do that and you’re pretty much relegated
to a lousy finish…although that’s pretty much what Marlin did at Charlotte a
couple of weeks ago.

One of my co-workers, who only started watching
Winston Cup racing due to all the publicity surrounding Dale Earnhardt’s death,
told me it was one of the best races she’s seen. Is she a real fan, or one of
those "new" fans that we see denigrated in the opinion pieces on the
net? I think she’s a fan of racing, period.

CAVING TO THE MEDIA: If you needed proof that the only reason NASCAR
mandated the use of head and neck restraints was pressure from the media, all you have to do is read
NASCAR President Jim Hunter’s response when asked why NASCAR isn’t creating a
traveling "circus" of doctors: "You got your HANS."

There’s absolutely no reason for NASCAR to carry around a bunch of doctors
and whatever, when the tracks are perfectly capable of providing local medical
experts. Local doctors know the best local surgeons or specialists. Valuable
time could be lost while some NASCAR doctor tries to find out who to contact.
The care center at Nashville Superspeedway is staffed by medical personnel from
a local hospital, and the care center can handle all but the most severe types
of trauma. 

Another reason given by the proponents of a traveling medical team is that
those doctors would be familiar with the medical histories of the drivers. Right
now, the doctors in the care center are provided by NASCAR with the drivers’
medical histories, so I’m not sure what would be gained by that.

MORE SAFETY: Now that the media has
gotten NASCAR to roll over on the head and neck restraint devices, they’ve
already started on the next target: open faced helmets. The race isn’t even 4 or
5 hours old and I’m already seeing things criticizing Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for
not wearing a full face helmet.

Personally if you ask me, I think someone
needs to look at the safety of non-media members when they announce lunch is
ready in the infield media center at Talladega. The most dangerous place you can
be at a race track is between the media and the free food the sponsors give
them.

MORE DEATH AVERTED: No one was
"killed" at the "dangerous" track, Talladega Superspeedway,
according to some of the stories I’ve seen this week.

I submit that more drivers have been
killed at Talladega Superspeedway in the last 8 or so years by trying to land a
helicopter at the track than in a race there.

BENSON AND HANS: Johnny Benson says
he’s a believer now in the HANS device, since his wreck at Talladega. "My
neck doesn’t hurt at all," says Benson. Hey, I’m glad it worked for him….
this time.

But Newton’s laws of motion won’t be
deterred by some manmade device. While the HANS device stopped Benson’s neck
from hyper extending, what stopped his brain from hitting the inside of his
skull? Nothing. I believe we’re going to see more concussions as a result of
this new mandate.

The head restraint system with the most
potential for safety while avoiding unintended consequences (e.g. concussions)
has been ignored, and sadly, given short shrift because its inventor, Bill
Simpson, has pretty much lost all credibility. His system decelerated the head,
instead of abruptly stopping it. While Simpson was telling the world how perfect
his belts were and threatening lawsuits against anyone who disagreed, he should
have been in the lab perfecting the system.

PUSHING AN AGENDA: What’s it mean
when a news organization only reports one side of a story? That’s Racin’ only put
up quotes after the race that were negative towards plate racing. The most
interesting quote about the whole restrictor plate deal came from Michael
Waltrip. He basically said that he was either going to wreck or not. He didn’t
worry about it. Wonder why That’s Racin’ didn’t see fit to use quotes like that?

CATCHING ON: Some drivers have
figured out how to race with the aero anchors NASCAR uses at the restrictor
plate races. Some haven’t. Some just seem to go out and get in everyone’s way.
Some seem to be able to move through traffic like the other cars were standing
still. But afterwards, you still hear the same old cliché’s from the drivers
(see above) and news media: restrictor plate racing isn’t racing.

Since last October, the drivers that have
figured it out have dominated the races. The number of legitimate, on track lead
changes (as opposed to lead changes under yellow when the leaders pit, e.g. Dale
Jarrett at Talladega) has dropped. At Daytona in February, 14 drivers swapped
the lead 49 times. In the April Talladega race, 26 drivers accounted for 37 lead
changes. Since the race was caution free, I’d guess more of those drivers who
led stayed out longer to lead a lap. At Daytona in July, there were just 15 lead
changes among 9 drivers. In the last Talladega race, there were 32 lead changes,
among only 13 drivers.

Also, there were times in the race where
there were distinct packs, which is what you hear the drivers saying they
wanted. But because of the aero anchors, if you get shuffled back seemingly out
of the draft, you’re not out of the race. The anchors give the cars the
capability of catching back up, as we saw Bobby Hamilton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
both do.

I’d think that the drivers would want to
be able to catch up with the leaders, instead of being at the mercy of the
draft.

POST RACE INSPECTION: Dale
Earnhardt, Jr’s car was found to be too low after post-race inspection. Just
like I’ve maintained every other time in the past where the winner’s car failed
post-race inspection, the car should be either be eliminated from the finish
order or relegated to a last place finish. He should not be awarded the No Bull
money.

Seems pretty simple to me, but NASCAR will
dance around the issue and "fine" the crew chief a few grand, and
that’ll be the last we hear about it.

ANOTHER "FINE" MESS:
Earnhardt’s crew chief was "fined" $25,000 for the height infraction.
Other crew chiefs were fined a total of over $36,000 for various rules
infractions discovered at Talladega.

These fines that are collected end up
going back into the drivers’ point fund at the end of the year, so it’s just
really a big accounting gimmick, at least if you’re in the top 25 or so who get
point fund money. 

Here’s an idea for NASCAR: if  you’re
going to "fine" a driver or team, and you still refuse to dock points
or DQ their cars, then at least donate the money from the fines to a charity.
Giving it back to the teams via the points fund is a joke.

CRY HARVICK, ER HAVOC: Kevin
Harvick knocked Todd Bodine into the wall. What more needs to be said?

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: If
NASCAR screws around with the aero package for Daytona next year, and eliminates
the side by side, close racing we’ve seen at Talladega and Daytona, I’ll find
something more interesting to watch on TV, like women’s soccer.

They’re threatening to fix something that
isn’t broke. NASCAR President Jim Hunter says "We need a way for different
abilities of drivers to come through and make their cars handle so they have to
back off (the throttle) in the corners."

Well, they had it last October at
Talladega, but they got scared when speeds during happy hour reached close to
200 mph. If NASCAR can’t find an insurance company to cover them over 200 mph,
then go find a broker at Lloyds of London.