Post Shootout RacinDeals

BUD SNOOZEOUT: Let’s see, take four real lead changes in 70 laps, add a dash
of no passing, and what do you get? An hour of boredom.

POOR PONTIACS: Actually, the only make that seemed to be able to do anything
was the Pontiac. Uh, weren’t those guys just saying how pathetic their 7 year
old body style is?

THE SQUEAKY WHEEL: Well, hopefully, now that NASCAR has given the Ford’s a
total of 1/2" off their spoiler, Ricky Rudd will "shut up and
race." It was pretty apparent that Rudd had been appointed the Ford
cheerleader, since in every interview he gave up to qualifying he moaned about
how bad the Fords were. So, now you can expect to see a Ford in victory lane at
Daytona, either for one or both 125’s or the 500.

SPOILER ISSUES: Why not just eliminate the spoilers completely?
Wouldn’t that give the cars higher speed on the straights, and force the drivers
to actually brake in the turns? Isn’t that what they really need?

FUN RACING: Well, the drivers seem to have had "fun" running in the
Snoozeout. Great for them. I’m glad I didn’t pay ISC any money for such a lousy
show. With the rules the way they are now, plus the Ford spoiler change, it
looks like we’re going to revisit those days when the second place car was only
a couple of laps down.

You guys have fun. You have so much fun that your sport is ruined, and people
start finding more interesting activities to watch, like croquet. The
sponsorship money is already drying up, and if you think it’s bad now, wait
until the fans start leaving.

SAFETY ISSUE: Ok, so we all got to see the aircraft carrier helmets the
NASCAR officials are wearing, plus their fire suits. We’ve seen the pit crews
wearing everything from bicycle helmets to full face motorcycle helmets and
their fire suits. One assumes that those fire suits are from neck to toe, with
special fire retardant shoes.

So why isn’t NASCAR making Dave Marcis wear proper safety equipment? Why does
he get away with being able to wear his "wing tip" shoes? Seems to me
that if safety is important, Marcis shouldn’t be immune to it.

THROWAWAY CAR: Casey Atwood just can’t get a break from Ray Evernham.
Atwood’s pole last year got him into the Snoozeout, but then Evernham gives him
an engine that wasn’t up to it. The more I see in this situation, the more I
don’t like it.

IF I RAN NASCAR: "Effective immediately, Simpson Racing products
are no longer approved to be installed or used on cars in any NASCAR sanctioned
event."

Bill Simpson did more to harm his reputation than NASCAR ever did, but he
still wants a bunch of money from NASCAR to get his reputation back. So this is
what he’s been laying the ground work for over the  last year… this
lawsuit.

WHAT HAPPENS?: When/if the "big wreck" happens this Sunday
at Daytona, what are the drivers going to say? After all, the rules they have
now are the result of their "input" to NASCAR after the "big
wreck" at Talladega last October. These rules are supposed to eliminate big
wrecks and three-wide racing, right?

TICKETS FOR SALE: Wonder why the Daytona 500 hasn’t sold out yet? I
thought there was a waiting list to get tickets for this race. Is this more of
an indication of the economy or has interest in racing started to decline, or is
it a combination of both? Either way it’s a bad situation. If it’s the economy,
then that basically means that it just costs too much to take your family to the
races. If it’s a lack of interest, then what’s with all the great ratings on TV
last year? Were those new viewers not moved to try to attend a race? Or is it
that the racing isn’t exciting enough to justify the expense?