NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE PITS
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Wouldn’t it be
hilarious if Brett Bodine’s brother Todd ended up as Jimmy Spencer’s teammate?
CIVILIANS IN THE PITS: Teams and
drivers have been saying for years now that there are too many people in the
pits who really have no business being there. We got a vivid example of exactly
why that’s true Sunday.
As Bobby Hamilton was going back to the
garage area, some woman walked right into his car and was knocked down. She got
quickly back to her feet as TNN cut away. And of course, the TNN folks were
oblivious to what actually was going on and didn’t say a word about it.
The lady may have had a perfectly
legitimate reason to be in the pits. It’s possible she was a credentialed member
of the media, or with a team. But someone should have taken her aside and told
her that it was dangerous in the garage and she needed to be extra cautious
while in the garage. She’s probably the luckiest person who was in the pits
Sunday. If she’d been walking fast enough to put her in front of the car instead
of beside it, that situation could have been much, much worse.
TELEVISED QUALIFYING: I saw a lot
of stuff on the ‘net last week about TNN not showing qualifying at New
Hampshire. People were criticizing them and saying they weren’t showing it
because they were a lame duck network.
Granted, during qualifying, I’m usually at
work so even if it is televised, I usually miss it. But to my knowledge, TNN has
never shown qualifying. So the heat they’re getting is unwarranted if you ask
me.
DODGING BUCKSHOT: All I can say is
that I’m surprised that Roy "Buckshot" Jones will be going to the #44
Petty car next year.
TROPICAL STORM BURTON HITS NEW HAMPSHIRE: Well, I guess we got to see a little history made Sunday at New Hampshire.
While tropical storm Gordon was pelting the Florida coast, Hurricane Burton was
swirling in New Hampshire. Jeff Burton led flag to flag to get the win. I don’t know if it was the plates or just New Hampshire, but I gotta think Burton had more fun when he won the race there after coming from the back of the field.
I’m not trying to take anything away from Jeff Burton or his team. They had what could be described as a perfect day, where nothing went wrong, and all the cautions hit at the right times. But there was simply no drama in the race, other than at the start and restarts. But two or three laps after the green flew, it was pretty much over.
Of course, the AP reporter (Mike Harris?) must’ve seen a different race: "But
this was no rout, with Bobby Labonte making things close."
"Close?" Labonte managed to get his nose out
front one time during the race, but Burton powered by him on the outside. Every
time Labonte challenged, Burton was able hold him off and eventually drive away.
And here’s the NASCAR spin, directly from
Mike Helton: "From second (place) on, there was still racing going on."
When was the last time you watched a race to see who finished second?
Maybe it’s time we started inverting the starting
field in Winston Cup races.
WITH RACES LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS MELATONIN?: The New Hampshire race was a promoter’s nightmare. One car dominating all day, leading from green to checkers. It’s bad enough when it happens on a Saturday night 50-lap event. But in modern-day Winston Cup racing?
The plates ended up shaving only about 6 or 7 miles per
hour off the pole speed (which got them just a little slower than the Busch
cars). I think anyone with a little common sense would have realized that plates
were not the answer. But three or four drivers insisted that something be done,
and those drivers have enough clout with NASCAR that NASCAR slowed the cars down
the only way it knows how to.
I’m not a mechanic, so this may be completely off the
wall. Couldn’t you just bolt on a smaller carburetor? Instead of the 750 cfm (or
whatever it is) carb that they use now, why not put a 350 cfm on instead?
As far as the track goes, I don’t think it’s any more
dangerous than any other track. People are quick to say that the folks at
Texas fixed their track when there was a problem. Well, duh. The Texas track was
causing wrecks. At New Hampshire, the wrecks were caused by mechanical problems
in the cars, not the track.
I think it’s fair to say that the cars are going too fast
at ALL the tracks. Not necessarily "too fast" from a safety
point (although that is certainly a consideration), but too fast from a
competition point. In just about every race run this year, one car has
dominated. Granted in most of them, the dominant car didn’t end up winning, but
who wants to sit through 3 hours of cars going in circles with no passing,
except on pit road?
DRIVER SEARCH: Looks like
Jack Roush is looking for another driver to develop for the Winston Cup
Series. What are the qualities in the driver he’s looking for? One would
think that you’d search for a driver who’s had success in another racing
division. One who perhaps has a lot of track time.
But no. Roush’s main criteria? The color
of the driver’s skin.
I have the perfect candidate for him:
Bobby Norfleet.