TNN, INDY, AND FIRES

SAME INITIALS, DIFFERENT NETWORK:
TNN is no more. It’s been replaced by TNN. 

Since the network was bought out by
Viacom, the programming has made subtle changes from the country-lifestyle
oriented network it started out to be. Part of that lifestyle included
motorsports, and one can’t help but wonder if the lack of NASCAR programming for
next year had anything to do with the major programming shift
that started Monday.

TNN (The National Network) is basically a
180 degree turn from TNN (The Nashville Network). While the original version
concentrated on family oriented programming (eg. The Waltons), the new and
"improved" version, based in New York, will offer such shows as Raw is
War.  You could almost call it the Raw is War channel, because WWF
wrestling has historically had huge ratings, usually making up several of the
top spots in the weekly cable ratings.  It’s so big that a couple of New
York cable companies that didn’t already carry TNN decided to start carrying it just
because of the wrestling.

TNN became a part owner of the ASA series
about a year ago.  My guess is that was to ensure that they still had
motorsports programming to present to their audience after NASCAR bailed out on
them. But with Viacom throwing
off other TNN investments (like NASCAR Thunder), I predict that it won’t be long
before they divest themselves of the ASA ownership and abandon motorsports
completely.

Maybe then they could call themselves TNN: The
New York Network.

CLOCKWISE AT INDY: There was
"slipstreaming" and "overtaking" happening at Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Sunday. Some cars were understeering and some were oversteering. 
The cars were all using Bridgestone/Firestone tyres. Yes, I’m talking about the Formula 1
(can I say Formula 1 without paying them $15 million?) race, the United States
Grand Prix. 

Here’s an admission: I don’t get F1. But I
don’t get soccer (excuse me, football) either, so maybe it’s a cultural thing. I
know Winston Cup racing has been somewhat dull this year, but (with the
exception of New Hampshire) at least you don’t know who the winner will be
before the race. With F1, the race for the win is pretty much over after
qualifying… unless they crash on the first lap.

I’m afraid that NASCAR’s top level of
racing is becoming more and more like Formula 1…. The cars are so fast that if
you don’t run in a particular line, you’re running slow. That means no passing.
And no passing means no excitement…. unless watching the race for 25th gets
you excited.

BUT THESE AREN’T FIRESTONES:
Goodyear can’t leave well enough alone. They keep insisting on
"improving" the tires and that’s causing the teams nothing but
trouble… and a few injuries.

Goodyear’s PR people have pretty much
successfully spun the talk that surfaced a few weeks ago about the inner liners
and how the different size liners affect the tire’s spring rate. It looks like
those same spinners are blaming the teams for the failures this week. They’re
saying that the teams weren’t following the recommended camber and tire
pressures. OK. Fair enough. Some teams weren’t.  But some teams that had
problems were following Goodyear’s recommendations. What about those guys?

And what’s the deal with "bad sets of
tires?" Can’t Goodyear’s quality control people get a handle on making all
the tires the same?

Maybe if Goodyear had a little competition
in NASCAR, they’d work on building a truly better tire.

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE FIRES?: I can’t
remember a race weekend where there were more fires resulting from wrecks. There
were several cars that caught on fire between the Busch cars and the Winston Cup
cars after making contact with the wall or another car. What’s up with that?

With all the talk about safety lately, why
doesn’t NASCAR mandate some sort of fuel (or oil) pump cutoff switch? Or if they
already do, why are they failing?

Is it a problem with the placement of
these pumps? The Chevy and Ford engines place the fuel and oil pumps in
different areas. If one wreckes, the problem is a fuel fire. If the other
wrecks, it’s an oil fire. Perhaps the pumps need to be relocated to a less
vulnerable spot.

NASCAR needs to investigate this problem
before it’s too late.

WHY "CHEATERS" SHOULD BE
DISQUALIFIED: NASCAR is doing its best to make racing into a
"legitimate" sport…one that gets more than 7 or 8 minutes a month on
SportsCenter or makes the local news even when there isn’t a death. Unfortunately, they’re not really helping themselves. One reason
is that whenever a team is found "cheating", or using
"unapproved" parts, or whatever, they don’t take away the finish
position.

I read an article on the highly
liberal-slanted Slate
site that finally drove this point home to me. It’s bad enough that the author
of the piece perceives NASCAR racing as a sport "where the major corporate
involvement comes from oil and tobacco; where Confederate flags dot the
grandstands; where burning fuel, leaking brake fluid, and littered beer cans and
Winston butts congeal in an odious, environmental dystopia." But his point
of allowing a team that cheats to keep the win is valid.

(Aside to all the Jeff Gordon fans out
there: Notice that I haven’t called Jeff Gordon or his team
"cheaters," either in this column or my previous ones. But if the
sanctions that NASCAR imposed on Gordon and his team withstand the appeal this
week, then all bets are off.)

Granted, the guy from Slate isn’t exactly
the poster boy for objective reporting (the fact that a tobacco company sponsors
the series is enough for the Slate types to criticize the sport). But when you
get through all of the liberal bias, his point is still valid.

The point is, if you do something outside
the rules, then you’re cheating. Plain and simple. If you cheat, you should be
disqualified. I don’t know why NASCAR wants it both ways, other than to please
their sponsors or the teams’ sponsors. Look at the Olympics (is that another
word I can’t say on the Internet?). Imagine the uproar that would ensue if a gold
medal winner tested positive for drugs, but instead of stripping him of the
medal and the win, they just took the medal: "Here’s the person who won the
100 meter race, but because he tested positive for drugs, we’re not awarding him
the medal. But he did cross the finish line first, so he’s the winner of the
race."