Welcome, one and all, to another wholesome edition of NASCAR Speed Addicts here at the Pulse. I’m your host with the most for the most entertaining ten minutes of your life that you’ll never have back, so you better get comfortable. We’ve got a ton of stuff to hit today, including a comprehensive preview of the 1st half of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup season, not to mention the headlines from around NASCAR nation. We’ll also check in with another edition to the hottest feature this side of a Cleveland Browns fan club: “Know Your NASCAR” trivia, plus an in depth look at the problems from the 2004 Nextel Cup season as documented by one Jim Carson. But we begin first with our countdown to the Great American Race, the Daytona 500.
Countdown to Daytona 2005
The countdown towards the 2005 running of the “Great American Race”, the Daytona 500 has begun! With the NFL playoffs winding down, and Spring Training a little over two months away, the time trials and test-driving sessions are beginning to heat up in Daytona Beach. We continue to inch closer to the beginning of Speed Weeks in February, as veteran Dale Jarrett remains among the fastest in testing so far. The Rolex 24 endurance race is run in the weeks leading up to the 500, as “Preseason Thunder” then begins. On February 12th, the Budweiser Shootout takes place. The Daytona 500 is two weeks following the Shootout, on February 20th, 2005. There are 30 days left before the green flag drops on the 2005 Nextel Cup Season.
Racing News and Headlines
The following news bit is too good to pass up on. Through Wednesday morning testing, MB2/MBV Motorsports teammates Joe Nemechek and Scott Riggs again had the fastest times posted in the past week’s test runs. In fact, the Nemechek/Riggs combo posted two of three cumulative speeds in excess of 185 MPH (Nemechek clocked in at 185.605 MPH, Riggs posted a 185.601 MPH speed). The fact that the two teammates are running so well (at such a close interval to one another) is encouraging to see, considering the fact that both Riggs and Nemechek are apart of one of the smaller operations that could really use a good showing at Daytona. Just seeing Nemechek running as well as he has over the past five to six months is nice to see, because Joe is one of the more colorful yet good-natured drivers in the garage. Plus, he’s not Kurt Busch, so that’s always a positive.
Michael Waltrip Set for New Experiences in 2004
This is a continuation of last week’s look at the shakeup in the DEI organization from Junior’s point of view. This week, we take a look at Michael Waltrip, who will take the green flag in this year’s Daytona 500 with his third crew chief since the 2004 running of the same event. Tony Eury Jr. will man the post that Pete Rondeau held throughout the final half of the 2004 season, when long-time crew chief Slugger Labbe was let go from the #15 NAPA Chevrolet team.
Despite my disappointment when Labbe left the team this past year, I can’t help but feel excited for Michael Waltrip and Co. The trade-off that Junior and Mikey made benefits Waltrip more than it does Earnhardt, in my estimation. Rondeau is relatively new in the DEI organization, whereas Tony Eury Jr. has been a mainstay for the duration of Junior’s Winston/Nextel Cup career. Again, I point to the success that Eury has had over the past few seasons, including this past year’s Daytona 500 victory while serving as the crew chief for the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet team. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like Junior is making a New York Yankees-esque mistake here in trying to bring in a new part and throwing it into the Budweiser Chevrolet machine, hoping to strike Nextel Cup gold. The move is particularly good for Waltrip, who went winless in 2004 despite having decent runs in the final few races. Eury brings his credible success from fifteen victories with Earnhardt Jr. along with him.
Daytona Qualifying Altered
I wont harp on this too much (since its covered later on in the column), but it bares mentioning that NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway officials have once again tinkered with the qualifying format for the Daytona 500. Essentially, the Top 35 finishers in points from the previous Nextel Cup season are guaranteed entry into the Daytona 500, circa the setup for the Gatorade Duel/Twins. Depending on whether or not a driver finished in an odd-numbered place in the points (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.) or an even-numbered place (2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.) will determine which of the two qualifying races that the driver will be entered into. This basically means that the Duels are simply there to determine where a majority of the drivers will be starting, as opposed to knocking most of them out.
The notable exception is for the drivers that were not among the Top 35 in points from the previous season. For them, they would have to finish 1st or 2nd among the other drivers who failed to make the Top 35 in points in order to enter the Daytona 500. The pole position and the 2nd place will still be based on the qualifying times that take place prior to the running of the Gatorade Duels. [Credit: NASCAR.com]
Kasey Kahne: the Alliteration-Fearing Monster
NASCAR Sophomore Kasey Kahne is looking forward to his second year in the #9 Dodge. The 2004 Rookie of the Year, Kahne is coming off of an incredible rookie season where he amassed more photo-finish worthy 2nd place purses than any other driver in recent memory. Much like Jimmie Johnson two years ago, Kahne is gaining a lot of momentum in his early years, and could be an underdog contender in the Chase for the Cup. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves though, Kahne has yet to win his first NASCAR Nextel Cup event. Despite having incredible talent on the race track (a necessity, considering the legend he replaced last year), Kahne had a terrible habit of coming up short at the very end of races last season. If he can get that first win over with, Kasey Kahne could very well be a factor by the time the series reaches Homestead again in November.
2005 Formula 1 Car Launches
F1 contenders have begun to unveil their new cars for the upcoming 2005 F1 season. Toyota, Sauber, and BAR have all unveiled their newest prototypes for the approaching season, and each brand has announced their intentions for the upcoming schedule: BAR wants a victory in 2005, Sauber wants to become a competitive entity, and Toyota looks to make a dent in the championship standings. Having almost no knowledge of F1, its hard for me to really grasp how important it is for these car launches to the rest of the world. As an American, I’m privy to hearing about the greatness of guys like Michael Schumacher, who seemingly dominate the series. Hopefully, ABC will increase its F1 coverage in the coming years, because only die-hard F1 fans in the States can really get the full coverage that the series deserves. [Credit: TotalF1.com]
Know Your NASCAR
This section is geared more towards international readers as opposed to American readers, who probably know a bit more about NASCAR racing by sheer osmosis. Each week, we’ll drive headlong into a facet of Stock Car Racing here in the United States, whether it be a bit about the sport itself, its personalities, or its history. This week, we’ll begin our Daytona 2005 tour with a look back at the five greatest finishes in Daytona 500 races in history.
As most of you know (had you read my first column, which can be found here.), last week’s installment of KYN dealt with the formation of NASCAR, along with a bit about the first Daytona 500. With that in mind, it comes as no great surprise to NASCAR fans and casual readers alike that narrowing down an American classic 46 years in the making is no small task (Ed. Note: I incorrectly listed the first Daytona 500 on the current-day site as having took place in 1957. The actual date is February 22nd, 1959, not 1957). And, as always, choosing five races from a collection of over forty plus will always involve a lot of personal opinion on by part. Having said that, let us take a look at the five most incredible finishes in Daytona 500 history.
Noteworthy Omission: 2001 Daytona 500
I felt the need to clarify the specific reasons why the 2001 Daytona 500 is not among the greatest finishes in 500 history, despite the fact that my favorite driver won his first race here. For starters, I’m a bit hesitant to categorize something where a man loses his life as being “great”. Second of all, aside from Dale Earnhardt’s crash, the ending to the race itself was not really exciting enough to warrant a spot on the top five, aside from the emotionally charged commentary from Darrell Waltrip during the final lap. Had Earnhardt not been hurt in the crash, then the race might have more value to me. As it is, though, you’ll be hard pressed to find another moment in NASCAR where you can feel simultaneously joyful and solemn at the same time.
Honorable Mention: 1998 Daytona 500
Once again, I just couldn’t find it in myself to place this race in the main five, considering the fact that it ended under caution. Still, the race is one of the most memorable considering the outcome of the event.
5. 1990 Daytona 500
There will always be underdogs that come through with a classic upset over the heavily favored drivers, but no such occasion is as timeless as the 1990 Daytona 500. On this afternoon, Dale Earnhardt was in the lead as the white flag fell on the race. Would this finally be the year for Earnhardt to capture the elusive Daytona 500? Until his 2001 accident, one of Dale Earnhardt’s most documented, publicized, and examined Daytona mishaps occurred: heading into the final turns, Earnhardt cut his right front tire, and fell off the pace dramatically. This allowed eternal field-filler and general mediocre driver Derrike Cope, who was running second at the time, to pass Dale Earnhardt with less than a quarter-lap to go in the race. Cope managed to hold off 2nd place finisher Terry Labonte long enough to claim his first (and only) victory in NASCAR Winston/Nextel Cup racing. The race is remembered as much for Cope’s victory as it is for the expression on Theresa Earnhardt’s face, who was shown on television watching the ending of the race unfold from her RV in Daytona. Earnhardt would have to wait eight more years before he finally got his first Daytona 500 victory.
4. 1959 Daytona 500
The inaugural Daytona 500 at its current site was the scene for what quite possibly is the most exciting finish to a race in history. The event came down to two men, Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp. In the final laps, Petty and Beauchamp swapped paint feverishly, allowing veteran Joe Weatherly (who was two laps down at the time) to catch up with the lead draft. On the final lap of the race, both Petty and Beauchamp came down towards the tri-oval side by side. Things got complicated when Joe Weatherly inexplicably attempted to pass both Beauchamp and Petty, as all three drivers crossed the finish line at roughly the same time! The race winner wasn’t officially declared until the following Wednesday, despite Johnny Beauchamp proclaiming victory. Lee Petty was discovered to have barely edged out Beauchamp at the start/finish line via newsreel footage, and was thus declared the winner of the first Daytona 500!
3. 2002 Daytona 500
This is rarely talked about gem of a race, despite only being three years old! Known more for its chicanery at the end of the race than the literal finish of the race, the 2002 running of the Great American Race saw more twists and turns than an episode of 24 (or, for wrestling fans, a Vince Russo script). The race, which was red-flagged due to a bizarre restart-induced caution that sent half a dozen cars into the Daytona infield, including race leader Jeff Gordon, who attempted to block Sterling Marlin but was inadvertently spun out in the process. Things was further complicated when Sterling Marlin, the front-runner and favorite at the time, got out of his car during the race stoppage to examine (and half-heartedly try to repair) some damage that he picked up during the melee. As a result of this rule violation, Marlin was essentially black flagged, and put at the end of the longest line. This opened the way for Ward Burton, who held off Tony Stewart to win a controversial but exciting Daytona 500.
2. 1979 Daytona 500
1979 was the first year that the Daytona 500 was televised live on TV, and to this day remains one of the most exciting (and bruising) finishes ever seen in auto racing. As the white flag fell on an exciting race, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough came down to the start/finish line, nose to tail. As the two came off of Turn 2, Yarborough came out of the draft with Allison and attempted to pass the leader. The two swapped paint… and touched again… and both men started bouncing off each other like pinballs, finally creating enough momentum to carry both cars into the wall in Turn 3! A.J. Foyt, who was running third at the time, slowed upon seeing the wreck in front of him. This, in turn, allowed 4th place Richard Petty and 5th place Darrell Waltrip to pass Foyt, and in turn place themselves in contention for the win! Petty came off Turn 4 and into the tri-oval with the lead, and managed to hold off a maniacal Darrell Waltrip, who on four worn out tires simply could not muster enough momentum to pass Petty for the victory. The fireworks were just getting started though, as both Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison emerged from their cars and immediately went into a shoving match by their wrecked cars. Cooler heads wouldn’t prevail, either, as Cale and Donnie began to throw the punches! The whole ordeal escalated again when Donnie Allison’s brother Bobby jumped into the fray as well, turning the whole crash scene into a battle royal of sorts! The pre-finish and post-race activities still rank amongst the most exciting in NASCAR history to this day.
1. 1976 Daytona 500
There have been many exciting finishes in the history of NASCAR, but the 1976 Daytona 500 arguably has the greatest of them all. The immortalized ending of the race is well known to older NASCAR fans by now; the race came down to the final lap of the event, as Richard Petty and David Pearson, who had been swapping the lead for nearly a hundred laps prior, came down to the white flag. Petty headed into the first turn with the lead, but handling problems on his car forced his STP car to drift up the track, allowing Pearson to pass him for the lead. Down the super stretch, Petty got one last run on Pearson, and managed to duck underneath his car heading into the final turns. As the two were coming off Turn 4, Petty almost had Pearson cleared when Petty’s car slip up the track again, tagging Pearson’s front bumper. The two cars then proceeded to swerve across the track, smashing into each other and spinning down through the tri-oval towards the start/finish line and the checkered flag! Petty spun down towards the infield grass, while David Pearson’s damaged car began to coast towards the checkered flag. Petty actually ended up closer to the start/finish line than Pearson did, but his radiator had literally been knocked backwards into his engine, rendering the car unable to start. Pearson managed to coast his crippled car across the start/finish line before the 3rd place driver at the time could come back around to the start finish line. Petty, who desperately tried to restart his car before Pearson crossed the line, actually had to get help from his pit crew, as they literally pushed Petty across the start/finish line! But it was all for not, as Pearson managed to take home the 1976 Daytona 500, and with it, the most incredible Daytona 500 finish in history.
Views From NASCAR Nation
This section of the column came about after I received an email from fellow racing fan Jim Carson, who took the time to write up a crazy-good piece on the problems he saw with NASCAR in 2004. After reading over his work, I felt compelled to add this section from now on just to share with the rest of the world others’ opinions on the crazy sport that we all love and adore.
Today’s American motorsports landscape is dominated by NASCAR. NASCAR fans are growing in number and in passion, but many motorsports followers are cheering too hard or are just not familiar enough with stock car racing’s past, present and future to realize that their beloved sanctioning body isn’t always doing what’s best for the sport.
This part, more than anything else, caught my eye, simply because of the fun my racing buddies had this past season, mocking Helton and NASCAR for their stupidity. Granted, most new racing fans nowadays have neither the historical context nor knowledge of their beloved “racin”. That’s why I’m here, folks.
Here are 10 things that NASCAR has done horribly wrong in the past 12 months:
10. A silly request by NASCAR and the new-for-2004 title sponsor of the top circuit, Nextel. I caught a glance of a NASCAR memo to employees saying that when referring to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, the name of the wireless phone company is supposed to be in all caps. Yeah, right. You see Nextel in all caps in a few team-generated or series press releases, but for the most part news outlets and everyone else (including stories on NASCAR’s own website) are writing it the proper way. The company’s actual name is Nextel Communications, but they want it to be in all caps in reference to racing? I don’t think so.
9. Practically ignoring some of its other divisions, namely the four Late Model series that make up the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division (Southwest, Northwest, Southeast, and Midwest). Before the NASCAR contracts went to Fox and NBC (2000 and before), each of the four series managed to have a few races aired on TV, often live or same-day. That number was reduced after the Fox/NBC deals, but a few races would at least air on a delay of a few weeks on Speed Channel or Fox Sports Net. But this year there were no national broadcasts, only a few that would air on cable access channels and other local outlets. The top 10 drivers in each of the four tours came together at Irwindale CA to race on live TV in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, but some of those guys raced themselves into the poorhouse just trying to get to Irwindale.
There is some good news regarding the regional NASCAR series around the country, though. Over the past few months, NASCAR and Nextel have begun to push for more recognition of the Late Model series. For the first time since… uh, ever, the EA Sports video game franchise included several of the subordinate racing series in their latest NASCAR Thunder franchise. Not much, but it’s a start. Also, NASCAR is looking towards expanding its Busch series circuit into Mexico (cf. March 2005). The main problem with the AutoZone Elite Division is that it’s a regional enterprise, and it just doesn’t work on a national stage. Granted, its coverage has declined over the past few years, but with NASCAR experiencing a boom period right now, the market just isn’t primed for an over-saturated racing market. Ratings weren’t high enough to warrant the series on the Speed Network, though Legends Car racing and the Modified Division still operate as always at your local speedway. Its just a matter of ratings and money to the network execs, I’m afraid.
To top that off, NASCAR reduced the purses for most of these races (11-15 per series), instead adding some of that money to the year-end payouts. That really hurt the drivers that didn’t run the full schedule, and the full-timers could have really used that money during the season as well. These aren’t Nextel Cup operations; most of these guys have other jobs and their teams often have just one or no full-time employees. But then, it’s one of several instances where NASCAR is unnecessarily (and harmfully) further splitting the haves and the have-nots.
I don’t think this move was essentially the NASCAR execs trying to blacklist these part-time and smaller teams into racing the full schedule as it was merely a way to cut back on the money being shelled out. Keep in mind, NASCAR is responsible for covering a lot of the tabs that accumulate over the course of a season, and the gates from some of these tracks may not be enough to cover it (especially in the smaller, more regional divisions). With network advertising almost non-existent, it’s all a matter of reasonable fiscal management, nothing more. NASCAR has nothing to gain from stiffing the future of its sport.
8. Stonewalling potential Nextel Cup team sponsors. First is the exclusivity clause that Nextel insisted upon, meaning that other cellular service companies can’t come into the sport. Alltel and Cingular are allowed to stay via a grandfather clause, as long as they stay with their current teams (Alltel with Penske and Cingular with Richard Childress). But AT&T, which was an associate sponsor (and primary for seven races) in 2003 for Ken Schrader and BAM Racing, a one-car team in an age where there aren’t many left, wanted to increase its role last year, but NASCAR and Nextel said no. Fortunately Schrader found another sponsor in Schwan’s Food Service a few weeks before the Daytona 500.
The second case is with another single-car team with an even smaller budget, the Arnold Motorsports #50 driven at the start of the season by Derrike Cope. The car showed up for one early-season race with a web site called Redneckjunk.com (an auto parts trading site) on the hood. The operators of the site reported something like a bazillion hits in the following few days. Then the next week NASCAR said the site couldn’t sponsor a car, because of the “redneck” image from which NASCAR was trying to separate itself.
You forgot about the infamous “Butt Paste” sponsor that was trying to find a driver during the season! It even got a mention on Pardon the Interruption!
2004 was a season where there were only 35 teams with decent funding, so every week there were two to six teams that were blatant field-fillers, guys that would park it after 20 laps and call the reason “engine trouble” and pocket at least $30,000 for finishing last. Yet NASCAR found ways to drive away decent money. Ridiculous. Now we know why NASCAR backed off on its ban of hard liquor sponsors for 2005; the officials must have been gulping that stuff down themselves.
7. Not finding a way to get John Kerry to a Nextel Cup race for an appearance, perhaps to give the starting command. You think George W. Bush’s campaign didn’t benefit from that drop-in at the Daytona 500? Is it any wonder why a poll of the top 10 Nextel Cup drivers revealed that nine of them voted for Bush?
I shudder to think what fans in the stands, and especially in the infield, had to go through in security checks at the 500. I can also picture Tony Stewart kicking some uniformed guy’s hand-held metal detector under a trailer.
I’ll leave the Dubbya hating for professionals like Eric Szulczewski. I’m a novice at this sort of thing, I’m sad to say.
6. Horrible handling of “Bottlegate,” the conflict between Pepsi/Gatorade-sponsored drivers and the big bottles of Powerade (a Coca-Cola product) in victory lane. Drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth would swat away the Powerade bottles that were placed atop their cars in victory lane before their celebrations and interviews. NASCAR threatened fines, so at the next race Jimmie Johnson (another driver with a Pepsi deal) placed a big Lowe’s sign (it might have been a toolbox) on his car in front of the Powerade before he was interviewed, and NASCAR fined him anyway. At the next race Gordon won, and he did celebratory donuts on the front stretch and climbed out of the car there to avoid the conflict, and NASCAR didn’t like that either.
In such a sponsor-driven sport, NASCAR should not force these conflicts. My solution for the Pepsi-backed drivers is to open the Powerade bottles and spray them over the crew and other people in VL, then drink a Gatorade and proudly show it off to the camera. And my solution for NASCAR is instead of having Powerade bottles placed atop the winning car, they should have the TV networks place a Powerade logo on a corner of the screen during the victory lane celebrations and interviews.
I really like the Powerade logo on the screen idea, but nevertheless, there will always be conflicting interests when it comes to NASCAR. With sponsors playing such a vital role in the sport (no other sport relies more on sponsors than Auto Racing), conflicts come with the territory. And with every conflict comes a cute solution that will incur the wrath of Mike Helton. Witness Robbie Gordon, who would black out the NASCAR Nextel Cup patch on his uniform since his sponsor was Cingular!
For the record, I like most Coca-Cola products more, but I prefer Gatorade over Powerade.
There’s nothing better than a nice, cold bottle of Gatorade Frost after a long game of basketball (or football/baseball/softball for that matter).
5. Suspending Steve Hmiel, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s spotter, from the Homestead finale for words used over the team scanner. Two days earlier in the Craftsman Truck race, Hmiel was criticizing a call by NASCAR that went against his son Shane. He wasn’t talking to NASCAR or any officials; he was complaining to his own teammates over the team’s radio frequency. As you can figure, his language was a bit colorful at times. But NASCAR has no right to discipline anyone for talk over a scanner. Any youngster or Bible-thumping fan with a scanner is much more likely to hear worse language in the parking lot after the race or with his own family or group away from the track.
I agree to a certain extent. It really felt like a Communist/Fascist secret police that was out to get Hmiel after his comments. But at the same time, NASCAR is a working entity, and a (usually) professional business. They do have the right to discipline their employees for inappropriate behavior on race days. Whether or not the punishment fit the crime is definitely an interesting point to debate, though.
I’m torn on Junior’s point-reduction penalty after cursing on camera after winning at Talladega. NASCAR set the precedent earlier in the season with Johnny Sauter and Ron Hornaday Jr., so it would have been difficult to turn its back on this one. On the other hand, the first two instances were in anger, while Dale’s was a spur-of-the-moment cheer. Oh well, back to the items that were NASCAR’s biggest mistakes…
I weaseled out of the whole deal back when the incident occurred by simply chalking up the big hoopla surrounding the S-bomb due to fear from the almighty FCC and its merciless wrath. I took the middle road then (and still do now), by claiming that the fine was appropriate but the docked points was excessive and unnecessary. Considering how close the Chase for the Cup was this year, what if Junior had ended up losing out to Kurt Busch by less than 25 points (the amount he was docked for)? Food for thought.
4. Screwing with the qualifying procedure. In recent seasons, the fastest 36 qualifiers (38 in 2004) started according to their time trial speeds, then there were seven (five in 2004) provisionals based on team points. There were limits on the number of provisionals a team could take during a season. Last year it was 10, with a few allowances for more (such as when only 43 cars showed up to a race), but only one team ran out of provisionals in 2004, field-filler Kirk Shelmerdine. In 2005, the top 35 teams in owner points will be locked into the field each week, so there will only be eight spots available for other cars (and one will be left for a past champion, if Terry Labonte or Bill Elliott happens to be competing that week). In the first five races of 2005, this rule will go by the 2004 team owner points.
This is stupid. This will discourage part-time teams from showing up, especially at races that usually draw big fields such as the Charlotte races or the Brickyard 400. This is also horrible news for the full-time teams 36th on back; there were only 37 teams that attempted every race in 2004, but there should be 42 or 43 this year. If the 36th-place guy (which in 2004 was the Morgan-McClure team, #4, which has not named a driver yet for this year) has an engine problem or something else go wrong on the qualifying lap, he is locked out of the field.
I really can’t argue that point. I’ve never been a fan of qualifying to begin with (I was nearly forced to Pole Night in Charlotte every May for what seemed like an eternity against my will), but the 2004 changes do indeed shun away the part-time teams. The only explanation I can think of on NASCAR’s behalf is to try and eliminate some of these field-fillers and attempt to bring in contending teams. This is not to say that Morgan-McClure or other one car teams don’t show up to compete, but NASCAR is evolving into a national endeavor, and its Southern roots and heritage (where local businessmen used to put cars into events like the World 600 and the Southern 500 for the Hell of it) are going to be sacrificed like a virgin to help along its expansion.
There were two races last year where full-time teams missed the field because of high car counts, and this is a poor knee-jerk reaction. Making it even more absurd is the fact that they haven’t figured out how to use the new rule for the Daytona 500, where in the past NASCAR has taken the top 14-15 cars from each of the twin qualifying races on Thursday, then the next six or eight fastest cars by qualifying speed.
The Gatorade 125’s (or 150’s this year, I believe) are so convoluted that its almost impossible to try and rationalize the necessity for them, aside from Speed Weeks romanticism.
As stupid as this rule is for Nextel Cup, it is even worse in the Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series, where NASCAR is also going with this rule in 2005. The top 30 teams in owner points will be locked in, leaving only 13 available spots for other cars in Busch races and only SIX in the Trucks. Last year there were only 22 Busch teams that ran the full schedule and had decent funding (not counting a couple of blatant field-fillers like the #49 car). So this rule is assuring that some field-fillers will be given starting spots, and if there are a bunch of Cup invaders in the Busch race that week, there will be only a handful of spots (or maybe zero) available for part-time Busch teams without big budgets and Cup connections. It’s even more disastrous in the Truck series. Part-time teams will REALLY be discouraged from giving it a try under this rule.
3. Eliminating Rockingham from the schedule. I’m not too disappointed about Darlington losing a race, partly because that track still has one, although it’s a shame losing the tradition of the Southern 500. But abandoning Rockingham, which produced much better racing (multiple grooves) than Darlington (where the second groove is the concrete wall) is just wrong. This one’s a bit personal, because Rockingham is the only track where I’ve attended a Cup race (February 1996), but there’s no way that this marvelous mile oval deserves to go the way of North Wilkesboro.
Most new fans probably have no clue in Hell where North Wilkesboro is or was (or another favorite of mine, Riverside for that matter). North Wilkesboro is a speck of a track (think Bristol, without all the fancy renovations as such) that was probably one of my favorite tracks on the circuit until they closed it down a few years ago. There was rumors for awhile that NASCAR veteran Junior Johnson was going to open the track back up for limited use, but the racing surface itself is so deteriorated (along with most of the grandstands) that it proved too much of a financial burden. Having said all that, I’m sad to see both Rockingham races gone now, and it pisses me off that Darlington has one race left. But what really plants a bug up my ass is the fact that the Southern 500 was the race that got bounced like the unwanted red-headed stepchild. Sadly enough, this was most likely done to try and rid Darlington of its only remaining race. With its most popular (and attended) date now gone, Bruton Smith can use the dwindled attendance in May to move the race. If Kansas or Chicagoland gets Darlington’s final race at any point in the future, I’m taking baseball bats to everyone responsible.
2. One word: Chase. In case you were hiding all of last year, NASCAR decided to take the top 10 drivers with 10 races remaining (actually anyone within 400 points of first would have been included, but the number was 10) and wiped away their points. Those 10 drivers were separated from the rest, actually given between 5000 and 5050 points, making it mathematically impossible for 11th on back to reach 10th. The top 10, called the “Chase” drivers, and then were left to decide the championship among themselves. Kurt Busch was eighth before the reset and stood more than 300 points out of first (more than twice the difference in points between first place and last in a race) to win the “chase.”
The “chase” allowed Busch and a few other drivers to forget about 300+ point deficits with one stroke of a keyboard, produced a fake champion, and robbed Jamie McMurray
of a chance to race his way into the top 10 in the final standings (he would have placed tied for sixth under the 2003 system). Don’t give me this crap about the $1 million bonus for the 11th-place finisher, because for these guys and teams who deal with budgets and sponsor commitments in the tens of millions, it’s not about the money. But it is about the money for the sponsors of teams who aren’t in the “chase” because the TV networks practically ignored many of the teams outside the “chase,” so those sponsors can’t be happy about the reduced exposure they’re getting. Someday soon, we’re going to see a sponsorship arrangement for 26 races, and if that team isn’t in the top 10 after 26, that sponsor could leave the team high and dry.
The “chase,” which fortunately is limited to Nextel Cup, was created just for the sake of a few TV ratings and interest in some tricked-up system. That one word means five words to me. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid. On top of all that, NASCAR warned drivers and teams not to criticize the new format. Stupid and also restricting freedom of speech.
I hate to disagree with you, but I have to here. Call me crazy, but I actually liked the Chase for the Cup, and here’s why: under the 2003 format (and prior to that), there was no concrete way to determine how the season would play out. On the one hand, you could have yourself a 1992 style ending, where the Championship hunt came down to the final laps in Atlanta. At the same time, you could end up with a 2003 type season, where consistency (i.e. “boring” to the new NASCAR “fans”) made for a rather uneventful championship run for Matt Kenseth.
I enjoy playoffs much more than I do the regular season in other sports. NASCAR, until 2004, lacked a true playoff system, and I think it really left an integral part of the sport out. What you have to do is look at the new system from afar, and notice the subtle but important changes it brings. Under the new system, drivers are essentially running a schedule that is ten races shorter, which should put a spark up their behinds to run harder and more competitively (whereas in the past they may have been content to run conservatively). Beyond that, the new system opens up the competition for the Nextel Cup. In previous years, you were lucky to have two-three people in contention for the Winston Cup at most. In 2004, there were five drivers who had a shot to walk away with the Cup at Homestead, the last race of the season. Moreover, this system doesn’t reward consistency like the past setup does. Witness Matt Kenseth, who had a decent run in the Chase, finishing at or near the top 10 eight out of the ten races. But those two races, where he ran into trouble, cost him. In past seasons, he probably would have held onto his points lead. It adds drama to the setup, to say the least.
And, to add one last point about the “non-chase” drivers that don’t get airtime, it should be noted that a noticeable portion of the television coverage on NBC was devoted to the race for 11th position in the points. Beyond that, the only time that the chase drivers dominated the TV play-by-play was when two or more of them would wind up together on the track, just to see if sparks would fly. Considering the shitty coverage NBC has to begin with, I thought that airtime was pretty much unbiased throughout the nine Chase races. Homestead I can understand, with it being the final race of the season.
1. Scheduling more Saturday night Nextel Cup races. Just eight short years ago there were three (the Winston and fall races at Bristol and Richmond). In 2003 and 2004 there were six (add Richmond in May, Daytona in July, and Charlotte in October). This season there will be eight (add May races in Darlington and Phoenix).
This is a horrible development, especially because I am one of thousands of people who make a living in the field of regional stock car racing and weekly short tracks, and the majority of events in this field are on Saturday nights. A number of these tracks are afraid to schedule races on some or all of these dates because they’re afraid that fans will stay home and watch NASCAR on TV.
This is just another example of how Big Bully NASCAR is abandoning its roots in favor of what it perceives as growth. This problem was a novelty in the mid-’90s. It grew to a nuisance, and now it’s on the verge of being a cancer to the sport.
If NASCAR and NBC/Fox want later start times on Sundays to bleed into prime time, that’s fine. But NASCAR Nextel Cup racing does not need Saturday nights to grow and prosper. Regional racing and weekly short tracks need Saturday nights to survive.
This is really tough for me, because of the conflicting interests involved. For one, I love night racing, and its really only feasible on a Friday or Saturday night considering the death-slot that is Sunday night (it’s the same argument I’ve had with wrestling Pay Per Views for years now). At the same token, Saturday night isn’t a great timeslot for racing (or anything else) for that matter, but you can’t deny the appeal of night racing at Bristol and Richmond. On the other hand, I love dirt track and local promotion racing too, so I can definitely see the problem here. Of course, this kind of problem isn’t restricted to just NASCAR. Similar problems are found in baseball and the NHL (when it operates), when cities with Minor League franchises find it impossible to compete with their Major League counterparts. It’s hard to tinker with the format now, though, since the Busch Series drivers (and the ARCA/Craftsman Truck guys by default) are affected by the Nextel Cup Schedule. You essentially have to eliminate night races altogether to solve the problem, which just wont happen anytime soon. Fortunately, the new trend seems to be putting on night races on Sunday evening in the early spring and fall (see California this past season for reference), so that these races could be run fairly early in the evening but still be considered a night race for that primetime appeal, thanks to the wonderful apparatus known as Daylight Savings Time.
* Again, thanks to Jim Carson for sending in an incredible piece. It’s refreshing to see people that care enough about auto racing enough to write about the sport as they see it (not to mention helping me fill up column space)! Everyone is welcome to send in their own comments or editorials, and I’ll be happy to give you a place to express yourself. It’s a free world, after all.
2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season Preview (Daytona to Infineon)
With the 2005 Nextel Cup Season less than a month away, it’s time to start looking ahead to the potential contenders, flops, and rookies to look out for in the coming months. The Preseason Thunder stretch is an important time for NASCAR columnists, as we begin to look for potential trends and leads heading into Daytona, and beyond the 500 for that matter. Thus, this week, we’ll take a look at the first half of the upcoming 2005 season, covering everything from Daytona to Infineon Raceway. So, without any further ado, let’s pull those seat belt straps tight and go “Boogity Boogity Boogity”.
Daytona 500
Date: February 20th, 2005 – Daytona Beach, Florida
Time: 1 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004 Pole: Greg Biffle
Analysis: It’s the Daytona 500, baby! This is as good as it gets for a NASCAR fan, let me tell you. I have to go with Michael Waltrip this time out, because he probably has the most to prove out of all the winless veterans from a year ago. Waltrip, who is racing with Eury Jr. now, is a two-time winner of this event, and is incredible at the restrictor plate tracks. I think that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both may wind up in contention, but something inside me is screaming Waltrip, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Auto Club 500
Date: February 27th, 2005 – Fontana, California
Time: 2 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: First Running
2004 Pole: N/A
Analysis: This is the first time that California will have its first race of the season in February. Typically, Hendrick Racing does good here, as does some of the Rousch boys. Ryan Newman has always had a particularly good car in Fontana, and with the way he runs on the two-mile speedways nowadays, I think he carries the edge in California. Jimmie Johnson is also a top pick circa his incredible run at California’s sister track, Michigan in 2004.
UAW DaimlerChrysler 400
Date: March 13th, 2005 – Las Vegas, Nevada
Time: 2 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Matt Kenseth
2004 Pole: Kasey Kahne
Analysis: Rousch Racing has always been strong at Las Vegas, going back to the fastest lap time ever turned at the track (that being accomplished by Mark Martin). Ryan Newman is another great bet (no pun intended) for Vegas, though I myself would most likely look out for the 2004 Pole winner, Kasey Kahne. Vegas may just be the site for the rookie Kahne’s first NASCAR victory.
Golden Corral 500
Date: March 20th, 2005 – Hampton, Georgia
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004 Pole: Ryan Newman
Analysis: Until the previous season, Atlanta used to be the unofficial headquarters for Joe Gibbs racing. Bobby Labonte in particular used to own Atlanta like no one’s business, and if Labonte is to have any sort of resurgence in 2005, Atlanta has to be his starting point.
Food City 500
Date: April 3rd, 2005 – Bristol, Tennessee
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Kurt Busch
2004 Pole: Ryan Newman
Analysis: Kurt Busch may be a penis, but he can run at Bristol. It takes a special kind of driver to dominate in Thunder Valley. Of course, Busch is just lucky in my opinion, but others like the guy, so who am I to argue. Rusty Wallace is a threat at short tracks, and may have something of a chance here. Expect him to be a non-factor throughout the year, though.
Advance Auto Parts 500
Date: April 10th, 2005 – Martinsville, Virginia
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Rusty Wallace
2004 Pole: Jeff Gordon
Analysis: Jeff Gordon runs well at Martinsville, but so does Tony Stewart. Rusty Wallace again is always a considerable choice to win, if only because he won here so often. If under the gun, go with Gordon, though Newman and Kevin Harvick shouldn’t be ignored, either.
Samsung/Radio Shack 500
Date: April 17th, 2005 – Justin, Texas
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Elliott Sadler
2004 Pole: Bobby Labonte
Analysis: Texas is one of the few tracks that really doesn’t play into the hands of any one team. Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler both had incredible runs here in 2004, but I would keep my eye on Jimmie Johnson. With Johnson’s dominance in Charlotte last year, he should find the carbon-copy track of Charlotte found in Texas to be fairly similar. Johnson will take the Samsung/Radio Shack 500.
Subway Fresh 500
Date: April 23rd, 2005 – Phoenix, Arizona
Time: 7:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: First Running
2004 Pole: N/A
Analysis: This will be a special race for me, as it not only takes place at one of my favorite tracks, but will also make for one killer birthday party (okay, so it wont, sue me). Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon are always good choices here, but Phoenix tends to produce relative unknowns in victory lane for some reason. Or at least, guys that don’t have too much success. I think Dale Jarrett may finally get out of the loss column and back into victory lane here, though this is merely a wild guess.
Aaron’s 499
Date: May 1st, 2005 – Talladega, Alabama
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2004 Pole: Ricky Rudd
Analysis: Talladega and Daytona both belong to the DEI boys, though Jeff Gordon managed to win a very controversial race here last year. Again, if a gun was up to my head, I would probably go with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (or maybe Michael Waltrip), though I wouldn’t look past Kasey Kahne or Kevin Harvick, either if they can stay out of trouble.
Carolina Dodge Dealer’s 500
Date: May 7th, 2005 – Darlington, South Carolina
Time: 7:00 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2004 Pole: Kasey Kahne
Analysis: This track seems custom made for a guy like Matt Kenseth: stay out of trouble, hit your marks, and you finish well. I’m amazed that he’s not had better luck here than he has. At any rate, under the lights or not, Matt Kenseth will have a great run at the track “too Tough to Tame”.
Chevy American Revolution 400
Date: May 14th, 2005 – Richmond, Virginia
Time: 7:00 P.M. on FX
2004 Winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2004 Pole: Brian Vickers
Analysis: See also: Darlington. Insert: Stewart, Tony for Kenseth, Matt.
NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge
Date: May 21st, 2005 – Charlotte, North Carolina
Time: 7:00 P.M. on FX
2004 Winner: Matt Kenseth
2004 Pole: N/A
Analysis: The great thing about the Winston/All Star Challenge is that anyone has a realistic shot once the field inversions have taken place. That also makes it relatively difficult to pick a winner of this thing, even though Lowe’s Motor Speedway president Humpy Wheeler has it down like no one’s business. Terry Labonte shocks NASCAR with a win here, who knows?
Coca-Cola 600
Date: May 29th, 2005- Charlotte, North Carolina
Time: 5:00 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2004 Pole: Jimmie Johnson
Analysis: I have never seen a man dominate a race like Jimmie Johnson did last year in the Coca-Cola 600. While I don’t think that he’ll manage to repeat his monster 2004 performance in this race, I do think that he has a pretty good shot at going back to victory lane. The two big keys in his way this year will be Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, both of whom run pretty well in Charlotte so long as they stay out of trouble.
MBNA 400
Date: June 5th, 2005 – Dover, Delaware
Time: 12:30 P.M. on FX
2004 Winner: Mark Martin
2004 Pole: Jeremy Mayfield
Analysis: Kasey Kahne had an incredible run here back in September, which leads me to believe that he can get the job done in Dover if he stays out of trouble. At the Monster Mile, though, that is easier said than done. Mark Martin runs well here historically, so he could be a pretty decent pick to win.
Pocono 500
Date: June 12th, 2005 – Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Time: 1:00 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2004 Pole: Kasey Kahne
Analysis: As is the case in Charlotte, it’s hard to pick against Jimmie Johnson in this race, simply because of his past performances here. Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all have run well here in the past, but so has Kevin Harvick and another surprise name: Joe Nemechek. There may just be an upset at Pocono!
Michigan 400
Date: June 19th, 2005 – Brooklyn, Michigan
Time: 1:30 P.M. on FOX
2004 Winner: Ryan Newman
2004 Pole: Jeff Gordon
Analysis: Like in California, I expect Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing both to have a say in the finish in this one. Because the two tracks are so similar in design, its almost impossible to pick against one of them. Ryan Newman should not be forgotten, either, coming off a dominating performance here last year as well.
Dodge/Save Mart 350
Date: June 26th, 2005 – Sonoma, California
Time: 2:30 P.M. on FX
2004 Winner: Jeff Gordon
2004 Pole: Jeff Gordon
Analysis: These days, road course racing can come down to one of two people: Robbie Gordon or Jeff Gordon. Jeff won this race last year, so Robbie takes it this year, unless Boris Said can step up and take the checkered flag.
Victory Lap for the Pimps
Here’s the obligatory Eric Szulczewski pimp right Here.
Lee Trundle brings the class with European Football. Yeah. Its Soccer! Hooray Soccer!
Laflin! Second and Long!
Eugene Tierney is back with Fantasy Baseball, and God Bless Him for it. Riding the Pine
And here’s one for Nick Pomazak, who apparently loves his pancakes an awful lot. Pancakes, baby!
Victory Lane
Thus endeth the longest column that I’ve ever done. I hope you enjoyed this fascinating ride down the path more interesting than a Kenny G concert. Until we meet again, be sure to keep everyone in the country in your prayers, considering the next four years that we’re all in store for. On a more serious note, remember to stay cool and take up origami instead of watching wrestling. Peace.
