' NASCAR ' - Like America, Only louder !

The 2009 season is underway.
It starts with the action-packed ARCA series.  I love these guys & gals.  Foolish, inexperienced and wanting that trophy.
Then on to the CampingWorld Series (is EVERY series' name for sale these days?). Sometimes, I just wanna punch Hornaday in the mouth.  Wrecked the reigning champ in a duel for second place. Add the totally wrong penalty to Jason Leffler for the lil tap in the back straight, which he was docked 5 laps.  Unheard of penalty.  Todd Bodine snaked out a win. 
The Nationwide series, eh, not much there.
Now the big boys of Sprint Cup ( somehow, it'll always be the Winston Cup series to me).  After waiting two months, a rain-out with 1/4 of the race to go.  Still, Jack Roush needed that confidence booster, so did Kenseth.
Ole Earnhardt pulled a boner and took out a dozen cars trying to get his lap back with the below-the-double-yellow dodge and what kind of penalty for that?  NADA, zilch, zero, nothing.  Think there is a fix in the NASCAR plans yet?  Can't deny Hendricks isn't padding someone's pockets.

I can only surmise that everyone else thinks the 2009 racing season is dull and lifeless.
Not one post since the season opener.  Does any of the ATZ subscribers partake in the auto racing venue?  I'd hate to think the highlight of upstate SC is Clemson football.
 I'm curious as to how many have ever been to a track event.  I've been to about a third of the tracks run, from Bristol, Pocono, Riverside ( now California Spedway), Martinsville, Darlington ( I miss the Labor Day race!), Rockingham, Atlanta, Charlotte and Sonoma.
Share your experiences here.

       It's no more lifeless than the last couple of seasons have been, Wyatt, and while I'm happy to see a nice guy like JJ put together a string of Cup championships, there's little there today that is attractive to an old-school NASCAR fan like me. I'm like you - I miss the Darlington race on Labor Day, and I have no interest at all in those cookie-cutter tracks in Texas, Arizona, Illinois and California.
        In fact, I think the season-ending race shouldn't be held at Homestead or Atlanta at all. They ought to give Rockingham one race a year or give Darlington two races again. One of those two tracks should host the final race. That'll separate the real drivers from the fuel strategy, computer-linked pit robots who decide the outcomes of so many races now. 
        My involvement as a fan of NASCAR dates way back. I watched from the stands as a 9-year-old when David Pearson won the track championship at Greenville-Pickens back in 1959. (Did you know that seven of Richard Petty's 200 Cup victories came at Greenvillel-Pickens? Yep. It was on the NASCAR circuit until, I think, 1971 or 1972. Other tracks from the past include Hickory, Rockingham and a host of almost-forgotten venues that were DRIVERS' tracks.)
        I've covered, as a sports writer, races in Darlington, Charlotte and Atlanta, and I've attended races in Daytona, Hickory, and G-P (obviously - never covered a Cup race there, but I've covered their weekend series many times since then).
        I never made it to a Talladega race or to one in Martinsville, but one of these days ...
       While the Cup series has become a big bore, it hasn't become as much of a bore as the Nationwide Series (or whatever the sponsor du jour is for the second-level is.) It's become little more than a practice session for Cup regulars, who dominate and make it increasingly difficult for younger drivers to show their abilities. It was refreshing to see them racing in Nashville Saturday, on an off-weekend for the Cup series.
        Personally, I think Cup regulars should be limited to six Nationwide races per season, and if they go over that, it'll cost points from their best finish of the year in the big-boy series. That ought to take care of what they called the "Buschwhackers" when it was the "Busch Series." (Nationwidewhackers just doesn't have the same ring to it.)
         I also think it should be a penalty for Cup regulars to participate in a Nationwide race on the same track, and the same weekend, as a Cup race. That turns the Nationwide Series into little more than a practice session for Cup regulars who have millions of dollars in sponsorship.
        Speaking of Bush (the other Bushes, without the "c"), I've had about all I can stand of Kurt and Kyle, the Bush brothers. Both of them remind me of Jimmy Spencer, only with good equipment. Unguided missiles with the "wreckers or checkers" mentality. Kurt's grown up a bit lately, but Kyle's still workinig on it.
        Nowadays, the drivers are mostly muzzled, with most of them afraid to say what they REALLY think about the tires, the tracks, the promoters, and the stupid rules NASCAR keeps changing in the middle of races. (Well, not Tony Stewart. Tony usually says what he's thinking - and that's a GOOD thing, as far as I'm concerned. Dale Jr. also lets an occasional honest thought escape.)
        The televison announcers have also become a joke. While I respect most of them, if I have to hear Jeff Hammond say one more time, "He's pitting for tires and a load of Sunoco racing fuel" I think I'll scream. What's that about? Does Sunoco pay extra for the on-air plug every time somebody pits? Can't they just say "He's pitting for tires and fuel?" (That's usually why they're pitting. Ever hear an announcer say, "He's pitting because he has to pee?" I didn't think so.)
        And ... there's still the problem with those "stock cars." Nothing on those cars has any relationship to any car you can buy right off the showroom floor nowadays. It's no more "stock car" racing than the top fuel division of the NHRA is stock car racing. Who are they trying to kid?
        But enough about my opinion of modern-day NASCAR. Brian France has all but killed it. May he be forced to drive a Toyota for the rest of his life.

Whatta synopsis there JD!!  Your writing background is sticking out ( or did you forget to zip up??)
I digress.
 Let me chime in on your bullet points there some.  NASCAR and France has pandered to the bottom-line of making cash, and diverted from what the sport was founded on: spirited competition.
You mention the Busch brothers.  I find it odd how Kyle B was racing for Hendricks, as something of a byline opposite wonderboy Gordon and his clone Johnson, in the Kellogg's car formerly driven by Hendricks lost son.  The equipment was substandard, and his support team sub-par, and he was no more than a blip on the radar of racing. All the glam went to 24/48 and Kyle got the handouts.
  But once he was dismissed and picked up by the other super-team of Stewart and Hamlin, and managed by Gibbs with Toyota backing them, Kyle began picking off wins like fleas off a dog, in ALL three series. So that showed he HAD what it took to race, just needed equipment, coaching and motivation.
  Kyle's attitude is wonderful!  He eats up with a bow the boo's and hisses. Similar to Mad Dog Spencer ( remember there WAS a rivalry with Busch and Spencer a few years back?) and I think Kyle modeled his persona after Jimmys. I like it, closest thing to having Big Earnhardt back, a man with self determination and a proudly-displayed middle finger. Stewart showed temper, emotions and heart, and look how that panned out ( he left his Gibbs team and formed his OWN).  I loved it when Stewart showed his *ss after a race!  Made the price of those vacations ( equal to a cruise ticket, buying good seats and food for a race) worth it.

The tracks.  Yes, I also agree wholeheartedly that Homestead is a joke as the last race, always has been. Lets make it Bristol, or a road course ( also boring but ...) or use the first race as the last ( Daytona, the Superbowl as its called).  SOMETHING different needs to be done, because by the time the "chase" begins, most viewers have switched to baseball, preseason football or watching professional ballet dancing. Looking into the stands, fewer and fewer seats are filled, and last weekend's Nashville race proved that ( of course, there was those pesky tornadoes and storms....)
  All tracks should be cut to ONE single race, and let other venues open up.  Also let these 1 1/2 mile tracks go bye-bye, either short tracks ( under a mile) or superspeedways( Daytona, California and Talladega).  The rest are simply drones to put me to sleep.

Finally, the dual events.  The Bush-whackers need to be halted completely!  Putting a honed and well funded professional in the minor league AA sport is cruelty at best. NO points or money should be awarded anyone licensed for the premier CUP series should be taking away the opportunities, the POINTS, the money or the experiences for these up-coming boys. The Busch series ( Y'know, thats another thing that pisses me off, it will ALWAYS be Winston CUP and Busch series) is the training grounds for young drivers. With sponsor money harder to come by, it only kills any chance for new blood to enter the sport. NO WAY should any of these big-league boys be allowed to participate in the companion events, period!

Wanting to lighten up the blog, figured lets delve into more recent sporting news.
Been quite some time since this topic was  discussed.

This weekend, the longest race of the year takes place.   The CocaCola 600, or formerly the World 600, is held at Concord/Charlotte at Lowes Motor Speedway.
For a change, one of the Hendricks vehicles didn't run off with the pole.  Ryan Newman, in the new team of Steward/Haas racing, stole one for the books.  In consecutive weekends, this new upstart organization has made hay.  Last weekend, Stewart  Won the All-Star event despite all odds. In fact, it MAY have been Newman who would have won if not for the incredible actions of Kyle Busch.
Busch has no fear, and drove his #18 wide and deep from turn four for a spectacular three-wide with Newman, Gordon and Newman.  Of course Newman and Gordon ended up the big losers out of the deal.  Gordon was turned and spun into the front-stretch wall and was done.  Newman had damage and did not contend, but finished well ( but not a Million-dollars worth).  Kyle also had rsulting damage and did not contend either.

But this weekend, the Hendricks' stable has three cars running in the top ten, so I would imagine their dominance will show when the checkered flag falls.  Johnson has four wins, Gordon has a similar record, and Martin has had 6 wins in past races ( but not with Hendricks), and not including numerous Busch-series wins. 

It's hard to have a competition with the IRL and the Indy 500 for viewers and attendees.  Why these races are not split a bit more, it makes little sense.  Even former dual-race participants are no longer able to perform the feat due to scheduling.

       As a long-time Hendricks Motorsports fan, as well as an admirer of both Tony Stewart (mostly because he speaks his mind about NASCAR's lunacy rather than getting intimidated into silence) and Ryan Newman - even before they were teammates - I figure the odds are with me this weekend. (As a courtesy, I'll not tell you what I really think of the Kyle and his brother Kurt.)
      You're right about the unfortunate timing of the Indy 500 vis a vis the Coca-Cola 600 (I liked that race much better when it was the World 600 - I hate corporate sponsors putting their name on races, golf tournaments, college bowl games, etc., etc., etc.)
      It was always great to see somebody like Stewart run in both the Indy 500 and the 600 at Charlotte. Supermen. Eleven hundred miles of racing in one day. Great for the fans, great for both sports.
      This year, it's even more disappointing. Sam Hornish has proven that, given the right equipment, he can be a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR. He's already proven he knows how to get a car around the Indianapolis track faster than anybody else in the field. It's a shame he can't do both this year.
       One other thought here: Last week's all-star race at Charlotte was made even better by the double-file restarts, whereby all lead-lap cars line two-by-two when the flag falls with lapped cars behind them. I think NASCAR should do that for all races in the future. Seeing a fast car bogged down in traffic behind a bunch of also-rans gets old week after week, don't you think?
        I mean, I understand the word "parity" and I understand why they want to give lapped cars a chance to get back on the lead lap. I also understand the word "boredom" - and too many NASCAR races have come far closer to achieving "boredom" than "parity" with the single-file restarts. Time to go back to the old way, and may the best driver win.

Exactly.  We were there in LMS when Tony last pulled off the double.  It was exciting to watch him jump out of the chopper and RIGHT into his car!   Unfortunately, he blew a tire and slammed the paint off the wall in turn three, ending what promised to be a record day( believe he was LEADING at the time).

I have no love-loss for the Hendicks stable of characters.  The conspiracy theorist I am, I still say there's a secret pact with Humpy and Rick to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.

The shrub brothers.  I recall the entertaining fights between Kurt and Spencer on several back-to-back races, including a shoving match at Bristol.  Personally, I love some excitement in an otherwise lifeless sport. Makes me miss Dale Senior all the more, as he never had an issue with saying or doing what was necessary for the win, the show, and the fans.
 My love for racing is only outdone by my distain with the politics of racing as business before entertainment. Making these drivers all kissy-kissy and unable to vent, react or perform as they WOULD had the gloves been removed  has GOT to be difficult.

The double file restart is the single most exciting feature you could add to bring life into the sport.  Put the fast cars up front.  You're a lap down, too bad, drive HARDER!

Did you guys here the latest from an unnamed source:

One thing that came about during this week's "OPEN DOOR MEETINGS" with NASCAR and owners/drivers was the idea of instituting double file restarts.  The talk on the races today is this may happen as soon as Pocono, but may be in place before the Kansas races.

Hmmm,

Basementboy, do you know if that would happen at certain tracks or if it will be something across the board? I'm thinking this would be "more than entertaining" at the SS(es) and RC(es). Granted there are very few SS/RC races, but still . . .

- SSHM

From the discussion with Parsons, Waltrip and about six other commentators, the feeling was ( nothing set in stone mind you)  that Pocono would be a good place to start with the NNS cars, and Kansas with the CWTS.  No clear mention was made for a start for NSC cars.  But my preference is the sooner the better, and many more feel that same way from what I've read on sports blogs and racing forums.

Litle else to say about NASCAR this year, except it is BORRRRING.

Double file restarts should have made it more exciting, but there seems to be some playing of favorites with Hendricks/Chevy by France.   Montoya got screwed out of a win today, and he drives a chevy too....

Made it all the way to the CHASE...and still haven't had a race worth staying on the same channel for the entire event!  Unless you count the NATIONWIDE race in Canada, with poor Marcos Ambrose assured of a win all the way till the very last corner!  That was as exciting a rain race as any.

Cant say enough about the dissapointment of Talladega yesterday.  For nearly three hours, a single file line of points-racers drove around and around, with an occasional lead change and a pit stop in between.  The most anticipated and awaited races of the year are Talladega and Daytona.  Now, it's simply another line at the exit of the track.
  From now on, I'll tune in for the last 30 minutes and spend the rest of a beautiful Sunday doing something more rewarding.  Like cleaning the gutters