I watched the NASCAR pre-race coverage from California yesterday.
Waitaminnit... let's restart.
I tried to watch the NASCAR pre-race coverage from California yesterday.
Is this what its going to be each week? Fluff like Hammond's Dr. Seuss bit? A Digger cartoon? Ridiculous. They could have redeemed themselves when Gavin Rossdale hit the stage and had him play a good ol' fashioned ass-kicker to get people fired up but it would seem that the more logical choice was a slow love song. Really? Don't get me wrong. I like "Love Remains the Same". Great song. Save for an ice skating broadcast, it absolutely has no place on a sports show.
But hey, if you're into the new FOX pre-race format don't let me stop you. You may find it entertaining. But as the guy in second place on the backstretch says... I think I'll pass.
By the way, there's no law that says you can't turn the volume down on the TV and listen to something better before the race starts. Catch pre-race coverage for each Cup series race on The Score at 1570 on the AM and now at 95.3 on the FM. No fluff... just facts. Here's the link to the website. They stream online, too.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Daytona Observations
(Maybe you should read the "Disclaimer" post before you read on. I'll wait.)
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(OK.)
By now, you've probably seen the infamous "Dale Jr. incident" at last weekend's Daytona 500...
...or maybe you didn't. Take a look.
It makes you wonder if the guy driving the car that hit Brian Vickers wasn't Dale Jr., would he have been parked for five laps for rough driving? It happened to Jason Leffler the day before in the Nationwide race for doing less. And knowing that Junior was just coming off of a pit miscue - a miscue which had just added to the list of other problems he had during the day and raised his frustration level which you could clearly pick up on if you were tuned to his scanner channel - you're telling me that what just happened wasn't just the slightest bit deliberate? Wake up.
I'm no Jr. hater (hell, I watched the race in Dale Jr. Crocs and I own one of his new sweatshirts) but NASCAR knows that no matter what he did, parking their most popular driver for five laps in the biggest race of the year would mean people would change the channel. And NASCAR can spin things all they want but their decision (or lack thereof) was just as deliberate as what you saw on the track. Over the last number of years, their trail of inconsistent penalties against drivers and teams runs for miles. They know which drivers fill the seats and they will bend the rules and exploit gray areas to make sure they do not jeopardize the fan base if they don't have to.
It may not seem like it but I'm not as excitable about this as it may seem because I've seen this sort of thing before in NASCAR. It's not worth getting your undies in a knot. But I've said it before and I'll say it again. NASCAR races are fun to watch but NASCAR as a governing body is a joke. And until fans tell NASCAR that they're tired of the politics and the favoritism, and actually do something about it (like stop watching races), things will never change. At that level, NASCAR is the only game in town... and they know it.
(...)
(...)
(...)
(OK.)
By now, you've probably seen the infamous "Dale Jr. incident" at last weekend's Daytona 500...
...or maybe you didn't. Take a look.
It makes you wonder if the guy driving the car that hit Brian Vickers wasn't Dale Jr., would he have been parked for five laps for rough driving? It happened to Jason Leffler the day before in the Nationwide race for doing less. And knowing that Junior was just coming off of a pit miscue - a miscue which had just added to the list of other problems he had during the day and raised his frustration level which you could clearly pick up on if you were tuned to his scanner channel - you're telling me that what just happened wasn't just the slightest bit deliberate? Wake up.
I'm no Jr. hater (hell, I watched the race in Dale Jr. Crocs and I own one of his new sweatshirts) but NASCAR knows that no matter what he did, parking their most popular driver for five laps in the biggest race of the year would mean people would change the channel. And NASCAR can spin things all they want but their decision (or lack thereof) was just as deliberate as what you saw on the track. Over the last number of years, their trail of inconsistent penalties against drivers and teams runs for miles. They know which drivers fill the seats and they will bend the rules and exploit gray areas to make sure they do not jeopardize the fan base if they don't have to.
It may not seem like it but I'm not as excitable about this as it may seem because I've seen this sort of thing before in NASCAR. It's not worth getting your undies in a knot. But I've said it before and I'll say it again. NASCAR races are fun to watch but NASCAR as a governing body is a joke. And until fans tell NASCAR that they're tired of the politics and the favoritism, and actually do something about it (like stop watching races), things will never change. At that level, NASCAR is the only game in town... and they know it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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