championship having not won any races. While I agree that at least ONE race win should be a prerequisite, I must bring up past champions such as Matt Kenseth and even the beloved Benny Parsons. These guys did it with CONSISTENCY. Yes they also won, but that consistency must account for a good bit. Look at Kasey Kahne last year, and Ryan Newman a few years ago: they won more races than anyone else, but did not have the consistency to become champion. This is as it should be. This year, Clint Bowyer made the chase without having won a race. But note: he was not the twelfth-place driver in points going into the chase - he only became 12th after the resetting of the points due to wins. (I think this may well be the ONLY part of the chase that does make sense). His points total reflected consistency, which is what, has always been important for as long as NASCAR has been around. It is also worthy of note that he (Bowyer) immediately proved that he DID belong in the hunt, decisively winning the first Chase race and eventually finishing third in points, again through consistency. What would you have them do? Tell Clint "Sorry, you are the most consistent driver, but you don't deserve to be in the chase"? You may as well strip Matt and Benny (and others) of their titles.
Jo ann: I guess I should have explained in more depth...I do BELIEVE in consistency deciding a champion....consistency thru out the WHOLE season.....I do not like the fact that 11 other drivers could have a better year than 1 guy and yet that guy could be champion because he got on a tear the last 10 races....or that a guy who is good at 1.5 mile D-shaped triovals could win the championship simply because there are so many of them in the final 10...and bound to have another added in the form of Vegas...a champion should not be decided because he is good on one type of track....one of my big dislikes about the chase actually is the type of tracks in it but I do not want to keep shooting that dead horse.
I am NOT one of those fans that whined because Matt Kenseth and his team beat the pants off everyone under the old system....I say that sometimes a team gets on a roll where almost everything they do is right and that's racin'.....
Ok now that I have cleared up what I meant let’s move on….
Tony and the Mystery Debris Cautions
MM: Tony Stewart finally reached a boiling point in which he called NA$CAR on their Ms Terry DeBris cautions and compared NA$CAR and their officiating to that of the WWE. This is something that race fans had been saying for a while but was blown off as a conspiracy theory by the mainstream media types. Tony got a lot of new fans that day, even if it was just for him saying what everyone was thinking. The farce about the deal came when Tony was forced by NA$CAR to make public apology about his remarks and was fined for them for the catch all of “actions detrimental to stock car racing”. Tony was smirking as he made the apology and most every race fan out there knew it was a farce. Chalk up another mark against NA$CAR for not allowing the drivers to speak their minds.
Don: What can I add…Tony is Tony and CA$HCAR is what they’ve become. Until they start listening to drivers and fans they will continue their downward slide until it turns into an avalanche.
Jo Ann: I wrote an entire article about this subject, What I know and What I Think about Debris Cautions, and the only thing I will add is Tony lost points with me for apologizing and he doesn’t seem to mind when he benefits from the mystery debris cautions. And Don I agree, Tony is Tony!
Dale Jr.
MM: The bulk of coverage (more so than usual) was on Dale Jr. and his contract. Every time you turned around there was a new rumor or story about what was going on, the internal strife at DEI, the strife between Jr. and Teresa, drivers calling Teresa a “no-show owner”, Jr’s reply to the drivers’ comments, the announcement of the new contract with Hendrick, and on and on and on. Thanks to the mainstream media and NA$CAR’s PR people, there was a perception that there was only one driver who raced on any given weekend in 2007 which turned off a lot of potential race fans, existing non-Jr. race fans, and even sickened fans of Dale Jr. because they just wanted to see him drive and not be the center ring of a three ring circus.
Don: Frankly, the media obsession with Jr. was nauseating. I could hardly visit a website that didn’t open with a picture of him and the Bud 8 staring back at me. There were times I actually felt sorry for him not being left alone to race. I still remember when Bill Elliott was running for the Winston Million and had to hire armed guards to keep the media maniacs away so they could work on the car. DW and his JuneBug really irritated my remaining good nerve. And how about the 88 next year so the Jr. freaks can modify their 8 tattoos? As I’ve said before, “These aren’t fans, they’re fanatics.”
Jo Ann: You know I like Dale Jr…some of his fans do grate on me however. And I agree about the media frenzy surrounding him…I feel bad for the dude. With the stuff with DEI/Teresa, I could understand the media’s attention but the media overall really needs to just leave the guy alone. Man I will REALLY feel bad for him if he doesn’t produce better results at Hendrick. Also can you believe that Brian France is blaming the low ratings on him too? Come on! How much is one guy supposed to shoulder?
No New Tracks
MM: In an effort to expand the NA$CAR brand into new markets, His Royal Highness decided to expand the series into the NYC and Seattle areas only to be told in very certain terms in 2007 that he, the track, the drivers, race teams, and race fans weren’t welcome. This has forced NA$CAR to sell off the land they purchased in Staten Island at a loss when you consider how much they invested in the land, PR, political contributions, and work done on the area. One politician of Washington State made a few remarks about NA$CAR fans which got him in a lot of hot water with the fans and the sports media had a field day with it. Needless to say, there won’t be any tracks in the Seattle area any time soon. Folks in the Denver area have also been saying no to NA$CAR because they don’t want any tracks in their area either. They’re worried about the ecological problems that go with racing and don’t want the track to interfere with their lifestyle there.
Don: Where were the dates supposed to come from for those two tracks? KY can’t have a CUP date but New Yuk and liberal racked Seattle thinks we’re beer guzzling yokels with cars on cinder blocks in our front yards. KY would welcome a date that can’t be found but I$C tracks in areas that don’t want them could? Mikie is too kind calling BF His Royal Highness. HindAss fits better.
MM: LOL Well, how about the South end of a North bound mule?
Jo Ann: I think it is funny how much money they lost on that Staten Island deal…that is about all I can say on this subject. Oh yeah, there is something else….what matters to me is that when they decide to open new tracks the older, traditional tracks DO NOT LOSE ANY MORE RACES!
Merger Mania
MM: This year marked the beginning of something we hadn’t seen before in the sport. Big mergers. And not just with teams merging. We saw Roush bring in the Fenway group to bring in some financial backing and additional marketing. We saw Evernham bring in Gillett to get some extra financial backing. We saw Ginn Racing merge/or be bought out by DEI (depending on how you view it). The cost of the sport has gotten so high that even the major powerhouses of the sport have to go elsewhere to get financial help and/or support. Shades of Formula 1.
Don: The owners are irresponsible in the way they built and tested cars with dastardly engineers coming out their ears. The fancy haulers, private jets, mega dollar motor homes all cost money. Reskinning unwrecked cars after every race for a hundredth of a second advantage is ludicrous. What I don’t get is what’s in it for these folks bringing the big bucks to the table? All this is one reason I have high hopes the COT will force them to scale back the cost of racing.
MM: Reskinning a car runs about $50,000 a car, so you can imagine the cost of reskinning the entire fleet of Roush, Childress, or Hendrick.
Jo Ann: You know, in the big picture this just doesn’t matter to me…
Empty Seats
MM: Once again, we saw plenty of empty seats this season showing that things are definitely on the decline. Fontana, which has become the home of two of the most famous naps during the race season, once again couldn’t sell out a race and even had empty seats after giving away 15,000 tickets. Atlanta, which was an early home to stock car racing, still shows it’s lack of support to sports in general unless they’re contending for a title of some sort. Daytona, NA$CAR’s home track, has had plenty of empty seats the last few years because of the poor quality of racing and their outrageous ticket packages and prices. Charlotte, which hasn’t seen a sell-out in quite a while, still has a lot of seats to be filled, even on the front stretch. All in all, fans just aren’t showing up because of either the high prices associated with going to a race, the boredom of the single file racing, or the overall discontentment with the current NA$CAR regime and how it’s running things.
Don: Ticket prices and motel room costs have to be having an effect. It’s keeping me away for sure. While TV coverage is at an all time high their product seems aimed at the wrong demographic. We may no longer be good ole boys swilling beer but I think the majority of older fans are being turned off by the heavy rock/hip hop overtones. There are times I think I’ve selected MTV instead of E$PN. The new breed that CA$HCAR has attracted isn’t helping matters with their ill manners and bad, beer can throwing behavior.
Jo Ann: I think there is a BIG difference between Fontana with 92,000 grandstand seats not selling out compared to Charlotte with 167,000 grandstand seats not selling out. I think the real problem is when exciting tracks like Martinsville doesn’t sell out or Richmond takes until the day before to sell out…which by the way is a joke as I am sure I could get a half price ticket on the day of the race because friends of mine did just that.
And one other thing….you know just because a track sells out doesn’t mean that is a good venue for racing…
Fan Behavior
Don: From responses I’ve had to my columns fan behavior at the track is keeping some long time fans away. Several have told me they simply don’t want beer spilled down their backs and drunks falling into them. While everyone is bashing E$PN’s lousy coverage I have a nit to pick with SPEED. They contribute to the bad fan behavior with their bassackwards stage and their focus on all the screaming meme jack asses waving placards and their arms. Hey, LOOK AT ME. I’ve got news for you. I don’t want to see you. I want to see the people on the stage and hear their comments without all that background noise and motion. FOX, TNT, SPEED and E$PN all feel the need for glitz and glitter with HollyWierd Hotels, infield centers and twirling stages instead of offering comprehensive, in depth coverage of our owners, drivers, crew chiefs, etc. in a sensible setting. Lastly: Put Chris Myers in a straight jacket along with that tattooed freak on SPEED.
MM: I’ve seen some of the fan behavior myself (Atlanta 2004 comes to mind) and I definitely don’t enjoy, encourage, or condone fans, new, old, or fad, acting like idiots or looking to start a fight just because somebody doesn’t like their driver. I had my fair share of dealing with drunks when I was a bartender many moons ago and it’s not a lot of fun and I definitely wouldn‘t want young kids exposed to it. Strange how all the advertising about this being a “family sport” disappeared right after NA$CAR decided to go after the short attention span, Gen X/Y/Zero, and fad fans.
As to SPEED and the live trackside shows, they sort of opened a Pandora’s Box. At first, they didn’t show much of the fans then once they started, we got what Don mentioned. Of course, there was a plus side to some of the stage changes. We got to see folks sending messages to loved ones in the military and got to see some support for our troops. So it’s double edged sword. Plus there was Rick the Sign Man and his support of saving North Wilkesboro, something I still believe can be done despite Bruton’s best efforts.
Jo Ann: Well not sure where you 2 went to races “in the good ole days” but here’s my take. The very first race I went to was in the 70’s at Darlington and we were in the infield. I was pretty young and went with a boyfriend and his family and we were not allowed out of the RV after dark!
The first race Jimmy took me to in 1990 was in Charlotte. We had seats in “chicken bone alley” and there is a reason it is called that! He made sure we wore ponchos even though it wasn’t raining because of the beers that got thrown down there from the rows higher up. I have a Davey Allison quote some where about a wreck he had at Charlotte. He said something like ‘I must have slid on one of those chicken bones the fans threw at Earnhardt earlier.’
So I don’t think fan behavior has gotten worse. I just think there are more of them as there are more of all kinds of fans including women and families. And I think we have gotten better behaved in our older days…
On the trackside show…I must confess the only time I watched it this year was to try and catch our commercial!
Boring Races:
MM: I think some of this can be blamed on the cars, some of this on NA$CAR for their wanting to manipulate the races like professional wrestling, and a part of it on society's attitudes and attention spans. I won't do a doctoral thesis on the society part, but the attitude seems to be like what is being taught in schools nowadays. Everybody is equal, there are no winners or losers, and it’s OK to be second best. And folks who can't take more than a 30 second sound bite seem to be the ones who think everything is OK if they just shorten everything up, like cutting the length of the races back. But this is supposed to be about racing cars. The attitude of old was "win at all cost". Now, well, it's OK not to win, just so long as you have a good points day. The length of the races was established to test both man and machine. The World 600 was set up so that it was 100 miles longer than Indy and it was done intentionally. It's part of the history, heritage, and tradition of the sport. It also seems to go along with the neutering of the drivers and their emotions and turning everything into a vanilla flavored racing series.
Don: There were many factors that contributed to the boredom. Mid packers racing just to make the top thirty five instead of trying to run up front and maybe score a win. The twisted sister COY dependence on aero and the COT weight imbalance. Tires, tires and tires. The points system not encouraging winning like other major series does. Too many cautions bunching up the field and causing more cautions and eliminating too many good cars. MONEY. The haves and have nots. The have nots can't afford to take the chances the haves can.
Jo Ann: You know I think this can be blamed on a few things but the bottom line is that for whatever the reason the last 30 laps of MOST races were the only ones worth watching. So for whatever the reasons, it needs to be fixed. I think we need to go to heat races with the bottom 10 being knocked out until we get to a 30 lap shootout with say 20 cars. I think the biggest problem is the drivers themselves. If they can get racy in the last 30 laps then what is the problem in the first ¾’s of the race?
Benny, Bobby and Bill:
MM: It was a pretty tough year for losing folks. Benny was probably the best loved of the announcing crew despite him going off on a tangent sometimes. He was a pretty decent talent scout and also very supportive of various causes. Bobby was a self-made man who had a tough life in his early years but overcame it to become a well-respected driver and owner. Bill France Jr. had been having health problems since he overcame cancer, so his passing wasn't a shock, but it was a surprise when it happened. He seemed to want to do what was right for the sport and kept some traditions his dad had started. Both Bill Sr. & Bill Jr. were the first ones at the track to open it up and the last ones to leave when the last team hauler pulled out. Both talked to drivers, owners, and fans and weren't afraid to be seen with them. Bill Jr's son would do well to remember what both his dad and granddad did in bringing this sport from a regional thing to a National Sport instead of casting it on the scrap heap.
Don: While I had personal reasons for not liking
or respecting Billy France and his fixation with
money, I hate to see anyone suffer and hope he's
in a better place. I never had the good fortune to
meet Benny which will be one of the few true
regrets in my long life. In so many ways Benny
reminded me of my Dad who never met anyone
he couldn't like. Since Benny and I are closer in
age I guess he could have filled the void of my
two lost brothers. Bottom line, I miss him
tremendously and E$PN has made the void he
left seem even bigger. Bobby Hamilton was one
whale of a driver who, in many ways, reminded
me of Dale, Sr. I never particularly liked him but
admired his determination and the racing community lost a good man and great driver.
Jo Ann: It is always sad when we lose people we admire and respect but at least we did not lose them on the race track. For everything crappy they do at least NASCAR is working on getting safety right.
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Mike here
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there...email Racemama
Gotta comment, question or want to say hey there... email Don Hamm
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