The races are too long. The facilities are among NASCAR’s worst, but with its unique triangular flat track configuration, Pocono Raceway offers the Sprint Cup field unique challenges both in driving skill and setup. The 2 ½ mile track requires cars closest to the ones raced at the Brickyard. We’d sure like to see the races reduced to 300 miles 500k if the “500” name is that important to race track promoters. Alas, as if NASCAR fans need any more of this, the forecast calls for about a 30% chance of showers.
Still, fans will look forward to a rule change that should shakeup the competition and possibly add a little more intensity to restarts. After being well-received from being implemented for the All-Star race in Charlotte, drivers will line up double file with the race leader given the option to choose the outside or inside position, but behind the front tow, all cars will line up as specified.
While we support NASCAR’s tough punishment of Jeremy Mayfield, what’s with the record penalties for occasional racer, Carl Long for having a slightly oversized engine? While such infractions deserve strict discipline if clearly done for a competitive advantage, Carl Long’s lucky if he has the muscle to even make the field. His team has not made the field in a single race. In a practice session attempting to make the May 15th All-Star race, Long’s original engine blew requiring a replacement engine that was 0.17 cubic inches over the 358 cubic inch limit. For this infraction, Long has been suspended for twelve races, his crew chief fined $200,000, and the team was docked 200 points made tougher considering the All-Star event is not a points race to begin with. While messing around with engine specs is serious business, this seems like using a stick of dynamite where a firecracker would be in order. Clearly, NASCAR doesn’t want to deal with a myriad of what if’s in a situation like this. The team contends they had purchased a rebuilt engine that was slightly enlarged through cylinder wear. If that seems likely and considering this is a very low budget team, such a penalty is heavy-handed. Was this a major team contending for the chase boring out the engine for a competitive advantage, that would be a very different issue. The question would be where does NASCAR draw the line? Once a rule is subject to a lot of nuances, the whole integrity of the penalty system loses credibility.
The pressure’s on as the series is now in the summer push. Richard Childress racing has struggled all season with only Jeff Burton being truly a strong factor in securing a spot in the chase lineup. Clint Bowyer has fallen off sharply as the season got deeper into the calendar. Kevin Harvick’s results have been pure misery.
The Dodge boys at Richard Petty racing are likewise having trouble looking like they have possible chase contenders. As of last week, Kasey Kahne started using the new Dodge engine which has clearly benefitted Kurt Busch.
The hottest competition seems to be shaping up to be Hendricks drivers versus Stewart Haas drivers, which is to say, five cars with Hendricks equipment while management tries to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. to factor into the competitive field. Life could be getting better for Roush as the series starts racing at tracks that have been good to the blue-ovals in the past. For Joe Gibbs, Pocono is a good track for Denny Hamlin, and there’s nothing wrong with Kyle Busch’s effort that a horseshoe and rabbit’s foot wouldn’t help.
Sprint Cup racing will be a cable TV only affair until the Saturday night race at Richmond in September. The next races will be on TNT with the corny rhymes guy, Bill Weber calling the action supported by Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach as analysts. Matt Yocum and Marty Snider follow along from Fox as pit reporters joined with veteran race reporter, Ralph Sheheen, and someone with real Mid-Atlantic credentials, Washington DC’s, WRC, Channel 4’s, sports anchor, Lindsay Czarniak also reporting from the pits. Meanwhile, Larry McReynolds will continue his assault on the English language as tech reporter (the guy with the cutaway car, gizmos, and auto parts).
In the gimmicks department, TNT provides something that is actually quite interesting to fans with a broadband internet access during the race. “Racing Buddy” provides six streams with different camera views for fans to dig deeper into the race coverage. The package also allows fans to message their “buddies” via MySpace, FaceBook, and Twitter. Naturally, the feature is introduced by an animated figure, an insulting stereotype of some marketing guru’s idea of a rednecky race fan with TNT baseball cap, hunting/fishing style shades, t-shirt, tight blue jeans, and big clown-sized feet in work boots. The dude’s animated facial expressions aren’t exactly endearing. He looks more like the kind of guy who’d be working in the garage who’d try to hoodwink you into all kinds of unnecessary repairs than being a true mechanic. Alas, after six races on TNT, coverage goes to ESPN and ABC which ironically has no cartoon characters for their coverage despite being networks owned by the Mickey Mouse network. As dismal as Turner’s involvement with NASCAR has been in the past, either as a stand alone in the old days or affiliated with NBC after the big TV deal, since they have been broadcasting just six races independently, their broadcasts have been acceptable and probably geared more to the pure race fan than what is shown on other networks.
Here’s hoping for sunshine and dry weather for the first of two trips to northeastern Pennsylvania. Keep an eye on the Stewart Haas boys and Mark Martin.
Still, fans will look forward to a rule change that should shakeup the competition and possibly add a little more intensity to restarts. After being well-received from being implemented for the All-Star race in Charlotte, drivers will line up double file with the race leader given the option to choose the outside or inside position, but behind the front tow, all cars will line up as specified.
While we support NASCAR’s tough punishment of Jeremy Mayfield, what’s with the record penalties for occasional racer, Carl Long for having a slightly oversized engine? While such infractions deserve strict discipline if clearly done for a competitive advantage, Carl Long’s lucky if he has the muscle to even make the field. His team has not made the field in a single race. In a practice session attempting to make the May 15th All-Star race, Long’s original engine blew requiring a replacement engine that was 0.17 cubic inches over the 358 cubic inch limit. For this infraction, Long has been suspended for twelve races, his crew chief fined $200,000, and the team was docked 200 points made tougher considering the All-Star event is not a points race to begin with. While messing around with engine specs is serious business, this seems like using a stick of dynamite where a firecracker would be in order. Clearly, NASCAR doesn’t want to deal with a myriad of what if’s in a situation like this. The team contends they had purchased a rebuilt engine that was slightly enlarged through cylinder wear. If that seems likely and considering this is a very low budget team, such a penalty is heavy-handed. Was this a major team contending for the chase boring out the engine for a competitive advantage, that would be a very different issue. The question would be where does NASCAR draw the line? Once a rule is subject to a lot of nuances, the whole integrity of the penalty system loses credibility.
The pressure’s on as the series is now in the summer push. Richard Childress racing has struggled all season with only Jeff Burton being truly a strong factor in securing a spot in the chase lineup. Clint Bowyer has fallen off sharply as the season got deeper into the calendar. Kevin Harvick’s results have been pure misery.
The Dodge boys at Richard Petty racing are likewise having trouble looking like they have possible chase contenders. As of last week, Kasey Kahne started using the new Dodge engine which has clearly benefitted Kurt Busch.
The hottest competition seems to be shaping up to be Hendricks drivers versus Stewart Haas drivers, which is to say, five cars with Hendricks equipment while management tries to get Dale Earnhardt Jr. to factor into the competitive field. Life could be getting better for Roush as the series starts racing at tracks that have been good to the blue-ovals in the past. For Joe Gibbs, Pocono is a good track for Denny Hamlin, and there’s nothing wrong with Kyle Busch’s effort that a horseshoe and rabbit’s foot wouldn’t help.
Sprint Cup racing will be a cable TV only affair until the Saturday night race at Richmond in September. The next races will be on TNT with the corny rhymes guy, Bill Weber calling the action supported by Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach as analysts. Matt Yocum and Marty Snider follow along from Fox as pit reporters joined with veteran race reporter, Ralph Sheheen, and someone with real Mid-Atlantic credentials, Washington DC’s, WRC, Channel 4’s, sports anchor, Lindsay Czarniak also reporting from the pits. Meanwhile, Larry McReynolds will continue his assault on the English language as tech reporter (the guy with the cutaway car, gizmos, and auto parts).
In the gimmicks department, TNT provides something that is actually quite interesting to fans with a broadband internet access during the race. “Racing Buddy” provides six streams with different camera views for fans to dig deeper into the race coverage. The package also allows fans to message their “buddies” via MySpace, FaceBook, and Twitter. Naturally, the feature is introduced by an animated figure, an insulting stereotype of some marketing guru’s idea of a rednecky race fan with TNT baseball cap, hunting/fishing style shades, t-shirt, tight blue jeans, and big clown-sized feet in work boots. The dude’s animated facial expressions aren’t exactly endearing. He looks more like the kind of guy who’d be working in the garage who’d try to hoodwink you into all kinds of unnecessary repairs than being a true mechanic. Alas, after six races on TNT, coverage goes to ESPN and ABC which ironically has no cartoon characters for their coverage despite being networks owned by the Mickey Mouse network. As dismal as Turner’s involvement with NASCAR has been in the past, either as a stand alone in the old days or affiliated with NBC after the big TV deal, since they have been broadcasting just six races independently, their broadcasts have been acceptable and probably geared more to the pure race fan than what is shown on other networks.
Here’s hoping for sunshine and dry weather for the first of two trips to northeastern Pennsylvania. Keep an eye on the Stewart Haas boys and Mark Martin.
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