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July 01, 2008
Busch Takes Loudon
By Keith Ott
Rain was the perfect ending for this event, but it should have come sooner. It was typical Loudon “flat-track” racing. The racing was low on excitement and passing, and high on planning for a fuel strategy. I’m not a fan of Loudon and I won’t pluck my dollars down for a seat, but I hope Bruton can work some magic here, because, as it is this track doesn’t deserve two dates, and certainly doesn’t belong in the Playoffs.
I do believe NHMS has hired the marketing director from Fontana. Me, I trust my eyes, and when I see row upon row of empty seats spread throughout the grandstands, I’m pretty sure it’s not a sellout. However, yet again, it was declared the 27th straight "Sprint" sellout. Does NHMS have a mall?
The coverage was pretty solid again. They could drop the cutesy little graphics for the start/finish line, etc., but hey, if that’s the worst they got, I can live with it. Note: I guess I missed Kyle’s “Belly Button Monster,” song.
Kurt Busch: Called it right. The best car doesn’t always win, but the driver still gets the trophy, check and the points.
Waltrip: Dumbest quote. After the event, he said something to the effect that he wanted the event to continue, so he could fight for the win. What the hell were you smoking Mikey? You take those 2nd place points and sit your happy ass down, glad to be in the T35.
Stewart: Genre: Blues; Artist: Albert King; Album; 1978 “New Orleans Heat”; Song: “Born Under a Bad Sign”; Chorus: “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.” If he doesn’t own a copy, he needs to get one.
The Other Busch: Had a poor car all day and had to race mid-pack. I guess those “Mid-packers” aren’t all that impressed with your press releases Kyle.
McMurray/Earnhardt: Looked like a racing thing to me, but, were I to lay blame, I’d wonder why McMurray’s spotter didn’t give him a heads up.
T10’s: There were a few other drivers happy for the rain, besides Kurt. Labonte, Sadler, Mears, and Yeley got a rare visit to the T10.
Carpentier: Gonna give him an honorable mention for leading his first lap in Sprint. Don’t know if he’ll ever lead another, but the first one is special.
Okay, can we move on to Daytona now?
July 1, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
Labonte T10?...IMO Waltrips car was better than Busch's so I guess we'll neve know...31 races without a win fir Stewart and counting!
Posted by: Fan #5 | Jul 1, 2008 10:35:55 AM
#5,
Labonte finished in tenth. But, there were enough laps for Waltrip to slide into the wall, and there were plenty of cars faster than Waltrip. He just needs to step out of the car.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 1, 2008 11:02:30 AM
Sure it was a sellout, Keith. Track officials went to the printers and ordered 100,000 tickets printed for the race. When the printer called, track officials went over and paid for every last ticket - a sellout by MY definition!
Oh. You meant selling the tickets to fans? Never mind.
An interesting race. I note today that the word is "no further penalties for Montoya." I guess this is part of the "let racers be racers" philosophy announced earlier this year, just before the "stop complaining about the COT" speech?
Robin Miller says Franchitti's NASCAR career is toast. Too bad. I want those guys to succeed to some level, but more than that, I want them to show commitment. Montoya's doing it, for better or for worse. As he will tell you, it takes more than one season.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jul 1, 2008 11:20:25 AM
Doug,
LOL, I thought you'd like the mall part. What NASCAR needs is for Jr. to drive an aluminum colored car, then no-one could tell if they were sold or not.
Montoya is proving to be the big exception to the open-wheelers. He seems to embrace the sport rather than just think of it as another paycheck.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 1, 2008 11:34:16 AM
Keith I like Carpentier. He is honest, he wants to be in NASCAR and I think he will have a decent career.
Posted by: Mark Young | Jul 1, 2008 2:48:46 PM
If you know me you know my animosity toward Fontana. Bruton must have said "well, if he can market Fontana...."
I like Loudon, but caught hell over at Kathy's for even hinting at the prospect that at least SOME decent racing took place on Sunday! (K2 even suggested I was on dope, but my unit just did a urinalysis and they assure me I am not!) I just have a soft spot in me heart for Loudon and M'ville I guess.
And, uh, yeah...gotta lay it down on the 26 spotter...unless my man didn't put his hand out the window; but being on the apron and slowing down are good signs anyway.
Posted by: Joe | Jul 1, 2008 3:34:12 PM
Joe,
Now, I like Martinsville because of the paperclip shape, the pink hotdog, and the history. I've just never developed a fondness for Loudon. From the looks of the grandstands, neither has the local racing community.
McMurray was focused ahead on his lines, and skirting the apron for grip. Jr. was getting into his pits spending the least amount of time on the track. Ya think a slow/down low might have helped?
Posted by: Keith | Jul 1, 2008 3:51:29 PM
Mark,
Well, ya know there's a bunch of, "Told you it wasn't so damn easy, open-wheelers," in we NASCAR fans. It was on the brink of being insulting, to both stock car drivers and fans, to hire open-wheelers to fill rides, when qualified stock car guys/gals are out there. Like our guys had no talent. It's just 4 wheels, and these guys are real drivers. BS to that!
Carpentier may turn out okay. He did drive it like he stole it for that first lap he led.
LOL, I would pay to see Montoya drive again in F1 (Maybe as a one time replacement for an injured driver) now that he seems to have embraced "Rubbin' is Racin'." F1 might never be the same.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 1, 2008 4:02:54 PM
McMurray: the commentators seemed to be unanimous that it was "just racin'." That surprised me - I thought someone screwed up really big time.
Open wheelers: you make two points. I agree that you can see hiring OW guys as insulting to NASCAR if that's the way you see it. BUT we have been through this before: I don't think anyone ever said that OW guys would come in and dominate. Anyone who said that they would is not a racing fan.
I also get the impression (and what do we know?) that Montoya likes NASCAR, that he enjoys the motor home in the infield aspect of it. Good for him. Hanging out with family and work friends in a million-dollar RV, private chef working the barbecue ... yeah, I could deal with that.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jul 1, 2008 4:39:52 PM
Doug,
Who screwed up, in your opinion?
I know OW's have been brought up in the past. I brought it up in a past tense.
As for Montoya, what's not to like. Big commercials, other drivers who will actually socialize with you, and a private chef working the BBQ.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 1, 2008 5:26:13 PM
Juan Pablo is quickly moving up the ranks on my list of drivers to follow. He says what he thinks and doesn't take crap from anyone.
Posted by: Mark Young | Jul 1, 2008 11:16:00 PM
Mark,
No doubt he picked up more than a few new fans when he dumped Busch.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 2, 2008 6:34:18 AM
Chief: The line about the aluminum-colored car for Junior is one of the best I've ever read. Well done.
As for the open-wheel guys, Doug put it best: Nobody (not even Ganassi and Montoya, who are, you might say, kind of cocky and outspoken at times), ever made any claims that they'd dominate NASCAR. I don't get my kicks seeing anybody fail. And I'm not so sure about a long list of "qualified" drivers from "our" ranks. Who missed out on the opportunities Hornish, Carpentier and Franchitti were given? Maybe I missed something (sincere comment, not sarcastic).
Posted by: David Green | Jul 2, 2008 8:12:50 AM
David,
Thanks. It was Jr. in Aluminum, or the track hands out Ken Schrader "Little Debbie" cutouts to every other fan.
Montoya doesn't count as an open wheeler anymore. He's driving more like he's from Columbia, NC instead of that other Columbia.
However, I am sure there are diamonds in the rough, akin to a Bowyer, Truex or Gilliland remaining in the NASCAR driver pool, who are earning their way into the top series. I just don't think you throw a driver, from another form of racing, into a car without some kind of learning curve. The top level of the sport is not where open wheelers should be training to learn the difference between car types and racing styles.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 2, 2008 10:37:16 AM
Keith, I really don't know who screwed up in the McMurray/Earnhardt thing. My first thoght was McMurray, but no one seems to think THAT, so next is his spotter, I guess. Again, though, what astounds me is there is not a loud scream of protest from the Junior camp. This blog may not be a full cross-section of NASCAR fandom, but not one post here protesting Junior getting crunched says something. (I haven't looked on the other blogs - maybe there are flame wars going on over there.) Maybe it was just racin'?
Sorry to see the 40 team shutting down. It's scary when a major NASCAR team can't operate for lack of sponsorship. Yates has been hanging on by a thread, and now Ganassi has to shut down and lay off 70 people. Chrysler sales down almost 40%; things automotive aren't in very good shape these days.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jul 2, 2008 10:54:51 AM
Great commentary, Keith. Your comment about an aluminum Jr. car should get you some sorta Blogsphere Recognition Award.
I saw lots of empty seats, too, but couldn't decide -- were they due to weather, disappointing race (fans left way early), or lack of interest in Loudon. At least TNT shows it!! Was beginning to believe Fox had strict NASCAR orders to avoid televising the stands AT ALL COST.
It's a travesty. Two Loudon races and one Darlington. Don't tell me to quit moanin' on that one, b/c it'll never happen.
Absolutely nothing thrilling about Loudon.
But whoa, Daytona is comin' up!!
Posted by: Doris | Jul 2, 2008 11:07:35 AM
Doug,
Monies are tight for sponsors, and, as far as advertising budgets go, I imagine that any company, not actually involved in racing, can and will seek a lower cost alternative than a $10 million+ race team to spend their dollars on. But, it is sad for racing, because different teams add flavor to NASCAR.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 2, 2008 12:41:24 PM
Doris,
Hmmmm, a BRA award...I'm game.
Less than stellar racing in the past here, possibly some weather concerns, and the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Average Joe, the backbone of NASCAR, might be a bit squeezed by gas and the economy. I think more and more fans have to pick and choose events important to them.
But, yes, finally Daytona is Back!
Posted by: Keith | Jul 2, 2008 12:57:48 PM
Doris, good point. I live about 50 miles from Fontana. More than once I have driven out there for the Busch race, then driven home, then gotten up on Sunday to drive out for the Cup race. I know for sure that I won't do THAT this fall. Of course, will I go in any event if it's over 100 degrees? I didn't last year, but health issues also played a part in that call.
As to Darlington and Loudon: the issue is how many seats were filled, not what portion of the seats. If Loudon has 90,000 seats and was 75% full, that's 67,500 seats. If Darlington has 70,000 seats and is 90% full, that's 63,000. Heck, Bristol half-full (164,000/2 = 81,000) beats them both! We also don't know how many seats were actually "sold," i.e., the number of seats for which someone paid something close to face value for. If Loudon sells 90,000 tickets and 20% of those folks don't show up, so what? They still sold the tickets, and the only ones who suffer are the vendors.
One more on empty seats: I went to an IRL race once at Fontana and they roped off most of the seats so that the 20,000 or so of us in attendance were packed into one area, probably so it would loook good on TV. Bah.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jul 2, 2008 4:52:22 PM
Keith said:
"I just don't think you throw a driver, from another form of racing, into a car without some kind of learning curve. The top level of the sport is not where open wheelers should be training to learn the difference between car types and racing styles."
I will add to that by saying the only thing more stupid is to start throwing next years rookies into a cup car starting with loudon
the first race of the chase. nothing like spending your entire year trying to get to a point in the season when you can lay it on the line and race for a championship just to have a first timer wipe out the field.
As to the sellouts well thats just as you guessed it, a Nascar accounting game. at what ever given set date determined by the track, the unsold tickets are "donated" as part of the deversity program and suprise, a sell out. If you have nothing to sell you not lying right?
Posted by: Bob | Jul 2, 2008 11:44:47 PM
Doug, I think the off-limits seating is as much for practical reasons (a smaller area to clean up afterwards, and to supervise during the event) as it is for show biz. The expanses of completely empty grandstands are not exactly good publicity, either.
The problem is the arenas have been built to steroids-influenced sizes. You made that point perfectly in your comparison of total seats sold versus percentage of seats available. Any time something other than the premier series competes, the crowd is going to look bad. And when the premier series doesn't fill the stadium, the whole sport starts to tarnish a bit.
Posted by: David Green | Jul 3, 2008 12:43:36 AM
David,
I agree. It's for practical, and monetary reasons that they close off parts of the track seating. Fewer concessions, and facilities have to be opened and manned, and fewer security and temporary personnel have to be hired.
I think it's that pendulum thing again. When the sport was on the upswing, they built like there was no tomorrow. "If we build it, they will come fill it," was their mantra. Well, like pendulums are known to do, it's on the way down. Except for the "Super" events i.e. the Daytona 500, empty seats are more likely to become the rule rather than the exception.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 3, 2008 6:51:53 AM
Bob,
Even though the Chase is fake, and no-one in the racing world, outside of NASCAR, sees it as anything but a gimmick, you have a point. It's not a good time to be training someone.
Actually I read on another site that the actual attendance at the track was 101,000. The track seats 95K and change. From the TV footage I'm guessing that either 30,000 were sitting in someone's lap, or they served some bad seafood and have really big restrooms, because there is no way in hell they had 100K there.
Posted by: Keith | Jul 3, 2008 7:04:00 AM
Bob:
I agree about throwing OW guys into Cup, which is why I'm keeping a special eye on Scott Speed, who is taking a year to learn the stock car game in ARCA and trucks. I don't know if he had any choice about it, but it strikes me as the way to go.
Keith:
One of the many problems with the chase is exactly what you describe. We get to a point where 12 teams are now in the playoffs, but then there are 31 or more other teams that are beginning to experiment for next year with new setups and new drivers.
And I'll concede the issue on the roped-off seats. I just wanted the chance to watch a race from waaaaayyyy down in turn one or turn four for a change instead of from the front stretch where I always sit. But one more whine about seats: when I first went to NASCAR events at Riverside in the late 70s, you could sit there for hours after the race. We'd use the time to let the traffic die down a bit and make sure our coolers were lightened up before bringing them back to the car. One year we didn't leave until after dark. At Fontana, though, they have folks coming through within 30 minutes after the checkered flag, urging you to pack up and get out. I know, it's probably economics - time to start cleanup etc. - but I miss the old days.
Posted by: Doug in CA | Jul 3, 2008 11:21:33 AM
"From the TV footage I'm guessing that either 30,000 were sitting in someone's lap, or they served some bad seafood and have really big restrooms, because there is no way in hell they had 100K there."
ROFL! Good one, Keith.
Darlington IS a sellout every time. Truth in advertising there.
Doug, we've lingered post-race at Atlanta, Charlotte, Darlington, Dover ... never a hastle to make us vacate the premises. Though, traffic being what it is, you're basically trading seat locales. LOL
Happy Fourth of July y'all.
Posted by: Doris | Jul 3, 2008 8:04:00 PM
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