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October 04, 2008
Rambling (even more than usual)
By DAVID GREEN
The first nine weeks of school are done and I get a week off, so forgive me for a rambling contribution to our online dialogue. It's kind of hard to maintain a coherent thought. Yeah, yeah, I know, that's my normal state, but fall break spaz-out is my excuse and I'm sticking to it...
I'm wondering if Talladega can produce a finish that's substantially better than Dover or Kansas did. The three-way battle between Biffle, Kenseth and Edwards was great, and I loved Edwards' attempt to get past Johnson on the last turn -- and Johnson's cool reaction, to let him go and then do the crossover. Good stuff...
Anybody get up early to watch last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, the first-ever night-time Formula One race? Nah, I didn't think so. Anyway, there were the usual comments about how the cars look so much different under artificial lights and so forth, but I don't think it (night racing) works as well for road or street courses. I guess I'm accustomed to endurance racing, where darkness and headlights are part of the equation; anyway, I like night racing under the lights for ovals and not so much for road or street circuits...
A couple of National Speed Sport News items caught my attention recently (not an unusual thing; NSSN rocks) -- columns by Sheena Baker, a newcomer, and the always-excellent Dave Argabright. Sheena wrote about how her passion for NASCAR, so intense in the mid-1990s, has cooled, and Dave about Tim McCreadie's resurgence in dirt late model racing after an ill-fated flirtation with NASCAR in a Richard Childress racing development deal. Maybe Congress will consider a bill to bail out disenchanted NASCAR fans. ...
I remember when NASCAR was the "next big thing" and CART/Indy car folks were in denial about the decline of their form of motor sport. Wonder what the next "next big thing" will be? I'm a big dirt-track fan, but I just don't see dirt racing rising above niche-level appeal. Heck, even dirt has gotten bigger than I'd prefer it to be. Does that make me regressive? ...
Memories of Fred Lorenzen inexplicably popped into my head the other day. I don't remember what triggered the thoughts, but suddenly I was thinking about what a kick I got out of Freddy and Richard Petty duking it out at Charlotte in the 1964 National 400. More good stuff...
Those of you who have been to Talladega, I'd like to hear your first-visit memories. Mine are how the track was so big it deceived me. It was kind of like watching a C5-A Galaxy on landing or take-off. The thing is so big, it looks as if it's barely moving. Looking up at the banking, I thought Talladega wasn't that much different from other tracks I'd been to. Then some cars came by, and I was struck by how small they looked. The track was so imposing, like the C5, and the cars didn't seem to be going as fast as they actually were...
OK. I'm better now.
October 4, 2008 | Permalink
Comments
Talledega finish: The debate over plates or no plates wont change this weeks race, it has plates. The result is a very very close field that proves to be exciting to watch. to me the one thing that can destroy a good finish is when the caution comes out with 15 or less to go where we see the single file parade until the white flag. That should be illegal.
Grand Prix: Hard to watch from home. For once I'll give Nascar credit about coverage. (at least when it comes to camera view, announcers are another story) Nascar does show more of whats going on on the track in real time for me.
News: Like everything in marketing, hype will bring alot of people to the product. The downside, Nascar does not care about, is that over hyping eventually shows itself as such. Nascar has a great core product if they would quit micro managing it. As far as congress bailing out the disgruntled fan, sorry they bailed out the track owners intstead.
Next Big thing: like anything else it has to start at the local level where everyday people can do it at home and build it up nationally. Then they will gouge themselves out of the market and someone else will take over.
Fred who? It's a retorical question
Talledega experience: Ive never been, but does Daytona count? Being in the cheap seats (down low track side) provides an amazing impression. while traveling the track its appearance seems painfully slow. but the concusion of air that hits you along with the sounds, smells, smoke and the flying rubber of a spin is not something that can be put into words by a very lingustically challenged blogger. The sheer size of the crowd and stands makes it a spectacal worth seeing.
Posted by: Bob | Oct 4, 2008 10:41:41 AM
David,
LOL, are the Lil' tykes getting to you after only nine weeks?
Dover was a hell of a race, but Kansas? The only thrill at Kansas was the finish. The rest of the event was as flat as the landscape. Also, thrilling as it was, it's hard to describe the move as a crossover, because there was no active move. It was more like Carl making a great save, than having anything to do with Johnson trying to counter anything. But, as a teacher, if you give extra credit for effort, Carl got some that race.
We'll see what Talladega brings, but me, I'd rather see Busch in third battling with Edwards and Johnson for a "Classic" points battle. BTW, my pick for Talladega is Busch. He may be showing up a day late and a dollar short, but he won't be held down forever, and deserves to be in the hunt. Oh, not the Farce hunt, the real hunt for a title.
Posted by: Keith | Oct 4, 2008 3:33:45 PM
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