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February 21, 2009
It says here...
By DAVID GREEN
Count me among those who agree with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s self-assessment ("I'm not a jerk and I don't race like a jerk."). I've watched the kid since his Busch Series debut at Myrtle Beach and he's not a dumb or a dirty racer. He makes mistakes, just like every other driver. He made a big one Sunday. NASCAR encourages blocking by permitting drivers to do it without any restraint, and Junior knows it. It couldn't have come as a surprise that Brian Vickers tried to block his move. Those who believe blocking is a legitimate racing tactic need to accept the fact that, when you block somebody, you're basically setting yourself up and daring the guy behind to hit you -- either intentionally or accidentally. (By the way, Mike Bliss was not blocking Vickers when Vickers wrecked him to win the preliminary race at Charlotte on all-star weekend a couple of years ago.) Three times in 51 editions of the Daytona 500, rain has caused the race to be cut short of its 500-mile distance. If you don't like those odds, don't buy a ticket. Unlike Ron Green Jr., I don't believe the 500 is a bogus event unless it goes the distance. This is another one of those apples-oranges comparisons that does not work. But he's entitled to his opinion. NASCAR's decisions tend to be inconsistent; they might defend them as appropriate for varying circumstances, and I don't reject that notion. I don't really like a "one size fits all" mandate. I have no problem with the decision to call the Daytona 500 official after 76 percent of its distance. I do have a problem with them pushing starting times back deeper and deeper into the afternoon. I would imagine they are trying to get the best time frame for both ticket-buying spectator and TV-watching fan. With the last couple of years' attendance and ratings figures, that doesn't seem to be working all that well. Speaking of starting times and ratings, I wonder what the numbers are for those seemingly endless pre-race extravaganzas? I may be in the minority, but I suspect that's not exactly must-see TV.
February 21, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
David,
When those prerace shows were a half hour long I used to make sure not to miss it to get me ready for the race. Now that they are two and three hours long and on more than one network and with all the information available on the internet I never watch them. If you don't know by Sunday morning what is going on in the world of NASCAR, then you are just not all that interested. I'll just watch a movie rather than watch Spencer change his opinion after each commercial break.
As for Jr, I agree that it was just a bad mistake. What I have the biggest problem with is those that will defend him no matter the situation. I have drivers that I pull for every week, but when they mess up, they mess up. At least his on track mistake diverted some attention away from his in the pits mistakes.
Posted by: Peter | Feb 21, 2009 8:15:26 AM
David,
It wasn't that they called it, but, to me anyway, it was how fast they called it. Rain happens, but I can remember sitting hours, for lesser races, and flipping channels to see if it got restarted. Calling it after 27mins just seems a bit hasty.
Even with the odds of rain being minimal, the outrageous cost of a day at the Daytona 500 has me betting that more people will choose to stay away next year.
Does anyone actually watch the pre-race junk? The perfect race TV starts with the anthem, the fly over, and gentlemen start your engines.
Posted by: Keith | Feb 21, 2009 10:09:15 AM
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