Next observation concerns Kyle Busch. Sometime last year Jeff made the comment that I “would be a Kyle Busch” fan one day. While I am not yet ready to go out and start buying M&Ms again, I do want to compliment Kyle on his handling the Talladega “big one” he caused in the 500. A year ago, he would have hustled away from the track and not have talked to the press until the next race. This time he gave a calm interview and although you could tell on the radio how dejected he was, he accepted full blame (not that blame is the right word for such an accident at Talladega) and was cordial, it appeared, to the television interviewer although I did not hear that interview as the television was muted. It appears that Kyle’s maturity has reached his talent level and, if not, will soon be there. I have always had respect for the talent, now I’m getting respect for the man. No, Jeff, I’m not a fan yet, but I may yet return to the M&Ms.
Now for a couple of opinions. Let me preface these opinions by saying that I really like Regan Smith. I think he’s a fine driver and he is doing a super job with an underfunded team. He has talent which can’t be denied, but breaks usually don’t fall his way. Saturday, at Talladega, the breaks did go his way, for which I am thankful, but my opinion of NASCAR’s inconsistency with the rules and the way they play the game is not very high.
For instance, we had one heck of a race to the finish line. After all, when a race is started, it IS the FINISH LINE and the checkered flag which is the object of the event. At Daytona this year, at Daytona a couple of years ago with Martin and Harvick, and several other races on the “last lap” coming off turn four with the leaders clearly fighting for position, an accident, one, two, ten or more cars, has broken out behind the leaders heading to the checkers, and NO CAUTION thrown until the winner crossed the line. Yet, at one of the most exciting, three wide finishes NASCAR has had recently, it is decided they will go back to the last “loop” when the yellow was thrown and that would decide the winner. Based on that faulty premise, Regan Smith got a win that rightfully should have gone to Kasey Kahne who crossed the line first. Just another example of NASCAR’s inconsistency and errors in judgment. To try to anticipate what the ruling of the week will be is akin to knowing, in advance, the Powerball numbers so you can win the jackpot. With NASCAR there seems to be no “jackpot” although I have reasons to believe there may be other “pots” involved here.
Congratulations Regan, I’m proud of you and your team, and although I don’t consider that is one NASCAR “gave” you, I have to question the decision made by the sanctioning body in that instance. I couldn’t see the “loop” nor do I even care where it is/was, but I could see the finish line and the checkered flag and three cars wide going for it. What a rip off to fall back to the “loop”.
Okay, next opinion. Sunday’s race. First up, I compliment NASCAR for the dedicated effort to get the full 500 miles in although it took a three and a half hour red flag to accomplish that feat. I’m still not sure how well those new track drying systems worked, but they must do pretty good watching how they got the track back after the deluge at one point. My complaint with NASCAR on the issue of finishing the race as it did was what I perceive as the lack of care for the competitors by finishing the race in almost darkness. Yes, I know that watching it on television doesn’t give you a good perspective of exactly how light or dark it may be, but the MRN crew was all about the lack of visibility apparent those last 10 or 15 laps. It would seem to me that it would have been preferable to restart the race and tell the drivers they had 40 laps (instead of the 63 remaining when it restarted) so they could finish with reasonable daylight and with a modicum of safety. I think NASCAR lucked out on that one when there was no accident as the direct result of the diminishing daylight. Again, inconsistency in the rules. Think back to races called before this event after only an hour or so of rain and then the weather clears and the track could have been dried and the race restarted but wasn’t. As I said, there is no rhyme of reason to the way NASCAR does things so I guess we, as fans, just learn to roll with it.
And while we are on that subject of the way NASCAR does things, one of my deepest pet peeves is that NASCAR, under its new management in 2004, took The Southern 500 from Darlington on Labor Day weekend. The sport that wants us all to believe that tradition plays a part in all that made NASCAR and all that is NASCAR, yet they take the historic race from the historic speedway and now, this weekend, on a Saturday night (barring the forecast rain for the area) will run “The Bojangles Southern 500”. I will never forgive the mindless moron who made the decision to take THE Southern 500 from Labor Day weekend at Darlington. I hope his mother disowns him for scheduling a race on Mother’s Day weekend. Could be she already has.
Another opinion, based a lot on my observations of the past two seasons, and this may rub some folks the wrong way, but so be it. In the Cup Series, or as NASCAR currently desires to call it, the “Premier Series” (subject to change with the direction of the wind), there are a bunch of steering wheel holders, but, again MY opinion, only three drivers out there who are truly “race drivers”. Now hold on to your seats, because this will probably shock some of you.
The three? Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch. After all I have had to say about the Busch brothers over the years I’m sure there are some of you about to go into shock, but allow me to explain. I have noticed, over the past two seasons, that these three will continue to do everything within their power to compete, no matter the adversity thrown their way. Watch Brad when he gets behind. He comes back, always comes back to the front, although he may not finish there due to circumstances he can’t control. How many times last year was he a lap down in 25th or worse at the half way point and fought his way back into the top ten or top five. Plenty. Kyle gives his mount 100% every lap, every inch and at ‘Dega he got in trouble but he was running in front when it happened. And Kurt? Well, I don’t care too much for his personality and I think he gives the worst interview in NASCAR, but he is one to take an underfunded team, in Nationwide of Cup, and run it to the front. No, I’m still now a Busch fan, but I have to respect the talent and abilities from those two as well as Brad Keselowski of whom I am a fan.
That is not to say the other guys and gals out there aren’t race drivers, I’m just saying they are more interested in the money and the television time. To fall out of the race is an opportunity to a pre-rehearsed, sponsor laced interview with the soft drink, or energy drink of choice prominently displayed with them. With Brad, Kyle and Kurt, being out is a huge letdown and I’m beginning to fully understand why it is sometimes burdensome for those three to be interviewed after falling out. Remember Fireball Roberts? Remember Fred Lorenzen? If they fell out of a race, heaven help the press person sticking a microphone in their face until well after, and I do mean WELL after things had calmed down.
One final observation and this was also noticed by much of the press from what I’ve read. The crowd, if you wish to call it that, at the track was down. Way down. Could have been due to the weather as I would suspect many stayed home for that reason, but a comment from a Canadian friend of mine, in an e-mail this week, who usually attends Daytona and Talladega events said that he doesn’t plan to come back to Daytona or Talladega until restrictor plates are gone. I wrote him back to say that is not likely to happen in his lifetime. But that may have also been an issue, along with the weather, that kept fans from the stands. Of course, the ‘Dega Infield, which has apparently taken over the reputation of the Darlington infield on Labor Day, appears to have been as full of partiers as usual. Wonder how many of them even knew a race was going on? Wonder how many of them even knew it rained? Wonder how many of them got home Monday, or Tuesday, and wondered where they had been all weekend?
Well, there you have my opinions and observations from this past weekend. Oh, the Omelet? I was just kidding about that.
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