NASCAR - Give Boris a Chance!!

I've talked here before about how great a driver Boris Said is and that it's a crime he is basically sitting on the sidelines because he's 44 years old. Well, Josh Pete over at NASCAR.com wrote a GREAT piece about this subject today.

Any opportunity would be a dream. It's not much fun for him watching as hoards preach that NASCAR's talent pool from which to draw has dried up. Or to watch as Driver X, labeled as "the next Denny Hamlin" or "the next Carl Edwards" flounders in the back of the pack when he knows he can do better. He'd never say that, though.

Read the whole article. I still don't understand why no one will give Boris a chance. It's a slap in the face to one of the greatest drivers in the world not to give him a full ride.

NASCAR - Jumping the Shark?

I just found this tidbit over at SceneDaily.com:

NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has signed with Elizabeth Arden Inc. to be a national spokesperson for the Daytona 500 fragrance for men. The television advertising campaign will feature Johnson along with his wife, Chandra, with the logo "Live Daytona 500. Every day."

Please, someone tell me this is a bad joke. For those who poo pooed Talladega Nights, now maybe you'll see the parody wasn't far off from reality. This smacks of a Saturday Night Live skit. Imagine JJ talking in a lusty tone, "Live Daytona 500...every day. And smell like gas and burning rubber. It makes me and my wife so hot I want to do a burnout."

NASCAR - ISC makes wise choice scrapping NY track

I always thought it was a terrible idea for NASCAR to build a track in the NY tri-state area. Much to my happiness, ISC (Int'l Speedway Corp.) announced yesterday they were scrapping plans for a newly-built track on Staten Island. YEA!!!!

NASCAR needs to slow down. The sport has seen a meteoric rise in popularity since 2000. Millions of new fans. New races. New faces. Old-school tracks like Darlington were bagged for boring, large-market tracks like Fontana, CA. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that TV ratings started taking a dip this year. The growth could not be sustained. It's been the talk of the NASCAR world the past month, but I don't think a drop-off in popularity should be a surprise to anyone who is involved in the sport either as a drive or a fan.

Back to New York. I don't know how many of you have been to a NASCAR Nextel Cup race. I personally never have, but I did have an experience with the nightmare traffic that results after a race. In Sept. 2001, I was driving home from North Carolina to Connecticut (I missed my plane in Norfolk because the flight was changed but I didn't find out until I got to the airport). That day happened to be the same day there was the second Dover race. The race ended when I was an hour and a half south of the track. Traffic was fine until I got near the track. From there, I crawled in mind-boggling, turtle-slow traffic for FIVE GODDAMN HOURS! All the way through central New Jersey I don't think I ever got above 20 mph. I almost lost my mind.

If this expanse of highway couldn't handle the NASCAR load, how in hell would the joke of a highway system around New York City EVER handle it? It would be impossible. Just take a look at how bad traffic is when the Yankees play. If you're anywhere near the city, you're sitting in traffic. And there are ten different ways to get there. But ISC wanted a track in Staten Island, of all places! If you've driven anywhere in the 5 boroughs, you know how awfully-planned the highway system is. The rejects who laid it all out in the early 1900's had no clue what they were doing, nor can the roads handle every day, normal traffic. A NASCAR race in Staten Island would bring the region to a crawl.

This is another victory for those of us in the tri-state area. The first was the rejection of New York's bid for the 2012 Olympics, which would have been just as bad, but only would have lasted 2 weeks. This was another silly concept thought up of by NASCAR that's been rightfully put to bed. Instead, they need to concentrate on bringing us better races at the tracks we already have, renovating older tracks (bring back Darlington, dammit!) and supporting smaller teams so there's at least a smidgen of competition every weekend.

NASCAR - Congrats, Jimmy; Other Musings

Well, another long NASCAR season is finally over and Jimmy Johnson exorcised his demons and landed his first of what I think will be a few championship trophies. Congrats to the entire Hendrick organization and JJ for a solid season.

There's been a lot of talk about NASCAR's TV ratings this season, with USA Today catching a lot of heat for a story they ran on Friday about the ratings decline. Ironically, the ratings for Homestead were down 10% according to news reports. I don't think this should surprise fans or NASCAR, but it is cause for concern. The problem is multi-faceted. First, the sport has grown in popularity exponentially since 2000. Hell, I wasn't even a fan before Fox started broadcasting the series. The rate of growth in all areas is simply not sustainable, regardless of the sport. NASCAR also suffers from extreme OVERexposure. No one can deny that, although I didn't hear it mentioned in any of the talk on Speed or TNT this weekend.

The amount of money spent on advertising, promoting drivers and promoting the races has gotten out of hand. Everywhere you look, it's NASCAR NASCAR NASCAR. The general population gets tired of it.

Another reason, and I forgot who brought it up on Wind Tunnel on Sunday, is that fans are getting pretty tired of NASCAR turning into F1 in the sense that only a small handful of drivers/teams can win. There are 43 drivers in every race. Granted a few of them don't deserve to be there (Derrick Cope, Morgan Shephard, etc.), but most do. But only drivers with big teams (Hendrick, Roush, RCR and DEI) have a shot at winning each week. What chance does Joe Nemecheck, Robby Gordon, Travis Kvapil, Jeff Green or Dave Blaney have week in and week out? Virtually NONE. Maybe I am in fantasy land, but it wasn't this way 20 years ago. And as I've said many times before, it gets pretty boring watching Tony Stewart, Jimmy Johnson and a small handful of others winning each week.

To compound that, how many races went down with the leaders banging it out at the finish? Mot many.

I also agree that many of the races are way too long. One of the many benefits of having Tivo is that you can get around this easily. Roundy roundy round for 5 hours is sleep-inducing. It's boring watching Kasey Khane or Matt Kenseth leading lap after lap for hours on end.

TV coverage has been abysmal with the TNT/NBC crew and commercials. Missed cautions, missed restarts, missed accidents, missed passes...And Bill Weber's nauseating, melodramatic commentary just kills people. I can't believe TNT signed him to continue for the next few years. I'd rather listen to BP and Wally, because they've been there, done that and know what they're talking about without injecting a bunch of over-dramatic platitudes.

The number of races and venues used absolutely needs to change. GET RID of one race in California. I don't care who sells out where, Rockingham races are infinitely more exciting to watch than those lame-ass parades put on at California. Or, use the road course for one of the California races. Do something, NASCAR. Other venues need to change as well. There should be some sort of rotating schedule year to year.

I'm already looking forward to next season, with the debut of Toyota (which is a good thing, folks) and several new teams. But I think everyone - fans, drivers, teams - desperately needed a break. But my Tivo is ready and waiting for late January!!!!

NASCAR - One to Go

ACK!!! Can we please have a NEW winner in Nextel Cup this season besides Harvick, Johnson, Khane, Stewart or Kenseth?? Maybe Bobby Labonte or Joe Nemecheck can come through for a surprise win at Homestead next week.

Anyway, a fairly competitive race Sunday. It was nice to see Mark Martin leading again, but a real bummer to see him fall short yet again. We got our usual dose of Mr. Stewart dumping yet another competitor. Let's hope Jaime McMurray delivers a nice payback next week. One thing that struck me (again) is how far Roush Racing has fallen this year. Greg Biffle can't buy a win this season, whereas he was a weekly contender last season.

Did someone pull at fast one at Robby Gordon Motorsports? What the hell has happened to that team down the stretch? Robby was well into the top 20 and now sits 30th in points. And here we thought Robby would be sitting pretty going into next year. He was leading races the first half of the season, nearly winning a few. Now? It looks like he hired Kenny Wallace to drive his car and finish several laps down each week. It's not looking pretty.

Misc. Thoughts:

• Did anyone even notice Ward Burton was at Phoenix?
  
• Word to Michael Waltrip: step it up a notch, will ya? I've been a big fan of Michael, even though he's never done particularly well. But this year has been embarrassing to say the least.
  
• Who else thinks Ray Evernham was chuckling when Jeremy Mayfield failed to qualify for Sunday's race?
  
• Speaking of, what the hell happened at the end of the Busch race Saturday? Looks like his sweetie Erin Crocker got booted pretty hard AFTER the Start/Finish line. But they cut TV coverage pretty quickly and didn't talk about it at all.
  
• I loved Juan Pablo Montoya's comments after the race. This is why he's going to be fun to have in the Nextel Cup garage: "It's tough passing these guys -- they seem like they don't see you, they just sort of play dumb....When you run up front, the guy up front runs a lot cleaner, a lot smarter. The guys in the back are just too dumb. I'm trying to keep the car in one piece and its very hard, because, yes, I am a rookie -- but no, I am not a rookie."
  

F1 - Why Americans Don't Get F1

No one can deny that Formula 1 is the pinnacle of racing when it comes to sheer technology and, possibly, talent. One of the things F1 definitely is NOT short on is arrogance and pettiness. And I think this haughty taughty, caviar and plastic surgery culture is a major reason most American motorsports fans don't particularly care for F1.

The most recent case in point is the continuing - and hopefully near ending - saga surrounding Juan Pablo Montoya and his quick departure from McLaren. If you don't already know, JPM didn't have any standing offers from a reputable F1 team by the middle of this season. He decided enough was enough. He wanted to get back to REAL racing, as opposed to race cars on parade. He wanted to get away from the petty bullshit so prevalent in the F1 garages and offices. he announced he would drive for Chip Ganassi in Nextel Cup in 2007. Rather than honor its contrct with JPM, McLaren kicked him out of his ride for the remainder of the season. As if to say "F you, Juan Pablo!," McLaren forbid JPM from sitting in another race car for anyone else until the end of the year. The pettiness was in full effect. They threw condescending insults at him in the press for months thereafter.

Today, there's an article on f1live.com where the McLaren "bosses" (aka crybabies) continue to place blame on the team's pathetic 2006 performance:

Montoya exit was 'disruption' to McLaren

Juan Pablo Montoya's premature departure from Formula One this year was a 'disruption', McLaren's chief executive has said.

As Colombian Montoya prepares to make his debut this weekend in NASCAR's premier category, Martin Whitmarsh suggested to Speed TV that the 31-year-old's soured end to his Grand Prix career might have influenced McLaren's failure to win a race in 2006.

But Whitmarsh said: "We can try and apportion blame and responsibility there, but it didn't work out.

"Whether it was 90 per cent his fault and 10 per cent ours or vice versa - he didn't really blend in.

"He didn't really blend in at Williams either, but we hoped we could achieve more with Juan than we did."

Montoya won seven Grand Prix from 95 starts.

Last time I checked, JPM didn't make the decision to part ways with the team halfway through the season and disrupt things. He was forcefully removed from his seat. He signed a contract in Nextel for NEXT year, you idiots. Not this year. So the disruption his removal caused was YOUR doing, not his. Do you care to explain why Kimi's season was such a disaster from the first race? Or was the JPM's fault, too? It's this type of childish bullshit that really makes me want to piss on the people who run Formula 1. No wonder JPM is a million times happier being part of a series where the competitors can actually be friendly and helpful and where former teams don't spend months badmouthing a former driver.

Maybe if F1 ever got rid of its snotty air, they *might* attract more fans. Maybe not.

Did Robby Do It?

Another yawner of a race with Tony Stewart winning. I love how there is all this talk that the Chase should be changed because drivers like Stewart, who are contenders, are excluded. That's a bunch of crap. The thing is, even Stewart himself said there shouldn't be any changes, even if he's now winning. He missed the Chase fair and square. I'm sick of these NASCAR "fans" who think Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon need to be in the Chase every year or "changes need to be made." If they are consistent, then they're in, folks. That's the way it works. There should be no exceptions for anyone. I don't care of the ghost of Dale Earnhardt came back and drove. if he didn't make the Chase on points, he shouldn't be allowed in!

Now, let's get to the growing controversy surrounding Pad-gate. Did Robby intentionally throw out a roll-bar pad to get a debris caution? It's clear something came out of or underneath his car. It's on tape and we've all seen it. The question is whether or not he threw the padding out the window. He certainly benefited from the caution, as he got back on the lead lap. Robby's been fighting tooth and nail to stay well into the top 35 in points this year and has done a remarkable job. He finished 10th and currently sits 27th. According to Larry McReynolds at Fox, the top 25 at the end of the season get a check. 26th and below get ZIP. So, it's understandable why Robby may be desperate to hang in the top 25.

I've been a supporter of Robby for a while, even though he has a reputation for being a real jerk. I'm hoping it's not determined that he threw the padding out the window. If he did, well, then I hope NASCAR brings the hammer down on him. Hate to say it, but he'll deserve it.

Misc notes from Atlanta:

• I'm really bummed about Mark Martin. I really thought he had a chance this season to win it all, but after another wreck on Sunday, that looks very unlikely.
  
• Is anyone else bored with the 10-car-length finishes in NASCAR today? It was about a year and a half ago we saw Carl Edwards beat Jimmy Johnson at the line, banging and rubbing the entire last lap, car wagging all over... We need more of those finishes. I'm tired of seeing one car run out front the last 25 laps unchallenged.
  
• Speaking of Edwards, how bizarre is it that neither he nor Greg Biffle have been in contention AT ALL this season??? They were both in the Chase last year - in fact the whole Roush crew was - and now Kenseth is the only driver to see ANY success this year. Doesn't make any sense. What was the big change other than dumping that pain in the ass Kurt Busch?
  
• I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Juan Pablo Montoya finishes in the Top 10 at Homestead and wins a race in his first ten races in 2007. Call me crazy, but I think it's going to happen.
  

F1 - A Farewell to Remember

I've never been a huge fan of Michael Schumacher, mostly because it got rather boring to see on driver dominate a series for so long. But, I have to say I will always remember the Brazilian GP 2006, thanks to Schumi. It appeared his final race was jinxed (it was) when his fuel pump died during final qualifying and his rear tire was cut down after a bold pass on Fisichella (why renault is making him their #1 driver next year, I don't know). Unlike earlier in the year, the past few races really have been wild. We actually had a lot more passing and drama in Brazil.

Frankly, Schumacher's drive to climb from nearly a lap down to finishing in 6th is one of the most amazing drives I've ever seen. There's no doubt he would have won if he didn't have the tire issue. No doubt. How crazy is it for him to go out setting the fastest time of the race (and I believe fastest lap EVER at that track) on the next to final lap? It was as if he was a driver possessed. Outstanding. As amazing as it was, you can't discount Felipe Massa's run, as it was like someone put a snake in his pants and jet fuel in his car. Nice to see a guy win at his home track. Now, if Barichello could only do the same...

Next year is going to be quite interesting. McClaren seems to have its collective head in its ass. I'm thinking Alonso is going to be a big whiner all next year as Kimi finally starts winning again. I don't know if it was simply the change from 10 cylinder motors to 8, but they were pathetic this year. Kimi was a non-factor in just about every race. After last year's performance, I was stunned by that.

And how about the scrubs at Super Aguri??? Neither Sato nor yakamoto wrecked anyone and they were actually posting more than respectable times. They've looked like a joke this season, but I guess a lot of that has to do with scrambling to start 2006 and just didn't haev the prep time. One thing they desperately need to do is find a reliable second driver. Sato *is* a good driver and will be a contender once he gets better cars. The other seat has become a revolving door. Maybe Scott Speed will end up there as he's rumored to be out at Red Bull.

The countdown begins to the 2007 season - a long way off. :(

NASCAR - Bobby Labonte....So Close!

What a true bummer about Jeff Burton yesterday. You almost knew his luck wouldn't last, especially after the season he's had. At the same time, I'm amazed how the Chase is turning out. Guys like Jimmy Johnson were written off a couple of weeks ago, and now the top eight are still in contention!

I had a hard time watching yesterday's race. As I said earlier, I hate Martinsville. They should abandon it for Rockingham. The track just sucks (why can't people be honest and say this track only has TWO turns, not four?) and the races are a complete bore. This is no Bristol, that's for sure. (Although the last Bristol race was a bore....) I was rooting for Denny Hamlin at the end to take out himself and JJ. How sweet would it have been to see Bobby Labonte finally pull one off with his new team? He's creeping closer and close to Victory lane. I just hope it happens this season.

I'll jump on the anti-rookie bandwagon this week. NASCAR should have parked David Ragan. It seemed that everytime you looked, he was spinning around. It was like his car was on ice skates. I'm sure the guy will be a good driver and hopefully fill Mark Martin's humongous shoes, but it's pretty clear he's not even close to being ready for the prime time.

Next week, we get back to REAL racing. Let's hope for a door-to-door, wheel banging finish between two guys who HAVEN'T won in a while.

Misc. notes:

• Welcome back, Ward Burton. Ward had a respectable finish, coming in 26th.
  
• While my heart goes out to the hendrick family and organization, can we please finally stop trying to make such a huge deal about each October Martinsville race? I get nauseus hearing the announcers wax poetic about the tragedy. You're not dramatic, Bill Webber. Enough already.
  
• Do you realize every major racing series is done for the year, except NASCAR? Yes, I know the Speed GT cars still have another race, but ALMS, Rolex and now F1 are done. I hate this time of year.