After a busy several weeks of summer travels, I took a couple off from the racing world. Now I will be gearing up for a couple more weeks on the road before waiting patiently for a couple major short track events to conclude the year.
The initial weekend of August meant an annual stop to Pocono Raceway for the Saturday portion of their race weekend, which included NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying and race and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race. As was the norm in this area weather was an uncertainty, but the ugly stuff held off just in time for the victory lane ceremonies for the ARCA race that concluded the afternoon. It was very enjoyable to see two first time winners, Joey Coulter and Chad Hackenbracht in the Truck Series and ARCA respectively. The quality of racing was as usually expected at the 2.5 mile tricky triangle, which resulted in some spread out single-file racing. However, the restarts were quite the show with a couple altercations in the Truck race and Coulter making quite the maneuver for the eventual win. The ARCA race was a little more exciting, also as expected despite there surprisingly being only one caution. It was neat to see the Hackenbracht crew roll the dice and steal away the win from June winner Brennan Poole and the experienced and always hard to beat Venturini Motorsports crew. I left the track feeling satisfied as the rain began to pour down.
Driving away from the storm, I made the decision to head an hour west to Mountain Speedway for an annual stop at the 1/3 mile track for some Saturday night racing. My first time attending a race at this track was in 2007, a late model race which had a turnout of 28 cars. Fast forward to 2012 and the same amount cars turned out across five divisions, including a "race" with one Bandolero. The main event for the night was a 75 lap, double points, $1,500 to win Sport Modified cone race which had a nine car field. Despite the low car counts, the racing was as good as it could probably be. The four car late model race was probably the most interesting of the night and the open-wheel TQ Midgets always put on a show. Unfortunately, it's kind of simple to tell why the competitors and the fans (there had to be less than 200 in the stands) have been slowly dropping off over the years. When arriving at the track nearly a half hour after gates were scheduled to open, there was a line because no one was available to work the ticket booth. Apparently there was an accident on the highway that caused a few of the workers to arrive late, but you would think there could have been some kind of backup plan. In addition, the food seemed a little excessively greasy and the spiders and their webs appeared to make a home for themselves in and around the restroom facilities. I don't like to talk negatively about tracks normally especially as long as they are still in operation and since I am aware that it takes a committed team of staff and mostly volunteers to keep a short track going from week to week, but it's sad to see such a promising place a few years ago in a slightly discouraging condition it is in today. If I don't hear of things improving, I probably will not return next year.
I am kind of glad I bypassed attending Pocono the day after, since the weather was very uncertain and the Cup race ended up being shortened. Seemed like a very dangerous situation that mother nature brought before everyone, and I was saddened to hear about the unfortunate events following the race. Still would have been neat to see the race to the rain and I would like to see Jeff Gordon win a race in person someday before his career is over.
The following weekend I made my first trip of the year to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, Pennsylvania. I do not understand why it always seems to take me so far into the year before I head out there, because this is probably one of my favorite tracks. The 1/4 mile circular bullring produces sub-10 second laps for most of the modified field as well as ongoing side by side racing, which is better than Bowman Gray in North Carolina's quality of racing in my opinion. The triple 25 lap modified races produced three different winners, the supporting local divisions put on some great races and once the first feature started the show kept moving. First year track promoter Floyd Santee and the staff there have certainly done an exceptional job making this place enjoyable for the fans and competitors. I am definitely going to try my best to make it back up there at least once or twice more this year.
The last couple weekends I spent some time away from the track, but now it's time to get back at it again and the schedule I have planned surely will make up for it. My Labor Day weekend will consist of three races in four days (weather permitting), starting with a trip down to Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina for their Friday night ASA-sanctioned local divisions. Defending ASA Member Track and former NASCAR Winston Racing Series national champion Barry Beggarly will be among the competitors in the field for the twin 50 lap late model stock car features. On Saturday, I will make the short trip to one of my personal favorite tracks Orange County Speedway to see the CARS Pro Cup Series, the Allison Legacy Series and the Rolling Thunder Modifieds. All three series have somewhat struggled with car counts this season, but have produced some good racing and this weekend should be no different. Pro Cup has recently signed Rev-Oil as their series sponsor and looks toward a bright future with that announcement. After a short break on Sunday consisting of some other sightseeing, it will be back to Ace for their Labor Day event. The Madhouse divisions will be on hand including some of the top southern modified racers as well as the USAC Eastern Ignite Midgets.
The weekend after will be an event that I was not originally planning on attending, but from discussions in recent weeks I will finally be attending my first Piney Lasky Memorial race at Motordrome Speedway. I will have the chance of meeting and doing anything I can to assist the Super Cup Stock Car Series for their 50 lap season finale as a guest of Joe Schmaling and the supporters of the series. Four drivers have a shot at the title: currently winless Indiana veteran Jimmie Crabtree, June Motordrome winner Kevin Kromer, two-time defending champion Jody Harrison and his uncle Harvey Harrison. I'll also have the chance to witness the 100 lap TBRA Late Model Series race, which should feature over 30 cars including points leaders George Skora III and Matt Barndt, veteran area racer Glenn Gault Jr., defending Piney winner Jimmy Carter from Ohio, track points leader Neil Brown and North Carolina invader Colt James. I'm really looking forward to and thankful for this opportunity, and perhaps there is the potential for some more of the same in 2013!
Next month I will be putting together a post a little different than the usual. It will be a preview for the Pro All Stars Series All American 400 at the legendary Nashville Fairgrounds, but will be a summary of several statistics I am compiling regarding the teams that will be expected to be competing. I plan on being their the entire long weekend, and can't wait to cross this historic track off my bucket list.
Showing posts with label Motordrome Speedway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Motordrome Speedway. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Viva Las Vegas and Other Destinations
As I type this, it is my last night in Las Vegas prior to an early flight home in the morning and I thought what could be a better time to wind down and share my experiences via this blog post. I will always be partial to traveling to the south, but there is nothing like Las Vegas. Initially it was quite the overwhelming feeling, but after a day or so the city starts to grow on you. The trip didn’t go entirely according to plan both financially and logistically, but I am already thinking about my possible return next year. I had the chance to do some things that I have been dreaming about for the last seven years, including playing in a tournament at the World Series Of Poker held at the Rio Casino and Hotel. It was only a daily deepstack tournament rather than a multi-day bracelet event, but I lasted until there were about 200 players remaining out of a 1,100+ starting field. I didn’t make any cash, but the experience was well worth it. For anyone that hasn’t been, there is so much more to see and do than gamble in Vegas. Even the flight was interesting; seeing parts of the country for the first time in the air. I would recommend traveling there to anyone in an instant.
In addition to my adventures in Las Vegas, I drove into California to see the SRL Southwest Tour at Madera Speedway. My initial reaction was disbelief that this track was still open. It is surrounded by shopping centers, but I suppose it stays in business because it is part of the Madera Fairgrounds. The local fields were small but competitive, and SRL had a great turnout with 26 Legends cars and 22 Super Late Models. The Southwest Tour race saw a last lap pass for the win when former two time NASCAR Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II worked his way past Derek Thorn, who set a new track record on the recently repaved surface, amidst lapped traffic. It definitely was an entertaining night, and it was nice seeing some regional racing in another part of the country.
Earlier in the month of June I made two other trips to some short tracks. The Pro All Stars Series race at South Boston Speedway was a little low on car count, but once again not low on competition. Saturday’s Kentucky winner Brad Keselowski won his first race as a super late model owner when Landon Cling held off a number of veteran drivers in the closing laps. The following weekend I made my way across my home state of Pennsylvania to Motordrome Speedway to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series and five local divisions. Kevin Kromer led the 50 lap Super Cup race flag to flag, but during much of the race you could throw a blanket over the top four cars. Kromer’s story was interesting as they blew a motor in the shop during the week leading up to the race and had to borrow one from Peck Motorsports, the team that got Todd Peck into victory lane at Motordrome the year before.
I did not go to any races the weekend after due to preparation for the Las Vegas trip; however, I did pay close attention to a doubleheader that took place for late models in Pennsylvania. The fairly new TBRA Late Model Series hosted 100 lap races Friday night at Motordrome and Saturday night at the reopened CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield. Both races had an impressive turnout with over 20 late models. Colt James came up from North Carolina and won the Saturday night feature. I am hoping they do this again next year so I can check it out. Also, I am glad to see a positive outlook for late model racing in this portion of the country.
You would think after a busy month of June that I would be taking some time to settle down a little bit. That certainly will not be the case. While I do plan to spend July 4th at home, the day after will be spent traveling up to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway in Tioga Center, New York to see the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series. This will be an interesting show to see, which will be my first time witnessing these blistering fast open wheel sprint cars race on the concrete surface. The last time they competed on concrete, they set track records at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The following weekend I will be going to CNB Bank Raceway Park to see the NASCAR K&N East Series compete there for the first time since 1987. I have a feeling there might be a smaller field than some past races, but it will be interesting to see how the talented and possible future NASCAR stars react to a track where they do not have much or any experience at. It should also be a perfect track for these types of cars on the 5/8 mile oval.
The weekend after that will be a stop at the Old Dominion Speedway for the second year in a row to see the Youth For Tomorrow 150 benefitting the Joe Gibbs Youth Home in Bristow, Virginia. It doesn’t look like the show will be as big as the previous year, but NASCAR drivers who have been announced to compete in the show include Mike Skinner, Travis Kvapil, Landon Cassill and David Reutimann. The local late model drivers will be vying for the win against these guys for a $10,000 1st place prize. Capping off the month of July will possibly be an annual stop at the close to home Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to see some Micro Sprint racing.
Photo galleries and videos will be forthcoming and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/ajcrdstr24?sk=photos (if you have trouble viewing photos, I will gladly accept your Facebook friend request) and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day!
In addition to my adventures in Las Vegas, I drove into California to see the SRL Southwest Tour at Madera Speedway. My initial reaction was disbelief that this track was still open. It is surrounded by shopping centers, but I suppose it stays in business because it is part of the Madera Fairgrounds. The local fields were small but competitive, and SRL had a great turnout with 26 Legends cars and 22 Super Late Models. The Southwest Tour race saw a last lap pass for the win when former two time NASCAR Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II worked his way past Derek Thorn, who set a new track record on the recently repaved surface, amidst lapped traffic. It definitely was an entertaining night, and it was nice seeing some regional racing in another part of the country.
Earlier in the month of June I made two other trips to some short tracks. The Pro All Stars Series race at South Boston Speedway was a little low on car count, but once again not low on competition. Saturday’s Kentucky winner Brad Keselowski won his first race as a super late model owner when Landon Cling held off a number of veteran drivers in the closing laps. The following weekend I made my way across my home state of Pennsylvania to Motordrome Speedway to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series and five local divisions. Kevin Kromer led the 50 lap Super Cup race flag to flag, but during much of the race you could throw a blanket over the top four cars. Kromer’s story was interesting as they blew a motor in the shop during the week leading up to the race and had to borrow one from Peck Motorsports, the team that got Todd Peck into victory lane at Motordrome the year before.
I did not go to any races the weekend after due to preparation for the Las Vegas trip; however, I did pay close attention to a doubleheader that took place for late models in Pennsylvania. The fairly new TBRA Late Model Series hosted 100 lap races Friday night at Motordrome and Saturday night at the reopened CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield. Both races had an impressive turnout with over 20 late models. Colt James came up from North Carolina and won the Saturday night feature. I am hoping they do this again next year so I can check it out. Also, I am glad to see a positive outlook for late model racing in this portion of the country.
You would think after a busy month of June that I would be taking some time to settle down a little bit. That certainly will not be the case. While I do plan to spend July 4th at home, the day after will be spent traveling up to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway in Tioga Center, New York to see the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series. This will be an interesting show to see, which will be my first time witnessing these blistering fast open wheel sprint cars race on the concrete surface. The last time they competed on concrete, they set track records at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The following weekend I will be going to CNB Bank Raceway Park to see the NASCAR K&N East Series compete there for the first time since 1987. I have a feeling there might be a smaller field than some past races, but it will be interesting to see how the talented and possible future NASCAR stars react to a track where they do not have much or any experience at. It should also be a perfect track for these types of cars on the 5/8 mile oval.
The weekend after that will be a stop at the Old Dominion Speedway for the second year in a row to see the Youth For Tomorrow 150 benefitting the Joe Gibbs Youth Home in Bristow, Virginia. It doesn’t look like the show will be as big as the previous year, but NASCAR drivers who have been announced to compete in the show include Mike Skinner, Travis Kvapil, Landon Cassill and David Reutimann. The local late model drivers will be vying for the win against these guys for a $10,000 1st place prize. Capping off the month of July will possibly be an annual stop at the close to home Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to see some Micro Sprint racing.
Photo galleries and videos will be forthcoming and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/ajcrdstr24?sk=photos (if you have trouble viewing photos, I will gladly accept your Facebook friend request) and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Jam-Packed June
It has been nearly three months since I last posted, but it is great to be back! I needed to take a brief hiatus due to some moderate travel for work and to sort out some odds and ends at home, plus a couple blog ideas never really panned out.
With one third of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season complete, I would personally rate it as slightly above average overall. There have been some promising aspects about 2012, but at the same time some things have been a little discouraging. I think the decrease in number of cautions has benefited the sport despite the fields getting strung out a little more. That’s the way racing should be. Drivers and crews should have to work to get towards the front more often than being set up with late race cautions that bunch the field and change the strategy. At the same time, the statistics from this season seem to be showing a trend where the gap between the “powerhouse” teams and the teams trying to rise up in the series tends to be a growing a bit. Last year we saw five first time winners. This year those drivers have combined for zero top fives and seven top tens in the first twelve races. The most discouraging example has probably been Tommy Baldwin Racing. The year started off fairly smoothly for them, gathering sponsorship after some favorable finishes as well as their alignment with Stewart-Haas Racing in order for Danica Patrick to have a guaranteed spot in the races she competes in. In recent weeks though it seems like the team has been struggling to even finish a race, and leaves us wondering what is going on with this “collaborative partnership.” It has been a bit alarming to see the lack of driver/team progression for the most part so far this season.
On the other hand, arguably the most competitive and promising of the top NASCAR divisions has been the Camping World Truck Series. At a glance, the top five in the current standings looks like a collection of recent ARCA seasons. It has been great to see some new faces challenging for victories, while some of the veterans have been adjusting to new teams and equipment. What would be promising to see is that some of these top drivers get recognized and receive the proper funding to further their racing careers towards the top of the sport. We all know that the Dillon brothers are set with a positive future, but it would be nice to see names like Buescher, Kligerman, Lofton and Peters challenging in the near future for Sprint Cup rookie of the year as well. It would be a huge step up compared to the dismal contests for that award recently.
After that brief analysis, it is time to move on for the remainder of this post and look ahead to the month of June. This particular month is probably going to be my most ambitious travel schedule to date. The second weekend of the month I will be traveling down to Virginia to see the PASS South Super Late Model Series compete at South Boston Speedway. Some notable names have won in the series and currently lead the standings. Kyle Grissom won last time out at Concord for the second time in 2012 and him as well as Ross Kenseth will be tough to beat in the 150 green flag lap race. A host of other competitors should be there as well as the "Bad Boys with the Bad Fast Toys" invade the 4/10 mile oval. In addition, the Late Model Stock Cars will be on hand for twin races. Up and comers Lee Pulliam, Peyton Sellers and current track point leader Matthew Bowling should be among those on hand to race. The MAD modifieds will also be competing, which is a fairly new regional series racing in IMCA-style open wheel modifieds. While I am down for the weekend I plan on doing a little bit of sightseeing, perhaps at Occoneechee State Park and nearby lakeside town Clarksville, Virginia.
The following Friday, I will be taking the day off work to make the four hour drive west to Motordrome Speedway. The track plans to have their five division weekly program as well as the Super Cup Stock Car Series. When the stock car touring series visited there last year, Todd Peck's team and hauler did not arrive until the local features began for the evening. Luckily for him, qualifying was rained out due to a passing shower and lined up for the feature on the outside front row as the team suited up. Without a lap of practice, Peck won the race. If they return this year they will definitely be the car to beat, although it is not certain if they will be there to defend as they prepare for their first Truck Series start of the season at Iowa Speedway in July. Whether they show up or not there will be some other forces to reckon with, such as two-time defending series champion Jody Harrison and teammates JJ Pack and television personality Stephen Cox. The series has gained some steam recently with Cox's production company producing nationally televised broadcasts promoting its grassroots form of racing. I will be heading back Saturday and possibly even stopping off at Lincoln Speedway to see some dirt track sprint car racing on the way home.
The last week of the month will perhaps be my biggest trip so far, as I will be flying out to Las Vegas for the first time ever! I plan on using the first few days to play in a couple poker tournaments and most likely see a show one night. Then on the weekend, I will be detouring out to California (also a first) and seeing a SRL Southwest Tour Series race at Madera Speedway. These are super late models very similar to the PASS Series cars. I am very anxious to see the competitors in this series compete, many of which competed back in the NASCAR Southwest Tour days when those races were televised. When I head back to Nevada for a couple last days I also plan on doing some more sightseeing, which of course has to include the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex. Should be extremely fun and I am really looking forward to it.
So that is the month of June in a nutshell. I'll be sharing photos and videos from much of the action throughout the month. Should be quite the experience. Hopefully the weather cooperates!
With one third of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season complete, I would personally rate it as slightly above average overall. There have been some promising aspects about 2012, but at the same time some things have been a little discouraging. I think the decrease in number of cautions has benefited the sport despite the fields getting strung out a little more. That’s the way racing should be. Drivers and crews should have to work to get towards the front more often than being set up with late race cautions that bunch the field and change the strategy. At the same time, the statistics from this season seem to be showing a trend where the gap between the “powerhouse” teams and the teams trying to rise up in the series tends to be a growing a bit. Last year we saw five first time winners. This year those drivers have combined for zero top fives and seven top tens in the first twelve races. The most discouraging example has probably been Tommy Baldwin Racing. The year started off fairly smoothly for them, gathering sponsorship after some favorable finishes as well as their alignment with Stewart-Haas Racing in order for Danica Patrick to have a guaranteed spot in the races she competes in. In recent weeks though it seems like the team has been struggling to even finish a race, and leaves us wondering what is going on with this “collaborative partnership.” It has been a bit alarming to see the lack of driver/team progression for the most part so far this season.
On the other hand, arguably the most competitive and promising of the top NASCAR divisions has been the Camping World Truck Series. At a glance, the top five in the current standings looks like a collection of recent ARCA seasons. It has been great to see some new faces challenging for victories, while some of the veterans have been adjusting to new teams and equipment. What would be promising to see is that some of these top drivers get recognized and receive the proper funding to further their racing careers towards the top of the sport. We all know that the Dillon brothers are set with a positive future, but it would be nice to see names like Buescher, Kligerman, Lofton and Peters challenging in the near future for Sprint Cup rookie of the year as well. It would be a huge step up compared to the dismal contests for that award recently.
After that brief analysis, it is time to move on for the remainder of this post and look ahead to the month of June. This particular month is probably going to be my most ambitious travel schedule to date. The second weekend of the month I will be traveling down to Virginia to see the PASS South Super Late Model Series compete at South Boston Speedway. Some notable names have won in the series and currently lead the standings. Kyle Grissom won last time out at Concord for the second time in 2012 and him as well as Ross Kenseth will be tough to beat in the 150 green flag lap race. A host of other competitors should be there as well as the "Bad Boys with the Bad Fast Toys" invade the 4/10 mile oval. In addition, the Late Model Stock Cars will be on hand for twin races. Up and comers Lee Pulliam, Peyton Sellers and current track point leader Matthew Bowling should be among those on hand to race. The MAD modifieds will also be competing, which is a fairly new regional series racing in IMCA-style open wheel modifieds. While I am down for the weekend I plan on doing a little bit of sightseeing, perhaps at Occoneechee State Park and nearby lakeside town Clarksville, Virginia.
The following Friday, I will be taking the day off work to make the four hour drive west to Motordrome Speedway. The track plans to have their five division weekly program as well as the Super Cup Stock Car Series. When the stock car touring series visited there last year, Todd Peck's team and hauler did not arrive until the local features began for the evening. Luckily for him, qualifying was rained out due to a passing shower and lined up for the feature on the outside front row as the team suited up. Without a lap of practice, Peck won the race. If they return this year they will definitely be the car to beat, although it is not certain if they will be there to defend as they prepare for their first Truck Series start of the season at Iowa Speedway in July. Whether they show up or not there will be some other forces to reckon with, such as two-time defending series champion Jody Harrison and teammates JJ Pack and television personality Stephen Cox. The series has gained some steam recently with Cox's production company producing nationally televised broadcasts promoting its grassroots form of racing. I will be heading back Saturday and possibly even stopping off at Lincoln Speedway to see some dirt track sprint car racing on the way home.
The last week of the month will perhaps be my biggest trip so far, as I will be flying out to Las Vegas for the first time ever! I plan on using the first few days to play in a couple poker tournaments and most likely see a show one night. Then on the weekend, I will be detouring out to California (also a first) and seeing a SRL Southwest Tour Series race at Madera Speedway. These are super late models very similar to the PASS Series cars. I am very anxious to see the competitors in this series compete, many of which competed back in the NASCAR Southwest Tour days when those races were televised. When I head back to Nevada for a couple last days I also plan on doing some more sightseeing, which of course has to include the Las Vegas Motor Speedway complex. Should be extremely fun and I am really looking forward to it.
So that is the month of June in a nutshell. I'll be sharing photos and videos from much of the action throughout the month. Should be quite the experience. Hopefully the weather cooperates!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Should We Start Keeping Track of Crew Chief Victories?
Ok...so the title is a little sarcastic, but seriously! Has anyone else noticed that the winners of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010 have been decided by mixed pit strategies in the end much more often than in the past? A team's pit crew plays a HUGE part in the overall performance during any given race weekend, but with late race cautions it's becoming a fact that one little mistake or one little gamble is the difference between a crew chief looking like a genius or a complete idiot. In the end it results in the best car sometimes not even having a chance to win. When the rain started falling after what ended up being the final pit stops during Sunday's race at Pocono, the announcers started comparing Sam Hornish staying out on the track to Dave Marcis' win at Richmond in 1982. I was barely a thought in 1982, but there's a huge difference. While he may not have battled for the lead, Marcis was one of a handful of cars that was in contention for the win. Hornish lost a lap on at least one occasion on a 2.5 track and ran around 25th the entire race with an ill-handling car and the team perhaps made a lucky gamble. As it turned out, the race went back to green and Greg Biffle who's team also made a gamble in the pits had the all important clean air and pulled away for the win. Congratulations to his team, but with these sometimes gutsy calls it takes out teams who stuck with their plans for four tires and fuel from contention. Where or should they draw the line? I have never looked at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a 20 lap dash with an inverted field, but it sure is starting to look that way sometimes. One way to alleviate this is to not permit these teams from pitting for tires under caution after a certain point of the race. It would cut costs with teams possibly saving them at least one set of tires, and the end of the race would be more in the drivers' hands trying to handle their race car on old tires.
These sudden winners are also making the chase more of a crapshoot than it already is. To date, Biffle has been in contention for the win at most a couple occasions while Jeff Gordon has been in contention at least a half dozen times. However, due to the current rules Biffle will start the chase ten points ahead. If they're going to include the bonus points for winning the race, why not also include the bonus points for leading laps? It's ridiculous that Carl Edwards has led only six laps all season and currently will start the chase with as many points as guys like Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon who have led hundreds of laps during the season and ended up unlucky at the end of the race! Based on my calculations, with laps led included after 21 races the start of the chase would like this:
Notice that instead of what would normally be a 50 point difference between first and twelfth, there would be a 130 point difference. However, 130 points is still a margin that can be made up in ten races. Also, with laps led points maybe we could see some more intense challenges for the lead during the middle stages of races and not so many teammates letting each other by to lead some laps. One thing that so far would not make a difference this year, but I think should be reflected in the chase as well are points penalties. If a team gets penalized prior to the chase, why should they be allowed to start with a clean slate? Just look at how 2007 would have started for example:
Notice despite having the most wins Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are mid-pack to start off the chase due to their 100 point penalty earlier in the season. After the chase races the final point standings would have looked like this:
No major change in the final standings, right? However, the final points margin actually ended up being smaller. Maybe if NASCAR would have factored in laps led and penalties then maybe it would quiet many of the naysayers that think Johnson or Gordon cheated their way to the top two in points that year, or say that Bowyer didn't deserve third in points. This system would show teams earning their championships based on performance more than it does now. Why won't NASCAR look at a system like this that encompasses more than just one stat or a silly elimination format?
On the local side of things, mother nature butted into the night's racing action at Motordrome Speedway and postponed the last two local races. Luckily they were able to get the first two local shows and the Super Cup Stock Car Series race in, which turned out to be some decent races with some old names from the Pro Cup Series competing. Perhaps the biggest name in the field was Todd Peck, and unfortunately they suffered mechanical problems prior to the green flag and weren't even able to start the race. Videos from the trip can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Two weeks later I made an annual stop at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway and for the first time in three years we didn't haven't to put up with any rain delays. The weather and the micro sprint racing were great!
Thanks to the encouragement from a friend, I have made a spur of the moment decision to attend the Battle at the Grove at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania on Thursday, August 4. This night of racing will feature Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart racing sprint cars and Kyle Busch racing a dirt late model. From there, I might go to Sundance Vacations Speedway north of Hazleton, PA for some local racing a couple weeks later. Possibly more videos and another blog post coming in late August.
These sudden winners are also making the chase more of a crapshoot than it already is. To date, Biffle has been in contention for the win at most a couple occasions while Jeff Gordon has been in contention at least a half dozen times. However, due to the current rules Biffle will start the chase ten points ahead. If they're going to include the bonus points for winning the race, why not also include the bonus points for leading laps? It's ridiculous that Carl Edwards has led only six laps all season and currently will start the chase with as many points as guys like Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon who have led hundreds of laps during the season and ended up unlucky at the end of the race! Based on my calculations, with laps led included after 21 races the start of the chase would like this:
Notice that instead of what would normally be a 50 point difference between first and twelfth, there would be a 130 point difference. However, 130 points is still a margin that can be made up in ten races. Also, with laps led points maybe we could see some more intense challenges for the lead during the middle stages of races and not so many teammates letting each other by to lead some laps. One thing that so far would not make a difference this year, but I think should be reflected in the chase as well are points penalties. If a team gets penalized prior to the chase, why should they be allowed to start with a clean slate? Just look at how 2007 would have started for example:
Notice despite having the most wins Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are mid-pack to start off the chase due to their 100 point penalty earlier in the season. After the chase races the final point standings would have looked like this:
No major change in the final standings, right? However, the final points margin actually ended up being smaller. Maybe if NASCAR would have factored in laps led and penalties then maybe it would quiet many of the naysayers that think Johnson or Gordon cheated their way to the top two in points that year, or say that Bowyer didn't deserve third in points. This system would show teams earning their championships based on performance more than it does now. Why won't NASCAR look at a system like this that encompasses more than just one stat or a silly elimination format?
On the local side of things, mother nature butted into the night's racing action at Motordrome Speedway and postponed the last two local races. Luckily they were able to get the first two local shows and the Super Cup Stock Car Series race in, which turned out to be some decent races with some old names from the Pro Cup Series competing. Perhaps the biggest name in the field was Todd Peck, and unfortunately they suffered mechanical problems prior to the green flag and weren't even able to start the race. Videos from the trip can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Two weeks later I made an annual stop at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway and for the first time in three years we didn't haven't to put up with any rain delays. The weather and the micro sprint racing were great!
Thanks to the encouragement from a friend, I have made a spur of the moment decision to attend the Battle at the Grove at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania on Thursday, August 4. This night of racing will feature Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart racing sprint cars and Kyle Busch racing a dirt late model. From there, I might go to Sundance Vacations Speedway north of Hazleton, PA for some local racing a couple weeks later. Possibly more videos and another blog post coming in late August.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Empty-Handed, But At Least The Future Looks Good
There are various subjects to talk about in this blog edition. Unfortunately, I came back from Atlantic City empty handed. I played in the $300 + $50 No Limit Hold'Em Poker Tournament on Tuesday, June 22nd, and for seven hours the deck of cards was extremely cold to me. I managed to hold on to about 35th place out of the 191 that started, which I feel was very respectable considering the cards I was dealt and the very few maneuvers I was able to make with the cards I did have. Despite not cashing it was a very enjoyable experience. The only thing I'll have to do differently next time will be to change my mindset a little bit on how a play certain hands. After playing free tournaments and $100 and less cash tournaments for the past five years, I found out that playing a $300 tournament is a very different game. People respect your raises and I feel like I could have made a couple more maneuvers with some hands that I decided to fold, or not raise so much when I had a good hand. Would it have made the difference between making the final four tables and making it into the cash? Probably not, but you never know with the game of poker. It was definitely a learning experience and I left Atlantic City satisfied with how I played. I'll be saving up some money to head down there another time. Back home the game of poker has worked out well for me, making a profit in every game I played in during the last week. The Pennsylvania table games are opening for business during the month of July, but I'm trying to stay away for the moment, avoiding the crowds and saving a few bucks. I'm entered in a couple more invitational tournaments in the coming weeks, which offer some more prize packages including Atlantic City trips so we'll see how I do in them. One of them that I'm proud to say I've qualified for the third year in a row for is the Venue Leader Tournament. I qualified for this through a bar I play a free game at just about every week and I accumulated the most points for 2009. In the past couple years, this tournament has offered prizes to all the finishers at the final table and the winner has received a Borgata prize package valued at approximately $1,000.
Moving over to NASCAR News, I must say that I'm very discouraged with some of these things Brian France has to say about what they are considering for the chase. Elimination format? Jumbling race tracks around each year? Why would they want to do this? I can't stand when they start comparing racing to other sports, saying that an elimination format would be similar to College Basketball March Madness. No, it won't be. Competition in racing has NOTHING to do with other sports and should not be compared to them. Instead of trying to find a way to boost interest in the season finale, why not help the individual race tracks some more and focus on each individual race? The more they focus on the end of the season, the more the ratings and fan interest in races throughout the rest of the season will continue to decline. Shuffling or revolving dates around in the chase will not work either. NASCAR has set itself apart for being the unique sport to hold it's "Super Bowl" during the beginning of the year at the Daytona 500. Now, they're thinking about trying to revolve dates around like the NFL does for their season finale? It will not work and I don't know how they expect to generate increased interest in this besides on television. Sponsors have commitments to the current last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Many fans count on the race in their area to be in a certain specific date range each year so they can plan accordingly and purchase tickets. It's not the same as other sports. NASCAR fans don't have half the season as home games; at most they have two. A maneuver like this would price out several fans, which I assume would decrease the attendance at races even more.
Despite some of the questionable moves NASCAR is considering and the almost non-existent rookie battle in 2010, the next generation of possible NASCAR competitors looks very promising. Three sons of current NASCAR competitors have especially caught my eye over the last couple years: Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Ross Kenseth. All three, while they most likely have more funding, media training and are getting an earlier start than many competitors, are proving with their performance on the short tracks that they are the drivers of the future while keeping a very level-headed and often times humble demeanor. The thing I like most about these three is the steady approach that their families are taking in moving them up the racing ladder.
- Most notably is Chase Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott. He has taken the Super Late Model world by storm with several wins in recent months. With support from Ford, Aaron's and Red Bull, just about any good driver should be running well in that equipment, but Chase isn't getting overly cocky about his performance and appears to be learning something every time he takes to the racetrack. And who better to have as a mentor than his dad Bill? His young age of 14 will allow him to continue to gain track time before he's able to move up to the next level at 16 and then to the top NASCAR levels if he's ready at age 18.
- Ryan Blaney may be the more underfunded of the three with his dad, NASCAR competitor and former USAC and World Of Outlaws champion Dave Blaney, providing support pretty much for the entire race team. However, he has definitely caught my eye as the one to watch for in the next few years. I had the chance to see Ryan for the first time in 2008 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, North Caroliona when he was making one of his first PASS South Super Late Model Series starts. He qualified about mid-pack, but kept his car in one piece and finished sixth. The next year I saw him race at Orange County Speedway and at one point he held a half lap lead. Unfortunately, he was involved in an altercation not of his own doing which led to a cut tire and an unfavorable finish. In 2010 he has been one of the drivers to beat in the PASS series, nearly lapping the field at the season opener in Dillon, South Carolina and winning once more to date. This is another example of a young driver who is taking his time to move up. He has spent nearly three years in super late models and him and his dad have even discussed some dirt track racing in the near future. By the time Ryan is ready to make the next step, he will already be a well-seasoned short track racer.
- Ross Kenseth is probably the one that I know the least about, but he is the son of 2003 NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth. In my opinion, he quietly came onto the stock car racing scene in 2007 when he began competing in the Big 8 Late Model Series, which I believe is a limited late model series in the Midwest that competes in some shorter distance races. He was fast qualifier that year in October at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in Wisconsin, and claimed two wins in 2008. In 2009, he won the series championship. Later that year, he gained some recognition when he qualified his super late model on the outside pole for the 2009 Snowball Derby. While being involved in a couple minor altercations, Ross brought his car home to a 12th place finish completing all 300 laps. Matt Kenseth finished last in his first Snowball Derby in 1995. In 2010, Ross has moved up to the ASA Midwest Tour and won for the first time in the second race of the season. In the tour's most recent race at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin, he finished third to his father and Midwest short track legend Steve Carlson. Ross will run the balance of the series schedule and also has a few trips South planned, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him run one more season with the tour in 2011 while traveling a little bit more when he can before making the move to the next level.
My racing travels will take me next to Motordrome Speedway in Smithton, Pennsylvania to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series along with the track's local racing divisions on Friday, July 16. The Super Cup Stock Car Series was formed in late 2007 after escalating costs chased out some teams from the USAR Pro Cup Series. It's a very low cost and low profile racing series that I look forward to seeing for the first time. The current point leader is Todd Peck, who's uncle Tom Peck raced in the NASCAR Busch Series for many years. I once again will be capturing video footage and will upload it to my YouTube account. A couple weeks later I will be making an annual stop at the local Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway North of Lititz, PA to see some Micro Sprint races with some friends. I will not be taking any video or pictures as I've decided to just take in the racing for the evening.
Moving over to NASCAR News, I must say that I'm very discouraged with some of these things Brian France has to say about what they are considering for the chase. Elimination format? Jumbling race tracks around each year? Why would they want to do this? I can't stand when they start comparing racing to other sports, saying that an elimination format would be similar to College Basketball March Madness. No, it won't be. Competition in racing has NOTHING to do with other sports and should not be compared to them. Instead of trying to find a way to boost interest in the season finale, why not help the individual race tracks some more and focus on each individual race? The more they focus on the end of the season, the more the ratings and fan interest in races throughout the rest of the season will continue to decline. Shuffling or revolving dates around in the chase will not work either. NASCAR has set itself apart for being the unique sport to hold it's "Super Bowl" during the beginning of the year at the Daytona 500. Now, they're thinking about trying to revolve dates around like the NFL does for their season finale? It will not work and I don't know how they expect to generate increased interest in this besides on television. Sponsors have commitments to the current last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Many fans count on the race in their area to be in a certain specific date range each year so they can plan accordingly and purchase tickets. It's not the same as other sports. NASCAR fans don't have half the season as home games; at most they have two. A maneuver like this would price out several fans, which I assume would decrease the attendance at races even more.
Despite some of the questionable moves NASCAR is considering and the almost non-existent rookie battle in 2010, the next generation of possible NASCAR competitors looks very promising. Three sons of current NASCAR competitors have especially caught my eye over the last couple years: Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Ross Kenseth. All three, while they most likely have more funding, media training and are getting an earlier start than many competitors, are proving with their performance on the short tracks that they are the drivers of the future while keeping a very level-headed and often times humble demeanor. The thing I like most about these three is the steady approach that their families are taking in moving them up the racing ladder.
- Most notably is Chase Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott. He has taken the Super Late Model world by storm with several wins in recent months. With support from Ford, Aaron's and Red Bull, just about any good driver should be running well in that equipment, but Chase isn't getting overly cocky about his performance and appears to be learning something every time he takes to the racetrack. And who better to have as a mentor than his dad Bill? His young age of 14 will allow him to continue to gain track time before he's able to move up to the next level at 16 and then to the top NASCAR levels if he's ready at age 18.
- Ryan Blaney may be the more underfunded of the three with his dad, NASCAR competitor and former USAC and World Of Outlaws champion Dave Blaney, providing support pretty much for the entire race team. However, he has definitely caught my eye as the one to watch for in the next few years. I had the chance to see Ryan for the first time in 2008 at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, North Caroliona when he was making one of his first PASS South Super Late Model Series starts. He qualified about mid-pack, but kept his car in one piece and finished sixth. The next year I saw him race at Orange County Speedway and at one point he held a half lap lead. Unfortunately, he was involved in an altercation not of his own doing which led to a cut tire and an unfavorable finish. In 2010 he has been one of the drivers to beat in the PASS series, nearly lapping the field at the season opener in Dillon, South Carolina and winning once more to date. This is another example of a young driver who is taking his time to move up. He has spent nearly three years in super late models and him and his dad have even discussed some dirt track racing in the near future. By the time Ryan is ready to make the next step, he will already be a well-seasoned short track racer.
- Ross Kenseth is probably the one that I know the least about, but he is the son of 2003 NASCAR champion Matt Kenseth. In my opinion, he quietly came onto the stock car racing scene in 2007 when he began competing in the Big 8 Late Model Series, which I believe is a limited late model series in the Midwest that competes in some shorter distance races. He was fast qualifier that year in October at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in Wisconsin, and claimed two wins in 2008. In 2009, he won the series championship. Later that year, he gained some recognition when he qualified his super late model on the outside pole for the 2009 Snowball Derby. While being involved in a couple minor altercations, Ross brought his car home to a 12th place finish completing all 300 laps. Matt Kenseth finished last in his first Snowball Derby in 1995. In 2010, Ross has moved up to the ASA Midwest Tour and won for the first time in the second race of the season. In the tour's most recent race at Madison International Speedway in Wisconsin, he finished third to his father and Midwest short track legend Steve Carlson. Ross will run the balance of the series schedule and also has a few trips South planned, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him run one more season with the tour in 2011 while traveling a little bit more when he can before making the move to the next level.
My racing travels will take me next to Motordrome Speedway in Smithton, Pennsylvania to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series along with the track's local racing divisions on Friday, July 16. The Super Cup Stock Car Series was formed in late 2007 after escalating costs chased out some teams from the USAR Pro Cup Series. It's a very low cost and low profile racing series that I look forward to seeing for the first time. The current point leader is Todd Peck, who's uncle Tom Peck raced in the NASCAR Busch Series for many years. I once again will be capturing video footage and will upload it to my YouTube account. A couple weeks later I will be making an annual stop at the local Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway North of Lititz, PA to see some Micro Sprint races with some friends. I will not be taking any video or pictures as I've decided to just take in the racing for the evening.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
So Close Yet So Far Away
The title is the main theme for this blog post, as it pertains to many aspects in the poker and racing world. My first example unfortunately once again is in the poker world. I qualified for a tournament which occurred over the weekend where the top three finishers win prize packages to the Borgata in Atlantic City valued at $2,000 for first and $1,000 for the runners up. I fought through the field of 80 players and nearly six hours later arrived to the final table of eight. I was down in chips compared to most of the other players and knew it was going to be an uphill battle. I made it pretty far, but once again got unlucky and came up short finishing fifth. It gets frustrating being so close to winning a major prize, but I've been keeping my head up. It's excellent practice for the real thing, which will occur Tuesday, June 23 when I go to the Borgata with my own cash and play in a $300 tournament. My recent finishes keep me optimistic because if I play as well as I have and dodge some tough luck there is no doubt in my mind that I can make it into the cash.
Being so close yet so far away can sometimes be a good thing. This past Saturday night was a prime example. The weather forecast looked iffy, but my friend and I made the two hour drive to Mahoning Valley Speedway to see some local racing as well as the Seven Card Stud Modified 100. Everything was going fine until early evening when the clouds started closing in during the heat races. Then during the preliminary features the thunder started rumbling, and during and following the 4C Super Modified race lightning was seen appearing to be striking behind the trees right outside the track. Things looked grim. The Modifieds came out for their pace laps and on the wave lap the raindrops started coming down. Fans including my friend and myself started briskly walking to our cars. Modifieds were called into the pits. However, before we made it to my car the rain suddenly stopped. Modifieds were called back onto the track and we headed back to the stands. The rain diminished to some drizzle and then a few minutes later came to a stop. We had dodged a bullet. The rest of the night was precipitation free and full of lots of side by side action. Videos from the night's racing can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
A driver that has been the class of the field in the series that they race in is a prime example of someone who has been so close yet so far away from making it in NASCAR's top series: Clay Rogers. In my opinion, this guy is the number one short track driver in the country that deserves another shot. He has won three USAR Pro Cup Series championships with three different teams and is running circles around the competition with a fourth different team in 2010. He's had his chance in the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series, but I don't feel he's had a legitimate opportunity to show what he can do. In 2001, the then 20 year old received the call to drive for Robbie Reiser when Cup Series rookie Matt Kenseth couldn't drive the stand-alone events. At this time, Rogers only had one full year experience in these types of cars and struggled much like Ricky Stenhouse and Colin Braun have in the Nationwide Series this year. His other full time opportunity came mid-season in 2007 in the Truck Series. However, the team he drove for Spears Motorsports closed their doors following the season and Rogers never had much of a chance to show his talent on the track with a team that was on it's way out of the series. What impressed me the most was in 2005 when he drove for the underfunded Glynn Motorsports team. He had a fourth and eighth place finish and only failed to complete two laps in five starts. He even competed in the Nationwide Series finale that year for the same team and finished 14th on the lead lap, moving up from 33rd starting position. Unfortunately, once again, the team closed up in 2006. His impressive finishes in recent years in one-off starts with ARCA should be turning somebody's head as well. If I was an owner or a sponsor this guy would be the first person on my radar, and I'm baffled why he hasn't received the nod to move up to a top series with a top team.
NASCAR's latest announcements and rumors regarding their cars are an example of an organization being so close yet so far away. They're finally getting it. The current STOCK cars look absolutely nothing like anything you would drive on the street and it seems like they're finally going to change some things around with the splitter and perhaps switch to the pony car models. It may not be exactly what NASCAR in the past was all about, but it's a way better option than the Fusion and Impala which are not very comparable to the Thunderbirds and Monte Carlos of the past. Even if these new cars are a success and eventually result in less of an expense for the teams, there is still a lot that needs to be done regarding cost containment. The disconnect between the main three series and all of the developmental, short track touring and grassroots series is outrageous. I miss the days when the K&N Pro Series (then Winston West and Busch North) teams could run semi-competitively in front of a live national audience with the Cup and Nationwide Series a few times a year when they came to their neck of the woods. Besides the tape-delayed broadcasts of their races where has the exposure gone? How does NASCAR expect anyone besides a multi-millionaire businessperson or a kid with a vast amount of financial backing to make the giant leap to the top three series in the future? At this moment, the expansion or even stability of NASCAR (there is always team attrition) are looking bleak. Just look at the manufacturer involvement in stock car racing in recent years:
- Besides Penske, there is ONE competitive Dodge team in the top three series, Jason White. However, Mopar has a vast involvement in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series with nearly half the field driving Dodges, sponsorship of the Mopar Fast Five Award and primary sponsorship of one of the full time drivers.
- Despite struggling GM's gradual movement away from NASCAR the Chevrolets are still strong, predominantly because of Hendrick and Childress equipment. However, they helped produce the new Chevrolet Camaro body that races in the Sunoco National Tour: a model that they wouldn't even approve to race in the Nationwide Series! GM Performance Parts is also a sponsor with the series and I believe they have at least some involvement in the development of their spec engines.
- Ford's decline in involvement is evident with their performance in the top three series, especially the Truck Series where their only remaining long time representative Rick Crawford's team recently stopped competing due to a lack of funding. However, they announced that they will have a contingency program with the American Canadian Tour for teams that support their Ford crate engine program.
- Even Honda is entering the world of stock car racing, but through the development of a new body and fuel injected engine in the ISCARS series. Fuel injection is being considered for the future of NASCAR. Even though the cars and motors differ shouldn't NASCAR be paying more attention to and endorsing this concept?
The only manufacturer that seems to be keeping up with their involvement is the youngest of NASCAR's manufacturers: Toyota. As you can see from the examples, the manufacturers are continuing involvement in stock car racing throughout North America while they gradually reduce support in the most advanced series. It's very interesting because years back the short track series were saturated with General Motors products and none of the other manufacturers were providing any support. Now it appears to be going in the reverse direction. Something is wrong! If NASCAR worked more with the manufacturers and the lower-level series to explore technology that is more cost effective, maybe the manufacturers, sponsors and most importantly the fans would regain interest and more teams would be capable of advancing into NASCAR's mainstream!
As I digress finally, the next race I'll be going to is so close yet so far away. In fact, I'm not 100% sure when and where I'll be going next. Chances are I'll be traveling a few hours west to Motordrome Speedway near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the month of July. They have a few special events to pick from during the month: the Super Cup Stock Car Series visits on the 16th, ISCARS on the 23rd and the ARCA Truck Series will be there on the 30th.
Being so close yet so far away can sometimes be a good thing. This past Saturday night was a prime example. The weather forecast looked iffy, but my friend and I made the two hour drive to Mahoning Valley Speedway to see some local racing as well as the Seven Card Stud Modified 100. Everything was going fine until early evening when the clouds started closing in during the heat races. Then during the preliminary features the thunder started rumbling, and during and following the 4C Super Modified race lightning was seen appearing to be striking behind the trees right outside the track. Things looked grim. The Modifieds came out for their pace laps and on the wave lap the raindrops started coming down. Fans including my friend and myself started briskly walking to our cars. Modifieds were called into the pits. However, before we made it to my car the rain suddenly stopped. Modifieds were called back onto the track and we headed back to the stands. The rain diminished to some drizzle and then a few minutes later came to a stop. We had dodged a bullet. The rest of the night was precipitation free and full of lots of side by side action. Videos from the night's racing can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
A driver that has been the class of the field in the series that they race in is a prime example of someone who has been so close yet so far away from making it in NASCAR's top series: Clay Rogers. In my opinion, this guy is the number one short track driver in the country that deserves another shot. He has won three USAR Pro Cup Series championships with three different teams and is running circles around the competition with a fourth different team in 2010. He's had his chance in the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series, but I don't feel he's had a legitimate opportunity to show what he can do. In 2001, the then 20 year old received the call to drive for Robbie Reiser when Cup Series rookie Matt Kenseth couldn't drive the stand-alone events. At this time, Rogers only had one full year experience in these types of cars and struggled much like Ricky Stenhouse and Colin Braun have in the Nationwide Series this year. His other full time opportunity came mid-season in 2007 in the Truck Series. However, the team he drove for Spears Motorsports closed their doors following the season and Rogers never had much of a chance to show his talent on the track with a team that was on it's way out of the series. What impressed me the most was in 2005 when he drove for the underfunded Glynn Motorsports team. He had a fourth and eighth place finish and only failed to complete two laps in five starts. He even competed in the Nationwide Series finale that year for the same team and finished 14th on the lead lap, moving up from 33rd starting position. Unfortunately, once again, the team closed up in 2006. His impressive finishes in recent years in one-off starts with ARCA should be turning somebody's head as well. If I was an owner or a sponsor this guy would be the first person on my radar, and I'm baffled why he hasn't received the nod to move up to a top series with a top team.
NASCAR's latest announcements and rumors regarding their cars are an example of an organization being so close yet so far away. They're finally getting it. The current STOCK cars look absolutely nothing like anything you would drive on the street and it seems like they're finally going to change some things around with the splitter and perhaps switch to the pony car models. It may not be exactly what NASCAR in the past was all about, but it's a way better option than the Fusion and Impala which are not very comparable to the Thunderbirds and Monte Carlos of the past. Even if these new cars are a success and eventually result in less of an expense for the teams, there is still a lot that needs to be done regarding cost containment. The disconnect between the main three series and all of the developmental, short track touring and grassroots series is outrageous. I miss the days when the K&N Pro Series (then Winston West and Busch North) teams could run semi-competitively in front of a live national audience with the Cup and Nationwide Series a few times a year when they came to their neck of the woods. Besides the tape-delayed broadcasts of their races where has the exposure gone? How does NASCAR expect anyone besides a multi-millionaire businessperson or a kid with a vast amount of financial backing to make the giant leap to the top three series in the future? At this moment, the expansion or even stability of NASCAR (there is always team attrition) are looking bleak. Just look at the manufacturer involvement in stock car racing in recent years:
- Besides Penske, there is ONE competitive Dodge team in the top three series, Jason White. However, Mopar has a vast involvement in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series with nearly half the field driving Dodges, sponsorship of the Mopar Fast Five Award and primary sponsorship of one of the full time drivers.
- Despite struggling GM's gradual movement away from NASCAR the Chevrolets are still strong, predominantly because of Hendrick and Childress equipment. However, they helped produce the new Chevrolet Camaro body that races in the Sunoco National Tour: a model that they wouldn't even approve to race in the Nationwide Series! GM Performance Parts is also a sponsor with the series and I believe they have at least some involvement in the development of their spec engines.
- Ford's decline in involvement is evident with their performance in the top three series, especially the Truck Series where their only remaining long time representative Rick Crawford's team recently stopped competing due to a lack of funding. However, they announced that they will have a contingency program with the American Canadian Tour for teams that support their Ford crate engine program.
- Even Honda is entering the world of stock car racing, but through the development of a new body and fuel injected engine in the ISCARS series. Fuel injection is being considered for the future of NASCAR. Even though the cars and motors differ shouldn't NASCAR be paying more attention to and endorsing this concept?
The only manufacturer that seems to be keeping up with their involvement is the youngest of NASCAR's manufacturers: Toyota. As you can see from the examples, the manufacturers are continuing involvement in stock car racing throughout North America while they gradually reduce support in the most advanced series. It's very interesting because years back the short track series were saturated with General Motors products and none of the other manufacturers were providing any support. Now it appears to be going in the reverse direction. Something is wrong! If NASCAR worked more with the manufacturers and the lower-level series to explore technology that is more cost effective, maybe the manufacturers, sponsors and most importantly the fans would regain interest and more teams would be capable of advancing into NASCAR's mainstream!
As I digress finally, the next race I'll be going to is so close yet so far away. In fact, I'm not 100% sure when and where I'll be going next. Chances are I'll be traveling a few hours west to Motordrome Speedway near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the month of July. They have a few special events to pick from during the month: the Super Cup Stock Car Series visits on the 16th, ISCARS on the 23rd and the ARCA Truck Series will be there on the 30th.
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