Jul 3

Written by: The Commish
7/3/2011 7:20 PM 

The Daytona Nationwide race saw Joey Logano finally finish a NASCAR coupling act as Butch instead of Sadie in beating Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier with Elliot Sadler eighth, Danica a fine 10th, Tony Stewart 13th, Carl Edwards 14th and Jamie McMurray 16th.  Popular picks Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished out of the top 16.  Lotsa zeroes.

There was a big crash on the final lap, which was the only lap Logano led, and there were a record 35 lead changes because leading is now more a function of luck, i.e. the right place, right time, right drafting partner, right line and right pit strategy variables plus serendipitous cautions -- which impact all of the above -- than actual race car driving where you are rewarded for skill or speed.   

So the race was a typical restrictor plate game of musical chairs with the players having to couple with each other at all times in order to keep playing.  They could pair up how they wanted, with Butch pushing Sadie or Sadie switching places and slamming it to Butch from behind, or they could hook up with Bob or Carol or Ted or Alice to swing around the track, but with only one partner at a time, always looking for a way to be out front.

This is not sport; it's all entertainment.  NASCAR at Daytona and Talladega  is now defined by (and harldy ashamed of) by-design inevitable contact in the name of "boys having at it" under the guise of safety as a result of preventing the cars from going too fast.

I say bullshit.  NASCAR loves the wrecks and unpredictability of the restrictor plate races.  It's marketing, marketing, marketing.  Bleah.

Saturday night's 400 miler was more of the same.  David Ragan was pushed by teamate Matt Kenseth to the win with Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon filling out the top six followed by Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo and A.J. Allendinger.  Tony Stewart, his best friend Brian Vickers, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and David Gilliland filled out the FMFL top 16.

Greg Biffle, Dale Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were 18th through 20th;  Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman were the next bupkis earners with polesitter Mark Martin 33rd, Clint Bowyer 36th, Cousin Carl 37th and Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne 41st.  Lots more zeroes.

This was the coupling race that annoyed me the most because this was the race that showed pit crew members smearing petroleum jelly, grease or a spray application of Pam non-stick cooking spray on both the rear and front ends of their cars.

Lubricants.  On the front and rear bumpers of race cars.  For a reason.

Most of the race was uneventful; only a few cars were taken out as a result of their 'partners' pushing or shoving or thrusting in the wrong place at the wrong time.  But with two laps to go Jeff Gordon spun and triggered a five car melee to set up a green white checker finish.  The first attempt failed after a 15-car wreck on the first lap and the second saw two crashes that together involved more than a dozen cars on the white flag lap to give Logano the victory.  

But this is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

Racing is not supposed to be a contact sport.  That said I understand contact can occassionally happen when two drivers are both racing for the same piece of real estate.  But planned contact?  A strategy for racing that revolves around one car pushing another all the way around the track, switching back and forth so neither car overheats and depending upon chance to determine which driver would be in front of the other, or others, when the finish line is in sight?

This is not my kind of motorsports.  Wraparound bumpers designed for constant contact are fine for kiddie kart tracks and bumper cars at amusement parks but certainly not for NASCAR or any other professional racing series.

This week, RD#23, is a rarity in that for the first time in Wind Tunnel Super 7 Sweep history all seven series will be racing on one weekend.  So much for extra drivers in an F1, Rolex, ALMS or IndyCar race.

And for you Hosers out there, here's a deal:  All players who pick Paul Tracy as their one IndyCar pick will have their overall scores sorted when the races are over and the five Tracy-starting players who score the most points will each win a Paul Tracy Hungier Than Ever THRILLER t-shirt!

Starting lineups are due by Wednesday at midnight and good luck to all!

Copyright ©2011 The Commish