Nascar: 2010

[Ron61]

Wayne,

I too was surprised by what Edwards did as that isn't like him, but I feel he should be punished for doing it. Earnheart was a Super Star when there weren't many of them racing at the time, so they cut him some slack. Also they used real cars and the manufacturers championship really meant something then.

The spoiler issue you knew was going to be controlled like everything else by NASCAR. God forbid that some team figure out a way to make it work better than another teams. I just wish they would get rid of the name NASCAR as it no longer has any meaning or connection with what it originally stood for. Change it to the France/Pemberton prototype series or something like that.

Ron

[Don]

Edwards & Keselowski: Sports Writer Reid Spencer had another twist on the penalty, Edwards gets the points/money for 36th where Keselowski finished and Keselowski gets Edwards points/money for 6th, a 95 point difference. In addition, Penske sends Roush the bill for the wrecked car.

My thought, when intentional premeditated retaliation reaches a point of threatening lives etc, the name of the driver,sponsor, car make, etc should not influence the penalty. Edwards seemed surprised at what happened, being an experienced driver he knows the potential his actions could/might create.

Rear end alignment & right front tire at an angle: Been done for years all the way back to Smokey Yunick, especially at dirt short tracks. Teams looking for the competitive edge, no rules against it.

Qualifying Times: If everything is the same, other than the driver, why is there such a difference between 1st & 43Rd ? Ah, the personnel. Casey Mears has yet to qualify for a race this year.

Wings, spoilers, etc., design anyone notice the F1, ALMS, Indy Car, Grand Am, etc. series rules ? Indy is a spec car with a spec motor.

Gurney bump: Drivers height range from approx the lower end of 5 feet to approx 6' 5" . With the driver moved more to the center for safety reasons, the bump , same for all drivers or custom for each driver ? Influence on aerodynamics ? The high point of the bump would need roll cage protection, but could not interfere with extracting the driver thru the roof.

Atlanta: High probability, once the Kentucky law suits are settled, Atlanta will lose a race to Kentucky. Like FOX News, we report and you decide, what's better, 80/90% attendance @ a 100,000+ track or 90/100% attendance at a 70,000 track ? Been going to New Hampshire since it opened ( 10 years ? ), attendance appears to have stayed in the 95%++ range.

To clarify, not either for or against the COT, but that's the way it is and the challenge is to work with it, highly doubtful it will change, at least in the short term. Think back about all the complaints NASCAR got in the past regarding allowing certain makes to have a shape that benefits them only, viewed as an unfair advantage. Front and rear bumper heights for all cars, should match or ? Complaints will always be there, just different topics, i.e. " Who Moved My Cheese " Change sure is wonderful, isn't it ?

[Don]

Ron & Wayne, thought both of you would like this one;

The 3 race deal the Census Bureau has for an advertisement on Greg Biffle's car cost $1.2 million, as reported by USA Today

The Director of the Census Bureau justified the expenditure by stating the exposure NASCAR gets makes the cost worthwhile.

Really ?

[Joe Wicked]

As far as Carl and Brad, my comments are this, at Talladega, Brad was trying to pass Carl, he went high and Carl blocked, He ducked low and Carl again tried to block, Brad went all the way down to the yellow line and stopped going down (Out of bounds if you make a pass) Carl kept coming down, but Brad was there. Carl spun off of Brad by coming across Brad's nose. The error lies with Carl. Lap 41 at Atlanta, Carl cut down right in front of Brad, Brad lifted (look at the sudden closing rate of the 71 behind the 12) but the difference in speed was too much. No one's fault in my opinion, just a racing accident that happens and will continue. You can't go for it and not get into accidents. Carl retaliated for something he caused and something that was a no fault. That is inexcusable to me. His comments afterward came off, to me, as "If he knows what is good for him, he won't hit me again." His follow up comments and not showing any remorse for it, really solidify that I do not like him. Brad is an aggressive driver and does not just automatically pull over because one of the top stars wants to come through. That is what Racing is about. Maybe Carl should have just pulled over for the top stars when he started. He needs to grow up and I hope Nascar parks him for some time. I also think that they should make a rule where if you get parked in a race, you are disqualified from the race and get 0 points for it.

[Joe Wicked]

Just heard on ESPN while eating Carl got 3 race probation. That is it. No fine, no points, nothing but a tap on the hand and a gentle, don't do that. He intentionally put Brad's life in danger as well as Fans. He knew that when he did it and did it anyway. Boo on Nascar for this one.

[Ron61]

Just a 3 race probation. That is about as asinine as anything NASCAR has done in the past few years. That is hard to believe. There must be more to it than that.

EDIT: Well they just posted it on the news. Hard to believe. http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog/...=nascar,226893

Ron

[Gregg(What's his name)?]

While I really dont think what Carl did on Sunday was very smart. He did what has been done in past. Isnt bump drafting in a corner just as dangerious? Havent we seen the big one a Daytona and Dega caused by bump drafting. NASCAR wants ratings and butts in the seats. I bet you the Bristol event will have more viewers just to tune into the race.
I quit watching NASCAR when the cars went to a brick. The COT is not a production car. It is a NASCARs' version of INDYCAR. Make it the same so every one can play. 10 Million for sponsor ship on a brick.

Bring back the real cars. The Mustang, Camaros and the Challengers. Put a roll cage in the and let see what they will do. Oh wait we do have that and it is the best racing we have. Too bad very few of us watch.

[tcrist]

Well, I can almost bet you what Brad is going to do at Bristol.

[Wayne Maybury]

Don, really??? That is tax money well spent, isn't it?

I was watching the noon news and they had a bit on about NASCAR and of course it was about the incident on Sunday. The noon news never has anything on about NASCAR so you knew what was coming. Their take was that NASCAR has put retaliation in the hands of the drivers because of poor attendance and sagging TV ratings. They got into rubbin' fenders and tradin' paint stuff and saying how dangerous this is, etc. They showed both the 99 and the 12 upside down at least 3 or 4 times.

I cannot believe that NASCAR is letting Carl get away with this with just a slap on the wrist. I like him a lot but I think that he definitely deserves at least a 3 race suspension. However money talks and NASCAR wants all they can get.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Gregg,

Bring back the real cars. The Mustang, Camaros and the Challengers. Put a roll cage in the and let see what they will do. Oh wait we do have that and it is the best racing we have. Too bad very few of us watch.

I do watch any of it that I can get but they don't show it on TV around here. About the only thing I can get besides NASCAR is the ALS series and once in a while the Australian Super Car races. I really miss the old Trans Am series as they showed those races.

Ron

[Don]

Anyone use Facebook to post Edwards' code of ethics ?

"In a Facebook posting Sunday, Carl Edwards cited his code of ethics for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski at Atlanta Motor Speedway ".

Below, it's the end result that needs to be considered. Discharge a firearm and the bullet lodges in a tree, maybe a misdemeanor, if it hits someone, a felony.

" But Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage doesn't believe Edwards deserves to be sat after NASCAR told drivers they would be allowed to police themselves on the track this season, a throwback to the old days when drivers meted out punishment through paybacks.

"I don't know how you suspend him," Gossage says. "Isn't that contradictory to the preseason pronouncements of, 'Have at it, boys'? You didn't tell them how far they can go, and now you're going to severely punish them for doing this?"

NASCAR has shown more leniency lately, electing not to fine or park Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya for retribution in last season's finale at Homestead. In both instances, the victims' cars remained on the pavement.

"Would we be having this conversation had Brad's car not gotten upside down?" Gossage asked. "Probably not. It's a dilemma." "


Edwards, as an experienced driver knew the possible consequences, no excuses:

" In a TV interview Sunday, Edwards said Keselowski's car going airborne "was not at all what I expected … I'm glad he's OK" but his Facebook message didn't offer any apology for the wreck. "

"Wrote Edwards: "My options: Considering that Brad wrecks me with no regard for anyones safety or hard work, should I: A-Keep letting him wreck me? B-Confront him after the race? C-Wait til bristol and collect other cars? or D-Take care of it now? I want to be clear that I was surprised at his flight and very relieved when he walked away. Every person has to decide what code they want to live by and hopefully this explains mine." "

"The last NASCAR driver suspended was Robby Gordon, who missed the August 2007 race at Pocono Raceway after ignoring a black flag during the Nationwide race in Montreal the previous day. Ted Musgrave (Camping World Truck Series in '07), Jimmy Spencer (Cup in '03) and Kevin Harvick (Cup in '02) also were benched for a race. "

[Don]

Probation...sure leaves it open ended, a political approach, as to what would constitute a violation and what the penalty would be for a violation ?

Keselowski, his start in the Cup series as overly aggressive, same approach he had in Nationwide, as Montoya stated he has wrecked a number of cars.

Would be informative to get Penske's opinion

[Ron61]

MONEY. With the help of the press playing this up NASCAR is hoping to have a large audience watching for pay back in the nest races. Their ratings are down even from last year, they have removed seats from the tracks and still can't fill them, so something drastic has to be done. That really is the most logical explanation for what they did.

Ron

[Don]

TV rating for Atlanta is +2%, 3.7 million households, compared to last year

" The spin on the spin: Fox's NASCAR ratings, which this season faced Plympic competition and were down 14% heading into last weekend, get their first uptick this year "

One version on the impact of the Olympics:

" The ratings numbers reflected the anticipation of the Olympic gold-medal game between Canada and the United States.

Sunday's epic -- won by Canada 3-2 in overtime -- was the most-watched hockey game since the gold-medal game in 1980, when the United States beat Finland after stunning the Soviet Union in the "Miracle on Ice." That gold-medal game drew 32.8 million.

According to NBC, the game drew an average viewership of 27.6 million and a rating of 15.2, a jump of 45.5 percent from the same matchup at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Both gold-medal games were aired midafternoon live.

From 5:30 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET, the audience reached its peak, with 34.8 million glued to the TV. "

" The game, carried in Canada on nine national networks and in eight languages, became the most-watched television broadcast in Canadian history. An average of 16.6 million Canadians, or about half of the nation's population, tuned in. And about 80 percent of the population, or 26.5 million people, watched at least part of the game.

Buffalo -- where tournament MVP Ryan Miller plays for the Sabres -- was the top individual market in the United States, with a 32.6 rating. Pittsburgh, Detroit, Minneapolis and Milwaukee rounded out the top five. "

Sources for above: USA Today

[Ron61]

Don,

" The spin on the spin: Fox's NASCAR ratings, which this season faced Plympic competition and were down 14% heading into last weekend, get their first uptick this year "

Their ratings dropped steadily last year and there was no Olympics to blame it on. There were empty seats aplenty at Atlanta and that isn't because of any Olympics. Instead of bragging about how they were up by 2% they should publish the actual ratings like they finally did the Daytona ones. Several shows have been cancelled because of low ratings that were higher than NASCARs. I think the Edwards thing may blow up in their faces, especially if someone gets hurt or killed because of their desire to get back fans and ratings. All I hear on the news around here is "Wait until Bristol and the score will be settled." And NASCAR is condoning this media hype in hopes of drawing more people to watch what could be a bad thing. But the money is all they or anyone else in this country cares about any more. Also last Sunday no one around here could find any other races to watch as we all called each other. And Sunday TV here really is lousy. So when it isn't raining or cold, I work around the yards and upper lot.

EDIT: This pretty much backs what I said about NASCAR being in trouble money wise and using any tactic to try and gain back fans and money. Even the NASCAR site has a 3 page article about how they are trying to lure fans back. I do agree with this article abut it is a dangerous game they are playing to do nothing more than this. http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?...yhoo&type=lgns

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

Some more thoughts on all of this.

I think that considering the outcome, everyone agrees that what Carl did, was stupid. If Brad had just spun out, it would have been a very different matter. However when you play with fire, sometimes you are going to get burned.

NASCAR seems to love this situation as the TV audience will be bigger next week as people will be watching to see how the next episode will unfold.

This incident also laid to rest, at least in my mind, any questions about the wing versus the rear spoiler. Too many cars with that wing have gone airborne when turned around.

I do not like that car they now have but it sure can take a lick.

Wayne

[Don]

Ron, USA Today did publish the actual rating, I just didn't key it in....specific numbers:

Rating: 4.8
Households: 3.7 million

The ratings comment I mentioned was a recap by USA Today, NOT NASCAR. USA Today comments on a variety of TV shows such as hockey, basketball, etc

" The spin on the spin: Fox's NASCAR ratings, which this season faced Olympic competition and were down 14% heading into last weekend, get their first uptick this year "

[Don]

Attached is an interview with Mike Helton, NASCAR President. Does not imply there is any agreement etc., but at least these are Mike's own words and comments as opposed to interpretations. After reading the transcript, everyone can arrive at their your own opinion, each opinion being as valid as the next one, as to whether NASCAR is intentionally leveraging the incident to improve ratings.

Subject: Edwards & Keselowski

Transcript: NASCAR Teleconference with NASCAR President Mike Helton

March 9, 2010

AN INTERVIEW WITH: MIKE HELTON

" HERB BRANHAM: Thanks, and good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the first of today's two NASCAR Cams. For this first one, we're joined by NASCAR President Mike Helton. He's going to open up with a brief announcement before taking some questions from the media. Mike, it's all yours. "

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=359811

[Ron61]

Thanks Don,

That puts it more in perspective. A 4.8 rating is still not very good. And if they don't start filling seats at the tracks and gain more viewers, I feel they are eventually going to have to make some major changes. Like Wayne said, this car can take a beating but it is the neck braces more than that which is helping. If you remember Adam Pettys crash was just a minor brush with the wall but it snapped his neck back and forth. Same for Kenny Erwin Jr. though his throttle stuck open and he hit the wall head on at full speed but once again it was the neck snapping back and forth that killed him. I like the foam around the outside of this car, but that could be added to a real car just a could the rest of the safety measures.

Ron

[tcrist]

3 race probation is crap. Carl is laughing he a$$ of at it.