Monday, March 3, 2008

Vegas review

Wasn't able to watch the end of the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas on Sunday, so check out the race story on the O-R's site. Carl Edwards won for the second week in a row, but it appears NASCAR found a problem with his car during post-race inspection. NASCAR.com reported that the win will stand, but it is likely Edwards and Roush-Fenway Racing will lose points. That almost certainly puts Edwards' 21-point grip on first place in jeopardy.

I missed most of the race, but did catch the pre-race show and have some gripes with that weekly escapade. First, why did Darrell Waltrip happily proclaim how close and competitive the rookie standings were after just two races? Dario Franchitti, Sam Hornish Jr. and Regan Smith were tied, and Waltrip said he couldn't remember a time this late in the season when that last happened. I have news for you, Darrell: The circuit was just two races into the season, so I'm sure a lot will change. After Las Vegas, that fantastic trio dropped to 36th, 38th and 39 in the points.

Also, do any other fans have a problem with these late starts, especially at Vegas when the green flag didn't drop Sunday until 4:48 p.m.? NASCAR is dumbfounded by it's plummeting ratings. Could it be that it's dinner time on Sunday when NASCAR finally cuts them loose? The race could have easily started at noon Las Vegas-time - it would be 2 p.m. here - and finish at a respectable time. Does NASCAR want every race to end in the dark?

4 comments:

Brant said...

Years ago, I always knew where I could find the races on my TV dial (OK, TVs don't have dials anymore, but you know what I mean). Then, they started splitting up the season, with one cable network having some races, another having other races and one of the big networks having others, and I just gave up trying to find them, except for the big events like Daytona and Indy. And, as I mentioned previously, they compounded the alienation by getting away from their roots to the point that the product became homogenized and unrecognizable as the stock-car racing I grew up with.

MJ said...

When I first started watching racing in the early 90s, each track had a contract with a television company. After a few years, I always knew where to find it on TV (ESPN broadcasted Bristol, Martinsville, Atlanta, etc., and TNN always showed Rockingham and The Winston, etc.)

As for the start times, they used to run the Pepsi 400 at Daytona at 11 a.m.! But those were the days when NASCAR didn't give a damn about the California connection.

Anonymous said...

First off, I have to completely agree about the start times. It's getting just as bad, if not worse, than the Super Bowl. I turned on the bane of all media, aka FOX, at 2:30, the scheduled time for the race to start.
Instead, I was "treated" to 2+ hours of total garbage fluff, including the naming of the "Gopher Cam" (really?), Chris Myers "interviewing" the Blue Man Group, as well as the aforementioned DW comments. And it's only gotten worse. I dread Memorial Day weekend, when the broadcast for the Coca-Cola 600 will begin at noon, with actual racing commencing around 6:30. Maybe they'll have a three-hour interview with Junior about just how comfortable he really is in Wrangler.

I also have to vent about the so-called "slumps" Jeffy, Johnson, and Stewart find themselves. WE'RE THREE WEEKS INTO THE SEASON. How do you have a "slump" when you've run the first three races of a 36 race season? If these three are still mired around 20th in the points in May, then you call it a slump. Until then, give me a break. I usually find Terry Blount's columns informative and well-written, but this is just bad. I guess there really isn't anything else to be talking about?

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