Yaaaaaaaawn...

If you’ve followed this blog recently, then you probably noticed a lack of posts lately. I kinda wondered if I’m slacking or if there’s more to the non-story story. I figure it can't be me since being part of the Internet blogging community means we feast on newspaper articles to formulate our own “stories” and “opinions” without scrounging for our own ideas or sources. But, the other half of me - an investigative journalist for the Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pa. - decided to get to the bottom of the issue.

That led me to ESPN.com and the supposed Mecca of motorsports coverage (except from 2001 to 2006 when NASCAR didn’t exist for the Disney network). Check out some of the headlines on the eve of race weekend in Atlanta and you might be surprised….

The No. 1 story Friday afternoon – and I’m not joking – is that truck series owner Billy Ballew was arrested for drunken driving at the speedway Wednesday night. First, who the hell is Billy Ballew, and, second, who the hell cares? Sure, Ballew owns the No. 51 truck driven by Kyle Busch, but no one really cares about the trucks series anymore, do they?

The second and third stories, respectively, are a gear change at Las Vegas and a contract renewal to keep the Nationwide Series in Montreal for the next three years. Yaaaaaaawn! Those are the top stories in NASCAR? Wow, something must be seriously wrong with either the sport or ESPN.

Sadly, the next story is about Busch’s win at Vegas. So, that’s it. ESPN.com and its paid Internet reporters generated three stories during the week. And not a single one with any relevance to Atlanta or timely NASCAR news. Is this a reflection of the Web site or the sport? Regardless, this is shaping up to be a loooooooong year. Where’s a steroids controversy when you need one?