Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wet, wild and whacky

Have we witnessed a more bizarre weekend of NASCAR racing (or lack thereof) in recent memory? The rain fell more often than the Sprint Cup cars went racing at Charlotte over the weekend and the start of the race had to be delayed until Monday. Not a big problem, it seemed, because of the holiday. But the rain kept falling and the cars kept sitting on pit road waiting to roll, which must’ve made for a ratings nightmare for FOX. I don't know if "King of the Hill" and "The Simpsons" have the same drawing power as a race.

Not at all NASCAR’s fault, but the atypical holiday weekend led to an unusual winner. David Reutimann won his first Sprint Cup race in 75 starts, although I don't understand why all the sportscasters called him a journeyman. He’s anything but and has established himself with Michael Waltrip Racing. Still, congratulations to him (and his father) in a much-deserved victory. I will not take anything away from him, but I just wonder if it’s somewhat less fulfilling for a first-time winner. Regardless, "Beak" and his No. 00 team gambled by not pitting right when the final rainstorm moved over the speedway.

The biggest question is: Why didn’t all the other teams do the same? They all have radar and probably should’ve seen the giant, green blob rolling through the Carolinas. It was a whacky weekend with a disappointing finish. But the outcome crowned a worthy winner.

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