2009 TNT Debut
The race at Pocono debuted TNT’s race coverage for 2009. They must feel like the ugly red-headed step child of networks. They get the shortest stretch of the season with 6 weeks of coverage and quite frankly, its mostly on track where the racing is generally not the stuff of legend (with the exception of Daytona).
Still- I must say I walk away with a good first impression of the team. I’m remembering now that I am a big-time fan of Kyle Petty as an analyst. The thing you have to like about Kyle is he’s honest, he’s got the driver’s seat perspective of today’s car and among all the ex- drivers and crew chiefs that dot the NASCAR media landscape- he strives for professionalism. Listening to Kyle, I get the feeling he did more than just show up at the track and say “Here I am!”
You also get the feeling the network has been listening to complaints from fans, by because by golly, we got “through the field” updates. With each car report, I felt like I got real insight into what was happening with that team.
Not everything was perfect. I’d agree with fan complaints I heard that the camera coverage right at the end got sloppy and I would have loved to have heard from third place finisher David Reutimann. I also heard absolutely NOTHING about Marcos Ambrose.
Aside from that, I felt like I was watching old-school race coverage. If they keep on the road they’ve started, I’ll be pleased with what I see and hear.
Double File Restarts
Our first time out with the new rule and we didn’t do too badly. When you make a rule change like this in mid-season, you expect some poor soul to be confused and screw it up, but unless I missed something, things seemed to go pretty smoothly.
I’d agree with a comment I saw on Rowdy today. The double file re-starts actually gave us some action at Pocono in a race that wasn’t real…well, let’s just say it wasn’t riveting.
Jeff Gordon didn’t seem to care for it much (he spent a lot of time struggling through the dirty air), Carl Edwards suggested tweaking it by putting cars double file behind the leader, who’d be in a row of his own. Like you a lot Carl, you have some good ideas, but….no.
Now if they’ll only give the team a little more freedom with the car.
One step at a time.
The Infamous Guitar Busting Incident featuring Kyle Busch
Racing artist Sam Bass was heartbroken. Some fans were downright livid. I know of one
fan who has written a letter of complaint and is boycotting Busch’s sponsors. With everything else that happened over the weekend, Kyle Busch trying to pull a Pete Townshend with his guitar trophy has perhaps getting a little more attention than it may deserve.
As a guitar player, it made this observer want to cry. Now I’ll admit that I am a Fender man myself (if Gibson is the Chevy of guitars, the Fender is the Ford), but still, that was one sweet guitar Busch busted up.
Now having said that, I am willing to cut Shrub a little slack. For my part, I don’t think he meant any disrespect. He thought it’d be cool to get a little crazy and bust it up to share with his crew. I really don’t think he did this to rile anybody up. If you’ve watched his victory celebrations, then you know he tries to be unique. Frankly, I thought the bow was cool, the counting off his victories on his fingers. He doesn’t do it to show up his competitors, he’s just a winner having fun.
Hey, I was 24 once, and frankly, before someone bigger than me got my attention, I did much worse. He earned it and if he wants to smash it, that’s his prerogative.
“Got Wood?”
Here’s Jeremy Sellers of Jerm’s Joint Racing Pub.
If the title didn’t spark interest, perhaps you should check your pulse or take another gulp of your morning joe. Regardless, how many would put wood and racing together to come up with an old-fashioned Friday night of excitement? Not me, I assure you. However, when the Carter Lumber Super Modified Series rolls into our local hometown tracks, there are usually around 20 reasons to sport a woody.
Using the same chassis and body styles as the NASCAR Whelen All American
Modified cars, this series comes local only twice a season and spans the states of Indiana and Ohio. During these events, local point systems are suspended for higher purses and bragging rights. Remember from my article in late May, Kil Kare is only a one-third mile, “D”-shaped oval, yet the pole sitter for this feature event qualified at just over 105 mph!!!! That is laying it down in a short amount of time! Also, Hoosier finds itself as the exclusive tire provider of this tour, and from what I saw, they make a pretty good tread.
The main event is a 100 lap brawl, where caution laps do not count, and when the yellow flies, the counter goes back to the last lap completed. Other than a five-car pile up on lap 24, this race was lightning fast, with door-to-door, bumper-to-bumper action, not something I am use to at most local tracks. Unfortunately, since the Carter Lumber Super Modified Series only visits twice, plus the fact that the race programs, though printed, never made it to the track, I am not able to report on any specific driver or even tell you who won the feature due to the amount of noise. I do know that local racing icon Dick Dunlevey took second place. However, my step son and I did try to snap some pictures of these cars for you to enjoy.
I guess the message I am trying to convey here folks is get out and support your local tracks. Times are tough, and they are still out there trying to bring the hometown fans quality entertainment. This is where the big boys in the cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Series cut their teeth, and others enjoy being the big turd in a little bowl just to hear the cheers of folks they know.
Visit jerms_joint racing pub.
PHOTO CREDITS- Petty with some dude named Dale by tjphoto2, Busch smashing guitar by amanda480744. To see more, visit flickr.com or click on the hyperlinks. Photos from Carter Lumber race by Jeremy Sellers.
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I’m a musician myself, and my most prized possession is a ‘64 Gibson SG Standard, so I also flinched whe Kyle smashed that Les Paul, and I can see why the artist was upset, even though he knew that Kyle meant no disrespect. Personally, I think it would be much better if the winners were given mock-ups in Victory Lane, then received the real trophies later. Smashing the guitar wasn’t the best idea, but I don’t want to see it soaked in Coke and champagne, either!
I’m still waiting to hear and see what happenned to Kasey Kahne coming out of turn three to the finish line. And did anyone besides Tony Stewart actually cross the line? We’ll never know for sure.
Was Kyle tested for drugs for his behavior…? Marybeth
For a musician, a guitar is a living thing, something that in a lot of cases, that they have lived with for years. The sound is a product of years of use, abuse funk, being soaked with beer, & worse. If someone, for instance were to run across Willie Nelsons guitar in a pawn shop, without the history, what with the hole worn in it, & the names on it. We wouldn’t give 50. for it. Willie, on the other hand, wouldn’t take millions for it.
My point is to a non musician. A guitar, even the Sam Bass, Les Paul. is just a thing. In this case a trophy from the B series, & not to be valued like, say, the Harley Earl trophy. The bad boys of rock used to smash their guitars, Kyle thought it was cool, so why not. End result, Kyle has a room full of trophies. None will be as well known as the neck of this one. It’s sad that Kyle had so little appreciation of this one. It’s also sad that Geoff Bodine, & Bobby Allison had to sell theirs.
What you saw at Kil-Kare were NOT super modifieds, it was the Main Event Racing Series Super Late Models (sponsored by Carter Lumber). They are “similar” to the NASCAR Whelen All American LATE MODEL Series (not the NASCAR Whelen modified series) only a bit faster and more aerodynamic. According to track results, Tim Ice was the winner and Dick Dunlevy finished third behind Jimmy Carter (likely not the ex-president).
If you want to see the super modifieds race in the Buckeye State, go to Toledo this Friday or to Sandusky on June 24 and 25. They are quite a bit faster than the super late models you saw at Kil-Kare.
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