[media-credit name=”Crystal MacLeod” align=”alignright” width=”300″]
[/media-credit]NASCAR boring? Say it isn’t so. More and more we are seeing opinion pieces that say the product has become a snoozefest, that the racing has become cautious. The big tracks have delivered, as both Daytona and Talladega kept one glued to the screen. Bristol, to my surprise, was not. Fontana? Almost never.
Some blame the points system, where one miscue, one wreck, can hurt more than the former system ever did. Some agree with Rusty Wallace, claiming that 36 race weeks is just too many to keep fans interested. I disagree, but running Talladega 36 times is out of the question. Some want wrecks, yet 1.5-mile tracks such as Charlotte, Kansas, Fort Worth, and Las Vegas provided none.
Is there really a problem? Well, type “NASCAR ratings cautions” on your browser, then you tell me. While baseball can offer up the Cubs and Padres, we can choose to ignore that game to watch the Dodgers take on the Nationals. In NASCAR, if they are in Fontana that week, you can’t switch the channel to take in the action at Sonoma.
If they insist on 36 races, then 36 races should have an identity that outlives their current sponsor. The Daytona 500, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400 have that. The World 600 would still be around long after Coca Cola decides to spend its money on something else. Tell me, does anyone give a damn about the Subway Fresh Fit 500, the Auto Club 400, or the Goody’s Fast Relief 500? Try bragging to the grandkids about that big win twenty years from now.
Television is all about excitement and entertainment. When it comes to being hot, at the moment NASCAR is not. Sadly, it is their own damn fault.
Here is a look at those who are the hottest 20 Cup drivers over the past ten events.
( ) = Official Ranking
Pos – Driver – Points – (Wins, Top Fives, Top Tens)
1 (1) Greg Biffle – 370 pts – (1-5-6)
Racing is conservative, attendance is down, but the Biff leads the parade.
2 (2) Matt Kenseth – 364 pts (0-5-7)
Some things are worth repeating.
3 (4) Dale Earnhardt Jr – 363 pts (0-3-8)
Miffed a military sponsorship ban in NASCAR is being led by a Republican from Georgia. Georgia!!!
4 (5) Jimmie Johnson – 362 pts (1-4-7)
Introduced his gasman to real drag racing.
5 (3) Denny Hamlin – 348 pts (1-4-5)
Doesn’t know what it takes to go fast at Dover, but I think a fast car might help.
6 (9) Tony Stewart – 336 pts (2-4-5)
Smoke: the driver, the tires, the ears.
7 (6) Martin Truex Jr – 333 pts (0-4-6)
Running good in the final year of a contract is highly recommended.
8 (8) Kyle Busch – 325 pts (1-5-6)
Nationwide team owner would never, ever fire his driver for Saturday…would he?
9 (12) Clint Bowyer – 319 pts (0-1-5)
Doesn’t need to win to make the Chase, but finishing ahead of Carl would sure help.
10 (7) Kevin Harvick – 317 pts (0-1-4)
Happy where he is, but not so much when it comes to where he has been heading lately.
11 (11) Brad Keselowski – 316 pts (2-3-5)
Sorry about your little car, Tony. Oh, Lord, I am so sorry.
12 (10) Carl Edwards – 309 pts (0-2-7)
There are no guarantees, but Dover and Carl have been pretty chummy in the past.
13 (15) Kasey Kahne – 305 pts (1-3-6)
Things go better with Coca Cola…
14 (13) Ryan Newman – 291 pts (1-2-3)
When it comes to give and take, the Rocket Man prefers taking.
15 (14) Paul Menard – 285 pts (0-0-2)
Needs to start turning Top 20’s into Top Tens.
16 (21) Jamie McMurray – 265 pts (0-0-2)
18 Dover races, 18 finishes. That has to account for something.
17 (18) Juan Pablo Montoya – 255 pts (0-0-1)
Average finish of 25th in his last three this season. That has to change.
18 (17) Jeff Burton – 248 pts (0-0-2)
If he moved to Georgia, I know where this future politician could get elected.
19 (19) Aric Almirola – 248 pts (0-0-1)
Might be turning the corner, but still outside the Top 20 in half of this season’s races.
20 (16) Joey Logano – 244 pts (0-0-1)
At 22, his future with Gibbs could be in doubt?
21 (20) Marcus Ambrose – 244 pts (0-0-1)
Marcus makes the cut, Kurt and Jeff do not. ‘Nuff said.
