The Final Word – Saturday at Phoenix was nothing like Sunday at Phoenix
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[/media-credit]They looked similar, with the same track and cars that appeared comparable. However, where the Nationwide race at Phoenix on Saturday was brutally boring, the televised action Sunday kept one interested from start to finish. So, what was the difference?
Fans tuned in Saturday primarily to see how Danica Patrick might perform as she competed in the second race of the circuit’s season. Daytona was not kind, and while she managed to finish this one, no small feat, the fact she was three laps down to finish 21st kind of dulled any sense of anticipation. However, even with the 29-year old raven haired beauty a non-factor, you would have hoped the action would be enough to carry the day.
Sunday, same track, and we had Kevin Harvick leading the way when Kyle Busch was not. As they thundered to a conclusion, Harvick was chasing down Denny Hamlin with a couple of laps to go when the gas gauge hit empty. Hamlin won, Happy coasted to second, as Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski hit the line ahead of the aforementioned Mr. Busch. If nothing else, Johnson is now out of minus figures in the standings, and even a 14th place result for Dale Earnhardt Jr was not bad considering he was outside the Top Twenty most of the day.
Both races featured cars finding the short cut through the old dog-leg, flying down to the apron and popping back up before the corner. It looked exciting Sunday, not so much Saturday. Why? Well, it could be something as simple as the difference between watching a Major League baseball game and one from the minors. One has the A-team, the other does not. Saturday’s camera shots failed to match the broadcast on Sunday. One was visually exciting, the other was not. One featured announcers that were entertaining, informative, and knowledgeable while the other did not. I like Allan Bestwick, and he shined on that old Inside Winston Cup show, but as a race announcer he comes across like an over eager kid, while Mike Joy has the voice and a real chemistry with his two cohorts. Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree are not bad, but they pale against the likes of Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds. Chris Myers and the Waltrip brothers are worth listening to, while Rusty Wallace and Brad Daugherty bring nothing to the table. Nothing.
Same track, similar racing, totally different results for the television viewer. Sunday kept me watching, Saturday saw the PVR get a work out. Even if I weren’t a fan, Sunday’s action gave me a good reason to watch the action coming up in Las Vegas. Saturday gives me reason to fire up the Sirius radio or tape the race and watch in high speed instead of high def.
Now, it would be no big deal, except later this season the FOX crew gets replaced doing the Cup side by the not ready for prime time folks at ESPN/ABC. After watching Saturday, I thought the action last Sunday would be terribly dull. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. At least I know going into this weekend that while the NASCAR action on Sunday might take up a good four hours of my time, Saturday…maybe one. Enjoy the week.
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Review: A Sign of Things to Come
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[/media-credit]Denny Hamlin started the race in 13th position and by Lap 20 he was in the Top-5. He worked his way up to third position by Lap 33, after caution was thrown for Clint Bowyer blowing a tire. He hovered in the Top-5 until Lap 247 when caution was thrown for David Reutimann blowing an engine. When leader Martin Truex Jr. pitted for tires and fuel, this allowed Hamlin to get the lead on the restart.
It looked as if the race would come down to Brad Keselowski and Hamlin battling for the lead, until Keselowski locked up his brakes going into turn four, shortly after the restart on Lap 253. This forced Keselowski to drop back to sixth position and give Hamlin the lead of the race. Hamlin faced heat from a hard-charging Kevin Harvick in the last 50 laps of the race, until he ran out of fuel on the final lap, allowing Hamlin to drive to victory lane for the first time in 39 Sprint Cup Series races.
We haven’t seen Hamlin in this competitive form since 2010 when he won eight races and finished second in points standings behind five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin admitted last season that Johnson defeating him for the championship title is something that has never left his mind. He sought assistance from a sports psychologist in 2011 to help him be mentally prepared and competitive for this season, and it evidently worked. Hamlin is now leading the championship standings by six points over Greg Biffle heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Although we are still early in the season, I expect to see Hamlin continue to be at the top of the standings this year.
Harvick Keeps Up Momentum
Kevin Harvick started in the eighth position and was leading the race by Lap 20. After a caution on Lap 56 for debris, he lost the lead to Johnson on pit road and dropped back to 4th position. Harvick hovered in the Top-5 until Lap 151, when he moved up to second position and put himself in contention for the lead once again. On Lap 165 a three-wide battle for the lead played out between Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Harvick – with Harvick coming out on top.
Harvick lost the lead once again when Truex did not pit under caution and received the lead of the race, placing Harvick in second position on the restart. Eventually Truex was forced to pit, allowing Hamlin to take over the race lead using pit strategy. Despite running out of fuel on the last lap, Harvick was able to coast around the track to finish the race in second position. With his second place finish at Phoenix and seventh place finish at Daytona, Harvick is now third in the championship standings.
Edwards’ Disappointing Day in Phoenix
Carl Edwards started the race in 24th position and didn’t gain much ground in the race. As Edwards was attempting to make a late race charge, gaining sixth positions among leaders, when he made contact with Ryan Newman with 65 laps to go. The contact caused right front fender damage to the No. 99 car and ended Edwards’ chance of a decent finish. Edwards finished the race in 17th position and dropped from the top 10 in points standings.
This is not the Edwards we are used to seeing, after finishing in second place in the championship battle last season, with a tie breaker used to determine the winner. On the up-side, Edwards has time to make up ground before he has to worry about the championship battle for this season.
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[/media-credit]Stewart Struggles with EFI System
Reigning champion Tony Stewart got a rude lesson in this year’s new electronic fuel injection Sunday at PIR. With about 60 laps left in the Subway Fresh Fit 500, Stewart was running 13th and shut off his engine during a caution period to save fuel. Normally when drivers do this, the engine will fire back up easily on command. But this time the engine in Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet wouldn’t re-fire despite repeated attempts. Stewart fell two laps down until his crew finally got the car started, and Stewart finished in 22nd position. Stewart’s season hasn’t started off to his liking, after finishing 16th in the Daytona 500 and currently sitting 15th in points standings.
NASCAR Brings New Experience To Fans With Twitter
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[/media-credit]Last week during the red flag at Daytona International Speedway, Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) tweeted a picture from inside his racecar. He then continued to send out more twitter messages, better known as tweets, and pictures to keep the fans informed. The result was Keselowski’s following increasing by 100,000 followers in the span of two hours. They were enjoying that he was keeping them informed and amused during a long red flag.
NASCAR wasn’t pleased with Keselowski having the phone, originally, as they said that they do not allow recording devices or other devices for communication. However, they did not penalize him for the usage. They said in a statement that they would not penalize Keselowski as nothing “violates any current rules pertaining to the use of social media during races……We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others.”
Twitter and NASCAR combined as worked wonders beyond just what happened in Daytona as the NASCAR fan base on twitter continues to grow.
Mathew Vance (@48Hollywood) says he enjoys twitter because of “the insight. And feel of accessibility. Plus the contests are absolutely amazing for fans, especially those who may not be able to travel to races as much as others. Also, the ability to build rapport with people is crucial.”
Many NASCAR fans are joining twitter so they can follow their favorite teams, drivers and the drivers’ significant others. Some fans are joining to take part in the giveaways, which could see them win tickets to a race, a t-shirt, a hat or something else someone is giving away.
Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) has created a tradition of doing a big giveaway on Christmas. The giveaway sees the winner to win a vacation for a family of four to any place they want to go in the US. Hamlin does more giveaways beyond that as each week, he gives away “Denny Seats” which is four tickets to each race.
Another big part of fan usage on twitter is the fans are interested in what’s going on with their favorite drivers. Many drivers tweet about what they are doing away from the race track, to therefore keep the fans informed and make them feel a part of their personal life.
Amy Stabler (@HarpAmyStabler) says she’s on twitter as she likes to be able to connect to the different NASCAR personalities and get them to answer her questions. Drivers will spend time answering questions about a variety of subjects, allowing fans to learn something new. Mark Martin (@markmartin55), who just joined twitter, spends a couple hours each day answering questions.
Vance had a great experience with Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) as he says his favorite twitter is moment is, “Jimmie telling me to find him at the track for a pic, then remembering me when I did, and gratefully doing a pic and auto.”
The NASCAR fan interaction goes beyond just the drivers as many fans enjoy following their favorite driver’s spotter. Mike Calinoff (@MikeCalinoff), spotter for Matt Kenseth, and Bob Jeffery (@EyeInTheSky14), spotter for Tony Stewart, are two of the many spotters who have joined twitter. Both spend their time answering the questions for the fans.
All of this allows the fans to have a connection, as Ford Malone (@FordMalone) says. “We have a connection – access – to the movers and shakers that did not exist in the past. Few fans had this level of connection.” Malone says that he enjoys following Eddie Gossage (@eddiegossage), the President of Texas Motor Speedway, Ted Bullard (@TurnerCMO), the Chief Marketing Officer of Turner Motorsports, Jeff Gordon (@JeffGordonWeb) and more.
For that sake of connection, Stabler tries to follow as many different drivers and girlfriends as she can, while also following a bunch of media. She also feels that some of the people that she follows and those who follow back feel like friends.
Malone adds to that by saying he enjoys twitter due the “inner action between fans has never been as wide spread. I can connect with fans from all across the country.” Malone says that twitter has allowed him to find more people to talk about racing with. “Before twitter, I lived in a NASCAR monocosm – a small number of friends that held similar beliefs. Now I live in a NASCAR galaxy and have had a temper my rhetoric because I have NASCAR friends that hold widely different views.”
For that reason, “tweet-ups” have been brought forth at each track. These “tweet-ups” see an array of fans and media members that are on twitter meet up at an arranged spot to meet each other face-to-face. Sometimes when these tweet-ups are arranged, they include special guests as some drivers and spotters show up.
In tough economic times, twitter is also a way for drivers to connect with fans and promote their sponsors. Sometimes, it can also work in other fashion for sponsor. Both Todd Bodine (@Team_Onion) and Kenny Wallce (@Kenny_Wallace) are looking for sponsors to continue racing this year. To help the search, fans have tagged tweets with “#sponsorkenny” or #sponsortheonion” to try to spread word for their favorite driver. They have also tweeted big companies, recommending the driver of their choice.
Beyond these reasons, twitter has also brought an even crazier trend – inanimate objects tweet. Supposedly the cone that sits at the end of pit road and the lug nut on a tire have discovered a way to use twitter. They use twitter to talk candidly with people about their “experience” and more. Here’s a list of some of the objects
- @TheOrangeCone
- @TheMiniChad
- @JacquesDebris
- @TheSAFERBarrier
- @TheNASCARHauler
- @InfieldGrass
- @DaCautionFlag / @FlagCaution
- @The_GreenFlag
- @TheYellowLugnut
- @Sir_NASCARNAGE
- @GoodYear_Tire_
- @The_Sprint_Cup
- @NascarPaceCar
- @DaCheckeredFlag
- @Da_Black_Flag
- @StartFinishLine
- @TheCatchFence
- @NASCARRainDelay
- @NASCARJetDryer
- @48Horseshoe
With everything that has happened on twitter, there is only one question that fans are asking – when is Dale Earnhardt Jr. going to join twitter?
You can follow me on twitter via @SS_Informative (professional, nascar news) and @ladybug388 (personal).
