Fallout from Martinsville (Yahoo! Sports)
March 30, 2010
div.mailsubhead { font-size: 1.4em; font-weight:bold; margin-top:0.6em; margin-bottom:.5em;}hr { align:center; width: 20%; margin-top: 12px; margin-bottom: 12px; }Why was NASCAR so quick to wave the yellow flag when Kyle Busch spun with just over a lap to go at Martinsville? They weren’t every other time someone spun. Just wondering.
Now, let’s get to the mailbag …
Second-place is first loser
Jay, Once again, a great finish to a race at Martinsville. I loved Jeff Gordon’s comments afterwards about Kenseth: “He drove into the back of me so hard … I made sure he wasn’t going to win the race after that.”
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He would have never said that last year. He might have done it, but afterwards he would have said something like, “it was a racin’ deal” or “I don’t really remember what happened.” For him to just come out and say it like that, this is great stuff!!!
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This is what will get fans excited about watching races. Edwards took care of his problem with Keselowski (right or wrong), Gordon took care of Kenseth.
I’m glad NASCAR is letting the drivers police themselves. It makes the sport real and genuine, and puts personality back into what was devolving into a sterile affair. Boogity boogity boogity!!!!
Bill CarswellHuntsville, Ala.
Like you, I was relieved to hear Gordon not mince any words. If there’s anything to read into his reaction, it’s that he’s still fired up to win races, especially in an era when he’s having to watch his teammate bask in the glory that was once his.
Jay, I don’t know what to think of this comment from Matt Kenseth: “It was a dumb move on my part,” Kenseth said. “I should have just finished third and collected some points and got one of our best finishes at Martinsville – but I figured I’d go for the win, which, I guess in hindsight, was probably a mistake.”
Are you kidding me? Really? A mistake to go for the win? Why race if you are not going to win?
I don’t get why people are content with a “good” run and not wins. I guess you are correct in the small emphasis on winning in respect to the points. They figure 15 points is not that bad when you think about it, but that’s just sad.
Mistake to go for the win? Give me a break. Something needs to change so winning is the ultimate and second is for “losers”. We need someone like Ricky Bobby, “If you are not first, you are last.”
JonathanFolsom, Calif.
Let me ask you all this: what is the more important record – career wins or career championships? Whichever you choose, that’s the one that you’re going to put more emphasis on, and right now drivers rank championships ahead of wins.
The odd part about this is whenever I’m looking back at the record book for some sort of historical reference, I always look at wins first and rarely, if ever, consider championships. This is partly because some of the sport’s greatest drivers, namely David Pearson and Cale Yarborough, didn’t always run full seasons. But it’s also because, as fans, I think we want that moment of glory when our driver wins the day.
There’s an inherent conflict there which, as I’ve said before, is why I can’t figure out the ambivalence surrounding Jimmie Johnson. Dude not only wins championships, but he wins the most races, too. He’s the best of both worlds – like if a quarter-pounder with cheese were actually healthy.
Better lucky than good
Great article Jay. It actually is one reason that I watch the races less because I figure that what is happening in the beginning and middle of the races does not make that much difference – other than things like crashes or major mechanical problems. But if a car is doing OK and can stay on the lead lap, all that is needed is a late caution to bunch everyone up and it seems like almost anyone can win or lose, almost no matter how they did in the rest of the race.
Sure, it makes for exciting finishes, but does not particularly reward a driver/crew that has performed well the whole race.
TomMichigan
Part of the reason luck plays in to the results is just that caution flags bunch the field. In road racing or point to point racing (off-road and rallies) you get to keep any interval you gain on your competitors. In circle track, you lose your advantage and have to earn it again. It’s a spectator sport, not pure racing by any means. NASCAR needs more races that end like Martinsville where anything can happen.
David AndersonEugene, Ore.
You bring up a great point about NASCAR being a spectator sport. However, the point of my story wasn’t to say NASCAR’s got it wrong. The vast majority of the sport’s entertainment factor is because of NASCAR’s hands-on approach.
That said, I think most of us watch the sport for the skill and the competition, and lately those two areas haven’t necessarily been the deciding factors in who wins and who loses. For this reason, I would like to see NASCAR find a middle ground, one where crew chiefs have a little more wriggle room, debris cautions are kept at a minimum and consistency (which there wasn’t with the swiftness with which that final caution at Martinsville was thrown) is king.
Hi Jay, I’d like to start by saying that I’m not a sunny day fan. I am not one of those spectators who seem to get as much enjoyment from bashing NASCAR as from watching it. In fact, to the chagrin of many, I like nearly every change NASCAR has implemented in recent years.
I have been a huge proponent of the COT, regardless of the often stale racing it has at times promoted, if for no other reason, than it has improved the safety of our drivers. I like the change from wing to spoiler. I’m enjoying the benefits of the “wave around” rule. I’m all for the “have at it” policy and “double file” restarts. And I LOVE the “Chase Format” as opposed to its predecessors. All in all, I cherish our sport and embrace it.
However, with that said, I’ve got one huge complaint that I’m finding harder and harder to stomach, and that’s the new green-white-checkered rule. I know why it’s in place, which is to provide the fans an end result under green, and ultimately, more exciting finishes. But a mere six races in and it’s blatantly obvious that it is an awful experiment gone awry. What it does in actuality is artificially alter the outcome of a race. After six races and it’s affected the outcome of, what – three races? Am I wrong? Am I the only one who recognizes this?
Harvick was the clear winner at Daytona. Gordon should have won at Martinsville. And Johnson probably had no business winning at LVMS. The new rule stole victories from the clutches of those who worked long hard to be in a position to win on the final laps, and conversely, handed that opportunity to another, who by mere luck, was in a position to excel for a single lap or two.
It is not making the endings more exciting, but rather, it is making the sport itself nearly unwatchable. I am getting tired of investing four plus hours on a Sunday to see an outcome dictated by a ridiculous rule to give those fans-on-the-fence a “YIPPEE” of an ending. It’s a sham.
Wake up folks! Every lap counts, not just the final lap! Give me an old boring finish under caution any day … just let the winner be the true winner.
Len BoccassiniHarrisburg, Pa.
I predict this is just the beginning of this discussion.
Weather or not
Jay, why is it that NASCAR just can’t figure out this rain thing? Can’t they move the races around so that the tracks statistically that don’t get much rain in March and April are ran then? I could see moving Phoenix up in March.
Another thing, for those that lose a day of work to a postponed race, why can’t they race on Saturday and leave Sunday for makeup in case they need it? Personally I like the Saturday races since you get that next day to recoop before working on Monday.
AaronPhoenix
Let’s cut to the chase – rain sucks for everyone, including NASCAR, but especially fans who’ve travelled to the race but can’t stick around for another day. For them, it really, really sucks.
But what can NASCAR do? TV prefers Sunday races because the ratings are better than on Saturday nights. Rain tires don’t work on ovals. And while gerrymandering the schedule might seem like a swell idea, we’re talking about Mother Freaking Nature. Talladega is more predictable than her.
There’s no good solution other than to build a dome over the track, which I’d be willing to bet Bruton Smith has actually contemplated.
Oh, and when can I come to your house to watch a race. Sounds like a hell of a time if you need a whole day to “recoop” after sitting on your butt for four hours.
Party pooper
Hi Jay, I laugh when I read all the complaints about Jimmie Johnson. Do NASCAR fans watch (or even know of) other types of racing?
Let’s see: Schumi won five F1 championships in a row, Tom Kristensen won six 24 Hours of Le Mans in a row, Valentino Rossi won six of the last eight MotoGP championships, Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael combined won 12 of 14 Supercross championships … you get the idea.
The phenomenon of a racer dominating a series is not even a new one: Fangio won four F1 championships in a row in the 1950s. Giacomo Agostini COMPLETELY DOMINATED GP from 1966-73 – thirteen championships while racing two classes, sweeping both five times in a row! Heck Dale Sr. won six of eight Winston Cup championships. (Were people complaining back then?)
This is why they are considered legends. Drivers who dominate should be lauded, not scorned. The suggestion that another driver/rider should have taken one of these guys out along the way isabsurd.
CraigSacramento, Calif.
This is how it’s done – you come in, state your opinion, then back it up with actual facts. Great email, Craig. You’re welcome in the Happy Hour Lounge anytime.
Last call …
Who is that on the top of the standings? It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no its Jimmie Johnson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WilliamParts unknown
Jay Hart is the NASCAR editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jay a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
