He showed us, didn’t he? After a week of “the luck of the rain” and all that, Kenseth drove that Ford Fusion to the stripe in the Auto Club 500 with every single lap counted and accounted for. There can be no argument that the #17 team really did win this one. Yet, the accomplishment of winning the first two races of the season is still put to the back as people still insist on dragging Dale Earnhardt, Jr. through the infield grass. Yes, yes, yes. Let’s give Kenseth the two races. His grill was in front at the end. That said, let’s give Dale Jr. the benefit of our eyes and look at what really happened.
Dale Jr. dove left to go under Vickers. Vickers dove much more sharply to block. Dale went below the line. Vickers maneuver made him go loose which made him slow a bit. Dale turned back to the track and… Oh look! The back of Vickers’ car is right there!
So now, the front of the 88 touches the back of the 83. Not fender to quarter panel, but front to back. A touch. But enough of a touch to send the already loose 83 up the track and into the traffic. So, what have we learned. We’ve learned that any action involving Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a polarizing event on race day. We’ve learned that accidents and crashes happen in NASCAR. We’ve learned it is sometimes very easy to point a finger and ignore the very obvious.
The “obvious”…, at least for this incident and this running of the Daytona 500, is that any two cars could have made that same moves and the results would have been the same. You simply can’t throw cars around at those speeds and not expect they will go loose, slow down, speed up and touch. Who’s fault was it…? Dale Jr….? Vickers…? Both…? Nobody…? All of the above…?
The Daytona 500 was dampened by rain early on race day. It cleared up and the race was under way on time but was still under the threat during the race. The rain returned and shortened the race at lap 152 leaving the leader at that time, Matt Kenseth in the DeWalt Ford, to be the winner. Not to take away from Kenseth and Roush-Fenway, but I did feel cheated out of what was shaping up to be an “edge of the seat” finish. As it was, the rain not only shortened the race but snipped the show. There was hard racing left and some of the heavy hitters had their race day drowned in the clouds. But – on the other coast…
Tour of California finishes Sunday stage in the rain
The Tour of California, America’s big multi-stage cycling event, has rain all day and the cyclists race onward. Yes, these athletes straddled the saddle all day in wet conditions. Skinny tires and a top speed of maybe 40-45 mph on a good hill was the course of the day while a steady rain fell on racers and spectators. Yes, it is a different set of circumstances than race day for NASCAR, but the comparison can still be made. Florida and Daytona race day – California and Tour race day. Opposite sides of the country and some would say opposite sides of racing. One is gasoline and machine and the other is blood and machine. One is loud and one is “green”. However, the simularities are staggaring. Teams, drafting, crashes, mechanical issues, flat tires, sponsors, endurance… Yes. Racing is racing. 600 horsepower or one human is not the issue. The issue is the rain. The issue is the rain and the ironic circumstance of rain on two coasts changing the dymamic of two races at the same time.
The Daytona 500 has several teams combine their resources to get off to a good season start. Stewart is an owner. The Wood Brothers limit their season. Petty and DEI reform themselves by merging with competitors. The rain comes and cuts the rug under some of these plans for a gold star to start the season. The Tour of California has some athletes showing their stuff after being out of the limelight for a while. Lance Armstrong (7 time Tour de France winner) is back in the sport. Floyd Landis (disgraced in a performance drug scandal) is back in.
It still comes down to the rain. Rain on NASCAR sucks for the fan. Rain on cycling sucks for the riders. I suppose what I’m saying is that rain, while necessary, can suck.
OK – I REALLY wanted to see Mike Wallace and Team TRG get into the Daytona 500. I watched as they won the GT Series in the Rolex 24 on the same track just a few weeks ago. They’ve won with the trucks in what is now the Camping World Truck Series. However, the Daytona 500 slipped from their grasp. Will they attempt to run some more in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009? Mike Wallace’s comments on SPEED following the race seemed to imply this was a one shot run. I hope they run again.
Sir Jimmy - The Other Gifted
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch won the two duels. The shake out is done and the race is set. However, one of the highlights of the races was the Gatorade “Quest for G” commercials and a familiar face dressed as a checkered flag knight in armor. On race day, Johnson is usually a stone faced competitor who seems to have as much a sense of humor as he does a flame-throwing toy poodle on his head. However, the lighter side of Jimmy Johnson is quite evident when outside of the “driver” element. The LOWE’S commercials were light and very well done and this Gatorade commercial playing of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is just plain fun. Jimmy has only a few lines but the character is carried off completely. Watch the full length “feature” commercial below. It has little to do with racing beyond Jimmy’s appearance. That makes it even funnier when you take the context of casting a race driver in a setting that has no reference to driving at all. Enjoy.
The Wood Brothers are in the Daytona 500. Driver Bill Elliott went from “fastest” during practice to a five spot during qualifying. Even during that run he was fastest at a point but whatever force it is that pushes the accelerator back against Bill’s shoe leather showed itself in the final turn. Right now, Bill and the #21 Motorcraft Ford are set for a dozen races in 2009. Here is at least one “Best Wishes” for a top 10 finish at the Daytona 500. Yes, a win would be better, of course. But let’s get this historic team some added sponsorship for 2009 and get them in some more races. A top 10 may accomplish this for them.
TRG Motorsports #71 Chevy - Mike Wallace
Another underdog to pull for could be Mike Wallace in the #71 TRG Chevy. They physically ran 46th during qualifying and will run Thursday in the second race of the Gatorade Duel at Daytona. If Wallace can climb that field and he can get a spot this new team will be in the field on Sunday. Let’s be honest. A win for the #71 on Sunday would earn you retirement on Vegas odds. However, it is not this team’s goal to win on Sunday. All they need is some lap time for the new car and to climb a few positions from where they start. That would be a big success for the Grand-Am veterans and push another team into the running for 2009. The 71 car just needs to get in.
Two cars, two teams. One has heritage and a name so linked to the sport of NASCAR racing that you can’t split the two with a crobar. The other is new and pushing the foot through the door. A little luck for both teams this week could push them both well into 2009. It doesn’t matter what hat you wear on race day, these two teams deserve a few front stretch cheers as the call goes out to start the engines. Let’s go racing and go 21 and go 71. Race to win. Race to get in.
ARCA Racing under way February 7 before NASCAR Bud Shootout
Speed Week begins today. The NASCAR Budweiser Shootout is tonight. Will you watch? How about the “Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200” ARCA Series race that runs earlier in the afternoon? Maybe – Maybe not…? Yes, but only because it is on and part of the day of racing tied to the Shootout…? No…?
Here’s the thing and I think it is important right now. It is no longer OK to just be a NASCAR fan or an INDY fan or a Grand-Am fan. It is time to embrace auto racing as a “whole package”. That means tuning into a race you might have skipped over in the past. That means packing up the car and heading out to some of those Saturday night races at the local oval. It also means showing support for these small teams and drivers that work the 40 during the week so they can run 100 laps on the weekend. It is time to become a RACING fan. Why…..?
Well, look around and get an eyeful of what is going on around you. Those folks in Washington, DC are about to sign off on what they are calling a “stimulus” package. Jimmy Dean has sold less pork in 40 years than the Democrats have packed in this thing in just two weeks. It is not just the bloated cost of wasteful Government expansion that we, as motor-sports fans, should be concerned with. There is a lot of pay-off money going to the so-called “green initiative” special interests for backing these nutjobs that have the nerve to call themselves “concerned” as leaders of our Country. Billions of dollars are going to “climate change” (formerly known as “global warming”) researchers and you can wager your Pit Pass that the “researchers” getting the cash are more concerned with agenda than fact. There are billions going to “renewable” energy research and development meaning bio-fuels and electrics. On the surface, that is a fine goal. However, look behind the curtain and you see the cost to convert crops to fuel is hardly easy or cost-effective and is not likely to be without huge subsidies. Not to mention the inflation of other by-products as more growers turn to selling for fuel rather than food. Hybrids and electrics are being developed and being forced onto the marketplace by growing Government mandates on MPG minimums. On the surface, again, a fine idea. However, nobody is talking about what to do with discarded batteries at the end of their run or the environmental impact of creating batteries in the first place. Billions of dollars of “stimulus” are going to wind and solar research. Fine. Billions are going into initiatives to force companies to go “green” or be “green friendly”. OK… But here is THE question. If the goal is to get us away from dependence on foreign oil, why is there no real investment in this “stimulus” on finding, drilling and developing our own oil? Oil that we know exists. Oil that we can get to. Oil that is available to fuel our economy while also funding much of this “research” they are forcing our deficit dollars to pay for. Where is it in this bill, Mr. President? The answer is that it is not there because it upsets the very people they are paying off with our money.
But what does it mean to us as “racing” fans? It means that billions of our tax dollars are being spent, and given to, people that hate and loath the sport of motor racing. They look at it as a big waste of fuel and a stain on the “environment”. They see all of us as un-educated rednecks with bellies full of beer and trailers surrounded by junkers on blocks. They do not see the innovation from the sport that has made every modern car on the road safer and more efficient. They do not see the college degrees, the engineers, the artists and talented from all ways of life in the garage or the stands. All they see is cars going in circles spewing filth in the air.
That is why it is time to support your sport. Go to the local track. Watch a race series you might otherwise skip over. Grow the numbers, grow the support, grow the sport. They will come after the sport of motor racing. It is only a matter of time. They will legislate it out of existence by making it harder and harder to operate. They have a mission to force everyone to live within the parameters they set. And don’t be fooled into thinking it is “for our own good”. It is for their consolidation of power.
I feel your pain. Trying to follow who is driving what and who is in and who’s points are going to who as the ’09 NASCAR season opens is a task for a tax attorney. So many drivers have moved and so many teams have shuffled that owner’s and driver’s points are being tossed around like a deck of flying cards. You have three choices as a fan of NASCAR. You can be one of those “know it all” types that lives and breaths by the stats and can’t sleep at night without knowing all the numbers. If you are one of those people waiting for the conversation to turn so you can interject with the shoe sizes of the top 10 in points, you might want to take a step back and see what your wife is up to. You could also be one of those that has no concern whatsoever about the rest of the field. You follow one driver. You own the hat, the jacket, the T-shirt, the diecast and the other 42 cars in the race are only there to get in your guy’s way. Everybody sucks gas except for your guy and you know more about him than his own family. You, my friend, are a Hot Pass away from being a stalker. Finally, you could be like most of us. You like the race. You have drivers you like and some maybe not so much. It is the atmosphere and the sport of “race day” that draws you in.
As we move into 2009 and the green flag waves on Daytona, those of us that are NASCAR fans and not just “driver” fans or number crunchers are trying to follow the cards so we have some idea what we’re looking at when the pace car makes that first exit. I don’t know about you but at this point I’m ready to see some laps and I’ll find out who is “in” and who is “out” on race day.
However, if you just have to know everything so your BVDs don’t get bunched up, here’s a site that puts it all out there for you: Jayski’s Silly Season Site. He’s got a good grasp of who has what, who is in and who is out for those first bunch of races.
Prosumer, or crossover cameras, are excellent choices to take to the races.
A brand new racing season is on the starting grid and all eyes are checking out the camera section. Yes. A new season and you want to not only go to the race but also come away with some photos better than the family snaps at Christmas. You’re looking over the selections at the store trying to figure price and practicallity, function over “feel-good” and how much you can spend and still have beer money on race day. Tough one. But not as tough as you may think.
I know you see the pro race photographers with their big SLR bodies and large diameter zoom glass and think you’re out of your league showing up with your wife’s pink purse cam. Face facts. You are.
But you don’t need to be. For just a little cash you can get yourself a great camera to take to the race and have some great shots to take home. New off the shelf or even used from eBay, I can give you the options to look for and the things to avoid when getting a camera for race day action.
First – Here is what to avoid. Pocket cameras. You may already have one. These are the slim 3x zoom cams that are great at parties, family gatherings and amusement parks. There are few options. The lens is small and extremely limited and if your subject is more than 30 feet away a great picture might as well be a mile away. These things are next to useless at the track.
Step up. But that does not mean you need to go digital SLR with a bag full of lenses. You can. But the learning curve is rather large, the bankroll even larger and that big dude next to you that keeps getting elbowed while you try to frame a shot is even larger…
What you want is what is called a “prosumer” camera. These look like SLR cams but are smaller, have fixed lenses with a large zoom range (10x and larger), have all kinds of fun options to shoot fully manual, fully automatic or many between functions. First, the zoom range. What you look for is “optical” zoom. This is all in the function of the lens elements meaning that the camera does not interpret the image to increase size (digital zoom). This makes a better picture. You also want the fully manual option. It lets you fine tune the circumstance of the shot. Aperature, shutter speed, lighting compensation and more are all controlable in the manual setting. You have ISO options (like film speed for low or bright light) that greatly control the quality of the final picture. Finally, you want as many pixels as you can get. Most are above 8 megapixels now. 10 or even 12 is becoming normal and affordable.
Now, which one? Oh, the magic question which has no magic answer. Every hand, every eye, every opinion on what is important is different so there is not “one” best camera to get. Canon makes the Powershot SX110 IS (around $200), the Powershot SX100 IS (around $180) and the newer Powershot SX10 IS (around $340). The latter is a 10 megapixel, 28x zoom, hand held powerhouse!
Nikon has the Coolpix series. The P80 is around $300. However, if you can find the brand new P90 ($400) you can get 12 megapixels and a 24x zoom. That means you can be in the grandstand and get a shot of Gordon climbing into the #24 and still distinguish his DuPont freckles…
Fujifilm makes the Finepix series. The S2000HD, S8100FD, S1000FD, S8000FD, even the S700, are all fine digital cameras ranging from 7 to 10 megapixels and starting around $180.
A lot of companies make fine cameras. I mention the ones above only because I have used, or are familiar with, the brands and models. An excellent site to check out for detailed camera information is DPREVIEW. You can’t get any more detailed information on current and out of production cameras. Read up. Get a good cam and go get some shots!
