NASCAR News & Notes:
Kyle Busch, NASCAR antagonist, just what the doctor ordered
“Vile Kyle” or “The Savior”?
If you didn’t enjoy the action spread over four days at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend, well, go watch the IRL or something.
Kyle Busch’s trifecta — wins in the Truck, Nationwide and Cup Series races — was impressive. Not legendary, mind you, but impressive. And his means to the ends were vintage Bristol material.
Some rootin’ and gaugin’ to go from the back of the field to the front in Wednesday’s Truck event, the bump ‘n’ run (OK, more like wreck ‘n’ run) of Brad Keselowski to earn checkers in Friday’s Nationwide event and his darn near domination of the Cup show on Saturday were not only entertaining, but precise, cold-blooded and, well, classic Kyle.
Booed mercilessly after his aggressive win on Friday, Busch feigned tears before staging his customary bows upon winning. Booed again during driver intros prior to the Cup race, Busch smirked when handed the mic, saying, “Ahh, ya’ll are sooo loving … thank you! Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Camry, ready to win it again!”
Say what you will of Kyle — Brad Keselowski called him an “ass” before the 150,000 in attendance — but don’t tell me he’s bad for the sport. Tell me he’s cocky, tell me he’s immature, tell me he’s an ass. But don’t tell me he’s bad for NASCAR.
Busch’s three-for-three run at Bristol, which played host to arguably the best race of the season in Friday night’s Nationwide event, coupled with his interaction with both fans and other drivers gave us the emotion that is lacking in NASCAR today. It’s the here-to-fore lost entertainment factor, one sorely missed yet mandatory to have a successful sport. And at the end of the day, whether you choose to believe it or not, all sport is entertainment, a break from our daily routines.
Kyle’s an antagonist. He conjures emotion, he sparks debate and he flat drives the wheels off his racecars. More importantly, he wins while he’s doing it, making him this generation’s Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt or Rusty Wallace.
Admit it, the ones you remember from “the good ol’ days” were colorful; they were winners. And you either loved them or hated them for it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Kyle Busch. Enjoy it while it lasts.
High, Wide and … Pretty?
At first glance, Jamie McMurray looks like he’d be most comfortable browsing the blue jean racks at The Gap. Clean cut, fit, with nary a negative word to speak, McMurray doesn’t seem to fit in a grimy, oftentimes cruel garage area, mingling with the rough ‘n’ tumble likes of Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch. Turns out, looks can be deceiving.
Allowed to walk away from Roush Fenway Racing not one year ago, many wondered if it was off to the Nationwide or Truck Series for a guy that had failed to live up to expectations. A call from former boss Chip Ganassi changed that, as Ganassi placed him in the seat of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy in the Cup Series — in a move that even took some explaining for the sponsor to sign off on.
Yet here McMurray is, 24 races into his second stint with Ganassi and looking at the prospect of great things to come. Already a winner in the Cup circuit’s two most prestigious races — the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 — McMurray also has finishes of second in the Southern 500, Coke 600 and at Talladega’s spring race, as well as a third-place showing in the Bristol Night Race.
That’s Crown Jewel stuff there. Well, close to Crown Jewel stuff, I guess.
For a driver looking from the outside in at the playoffs, the only way the season could get better were if he to make up 100 points on Clint Bowyer in the next two events, miraculously slipping into the 12-man Chase.
Sorry, but it’s not going to happen. A 17th followed his Daytona win. He was 19th the week after the Talladega run. A 32nd followed Darlington’s runner-up finish. He was 36th after the Coke 600 and 22nd the week after the Brickyard win. In short, he’s far too inconsistent to stage the rally of epic proportions he’ll need to unseat Bowyer. And keep in mind, Bowyer must falter at the same time. To make matters worse, JMac has averaged a 21st-place run in 16 Cup starts at Atlanta, where the circuit visits on the heels of his third at Bristol.
Give this bunch its due, though. It’s a driver/team/sponsor combo that few would have seen together this time last year, and all they’ve done is shine when the sport’s brightest lights were glaring down on them. Maybe that’s all this team wanted to do this year. Maybe it was all about showing up when not only the hardcore fan, but the world, was watching.
Bass Pro is happy and expected back next year. Ganassi is loaded with hardware that will ensure he brings back his most unlikely golden boy. And McMurray is vindicated, knowing he can beat the best on the biggest stage.
2010 was about proving to sponsors, fans and a jaded media that they belong. Maybe 2011 is the year they shift focus and concentrate on finding consistency and running for a Cup.
Change your paint job, Juan
I hope Juan Pablo Montoya knows what’s coming. If he’s unsure, he can just ask Kurt Busch.
Busch, who has had his fair share of dustups with Jimmie Johnson this season, seems to leave the track every few weeks with a headache and a large sheet metal bill, via Johnson’s bumper. Johnson leaves with a top 10 and a smile.
Montoya hooked Johnson’s Chevy at Bristol on a restart while the two ran well inside the top 10 on Saturday. The incident ended Johnson’s night, while Juan Mon went on to finish seventh.
Don’t let the defending four-time champion’s pleasant demeanor and clean-cut appearance fool you. The dude’s an assassin on-track. And suddenly, it’s not Busch that’s getting no quarter. It’s the bright red car with a giant bullseye painted on the hood — and the bumper.
I swear, this is the last I’ll complain about the 2011 schedule …
The Bristol Night Race underlined my belief that exciting racing draws attention to the sport, and that excitement is what would help a slate of Chase races that, by and large, has gone stale.
While NASCAR makes “impactful changes” based only on what it believes will have a positive affect on its bottom line, I wonder if a broader view of issues like schedule realignment isn’t in order. Doesn’t it stand to reason that night races at Bristol and Darlington raise the level of awareness ten-fold simply because of the “thrill” factor? How about a high-profile Brickyard stop and what’s assured to be an ultra-physical road race?
People show up and tune in because the product stimulates them. When people pay attention, advertisers are forced to follow. The bottom line is affected.
Explain to me how a few additional corporate suites sold to a couple big companies in the Chicagoland area are going to move the meter for NASCAR and ISC. Bristol evoked emotion and created a buzz that crossed-over into the “mainstream” sports world. Does NASCAR really believe Chicago’s 1.5-mile stencil track will do the same?
Fuzzy math
NASCAR announced this week that purses for the Nationwide Series races will be cut by 20 percent next season. This in the interest of making it more profitable for tracks to host the second series.
“The health and maintenance of the tracks is essential to the health of the entire industry,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said.
Nevermind the fact that if the teams which make up the product for those tracks are dying, the tracks will as well. After all, how can a series that has already seen a reduction in purse prior to the 2010 season be expected to prosper if the money awarded continues to go away? How is a series where 15-20 percent of the field retires early as start and park entries expected to be made “healthy” by paying out less? And what will that percentage be next season? 30 percent? 40?
Here’s an idea, NASCAR: Why don’t you lower the sanctioning fees tracks are forced to pony up to your sanctioning body in order to host a race? There’s 20 percent more in their pockets right there.
What’s that? Oh, because then you’ll lose money? Ahhh, it all becomes clear now.
OK, so I lied about the schedule thing …
The Cup Series gets a break from the action this weekend. Once the boys take to the track in Atlanta on Labor Day weekend, they’ll go 12-consecutive weeks to conclude the season.
Why NASCAR elects to place the off date on a random weekend in the middle of August is confusing. And why it failed to slot it in the most logical date — the weekend between Richmond’s final regular season event and the first Chase date — is even more mind-boggling.
One of these years, the Chase is going to be thrown into a state of mayhem by a torrential week of rain at some track like Pocono or Michigan. The question has never been answered: What happens if a race is rained out after the off weekends are past? Will weather, sponsor obligations and contracts allow a champion to be crowned in Pocono in late November?
