Despite what you may read in the mainstream media and this site, seeing as I am somewhat privy to what people are going to write about in any given week, there was extraordinary maturity displayed on many levels in the world of NASCAR this past Sunday.
First of all, you are going to be inundated by many, many stories about how plate racing sucks. Well duh! Everybody knows that. But did you know that the ancient pyramids were a mistake? Wait a minute! I apologize for that unsolicited advertisement… but yeah, plate racing sucks. I’ve always said that. I’ve also always said that I think they should take the plates off and let them run into the corners at 220 miles an hour. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The drivers would learn where the edge is.
That being said (again, for the umpteenth time) I think this race was one of the best I’ve seen in years. By that I mean, the cars were all in a pack, you expected the “Big One” at any given moment but yet, it never came! You had this line moving up, that line moving up, a near record number of lead changes and all the while at nearly 200 mph!
Now, what the hell do you want? There will be writers on this site that will say this racing is just boring as hell, but yet, they are the same writers that have been saying in the past that plate racing is just a crash fest waiting to happen and someone is going to get killed and it is just a crap shoot. Well hell, any race is a crap shoot. That is the point!
And it’s not just writers, but drivers too. Well, to be honest, not “drivers” but a driver.
Who among us doesn’t remember Tony Stewart’s rants a few scant years ago about how (and I paraphrase) “They’re (NASCAR) gonna kill someone with this kind of racing?” But wait a minute… Tony’s latest rant was something about “You could shorten this thing by a hundred laps and you’d still have the same old thing.” Again, I paraphrase.
Ya know what? It seems to me, Tony’s remarks to any given plate race are very relative to where he finishes. Tony, by the way, finished 43rd this last Sunday.
Tony Stewart is nothing but a washed up, past (three-time) champion, becoming more and more burdened by the mantle of “ownership” and is, in fact, the prodigy to become the next Rick Hendrick to Brian France. Brian and Tony are more in the same age bracket, too, so it just makes sense. (The preceding paragraph, should Tony Stewart go on a tear and win another championship or two, was solely meant to fire him up and get it done… if he can still beat his cash cow, but I don’t know…)
The other big news, “news” being used as a term for those that have no life, is that Kyle Busch got a speeding ticket and had a “disrespectful attitude.” Now, I am not a “Busch hater.” Far from it, as I live with one and we’re not really sure if there is any “down the road” relationship with the racing family or not but there is history of the beer Busches, so I don’t question it. But anyway, I’ve never been a big fan of, and have been quite hard on both Kurt and Kyle Busch as a result.
All that gibberish being said (having used up a few lines of copy to do it) I will say that, while many may want to crucify Kyle for his latest transgression, I say he is actually showing remarkable signs of maturity. Why? Well, the last time he got a speeding ticket, Busch was doing 128 mph in a 45 mph zone. This time, he was only doing 60! That’s over twice an improvement! Hell, he’s down to you and I’s level at 60!
Stay off the wall, (but pass Kyle if you get the chance!)
Jeff Meyer
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