Editor’s Note: S.D. Grady runs her weekly, Tuesday Fan’s View column inside our FREE Frontstretch Newsletter. Her latest edition of 2015 is a special preview we’ve also posted on the website.
Harvick won Vegas. It’s about time! While he is our reigning champ, he still doesn’t appear in Victory Lane often enough for us to be tired of it. In fact, reigning champ? When did that happen? Oh yes, there was a Chase or some such shenanigans in the fall. Harvick played the lottery and did well.
Such is my excitement level these days when the Cup Series comes to town. I sit in my living room with the race on and wonder why is it I can’t stay focused on the lap by lap unfolding before me. Is it me? Am I old? Or is it the Millennial TV production values that change camera angles every two seconds? Is it a long-abiding dislike of DW ‘splainin things to me?
While I am no longer in the target demographic of 17-35 that entertainment moguls worry so much about, I don’t think I’ve permanently settled into my rocking chair. There is a tendency to watch Sunday Morning on CBS that feels a little dowdy, but I know how to tweet, Facebook, Pinterest and operate computers. My new car came with a touchscreen system I have not shied away from. I listen to Top 40 and replace my wardrobe on a regular basis. No, I’m not stuck Back in the Day.
So, why did Sunday’s presentation of the Kobalt Tools 400 result in a much cleaner house? I looked up somewhere around the second load of laundry, discovered there were 34 laps left and thought hey, I ought to pay attention to that now. 200 laps had passed, a few tires popped, some uneventful spin outs occurred, and by and large the leader was the leader. The usual cast of characters had filled the Top 10 for much of the afternoon. In short, it was just another day at the track.
And no, I don’t blame my ennui on the cookie-cutter location. I have fond memories of our trip to Las Vegas, watching the fighters take off behind the backstretch all week, shivering under the desert sun, appreciating the speeds and general celebratory atmosphere that Sin City shares with its racing venue.
I just might be bored while I wait for that new story to ignite. After all, despite the new year, we haven’t had a whole lot of WOW to divert us. Three weeks into the season and we’ve got Jeff Gordon’s farewell tour that isn’t (He’s still not retiring, didn’t you know?) There’s the missing Busch Brothers, but with the amount of buzz either one is creating you could bring a library to town without a problem. Tony Stewart has found just enough speed to live nicely at the back of the pack. Kyle Larson still hasn’t notched his first win. Neither has Danica… holding your breath, aren’t you? NASCAR fixed its qualifying mess for a day. The new penalty system is working like a charm and if you want something completely different, we can talk about which driver hit a non-SAFER barrier this week. Yawn….
Well, that’s a whole lot of nothing. Do you feel better? I do. Apparently my dishes got done because there really wasn’t anything worth paying attention to this week. And sometimes, that’s just how it is. We can’t have edge of our seat excitement every day — can we?
Here’s hoping the series will rise out of the ashes soon. We are heading to Phoenix, after all.
Sonya’s Scrapbook
2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500
Jeff Gordon’s 76th win, tying him with Dale Earnhardt Sr. for all-time Cup wins. Gordon saluted Senior on the cool down lap, a move which was entirely fitting. Despite the fact Gordon and Senior fans hated one another for years and years, the two were in many ways responsible for the massive offerings of T-shirts and die-cast you can easily find at the track these days. The pair worked as business partners promoting souvenir sales.
Not only did this win place Gordon another spot up in the annals of racing history, it added to his personal record by knocking Phoenix off the “tracks I haven’t won at” list. And he did it in style…sort of. This year brought us the CoT. There was that ugly as sin wing on the back of the car. But Tony Stewart in the No. 20 and Gordon in his blue and red flame No. 24 entertained the crowd with some late-racing passes — the kind that make highlight reels.
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