Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2012 Watkins Glen Race Recap
This one wasn’t over until the checkered flag was thrown. Wow.
This one wasn’t over until the checkered flag was thrown. Wow.
There is a Mopar maniac among our ranks and in your midst, and he is crestfallen, inconsolable and unstable at best following the announcement that Dodge is leaving NASCAR at the conclusion of the 2012 season.
*Sunday’s Pocono race ended in tragedy when a fan was killed by lightning in the parking lot while nine others were injured. The race started after a rain delay of over an hour, and severe weather, with hail, damaging winds, and lightning had been predicted for later in the day. Knowing that the impending storms would likely be severe and that there was little chance of racing the advertised distance, should NASCAR have postponed the race until Monday?*
Mike: Yes.
Amy: Yes, in this case, I think so. It wasn’t like it was 50/50 on the storms; NASCAR knew before the race started that they were going to happen.
Phil:: I was surprised that they were able to get the track dry as fast as they did on Sunday.
NASCAR Nation is in mourning this Monday after losing one of their own, a race fan during a series of storms that turned tragic. As …
Jimmie Johnson, who had dominated the race, had his car get out from under him on the final restart and collected second-place Matt Kenseth. From there, it was on.
In an era where many drivers don’t know how to turn a wrench, it was a refreshing change to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking the bull by the horns and helping his crew when the No. 88 suffered a transmission failure. By the time his crew got to the garage from pit road, Earnhardt had the car up on jackstands on the left side and was working on the right. Although handling the jack might not seem like a big deal, it is on a couple of levels. One that a lot of drivers, including some championship-caliber ones, wouldn’t have thought to do that.
It’s been said that the only thing consistent about NASCAR are their inconsistencies. That rang true this past Saturday at Indianapolis, when Elliott Sadler was …
*In the past four years, since the tire debacle of 2008 NASCAR attendance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has dropped by almost 50 percent. What does the sport, or the track need to do in order to bring back prestige and popularity to what was the second-biggest race?*
Phil: I think that godawfulness from 2008 is still playing a role, along with a bunch of other factors. Indianapolis is also the toughest track to pass at in NASCAR.
Tom: I think the biggest problem has been the changeover to the Car of Tomorrow. This particular chassis just has never adapted to Indy; I mean, passing is almost impossible.
It was very nearly the end of the world… or so we thought. Actually, it was only Dale Earnhardt Jr. divesting himself of his adored No. 8.
The Brickyard 400… the ultimate example of sizzle over steak.