WTF Wednesday: Bring Back the Darlington Excitement
While viewing the final laps of the Aaron’s 312 and 499 Nationwide and Cup series races last weekend, my faith in the excitement that made …
While viewing the final laps of the Aaron’s 312 and 499 Nationwide and Cup series races last weekend, my faith in the excitement that made …
Hello, race fans. Welcome back to Couch Potato Tuesday, where race telecast breakdowns are the primary interest. This past weekend was a very long and arduous one at Talladega Superspeedway, where the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and ARCA Racing Series were all in action. I have never had to go through as much content for three regular length races as I had to for this critique because of the weather in Talladega.
Before we start, I have a couple of jeers to hand out. First off, NBC Nightly News showed footage of what they claimed was David Ragan’s run to victory on Sunday. Unfortunately, someone in New York cued the wrong video. As a result, viewers saw the crash-marred finish of Saturday’s Aaron’s 312.
Darlington Raceway is known for many things. It’s the supposed “Track Too Tough to Tame” and “The Lady in Black.” Its egg-shaped configuration is unique among Sprint Cup Series circuits, creating a driving experience tough to master for even the most talented competitors.
It’s also one of 10 racetracks on the Sprint Cup circuit that are visited just once during the season.
After rain shortened the running of the Nationwide race at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday afternoon, Mother Nature struck again once the Sprint Cup Series took the track Sunday. The Aaron’s 499 may have taken most of the day to complete after a 3.5 hour weather delay, but nothing could dampen the 2.66-mile track’s ability to produce unpredictable finishes.
In the end, David Ragan crossed the finish line first after a daring set of moves left him ahead of the pack during the green-white-checker scenario brought about by the second massive crash of the afternoon.
NASCAR used all of the tools at their disposal to restart the race and run it to the advertised distance of 499 miles, plus a few more, rather than calling it when the red flag flew for rain on lap 124. That threw out a ho-hum finish, turned it wild and gave the Davids a chance to beat up on Goliath.
What is there to say that’s positive about a type of racing where one driver makes a small mistake and a dozen or more others pay the price? Talladega, along with Daytona, is the epitome of what racing should not be: artificially restricted power that allows no throttle response, huge crashes that destroy a dozen or more innocent bystanders, drivers not racing for most of the race because it doesn’t matter until the last few laps. Yes, the finishes are close, but is a close finish worth watching a race just waiting for the inevitable Big One and wondering who will get taken out this time?
Dear prospective buyer,
Let me start off by saying that I understand your potential concern. NASCAR is not the quickly-growing sport it used to be, and Nationwide Series races aren’t supremely well-attended.
But really, give the NASCAR Nationwide Series a chance.
Good luck.
When it comes to making fantasy picks for restrictor plate tracks, you might think those two simple words of advice are all that you need. And for sure, there is some luck involved, but also for sure, there are some guys who seem to have a knack for restrictor plate racing.
That doesn’t mean they like it, as most drivers pretty much aren’t comfortable running about 200mph, while being surrounded by other cars, just foot, or less, away. Or being pushed by somebody when you’re already going that fast and trusting they’ll know when not to push.
Just four races into the 2013 season, ThorSport Racing has visited Victory Lane in three of four events, while drivers Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter sit one-two in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings. Despite a lackluster year last season, both Crafton and Sauter have finished in the top 10 in points for six and four consecutive year, respectively, making their organization the closest thing to “dynasty” you can get in one of NASCAR’s lower divisions. So what is the key to their success and longevity in the sport? I sat down with Crafton at Kansas Speedway almost two weeks ago, after the Truck Series’ final practice session, to talk a little about just that.
Penske Racing lost its appeal on Wednesday to drop or at least reduce the penalty assessed to the No. 2 and 22 teams, following unproved …