The COT is The Car

Rarely do I pray during a NASCAR event. With all the issues in the world and in my life in general I think it’s almost selfish to ask God to take time to help Jr.’s “tight in and loose off” condition. On the rare occasion that I do, it is in fear and shock to what I’m seeing. In the past few years I can think of a few times I have done what could almost be considered begging to the Lord during a race. Labonte’s car on fire at Chicago, Mikey on fire at California, Jr. with a neck brace on lying on a back board at California (I think it was there), Reutimann’s hit at California as well. This past week watching Jeff Gordon smack that wall live I felt a deep dark feeling. I leaned forward and almost in a trance started saying, “Please drop the window net. Please drop the window net. Please drop the window net!” I was genuinely afraid we had lost another legend. Come race day I’m liable to shoot several profanities at Kyle Busch and hope he loses a tire, smacks the wall, bends his suspension, but casually walks out of the infield care center for an interview. It’s fun to root for someone and its fun to have a rival to root against. However, there is no circumstance in the world where I would want to see harm befall any of these drivers. That brings me to the Car Of Tomorrow/Today…the current car.

Thank you NASCAR. The hit Gordon took in Las Vegas was ridiculous. If his angle was a little different, I’m not sure any of the safety equipment could have done a bit of good. It’s amazing that after all this time people still find a way to complain or question this car. The number one fact is that this car is safer for our drivers. “Oh, it drives a little tight?” Really? I bet those dirt cars you drove were a little free. I bet those late models didn’t have the best “front end geometry” in the world. The driver’s are adapting and the crews have adapted fairly well. It just seems like the fans can’t adapt.

Why in the world is anyone having an issue adopting this car? It seems like every COT race I can think of ends with a side by side finish or at least with drama in the finish. Yes there are some runaways, but that will always happen. When I think of the current car I think of Jimmie and Jeff at Martinsville, Burton and Busch at Bristol, and tons of other good finishes. Not to mention some great side by side racing and passing. Carl may have ran off at the end of the Las Vegas race, but that was because Jr. and Biffle were locked in a pretty tight battle for 2nd.

The COT is here and more important than anything else it is keeping these drivers much safer. Not only that, it truly is giving us better racing. The drivers and crews may have to adjust, but as long as the product is better then that’s something those healthy paychecks should take care of.

Double Standard

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl begin a relationship. A problem arises that causes them to separate. Boy makes an outrageous attempt to win back girl. In the end everyone's happy. There's a million ways to fill in those details, but at its heart that is the basis for around 492,924 movies. Everyone seems to tell the same basic story a different way.

Yesterday while everyone on air was pining over NASCAR's ruling to allow Carl Edwards to keep his position after his tire rolled across the infield I could help but think, "Has anyone told Robby Gordon about this?" I'm guessing not, because if so he probably would have taken a hard right at the start finish line, drove up the stands, and right up to whichever box NASCAR officials had their throne's positioned.

In essence, Carl's team lost the tire across the infield because someone not paid by RFR was not only in the pit stall, but in the way. As the team pleaded their case the NASCAR officials decided that while the tire that the #99 team was responsible for did in fact roll across the infield, it was something out of their control. I say hogwash, and I don't know if I've ever said that.

Robby Gordon was sent a part by his own manufacturer that looked, smelled, and tasted like the right part. The part actually had the correct part number on it as well, except that one number did not end in a -. If there's no number after the -, then why have the -? Just have another number, but that's another argument. Sure Robby's team should have checked, double checked, and then triple checked...but that works BOTH ways. Do you think that throughout the day that any team up and down pit road used the phrase, "Excuse me kind sir, but we have to make our pitstop now. Could you kindly move yourself back a few steps?" Probably not. My guess is that several crews said, "Get the F@#* outta the way man!".

In my opinion NASCAR made a judgment call yesterday and it was probably the right thing to do. I'd hate to see someone lose a top 5, let a lone a win because some of the tv crew didn't know their boundaries. I just hope the boys at the #7 garage had the tivo going, because NASCAR may have just given them their closing argument for the appeal.

Finally, I’m getting excited

So far this off season I’ve been somewhat detached from NASCAR. Sure, I check rowdy and several other places to keep up on the happenings. I spend my evenings calling and making funny comments to my stepfather about his Japanese alliances (He’s a Tony fan.). I catch some pre-season thunder on Speed and while I’ve been excited about Jr’s move to Hendrick, it’s not really set in yet.

Until now.

Just because of pure pride I was ecstatic to see the #88 on top of the speed charts in Daytona. However, even as big of a fan as I am I wasn’t ready to hand over the title just yet. It’s Daytona. Steve Hmiel once said Jr could take a John Deer tractor to a top 10 finish at a plate track and that’s probably pretty accurate. While I’m still not ready to engrave Dale Earnhardt Jr on the inaugural Sprint Cup Trophy I have elevated my expectations tremendously.

The fact is that Jr is garbage at Vegas, at least how it was traditionally configured that is. Even the new configuration has given him some issues. The progressive banking is similar to Homestead where his finishes have left something to be desired as well. That looks as though it is starting to change after setting 8th on the speed chart in both the a.m. and p.m. test sessions yesterday. In my mind it has shown me that the extra resources are already making a difference. Most importantly, you can see a bounce in Lil’ E’s step. When he speaks there seem to be tons of passion, emotion, and hope in his voice. Something is different and I think more than anything it is that a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

He’ll always have the weight of his father’s legacy on him. Similarly he’ll also carry the weight of being the poster boy for the sport, for being the most popular driver, and for being despised by some for the amount of coverage he receives. I think that’s enough to carry for any one person, but being at DEI he had so many more crosses to bare. He was the figurehead and with Thereasa keeping herself out of the spotlight as much as possible, he was the spokesman for the entire company. Now he’s a driver and regardless of what some think…the boy can wheel a car. Now he can apparently wheel it at Vegas. Now I’m excited.