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Bristol and Beyond
A recent bizarre illness has kept me in bed for over a week. I’m behind on my Nascar writing, but not on my viewing. Rather than just take a few weeks as a loss I’ve elected to pile it on. Here is virtually everything going on in Nascar:
-Kyle Busch gets cheered louder every week he wins. Never underestimate the fickle nature and the short memory of the Nascar fan. It doesn’t matter who is winning, the fans will come around. They have to. It’s in the nature of the sport that respect goes to the best man, and currently that’s Kyle Busch.
-It hasn’t been that long ago that big brother Kurt was certified as past his prime. Despite being a champion, the elder Busch struggled mightily to get his name mentioned on the air. However, this year Kurt has not only already scored a victory, but is running consistently as well. He rallied to an eleventh place finish at Bristol after being involved in an accident earlier in the race.
-Few people complained about the new testing ban issued at the end of last year and even fewer of them are complaining now. The racing has been very strong across the board even when the Busch brothers dominated their respective races. There are more examples of ebb and flow of teams from week to week versus the same suspects constantly. Whether it’s all a result of no testing or its just sports entropy no one knows, but it’s certainly welcome.
-Stewart-Haas Racing was prognosticated to be a rousing success by some an a dismal Michael Waltrip Racing-style failure by others. The result so far has been neither really, but considering that both cars have been competitive—excluding luck mishaps—on a consistent level. That definitely indicates good things to come as long as everyone on those teams stays hungry.
-Somebody has to say it: Casey Mears should finally receive his death nail this season. There hasn’t been a name mentioned fewer times so far this season than Casey Mears. Mears is a stand-up guy, a fine racer, but it doesn’t appear he’s good enough. Determination and a name can only get someone so far and talent has to do the rest. Mears is piloting a two-time Chase machine and falling short. Bowyer is on his way to his third consecutive Chase and with a new team. Being in a new machine every year can’t be a help to Mears, but by now he should’ve done something.
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-Joey Logano needs time and he’ll be fine. Talent doesn’t disappear overnight and the new car simply needs some getting used to for him. Joe Gibbs Racing will give him nothing short of two or three years to right the ship and if he can keep away from danger zone qualifying, he’ll be winning races in the long run.
That’s all for this week. Be sure to check out 12 Rounds with John Cena this weekend. Or be like me and don’t because besides the fact it’s a bells-and-whistles action fiasco, it was shoved down my throat every two minutes during the Bristol broadcast.
I wonder if all the promotional money put into it is an indication it won’t be screened for critics prior to its public release…
By Danny West
Pro Racing Fans Staff Writer
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