tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-241384272024-03-15T21:09:41.047-04:00The Godfather's BlogThe National Motorsports Press Association award-winning online home of Dave "The Godfather" Moody.Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.comBlogger4654125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-33642715769927358282020-11-02T14:25:00.000-05:002020-11-02T14:25:29.144-05:00COMMENTARY: Harvick’s Demise No Grounds For Format Change<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL42VXmYwuifTeVPgD6_EdhkWzdOhv1DlrOiu6hb1xC9r4Ks8_2hGXNv75SMLOrTSahl4B0ArirQJ07aKUhmvvD5vXAsD9nz5LZh23g1Cj7IJRRjHsVSJuZZEcgAT8bUAx9zMk/s2048/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL42VXmYwuifTeVPgD6_EdhkWzdOhv1DlrOiu6hb1xC9r4Ks8_2hGXNv75SMLOrTSahl4B0ArirQJ07aKUhmvvD5vXAsD9nz5LZh23g1Cj7IJRRjHsVSJuZZEcgAT8bUAx9zMk/s320/Dave+1.JPG" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Despite being the dominant driver of the
2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Kevin Harvick will not race for the championship
Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A nine-time winner in Cup Series competition
to date, the Stewart Haas Racing driver suffered through a decidedly sub-par
performance yesterday at Martinsville Speedway, struggling with early race
handling issues before cutting a tire and losing two laps while pitting under
green for repairs. His team made modest improvements to their Mobil 1 Ford in
the second half of the race, but despite long runs of green flag racing,
Harvick struggled to regain that lost ground.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">He eventually scrapped his way back into
contention and was briefly tied with Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski for the
final two spots in the Championship Four. As Chase Elliott crossed beneath the
checkered flag, Harvick stood one point below the cutoff line. He attempted a
desperation, dump-and-run maneuver on Kyle Busch, door slamming the defending
series champion in the final turn and causing both drivers to spin.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Harvick came to rest just a few yards
short of the checkered flag and eight points short of a title opportunity in
Phoenix.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"> failure to advance has triggered an interesting
tumult of complaints from some corners, alleging that NASCAR’s playoff format
is flawed and should not allow a driver as dominant as Harvick to be
eliminated.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Here’s a dose of reality, for
those either unable or unwilling to see it: The system did not cause Kevin
Harvick’s playoff demise.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A lack of late-season performance
– and an average finish of 12.7 in the last six weeks – caused Harvick’s elimination
from the championship picture. He admitted as much following the race, saying, “</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We didn’t put together these last
few weeks like we needed to.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
truly dominant regular season allowed Harvick to enter the playoffs with a
substantial safety net. He received 15 points for clinching the regular-season
title; the equivalent of three race wins. His cushion grew even larger when he
won two of the first three playoff races at Darlington and Bristol. Those bonus
points camouflaged a handful of lukewarm outings in the Rounds of 12 and 8, but
another poor performance at Martinsville yesterday consumed the final few bites
of that safety net, leaving Harvick with his back unexpectedly to the wall.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
cut tire put him behind the eight-ball early yesterday. But he had 320 laps to
regain two lost laps and save his bacon. He got one of those laps back almost
immediately by taking the Wave Around on Lap 188, but spent the next 200 laps
trying unsuccessfully to put himself in position to earn the Free Pass. Unfortunately,
an ill-handling race car prevented him from doing so. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the final analysis, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski did what
they had to do yesterday, turning in championship-caliber performances when the
chips were down.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Harvick
did not.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
shocking as it was, the demise of the No. 4 team is far from unprecedented. In
NASCAR – and in other sports – the best team over the course of the season quite
often fails to win the championship.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
2008, the New England Patriots ran the competitive table on their way to Super
Bowl XLII, entering the final game of the season with an unblemished 18-0
record. They lost the championship game to a New York Giants team that lost
four games in the regular season.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Closer
to home, Alan Kulwicki won the 1992 NASCAR Cup Series title, despite winning only
two races and going winless in the final 16 weeks of the campaign. Championship
runner-up Bill Elliott won five times that year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 10.5pt;"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In 1993, Rusty Wallace
won 10 races, but lost the championship to six-time winner Dale Earnhardt.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Terry
Labonte won two races en route to the 1996 Cup Series championship, with
10-time winner Jeff Gordon finishing second.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nobody
howled “unfair” back then, and no one called for the system to be revamped so a
team with more wins could be crowned champions, even after losing a critical
playoff game.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Right
now, the knee-jerk reactionaries have the stage. Overflowing with fire and
brimstone, they demand that immediate changes be made, outlawing the kind of
stunning upset we saw last night at Martinsville Speedway. We’ve heard calls
today for NASCAR to begin seeding the regular-season champion all the way to
the Championship Four in coming seasons, a move that would allow a driver to
finish dead-last in nine consecutive playoff races, before being crowned
champion in the season finale.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That,
my friends, is overreaction in the extreme.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
people making noise today were eerily silent last week, apparently seeing
nothing wrong with a system that -- since its inception -- has made the kind of
upset we saw yesterday a distinct possibility. They have also had virtually nothing
to say today about Gander Truck Series regular season champion Austin Hill, who
saw his playoffs end Friday night in almost-identical fashion, after suffering
a blown engine.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why
is that? Why so much outrage over Harvick’s Cup Series dismissal, with none on
the Truck Series front? It’s a question I cannot begin to answer.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s
be clear about one thing. Despite his recent struggles, Kevin Harvick is a true
racer, a championship-caliber driver with a top-notch team behind him.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
not easy to maintain regular-season momentum through a full, 36-race season,
and while obviously disappointed, Harvick, Rodney Childers and company have absolutely
no reason to hang their collective heads. They will be back next season to contend
strongly for the championship as they always do, using the hard lessons learned
in the last few weeks to make them even better than they were this time around.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
when they do -- despite all the noise being made right now -- they will do so
under exactly the same playoff system.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p></p>Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-64951438708145710972020-10-14T15:50:00.005-04:002020-10-14T16:03:44.012-04:00Did Kyle Busch Contribute To His Own Team’s Demise?<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvp4LEXRoJsQL_fmQuw7fBegGEZgpcaI318gOcLM2IUlb97ecp1snDqR4CFgqO5EG-STCsD3xTqWhnDsif5muwUlMV_6wdM3_NPkuC3vOQGLW_yn7oVrZ6JzQnda9Tyi4vVM2/s2048/Dave+1.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvp4LEXRoJsQL_fmQuw7fBegGEZgpcaI318gOcLM2IUlb97ecp1snDqR4CFgqO5EG-STCsD3xTqWhnDsif5muwUlMV_6wdM3_NPkuC3vOQGLW_yn7oVrZ6JzQnda9Tyi4vVM2/s320/Dave+1.JPG" /></a></div>Kyle Busch’s defense of the 2019 NASCAR
Cup Series championship is over.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It ended with a whimper rather than a
bang Sunday, with his Joe Gibbs Racing M&Ms Toyota sputtering out of fuel
with three laps remaining in the </span><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Bank of America ROVAL 400</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">
at Charlotte Motor Speedway. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Busch
collided with fellow playoff contender Clint Bowyer and cut a tire near the end
of Sunday’s second stage, forcing crew chief Adam Stevens to play a “Hail Mary”
strategy card, leaving Busch on the racetrack when the balance of the field
pitted. It earned Busch a few encouraging laps at the head of the field, but
his team’s prayers for either a race-ending monsoon or a lengthy caution ultimately
went unanswered. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Essentially helpless on old rubber, Busch
faded to the tail end of the Top-5 – when only a win would do – then ran out of
fuel with three laps remaining, eventually finishing 30<sup>th</sup>.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">“It’s
just been a year (where) nothing has played out or been on our side,” said
Busch, who saw a streak of six consecutive Championship Four appearances
snapped. “It’s just been unfortunate circumstances and a lot of bad luck. The
guys on this M&Ms team never give up and they fight all year long, every
race, every lap, every pit stop. But man, this is just one of those off-years,
a terrible year for me.”</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Scratched
from the list of 2020 title contenders, Busch will now spend the final four
races of the season trying to snap a 32-race winless streak – the longest of
his career – and a lengthier competitive drought that has seen him visit
Victory Lane just once in his last 54 Cup Series starts. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Perhaps
he will approach those races with a positive, “How can I help?” attitude. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Perhaps
not. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Past
history indicates that it could go either way.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0OVGZcVqWquY_jiVrKqygEMmBfZKiuVzW6fMWLmLNBqeuMnkJ06ZB71n70FH8sIgdz3qaWDTHC4tZxRGrco-733nsJJl3sQi3t2_lBhPF6azrt-EyJT0bcRT-GuTpcFNmMqK/s922/2019-June7-KyleBusch-main.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip0OVGZcVqWquY_jiVrKqygEMmBfZKiuVzW6fMWLmLNBqeuMnkJ06ZB71n70FH8sIgdz3qaWDTHC4tZxRGrco-733nsJJl3sQi3t2_lBhPF6azrt-EyJT0bcRT-GuTpcFNmMqK/s320/2019-June7-KyleBusch-main.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Three
weeks ago, after a strong runner-up finish at Bristol Motor Speedway qualified
him for the Playoff Round of 12, Busch was asked if his team could contend with
the speed and performance displayed this season by Kevin Harvick and Denny
Hamlin.<span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.25pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“No”
said Busch bluntly. “We’ll be eliminated in the next round, so I don’t care” </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.25pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It
was a shocking statement, one that quickly drew the ire of Joe Gibbs Racing
Competition Director Jimmy Makar and others within the JGR hierarchy. Makar
called Busch’s comments “disappointing, but not surprising,” and while the
two-time series champion eventually backpedaled, saying, “You know me, I say
stupid (things sometimes).” </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.25pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The
damage, however, had already been done.</span></p><p style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 11.25pt; margin: 11.25pt 0in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Busch’s
doomsday prediction became a self-fulfilling prophecy, after a sixth-place
showing in Las Vegas was followed by a 27<sup>th</sup> at Talladega and
Sunday’s 30<sup>th</sup>-place showing on the ROVAL.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Through it all, Busch continued to downplay
his team’s chances, repeating his “We’ll be eliminated” prediction on multiple
occasions. After cutting a tire at the end of Sunday’s second stage, Busch once
again seemed to run-up the white flag of defeat, saying “Good job this year,
guys” on his in-car radio.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">That message – and those
that preceded it -- will not easily be forgotten, nor undone.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It was the auto racing equivalent of Tom
Brady conceding defeat to the Atlanta Falcons after trailing <span style="background: white;">28-3 in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI. </span></span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">It was Michael Jordan walking
off the court with 2:00 remaining and the Bulls down by 10, or Kirk Gibson
saying he was too hurt to pinch hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in
Game One of the 1988 World Series.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">As Yogi Berra so
famously said, “It ain’t over until it’s over.”</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">While Busch’s chances
were admittedly slim in Sunday’s final stage, a severe thunderstorm with more
than enough wallop to pause (or even end) the race was churning straight at
Charlotte Motor Speedway, just as Stevens’ desperation ploy played out in the
final laps. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">When things go badly – in sports or in
life – adversity often provides a critical opportunity for self-examination. If
we’re willing to take a long, self-deprecating look in the mirror, we often
discover “bad luck” taking the blame when bad decision making, poor execution
and a negative outlook are truly at fault.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Within minutes of Busch’s elimination – and
for the three weeks that preceded it – rumors circulated about possible changes
to Busch’s team during the offseason. After a losing campaign, football teams
generally retain the high-dollar quarterback at the expense of the head coach,
leaving Stevens as the most likely scapegoat for his team’s 2020 shortcomings. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">But it’s also fair to ask whether Busch
did everything he could do this season – both on and off the racetrack – to
mitigate his team’s struggles. </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Was he a leader, lifting his team’s
morale in troubled times and displaying the “never say die” attitude that
separates winners from loser in sports, business and life? Or did he drag his
Cup Series team down with predictions of continued hardship and failure, while
attributing his four Xfinity and Truck Series wins to “KFB;” Kyle Effing Busch.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Busch is correct in saying that most
drivers would happily trade seasons with him and his No.18 JGR Toyota team. But
most drivers are not Kyle Busch; a generational talent who has more skill in
his left pinky finger than most drivers have in their entire bodies.</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The gap between NASCAR champion and
playoff also-ran is slimmer than ever these days, and if Busch’s legendary hair-trigger
temper and careless comments played even a tiny role in his team’s 2020 downfall,
it is a topic that needs to be addressed.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-21669282841224945192020-10-05T13:51:00.004-04:002020-10-05T14:15:45.004-04:00COMMENTARY: NASCAR's "Yellow Line Rule" Is Imperfect, But What's The Option?<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgejrUCIEb1tUGmyENLQxBypXOgPnIls7jtITN-Q5zvNq1ptT9H5MTzlSxSoMy44Q0JeXNZgh4WlAah8YoSWDLhOYluaoozKBwv-jhVObpa3vUidpw4p4Fpi-GpLOuOwA2zkG/s2048/Dave+1.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgejrUCIEb1tUGmyENLQxBypXOgPnIls7jtITN-Q5zvNq1ptT9H5MTzlSxSoMy44Q0JeXNZgh4WlAah8YoSWDLhOYluaoozKBwv-jhVObpa3vUidpw4p4Fpi-GpLOuOwA2zkG/s320/Dave+1.JPG" /></a></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">NASCAR
finds itself on the hot seat today, in the aftermath of a race at
Talladega Superspeedway that featured 13 caution flags – three of them red –
and required Triple Overtime to complete.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Wild
even by Talladega standards, yesterday’s race saw a number of penalties
assessed for either racing below the double-yellow line at the bottom of the
speedway, or forcing another driver to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The
most controversial penalty was assessed to driver Matt DiBenedetto, who swerved
down the track while leading in the final turn, in an attempt to block challenger
William Byron. Contact was made, with NASCAR ruling that Byron was forced below
the double-yellow line. Eventual winner Denny Hamlin also drove below the line
in an apparent attempt to avoid Byron.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">NASCAR
issued an immediate penalty to DiBenedetto, moving him from second place to 21<sup>st</sup>
(tail end of the lead lap) for violation the provision of the NASCAR rule book
that states, “Race above the double-yellow line. If – in NASCAR’s judgement -- you
go below the double-yellow line to improve your position, you will be black
flagged. If – in NASCAR’s judgement – you force someone below the double yellow
line in an effort to stop them from passing you, you may be black flagged.”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">A
crestfallen DiBenedetto admitted driving aggressively on the final lap saying, “<span style="color: black;">I was blocking everyone’s lane. That was pure desperation,
but that’s how I drive every race.”</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Hamlin supported the
decision, saying, </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">“Finally NASCAR
put their foot down. You can’t use the yellow line as a defense. You have to
play within the boundaries that they set.”</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_QESH8EovYXHFNqrrkYjZoRhkWhjsNNGhpBZncIStfwuwArepyIMO1J7JjZji163ck1HbS9-IUMyLwPkdXt9_qc3VMTRbjL6A9Q7yMNdE2UWwWKvQhocrIBTO_BB_AH3jaqH/s525/NASCAR_Talladega_Auto_Racing_68466-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_QESH8EovYXHFNqrrkYjZoRhkWhjsNNGhpBZncIStfwuwArepyIMO1J7JjZji163ck1HbS9-IUMyLwPkdXt9_qc3VMTRbjL6A9Q7yMNdE2UWwWKvQhocrIBTO_BB_AH3jaqH/s320/NASCAR_Talladega_Auto_Racing_68466-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Chase Elliott was also penalized
for going below the line on the final lap. His Hendrick Motorsports team filed
a formal protest, and Elliott was reinstated after a NASCAR video review indicated
that Chris Buescher had forced him out of bounds.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Elliott ended up fifth, with
Buescher demoted from sixth to 22nd.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">NASCAR’s post-race
penalties drew the ire of many observers, with calls for the so-called “Yellow
Line Rule” to be modified or abolished outright.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">There
is no doubt that the “Yellow Line” rule is subjective. Subjectivity and judgement
calls are a regular (and sometimes unpopular) part of sports officiating. Unfortunately,
there are very few black-and-white calls in sports, or in NASCAR. No two
incidents are exactly alike, making “one size fits all rules” difficult to
write and even more difficult to apply.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Disliking
the current rule is one thing, coming up with a better alternative is something
else altogether. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">In
situations like those that presented themselves yesterday at Talladega,
opinions are sometimes formed based on who we like and who we root for. Chase Elliott
and Matt DiBenedetto are two of the most popular drivers in NASCAR, and lots of
people were understandably rooting for them to win yesterday. That desire –
while the basis of fandom – sometimes clouds our perception of what actually happens
on the racetrack, and how it should be dealt with.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">NASCAR obviously cannot rule on popularity. They need to interpret their rules as evenly and
unemotionally as possible, attempting to go “by the book” in every instance, even
when the situation is not as black-and-white as we might like.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Calls
for the abolition of the “Yellow Line Rule” are worthy of discussion, but
before agreeing to do away with any rule, we need to decide what to do instead.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Legalizing
an Oklahoma Land Rush of drivers racing six-wide onto the apron at 195 mph does
not seem like a prudent option. While s</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">ome
drivers insist that they can be trusted to do the right thing on the final lap
of a critical playoff race -- conducting themselves in a manner that endangers neither themselves nor others -- their ability to follow
through on that pledge remains in doubt.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">A
few years ago, NASCAR announced that it would no longer enforce the proper
installation of lugs nuts, leaving it up to the teams to ensure the safety of
their drivers. Almost immediately, drivers begged the sanctioning body to get
back into the lug nut business, admitting that the lure of omitting a lug nut
or two in an effort to be first off pit road on a late-race pitstop was too
much for them to resist.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">If
we can’t trust drivers and teams to tighten five lug nuts on the last pit stop,
what makes you think we can trust them to exercise discretion and race safely
on the final lap?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Sometimes,
we need a higher authority to make sure things are done safely and correctly.
And until someone can come up with a new edict that eliminates the subjectivity
of NASCAR’s “Yellow Line Rule,” the present system will almost certainly remain
in place.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Let
the discussion begin. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div>Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-3124865742672345042020-09-21T11:13:00.004-04:002020-09-21T13:17:01.748-04:00COMMENTARY: Critical Week Coming For Kyle Busch<p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyGAq8ixGayhMf3bW954ORTyMvIAbfJyDbNdOIOIuZCFk8vNawhqKHPTJm4m-eLSrWnblv-X-mErDWT8MuSgGp6Z0cdPvPAQPY7VLhL62qLr-RhSILvD8rw3zFkZpc_ZJDNfF/s2048/Dave+1.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1928" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxyGAq8ixGayhMf3bW954ORTyMvIAbfJyDbNdOIOIuZCFk8vNawhqKHPTJm4m-eLSrWnblv-X-mErDWT8MuSgGp6Z0cdPvPAQPY7VLhL62qLr-RhSILvD8rw3zFkZpc_ZJDNfF/s320/Dave+1.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">It has been a challenging 2020
season for Kyle Busch.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">The defending NASCAR Cup Series
champion has struggled to repeat a 2019 campaign that saw him win five times
and post 27 Top-10 finishes in 36 starts. This time around, the Las Vegas
native has struggled to keep pace with dominant drivers Kevin Harvick and Denny
Hamlin, going winless in his last 29 starts – since last year’s Homestead Miami
finale – with only 16 Top-10 finishes in 29 outings this season.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">The Joe Gibbs Racing driver
finished a close second to winner Kevin Harvick Saturday night at Bristol Motor
Speedway; a track where he has won eight times in the past. A thrilling, 60-lap
duel saw Busch muscle the top spot away from Harvick with 41 laps remaining,
only to relinquish the lead just 10 laps later. Busch hounded Harvick’s back
bumper the rest of the way, with the pair slicing through Bristol’s typically
heavy lapped traffic in a duel to the finish that had the fans – quite
literally – on the edges of their seats.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Never one to celebrate a
runner-up finish, Busch was typically salty after the race, blaming lapped
traffic for costing him the race, despite using a lapped car as a pick to pass
Harvick on Lap 469. He singled out drivers Joey Gase and Garrett Smithley for
criticism, calling them </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">"dips#it kids" for not giving way
in the closing laps. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">He also had harsh words for 11th-place finisher Joey Logano, blasting the Team Penske driver for racing the leaders while
a lap down in the late going by saying, “He's
nobody's friend for a reason." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8La1jM-Sb6cHaW7h4AYKdzIPbywF9yeYnHRlU3jOxX2IluaBQvgl7QOLAhYNYVxK4bM22g8QFkRw6-wV3FkxfSdLrZxc8HVuGleM9BC9ZZIbpJy3vngHvg5uwW-5UwhN1L0R/s1200/hi-res-ce33c561a342ed763b07a09af9a2f2a4_crop_exact.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8La1jM-Sb6cHaW7h4AYKdzIPbywF9yeYnHRlU3jOxX2IluaBQvgl7QOLAhYNYVxK4bM22g8QFkRw6-wV3FkxfSdLrZxc8HVuGleM9BC9ZZIbpJy3vngHvg5uwW-5UwhN1L0R/s320/hi-res-ce33c561a342ed763b07a09af9a2f2a4_crop_exact.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">The defending NASCAR Cup Series
champion also blasted Daniel Suarez earlier in the race, after the Gaunt
Brothers Racing driver momentarily blocked him in on pit road, questioning the
loyalty of his fellow Toyota driver in a profanity-filled radio tirade.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">No stranger to Busch’s critical
crosshairs, Smithley responded angrily via Twitter Saturday night.</span> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">“Even <span class="css-901oao">when
I don’t do anything, </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/KyleBusch"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">@KyleBusch</span></a><span class="r-18u37iz"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></span><span class="css-901oao"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">blames
me,” he said. “Went outta my way to give him room tonight. Think he might have
thought I was in a different car.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">Busch’s post-race unhappiness was
no surprise. As his personal winless streak has grown, so has his level of
frustration. At various times this season, Busch has pointed an accusatory
finger at NASCAR for eliminating practice and qualifying during the COVID-19
pandemic, and at his own team for failing to provide him with cars capable of
running up front and winning races.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">When he loses, it’s someone
else’s fault. When he wins – once in the Xfinity ranks and three times in the
Gander Trucks this year -- the deciding factor is declared to be “KFB;” Kyle
Effing Busch.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">From this side of the fence,
the lack of practice and qualifying does not appear to have negatively impacted
the caliber of competition. And even if it has, it impacts all teams equally.
It’s not like the rest of the garage is out there turning laps on Friday and
Saturday while Busch remains parked in the garage. Granted, Busch is one of the
best in the sport at diagnosing an ill-handling race car and prescribing a
cure. But the shortcomings of his M&Ms Toyota team – if there are any –
cannot be blamed entirely on COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwAC2wl1l4N8Hy_5ZspTKwVyxMdEpzZmKf1OlD7z7cPKHxyBMdvFFKHpv0VbpZSho8iLoNKlWvY_WpFbYm00Ob1i1LXtJ2Ngml59FaHETg_AOyb05svyWh-HZdeNoU7s_9Gzv/s840/NASCAR-at-Bristol-Kevin-Harvick-denied-Kyle-Busch-in-a-tight-finish.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="840" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwAC2wl1l4N8Hy_5ZspTKwVyxMdEpzZmKf1OlD7z7cPKHxyBMdvFFKHpv0VbpZSho8iLoNKlWvY_WpFbYm00Ob1i1LXtJ2Ngml59FaHETg_AOyb05svyWh-HZdeNoU7s_9Gzv/s320/NASCAR-at-Bristol-Kevin-Harvick-denied-Kyle-Busch-in-a-tight-finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">The pandemic has certainly not caused the 18 team to
fail a troubling series of pre-race inspections this season, forcing Busch to
race from the rear of the field in each of the last two weeks, while his fellow
title contenders start in the front eight rows. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Busch and JGR teammates Denny
Hamlin and Erik Jones all dropped to the rear of the field Saturday night after
flunking multiple pre-race inspections. While Hamlin and Jones struggled to
move forward at the drop of the green flag, Busch slashed his way through the
pack, finishing an impressive second in the opening stage and winning the
second. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Was slower traffic somehow less
of an issue in the opening two stages? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: arial; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Likely not. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">In the final analysis, Busch
got outrun in the final laps Saturday, by a driver and team that have made a
habit of outrunning people this season.</span><span class="css-901oao"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">Busch’s post-race outburst was
not unexpected, but it is absolutely a cause for concern for his fans and
supporters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">Asked for his take on the
upcoming Playoff Round of 12, Busch answered, “We'll be eliminated next round.”</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">Allowed to fester, that
attitude could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">By his own admission, Busch’s
hair-trigger temper has negatively impacted the morale of his Joe Gibbs Racing
team in the past. He has pledged to do better in the future, and in fairness,
has kept his lip zipped more often than not this season, despite a winless
skein that is uncomfortably long and worse than it looks at first glance. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">All told, Busch has only one checkered
flag in his last 51 NASCAR Cup Series starts, dating back to the <i>Food City
500</i> at Bristol Motor Speedway on </span><a href="https://www.racing-reference.info/alldates/0407" title="Click here to see all races run on this date"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">April 7, 2019</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;">. One
win every 17 months is not a recipe for championship success, and Busch knows
it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps Saturday night’s
post-race spleen venting was a simple case of a professional athlete letting
off steam in the immediate aftermath of a disappointing, close-but-no-cigar
playoff defeat. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps Busch will circle his emotional
wagons in the days to come, put Saturday’s runner-up finish in its proper context
and show up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend ready to rumble. If not,
his “Sky Is Falling” outlook could easily damage a team that is ready, willing
and able to hit its postseason stride, despite the pressure-cooker atmosphere
of the NASCAR playoffs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The choice is his.</span><o:p style="font-size: 10pt;"></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="block-elementp" style="line-height: 150%;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="block-elementp"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="block-elementp"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="block-elementp"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-size: 10pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-75515006586154984922020-07-27T11:06:00.000-04:002020-07-27T11:06:14.053-04:00COMMENTARY: On The Passing Of Bob Bahre<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROO0wiiIRw07fjdPl0_unRetWRdE4LrzddmLCwsBx4g8-65PsKcxWhURkIpmsWO2xM3mWDYwq4VdQfqUFEqYSt_zs1kjUhtbn3FHp64xgv7BAhQ_DwT49oD70qkkhuHgv_d8_/s1600/gettyimages-483028571-1024x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1024" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROO0wiiIRw07fjdPl0_unRetWRdE4LrzddmLCwsBx4g8-65PsKcxWhURkIpmsWO2xM3mWDYwq4VdQfqUFEqYSt_zs1kjUhtbn3FHp64xgv7BAhQ_DwT49oD70qkkhuHgv_d8_/s320/gettyimages-483028571-1024x1024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Getty Images/Portland Press Herald</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One of the true giants of New
England Motorsports was lost Friday, when New Hampshire Motor Speedway founder Bob
Bahre passed away at the age of 93.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Connecticut native began
his racing career as a midget car owner in the 1950s and early ‘60s, before
purchasing Maine’s Oxford Plains Speedway<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"> in 1964</span>. He turned that facility into a showplace of northeast
motorsports, hosting a series of big-money “Getty Open” Late Model events that
brought full-fendered racers to the forefront of Northeast motorsports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">His monthly Getty Opens pitted
wildly divergent classes of automobiles against each other, with NASCAR’s “by
the book” Late Model Sportsman drivers traveling north to compete against the
short-track based NASCAR North Late Models, Oxford “Saturday Night” Series
drivers and a dizzying assortment of fiberglass-bodied Open Comp machines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The on-track battles were
second only to the off-track bickering over rules, with each camp lobbying
ferociously for an advantage while complaining bitterly about the perceived
advantage held by others. NASCAR stalwart “Terrible Tommy” Ellis summed-up the
emotion of the series in the early 1980s, describing the Open Comp contingent
as “Kamikaze cars,” saying “NASCAR should be embarrassed to have us racing
against them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">His Getty Open concept was not popular with his fellow track owners, many of whom believed that his lofty purses unnecessarily raised the financial bar.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"Damnit, Bob, why are you paying so much," asked one northeast promoter early in the process. "They'll race for half of that!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bahre was unswayed, however, paying teams what he felt they deserved, rather than what they would accept.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In
1974, using the successful Getty Open format, he posted an unprecedented $25,000 purse for his inaugural “Oxford 200,” luring top drivers and teams from throughout the northeast. Massachusetts youngster Joey Kourafas copped the $4,500 winner's purse that day for car owner Bob Curtiss, and New England Late Model racing would never be the same again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The following year, he <span style="background: white;">added 50 laps to
the event; adding a live pit stop to the game plan and creating the legendary “Oxford
250.” </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bahre ran OPS <span style="background: white;">until 1987, when
local politicians stiff-armed his dream of building a superspeedway on the
site. Angered by their refusal, Bahre sold the track to entrepreneur Michael Liberty and turned his attention to the Bryar
Motorsports Park in Loudon, NH, a somewhat disheveled road course complex that
had seen its better days.</span><span style="background: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpgyp1SVe_LgawWyFnwBz2F1AhoAy6eJLYIlhUX_2zy8qXja1nMq1iReYTxW8ROA-LGb3hKXEjCYv2K151_yY1bfSRi9sCD-LkPps3LzVzlZMQvBoZku5MJniO9ioB3rRcKDd/s1600/Bob-Bahre-300x173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpgyp1SVe_LgawWyFnwBz2F1AhoAy6eJLYIlhUX_2zy8qXja1nMq1iReYTxW8ROA-LGb3hKXEjCYv2K151_yY1bfSRi9sCD-LkPps3LzVzlZMQvBoZku5MJniO9ioB3rRcKDd/s1600/Bob-Bahre-300x173.jpg" /></a><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">In a matter of weeks, Bahre had purchased the property. E</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">schewing the traditional </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">engineering-based approach, he hired a single surveyor to lay out the facility and plant a few stakes, before dispatching </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">brother Dick Bahre to bulldoze the one-mile semi-banked oval now known as New Hampshire Motor Speedway.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Like their counterparts in Maine, local
officials threw up a few roadblocks along the way. But this time, Bahre was not to be
denied. When neighbors threatened legal action over noise and traffic, Bahre called a meeting and began by ejecting the attorneys from the room. In less than a hour, a common-sense solution was reached that satisfied all parties and allowed construction of the speedway to continue.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">When the local Fire Department worried that their ladder truck
would not reach the upper levels of the track’s high-rise grandstand, Bahre is
reported to have barked, “How much do the damned things cost?” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Moments later, the Chief of the Department walked away with a
check for a shiny new ladder truck, and NHIS was born.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Bahre built NHIS with no guarantee of a NASCAR race of any
kind. It was a colossal gamble, since without NASCAR's headline Cup Series, the facility would almost certainly prove unable to turn a profit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But in 1990, after just nine months of construction, Bahre brought he NASCAR Busch Series – now Xfinity Series – to the White Mountains, with
a capacity crowd of 90,000 fans turning out to witness a race won (ironically) by Ellis. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Three years later, Bahre strong-armed longtime friend Bill France, Jr.
into attending a race at the Loudon oval. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One look at the packed NHIS grandstands
was all it took, and in June of 1993, Rusty Wallace won the inaugural "Slick 50 300" NASCAR Cup Series
race in New Hampshire.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Bob had a love affair with
auto racing,” said Maine native Ricky Craven, whose victory in the 1991 Oxford
250 was instrumental in jump-starting his NASCAR National Series career. “He was a
remarkable man who had the ambition, vision and commitment to make anything
happen that he set his mind to. He was remarkably pragmatic. He could figure
anything out and put things in perspective as well as anybody I know.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJb2rhQGx192p3E6FRicO9GcgFxAHMoHTd53o7WTTSvwLse7b6svNbYF4IFkWPZx00pyCxPdSPB6T8yMsTg1Js64-j0wLFg-9VuF3Lo0J_GXgny0AoVd4rpTTxLHimE_xFQ2WS/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJb2rhQGx192p3E6FRicO9GcgFxAHMoHTd53o7WTTSvwLse7b6svNbYF4IFkWPZx00pyCxPdSPB6T8yMsTg1Js64-j0wLFg-9VuF3Lo0J_GXgny0AoVd4rpTTxLHimE_xFQ2WS/s320/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Bob taught me a lot." -- Ricky Craven</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Bob taught me a lot over the
years,” he said. “One night, I finished Top-5 in one of his Oxford Opens and walked
up to the tower to get paid. I had won at Unity Raceway the night before, and
Bob asked me how many people were in the grandstands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I replied, `About 10,000,’
and Bob just went off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“`BULLSHIT!’” he yelled. `You
have never seen 10,000 people at Unity. Ever! Don’t try to BS people.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“That was a big life lesson
for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Bob always dealt with me
frankly. There was very little left to interpretation. Even though it was
uncomfortable at times, I loved it. It was exactly what I needed. He was the
first person I called anytime I needed advice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Even in recent years, Bob
would call me every other week. He always ended our conversations by saying,
‘Keep in touch. I like you. I don’t know why I like you, but I like you.’ My
life has been better for knowing him and for being his friend.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim
France commented on Bahre’s passing last week, saying, “Bob’s passion and
belief in NASCAR helped bring our sport to millions of New England fans over
the last three decades. As founder of what is now New Hampshire Motor Speedway,
Bahre’s bold vision helped set a tone for the sport’s national growth. Throughout
his career, he was a trusted and valued voice in the industry and will be
greatly missed. My family and all of NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to
Sandy, Gary and the entire Bahre family.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Speedway
Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said, “</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What
I’ll remember most about Bob Bahre will be his character, understated yet
charming. Every time I saw him, he had on khakis and a white shirt. I always
enjoyed our genuine conversations. He was very generous to people in the
motorsports industry and to the New England communities where he did business.
He went about things in a quiet, dignified manner and often times that simple
approach is the most impactful. It’s truly an honor to have known Bob. He lived
a meaningful life. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. "<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-69587567103765541132020-06-23T12:19:00.000-04:002020-06-23T12:19:01.043-04:00An Open Letter From Angie Skinner<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My friend and former Sirius XM Speedway </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">co-host</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Angie Skinner found herself swept-up in a controversy not of her own making yesterday, when her stepson, Dustin Skinner, posted some shocking, racially insensitive comments on social media. Sadly, much of the online backlash was directed at Angie and Mike, who in no way deserved the hateful, vitriolic comments that came their way. </span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>Angie reached out to me today -- as a friend -- to share her heartache and disappointment. After reading her words, I asked if I might share them with you here. Not because Mike and Angie need defending, but because messages of understanding and tolerance are badly needed these days.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>For the record, I have known Mike and Angie for a long, long time. They are wonderful, giving, selfless people, without a single racist bone in their bodies. I have no idea what brought Dustin to the dark place he currently inhabits, but I can tell you for sure that it wasn't Mike and Angie. </b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>We all hope and pray that our children will be successful and make us proud, but there are no guarantees.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><b>I would ask that you read Angie's words with an open heart...</b></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8Jx63Hz8ukCheUEi8c6GOWFLy3epfTHCjQ640UjXleirq49n-a7HmlmyvqAbj9Vo8CoCUDM2UFs45UZd7AamXTtxKiXza97gQ10Vz0H1s8ozD5yR2SuOtsgNDKw8xj_2DXMz/s1600/5220021802_f5a0d90ae2_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM8Jx63Hz8ukCheUEi8c6GOWFLy3epfTHCjQ640UjXleirq49n-a7HmlmyvqAbj9Vo8CoCUDM2UFs45UZd7AamXTtxKiXza97gQ10Vz0H1s8ozD5yR2SuOtsgNDKw8xj_2DXMz/s320/5220021802_f5a0d90ae2_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Every morning, I have an
amazing God-sent friend that texts me a spiritual writing, she NEVER misses a
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 5 AM this morning <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prayed for the right words for today, after
reading the horrific words from someone I love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: #F5F8FA; color: #14171a; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do not speak in the hearing of fools; they
will despise the wisdom of your words.-- Proverbs 23:9</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many of you really don’t know
me -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you don’t know how I grew up, or
why I never had children of my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
don’t know the ways I have been mistreated by friends; men and women of all
races.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t know my battles with
depression, my heartbreaks, my failures… You really don’t know me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many assume that my husband and I raised children together. We did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many assume we own a race team. We do not. Many
of you have posted despicable comments against us for something we did not do,
nor support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My good friend and broadcast mentor
Dave Moody taught me one thing when I joined his show years ago; Remember
everything you say is permanent. NO ONE forgets, so always make sure what you
say or post is accurate and true. Check your sources and do your research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My true friends and family DO
know me and my husband. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You don’t know why I chose to NOT
be a serious news reporter after I grew up dreaming of reporting the news every
night. You don’t know why I went in the direction of sports and entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I won’t share with you those
stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I will say that<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just love to make people laugh. It’s that
simple. I love to make people laugh and smile and forget about their troubles. This
is how I use my social media channels; I really do try to just make you all
laugh, and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And you know what? There are
many of you out there that even complain about my laugh. That hurts, because
it’s my laugh and it’s genuine. But that is your right I guess, to tell me I’m
obnoxious and loud and what a piece of crap I am. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s my right to ignore your
comments and still LAUGH, just as it’s me and my husband’s right to handle our
personal grievances against someone and family matters personally and not on
social media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I am not a politician. I never
signed up to be outspoken on social injustices. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admire those that do in good manner, but
it’s just not me and for sure is not my husband; who literally still doesn’t truly
understand social media. He was told he needed an account and he followed the
suggestion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When I was notified of the
horrendous comments Mike’s son made about Bubba Wallace, I cried. I prayed. I
asked God for guidance on how to handle such a situation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I didn’t even know they were
made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, Mike and I have not
really followed NASCAR media as of late. We are in a stage in our lives where
we are transitioning to other adventures. That doesn’t mean we don’t watch
races or read tweets or posts from drivers we follow, it’s just not our
priority at this stage of our lives. We are diving into new ventures, and with
so much hate lately in our world, we rarely even watch the news anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Our PR manager found the
comments, called me immediately and addressed the comments. I asked her to deal
with it because I was just so upset that anymore – let alone a family member --
would express anger in that sentiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
didn’t even share the info with Mike. I just wanted him to not deal with
another family ordeal, of which we have experienced many. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When we were alone and the
race was near ending, I told him about the comments made by his son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was extremely hurt, humiliated and
upset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dealt with the issue man to
man by calling his son and discussing his anger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My husband is a good man who
can look into the mirror every morning PROUD of who he is. He is genuine and he
is guided by his heart. He loves his friends, his family and his country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Your judgements against
someone you have never met? Well -- just that. You have never met him. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You only saw him on a racetrack and hear him
on radio sometimes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many made comments in rage, suggesting
and demanding what he should do as a father without even knowing how he did
handle the situation, minutes after he was told about the post. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You did it behind a keyboard
with anger and hate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You didn’t check
your facts and you chastised me and Mike, not realizing the hurt we were
dealing with. The same that has happened to many of color, gender, ethnicity. You
did exactly what the world needs to STOP doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If we are going to change this
world, we need to not promote so much hate and anger. We all need to be kind to
one another, help one another, heal with one another, learn from one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How we act…. How we love…. How we treat
others… How we pray for those fighting such anger…. Love heals and changes –
not demands and threats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is how I deal with the
many social injustices in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’m not radical, I’m peaceful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">When I watched the amazing
start of the Talladega race, with the drivers and racers supporting Bubba
Wallace, I cried happy tears. It showed the real change being made in love and
support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was genuine and so
beautiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was proud of the sport and
even more proud of the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To end my
night in such chaos really made me think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really made me realize that maybe social media isn’t for me in my life
right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really made me realize my
actions in person mean more than what I type behind a keyboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I know, I’m typing now, but it’s the only
way to express my true feelings and hopefully shine a more positive light onto
such a dark situation).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We pray Dustin changes his
views. He already broke down, apologized and realized how horrific and hurtful
his comments were. He asked what to do and we suggested apologizing and
learning from the outburst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, we
pray that his views change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But it’s up to him to handle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Mike will not stop loving his
son because the public demands him to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mike will promote his positives and hope he continues to grow and love;
reminding him of his good qualities and using love and positivity to change his
attitude one day at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My husband is a man of great
integrity and he will not be demanded by those who have never met him, or via
social media channels to give up on his son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He will fight to fix it -- personally – and not on social media. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He will use love to conquer it.
He will do what he can to heal the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He will use love and positive words and any means possible to change the
mind of someone who is full of anger and rage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is all he can do – and I ask that you understand how we handle our
situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Please stop the ranting, hate,
blaming and finger pointing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
going to change our world – it’s just going to fuel the fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We pray something positive can
come from such a horrific venting of social injustice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Though I have never birthed a
child of my own – I see the pain and hurt my husband goes through when a child
of his acts out in such a manner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
between our family. We all have issues with our families, and if you are so
lucky to have the perfect family, God Bless You. Please pray for ours. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I leave you with a message I
heard from a sweet, sweet little girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her name is Willow. She is bi-racial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her innocent soul has no understanding why she would be looked at
different or negative. She is a child with a genuine and young heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Her lesson?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t matter what color skin we have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If we all cut our finger…. Our
blood is the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s red.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have a heart, we all have two lungs….
We are all the same. We should all be treated equal… we should all be treated
the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-9171036812182863352020-06-11T14:43:00.000-04:002020-06-11T14:43:45.958-04:00COMMENTARY: The Time Was Right For NASCAR's Confederate Flag Ban<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCW4trrJF0bnTXqgvVAZNkaB_3ij-VSm7ujr16laCsdJ8XlnpG4RIiF5xu4wGd92spCT9bcLkCJxXHBci9q8oaM4kS5H0Wuxf33udUtqERZA6gAE8fE6_gRA9K4z3fG9eoa-9i/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCW4trrJF0bnTXqgvVAZNkaB_3ij-VSm7ujr16laCsdJ8XlnpG4RIiF5xu4wGd92spCT9bcLkCJxXHBci9q8oaM4kS5H0Wuxf33udUtqERZA6gAE8fE6_gRA9K4z3fG9eoa-9i/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR banned the display of the Confederate Flag
at its race events and venues yesterday, saying its presence “runs contrary to
our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans,
our competitors and our industry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That decision comes during a tumultuous period for
both our sport and our country, with the recent murder of George Floyd at the
hands of a Minneapolis, MN police officer reopening the ongoing debate over
equal rights, racism and discrimination against people of color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Controversy surrounding the Confederate flag
is not new to our sport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the 1950s and `60s, NASCAR openly embraced the
flag, using it in print advertisements for races like the Southern 500 and
Dixie 500. A character known as “Johnny Reb,” dressed in a Confederate
uniform and waving the Stars and Bars, appeared regularly in Victory Lane ceremonies
of that era, creating a perception of our sport that we have struggled mightily to shake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Five
years ago, the issue moved to the front burner when nine black churchgoers
were murdered in Charleston, South Carolina by Dylann Roof, an admitted white
supremacist who had published photos of himself posing with the Confederate Nazi flags. Then-NASCAR CEO Brian France said at that time, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">“We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that
flag. I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we
feel about it and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_ISAATdvhGXeBpVijhnhauxTRhxCzdCtTy3sG6dI3-VwLV-6exTGtuNDbpOei0WikS0636H76-viQM35pnlTWPa_E0T8nVXhanSdfoHgFUtQFRxUzKwZk2TW3u3FHgtLrC0Q/s1600/CITkWkDWEAAHexB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="708" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_ISAATdvhGXeBpVijhnhauxTRhxCzdCtTy3sG6dI3-VwLV-6exTGtuNDbpOei0WikS0636H76-viQM35pnlTWPa_E0T8nVXhanSdfoHgFUtQFRxUzKwZk2TW3u3FHgtLrC0Q/s400/CITkWkDWEAAHexB.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">"Johnny Reb" was once a part <br />of NASCAR.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The sanctioning
body and its member speedways </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">offered to
exchange Confederate flags for American flags, but there were relatively few
takers and the symbol remained a common sight at race events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Until
yesterday, NASCAR lacked the willpower to put verbs in its sentences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
<div style="background: #FCFCFC; line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That
has changed now, and our sport is sure to change as a result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let’s be clear about one thing. NASCAR has no
interest in telling you what to think, or what to believe. You can proudly display
the Confederate Flag at home, if you choose to do so. You can celebrate whatever
that flag means to you -- Southern Heritage, racism, white supremacy, whatever –
in your own backyard, but you can no longer do so in NASCAR’s yard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><br /><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A much-needed line has finally been drawn, and it will be enforced.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have a major disconnect with those claiming some God-given right to fly the stars and bars at NASCAR races.
Regardless of the long-contested history and "real meaning" of that particular symbol, I fail to
understand why anyone would willingly – and in some cases, gleefully -- choose
to do something that makes others feel threatened and unwelcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s like walking into a Jewish Synagogue waving
the swastika. Whether you have the right to do it or not, it’s the wrong
thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">No matter what it may once have meant, the Confederate
flag was long ago appropriated by a group of people whose hate-based goals were
simply to intimidate, discriminate and demean. You don’t need to fly the Confederate
Flag to enjoy a NASCAR race, any more than you need to burn a cross or hang a
mannequin in effigy. And effective immediately, you will no longer be able to do
any of those things on track property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYkGQwi1hDiH4lypPyQcq3DYoh-5KfGsiNOHIepKLX7KAHlrBAKz6H_mtS8oraDTKy2fHJcRbvA2Acg1wh1AQU9mF21CVDl7e8wLDZZvUWY1I1RUtDxiy-EbOYgtbeYoqZXaY/s1600/a3e370fe0acadad1cbdadd4302677bd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYkGQwi1hDiH4lypPyQcq3DYoh-5KfGsiNOHIepKLX7KAHlrBAKz6H_mtS8oraDTKy2fHJcRbvA2Acg1wh1AQU9mF21CVDl7e8wLDZZvUWY1I1RUtDxiy-EbOYgtbeYoqZXaY/s320/a3e370fe0acadad1cbdadd4302677bd9.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The past few days have been difficult for a lot of us. I have personally had to accept the fact that a number of people I know, respect
and consider friends are, in fact, unapologetic racists. I have seen statements
made in the last 24 hours that truly and sincerely boggle my mind, from people I consider friends. Wholly and completely at odds
with my belief that all men are indeed created equal, those statements both sadden and
disappoint me. I look at those people differently than I did just a few days ago,
and my circle is smaller as a result. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR will almost certainly lose some fans in the aftermath of yesterday’s decision. But sometimes, you have to pull some weeds to let the grass grow. The time has come to decide -- once and for all -- who we stand
with and what we stand for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Racism has become so ingrained in our society
that today, being anti-racist is often mistaken for being anti-American. It’s
time for that to change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">And change it will.</span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR’s ban of the Confederate Flag will not be
the final word on the topic. There has already been some degree of backlash
within the racing community. Jason Beam, whose company -- Beam Designs -- paints
custom helmets for a number of NASCAR drivers, tweeted “ignorance wins again” in
response to yesterday’s announcement, while Truck Series driver Ray Ciccarelli has
vowed to sell his team at season’s end to protest the move. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR offered no details on how they will police
their newly announced ban, and at least in the short term, that effort may prove
uncomfortable. But make no mistake about it, NASCAR and its member speedways
have both the right and the ability to remove patrons who refuse to follow the
rules. People who conduct themselves badly have routinely been removed from the
premises in seasons past, and this will be no different.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There is never a wrong time to do the right
thing, and NASCAR’s decision to remove the Confederate Flag from its venues is both
correct and long overdue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-12336752755310448152020-06-08T14:42:00.000-04:002020-06-08T14:42:56.992-04:00COMMENTARY: On Race... And Racing<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCh9_p5LSq7aoqOk5AMpR7V7WeNcqFESQ6WwzHRnEFJlgSRkGy92giVYCovS4scD-Ze3f8FKD-bEuf5NJdzaBeE13j4IbdTwt8OCdV9XGkcvf3aCcscXmB_pabf_TlxyoPJ3_/s1600/5e6baa75e31c4.image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCh9_p5LSq7aoqOk5AMpR7V7WeNcqFESQ6WwzHRnEFJlgSRkGy92giVYCovS4scD-Ze3f8FKD-bEuf5NJdzaBeE13j4IbdTwt8OCdV9XGkcvf3aCcscXmB_pabf_TlxyoPJ3_/s320/5e6baa75e31c4.image.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Phelps: "The time is now to listen."</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #201f1e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Just before the start of yesterday’s </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Folds of Honor QuikTrip
500”</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> at Atlanta Motor Speedway, NASCAR took the unprecedented step of
stopping its race cars on the front straightaway during the final pre-race
parade lap, for sanctioning body president Steve Phelps to deliver an address
expressing NASCAR’s support for improved race relations and an end to the social
unrest that currently threatens to tear this nation apart.</span></span><br />
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #201f1e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;"><br /></span>
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #201f1e; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">“Our country is in pain and our
people are justifiably angry, demanding to be heard,’’ said Phelps, as the
field sat silent before an empty AMS grandstand. “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The black community and
all people of color have suffered in our country, and it has taken far too long
for us to hear their demands for change. Our sport must do better. Our country
must do better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"The time is now to
listen, to understand and to stand against racism and racial injustice,"
Phelps added. "We ask our drivers and all our fans to join us in this
mission; to take a moment of reflection, to acknowledge that we must do better
as a sport, and join us as we now pause and take a moment to listen."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">His comments were
followed by 30 seconds of silence, and when the cars re-fired, FOX Sports
aired a video featuring current and former Cup Series drivers including Darrell
Wallace, Jr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. expressing their support for improved race relations and an end
to discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Wallace, currently
NASCAR’s only African American national series driver, wore a black T-shirt
with </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">the
words "I Can’t Breathe" during pre-race ceremonies, commemorating the
final words of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of a Minneapolis, MN police
officer recently triggered mass protests in all 50 states, demanding an end to police
brutality against people of color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Wallace
has been the sport’s most outspoken voice in recent days</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">, telling Dale Earnhardt, Jr., on the <i>“<em><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Dale Jr. Download”</span></i></em></i><b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"> </span></b><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">podcast</span> of his reaction
to the fatal shooting of <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Ahmaud Arbery </span>while jogging in Georgia recently,
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Kyle Larson’s use of the N-word</span> earlier this season
and instances of discrimination and racial profiling from his own life,
including the fatal shooting of his cousin by a police officer <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">in 2003.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I was running around the (High School) gym
with all the other brothers and sisters, and all of a sudden, I hear a scream,”
he recalled. “Like the worst scream that you’d want to hear. Not like a `somebody-scared-you’
scream, like something bad had just happened. And I look over and I see my mom
running out the door. She had just found out my cousin had been shot and killed
by a police officer. Unarmed.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I was young. I didn’t understand it. We
lost a family member. But now, seeing everything come full circle, I totally
get it.”</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Wallace attributed the shooting to a convenience
store clerk “who happened to be white (and) felt threatened that there were
more African Americans and that something bad was going to happen. So she
called the cops. The police officer ordered my cousin Sean to put his hands up,
and he did. The officer walked away, (my cousin) went to grab his phone to call
his mom because he was scared and he was shot and killed by (another) police
officer. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJmhc62aYOwf3kncnuuSgN0U4fAGDUBQuG9tZl8CvycqY4ADl_i3ryM-EdBo9NPVIe_ML8O7VOqqHPMEJrltLwQNieGgv3hn8AgqBGIG4IuE3lC3FyJLxxHe0bGVEcmrJGhtJ/s1600/ncs_ams_bubba_060720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJmhc62aYOwf3kncnuuSgN0U4fAGDUBQuG9tZl8CvycqY4ADl_i3ryM-EdBo9NPVIe_ML8O7VOqqHPMEJrltLwQNieGgv3hn8AgqBGIG4IuE3lC3FyJLxxHe0bGVEcmrJGhtJ/s400/ncs_ams_bubba_060720.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bubba Wallace</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“People were having a good time, not
bothering anybody. But somehow, people are afraid. Why are you afraid of black
people? That’s the thing I don’t understand. We’re minding our own business… having
a good time and somebody’s life was taken. It happened to my family member.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ve
dealt with my own struggles… of getting pulled up at stoplights and having guns
drawn,” he recalled. “Not pointed at me, but out of their holster ready to do
something. It’s the comments that they made (afterwards) that piss me off the
most. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">‘Can you
afford this car? This is a nice car.’ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And I
said, ‘Yes, sir, I can.’ What I wanted to say is, ‘Yeah, I’ll (buy) you one on Monday,
I’ll (buy) your momma one on Tuesday and I’ll have the rest of your family one
on Wednesday. That’s how much money I make.’ </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“But I
didn’t. I let it go because one wrong move, because I’m black, could have had
me on the pavement saying, ‘I can’t breathe.'”</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Germain Racing
driver Ty Dillon also spoke eloquently in the aftermath of Floyd’s death,
posting a statement on Instagram that said in part, </span></span><span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I never want to be seen as someone who is silent on the subject
of racism and social injustice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I don’t care if I
ever win a race or a championship in my life, or lose every follower or sponsor
that I have,” he said. “But when my children grow older and I take my last
breath, I want to be sure that I was on the right side of what I felt is going
on in history. I just wanted to stop and say, `This is where I stand.’ At the
end of the day, this is what I believe in and I’ll stand up for what I believe
in.’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dillon and
Wallace also co-hosted a 30-minute Instagram Live conversation, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">discussing the state of race relations in the United States. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ve known (Bubba) my whole career,” said an emotional Dillon. “To
hear the stories about how he was treated in some of those situations -- knowing
Bubba’s character and knowing him as a human being -- that blew my mind. I never
thought Bubba would have gone through anything like that.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sometimes, it’s easy for us who don’t know -- as a white man or a
white person in general -- we don’t know these stories. We don’t ask the right
questions to become informed. </span></span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We all need to
have conversations in our communities to create change.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Phelps’ pre-race
statement Sunday was sure to produce a reaction, and it has. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAHAHgSeHvNakDtvn4b-7TTQtWC63sxR-7YSWRBQmZWr4Mu1onCIHET3Oz1DGnuxcvu0NfFWKt2mfdPMzxxcdktAyhf5JvLPlPmeURoe9htuW629tfe-Olzo0AFbjQl9J6tPn/s1600/9a5fae81d6c86b70e812baeb7f904499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="800" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAHAHgSeHvNakDtvn4b-7TTQtWC63sxR-7YSWRBQmZWr4Mu1onCIHET3Oz1DGnuxcvu0NfFWKt2mfdPMzxxcdktAyhf5JvLPlPmeURoe9htuW629tfe-Olzo0AFbjQl9J6tPn/s400/9a5fae81d6c86b70e812baeb7f904499.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">"I will listen and learn..."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The social media response simultaneously illustrated the
best and worst that our fan base has to offer. The vast majority of reaction
was supportive of the sanctioning body, but there were other, more vitriolic responses
that illustrated just how far we have to go as a nation, and as a sport.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The events of the
last two weeks have been both tragic and horrifying. The slaying of George
Floyd and the protests that followed have sent this country into a tailspin, forcing
mangy of us to re-evaluate our personal stands on racism and discrimination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Until recently,
it has been fairly easy for many of us to remain on the sidelines, saying little or nothing about
a situation that did not directly affect us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Raised in the
second-whitest state in the Union, I grew up with very little understanding of what
it is like to be a person of color in the United States of America. I grew up –
quite literally – with ONE black friend, and only after I moved south a decade or
so ago did I come to appreciate the true depth of the divide between races in
this county.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The only time I’ve
ever been pulled over by the police was when a heavy right foot caused me to
stray slightly (or not so slightly) above the posted speed limit. Never – not once
– did the police officer in question feel the need to have his finger on the trigger
of a gun, or comment on whether I should have been able to afford the car I was
driving at the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">No traffic stop
has ever caused me to fear for my life. I have never lost a single minute of sleep
worrying that my daughters might be shot on their way home from work one
evening, simply because of the color of their skin, or because they strayed into
a neighborhood where someone felt they did not belong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Until any those
things happen to me, I am wholly disqualified to preach tolerance and patience
to the African American community. <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Until those things happen to me</span>, I have no business criticizing Olympic
athletes </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collett for raising their
gloved fists in protest on the medal podium at the 1972 Summer Games. I have
no right to look down upon Muhammad Ali for refusing to go to Vietnam and fight
for a country that treated him like a second-class citizen. And I have no place
denouncing Colin Kaepernick for taking a knee on the NFL sideline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After refusing to
pay attention to those (and thousands of other) peaceable, passive protests, can
we honestly be surprised when certain segments of the African American community
grow frustrated and become violent? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT1-PgCUAnEIfNkvs4GHtpL6MbxtAI2ONo6KqGdldD68QYYfbkpTWo8msYabTJfT0cSdgc2Uke1o4JQjVs7MzvG4HaSwvn1z0UG-L6uN-I6_b2Ta-suqJCdJoDiNEUdGuMt9L/s1600/EZ85GNCWoAIi8Ul+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="680" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT1-PgCUAnEIfNkvs4GHtpL6MbxtAI2ONo6KqGdldD68QYYfbkpTWo8msYabTJfT0cSdgc2Uke1o4JQjVs7MzvG4HaSwvn1z0UG-L6uN-I6_b2Ta-suqJCdJoDiNEUdGuMt9L/s320/EZ85GNCWoAIi8Ul+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I have come to
understand that we cannot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are some bad
cops in the world. The events of the last few weeks have provided far more
evidence of that fact than any reasonable observer could possibly require. </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">If
you continue to deny the existence of racist cops, you’re simply not paying
attention. </span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There
are also some bad protestors out there; people willing to turn a peaceful demonstration
into an opportunity to loot, burn and line their pockets under the cover of
righteous indignation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But the vast
majority of people – on both sides of the picket line – are good people; people
with hearts free of hate and discrimination, determined to do things the right
way. If you’re willing to look past the fiery headlines and hardline clichés,
you’ll see hundreds of cops taking a knee to decry the brutality within their
own ranks. You’ll see protesters standing with their arms linked together,
protecting a policeman separated from his unit and threatened by the angry mob.
You’ll see athletes like Lebron James, Evander Kane, Bubba Wallace and Ty
Dillon, speaking out against inequality despite the backlash that most
certainly will follow from the darkest corners of our society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s time for us
to follow their leads and take a firm and righteous stand against the racists, the
haters, the discriminators, murderers and looters among us. It’s time we take the spotlight away from the corrupt minority and focus on the rest us, <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">the
ones who understand that there is only one race -- the human race – and are no
longer willing to tolerate people who judge each other solely by the color of
their skin, or their uniform.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is not a “one
side or the other” argument. It is possible to be staunchly pro-Law Enforcement while still decrying the “Thin Blue Line” mentality that has prompted
far too many good cops to turn their heads when their colleagues act badly. It
is possible to support the African American communities right to protest while still bemoaning the destruction of businesses owned by people
innocent of any wrongdoing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nobody is “all
right” these days, and nobody is “all wrong.” There is room for improvement on
all sides. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;">NASCAR’s
Phelps was spot-on yesterday in his call for change, and his words needed to be
heard from a sport that has spent far too much time over the years huddled –
like many of us – on the sidelines of a battle that did not seem to be ours
to fight. There have been a few “shut up and race” reactions from people
unwilling (or too ignorant) to honestly assess the way this country continues
to do business, but those reactions are like the last brittle leaves on a dying
tree, about to be swept away – one by one – by the undeniable winds of change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The time for silent support has
passed. It’s time for us to rethink old thoughts, re-examine old attitudes and
begin treating each other like the one unified family we should always have
been.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s time to stop responding to
the plea of “Black Lives Matter” with the paper-thin meme of “All Lives Matter.”
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes, all lives <u>do</u> matter.
But when your neighbor’s house is burning down, all houses don’t require the
immediate assistance of the Fire Department.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The African American community
is ablaze today, and after nearly 250 years as One Nation Under God, it’s time for
us to something about it, once and for all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-6952054717064356522020-06-03T15:17:00.000-04:002020-06-03T15:17:04.176-04:00COMMENTARY: Nashville Resurrection A Gutsy Ploy That Has Its Risks<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_nCoXaNIcB62VZt-oRQynXavyREI5wPD_31CmnCTlCCtqBMMPBpozzFYq0MY5_IIdlRZK59-U8m3zZZa0p86vLTNk5Nb2lrS49kbYc7ynFppopn_FdvR557TbgVP89Y942Xi/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_nCoXaNIcB62VZt-oRQynXavyREI5wPD_31CmnCTlCCtqBMMPBpozzFYq0MY5_IIdlRZK59-U8m3zZZa0p86vLTNk5Nb2lrS49kbYc7ynFppopn_FdvR557TbgVP89Y942Xi/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR and Dover Motorsports,
Inc. confirmed today that the NASCAR Cup Series will return to Nashville Superspeedway
next season; the first major league motorsports event to take place there in
nearly a decade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In its prime, the</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> 1.33-mile concrete oval --
located approximately 35 miles southeast of Nashville in Lebanon, Tennessee – <span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">hosted four major
race weekends each season, headlined by the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series,
along with IndyCar. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While attendance was good
early in its 20-year run, ticket sales plummeted dramatically in the late
2000s, <span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">prompting
Dover Motorsports to close the gates in August of 2011. At least two
subsequent attempts to sell the track fell through, with the property being
used most recently as an automobile storage facility.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
track has not been part of the NASCAR discussion for nearly a decade, until rumors
of its resurrection began to circulate late yesterday. In fact, the legendary Nashville
Fairgrounds Speedway – located in metropolitan Nashville – has
dominated the headlines in recent weeks, with talk of it own return to the NASCAR calendar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Why the Superspeedway, instead
of the Fairgrounds?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The answer to that question is
interesting and multi-faceted, and addresses needs both current and future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Simply put, a return to the
Fairgrounds track is not an option without major improvements and renovations
to the facility. Those projects cannot be undertaken without a substantial infusion
of public capital, and the purse strings are currently controlled by Nashville mayor
John Cooper and the Fairgrounds Board; neither of whom have been willing to commit
money to the track in the past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9GNiMuz1RWfA_Q1oLl460XiI6kneSZ3nmNSvon_USEsUOseaSx0BolPpthaK1ybWXDv0RgmUXmxBSq_CYeUnE5fnMbT2rq-qdqW5LwE5HEXYqkTe9a7n3k6Y5Jarwmfdpr9h/s1600/636573183106622204-Superspeedway-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1600" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9GNiMuz1RWfA_Q1oLl460XiI6kneSZ3nmNSvon_USEsUOseaSx0BolPpthaK1ybWXDv0RgmUXmxBSq_CYeUnE5fnMbT2rq-qdqW5LwE5HEXYqkTe9a7n3k6Y5Jarwmfdpr9h/s320/636573183106622204-Superspeedway-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">NSS has been silent for a decade.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So the question is not, “Which Nashville track should we race at in 2021?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The question is, “Do we want
to race in Nashville next season or not?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dover International Speedway has
underperformed in recent years from a revenue standpoint, selling far fewer
tickets than they did even a decade ago. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The reasons for that downturn are debatable, but the numbers are not. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Dover Motorsports is a publicly held
company, and coming back to the investors with a “business as usual” plan for
2021 would have been poorly received, to say the least.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Stockholders demanded change, and
change is what they will have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dover Motorsports has always
had the option to move races within its ownership portfolio, just as ISC/NASCAR
and Speedway Motorsports, Inc. have done in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The track known as “The Monster
Mile” has downsized at least four times in recent years, beginning in the late 2000s
when seating capacity was reduced from 140,000 to 113,000 seats. A second
reduction in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_AAA_400" title="2014 AAA 400"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">2014</span></a>
saw seating cut to 95,500, then 85,000 in 2016. Last year, seating was cut once
again, to the track’s current capacity of 54,000. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nashville Superspeedway currently
has 50,000 permanent seats, meaning that Dover Motorsports is effectively
swapping one 50,000-seat track for another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Based on those numbers, there
has to be more to the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJa7y8tMCw3key1VxsEBKsP4FTTG5XGNJkdslNWRrSev0iMHbixKJG3vM-43nVWRn_DRIpKTgpmUNdL6aW1N17evtTgYidcxCQSmqiIHlhQ0k2B3lUDgauXi9HV4jhyphenhyphen9VZ12c/s1600/nashville-superspeedway-052914-ap-ftrjpg_mn5gerf22auj1jlxhofzan7zg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJa7y8tMCw3key1VxsEBKsP4FTTG5XGNJkdslNWRrSev0iMHbixKJG3vM-43nVWRn_DRIpKTgpmUNdL6aW1N17evtTgYidcxCQSmqiIHlhQ0k2B3lUDgauXi9HV4jhyphenhyphen9VZ12c/s320/nashville-superspeedway-052914-ap-ftrjpg_mn5gerf22auj1jlxhofzan7zg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">NASCAR will return in 2021.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Speaking on the condition of
anonymity, sources say that Dover Motorsports’ decision to roll Nashville
Superspeedway out of mothballs was made at the behest of SMI, in an effort to convince
mayor Cooper and the Fairgrounds Board --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>once and for all -- of the value of motorsports in the Nashville market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The hope is that when NASCAR
returns, fans will support Nashville Superspeedway in large numbers, lighting a
fire under the politicians to spend the money needed to bring racing back to Music
City in a first-class fashion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That plan, however, is not
without its share of risk. If fans fail to respond favorably to NASCAR’s return
to the Superspeedway, the message sent to local politicos will be
overwhelmingly negative, potentially putting the future of the Fairgrounds oval
in jeopardy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s a gutsy ploy by both
Dover Motorsports and SMI; one that we will be watching closely in the months
to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-49876660870055790932020-05-26T14:30:00.002-04:002020-05-26T14:30:14.590-04:00COMMENTARY: In Today's NASCAR, Is 600 Miles Too Much?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOEneZ1Li6vtgyb-eXhJr5It0nM1BD9rlzbhM6X305WJQaO-sq65oPR2vQdsgqluJD1YDQQDTQLZjp3w1F5X1l0ZojYGWTu7xOGSOqPAKAWa79lSS8Rpn5xvjYmbzdApeVWcB/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOEneZ1Li6vtgyb-eXhJr5It0nM1BD9rlzbhM6X305WJQaO-sq65oPR2vQdsgqluJD1YDQQDTQLZjp3w1F5X1l0ZojYGWTu7xOGSOqPAKAWa79lSS8Rpn5xvjYmbzdApeVWcB/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brad Keselowski won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday night, with the checkered flag falling at an hour when even the most rabid
NASCAR fans struggled to maintain consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Already the longest race on NASCAR’s 2020 schedule, the 600’s traditional
“daylight to darkness” format was stretched even further by an hour-long rain
delay and an overtime finish. The only thing preventing it from being called a
marathon was the fact that it ran longer than <u>two </u>marathons, with plenty
of minutes still to spare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And that, my friends, is becoming a problem. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In 1960, when Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith first conjured
up the idea of a 600-mile stock car race, the premise that “more is better” still
applied. An unofficial graduate of the P.T, Barnum School of Promotion, Smith was
always on the lookout for something new, something different, something that
had never before been attempted, or even imagined. And in an era where 500-mile
races were considered “outer limits,” a 600-miler was simply beyond the realm of human
comprehension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Smith’s
“World 600” was designed to be the ultimate test of man and machine, and in the
beginning, it was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In
its inaugural running in 1960, the event featured e<span style="color: #202122;">ight
official caution flags for a total of 45 laps, with at least a dozen other
incidents -- crashes and mechanical failures that failed to produce yellow
flags -- included in real-time reports of the race. Cars withdrew on laps 5, 6,
27, 85, 138,176, 233, 246, 333, 341, 352 and 365 of the event, with issues
ranging from “terminal crashes” to engine and transmission failures, fuel leaks
and even a collapsed frame. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A total
of 55 cars took the green flag that day, with only 36 of them<span style="color: #202122;"> surviving to see the checkered flag in a race that
took 5:34:06 to complete on a day when the ambient temperature reached 89
degrees. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If
that sounds torturous to you, consider that this year’s race – with an hourlong
weather delay and an overtime finish thrown in for good measure – took almost exactly
as long to compete. At a whopping </span><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; padding: 0in;">607.6 miles</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, Sunday’s marathon was the longest event
in the 60-plus year history of NASCAR. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpTt_8w1gzJ4kMhB1eTZw6ZjZiVUUNf-YRDJofSigHfuuj7ZbaIuqNmExK_8cc5puPGG_7SrPffxnfl8bQIHhwJWGHFQRUfnEuaNIzv3dQ_B2u_D1a3s9HLSsOWUWIgEYEB5M/s1600/brad-keselowski-wins-coca-cola-600-in-overtime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpTt_8w1gzJ4kMhB1eTZw6ZjZiVUUNf-YRDJofSigHfuuj7ZbaIuqNmExK_8cc5puPGG_7SrPffxnfl8bQIHhwJWGHFQRUfnEuaNIzv3dQ_B2u_D1a3s9HLSsOWUWIgEYEB5M/s1600/brad-keselowski-wins-coca-cola-600-in-overtime.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Keselowski won the Coke 600</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">What
once was designed to be the ultimate test of both man and machine has arguably become neither.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Race
cars do not fail anymore. Engines no longer spew their guts on the back straightaway,
erupting in billowing plumes of white smoke while chunks of piston and connecting
rod cartwheel wildly in all directions. Wheels don’t collapse, tires don’t blow
(at least with the regularity that they did in 1960), and it has been decades since
the “Reason Out” column of the Monday morning race report contained words like “Fuel
Leak” or “Frame Failure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the early days of NASCAR, the question “Will my driver win”
could only be answered after first determining “Will my driver finish?” Today, however,
there is only one question needing to be answered. Finishing the race is
virtually guaranteed, and it’s been decades since fans had reason to worry that
their driver’s big lead would be erased within sight of Victory Lane by the
failure of a 25-cent junkyard part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Asked
if Sunday’s race had taxed the endurance of the machines involved, defending NASCAR
Cup Series champion Kyle Busch responded quickly in the negative. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Is it (tough) on the
cars? No,” he said. “The cars are way too sophisticated now. We could probably
go 800, maybe even 1,000 miles on a race car before you’d start to see
problems.”</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fHUcOr28q7pg7mYGzoi6l5cshzbiD_7Cc-IFCdDUX-Y-5OWUmBHu2YOK-S2tO5VKAJLvOMEfuDUHmxRYF75WDVhRsdhX2L8j0n5LVa4NzYrnuvadnb5S7hFHta9V71HRV4B5/s1600/Bruton-Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="900" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fHUcOr28q7pg7mYGzoi6l5cshzbiD_7Cc-IFCdDUX-Y-5OWUmBHu2YOK-S2tO5VKAJLvOMEfuDUHmxRYF75WDVhRsdhX2L8j0n5LVa4NzYrnuvadnb5S7hFHta9V71HRV4B5/s320/Bruton-Smith.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bruton Smith</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He’s right of course,
meaning that an extra-distance event like the </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Coke 600 is perilously close to becoming a game of “wait and see,” with a final verdict that takes far
too long to determine. In today’s modern, microwave society where instant
gratification is king, “wait and see” is no longer something the average Joe is
willing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the 1960 World 600, second-place
finisher Johnny Beauchamp rolled home four laps behind winner Joe Lee Johnson.
Sunday, being four laps behind earned you </span><span style="color: #202122; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">25<sup>th</sup> and 26<sup>th </sup>place at the drop of the
checkered flag, as Ty Dillon and Matt Kenseth will unhappily attest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: #202122; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In 1960, 35% of the field failed to make it to the checkered
flag. Sunday, 37 of the 40 starters were still running at the finish, 19 of
them on the lead lap. Only JJ Yeley, Bubba Wallace (hub) and Clint Bowyer
(crash) fell out of the race before it was over.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Casual fans who sample our sport only once or twice a year – the way
many of us experience the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500 – have little interest in subjecting themselves to a 4½-hour motorsports marathon, no matter
how good the racing may be. NASCAR is currently embroiled in a daily competition
for the hearts, minds and attention of the North American sporting public. In
recent weeks, we have recently major steps toward winning that competition,
thanks to a healthy dose of “outside the box’ thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s not stop now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not long ago, the very idea of trimming the Coca-Cola 600 to a shorter,
more user-friendly length amounted to nothing less than treason. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Tradition” was reason enough to leave everything the way it was.
If 600 miles was good enough for Grandpappy in 1963, it was good enough for us.
Not because it was the right thing to do, necessarily, but because it had
always been done that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, however, the world has changed. Three months in COVID-19
quarantine have allowed many of us to begin examining things from a whole new perspective.
We no longer take things for granted, simply because they have always been
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday night Cup racing? Why not?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Doubleheader weekends? 500 kilometers instead of 500 miles? Sure!
Let’s try it! What do we have to lose?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is time to ask ourselves whether the Coca-Cola 600 puts NASCAR’s best foot forward
the way it once did. Smith’s revolutionary "more is better" concept no longer resonates with a significant percentage of the racing public. With 300 television
channels, instantaneous access to the worldwide web and dozens of readily
available flavors of social media on-call to entertain us on demand, “too much
of a good thing” May finally have become... too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have “been there” and “done that,” and with a major revamping of
the 2021 schedule already promised by NASCAR, perhaps it is time to re-examine our sport’s
longest race, to see if we can come up with something new, something different,
something fun; in a way that will honor the legacy of Smith, the Great Innovator
himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-55479911941032520222020-05-07T08:43:00.001-04:002020-05-07T08:43:45.291-04:00COMMENTARY: NASCAR Puts Necessary Teeth In Its At-Track Protocol<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mnpzBJ2kHjoW47bpdvWBAGGqCLo8HR4klsNEH5XFA45FGOqNCiUEsYciGs1h4aZAS7YeYJ-TKYA2q9EnkqAWondPIM-SNtdjfsOSC6ZPoA-dgZrsdMQDUo72uAqzQpFOoYM4/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mnpzBJ2kHjoW47bpdvWBAGGqCLo8HR4klsNEH5XFA45FGOqNCiUEsYciGs1h4aZAS7YeYJ-TKYA2q9EnkqAWondPIM-SNtdjfsOSC6ZPoA-dgZrsdMQDUo72uAqzQpFOoYM4/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR issued a new technical bulletin yesterday, putting some
teeth in the sanctioning body’s newly announced COVID-19 event protocol. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Race
teams were issued a lengthy list of policies and procedures late last week that
will govern their May 17 return to competition</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> at Darlington Raceway, as well as subsequent events. That protocol includes a major reduction in the number of team
members allowed to attend each race event, multiple health and temperature
checks before, during and after each race, controlled entry and egress from the
garage area and mandatory masks and social distancing for all personnel. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Yesterday,
NASCAR made it clear that they take those guidelines seriously, warning that Cup
Series personnel who fail to comply can be fined between $10,000 and $50,000. Violations
in the Xfinity Series garage will result in fines of $5,000 to $25,000, with Truck
Series offenders docked between $2,500 and $12,500.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There is a reason why the powers-that-be in Daytona Beach are
taking their new mandates so seriously. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The world is quite literally watching
right now, and how NASCAR and its members conduct themselves in the coming
weeks could play a major role in determining whether more states relax their stay
at home restrictions and allow NASCAR (and other professional sports) to return
to the playing field. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have led the
way in that regard, becoming the first states to relax their standards and
allow NASCAR racing to resume.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When the cars return to the track at Darlington,
they will do so as part of a single-day program that includes no practice, no
qualifying and no fans in the grandstands. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It is imperative that our sport get it right at “The Track Too Tough To Tame,” and in the days that follow at Charlotte
Motor Speedway.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If people play fast-and-loose with the guidelines set forth by
NASCAR to keep them healthy, they are quite literally jeopardizing the short-term
future of the sport. It wasn’t easy for NASCAR to make its way back to the
track, as the first professional sport to return to competition. The necessary state
and federal officials have all given their thumbs-up to the plan with varying
degrees of trepidation, and not everyone agrees with the decision to do so. The
Governors of North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have faced considerable
criticism since NASCAR’s plan was announced, from those who consider our return
to competition to be premature, ill-advised and even downright dangerous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If our sport fails to follow the guidelines and procedures set
forth – or even worse, returns home from Darlington with new cases of Coronavirus
– the Governors of those states can (and will) shut things down again, as
quickly as they allowed them to restart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">After Darlington and Charlotte, reliable sources say that
additional races are planned for Martinsville Speedway on May 31, Bristol Motor
Speedway on June 3, Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 and Homestead Miami
Speedway on June 14. Those events have not yet been formally announced, as the sanctioning body reportedly waits for the official go-ahead from Virginia
Governor Ralph Northam, whose timeline for reopening his state is a good deal
more conservative than that of his counterparts in the Carolinas and Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What happens in the next three weeks can play a major role in
helping him make up his mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR has a golden opportunity to prove to prove to Gov. Northam
and others that it is competent, trustworthy and capable of policing itself and
keeping its people safe in the midst of a pandemic. Success on that front will
almost certainly open additional doors; both for NASCAR and perhaps even society
in general. </span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For better or worse, our sport has taken on the role of the nation’s
guinea pig, and this is a test that we cannot afford to fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On the off chance that there is a crew member or two who fail to
take that responsibility seriously, the prospect of a $10-50,000 fine should reinforce
the message quite nicely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-80581602793492195562020-05-05T08:24:00.001-04:002020-05-05T09:17:30.167-04:00Virginia Moving To Relax COVID-19 Guidelines<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g0ynxQPIgf208-HmrtZDIe3q9LjQo3QSK7ToaiiMQRmdSBEvsT73kLSAjQuNW0HqKrk_X1d0mCiYcjvZzRstqMk1E6FYB_zlunyO_5MgfBzaMBGS5BMF7pNuHjrPVAC6I-wV/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7g0ynxQPIgf208-HmrtZDIe3q9LjQo3QSK7ToaiiMQRmdSBEvsT73kLSAjQuNW0HqKrk_X1d0mCiYcjvZzRstqMk1E6FYB_zlunyO_5MgfBzaMBGS5BMF7pNuHjrPVAC6I-wV/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Va. Gov. Ralph Northam</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said yesterday that he will reopen a select
number of businesses and other activities next Friday, May 15, as the first stage
of a three-step plan for returning the Commonwealth to a more normal mode of
operation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">COVID-19 hospitalizations are down across the state, and at a news
conference in Richmond yesterday, Northam said that he will allow some businesses
– including hair salons, restaurants, entertainment centers, gyms and retailers
to reopen with reduced capacity and enhanced safety measures in place. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Businesses
and offices will be required to enhance physical distancing and do more cleaning
and disinfecting, with employees allowed regular breaks for hand-washing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Northam
said he expects the first phase of reopening to continue for approximately
three weeks, with a subsequent further relaxation of guidelines for social
gatherings to follow. Phases Two and Three also will last about three weeks, so
long as infection data does not spike. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVBOWqH7-UWnwASs6hpupTFAWyzeitkYNnyVrILXFrUfxbr53uev4XnLhIij-csFvigpwCl1feSiuh8KHX8lnZSXmBiUkq-k0aoRBwJafkwK_gGbnH3F2RLfJVq9q2qwymY3F/s1600/5812bd154d6f9.image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1200" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVBOWqH7-UWnwASs6hpupTFAWyzeitkYNnyVrILXFrUfxbr53uev4XnLhIij-csFvigpwCl1feSiuh8KHX8lnZSXmBiUkq-k0aoRBwJafkwK_gGbnH3F2RLfJVq9q2qwymY3F/s320/5812bd154d6f9.image.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Martinsville Speedway: Still uncertain</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Northam said yesterday that his
executive order closing most nonessential businesses has been extended from May
8 to May 15. He added that a separate stay-at-home order set to expire on June
10 will remain in place, for now. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While no official announcement has yet been
made, NASCAR is believed to be targeting Sunday, May 31 </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">for
a 500-lap Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway; the fifth event of its
resurrected Cup Series schedule.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">
Northam did not mention NASCAR during yesterday’s press conference, and the sanctioning
body has not commented on what impact his latest announcement might have on
that event.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In a related story, a NASCAR spokesperson has confirmed to
<i>NBC Sports</i> that voting for the 2021 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame has been
postponed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, Voting Day has been pushed
back to a date to be announced; the latest postponement attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The 2021 Modern Era Ballot – for drivers whose careers began within the past 60
years – include new, first-time nominees Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Carl
Edwards, along with Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde, Larry Phillips, Ricky
Rudd, Kirk Shelmerdine and Mike Stefanik. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nominees on the 2021 Pioneer Ballot –
for careers beginning more than 60 years ago – include first-time crew chief selection
“Suitcase” Jake Elder and car builder/team owner Banjo Matthews, along with
returning nominees Red Farmer, Hershel McGriff and Ralph Moody. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Voters will be
tasked with selecting two Modern Era nominees and one from the Pioneer Era for
induction into the 2021 Hall of Fame Class. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-14722143216611667782020-05-04T09:02:00.001-04:002020-05-04T09:02:26.336-04:00NASCAR Announces Rules Updates<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKKEMDYE5DBSdgPGDxSRuN5XaF_HhlN-1qQzNOp9LPSbd_wFvkXzNs19uBa8F6OkAJWRlzxr7K7tcOldyVWnQlIXE2DwSGMAw1CW4kUXdNH98mGoF07N1xpMQcfbeVT9OwB_B/s1600/NASCAR_NEW_LOGO_NASCAR_LOGO_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKKEMDYE5DBSdgPGDxSRuN5XaF_HhlN-1qQzNOp9LPSbd_wFvkXzNs19uBa8F6OkAJWRlzxr7K7tcOldyVWnQlIXE2DwSGMAw1CW4kUXdNH98mGoF07N1xpMQcfbeVT9OwB_B/s320/NASCAR_NEW_LOGO_NASCAR_LOGO_0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR issued an updated rules
bulletin to its Cup Series teams on Friday, implementing several rule changes in
the aftermath of the crash that injured Ryan Newman on the final lap of the
Daytona 500. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many of the changes are safety related, some are not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Most noteworthy on the list of
updates is the addition of a new roll bar support, intrusion plate and upper-main
roll bar support on superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega). The additions stem from the damage done to the upper driver’s-side roof area of Newman’s car in
that Daytona crash, damage that played a role in him suffering a head injury
that sidelined him temporarily from the sport. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The additional bars will be
optional for use on smaller tracks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR has also eliminated the
use of aero ducts at superspeedways, and reduced the size of the throttle body
from 59/64” to 57/64” That change, while relatively small, is expected to decrease
horsepower from 510 to around 480 or 490 at the sport’s largest and fastest
ovals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR will now mandate the addition
of a check valve to oil reservoirs and overflow expansion tanks, to prevent
spillage in the event that a car overturns, and there will be updated roll bar
padding specifications for all tracks beginning June 1. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">They will also require that slip tape be applied to the entire lower rear bumper
cover and extension at Daytona and Talladega.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The sanctioning body has lifted
the temporary testing ban that was implemented at the start of the COVID-19
shutdown, though open, on-track testing is still not allowed in the Cup,
Xfinity or Truck Series for the remainder of the 2020 season. Cup Series organizations
are allowed a maximum of 150 hours of wind tunnel testing time through December
31 of this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And finally, all "new-parts
submission" meetings for the remainder of 2020 have been cancelled in the
interest of cost-containment, while the minimum number of short block sealed
engines allowed per team has been reduced from 13 to eight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-28901018277126925612020-04-29T09:07:00.002-04:002020-04-29T09:07:49.056-04:00COMMENTARY: While Imperfect, NASCAR's Return Plan Checks A Lot Of Boxes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZK3ZI_PPHs6uQBWuZ0M2NY9VljdBCfOTzQnrKgln9WIs_0NydaBM2PyqO-W0IOYGx86Z2HH8A3dMiBxS3u2O9b7vrK-N4p1kB9AaYXbWaGVD9byIvb4rQ-iwU6ONESRotAcq/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZK3ZI_PPHs6uQBWuZ0M2NY9VljdBCfOTzQnrKgln9WIs_0NydaBM2PyqO-W0IOYGx86Z2HH8A3dMiBxS3u2O9b7vrK-N4p1kB9AaYXbWaGVD9byIvb4rQ-iwU6ONESRotAcq/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">North
Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said yesterday </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">that after consulting with NASCAR, track and state public health officials, he believes </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">that the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be run as scheduled on May 25, providing
there are no fans in the grandstands and health conditions in the state
continue to hold steady, or even improve. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who had urged the Governor to designate NASCAR an essential business, called the
decision “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">an important step in
bringing our economy back, bringing businesses back, and bringing exciting
competitive events back to North Carolina."</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">As this column hits the Worldwide Web at 9 AM ET Wednesday, there
has been no confirmation of NASCAR’s return to competition. But sometime today
or tomorrow, NASCAR is expected to announce a schedule for returning to the
track, beginning with a 400-mile event at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina
on Sunday, May 17. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">That will be followed by an additional 310-mile
race at Darlington the following Wednesday night, May 20. The next week will
see back-to-back races at Charlotte Motor Speedway; the Coca-Cola 600 on </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Sunday, May 24 and another 310-mile
event on Wednesday night, May 27. Additional races are expected to be run on
Sunday, May 31 at Martinsville Speedway, Wednesday night, June 3 at Bristol,
Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta and Sunday, June 14 at Homestead Miami Speedway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There is a method to NASCAR’s
madness when it comes to determining what tracks reopen first, and in what
order. North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida have relaxed their guidelines
to allow racing to take place, a step that not all states have yet been willing
to take. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Another concern is travel. Teams are not looking to put their
personnel on airplanes at present, either commercial or charter. Hotels not not an option at present, either, leaving tracks within driving
distance -- Charlotte, Darlington, Martinsville, Atlanta, Bristol and Homestead
– to carry the load in the short term. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">NASCAR is also restarting its
resurrected 2020 season with four consecutive races using the 550-hp,
high-downforce aerodynamic package, allowing teams to use cars they had previously
prepared for postponed events at Atlanta, Homestead and Texas. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">With NASCAR teams just now
reopening their shops and getting back to work, rolling out short track,
superspeedway or road course cars in the next 2-3 weeks would likely be a
burden too heavy to bear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When NASCAR does return to action, what will it looks like? </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5knsJl61VNia6zCVGdJ8PsTUGanEpIiYTByRMT8BUY-WVFWwkg-M86XC5_g-CEjce3b_1mlREB817arHsl3Zilw4GnTe5uaGVzZK8yJchLKJAjwB3dZ_TrN7fUS8L36cRq0M/s1600/darlington-raceway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="922" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg5knsJl61VNia6zCVGdJ8PsTUGanEpIiYTByRMT8BUY-WVFWwkg-M86XC5_g-CEjce3b_1mlREB817arHsl3Zilw4GnTe5uaGVzZK8yJchLKJAjwB3dZ_TrN7fUS8L36cRq0M/s320/darlington-raceway.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back to business at Darlington?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Expect strict limits on the number of team members
allowed at the race track, for at least the foreseeable future. Social distancing and masks will be the order of the day, with personnel checked for fever every time they enter the race track. That’s not a 100%
effective means of identifying people infected with the COVID-19 virus, since
it is possible to have the virus and still be asymptomatic. But with no
failsafe, quick test presently available to identify those with COVID-19,
temperature checks are better than nothing at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Many -- if not all -- of the rescheduled races are expected to be single-day events, with practice reduced
dramatically and qualifying based on either practice speeds or championship points. The idea is to
open the garage in the morning, roll off the event in an expedient, efficient manner and
send teams home that same night. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On multi-event weekends, the Gander Truck and
Xfinity Series garages are expected to follow a similar plan, opening only on race day. That reduces the total number of people on-site on any given
day, reduces the risk of transmission, expedites testing and makes social distancing
easier to accomplish.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Wednesday night
races will be shorter in distance – roughly 300 miles – compacting the program, making
midweek racing more palatable for the television audience and ensuring that people
can get off to bed at a reasonable hour, with their NASCAR fix satisfied. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Live pit stops are unlikely to take place, with timed cautions allowing tire changes and basic pit service to be performed at a slower pace, before drivers return to the
track in the same order they left. That allows teams to reduce their payroll and
transport fewer team members to the track.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It's not a perfect scenario,
by any means. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In a perfect world, we would prefer to return to competition
in a “business as usual fashion,” complete with multi-day events, live pit
stops and all the competitive whistles and bells we have come to expect from
NASCAR. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Unfortunately, this is far from a perfect world right now, and very few
of us are conducting "business as usual."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In the short term – at least for the
next two months – NASCAR will have to ease back into action, the first sport to
do so. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It’s not perfect, but it will do as a means to get back on
track, get some revenue flowing to race teams severely in need of capital, and
get racing back on television for an audience that has been severely affected
by simultaneous outbreaks of COVID-19 and Cabin Fever.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-23308817054160546532020-04-28T08:21:00.001-04:002020-04-28T08:21:25.873-04:00COMMENTARY: Kenseth Is The Right Man For The Job<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoB6pqr0_yavD9kzYBZxsAMOvcp3RJJCvos2d1IVpUozn9yJEYD1Tm9jIklzaXDPbzNzdoutVbxtQTV5o8nJNNAsDbEGjqKGIbTQTW70m2rK5Yx3gyxBCEyfGnkku_6o1Y2HI/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZoB6pqr0_yavD9kzYBZxsAMOvcp3RJJCvos2d1IVpUozn9yJEYD1Tm9jIklzaXDPbzNzdoutVbxtQTV5o8nJNNAsDbEGjqKGIbTQTW70m2rK5Yx3gyxBCEyfGnkku_6o1Y2HI/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We
learned yesterday that Matt Kenseth will return to the NASCAR Cup Series this
season, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">He
replaces Kyle Larson, who was released by the team after uttering a racial slur
during an iRacing event two weeks ago. Yesterday’s announcement caught virtually
everyone by surprise, including Kenseth himself, who admitted thinking his
NASCAR career was over as little as two weeks ago. Some are questioning Ganassi’s
decision to call upon Kenseth, instead of young lion Ross Chastain, to take over
the reins of the No. 42 Chevy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Why
a 48-year old veteran, instead of a 27-year old,
up-and-coming youngster?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">In
a word, stability. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Make
no mistake about it, Matt Kenseth is not the long-term solution for Chip
Ganassi Racing. Five years from now, we will not be talking about a 53-year old
Kenseth laboring behind the wheel of any NASCAR Cup Series race car,
much less the No. 42 machine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Despite
yesterday’s announcement, Chastain remains the heir-apparent for that ride; or the
No.1 Chevy currently manned by Ganassi’s other veteran wheelman, Kurt Busch. But
the timing for Chastain is not quite right, and here’s why. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">In
the aftermath of Larson’s controversial dismissal, Chip Ganassi
has spent the last two weeks in damage-control mode. A significant portion of
the last 14 days has been spent patching the hole Larson unwittingly punched in
the hull of CGR’s corporate battleship, making amends with understandably jittery
sponsors – McDonald’s, Credit One Bank, Advent Health -- and assembling an
unassailable list of reasons why they should stay on board, rather than look
elsewhere in the sport. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Kenseth
fills the bill in virtually every way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47GE173qGfhMKz2fhSfVb9foLiKQ3WhUT6bcEh52UhQWjlaWNjda1pGvSZdx8A8sh03vMIDNkjAeRUNt1pYJqihUfSYDTAAcp0EReIeNyEkK8ZQIj0N9cBBK5H5hu4Wdglrsl/s1600/Matt-Kenseth-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="1100" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47GE173qGfhMKz2fhSfVb9foLiKQ3WhUT6bcEh52UhQWjlaWNjda1pGvSZdx8A8sh03vMIDNkjAeRUNt1pYJqihUfSYDTAAcp0EReIeNyEkK8ZQIj0N9cBBK5H5hu4Wdglrsl/s320/Matt-Kenseth-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kenseth fills the bill.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">He
is a steady, veteran presence who will calm the waters at CGR almost immediately.
He is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion who finished Top-10 in the championship
standings in seven of his last eight full-time seasons. Other than a somewhat
fiery on-track spat with Joey Logano a few years ago – a dispute that lasted exactly
two races – he has been essentially controversy-free through more than two decades
under the white-hot spotlight of the NASCAR Cup Series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Ganassi
said it perfectly yesterday when he said Kenseth brings “no baggage” to the
dance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Ganassi
knows what he is getting with Kenseth. He’s getting a driver who has unfailingly upgraded the
performance of every single team he has driven for, from Robbie Reiser to Jack Roush
(twice) to Joe Gibbs. He will do the same for Chip Ganassi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Kenseth
arrives at CGR boasting a ready-made relationship with his teammate, having
worked alongside Kurt Busch for a number of years at Roush Fenway Racing. Both
drivers refer to each other as the best teammate they’ve ever had, and putting
that particular band back together makes absolute sense for Ganassi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The
team has petitioned NASCAR for a waiver that would make Kenseth eligible for
the 2020 playoffs, and despite having to dig out of a four-race hole, it’s not
hard to imagine him satisfying all the requirements necessary for playoff
qualification and perhaps even winning a race or two along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Don’t
worry about Ross Chastain. He will contest strongly for the 2020 Xfinity Series
title with Kaulig Racing, continuing to pad a resume that already ranks him as a
can’t-miss star of the future. He remains under contract with Ganassi Racing,
and he remains a big part of that organization’s future plans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">But
the future is not now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">At
this precise moment in time, Chip Ganassi does not have the luxury of thinking half
a decade down the road. Right now, he needs to focus on stopping the
organizational bleeding, pacifying his sponsors and charting a calm, steady,
even-handed course through the remainder of a 2020 campaign that has already
seen far too much upheaval and uncertainty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Matt
Kenseth is the right man for that job. That’s my view, for what it’s worth.
When we come back, Tyler Reddick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-27784843625601051712020-04-24T09:01:00.000-04:002020-04-24T09:01:07.135-04:00NASCAR Set For May 17 Darlington Return <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmGSE2S1XAAl8wvahr8yj69fFiVhdRWu9XSzapJz-4gVOULEpieIKuvHghlQwC9vgOhwu_oGqp5QWS4O_QXL4rz2FnmYLOwoLlmBJg2jytOZl1pZyYh_Az1F_IJwP41pkb1ds/s1600/Raleigh+display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="480" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmGSE2S1XAAl8wvahr8yj69fFiVhdRWu9XSzapJz-4gVOULEpieIKuvHghlQwC9vgOhwu_oGqp5QWS4O_QXL4rz2FnmYLOwoLlmBJg2jytOZl1pZyYh_Az1F_IJwP41pkb1ds/s320/Raleigh+display.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">NC Gov. Roy Cooper: Not ready for <br />business as usual</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The
governor of North Carolina delivered good news and bad news to
NASCAR fans yesterday, extending the state’s stay-at-home order through May 8 and
failing to take direct action on a request to allow the Coca-Cola 600 to be run
as scheduled on May 24 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Republican lawmakers had
called on Gov. Roy Cooper to curtail his stay-at-home order and reopen the
track, but he chose instead to continue as-is for the time being, while
phase-in a more gradual return to normalcy in coming weeks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">He said, “I’ve been
in contact with NASCAR officials, track owners, team owners. They have come
forward with a plan to try and protect their employees. So we’ll be coming
forward with an announcement on that pretty soon.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Cooper
said NASCAR teams can return to work at their shops, if they maintain proper social
distancing guidelines. He added that in his opinion, NASCAR has qualified as an
essential business all along, and could have been working with restrictions in
place. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">His comments do not necessarily clear the way for crewmembers to return
to work, though, since local and county governments may still have restrictions
of their own in place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Cabarrus
County – home of Hendrick Motorsports, Stewart Haas Racing, Roush Fenway, Chip
Ganassi and JTG Daugherty Racing currently as a stay-at-home order in place that
appears to prevent a return to work until next Tuesday. Mecklenburg County
(home of Joe Gibbs Racing) amended its order last week to mirror whatever
guidelines are put forth by the state, which could conceivably prevent teams from
returning until the state order is withdrawn. Neighboring Iredell County currently
has no countywide stay-at home order in effect. Adding to the confusion, the Hendrick
Motorsports campus is partially located in Mecklenburg County, with most of its
race shops in Cabarrus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSPWKHkioXsAnjFB_JPtkSsVDWucUUopZjlPOdFkMiDlVx1rcMGlBM8F0yuk83Am6j0BJPRuFQNAxuY4ocdJHMIvdndGJCRlc-gQQpJZuRf02gK3rycyXBi44_FIX_kKjryuZ/s1600/NASCARDarlingtonScene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1140" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSPWKHkioXsAnjFB_JPtkSsVDWucUUopZjlPOdFkMiDlVx1rcMGlBM8F0yuk83Am6j0BJPRuFQNAxuY4ocdJHMIvdndGJCRlc-gQQpJZuRf02gK3rycyXBi44_FIX_kKjryuZ/s320/NASCARDarlingtonScene.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Darlington prepping to host <br />NASCAR's return?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Despite
the uncertainty surrounding race shop reopening, the road now appears clear for
NASCAR to return to the race track in three weeks. South Carolina’s Director of
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Duane Parrish confirmed yesterday that Darlington
Raceway will indeed host a race this spring. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">He
did not specify a date for the event, but multiple reports say that NASCAR is
set to return to on-track competition at Darlington on May 17.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">There
is no word at this point on whether the track will run its traditional Southern
500 on that date – rescheduled from Labor Day weekend – or be awarded an
additional, second date in an attempt to help make-up one of the race’s postponed
by the COVID-19 shutdown. Track President Kerry Tharp has not yet commented on
this week’s reports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">After
Darlington, NASCAR will reportedly run the Coke 600 at Charlotte the following
week, May 24. Prior to that, sources say that CMS could also host an
additional, mid-week race on Wednesday night, May 20. Following those two
events in Charlotte, sources say the NASCAR Cup Series will travel to Bristol
Motor Speedway on Wednesday night, May 27, completing a run of four races in 11
days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">All
events will include a strict testing regimen implemented by NASCAR for team
members, track workers and media. Limits would be placed on who can come to the
track, with personnel checked for fever before being admitted to the venue. At
this time, all events are scheduled to be run without fans in the grandstands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-44084483257331444032020-04-21T09:03:00.001-04:002020-04-21T09:03:44.916-04:00COMMENTARY: NASCAR Could Return Within 30 Days<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkOwaTouSPlf_HV1RDgbSNK1kq6AylPQbHakkb5DYaKxEt-VXVCKbRK8k6TMgrp6i01kNhQ5_-vdXE-9Yg4wemPU8Ed1RzwaLC5q13fkTtK3DdI3na_1ZA60_YXe_stM5RWNY/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkOwaTouSPlf_HV1RDgbSNK1kq6AylPQbHakkb5DYaKxEt-VXVCKbRK8k6TMgrp6i01kNhQ5_-vdXE-9Yg4wemPU8Ed1RzwaLC5q13fkTtK3DdI3na_1ZA60_YXe_stM5RWNY/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One week ago, the prospect of a
NASCAR race anytime in the foreseeable future seemed to be the most unlikely of
prospects. With the country still enmeshed in the COVID-19 shutdown and social
distancing the order of the day, NASCAR spent its sixth weekend of inactivity
placating itself with iRacing and longing for the day – apparently far in the future
– that it might return to the race track in earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Today, a return to competition
in the next 30 days appears not only possible, but likely. And as that likelihood
increases, a handful of track operators are positioning themselves to the first
in line when the green flag falls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Several
Republican members of the North Carolina General Assembly called on Governor
Roy Cooper this week to reopen Charlotte Motor Speedway in time for the track’s
traditional Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend. State senators from Gaston,
Cabarrus, Union, Iredell and Rowan counties requested that Cooper green-light
the event, while keeping the grandstands closed to minimize the risk of
COVID-19 transmission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Union
County Senator Todd Johnson said, “People are going stir-crazy with very few
live sports underway. And allowing NASCAR racing in Charlotte would be a good
first step toward returning to some semblance of normalcy. Gov. Cooper should
permit fan-less racing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cabarrus
County Sen. Paul Newton said, “NASCAR has already demonstrated it can safely
run races without fans while practicing social distancing.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Despite
Newton’s claim, NASCAR has not yet conducted races without fans in attendance,
though the sanctioning body is believed to have a plan in place to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Speedway
Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith said Sunday, “We want to do
everything possible to support NASCAR, the dozens of race teams in North
Carolina and the fans to get back on track. We will work with the governor,
state and local government and health officials to make that happen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcBL76zEeagbadrpBgkwvnUxQ-ghyphenhypheneT529wETPdLh-TxEjrdv6o8cJBk-2o0WpO6XH38PUcJLS-hAy-6T47-6-ENGh6Zs7D7nimbzwX_QlsLYB-B1nldkMp_-mMXA2J5fLgAK/s1600/charlotte-motor-speedway-resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcBL76zEeagbadrpBgkwvnUxQ-ghyphenhypheneT529wETPdLh-TxEjrdv6o8cJBk-2o0WpO6XH38PUcJLS-hAy-6T47-6-ENGh6Zs7D7nimbzwX_QlsLYB-B1nldkMp_-mMXA2J5fLgAK/s320/charlotte-motor-speedway-resized.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Charlotte Motor Speedway: First to return?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
Charlotte positions itself to host a possible NASCAR return later this month, sister
track Texas Motor Speedway may be poised to deliver a bump-and-run to those
plans. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday afternoon, Texas Governor
Greg Abbott tweeted that he had spoken to NASCAR leaders and that, “They’re
working to return to Texas Motor Speedway very soon. I hope to announce the
exciting details in the near future. To prevent the spread of COVID19, it will
be without fans. But they will put on a great show for TV.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Texas Motor Speedway President
Eddie Gossage’s reaction to that announcement was initially lukewarm, at best.
He said he was not happy with the prospect of racing in front of empty
grandstands, calling it “not a good alternative” while acknowledging that it
may be the only option the sport has at the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">With 24 hours to mull Gov,
Abbott’s comments, Gossage took things to the next level yesterday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A graduate of the unofficial Humpy Wheeler
School of Promotional Excess (that’s a compliment), Gossage now says that not
only does he want to host NASCAR’s three National Series on the weekend of June
6, he wants to add IndyCar’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genesys 600</i>
to the mix, creating a four-division buffet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A week ago, Gossage turned
thumbs-down on the prospect of a standalone IndyCar race at TMS. But yesterday,
he said the TV money that comes from the track’s NASCAR weekend would make it
financially feasible for him to add IndyCar to the mix, saying, “There is a
scale of economics in place.” He explained that support staff -- EMT’s,
firemen, ambulance workers, Infield Care Center medical staff, TV and radio
personnel – would already be in place and ready to work, making IndyCar a
better bet in tandem with NASCAR than it is on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If it happens, Texas’
quadrupleheader would trump Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which announced plans
recently to hold a combination NASCAR/IndyCar weekend there on July 4 weekend,
utilizing the infield road course for Saturday’s GMR IndyCar Grand Prix and the
NASCAR Xfinity Series, followed by the traditional quad-oval for Sunday’s Brickyard
400 NASCAR Cup Series event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrngezQpf1FXk9XBy2OSDBU2p059wfevPzVYfcabRwEyJToD2ioxjRuyEShfWXSWa4IbwAaHLbgHC0802CnYHV30lh8ACp7riAvyHxzvNt-4LweNUC10zZtGxboZ80btpALtO/s1600/EddieGossage_2010AAATexas500_260h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrngezQpf1FXk9XBy2OSDBU2p059wfevPzVYfcabRwEyJToD2ioxjRuyEShfWXSWa4IbwAaHLbgHC0802CnYHV30lh8ACp7riAvyHxzvNt-4LweNUC10zZtGxboZ80btpALtO/s320/EddieGossage_2010AAATexas500_260h.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Gossage touting NASCAR/IndyCar<br />quadrupleheader.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Gossage played it coy yesterday,
saying that the decision would be totally up to NASCAR, and that he understands
the scheduling challenges that will be faced by the sanctioning body in the
coming weeks. But he also made it clear that if the NASCAR/IndyCar quad-bill
does not take place on the opening weekend of June, it is unlikely that IndyCar
will appear at TMS at all this season, unless the track is allowed to sell
tickets and fill the grandstands to help pay the bills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“If the IndyCar race doesn’t
happen that weekend, it would be unlikely to find another date where we could
afford to do it,” said Gossage to NBCSports.com. “I have my fingers crossed we
could get it done that weekend and have a great race, which is the norm for the
first weekend in June and two weekends after Indy to do it here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We have our fingers crossed.
NASCAR has eight or nine races they have to reschedule somewhere. It is their
intent, as I understand it from my conversations with them, to run the
Coca-Cola 600 and then run every week thereafter. It may not suit them to run
the weekend of June 5-6 to pair up with an IndyCar race because it works best
for us. Time will tell on that one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“If you are looking at a
standalone later in the summer, I don’t see that happening.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“If the governor had said
‘no,’ there’s no reason to pursue those points until he changed his position,”
Gossage said. “But he’s incredibly enthusiastic about it and wants the world to
know Texas is pro-business and `What can I do to help?’ What this does is give
us the green light to proceed with planning for a race. There’s a lot of
details to work out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Our new normal is going to be
different,” he said. “We’re all going to have to find ways to make it work. It’s
counterintuitive to me to promote a race where you aren’t selling tickets to.
It’s a strange way of thinking, but it’s our new normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“This too shall pass. We’ll
get beyond this and down the road, but it’s quite different right now. The good
news is during this time when we are all stuck at home, hopefully those TV
ratings for races will be way up and that will be a good thing for all of us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Gossage said he spoke recently
with new Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske, enthusiastically
supported the idea of a NASCAR/IndyCar weekend in The Lone Star State and offered
his support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Charlotte and Texas are not
the only tracks attempting to jostle their way to the front of the
post-shutdown line these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Darlington
Raceway could end up in the post-COVID-19 mix as well, after South Carolina
Governor Henry McMaster issued a new executive order yesterday, putting the
decision on reopening the state’s beached back in the hands of local municipalities
and allowing the conditional reopening of some retail stores. McMaster
advocated a “gradual return to normalcy” that could indicate a willingness to
allow racing to resume at Darlington Raceway, with conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Unfortunately,
all the governmental cheerleading in the world won’t change one simple fact.
Unless and until NASCAR teams are allowed to reopen their shops and put
crewmembers back to work, there will be no racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway,
Texas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, or anywhere else. In order for that
to happen, Gov. Cooper will have to designate NASCAR as an essential business,
much like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did for World Wrestling Entertainment
earlier this month, allowing them to resume hosting live events in the Sunshine
State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“The governor of North
Carolina has not allowed the shops to reopen, so unless and until he does,
there’s nothing for us to do,” said Gossage. “That’s Step 1. None of this
matters until that happens. They’ll likely need a couple weeks to get cars
prepped and ready.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Until that happens for NASCAR,
any talk of returning to the race track is nothing more than a terminal case of
putting the cart in front of the horse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-37469367624051486952020-04-14T09:49:00.002-04:002020-04-14T09:49:38.951-04:00COMMENTARY: Larson Gets It, But He May Be In The Minority<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj94LzhTpNwG2FMrY3hUW1h6lCJX-4HMXhPkjHHzFqfNKhc9Uq_VNTVL0c0Quvwo56R4p1RYPV9azSrNGLTb1XYM0lOWkjMBhWMa1JRqoXLkSrxOz6dDqMVE3IMTzt7qlsgX6t/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj94LzhTpNwG2FMrY3hUW1h6lCJX-4HMXhPkjHHzFqfNKhc9Uq_VNTVL0c0Quvwo56R4p1RYPV9azSrNGLTb1XYM0lOWkjMBhWMa1JRqoXLkSrxOz6dDqMVE3IMTzt7qlsgX6t/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Personal responsibility may not be dead, but it’s
in critical condition these days.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the last 36 hours on social media will
attest, a significant portion of NASCAR Nation has spent much of its time recently looking for someone to blame for Kyle Larson’s current predicament, other than
Larson himself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who have been living under a rock
for the last day or two, Larson got himself into hot water Sunday night, using a
racial slur – the dreaded n-word – while taking part in an online iRace. His
use of that word triggered a landslide of discussion and debate that continues
today, with a shocking number of people defending what was said, and blaming
people other than Larson for saying it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Almost immediately, some online experts
went to the tried-and-true tactic of blaming the media for Larson’s mess. After
all, nobody would have known about his indiscretion if they hadn’t read about
it in the newspaper, seen it on TV, heard it on the radio or seen it online.
For the record, “the media” did not drop an n-bomb Sunday night, Kyle Larson did.
Blaming the media for his current situation is like blaming the mailman for
running up your credit card bill. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">iRacing is also not to blame for Kyle’s current
plight. There were calls yesterday for NASCAR drivers to show support for
Larson by boycotting future iRacing events, based on the colossally ridiculous
premise that iRacing had sinned by providing the venue Larson used to say what
he said. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some chastised NASCAR for “overreacting” to
Larson’s statement and “attempting to destroy his career.” In reality, NASCAR has
done nothing more than suspend Larson from a sport that is itself suspended, while providing him with an
easy-to-follow road map back into the good graces of the sport. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All NASCAR has asked of Larson is that he complete a Sensitivity Training course. The last
driver to receive such a sanction was back on the race track in two weeks, and there is no reason to think that Larson will be any less successful. He
has the ability to attend those sessions, make himself valedictorian of his
class and be reinstated by NASCAR, long before our sport returns from the
COVID-19 shutdown. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So much for destroying his career.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1d0nwsEgCoa7zTB6wXBuXg3O8aZGpo3Uu5aTLmOvFq0VdhmrzNfjgJas3jhMijRP3kAmIATgUomD3IxMsfa1q1p-tu-KMRlFU8FQUFLcg7r5DK2iJ-PQp-L_vhcyJNxvy9vn/s1600/WireAP_8372f22b3de8411994d4e711e502e5e2_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="992" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1d0nwsEgCoa7zTB6wXBuXg3O8aZGpo3Uu5aTLmOvFq0VdhmrzNfjgJas3jhMijRP3kAmIATgUomD3IxMsfa1q1p-tu-KMRlFU8FQUFLcg7r5DK2iJ-PQp-L_vhcyJNxvy9vn/s320/WireAP_8372f22b3de8411994d4e711e502e5e2_16x9_992.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Larson is in hot water.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">People are angry at Chip Ganassi for suspending
Larson indefinitely, without pay. Put yourself in Ganassi’s
shoes,</span> for just one moment. You are the owner of a multi-million dollar NASCAR, IndyCar and Sports
Car racing collossus, with hundreds of employees who depend on you to put food
on the table, pay the monthly mortgage and buy little Timmy a new pair of
shoes. You have major sponsors, without whom your organization will grind to a complete and total halt, and one of your employees has put that entire process in jeopardy by saying something that much of
the country finds extremely distasteful. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Under those circumstances, doing nothing –
saying nothing -- is not an option. If you are Chip Ganassi, failure to take decisive action would be seen as tacit approval, and one can only imagine the outcry
that would rightfully result from a NASCAR team owner saying, “We have
no problem with our driver using the n-word.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazingly, some people out there are even upset
with Larson’s sponsors for withdrawing their financial support. Let’s make one
thing perfectly clear; companies like McDonald’s, Credit One Bank, Advent
Health, Chevrolet, Clover and Lucas Oil made Kyle Larson a millionaire. They
bankrolled his NASCAR and World of Outlaws Sprint Car operations, allowing him
to do what he loves at the highest possible level, while asking only
that he be a positive representative for their respective brands. </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larson
obviously dropped the ball in that regard Sunday night, putting himself – and by
association them – directly in the crosshairs of controversy, subjecting them to scrutiny and criticism that they did nothing to earn and do not deserve.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you imagine the response if McDonald’s had not reacted yesterday? Can you imagine the international
tumult that would have ensued had the iconic Golden Arches simply shrugged their collective shoulders and said, “Oh well. Not our problem?"<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Those corporations had to
react, and they reacted appropriately.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkU-jn659wC0WKJGDbKO-_hJXuWW3UXyg0oAfD3XFYGzeMGoV7C3eNEwExTKuaV7BJSIgeMiutmzkb04IRqe5-C5a90TTnGXwTRVUb82gvF8Zck3cPlazU8R3wcKTQpxJJxhV/s1600/SPEEDWAYADV-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1254" data-original-width="1600" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkU-jn659wC0WKJGDbKO-_hJXuWW3UXyg0oAfD3XFYGzeMGoV7C3eNEwExTKuaV7BJSIgeMiutmzkb04IRqe5-C5a90TTnGXwTRVUb82gvF8Zck3cPlazU8R3wcKTQpxJJxhV/s320/SPEEDWAYADV-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There is a road back...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’re questioning the fairness of yesterday’s
sponsor withdrawals – and yes, it was a tough 90 minutes or so as they stepped
away, one after another – ask yourself this. Is it coincidental that six highly
successful corporations all responded to Larson’s comments in exactly the same
way? Or was it a justifiable reaction to a serious breach of contract?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the
reams of red tape in the standard NASCAR sponsorship contract, the agreement is fairly simple. As a sponsor, we fund your race team at a colossally generous
level, and you agree not to make us look bad. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unwittingly and unintentionally, Larson made his sponsors look bad. It's guilt by association, and all six companies reacted in the best interest of their companies, their stockholders and their employees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here’s one of the few bits of good news in this
mess. While a significant portion of NASCAR Nation flails its arms angrily in
the dark, looking for someone to scapegoat other than the ridiculously
handsome, incredibly talented, immensely likeable young man they see on
television every Sunday afternoon, Kyle Larson gets it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He knows who is to blame, and he said so
yesterday in a 42-second apology video that was both heartfelt and sincere. He did
not pass the buck. He did not blame NASCAR, iRacing, his sponsors or the media.
He blamed himself for a momentary lapse of judgement that offended many, impacted
thousands of innocent individuals who did nothing at all wrong, and plunged
this sport (yet again) into an age-old controversy that has nothing to do with
racing and everything to do with race.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In cases like this, it is possible to hate the
sin, while loving the sinner. Very few people – and none outside the lunatic fringe
– want Kyle Larson to be fired for his use of the n-word Sunday. It may happen, but no one looks forward to that possibility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Supporting
Larson in his bid to be reinstated by NASCAR is possible without defending the action that got him into this pickle. You can like and respect Larson (as I do) while still disliking what he said
and the impact it has had on our sport.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sincerely hope that Larson is able to
rebound from this controversy by taking the steps NASCAR has laid out. People have short memories, and Larson will almost certainly receive another opportunity in this sport, whether with CGR or elsewhere.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Larson is in a dark place today, but the sun will eventually rise again. There is a road map back to the good graces of NASCAR, as proven by former series champion Kurt Busch.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not so many years ago, Busch was as controversial a figure as this sport has ever seen. A negative-publicity generating machine, Busch alienated fans, media, team members and sponsors to the point where he was released by Penske Racing after being deemed more trouble than he was worth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That experience was humbling in the extreme, forcing Busch to take a then-second tier ride with Furniture Row Racing, which was then a few years away from its championship prime. Busch humbled himself, paid his penance and began the process of reclaiming both his image and his place in the sport. Today, he is a respected veteran and a stabilizing influence, ironically serving as a teammate/mentor for Larson at Chip Ganassi Racing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If asked, Busch can draw a map that leads his young teammate back to the good graces of the game. And honestly, Larson is already off to a solid start.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He can remain a vital, important and valuable contributor to our sport.
He is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who made a serious mistake that hopefully will not characterize
the rest of his life, or the rest of his career.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kyle Larson is not evil, and he is not a bad guy. He messed up Sunday, making a colossal mess that will take some time to clean up. But we all mess-up from time to time, in one way or another. The key is to learn from our mistakes, and not make the same one twice.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is opportunity here for both learning and
growth; for both Larson and the sport. His road back will not be easy. It will
require him to humble himself and do some soul-searching, to determine
where that ugly word came from, and how it slipped so easily from his lips.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But let’s
be clear about one thing. This week’s controversy has nothing to do with
political correctness and nothing to do with Free Speech. It has everything
to do with treating your fellow human beings with dignity and respect. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Intentionally saying
things to people that you know to be hurtful and inflammatory does not make you
a champion of free speech. It makes you a bully and a boor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To
those who appeared so angrily on social media yesterday, I’m truly
sorry that you feel deprived of your perceived Constitutional right to utter
racial slurs with impunity. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m sorry you find it unfair that African Americans say a word to each other that we Caucasians are not allowed to use. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m sorry that you have somehow de-evolved to a place where decrying racial slurs makes someone a snowflake. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t help
you with any of those issues, but I know where the answer lies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s
right there, in your mirror. Examine it (or not) at your leisure.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-14166811811342604882020-04-13T09:18:00.002-04:002020-04-13T12:37:37.543-04:00COMMENTARY: And Now, The 6,000-Pound Elephant in the Room<div class="p1" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 15px;">
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">UPDATE (Monday 4/13/20, 10:10 AM ET): NASCAR has issued a statement, saying the sanctioning body </span><i>“is aware of insensitive language used by a driver during an iRacing event on Sunday, and is currently gathering more information.”</i></span></b><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></b>
<span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>UPDATE 2 (Monday 4/13/20, 10:40 AM ET): Statement from Chip Ganassi Racing -- <i>“We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing event. The words that he chose to use are offensive and unacceptable. As of this moment we are suspending Kyle without pay while we work through this situation with all appropriate parties.”</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: red;">UPDATE 3 (Monday 4/13/20, 11:40 AM ET): Larson has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR and<i> </i></span></b></span><b><span style="color: red;">will be required to attend sensitivity training</span></b><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>. </i>In a written statement, the sanctioning body said,<i> "</i></span><i>NASCAR has made diversity and inclusion a priority and will not tolerate the type of language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday’s iRacing event. Our Member Conduct Guidelines are clear in this regard, and we will enforce these guidelines to maintain an inclusive environment for our entire industry and fan base."</i> </span></b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span>UPDATE 4 </span><span style="color: red;">(Monday 4/13/20, 12:30 PM ET): </span><span style="word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Larson has issued a video apology, saying, <i>"I just want to say I'm sorry. </i></span><i><span style="word-spacing: 0.141667em;">Last night, I made a mistake and said a word that should never, ever be said and there's no excuse for that. </span><span style="word-spacing: 0.141667em;">I wasn't raised that way and it's just an awful thing to say. I feel very sorry for my family, my friends, my partners, the NASCAR community and especially the African American community. </span><span style="word-spacing: 0.141667em;">I understand the damage is probably unrepairable and I own up to that. I just want let you all to know how sorry I am and I hope everybody is staying safe during these crazy times."</span></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnyPnVqXtyqakBUPhbj4LXU1lTymXKI3WDiFWSVqGW3qCJ7o0zyebJ-tuv4mG2UwojvCcxUCHYPnLahEgDVLahoTW_SbD9nK8-TijGpWNAzMqvMjmAuEQnQvOw_898VFEzsGr/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnyPnVqXtyqakBUPhbj4LXU1lTymXKI3WDiFWSVqGW3qCJ7o0zyebJ-tuv4mG2UwojvCcxUCHYPnLahEgDVLahoTW_SbD9nK8-TijGpWNAzMqvMjmAuEQnQvOw_898VFEzsGr/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Apparently, Kyle Larson uttered the
N-word last night as part of an iRacing event at the legendary Monza race
course, triggering the kind of social-media explosion that just about anything
controversial creates these days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">On Monday morning, as this
commentary glows on the computer monitor, there has been no public comment or
confirmation from either Larson or NASCAR on the topic. That almost certainly
will come, but it hasn’t yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Thus, it is both fair and prudent to
use the word “allegedly,” when discussing what Larson apparently said last
night, and what – if anything – should happen next.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It’s possible – though admittedly unlikely
– that with 60-odd drivers competing and communicating in last night’s iRacing event,
that Larson did not, in fact, make the comments attributed to him. It certainly
sounded like Kyle, and the lack of an immediate, outright denial from his camp
would seem to indicate that it was indeed him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">But fair is fair, and Larson
deserves the right to state his case and explain himself, to whatever degree is
possible in cases like this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Last night’s incident, if
true, is not unprecedented. In 2013, Xfinity Series driver Jeremy Clements used
the same word Larson is accused of using in a Speedweeks conversation with a
reporter at Daytona International Speedway. Like Larson, Clements did not use the word </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">in a directly malicious or
demeaning manner. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">But like Larson, Clements faced almost immediate
social media backlash. Within hours of the story coming to light, he was
indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for making “an intolerable and insensitive
remark'' in violation of the sanctioning body’s Code of Conduct.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpUvPVT4EENaTpLdD525SBBGeLRa9GCEWsU1IDEK5-bLhhR1uIMPSpnqSiQGWfPw_v-IsLHCvwPNTQP31kbXYyAu4qpO62CObBQlTFv28r9LKJKpaCsQFV9LjeG0uKU0AT8M7/s1600/WireAP_8372f22b3de8411994d4e711e502e5e2_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="992" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIpUvPVT4EENaTpLdD525SBBGeLRa9GCEWsU1IDEK5-bLhhR1uIMPSpnqSiQGWfPw_v-IsLHCvwPNTQP31kbXYyAu4qpO62CObBQlTFv28r9LKJKpaCsQFV9LjeG0uKU0AT8M7/s320/WireAP_8372f22b3de8411994d4e711e502e5e2_16x9_992.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Larson is on the hotseat</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Clements immediately admitted his
gaffe, provided context (for what it was worth) and apologized profusely.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">While damaging, the incident
did not end Clements’ NASCAR career. He continues to race in the Xfinity
Series, and is a well-respected competitor among his peers. Unlike Larson,
however, Clements drives for his own, family-owned race team, with minimal
national sponsorship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Larson competes for one of the
top teams in the sport, Chip Ganassi Racing, with financial backing from major
corporations like McDonalds, Credit One Bank and Advent Health. How that team
and those sponsors will react to his alleged comments remains to be seen at
this hour.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">But clearly, this situation is
neither simple nor advantageous to any of the involved parties.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Last night’s alleged comment obviously
does little to dispel the stereotypical view still held by some observers of
our sport. To some, NASCAR is little more than a group of rowdy rednecks driving
in circles on Sunday afternoons, beneath a backdrop of Confederate flags that
while fewer in number in recent years, are still too easy to find.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It is especially ironic that
this controversy involves Larson, the product of Japanese and American parentage
and a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. He may not have been
the last person we expected to hear utter that word, but he’s pretty near the
bottom of the list.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Larson is in the final year of
his current driving contract with CGR, and is considered to be one of the
hottest free-agent properties in the sport. Whether that changes or not remains
to be seen, but there is plenty of precedent out there in the world of sports
for transgressions like this one (and worse) to be forgiven, based on an
individual’s ability to run a 4-4 40, slam dunk a basketball or break multiple
tackles on his way to the end zone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Clements was reinstated by
NASCAR just two weeks after his suspension, after completing racial sensitivity
counseling mandated by the sanctioning body. It is not hard to imagine a similar
outcome for Larson, if he proves as amenable to doing so as Clements was.
Tougher to gauge will be the reaction of his race team and his
sponsors, who certainly don’t need any negative publicity these days, combined with the
current financial and business challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Hopefully, Larson will soon come forward with a full explanation of what
happened last night, and if appropriate, an apology. That is Step One on the
road to redemption, and it can’t happen a moment too soon.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hopefully, a few weeks down the line, we can
all look back at this situation as a learning experience; an opportunity to understand
more clearly that there are certain words that simply cannot be used anymore,
regardless of intent or context.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-10787968982424673072020-03-23T08:58:00.001-04:002020-03-23T09:59:34.451-04:00COMMENTARY: eNASCAR Series Was Just What The Doctor Ordered<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
</div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">While Week Three of NASCAR’s unprecedented COVID-19 shut down is
upon us, NASCAR got back on track (in a manner of speaking) Sunday with the
running of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series <i>Dixie Vodka
150</i>.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">The iRacing event, contested on a virtual representation of
Homestead Miami Speedway, featured an eclectic lineup of drivers that included
seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr.,
brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski,
Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Austin
Dillon, Bobby Labonte and others. They competed remotely </span><span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">from their rumpus rooms, man
caves and garages; honoring the self-distancing requests of government
officials while still gathering together in the name of competition.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">For the record, Hamlin overhauled Earnhardt with a high-line pass
on the final lap to win the race, with Earnhardt surviving some last-lap fender
rubbing to finish second, ahead of Timmy Hill, Chase Briscoe and pole-starter
Garrett Smithley.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">The results didn’t really matter, though. What mattered was what
the event did to lift the spirits of NASCAR fans across North America.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Regardless of who won or lost, Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro
Invitational Series debut provided a much-needed boost to the collective
psyche of NASCAR Nation. In a time in our country’s history when normalcy is in
extremely short supply, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports banded together to
provide 90 minutes of distraction, laughs and competition that can’t help but
make the next seven days of self-distancing and isolation a little bit easier
to take.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">The event combined a level of competitive intensity normally
expected from a group of professional athletes with an unprecedented and
refreshing dose of “who cares?” With no points to be tallied, no championship
to be won and no money on the line – save for the $5,000 Hamlin pledged to
contribute to charity if he won – the competitors were looser, more laid-back
and more able to simply have fun than we have ever seen them before. FS1 set
the tone for the day with its pre-race National Anthem, apparently performed
from the singer’s garage in deference to its superior acoustical qualities.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">FS1’s usual on-air team of Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Larry
McReynolds did their usual stand-up job supplying the necessary Xs and O’s,
with Clint Bowyer – who is rapidly becoming NASCAR’s version of the NFL’s Rob
Gronkowski – supplying color commentary and comic relief from an adjoining
studio; all while taking part in the event himself.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Early in the event, it became clear that iRacing and actual racing
are not the same, as the top stock racers on the planet slogged their way
through repeated, multi-car crashes that slowed the tempo of the event. Johnson
seemed particularly out of his element, being caught-up in a pair of skirmishes
in the early going, despite running at the back of the pack.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">But again, that didn’t really seem to matter.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Nine cautions (or was it 10?) slowed the 100-lap, 150-mile event,
forcing FS1 to run approximately 20 minutes long and join <i>Horse Racing
Nation</i> a little later than originally planned. But unless you were
waiting breathlessly for updated odds for this year’s Kentucky Derby, nobody
really cared.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">It was… in a word, fun. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman
tweeted during an early caution, “I have to pee. (My dog) Finn may take over
during the next caution.” He then blamed the dog for a crash that ultimately
took him out of contention; something you just don’t see every day in big-time,
professional motorsports.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">On social media, fans reacted with near-100% approval, making the
race the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter; supplanting even the omnipresent
COVID-19 pandemic as the most talked about topic in the Twitterverse.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">That’s a wonderful thing, and it was much needed.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">On Twitter, which was almost as entertaining as the race itself,
the event was a huge success. With the exception of that one NASCAR media
person who hates anything and everything about the sport, the event was
received with 100% favorable reviews. They ranged from “Really needed this
today. My family and I were on the edge of our seats” to “Brought some normal
to our Sunday afternoon!”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">When the checkered flag flew yesterday, my own gut reaction was
“Wait! We’ve got plenty of time left! Line them up and race them again!”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">We need more of that sentiment, and the sooner, the better. There
hasn’t been much to look forward to in our world lately. Sunday’s race helped,
just a bit.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Hamlin’s win was almost certainly the first time a driver has won
a big-time NASCAR race while wearing no shoes, since the early days of Junior
Johnson. It was his 31st overall iRacing victory, ensuring that if a second
series race is organized in the near future – and it sounds like one will be –
his fellow drivers will be spending considerable more time practicing than they
did this time around.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">They’re competitive professional athletes, after all. And fun only
goes so far.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">In the last 7-10 days, the sale of new iRacing subscriptions had
increased roughly 200%. Will iRacing ever replace “real” racing in the hearts
and minds of NASCAR Nation? Likely not. But with the COVID-19 pandemic now
firmly entrenched across North America and warnings from the infectious disease
experts that the worst may still be to come, it looks like we’ll be staying
behind closed doors for a little while longer, at least.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">And the longer that lasts, the more we’ll need an occasional hour
of distraction to keep us from ripping each other’s faces off.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-89682964681173734242020-03-18T14:57:00.002-04:002020-03-18T14:57:24.854-04:00NASCAR Mulling Multiple Rescheduling Options<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYsXQ-LuW7EjcOpd2NbYv_mgu4MaGDnhVBzdmKZXRbN4E6goeuJHvrbIhRD_rxQCeijIltMB9Rp3P8D2i2itBTXB6kWN-E-SaEhlzzupjmWe5gn16UAMm6tV-WuELDUAOhHHV/s1600/Steve-Phelps_COO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1218" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYsXQ-LuW7EjcOpd2NbYv_mgu4MaGDnhVBzdmKZXRbN4E6goeuJHvrbIhRD_rxQCeijIltMB9Rp3P8D2i2itBTXB6kWN-E-SaEhlzzupjmWe5gn16UAMm6tV-WuELDUAOhHHV/s320/Steve-Phelps_COO.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In addition to sickening
thousands and killing nearly 100 in the United States, the COVID-19 virus has
thoroughly disrupted the lives, careers, educations and leisure activities of
virtually every American. NASCAR fans are no different, with the Coronavirus
pandemic forcing the sport to take an unplanned (and thoroughly unwanted)
eight-week hiatus in the months of March, April and early May. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Scheduled NASCAR Cup Series
races at Atlanta, Homestead-Miami, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega and
Dover International Speedways have been postponed, with makeup dates still to
be determined. The sanctioning body updated the media Tuesday, insisting that
their goal is to run all 36 scheduled NASCAR Cup Series races, as well as the non-points
All-Star Race. Their stated desire is to leave the 10-race playoff schedule
untouched and unaltered, concluding the 2020 season as scheduled at Phoenix Raceway
on Sunday, Nov. 8. That will require the sanctioning body to reschedule all seven
postponed races within a tight, 17-week time frame, with only two empty
weekends (the pre-planned summer Olympic layoff) open for rescheduling between
the resumption of competition on May 9 at Martinsville Speedway and the start
of the at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day Weekend. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Clearly, traditional
Saturday/Sunday scheduling will not be enough to dig NASCAR out of the massive hole
left by an eight-week COVID-19 layoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR President Steve Phelps
admitted yesterday that there are a lot of things on the table, including some
scheduling options that have not been previously utilized. Midweek events seem
likely going forward, and while Phelps said that no decisions have been made on
whether to reschedule events during the planned, two-week Olympic break, it is
difficult to image officials leaving a pair of prime, midsummer weekends open,
while simultaneously scrambling to reschedule races on Wednesdays and
Thursdays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Depending on the status of the
pandemic, NASCAR could see its way clear to return before the anticipated
Martinsville date in May, racing in front of empty grandstands. Moving
Talladega, Texas or Homestead-Miami – three of the farthest-flung events on the
postponed schedule -- into the vacated Dover date on May 3 would make Dover
available to serve as the meat in a <span class="css-901oao">three-race-in-eight-day
sandwich, beginning with the regularly scheduled New Hampshire race on Sunday,
July 19, followed by a midweek stop at The Monster Mile and a rescheduled
Richmond event on Sunday, July 26 (the first Olympic weekend).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PHzV18REiP3XCJeks0QTvijKfDm03oQ0ymHXf-0se1K4aqvmHu3GFiWxj1PD8Dly08QXDSbtX3W2ov013o6qyF_4TqzpYIz51IUZyctzxmslSYlTzzQplExXUC9u9ak-1F-s/s1600/1708bms_0028858-lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PHzV18REiP3XCJeks0QTvijKfDm03oQ0ymHXf-0se1K4aqvmHu3GFiWxj1PD8Dly08QXDSbtX3W2ov013o6qyF_4TqzpYIz51IUZyctzxmslSYlTzzQplExXUC9u9ak-1F-s/s320/1708bms_0028858-lg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Bristol twinbill? Sign us up!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR could manufacture an
additional open weekend by moving the All-Star Race from Saturday, May 16 to
the following Saturday; the day before the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor
Speedway. While necessitating a Saturday doubleheader with both the NASCAR
Xfinity and Cup Series in action, the move would free-up the May 16 weekend for
another rescheduled race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">An additional race can be made
up the weekend of August 2; the first weekend of the Olympic Games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Bristol’s postponed event
could conceivably be rescheduled in conjunction with the track’s annual Bass
Pro Shops/NRA Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 19. After racing on Saturday night,
the Cup teams would simply remain in town and run the rescheduled event on
Sunday afternoon, as part of an unprecedented Night/Day Doubleheader. This
scenario would obviously impact the playoff schedule, but would allow one of
the postponed events to be made up with no more than an additional hotel night required
for NASCAR’s traveling teams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That leaves just one more race
to be rescheduled, almost certainly as a midweek event. Wednesday or Thursday
night racing is far from ideal, and r<span class="css-901oao">ace teams will be
hard pressed to compete three times in an eight-day window. But it can be done,
if the will is there to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR’s Phelps said he is working
closely with race teams to ensure "financial viability" until racing
can resume. He also announced that <span class="css-901oao">all testing –
including wind tunnels, shaker rigs and the like -- has been banned until
further notice, including driver simulators.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="css-901oao"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
intent behind the move is twofold. First, it is designed to save teams money
during the layoff by keeping them away from the wind tunnels, which rent out at
approximately $3,000 per hour. In addition, it further encourages teams to
leave their testing and wind tunnel personnel at home, exercising personal
distancing, rather than congregating in large numbers to conduct research. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="css-901oao"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If
teams know the competition is not testing, they are much more likely to wave it
off themselves.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Phelps said it is too early to
tell if the 2021 NextGen race car will be delayed as a result of the COVID-19
virus. A two-day test scheduled for Atlanta Motor Speedway this week was
cancelled, and there is no word on when testing might resume. While the
specifics of the new car have almost all been determined at this point, more
component testing is needed before suppliers can finalize their plans and begin
production. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Phelps assured reporters that
the sanctioning body is “working diligently to stay on schedule,” but further postponements
could result in delays for the new car’s scheduled July rollout.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-34927198506947824862020-03-18T14:47:00.004-04:002020-03-18T15:14:01.677-04:00COMMENTARY: Pennsylvania Tracks Put Profit Over Personal Safety<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm_1W_4cL-48u0ERwjhmX2U5czrcesOybadEFB31IeZB9VnKYGqIkNt_nYmrWEWZ8PdxRjr3cvy658VlmNSibxX6L0XBeZnT3Blyz6wqu2J00utMUqN6Jnvyvq-H4yE_X9AbX/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcm_1W_4cL-48u0ERwjhmX2U5czrcesOybadEFB31IeZB9VnKYGqIkNt_nYmrWEWZ8PdxRjr3cvy658VlmNSibxX6L0XBeZnT3Blyz6wqu2J00utMUqN6Jnvyvq-H4yE_X9AbX/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s been an interesting week
for race fans in the state of Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Keystone State is a hotbed
of motorsports activity. Pocono Raceway in Long Pond has been part of the
NASCAR landscape since 1971, playing a leading role in NASCAR’s northeast
success from the beginning. But the life blood of Pennsy’s motorsports scene is
dirt short tracks, with nearly 80 -- count `em – 80 clay ovals spread across
the state. From nationally known venues like Williams Grove, Penn Can and
Selinsgrove to comparatively anonymous venues like Numidia Raceway and Muddy
Run, Pennsylvanians love and support their racing with a fervor than most
states can only dream of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This week, though, their love
for racing went quite a bit too far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At a time when our country –
and much of the rest of the world – is face-to-face with the most dangerous
viral epidemic in the past 100 years, dirt tracks in the state of Pennsylvania stood
in stark defiance of Governor Tom Wolf’s strongly worded recommendation that
they close their doors temporarily, allowing their patrons to exercise some
much-needed personal distancing and protect themselves and their loved ones
from the COVID-19 virus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At least three tracks; Lincoln
Speedway in Abbottstown, Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal and Williams Grove
Speedway in Mechanicsburg held race events last weekend, inviting fans to
huddle close in their grandstands, against the advice of the governor, the
Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXSHgPJ6FGMDfJQ8deH4UgToTeKc2y8TXar6U2xlcODYYj4hP5qXtZ8PLcfcBlGxAQp90Mdc6ZoUpXVGifCvgNVq-OdJ8E2TCJp9m_gWuSFER_N0iUMLdcBPT0ZKIemn-cYV6/s1600/Lincoln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXSHgPJ6FGMDfJQ8deH4UgToTeKc2y8TXar6U2xlcODYYj4hP5qXtZ8PLcfcBlGxAQp90Mdc6ZoUpXVGifCvgNVq-OdJ8E2TCJp9m_gWuSFER_N0iUMLdcBPT0ZKIemn-cYV6/s1600/Lincoln.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lincoln Speedway: Still racing.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Car counts at Port Royal and
Lincoln were reportedly down, with 24 Sprint Cars turning out at Lincoln –
compared to an average of 30 in recent weeks – and 33 Sprinters competing at
Port Royal, compared to 45 the week prior. One can only hope that common sense
and a desire for self-preservation played a role in those downturns.
Unfortunately, the folks who inhabit the grandstands quite literally threw
caution to the wind last weekend, turning out in strong numbers at both tracks.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sprint Car driver Anthony
Macri likely spoke for many when he told the </span><a href="https://www.yorkdispatch.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; text-decoration: none;">York Dispatch</span></i></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; text-decoration: none;">
newspaper, “</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It doesn’t really scare me much, or obviously
anybody else that’s here. It’s unfortunate what’s going on, but it’s just great
to at least have something (to do). Everything else is shut down, so it’s nice
to get out of the house and do something.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Alan
Krimes, the winner of the 410 Sprint Car feature at Lincoln, attempted to
lighten the mood in Victory Lane, saying to the track announcer, “I think we’re
too close. Aren’t we supposed to be six feet apart?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Funny,
but not funny, all at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4zO3rx_qgiaLa4J18cY_6iFuEdDaMbb8dp9j5HTlUXCsnV4kHNg54ua2Qc9UbXjXgqbQtEt8o9OqtTBl1SLbaSwekxacWn0r75ntZCHQOaPqF3v8TWAcrHjs3Xm4CNSn9L0_/s1600/49653493777_ae86a16baf_k-1920x1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4zO3rx_qgiaLa4J18cY_6iFuEdDaMbb8dp9j5HTlUXCsnV4kHNg54ua2Qc9UbXjXgqbQtEt8o9OqtTBl1SLbaSwekxacWn0r75ntZCHQOaPqF3v8TWAcrHjs3Xm4CNSn9L0_/s320/49653493777_ae86a16baf_k-1920x1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">PA Governor Tom Wolf</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On Monday, Governor Wolf
ordered a two-week, statewide closure of all non-essential businesses –
including liquor stores, bars and restaurants for all but take-out customers –
in an attempt to stem the spread of Coronavirus. He said he made that decision
“because medical experts believe it is the only way we can prevent our
hospitals from being overwhelmed.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Inexplicably, however, he did
not extend the ban to race tracks, specifically allowing track operators to
decide for themselves whether to do the right thing, or put profit ahead of
public safety. Sadly, most of them made the wrong choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m not going to force them
to cancel,” said Gov. Wolf to television station<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></span><a href="https://www.abc27.com/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; text-decoration: none;">ABC27</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">. “This is something that all
of us, 12.8 million Pennsylvanians, are in together.” He urged Pennsylvanians “not
to expose (each other) to any symptoms that we might have. To not expose
ourselves or our family members. We owe that to them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He urged track operators to
“think not… in terms of what the law is, (but) in terms of what we owe our
fellow citizens. This has to be self-enforced,” he repeated. “This is not your
government mandating anything. This is your fellow public servants telling you
the right way to handle this public health crisis.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So while Pennsylvania will
have public health guidelines in place for the next two weeks – a very short
period based on the CDC’s recommendation that people congregate in groups no
larger than 10 for the next eight weeks – the guidelines will not be enforced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On the same day that the
President of the United States urged all Americans to stay home and give the
medical community a much-needed leg-up on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor
of Pennsylvania effectively invited folks to load up the car and head for the
race track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It was colossally weak and
ill-advised stance that some of his fellow Pennsylvanians may sadly not live to
regret. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Q1HWmEREl8pnZG6q8tdJS6IdfnTNdvrbXVpKdvXk6sIoILq64yNN2lX3qr9CeqGBoBnO5kg3IV_xJ3i-BkMgwgHhPcOn76wfLrXSYuKW6IevwhnPrmTpLDAvZKGGgcmsZmu/s1600/ed47ffb75b5c9e9e7a501e5cf9b282f8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2Q1HWmEREl8pnZG6q8tdJS6IdfnTNdvrbXVpKdvXk6sIoILq64yNN2lX3qr9CeqGBoBnO5kg3IV_xJ3i-BkMgwgHhPcOn76wfLrXSYuKW6IevwhnPrmTpLDAvZKGGgcmsZmu/s320/ed47ffb75b5c9e9e7a501e5cf9b282f8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Port Royal came to its senses.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Lincoln
Speedway put out a written statement last Thursday, saying that “Racing this weekend
and for the foreseeable future will go on as scheduled as we monitor the
guidelines and recommendations set forth by officials at the local, county,
state and federal levels. Should we need to make changes to our schedule, we
will do so with the best interest of our fans, competitors and staff in mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">It was
curious wording, to say the least, since in order to continue racing, track
management had to ignore the very guidelines and regulations they professed to be
monitoring. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt; line-height: 150%;">Since then, they have agreed to postponed race events for two weeks; a positive step that was too long in coming.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Port Royal also came to its collective senses, pulling an abrupt about-face and announcing
that it will postpone racing activities for the next two weeks, with a stated
goal of returning to racing on April 4. Eventually, all three tracks bowed to public pressure and pulled the plug, giving new meaning to the term "too little, too late."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It should not have been this difficult to do the right thing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">As of Monday, the state of
Pennsylvania had 76 cases of Coronavirus, with 13 of them diagnosed in a single
day. There have not yet been any fatalities in the Keystone State, a statistic
that will hopefully continue.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of
the National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases offered a more
bleak assessment, saying, “When you’re dealing with an emerging infectious
diseases outbreak, you are always behind where you think you are.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He warned that the COVID-19 spread
is going to continue, adding that there are many people who are currently infected,
but unaware of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The solution is shockingly
simple. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands frequently
with soap and water, and work from home if you can. Practice social distancing
whenever possible and put your social life on hold for the next few weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And if the people who run your
local short track elect to put profit over personal safety by opening their
gates this weekend, for God’s sake, don’t go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-83449180538195204462020-02-04T11:55:00.001-05:002020-02-04T14:34:19.421-05:00COMMENTARY: NASCAR Charter and Owner Points Manipulation Begins Anew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOHdYWISFKMeQ9QhwGgFLCOF8PBOmd2ZMxKdxmGvizOlMNAcRsAvVc-Vpx8gKdsEq6VfH_e6CO-tMHaaQ_0zSz7owwPZFQqff2cm8qhEa8PdicIqaZGfcLVGwSe__vCds4p_F/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOHdYWISFKMeQ9QhwGgFLCOF8PBOmd2ZMxKdxmGvizOlMNAcRsAvVc-Vpx8gKdsEq6VfH_e6CO-tMHaaQ_0zSz7owwPZFQqff2cm8qhEa8PdicIqaZGfcLVGwSe__vCds4p_F/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Here we go again. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Just days before the official
start of the 2020 NASCAR campaign, the annual outbreak of bamboozlement and
chicanery surrounding NASCAR’s Cup Series Charter system and Xfinity Series
owner points has once again reared its ugly head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Originally designed to reward
teams who loyally support NASCAR’s Cup, Xfinity and Gander RV and Outdoors Truck
Series, the charter and owner points systems have sadly become manipulated to do
something they were never intended to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">In the headline Cup Series, 36
charter-holding teams are guaranteed to start in every point-counting race,
from Daytona in February to the season-finale in Phoenix. That’s a nice little insurance
policy to have, and teams have traditionally gone to great lengths to procure a
charter and guarantee their participation in all 36 races. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">In the Xfinity and Truck
ranks, owner points are used to fill four spots near the back of the weekly field,
after time-trials set the bulk of the starting grid. In the opening events of
the season, owner points from the previous season are used to fill-out the
field. As in the Cup garage, Truck and Xfinity Series teams have become extremely
creative over the years, in an attempt to acquire the Owner Points necessary to
guarantee participation in the opening events of the season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">When the system
was first instituted in 2016, Cup Series Charters were awarded to teams that “<span style="color: #0a0a0a;">showed a long-term commitment to the sport by attempting
to qualify every week for the past three years.</span>” As part of the system, team
owners are allowed to transfer Charters to other organizations for a season, once
every five years. There have also been instances of “selling” a Charter to a
cooperative fellow owner, with the understanding that it will be sold back the
following year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">And
there, my friends, is the rub.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">While well-intentioned, the
sanctioning body’s Charter and Owner Points systems have slowly been
manipulated to the point where instead of rewarding teams for long-term
loyalty, they sometimes benefit <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">teams that have never turned a
lap in NASCAR National Series competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">That will once again be the
case in 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fm4llSCKyCOaNBNPE3a-Q-OROTub8AWOenv4ARQx4rQFys9qHxvqSVJIfELfY1L5wMQTZix-cf-qaQhBe5vvVjQWhqiryz16DiReBGFxeWpzzxKUNBfAJjpI_3uGPIVY0fHf/s1600/GettyImages-1096657402-e1565879664986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="625" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fm4llSCKyCOaNBNPE3a-Q-OROTub8AWOenv4ARQx4rQFys9qHxvqSVJIfELfY1L5wMQTZix-cf-qaQhBe5vvVjQWhqiryz16DiReBGFxeWpzzxKUNBfAJjpI_3uGPIVY0fHf/s320/GettyImages-1096657402-e1565879664986.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ragan has a Daytona insurance policy.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">In the Cup Series, three
charters appear to be on the move this season. After downsizing from four cars
to three during the offseason, Front Row Motorsports will transfer a charter
from its now-inactive No. 36 Ford to its No. 38 Mustang driven by Sunoco Rookie
of the Year candidate John Hunter Nemechek. That move is clearly within both
the letter and the spirit of the law, since both the No. 36 and 38 cars attempted
every race last season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Front Row’s No. 38 charter
will transfer to Rick Ware Racing this season; after either a direct sale, a
one-year lease, or a paperwork shuffle to enter the car as a defacto FRM Ford
at Daytona. Ware will have at least three (and likely four) Cup entries on
track at The World Center of Racing next week, with David Ragan driving the
organization’s No. 53 car (conveniently re-numbered 36) in a one-off effort, Joey
Gase wheeling the No. 51 car, JJ Yeley in the No. 54 and a No. 52 entry with
driver still TBA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Ragan reaps the benefits of that
Charter shuffle, coming to Daytona as a guaranteed starter, even though the
team for which he will drive finished 39th in 2019 Owner Points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">That’s not what NASCAR had in
mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">There is also some maneuvering
going on in the Xfinity garage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjr9nx-bTmOQ9aaqouzz4vP7gtDYrxm77rJOSa04kNmbEj5_2_dkwMyTKRaaeo8uviC6YqFPbYXo79hx9GHG8XuoiPnvPuiodaMLtvlU9jZbKvKohuNCdYR0Dft428EIiLY5N/s1600/Screen-Shot-2019-07-02-at-4.00.54-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="1200" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjr9nx-bTmOQ9aaqouzz4vP7gtDYrxm77rJOSa04kNmbEj5_2_dkwMyTKRaaeo8uviC6YqFPbYXo79hx9GHG8XuoiPnvPuiodaMLtvlU9jZbKvKohuNCdYR0Dft428EIiLY5N/s320/Screen-Shot-2019-07-02-at-4.00.54-PM.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hattori Racing has NXS Owner Points</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">GMS Racing will not compete in
the Xfinity Series this season, with its Owner Points transferring to the new
No. 02 Our Motorsports team, which will field a full-time entry for Andy Seuss,
Brett Moffitt and others this season. That acquisition virtually ensures that Our
Motorsports will race in next weekend’s season-opening <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">NASCAR Racing Experience 300 </i>at Daytona,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>despite never taking the green flag in a NASCAR National Series
event, ever before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Hattori Racing
will also compete in next Saturday’s race, using 2019 Owner Points from Motorsports
Business Management (MBM). The two teams worked together to field NXS entries
under the Hattori banner in only three events last season; Daytona in July,
Bristol and Indianapolis.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Confused?
Just wait. It gets much worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; line-height: 150%;">The
Jimmy Means Racing NXS team has peddled its 2019 Owner Points to Mike Harmon
Racing, improving Harmon’s chances of making the first few races of the season.
Means then acquired Owner Points from Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste</span>,
which will not field its traditional No. 98 Ford this season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz64nPwY0FBEp8CMjLV2N8topKAxoKk_GMatvyL7eJ2zljEUZlkyleliJxmJXOXfwEkX5Euz13BXRYUU-wEt9Ok47MEJOJeT4U7LCGBHnr0ZP8oBsieSYE2t4jaPg7WQkjDrzC/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz64nPwY0FBEp8CMjLV2N8topKAxoKk_GMatvyL7eJ2zljEUZlkyleliJxmJXOXfwEkX5Euz13BXRYUU-wEt9Ok47MEJOJeT4U7LCGBHnr0ZP8oBsieSYE2t4jaPg7WQkjDrzC/s1600/images.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Means: Maximizing his chances</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Nonsensical
as it appears on the surface, the Means-Harmon-SHR shuffle actually makes competitive
sense. Both Means and Harmon dramatically improve their standing in the event of
an early-season qualifying rain out, virtually ensuring that they will begin
the 2020 campaign without a costly DNQ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">And finally, consider the curious
case of JD Motorsports.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Veteran team owner Johnny
Davis played the Owner Points system like Liberace played the piano this
offseason, executing an in-house points shuffle among all four of his Xfinity
Series teams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Owner Points from JDM’s No. <span style="background: white;">01 car will move to the team’s No. 6 this season, with
points from the No. 0 transferring to the No. 4 car. Owner points from Davis’
No. 15 jump to the No. 0, with points from the No. 4 car now residing with the
No. 15.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Why, you ask?
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">Simply to put
the maximum amount of Owner Points – and their accompanying security on
qualifying day – behind his youngest, least experienced drivers, maximizing JDM’s
chances of getting all four cars into the starting field.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">The owners
are not to blame here. They are simply exploiting loopholes in the Charter and
Owner Points systems to their full advantage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">That’s what
racers do, they exploit legal loopholes to find an advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR is also well-intentioned in its effort to reward teams for
making the maximum effort in previous seasons. But the current system continues to have some
serious – and readily apparent – flaws that require attention. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #0a0a0a; line-height: 150%;">A</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 150%;"> significant number of this year’s Charter transfers are
nothing more than transparent paper shuffles designed to prevent organizations
from failing to qualify, due to underperformance. <span style="color: #0a0a0a;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">NASCAR’s<span style="color: #0a0a0a;"> current Charter agreement expires at the end of the 2024
season.</span> Hopefully, the sanctioning body will see its way clear to close
the loopholes before then.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-90583545542663765632020-01-20T14:24:00.000-05:002020-01-20T14:34:17.101-05:00COMMENTARY: There's Enough Larson To Go Around<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJl0n4WW0nx7hfYd2l8m3T_7BtXV3RjghyphenhyphennZQcmSUNEHHpXXBtBBAXXbIylRrOmwfAU4B36ovCZveBVQwEUYFlveSixBqpPxu-kdFljM36kWGe9Z2W4ZISLgr1SNuZqjiaYG2/s1600/Dave+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJl0n4WW0nx7hfYd2l8m3T_7BtXV3RjghyphenhyphennZQcmSUNEHHpXXBtBBAXXbIylRrOmwfAU4B36ovCZveBVQwEUYFlveSixBqpPxu-kdFljM36kWGe9Z2W4ZISLgr1SNuZqjiaYG2/s320/Dave+1.JPG" width="301" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Social media is in an uproar
today, after Kyle Larson once again dared to mention NASCAR and the Chili Bowl
in the same sentence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Elk Grove, California
native carved out another chunk of history for himself Saturday night in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, overhauling rival Christopher Bell with a testosterone-rich, high
line pass that carried him all the way to Victory Lane in the country’s premier indoor midget race, the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The win earned Larson his
first Golden Driller trophy and reversed a pattern of “close, but no cigar” Chili
Bowl performances that have repeatedly denied him a shot at Victory Lane in recent
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s a pretty different range
of emotions,” said Larson, who came out on the short end of a late-race,
wheel-banging battle with Bell in last season’s Chili Bowl. “365 days later. I
feel like I’m going to pass out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m sorry NASCAR. I’m sorry
Daytona. But this is the biggest f’ing race I’ve ever won.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Those comments triggered a veritable
firestorm of reaction, with NASCAR fans leaping to defend their piece of the
motorsports landscape against Larson’s perceived insult, while dirt track fans
hooted in delight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The debate continues at
maximum volume today, with the two fan factions – dirt vs asphalt, big-time vs
grassroots – lobbing digital insults at each other in a misguided attempt to
prove that their form of motorsport is the best form of motorsport.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There are obviously plenty of
differences between the Daytona 500 and the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The “Great American Race” tops
100,000 in attendance each season and is watched by millions more worldwide on
FOX. The Chili Bowl plays out before a somewhat cozier in-person crowd of roughly 15,000, with
thousands more watching on MAV-TV.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Both events do tremendously
well. And while undeniably different, the Daytona 500 and Chili Bowl Nationals share
identical roots. Both showcase the very best that our sport has to offer,
galvanizing legions of supportive fans to pack their respective grandstands, clad
in a rainbow of apparel that pledges allegiance to their favorite driver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That’s a good thing, my
friends, regardless of where your motorsports allegiance lies. And before the rising
tumult drowns out any remaining semblance of rational thought, here are a
couple of points, for what they’re worth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Kyle Larson has never won the
Daytona 500. He did go to Victory Lane in an Xfinity race there – the Coca-Cola
Firecracker 250 in July of 2018 – but until he does, Saturday night’s Chili
Bowl win should indeed rank as the “biggest f’ing race” he’s ever won. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Perhaps a Daytona 500 win – if
it comes -- will change his perspective. Perhaps not. Either way, it’s fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The contention in some corners
that Larson has short-changed his NASCAR career by giving so much time,
attention and emotion to his Sprint Car and Midget program is difficult – if not
impossible – to prove. Easier to determine is that with 20 NASCAR National
Series wins in eight seasons, the 27-year old has experienced far more success
than the vast majority of drivers his age. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yung Money” has been a Top-10
points finisher in four of his six NASCAR Cup Series seasons, and since going
full-time with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2014, he has finished above his
respective teammates (Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch) every year but one. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is difficult to measure the
success of a driver against competitors who drive different equipment; either better
or worse. Has Larson won enough to rank with Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Joey
Logano on the talent scale? That’s a matter of opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But the facts show that he has
been the lead horse in the draft at CGR, just about every step of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Larson clearly loves driving
race cars; either full-fendered or open wheeled. He demonstrated that affection by
showing up for last week’s Chili Bowl preliminaries with the whites of his eyes
tinted an eerie mixture of purple, red and black; the result of an
end-over-end, eggbeater midget crash at a dirt track in New Zealand late last month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">He didn’t have to tape his eyes open, Ricky Rudd-style. But Larson’s dedication to the game was on full display
in Tulsa last week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The current debate over Larson’s
“Sorry NASCAR” comment is like cats fighting over a favorite toy. There’s
enough of Kyle to go around; enough for us all to share from Daytona to Tulsa, Watkins Glen to New
South Wales. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Larson is a walking, talking throwback to a bygone era in our sport when drivers like AJ Foyt and Dan Gurney jumped from
stock cars to sports cars to Sprint Cars to midgets – sometimes in the same weekend
– and earned our undying respect by doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s time to cut Larson some
slack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let him race what he wants, and </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">love it all.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24138427.post-18959866115576733622020-01-20T09:59:00.000-05:002020-01-20T14:34:54.956-05:00COMMENTARY: MLB Controversy Provides A Valuable Lesson For NASCAR<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Major League Baseball finds
itself earlobe-deep in controversy this week, after it was revealed that the
Houston Astros used technology to steal signs from opposing teams during
their 2017 World Series championship season, as well as in 2018.</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">The controversy
first came to light in November of last year, when former Astros pitcher Mike
Fiers told reporters Ken Rosenthal</span> and Evan Drelich of <i>The Athletic</i> that the team had utilized a center field video
camera to steal opposing teams' signs and communicate pitches to batters.
Following an MLB investigation, the Astros were fined $5 million and will
forfeit their first and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">General manager</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Jeff
Luhnow</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">manager</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">A. J.
Hinch</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> were suspended by MLB for the entire 2020 season, before
subsequently being fired by the Astros. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Boston
Red Sox</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> manager </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Alex
Cora</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> –
who helped orchestrate the sign-stealing scam while serving as bench coach for
the Astros in 2017 – was also dismissed, as was newly hired </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">New
York Mets</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> manager </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Carlos
Beltran</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">, who played for the Astros in 2017.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The sanctions were the most
severe ever handed down to an MLB organization for in-game misconduct, and they
provide a valuable lesson for other sports – like NASCAR – about the importance
of safeguarding the integrity of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Cheating is not unique to
baseball. NASCAR has long grappled with the concept of “superior interpretation
of the rules,” dating back to its moonshining roots. In the past, when faced
with cheating scandals of its own, NASCAR and its fan base have often responded
with little more than a wink and a shrug.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The consensus of opinion among
many in this sport is that “If you’re not cheating, you’re not competing;” an
attitude that has done little to aid NASCAR’s effort to be seen as a major
league professional sport. In fact, NASCAR is often viewed in the
stick-and-ball world as the sport where <u>everybody</u> cheats, and nobody
cares.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The sanctioning body has taken
steps recently to alter that perception. NASCAR announced a year ago that it
would begin disqualifying teams found to have broken the rules, penalizing them
to last place in the finishing order. Joe Gibbs Racing was the first team to
feel the impact of that new attitude, when driver <span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Erik Jones lost a fourth-place
finish to a post-race Optical Scanning Station failure at Richmond Raceway in
September of 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">The current Major League
Baseball controversy provides a valuable opportunity for both NASCAR and its
fans to honestly evaluate how casual observers have long viewed our game. As we
look down upon MLB and the Houston Astros today – collectively shaking our
heads and harrumphing in disdain – we understand at long last how the rest of
the world has viewed NASCAR through its myriad rule breaking scandals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">With the benefit of a little
distance, NASCAR and its fans now have a unique opportunity to see the forest,
rather than just the trees. We have an opportunity to see – from a comfortable
distance -- just how damaging the concept of widespread, systemic cheating can
be to a sport, its teams and its players. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">There is a lesson to be learned
here, if we’re smart enough to learn it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Unfortunately, the reaction of
many in NASCAR Nation has been indifference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">“I don’t care about baseball,”
they huff. “That has nothing to do with NASCAR.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Well, it has <u>everything</u>
to do with NASCAR. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Baseball’s current state of
upheaval is no different than what NASCAR went through in the aftermath of the
2013 Michael Waltrip Racing “Itchy Arm” scandal, when drivers Clint Bowyer,
Brian Vickers and others intentionally manipulated the outcome of the
regular-season finale at Richmond Raceway, in order to allow teammate Martin
Truex, Jr., to advance to the playoffs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Like the Astros’ sign-stealing
scandal, what happened in NASCAR that day was a systemic, organization-wide
plot to manipulate the outcome of a major sporting event. And like the current
MLB controversy, the events of </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">September 7, 2013 c</span><span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">ast
a shadow over our sport that may never completely dissipate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">For those among us who are not
NASCAR myopic -- who recognize and understand that there are other sports out
there that do not involve screaming engines and squealing tires – how has your
opinion of Major League Baseball changed in the last few weeks?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Has this latest controversy –
combined with the still-lingering taint of the Steroid Scandal – sullied the
sport in your eyes? Does the realization that cheating in Major League Baseball
is widespread and largely condoned make you less of a fan? And does the knowledge
that the Houston Astros (quite literally) stole the 2017 World Series title
make you think less of them as an organization?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Of course it does. As it
should.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">And that’s why NASCAR needs to
watch, listen and learn from what Major League Baseball is going through right
now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Integrity matters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">Reputation counts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; padding: 0in;">And once it’s gone, it’s
difficult to regain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Dave Moodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14273464897477668872noreply@blogger.com0