Back by popular demand, it's the blog that keeps on giving the straight answers to you, gentle reader. Several questions popped up during the race at Cali-snore-nia. I took some time to answer the easiest...uh..I mean the most interesting ones.
Q. Will moving the 2nd race to a later date at Fontana increase attendenance?
A. *Sigh*. Give it two, three, years tops, and there will be only one race in So Cal. Free tickets wouldn't help their attendenance. Being in the 'Chase' won't help either.
Q. Why did the NNS race start at 10:00pm et, on Saturday?
A. Because ESPN was busy televising college football. This is what happens when you award the TV contracts to networks that show other sports with higher ratings.
Q. What caused the caution lights to fall on the track?
A. NASCAR has instituted a new policy, "when we throw a flag for debris, damnit, there will actually be debris from now on."
Q. Has the 'Chase' ruined racing in the Cup series?
A. YES! Everyone is points racing all year long now. Except for Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, and after Sunday night, I'm not sure about them.
Q. I suppose you have a better idea?
A. Who doesn't? Either do away with the 'Chase', or give more points for winning and leading laps. Use the IRL or F-1 points system. Make drivers actually try to win to make the 'Chase'. Oh yeah, make them win a race to make the 'Chase'.
Q. What about consistency?
A. Screw consistency. This is supposed to be racing, not a bus schedule.
Q. The president of Auto Club Speedway---Fontana---wants to redo the banking in the turns to make them the highest in NASCAR. Will this improve racing or help attendance?
A. It might improve racing, but nothing will help draw larger crowds to So Cal. If the residents there will not support the greatest sports league in the world---the NFL---how would they ever support NASCAR?
Q. What's the over/under on this track going out of business?
A. I will set the number at 5 years. Look for the Auto Club Flea Market/Lowrider Swap Meet coming soon.
Q. Richmond predictions?
A. More boring points racing! Look for a Gibbs Toyota to win. Kevin Harvick would be my dark horse pick.
If they increase the banking and make it a plate track, that will just about seal the deal for me on NASCAR.
It was a boring race, BUT, shorten the damn races and let teams work on the cars. Also, no more one hour pre-race shows that tell us absolutely nothing other than a reason to fit more commercials in.
Hanny- They are not only points racing, most of the teams cannot find the speed AND handling on these cars yet.
I too heard the prez of Auto Club saying she wants to make it the highest banked track in NASCAR...it dont matter, no one comes! I got out of the track parking and back to my hotel in 20 minutes!!!! That is unheard of...
Hey Mr Han-Man! All good Q's and even better A's (though I still worry about those many voices in your head). Maybe they'll be able to sell some of that "souvenir" debris at the Flea Market.
I'm still LMAO at the answer to the caution light question! I agree with you on just about everything, Han-the-man, but I think the current owner will sell before the 4th year is past. Even if she got the high banks approved, gave away free tickets, and brought back the Coors Light Swedish Bikini Team for each race, she would never sell out more than once every 5 years, or so. Lets face it, Fontana sucks.
SoCal is a great place to visit for a vacation. But don't bother trying to educate the locals on things they have no interest in. They're too busy running the rat race of suburbia to take note of anything that doesn't include getting that latte on the way to the next therepy session.
I think another reason that the NNS race started at 10p.m. is so that it would be a night race in California and not a day-to-night race like the Cup race. I must say that Jimmie Johnson could very well win at Richmond like he did last year. I also hate consistency as much as you do. It would be better if NASCAR just totally did away with the second California race and gave it to Las Vegas. Las Vegas could actually sell out two races.
Last edited by gonger93 on September 2nd at 3:58 PM.
mose...love the idea of shortening the races. New Hampshire is bad enough at 300 laps, imagine sitting through 500 laps there. Maybe it's time to go to timed races. Two, one hour long segments, then a short shootout for the finish.
CRR....love it. It's not stereotyping if it's true.... lol. Everyone wants to be Southern until the SAT scores come in.
gonger...consistency isn't a bad thing, it's just making real racers points race to work NASCAR's system. Good idea on Las Vegas. Bruton Smith will figure out a way to get a second date there.
Han - I enjoy reading your dry wit here on the Q & A's. Unfortunately having a nite race in California get to be a really late race to watch in the eastern half of the country.
As for redoing the banking on the track, it seems like a tremendous debt to take on without the reassurance of drawing larger crowds. Sounds like a good waste of money to me!
Han - I find this hard to say, but I agree with most of your A's. lol. But on one and it matches the other about the chase. They fall under the same to me.
((Screw consistency. This is supposed to be racing, not a bus schedule.)) The good old boys before the chase won the championship with consistency and in every sport were you can protect your lead or save players from getting hurt before the big show you do it. The goal is to be the best that year in being the champion not how many races you won to get it. It was not boaring because it was maybe 2 or 3 drivers point racing near the end, not 12 or more during the season like now.
Before we didn't see this till the last few races of the year with drivers trying to stay in the top ten or a leader in the points. Because of the chase we see it at half way point or sooner. The excitment of this last race was who was going to be in the 12th spot for the chase. Clint Bowyer is -766 points back, yes with a win, That what this sport has come to.IMO
Cheers
Hey Gerrel...I wouldn't mind staying up if the racing was a little bit exciting. I went to bed at the halfway point of the NNS race, and my driver was leading!
