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StumblePublished Monday, May 11, 2009 | 8:06 p.m.
Updated Monday, May 11, 2009 | 9:36 p.m.
In a perfect NASCAR world, the entire Sprint Cup season would have the excitement we’ve seen in the last three weeks of racing. It would be racing nirvana to have a season full of finishes like we saw at Talladega, competitive racing like we saw at Richmond and the battles for survival like we saw at Darlington.
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The value of a product isn’t always measured in the stock price or the size of the company that’s selling a product. It can also be measured, perhaps more accurately, by the quality of the product that’s being sold. Races like we’ve seen in the last three weekends prove that NASCAR can produce a great product. That product should be paramount to Wall Street’s ever-increasing demand for higher profit margins or a need to constantly find ways to make the sport larger. I’m not a financial wizard and I don’t know much about running a business, but as a fan I would think that a consistently good product--racing, in this case--is what would be best for business.
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I have to disagree with people who blame NASCAR’s dropping attendance, falling TV ratings and sometimes boring races completely on the Car of Tomorrow. It’s not entirely the car’s fault. The cookie-cutter tracks are more to blame for the snoozeapoluzza racing that has put a kink NASCAR’s popularity.
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The No. 5 car wins again. The No. 48 car battles to a second-place finish. The No. 24 car makes up a lap and finishes in the fifth position. Brad Keselowski, who drives intermittently in the Cup series, takes the No. 25 car to a seventh-place finish. Meanwhile, the other Hendrick Motorsports car still can’t find its pit stall. What is going on here? Even teams affiliated with Hendrick, like Tony Stewart’s operation, are performing well. The No. 88 team has all of the same advantages as the other cars in the Hendrick stable. Is Dale Jr. in danger of being known as little more than a billboard who rarely sees victory lane? I hope not.
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The publication Automotive News reported in its May 11 edition that General Motors will stop production of the Chevrolet Impala SS and four other models by the end of this year. We'll have to wait and see if the Chevrolet Sprint Cup teams drop the SS from the Impala name next season.
I'd add Phoenix to your list; the last four races have been much higher quality than the 'cookie cutter' snoozers...
Interesting that the winners include the class and experience of Mark Martin (twice), the ability and immaturity of Kyle Busch, and a very independent part timer owner, James Finch, and his part time rookie driver Brad Keselowski. A Ford, a Toyota and a Chevy...
Brain fade...Mark Martin is still in a Ford in my mind...