Dover, Twittter, Hamlin and Tuning Out Too Soon

Wow, did I miss one or what?  I tuned out of watching the Dover race with about 25 laps to go.  I mean, what's the point, right?  The new cars tend to spread out in a line and it's the same thing, over and over every lap.  So my wife and I packed up and headed to the park with the dog.

When we got to the park, I pulled up my Twitter app and started perusing my list.  (Twitter Suggestion:  I don't follow the full feed.  It has a lot of "noise" to it.  But you can make lists and I've split out the core media folks to their own list so I can follow actual events during a race and not some wound up and excited opinions!)

As I perused my list, and saw that folks were giving JJ sympathy pats on the back.  Whaaaa?

I started scrolling backwards feverishly, because I figured Juan Pablo Montoya had probably "won," but no!  Tony Stewart???  Whaaaa?

Then I started back-sliding my Twitter feed to see that Johnson jumped the start and Montoya got into the wrong line!  Whaaa?

OK, so twice this season I've tuned out and twice this year, I missed the best finishes of the year.  But I stand by my perspective that the new car (until it's worked out) has killed the excitement to some degree.  Every restrictor plate race pretty much had who ever was in the lead with 5 laps to go, won the race.  Unlike the previous 5+ years when you had no clue who was going to win.

But "stuff" happens!

Obviously when I tune out, big things happen.  So I'm prepared to be paid to tune out with 20 to go next week!

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When I pulled up a feed, I saw how Denny Hamlin's contention for the championship was hurt by his finish at Dover. 

I don't mean to be too pragmatic, but when he went out with his back injury, I wrote him off.  If he somehow started looking at strong potentials for getting back in, then I'd be singing the swan song too.  It would be awesome to see.

But I'm not holding my breath.

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Over on Dave Moody's blog, he touches on how Penske moving to Ford might not have been their best move, considering how Keselowski isn't quite kicking butt this year.

But hey, I got the championship diecast of his and it looks hot in all its color chrome goodness!!!

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And again, if you're wondering where I've been, I had the wind pulled out of my sails for the management of the sport when they fined Denny Hamlin for merely talking about the COT in a rather benign statement.  And though most of the media saw it, they took the middle ground, calling it "It is what it is."  That seriously soured me to the administrative powers of the sport.

But I'm slowly getting back to my old self.  I tend to harbor things a wee bit too long.

Hey, I'll be at Sonoma, working for Charlie Turner (On Pit Row) taking a billion snap shots of anything that's moving!  I mean anything!!! Here's one of last year's album (on FB). Whenever I get around the cars, my blood gets pumped up, so I expect to be back at full enthusiasm after Sonoma.  Who knows, maybe even sooner.

Right?-Bruce

Loose In Turn Three, But Wreckin out of Turn Two in Dover

When a wreck happens, the yellow comes out.. the the yellow comes out, the field is frozen. When the field is frozen, you stop throttling the car.. it seems pretty simple to me. My disclaimer is that I was not in the car, and I am not sure when the yellow came out so I am OK with any corrections and what not, BUT with that said:

With that wreck in Dover on Lap 19, it was a high dollar value wreck that dragged some top 12 teams into the junk yard. Dale Earnhardt Jr was pretty much right behind the wreck and he got whoa'd up enough to not total his or another car, but what's with Mr "You throw a Rock, I'll Throw a Brick Back" Hamlin? He was much further back than Jr. and still managed to plow pretty hard into the No 19 Dodge of Sadler. On one good replay angle, it seems that Hamlin isn't even in turn 2 when Sadler starts his tire dance. He said he didn't want to stop suddenly to get hit from behind... Eh?

Hamlin passed a few cars that had avoided slamming into the melee at a rapid rate before hitting Sadler. So my question is more a statement, but I think Denny Hamlin could have avoided hitting as hard as he did because he probably could have slowed down a heck of a lot more... What's your guys take?


Tim: Honestly, I think folks came down on Denny Hamlin much harder than what the guy deserved. When the wreck happened, Denny was just coming out of Turn 2, which it's my understanding that it's very tough to see right there. These guys are already carrying a ton of speed at a track like Dover, and you've got to remember that just because we see the yellow come out on tv doesn't necessarily mean that the drivers do, too. They have to rely on their spotters and on the caution lights to tell them. Watching the replay, by the way, it looked like when the drivers first got a real indication that there was a pileup mounting, Bobby LaBonte and Scott Riggs were right behind him. Labonte ducked to the bottom of the
track, and Riggs just plowed his way right through. You can also see Hamlin trying to slow down, because his car was starting to slide when he hit Sadler. Just the nature of the beast, in my opinion.

Charlie: The comments that I heard during the broadcast surprised me. I thought it obvious that Hamlin either couldn't see the extent of the wreck or his spotter gave him late or bad info. Who knows what happened but my benefit of the doubt goes to Denny.

Courtesy of YouTube


(YouTube - a back up link in case the embedded part doesn't work here.)

Charlie Turner - Who is the most under-rated driver in NASCAR and how is he over-looked relative to his talent/value? On Pit Row

Tim Zaegel - Joe Gibbs Racing has won four times in the Sprint Cup Series this season, but in two years, they are the only Toyota team to win a race in Cup racing. Will a non-JGR driver reach Victory Lane in 2008? DoYouNASCAR

Dover TV Schedule and Standings

This weekends upcoming TV schedule,

(snapshot, courtesy www.NASCAR.com)

The current top 12, going into Dover.
(Snapshot courtesy of www.SceneDaily.com)

Dover Race called due to Rain

The Race, Autism Speaks 400, has been postponed until Noon, ET time Monday.

Dover- Autism Speaks 400 - Start Rain Delayed

It was raining at the track but dryers are on the track now and concrete dries fast, so there will be a bit of a delay in the start, as Fox reports there may be a large gap in rain downfall and the race start is expected.

DOVER's costs to have a race!

Dover's two Cup races will cost the track more than $11 million in sanction fees to NASCAR in 2007.

Dover Motorsports operates four speedways - Dover International Speedway, Gateway International Raceway, Memphis Motorsports Park and Nashville Superspeedway.

The company also listed an "impairment charge" of more than $61 million for Nashville, Memphis and Gateway - devaluing the value of those tracks because of the lower-than-anticipated television revenues generated by the four Busch races at those tracks.

Dover expected the new TV deal this year to allot a bigger percentage to Busch races than the 5 percent allocated in the 2001-2006 package. But NASCAR is allotting only 5.75 percent of the new contract for Busch events.

With that impairment charge, Dover reported an overall loss of $35.345 million last year. It's after-tax adjusted earnings for last year were $5.7 million, the same as for 2005.

Zoinks, it sure does cost a pretty penny to play with the big boys (NASCAR).

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