| Random Notes after the Atlanta Weekend | | Date Created: Mar 18, 2007, 07:27 PM |
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Cleaning out the backlog of notes and snippets from the past few weeks:
Unhappy Anniversary. Today is the fourth anniversary of the senseless and tragic invasion of Iraq. Sadly, it seems to be lost amidst the shuffle of the multiple scandals now enveloping the administration.
If we had more guys like Randy LaJoie, this sport would be better for all. A helluva guy and a two-time Busch Series champ, Randy's legacy will be his single-handed crusade for driver safety in all racing series. Randy is beginning a national tour to raise safety awareness and educate drivers at local tracks across the country. If you race at any level, you need to learn about the benefits of Randy's products from him company, the LaJoie of Seating. Now if we could only convince a stubborn Dale Jr. to continue to improve his safety gear.
Juan Montoya will win a race this year if his team is capable of giving him a competitive car. He's shown his extreme talent since his first days of the Barber-Dodge series in the US, and he put on an exciting show yesterday at Atlanta. Another impressive drive this week? Lewis Hamilton, the first black F1 driver, finished on the podium in his debut Formula One race for McLaren-Mercedes. Lewis has been a part of the McLaren driver development program since he was winning karting championships in England at age 11.
Why is everyone soooo obsessed with the rules about the Top-35 in points? Sure, it's a convenient weekly story for the media, but it's a rule that protects the team owners that have invested the most in the sport without the benefits of a franchise like all other professional sports in the U.S. Do you tune in to watch Junior versus Tony Stewart versus Jeff Gordon versus Jimmie Johnson, or do you tune in to watch Mike Wallace vs. Tony Raines? (NOTHING against either of those guys - just picked 'em at random...No nasty emails. Please.)
If you have Sirius, what do you think of the NASCAR channel? My fave show by far, you ask? Oh.. you didn't ask? Well, it's easily Mojo Nixon's "Manifold Destiny." It's funny, energetic and entertaining. On a related topic, what do you think of ESPN's coverage so far? My opinion is colored somewhat by my feelings about Rusty's style/performance and I dread the appearance of Brent Musberger, but I think there are several members of their team doing a good job on-air. But who is Tim Cowlishaw, and how is it he is the lead NASCAR news analyst? |
 The Atlanta Race Report is now online. 2007 Budweiser Race Reports
Update: We've reposted the Vegas podcast. The previous version was not working. 2007 Budweiser Race Podcasts.
No podcast this week... due to some mundane and cheesy technical issues on my end, no podcast this week. But - in my eighth season of doing PR for the team - this was perhaps the quietest and least chatty 500-mile race for the Bud bunch. Odd.
I am reconsidering the impact and usefulness of the podcast since the departure of Mike Davis from fingerprint inc. Between NASCAR.com's Track Pass, the DirecTV Hot Pass and now the cool Sirius satellite team channels, the podcast has seemingly become redundant. It also loses its immediacy when posted Tuesday or Wednesday instead of the day of the race. Contrary views? Let me know.
I've not spent significant amounts of time with him, but I'm impressed with DEI's Max Siegel. I think a lot of people feel the same way.
When it turns ugly: We have to deal with incredibly obnoxious and over-agressive folks every week that shed their dignity and risk their safety in the pursuit of touching Dale Jr. or trying to get an autograph. It's a constant part of the at-track experience, and it's sad that a few folks ruin it for the other 95% of fans...
One of the worst segments on the circuit is trying to get through the buzzing swarm of fans between the garage area and driver's motorcoach lot following the Cup races at Atlanta. Security always seems non-existant but we've somehow managed to push our way through in the past. However, it turned more dangerous last evening, as the crush of fans rushing Junior knocked over a small chain link fence, sending dozens of folks crashing to the ground. No one seemed seriously injured, but it's never a pleasant send-off when worrying about fans being hurt in the crush.
If you're a fan who likes to hang out in that area, we'll no longer be bringing Dale Jr. through that walkway in future events. |
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