Every trip is one to remember

In 2001, after the crash that took Dale Earnhardt Sr., I was one of the masses who went in search of a new favorite driver to follow. Junior seemed a bit too cliche. Afterall, I picked my drivers based on a memorable performance on the track, and I wasn't moved by Junior's drving at that time.

Months went by, and the 2001 season came to an end. Still I had no driver to call my driver. As the close of the 2002 season approached, I still watched the races but had no real connection to them, like a fan does when they have a specific driver to cheer. Then came race 31 of the season. I watched how the No. 40 qualified 5th with a substitute driver. It caught my interest, as the apparent underdog was making a go of it. When Jaime McMurray brought the No. 40 to the checkered flag, I finally said, "That's my driver! I don't know what he looks like, and I don't care. Anyone who can be put in a car as a placeholder and take the win is a driver for me." Little did I know how my comments foretold of things to come.

Then, Ganassi picked up McMurray and put him in the No. 42 with Texaco/Havoline on the hood, and I knew it was a great choice. I had always had a soft spot for Davey Allison and the Alabama gang, even though I followed Dale Sr. McMurray's all-American looks would repeatedly cause me grief with my racing friends. They would dismiss me as a typical chick picking a driver either because of the color of his car or because he was a pretty boy. Nothing irritates me more than being dismissed as frivolous. Unfortunately, even with the 2003 Rookie of the Year award and a close call for the Chase, McMurray was not going to make it any easier for me.

McMurray moved to Roush in 2006, and when the series went to Texas everything went sideways. In pre-race coverage, McMurray was shown doing his sponsor duties by serving as a designated driver for a Crown Royal program. After a few of the drives home with fans were shown, one came up where a lady - with a healthy buzz - asked the standard question: "What do you do if you have to pee?" Now, everyone knows how that issue is handled. It was a catch-22, granted, but his talk of letting loose in place led to no end of razzing by my co-workers for weeks and months to come.

I began to diversify my following of drivers in order to not have to deal with the jabs during racing debates by picking up a couple of more to cheer for, but I never turned my back on McMurray. The July race at Daytona in 2007 reaffirmed that McMurray had the goods to be a driver to cheer for with one of the best finishes in recent NASCAR memory. Though it can be frustrating to see a driver you cheer go through dry spells and several close calls with the checkered flag, when they break through, it puts a little bounce in the fan's step and starts the week on a positive note.

So, this week, I've celebrated a bit with my driver, though he couldn't identify me in a line up. Talladega may have been a disappointment from a racing point of view, but I know of one driver and his fan base, who are happy with the results from Sunday. While the media and fans lament the parade that was Dega, it is important to remember: for some, Dega gave us a reason to celebrate. I can only hope that McMurray's victory moment doesn't get crowded out by Dega bashing. Unfortunately, we all know that discontent gets far more attention than elation. What is truly important is to cherish the victory because you never if or when it might happen again.

Congratulations, Jaime McMurray, you earned it. Your loyal fans celebrate the win with you.

NASCAR doesn't get it

In a lengthy blog post last night, Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Managing Director of Corporate Communications took the completely wrong approach to addressing the dissatisfaction of NASCAR fans with the race at Talladega this past Sunday.

Instead of saying how thankful NASCAR is about the fact that all drivers got to go home Sunday night, Poston takes a defensive and dismissive stance. He cites that loop data shows more than 13,000 passes occurred during the Sunday event. Bull. A pass on the loop data does not mean action on the track. When the pack did run more than single file, multiple passes could be logged every lap without cars noticeably advancing or retreating. A pass that enhances racing results in noticeable moves on the track not a .001 second lead for .0000001 of a second in 34th place.

Whether NASCAR likes it or not, if the fans don't like a race, they go elsewhere. Hence, the drop (yet again) in Cup ratings. Not all of NASCAR racing is suffering as the truck series had its second highest viewership of the season.

The difference? One possibility is that the truck series drivers continue in the old school tradition of doing their talking on the track, rather than in the media. Another is the fact that the CWTS races are shorter, so they are inherently seen as more exciting as a whole. There have been cries from multiple fronts calling for shorter Cup races, but NASCAR has continued to ignore them. Since ticket prices are pegged to the distance of the race, and not fan satisfaction, shortening races remains unlikely.

What I believe was most offensive in Poston's diatribe was the fact that he failed to acknowledge the danger Ryan Newman was in or the fact that NASCAR was thankful that no major injuries or fatalities resulted. If the accident had been like the Spring race, where a fan was injured, the response more than likely would have been far more humane. Just compare the NASCAR PR after the April race and this week to see where NASCAR's sympathies really lie.

Newman was still in a post-crash adrenaline rush when the media blitzed him coming out of the care center. Under the circumstances, it looks like Newman handled himself remarkably well, and NASCAR has mis-characterized Newman's comments because, quite possibly, they see truth in his statement.

Newman did not say that NASCAR doesn't care about the drivers' safety. Newman said, “It is a shame that not more is getting done. I don't know. I am the only guy out there with an engineering degree. I would like to have a little respect on my end.” Newman's issue was the fact that NASCAR has failed to include what ultimately makes the race go every weekend: the drivers. He was saying that NASCAR does not respect the the drivers enough to take their input into account (or even consider asking for it).

Now, Poston argued that the enforcement of the bump-drafting rule was due to several "veteran drivers" requesting it. What on the surface would appear to refute Newman's comments, that driver opinions are not welcome, actually serves to strengthen the argument for one simple fact. A select group of drivers were said to have had enough clout for NASCAR to change how they were approaching the officiating.

The elitist and reactive nature of NASCAR's approach to dealing with issues is what drivers and fans have issue with. If NASCAR had veteran drivers coming in saying that something needed to be done, as the sanctioning body for all drivers at the track this weekend, they needed to call a town hall at the track so all drivers could have a voice. Granted, you can't make everyone happy, but at least you can acknowledge that they are talented and knowledgeable in their field and listen to what they have to say. Who knows, they could actually make NASCAR's job easier.

One of the reasons, I became disillusioned with the NBA is that every time someone speaks out against obviously egregious officiating, the NBA swoops down and fines the offender...despite a Constitutional amendment concerning free speech. Recently, I had issue with NASCAR for putting Allmendinger on probation after he was cited for DUI last week. Afterall, you are innocent until proven guilty and a ticket (yes, his arrest consisted of being ticketed) with the word arrest on it does not denote guilt. He was not at a track, nor was he representing NASCAR. Those who say athletes are role models need to reassess what is important in life...putting a racer ahead of those who are true heroes (first responders, teachers, parents, etc) is not something NASCAR should be condoning with probation edicts regarding a person's personal time. (If a corporation similarly penalized an employee, they would be ripe for a lawsuit, so NASCAR should not be able to hold itself to a different standard simply because it is a sport.)

Not once have I heard a "thank goodness everyone went home to their wives" from NASCAR. As a result, the credibility of all NASCAR's charity efforts has been diminished in my eyes. Afterall, if you can't be humane to your own, how can any one believe you care for strangers?

Resurrection & Talladega

Figured it was time to crank this puppy back up, and the events at Talladega this past weekend have definitely had an impact on the sentiments of NASCAR nation. I was surprised to read people calling Jimmie Johnson a coward for riding in the back almost all day. Granted, his driving was far from inspired, and I'm not a 48 fan. However, a large number of top drivers did time at the back of the line Sunday.

It was hard to watch the race before the infamous "big one", that put Ryan Newman's life in jeopardy, because no true race fan enjoys nose-to-tail, one line running orders, especially on a huge track. Everyone has an opinion on what made the race take the form that it did. My issue was with the fact that NASCAR waited until just before the start of the Cup race to put the fear of God into the drivers. Granted, NASCAR had warned drivers not to bump draft into the turns during Friday's practice. They even pulled Michael Waltrip for a bumping time out, but the weight of the message should have been delivered before the drivers even got to the track. That way the practice sessions would have allowed teams to practice and test the waters before being placed under the shadow of unnamed/unidentified penalties.

As someone who lives less than an hour from Auto Club Speedway, I hear all the groans about the trips to Fontana and how boring the racing is there thanks to the box that the ACS track is in. What I don't understand is...how is the racing at Talladega better? It seems to be more of the same to me and not value added to the race schedule.

So Cal Motorsports Examiner

Went live this week as the Southern California Motorsports Examiner. Check out the homepage! I welcome any comments and suggestions for upcoming pieces. Generally, Monday/Tuesday are week in review type stories, Tuesday-Thursday are special interest stories, Friday are upcoming events stories, and Saturday/Sunday are breaking news type stories.

Tires could be an issue at Daytona

Watching practice this afternoon gave me bad flashbacks of the Brickyard last year. 15 laps and tires were gone. Time to beg the racing gods for some grace. It would be all shades of wrong to see the race be a repeat of Indy.

Beating the dead horse

Listening to Dave Moody on Sirius this afternoon made me smile, even in LA traffic. The sounds of the dead horse getting beaten every time someone called up about the Busch guitar incident had me grinning stupidly as the car went down the freeway at a mind blowing 15mph.

Bashing Busch, a guitar, and trophy procedures

Another Monday, another Kyle Busch bashing parade. I admit that I was not a fan of Kyle Busch prior to last season, but you have to give a great racer props. NASCAR nation is in an uproar over Busch's antics at Nashville Saturday night. Granted, I don't think the rocker influenced guitar smashing was the best thing Kyle could have done for impression's sake, but I remember plenty of instances from days gone by in my past where youth won out over reason. I feel for Sam Bass, who put all the time into creating the guitar. Conversely, once the trophy is awarded it is the property of the winner...unless NASCAR nation lobbies for Oscar-like restrictions on a trophy's disposition.

However, Kyle claims that he broke up the guitar in order to give a piece of the guitar trophy to each of the crew members. It brings up a good question...why do the driver and the owner get trophies, but not the crew? Tony Stewart's win on Sunday at Pocono proved how important the crew is to getting the checkered flag. Why should race shops and driver trophy rooms be the only places where hard working crew members can enjoy the fruits of their labor?