Here we are -- NASCAR season is over. Johnson has the trophy (boo, hiss). It's Sunday afternoon and the Chiefs aren't even playing. So to while away the weeks until Daytona, here's something that I've been mulling over.
I realize that the NASCAR folks are delighted that the "Chase" has generated a fair amount of publicity for them, and chances are they won't change things anytime soon. I can't say that I think it's such a great idea. In the "old days" the whole idea of a championship was to treat the entire race season as a whole, with no one race being more important than another. Any given team might have a hot streak at some point in the season, only to see it fade later on. A team that was strong on 1.5 mile ovals almost never did as well on a road course. A whole-season perspective required consistency across the board. The idea was to ELIMINATE luck as a deciding factor, and the only way to do that was to treat the entire season as a whole.
Now, granted, this format didn't create a huge amount of suspense at the end of the season. Often a team would clinch the championship by early October. But does the "Chase" as it exists now put too much emphasis on luck?
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
The Chase stinks in my opinion. Nascar has to be about winning races and not the championship. I mean the championship is important but the focus needs to be on this weeks race. When I started following racing in the mid 80's it was mostly about winning. They didn't really even pay attention to the points until about 10 races to go. If there wasn't a points battle then they didn't really focus on it at all. In 86 Earnhardt wrapped it up with 6 races to go(in a 26 race season). It wasn't a huge letdown. They congratulated him then went on for 6 weeks to see who could win the rest of the races. Now it is all about creating this artificial close finish and it stinks. They constantly talk about putting the focus on winning. Well the way to do that is to cover the winners. Leave the points alone. If you want the focus on winning then make the media cover the winners. Who won the most races this year? Kasey Kane. Heard much about it? Nope. Kevin Harvick doubled his career win total this year. Heard much about it? Nope. When Earnhardt won his last 2 championships but Rusty Wallace nearly doubled his win total it caused a huge controversy. How can someone win that much and not win the title? It was great for the sport. It gained them and Rusty a ton of exposure. Quit talking about the points after Daytona and talk about race winners and things will be much better. Oh yea! Can the chase too!
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There are no born winners. There are no born losers. Everyone is born a chooser. Choose your path wisely.
NA$CAR is trying to find ways to 'drum up' some interest towards the end of the season. They feel that pro football starting up takes away from their audiences. The suits that run NA$CAR will tell you that the Chase is successful, but every article I read said that TV ratings are down an average of 7 percent each race. That, coupled with the fact that they are having trouble filling the stands at some tracks, some of which are during the Chase should tell them something. In my opinion, NA$CAR has completely lost touch with their fan base. They have turned their backs on 'tradition' as well as the long term fans. It's all about wooing new fans because they are the ones that are also spending their hard earned money at the driver's trailers (which NA$CAR gets a cut). They negotiated all new TV contracts that essentially are 10 laps followed by 5 minutes of commercials, then repeat. The talking heads yak as if the complete audience is tuning in to a race for the very first time. And don't get me started on the bias of those idiots. Most of the media had given the Championship to their favorite little boy several weeks before the actual last race. Hell, NA$CAR.com posted an article on how the competetors raced Johnson clean during the last race. Only problem was that the race was only half over when it showed up on their web site. That's one reason that we call NA$CAR affectionaly 'WWT'..... Wrestling with Tires.
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Those that can't do teach. Those that can't teach consult. Deserve aka Gabe
'8 replies before the gutter! Good job Clubhouse!!!!!' Ninjabookey
Rest and relaxation can be a powerful “nothing” to propel us to greater achievements. Mahler
Stop listening to your wiener. He may want to go for a swim, but you haven't checked if the waters are shark infested yet. Ninjabookey
I know it's all about the dollar, but the season is just too long. With fewer races they wouldn't have trouble filling the stands (except maybe those boring places like California), each race would be worth more in the big picture, and with the parity (as compared to 20 years ago- don't start with the mega-team arugument), you'd have a lot of extra excitement and pressure in a shortened season (isn't that one of the premises behind the chase?)
Or do like the minor leagues used to do (still? in some levels) and split the 36 race season into two seasons. I don't know. I am at a loss. It sucks though, the way it is now.
Exactly! They need fewer races. There is no way that they should be racing in week 12 of the N.F.L. season. It was much more exciting when the season was about 25-30 races. Not to mention that most of the chase races are boring. It is suppose to be their showcase but 7 of the 10 races stink including the last one. Stop picking tracks based on how many people can sit at it and pick them on the type of racing that they produce.
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There are no born winners. There are no born losers. Everyone is born a chooser. Choose your path wisely.
I certainly agree that the season has gotten too long. February through November? I can't name any other sport that has such a long season.
Would you rather see a shorter season WITH a "Chase" or simply shorten the season and calculate the season champ with a points system? Or just ditch the season championship altogether?
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I think that you have to have an ultimate prize to shoot for. I say have a shorter season with a points system that emphasizes winning races more than the current points system does. And put the Chase out to pasture with the Chevy Lumina and Dodge Intrepid.
Well boys, back in the day the season was about the same length, but they raced 2 to 3 times a week. All that only to get about 15 minutes the following Saturday on ABC's Wide World of Sports. It's come a long way.
I'm afraid that the Chase is here to stay. One of my favorite sayings is 'NA$CAR is not in the racing business, they are in the entertainment business'. Most of the newer fans are so naive to think that NA$CAR actually cares about the racing. Bull. California Speedway is a perfect example. It is the most boring race I've ever slept through (never been there). It's a big freaking snoozer of an event. NA$CAR will stay with it as long as they are making money. The promoter and track owners will take a financial beating well before anybody with the name of France will.
With that being said, the Chase has and has not done what NA$CAR wanted. It has peaked more interest towards the final 10 races. What it also has proved is that even in this format, it can be just as boring as some of the points races were before it came to be.
I'm sure that the 'I know what people want' decision makers will tweak the system in hopes that they will get more interest in the Chase. And I say that any change will not help.
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Those that can't do teach. Those that can't teach consult. Deserve aka Gabe
'8 replies before the gutter! Good job Clubhouse!!!!!' Ninjabookey
Rest and relaxation can be a powerful “nothing” to propel us to greater achievements. Mahler
Stop listening to your wiener. He may want to go for a swim, but you haven't checked if the waters are shark infested yet. Ninjabookey
NASCAR is trying to get a track in the Northwest, and already has the Busch races in Toronto and Mexico. The expansion is becoming almost Wal-Martesque. They're fucking everywhere.
But at the same time, they have to be everywhere to get rid of the hick stereotype. Regardless of how it should be done, I think we all agree that NASCAR would be better served away from the stereotype. That said, there does need to be a better effort to reclaim the history.
Darrell Waltrip had a great--- but completely unrealistic idea to have local tracks that run the Friday and Saturday night features to install a big screen to watch the big boys race when they're on at night. That's great, it would keep fans at the track and they would get a 2 for 1 special, but those tracks aren't going to be able to afford that.
NASCAR needs to promote the local tracks and support them much better. The driving shortage speaks to that. The Drive for Diversity program, while a great idea in theory, has done jackshit, and NASCAR would be better served to probably devote more resources elsewhere. However, in the era of politically correctness, they have to try to bring more color to the sport. There are reasons that minorities aren't in racing, but at the same time, the African American baseball playing population is way down, and more and more Hispanics are hitting the track in the big leagues. (Almirola, Montoya, Jourdain, Goeters-- just getting there is a success)
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Quoth David Banner: "Like a pimp"
It's not a beer belly. It's a gas tank for a sex machine.
And in other news, Jimmie Johnson broke his wrist in a driving accident... he fell off a golf cart!
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
I hear he landed face first in Brian France's lap.
To which Brian said, "nice try, but you're no Shrub."
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
LOL Bill. My guess is that France would have difficulties recognizing any of The Felon's drivers...... if you know what I mean.
But Shrub's ears are unmistakable from any angle.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
If I was named "France" would I deign to speak with race fans at all, let alone on the net?
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Regardless of what the media says, it looks like Brian France is getting special treatment just like 'The Felon'.
No special treatment given NASCAR's Brian France, Florida DA says
File / The Associated Press
NASCAR's Brian France gestures during a news conference in this image from June 29, 2006, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Police officers who responded to NASCAR President Brian France’s condominium in response to a report of an erratic driver did not give him special treatment, a prosecutor said.
The Volusia County state attorney’s office reviewed the results of an internal investigation conducted by the police department and determined last week that authorities handled the case properly.
On Nov. 6, a motorist called 911 after spotting a man in a Lexus driving erratically. The caller, store clerk Shirley Hill, followed France to the guard shack of his condo while she spoke to the dispatcher and described the man driving on curbs, striking a parked car and scraping a tree.
When questioned, France told officers he was drinking a soda in his car and “bumped into something,” the initial report states. Officers said they found evidence of a spilled soft drink when they checked the inside of his car. France, 44, was not cited and he was not given a field sobriety test. Officers said he did not smell of alcohol, Police Chief Mike Chitwood said at the time, though he ordered an internal investigation.
B.S.
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Those that can't do teach. Those that can't teach consult. Deserve aka Gabe
'8 replies before the gutter! Good job Clubhouse!!!!!' Ninjabookey
Rest and relaxation can be a powerful “nothing” to propel us to greater achievements. Mahler
Stop listening to your wiener. He may want to go for a swim, but you haven't checked if the waters are shark infested yet. Ninjabookey
Oh, brother... If that ain't "special treatment" then I don't know what is.
I found it interesting that he's driving around in a Lexus -- you s'pose there's any link to the fact that Toyota will be in the Cup next year?
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Police: No DUI arrest for France; he was inside condo
By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH -- NASCAR CEO Brian France admitted to officers he had been drinking the night a woman followed him to his condominium after she observed him driving erratically on U.S. 1. But because police never interviewed France until he was inside his residence, they could not arrest him for DUI, an internal affairs investigation released Thursday shows.
Regardless, Police Chief Mike Chitwood said that once his officers knew who was involved in the incident, they went the extra mile to make sure they followed the law and gave France no special treatment.
The investigation also shows that when a sergeant who was called to the scene learned the driver of the car was France, he in turn called a lieutenant. The sergeant then relayed to one of the officers: "We're just here to do our job, OK, we do what we always do under these circumstances."
The chief said officers were somewhat rattled when they learned the incident involved France. France crashed his Lexus sedan into a tree just outside his condominium on Marina Point Drive around 9 p.m., a police report states. When several officers responded to the scene at 9:51 p.m., the man had already gone upstairs to his apartment, Chitwood said. Roughly 20 minutes later, the officers knocked on France's door. France came downstairs with them, dressed in fresh clothes.
''I think that when everyone found out this was Brian France, they knew they had better dot their I's and cross their T's," Chitwood said Thursday.
Nonetheless, a police report prepared on the call witness Shirley Hill made to 911 as she followed France south on U.S.1, east on Orange Avenue then onto Beach Street on Nov. 6, does not mention that France had admitted to having "a few (alcoholic beverages) over at the Chart House" earlier that night.
That detail was not included in the paperwork, Chitwood said, because the officer was investigating a crash, not a DUI.
''That information of course came out in detail in the internal affairs investigation," the chief said. "I believe everything Ms. Hill told us and you can draw your own conclusions from that.
"The bottom line is, he (France) was out of his car, he was inside his apartment and he could have had the alcohol there and hours before. But since we didn't stop him in his car, we can't touch him," Chitwood said.
The matter , however, led to two policy changes within the Daytona Beach Police Department: Whenever there is a DUI incident, the highest-ranking supervisor on the shift will be called to the scene and take control of the investigation; and no officer will report off-duty until all of his or her reports are complete.
The latter stems from the fact that neither Chitwood nor Capt. Matt Doughney knew about the France incident when questioned by a reporter because the report had not been handed in.
Hills, accompanied by a passenger, followed France to the guard shack of his condo while she spoke to the 911 dispatcher and described how the man was driving on curbs, struck a parked car and then scraped a tree. She had no idea the driver she was pursuing was France until a condo security guard told her.
According to the initial crash report, France told officers he was driving and drinking a soda when he "bumped into something." When police checked the inside of his car, they saw evidence of a spilled soft drink and a half-eaten hamburger.
Officers sent to the area where Hill said France had sideswiped a parked car never found evidence of that, the investigation shows.
By the time other officers knocked on France's door to question him based on Hill's statements, he had already been home about 20 minutes, the investigation shows.
One officer who spoke to France, Penny Dane, is experienced in making DUI arrests and administering breathalyzer tests. Dane said that while she did not smell alcohol on France, she said "he did seem fatigued as if he had been drinking and he did openly state to me that he had had a few (alcoholic beverages) over at the Chart House."
The officer who accompanied Dane, however, Stephanie Donald, said she smelled alcohol on France.
But Dane knew her hands were tied, based on what she told internal affairs officials when she was questioned about France: "It would be illegal for me to even arrest and more investigate it, not knowing what he could have done in his condominium for 20 minutes."
Chitwood said investigators called the Chart House and officials at the Marina Pointe condos regarding France, but neither would cooperate with police. lyda.longa@news-jrnl.com
*cough-cough* bullshit *cough-cough*
__________________
Those that can't do teach. Those that can't teach consult. Deserve aka Gabe
'8 replies before the gutter! Good job Clubhouse!!!!!' Ninjabookey
Rest and relaxation can be a powerful “nothing” to propel us to greater achievements. Mahler
Stop listening to your wiener. He may want to go for a swim, but you haven't checked if the waters are shark infested yet. Ninjabookey
The Chase is Over
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