by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Well, that was fun! I mean it, I wish those little rug rat cars would race every weekend. Wait a minute; I will get my wish won’t I? Did y’all really just love watching all the pretty little wings fluttering around Bristol last Sunday afternoon? Why heck, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the TV with all the excitement of the wheel-to-wheel and hub-to-hub racing with a few wall bangers. I don’t know which I liked best, the wing wammers, the splitter splitting or maybe the big piece of foam in the door that made it feel like a brick wall if you hit the other guy. I wonder how many fans got souvenirs in their faces when Dale Jarrett hit the wall and the wing went to pieces. I can imagine some of those little support rods flying off that splitter or the wing and poking someone’s eye out.
NASCAR built these things to be so safe for the drivers but what about the fans? Just how many rows up into the stands need to wear protective gear like at a Gallagher show when he uses that Sledge-o-Matic? Maybe NASCAR ought to think about that in the future. It wasn’t as dangerous at this race since they didn’t get much over 30 mph and that was on the straights, but what about a wall banger at 180 or so? Where’s all them tiny pieces going then? Sure the old cars had things fall off them and go over the fence and hit fans, but they usually could dodge the big pieces. I’m worried about small things gettin’ through the fence and hurting somebody badly. I know what they can do: make the chain link real itsy bitsy so nothing can get through and you can’t see a anything either (unless you’re up higher).
Was it me or my imagination that the cars were painted a lot brighter or something? I had to look real hard at them to know who was who. I didn’t know that bricks could go that fast and be that colorful, did you? Just think that when they get to the big tracks they’ll really look funny. If you thought a 500 mile race on a 2 mile track was boring before, this will be unreal. Heck, I got so bored with the Bristol race, which ain’t never happened before. What will Talladega be like with these pieces of COT? I’ll probably pass out! Yeah yeah yeah, all this Car of Tomorrow is Car of Today and now the Car of Yesterday; I heard enough of that crap! NASCAR is going to make me the Fan of Yesteryear if they keep these things racing. And what about the manufacturers?
I hate to keep harping on this, but does NASCAR really think that the American manufacturers will continue to support this sport when you can’t tell what kind of car is on the track? Here again you have to look real hard at the cars to see what kind of car it is. My friend John and I were talking about how they’re like Indy or Grand Prix cars, we can’t tell which is which in that kind of racing. Oh Boy, when the COT gets on a road course you’ll think you’re in Monte Carlo or someplace like that and talk about the Brickyard, well they will be right at home there. Even Kyle Busch said he can’t stand to drive the car, and he won that dang first race with one. Other guys have said many things about this car and NASCAR thinks the car is a gift from above-- but not me.
Now the Chevrolet general manager was happy as a lark about it being Chevrolet’s 600th win and said, “It is equally exciting for us to have Impala SS score a first win in its debut as NASCAR’s new-generation racecar.” Can Chevrolet stay thrilled with this “new generation” of car when you can’t go out and buy one at your local dealer? Will they think that people will want an SS Impala just because the name is on the front of the car and a little Chevy Bow Tie is on the rear end? I know that Ford Motor Company was happy as a pig in slop that the Fox TV car had the name Fusion on the side of it in great big letters. I wonder how much they paid for that, or will Fox rotate the name to Camry or Avenger or Impala for the rest of the rest season?
As you can tell, I am obviously not a fan of the new style car, (can’t call it tomorrow anymore) and the few races they have this season won’t change my mind. I hate the fact that by 2009 (and perhaps next season) these will be the only kind of racecar in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and I don’t know what to do. These things will wind up in the Busch Series or whatever name the new sponsor will call it and then it’s off to ARCA and on to all the other NASCAR series. When will the Truck of the Future come out and what in the world will it look like? If these are bricks, will they be cinder blocks or something? To be absolutely honest with all of y’all, I really hoped and maybe even thought I could tolerate the COT, but after seeing 43 of them at one time, AIN’T NO WAY!!! The wing is stupid, the splitter looks like a big mouth and in-car camera angles makes it seem like the drivers are in a barn.
Now that I have released my feelings about the debut of the COT, I would like to talk about a few other things. Mikey, you didn’t make another one and Dale, you raced your way in and Matt raced your butt out. Even if Toyota does come to Waltrip’s aid, what can they do that will get him into races? How about that Ward Burton?! He made the race and he even finished it and as my mate in Australia said, “He Won! He Won!” Now now Pete, Wardie didn’t win but he did finish 18th and that is something in itself. He just played it cool and stayed where he needed to be, which was out Robby’s way (unlike last time), so he just might get to the end of a few more this year. Mark, did you enjoy the time off or rather the working time off in Lake City and at the BBQ grille?
Last week I spoke of “Big Mama” and “Baby Brian” going head to head and how NASCAR wouldn’t comment on ongoing legal matters. Well it seems that AT&T is happy to talk about it and did so by going back into court on Monday to file a motion for an immediate OK to change Jeff Burton’s car name. NASCAR has laid around and let lawsuits just kind of fade away into the sunset, but AT&T ain’t going to let this happen cause they are spending money with RCR and they want some advertising. Can you blame them? This is going to get nastier before it gets prettier and you can blame it all on MONEY!
I think I have an answer to my question from last week about the money NASCAR makes from the OSN (official sponsor if NASCAR). They put some in the awards money, for the end of the year, but how much I didn’t learn. Maybe they do let some teams and drivers get some one way or another, but I would think it’s not a large figure. NASCAR did say a little something about the AT&T deal and that was, “NASCAR is defending every driver, team and track by protecting a sponsor that benefits everyone.” How can you defend RCR if Shell and AT&T are told how to show their colors and don’t get the bang for their bucks? Richard Childress must be really biting nails about now.
Well it’s over again, for me at least, and if you want to contact me it can be done at tinynascars@yahoo.com and y’all know the rest of the story, as Mr. Harvey would say, but I don’t really think he would say this: If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!!
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