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Firecrackers and Checkers - And Other Idling Thoughts
7/7/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
Some people like to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with a picnic in the park. Others like to head to Main Street USA for a parade. But if you are a racing fan the Fourth of July is a weekend full of exciting racing! The Firecracker 400 for the NASCAR Cup series has been known by other names for years but the excitement is still the same. Racing in July in Daytona is a crazy concept and can be considered a dress rehearsal for hell! It's not the heat it's the insane humidity! Since the race has been held under the lights it makes a little more sense but sometimes I wonder if tradition should give way to common sense. Imagine the excitement ending the season with a double header of racing in the great state of Florida. Homestead-Miami Speedway followed by the triple header of racing at Daytona to crown the champions of each of NASCAR's major series! The weather would be better and more snowbirds would head down for the race every year. Imagine 250,000 people at the "World Center of Racing" for Championship Week. NASCAR could even join with the Florida Department of Tourism to make it a two week vacation for NASCAR fanatics!
Racing in the Rain
While I usually treat Formula One racing as a novelty, the British Grand Prix on Sunday was very entertaining! Watching these high-tech racing machines throwing up impressive rooster tails racing in the rain made this show interesting to say the least. Lewis Hamilton is likely to become the next open wheel star rumored to head to NASCAR soon. Hamilton dominated the field in front of his home country fans winning by over a minute! This year the Formula One drivers can't rely on traction control so the wet track separated the men from the boys. Give them a dry track and it ends up being 95% equipment and strategy and 5% driver. But throw a wet track into the mix and it becomes at least 60% driver. The Ferraris might have the edge in technology but Lewis Hamilton is the best wheel man in Formula One right now by far and it showed on Sunday. Can we see NASCAR drivers on flat ovals or road courses in the rain please?
Open Wheel Weirdness
How can anyone take the Indy Car Series seriously? Maybe we should call these men and women the "Not Ready for Prime Time Racing Series." Why am I picking on the ICS? THEY HAD THREE WRECKS DURING A CAUTION! First Danica Patrick runs into equipment coming out of the pits. Then Scott Dixon spins all by himself before the race comes back to green. Then Milka Duno wrecks A.J. Foyt IV during the same caution! Watkins Glen features great racing with most of the other series that come to visit this historic road circuit. But the Indy Car Series featured more snooze than excitement! At least they have the first time winner story to play up again this week with Ryan Hunter-Reay getting his first ICS win.
Kyle Busch has Save of the Year
The driver fans love to hate gave them another reason to hate this guy in the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday night. Kyle Busch made perhaps the greatest save of the year and maybe in NASCAR history when his car got bumped out of control. Even after the near wreck it appeared that Kyle's chances to win were doomed as his car slowed on the track. TNT announcers said the steering wheel was off. They then changed their tune to tell us that his steering was just off. Kyle lost the draft but would rally through the pack after a series of late race cautions and would end up back in front dueling for the win. Was Kyle just lucky to make that save or good? Get used to booing this kid NASCAR fans because you will be booing him all the way to the head table at the Waldorf Astoria at the end of the season!
Best Race of the Weekend
Road racing in the USA is the sport for the rich guys. The average racing fan doesn't seem that interested by the Rolex Series and many in the mainstream media hate it too. But ever since the Rolex Series added the Daytona Prototype division this form of racing has captivated me. Thursday night the Rolex Series started off the long holiday weekend of racing with their Paul Revere 250 on the road course at Daytona. After 250 miles the winning margin would be a matter of just 8/100ths of a second! Scott Pruett defeated Alex Gurney with a textbook NASCAR-style slingshot pass coming to the checkered flag. If THAT race didn't get your attention then road racing is definitely not for you.
Monday Night on RaceTalkRadio.com Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen will recap the entire weekend in racing on Doin' Donuts at 8pm ET!
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