tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post5973840264425400030..comments2024-03-05T06:32:37.180-05:00Comments on The Daly Planet: The Island Of Brian FranceDaly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-85018626237373747492009-10-02T19:30:07.532-04:002009-10-02T19:30:07.532-04:00I believe a big part of the mystery of NASCAR is b...I believe a big part of the mystery of NASCAR is because a big part of the media can't figure out the right questions to ask or don't care what the answers are. A couple of months ago in the heat of the Mayfield saga Brian France met with the press for about an hour (Daytona I believe) and apparently no one in the media asked any real probing questions about the drug policy , how it was developed, and who was involved. The following week the press was back at it complaining about the NASCAR drug testing policy - despite having whiffed on their opportunity to ask Brian F to explain it in detail. In many cases the press does not want to clutter up their NASCAR bashing with actually having facts.Richard in N.C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-56532936171771590092009-10-02T18:43:34.679-04:002009-10-02T18:43:34.679-04:00IMHO, the biggest problem in NASCAR racing today i...IMHO, the biggest problem in NASCAR racing today is the "black box" that is NASCAR's corporate ownership. They explain nothing, they counter no accusations, it's like trying to get an answer about why things are done the way they are done out of a health insurance company. I wish the drivers and/or owners would form a union(s) ... I imagine things would be much more evolutionary if that were to happen.Harrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-92038228950872356002009-10-02T18:21:41.315-04:002009-10-02T18:21:41.315-04:00glenc1 - good thoughts. I think they should also i...glenc1 - good thoughts. I think they should also increase the number of points for ending in the top 5.<br /><br />I still think there is a big question of whether the broadcasts are really capturing the excitement on the track. <br /><br />Also I don't think Brian F. always gets completely fair coverage. More and more I sense there are old veterans in the press corps who harbor a grudge against his father ( who scared the bejesus out of them) and they are getting their revenge on Brian and the NASCAR of today.<br /><br />Bill Safire died last weekend and he coined the perfect term for today's NASCAR press corps - nattering nabobs of negativism.Richard in N.C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-9832482045740091112009-10-02T18:15:25.640-04:002009-10-02T18:15:25.640-04:00anon 3:13am, may I point out that the same Rick He...anon 3:13am, may I point out that the same Rick Hendrick, who started out with nothing as you say, plead guilty to more than one felony charge, one having to do with mail fraud and others with bribery of Honda officials. He got lucky and was pardoned by President Clinton. <br /><br />Hendrick, 51, was fined $250,000 and sentenced in December 1997 to 12 months' home confinement and three years' probation in connection with an ongoing government investigation into a bribery scandal at American Honda Co. He also was ordered not to have anything to do with his auto dealerships or NASCAR racing operations during the home detention.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-79197281243913582692009-10-02T10:28:12.341-04:002009-10-02T10:28:12.341-04:00I think a lot of this comes down to what kind of f...I think a lot of this comes down to what kind of fan you are. I am a race fan first...whether 'my' driver is in it or not, I still follow the racing pretty closely because it interests me (that is, if TV or radio can in any way portray that). Other fans who are listening to only their driver on the scanner and turn it off if they wreck or blow up...they're just a different kind of fan. Not a 'bad' fan, mind you, just different. It's all well & good to say that to get mentioned teams need to win, but even if you're 100% right to believe it, that doesn't keep that element of driver fans (who comprise a large group, I think) interested. And in the end, that's what a business wants to do, keep its customers. If Brian doesn't care about that...well, that's pretty sad. I hated the Chase to start with, but I've learned to tolerate it. To be honest, I enjoy the last few races *before* the Chase starts the best. As for points racing, that's been going on for years. I would simply award more points for wins, and no points if you finish below a certain point (that would eliminate the wounded cars running laps.) And it would curtail the 'haves' who have 100 crew members and endless extra parts to fix the cars. But in any case, I haven't seen much leadership ability out of Brian.<br /><br />I still don't believe start times will affect ratings a lot (maybe a little.) If my team is on at 1pm or 4, I'm still going to be watching both.glenc1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-59920414376054777582009-10-02T07:42:19.406-04:002009-10-02T07:42:19.406-04:00How about this for a Chase Only incentive?
The 12...How about this for a Chase Only incentive?<br /><br />The 12 Chasers get points based on their finshes-no change there><br /><br />BUT, chasers win NO MONEY for the chase races.<br />ALL the prize money goes to non-chase finishers, with a super-prize fund to a non chaser if he wins a race.<br />Now THAT will reduce the "please and thank you" polite passing etc that goes on now.<br />Want good racing?<br />Give teams an incentiveAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-12757580454548283332009-10-02T03:13:46.786-04:002009-10-02T03:13:46.786-04:00Just got done watching today's Marty Smith int...Just got done watching today's Marty Smith interviews with Rick Hendrick today on NASCAR Now. Having watched those interviews, it is now especially hilarious to read some of the comments in this thread about how Hendrick buys his championships. That man's story is one of someone who started with NOTHING, and who made it to the top with a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. That some people want to deny him his due because he is more successful than their favorite owner/driver is disgusting.<br /><br />Also funny is all the talk in this thread about "points racing" as if it were just so easy and the CHase racers were "only points racing" and that's why they are in. Well, if that's the case, then it should be pretty easy for some other drivers to come up and beat them, right? Puh-leaze. If you think guys didn't points-race during a full season, you are nuts. To me the eptiome of points racing is when you are in 2nd and you think "I better just hang onto second and take the points rather than risk going for 1st and ending up 20th in a crash." Guess what - that happens in a 36-race season as much as a 26-race season, and if you don't believe it, just listen to Rusty Wallace or Daryl Waltrip talk about the seasons when they lost the title and how they made adjustments the next year to finally clinch it -- it was "points racing", as if trying to get the best finish is somehow a bad thing.<br /><br />I feel so sorry for so many of the NASCAR fans who post here. They seem trapped as fans of a sport they hate. In other words, they love NASCAR so much that they can find almost nothing right with it. Very, very sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-83425820535281375562009-10-02T00:10:43.366-04:002009-10-02T00:10:43.366-04:00Claire B Lang reported tonight on Sirius Nascar th...Claire B Lang reported tonight on Sirius Nascar that the 48 and 5 cars of Hendrick were taken to Nascar's R&D center and tested after last week's race. Lang reported that it was found that those two cars, and I don't claim to understand this issue, were way too close to Nascar's tolerance issues and the teams were told to not bring those cars back to the tracks again. Makes you just sit and say, hmmmmm especially for those who've mentioned the past "issues" of the 48 team and suspensions.Kellienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-87300175104497546952009-10-01T22:45:25.630-04:002009-10-01T22:45:25.630-04:00Bob Margolis did a fascinating article late last s...Bob Margolis did a fascinating article late last season in which he said he had talked to about 50 fans in the stands at a race and the vast majority thought the racing was good or very good. The problem is that the networks don't try hard enough to convey the excitement on the track - and a sizeable part of the media are fixated with always finding something to criticize about NASCAR. It does occur to me that it is easier to prepare to cover 20 racers than 43.Richard in N.C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-88636385926289056222009-10-01T22:09:26.057-04:002009-10-01T22:09:26.057-04:00I think every driver/car should be mentioned durin...I think every driver/car should be mentioned during a broadcast. They have fans/family/teams and most likely sponsors who need it. When sponsors decide to spend their money elsewhere I would think Nascar and ESPN would want to show them to keep them in the program. If Bill France were still running Nascar it would be a different animal today. And the comments - well let them win races to be shown on tv doesn't quite make sense to me. There is only one car that wins a race each week, there are 42 other cars that aren't and they need some love.Vicky Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13084198036514255332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-65787746141210998512009-10-01T21:25:36.703-04:002009-10-01T21:25:36.703-04:00Red-
I hate to knock ya off your soapbox but, NAS...Red-<br /><br />I hate to knock ya off your soapbox but, NASCAR's top level started out as an endurance. Many a racer has lapped the field, only to drop out due to mechanical issues or an untimely wreck.<br /><br />The winner spent the race going fast enuf to lead, but slow enuf to finish. That was 'Cup' racing then. The winner today doesn't have to be so careful and, as fans, we expect him to go fast because we know the cars are tougher now.<br /><br />But the race is, was, and will always be a marathon that rewards those who play conservatively. That is the nature of NASCAR Cup racing and, we, as fans, need to decide if we want endurance racing or demo derbies.<br /><br />The exciting racing that everybody is clammering for and wants to make 'Cup' racing into, is happening at your local track. If that's the racing you want, go there and those drivers (or their ilk) will follow. Trans-am almost became that, until they imploded.<br /><br />The race goes to those who face the realities of the race. Chad/Jiminy do, so they win when it counts. You think that 'slow start' was being off? Chad was probably testing for 5 races and saving it up for the end.Mïknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-13476777938569478732009-10-01T20:24:07.889-04:002009-10-01T20:24:07.889-04:00here's my problem with the chase: drivers now ...here's my problem with the chase: drivers now play the points game so they can get into the chase and then continue the game thru the 10 chase races. i can't blame montoya for "racing for points" b/c that's what's been set up for a team to be successsful. i blame nascar for setting the parameters for the teams and for not rewarding winning so that teams no longer take that shot and go for the win instead of the 2nd place finish.<br /><br />the chase doesn't reward the body of work, across all 36 races. it encourages teams to focus on points, not racing to the front and to the flag.<br /><br />as for the tv coverage: it can't be said enough -- there are 43 teams on the track each week. it is important to at least do a few "thru the fields" each race so fans of every team can find out where their team stands on the track. it's important to mention lucky dogs, lap downs, S&Ps, who's in the garage for repairs but expected back soon, who's having issues, who had a bad pit stop or a great one. all of this matters to the nascar fan, regardless of whether it occurs to one of the chasers or not.<br /><br />i don't expect my driver to get tv coverage when he's struggling in 22nd place or so. but i cerainly woud like to hear a field recap a few times each race so i know where he is! <br /><br />and if a chaser is struggling, that's a story that needs to be told as well -- but not to the exclusion of covering the non-chaser who may be having an amazing run! balance is called for each and every week of the last 10.<br /><br />bad tv = plummeting ratings. bad tv comes from espn as they continue to butcher the last 10 races each season. dover (altho' 100 laps too long) was not a boring race for me. i saw some great racing, some amazing passing, some "bat outta hell" moves -- but i'm thinking folks who didn't get to the track never saw any of that. and so the preception is that the racing stinks when, in fact, what stinks -- big time! -- is the broadcast.<br /><br />the chase is what it is and, for me, isn't the problem. the issue is that the race broadcasts treats the non-chasers as if they are all S&Pers, who mystically disappear off the track as the race continues. and the chasers get rewarded for just keeping the fenders on the car, donuts off the doors, and bringing it home carefully each week.<br /><br /> "conservative" and "racing" don't belong in the same breath.<br /><br />and by the way: brian france is a nitwit.redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08469882559901586219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-35812878927966994922009-10-01T19:43:29.996-04:002009-10-01T19:43:29.996-04:00Anon 7:35PM,
That's interesting. Long before ...Anon 7:35PM,<br /><br />That's interesting. Long before the Chase, the TV networks took great pains to go through the field like MRN and update all the drivers.<br /><br />The reason was that they understood that casual fans like yourself are not the group that needs to be served.<br /><br />It is the fans that have loyally followed one team and driver since February who are important.<br /><br />Once again, just because those drivers did not make the Chase should not mean that they are purposefully excluded from the national TV coverage during a four hour race. <br /><br />JDDaly Planet Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-64142556297935943892009-10-01T19:35:51.261-04:002009-10-01T19:35:51.261-04:004 hours in no way should guarantee coverage in my ...4 hours in no way should guarantee coverage in my opinion - same with golf - i want every one of tiger's shots on air - not everyone's story at the expense of the big gunsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-22687846674004788282009-10-01T19:30:07.426-04:002009-10-01T19:30:07.426-04:00Great comments, keep them coming. Got a LOT of fol...Great comments, keep them coming. Got a LOT of folks reading them.<br /><br />The key to our discussions is to allow everyone to state their views and keep the topic rolling.<br /><br />JDDaly Planet Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-78860769669936817782009-10-01T18:09:48.196-04:002009-10-01T18:09:48.196-04:00Oh, and NASCAR has become a sport of haves and hav...Oh, and NASCAR has become a sport of haves and have-nots? Ha... I bet that line would have gone over real big when Petty had factory support and others worked on their own cars. Give me a break!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-1999963543851010502009-10-01T18:08:45.904-04:002009-10-01T18:08:45.904-04:00Hendrick bought all his championships? Bwahahaha. ...Hendrick bought all his championships? Bwahahaha. I suppose he bought the adjustments needed during the race to make his cars go faster. In fact, I bet he paid off the other crew chiefs to lose on purpose! Yeah, that's it.<br /><br />Give me a break. Some people are so jealous of success that they will dream up anything in order to deny winners their proper glory. Hendrick bought his championships? Holy moly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-63595939355378752632009-10-01T17:02:29.447-04:002009-10-01T17:02:29.447-04:00So many of you are saying that those not in the Ch...So many of you are saying that those not in the Chase are just testing and not trying to win, but isn't that the PROBLEM? Why shouldn't these 31 other teams be trying to win? And if they're not, and they're just testing, then shame on them !!! And shame on us for putting up with that crap. And if that is the case, why not just park the 31 teams and have the Chase races be just for the 12 teams? <br /><br />And I cannot understand how anyone can say this Chase is exciting. When you realize that positions 8 through 12 are already quite far behind first place after only 2 races, and Kahne is behind more in points than a one race total at -189, that does not sound like a great Chase to me. <br /><br />As far as Hendrick domination, and especially the 48 team, one does have to wonder. Seeing how that team has been caught cheating numerous times, well.... But we all know, big money buys all the cheese, and Hendrick's very deep pockets can certainly buy championships. And seeing how many Championships Hendrick has "purchased" over the past few years, it's got to be playing on everyone's mind. But I still firmly believe that if JJ wins his fourth, the fan base will continue to erode. Why even bother cheering for another driver when you know it's only Hendrick cars that win 85% of the time?<br /><br />As for those who are equating the Chase and poor performing teams from other sports, sorry, but you can't compare the two at all. Just because the Nationals will have lost 100 games doesn't mean they've disappeared. You still get to watch them on TV. They're still written about in the sports pages. But once a Nascar driver is out of the Chase, you don't hear squat about him. It's as if those drivers don't exist after race 26.<br /><br />Now about the Chase vs a conventional points system: I say dump the Chase and go back to a conventional system, but NOT the old system. They need to devise a system that awards points in the manner win which CART awarded their points---a certain number of points for finishing first, second and so on. You get points for taking the pole and extra points for winning. That way, you've basically forced teams to race hard to win, or forgo winning the Cup.<br /><br />But BF's and Helton's tweaking of their rules don't help at all. So what if they can't test at Nascar sanctioned tracks? Big freakin' deal !!! The teams with the big money will still be testing at other tracks because they can afford to, while the poor teams continue to be shut out. Nascar has definitely become the sport of the haves and the have nots, and that's a big part of what's totally ruining the sport.darbarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00818341701216687244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-3066425708176718752009-10-01T17:02:25.167-04:002009-10-01T17:02:25.167-04:00Mik has it right...
NASCAR's been finishing it...Mik has it right...<br />NASCAR's been finishing its seasons in November since the mid-70's. No one seemed to gripe about having the seasons end at Thanksgiving in Petty's day. Why is everyone griping now?<br />Shortening the season won't be happening. Period.Tomnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-59983496878813618642009-10-01T16:36:59.338-04:002009-10-01T16:36:59.338-04:00Duh, much higher this year than last. Not next, th...Duh, much higher this year than last. Not next, that makes no sense. Much more exciting this year over last year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-90832482314934283112009-10-01T16:36:26.952-04:002009-10-01T16:36:26.952-04:00Tell you what, with all the problems of sponsorshi...Tell you what, with all the problems of sponsorships leaving, manufacturers bankrupt, teams having to merge out of necessity, and a no-testing policy... I actually think the racing, the level of competition and excitement are much higher this year than next.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-66002394549078937002009-10-01T16:25:35.302-04:002009-10-01T16:25:35.302-04:00I have complained about king Brian before many tim...I have complained about king Brian before many times. What it boils down to is one essential thing.<br /><br />Brian France is not a fan of our sport. He has never been a fan of our spot. He may or may not have grown up in the infield, my perception is not. But he has no love nor fundimental understanding of either the sport or the fan. The last name is not enough nor are genes as other notable offspring have ampaly demonstrated over the years.<br /><br />The only remaining person I have ANY confidence in at NASCAR management is Mike Helton nd maybe John Darby. Brian should step down and let Mike and maybe Humpy run the buisness for a few years. Give him all the money he wants, but make him give up his decision making and veto powers. For the sake of the sport someone needs to stage a coup de ta' quickly, like before February.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-30439868570322429232009-10-01T16:20:04.748-04:002009-10-01T16:20:04.748-04:00I actually like the Chase and do not think it shou...I actually like the Chase and do not think it should be changed... but if you want to have one change that might balance the focus on the Chasers and others' desire to see the rest of the field: Make all 12 Chase racers start in the back of the field.<br /><br />Yes, let the other 31 drivers qualify for positions 1-31, then put the Chase racers in seeded order from 32 to 43, and then start the race. You would force the Chasers to do more passing, which they should do since their cars should be better than the field, you'll see more of the other drivers in the action for at least the first half of the race, and... eh, you know what, forget it... you guys will whine about this too. No change will make some of these NASCAR fans happy until a time machine is invented that can take them back to 1976.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-16288761645368566272009-10-01T16:16:28.823-04:002009-10-01T16:16:28.823-04:00JD, I think you really quote this article out of c...JD, I think you really quote this article out of context. You leave out how almost every part of the article except that quote talks about how good the Chase has been for the sport, and at one point they even call it "universally embraced" and that the Chase specifically is "drawing more fan and media interest."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-30050645839010441922009-10-01T16:02:55.195-04:002009-10-01T16:02:55.195-04:00In essence SpoutsCenter gets ratings in spite of i...In essence SpoutsCenter gets ratings in spite of itself - because it has eliminated any competition, and withered from lack of having to be good to be watched.<br /><br />I feel certain if SpoutsCenter handled MLB the way EESPN does races (i.e., last 1/4 of the season no scores for MLB games between teams out of contention for playoffs) there would be outrage.<br /><br />In my opinion the way in which the networks, EESPN especially, handle races by focusing on top 20 or so only is not only poor quality coverage, but dumb and shortsighted. Sponsors of the cars in the bottom half of the standings might be more likely to buy TV ads if they thought there was a good chance their car would get at least some modest exposure. I will always wonder how much lack of exposure might have contributed to the end of the Jack D and Jim Beam sponsorships. A good competitor for EESPN ( like a combination of Comcast & NBC) would probably result in great improvements at EESPN.<br /><br />I think the Chase is too long and should be no more than 6 or 8 races- and I find the idea of rotating some races in and out of the Chase fascinating.<br /><br />Oh, it keeps bugging me - wasn't the Monty Python movie "Life of Brian?"Richard in N.C.noreply@blogger.com