All Jacked Up

The racing weekend that was

Posted by: Jason Randall

Monday, July 7, 2008 2:40 PM

Wow, where do I begin? After a long weekend of racing that began with the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway and ended with the IRL race at Watkins Glen, I have come away with a number of thoughts:

- Denny Hamlin's win on Friday at Daytona was outstanding, but I have to say that the Cup regulars who race in Nationwide events are starting to wear thin on me. Sure, these guys make the races more "watchable" for many fans and they definitely boost the excitement level, but it makes it increasingly difficult for young stars to emerge. The Cup regulars are taking spots away from guys who could have a chance of a lifetime, but can't get a ride. You could argue that if they were good enough, they wouldn't have that problem, but I bet that's not the case in all circumstances. I'd like to see races with Nationwide guys only.

- How about that finish in the Sprint Cup race at Daytona? Now that was a wild finish! I have to tip my cap to J.J. Yeley, who got in Tony Stewart's car after Stewart fell ill. I thought Yeley did a great job in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, and after a season of frustration for him, it has to be a good feeling. It really shows that guys who have good equipment can run well (other than Casey Mears).

- Sticking with the Mears theme, it is a great move by Rick Hendrick to bring in Mark Martin to drive the No. 5 next year. I really think Hendrick wants to see Martin win a Cup and I truly believe he can with a car like that. Love to see the older guys run well!

- Remember me talking about the balance of power in Sprint Cup racing earlier in the season? Well Kyle Busch has pretty much kicked that out the window. Busch is a guy who you either love or hate, and personally I am getting tired of seeing him win races. I'm not taking anything away from Kyle and his team, it's just getting old. It's happenings like this that make me like the Chase format. Those last 10 races are going to be awesome!

- Speaking of awesome, I think TNT's coverage Saturday night was wonderful. I really like Kyle Petty in the booth. Hopefully he continues his TV career, because he's one of the best we've had in a long, long time. I also love the "wide open coverage" where we can still see the race with commercials playing on the bottom of the screen. IndyCar has been doing that for years, and it's nice to see NASCAR catch up a little bit. Good job TNT, you're helping restore my faith in racing coverage.

- I watched the entire Formula One race on Sunday. The British Grand Prix, won by Englishman Lewis Hamilton (who could be so marketable here in the States), was a wet and wild race that was very entertaining. Run mostly in the rain, fans new to the series got to see some interesting stuff with tire strategy. Some guys were running intermediate tires, others were driving full "wets." It was fun to see the technology and engineering that makes F1 so awesome. Did you know the teams wrap tires in thermal coverings to keep them warm when they put new sets on? That way drivers don't go out on cold tires. That's pretty cool in its own right. I want to see more F1 and we'll get a chance in two weeks on Fox with the running of the German Grand Prix. Can't wait.

- The coverage of the F1 race was "spot on" as they say in England. The back-and-forth from the guys in the booth was great and the way they explained the different strategies was very good. The announcers engaged the viewers and I actually found myself really paying attention to what they were saying, rather than tuning them out like I do with Darrell Waltrip and Co.

- Bringing up the rear this weekend was the IRL race at Watkins Glen. Not exactly the best race I've seen (won by Ryan Hunter-Reay), but I do enjoy the mix of talent in the IRL this season thanks to the merge with Champ.

- Chcagoland night race! That's what we've got coming up this weekend, and I think it's really going to show just how great of a track the oval outside Joliet, is. It's fast, it's high banked and it is going to be entertaining. Great move to put the event under the lights before the break leading up to the Brickyard (which I will be attending again!).

- Overall this was a racing fan's dream this weekend. I'll post again before Chicagoland with my thought's on NASCAR's top series.

Until next time, keep hittin' your marks!

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