Danica and "the Call?"

[pdub]

Yep. Conspiracy theorist and Chevy hater right here amongst us.

Seems so.

But from what I have gathered over the years, the NASCAR sanctioning body has always seemed to be the most knee-jerk reacting, over-compensating and confusing-est bunch of governors anywhere in organized sports. Always chasing their tail and still can't catch it.

I can't imagine any or all of them getting together on anything enough to even dream up a decent conspiracy. Even if they could, even then a tire could blow and foil all their best laid plans. Because tires can blow anytime.

EDIT/Update: I can remember one time when Michael Waltrip wrecked, ended up with the driver's door against the wall. The car was kinda starting to burn, and he couldn't get out. MW's a great big ole feller. He couldn't get out of that car. Kinda like me trapped in the truck delivery door at the tire shop. Just stuck there, at least Bubba wasn't on fire.

So in that case, NASCAR invented a sunroof of sorts and within the next few races MW won one, and threw the roof hatch open and stood straight up in the car, grinning.

And then who was it - Jeff Gordon? I can't remember, but some guy won a race and got so excited that he got up on the roof and jumped and stomped up and down on it in joy. Well, that made the car fail the template test in the post-race inspection, it was all mashed in. So for the next few races, guys drug the winner out of the car and the NASCAR guys quickly put up a makeshift PVC pipe cage in the side window to keep the driver from getting on the roof.

I mean....I mean really guys. Really?

[Chassisman]

Seems so.

But from what I have gathered over the years, the NASCAR sanctioning body has always seemed to be the most knee-jerk reacting, over-compensating and confusing-est bunch of governors anywhere in organized sports. Always chasing their tail and still can't catch it.

I can't imagine any or all of them getting together on anything enough to even dream up a decent conspiracy. Even if they could, even then a tire could blow and foil all their best laid plans. Because tires can blow anytime.

.....case in point....early 80's.....Bill Elliots T Bird couldnt be caught.....others in T birds were running strong....GM whined.....NASCAR let GM install sloped rear windows in Monte Carlos so they could "try" to catch them....and thats whenI stopped being a NASCAR fan......well....I did watch a while longer....til at one race a driver went to the garage because his power steering stopped working.....lol.

[Scott Liggett]

.....case in point....early 80's.....Bill Elliots T Bird couldnt be caught.....others in T birds were running strong....GM whined.....NASCAR let GM install sloped rear windows in Monte Carlos so they could "try" to catch them....and thats whenI stopped being a NASCAR fan......well....I did watch a while longer....til at one race a driver went to the garage because his power steering stopped working.....lol.

I have to agree on that point. The new generation of drivers should be forced to drive a '70's era car in the old Southern 500 that was always held on the hottest damn day of the year back then. Back when Petty chewed on a wet towel to stay cool. Other drivers drove with ice bags in their laps while muscling the car around turns all day with their triceps.

[38P]

Ieven Jimmy Johnson could sent packing if he crashes or blows up first.

Oh please don't get our hopes up . . . .

[BangShift McT]

I've made no bones about not being a NASCAR fan. Last time I was entertained by NASCAR was last year's Daytona 500, which by the end of it all you were missing from it was someone playing "And The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" for it to qualify as an episode of Looney Tunes. Blah. Big dollars at fake-ass cars does not impress me, less so if they aren't even doing something interesting with them.

As for Ms. Patrick, I'm pretty sure that even if she did a porn...I'm sorry, "home movie", called it Pole Position and had a scene involving her shifter that I couldn't be bothered to give two shits about anything she does.

[Scott Liggett]

Oh please don't get our hopes up . . . .

What would happen to the ratings if both Johnson and Jr. both crash out of the race? Oh God, I know what will happen; every third word out of Darrell Waltrips mouth will be Danica.

[38P]

.....case in point....early 80's.....Bill Elliots T Bird couldnt be caught.....others in T birds were running strong....GM whined.....NASCAR let GM install sloped rear windows in Monte Carlos so they could "try" to catch them....

While far from NASCAR's "original sin," the hideous "Aerocoupe" and the ridiculous BOP FWD-to-RWD conversions that soon followed were more GM-serving steps that took the sport away from production-based cars into becoming "racin's" WWE.

On the other hand, giving "Ol' Ironhead" and "Jaws" legal cheater cars sure did sell the tickets (and the Winstons) back in the 80s.

[38P]

What would happen to the ratings if both Johnson and Jr. both crash out of the race? Oh God, I know what will happen; every third word out of Darrell Waltrips mouth will be Danica.

And it won't be already? FOXCAR's going to blow this up like its the reincarnation of Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Mother Teresa behind the wheel of that tarted-up SS.

(These debates aren't nearly as fun without Spidey texting in . . . .)

[pdub]

Ya know from all of this discussion, there's got to be the real reason it's on the decline. All of us Redneck Southern former NASCAR fans, the folks who bought the sport and made it be as big as it ever was, even the dumbest of us Rednecks have had about enough glitz and glamor and rich young spoiled kids driving the cars.

Hardly anybody can afford to go to the track anyhow these days, what with the economy and the price of travel and race tickets and motels. Too big for their britches anymore. Round and round and round and round.

[oldsman496]

If that WOMAN DRIVER causes a big crash on the first or second lap.......I will be so pi$$ed i might..... maybe even............... i'd be hacked off buddy............. kinda mad even.......... I may actually write a email to NASCAR. maybe.


sacrilege i'm tellin' ya. t ain't rite.

Woman on the pole. she should have a green car too.

NASCAR damn well better frisk her for a cell phone before they throw that green flag.

[pdub]

If that WOMAN DRIVER causes a big crash on the first or second lap.......I will be so pi$$ed i might..... maybe even............... i'd be hacked off buddy............. kinda mad even.......... I may actually write a email to NASCAR. maybe.


sacrilege i'm tellin' ya. t ain't rite.

Woman on the pole. she should have a green car too.

NASCAR damn well better frisk her for a cell phone before they throw that green flag.

Mike, do I accurately sense that you were holding down the Sarcasm key with your left hand while you typed all of that with your right hand?

[oldsman496]

Mike, do I accurately sense that you were holding down the Sarcasm key with your left hand while you typed all of that with your right hand?

yeah well........ She damn well better not be callin' her Mom in the middle of the race fur advice.........

[pdub]

yeah well........ She damn well better not be callin' her Mom in the middle of the race fur advice.........

Lap 2. Nobody has bet against me so far . I won't be able to watch it. I'll catch the replays and pay up later.

[Scott Liggett]

Ya know from all of this discussion, there's got to be the real reason it's on the decline. All of us Redneck Southern former NASCAR fans, the folks who bought the sport and made it be as big as it ever was, even the dumbest of us Rednecks have had about enough glitz and glamor and rich young spoiled kids driving the cars.

Hardly anybody can afford to go to the track anyhow these days, what with the economy and the price of travel and race tickets and motels. Too big for their britches anymore. Round and round and round and round.

When the stock cars were no longer based on stock cars; they lost their core fans who are car guys, even in the most general sense, in exchange for promoting the driver personalities. Then they turned all the personalities into sponsor thank you spewing robots with no personality. Any kind of "acting up" was immediately squashed with penalties and fines. They lost a ton of fans who were barely hanging on because they hated No Hot Rods Allowed racing, Indy spec cars, and F1 Euro trash A-holes when the ticket prices went skyward.

Since they no longer had car manufacturer to cheer for, had boring speech writer politcally correct drivers, stupid high ticket prices; the bottom fell out when the economy imploded and they were even slow to react to that. It was all because of 20 years of having no idea what their fans wanting because of arrogance, stupidity, or never heard of focus groups. Who knows? Who cares?

They are trying, though they are doing baby steps because of fear of actually fixing anything. The new Gen 6 cars kind of look like individual makes. They still have sticker headlights and grilles. They still have aero "fixing" on all the cars to make them equal. They kind of let drivers get mad, except the Busch Boys, and say things that aren't nice about fellow drivers.

Everyone knows what Nascar needs to do to get the fans back. Lower the ticket prices to stupid low levels, force the local hotels to stop price gouging the fans on race weekends, lower prices for beers to below $20 a cup, let the drivers beat the snot out of each other on pit road if they feel the need. And, go back to race cars made from show room stock cars. Instead of making the race cars teams into equal aero cars, let the manufacturers keep up. I believe Nascar is totally afraid to let the makes to the last for fear they will pull out of racing again. But, history has shown every time they do this, sales take a dump.

[pdub]

With more thought about the whole situation....oddly enough I would respect Danica a whole lot more if she was 45 years old and looked like a Russian tractor factory worker. Yes, she can drive the piss out of a car, what she's already done with Indy cars, yeah, she can drive a lap.

I'm just not enamored with stardom, not impressed by it at all. Never have been. We're all human. I hate superstars. I love to see them lose. On a grand scale. Take, that, SuperPerson. Now, after that crash, do you have to go to the bathroom like all the rest of us would? Yeah, I'll bet you do. But be sure you hide it. You don't want your fans to see that for sure....don't want that to be shown on the next Super Bowl commercial. You might lose some sponsors.

I just hate it. I hate hype.