NASCAR needs less predictability; this weekend had it

Aric Almirola (Photo credit: purduenila)

Seeing the reaction of Aric Almirola when he was credited with the win at Daytona was almost worth the wait. His excitement was contagious. As a driver for Richard Petty, Almirola's sentiment at winning on Petty's 25th anniversary of his 200th win at Daytona, was genuine.

I was a little surprised at my own positive charge of emotion when the race was called. I suppose that is because Almirola's win was unexpected. Despite the fact that NASCAR called the race when it did, there was a real feel of spontaneity in the final result. That doesn't happen often in NASCAR. I dislike the predictable; it seems that NASCAR has too heavy a hand to expect real spontaneity. 

It was also pretty cool for Kasey Kahne, who hasn't won in a while, to eek out a win at the last second in the Nationwide Race. That was pretty spontaneous as well.

Other than that, the weekend was pretty much a bust. I can only imagine how the drivers, crews, and fans in the stands felt. For me though, in the comfort of my living room, I can take away only positive feelings about the outcome of the weekend at Daytona. 

Could it have been better? Absolutely! Would I have been happier to see Ryan Newman win it? Oh yeah! But once his car was so damaged and he was multiple laps behind the leader, ending the race sooner rather than later worked for me. It is no fun to watch Ryan limping along in a wounded race car. Kudos though to the guys in the #31 team for their diligence in trying to get Ryan's car back to racing form. It just wasn't meant to be.

A day off may cure my NASCAR addiction

nascar (Photo credit: rogerblake2)

For the first time since the 2004 season, I missed a race--on purpose!

I have been too obsessed for too long. I'm starting to control my addiction. I did record the race, so when I got home I watched it. It was a totally different experience.

Normally, when I watch a race, I have a certain procedure to follow. I generally start up my aged laptop so I can listen to my favorite driver, Ryan Newman's radio traffic. Without that, it is often difficult to know anything about any driver that isn't Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, or Tony Stewart, the most popular drivers. Now and then other drivers are mentioned briefly, but it just so happens that Ryan is one of the least mentioned. That makes it really difficult to follow his racing progress, unless he is leading the race. That hasn't been an issue lately, but then he is in his first year with a new team which is still trying to iron out the bugs.

I try to watch Race Buddy, but that is pretty taxing for my old laptop. It doesn't always work. Of course I monitor the live leaderboard to fill in some of the blanks about how Ryan is doing in terms of speed, position, and potential to pass other cars. 

Since I recorded the race yesterday on the DVR (digital video recorder), my normal multi-dimensional experience was greatly reduced, which resulted in a very different viewing experience. 

The most glaring difference was that I wasn't just watching Ryan's race, as I usually do. I watched the whole race, in its entirety. I don't think that was a plus, as it was hard to follow Ryan on the track. I had to rely on the crawl line for his position. While I watched, I found I had unanswered questions. I wanted to know why his position changed so drastically from one point to another during the race, exactly what was done in pit stops, what the handling was like in his car, how his speed compared to the drivers around him. None of those things were available to me. All I really learned from announcers were predictions that Jimmy Johnson could win his first Michigan race and how great Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was doing. 

There was one good thing about my single-dimensional viewing of the race however. I was able to fast-forward through the commercials. I knew there were lots of commercials, but I rarely paid much attention to how much time is squandered by the enormous number of them. I was stunned to learn that races don't take up an entire afternoon when you take away all the network garbage. 

Since I've never actually been to a race, I never realized they weren't as long as I thought. I was shocked at how little time is actually spent on racing. 

Jayski's Silly Season Site (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In fact, according to Jayski's Silly Season Site, 132 minutes of racing took place. That is a little over two hours. Add in the 118 commercials and the 64 companies and entities advertised, and the time actually broadcast was 187 minutes, or just over three hours. That translates into almost an hour of garbage I didn't need to see. So, on a given day, as much as one-third of the race is squandered by marketing. Isn't it enough that car bodies and driver bodies are covered in advertisements and products have their logos splashed on the walls and in the grass?

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sick to death of everyone from politicians with their constant barrage of letters and phone calls to NASCAR and television in general vying for my limited funds. 

While Jayski's didn't have the stats for this, there is always a gushing factor--the time spent when announcers make the equivalent of goo-goo eyes over certain drivers. I was thrilled to be able to skip over that. That said, I genuinely enjoy listening to Kyle Petty, because I think he does a decent job as a broadcaster. While I don't always agree with his opinions, I think he is the closest thing to a professional that NASCAR employs. I also like Dale Jarrett and Larry McReynolds. The two of them seem to try to be relatively fair-minded in their coverage. 


I have to say, skipping my Sunday race ritual was eye-opening. I may become a little less rigid in my NASCAR obsession. I may even opt for NASCAR lite in the future.

Race Buddy rocks!

I just love Race Buddy!

And, thanks to Race Buddy, wasn't it nice to be able to watch NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, in his #31 WIX Chevrolet, drive at Pocono?

I love Race Buddy, despite the fact that my old laptop computer has a hard time keeping up. I spent most of the race fiddling with it, trying to get a picture. When I did get a picture though, it was great to watch Ryan driving through the field. He is seldom shown on Race Buddy, so it is such a thrill when he is. 

Funny though, with the live action on television, the race day scanner, and Race Buddy video, I had three different races going. I suspect the problem is at my end. I am just grateful to TNT for providing this free and excellent tool.

I have long complained about how announcers tend to ignore Ryan on the race track. With Race Buddy and the live leaderboard, I can keep track of where he is, who is around him, and what kind of progress he is making. 

As it turned out, he did a fine job, finishing seventh. It is all practice for that elusive win.

Congratulations to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on his second win!

NASCAR qualifying rules confound me

Being a Ryan Newman fan has taught me so much about the inner workings of NASCAR. More than not, Newman is affected by a rule here, a policy there, or an arbitrary action by the sanctioning body. More often than not, it is detrimental to him.

The latest question I have, is in regards to qualifying at Richmond. In particular, since qualifying was rained out, how did it happen that Kyle Larson earned the top starting spot for Saturday night's race. Per NASCAR's rule book, "Section 9-5 of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book (in 2013, if qualifying was cancelled, the rule was to set the field by the practice speeds in the first practice)," according to Jayski's Silly Season Site. 

I wonder why that is. Wouldn't it make more sense to set the field according to the fastest speed in the final practice--the one closest to when qualifying would have taken place? That is where Ryan Newman comes in, since he drove the fastest lap in that session. When I heard that he was fastest in Happy Hour, I wrongly assumed he would be on the pole for the race. I was stunned to see he started, what 18th!

Wouldn't it make more sense for the starting position to more closely approximate actual qualifying? After all, a fast car right off the truck is a great luxury, but should that rare happenstance be rewarded over the work done by crews and drivers to perfect their times? Shouldn't the time closest to when qualifying actually take place be the time to be rewarded in case of a rainout?

Using the practice speeds in the first practice makes no sense to me. It would even make more sense to use a cumulative speed, awarding the pole to the fastest average speed. 

NASCAR has completely revamped its qualifying format, which gives teams a chance to better themselves during the course of the qualifying session. NASCAR seems to reward consistency, except in this case. Their own rule to set the running order by the first practice is simply not consistent with teams bettering themselves. I think a change is in order. What do you think?

Add caption

Ryan Newman finally interviewed by Fox Sunday during rain delay

Ryan Newman (Photo credit: purduenila)

The best part of the Texas weekend for me was the rain delay video of Ryan Newman on Fox Sports I, a rare occasion, prompted I'm sure, by the need to kill some time while the rain fell.

Rarely is Ryan interviewed. It is not uncommon for Newman to be completely ignored by race 'reporters' even when drivers before him and after him get TV time. I've seen so many instances over the years when it would be appropriate to interview Newman, but instead, he is ignored.

I can only speculate as to why that is. 

I think I get why Michael Waltrip doesn't interview Ryan. In my mind, it is a case of Ryan talking over Michael's head. I don't know if Michael is really as dumb as he lets on or if that is just an act, but clearly, Ryan is intellectually superior.

Also, the two plainly don't like one another. There have been past on-track incidents where Michael's driving abilities have cost Newman a good finish or completely ruined his day. Also, their dislike for one another is just obvious. For example, just recently when Waltrip was walking through the pit road crowd pretending to be a reporter, he happened to come up to Ryan. From a slight distance, Michael made some remark about having to go, in an effort to acknowledge but not confront Newman but rather to explain his quick exit. Newman simply smiled and told him something to the effect of, the bathrooms are that way, Michael. 

Now I'm sure Waltrip doesn't know how to take that kind of humor.

I admit that I have never met Ryan Newman; I've never even seen him in person. But, I've watched him and read about him enough to know that he isn't mean-spirited; he's just quick-witted and painfully honest. His dry sense of humor reminds me of my father who used to make me laugh over the silliest things. 

Newman is also generally much smarter than the guys asking him questions. They don't interact with him well because without meaning to, he talks over their heads. Now that I think about it, perhaps much of the viewing audience who doesn't follow Newman as closely as his fans do, probably don't get him either.

There didn't seem to be hard feelings between the two, even after what transpired after the last race of the 2013 season. Newman was on his way to winning at Richmond to cinch a spot in the Chase for the Championship when Clint Bowyer spun out in what has been alleged to be, team orders, putting Bowyer's teammate Martin Truex, Jr. into the chase instead. Bowyer and Truex drove for Michael Waltrip Racing. The incident changed the face of the Chase, NASCAR put Newman in, took Truex out, and huge fines were levied against Waltrip's entire race team. 

This interview was also epic because John Roberts, Michael and Darrell Waltrip seemed to hang on Newman's every word. He provided good information about racing conditions, the car, its behavior, and the track. It interested them. He was sharing information with them in a way that they could relate to. It was a very good interview. 

Interestingly, Newman has had a reputation, dating way back to his Penske Racing days, of not sharing information with his team mate, Rusty Wallace. Yet, Ryan shared information without reservation in this interview. He responded honestly to all the questions, without hesitation. Perhaps this will lay to rest in the minds of some of the old school NASCAR drivers-turned-analyst who have long held the wrong-headed notion that all the problems back then were of Newman's doing. 

I've always found Newman's interviews to be informative and light-hearted. Even when a microphone is stuck into his face after an emotional incident, he is thoughtful as he speaks the unvarnished truth.

I'll never forget when NASCAR fined Newman for his critical remarks about the unsafe racing at Talladega, just after his car came to rest on its hood following several barrel rolls. The momentum was broken when he landed on the front end of Kevin Harvick's racecar. Had Harvick not been there, who knows what the impact would have been, since the roll cage that was designed to protect the driver was compromised. Newman merely stated that NASCAR had to keep the cars from going airborne. Newman paid a huge fine for what NASCAR deemed dissing the brand. I lost all respect for them at that point. That was the scariest crash I'd ever seen, holding my breath until we heard Ryan was OK.

Interestingly, I attempted to post a link to this interview. But I can't seem to find it, on Fox Sports I or Fox Sports, or NASCAR.com. The only place I've found it is on Ryan Newman's facebook page, and my own of course, since I was happy to share it.

Post by Ryan Newman.

Post by Ryan Newman.

Related articles

• Fox Sports 1 shows no respect to Ryan Newman fans
• Honesty is what Ryan Newman is all about