Sunday was hardly racing’s finest moment. Instead, we’re treated to more typical restrictor-plate racing, which seems to have long ago worn out its welcome. How long will be forced to watch uneventful racing until the final 50 laps, when it’s like watching a train wreck waiting to happen?
The script is too predictable. Whenever the Cup boys arrive at Daytona and Talladega, there’s little action for the first 75 percent of the race as drivers stay out of trouble. In the final 25 percent, there’s a breakaway pack followed by a bunch of cars running three- and four-wide. Then, someone slips up, and hell breaks loose.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
As sure as I’m sitting here, the following happened last night as my wife and I were watching.
Darrell Waltrip: “Tires are smokin’! Sheet metal’s draggin! And we’re still racin’!!!”
Me, to my wife: “Until someone screws it up.”
Mike Joy: “And McMurray gets turned around!”
(USA Today sports TV columnist recalled Waltrip’s comments better than I did, so I used his verson.)
Watching and knowing calamity is inevitable is not my idea of a great race. It’s not if, but when.
The race is notable because of the gravity of it, but that’s about all. The teams and NASCAR itself pimp the Daytona 500 as the Super Bowl of auto racing.
If that’s true, we watched Rex Grossman, not Peyton Manning.
• SPEAKING OF THE ANNOUNCERS: Maybe because we’re typically really busy at this time of year and my crankiness goes off the charts, but the guys at Fox seemed intolerable on Sunday.
For the second time in a week, someone at Fox got their facts wrong on Juan Pablo Montoya. Last Sunday during qualifying, the network posted a graphic that listed Montoya with zero Nextel Cup starts. Montoya qualified for and started in last season’s finale at Homestead, where he finished 34th.
Waltrip noticed the error, and quickly corrected it on-air. But on Sunday, Joy referred to the Daytona 500 as Montoya’s Nextel Cup debut. Come on guys, it’s not that hard. It’s a small thing, certainly, but it’s also not too much to expect that their assertions are correct, especially from a pro like Joy.
Gripe No. 2: It’s like clockwork. Martin led for the final 25 laps; with 18 left in regulation, the gushing began. Talking about Martin’s long career, him and Roush’s amicable breakup, moving to Chevy, career stats, blah blah blah.
Look, I realize Martin was the most compelling storyline, but with so much racing left, that seems a bit risky.
Gripe No. 3: Not long after Martin took the lead, Waltrip managed to tell us that the two guys behind him, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, would almost rather see Martin win the race than themselves.
Is he serious?
Apparently not. A few minutes later, one of Fox’s pit reporters — Matt Yocum, I believe — reported that Martin’s crew chief, Ryan Pemberton, was listening to other team’s radio to try to determine what their strategy would be. Biffle, Yocum said, had a definite strategy in mind.
Seems like they weren’t content to let him win after all.
Gripe No. 4: Kurt Busch took out Tony Stewart, through no fault of his own, while the two were running 1-2. Stewart hit the apron, had to slow up, and Busch didn’t have enough time to get out of the way before nudging Stewart in the left rear.
Waltrip’s explanation was sufficient, and anyone with half a brain would have realized he was right: It was one of those racing deals. We could have done with three views of the incident, but the replay and analysis seemed interminable. Waltrip was forced to say the same thing over and over, giving the whole thing an apologistic tone.
We get it. It’s no one’s fault. Let’s move on.
• WHY NO YELLOW? A quick-hitter from David Poole nails it. The yellow should have been out as the wreck was happening on the final lap. Yes, that would’ve given Martin the win.
I’ll admit to pulling for Martin. But moreover, it’s about consistency, as Poole writes.
Think about last year at Indianapolis. NASCAR’s failure to throw a yellow during a wreck on the final lap caused a secondary wreck that put Kasey Kahne’s chances of making the Chase in major jeopardy.
The best explanation comes from Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley, who tells the story of NASCAR’s long-after clarification. But even that doesn’t explain the why.
I’ve got an e-mail into one of NASCAR’s PR folks, and will report back what I hear (if anything).
• IF MARTIN HAD WON, wouldn’t that have been a kick in the gut to Ford? The esteemed manufacturer has seen plenty of its stars head elsewhere in the past few years.
• WATCHING STEWART in the lead, I couldn’t help but think: What’s gonna happen to him?
Sure enough, he got punted by Kurt Busch, ending his chances at winning. And Stewart, to his credit, stood in front of the camera and talked openly about his latest Daytona disappointment.
The more I think about it, the more it seems like Stewart is the current-day Dale Earnhardt.
Both were drivers of incomparable talent who had won championships and proven themselves as the elite driver of their time. Both tried time and again to win the Daytona 500, only to see their chances fade in unimaginable ways. Earnhardt, of course, finally got his win in 1998 after decades of unsuccessful attempts.
And I see Stewart evolving into a friendlier person when he deals with us. Certainly, in the past six months, I have a different impression of him, and I can’t help but think that it’s somehow similar to how Earnhardt grew into the sport’s elder statesman.
Certainly, Stewart’s legacy is ongoing, and it’s impossible to judge at the moment. But the parallels are too great to ignore.