I am a huge fan of this race series. I am also fairly opinionated. You figure out what is happening here.
August 05, 2006
A real quick film review
1. I am a NASCAR fan
2. I am a Will Ferrell fan
Do you see where this is going?
Yesterday, I was at the 10:55 am opening of Talladega Nights, and I have to say that both my wife (who is not a NASCAR fan), thought the movie was very funny. It is not a laugh riot, and there are some points where the film is a little slow, but overall it was quite good. My friend Lou and I were surprised that NASCAR would be involved with the making of this movie. If you have seen the trailers, you might think the same. While the film certainly makes fun of the 'good old boy' culture of the south, the racing scenes are actually filmed fantastically. There is one scene, where the camera starts from behind and above the car, moves through the back window, past Rick Bobby, out the front window and ends on the opposite corner above the car. Of course it was all done with computers, but it was still very cool.
The point - the racing is taken seriously - and so it makes sense that NASCAR would approve.
If you liked Old School, or Anchorman trust me you will like this movie as well.
Posted by pmadsen at 10:49 AM
February 20, 2006
I hate to have to agree with this posting, but I do
Yesterday's Daytona 500 was pretty much a joke. My friend Lou posted the following on slashdot.
Everything that is wrong with NASCAR in one race
Sunday February 19, @09:11PM
Today's Daytona 500 had a little of everything that is wrong with this sport. Earlier this week the 48 Team was caught blatantly cheating. They installed a winch on the rear window to lower it which gave them an aerodynamic advantage. This is a complete disregard for the rules. This is not a gray area interpretation. This is also not the first, second or third time the 48 team has been citied for cheating. As members of Hendricks Racing and "owned" by 4 time Champion Jeff Gordon the 48 Team has been given a wide berth by NASCAR where other teams have been heavily penalized. The 48 Team's penalty? The Crew Chief was suspended for this race. Of course considering all the other infractions this entire team should have been sat. However, for a "1st Tier Team" there are different rules. Had a "lesser team" been involved in such blatant rule violation you can be sure they would have not been allowed to race.
Tony Stewart 2 time and defending Champion railed against "bump drafting" early this week claiming "...one of us is going to get killed out there," and promptly went out and became the biggest menace on the track. First he did not give any room to Jeff Gordon which caused both of them to slap the wall at 180mph. While he is under no obligation to give Gordon any room his actions were simply stupid. Next Tony, apparently enraged that his car got loose next to 2003 Champion Matt Kenseth, dove left putting Kenseth onto the grass causing him to spin out and hit the wall. His penalty? He was forced to go to the end of the longest line.
NASCAR's horrible call further enraged Matt Kenseth, who is a driver so even keeled he has been branded boring by fans. In their infinite wisdom NASCAR Black Flagged Kenseth for driving next to Tony Stewart and passing him off of Pit Road. Had NASCAR penalized Stewart properly, with a 2 to 5 lap penalty, Kenseth would not have reacted the way he did. By the way, Kenseth had lead the most laps up to the point Stewart took him out. The great irony is, of course, that Stewart was the one complaining about the peril drivers were under at tracks like Daytona.
More irony would follow as the 48 Team went on to WIN the Daytona 500 forcing competitor Ryan Newman to comment, "This could be the first time for NASCAR to take away a win," Newman said. "We still have to see if he gets through inspection."
Everything detractors of NASCAR have to say about the sport were on display during today's Daytona 500. A long boring race of left hand turns. Hollow threats of penalties for "this week's" concern. Favoritism in levying of penalties. And a aura of "Sports Entertainment" showmanship - which is to say it's starting to look a lot like NASCAR isn't a real sport.
Posted by pmadsen at 08:22 AM
April 03, 2005
Bristol Race
Either it was the time change or the never ending cautions, but I fell asleep somewhere around lap 200. Luckily TIVO was going, and I picked up where I dozed off. Harvick won, and that is all I will say about that. Martin got caught up in a bad wreck, and I have something to say about that. There are far to many accidents being caused by rookies. I have been on a tear lately about young drivers, but this time it was Bobby Hamilton Jr., who took the day off from representing the lollipop guild in Oz, and made a dumb ass mistake that took out 14 cars. He (Hamilton) did own up to it, but still, an idiotic move by a rookie causes a lot of grief for a lot of drivers.
Of course Hamilton wasn't the only one making stupid mistakes. Jimmie Johnson, who is normally a very smart driver, got over eager and turned Jeff Burton around. Burton spun into the infield, hit the inside wall and bounced back up into the track. At that moment Kurt Busch, plowed head on into Burton at over 100 mph. It was one of the hardest hits I have ever seen in NASCAR. Thankfully, both drivers where able to get out of their carson their own. I suspect they will be sore, but will race next week. I think it is a real testament to the safety and engineering of these cars that no one was hurt.
Posted by pmadsen at 07:38 PM
February 21, 2005
Daytona 500
Well the Daytona 500 is over, and while Mark Martin didn't win, at least Junior didn't either. Junior was a non factor for the entire race and then with laps winding down, he somehow got the car together, kept it off the wall and surged towards the front of the pack. The crowd went wild as Junior drove to the front.
Let me tell you something, if you have never been a NASCAR race, it is LOUD. I mean real loud. So loud that if you want to talk to the person next to you, you wait for the 15 seconds when there are no cars in front of you on the track, lean in towards your neighbor, cup your hands around your mouth and yell. If your lucky they heard every other word you just shouted towards them. So why do I tell you this. Well, for three plus hours all I heard coming out of the television was Darrell Waltrip and cars. When Junior surged ahead, the roar of the crowd drowned out the sounds of all those cars. Of course, nothing could drown out the sounds of Mr. Waltrip, but that is to be expected.
Junior seems like a nice enough guy. He came across as an ordinary guy in the NASCAR 360 program last year. Well, as ordinary as a guy who made 20 million dollars last year, and is a media superstar can be. I just have to believe, that if his dad was not who his dad was, and if his dad hadn't died the way he did, Junior would just not be that popular a driver. Last year was a breakout year for him, winning 6 races in 36 starts, and overall he has 15 wins in 184 starts through yesterday. 15 wins may not sound like a lot, but in the world of NASCAR that is pretty good. But, these are certainly not superstar numbers. Jimmie Johnson driver of the number 48 Lowes Chevy has won 14 races in 112 starts, Ryan Newman driver of the number 12 Alltel Dodge has 11 wins in 116 starts. Both of these drivers have a higher win percentage of Junior. The only downside for these two guys is, is that Johnson is stuck with the ultimate ass kisser Chad Knaus as a crew chief, and Newman comes across as being as exciting as wood off the track. Though Junior is not exactly Mr. Excitement on camera. Johnson and Newman are far superior drivers to Junior, but they do not have a fan base anywhere near what Junior does. When was the last time you saw a car driving around with a 12 or 48 sticker on it? Maybe it's because Junior drives for Budweiser - America's beer. I don't know. What I do know, is that the pandemonium that Junior generates is getting a little tiresome to those of us who are not his fans.
So, yesterday, I had a house full of NASCAR fans, and we watched our “Superbowl”. And, like most superbowls, it was a pretty boring game..uh..race. The guys that where going to run upfront for the entire race broke free from the main pack very early on, formed there own freight train, and pretty much stayed upfront for the entire race. Tony Stewart was dominating for most of the race. Michael Waltrip looked to have the faster car and was making his move, but with 40 laps to go blew an engine. I really thought Waltrip would pull it off, but it was not to be. Martin had a very fast car, once it got going, but a lot of late lap cautions including the omnipresent big one at lap 189 meant a lot of restarts.
When your car needs a couple of laps to really get going, restarts are going to kill you. But Martin finished 6th, and I am happy about that; but how great would it have been for him to win in his final Daytona 500 start. At lap 198, Kasey Kahne peels the right side of his car off by driving against the wall, and leave a debris field all over the track. This guarantees a green-white-checkered finish to the Daytona 500. When the green flag dropped Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch fought there way to the front. Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart got together and they quickly fell backwards. Kurt Busch somehow, somewhere finds 50 extra horses, and pushes Gordon ahead of everyone else, and at lap 202 Gordon take the white flag with Busch glued to his back bumper, and it becomes a 2 car 1 lap shootout. Busch tried his best, but Gordon held him off and at lap 203 took the checkered flag. With Junior in third, Scott Riggs in fourth, Johnson in fifth, and Martin in sixth. Tony Stewart finished seventh and was clearly upset about it, as he smacked his car into Johnson's after they passed the start finish line.
Overall, the last 30 to 40 laps where exciting, but the rest of the race, not to much. Restrictor plate racing on super speedways is not exactly the most exciting show. But, more importantly, NASCAR is back, and for that I am happy. If it is a Sunday, and you need me, I'll be home watching the race, so please don't call till after it is over.
Posted by pmadsen at 09:57 AM
February 19, 2005
NASCAR.com - Waltrip emerging as a favorite -- again - Feb 19, 2005
NASCAR.com - Waltrip emerging as a favorite -- again - Feb 19, 2005
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM February 19, 2005 12:37 PM EST (17:37 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sometimes, drivers lay awake at night worried about the next day's race, the next day's practice. They toss and turn, wondering what could go wrong, what trouble lurks around the next corner. But Michael Waltrip will doze right off later Saturday night, getting a good night's rest before the 47th Daytona 500. He's been sleeping just fine this week, casting aside the anxiety and doubt that can plague other drivers.
You can read the rest of the article if you want.
Posted by pmadsen at 04:53 PM
