HispageTONOway

April 2012: NASCAR resumes ... but ... and why?

I will be starting a continual post with certain heading so that I can add shorter comments on these topics.  I will continue writing the longer form of post when the opportunity presents itself, but I thought, this format will be worth it, and my post will be more often.

I look forward to this weekend, because the NASCAR Sprint Cup series resumes after a week off, appropriately time for the Easter weekend.  As with most weeks when the race is on, I will be working.  I record the race on DVR for later viewing when I get a chance.  Usually that's why I don't announce the winners on this blog, and I ask respectively that no one let me know who wins.

This year is supposed to be more interesting because of last year, when the Sprint Cup Championship came down to a tie, and the tie was broken because Tony Stewart had more wins in the Chase for the Sprint Championship than Carl Edwards, it provided an excitement level of the sport unlike the last five years when one driver won the championship.  But this year, one reason because of the economy attendance is down at the race tracks.  I don't understand why viewership is down on the television, though.

After many years of people asking me who is my favorite NASCAR Sprint driver, I have finally reached a decision.  It's Carl Edwards.  Now, don't expect me to go out and start purchasing his wears.  It's not going to happen.  I have noticed that out of all the drivers out there, he has the most respectful interaction with his sponsors, fellow drivers and fans.

I am pleased that Carl Edwards is 11th in the points standings.  I am disappointed that he hasn't won a race this year, yet.  Other notables in the standings are: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is 2nd; Tony Stewart is 3rd; Jimmie Johnson is 10th; Jeff Gordon is 21st; the two drivers I really don't want to win anything or make the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship are: Kyle Busch who is 16th and Juan Montoya is 17th.

Let me say, though, that the there is so much more that NASCAR can do to promote the sport.  As you well know, I am doing the best I can!  Their website is lacking on utilizing the technological advances out there.  Most of the added features to enhance the whole experience is a paid offering.  Television viewership, according to Jayski, for the first six races on Fox television network is down all races except the one at Bristol.  This shouldn't be especially since last year's championship battle to the very last race, to the very last lap.  It will be interesting to track when TNT and/or ESPN takes over broadcast duties if the ratings will improve.

I know a lot of people don't understand how anyone can be interested in NASCAR.  It's not only about a stock car going around and around in a left hand turn.  It's a lot more.  It's about the different personalities that make up a NASCAR Sprint Cup team: the crew chief, driver, pit crew, just to name a few.  It's about the business of the sport with teams winning over sponsors to finance a team.  It's about the entire organization working together as a team to capture a win in each race to culminate into winning the Sprint Cup champion for the year!

NASCAR Standing with one more to be in the Chase ...

One more race at Richmond before the Chase for the Sprint Championship is set.  There are three more spots to be determined.  One more wild card spot, and two chase spots.  I think I heard correctly and heard that with Brad Keselowski's two wins, he is locked into the Chase with his two wins.  However, he could also get in by gaining points into the top ten. 

As the drivers who are locked in this year, I'm disappointed again that Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch has made it into the Chase.  They are locked into the Chase already, so there is nothing that will bump them out of the Chase.  I am just hoping for the sport that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart maintain their 9th and 10th position, respectively.  The former because he is still popular with the fans; and the latter because of his achievements as a driver/owner.

The last race to qualify into the Chase begins soon.  I will await to know if the two that I wish would maintain their position will survive.

NASCAR on Fox Sports: Am I missing something?

NASCAR is a business.  It is a business, as I have mentioned before, that I would like to survive for my multi-faceted entertainment, especially with the networks that showcase the sport.  It’s a combination of people and machine working together to win! 

As I mentioned in previous post, I don’t have a favorite driver, but the hope that drivers will help others be interested in the sport itself.  I have drivers I don’t like because I don’t believe that they further compelling stories of the sport.  I just want the sport to continue and thrive!  I am disappointed that the television networks that broadcast the sport: Fox Sports, ESPN, and TNT doesn’t offer more online content for us, viewers, to enjoy. 

Let me specifically comment about the Fox Sports coverage, since I watch the Samsung Mobile 500 this weekend live with NASCAR RaceView, not on the DVR, as I normally do.  And I wish that the Fox Sports network offers different perspectives other than the commentary of Darrell Waltrip.  There was a time that I really enjoyed the commentary of DW, as he is known.

I manage people for a living.  I learn to always unleash the talents in the people I am leading.  Utilize the talents where they are best to tell a more well-rounded perspective about the sport.  I know that I produce a more productive team this way, putting out a better end product, Fox Sports production of NASCAR, than solely putting the production in one personality, or the overuse of in-car cameras and tight camera shots. 

I enjoy the technological advances we have to further a cause to show a compelling story for the sport to thrive!  I may not have the fun technological options like a television network team in my job, but it’s sad that with all of the tools presenting a story as Fox Sports has, the worldwide resources of the network, it is not being used to gain more fans/viewers of NASCAR.  I noticed on RaceView that I could track four drivers where they stood on the track: two drivers I could see in real time the drivers’ telemetry; and two others where they were on the track, who was in front and in back with all six drivers real time seconds behind the leader.  If they could do that, the network will increase viewership to the product that they have the exclusive rights to for the next few years.  It would be a win-win proposition.  Am I missing something from a business perspective?

Pictures of Christmas presents ...

Sunshine gave me some very special Christmas presents this year ...

The ornament on the left is specially made with our wedding anniversary date.  The ornament on the right was the one my wife gave to me this Christmas.  It's a memory of the castle that I proposed marriage to her.

This is the front of the NASCAR sweatshirt that my Sunshine gave me as a Christmas present ...

This is the back of the sweatshirt! :-)

My Sunshine is really good to me.

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series: Great competition, but no one I am rooting for but the sport itself!

The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series will end this season in disappointment for me again, but only with a hope for the longevity of the sport itself.  It is the only sport that I choose to follow on a regular basis;  it’s not about the NFL, MLB or NBA, or even the NHL, which I have followed in the past.  The 2010 year season compared to the 2009 season has noticed a drop in television viewers.  For the FOX network, the viewership was down 7.05%; for TNT was down 13.4%, and up to the race in Texas the audience has taken a 21.8% down for ESPN.  It is a concern. 

Many people I know don’t understand how I can be interested in the sport.  It’s not all about watching a car go around and around on an oval track.  I view the sport as the planning preparation for the weekly event with all the different scenarios.  It’s about a business.  For each of the successful racing teams, it takes about $20 million dollars to make a run for the Sprint Cup championship.  It takes a team working together to make a run to the championship.  The team also represents business sponsors who spend millions to have a race team promote their business.  And then, there are the drivers, who sometimes just don’t exhibit the “right” representative of their business sponsor.

I specifically mention the driver who is disliked the most: Kyle Busch.  In Texas, when he was on pit road.  He tried to beat the leading field to the start/finish line, so that he didn’t go a lap down.  When he did race the field, he was caught speeding to the line.  He was told that he would have to come back to pit road, park his car for a one-lap penalty.  While he was parked, he demonstrated “the bird” to the NASCAR official.  I could see it live because it was captured by the in-car camera.  Because of his behavior, he was penalized for another two laps, and later he was fined $25,000.

I am sad for M&Ms, Interstate Batteries, Pedigree Dog Food, Double Mint Gum and Snickers who are the primary sponsors of Kyle Busch’s race team.  I would not be happy as a CEO of the company to be sponsoring the type of immature personality of a Kyle Busch.  Further, in the past, he has always blamed others for his misfortunates of not winning races.

It was reported earlier this week on the Sirius blog that Joe Gibbs, the owner of his team commented about the incident: “(It) was not good for us at Joe Gibbs Racing, and it certainly wasn’t good for our sponsor,” he said. “We feel like there was a plan that we had to put out there, to assure that this doesn’t happen again. We’re going to keep that in-house, but it’s something that we think is smart, and Kyle does too. He realizes where he is, and that’s a great part of this. We just have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I am somewhat mixed about the feeling about Jimmie Johnson, the four-time consecutive Sprint Cup champion.  I strongly believe that every sport needs a good drama to attract interest.  I think that having a four-time consecutive champion doesn’t help the sport.  If there is the same storyline year after year, the fans just don’t sit next to the television and waste their time having the same conclusion.  Jimmie Johnson doesn’t believe that he isn’t the cause of the decline in viewership and fan attendance at the race tracks.

Pointing to that, however, Jimmie Johnson has accomplished something in the sport that no one else has in its history.  His abilities are something not to overlook.  There is something that many drivers—and people—can learn from his racing team working together for a common goal.

This is the final weekend at Homestead-Miami, Florida of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.  It’s disappointing that the three NASCAR drivers are none of the few who are my favorites.  From Sunday’s events (which I will watch later), I hope that the competition will be compelling such that the television viewers and race track attendance will improve to cause the sport to thrive!

Work in progress ... first pictures up with NO captions of NASCAR Bristol Speedway visit

Pictures of the recent visit to the NASCAR races at Bristol is on the left hand column with the other pictures posted here!

NASCAR Chase for Sprint Championship happening in two races … Wished 5 drivers out, 5 in!

I think that my Sunshine and I, other than the outcome, enjoyed our visit last weekend to Bristol MotorSpeedway, especially since it marked the 100^th Sprint Cup race at Bristol. I’m glad that we went, but I am really disappointed that Kyle Busch won all three of the races there.  We were there for the history books, but not the history that I had in mind with Kyle Busch prominently winning during the weekend.  Last year, during the fall, he also won the Bristol race, also.

The racing was good even in the Nationwide series when Brad Keselowski raced Kyle Busch for the lead at one point of the race.  Brad nudged Kyle for the lead; laps later, Kyle retaliated by bumping Brad hitting him into the wall, and taking the lead—and winning the race!  During drivers introduction before the Sprint Cup race, the next day, Brad Keselowski call Kyle an a__, and implied that he was going to get Kyle back during network interviews.  During the race, Brad had the opportunity to hit Kyle into the wall and, perhaps, cause Kyle to lose the race.  Instead, he chickened out.  He didn’t want to face more fines and sanctions by the NASCAR powers-to-be, because he was already on probation from them for a prior run in with Carl Edwards earlier in the year.  I said that Brad Keselowski chickened out because he called Kyle a name, but didn’t follow thru with doing something about it!  But I guess that is just racing the sterilized way with the NASCAR sanctioning body.

As we reached the point of two more races before the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Championship, I thought I would give you a breakdown of the drivers I wish were not part of the Chase, and point out the drivers I wish were in the Chase.

These are five NASCAR drivers I wish were not part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship that is presently in the top 12:

• #3- Kyle Busch

• #7-Jeff Burton

• #8-Matt Kenseth

• #11-Greg Biffle

• #12-Clint Bowyer

 

These are the five drivers that I wish would replace the aboveforementioned drivers:

• #13-Jamie McMurray,  He’s 100 points out of the Chase.

• #14-Mark Martin, 101 points out of the Chase.

• #16-Kasey Kahne, 136 points out of the Chase.

• #17-David Reutimann, 155 points out of the Chase.

• #18-Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 170 points out of the Chase

According to Jayski.com, there have been only five drivers in the past six seasons to race into the Chase with two races to go.  The widest point’s deficit during that time has been 90 points.  That doesn’t make it very promising for the five drivers that I mentioned that I wish that they would enter the race.  But I’ll be hoping for Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin, at least.

Last week, I read in the NASCAR news sites that Wal-Mart was in negotiations with Hendrick Motorsports to sponsor the 24 car of Jeff Gordon.  Several days later, there was a news report that that was no true.  It was just a rumour.  Thank goodness because I am into supporting businesses that sponsor NASCAR.  As you have discovered, I have promoted Sprint Wireless, regardless of the defections of many subscribers.

I will be working when the race will be happening.  As always, don’t tell me the results until I let you know when I watch it.

No picture of 1st place, but there are "almost" personal pictures of the 2nd and 3rd place drivers of the Bristol Irwin 500!

I am still working on the series of pictures that I have taken.  I thought that I would post these series of pictures that were taken before the race.  As you well know, I don’t like Kyle Busch, so you won’t find any pictures of him.  But I did take the 2^nd and 3^rd place drivers in the Irwin 500 during this past weekend.

This picture was taken at a sponsor appearance by NASCAR driver, David Reutimann (sitting down in the blue).  He placed 2^nd in the race.  He was battling with Kyle Busch for a long time throughout the race.  The last battle was lap 419 to 429 when David gave up the lead to Kyle.

This was taken as right after driver introduction and they were taking a slow lap around the track.  Jamie McMurray is in the orange on the left, Ryan Newman is in the yellow on the right.  Jamie McMurray placed 3^rd.  At one point in the race at lap 388 to 401 he led.  In fact, I was watching as he closed in on Kyle and passed him for the lead!

A few pictures ...

Here’s a few pictures. …

it's my self-portrait ...

how the racetrack was when we first arrived

near the finish of the race!

No pictures … because I’m out in the boonies!

I was hoping to post some pictures from last night’s NASCAR Nationwide race, however, my connection here at the hotel is somewhat weak in this city of about 25,000 residents.  I don’t know if the connection will be strong enough to send the pictures, because you know how much I would like to share them.

I was really disappointed in the outcome of the NASCAR Nationwide race.  For the second time at Bristol Motorspeedway (the last time, last year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race), the driver that I didn’t want to win, won!  Once again for those who do not follow NASCAR on a regular basis, I just don’t like Kyle Busch’s style.  He admitted in the post-race interview that he retaliated to cause Brad K. to crash after Brad hit him once.  If the circumstances were reversed, he would have been crying like a baby!