FAN'S VIEW
Marty's whip- Jan. 26, 2004
Several posts on the board about the fall of NASCAR and fans leaving the sport got me thinking about a few issues. This started as a reply to Toasty, and quickly grew into whip like status.
The biggest complaint I hear is how NASCAR is leaving behind the old time fans for the almighty dollar. Be it thru the television deals, the rise of young stars, or the changing of point system. The fact is NASCAR is making these changes to insure their existence far into the future.
The big boom in NASCAR popularity during the late ‘90’s was the worst thing that happened to the older fan base, but it was the best thing to happen to NASCAR as a business. And lets be honest, if NASCAR does not make money, if the team owners don’t make money, and the track owners do not make money, then NASCAR would fail. Under those same circumstances, NASCAR must provide a product that people want to see. If they can’t put asses in the seats, and sell TV time, the money tree will wither die.
By putting on my marketing hat, I can understand what NASCAR is trying to do; they must sell their product to the masses. If it means loosing ten old time fans to every twenty-five new comers then they come out ahead. Plus the new fan base insures that there will be a product for the old timers to still enjoy if they wish to do so.
Keep in mind the story of the last buggy whip manufacturing company. Yes there was one, and they lasted as long as they did by making the best buggy whip in the country. What did it get them?
I am a product myself of the late ‘90’s boom. So maybe my opinion is skewed, but I get real tired of the bitching about the "good ole days" when most of your arguments are flawed at best and weak at there worst.
A perfect example is the scheduling issues. All the old timers are upset that Darlington is losing their historical date. As a 90’s fan, I’m upset that Rockingham, that is a much better race to watch on TV has lost a date in favor of a second Calf. race, that tends to be very boring. From NASCAR’s point of view the Rockingham date never sells out, and the folks on the left coast want NASCAR like the people in the desert want water.
The answer here is simple supply and demand. The Bible belt is over saturated with NASCAR races, and racing in general. Ticket prices have increased so much due to the costs of fixed overhead operations. The average old time race fan cannot afford to attend the amount of races to sell out every event in that area, and thus make it profitable. Imagine a football stadium that had one or two games a year. How about an arena that only had five hockey games and three concerts a year. There is a fixed overhead that comes with operating a venue regardless of events. Taxes, electricity, upkeep and security. These items must be paid for if you have events or not. It amazes me every time I drive past Daytona International Speedway, that a facility so large can survive with so few events per year.
The down side to this marketing strategy is that NASCAR is not only is pissing off the old timers, it also is pissing off us ’90 guys that jumped on the band wagon because of racing events like The Rock, North Wilkesboro, Richmond, and Bristol. We tuned in for the big events like "The Daytona 500" but it was the small bullring fights that kept many of us tuning in week after week, like a fat wife hooked on a soap opera, and shelling out the $100.00 plus dollars when the circus came close to a town near you.
NASCAR’s upside to this is all about the money. Television contracts are paid up front. It does not matter if we watch or don’t. They have the money in their pocket and spent years before the race ever happens. They should, and try to care about what the fans want, but if the fans are selling out Calf. And not The Rock, then that must be what the fans want.
The Young Gun Myth.
My biggest pet peeve is with all the complaining over the "Young Guns" I did some research and looked at the top 35 drivers. I picked this for my sample because it represents all the drivers that ran all 36 races last season. Any driver past 36th ran less then the full season. Also for the sake of keeping it simple, I did not consider the month they were born. I simply took the year they were born and subtracted it from 2004.
The youngest drivers were Kurt Busch and Casey Mears at 26 years old. The oldest was Bill Elliot at 49. The combined average age was 38. If you want to start a fight with a NASCAR fan, tell them drivers are not athletes. Yet a 49 year old in any other sport is un-heard of, and a 26 year old would be half way thru their career.
The simple fact is that the FOX and NBC networks created a fancy catch phrase, and you all bought it and believed it to be true, when the facts state otherwise. Where is this "Young Gun" movement?
Below is a graph that shows the ROTY candidates since 1985. The straight black line is a trend line, and it does show a growing increase in the number of rookies. However the steepest curve was from 1985 thru 1991. Past 1991 it levels off to a slight steady increase.
The next graph shows a jagged black line that shows the peaks and valleys. The biggest spike is between the 94-95 seasons. That is ten years ago. Is it any surprise that there would be another increase when the average age is now 38 years old.
I think I have proven that this "Young Gun" bullshit is simply bullshit, fed to you by the people that are trying to hook young fans, and sell their product. I feel sorry that you chomped on their stinky bait, when the facts are right in front of you, and you choose not to believe them.
At the start of the 1999 NFL season, the average player was 26.7 years old. The youngest team was the Bengals at 25.4 years old. Four teams tied for the oldest at 27.7 years old. Entering the 2003 season the Raiders had the most players over 37 with six on their 53-man roster. The only team with an older average was New England with an average age of 27.9 Can you imagine the ridicule that future hall of famer and 40 year old Jerry Rice would receive if complained about the young guns in the NFL taking his roster spot?
I challenge anyone here to name a so-called veteran who cannot get a ride because of a young gun. For Gods sake Darrike Cope started 18 races last year, and NASCAR has to entice drivers like Morgan Shepard to show up so they can field 43 cars.
The Points System.
The new system has people complaining about the drivers that will not make the final cut. The loss of television time and sponsorship dollars to these teams has been cited as why the new system will fail. I believe the opposite is true. Realistically any driver that was 400 points down under the old system had no chance of winning the championship, and therefore would get very little T.V. time anyway. Those teams now have a legitimate shot at the big prize, and will get more coverage.
The new system will generate more drama not only in the last ten races, but also the races leading up to the final cut. Regardless of what people say, this will increase television ratings, and higher ratings will turn into more dollars and bigger purses to be spread out among even the lower teams. NASCAR is banking on simple "Reaganomics" and the trickle down theory.
My problem with the new system is the same as plate racing. Yes its fun and exciting, but its simulated competition. NASCAR is "creating" drama were it did not existed before. Every NASCAR fan wants a tight points race. NASCAR just insured that there would be one year in and year out.
I believe it is human nature to resist changes. However any business that stands still for to long is sure to passed by their competition. The NASCAR "Modern Era" is now 32 years old. Perhaps some revamping is in order.
Jeb's Whip 7/3/2003
The fan whips have started so lets rock!!
I'll be the first one to admit
that most of the posts on here are relatively pointless and that I submit a
majority of them, but WTF else is there to talk about. Ward's season is
about as lame as shit between two popsicle sticks and it has been for 2
years now for any of you that haven't noticed. I route for Ward every
weekend but you know what, he still runs like dog shit and I am not about to
pretend that its gonna get better. Why do any of you?? Keep the
faith??
I've got faith in Ward but not BDR so as long as Ward stays where he is I'm
going to enjoy myself. If coming to 22fastforward is enjoyable for just
one
person than, quite frankly, that person(s) happieness certainly over-rides
anyones decision to maintain a board for the discussion of misery. Hell, I
even tried to post Nascar related topics in the "nascar only thread"
or
whatever the fuck it was and you know what, I RAN OUT OF FUCKING SHIT TO
SAY........and why.....................BECAUSE THERE ISN"T ANYTHING TO
FUCKING SAY ABOUT IT.. Holy fuck, I'm getting fucking pissed now..
GDammit!! Yeah!!! Let's get this board back to discussions of
nascar
related issues only... We can talk about how one of BDR shitty cars broke
down again, or how Jr and Waltrip run away with plate races, or how Nascar
is setting up races so Jr can win for publicity. Most of the Nascar
discussion leads to people getting pissed off so unless you are a sick
twisted fuck and enjoy seeing people miserable all day THAN SHUT THE FUCK UP
AND GET A TISSUE. There are more people on here having fun than
there are
people hell bent to be bored to death, you whinney little bitch!!!
FUCKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EJ GOLD 7/2/2003
I'm strapping all you message-junkies to
the "FANs whipping post" and
ripping you a collective new asshole. If I got this wrong, rip off a quick
Whip and let
me know- Merse will oblige I'm sure. Basically, your killing
22fastforward.com. For me, anyway.
Boy, how we've grown. Now that the "official" web page has
spawned off of
22fastforward.com, we've finally got the freedom to speak our minds. We're
finally rid of the bullshit "Happy Birthday to Ricky Rudd's Front Tire
Changer's
Grandma" CRAP. No more "Get well soon, your crew-cheifs in-grown
toenail's a real bummer!". Nobodies blowing "sunshine" up
my ass!
HAHAHAHA! Now we're treated to a mind-bogling assortment of ridiculuous
exchanges between- who? about... what? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU
PEOPLE COMING AROUND HERE FOR? You "originals" can rest on your
longevity but if your just posting to maintain your own "numbers",
your
not doing anyone any favors. There's history in the making.
I
AM
SICK
OF
YOUR
BULLSHIT
POSTS.
LETS CUT THE CRAP AND TURN THIS BACK INTO A SERIOUS
WARD BURTON DISCUSSION BOARD.
I'll be real clear here- I'm coming up on a real "crisis of
confidence"
with regards to the Racer we're all supposed to be here representing.
Theres a LOT going on, kids.
Who the hell is BDR getting there cash from? Toyota? No way. Bullshit.
Who is casting those Dodge engine blocks? CAT? Is that for real?
Contracts look locked up for everyone for YEARS!!! Can they be broken?
Every other sport does it.
Can BDR field a #22 Caterpillar Dodge with Ward Burton behind the wheel
in 2004? NO FUCKING WAY KIDS. Get ready for a new world order.
And you want to fill the bandwidth with personal bullshit.
Watch for the Ward Burton [#] [sponsor] [manufacturer] [.com] in '04!
You ain't gonna have ANY stars there!
Maintain some Ward Burton / Winston Cup dignity if your gonna maintain
a presence. There oughta be at least ONE THREAD AT ALL TIMES that
is STRICTLY WARD. I'll try to keep it going dammit. You oughta be
working on it, too. If you really give a damn.
Think about it: If you can't keep the faith, then TAKE YOUR
"POSTS"
ELSEWHERE.
22 bEErs
2002 Begins
I've
tried to contain myself on the Board, so I've got to vent somewhere.
Hopefully Merse will post this as a WHIP so I can share my pain. Here,
with some special edits just for 22FastforWard.com, is my post to FoxSportsNet.
WARNING: There ain't a lot of stats here, but plenty of emotion.
---
Mike Waltrip has exposed himself as a complete jackass in his unrelenting
antagonism toward Ward Burton. I will admit right now that Burton is my
favorite driver in the Winston Cup Series, but I will add that Mike's somewhat
tragic win at Daytona and his subsequent success as both a driver and commentator
had led me to watch and cheer for him as a personal top-5 favorite.
The on-air antics of Alan Bestwick, Ken Schrader, Johnny Benson, and Mike
Waltrip have added to my appreciation of all three of those racers (Bestwick
needs a surgical head-size-reduction, otherwise he's ok too), and I had found
myself more and more watching for their collective performance so I could relate
it to their post-race reporting. Prior to Mike's apparently psychotic
fascination with Ward Burton, his overwhelming desire to dominate every
discussion seemed to be part of the entertainment formula. I kind of liked
his "I'm the MAN" attitude. GO MIKEY!
A month or so ago, Mike referred to Ward as "(to paraphrase) someone who
didn't think I'm so smart". OK, I don't remember the exact
circumstances, and that alone made some waves on the 22FastforWard.com board, so
as an entertainment move I actually liked it because it stimulated some
discussion.
NOW, Mike has wrapped his arms around this thing like a secret, smelly old
teddybear. If you really need a smelly old teddybear to cling to to make
yourself feel secure, at least share the secret. We all know you've got
insecurities- hell, with a couple of practice laps I COULD PROBABLY COMPETE in
the equipment YOU'VE got.
(IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED, DON'T READ ON- GO AWAY NOW)
OK, Mike, here's the bottom line:
I am forced to re-investigate my prior interest in you as a racer. Before
Dale Earnhardt DIED trying to get you your first win, you were just another piece
of shit out there filling the race card. You know it, I know it, Dale Sr.
knew it, and God help you Dale Jr. knows it better than any of us. The
Daytona 500 Honeymoon is over now that (...Ward Burton...) the Bill Davis group
has snatched the pebble from Daytona's hand. I have to wonder what crap
you'd be slinging if Sterling hadn't have pulled that fender under the red flag.
And finally, my last slam on your pathetic career:
Did you spend 5 minutes of air-time talking about YOUR F*ING HAIR IN SOME LAME
ASS ATTEMPT AT DIVERTING ATTENTION FROM YOUR INSANELY PSYCHOTIC ATTACKS ON WARD
BURTON? YOU'VE EXPOSED YOURSELF AS A CHEAP, PETTY ASSHOLE. YOU'RE
ALSO SELF-ABSORBED, SELFISH, INCONSIDERATE, AND JUST PLAIN F*ING STUPID.
See you on the street, you f*ing asshole. If you see me first, you better
cross.
.
.
I see you and Jeff doing a joint press-conference sometime in the near future.
Would somebody please contact the Owensboro Kentucky Lost & Found?
D.E.I. (Dumb. Egotistical. Idiots.)
PO Box 15-8=3
Kannapolis N.C.
2931158 (still don’t=3)
Hometown U.S.A. (USA=3 letters huh)
All applicants will be considered, and no experience is needed. The good people at D.E.I. (Dumb. Egotistical. Idiots.) Are more then willing to train anybody in the fields of; Follow the leader. Wreck the car. Run off with the mouth, and the all-important. Say bad things about Ward Burton when he is not there to defend himself.
Salaries may very, based on your “boogety, boogety, boogety” and kissing of Dale JR’s ass skills.
Well my fellow Ward fans, what do you think of this? If I may be so bold. I say send the fool back where he belongs. Better the Idiot I know then the one who may follow. (Read Harvick/Skinner/Gordon)
Disclaimer.
This Public Service Announcement. Does not reflect the opinion of 22fastforward.com. It’s advertisers, or listeners. But it should.
This advertisement was bought and paid for by the special interest group;
“Keep your idiots in KY. And off my damn TV & race tracks”
President, CEO, and all around good guy. Marty.
Coffee House or Kindergarten?
I read all these posts with so much delight.
But tell me why we all have to fight.
For the look of here art, one poster complains!
And who is that man, stealing everyone’s name?
Isn’t it funny, posting the words “Hairy Balls”?
Your as funny as Dale Earnhardt, smacking a wall.
I come here for racing, that’s what I expect.
If not for yourself, show Ward some respect.
Merse is my friend, and he’s not getting rich.
Go someplace else, if your looking to bitch.
For those passing by, here’s something to do!
Take all of your bullshit, take it back to Yahoo.
For fans of Hut Strickland, let be known.
We wish you no harm, but let it be known.
We at this board have planned well ahead.
Ward taking the checkers, in Miami, Homestead.
We have greater vision, we can’t be defeated.
Top seat at the Waldorf, Ward soon will be seated.
And when Ward wins, my how we’ll party
I’m not Doctor Suess!
It’s me!
Just Marty!
Whip 7 by Racefisher
Ward is on the cool down lap and TV goes to an in car camera
shot. The
picture through the windshield of the car shows a driver in a yellow and
black firesuit, twice pumping his fist as if to say "Yeah, and I really mean
it" (Ward does not get overly excited) as the driver slowly rolls around
turns one and two of Nascar's most difficult track. We all share Tabitha's
tears as she climbs down from the pit box. Tears of victory, joy, and pride.
Tears that have been building up for a year after so many near misses. Then
there is the scene in victory lane. Brother Brian with a big hug, Sarah
smiling and exchanging hugs with the owners and crew, and Jeb in the center
stage, entertaining everyone involved. A win in the season's 5th race after
three other top tens has our hero 4th in the points and looking up. A few
more top tens and all of a sudden we are second in points! And we stay there
until 2 races before the halfway point! That is when we allow it to happen.
The thought of winning a Winston Cup Championship in the year 2000 seemed
pretty strange at first, but then after solidly sitting second in points, we
allowed it to creep into our heads. We get some good press (after years of no
press at all), our friends tell us they think Ward is off to an awesome start
and looks strong for rest of the year, and all of a sudden we are convinced
that 2000 is the year of the Cat! Start printing the t-shirts and scheduling
the TV appearances! We will paint New York yellow and black! We fall back to
4th in the points, and we tell each other we are still OK, but why did Tommy
bring an untested car to that track? And why did we only take two tires and
not four? No problem though, the 18 and the 88 and the 3 will have problems
next week after this track that owes us finally gives us the win we deserve. B
ut……..
Going into Indy, Ward is seventh in the points and has not been
battling
for the lead in quite a few weeks. The wins we know we could count on after
Darlington have not yet come, and all the attention has disappeared.
Questions have been flying and doubt has set in. But……
I am more proud to be a Ward Burton fan today than I was after
Darlington. He is not like any other athlete in professional sports. He is
real. He is genuine. A true hero for any child or adult (I followed his
example of loyalty and stuck with my company through some very tough times,
and although I have not experienced any "wins" at work, I am getting some of
those "second place finishes"). NMPA man of the year finalist and National
Hunting and Fishing Day spokesman proves to the rest of the world what we
have known for a long time. Ward is a man of true character (which is why he
showed up at the political convention of the party of character this week)
that extends far beyond the pit area. His commitment to family, friends and
beliefs is worthy of praise far beyond what he gets here or anywhere. But……
Indy brings another disappointing finish. A good strong move the front
early levels off at 7th. Then the car looks to be a top ten car for the first
half of the race, but the clouds move in and tighten the car up beyond repair
of a green flag stop and we finish 28th. (Pause here for a true whip of Mike
Skinner. First Elliott at Daytona now Martin at Indy? Does he need a
prescription windshield or what? Hey Mike, objects in front windshield may be
closer that they appear!) Looks as if we are going to stay 7th in points. The
run at Indy may have been the worst the car has been at the end of a race all
year. Most of the other disappointing finishes this year were due to some bad
luck. But……
I do not think this team has forgotten how to run up front, and I think
it will show that in the remaining races. Ward wants to win, and that is what
I like the most about him. He knows that it takes hard work to win, and Ward
has worked every bit has hard as the team has to be a better driver, on every
type of track. I know today that when we have a bad finish it is because of
bad luck. If we do not win, it is because the competition just hit a better
combination than the Cat team. I know Ward can win everywhere now and I know
the team will "never give up" and continue to work hard to get back up front.
And with all this work will come more wins and a championship. (Oh no, the
"C" word again!) I have known all along that Ward is a champion, and no
matter if he wins one or not, he has proven that it is in him. So I vow not
to worry about a championship, and pull for Ward to lead every lap and win
every race. But…… don't think I won't be in New York when a championship
does happen!
Now, go give 'em hell, Ward!
WHIP 6 MVP22
First of all, I know
“The Whip” is supposed to be about the race. However,
this week the much sought after honor belongs to me to use as my own
personal soapbox, and I have a lot to say. (Thank You Merse) So tighten your
belts, put on your helmets and take a ride with Marty.
Ward! Ward! Ward!
Before this season started, I figured Ward could have two wins & a top five
in the standings. I felt the Cat team was probably a year or two away from a
serious challenge at the championship. Wow, what a difference four months can
make. Goes to show y’all how much I know. Our team is so close right now I
can hardly contain my excitement. Has any else noticed that the laughter from
your fellow NASCAR buddies just isn’t as loud as it used to be? What if I’m
right, and Ward ends up say third or fourth at the end of the year. Who would
complain? Not me. Well not much anyway. There would always be the hope that
Ward would continue the pattern of moving forward from the previous season. I
could also be wrong. I’d love to see Ward start the 2001 season as the
defending champion, but for the sake of my whip, try this on for size.
Close your eyes and picture this. Its Nov. 2001 Ward is in the title hunt,
but is struggling to find the race package at Atlanta. Our “new” best friend
Ray Evernham comes up to Tommy Baldwin, with an open notebook, and says “Hey
Tommy, here’s the spring & shock combo we put in Casey’s’ car. Oh yeah,
by
the way, Bill picked up two tenths of second with this gear ratio” Okay now.
Can ya see it? Can ya? Well then SOMBODY tell me what it looks like!!!!!
Cause I sure can’t.
The whole Dodge program has the stench of Evernham all over it. Please keep
in mind, this is the same guy that tried to hire Tommy at Hendrick not so
long ago. How long do you think it will take before he pulls up in front of
the Baldwin, and or Burton residence with a dump truck full of cash?
Earnhardt Fans! Earnhardt Fans! Earnhardt Fans!
I used to have a part time job at the Ice Palace in Tampa, and have seen all
kinds of fans. Metal head followers of Metalica, militant lesbians of Melissa
Etheridge (I love her music by the way) and what ever you might call someone
who pays money to see Marilyn Manson. It is my feeling that none are as
obnoxious as the fans of Dale Earnhardt (Sorry Merse but the Flyers fans come
a very close second) . The last day race at the Pepsi 400 was the first Cup
race I went to. Everyone I saw in a black #3 shirt was just as happy, if not
happier to see Jeff Gordon hit the wall, then how their guy was doing. I
guess if Dale can’t win then no one should. The big problem is, now they have
Dale Jr., if pops can’t get the job done. You will never catch me putting on
a #99 hat if Ward is far back in the pack. I have no problem with Little E.
The only thing that slowed him down to congratulate his friend Matt Kennseth,
after winning the 600 ,was the hoard of reporters that got in way.
Greed! Greed! Greed! (Touching on a post by SoBo)
With the ever-expanding schedule, how long 'til some tracks lose at least one
of their Cup dates. I can see Humpy Wheeler taking his ball and going home,
like a five-year-old. Bruton Smith would pimp his own sister for a second
Texas date. Add Tony George, and the France family, and this lil' ol' sport
of ours could very well self-destruct from the inside out. They couldn’t
build a track big enough to contain the massive egos of these guys, and their
only mission in life is to get their greedy hands deeper into our pockets.
Ticket prices, parking fees, souvenir trailers, hotels demanding a
three-night stay. WC racing is a moneymaking monster, and what do the fans
get for feeding this beast? Traffic jams, a trip to the ER from debris flying
into the grandstands or bridges collapsing, Tony Stewart, and newspaper
writers calling us dumb rednecks.
I know how the saying goes, if ya' don’t like it don’t watch it, but this is
not an option. I hate paying $1.74 for a gallon of gas, but I still have to
drive. Besides it’s not the sport that is at fault, we still have the best
game in town. I love WC racing and most of its drivers, it’s simply some of
the bonehead decisions of the ones who run it that piss me off.
Fun! Fun! Fun!
If three tracks did loose a Cup date. Which ones would ya' pick and why??????
I’ll start.
Martinsville.
If anyone wanted to watch drag racing with a left-hand turn at the end of
the strip, it would have been done by now, probably by Vince McMahon (WWF)
Louden.
Single groove track. Always a boring ass race.
Taladega.
I hate plate racing, but Daytona is close to home. It’s my whip and if “The
Big Boys” can have their own agenda, then I can too.
Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
To each and everyone you. For feeling like family, and taking precious time
out of your busy lives to listen to me rant and rave.
Marty/mvp22
Whip 6 5/17/2000
"Hey
Norczyk!" (That is pronounced Nor-check for those who don't speak
Polish)
"What's up?" I replied.
"Hey, you're into NASCAR?" my buddy asked, already
knowing the answer.
"Hell, yes!" I said.
"Did you Hear that Adam Petty died in a wreck?"
That is how I found out about the passing away of one of NASCAR's
brightest and nicest people. I was participating in some training with the
US Army and had not heard anything about anything for the past week. I was
surprised at how bad I felt. I have had friends and family pass away and
felt the same way. I'm not saying that Adam was like kin to me, but he
possessed a certain magnetism that made everyone pull for the young driver.
At 25 I feel that I can call him "young." When I was a green Army recruit,
Adam wasn't even in High School. Perhaps the fact that he was so young and
so promising makes the tragedy that much more painful. I remember the first
time I saw him race in ASA, I was struck by his "down to earth" demeanor and
his striking resemblance to his grandfather.
I tried to put this in perspective. I have trouble doing that.
I feel
like the Petty's, the racing world, and we as fans have had something taken
from us. I know it seems so odd to grieve the passing of someone I never
met, but Adam Petty represented everything this sport we all hold so dear
has to offer. Adam embodied the legacy of a racing dynasty, the spirit of
family, and the promise of youth. As someone who has been a participant and
fan of this great sport, I thank Adam for his small mark on racing and
grieve his much too early exit from life.
LUKE "22FAN19"
2000 WHIP # 5
SANDI
A lways
B roadcasting
C ommercials
Well, it’s my turn to whip and boy did ABC make that easy for me this week! They outdid themselves by showing us at least 97 commercials, 21 of those were ABC promos, during 3 ½ hours of racing. The reason I say "at least" 97 commercials, is that somewhere after lap 128, all those commercials put me to sleep. So I probably missed at least 20 of them during my nap.
First off, Congrats to our CAT team for coming from 40th during the race to finishing 6th. That team has the stuff that makes champions! They NEVER give up. I would like to have heard the scanner chat as Tommy would have been encouraging Ward to "Dig, Little Buddy…we’ll get you fixed up" and Ward would be out there gritting his teeth and making that CAT go!!!! I would have liked to have been at the race so I would not have had to endure all those COMMERCIALS!!!!!!! ABC sure knows how to kill a race!!! I saw 17 commercial breaks with an average of 5.5 commercials each break. And that doesn’t even count the 20 commercials we were forced to endure at the end of the race before the interviews. You’re blowin’ it, ABC and I am SO GLAD we won’t have to put up with you after next year. The scary thing is that NBC and FOX could be WORSE. Time will tell.
Now, here’s the blow-by-blow account of the 2000 Fontana race as I saw it.
The announcers were Benny Parsons, Ray Evernham and Hamm’s favorite, Bob Jensen…er, Jenkins. Bob has a way of getting some drivers in other drivers’ cars and sometimes says things that aren’t quite right. He reminds me of the track announcer at Fontana who told us all that Joe Nemechek was back from running the Boston Marathon last weekend. Sorry, that was Michael Waltrip, buddy! Anyway, I digress.
Good points for ABC’s coverage:
That’s it for the good. Now on to the BAD:
"If he (Kenseth) wins, it makes a statement. If he doesn’t win, it’s a testimorny to the talent that is coming up thru Winston Cup". What the heck does THAT mean??? The talent coming up are all LOSERS???? (-500,000)
"49 laps to go…er, make that 59" (-50,000)
"Rusty, er Ricky Rudd rather, is on pit road." Gee Bob, I can see how you could confuse Rusty with Ricky…their cars are SO similar!!!! Must be that "R" thing. (-50,000)
"Kenseth has dominated the race on the race track." Where else would he be racing, Bob???? (-30,000)
And speaking of Matt Kenseth, he can thank his good friend Bob for probably costing him the race. Bob all but gave the victory to Matt right before the last caution that pushed Kenseth back in the pack. Good job, Bob! Do Matt a favor and stop talking about him!! Better yet, DON’T EVER talk about Ward winning!!!
(-1,000,000)
(-5,000,000)
In summary, this probably was a good race. We had our 10th different winner in 10 races (I won’t even go into the Jeremy Mayfield thing here…that’s good for another whip!), it didn’t rain, Ward overcame adversity to grab another top 10 finish, TNN wasn’t covering the race BUT I’ll never know just how good this race was because I had to watch the ALWAYS BROADCASTING COMMERCIALS network. L
By the way, ABC…you LOSE by at least 45,000,000 points!! Better luck next time!
2000 WHIP # 4 3/23/2000
John "JP22"
Stir Crazy I feel like the kids in the "Cat in the Hat" story. "…so all we could do was to sit, sit, sit, sit. And we did not like it. Not one little bit." Yep, that about sums it up for me. With no race to watch, I go to other sources for racing entertainment. What’s this, a CART race? Sorry, not my cup of beer (tea). I know, check out Nascar.com for some tidbits. Let’s see…"Skinner looking for elusive first win", "Buckshot continues toward Monte Carlo switch", "Roush tests for new truck driver"… I start to read these and the immortal words of "The Rock" from the WWF start ringing in my ear, "I don’t care about Skinner’s first win", "I don’t care about Buckshot Jones and Roush’s truck driver." Truth is, weekends off are cruel and unusual punishment for racing fans. Sunday afternoon free. Gotta look through my excuse book to avoid the following list of possible tortures:I used to be a couch potato during football season but I lost interest in it with the lack of loyalty that the players and teams have for each other. I actually don’t mind missing the football games. Basebore does nothing for me. Not into the NBA at all. Hockey is good but it is usually on at night. My misery leads me to ponder what the drivers do with a rare weekend off. I know that they put in long weeks away from their families so this is a much deserved and earned break in the action for them. I can only imagine how some of them spend the time.
Kenny Irwin Visits his therapist for an expanded session of positive reinforcement therapy. "Repeat after me Kenny, I am a great driver. The crashes are not my fault."
Jerry Nadeau "Honest Mr. Hendrick, I can do better. Please, I need this job. Tell Mr. Holigan that I will help him build his houses. Maybe that will make him happy."
Johnny Benson "Doc, I can’t thank you enough. That laser surgery made the difference. I can actually see the cars in front of me now."
Dale Earnhardt "More pain, I want more pain. Make me good and mad. I’m being too damn nice on the track. I have a reputation to uphold."
Rusty Wallace Makes a visit to the whine store to stock up.
A.J. Foyt "Next! Now you tell me why you want to drive my car. And how many wins will you get this year?"
Jeff Gordon "I hate humble pie."
Kenny Wallace "Honey, did you see the want ads?"
DW "Twenty-seven left and counting."
Elliott Sadler Practices his lines…"The Citgo Ford Taurus was really running good today. We are real disappointed with the outcome but we’ll get ‘em next week."
Michael Waltrip "Who owns this team anyway?"
Dick Trickle Does anything he wants. Somebody will be calling on Monday with a ride for the week.
Scott Pruett Pounding his fist…"I love Winston Cup, I love Winston Cup."
Tony Stewart Picks a fight with somebody…maybe even a team mate or friend.
Bill Elliott Visits the Dodge dealership for the umpteenth time. "Maybe it will grow on me", he thinks aloud.
Terry Labonte Has extra rear view mirrors installed for the next Bristol race.
Mike Bliss Gets fitted for a new driver suit.
Ricky Craven Wonders where it all fell apart.
Matt Kenseth Has a beer with Little E. Well, we can only guess and have a little fun but these guys and their crews really do deserve the break. You can bet that they don’t take the whole week off. Maybe a few days if they are lucky. They look forWard to it but we just put up with it. But as the saying goes, "That’s Racin."
WHIP #3
3/16/2000
2nd Whip of 2000
Robert C. ParksI thought i Would start off this whip with some interesting yet pointless stats. I will call them ABC stats.
Commercial Breaks- 23
Pfizer Commericals- 4
Sports Updates- 3
I know a lot of race fans hate watching races on big network channels such as ABC. To be honest I can live with it but I do hate one thing about ABC. The sports updates. I am a big fan of College BB but if I wanted to see the scores and highlight I would just watch one of the games instead of the race. They should just show the scores at the bottom of the sreen and not interupt the race. I guess what Im trying to say is that if ABC is going to cover a NASCAR race..Cover the whole thing! When they did their first sports update the leaders were making pit stops. When the race came back on they had to show a replay of the pit stops. Here is a little tip to ABC for the future. How about more racing action and less Robin Roberts!
Now for the race...The first time i heard that Wards team was taking a new car to Vegas I was a little nervous. I was worried they wouldnt be able to get it handling good etc. Obviously the car wasnt very good, but we will just have to put this one behind us. The rain really made this race a bore, but I have to admit I was on the edge of my seat when The Burton Brothers had a sequel to last years battle except this time it was for ward to stay on the lead lap. Ward made it fun to watch.
All in all I am thankful it was a safe race and I am looking forWARD to Atlanta...Go get em WARD!
Sward22 opens the 2000 season whip's
2/21/2000Well, it's a brand new season for
Nascar racing teams and fans, and some
things haven't changed since last year. Ned Jarrett still talks constantly
about how great his son is on the air, Jeff Gordon is still having a hard
time coming up with luck on the track (yahoo!) and Ward can't seem to find
anyone to help him on the restrictor plate races (even with a teammate).
Somethings have changed however, and I think it could make for ran
interesting 2000 season. The addition of some strong rookies, great team
changes and stupid new Nascar rules makes me wonder how the year will end.
Will it be Mark Martin or Bobby Labonte winning the championship (good
chance), Jeff Gordon (no chance), Dale Jarrett (let's hope not), Ward Burton
( I really hope so), or Tony Stewart (possibly). Or will someone I didn't
mention be #1 at the banquet? Who knows, for that we will have to wait and
see.
On the W.B. path in 2000, I am predicting some great things. The
chemistry between the CAT team is so amazing. Ward finally has a crew chief
who is willing to work with him and has the same focus--improvement and
winning. They click and I love to see that! I saw some strong pits in
Sunday's race too and that's a great thing. So many positives are coming
soon for Ward and the boys. I definitely see a trip (or two or ten--ok so I
am a dreamer!) to Victory Lane. I am predicting a top five at the end of the
season and a switch to a new manufacturer next year (ok so I cheated on the
last one--amazing what you can predict once it's already printed). I am
excited about he forthcoming changes and accomplishments and can't wait to
see what happens.
I was going to add somethings about the amount of Ward Burton stuff to
collect this year but I won't step up on that soapbox again. All of you,
who collect like I do, know Hot Wheels and Racing Champions (not to mention
the card companies too) have finally found out how much they can get Ward
fans to buy. So therefore they make it close to impossible for me to get
everythin, like I used to be able to do. I'm not saying THEY MAKE WAY TOO
MUCH STUFF! But wait I wasn't gonna get up on that box was I . Sorry!
On that note, I'll close my whip and wish all of you a wonderful Nascar
season!
GO WARD--YOU DA'MAN!!!!!!
--Sherry--Sward22
By: Turnip
11/23/1999 Why can't I let this one go? Why? The first part of the race is simple to put into words. Ward was putting down decent lap times, had to pit early but all in all had a good car. A late caution allowed Ward to stay out and go to the front. The adrenaline began to pump through my veins as the go green. Ward is in the lead with laps in the teens to go, caution comes out. Big pile has occurred in turn two. I think to myself, "ow boy laps will just count down under caution cause this one is going to take some time to clean up!!" BUT NO what does NASCAR do? They red flag the race!?!? Wut? There was room to get by debris low on the track, or they could have taken the pit road path around, BUT NO, stop the race! I guess they didn't want anyone to cut a tire on debris LIKE WARD DID in Atlanta!!!! Auuurgh!!! No red flag there and that was a debris mess!!! >:-( I calmed down and think, "...there is no way we can lose this close to the end." They finally finish cleaning the track. And do they resume caution laps as soon as a jet blower has clean the far outside??? NO they wait till lil e's pit crew can get out there and pick up bottle caps and sh%t as small as crumbs. Then came the Re-start. It was less than 5 laps so they do a single file re-start. I have always thought that the lead car controlled the start after the pace car pulls off, ow well. The pace car was off and Ward slowly but consistently accelerates away. Black flag for jumping the re-start. What was Joe Nemechek waiting on in second position?? Turn four is not the place to be warming tires, he should have been in 2nd gear and ready to go. And what if Ward went slightly early, that is a far safer condition than slowing and causing a bunch up at the rear of the pack.. Pace speed is not monitored so who is to say Joe didn't intentionally slow to see if he could catch Ward in a penalty sense he knew he couldn't catch him, hmmmmm. And why is the penalty so severe? Why can't they just throw the yellow flag and line them up again? Second place can sand bag just as much as the lead car take off early, let the lead car have some reward for having the lead and control the start. As Ward said, "...I guess we'll learn what ever it is were suppose to learn and go on..." And the thing to learn from all of this is that NASCAR is inconsistent in laying down the law.
RACERGIRL
11/1/1999
The coveted whip is mine this week…
First off…what a run at Phoenix!! Like everyone else, I love to see Ward qualify up front, but what a show the Cat team puts on when they have to come from the back of the field. This kind of run shows the world the sheer talent that Ward has as a driver, as well as the determination of the whole team.
Next, how bout that third second place at the Rock? I enjoyed Ward’s honesty when asked by the press how he felt: he responded "The first two times were okay, but now I’m mad". Some in the press felt that Ward’s response was not a good one, I have heard and read some things that say that Ward is simply jealous and it is petty. I feel that Ward was merely honest…finishing second three times to ANYONE is discouraging, much less your brother. I just like that Ward will be honest with the press and the fans, rather than putting on the fake smile and saying the typical crap that a lot of other drivers would say.
I have been holding this one in for a while: the whole language issue on the scanners. While the issue has pretty well been dropped, this IS my turn to vent so here goes. If you don’t like it, don’t listen. There is an off button on the scanner and there are other channels. Ward is human, as are all of the other drivers and crews. You tell me that when you are racing for upwards of a million dollars and someone else’s stupid mistake costs you the race that you would not have more to say than "oh drat". I, as a racer myself, am thankful that they do not have in-car audio in the micro sprints…I can only imagine what must come out of my mouth at times…but it is a private conversation, between me and my crew. If you were to choose to listen in, I should not have to monitor it for your sake. I say let it loose, if the situation calls for it. I would rather listen to Ward being Ward than Ward being Mr. Burton for those that can not handle it. As far as those who thought he was "more of a man than that", well, check your definition of a man. I don’t recall that having something to say in a private conversation has anything to do with it. If we choose to ‘eavesdrop’ via the scanner, we should be well prepared to handle whatever we may hear.
A note for the Team: In Dover I was lucky enough to run into the Cat team on pit road during qualifying. Craig and Jimmy and Steve were very nice and entertained me during the whole qualifying process. I got a picture with Ward on Pit Road and as I thanked the guys for entertaining me and arranging the rendezvous, they invited me back to the Garage where they let me watch and learn as they changed things on the car. I hung out in the hauler with Bill Davis and Ward, and met the entire team. They were super-awesome-cool…they all welcomed me like I was one of their own. The next day (busch race) I walked into the pits only to run in to Bill Davis who promptly said "hey wendy, are you headed to the garage to hang out with the guys?" I informed him that I didn’t have passes and he took the liberty to escort me in. I hung out with the Cat crew all day. Ward came by several times and made a point to say "hey Wendy, whatcha up to?" or something to that effect. The crew was even nice enough to give me a headset to listen to Ward during happy hour. I was ear-to-ear the whole weekend. When I went to the picnic in Charlotte, Ward said hey, what are you doing down here, and I asked him if he remembered me to which he responded, "of course I remember you wendy, how could I forget?" The whole point of this little rambling is that the Cat Crew…all of them, were so cool to a fan. Ward made a point to talk to me, the crew made sure I was entertained and Bill Davis made sure I got to where I was going. They were all super cool and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them and to let all of you that may not have had the chance to see for yourself know how cool this team really is. Thanks for listening, and if the Cat Crew is reading, thanks for the hospitality…I look forward to next year at Dover, I promise I will go to dinner with you all this time!
WINWARD22
Okay........here's the whip........don't expect too much. I am no orator! Oh Man! I think that's the phrase that just about sums up Saturday night's race. I thought that if I waited a few days to write this up, I would have chilled. No go! I get more passionate about it as time goes by!! Okay......let's start with the Ward Stuff. 5th in qualifying......NICE! Very, very happy! Race is on ESPN. This is good. Decent coverage. How can you not love a network that sets race footage to Molly Hatchet.......yeah......we're flirtin with disaster, all right. We just did not know that disaster came dressed in #3 sheetmetal! Thanks, Bill Weber, for mentioning that in 11 races, Ward has had 9 finishes of 17th or worse at Bristol. Hey...was that an interview with Ward in the prerace coverage? Let's go racing! Lap 15 and Mayfield is already in the pits. Bummer for him. Thanks ESPN for the rundown, 'cause we don't actually get to see Ward's car. The race is composed of the usual Bristol carnage, carnage, and more carnage. Who will emerge unscathed? Let's watch and see.....Somewhere around lap 75? DJ loses it and collects as many as he can. That's no way to win the championship DJ! Punch out and go home. Let the drivers race! Lap 95? There goes DJ again. They're bringing Nadeau in? Two lap penalty? Get real!!!! He was coming off the turn. You think that was intentional? More on this later.... Nice seeing Ward's picture on that leader board all the time as they go to commercial break! Lots of slicing and dicing follows. It's like watching a ginsu commercial. Speaking of commercials, were most of the crashes timed to coincide with commerical breaks? No.....say it ain't so......>>Ward was collected in this one! Starts with good ole Irwin getting into the 36. Those poor M&M's. Oh no...Mikey gets into Ward. Is it going to be one of those nights again? Okay guys....what happened to our car? 192 laps to go and we're twelfth. Not bad. Good job CAT team! No.....great job. Fought for that lap back rest of the race. Valiant job, too! Did I mention how hard they were trying? Lots of action......lots of stories. This was some AWESOME short track racing tonight. Look even the old guy (in the black 3) is running up front. I like the view of the CAT through the back of the ripped up Skinner bumper cam! C-ya! Labonte has a second on Earnhardt. I'm likin this. Oh no. Bobby Labonte's car space shuttles! What the heck just happened to the Iceman? Oh DW! What were you thinking? This race is anyone's. We have cars with old tires, with two new tires, with four new tires. Bring on the green flag! Five to go. Do I have any fingernails left? Labonte is running them down. Go Terry! Let that Rooster Crow! They're bumping and rubbing. Terry takes it. I'm on my feet. Screaming at the TV. 2 to go! What the .........? You know the rest. You know the controversy. DE knocking the better car out of the race. Hey......it's the only way the old guy can win, right? Listen to the crowd. Even Jeffie Gordon doesn't get that many boos. Ever want to punt someone out of the winner's circle? "I didn't mean to wreck him.....meant to rattle his cage." And they thought they needed to light fireworks after the race? Just another example of the disparity in NASCAR. Jerry Nadeau gets two laps for a tap to Ned's boy, but "the Intimadator" takes home the cash after wrecking the leader? Get real! Thumbs down, NASCAR, you blew it on this one!
WHIP 10 8/23/1999
TURNIP
Pre-Race
ESPN starts off with the VOODOO report. Wards last win was on the 22nd, it
is the 22nd, his car number is 22 , is this the day?! Ward thanked ESPN
for the additional pressure they added with the number theory. Please note
Mark Martin was chumming up to Ward before driver introductions.
National anthem was painful but the flyover was right on time! It's time
to go racing!!!! Swithching over to ESPN I!
It's a little tough sitting through the string bean video shrine, followed
by Mark Martin and Gordon commercials, errrrrrrrrrrrrr.
HEY Ward smack!!!!!!!! Looks like Ward has a lot of tape on the front of
the car, it must really be loose out on the track. Hey that was a nice wave
the crowd had going there!!!!!
200 laps pit window 48-55, here we go pace car is in ................green green green
thinking bonus points for leading a lap! That cat car out front is a beautiful thing!
Skinner gets the lead let him get his bonus points too and maybe he won't be
such an but head, 197 to go - String bean comes by Ward.
Ward is complaining that the car is plowing! Seems to be driving a high
line?
193 -Wonder boy around Ward. Ward in 5th.
170 to go - At this point Ward is running in 6th, Gordon takes the lead
running laps up high with one tire in the front row seats. Ward needs to
come in make some adjustments.
155 -There goes brother by....
153 - CAUTION!!!!!! French driver DeBris is on the track and brought out
the caution.
Everyone is coming in....COME ON DOWN! CAT CAR FORTH OUT!!!!!!!! HOW
BOUT THOSE ALLEY CATS!!!!!!!! EVERYTIME THEY GET HIM BACK OUT GOOD!!! LOVE
IT!!!! Skinner is out! Dropped oil in our pit lane, I want Larry
McReynolds to pick up that oil!!
HOW BOUT THAT TOMMY BALDWIN CAM!!!!!!! .....(settle)
148 GREEN! Ward is in THRIRD! GOING FOR
SECOND......NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Ward did a good job holding the car on the banking and not
letting it slide down the track, and he is ok. (I can't believe this ....)
(Did that spin seem like it lasted 15 minutes?)
Got a head ache a few bumps and bruises nothing that won't heal.....just
looped on me ...
All I can say at this point is that Ward was moving up. The car looked
dialed in and it was sticking low on the track. The point is this team
can win!!!! And will win. BUT today was going to be a damn good shot.
Funny usually I am optimistic even after a problem but this one is very hard
to swallow, very hard. Darlington and Charlotte are ours! Keep focused
everybody!
I can't carry on from this point, either string bean or wonder boy will win
and I don't care to watch that. I have seen this movie too many times....
WHIP 9 8/8/1999
Dan Bledsoe
Here it goes. I have so many things to gripe about in Winston Cup, I'm
sure I'll miss one or two, but here goes. I have to start with a word of
thanks to y'all for the page and to everyone who reads it. It ain't always
easy rooting for Ward, since he's not one of WC's "Golden Boys," but it's
more than worth it to root for a man who gets it done without the big bucks
and glamorous publicity. Anyhow, here goes the whip...
First--- a big crack of the whip to the Indianapolis Raceway network. I
liked the field summaries over the course of the race, but the first summary
(at lap 25) was the FIRST mention of the 22 car. For a team that was 12th
in qualifying and moved into the top ten, this is both unfair and downright
crappy. I listened to the race and this was all I got to hear about Ward???
That's a bunch of malarkey. On the positive side, ESPN/ESPN-2 has given
more press to the 22 team, even ending happy hour coverage with an interview
with Ward as he (not his crew, but him) pushed his car back to the garage.
Second---a big whip to whiners. The whole Rusty vs. Dale Jarrett vs.
Jeff "WonderBrat" Gordon thing is making me sick. Settle it on the track
and quit wasting wind over it. You all say you don't want to talk about it,
but when the cameras and microphones get within a mile of you, that's all
you want to yap about. Get over it and race. Or, as an alternative, put
them all of WWF RAW in a steel cage with Brooke dressed scantily on the
side of the ring. Last man standing has unlimited whining rights and goes
home with Brooke. My money is (unfortunately) on DJ. Let the interviews
concentrate on performance and expectations for future events. This might
actually get racers who talk about team related stuff on the air, and God
forbid that someone other than the Golden Boys gets on the air. They might
just get popular, as the public gets sicker and sicker of the whining.
Third---ABC stinks. Who would rather see Ned Jarrett sit on a tower,
instead of seeing good action on the track. While seeing NASCAR's most
overrated commentator on a pedestal, we missed Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin
battling for 3rd/4th and Ward losing the battle (boo) for 5th with brother
Jeff. I'd rather see a documentary on the restrooms on Gasoline Alley then
see Ned Jarrett while racing is going on.
One more that's not quite a whip--- but something my friends and I batted
around that sounded pretty good. How's about NASCAR goes back to the roots
of its drivers with a once a year, exhibition only, dirt track race. I know
(almost) everyone here in West Virginia would love to see it. It would be
interesting to see how the teams would do on an old fashioned Saturday night
at a 3/8 mile dirt oval.
There it is. My opinion, but I think many others share it. Let me know
how y'all feel. I hope I cracked the whip well enough; the press gets the brunt
of my anger, as it usually does. Good luck to the 22 team as the season goes on.
We'll get back into the top ten soon. Smile often, and remember, "If it ain't
a CAT, it's a dog."
Dan has his own Ward Fan Page click here
Dan the Man
WHIP 8 7/13/1999
SANDI
The
Not-gonna-tell-you-where-your-driver-is
Network
Man, I thought ABC's coverage was bad! TNN has managed to eclipse the "Always Bad Coverage" network today. As I write this, the race is over and I still have no idea where Ward finished. I know Jeff B. won. I know Mark Martin is disappointed with a sixth place finish even though he had no business driving his family vehicle, let alone a Winston Cup car. I know Ward is NOT in the top 10, but the "wonder" that is TNN has not shown us a position counter since the pit stops before the last 10 laps. That is shameful. These guys should not be allowed to cover races ever again if this is the best they can do.
Well, finally, after yet another commercial break, there it is-15th place. Hmmm…because of TNN's underwhelming coverage, I have no idea why Ward (who was in the top 10 for most of the race) finished 15th. Oh well…here are my impressions, as they happened, of the race at Loudon.
WARNING: it isn't pretty.
The green flag dropped…there's Ward. Remember that shot because it will be a L-O-N-G time until we see him again.
Lap 9: first "under-the-bumper-because-the-director-thinks-it's-cool" shot…the director should be shot for using it. Ward's still in 22nd going into the first of 25 (yes, I kept track) commercial breaks. (For the record: 3 ½ hours of race coverage; 25 commercial breaks consisting of 3-5 commercial each. Six under-the-bumper-cam shots...in my opinion, that's 6 too many.)
Lap 21: Ward's in 20th…or so the position counter says. We haven't seen him since Lap 1.
Lap 39: Ward's up to 17th. Still haven't seen him. Perhaps he's driving so fast he's become invisible.
I am sick of Tony Stewart already.
Lap 44: Out goes Dale Jr. (no more "young gun" references from Eli Gold. I was ready to scream.) Ward's in 15th! He's out there somewhere…I think.
Lap 57: Still in 15th…still haven't seen him. What the heck is this??? We've lost the audio for a "required test for channel 16" (whatever THAT is!) Come to think of it, though, it was a welcome relief from all of those idiotic "jokes" that Eli and Dick were telling. Come back channel 16!
Lap 79: Here's the first caution. Time for pit stops. Where's Ward? YEA!!! There's the CAT car coming out of the pits!!! No Johnny Bentsome in sight!
Lap 89: What are the positions from the pit stops?? Thanks, TNN for keeping us updated…NOT!
Lap 97: FINALLY! Ward's in 10th!! GO WARD!!! Caution…Nadeau gets spun by Kenny Wallace. I wish they would have let us hear the rest of the transmission from Nadeau's crew chief. That was sounding good!
See Dave. See Dave's car cam. See Ward.
See Ward pass Dave thru Dave's car cam.
Go Ward! Go Dave!
Big Wreck!! No one's wrecked!! Everyone drives off!! Thanks for giving me a heart attack, Eli.
There go Bentsome and Goofrey!! Caution!! And Eli says, "Ward Burton is in the middle of the sandwich" during the replay of the wreck. Where's Ward? Is he OK? What's going on? COMMERCIAL??!!! COME BACK, TNN!!! TELL ME ABOUT WARD!! I HATE you TNN!!! Don't tell my driver is in the middle of a "sandwich" and leave me hanging!!! AARRGGHH!! Oh good, we're back. How's Ward? I DON'T WANT TO SEE A TECH FACT!!! TELL ME A WARD FACT LIKE HOW IS HE???? Put me out of my misery, please! Oh, thank you…there's Ward and he looks fine. Whew!
So, here we go with SpeedyDri all over the track. I hope everyone is careful. Ought to be interesting. OOOOOO….look at Kenny Schrader's old car parts. That makes my day!
Yea! Ward's in 10th again. I don't like this…everyone's slipping and sliding around. OOHHH…there goes Rusty into the wall. Oww! He looks mad. Looks like he had some help from his friend Mr. Gordon. Ward was almost caught up in that mess too. Where's my heart medication? Better yet, where's my beer? I can't take much more of this! Well, this certainly isn't a boring race. Where's Ward?
If I see that under the bumper cam one more time, I will definitely scream. Note to TNN: I HATE YOUR COVERAGE! YOU STINK!
Back to racing. Hey-they're actually showing Ward race! Go Ward! Oh sure…change the camera angle just when Ward was getting racy. Did I mention that I hate TNN?
I also hate it when Eli hollers out, "Trouble on the racetrack!!" My heart and breathing stop abruptly. Man, Ward avoided another wreck. Uh, oh…Dave didn't. He's OK, but "rumpled". Thanks, Bickle!
Lap 209: Ward's in 9th!! Drive it like you stole it, Ward!!! Oh, no…there go Earnhardt and LaBonte…where's Ward? I hope he's OK. There he is! I don't know if I'm gonna make it thru this race. Oh man-Ward's in 7th!!!!!
86 laps to go: Time for commercials and…OH NO!! Not those STUPID TNN diecast commercials!!! When will someone get smart and put them at the end of the race or in a small box during the race so we can SEE the race? When we finally get back to our race, Ward has dropped to 9th.
70 laps to go: hey, there's another millisecond of Ward coverage…change camera angle.
27 to go: Ward's in 12th. What's going on? What's happening with him? Why is he going backward? (no answer from TNN.)
OK…got thru the LAST commercial break. 10 laps to go…where's Ward? 9 laps to go…where's Ward? 8 laps to go…where is the position counter? 7 laps to go…I'm waiting. 6 laps to go…is Ward still there? 5 laps to go…is anyone besides Tony Stewart still there? 4 laps to go…WHERE'S MY DRIVER???? 3, 2, 1…and the rest is history. I CANNOT believe that a network, supposedly providing coverage for a race, does NOT provide a position counter after pit stops, during the last 10 laps of a race!!! How LAME is that?? I hate TNN with my utmost being.
Notes: To Mark Martin…What a driver! Broken wrist (ow!), knee surgery (OW! OW!) came in sixth place and from the back of the pack to boot. You are amazing!! I just wish you wouldn't be so hard on yourself. You did good, Mark!
To Chad Little: What was up with you today? Took out Kyle and Bobby LaBonte, held up the leaders many times when you were at least 1 lap down. Sure hope you won't be looking for help from these guys anytime soon.
To Eli Gold: If I hear you call Dale Jr. a "young gun" one more time, I won't be responsible for my actions.
To All of the Announcers: Your "jokes" were painful. Keep your day jobs. (or, rather, why don't you all find NEW day jobs, please!)
To TNN: I HATE YOU A WHOLE LOT!!! Your "coverage" (what little there was) was miserable.
To Ward and the Team: Good job guys! Moved up to 8th in points and came home in one piece. I LOVE my CAT team!
WHIP 7 7/4/1999
Catch22
Dad in the booth, pit crew shots, slow talkin' guy, it just kinda sucks, yellow fever.
Ok it's that time again race fans.You know what I mean---TO WHIP IT GOOD!!!
Where do I start? Hmmmm Mike Joy is OK but what's up with the SLOW TALKIN"GUY thing?
We put Ward in the car to race not to talk.
Tommy Baldwin has a rag in his back pocket for Ward's mouth when he gets to victory
lane....short interview... Michael Waltrip had a great line for a fast talker something to the effect
of "it kinda sucks right now"!!!
I really can't complain about the race until the end and we all know how the end "kinda sucked".
I have to admit that I questioned Mr Baldwin's manhood on that last pitstop restart. Where the hell
was Mr Slow Talkin' guy? I think he was back in 20th . Who knows? CBS is about useless when
it comes to the race standings board they keep taking off the screen. God only knows where your
favorite driver Loy Allen might be...
Can we get rid of Ned Jarrett at ALL Daytona races? It seems like that goofy kid of his wins too
much there. Lock Dad up in a U-haul outside the track and lets see how junior does!!!???
Are you still with me on this? Ok I'll have another beer. WHAT IS UP AT THE END OF EVERY
STINKIN' RACE that when the winner crosses the finish line we HAVE TO SEE THE PIT CREW
jumping around like some kind of depraved animals in heat?
I BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER CARS STILL RACING TO THE STRIPE!!!!
If I see Todd Parrott one more time with tears in his eyes....
Special thanks tonite to Jimmy Schpincter and Jeremy Maycrash for grasping dullness from
the jaws of excitement .
Why not finish under yellow? Think of all the potential heart attack victims spared. Jimmy and
Jeremy --poster boys for the American Heart and Lung Assn. Yeah that's the ticket...
Anyway it's getting late and my medication is wearin' off.... It kinda' sucks....
Mike from the bowels of Joisy
Mike "CATch22"
6/28/1999 WHIP 6
Brad Smith
Sears Point Whip
Well here we are. June on the Winston Cup circuit means road course time once again. As I sit here at home in anticipation of the start of the Save Mart 350 at Sears Point today, my excitement level is about as high as it would be were I about to watch a tape delayed Arena Football game on ESPN2 at 2:30 in the morning. (I still gotta laugh that I was picked for the whipping post for this weekend...LOL...How appropriate.) Its not so much that the racing isn't close enough on the road courses for the Winston Cup series. In fact, I can think back to many Sears Point, Watkins Glen, and Riverside finishes that were damn close finishes....even by road course standards. Its just that it always seems to be the same two or three cars doing the racing in these close finishes. For example: On an oval, any one of 15 to 17 cars has at least somewhat of a shot to win. As far as the race today goes, outside the 24, the 6, the 2, and MAYBE the 10 or 5 car, there really aren't any realistic winners in the field. Its not that the rest of them are slackers. Its just that this series doesn't need to be on road courses.
Road courses are for guys with names like Schumacher, Hakkinen, Barrichello, and Frentzen.(<-------Shout out to my boy Heinz-Harald for his win at Magny-Cours today.) I don't mind watching the road courses when the F1 guys are racing, mainly because thats their arena. Thats what they do, but not the good ole Nascar boys!!
Nascar's fan base and its roots are the ovals. I realize that Nascar racing got its start on a beach/road course, but aside from that one, Nascar built a regional fan base in the 50s & 60s that eventually grew into what we have now by racing on dirt and short OVALS throughout the southeast and mid atlantic. Much like some today's short tracks on the east coast that many say are on the verge of losing one of their two Winston Cup/Busch dates or may be gone all together. Nashville, South Boston, and Martinsville immediately spring to mind......and oh yeah.....North Wilkesboro. Need I say any more than that last one? With tracks like those being threatened, do we really need road courses gobbling up two valuable dates on the circuit? Well I can think of two possible open dates on the schedule if I were in charge......June 27th & August 15th!!! Who knows maybe today's race will change my mind...We'll see.
AFTER THE RACE
Ok well.....here I am after the finish of the race at Sears Point today. Was I excited by the finish? Well.......no........not really. I may have been had it not been two of the same ole faces that you always see racing for the win on the road courses. If that very same finish had been Jimmy Spencer racing Ken Schrader for the win, it may have been the most exciting finish of the year to me. But to see the 24 and the 6 once again appearing to be racing for points as much as for the win.....Just sort of hum-drum.....for me anyway. Oh well.....thats one down and one more to go I guess.
I did enjoy watching Ward come from way back in the field up to a possible top 10 finish even though the coverage rarely showed or mentioned him. That is...rarely showed him until he ended a good run in the tires. And as for that.....Could Ricky Rudd have kept that from happening by just gearing down and burrying it in the bank?????? Instead of fighting the spin to the point of coming back across into traffic and taking out another good car????????? Yes he probably could have and should have done that, but he didn't. Oh well. What are ya gonna do? We'll get em at Daytona.
I suppose all in all.......to sum it up.....Road courses are GAY!!!!!!!!! LOL I'd like to thank Merse, Hamm, and Tony for letting me vent today. Great Page!!! Keep it up.
ONE MORE THING
Oh yeah one more thing. This is on the subject of all the new tracks popping up in new markets all over the country. NO MORE FLAT TRACKS...PLEASE!!!!! Enough with all of these little wussy cookie cutter tracks that cater to open wheel cars with 12 to 20 degrees of banking. I WANT MORE HIGH BANKS!!!!!! Nothing under 24 degrees from here on out thank you very much!!!!! Ok well I guess thats it. I'm done ranting now. Thanks again guys!!!!!!
Brad Smith (BSmith2217@AOL.COM) GO WARD!!!!!!!!!!
WHIP 5 from
"JOHN"
John also has Scanner Quotes from the Busch race.
My turn with the whip. Here it comes…
BUSCH RACE
We happened to be at the Busch race this weekend. Man, what a great race! We searched high and far for Merse but couldn't find him. Did spend quite a bit of time (and grocery money) at the Ward merchandise trailer. Anyway, back to the race. Our man Ward starts his first Busch race in a few years in 31st position. After some early crashes and cautions, he starts to move. I mean MOVE! Ward starts to cut through the field like a skilled surgeon. It was a beautiful thing. He seemed to do anything he wanted to on the track. The car was fast and he was driving it real well. Weaved his way into the top five and was challenging for the race lead before the halfway point of the race.
About lap 90 or so, you notice that Ward is not pressing "Little E" like he was earlier. Listening to the scanner, he tells the crew that he has lost power. They tell him to try switching boxes but it doesn't help. And the cautions keep coming. After each restart, the 3 takes off and ole Ward is doing his best to chase him with a sick car. Darn shame too because that thing was fast all day. Despite the problems, Ward manages to stay with Earnhardt and finishes less than one-half second behind him. "Little E" is lucky too because Ward had a run on him and was chasing him down when the race ended. What a performance by Ward! He drove the wheels off of the car.
WINSTON CUP RACE
Watched this one from the living room. Too much sun is bad for you, you know. Actually, not a very exciting race until the end, nothing like Saturday's race. Ward starts 15th and finishes 22nd. Hey, you can't run in the top 10 every week and 22nd is a lot better than a DNF any day. Ward does take a thrashing in the points standing though…6th to 9th, although only 30 points separate 7 through 9. Time to regroup and get 'em at Michigan.
DID YOU NOTICE…
· The great coverage by TNN…Eli Gold is the best.
· Kenny Wallace looked so good, actually ran in the top 5 for two-thirds of the race, but didn't fail to disappoint his fans as usual.
· Mike Skinner gets a speeding penalty and is unable to recover from it.
· Regular contributors - Goofrey Bodine, Johnny Bentsome, and Jerry Nadope did not make their weekly contribution to the rubber and metal symphony.
· Speaking of that, how many cars can Ernie Irvan tear up before he loses his ride?
· Lastly, how about that # 20 team? I say team because although Tony Stewart is a very talented driver who has done a wonderful job behind the wheel, the entire Joe Gibbs racing organization is so well run. Their cars are fast, the drivers are great, and the crew chiefs make good decisions. They just have their act together in all facets of the game on the 18 and 20 team. Do you think he would have won if they took only gas on the last stop?
PET PEEVE
This is where I'm gonna take a little heat but I have the whip so I'll lay it out. I have a real problem with the Winston Cup drivers driving in the Busch races. The Busch series is a stepping stone to the Winston Cup series. How are these Busch drivers gonna benefit from getting smoked by a Cup driver? Cup drivers have won nearly half the races (7 of 15) so far. They have greater endurance and more experience than most of the Busch regulars and it screws up the Busch points race in my opinion. You don't see this in other sports except for a temporary injury rehab assignment. The way I see it, it's all about money. Racing is big business and sponsorship is critical. It's just a shame that this situation costs young drivers a chance at a win when the experienced guys come in and dominate. Stay where you belong! Not that some of the Cup drivers don't belong in the Busch series…for good!
Well, that's it…GO WARD…GET 'EM AT MICHIGAN!!!!!!!!!!!
WHIP #4
"ELVIS" Bryan Horton
Sunday May 30th, 1999
"A race in the life of the Hortons"
Picture in your mind....
Just dumped the kids out for choir. Race back to the line (ah, house that is). Pull in the carport, run into the house, flop on the couch and hear.......
One to go! (timing is everything!)
Lap 1. Not a good start for the race.
I hear "green green green"! and the Satellite goes out (Thunder storm. Like I said, timing is everything). I scramble to find PRN on the radio and we hear the ..."Petty spins!". We also hear wife (Kyle fan) let loose with a very impressive string of expletives. Hadn't heard some of those words used since she gave birth to our first.
Lap 20. Satellites back with TBS "live, flag to flag coverage" (HA!).
Lap 55. Haven't seen Ward yet
Lap 60. Find 22 die cast so I'll recognize ward if he manages to drive in front of a camera.
Lap 78 Ward! I saw him on TV!
Lap 93 Ward! I saw him again!
Lap 103 Geoffrey spins (Strike 1 - gets Rusty)
Lap 106 Geoffrey spins (Strike 2, spins for spinning's sake)
Lap 121 Looks like Gordon's out (all together now..... awwwwwwwwwwww!)
Lap 130 Ward restarts 2nd and can't get a break. (someone remind me to take Saddler off my Christmas card list)
Lap 180 Anyone seen Ward?
Lap 226 Ward! I actually saw Ward!
Lap 239 Geoffrey spins (Strike 3) Whacks Steve Park
Lap 242 After further review, it's inconclusive that it was Geoffrey's fault.
Lap 243 After another review (and Steve Parks comments) it's obvious that Geoffrey has indeed struck again. I wish Geoffrey would get his own (Sunday afternoon) fishing show. Go away Geoffrey.
Lap 245. No sign of Ward. The dog needs to pee. Think I'll take him for a walk.
Lap 246. Dog made it look li