The NASCAR Hall of Fame enshrined five new inductees Friday evening, but hardly anybody actually saw it happen.
That’s because SPEED was preoccupied with the Barrett-Jackson car auctions Friday night and decided to put the Hall of Fame inductions on tape delay. That means the only people actually able to see the ceremonies live were the people actually in attendance.
What makes the situation worse is the inductions are not only on tape delay, but SPEED decided to not show the ceremonies until 6 p.m. ET Sunday, a full two days after the actual event and right in the middle of the NFL Championship games. Are you kidding me?
I understand television is a business, and SPEED makes money by showing the Barrett-Jackson auctions, but come on. This is the event where the legends of NASCAR are honored, and it’s going to be shown on a two-day tape delay.
SPEED will showcase another 11 hours of the Barrett-Jackson car auctions Saturday and maybe programming contracts didn’t allow that to change, but the audience Saturday morning would even likely be larger than what SPEED will get with the Sunday afternoon timeslot.
One of the supposed problems with NASCAR is that the Chase coincides with the start of the NFL season, which hurts the television ratings during the most important time of the NASCAR season.
Now SPEED decided to once again go head-to-head with the NFL in late January, as well. There is no doubt the induction ceremonies will get mercilessly spanked in the television ratings. Even the most diehard NASCAR fans will find it tough to skip football to watch a ceremony.
I guess I thought NASCAR had outgrown the days when its events didn’t make live television. Instead, this weekend NASCAR returned to the ABC Wide World of Sports days when snippets of the races were the only NASCAR racing fans got to see on a given weekend.
I understand NASCAR wanted to make the Hall of Fame inductions part of a preseason “NASCAR Acceleration” weekend to get fans in the Charlotte area pumped up for the season, but not airing the induction ceremonies live flies in the face of NASCAR’s overriding goal for the last decade: expand its fan base.
If this was how NASCAR approached its decisions, we’d probably still have two races at Rockingham and Darlington and would not have races in Chicago or Kansas.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremonies are also an evening that celebrates the history of the sport, and it is important for fans to either learn about that history, or relive the excitement of those days. That’s what the Hall of Fame is all about.
SPEED does a great job with the Hall of Fame biographies on each inductee, but there were a ton of programs the network could have shown this weekend. Shoot, last weekend it spent 21 hours showing mostly singe car testing runs at Daytona.
NASCAR doesn’t own SPEED and therefore has little control of how the network chooses to cover the sport. However, SPEED, which has branded itself the official network of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, should have found a better way to handle the Hall of Fame’s biggest event.
Hopefully inductees Dale Inman, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Glen Wood and the family of Richie Evans had one of the best evenings of their lives. Too bad hardly any NASCAR fans were able to watch the legends of their favorite sport honored.
Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Daytona testing helps kick off anticipation for NASCAR season
We are technically only about halfway through the NASCAR offseason, but the days of hearing strictly about off-track news are about over.
NASCAR teams will head to Florida this week to the greatest racetrack of them all in Daytona Beach and start testing for the fast-approaching Speedweeks.
Gosh, it is going to be nice to see cars back on the track. Plus, the teams will be doing more than just logging laps during the three-day test session that begins Thursday.
NASCAR made several rule changes after the season designed to change the style of restrictor-plate racing back to the large packs instead of the two-car drafts.
It will be interesting to see if those changes have much of an effect on the style of racing. NASCAR's similar attempts last year didn’t do much to break up the two-car drafts.
More than anything, it will just be nice to know that the dark, quiet winter is almost over.
Sure, it’s still early January, but the NASCAR action slowly picks up as we move closer and closer to Speedweeks in mid-February.
The Daytona test will run from Thursday to Saturday with Preseason Thunder events where fans can meet drivers and get an early feel for the changes that happened during the offseason.
The following week is NASCAR Acceleration weekend in Charlotte that will culminate with the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductions for 2012.
NASCAR used to hold the Hall of Fame inductions during the week between the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, but now it will help fill the void between the start of the year and the start of the season.
Cars will be back on the track at Daytona the weekend after the Hall of Fame inductions with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. While this isn’t a NASCAR event, several NASCAR drivers run the race and it is a full day of auto racing. That in itself is therapeutic.
The weeks between the 24-hour race and the Daytona 500 will be filled with the NASCAR media tour that tries to set some storylines for the upcoming season and then it is time to get after it with the big cars on the big track.
All of a sudden the season will be in full swing and NASCAR fans will once again long for the weekends so they can watch the practices sessions, qualifying and the race on Sunday.
We might still be more than 40 days from the official start of the season, but those days will be filled with on-track action, big NASCAR events and the wonderful anticipation of another full season of auto racing.
Welcome back, everybody.
NASCAR teams will head to Florida this week to the greatest racetrack of them all in Daytona Beach and start testing for the fast-approaching Speedweeks.
Gosh, it is going to be nice to see cars back on the track. Plus, the teams will be doing more than just logging laps during the three-day test session that begins Thursday.
NASCAR made several rule changes after the season designed to change the style of restrictor-plate racing back to the large packs instead of the two-car drafts.
It will be interesting to see if those changes have much of an effect on the style of racing. NASCAR's similar attempts last year didn’t do much to break up the two-car drafts.
More than anything, it will just be nice to know that the dark, quiet winter is almost over.
Sure, it’s still early January, but the NASCAR action slowly picks up as we move closer and closer to Speedweeks in mid-February.
The Daytona test will run from Thursday to Saturday with Preseason Thunder events where fans can meet drivers and get an early feel for the changes that happened during the offseason.
The following week is NASCAR Acceleration weekend in Charlotte that will culminate with the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductions for 2012.
NASCAR used to hold the Hall of Fame inductions during the week between the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, but now it will help fill the void between the start of the year and the start of the season.
Cars will be back on the track at Daytona the weekend after the Hall of Fame inductions with the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. While this isn’t a NASCAR event, several NASCAR drivers run the race and it is a full day of auto racing. That in itself is therapeutic.
The weeks between the 24-hour race and the Daytona 500 will be filled with the NASCAR media tour that tries to set some storylines for the upcoming season and then it is time to get after it with the big cars on the big track.
All of a sudden the season will be in full swing and NASCAR fans will once again long for the weekends so they can watch the practices sessions, qualifying and the race on Sunday.
We might still be more than 40 days from the official start of the season, but those days will be filled with on-track action, big NASCAR events and the wonderful anticipation of another full season of auto racing.
Welcome back, everybody.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Mark Martin found unusual path to friendship with Bobby Allison
Mark Martin says Bobby Allison shouldn’t have liked him.
Martin had excelled on short tracks and won championships in the American Speed Association series in the late '70s and early '80s, and early in his career he raced late models against the Allisons.
However, the first time he met Bobby he sent Allison flying out of the racetrack in Pensacola, Fla.
“I was a young kid, and I guess the caution came out, and I was one of those young kids that ain’t seen a caution yet,” Martin said. “It was a good thing they didn’t have walls. He went over the bank and out, but it didn’t tear him up.”
Allison said he was leading the race and Martin was a lap or two behind when he wrecked Allison so he could get his name in the newspaper the next day.
Although he may not have made the world’s greatest first impression, Martin thinks his prowess as a short-track racer impressed Allison and he became a mentor for Martin in the early 1980s, even to the point of flying Martin to Hueytown, Ala., and letting Martin sleep in his basement between the Martinsville and Talladega race weekends.
“He fired me in there in the pitch, black dark,” Martin said. “I think there was a number of Allison kids down there, but I never saw them because it was dark when I got to bed.”
As he established his career and became one of the top drivers in NASCAR, Martin put the lessons he learned from Allison, both about racing and life, into practice and has helped many drivers in the beginning stages of their career, including his endorsement that put Joey Logano on the map as an up-and-coming star.
Being such a humble person, Martin doesn’t like to take credit for what he has done for the sport, especially compared to Allison.
“I don’t hold a candle to him,” Martin said. “I’m ashamed of myself when I compare myself to the kind of person Bobby really was to racing.”
Allison said he is proud of the way Martin’s career has turned out and is happy he was able to help Martin when he was still getting his feet under him in NASCAR.
“Look how he turned out,” Allison said. “Really, really good.”
The help and guidance Allison gave Martin may have helped him take his career to the point where he will someday join Allison as a Hall of Famer.
Most of all it gave him a lifelong friendship, even if it took a little nudge to break the ice.
Martin had excelled on short tracks and won championships in the American Speed Association series in the late '70s and early '80s, and early in his career he raced late models against the Allisons.
However, the first time he met Bobby he sent Allison flying out of the racetrack in Pensacola, Fla.
“I was a young kid, and I guess the caution came out, and I was one of those young kids that ain’t seen a caution yet,” Martin said. “It was a good thing they didn’t have walls. He went over the bank and out, but it didn’t tear him up.”
Allison said he was leading the race and Martin was a lap or two behind when he wrecked Allison so he could get his name in the newspaper the next day.
Although he may not have made the world’s greatest first impression, Martin thinks his prowess as a short-track racer impressed Allison and he became a mentor for Martin in the early 1980s, even to the point of flying Martin to Hueytown, Ala., and letting Martin sleep in his basement between the Martinsville and Talladega race weekends.
“He fired me in there in the pitch, black dark,” Martin said. “I think there was a number of Allison kids down there, but I never saw them because it was dark when I got to bed.”
As he established his career and became one of the top drivers in NASCAR, Martin put the lessons he learned from Allison, both about racing and life, into practice and has helped many drivers in the beginning stages of their career, including his endorsement that put Joey Logano on the map as an up-and-coming star.
Being such a humble person, Martin doesn’t like to take credit for what he has done for the sport, especially compared to Allison.
“I don’t hold a candle to him,” Martin said. “I’m ashamed of myself when I compare myself to the kind of person Bobby really was to racing.”
Allison said he is proud of the way Martin’s career has turned out and is happy he was able to help Martin when he was still getting his feet under him in NASCAR.
“Look how he turned out,” Allison said. “Really, really good.”
The help and guidance Allison gave Martin may have helped him take his career to the point where he will someday join Allison as a Hall of Famer.
Most of all it gave him a lifelong friendship, even if it took a little nudge to break the ice.
Monday, May 23, 2011
NASCAR inducts its second Hall of Fame class
A comprehensive history of the sport came together Monday night at the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the annual induction ceremony.
This time Bud Moore, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett, Bobby Allison and David Pearson shared the sport’s ultimate honor. Although there was a big stage and lots of fancy lights, this night felt more like we were in the backyard of each individual as he was introduced.
While the honorees included the Oscar-like thank you’s, each honoree told the story of his career and shared stories: some funny, some inspiring and some of the saddest that can be told.
The night was a nice break from the weekly concerns about which drivers are running well or which drivers are angry at each other. This night was all about the history of the sport, and boy is that sport amazing. Some stories make good movies, but the history of NASCAR might be the greatest thrill ride of any sport in the world, and this class certainly encompassed that ride.
We had Bud Moore, a pioneer owner in the sport who stormed Normandy, France on D-Day and went on to build cars for 43 different drivers, including three Hall of Famers in Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison and David Pearson, and many more future Hall of Famers. Moore could be viewed as a stubborn man, but his first priority was to win and in the moment nothing was going to stand in the way of that goal. He was part of the Greatest Generation and continues to represent that group with class.
Next was Lee Petty, the founder of the great Petty family dynasty. Petty also wouldn’t take no for an answer and although others drivers have more of a reputation for being rough-and-tough drivers, Lee Petty would certainly do whatever it took to win and bring home the money he needed to feed his family, including protesting what would have been his son Richard’s first win. Still, he did it because that was what would bring the family the most money that week. He was represented at the ceremony by his two sons, Richard and Maurice.
Then came Ned Jarrett, one of the most well-spoken men in the sport. Broadcasting was the perfect second career for him. Also, Jarrett is one of the most gracious people in the sport. He is not afraid to say thank you to those he feels it is necessary. It is hard to imagine he has ever left a debt unpaid. While NASCAR grew up as a tough man’s sport, Jarrett portrayed a gentler personality off the track, but still kicked everybody’s butt on the track. Jarrett’s values are inspiring.
Bobby Allison talked about several moments in his great career, but he also spoke about his life, which has included as many ups and downs as any life a person could live. He did speak about his children, two of which were killed in 1992. Clifford was killed in a racing crash at Michigan and Davey was killed later in a freak helicopter crash. The thought of losing two children is unimaginably horrible, and Allison understands that as well as anyone.
“You know, the world I hope never is that cruel to any other family again,” he said.
Finally, the class clown David Pearson stepped up to the stage and told his stories in a way only he can. He won a bunch of races, and often did it with style. Future Hall of Famer Leonard Wood, the chief mechanic for the Wood Brothers, introduced Pearson and his story about Pearson passing Buddy Baker and lighting a cigarette as he completed the pass and cruised down the frontstretch is the perfect picture for the sly “Silver Fox.”
Although the Hall of Fame has taken some criticism on the business side, the induction ceremony is one of the most special events of the season and probably the most meaningful. The Hall of Fame shouldn’t be about making money. That building is similar to the country’s national parks and landmarks. They are there because they are important, not because somebody needs to make money.
For one night, time stood still and the NASCAR of years gone by came back to life. It gives me goosebumps.
Look for more Monday Morning Crew Chief coverage of Hall of Fame week, including a story about Mark Martin sleeping in Bobby Allison’s basement. More photos from the night will be up in the coming days, but also check out the Monday Morning Crew Chief Facebook page for a full gallery of photos from the Hall of Fame and the induction ceremony.
This time Bud Moore, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett, Bobby Allison and David Pearson shared the sport’s ultimate honor. Although there was a big stage and lots of fancy lights, this night felt more like we were in the backyard of each individual as he was introduced.
While the honorees included the Oscar-like thank you’s, each honoree told the story of his career and shared stories: some funny, some inspiring and some of the saddest that can be told.
The night was a nice break from the weekly concerns about which drivers are running well or which drivers are angry at each other. This night was all about the history of the sport, and boy is that sport amazing. Some stories make good movies, but the history of NASCAR might be the greatest thrill ride of any sport in the world, and this class certainly encompassed that ride.
We had Bud Moore, a pioneer owner in the sport who stormed Normandy, France on D-Day and went on to build cars for 43 different drivers, including three Hall of Famers in Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison and David Pearson, and many more future Hall of Famers. Moore could be viewed as a stubborn man, but his first priority was to win and in the moment nothing was going to stand in the way of that goal. He was part of the Greatest Generation and continues to represent that group with class.
Next was Lee Petty, the founder of the great Petty family dynasty. Petty also wouldn’t take no for an answer and although others drivers have more of a reputation for being rough-and-tough drivers, Lee Petty would certainly do whatever it took to win and bring home the money he needed to feed his family, including protesting what would have been his son Richard’s first win. Still, he did it because that was what would bring the family the most money that week. He was represented at the ceremony by his two sons, Richard and Maurice.
Then came Ned Jarrett, one of the most well-spoken men in the sport. Broadcasting was the perfect second career for him. Also, Jarrett is one of the most gracious people in the sport. He is not afraid to say thank you to those he feels it is necessary. It is hard to imagine he has ever left a debt unpaid. While NASCAR grew up as a tough man’s sport, Jarrett portrayed a gentler personality off the track, but still kicked everybody’s butt on the track. Jarrett’s values are inspiring.
Bobby Allison talked about several moments in his great career, but he also spoke about his life, which has included as many ups and downs as any life a person could live. He did speak about his children, two of which were killed in 1992. Clifford was killed in a racing crash at Michigan and Davey was killed later in a freak helicopter crash. The thought of losing two children is unimaginably horrible, and Allison understands that as well as anyone.
“You know, the world I hope never is that cruel to any other family again,” he said.
Finally, the class clown David Pearson stepped up to the stage and told his stories in a way only he can. He won a bunch of races, and often did it with style. Future Hall of Famer Leonard Wood, the chief mechanic for the Wood Brothers, introduced Pearson and his story about Pearson passing Buddy Baker and lighting a cigarette as he completed the pass and cruised down the frontstretch is the perfect picture for the sly “Silver Fox.”
Although the Hall of Fame has taken some criticism on the business side, the induction ceremony is one of the most special events of the season and probably the most meaningful. The Hall of Fame shouldn’t be about making money. That building is similar to the country’s national parks and landmarks. They are there because they are important, not because somebody needs to make money.
For one night, time stood still and the NASCAR of years gone by came back to life. It gives me goosebumps.
Look for more Monday Morning Crew Chief coverage of Hall of Fame week, including a story about Mark Martin sleeping in Bobby Allison’s basement. More photos from the night will be up in the coming days, but also check out the Monday Morning Crew Chief Facebook page for a full gallery of photos from the Hall of Fame and the induction ceremony.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Rating the All-Star Race: 1 Star *
The stars were supposed to come out and the gloves were supposed to come off, but neither happened Saturday night at the All-Star Race. The race reserved for the biggest winners in the sport came up well short of expectations and gets a 1 Star Rating.
While this was one of the most boring All-Star races in the 27-year history of the event, there isn’t really one reason that sticks out as to why the intense battles and crazy moves never materialized.
Maybe it was the tires, but they were the same combination as what the teams ran at Darlington and that was an incredibly exciting race. Or, maybe it was simply the fact that Carl Edwards had a great car and stunk up the show. That’s been known to happen. Both Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon come to mind as drivers who have been given a special car for this race, and they went out and dominated with it.
Edwards currently leads the points standings, and is starting to put together the type of season that could lead to winning the championship. Even though this race didn’t pay any points, drivers who are on top of the sport often shine in the All-Star Race, as they should; this is a race that tests the best against the best.
Another factor on Edwards’ side is how the Roush-Fenway Racing cars have run on the intermediate tracks this year. The Ford cars have struggled the past few years in general as a new engine was in development. However, that engine has been fully implemented this season and is starting to show the power the Ford camp was hoping for. Next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will be the ultimate test in this engine’s durability, but so far there hasn’t been any cause for concern.
Had the All-Star Race been a regular event, the race would have probably been more interesting. A few races this season have been saved because strategy came into play in an otherwise bland race, but the setup for the All-Star Race takes that aspect out. At first it looked like the teams that pitted on lap 61 had made a great call because they got off sequence with the leaders and had enough fuel to the finish, but the mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final 10-lap shootout made any pit strategy irrelevant.
Often, the All-Star Race doesn’t need strategy to be interesting and that lack of strategy usually makes for a wild final segment, but that simply didn’t happen. After the cars got through the final restart, the field strung out and raced pretty much single-file to the end of the race.
So, next week strategy will almost certainly be a factor in the longest race of the season and one of the best days of the year for a motorsports fan. Memorial Day weekend is always a great racing weekend and it’s pretty difficult to dominate the 600 because of the length of the race and the changing track conditions as the race goes from late afternoon into the night.
Plus, we’ve got the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Monday night and make sure to check in here for coverage of the event as Monday Morning Crew Chief will be on the scene.
While this was one of the most boring All-Star races in the 27-year history of the event, there isn’t really one reason that sticks out as to why the intense battles and crazy moves never materialized.
Maybe it was the tires, but they were the same combination as what the teams ran at Darlington and that was an incredibly exciting race. Or, maybe it was simply the fact that Carl Edwards had a great car and stunk up the show. That’s been known to happen. Both Darrell Waltrip and Jeff Gordon come to mind as drivers who have been given a special car for this race, and they went out and dominated with it.
Edwards currently leads the points standings, and is starting to put together the type of season that could lead to winning the championship. Even though this race didn’t pay any points, drivers who are on top of the sport often shine in the All-Star Race, as they should; this is a race that tests the best against the best.
Another factor on Edwards’ side is how the Roush-Fenway Racing cars have run on the intermediate tracks this year. The Ford cars have struggled the past few years in general as a new engine was in development. However, that engine has been fully implemented this season and is starting to show the power the Ford camp was hoping for. Next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will be the ultimate test in this engine’s durability, but so far there hasn’t been any cause for concern.
Had the All-Star Race been a regular event, the race would have probably been more interesting. A few races this season have been saved because strategy came into play in an otherwise bland race, but the setup for the All-Star Race takes that aspect out. At first it looked like the teams that pitted on lap 61 had made a great call because they got off sequence with the leaders and had enough fuel to the finish, but the mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final 10-lap shootout made any pit strategy irrelevant.
Often, the All-Star Race doesn’t need strategy to be interesting and that lack of strategy usually makes for a wild final segment, but that simply didn’t happen. After the cars got through the final restart, the field strung out and raced pretty much single-file to the end of the race.
So, next week strategy will almost certainly be a factor in the longest race of the season and one of the best days of the year for a motorsports fan. Memorial Day weekend is always a great racing weekend and it’s pretty difficult to dominate the 600 because of the length of the race and the changing track conditions as the race goes from late afternoon into the night.
Plus, we’ve got the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Monday night and make sure to check in here for coverage of the event as Monday Morning Crew Chief will be on the scene.
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