Saturday Nights's NASCAR Spectacurama!

[Sean Malone]

Flipping channels and caught the last 20 laps of the NASCAR race Saturday night. Let me say that I haven’t seen a single lap of any NASCAR in the last 5 or 6 years if not longer but one thing about NASCAR, rarely does it change. I was absolutely blown away with with what I witnessed and I don’t mean that in a good way. The racing was same ol’, same ol’ NASCAR restrictor plate racing which has had its obvious faults since its inception decades ago. I suppose what shocked me the most were the announcers and their unabashed glorification of any on track activity.

They played a pit radio conversation with a crew chief and a driver where the crew chief said something like “They’ve been throwing yellows every 25 laps so we’re bound to get one anytime now”. Sure enough, not even 2 laps after they played that tape a ghost yellow was thrown. I remember they used to at least ‘try’ to find some little piece of debris on the track to justify the yellow. Not now, not one word about why because everyone knows why, it’s an accepted part of the product! Un-friggin-beleivable!

So they go back green after 10 minutes (!!!!) of yellow (for nothing!!!) only to have your typical midpack fiasco. A million laps later they finally get a restart for a ‘dash to the checkers’ as the announcers, with the giddiness of 2 teenage school girls continually informed us morons, only to have Tony Stewart wreck the leader on the last lap and go on to take the win. The announcers climax in wave after wave of adjectives and explain how the leader was completely wrong to be leading and this is NASCAR racing at its best and us morons are lucky that we had the privilege of viewing such a spectacular example of NASCAR racin’ (ok, I made the last part up but that’s how I felt)!! I was absolutely beside myself with what I had seen and actually was 1) embarrassed I watched 2) felt dirty afterwards and 3) was embarrassed for them.

I kept watching because I had to see what Tony Stewart had to say about this. At least he repeatedly told the interviewer that “it’s not the way he wanted to win it” and I honestly think he looked embarrassed himself.

It will be a very long time, if ever, that I tune back into a NASCAR race of any type and I’m still amazed how so many can buy into this mockery of motorsport. I also wonder how the announcers can sleep at night.

That race actually made the IRL look legit.

[trish]

They only have 4 of those races a year.

[devilmaster]

They only have 4 of those races a year.

The stuff Sean talks about happens at more than just those 4.

[Hard Driver]

That Nascrap stuff is just awful everytime I happen to stumble accross it. I have stumbled upon thier extremely rare road course races every now and then and they are bearable, if watching oversized and under-tired cars plod around is bearable.

[Indy]

In my mind Hell would be something like Talladega.

[Fio1]

I dvdred the last hour. I was fast fowarding the last hour until the obligatory late race yellow for {cough};) {cough} debris. And, sure enough there it was with 12 to go. :rolleyes: And, what can you say about the finish? Stewart pushes Kyle up a little, Kyle blocks low, Stewart goes high and Kyle tries to block, but Stewart was already there. It could easily have been the other way around, and will 1 day, so Kyle can't really get upset. It's part of the game (sorry, the show).

All I can say is that I'm glad Nascar has it's own 'heading' at ESPN, Fox Sport etc as 'Nascar' and not 'Auto Racing', because this B.S is NOT Auto Racing. I don't want people to confuse F1, Le Mans & ALMS, i.e Auto Racing with this WWF, made-up, fiasco. But, it is fun to watch! :rofl:

[Sean Malone]

I dvdred the last hour. I was fast fowarding the last hour until the obligatory late race yellow for {cough};) {cough} debris. And, sure enough there it was with 12 to go. :rolleyes: And, what can you say about the finish? Stewart pushes Kyle up a little, Kyle blocks low, Stewart goes high and Kyle tries to block, but Stewart was already there. It could easily have been the other way around, and will 1 day, so Kyle can't really get upset. It's part of the game (sorry, the show).

All I can say is that I'm glad Nascar has it's own 'heading' at ESPN, Fox Sport etc as 'Nascar' and not 'Auto Racing', because this B.S is NOT Auto Racing. I don't want people to confuse F1, Le Mans & ALMS, i.e Auto Racing with this WWF, made-up, fiasco. But, it is fun to watch! :rofl:

And I think that is my biggest beef with NASCAR; if it was understood as general knowledge that it is an entertainment product (such as is the case with WWF or whatever that is called now) that revolves around the genre of autoracing, heck I might even tune in from time to time. But the fact that NASCAR promotes itself as real racing and the premier American auto racing sport just drives me crazy.

[opinionated ow]

That tv coverage truly is dreadful. It's not sport it's sort of average mindless entertainment for average mindless rednecks. A bit like the transfomer movie. Half the screen was obstructed by a grey bar and every 30 seconds the commentators (who sucked) would disappear and all you would hear is the icky sound of a pushrod v8 at flat out-from inside the car. I've seen better production values on Speedweek!

[Fio1]

Has there been in the last few years a restrictor plate race that has not had a phony yellow in the last 20 laps? You know the obligatory 'debris' yellow to bunch the field.

[Cam]

I watched the "race". It was on live here. IRL races are not shown here at all. Why did I watch? Coz it was either that or the MJfest on the Sunday morning news show. :vomit:

[Andrew Longman]

No argument with anything posted except Kyle took himself out in an attempt to block. Had he just kept his foot mashed he would have likely won

[pchall]

You know the obligatory 'debris' yellow to bunch the field.

Ah, the one that produces the mini Big One for the finish, right?

[TKGAngel]

I only caught the end of the race after watching A Capitol Fourth and the Boston Pops. I was more entertained by the patriotic shows than the NASCAR race (which is as it should be).


That tv coverage truly is dreadful. It's not sport it's sort of average mindless entertainment for average mindless rednecks. A bit like the transfomer movie. Half the screen was obstructed by a grey bar and every 30 seconds the commentators (who sucked) would disappear and all you would hear is the icky sound of a pushrod v8 at flat out-from inside the car. I've seen better production values on Speedweek!

To be fair, TNT used a different kind of broadcast model for this race. They integrated the ads into the broadcast so that you never missed any of the on track action. Hence the grey bar and other crap.

I kind of want to know what Bill Weber did that got him suspended from the final three broadcasts of the TNT races.

[dando]

I kind of want to know what Bill Weber did that got him suspended from the final three broadcasts of the TNT races.

http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2009/06/bill-weber-removed-from-sundays-tnt.html

Do the GOOG, yo. :gomer: ;)

-Kevin

[opinionated ow]

To be fair, TNT used a different kind of broadcast model for this race. They integrated the ads into the broadcast so that you never missed any of the on track action. Hence the grey bar and other crap.

We didn't get any of that. Just an irritating grey bar, minimal commentary and the absolutely horrid sound of inside a NASCAB when you don't lift for 400 miles

[TKGAngel]

http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2009/06/bill-weber-removed-from-sundays-tnt.html

Do the GOOG, yo. :gomer: ;)

-Kevin

I did the Goog thing, but IMO, a hotel shouting match doesn't equal a three race suspension. Unless he did or said something to someone in the TNT family or a fan.

I do have to say that I really like Kyle Petty in the booth. He's knowledgeable without being patronizing (coughScottGoodyearcough) and doesn't take himself too seriously.

[dando]

I did the Goog thing, but IMO, a hotel shouting match doesn't equal a three race suspension. Unless he did or said something to someone in the TNT family or a fan.

I do have to say that I really like Kyle Petty in the booth. He's knowledgeable without being patronizing (coughScottGoodyearcough) and doesn't take himself too seriously.

My guess is there was more to it than that. Perhaps he was also under the influence. Just a guess...same kinda thing happened to Barkley after the DUI arrest earlier this year.

-Kevin