Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Olympiad Update from Mid-Ohio

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What?  The Olympics aren’t in Rio?  Did I miss a PR announcement?

No, just having some off-week fun with the XFINITY cars and the persistent precipitation.  With the rain tires, windshield wipers and Mother Nature collaborating, the annual Mid-Ohio Challenge presented more than a pedestrian road course race.  In fact, as you watched the cars spin, swerve and dig their way through the mud, I was reminded of a few other sports, besides racing.  What event in the Summer or Winter games could our steel machines audition for when playing in puddles? I provided some YouTubes for example.

  1. Synchronized Swimming: There’s a certain elegance when a pair of stock cars go sliding off the track side by side, don’t you think?

  1. Speed Skating–short track: You know when the competitors go down into the corner really hard and the guy on the inside wipes out, taking out the rest of the field with him? Well, NASCAR drivers are really good at that. Add water on the road course, and they get to practice the maneuver all day long.

  1. Super Speed Boat: Okay, it’s not part of the Olympic schedule, but it should be. The XFINITY cars were putting up rooster tails almost as large as some of those hot rod watercraft.

  1. Figure Skating: Somehow I think with a bit more repetition, Sam Hornish, Jr. should be able to do quite a few spins in his No. 2 without hitting anything or anybody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2VuosSk9zU&feature=youtu.be

  1. Steeplechase: We so often ignore this fun track & field event.  The athletes tend not to stay in their lane and they have to go over or through quite a few obstacles.  That sand pit had about half the field visit it at some point during the race on Saturday.  Also, nobody ever seems to be in much of a hurry during a steeplechase.  It’s more about staying on course…sound familiar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7hRXW-qn5g&feature=youtu.be

  1. Benny Hill: I did say we were just having fun. This should be added to every classic NASCAR highlight reel library.

And we now return you to your usual NASCAR programming…

SOMETHING SHINY

During a charity fundraiser at the Knoxville Nationals supporting Bryan Clauson’s family last week, Tony Stewart won in an auction one of Clauson’s racing helmets for $32,000.  As soon as he received the piece of equipment, he turned right around and gave it to Clauson’s grieving fiancée, Lauren Stewart.  Class act.

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