After their 1-2 finish at Dover — the second time it’s happened in the last month — people have been quick to point to Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards as “the next great rivalry.” Do you agree with that statement, or is there another one that sticks out in your minds that’s far more combative?
This past weekend at Dover marked the ascendance of one of the hottest young drivers in NASCAR. Many had wondered if he could really get the job done, if all the hype that has surrounded this young man was well-deserved… or all for naught? But at the end of the weekend’s activities, one simple fact was proven true: Scott Speed is for real. Wait… who?
Just like many students received their report cards after the completions of their terms recently — and just like FOX graded all of NASCAR’s big teams during Sunday’s race — the network needs a grade for their 2008 coverage. Since they were consistent in covering the broadcasts (which one would expect with their veteran team), and since the TV ratings have taken a turn for the better compared to the last couple of years, I give them a solid “B” grade. But rising ratings should not cause everybody to get fat and happy; there is room for improvement with FOX, as much of it became monotonous very quickly.
1. Are They Baaack? – Television ratings for NASCAR have seen resurgence this race season after experiencing at least two years of declines. The Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600 tallied a 4% boost over last season’s telecast, and posted the first increase in viewer numbers in three years. But the 4% improvement, though noteworthy, is less than the 5% increase that FOX TV has seen in its race broadcasts for the season to date.
Scott Speed took the checkered flag 3.379 seconds ahead of Jack Sprague to win the AAA Insurance 200 Friday night at Dover International Raceway. A two-tire pit stop with just 67 laps remaining helped Speed gain valuable track position and, ultimately, the win. Ron Hornaday Jr., Travis Kvapil, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top five.
Last weekend at Mansfield Motorsports Park, rookie of the year contender Donny Lia surprised himself and the world of NASCAR with his last lap pass on David Starr to score his first career Craftsman Truck Series victory in just his eighth start. When Starr took the white flag for the final half-mile around the track, his first win since 2006 seemed inevitable until heavy contact from Lia caused the truck to break loose from the driver of the No. 11 Pit-Now.com Toyota Tundra.
Hold on a second here. There’s a “should” or “deserved” in racing? Not the last time I checked. To confirm, let’s review the definition of the winner in any given race: it’s the car that passes over the start/finish line before any other competitor. Now, there’s no caveats in there; it’s a black and white statement devoid of emotion and heedless of moral obligations. I will grant the possibility that NASCAR might, on the random occasion of swine gliding over Daytona, rearrange the finishing order due to some other worldly divination of the rules. But, for the most part, once those tires take the checkers, the results are set in stone.
Donny Lia took the checkered flag 0.241 seconds ahead of David Starr to win the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Lia survived a last-lap three-wide battle with Starr and Todd Bodine to score his first career Craftsman Truck Series win Saturday afternoon. Terry Cook and Mike Skinner rounded out the top five.
After several months of sporadic racing for the Truck Series, we are finally at the point of the season where we get to race almost every week. I love it! I hate racing one week and then waiting three weeks. Racing every week suits me just fine. Now, we head to Mansfield — and I am excited. I’m also excited about PIT Corporate Training being back on my No. 11 Toyota Tundra this weekend. We got close to winning at Mansfield a few years ago, so we are going to try to accomplish the win this time. When you have a team like Red Horse Racing behind you, you are excited to race everywhere.
Once NASCAR declined to raise the minimum age to race from 18 to 21, a debate popped up on the Frontstretch forums this week about age versus experience. And while there was some disagreement on when it’s appropriate to move into one of NASCAR’s top three series, the general consensus was that experience makes a difference regardless of a driver’s age; and unfortunately, so many young drivers today just aren’t getting enough of it. Well, for those owners looking to develop young talent, I know where the best opportunity exists — and it’s not in Sprint Cup. Right now, there’s no better place for youth to gain that experience than the Craftsman Truck Series.
A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com