11/05/24
October 16, 2005
Race turns into debacle after tire troubles: Charlotte event sets record with 15 cautions, mostly for blowouts. Stewart said it was one of the most bizarre things he had seen NASCAR do in his career. This is the biggest joke in racing I’ve ever seen," said Harvick.
posted by markmathes to auto racing at 05:59 PM - 15 comments
Mmm, levigation. Gotta love it.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 07:21 PM on October 16, 2005
It hasn't been a smooth transition from Winston Cup to Nextel Cup, that's for sure. The core audience feels a little betrayed by the new redneck chic-ness of it all, and the way NASCAR has been packaged the past few years has been awkward, at best. Only recently are advertisers really beginning to see the value in using NASCAR drivers; coincidentally, only recently were there enough NASCAR drivers who spoke well enough to be the centerpiece of major advertising campaigns. They're not kicking the redneck image quick enough for the mainstream interests, and the sudden movement away from the base has core fans up in arms. There's an analogy to Harriet Miers in there somewhere. In a stock car racing thread, of all places.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:24 PM on October 16, 2005
OK, upon further review I have to agree with the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., who I despised as a race driver when he was alive, when he said ""If you're not a race driver, stay the hell home. Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat that candy ass."
posted by mr_crash_davis at 07:25 PM on October 16, 2005
Maybe Goodyear hired some former Michelin engineers?
posted by gyc at 09:45 PM on October 16, 2005
That's funny, gspm. Because I was thinking this would be a welcome shut-up to all the people saying "NASCAR can do it, why not F1" Turns out NASCAR, um, can't.
posted by rodgerd at 11:34 PM on October 16, 2005
Goodyear spokesman Phil Holmer said more than half of the blown right front tires was attributed to teams starting with lower-than-recommended air pressure and the company “told and told and told (teams) to keep their air pressures up and for some reason they don’t want to do it.” Because a fast, slick track means tires are more likely to slide, so a lower tire pressure would allow for more surface area and less slippage. Jesus, you're a Goodyear spokesman and you don't know that? Also, I wonder how many NASCAR fans just went to look up "debacle."
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:59 AM on October 17, 2005
wfrazerjr! "How many NASCAR fans just to went to look up..." whew! you are a funny guy. You are right though... NASCAR fans just don't have the intellectual strengths that say football or hockey fans... Now those guys... they are, like, uh... I know there is a word for it...
posted by bugsyduke at 10:00 AM on October 17, 2005
Oh, bugsy, you know I only kid because I love! Well, that and because NASCAR fans seem more ready to spend their welfare checks on "Calvin pees on a Ford logo" stickers for their rusty half-tons than say, getting their teeth fixed or moving out of the trailer park.
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:31 AM on October 17, 2005
Bullshit...every NASCAR fan know that "debacle" is the part of your belt that holds it together...
posted by MeatSaber at 12:50 PM on October 17, 2005
tsk, tsk, tsk wfrazerjr, wake up on the wrong side of the doublewide this afternoon?
posted by bugsyduke at 01:48 PM on October 17, 2005
Of course not, bugsy ... on the outside is always the right side of a doublewide.
posted by wfrazerjr at 02:20 PM on October 17, 2005
Well wfrazerjr, sometimes even the best of us come home too drunk to make it inside...
posted by bugsyduke at 05:00 PM on October 17, 2005
Spoken like a true NASCAR fan ... so how was that 12-pack of Busch Light?
posted by wfrazerjr at 05:09 PM on October 17, 2005
Spotted Cow, but then, us cheeseheads know more about beer than rednecks...
posted by bugsyduke at 06:07 PM on October 17, 2005
This is the biggest joke in racing I’ve ever seen I take it he wasn't watching the F1 event at Indianapolis this past summer.