Welcome to the latest Happy Hour
mailbag! You know how these work: you write us at
[email protected]
or on Twitter at @jaybusbee,
we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their
face. Today, we’re talking shorter races, Junior and Kyle love, and
NASCAR relegation. Away we go!
I truly thought NASCAR
would shorten the races (this offseason); this still drives me crazy. I can
understand if they can’t shorten the season due to the deals they
have with the tracks, but is shortening a race that much of a
problem? What is your take on this? I think most people, other than
NASCAR brass, want the races shortened. Is it a problem with some
sort of contract with the tracks?
—Jay
Like the name there, sir. That
always gets you moved to the front of the line. That said, I
definitely agree with you that shortening races is a great idea. Keep
a few their established length – Daytona, the Coca-Cola 600, and so
on – but for the rest of ‘em, lop off 15-20 percent. The problem,
of course, is that fewer laps means fewer opportunities to broadcast
ads (yes, I know that breaks your heart), which will have a
definitive impact on the bottom line. The tracks wouldn’t lose
revenue from shortening the races, except for that fifth beer and eighth hot dog, which
you really shouldn’t have anyway.
How many wins will Dale Earnhardt Jr.
get this year? Wait, don’t answer me, that’s a rhetorical question.
—Jari
Seattle, Washington
Oh, Jari, I sure hope there are
plenty of Jaris in Seattle for your sake. It’s also a good thing
you’re a long way from North Carolina. But to answer your question: I
do think Junior will get a win this year. It’ll be at one of his
comfort tracks, like Daytona or Talladega, but I think it’ll happen.
For the anti-Junior contingent, you’ll note that I said "a" win.
More fun follows!
I am a born Southerner and a lifelong
Ford fan. I would even pull for Geoff Bodine, Lord forgive me,
driving a Ford to beat Bill Elliott driving another brand. And I
would not pull for my own mother in a Toyota. Over the years I have
had almost as much fun pulling against Junior Johnson, Petty,
Waltrip, Earnhardt and Pretty Boy as I have when my driver wins. But
how can you not like Jimmie Johnson? Maybe he needs to trip an old
lady or something.
—Pete McClung
Greenville, N.C.
If Jimmie Johnson started tripping
old ladies, he’d instantly be so good at it that the ladies would
just give up and dive when he came walking up the street. And if
Junior started tripping old ladies, fans would say the old ladies
deserved it.
Why is NASCAR the only sport that lets
all the teams compete in the playoffs/Chase? Why not run 31 races
and then the top twelve + two wildcards or fan faves run the final
five races for the cup? We don’t see 32 teams in the NFL playoffs,
nor do we see all NBA teams, baseball teams, or hockey teams. Just
the ones that belong there by their end-of-season records. Why not
try it?
—John M. Lilly
Matthews, NC
Two reasons. One, sponsors wouldn’t
be thrilled about their guy getting ushered to an early exit. More
importantly, the races would be awful. Twelve cars spread out along
Talladega? It’d look like qualifying laps. I get what you’re going
for, but logistical and financial matters trump competitive ones.
If 2011′s new point system had been
used in 2010′s season, how would the standings ended up?
—Mike R. Searcy
That is an outstanding question, and
one I simply do not have time to figure out at this exact moment. But
if one of you fine folks would like to take on that challenge, I’d be
happy to present your results right here for the world to see.
Impress your friends! That’s almost as good as money, right? Oh, and
I bet Johnson will still win.
Was the swap of the Hendrick 48 and 24
pit crews that occurred at the Texas race made permanent or will the
crews be back with their original crew chiefs this season? The 48 pit
crew had problems throughout the season, not just the Texas race,
which seemed to revolve around the tire changers dropping nuts or not
tightening them enough. Will Chad Knaus or Steve Letarte be replacing
one or both tire changers to get their pit crew back on track (pun
intended)?
—George in VA
Ow, that pun physically hurt. To
answer your question: yes and no. The 48 pit crew, along with the 88,
will be drawn from a pool of potential crew members that will include
one full pit crew on the "bench," so to speak. In other words,
there’ll be three crews for the two teams to draw from. And
considering how quick Knaus is on the trigger, those tire changers
and the like had better be on their best behavior.
Jay, as I have said before, I can’t
understand why people think Kyle is such a good driver. He could not
even win with a Hendrick car in Cup … He might be a nice person, I
don’t know, I have never met him, but it’s for sure he is too wild to
be in Cup races.
—Johnny Finley
I think 15 Cup wins, two Chase
berths and one whisper-thin miss in the last three seasons would seem
to indicate that he’s a decent enough driver. If he’s able to get
that infamous "wild" side under control, he’ll eliminate
everyone’s doubts about his ability to drive.
Next, a little fan mail, presented
exactly as sent:
Ummmm I think we have the wrong Jay
here. Where the hell is Jay Hart?! I will no longer follow the
Mailbag/Happy Hour if its in the hands of Busbee. His skills and
comments are terrible and he’s a amateur blogger at best. Anyone
can write like Busbee. This sucks.
I’m seriously regretting I taught my
mom how to use a computer now.
I’ve heard tell that since you sleep at
the track, it’s perfectly acceptable to rock your Dale Jr. Jammy
pants. You technically have not left the "house" in them.
One other reason is Jr. fans know that they will be leaving early to
catch a nap.
—Ted B
Boy, the Junior haters are in
midseason form already. Let me hear you, Junior Nation!
We conclude with a way to put a
little more heat on underperforming drivers:
I think NASCAR needs to do what the PGA
is doing by using the Nationwide series to build talent, not as a
place for top drivers to make more cash. Those top drivers would
receive an automatic ride the following season and drivers who don’t
make the cut would move down. (Hello, Elliott Sadler.) This would
keep the drivers and the teams more competitive and the fans would
see driving to win, not just to win money. Many of the drivers are
too used to motor coaches and private jets and if they thought those
things could disappear I think they would push harder, driver better
and work with their teams to perform.
—Steve aka @MyPintOfView
It’s not dissimilar to soccer-style
relegation, where good teams get promoted to the highest league and
weak teams get the boot to the lower leagues. It’s a sound thought,
pure meritocracy – rewards for driving well, punishment for driving
poorly. The problem with this idea is that NASCAR doesn’t control who
can and can’t drive in their series (Jeremy Mayfield excepted, of
course). If someone’s willing to put a driver in a seat, and said
driver is qualified and licensed to drive for NASCAR, there’s no way
to stop it. That’s why [driver name redacted because he'll find me in
Daytona this week and chase me with a crowbar] still has a ride.
Thanks to all our writers this
week. You want in? Fire up the computer and hit us with whatever’s on
your mind, NASCAR-wise, at [email protected],
or hit us up on Twitter at @jaybusbee.
We’ll make you famous!
Happy Hour: Shortening races, and the Junior-bashing begins
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