Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Madhouse TV Review

The History Channel aired the first episode of their new reality show, Madhouse, last Sunday night. Madhouse followed the Modified racing series for the entire season last year at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

They begin with a short history of the 1/4 mile track in the Carolina foothills. We learn that Boman-Gray was the first track ever sanctioned by NASCAR, back in the 1940s. Also, all the big guns have been here, Pettys, Earnhardts, etc.

The story line begins with the last race of 2008 with an unbelievable on track altercation between our two lead characters. We then meet the cast of drivers as they prepare for the upcoming season opener, and weigh in on the Junior Miller, Burt Myers feud.

This is sheer brilliance. Hollywood could never cast a racing show/movie as well as these real characters on Madhouse. If you have ever been to a local short track more than once you have seen every one of these main characters.....

***The old, dirty driver that the fans love to hate.

***The sons of a former fan favorite, who have continued the rivalry with the bad guy.

***The arrogant upstart. This guy spends twice as much money as the other teams.

***The old, independent driver, hanging on by a thread with his bare bones budget.

We visit all of these driver's shops, and get to know where they're coming from. It's readily apparent that all these guys have advanced their driving careers as far as they will ever go. But, they seem to relish being big fish in the small pond at BGS.

Some critics are saying that the show plays on the redneck, white trash stereotypes of short track racers, and fans, in the South. Having been to several short tracks in the South, I can say that this is more of a documentary than a scripted show. I would also bet that these same types of drivers and fans are at almost every short track across the country, not just the South.

This is the best TV show, or movie, (fiction or non-fiction) ever on auto racing. I know there is not a lot of competition for that title, but Madhouse has 10 laps on the rest of the field.

Madhouse airs on the History Channel, Sundays at 10 pm et. Set your dvr or tivo, it is must see.
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11 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good show. Will not miss it.

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  2. Hey I'm from the NORTH and it's just like that up there too. I love Madhouse! Best damn racing show EVER. well except maybe for Thursday night thunder at the speedrome back in the 80's but that was live coverage. This is an accurate and fair real view of what happens at a Saturday night track. dad raced I had a car the last 4 years been there done that. You nailed your review. cheers.

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  3. Photo... It is an unbelievable show. It will bring back some old memories from your days at the local tracks.

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  4. Anon... I can't believe how realistic these characters are. Also, there were no boring segments on the opener. Thanks for the drop in, and comment.
    Skoal.

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  5. Thanks for the heads up Gene, sounds like my kind of show. The critics talk about us white trash rednecks like it's a bad thing to be.

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  6. Saw the show last night, pretty cool.

    Some of the biggest names in Nascar history have won at the 1/4 mile bullring.

    Bobby Allison won the last GN race there driving a Mustang in 1971 in a 250 lap event.

    One thing this show very does well is give a close look at the mechanical aspects of the cars. For those who are not familliar with stock car racing this one is a good shot of what it is all about on the short tracks.

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  7. Aero...thanks for dropping in, bro. It is a great show, with real characters. Nice change for a 'reality' show.

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  8. Rick...Yeah, it's cool how they show them working on the cars, and it doesn't get boring because they're advancing the storyline while they do it.

    I'm not a big fan of the track itself, though. It's just a flat, running track around a football field. Way too tight for anything bigger than go carts to race on. But, if I'm ever close by, I will attend a race there.

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  9. I caught the show the other night by accident and like it very much. It really seems like a real REALITY show, as opposed to those that use scripts and plot lines to make REALITY seem more real.
    Looking forward to the rest of the shows.

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  10. Love the show. We commented about "Madhouse" during our podcast. Looking forward to devoting a complete episode on "Madhouse."

    Hung Throttle Podcast
    Wisconsin, USA
    www.Hungthrottlepodcast.blogspot.com

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    I then pay thebill and we move from the eating side of the bar to the barstools. I had no choice, and once it got under way, Isorta lost it.

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