Thursday, March 10, 2011

Right Sides Only

We are three races into the season, and NASCAR takes a vacation. They'll make up for it in the heat of summer and into the Chase... when they have about 20 straight races with no breaks. But, the week off gives me a chance to bring RSO out for a spin. Instead of doing this column every week, as I have for the past three years, I'll just run it out every now and then. Your welcome.

First the good news... TV ratings are up for the first three races this year. Last week's race at Las Vegas saw ratings up almost 30%. See what NASCAR can do when they're not going up against USA vs Canada Olympic hockey, like Vegas did last year?

The bad TV news is that Fox signed DW to a three year extension. Thanks, Fox .... the dumbing down of America continues.

Fox also airs a Daytona 500 special this Sunday, 'The Daytona 500: The American Dream'. A documentary with new, behind the scenes looks at Trevor Bayne's popular win. DW will tell us that he had a feeling about Bayne after the kid qualified 3rd for the 500. Sure you did, champ.

The media is falling over themselves to claim that Danica Patrick's 4th place finish in the NW race last week at Vegas was the best ever for a woman in NASCAR. Maybe they should run tell dat to Shawna Robinson. Robinson won a Goodys' Dash race at North Wilkesboro in 1988. The Dash series was a national touring series, one rung lower than the Busch (NW) series back in the day.

Ken Schrader returns to the Cup series next week at Bristol. Schrader will be in the #32 VA Mortgage Ford.

Kurt Busch has top-10s in all three races this year.

2007 was the last time, until now, that we had three different winners in the first three races of a season.

The best part of the Robby Gordon, Kevin Conway garage area spat? The Extenze sponsored, Conway's first line of his police report..."I don't mind stiff competition, but I want to make sure the hard facts are told." Har-de-har-har.

9 comments:

  1. Glad to see RSO back. Hopefully every now and then is more now and less then. Also glad to see Schrader back. I'd like to see him run a restrictor-plate race again sometime.

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  2. You laying down on the RSO job there Gene? We want more RSO not less my friend!

    Yea, I cringed when heard DW was resigned but realistically how could they not resign him - he'd be devastated.

    Have fun watching Kasey whup up on those truck boys again this weekend. I am hoping to catch Kurt if I can fix my dang DVR in time. Stupid Dish network! grrrr

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  3. Okay Gene... I heard a report that stated D & D (Darrell and Danica) plan to be in Darlington Saturday night trying to locate a certain NASCAR reporter who has been down on their cases for way too long... The word is they plan on dishing up some D & D (death and destruction!)... You better keep your eyes pealed my man!

    I thought about you when Stewart took 4 tires in Vegas.

    Please keep up with your very interesting perspective on auto racing.

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  4. JM... thanks, man! I'd love to see Kenny get a few more shots on the plate tracks... in a good car. Maybe the JrMS #7? lol

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  5. KLV... if only DW would 'resign'... lol. I will admit he has dropped most of the cornball cornpone 'wit' this year. He's going for the knowledgeable, authorative, confident, analyst gimmick now. Which might work... if he wasn't wrong half the time.

    Should be fun in Darlington.

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  6. Dwindy... D&D, huh? That should sell some tickets. Maybe the three of us could settle it on the track... not to brag, but I bet I wouldn't finish last. LOL

    Are you saying that Tony should have taken Right Sides Only?

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  7. yeah, I have to say that I thought Ambrose's 4th at Kansas in just his 9th ever start on an oval was more impressive than Patrick's run at Vegas...admittedly that was the Truck series, but then Danica is with a better team so I reckon they can be compared, lol

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  8. Tez... impressive enough by Marcos.... But, Scott Speed won his 6th start in the Trucks, at Dover. That same year, he also won in his 5th ARCA start.

    Maybe he peaked too soon?

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  9. oh yeah, I forgot about Scott, lol

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