We saw the closest finish the Bud Shootout has ever seen, and we may well have witnessed the best Shootout, also this past Saturday night in Daytona. The long winter is over and the boys are back on track, so let's check the View from the Flagstand!
CHECKERED FLAG
Kyle Busch slipped by Tony Stewart on the high side coming to the checkered flag and won the Shootout by about three feet. M&Ms was well rewarded for sticking with the Rowdy one, as the multi-colored #18 was a one car high light reel Saturday night. Busch saved his car, twice(!), while completely sideways on the apron of the track at about 190mph. In forty years of watching Daytona, I've yet to see that happen once. Those replays will live in Daytona infamy with the likes of Pearson vs Petty coming to the flag in the 500, and Yarborough vs Allisons on the backstretch.
GREEN FLAGS
Stewart hung on for second place. Perhaps he recalled the last time he and Busch came to the flag at Daytona, and Kyle's car was destroyed by his own ill timed block attempt as he came across the nose of Smoke's Chevy in the tri-oval. Marcos Ambrose was third in his fast Ford. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-5, although neither one led a lap.
YELLOW FLAG
Pack racing is back.... so are the Big Ones! Talent runs out quick when they're racing three abreast at close to 200mph. No one liked pack racing until the two-car-tangos came along last year, now it's the best thing since deep fried Kool-Aid at the State Fair.
RED FLAG
What is up with the "analysts" at Fox thinking they have to assign blame for every wreck so far this year? It would be okay if they would pay attention to the replays before blabbing their theories. Most of the wrecks so far have been "just one of them racing deals", wherein a trailing car barely touches the car in front, and may be further compromised by the car trailing him being on his bumper. But, DW and Larry Mac don't need no stinkin' replays.
BLACK FLAG
I can accept the new rule not allowing drivers to communicate with each other during the race. However, not allowing their spotters to communicate with the other spotters is ridiculous, and borderline reckless. Why even have spotters, then? Just let the guys drive blind, NASCAR.
Most of those "racin' deals" came as a result of the pusher not having time to react to the actions of the pushee.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm a driver, I'm telling my spotter that when you see me pull up behind someone for longer than a few seconds, move next to their spotter. NASCAR has banned communication on the radio, not in person.
And who knows, it might give the talking heads in the booth something else to talk about. They could even show a split screen with the action on the track and the action in the spotters' stand.
(That, or put a light in the rear window of each car that the pushee can flash when he or she is about to make a move. One for left, two for right?)
Gordon's bump on the 18's left side rear bumper looked to me to be intentional. The bump, tap of whatever you want to call it, was made the Jeff immediately went up the track in a classic evasive move we've all seen before when the culprit tries to get away. The problem for Gordon was Kurt's 51 had moved up into that space. The 24 collected the 51 and they both went to the wall. Kurt had the best view in the house and this is how he saw it...
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that view of things will draw some fire around here but if the roles had been reversed we would have heard another outcry the likes of which would have gone on until Kyle would be drummed out of NASCAR!
That being said if "Wild Thing" can just stay focused (a big IF) he stands to do big things with that ability of his...
I like the spotters working together Ms. SB but think it could get crazy up on the roof! Makes me wonder if those guys are hard wired to their equipment or not. If not it might work...
Thanks Gene...
Speedy... I thought I heard one of the idiot announcers on Fox say that the spotters could not convey messages from driver to driver. It would be fun to watch the spotters, on split screen, steadily swapping positions among themselves as the cars on the track did the same.
ReplyDeleteDwindy... Gordon hitting Busch did look intentional. It was late in the going and Jeff thought Kyle was holding him up... Jeff's one of the "good" guys, so he can get away with outright dirty driving. The bump Truex gave his teammate Bowyer was kinda sketchy too.
ReplyDeleteI'm liking the way Kyle is starting this year!
I think the lack of prior down force in the cars will open up a big can of worms as far as stability is concerned. Might be wise to allow the prior spoilers back on the cars before some one gets hurt.
ReplyDeletePhoto... it would be interesting to see the test results from both spoilers. Lowering the back bumpers 2" may have had an effect on the handling also.
ReplyDeleteThat was a ridiculously exciting race Saturday night. Also, that performance was a good way for Kyle to make everyone forget about what happened at the end of last year.
ReplyDeleteJM.... Yes, Kyle seemed even more possessed than usual. lol
ReplyDelete