Bad sports, good sports: NASCAR is embarrassing itself

Posted on November 2nd, 2009 by Alan Spoll

I am a big NASCAR fan. I may have mentioned that here before. The season is nearly over, and Jimmie Johnson has dominated the Chase, which means he looks likely to win his 4th consecutive Cup championship, which is something that has never before been done. You would think that Sunday’s race, with so much on the line, would have been exciting. Au contraire, mes amis. Four times a year, at Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR foists a wildly inferior product on us, the fans. Sunday’s race was a complete waste of time. One of these days, I may have to listen to my wife and just not watch, rather than sit and complain for four hours.

Both Daytona races and both Talladega races involve things called restrictor plates. These were put in place at these two tracks back in 1987, after a horrific crash involving Bobby Allison. The enormous tracks were producing speeds above 220 mph, and NASCAR believed that to be far too dangerous. The plates slowed the cars down by restricting the airflow to the carburetors. Without the full airflow, the cars all became very equal, which produced races that involved large packs of cars, all moving together for long stretches of time. Of course, if someone in that pack made a mistake, a very big mess was likely to occur.

Over twenty years later, there have been an incredible number of advancements in NASCAR. The things they have done to keep the drivers safe are truly amazing. They refuse, however, to use real technology to improve things at these two tracks. Instead, we continue to suffer through these ridiculously bad plate races. If anything, they have gotten worse. Sunday’s race involved a bunch of drivers, including points-leader Johnson, who rode around in the back of the field for nearly the entire race, trying to keep from getting caught up in an accident. They could do this because of the ridiculous nature of racing at Talladega. The tight packs of cars and the way they move through the turbulent air allows cars to hook up with other cars and move quickly up through the different lines. In other words, the only reason to watch the first 180 of the 188 laps is to see who wrecks. Then, when everyone is scrambling to move up in the final laps, there is a virtual guarantee that there were be several massive accidents, each taking out a bunch of cars. Whoever survives has a shot to win. Talladega has had more first-time winners than any other track, simply because actual skill and a great car doesn’t play into it there nearly as much as luck does.

Sunday’s first big wreck, on lap 185, ended with Ryan Newman’s demolished car on its roof in the infield. They had to flip the car over and rip the roof off to get him out. Yes, once the roof was removed, he got right out and was perfectly fine, which should be acknowledged and admired, as far as the incredible safety precautions built into these cars. Why, then, isn’t NASCAR more concerned about the two massive wrecks that not only occurred in the final laps of the race, but that everyone watching knew would occur? Or the fact that the inevitable final wreck caused the race to end under caution? How about the fact that the soon-to-be four time champ was able to ride around in the back for all but the last ten laps, simply because he knew there was no reason to do anything else, as it would have no impact on his ability to have a good finish?

Sure, there are people who like the big wrecks. There are people who like Ultimate Fighting and professional wrestling, too. I am not one of them. I like racing. Please, NASCAR…fix this.

Bad sports, continued:

2) Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is an embarassment. As a Penn Stater, I am embarassed to say I once rooted for him. The latest chapter in his ugly off-field career involves him bad-mouthing his coach and using a gay slur via his Twitter account. He has been suspended by the team.

3) A 16-year old girl was shot and killed at a high school football game in California on Friday. Melody Ross, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, appears to have been an innocent bystander.

Good sports:

1) Florida quarterback Tim Tebow set the SEC record for rushing touchdowns in a career on Saturday, scoring his 50th touchdown. This broke Herschel Walker’s record, which he set at the University of Georgia. I am not a fan of Tebow, and had no interest in listing this achievement in my column. My wife told me I was not being an objective reporter. I explained that a columnist does not need to be objective, but decided to include the story anyway. Would it be wrong of me to admit that I hope he doesn’t add to his record?

2) Serena Williams regained the number one ranking in the WTA this week, and celebrated by beating sister Venus in the final of the Sony Ericsson Championships on Sunday. She finished the year with a record $6.19 million in winnings.

3) You may have heard that Brett Favre returned to Green Bay this week, playing at Lambeau Field for the first time ever as a visitor. His Vikings won the game, 38-26, and Favre had a strong performance. My disdain for Favre has been well-documented in this column, so you might be surprised to see this listed under Good Sports. Actually, though, it is only here because of how much I enjoyed watching him cry during the post-game interview. He has got to be the record-holder for crying by a professional football player. I also loved all the booing and the negative signs served to him by the Packers fans. During that interview, he stated that he hoped the Green Bat fans love him as much as he loves them. They made it pretty clear that they do not.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02