JimmieJohnson
09-10-2007, 12:09 PM
1. The Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 400 – Oh, you mean that wasn’t the name of Saturday night’s race? Could have fooled me. Earnhardt’s odds of making the Chase were ridiculously slim going into Richmond, making ESPN/ABC’s singular focus on him both ridiculous and way over the top.
2. Abracadabra – And presto, chango. Wave the magic Chase wand and watch Jeff Gordon’s 410-point lead over Jimmie Johnson change into a 20-point deficit, just like that. Think that was a big change? Kurt Busch went from 11th place and 657 points to fifth place and 40 points out in one night. Now, we will have to spend the rest of the season listening to NASCAR boast about how “close” the competition is for the title. Am I the only one still bothered by this contrivance?
3. C’mon John – I like Speed TV’s John Roberts, but I couldn’t believe what I heard him say on Victory Lane after the Richmond race. Roberts said that if the No. 8 team wins a race in the Chase, “that will get the attention right back on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.” Whew, what a relief – because there certainly hasn’t been enough attention on him lately.
4. Missing What Matters – I think most race fans could forgive a network for missing one restart per race, but ESPN/ABC was just pathetic in this area on Saturday, missing at least five restarts in Richmond. In my opinion, that is just unacceptable.
5. Champion Chasers – Maybe there’s a reason why most of these guys are in the Chase. Five of the 12 contenders are current or former Cup champions – Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, two-time Champ Tony Stewart, and four-time Champ Jeff Gordon. Kenseth and Johnson are the only drivers to make the Chase in all four years since its inception. On the flip side, Clint Bowyer is the only driver in this year’s Chase who hasn’t won a Cup race, and, in fact, has never won one.
6. IROC ‘n’ Roll – The Chevy Rock ‘n’ Roll 400 was the 11th of 16 Car of Tomorrow races this year, and it was nice to hear Bobby Labonte say out loud what fans have been saying about the boxy beast all year: “Yea, this Car of Tomorrow, they all run the same speed. It’s IROC cars, so oh well.” And look at what happened to the IROC series this year.
7-10 at frontstetch.com (http://www.frontstretch.com/bgladden/11935/)
2. Abracadabra – And presto, chango. Wave the magic Chase wand and watch Jeff Gordon’s 410-point lead over Jimmie Johnson change into a 20-point deficit, just like that. Think that was a big change? Kurt Busch went from 11th place and 657 points to fifth place and 40 points out in one night. Now, we will have to spend the rest of the season listening to NASCAR boast about how “close” the competition is for the title. Am I the only one still bothered by this contrivance?
3. C’mon John – I like Speed TV’s John Roberts, but I couldn’t believe what I heard him say on Victory Lane after the Richmond race. Roberts said that if the No. 8 team wins a race in the Chase, “that will get the attention right back on Dale Earnhardt, Jr.” Whew, what a relief – because there certainly hasn’t been enough attention on him lately.
4. Missing What Matters – I think most race fans could forgive a network for missing one restart per race, but ESPN/ABC was just pathetic in this area on Saturday, missing at least five restarts in Richmond. In my opinion, that is just unacceptable.
5. Champion Chasers – Maybe there’s a reason why most of these guys are in the Chase. Five of the 12 contenders are current or former Cup champions – Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, two-time Champ Tony Stewart, and four-time Champ Jeff Gordon. Kenseth and Johnson are the only drivers to make the Chase in all four years since its inception. On the flip side, Clint Bowyer is the only driver in this year’s Chase who hasn’t won a Cup race, and, in fact, has never won one.
6. IROC ‘n’ Roll – The Chevy Rock ‘n’ Roll 400 was the 11th of 16 Car of Tomorrow races this year, and it was nice to hear Bobby Labonte say out loud what fans have been saying about the boxy beast all year: “Yea, this Car of Tomorrow, they all run the same speed. It’s IROC cars, so oh well.” And look at what happened to the IROC series this year.
7-10 at frontstetch.com (http://www.frontstretch.com/bgladden/11935/)