Tony Stewart

Well, our old friend and Indy Champion Tony Stewart got in trouble last week when he claimed on his radio show that NASCAR was implying professional wrestling rules and calling Phantom yellows in order to give the fans a photo-finish. He then had a meeting with officials and more or less retracted saying he's still learning to keep his 'dumb' comments to himself, said he doesn't think that NASCAR calls phantom yellows. He then got fined for 10 grand for missing the post race press-conference (can you imagine what he would have said then??!!). He takes it all back, probably disappoints a few fans and we move on. Except that we can't because his comments open a can. His comments on his radio show will live on forever and no amount of retraction will cease that. Now the debate is open...does NASCAR put out artificial caution flags to make it a great finish?

Let me tell you a quick anecdote before I continue. As some of you know I was a producer/host at XM radio last year on the NHL network. During a particular's night debate, the question was brought up: does the nhl referees call late penalties just to make the end of the game more exciting? If its a 4-3 three game for the home team, then the home team will get called for a penalty with 60 seconds left to play, for example. Well, during this debate, yours truly, brought up NASCAR and what is commonly called a "NASCAR-yellow" and I compared the NHL to NASCAR. My co-hosts had a good laugh and weren't that surprised that I brought up motorsports. The point is, like I am sure some of you have already noticed, is that the NASCAR-yellow is something race fans have known for years. Stewart was the first driver to address it, but we fans have known for some years now. His statement made headlines on all the sports radio/tv shows in America. But its old news to us fans. We know this. the question is, do we like it?

I've always been a very strong advocator of safety and the idea of the NASCAR officials putting their drivers on the line is ridiculous to me. it would never knowingly happen. So, if the NASCAR officials deemed that there is debris on the track, then you have to take their word for it, Unlike the NHL example, nobody's life is on the line in hockey. I am probably a person that is overly cautious, so I can't overlook a safety issue. So if the NASCAR officials are adamant about their caution flags, then I am hardly one to argue.

on the other hand, they are convenient aren't they?
so the question returns to the one up top, do you have a problem with them?

NASCAR built an empire that is worthy of history books. Put them with great empires in the history of the world, because of what they have done. This is a very regional sport that has grown to become the 2nd most viewed sport in America, second only to the nfl. And it didn't take them very long. Yes, they have been around since the 20's but their rise to mainstream really jumped from the early 90's to the present (ironically near the breakdown of CART). Its obvious that NASCAR knows how to produce a great product. They cater more to their fans then perhaps only, as mentioned, the WWE. So what's wrong with them tossing the occasional "debris" yellow? Its not, as Stewart mentioned, as if they actually control the outcome. What it comes down too, its a battle, mano a mano, with a handful of guys who, for 200 laps or so have made sure that they are right there at the end. What's wrong with that?

Let's not forget that this is the league, that in 2004 completely changed their scoring system in order to prevent what happened in 2003. Remember when Kenseth won the championship that year? How many wins did he finish with? I believe it was ONE. consistency wins championships, as evident by that year. So, they go ahead and issue the Chase to make sure their fans are content. Point is, that have manipulated the system before to make things more exciting for the fans. And really, is there anything wrong with that?

Bottom line is this: I have heard on radio communications Champ Car drivers question the legitimacy of a late yellow. And if you have 80 thousand fans and Bourdais is leading by 15 seconds, wouldn't you at least think about calling a yellow? The legitimacy of a late yellow is a time honored tradition in motorsports, one that NASCAR appears to have perfected in the last few years. And obviously to successful results. But, one hundred years from now, we'll still be having this debate.

Well, it must be May because the talk of merger is in the air. Or non-talk, in this case. But of course, non-talk still gives us plenty of things to talk about and this year its about a phone call made by Kalkhoven to George offering up the services of a few Champ Car pilots for the Indy 500 in exchange for some chassis, which George clearly has plenty of anyway, since he’s funding just about half the entries for the 500 anyway, so a spare tub here and there would be quite easy. Not to mention the obvious: this would make his field much more legitimate than what we will see on the grid. Heck, you and I could enter; all we need is the money.
Even Forsythe said he spoke with George, which is probably the greatest revelation in all these articles about merger. Forsythe and George spending time together is a step towards unification, no question about it. But alas, George acknowledged he received the call, but, obviously heard things a little differently and, bottom line: no Champ Car drivers at the Indy 500 and all talks of reunification are done. For now.
Personally I would love to see Champ Car drivers mix it up with their best and I would absolutely be thrilled if one of our guys won the race. But, would it change anything? I think this is what George fears, that if a CC driver won the race it would undermine his league. Since the Indy 500 is 95 percent of what the IRL, the broadcasters, the officials, the fans talk about, then they would be stuck talking about Champ Car for the rest of the year, at least until next season’s Indy 500.
But the reality is that, as we have said many times before, George doesn’t want reunification. It’s the only explanation because how many CC owners since 1996 have tossed him an olive branch and every time he rejects them. This last one is merely the latest one in a long line of offers made by CC. It’s not going to happen as long as he’s running the show. It’s a shame frankly, because under one banner you’d see better competition. That’s just a fact: if you take Forsythe, Ganassi, Penske and NHL and throw them all on the track, its going to make for some good racing. But, if Tony doesn’t want it, then CC has to continue doing their own thing and build a strong foundation and continue to prosper on their own.
I tell you this much, last Sunday was the closest we will come to reunification in a while. That is, seeing and hearing Rick Benjamin advertise the Kansas 300 or whatever it was, that was it, that was reunification right there. Congratulations boys, you have done it!

Which, of course, leads us to Bourdais and his comment about not caring which series folds, as long as there is only one open-wheel racing series in North America. Ouch, tough one there. The guy is a phenomenal, but already a bit of a villain with his occasional (and his team’s) whining. And to add those recent comments he made, well that just upset people, plain and simple. I guess Seabass wants to race against the best. This is a guy that has been shunned by F1 because they think that CC and the IRL aren’t serious leagues. They are depleted leagues and therefore the competition isn’t worthy and thus Seabass winning the championship 3 times in a row is not a great accomplishment. Nor is Weldon for that matter. Seabass just wants the respect he thinks he deserves from his European mates. Now, to say that he doesn’t care which one folds is a little harsh, considering his boss is the strongest champ car advocator around. But maybe its because Bourdais doesn’t know the history of the factions, he doesn’t understand the significance of it. He is a young European driver after all, so he probably wasn’t truly aware of CART in the early 90’s and its demise in the late 90’s. He also probably doesn’t see the politics in the whole thing. He’s just a driver. He’s not an owner; he’s not an employee of Champ Car or the IRL. He’s one of the few very well paid drivers in both series who also happens to be a three champ. I am by no means defending his comments; I just think they shouldn’t be held in high relevance, given his status. If those comments came from a Jimmy Vasser or a Paul Newman, then they would have weight attached to them. From Bourdais? Despite all his success and accolades, not really.