OBSERVATIONS | DAVID POOLE

[tkj24]

If the previous formats used in the Nextel Cup all-star race were a problem (and I am not sure they were), the four 20-lap segment format used this year certainly wasn't the answer.

• Thank goodness Matt Kenseth came over his radio and said he lost track of how fast he was going on pit road when he got the speeding penalty that might have cost him the all-star victory. The last thing NASCAR needs is a driver claiming he lost $1 million on a bogus call.

• Kenny Wallace voted into an "all-star" race? Sometimes I not totally sure I am right in what I think. But if that's not total affirmation for my hatred of the "Pity Pass," I don't what else could be.

• You know television is completely out of control when they hold up the start of a heat in an exhibition race for crew chiefs so Speed can work in commercials.

• Apparently, the simple act of holding a public address microphone at a race track caused an immediate 40-point drop in IQ. And this weekend, folks are apparently getting paid based on the number of times they work Lowe's Motor Speedway's lame "Beast of the Southeast" slogan into their yammerings. Observations | David Poole

 

[barelypure]

Well I can't comment on the Speed commercials since I was at the track but he's dead on with his other observations. The 4 20 lap segments didn't allow for good racing, IMO. As Mark said he's just getting started at 20 laps. If we have to have segments then 2 40s (or longer) would be better.

 

[Whizzer]

You know television is completely out of control when they hold up the start of a heat in an exhibition race for crew chiefs so Speed can work in commercials. David Poole

Shouldn't that read "television is completely in control....?"

 

[MRM]

I hate to tell Mr. Poole this, but I think Kenseth was being a bit sarcastic when he talked about his speeding on the radio. He told his crew he was 200 RPM over what he was supposed to be. If you look at the replay at how he shot by Hamlin leaving the pits, he was quite a bit more than 200 RPM over.

 

[barelypure]

But remember Hamlin was coming in so he would have been slowing down to stop while Matt was leaving so he would have been speeding up. That easily accounts for the difference between how it looked.