Dover part 1: The arrival, the King, the races

I've had the pleasure of attending close to 60 NASCAR Grand National / Winston Cup races. I've got my favorite tracks to go - places such as Bristol, Charlotte and Talladega (well, back in the day).

Over the last 15 years or so, I've enjoyed the opportunity to visit tracks for the first (and probably only) time. I've got the ticket stub, event pin, and Schaefer stories from places such as Texas, Loudon, Indy, Vegas, and Richmond. This year, I was finally able to notch one for Dover.

We had plenty of good times during the extended race-trip weekend. I'll try to focus on the races themselves and the track in this post. From there, well ... I'll see. I've got a few ideas rattling around in my head about how to 'theme' post them. Stay tuned.

Knowing this may well be our only trip to the Monster Mile, fellow Schaefer HOFer Philly and I wanted to do it right. As life-long Petty fans, we had no choice but to sit in the Richard Petty Grandstand.

Representatives of the Schaefer Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor rolled in at various times Thursday, September 29:

• SROH member 200WINZ from Trenton, NJ (and Dover fan since 1969) rolled into the grounds with his camper Thursday morning.
  
• SHOFer Uncle Dave from Cleveland, OH trucked 439 miles to the Philadelphia airport to pick up me.
  
• SHOF co-founder Philly charted a multi-hour, long, interstate drive from Charlotte, NC, and
• yours truly, SHOF co-founder TMC from Middle by-cracky Tennessee flew into Philadelphia airport, donned a Schaefer cap, and thumbed a ride at the curb with Uncle Dave.

The first recognizable sight Uncle Dave and I saw as we entered the campground was the full-flowing, old-school, red-and-blue, 43 flag. We immediately knew where our home was going to be the next 3 days.

WINZ landed an ideal camping spot - right in front of the track and Richard Petty Grandstand. We had a bit of highway noise at night, but we could also hear the roar of the engines from the track as practice sessions took place. An ideal, audial experience.

After shaking hands, settling our gear, celebrating the beginning of race weekend with a cold Schaefer (or two or three), etc., it wasn't long before we wanted to go eat. So off we headed for Sambo's, a local seafood tavern in Leipsic - about 3 miles from the track.

As we arrived, we spotted a familiar silhouette in the shadows of a street light. Sure enough, it was the King, Richard Petty! He and a few others had just finished their dinner. As he is with all his fans, he was gracious enough to stand for a photo-op and offer an autograph. Petty has been retired as a driver for 20 years. I was a fan then and still am today because of his simply stopping long enough to recognize a fan.

After parting ways, it was time for crab cakes, hush puppies, fresh shrimp and crabs, and plenty of cold beer to celebrate our fortuitous timing and good fortune.

Dover opened in 1969, and in some ways I'm not sure the track has changed much since. We were taken aback by some of the old school aspects of the track that remain.

• For instance, we sat near the top of the Richard Petty Grandstands. Near us was a stairway leading out of our section. Yet we had to descend multiple sets of stairs for bathrooms, concessions, and souvenirs. Unlike other tracks who have amenities on every concourse level, all of Dover is lower-level based.
  
• The bathrooms didn't have soap dispensers - seemingly a standard everywhere these days including just about every dive bar. But Dover didn't have the motion-activated ones or even the hand-operated kind. Instead, each sink literally had a bar of soap. I'm no germophobe, but even that cootie haven freaked me out a bit.
• Thirdly, the garage areas for the Nationwide and Cup teams were tighter than a CFO's cost budget in an Obama economy. I realize Dover was built before the days of tractor trailer haulers. And I understand they have a horse racing 'trotter' track inside the speedway that affects how much expansion the track can do. But it was amazing how close every team was to one another, now little room the teams had to maneuver, and how fans could easily have run over if you didn't keep your head on a swivel.
  

We spent Saturday morning touring the Nationwide and Cup garage areas. Saturday afternoon, we watched Cup qualifying from pit road and then slipped into the stands to watch Carl Edwards flat-out dominate the 200 lap Nationwide race. Carl's Ford was hooked up to be certain, but the overall racer quality was pitiful. At least 12 start-and-parkers - about 25% of the field - were back on their haulers within a handful of laps. And by lap 100, only 12 cars remained on the lead lap.

Carl in the process of completing his victory back flip...

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

I'm not exactly sure how many fans the track can accommodate. Probably 120,000 or so. What I do know is that Saturday's Nationwide race couldn't have had more than 12,000 fans - despite being a companion event. Dover has already shuttered three Nationwide tracks it owns: Memphis, Gateway and Nashville. Now it can't even draw a respectable crowd to its one remaining, flagship track.

For the Cup race, the stands were barely half-full - this despite the track's attempt to cover many sections with ad banners. This economy is in trouble. This sport is in trouble. And this track is in trouble.

But we went to Dover to RACE baby - not be a voice of gloom-and-doom about the state of the sport. Despite brisk temps, a fierce wind, and misting rain, we made our way through the gates of Richard Petty Grandstand and settled in.

Our seats were great. I've been to many 1-1/2 mile tracks and short tracks. But Dover is right between them at one-mile in length. The track's banking, limited infield clutter, the one-mile distance, and our seat location made for an ideal setting to take in all of the sights of the race.

Earlier in the week, the weekend forecast was fantastic. Virtually no chance of rain, plenty of sun, and warm temps. The weather geeks nailed it - for Friday and Saturday morning. But after lunch on Saturday through Sunday, wow. Clouds rolled in, temperatures dropped, the wind picked up, and we got a good dose of rain Friday and Saturday nights. Fortunately, we didn't lose either race on Saturday or Sunday to rain - though Sunday's race had two cautions for a light misting shower passing through.

By the time I started earning my own way in this world and had the discretionary income to go racing, my hero's competitive days were behind him. With rare exception, Richard Petty fared poorly in the last few races I got to see in his final few years as a driver. Sadly, the drivers of his teams at Petty Enterprises and more recently Richard Petty Motorsports haven't fared much better when I've been in the stands.

So it was a fantastic, adrenalin-rush day to be there and witness the competitiveness of the legendary 43 with A.J. Allmendinger as the driver. Making the day even more memorable was that first-year RPM driver and Glen winner, Marcos Ambrose, was competing for a top 10 finish most of the day.

Nearing the half-way mark, A.J. was atop the leader board and I was on cloud 9.

A.J.'s spot atop the pylon was even more remarkable because of what happened on lap 7. Denny Hamlin doinked the 43 coming into turn 3. Incredibly, A.J. had the presence of mind to hang the car waaaay to the right and dirt track it through turns 3 and 4. Sure enough, the car bit, A.J. straightened it out, and he later climbed into the #1 spot. I really thought it was the team's day...

Credit: Brian '200WINZ' Hauck

I expected Hamlin's nudge of the 43 would lead to an afternoon of retaliation, collateral damage, etc. In addition, with overnight rains washing rubber off the track, Chasers fighting for precious points, and many drivers auditioning for 2012 sponsors and rides, I thought we would see many wrecks. Instead, cautions were infrequent and mainly for yet-to-be-found debris, a light rain, and single car wall bangers.

Several drivers took turns leading a handful of laps. Their moments up front didn't really matter, however, because the 48 of Jimmie Johnson ran off and led for long stretches of the race. I wasn't happy at all that JJ and Chad Knaus were on their game and headed for victory because:

• Jimmie won both times I went to Loudon.
  
• He won when I went to Vegas.
• He won the Coke 600 at Charlotte in 2004 - my first time back at Charlotte in seven years.
• He won the only time I went to Darlington in what was then thought to be the final Southern 500.
  

When the teams pitted for the last time with about 40 laps to go, however, Kurt Busch's team made the right adjustments. He forged ahead of Johnson following the restart and motored away to the win. I'm not the biggest KuBu fan - but he did beat the 48 and that was good enough for me.

To be continued...

TMC

Pre-Race: Thrill of Victory or Agony of Defeat?

As I type this, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick are first, second and third respectively in the Cup standings. Its "all in" for the three of them Sunday at Homestead.

Jimmie Johnson drew first blood today by qualifying solidly in the top 10. Harvick went out second of the three, but he could only muster a start in the mid 20s. Hamlin went out last, laid an egg and now must start in the Back 40 amongst the start & parkers and racing tards.

I have no doubt the three of them are pretty keyed up about now - but likely none more so than Hamlin.

Consider this about Johnson:

• JJ has won four straight Cups
• Many folks have forgotten forget JJ finished a close 2nd for the Cup the year before he started the Cup-winning streak
• His crew chief, Chad Knaus, has ice water in his veins.
• The 48 has 3 level-headed teamies who know the overall objective for the company and could play the role of spoiler if called upon to do so. Wait - Dale Jr. works for HMS, right? Sorry - JJ has two level-headed teamies.

Harvick you say?

• His car owner knows a thing or two about winning championships having won six of the big Winston trophies with a driver named Earnhart.
• As the third dog in line, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
• He plays head games at an exceptionally far better level than Hamlin or Johnson.
• If he wins, his team gets to celebrate with an unlimited supply on his incoming sponsor, Budweiser, vs. his outgoing sponsor, Shell/Pennzoil.

And Hamlin?

• Toyota hasn't won a Cup championship in its limited time in NASCAR.
• A Virginia driver hasn't won the Grand National/Cup championship since Joe Weatherly in 1963.
  
• The team's conservative call at Phoenix resulted in a loss of about 3 dozen key points, and the poor qualifying effort today is going to hurt his catching sight of the 48 early as well as a less-desirable pit stall.
• One teammate cares little to nothing about the overall team. The other teammate will be too busy trying to keep his Adam's apple inside his driver uni to help 11 hang onto the 48.

So who do I pick? My pre-season pick for the Cup was: Denny Hamlin. In the office pool today for a winner-take-all on the champion, I drew at random: Kevin Harvick. But in the end, who do I now fear will win yet another Cup: yep, Big Johnson.

If Hamlin prevails, he'll be elated - as will I for having called for him to do so in February. If he loses - especially if its because of an avoidable error...

Well, check out Darrell Waltrip's reaction after losing the 1979 championship in the final race to Richard Petty. (DW went into the final race with a 2 point advantage over the King.) I'll hand it to Waltrip. He conducted the interview with digity. But the pain of seeing it slip away is so very real.



TMC

A Marty Party

With apologies to John Prine, Denny Hamlin got his "Sweet Revenge" on Jimmie Johnson at today's Martinsville race. He reversed the finish of the spring race by passing Johnson about two-thirds through the race, staying out in front of him, and ensuring he didn't get moved out of the way by the 48 as he did in April.

Hamlin did something many others haven't been able to do lately. (1) He got stronger during long runs enabling him to pass the 48 and then stay there. (2) As the race wound down and the inevitable caution fever epidemic set in, he out-muscled the Hendrick cars with horsepower on restarts.

The two cars were pretty much the class of the field the second half of the race. Juan Pablo Montoya gave Jimmie a run for his money in the middle portion, but he used up his brakes a bit and couldn't cash the check when called to do so. However, with a 3rd place finish, JPM showed yet again he and the #42 team belong in this championship hunt. Were it not for his awful showing at Charlotte last week, he might still be nipping at the heels of the Hendrick juggernaut vs. wondering "what if?" these last four races.

The race had a few other entertaining moments:

• Joey Logano draped himself all over A.J. Allmendinger like a bear skin rug resulting in the 44 getting wadded up in the wall. No truth to the rumor, however, that Allmendinger's dad accosted J-Lo when the race ended.
• The slot machine hit cherries across the board when David Stremme, Paul Menard, Sam Hornish, and Michael Waltrip had a hand in wrecks - either of their own or by doinking someone else. The machine paid a bonus payoff because of John Wes Townley's wreck during Saturday's Nationwide race in Memphis.
  
• Red Bull's Scott Speed Stupeed charged into the corner like a bull seeing red. Apparently he was so jacked up on sugar, caffeine, and whatever else they put in those thin cans, that he forgot he was at Martinsville in a 3,400 lb stock car vs. in a sweet F1 ride at Imola.
• Near the end of the race right before a commercial, no one in the ESPN booth said a word for a few moments. Not Jerry Punch. Not Andy Petree. Not Dale Jarrett. Nor did anyone from the infield booth say anything. It was as if Bob Griese had just walked in the room taking orders for a Taco Bell road trip.

The primary story for me, however, was the race finish, NASCAR's hypocrisy, and ESPN's blindness to it.

The COT was supposedly developed first and foremost for driver safety. Its development was fast-tracked following the death of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. in 2001. The required adoption of full face helmets and HANS devices - same thing.

The number of debris cautions the last few years has also seemed to be on the rise - although I don't have any empirical data to support that claim. NASCAR says the cautions are valid for safety reasons. Stray parts falling from cars and sharp carbon fiber shards from splitters may litter the track, and attempts are made to unfurl caution flags before tires are cut.

I find it interesting the "debris" is most often and conveniently found by the NASCAR tower in three circumstances:

1. when the leader builds a significant lead and/or the field gets strung out during long green-flag runs (this usually happens when the TV network is at commercial)
   
2. Dale Jr. does his mid-race fade and goes a lap down (the debris caution gives him the "lucky dog" and an extended attempt at some lame hope at winning), and
3. near the end of the race having the effect of bringing the field back together for a double-file restart and hopefully a close finish to watch by drop-in TV viewers.

All for safety (or Dale Jr's sake), right? WRONG!

Today, John Andretti became another in a long list of Paul Menard victims. Predictable enough in its own right. Typical short-track stuff. John was spun to the inside front stretch wall. He tried to get going again to regain positions and allow the leaders to finish. He ran out of time, however, and ended up a car length off the call perpendicular to the racing surface. Rather than throw the caution on the back stretch or even turn 3, NASCAR let Hamlin, Johnson, and the rest of the herd race back to the finish line.

The full field - well, less the start & parkers - was headed straight for the 34 car! A couple of cars dipped to the inside trying to one last-gasp effort to gain an extra position. Had some of those attempted passes been challenged with a block, Andretti was a sitting duck to get double t-boned. A double t-bone might be an awesome entree at Three Forks in Dallas (especially with a nice bottle of Napa cab), but it sucks if you are hit that way in a stock car.

This is not the first time this has happened - nor even the first time this season. Just a few short weeks ago, Allmendinger was turned by David Stremme on the last lap. He could not re-fire his car, and sat on the front stretch certainly muttering "please let them see me, please let them see me". NASCAR allowed the field to race back to the line and then worrry about rubber necking as they drove around the stranded 44.

In my opinion, NASCAR took undue grief for not throwing a caution in the 2007 Daytona 500 as Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin came to the line for the win as all hell broke loose behind them. I agreed with the decision to let the leaders settle in under green. The wreck was behind them, and the track was wide enough for good driver decisions to be made and evasive actions taken.

At tracks such as Loudon and Martinsville, however, the track lengths are much shorter and narrower. I will concede neither stranded driver was plowed, no one was hurt, and the immobile automobiles didn't affect the eventual race winner. But that's beside the point. The drivers could have been drilled, and NASCAR made a bad no-call in both those situations.

Equally as bad to me as NASCAR's no-call was ESPN's no-review. Unlike most race weekends, when the network can't wait to wrap-up the burnout and victory lane interview so they can move on to Sports Center, The Simpsons, or an infomercial, ABC had time to burn today. They had almost 30 minutes for post-race coverage.

• The finish was not replayed, and not a questioning word was uttered by the 3 booth guys, Alan Bestwick, Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty, or any of the pit reporters.
  
• The top finishers were interviewed as were some of the driver notables but with bad finishes (e.g. Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart Darian Grubb-Tony's crew chief).
• Tim Brewer gave a tech update on what Hamlin's Toyota post-race "look that way and cough" physical might involve.
• Even Denny Hamlin's parents were located so they could be offered the "how do you feel?" question the ESPN pit folks have mastered.
  

Yet, ESPN couldn't find John Andretti to ask his opinion? Was John Darby, Robin Pemberton, Ramsey Poston, or anyone else from NASCAR available to explain the rationale for the call (or no-call) that was made?

Good hard racing - I love it. Short-track racing - all the better. Wrinkled fenders, rutting competitors out of the groove, tempers flaring, paybacks, photo finishes - can't be beat. But superseding all of that is driver safety. NASCAR simply cannot allow itself to be put in the position again of taking undue risk with an immobile driver just to see a fantastic run to the finish.

I'm not alone in questioning NASCAR's decision-making. Jim Utter from the Charlotte Observer had similar thoughts.

TMC