Another weekend and another Cup Series driver going down for a lower series win. Kyle Larson took home $1 million in the All-Star Race on Sunday. Did he really need to win the truck race, too? This was a points-paying race for the regulars, and their season was about to end. (from SC)
Butter and oil for the syrup, too, because I’m about to have a waffle. Cup Series stars such as Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch play a useful role in the sport when they are relegated to the second and third division series. While their victories and other high finishes take money and dent the pockets of full-time competitors, having the best drivers in the current sport puts fans in the seats.
So far this season, AJ Allmendinger has won an Xfinity Series race at COTA, and Larson has taken over the race at Darlington. In the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch (Las Vegas), Joey Logano (Bristol) and Larson (North Wilkesboro) all made trips to Victory Lane.
In some cases, particularly on road course weekends, Cup drivers want extra time on the track. This is part of NASCAR’s job to reduce practice time in recent years.
I don’t like the idea of an outright ban, especially since NASCAR limits veteran drivers’ appearances. Perhaps a compromise to consider: If a Cup driver falls back into the race, exclude their results and move drivers from bottom to top when awarding stage points and final results.
On the financial side, Cup drivers bring sponsorship money with them which is generally more than what the owners would otherwise have received. So why not redistribute half of the prize money to the rest of the field? Admittedly, that amounts to a pittance on a Truck Series level, but it’s still something.
I have written many times to various departments about commentators in NASCAR. Hopefully I’m contacting the right department this time so they can do something about removing Clint Bowyer as a NASCAR announcer. (from DW)
First, let me say that this is definitely not the right section. On a good day, I can hardly affect the flavor of the ice cream served in the company cafeteria. Secondly, do email no comes from that DW I’m sure Darrell Waltrip has nothing against Clint Boyer working for Fox Sports.
Having said that, Bowyer will need to up his game in 2024 when Kevin Harvick comes on board as the third man in the booth. When he works with Joey Logano on some weekend racing coverage, Harvick delivers an interesting analyst-to-comedian ratio that Bowyer lacks.
They’re supposed to develop some chemistry over the course of their five-month stint with each other, but I can imagine Boyer having trouble keeping up with his new partner.
On the subject of the Fox booth, praise Denny Hamlin for giving Jamie McMurray a shout-out Monday for the 2010 Daytona 500 winning TV action at North Wilkesboro.
McMurray? said Hamlin during his work Harmful Actions Podcast. “God, Fox, give Jimmy McMurray a chance, please. He’s so good at analyzing things that happen, and I thought having him and Bowyer together was great.”
Have a question or comment about racing? John Moriello of Sportscasting does a column in the mailbag every Friday. Write to him on [email protected]
