Slip Sliding Away

Paul Simon once wrote...

“...She said a good day ain't got no rain

She said a bad day is when I lie in the bed

And I think of things that might have been”

“You know the nearer your destination, the more your slip sliding away”

These may well be the words Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer use to describe their life after they let a shot at a race win at the Monster Mile slip through their fingers.

If the last few races have produced rivalries between drivers, this week’s rivalry was between the drivers and the track! For good two-wide racing a track needs to be predictable, have grip and have a wide grippy predictable racing groove.

Dover, however, didn’t!

This unpredictability did make for a very intriguing race though! The crayon-like build up of rubber kept the drivers on their proverbial toes for the whole race.

I enjoyed watching the drivers fight their cars and the surface... oh and each other!

I especially enjoyed watching Marcos Ambrose drive to another third place finish on an oval! If a driver moves to America to try his hand at NASCAR he needs to adopt the NASCAR attitude and the NASCAR mentality to earn his respect. Ambrose is doing just that!

On a different issue I think it’s a shame that the ”All Star Race” is included in NASCAR probationary periods, imposed after a driver has done something untoward. The non-points scoring sprint race format is be the perfect arena for drivers to “have at it,” safe in the knowledge that their actions in the “All Star Race” would not affect the regular season.

Whatever happens I am sure it will be fun!!

"Show Business" and "How to Win Friends and Influence People"...

If the Monaco GP is all "event" but no racing then NASCAR's All Star Race is a "show" and "race" of a sort that only the Americans can deliver, from the "Showdown" race thru to the fireworks afterwards NASCAR does everything it can to put on a good show.

Different strategies, team mates at each other in Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch hitting the wall, then getting repaired and going on to win; it was a show.

From NASCARs shortest show, to its longest race the 600, somethings don't change...

Kyle in the wars... Kurt winning... again...

Its also good to see a Dodge winning in a sea of Chevys.

Kyle Busch... oh Kyle Busch...

First he gets annoyed with his team mate in the All Star Race. Kyle the race was for $1 million!! What did he think was going to happen. The red sea was not going to part saying here you go 18 car have it all to yourself, was it... Then in the 600 he pulls out infront of 2 cars leaving the pits and causes chaos, then has a run in with and runs into Jeff Burton late in the race...

All of this while his brother wins both races!

Good racing though. The tire / aero / spoiler combination worked well, as the cars seem able to run various lines around the track, two and three (just) wide, and nose to tail through the corners. The old aero push issue, when the cars would run together on the straightaways and then spread out in the turns seems to be a thing of the past! Also good to see the cars racing 2 wide and not losing out to cars running single file in front of them.

Meanwhile in Turkey, Button and Hamilton showed Vettel how to overtake in F1 without driving into your team-mate.

I thought it was nice of Red Bull to finally admit that it might not have been Webbers fault... no whatsit Sherlock!! Typical F1 corporate politics, lets blame one driver, then both, then the other one. Webber drove in a straight line, while Vettel pulled alongside his team mate and gave him no room, and they made contact.

To be fair, its much better to have an environment at the top two teams where team mates can race each than have team orders and a procession. Racing makes for enjoyable GP's.

Please Red Bull... please Gibbs...

Let 'em race!!