A win is a win and a few thoughts on the Coca-Cola 600

By Mike Smith (contact)

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | 9:30 p.m.

The chatter today among some of my NASCAR-watching friends centered on David Reutimann’s win at the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 and whether it was legitimate. I think it was. David and his team chose a strategy that put them in a position to win. It’s no different than any other strategy that results in a car being in a position to cross the finish line first. A win is a win. Tony Stewart, in his post-race comments that were distributed by his race team, said it best:

“On a day like this… it’s not a normal outcome,” Stewart said. “But a good guy (Reutimann) won the race and they won it because they made the right call at the end. They put themselves in that position and you can’t take anything away from that. It won’t win you races consistently, but you’re going to get something that way. It’s good for David to get his first win and congratulations to him and his guys.”

…

NASCAR’s drug policy should extend to Mother Nature. She must be smoking something funny to be exhibiting such anti-NASCAR behavior. She has now wreaked havoc on the Daytona 500 and last weekend’s race, two of the crown jewels of the season. This is the last thing the sport needs at a time when race attendance and TV viewership have dropped far enough to force the governing body to study declining ratings.

…

Is racing in the rain with rain tires an idea whose time has come? No. A group of cars gingerly negotiating a wet track isn’t my idea of an exciting stock-car race. If I want to see motorized vehicles getting wet, I’ll watch boat racing.

…

I don’t have the answers to NASCAR’s falling TV ratings, but I believe, as many of the fans do, that there are several factors at play here. The cookie-cutter tracks, changed start times for races, and the lack of performance by Dale Jr. are just a few of the things turning fans off. The Car of Tomorrow needs to have more room for adjustability, but I don’t think it’s as big a cause of boring racing as many fans believe. The old cars were just as strung out at the mile-and-a-half tracks.

Maybe it’s time for NASCAR to consider additional camera angles as a way to make the TV viewing more compelling. Remember the great action shots we used to get from those camera angles at the Bristol races? I loved the low shots from the side of the cars where you got a view from the racing surface. Let’s see a shot from the splitters, from the front fenders and a few more angles from inside the car. I want to see the sidewalls of the tires flex as the cars hit the corners. I also loved the shots of the front suspension we used to see and, when a race warrants it, a shot of the drivers’ footwork.

…

I thought the decision to stop the race for a moment of silence in order to honor the men and women of the Armed Forces was one of the classiest tributes I’ve ever seen.

This week's StockcarToon

Purchase your copy of "Nuts for Racing"