Wednesday’s Wanderings
Well…, at least NASCAR was consistent. For one day. For one type of infraction. In one series. For one type of car. But for “poor” Ted Musgrave and his NCTS team NASCAR has shown they are still consistently inconsistent.
I haven’t checked but feel pretty confident in saying there have been dozens of drivers over the last few years using their Chrome Horn during a caution period and didn’t get a one race suspension for doing so.
I might be going out on a limb here but, I think Musgrave is innocent. He was just operating under Cartoon Law X that states, “For every vengeance there is an equal and opposite revengeance.”
Ryan Newman has an interesting take on the “fuel mileage” event at Sonoma: “We got beat by fuel mileage,” Ryan Newman said. “We got a 20th-place finish with a top-seven car.”
Note he says he had a “top seven” car not a winning car. Apparently that’s a new definition of “winning” that supplants the previous one dictating second place is the first loser.
Entering into the Shyster Land (All-day ride tickets, Priceless!) for a moment: It has been reported the Kentucky Speedway - NASCAR antitrust lawsuit is headed for mediation Friday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory Wehrman has set a “settlement conference” in Covington, Ky according to the court clerk’s office.
That might mean something, like Kentucky getting a Cup date with no admission of guilt by NASCAR, or it could mean the retainer fee buffet line stays open feeding the pockets of high priced Shysters as they sit around a $20,000 dollar imported mahogany table agreeing to disagree.
Just what NASCAR needs, more TV coverage. Not that I’m complaining my TV has both a channel selector and an on/off switch. But I do wonder, will Ray Evernham’s new show Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, really do what he says?
Ray claims his intention is to “help viewers understand how technology and innovation are giving teams the edge in competition today.
So is this what it takes to get a race? Simply sue your way to a field of 43? Guess Nashville Superspeedway needs to request a larger legal fee budget for 2008 from Dover so they too can crank up the lawsuits. So KY may end up with a Cup date in SPARTA FRIGGIN KENTUCKY? Admittedly its easily accessible for teams and fans right off I-65, but Nashville is equally accessible from I-40, I-24, and SR-840. As a middle Tennessean, I don’t want to sound like a whiner that a Cup date may go their way vs. ours. But maybe that’s what I am. I’m sure NSS has done some behind-closed-doors arm wringing trying to get a date here - especially with the history of support in this area and the ticket-buying support mid-TN provides at other deep south tracks. But they have NOT been out in the open openly B&M about not having a date like KY who built a track knowing from the beginning NASCAR had no interest in expanding their Cup dates in that market.
It’s not like the lawsuit route hasn’t been taken before.
That’s how Texas got a second date, although it wasn’t because of an anti-trust ruling.
It was determined sometime in dusty history NASCAR and ICS had made a promise TMS would get a date.
I wouldn’t count on any “settlement” this time. Kentucky hasn’t a leg to stand on, legal or otherwise.