Well…I just saw the BEST RACE of the season! The Sprint All-Star race had it all!!! Side-by-side racing, 3-wide racing, lead changes, organic cautions, people coming from the back to challenge for the lead, and for me, as a 48 fan, Jimmie Johnson becoming a 3-Time All-Star Race Champion. It was everything I could’ve wanted from a race and was capped off by Mr. Hendrick climbing on the side of the car and getting a ride down the front-stretch by the winner!
I was cheering throughout the race for the various battles in the various legs. The down-to-the-wire race between Keselowski and Kahne during the second segment was a nail-biter. Unfortunately Bradley K beat Kasey by inches.
Watching Kenseth eat up the field in the last segment, exciting – invigorating. Watching Kyle Busch slice and dice – electrifying.
Watching Allmendinger push his luck to grab the second spot in the Showdown, then watching him run out of luck in the All-Star Race – poetic justice.
Carl Edwards’ and Biffle’s fiery engine failures only added to the excitement.
This was truly the BEST RACE of the Season! The only downside was the glut of talking heads on the broadcast desks. We have one too many Waltrips on-air this season. I love DW. He can be corny, but his down-home humor and sentimentality is appropriate. His knowledge of the garage and racing are invaluable. Mike Joy is my favorite professional broadcaster on the desk throughout the NASCAR season. Jeff Hammond always provides a crew chief’s insight and a no-nonsense touch to the proceedings. If only those three were the total team. For some unknown reason this week we were tortured by Krista Voda and Michael Waltrip blabbing together on the broadcast desk. I don’t think a sensible phrase left either of their mouths for the duration of their torturous time on air. Larry McReynolds blathered idiotically as usual, repeating what was already said, or throwing in inane trivia as usual. Steve Byrnes is the only other member of the FOX team that does a good job on the desk, but sadly he’s also a very good pit reporter and relegated to the pits these days. I’m at a loss as to how Krista continues to get desk assignments. She spends entirely too much time trying to be funny. She’s not a comedian, though she often looks like a clown. If she has to do something during a race, put her in the pits. And once she’s no longer on the desk, let’s put Byrnesy back in his rightful place. As far as Mikey, I have enjoyed Mikey on several Speed TV broadcasts. He’s appropriate for cable. He is not appropriate for FOX Sports. His lack of professional broadcast training shows and his personal investments are in direct conflict to his ability to be an unbiased commentator. I know most commentators are not unbiased. DW loved Dale Earnhardt Junior. DW is close friends with Mr. Hendrick. But he calls the race with as little bias as possible. He is friends with drivers, owners and crewmen, but he is a fan of NASCAR racing and is professional enough to put his personal interests to the side and call it straight down the line (usually). Michael can’t do that and constantly speaks as the owner of MWR during races. If he did not own the 15 car I am certain he would have been singing a different tune at the Martinsville race. His firing of Reutimann was distasteful, but his on-air performances with regard to his team are worst. I hope he only has a one-year contract, because he’s dreadful and he isn’t ready to do the job. He also had a tendency to say amazingly uncouth and vicious things without recognizing how awful and off-color his comments are. To add insult to injury Carl Edwards keeps appearing on the desk. During a rain-delay, Carl can be entertaining, but during a race – stiflingly BORING!!! With Michael on-air the broadcast does NOT need another biased amateur talking head!
Its been a good week for Hendrick: |
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| Hendrick Motor Sports’ 200th Win (Darlington)! | Â  |
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| The 48 Team wins the Pit Crew Challenge. |  |
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| Jimmie wins the first segment and the 2012 Sprint All-Star race! |  |
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