What Jeff Burton means when he says, "Some drivers aren't race fans"

   Friday morning, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Burton was asked about the different perspectives in what makes good racing - from the driver's seat and from fans watching on TV - and how they don't always mesh.

 

   Burton was asked if there was any way fans can appreciate what the driver's perspective and vice versa. Burton's answer may surprise you.

 

   “Not completely. Some drivers aren’t race fans. They race because it’s about them which is fine, there’s nothing wrong with that. We have other drivers that are big race fans. If a driver is a race fan, I think he can understand what the race fans are thinking and what they are saying but not in the extent that you pay however much money as you pay to sit in your seat and you watch a raced that wasn’t satisfying to you. The driver, no matter what the quality of the race is for the fan, his effort and his dedication it might be racing for 15^th but he’s doing is best all day to find a way to go to 14th," Burton said.

 

   "I go up in the (race control) tower a few times a year, go up on the spotters stand or whatever and watch a race. Man, it’s a different perspective. It looks like everybody is just riding around. I’ll be honest, I’ve driven these things for a long time, there’s times I’m up there thinking, 'Man, just drive it in the corner', but it’s just not that easy. It’s hard for both sides to see the other side, but I think drivers understand the fans want to see exciting racing. I think the fans know that the drivers want to be involved in exciting racing. It’s way more fun to run side by side and be in the middle of a real tight battle than it is to be nose to tail trying to find your way around one guy. It just is, so we want to be part of that, too."

 

 

Joey Logano relishes 'fresh start' at Penske

 

   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano was asked this week if he thought his career in NASCAR's top series had gone tougher than expected.

    Here was his answer:

    Logano: “Yeah, obviously it is tough. But this year has gone very well in my eyes. We've had really fast race cars. We've had opportunities to win, but, yes, we've had a lot of adversity. When you look at those two 40th place finishes, you look at the issues we had at the beginning of the year, you look at a penalty, I feel like this year we're easily a Chase contending team that's capable, I think, of winning a championship. Right now we're out of position because some things that were our fault and some things that we couldn't control. That's part of our sport, and that's how it goes, but we're in contention of winning races now. I'm excited about that.

    "I had to go through a learning curve when I first started racing Cup in a lot of different areas and in a lot of different things, and I feel like having this fresh start here at Penske Racing with Shell and Pennzoil and Roger (Penske) and Brad (Keselowski) and Todd (Gordon, crew chief) and all these guys, we're all working great together. So I feel like we're right on the verge of getting that win this season and getting ourselves in.”

Who says Fox Sports 1 isn't ready to roll out?

   NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Joey Coulter debuts a new partner at Pocono Raceway this weekend on his Toyota Tundra - FOX Sports 1.
 
   The rebranded Speed Channel will be America's newest sports network and set to launch Saturday, Aug. 17. The network will serve as TV home to the series. Pocono will mark the first of two consecutive appearances onboard the No. 18 Tundra for the network and will incorporate a unique concept to count down the days until its official launch the weekend of the Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Indianapolis residents love NASCAR, they just don't go to the Brickyard

   Some very telling information came out this week in the Nielsen ratings for last Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which was broadcast on ESPN. The race received a 3.6 rating - up nine percent from a year ago.

   Attendance at the track, however, was perhaps the lowest in the race's 20-year history. That was not necessarily a surprise. What was a little surprising were the details behind the ratings.

   The market with the largest rating - where the most people had their TVs tuned to the Brickyard 400 on Sunday - was Indianapolis, with a whopping 13.7 rating. And that was up 26 percent from last year's 10.9 rating.

   What that means is a very large segment of residents in the Indianapolis TV market remain firmly loyal NASCAR fans. What it also means is they were not interested in attending the race in person.

   That is the best evidence I've seen of the growing disconnect between fans who attend NASCAR races in person and those who remain at home and watch on TV.

   It's a gulf NASCAR and the tracks are going to have to work hard to bridge.

   The rest of the best
   The rest of the top 10 TV markets for Sunday's Brickyard 400:

   2. Greensboro, N.C., (10.1)
   3. Greenville, S.C., (9.4)
   4. Charlotte, N.C., (9.1).
   5. Norfolk, Va., (8.3)
   6. Jacksonville, Fla., (8.2).
   7. Nashville, Tenn., (8.1).
   8. Birmingham, Ala., (7.8)
   9. Richmond, Va., (7.7)
   10. Knoxville, Tenn., (7.2)

 

NASCAR at the Brickyard: 'Something is indeed wrong'

   Some thoughts on Sunday's Brickyard 400 from former Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Charlotte Motor Speedway president H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler:

   Sunday's pitiful crowd at Indy was a sore reminder that something is indeed wrong. Pocono, which is just a weird version of Indy, this Sunday will be similar except the crowd will look bigger since they only have 60,000 seats compared to Indy's 250,000.

   So, what is it?

   First, the economy is still lousy particularly for those working class people that made NASCAR what it is. I also think we have 'corporatized' the sport terribly and I blame the sponsors and some tracks for this. It has gotten too fancy and we need to get back to our roots.

   However, I believe a lot of this can be blamed on the much maligned aero push that enables the lead car on all tracks except Daytona and Talledega to simply take off and then you have a lead of 600 feet and that completely eliminates back and forth racing for the lead. The back-and-forth lead change is probably the second most exciting thing in racing (outside of the wreck) and we simply don't have that. Without it you have few if any rivalries and those intense rivalries sell more tickets than anything.

   I know that NASCAR is not only totally aware of this aero push dilemma and but their R&D department is working overtime to find the answer to this mystery. Will they? Of course, but it needs to be done with the speed of sound!

   If not, we will be running these races with "studio" crowds just for the sake of TV.

Randy Earnhardt, brother of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, dies

   Randy Earnhardt, the brother of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr., died Sunday, July 28, 2013 after a battle with cancer. He was 60.
 
   Randy's niece, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, posted the following message on her Twitter account prior to Sunday's Brickyard 400 and Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

   “Prayers for our family as we have lost our Uncle Randy after a year long battle with cancer. #cancersucks #earnhardtstrong”

   Dale Earnhardt was the third-oldest of five siblings, which included Randy, their brother Danny and sisters Kaye and Cathy.

   Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked about his uncle's death after Sunday's race.

   "It was really tough. He helped me through a lot of challenges when I was trying to become a race car driver. He was there when I started driving late models. I went through the whole process of racing with Tony (Eury, Sr.) and all of them through the Bud car, Randy was always there. I hurt for Mamaw and Randy's brother and sister, Danny, Kaye and Kathy," Earnhardt said.

   "It is just very very sad, but I am glad his suffering is over with. He is going to be missed. He was awesome, such an awesome guy. He kept things together (at DEI). He was in charge of a lot of different things. Mainly in charge of where every nut and bolt was. He was accountable for everything. After the racing after I left and everything kind of went away, he stuck around. He was loyal to Dad, and really looked after everything that was there and that was my Father's and what would have been important to him as far as material things. Randy really looked after that.

   "It is tough. It is part of life, and it is hard to get used to. I am just glad his suffering is over with, he was having a real hard time. I loved him dearly, and will miss him a lot."
 

Where does Ryan Newman rank among NASCAR's all-time pole winners?

   Ryan Newman's pole for Sunday's Brickyard 400 is the 50th of his Sprint Cup Series career and he became the ninth driver in NASCAR history to win at least 50 poles.

    All-time pole winners
    Driver                    Wins
    Richard Petty        123
    David Pearson      113
    Jeff Gordon*           72
    Cale Yarborough    69
    Darrell Waltrip        59
    Bobby Allison         58
    Mark Martin*           56
    Bill Elliott                 55
    Ryan Newman*       50

*-active