Nascar on Parade at Loudon

12:27 PM
This 1 mile track is probably my least favorite track ever in both real life and in simracing. In 1997, after Bob Bahre and Bruton Smith bought North Wilkesboro and stole its race dates, there were tshirts at the fall Loudon race that read, "We gave up North Wilkesboro for this?" Indeed.

The thing about that is those people don't remember the fall race at North Wilkesboro in 1992 when Geoff Bodine won a caution free race. Nor do they remember the 1994 spring race when Ernie Irvan completely dominated until he messed up on his last pit stop of the day and lost the race. Nor do they remember the fall race the same when Geoff Bodine dominated a race that went over 300 laps without a caution.

Or, maybe they do remember and believe that the worst race at North Wilkesboro was better than the best race at Loudon. I agree with them.

12:36 PM
Marty Snider just called him "KH". Sometimes, calling somebody by their initials is cool, but KH doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Best not use that one again, Marty.

1:21 PM
I'm thinking I'm so sick of the Allstate "Sponsorship Opportunites" commercial. Remember what I said a few weeks ago about how companies may have figured out that they shouldn't drive commercials into the ground? Allstate apparently hasn't figured this out yet.

1:25 PM
How do you know when an analyst is good? When they talk in specifics. Kyle Petty talks about how the car rolls through the turns and goes back to the springs as he's talking about weight change as the car turns. Mediocre analysts talk in generalities, not specifics.

1:31 PM
AT&T Racetalk question is who's been the most impressive the last 4 weeks. Who cares? What difference does it make what I think about who's been the most impressive?

1:35 PM
Kevin Harvick wasn't on my radar at all for running well today. But, then again, I'm the world's worst at fantasy racing. I'm good at fantasy baseball and fantasy basketball, but I'm terrible at fantasy racing and fantasy football.

1:41 PM
Interesting point about Earnhardt rolling through the corner and to watch the lines in the turn. I just learned something on a racing broadcast. I don't mean to hammer on the Fox guys, well, OK, yes I do, but when did you last learn something about racing watching Fox?

It's official. Kyle Petty is the best racing analyst on TV.

1:51 PM
I wonder if the next thing is the tire changers wear some sort of mask so that they don't breathe in all that brake dust.

1:54 PM
Great point by Wally. The cars that are running well don't have the kind of brake dust that guys like Kasey Kahne did.

2:00 PM
Excellent work by Larry Mac on the brakes.

In 2001, when Fox and NBC started showing Nascar, the Fox team was definitely the superior team. Now, TNT is the best in the business.

2:26 PM 6/29/2008
Larry Mac:

Hey Wally! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! Nothing up my sleeve. Presto!

*pulls up a growling rhino*

Ooh. Don't know my own strength.

3:04 PM
Sorry, no update for a while because there just hasn't been much to say. Been playing with my kids and their Webkinz.

3:05 PM
Please, no mention of the "Curse" and Boston, Ok? There was never a curse in the first place. It was always a stupid thing used by a sportswriter to sell a book. That's all it ever was.

3:11 PM
In a few weeks, when ESPN is showing the races, they'll have Tim Brewer show us the destruction of a valve spring. They'll do that one bit pretty much every week.

3:18 PM
You could hear McDowell's engine blowing up on TV. That thing must have sounded like a bomb going off at the track.

3:20 PM
Brilliant save by Almirola. Kept us from a 10 car pileup.

3:20 PM
We get the closest thing we've had to fawning during TNT's run when Marty Snider says that Kyle Busch told his team that they need to test at a flat track and Marty says that Kyle's "already thinking about what they need to do." As if Kyle's the only driver to be doing that. If that's the closest we get to fawning, we're good.

3:37 PM
It's just like Jimmie Johnson to get better as the race goes on. Earlier, Kyle and Wally were talking about how the #24 and #48 are so good at making adjustments and making their cars better. Although they haven't been doing it as long as the #24 and #48, I think you can put the #88 team in that class too.

3:43 PM
As long as there are no cautions, they will probably finish the race before the rain comes.

3:53 PM
Down below the line and Junior gets run over. Why does this always seem to happen to him?

Maybe McMurray has a valid point about why he didn't see Earnhardt, but there's a reason that you don't see the top drivers in the sport do what he did in taking Earnhardt out.

4:15 PM
Wally's right about Kurt deserving the win. He put himself into position to win. He totally deserves it. Richard Petty famously said, "All you can ever do is put yourself into position to win." Kurt did that. He doesn't need to downplay his win.

I'm not sure that Nascar needed to call the race now. I don't get why they sometimes wait and wait and wait and wait to get a race in and sometimes they call it almost immediately.

4:20 PM
Memo
To: TNT Pit Reporters
Re: Asking questions after the race

Please cease and desist from asking "what are your emotions" questions. It's just lazy.

Thanks,

Race fans


Programming Note:
I won't be bringing a review of the race next Saturday. My son turns 10 this week and we'll be at his Grandma's Saturday night. Also, our impending move to Nashville brings up enough uncertainty that I'm not sure I'll be doing any reviews for a few weeks.