If it ain't broke, fix it anyway: NASCAR 2017 Thread

From what I remember, Musco had the contract for the lighting at LVMS way back when. Trying to think of a track with worse race traffic (didn't attend the Kentucky debacle). For being out in the middle of nowhere, LVMS is where I-15 and Las Vegas Blvd. intersect, which means there's only two ways to get there from the Strip and no cut-around roads because of Nellis AFB. Off-duty cops are less than useless there. The only place where I've missed the first 20 laps of a race despite leaving my hotel room with three hours to spare and having preferred parking. Great media center though and good layout for garage area.

In a perfect world, NASCAR would move Vegas to the finale and have the banquet the next night. But ... this is France's folly. Vegas is owned by Bruton Smith's SMI, so ain't no way in hell Brian will relent to logic. So the schedule will be something as stupid as they had when they tried to run Fontana on Labor Day in 109-degree temperatures and the asphalt in the garage area started melting the soles of people's shoes. I'll bet they stick with Vegas, back east, Texas, back east, Phoenix, back east and then fly to Vegas again after Homestead. Nothing like wasting resources in order to continue life-long family grudges.

Bob Pockrass had a great piece this week on just how many big-time teams are scrambling for sponsorship, let alone the half-dozen or so "one race at a time" cars making up the back end of the field. Five years ago, the going rate for a full season's sponsorship was between $20-22 million. And these guys are talking about getting legit offers of $20,000-200,000 per race? That won't even pay the tire bill and the diesel for the haulers.

Unfilled sponsorships present unique challenges for NASCAR teams

 

I shouldn't post early in the morning.

 

Well, if they put it in the same hole, Vegas would be Round 2 of the Chase and be between Chicagoland and Dover, so yeah.

 

Bad day for Kyle Busch. He gets punted by Joey Logano at the end of the race, sucker punches Logano in the pits afterward, and gets his ass kicked for all of his trouble.

http://screengrabber.deadspin.com/kyle-busch-bloodied-in-post-race-brawl-with-joey-logano-1793203756

 

NASCAR has some big bouncers and/or tiny drivers.

 

I think it's the latter. Aren't most race car drivers about 5-9 and 170 pounds?
I remember them always saying Michael Waltrip was some kind of physical freak for the sport because he was 6-5.
Logano is 6-1, but only 180 pounds.

 

With NASCAR popularity waning, I think this fight was staged. FakeFight FakeBlood

 

waiti, he's covering the season via donations after voluntarily leaving the job? is there more to this that I'm missing, bc it seems odd to quit a paying job and then basically expect people to give you charity to keep doing it.

 

Really disappointed with Kyle's effort. If you're determined to pop a guy out of nowhere, you really should land a punch that decks him or at least staggers him. Did little of the sort as Logano charged right back at him.

And Logano can't have many friends left in the garage area, can he? He's got the cars and the skill to win a championship, but he sure isn't going to get any help from anyone it seems when he might need it. Somewhere down the road this year, he'll probably get a Kyle and Kenseth sandwich on the track.