The 2021 Running NASCAR/IMSA/other racing things thread

The August Night Race at Bristol became for me what watching the old PGA stop The International at Broadmoor used to be - a sporting event that signaled the end of summer. Shoot, you would see license plates from 25-30 states in the parking lot.

And a quick internet search indicates yesterday's win was the first by a 16 car since 2013 when Greg Biffle won in Michigan.

 

Sponsorship:
I'm old enough to remember the good old days of the Bud 500 when they'd bring a cooler full to the press box.

 

Or hand out free packs of Winston -- and the ceilings were covered in nicotine.

 

BTW, Sunday's race was the most poorly officiated race since the IndyCar race in Nashville a week ago.

 

Talladega pressbox, you'd get pneumonia from it being 43 degrees and lung cancer from the smoke
Talladega infield, you'd get skin cancer and dehydration from the unrelenting sun and Mountain Dew, along with lung cancer

Don't forget to take a couple of cartons of smokes back to your pal in the office, too.

 

Yeah, I was thinking about that, too, but I don't smoke. I always grabbed a few packs for my dad, though.

 

Preach, brother. I've sat under the second deck at Candlestick Park on a foggy June afternoon and been warmer than a couple of media centers on the Cup circuit.

Talladega and New Hampshire were by far the two coldest. I swear they must have used the storage closet at Talladega to store frozen meat. Going from 59 degrees to 95 outside meant waiting a minute or two before the glasses would unfog themselves.

After the first experience, I learned to pack a windbreaker for August in Alabama, just so I wouldn't shiver while trying to write. I remember my fingers getting so cold, I'd have to walk around the media parking lot for a few minutes.

At least I was forewarned about the New Hampshire ice box by David Caraviello and Joe Menzer.

I believe The Rock still had ashtrays the first time I covered a race there. I know Martinsville's tiny infield media room reeked of decades-old smoke before they renovated it. Unless they've torn out the old carpets at Darlington, that place will always have a 1970s Winston vibe.

 

It’s starting to feel like last year.

 

We remind you that Le Mans is starting shortly and is broadcast in the U.S. on Motor Trend TV, which used to be Velocity, and is probably buried somewhere among the 400,000 random channels on your cable guide.

Gonna be a wet start.

 

Jeff Hammond from inside North Wilkesboro: