The 2021 Running NASCAR/IMSA/other racing things thread

I think the DieHard 500 was a Talladega race.
Was the MBNA 500 a Dover race? Or have those always been 400-milers?

The Watkins Glen race has always been "Fill in the blank" at the Glen. I remember a long time ago it was Budweiser at the Glen, which sounds like you should be drinking a beer over at your buddy Glen's house.
And on this year's schedule we've got the Dixie Vodka 400 AND the Big Machine Vodka 400 (two ringing endorsements for DUIs); the Buschy McBusch Race 400 (won by Kyle Busch, for good measure); the Blue Emu 500 (sounds like it's sponsored by Big Bird's cousin); the Bass Pro Shops Night Race (formerly the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, which was the most appropriately redneck NASCAR race name ever); and the YellaWood 500.
Do you really want to diss the YellaWood 500 and get on the bad side of the Yella Fella?

 

All correct. And yes, I remember they ran 500 miles at Dover for at least the first couple years I was watching NASCAR. Even then they realized it was a bad idea.

 

Going from 500 to 400 miles was one of Dover's smartest moves. It got us all back into the casino much more quickly.

 

As much as everyone hated(s) it, Dover is one of my favorite tracks. The high banking and the concrete always made for a fast look.

 

Dover Downs always set aside rooms in the casino/hotel for the media, so I was lucky in that regard all the times I covered the race -- particularly if I got a room facing the backstretch. I remember one massive Busch crash right underneath the window. Another advantage was not moving the rental car from valet parking the entire race weekend, because you could walk directly out one of the back doors of the hotel and across the Turn 2 aluminum crossover (and look right down on the cars passing underneath) walking on the horse race track to reach the media center in Turn 1, and just eat meals at the restaurants in the casino.

However, a trip to Dover wasn't complete without a side trip to Sambo's Tavern in Leipsic. Tiny seafood place with newspapers for tablecloths. You want fresh crab? That's the place.

Sambo's Tavern

The biggest drawback to Dover is trying to get there in the first place. They don't make it easy. Delaware is the only state without commercial plane service (EDIT: Frontier apparently now flies Orlando to Wilmington, and why?), so it was either Philly and fight I-95 and US 1, or Baltimore and go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I preferred that route -- more scenic and there was a Red, Hot & Blue near Annapolis.

 

It really seems like it should be a more interesting race. It's not a cookie cutter 1.5-miler, it's got a unique layout and look, and the concrete theme is awesome. Their trophy might be the coolest one in the Cup Series.
Unfortunately it's been lumped in with the dog days of summer Northern swing that makes it the equivalent of lap 116 of 500 at Bristol. It's right about the point where you start turning laps on the season. The excitement of the early season is over, the playoffs/points race hasn't heated up yet, and you're about to hit four tracks (Pocono, Michigan, New Hampshire and Dover) twice each in the span of about two months.
Of all the schedule tweaks NASCAR has made in recent years, I like that they broke up the summer schedule the most. One weekend each at those tracks is plenty. Getting to some different and new ones is much more interesting. There are no repeats this year between the May Darlington race and the Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day.

 

Sadly … North Wilkesboro, Richmond, Talladega, Dover, Pocono.

 

I remember hearing that when Charlotte first started going by Lowe's and whoever had the coverage didn't want to call it Lowe's on air because they weren't getting paid. Humpy threatened to have all their production trucks hauled off the grounds by tow trucks. They said they had a contract to broadcast the race. Humpy told them their contract was with NASCAR, and it didn't include parking their equipment on speedway property.

I don't know if any of that is true, but it sure is funny.

 

The story involved NBC and the covering of the fall race at Charlotte. Marcus Smith confirmed it during one of his appearances on Junior’s podcast.

McGee: News of the weird common at Charlotte track

 

IIRC, Bruton was Turner's original partner (borrowing from his rich brother in law) of CMS, went bankrupt and eventually bought up enough shares to take over the place about the time Turner died in the plane crash.

He was NASCAR's Al Davis to Bill France's Pete Rozelle.

How that place has survived and thrived 60 years is a 30 for 30 story in itself.

 

Speaking of Humpy Wheeler, I always found it odd and never got an explanation for the way he departed the track. He was one of the biggest faces in the sport, then he and Bruton split, and that was it. Maybe it was because he was mentioned in the same breath as the track more than the Smiths. I think his departure came about the time of Marcus' rise and involvement.