Yahoo Autos Revved Up! Readers React to Week's Biggest Racing News
As we gear up for one of the busiest weekends in racing this year, with F1, IndyCar, NASCAR, NHRA and several other series all in action, here’s some of the best reader comments—as well as my take—from our most popular stories from the past week.
By the way, this is somewhat of an abbreviated version of our weekly mailbag. We will likely be skipping the next few weeks as we work on retooling the concept a bit. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please leave them in the comments below.
So without further adieu, let’s get REVVED UP!!
Why Current Era of NASCAR Cup Racing Might Be the Most Aggressive Ever
Readers Say:
• NREsq: I always like hearing older drivers say, "We used to respect each other." KB, now in his late '30's, is the most recent driver to say it. When KB was starting out in his late teens and early '20's, HE was the one being pointed at when older drivers said, "We used to respect each other." And before that fingers were pointed at Earnhardt Sr., and Darrell Waltrip, etc., etc.
• Huskyflier: Today’s cars are so safe there’s no downside risk to not giving respect. If you were to wreck a guy and maybe kill him—that was one thing—it’s another in today’s super-safe cars. Best thing NASCAR can do is to design them so they’re safe to the driver but have body parts that fail catastrophically when a reasonably high level of contact is made. Another would be to not allow cars to return to the track after garage repairs. We’re one helluva long ways from auto racing being one of Hemingway’s three real sports.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: It sure is ironic, isn’t it, NREsq? I was just thinking about that the other day. But you know what, it’s not a total surprise as the more years a young driver puts into the series, the more he matures and becomes someone who wants respect as he gets older, after ignoring calls for him to be respectful in his younger days. Joey Logano is another example of that. Once drivers get into their late 20s or early 30s, and especially if they become parents, their perspective changes. That’s a good thing.
As for changing the cars to basically explode mechanically upon impact, Huskyflier, obviously no one wants to see another driver killed. We hopefully will never see that happen again. But I’m not sure I want to see cars go kablooey and have parts go flying all over the track. Think of the long cleanup delays. Even more, what if some of those parts wind up penetrating the driver’s compartment and lead to a driver getting hurt real badly? NASCAR—or any form of motorsport, for that matter—is not a video game. If you want to see cars explode upon impact, go iRacing or something like that.
How F1 Drivers Fared: Jenson Button Calls First NASCAR Cup Race an 'Emotional Roller Coaster'
Readers Say:
• mjj5578: I really tried. I tuned in with 22 laps left. But when they started the 3rd "Overtime" after excessive yellow flags, I figured the fix was in and there was no more to see. This is no longer "Exciting'. End the race already.
• formuladoug: It was exciting at times, when they were actually racing, but mostly it was a bunch of idiots running into each other or running away from each other. Really not racing at all.
• jhe8529: I tried to watch this "race," thought it was not too bad - while they were racing. Then someone gets stupid and causes a full-course caution, many, many laps behind the safety car, and then there is a contest to see how many cars can fit into turn one—usually at least 3 or 4 too many. NASCAR would do very well to observe how Aussie Supercars run their races, as they do not have anywhere near the amount of "rubbin'" which seems to count as braking for many of NASCAR's drivers. At least they didn't throw a caution for the "stages," but the overtimes... just end the "race" before all the cars are damaged.
• Big1874: I am not a NASCAR fan, but I tuned in to see the global racing talent that was invited to participate and provide NASCAR a global viewership that they likely would never have had while also see how NASCAR conducts the race on a proper circuit. My experiences is what others have stated in this comment section. The race was okay, it shows the garbage part of NASCAR. No real track limits being enforced, bumper cars to push others out of the way, and horrible FOX Sports broadcasting that made the Grand Prix sound like a yeee hawww event. If you add in the "ringers" comments, it shows NASCAR as garbage on the global stage. What in the world was NASCAR's leadership thinking and they could learn a lot from Ausie Supercars, IMSA, WEC, Fanatec GT World Challenge.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: While I can see some of your respective comments having legitimacy, particularly the comments about Australian Supercars, IMSA, WEC, etc., this is NASCAR. These cars— and the culture derived over 75 years—almost requires that there be beatin’ and bangin’, no matter the venue. That said, COTA was never designed to be a NASCAR track, especially Turn 1. It was created to be a world class road course, which indeed it is. And that means 15, maybe 20 cars going into Turn 1 at the same time (like F1), not 35 or more cars dive-bombing Turn 1 at the same time as in NASCAR. But short of redoing Turn 1 for NASCAR, which I think would be a MAJOR mistake, I don’t see what can be done to make the chaos and crash-boom-bang concept that has evolved with NASCAR racing at COTA.
You don’t see that type of racing at other road course tracks, but COTA’s design is so unique. Sure, NASCAR officials could step in and mandate certain ways of driving on the track, particularly in the approach to Turn 1, and make the ingress and egress similar to Aussie Supercars. I’d welcome seeing that change for next year, but everyone—COTA officials, NASCAR officials, and all drivers—have to be on board and on the same page. I have to admit, I kind of liked the whole funnel concept of 20 or more cars piling into a turn with room only for maybe 10 at a time. I found that kind of thing exciting. But that’s me. Others would likely disagree with me, especially the NASCAR purists.
Haas F1 Team Principal Guenther Steiner Ready NASCAR TV Challenge
Readers Say:
• rap1115: At last, something to make a NASCAR race worth watching!
• nyn3501: Bring in an announcer that most nascar fans might have a hard time understanding because of his accent. Bring in an announcer that most nascar fans won't even know who he is. Bring in an announcer who spent probably the vast majority of his career in Formula 1. Then have him tell nascar fans what they're seeing. Maybe not quite that bad. But I do not understand the reasoning. Maybe they want to attract the F1 fans to nascar?
• rth5023: Steiner is entertaining in his own right, cut him some slack!
• pas1034: Steiner has gotten a bit of a cult following due to his "Drive to Survive" appearances, so I'm guessing Fox is hoping to cash in on that and maybe draw some new eyeballs to their coverage. He certainly won't be your typical boring talking head I'm the booth at least.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: To all the readers who wrote in and dissed Steiner, you couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Yes, he has a thick European accent. But the man has an incredible amount of knowledge of all forms of racing and was specifically brought in to give his insight about former F1 drivers Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen being in the race. I thought his analysis was spot-on. Sure, I would have liked to see Guenther be a bit looser, as he is in Drive To Survive (where he is GREAT, I might add), but this was network TV and there are limitations on what you can say.
Still, if I were to give Guenther a grade for his performance, I’d give him a solid A-minus. The man knows his stuff, and while he did appear a bit nervous early in the broadcast, by the midpoint, he was very comfortable and brought a lot to the discussion. If I have any complaint, and it’s not really a complaint per se because I like Kurt Busch a lot, it’s that four men in the broadcast booth was one too many—and it was 1 ½ too many if you include the cutaways to Chase Elliott giving his opinions remotely while recuperating from his snowboarding accident in Colorado. Yes, while Kurt and Chase (although he seemed like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was at) brought a lot to the telecast, FOX should keep the booth number to three, tops—both in-person as well as remotely.
There were points in the race that I didn’t know who was talking. The only way I could distinguish who was who at times was if there was a Southern accent, it was Clint Bowyer. If there was a Euro accent, it was Guenther Steiner. But when Kurt and Chase spoke up, there were times where it was hard to distinguish who was saying what.
Early Season F1 Disappointment McLaren Makes Major Changes
Readers Say:
• Bix615: I’ve been a McLaren fan for decades. When Zac Brown took over the team, I absolutely loathed him; and just thought of him as a gimmicky marketing guy in racing. Then when McLaren started to get positive momentum, I softened my stance. Along came his Indy Car program and I thought I might be able to get behind his vision. Fast forward to today…I’ve been duped…he is a gimmicky marketing guy driving an F1 team into the ground. So painful to watch how he operates. Andreas Seidl was smart to jump to Sauber and eventually hang his hat with Audi.
• bwe6740: Oh boy...blah-blah-blah...lots of talk and "strategic vision" for the future...why have they been so blind ever since this new formula started? It's embarrassing for a company that builds ultra expensive, high performance supercars for the street to be the backmarker in Formula 1, especially given their racing heritage...Zak Brown better get it together, if he isn't already on "double secret probation" with the McLaren powers that be!
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I agree that McLaren is going through some tough times. But I do not agree that it’s all Zak’s fault. On the contrary. If he wasn’t in the position he holds, McLaren would be in an even greater mess. I will say one thing about Zak: I greatly respect his ability and overall talent, but trying to run several top racing programs—particularly F1 and IndyCar—at the same time is a very difficult enterprise. And what’s worse is Zak is such a hands-on guy that he takes more on his plate than he should (which is a sure-fire way to have a heart attack from overwork!). He would do well to bring in someone to oversee the IndyCar program more on a day-to-day basis, allowing him to focus almost exclusively on the F1 team. In my opinion, and I don’t mean anything derogatory at all, but I truly feel Zak is spreading himself too thin trying to run both operations at the same time. And let’s not forget his input in F1 as a whole, aside from his McLaren duties. I have to admit, Zak needs to slow down a tad, bring in a few other folks to take some of the responsibility off him and allow him to focus solely on what he does best: building a winning organization.
Why Jimmie Johnson Failed to Complete a Lap in NASCAR Race at COTA
Readers Say:
• Motionman: Sadly Seven Time is destroying his 'legacy'. He was a moving chicane in IndyCar and he should pull the pin and retire. Too many legends have stayed on long past their 'best before' date.
• jac2143: What we are witnessing is just another Darell Waltrip reality tour all over again.
• bar6253: Jimmie could always try drag racing??
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I like and respect Jimmie a great deal. What happened to him at COTA could happen to anyone. He just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, that being said, I can see what some readers suggested. And honestly, I think Jimmie, who turns 48 in September, will effectively retire once and for all from driving at the end of 2023.
Once he gets done with Le Mans and the few other Cup races he has on his dance card, I think he’ll get to the point where he knows it’s time. Plus, he really wants to put his stamp on Legacy Motor Club, and he really hasn’t been able to do all that much up to now because of the other racing exploits he is involved in himself. Once he’s free and clear of driving duties, I think he has the potential to really build out a winning organization.
It’s going to take some time, and you’re likely going to see several new drivers come and go through the LMC doors over the next few years, but Jimmie has what it takes to build an organization very similar to what he experienced at Team Hendrick. Give him 3-5 years and I can virtually guarantee that LMC will become one of the top teams in the sport (providing they bring in at least one star driver that they can build a program around—sorry, Erik Jones, but you’re just not going to be that guy). The question is who can Johnson and LMC attract once certain drivers become eligible for free agency? There just aren’t that many now or on the immediate horizon, which could become problematic for what LMC wants to do and where he wants to go.
Follow Autoweek contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski
