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The Final Word – Pocono proved a great place to be, whether you be 4 or 24 years old

NASCAR’s most popular driver had his problems this past weekend. He was taken out of his ride by his car owner over some behavioral issues, then later got into hot water by getting into cool water. Barefoot and with his sneakers laying nearby half submerged, four-year-old Keelan Harvick was having a great time. After seeing the little lad sprawled right out in a puddle of water, so were a few of the other drivers. Action for most might have been put off to Monday at Pocono, but for one fellow, a rainy Sunday is a good day.

Monday. Well, Monday was a great day for Chris Buescher. With the fog rolling in at the Pennsylvania 400, he stayed out while others pitted to have the fuel to run the final 22 laps that never were as the race was red flagged. With impending stormy weather ensuring things would not be re-started, the 24-year old claimed his first win in his 27th Cup start. Team owner Bob Jenkins took his second career victory, to go with David Ragan’s 2013 win at Talladega. The win does not put Buescher automatically into the Chase, but he has just six points to make up over the next five races to move into the Top 30 in points to do just that. The man he needs to catch? B.K. Racing’s David Ragan.

Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith, and Keelan’s dad, Kevin Harvick were next, with Tony Stewart rounding out the Top Five. Martin Truex Jr. looked real good for about 20 laps. After his fresh right front went down to send him into the fence, it went all bad. Joey Logano looked real good, too, at least until Chase Elliott drifted up and they both drifted the wall a good one. None of this trio finished among the Top 30.

Kyle Larson went in seeking to at least finish ahead of the law firm of Kahne, Bayne, and Blaney to keep his Chase position well secured. He did, finishing sixth on the day, while Ryan Blaney was 11th, Kasey Kahne 15th, and Trevor Bayne was 19th. That means Kahne sits 20 points out, with Bayne and Blaney 28 away. However, if Buescher moves into the Top 30 and thus, among the 16 Chasers, Jamie McMurray becomes the new target and he sits nine points ahead of Larson.

Jeff Gordon was 27th in his 799th career race. As for the man he replaced, Dale Earnhardt Jr., he falls 47 points out as he recovers from his concussion issue, and out of the conversation for the present. Gordon, by the way, was one of seven drivers at Pocono who were 40 years of age or older. McMurray, Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Stewart, and Greg Biffle were the others. Only Elliott and Blaney were younger than the race winner.

But the kids are coming. In Iowa, 20-year old Erik Jones won the XFINITY race, his third victory of the season. The lone Cup representative, Keselowski, finished eighth. I bet he feels like a loser. As for the Camping World truck event in Pocono, 19-year old William Byron claimed his fifth race of the season. The kid has taken four of the last six contests. Would it not be nice to talk about those boys on their way up, and a bit less about Keselowski and Kyle Busch when it comes to these series? Of course, it would. One day, maybe the seven-race cut off for rookie eligibility might be used as a cut-off for the number of races one can run outside of their registered division in a season. Maybe.

Talking about kids, check out this weekend’s CARS Late Model Stock Tour at Orange County in North Carolina on YouTube. Sixteen-year-old Chase Purdy was racing hard and turned 24-year old Ryan Wilson. Wilson was not happy, got out of his car and stood on the track to stop Purdy under caution. He then took down the window net and punched the young man a few times. Something tells me they run under different rules than NASCAR. Oh, by the way, Purdy finished the 100 lap race in seventh, while Wilson’s best car in his stable is now junk.

Meanwhile, where was Keelan on Monday? Maybe dad took his car off of the blocks and let our new favorite return to racing. As for the young Harvick’s favorite driver? Well, that would be Kyle Busch, of course.

August 1, 2016
The Final Word – NASCAR is back, but how many of the fans have also returned?

The return of NASCAR for 2016 was a smashing success. I mean, if smashing cars was the intent, they could not have done better. By the time the Sprint Unlimited, which is actually limited to 25 drivers, came to a conclusion, someone had tallied up that an estimated $2.5-million in damages had been racked up.

Was it worth watching? I think so. So does Denny Hamlin who, despite some early right side damage, came through to take the checkered flag. What I love about NASCAR are the close calls; the drivers who can demonstrate why they are in those cars and I am not. Any damn idiot can wreck a car, which is why the smart folks ensure the idiots are left typing up columns such as this and leave the professionals to do what they do best. Sure, there was some carnage out there, but I failed to see any idiots. I did see some folks taking chances, some who got bit when the rubber no longer wanted to meet the road, and one or two who made 200 mph mistakes.

Was I burning with excitement, did I feel an itch scratched as the three-month layoff came to an end? Not really. Something is missing, something more than just the disappearance of the backstretch seats I sat in when Kevin Harvick won the Daytona 500 in 2007. Back then, we sat in the southwest corner in a grandstand that was quite full for both the big race and the Saturday Busch event. In recent years, those numbers dwindled to the point the seats and the butts that once filled them are no longer to be seen. Attendance overall has fallen so far NASCAR is too embarrassed to even announce attendance figures for any event.

Do you remember those commercials from back in the day? While they started coming out in the late 1990s, most of us got to see them and the races on a regular basis from 2001 through to about 2011. They were funny, clever, and certainly aimed at NASCAR fans. Not so much these days. It seems even the sponsors no longer have it bad. I got me a nice black Goodwrench jacket hanging in my closet. I have not worn it in ages. My ole No. 3 ballcap and the National Guard edition have since been replaced by a L.A. Dodger chapeau. At one time my family would gather at each other’s homes for races, especially the big ones. Now, I am the only one who continues to follow the circuit. Why is that?

NASCAR has done some good things; more SAFER barriers, but the job is not yet done. The cars are safer and back to looking more like stock cars. At least that damned unsightly flat decked splitter is gone. Still, for every good thing we can come up with, a lot of fans, or former fans, can pick out a handful of examples of where things have gone wrong. Handing out franchises, or charters, makes business sense, but when all they do is select the 36 entries that attempted each of the last 108 races in order to make the determination who gets what, it comes across as amateur hour. In fact, an hour is about all it would have taken any of us to come up that idea.

The No. 98 of Premium Motorsports, and formerly owned by Phil Parsons Racing, failed to attempt five races the past three seasons and lost out. The team led by Kurt Busch did not exist in 2013 while Carl Edwards got into his new car last year. Despite their victories won in those rides, both needed more than a million dollars spent to buy a Charter from Michael Waltrip’s defunct operation. A team has to finish among the worst three Charters for three straight seasons to be in danger of losing it, and there is no provision to earn one through success. What in hell is up with that?

I am sure there are some who totally disagree with me. I envy those people, who still can hardly wait for the next Sunday afternoon, or Saturday night, who go into a funk on those rare off weekends wondering how they might fill the void. I still get excited when Daytona, Talladega, or Bristol are the feature tracks. I have learned to love watching the action from Fontana and Watkins Glen. I still look forward to each race, but it is nowhere like it was a few years ago. Sadly, as FOX Sports does not broadcast to the north country, the truck series for us has gone the way of the dodo. As for the XFINITY Series, when 23 races are claimed by Cup guys, obviously the regulars of the circuit must not be worth watching, so I do not.

In truth, it does not really matter if one schmuck from Canada is losing the spark. However, I get the feeling that I am not alone. I might not even be any longer in the minority. If that is true, then maybe it should start to really matter, at least to NASCAR.

How bad have you got it? I do not know where it went, but I sure would love to feel that way again.

February 15, 2016
NASCAR attempts to drum up some artificial excitement for their junior series, but will it work?

Time is ticking down on major sports shortest off-season. A day short of three months is all that separates the last race at Homestead to the action coming up at Daytona. That is like Major League Baseball wrapping up the World Series in October, only to return in January. It is equivalent to the NFL’s Super Bowl in February wrapping up one season, only to return in May. That does not include any exhibition contests, like NASCAR’s Sprint Unlimited, which arrives eight days before the 500, or any of the testing and training and manufacturing that needs to happen.

Yet, I am not about to suggest NASCAR reduce its schedule. I am way too selfish for that. I like knowing that NASCAR takes me to baseball season, which transfers to football season, and that takes me around to within a week of the Sprint Unlimited. Does that mean I am anxious at the bit to begin it all anew at the moment? Not really. I mean, we still have four NFL teams still in the hunt. In fact, I usually write very little about NASCAR in the off-season. Unlike some, by the time the season is over I am so done. I write something during the holidays, then await something to prod me out of my hibernation. That something just happened.

As much as the Cup guys have tried to kill off the XFINITY series, NASCAR has come up with something that might cause at least a spark of interest in the junior circuit. A Chase format has emerged for both it and the Camping World Truck series. At least, it is something.

As in Cup, XFINITY will have a 26-event qualifying round. A seven-race Chase will feature twelve drivers, with four eliminated after three races, another four gone after the following three, leaving four to battle it out for the title at Homestead. Again, as in Cup, win and you are in the Chase. If more than a dozen drivers have wins, just as in Cup, points will determine who advances. However, as long as the Cup guys are involved, what are the chances of a dozen XFINITY regulars each claiming a win in a season? How about, oh, none?

There is one more way to advance. Drivers get an automatic berth in the Chase if they happen to claim two of the four “Dash 4 Cash” bonuses, slated for Bristol, Richmond, Dover, and Indianapolis. That is the bonus, not actually win the race. As for those four events, a format change sees them divided into a pair of Heat Races, followed by a Main Event. The top two XFINITY regulars in each heat go into the main eligible for a $100,000 payout and the best finisher among those four gets the cash. At least, even if a Cup guy wins the damn thing, a XFINITY driver has something to cheer about. Win the bonus twice, and a Chase berth is theirs.

As for the trucks, they will have a 16 race qualifying round, a seven race Chase eligible to eight drivers, with two eliminated after each round. Sadly, that is not all. They have come out of the closet and instituted an artificial caution at least every twenty minutes. If nothing brings out a yellow beforehand, the clock will, and when the first truck crosses the line on the re-start, the clock starts ticking anew. Maybe that might mean other cautions won’t be flagged unless they are really necessary. Maybe, at least until the final laps when the clock is shut down over the final 20 or the final 10, in the case of Toronto and Pocono. Nor will it be used at all at Eldora Speedway. To be honest, I don’t know what in hell to think about that one. While some suspect that NASCAR throws a caution to artificially close up the field to create some excitement, with the trucks we no longer need to suspect, as we will know.

The Chase format, in itself, is an artificial element instituted to successfully create excitement and should provide a measure of relevance for the respective series drivers. The Dash 4 Cash brings a level of excitement only due to the chance of taking a Chase place by just winning the bonus, not necessarily the race, twice. The 20-minute clock would create some excitement if you believe it necessary to artificially close up the field regularly throughout the race.

Will it cause you to watch more of these other series? Me neither. Now, back to my hibernation.

January 19, 2016
Hot 20 – Martinsville Could Showcase a Wildcard Cup Contender and a Dying Minor League

Will it bother anyone if, conceivably, one not so deserving wins the Cup title this year? I mean, if it is Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, or Brad Keselowski, I doubt few would argue the outcome. One could even argue that the likes of Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, or Ryan Newman would be a worthy champion.

However, what about Denny Hamlin? Even if he had taken part in the two events he missed in order to mend, Hamlin would not even be in our Top Ten. Okay, maybe if he had won them both, but what were the chances? Still, would he be deemed as a worthy holder of the title?

In a word, yes. Few, if any, are pointing out the fact that the World Series participants, the Giants and the Royals, are just a pair of wildcard teams. They were not the best in their division, and in fact each was just the fourth best in their respective leagues. Yet, as time goes on, fewer will remember that the Orioles, Tigers, Angels, Dodgers, Nationals and the Cardinals all had better runs in 2014. They did, but when it counted, they did not. Hamlin is among those who has, thus far, been there when it counted.

When you watch a truck race, you can count on 36 entries. Usually. Well, sometimes. Not next year, when they scale the field down to 32. My guess is that it has been an embarrassment for NASCAR to realize a full slate just five out of 18 events. Three times they could not even get 30. Of the 37 entered to compete at Martinsville, only 13 have run the entire series. Only 16 have run 15 or more. Two others in that number, Ron Hornaday and T.J. Bell, are not even entered for this weekend.

I wonder what the problem is. Eight races have been won by Cup regulars, six of them by Kyle Busch. He, along with Keselowski and Austin Dillon are not entered at Martinsville. Two time winner Erik Jones is not, along with Cole Custer. What has gone wrong?

We are told the economy is still suffering, that sponsorship is hard to come by. So, is the involvement of the Cup guys keeping at least some level of interest alive, or is it helping to kill it? Maybe an answer can be found in the Nationwide series, where only 17 drivers have run all 30 of those races to date. They have won just eight between them. Nineteen have been won by Cup regulars, led by the half dozen claimed by (guess who?) Kyle Busch. At least they will retain the 40 car field for next season, but for how much longer?

Me thinks NASCAR needs to rethink its model for the supposed minor leagues, where 27 of the 48 events have been claimed by “major leaguers” this season. If the trend of attrition in the number of teams and full-time drivers at its lower levels does not turn around soon, Cup might be all NASCAR has to offer.

*Winning bonus increased from 3 to 25 points.
BOLD = Current Chase contenders

1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 Wins – 1203 Points*
2 – Joey Logano – 5 – 1187
3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1175
4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr – 3 – 1089
5 – Kevin Harvick – 3 – 1088
6 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 1033
7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 1005
8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 993
9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 990
10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 967
11 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 923
12 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 903
13 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 900
14 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 885
15 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 878
16 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 877
17 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 859
18 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 830
19 – Paul Menard – 0 – 826
20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 816

October 23, 2014
Hot 20 – After the Week We’ve Had, We Could Use a Little Good News From Michigan

The news of late has been enough to make a clown cry. In fact, we just lost one of our most treasured entertainers, by his own hand. We have the tragedy involving Kevin Ward Jr. and Tony Stewart still on our minds. We have Martin Truex Jr.’s girlfriend facing health challenges.

This has not been the best of weeks. You turn on your televison or check out Youtube and it does not get much better. Police lobbing tear gas at news crews in Missouri. One nation protecting its people with missiles while the other side protects its missiles with people. A tyrant threatening a neighboring country because he can. People streaming into another like it is “no pay and stay day” at Disneyland because some think that allowing them to do so is the right thing to do.

I even sought escape in reality shows, with no luck. “America” just tossed out the best dancer on “So You Think You Can Dance” and I cannot begin to describe the talent tossed aside for crap on “America’s Got Talent.” It is enough to make Lewis Black go nuclear. Good Lord, we sure could use some positive diversions from all this damn reality.

Just maybe Michigan will provide it for us. Might four time winner Greg Biffle lay claim to another and a Chase berth? Jack Roush’s organization could use a little good news today, an organization that will see a major sponsor and its best driver both fly away next season. Maybe Matt Kenseth could lock his way in with a third Michigan victory, even though a berth by points alone seems likely. Then again, one of those Hendrick boys might claim this thing again. Even Kasey Kahne has won there before. At least it would make some folks happier.

Good news is that there will not be a single Cup driver in the Nationwide race. The bad news is that only 37 cars are entered to compete in the Ohio event. Only 28 trucks will run in the Camping World race at Michigan on Saturday. Kyle Busch will be competing, for you can never have enough races involving Kyle Busch.

Maybe he just loves to race. Like Tony. Tony has won at Michigan before, but he will not be racing there on Sunday. With that, we’ve come full circle.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has returned to where he was, a decade ago. In these standings, where we bump up the victor’s bonus from 3 to 25 points, he leads. In the official standings, he leads. Twice before at Michigan, at the end, he has led. Maybe a win by Junior, or Jeff, or Brad, or Jimmie, Joey, Matt, Carl or Kevin might help put a big ole smile back on this face. I sure hope so. It has been one hell of a week.

1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 839 Points – 3 Wins
2 – Jeff Gordon – 812 – 2
3 – Brad Keselowski – 762 – 3
4 – Jimmie Johnson – 716 – 3
5 – Joey Logano – 715 – 2
6 – Matt Kenseth – 703 – 0
7 – Carl Edwards – 702 – 2
8 – Kevin Harvick – 689 – 2
9 – Ryan Newman – 645 – 0
10 – Kyle Busch – 637 – 1
11 – Kyle Larson – 635 – 0
12 – Clint Bowyer – 634 – 0
13 – Greg Biffle – 626 – 0
14 – Kasey Kahne – 622 – 0
15 – Austin Dillon – 616 – 0
16 – Marcos Ambrose – 584 – 0
17 – Denny Hamlin – 574 – 1
18 – Paul Menard – 574 – 0
19 – Brian Vickers – 573 – 0
20 – Jamie McMurray – 566 – 0

August 14, 2014
Marcus Lemonis Turns ‘The Profit’ at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

While his partnership with NASCAR has been profitable for Marcus Lemonis, the CEO of Camping World, he is leveraging that relationship in a whole new way.

Lemonis announced at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend that he and CNBC Prime are launching a new reality show called ‘The Profit.’

The show will utilize Lemonis as a kind of ‘emergency responder’ and business mentor to small businesses in trouble. ‘The Profit’ will premiere on CNBC Prime on Tuesday, July 30^th at 10:00 PM.

Lemonis chose to announce his newest endeavor at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, serving as the headline sponsor for Saturday’s Nationwide race and the lead sponsor for the Cup race. He also served as the Grand Marshal for both races.

“The Profit’ is about the heart and soul of American Business,” Mark Hoffman, President of CNBC, said. “The future of growth and employment in this country is really about small business.”

“That’s where we really focus on ‘The Profit,’ Hoffman continued. “The premise of the show is that we go into small businesses that are in trouble.”

“Marcus (Lemonis), who is an incredibly successful businessman and serial entrepreneur, goes into these businesses, focuses on three components, including people, product and process, and makes decisions about whether he wants to help them,” Hoffman continued. “He focuses on their business and what they need to do to get back on the straight and narrow.”

“Here’s what’s unique about this program,” Hoffman said. “Marcus puts his own money into these businesses.”

“He’s there to make investments,” Hoffman continued. “And there are incredible results that come about and that’s what you’ll see in the first six episodes.”

Lemonis for his part said that ‘The Profit’ is unique because it is all about the people. And it is totally authentic, unscripted and unpredictable.

“I’ve never been a believer in consultants who go in and out and tell you what’s wrong,” Lemonis said. “What Mark and I wanted to do is show the insides of a small business.”

“This show is really about the people, in some cases good peoples and in some cases not so good peoples,” Lemonis continued. “What we like about this show is that’s authentic.”

“Sometimes things work out and sometimes not at all.”

So, why has Lemonis decided to announce this new endeavor at a NASCAR race in the Granite state?

“I’ve been in the NASCAR space for almost eight years and I felt like incorporating some elements of NASCAR made sense because the fans in NASCAR are familiar with Camping World, me and small businesses,” Lemonis said. “Over 50% of the fans in NASCAR either own or work in small businesses so they will be able to relate to this.”

“This is our fourth year with New Hampshire and we’ve had better luck from a performance perspective than we have anywhere else.”

Lemonis has learned a lot about small businesses by his own successes and challenges along the way. And he credits his own business launch to none other than Lee Iacocca, American business icon.

“I got into the RV business because of Lee Iacocca,” Lemonis said. “He told me that if I wanted to make a difference in business in the US, I have an opportunity that will shock you.”

“That was in 2001 and 12 years later, Camping World is a three billion dollar business,” Lemonis continued. “The things that I have learned about small business are that attention to detail is critical and that without good people, it doesn’t matter how good the product is.”

“Small businesses need to understand that the business is larger than them,” Lemonis said. “Even as the owner of Camping World, I recognize that I’m a small gnat in the scheme of the business.”

“I think the other piece is recognizing whether you have a good product or not,” Lemonis continued. “This show is on a network that is focused on numbers and performance.”

“Our show is about numbers but is a deeper diver into those businesses.”

Lemonis has also managed to weave his business and NASCAR worlds together in ‘The Profit’. In fact, his sponsorship contract extension may just depend on what happens in one of these episodes.

“Our deal goes through 2015 and one of the tipping points is in one of the episodes where there is an integration of NASCAR into one of the shows,” Lemonis said. “This will decide whether we extend or not.”

“NASCAR has done a great job of taking Camping World to the next level,” Lemonis continued. “But for the trucks, my biggest question is what the new Fox Sports is going to look like.”

“I just want to be sure I’m not going to be shuffled to the back,” Lemonis said. “We’ll have an answer by the end of this year whether we will extend it or not.”

While ‘The Profit’ sounds very serious, it also will have its entertaining moments. Hundreds of companies have already applied to be a part of it and no doubt more will get in line after the premiere of the show.

“I hope they learn a few things about business and the working world,” Hoffman said. “I hope they will also have a little fun watching it.”

“This is a prime time entertainment program with a lot of emotion, inherent conflict and businesses that really need help,” Hoffman continued. “You have to coach people to better performance.”

“Sometimes it’s a whisper and sometimes it’s a shout.”

In addition to the new show, Camping World also did a major ‘shout out’ to the first responders in the Boston Marathon.

Lemonis and his company announced in Turn One at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on race day the donation of an emergency response vehicle to the Boston Police Department in recognition of their courage, determination and bravery in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon.

July 14, 2013