Tag: Vin Scully

  • The Final Word – Kansas, where a sour engine and an enthusiastic crew ended the hopes for two

    The Final Word – Kansas, where a sour engine and an enthusiastic crew ended the hopes for two

    Imagine a race that featured the excitement of Daytona or Bristol. Imagine a race with a broadcast crew that featured the talent of a Chris Economaki, Vin Scully, Danny Gallivan, or a Keith Jackson. Imagine that Yoko Ono co-wrote that song with her husband. That should snap us all back to reality, though that last one is apparently true.

    Kansas was not a venue that promised an event for the ages, but it is where the goal of Jamie McMurray and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was to win. It is where Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch needed to do well while hoping Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Blaney did not. It is where Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott needed to stay out of trouble, while it was to be just a nice day at the office for Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. We watched to see how this chapter of the story would end. For four, the dream of a championship this season would do just that…come to an end.

    Blowing up does not constitute staying out of trouble. Larson did just that in the opening stage, and despite having a decent points advantage over the “have-nots” coming in, we got introduced to the first guy unofficially eliminated in this race from Chase eligibility. No one had joined him in the garage by the time the opening segment concluded, especially Blaney and Johnson. If they faltered, Larson still had a hope. Unfortunately for himself and Stenhouse, all the others in the top dozen were in the top 10 when they took their break.

    Busch claimed the opening segment, the next was claimed by Hamlin. Still no good news for Larson. As they entered that final stage, Larson was not much of a thought, to be honest. It looked more like Rowdy was in, barring a mishap, while that final spot was going to be determined between Johnson and Kenseth. In the early going, Matt led Jimmie by five points as they ran on the track.

    With more than 90 laps to go, we became pretty sure Stenhouse was toast. A cut tire, a brush against the wall, and a trip to the pits pretty much ensured that his hopes for victory were dashed. Kenseth was riding second, Johnson 10th. It appeared that was the race to watch until we watched Johnson go sliding through the grass. They re-started, and shortly after Johnson went for yet another skid. Now down to 70 to go, that final spot was open to one of three guys. Kenseth had drifted back to 14th, Johnson to 27th, with Larson locked in at 39th. Still too much to ask for, you might think, but if Larson was praying, someone was listening.

    They failed to even get another lap in after the latest re-start when Erik Jones pounded the wall and carnage ensued. McMurray got torn up, so his hopes for victory were over, along with his Chase dreams. However, Kenseth also picked up some hurt. All of a sudden, Larson was back in play. If Johnson finished 23rd or worst, he would be eliminated. Kenseth needed to finish no further back than 17th and within seven points of Johnson, or he was eliminated. Larson had to just sit back and enjoy the show. Maybe further discussion with the good Lord might prove helpful.

    Ask and Larson shall receive, it seemed, as it appears He remained tuned in. On the clock to get repairs done, too many boys climbed over the wall in Kenseth’s pit. That gets you punted to the garage. Any goals regarding the day and the Chase for that driver were not going to be realized.

    With both McMurray and Kenseth done, with Stenhouse having no hope for victory, we had to change our focus, adding Busch to the mix. Two of those three would advance. If Johnson finished 22nd or better and Busch was no worse than 25th, Larson was gone. If they failed to do so, then Johnson needed to sit at least three spots ahead of Busch at the line. When they got things running again, Busch was our leader, Johnson was sitting ninth and 60 laps were left.

    For Larson, the direct line upwards went dead as the rest of this one concluded with minimal drama. Busch was 10th, Johnson 11th, and Larson was eliminated. Oh, Martin Truex Jr. claimed his seventh win of the season. He, along with Harvick, Hamlin, Blaney, and Busch all recorded rather stout performances, with Martinsville beckoning them next Sunday.

    Four races are left, along with eight drivers, to decide the title. If history means anything, both Johnson and Hamlin will do very well this Sunday afternoon in Virginia. Imagine how excited those two boys are.

     

  • The Final Word – As we await the next great announcer, 16 will soon become 12 after Dover

    The Final Word – As we await the next great announcer, 16 will soon become 12 after Dover

    Mistakes. They happen. You just have to learn to overcome them, hopefully not to be repeated. On Sunday I made a mistake, and I know that it will never happen again.

    I listened to some of Vin Scully’s final broadcast for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then I turned the channel to listen to those describing the action for the race at New Hampshire. Big mistake. I went from an 88-year old icon describing the action, informing me with tidbits of information about the 18 players penciled in to the lineups, hitting me with trivia of all descriptions to keep me engaged even during the down times, and kept me glued to his every word and at the same time keeping up with the progress of the game. Scully was a true artist. You would think with 43 drivers, 43 crew chiefs, and 258 crew men, NASCAR announcers would have a vast canvas on which to paint their pictures.

    Be it baseball, football, or describing the action on the track, Scully is the template all should attempt to emulate. The action is often slow in developing, what is newsworthy might take a while to unfold, but you are never bored. You want to stay tuned so you did not miss anything, be it something on the field of play or just as likely some entertaining commentary that amused or educated.

    In NASCAR, Ken Squier did exactly that. A more contemporary team, in my opinion, was Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach. They made me laugh, learn, and stay tuned to the broadcast. I did not want to miss a thing. Some wonder why I keep returning to this theme. Have you noticed anything changing for the better yet? You have your answer. I am tired of seeing fans leave, grandstands coming down, and attendance figures hidden away. Aren’t you?

    I think there are announcers out there who do a fine job but not near enough. If a radio or television station or network does not have one, they need to find such a wordsmith. Broadcast schools should produce such skilled practitioners of the art who through time and experience will become the verbal Rembrandts of their time, those who will keep us listening, watching, and caring. To fail to do so is a mistake.

    Kevin Harvick made no mistakes in Chicago, but he suffered misfortune to finish 20th. At Loudon, he suffered neither, got past the 20 of Matt Kenseth to punch his ticket to the Round of Twelve in the Chase. It was his 100th race for Stewart-Haas and his 11th victory for them.

    Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson all had good finishes. They were good enough to join Harvick among the Top Eight on the day. Kyle Larson was just out of the Top Ten, but that was good enough to move him back into contention for the next round. Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Elliott had to settle for Top Fifteen finishes, but even they managed to increase their wiggle room in points.

    Things did not go so good for Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, or Chris Buescher, as that quartet heads to Dover needing to make up some ground before the cut-off. There were no expectations for Buescher, who at 30 points in the weeds needs to win Sunday to advance. Stewart, on the other hand, is hoping to head off to retirement with a stronger challenge, but after finishing 23rd last weekend he is 11 points out. With Dillon and McMurray only five out, he would need to leapfrog ahead of them both and still catch Larson to do it without taking the checkered flag.

    Stewart won at Dover just over three years ago, so it might be a mistake to count him out just yet. However, since that victory, Johnson had taken three there, with Harvick, Kenseth, and the semi-retired Jeff Gordon with the others. In fact, 10 of Johnson’s 77 career decisions have come at Dover. Betting against him this Sunday might prove to be the bigger mistake.

  • Hot 20 – As Newman’s job just got tougher, could we give Ken Squier his old job back?

    Hot 20 – As Newman’s job just got tougher, could we give Ken Squier his old job back?

    A funny thing happened on the way to Richmond. Ryan Newman finished eighth at Darlington, got to within seven points of Jamie McMurray in the battle for the final Chase place, and then it hit the fan. Actually, it was not very amusing at all as his car failed post-race inspection, and that came with a 15 point penalty. Newman has to make up a 22 point deficit on McMurray, hope nobody below him in the standings wins this weekend, or just win the thing himself to make it. With a contract coming due and the owner’s other grandson ready to move up, this is the time for the Rocket to light the fuse.

    Kyle Larson‘s third place finish at Darlington was nice, but he also got tagged 15 points for failing the post-race checkup. However, he loses not a step in the standings and his win leaves him somewhat immune. As for the cash donations, Newman’s crew chief Luke Lambert was fined $25,000, while Chad Johnston, Larson’s bench boss, was fined $22,500. Would it not be lovely if you could fine your mechanic’s ass if he failed to fix your car the first time? Your doctor? How about politicians? We may be on to something here.

    There is one other scenario we have not mentioned. If Chris Buescher has a bad day and falls out of the Top 30, it is “hello Newman,” welcome to the Chase.

    Eleven races to go, and with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the shelf until the Daytona 500, 23-year-old Alex Bowman will have a dream ride for eight of the remaining contests this season. It will be a good test for the driver who spent the past two seasons behind the wheel for BK Racing and Tommy Baldwin. Neither outfit has yet to win a race, boast just two Top Fives and six Top Tens in a combined 781 attempts. Bowman will end the season driving the good stuff. Jeff Gordon, meanwhile, finally retires again, after he completes Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville. Sixteen of his 93 career victories came at those venues, including nine coming at the paper-clip.

    What driver has the most identifiable car in NASCAR, even to the non-fan? Paul Menard. His name is all over it.

    Danny Gallivan, Vin Scully, Ken Squier. If you want to become a legendary hockey, baseball, or racing announcer, they are the prototypes to build upon After just a couple of minutes to get into the swing of things at Darlington, the 81-year-old Squier allowed us to once again hear how it should be done. These gentlemen were poets who were able to describe, inform, entertain, and allow us to witness the action simply through the sound of their voice. To actually see it on television was a bonus, almost an unnecessary one. Squier ended his term providing the lap-by-lap commentary in 1997, though we have been blessed by special appearances, as we were last Sunday. Gallivan retired in 1984 after 32 years calling the action for the Montreal Canadiens, passing away in 1993. The 88-year old Scully is presently bringing his 67-year career behind the Dodger microphone to a close. They remain incomparable and irreplaceable.

    Richmond has been part of the NASCAR scene since 1950, and Saturday the race will feature eight present and former Cup champions. Twenty-six of those 40 drivers have combined for 530 Cup victories, and while 12 have locked in their invite to the Chase, another 20 entered have a mathematical shot at one of the four remaining positions.

    That includes all of our Hot 20 heading into Richmond.

    1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 4 WINS (797 Pts)
    Loose wheel, loose wheel, he thought he had Harvick’s crew pitting him for real.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS (727 Pts)
    Six drivers under the age of 25 have driven for him in the truck series this season.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (840 Pts)
    Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and let them try to pit my car.

    4. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (746 Pts)
    First last lap pass for the win at Richmond in the spring, why not the fall?

    5. DENNY HAMLIN – 2 WINS (729 Pts)
    If he ran NASCAR, would shorten the season and the World 600. Good thing he doesn’t.

    6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 2 WINS (696 Pts)
    Interested in just winning the Memorial and Labor Day weekend classics this season.

    7. MATT KENSETH – 2 WINS (669 Pts)
    Without Matt, Jim might have never worked at Dunder Mifflin or met Pam or Michael Scott.

    8. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (656 Pts)
    Jimmie won twice, had Top 10s in five of the seven events to open the season. It’s been a while.

    9. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (752 Pts)
    With Junior out, does this give Joey a shot at being NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver?

    10. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (728 Pts)
    Felt kind of flat at Darlington. Menard’s flat, to be specific.

    11. KYLE LARSON – 1 WIN (606 Pts)
    Finally, he has two Top Fives in a row.

    12. TONY STEWART – 1 WIN (426 Pts)
    What happened to Brian Scott at Darlington? Why, he wrecked, of course.

    13. CHRIS BUESCHER – 1 WIN (358 Pts)
    Staying within 10 of Ragan next week would be good, keeping him in the rearview, even better.

    14. CHASE ELLIOTT – 659 POINTS
    Finish 17th or better and he is off to the ball.

    15. AUSTIN DILLON – 651 POINTS
    Menard has a sponsor, Dillon has a grandfather, and Newman needs the Chase.

    16. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 642 POINTS
    Could have been 30 points up if not for that late Darlington penalty.

    17. RYAN NEWMAN – 620 POINTS
    Penalty cripples his Chase bid, while the other Dillon has designs on his ride.

    18. KASEY KAHNE – 598 POINTS
    At least Junior has an excuse for not making the Chase.

    19. RYAN BLANEY – 573 POINTS
    No gloves, no problem, but less money in your pocket.

    20. A.J. ALLMENDINGER – 562 POINTS
    Mr. Tickles? Maybe it was girlfriend Tara who named the cat.

  • The Final Word – A Southern 500 that took us on a nice ride back to the future

    The Final Word – A Southern 500 that took us on a nice ride back to the future

    Tradition. On Sunday, we learned that tradition means something. We learned it is actually worth waiting for its return, though why it took NASCAR a decade to solve the hot, muggy conditions of a day race in early September by simply moving it to the evening still boggles the mind. The Southern 500 was back, back to where and when it belonged, along with throwback paint schemes and other nods to the past. Tradition.

    We learned that Ken Squier should be cloned. He is to auto racing what Vin Scully is to baseball, a poet with a microphone who has the gift to paint vivid pictures through prose, to enhance the action we see with our own eyes, to allow us to commune with the best of the sport’s past even as we watch its future unfold before us. One is an 80-year-old legend who we got to hear from again on Sunday night, the other is an 87-year old Dodger icon. We learned that sometimes the best of what is has been with us all along. Tradition.

    Jeff Gordon, for one. Seven times he managed to not just survive but to thrive on the track too tough to tame over the course of his career. He finished 16th on Sunday in his event curtain call. Jimmie Johnson, a six-time Cup king and three-time Darlington winner, was 19th. These two eventual Hall of Famers were seen last weekend in the company as such past stars as Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, and Bill Elliott. Terry Labonte was the Grand Marshal. Ned Jarrett was put to work in the broadcast booth, alongside his son Dale. Tradition.

    We learned that even though it is possible for 26 drivers to win a race from Daytona in February to Richmond later this month, it seems improbable. Only 11 different pilots have shaken the suds in Victory Lane this season, with the last first-time victor coming in the form of Martin Truex Jr. three months ago. For the second time this season it was Carl Edwards doing the backflip at the finish line, his first at Darlington’s Lady in Black. Once again, the same 16 drivers sitting in a Chase place coming in will be the same when they hit the line at Richmond next Saturday night.

    Racing began in Darlington in 1950. Three years later, the Richmond tradition got its start. Potential winless Chasers have won there, including Gordon, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer. Drivers such as Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne have claimed the prize before, and their only route to the Chase is to do it again this Saturday night. Of the quintet, though, only Bowyer has done so in the past decade. In fact, 19 of the other past 20 Richmond winners have already punched their tickets for this season’s Chase. Unless there is a break in tradition, the 20th should as well.

    The 20 Richmond race winners over the past ten years include…

    Kyle Busch (4)
    Jimmie Johnson (3)
    Kevin Harvick (3)
    Denny Hamlin (2)
    Kurt Busch (2)
    Clint Bowyer (2)
    Brad Keselowski
    Carl Edwards
    Dale Earnhardt Jr.
    Joey Logano