Filed under: NASCAR
HOW ABOUT that Bud Shootout last night! The defining theme in the mind of DAYTONA BLUE as the race unfolded was that there was a dearth of excitement. It was clear that once the cars had about 20-30 laps on the tires the double-wide slicing and dicing up front gave way to a breakaway single-file pack for the most part. That’s really not what you want to see in the Shootout, which in the past has been a showcase for bold moves that often ended up poorly for one or more of the participants. Of course this historically has happened because the Bud Shootout allows the drivers the freedom from concern about points racing and to just fight it out in no-holds-barred-style for a million-dollar purse. But thanks to out oft-maligned friends at Goodyear Rubber, it appears that tires are the limiting factor at Daytona during Speedweeks. “Goodyear has really put us all in a bind,” whined Jeff Gordon. But then, he always sounds like he’s whining. Maybe “complained” is a better word. But he pretty much said what all the more diplomatic types were thinking. DAYTONA BLUE sez Goodyear should put stickiness above longevity and get rid of these hard tires. Sure, more pits stops would be required, but it would make for a much more riveting excitment on the track.
Thoughts?
