NASCAR’s surging popularity and open-wheel racing’s identity crisis throughout
the 1990s transformed the
Daytona 500, contested the
third weekend each February, into racing’s Super Bowl Sunday.
That status once was reserved for Memorial Day eve, which slipped into relative oblivion for a spell. Thanks to the gradual return of marquee names to the Indianapolis 500 and the graduation of the Coca-Cola 600 to prime time and network television, however, the final weekend of May is making a comeback.
Today is now racing’s equivalent of college basketball’s Final Four Saturday, with two can’t-miss events certain to increase the consumption of nachos and liquid refreshment throughout the land.
Factor in the rain that’s almost certain to keep Maine race fans sequestered in their homes and the effect will be multiplied here.
For many viewers, this may be the only occasion all year that persuades them to park in front of the tube and watch cars travel in circles.
With those occasional spectators in mind, here’s an
alphabetized guide to today’s events:
A – Andretti, as in Michael, allegedly makes the final drive of his motorized career today at Indy. Given that he is barely dragging 40, and knowing racers’ penchant for multiple “retirements,” the advice from this corner is to believe it when you don’t see it.
B – Busch, and we’re not talking an inexpensive brand of adult beverage. Kurt Busch is one of stock car racing’s hottest young talents. Oh, and
the last three drivers to win
the 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin – all drive for Roush Racing. Kurt Busch drives for Roush Racing. Next?
C – Crash. What you can expect on the first lap at Indy. History shows these yahoos are so eager to outdo one another that they could take out a half-dozen cars on the pace lap.
D – Daily double. For the fourth time, Robby Gordon will attempt to win two major races in two distinctly different cars at two tracks in one day. There’s only one problem. He has an hour, maybe two, to fly from Indianapolis to Greater Charlotte. Bold prediction No. 1: Gordon won’t meet the constraints of his itinerary. He’ll have a layover in Indy victory lane to contend with.
E – Earnhardt Jr. It’s funny. For all the hype about Dale the Younger, he hasn’t won one of NASCAR’s truly “big” races – Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600 or Southern 500. Well, not yet.
F/G – Felipe Giaffone. This guy is third in the point standings for the IRL, the division of Indy-style racing whose banner flies over the 500. No, seriously, he’s third in points. Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of the guy.
H – Helio Castroneves. He’s trying to accomplish the unthinkable and climb the fence after winning the Indy 500 for the third straight year. The problem is, he’s starting on the pole. If the trend of recent 500s holds true, that’s a ticket to finish 32nd or 33rd.
I – Indy Racing League. Founded prior to the 1996 Indy 500 and given a snowball’s chance of competing with the international monolith that was CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams), the American-dominated, oval-driven series has rendered its wine-and-cheese consuming brethren virtually obsolete.
J – Jimmie Johnson. Won the Winston all-star race last week. Race car carries the same primary sponsor as the track. Works for Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon. Translation: lucky guy.
K – Kenseth, Matt. Might be NASCAR’s most measured (read: dull) superstar, which makes him a prime candidate to win an endurance event such as the 600 every year. He’ll finish no worse than third.
L – Lead lap. Any driver who fails to maintain this status beyond the 25th lap won’t win the Indianapolis 500. In fact, they’ll simply be in the way from that point forward.
M – Men. Who shouldn’t be embarrassed if Sarah Fisher wins the Indy 500. She’s for
real.
N – Needing a win. A host of top-flight Winston Cup drivers fall into that category at the moment, including Burton, Martin, Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett.
O – Old. What at least a couple of drivers on that aforementioned list of victory-starved drivers are becoming in a hurry.
P – Pit strategy. He who plays it correctly, wins. At Indy, the key is having enough fuel to get to the finish. At Charlotte, tires usually spell the difference between a winner and an also-ran.
Q – Quiet. What the winner of both races will be for the first 300 miles. Staying out of trouble is a priority.
R – Returning. Troubled former champion Al Unser Jr. is back where he’s most comfortable, in the cockpit of an Indy car. Let’s hope that provides the incentive needed to rebuild his life.
S/T – Stewart, Tony. Isn’t joining Gordon in running the 1,100-mile supermarathon this year, which is precisely why he will win the 600.
U – Unique. The three-wide starting grid at Indy sure looks impressive when everyone attacks the first turn pell-mell at 230 mph. Come to think of it, that might explain all the opening-lap wrecks.
V – Viagra. Sponsor that earned more air time when Martin won the 600 last year than it did in every Jay Leno monologue over the last five years, combined.
W – Winston. Sponsor that won’t earn much more air time with NASCAR, due in part to mounting restrictions against marketing cigarettes to minors. Wonder how long it’ll take Washington to take aim against the Budweiser Cup or McDonald’s Cup. If any two things in the world are as stigmatized as second-hand smoke, they’re beer and fast food.
X/Y/Z – Xerox, Yuban and Zocor. Three products that don’t sponsor a car or a race. Ha! Didn’t think I could do it, did ya?
Enough alphabet soup. Time for some real sustenance.
Drivers, start your engines!
Kalle Oakes is sports editor. He can be reached by e-mail at koakes@sunjournal.com.
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