The Straightaway
by Siddy Hall
BORING SEASON HAS BEGUN
The June Pocono race came and went, which means one thing: Break out the hammock and tie it to your two favorite trees. In the north, it’s summertime. But it’s more than that. It’s also the official start of the Boring Racing Season. It’s the pre-Silly Season nap session. You’ll likely take mucho siestas in your hammock while following the Chase.
Check it out. Starting with last week’s Pocono race, the next 10 races includes two each from Pocono and Michigan, two road courses and Loudon. That’s seven races out of ten.
"Gentlemen, start your alarm clocks!"
So maybe you enjoy road courses. It provides a change of pace. Here’s what else could provide a change of pace: dirt tracks and bullrings. Let’s see some machines rolling around with tire marks on their side. Let’s see some cars with their roofs missing and their engines exposed on a rough day.
What else is there? Daytona, Chicago and the Brickyard. I’m not a fan of the Brickyard. But, hey, with 36 races, why complain about having one in the Shrine of Motorsports. Especially with so many in attendance. But a long drag race leading into a corner with no banking? I need to go hop in my hammock.
The Brickyard: rife with history, devoid of much creativity
The good news is that the tracks serving the fans in the northern U.S. and Canada finally get served. It’s their turn to party. It’s their chance to re-paint their refurbished school bus into a NASCAR party on wheels. Alcohol is the fuel for these Mad Max-like war machines. Their collective motto could be supplied by the singer, Andrew W.K.’s “Party ‘Til You Puke.” The mayhem is best filmed and uploaded to YouTube.
Because of pre-race hijinks with themes like THIS.... 
....buses like these are sometimes best viewed (and smelled) from a distance
Speaking of boring tracks, guess where Race # 26 will be held? California. Just two weeks after the second Michigan event. California will host the final race to determine who makes the Chase. Then two weeks after California, another dose of Loudon. It’ll be mid-September by then, folks. Time to put the hammock away and send the kids to school.
To recap: 14 races. One-half (seven) will be at either Pocono, Michigan, Loudon, or California. Plus two road courses. Yee-haw.
MEMORIES OF MICHIGAN: My home track was Michigan. I’ve attended races at three tracks: Michigan, Atlanta, and Daytona. What was great about Michigan was camping out for days in advance in a field across the service drive that runs next to MIS. About eight families would park their RVs on Wednesday, forming a large courtyard for all of us to enjoy. The rest of us would pitch tents, trying to stay away from the noise of the generators.
Neighbors would wander over and hang out, especially at night when the live music would begin. Songs about Dale Earnhardt. Arguments over drivers. In the daytime when walking around you spotted your camp by the #3 and #9 flags hanging high on a flagpole.
You can’t do that anymore. Too much success for NASCAR put a squeeze on space. Now the cars are crammed together like a housing project. Is it worth the trouble to battle traffic for this? I guess, but it just ain’t the same.
One of the unique things about NASCAR is its sounds. The one that stands out for me was walking to the track from our campsite at Michigan as qualifying was being conducted. To hear the sound of a single car turning into Turn #4 from outside the track left me spellbound. What on God’s earth could create that kind of noise?
FACTOIDS: Name the only two drivers in the top-35 in points who have failed to land a top-10 finish this year.
Name the only driver who would currently qualify for the Chase without a top-5 finish this year.
Answers: Tony Raines and Sterling Marlin have no Top-10’s. Clint Bowyer has no Top-5 but would make the chase.
HARD TO BELIEVE: After Race 2 from California, David Ragan (below) was ahead of Jeff Gordon in money winnings for the year.
(you can e-mail Siddy Hall: cityhall172000 at yahoo.com)
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