Oct 20/08
Fans Are All "Brian"-washed and No Pre-nup for Carl?
Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired-Chase Edition Martinsville 2
By Lori Munro (LAM) and Dennis Michelsen (DMIC)
Back by popular demand the dynamic duo of Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen will thrill and amaze you with their NASCAR wits and acumen every week! If you can't get enough of these nuts on the "Doin' Donuts" radio show every Monday night on RaceTalkRadio at 8pm ET, now you can check out "Doin' Donuts for the Hearing Impaired" every week in print too! Race fans can even join in the debate with our easy to use comments section. Strap in for a wild ride as LAM and DMIC crank it up every week! You might even hear your comments on the radio so join in the fun today!

Hendrick Domination
DMIC says…At the beginning of the year it appeared that NASCAR's playing field had evened out. Kyle Busch was off to a great start and so were Carl Edwards and his Roush Racing team. Now as the season winds down it is pretty obvious that Hendrick Motorsports is still king! Not only did Jimmie Johnson have an amazing race at Martinsville on Sunday, but all four of the Hendrick juggernaut finished in the top six! Hey when even Casey Mears looks strong you know the team has a secret weapon in the setup! Next season when they add old man Martin just imagine how strong they will be?

LAM says… It has become quite apparent that HMS is simply "toying" with the rest of us! Be it a fan or another team… they're TOYING with us damnit! Ok all kidding aside, there is something very supernatural about Martinsville and HMS anyhow. Everyone knows the story about that fateful day a few years back when the Hendrick plane went down and if a person has a half of ounce of "belief" in them be it spiritual or otherwise, they know that there is no other alternative than to go forward in life all the while keeping special memories on file in your personal memory bank. HMS has truly done that and I for one could not be prouder of the showing had by the organization yesterday at Martinsville.

Cue the Large Soprano
DMIC says…Statistically speaking there is a lot of racing left to be done but the realist in me knows this NASCAR Championship Chase is over! The lead is only 149 points but the statement has been made! Jimmie Johnson will be the second driver ever to win three championships in a row. Where that feat ranks with that of Cale Yarborough is a debate for another section. (See below) But what is fact is that everyone else is racing for second place unless some weird gremlin strikes the No. 48 team. Get the sheet music ready for the large soprano, because this Championship Chase is over!

LAM says… Championship, Schmampionship. The general public at large has been "Brian-washed" into believing that the most important feat on earth is to win the Cup Championship. Yeah, it's the pot of gold at the end of the season-long rainbow but we can't overlook each of the magnificent colors that gets us to the end. We're not seeing all of the individual colors in the rainbow, only the arc itself. The rainbow is nothing without each and every color and there are still four more races to go this season folks! So instead of griping over your driver not bringing home the pot of gold in 2008, look forward to the next four races whereby YOUR driver can be one of those magnificent colors. Doing otherwise serves an injustice to yourself and to the sport in general.

Unfortunately however for Carl Edwards fans, those being of the female persuasion, the fat lady HAS sung and congratulations are in order to the future Mr & Dr. Edwards. How handy to have a doctor in the Carl Edwards household indeed. I hope she makes Carl sign a prenup stating that from now on, it won't be the face of Carl's mom being zeroed in on during the last laps of a race.

Different Eras and Different Champions
DMIC says…It has been 30 years since the last time a NASCAR champion has done the three-peat for the Championship. Back then the point's standings counted for each of the thirty races. Even more impressive than Cale Yarborough and his Junior Johnson team winning the championships, they won each in rather dominant fashion! The total number of full time teams back in the day ranged from just 12-15 teams running the full season. But the teams that did compete for the championship were the best of the best at the peak of their form. Cale's first championship prevented Richard Petty from having his own three-peat for the championship! Is Jimmie Johnson as good of a driver or the No. 48 as good of a team? Different eras make it impossible to compare!

LAM says… And there is no comparing between eras. Impossible. Things we DO know however, is that each season can bring a certain level of dominance in any era. There have always been cars that can clean house and always will be. Sure with the implementation of the COT the broom doesn't have as many sweet spots in it as in the past. But just as sure as Chad can build a better Knaus trap and a pair of Greg's can Er-Win and Scott Miller can put a BUR-ton under Jeff's saddle, the best will always prevail.

This may be 2008, but even back when cream was unpasteurized it was still rising to the top.

Nine Rained Out Qualifying Nine Top Ten Winners
DMIC says…NASCAR needs to add space in the schedule in case there is a rain out of qualifying on Friday. Bringing new blood to the sport is essential for making sure there are full fields every year. Nine times this season NASCAR has been forced to cancel qualifying and sending people home by the rules. All nine times the winner has started in the top ten! Some new stars have missed out on a chance to make their debut. Those teams put BIG MONEY into getting their cars and crews to the track but went home without a chance to qualify. At the very least NASCAR needs to add a Saturday morning qualifying session for the go or go home guys, but even better is scheduling a second chance qualifying when weather is bad on Friday.

LAM says… The operative words being: "by the rules". The rules are there for everyone to see so weather being a factor can't be a big surprise to any team dragging a car to the track to see if they can make it into the field. Besides, the top cars always make it to the front in most cases so it doesn't even matter where they start. Those running at the back consistently simply slow up the faster cars thus jumbling up the field for a bit but you can always rest assured that if all 4 corners are still straight on a car and the engine is purring as it should… the best will get to the front no matter where they start.

NASCAR has already made it clear that there's no reason fielding 43 cars anymore with the rumor of shortening up the starting grid. Not only is their "by the rules" mindset akin to loading the gun and aiming directly for the temple, but fewer cars every weekend by NASCAR's design would definitely make sure the gun doesn't miss target but will also blow out the pilot light on stock car racing's gas stove before shutting off the valve.

Ratings Even/Down on ESPN
DMIC says…Earlier in the season NASCAR was enjoying a significant increase in viewers on Fox Sports. But when the series switched to TNT and then to ESPN the ratings started sliding. This is a curious situation that I have yet to figure out. Turn on any ESPN program and you get promos for the races. On the weekends qualifying and practice are on ESPN, which are always good ways to promote the races too. I suppose I came to a conclusion on this today. IT'S THE LACK OF GOOD COVERAGE! Like their silly Digger Cam or not or the Boogity, Boogity Boogity Boys stuff from DW but Fox Sports does a much better job covering the races. The fans seem to be noticing and that is the only reason I can figure out for the ratings on ESPN being lower than Fox races.

LAM says… ESPN seemingly just preaches to the choir. ESPN needs to advertise the fact that they're carrying racing in places OTHER than just ESPN. If Grandma Agnes is watching the cooking channel yearning for just one more glimpse of Carl Edwards, why not let her know that he's racing on Sunday LIVE on ESPN via commercial on the cooking channel. Bruce the gardener is enjoying floral arrangement lessons on HGTV but wishes to examine closer the ears of Jamie McMurray. Let Bruce know by running an ESPN/NASCAR commercial on HGTV.

Actually, what the heck am I talking about?

Even when LIVE racing is supposed to be LIVE on ESPN but women's volleyball runs overtime, a fan has to be clairvoyant or lucky to find it over at ESPN DesPortes or on ESPN Classic. When you can't depend on where to go to watch a race… sometimes it's easier just to sit in the truck in the driveway and listen to Sirius Satellite Radio… close your eyes… hold onto the wheel… and just tune out the rest of the world.

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