Another wasted road race for the NASCAR Cup Series. Just a giant waste of time and breath. You finally have a little momentum during a season that’s been, frankly, boring, and you just piss it all away by going to a road course.
Nothing against road courses, of course. They’re fine. They used to be fun. Now, they’re the ultimate snoozer.
Shane Van Gisbergen won, again, Sunday at Watkins Glen. Let me rephrase that … SVG was 29 seconds back after a late pit stop, and still won the race … by seven seconds. That’s how dominant he was.
Nobody else stood a chance. SVG’s the purest road racer the Cup Series has ever seen. There, I said it. It’s him, and THEN Boris Said.
But now, SVG will go back to the middle of the pack until late June when the fellas head to San Diego and then Sonoma. Good seeing you, SVG! Have a nice vacation.
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What else do y’all wanna hit on today? Again, it wasn’t the most exciting automobile race ever, but we’ll cobble something together.
I’ve got Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell exchanging pleasantries after the race. How does that sound? I’ve also got Cody Ware in an insane crash, Amazon Prime is on deck, and Natalie Decker had a GREAT run down in the Truck series over the weekend.
And by that, I mean she was so horrifically slow, she was basically ejected from the race 20 laps in. Amazing. Impressive, really.
Four tires, just a splash of fuel because I need to be able to afford dinner later, and maybe a towel for the rest of the field after SVG wiped the floor with them all day … Monday Morning Pit-Stop — the “SVG dominated another road course, so we’re going to have to dig deep for content today” edition — is LIVE!
Look, it’s impressive. I’m not going to sit here and dump on SVG because he’s that much better than everyone else on a road course. Look at that drive through the field. Yes, he was on fresher tires, but still … I don’t think anyone else could do it. They certainly couldn’t do it that quickly.
But is it good for NASCAR? Is Shane Van Gisbergen dominating every single road course good for a sport that A) has a lot of road races on the schedule, and B) is struggling with Mr. Nielsen this season?
If this was Jeff Gordon — and by the way, it was for a period in the ’90s — it would be fine, right? If this were an Earnhardt or a Gordon or an Elliott, it would all be ham and eggs, I assume.
But, it’s not. It’s a relatively new and unknown driver to the series who comes from a very different racing background and a much different part of the world, and he’s now torching the rest of the field a few times a year while struggling on the ovals and speedways.
He provides some incredible moments on road race weeks, and then sort of goes invisible for the next handful of months until the next road course.
I personally don’t think it’s good for NASCAR, at all. I don’t want to take anything away from SVG (which is what folks say when they want to take something away), but I’m firmly in that camp. It makes the races boring. I have a feeling Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen is going to do abysmal numbers. Maybe I’ll be wrong. I doubt it, though.
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I’d also venture to say that I’m in the majority on this one, which isn’t usually the case with my NASCAR opinions. I just don’t think folks love SVG boat-racing the rest of the field.
I could go on and on. Trust me. And yes, there are plenty of folks with the obligatory, “You have to appreciate greatness!” line. I get that, too.
But come on. Until SVG wins a race outside a road course, I don’t think he’s going to resonate with anyone. Hell, he doesn’t even have to win one. Just sniff a win on a regular track. Just “be there at the end,” as DW used to say. And then, we’ll talk.
Until then? Eh. I don’t think he’s moving the needle for the casual fan, no matter how impressive the drive is.
OK, let’s move on … to someone who DOES move the needle for the NASCAR folks: Bubba Wallace!
OutKick and Fox News fan-favorite, Bubba Wallace!
So, Bubba’s spotter says he wasn’t mad, but nobody knows anything beyond that? Seems odd to me. Bubba, by the way, was actually wrecked later in the race by John Hunter Nemechek.
Perhaps he got JHN and Christopher Bell mixed up? Lord knows I have before:
I’m kidding. Relax. Nobody ever confuses two white NASCAR drivers!
In any event, Bubba finished 29th at Watkins Glen, which I’m sure most of you are just distraught over. Chin up! Bubba will be back up front in no time!
OK, let’s put the pedal to the floor and shift this second-Monday-of-May into high gear. First up? For some reason, NASCAR didn’t throw a late caution for this Cody Ware wreck.
I know Cody wrecks A LOT, but … this one seemed worthy of a yellow:
NASCAR either A) missed it, or B) saw it was Cody Ware and refused to stop another race for Cody Ware. I’m going to assume it’s the second one, because that’s more fun.
And yes, I know, Fox didn’t show the wreck. Spare me the emails. I ain’t bringing it up, for obvious reasons. For those who truly hate the production, Sunday’s All-Star race at Dover will be the final Fox broadcast of the year.
We move to Amazon Prime for the next five races before TNT and USA Network take over for all July and August. It’ll be nice to hear Dale Jr. again. Sad to lose Mike Joy.
Next? Let’s give the minor league series’ some love on the way out! Natalie Decker had a great day at Watkins Glen!
Amazing. Coming in last and having a “too slow” next to your name on the official stat sheet has to be just humiliating. Natalie, to be fair, blamed the lack of speed on an electrical issue in both practice, qualifying and the race.
Seems like something you’d think they’d get figured out before the green flag drops, but whatever. Nothing a little nicotine lipper won’t fix:
Incredible. Where do we stand on women who pack nicotine pouches? Do we think Natalie actually does this? Lord knows I use them a dozen times a day, but I also assume I’m more of the target audience.
Anyway, that’s our big question of the week. Where do we stand on women who dip? It’s a weird question, admittedly, but I’m also having to dig deep because SVG is still lapping the field this morning. It ain’t easy.
OK, let’s go ahead and head off into the middle-week-of-May with Sam Busch channeling her inner Ella Langley for reasons unknown.
See you at Dover!
