July 28, 2009
By Allen Madding
This weekend the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series competed on the 6.86-mile O'Reilly Raceway Park short track at Indianapolis, Indiana. Both series put on some of the best racing that we have seen all season once again proving that the cookie-cutter tri-oval 1-mile and 1.5-mile speedways are not necessarily the best tracks for good shows. We have seen some of the best side-by-side racing in all of NASCAR's top three series on the short tracks. Perhaps NASCAR needs to revisit the schedule for all three series and reconsider some of the short tracks that have been dropped over the last few years.
Friday night saw Ron Hornaday win his fourth NASCAR Camping World Series event in a row setting a new record for the series and strengthening his points lead in the series. In the closing laps, Hornaday and Mike Skinner put on a wheel-to-wheel fight for the lead for the last 10 laps that was reminiscent of years gone by. When the NASCAR Camping World Series was first launched, these two fought for several wins banging off each other and each winning championship titles. It was good to see the two still wrestling for the lead.
Saturday night at O'Reilly Raceway Park was no less exciting. Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch started in the back after missing the NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying, because they were both on the other side of town at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway participating in Happy Hour final practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400. By the night's end, Busch and Edwards had come through the field and battling for the win in the closing laps. Edwards grabbed the win, while Busch finished second.
Friday night's winner, Ron Hornaday, running a limited schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, recorded a 6th place finish. And television analyst Kenny Wallace finished 10th.
NASCAR left O'Reilly Raceway Park owing pole sitter Trevor Bayne and Steven Wallace an apology. When the caution waved on lap 35 for the spin of Michael Annett, Bayne was leading with Wallace running second. The yellow came out and the leaders began slowing. The pace car came out of pit road. Bayne seeing the pace car on the track and knowing that under NASCAR's rules you cannot pass the pace car, got on the brakes hard. Bayne's hard braking caught Wallace by surprise and Wallace got into the back of Bayne's Aaron Rent's No. 99 sending him spinning. Instead of putting the two cars back into their original position, NASCAR punished both teams saying they did not maintain minimum speed under the yellow putting Wallace in 7th position and Bayne in 11th position for the restart. On review, the leader was spun because of trying to avoid the pace car which had popped out on the track in front of the field before they had sufficient time to get slowed for the caution.
NASCAR needs to review this situation as they blew the it sending the pace car out when they did and at the speed it went out. The leader had a choice, hit the pace car, pass the pace car, or jam on the brakes to stay behind in per NASCAR rules. Bayne hit the brakes and was spun. NASCAR then ruled that Bayne and Wallace did not maintain the 45 mph yellow flag minimum speed. Such hard line rule enforcement is going to lead to someone choosing one of the other two options in the future and putting a pace car driver's safety in jeopardy.
Despite NASCAR blowing the call on the lap 35 incident, both the NASCAR Camping World Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series put on a thrilling show for fans at the track and watching on television. This is the kind of racing NASCAR needs to showcase on a regular basis to bring the fans back to the grandstands and to pump the viewing audience of its races back up.
Despite NASCAR blowing the call on the lap 35 incident, both the NASCAR Camping World Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series put on a thrilling show for fans at the track and watching on television. This is the kind of racing NASCAR needs to showcase on a regular basis to bring the fans back to the grandstands and to pump the viewing audience of its races back up. Add more short tracks to the schedules of these divisions and viewership will come.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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