NASCAR
Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 18, 2005; 11:00 a.m. ET
Washington Post staff writer Liz Clarke took your NASCAR questions live from the Daytona 500.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Anonymous:
Who is expected to win in Daytona?
Liz Clarke: Most consider Jimmie Johnson the favorite. He'll start second and finished second in last season's championship standings, just missing the title (by i think 8 points) to Kurt Busch. He drives for Hendrick Motorsports--a fabulous team with tons of money and devoted employees. Other favorites would be Johnson's teammate jeff Gordon, who has won 2 500s. I think Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a favorite too, even though he had a lousy qualifying run. he is better than he has showed so far.
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Washington, D.C.:
Hi Liz,
Glad to see you're taking questions about Nascar. Why are there no women drivers? Is it that they aren't accepted in the sport? That they can't get sponsorship? Or potentially, are they not as "good" a driver as the men?
Thanks, and let's pray for a repeat of last year with KBusch standing atop the podium come the end of the season.
Liz Clarke: There are no female drivers in nascar's top division, the nextel cup. btu there are 2 women entered in the Grand national race (think AAA baseball), which will be run saturday--Shawna Robinson, who has kicked around racing a long time, and Kim Crosby from LA, who i dont know much about.
My sense is young girls typically dont grow obsessed with race cars and training in quarter midgets, so there havetnt been many in the pipeline. A racing instructor I know insists that women are actually better suited than men , in one sense, to race b/c their peripheral vision is better (i have NO idea if this is true).
as for sponsorship, i think it would be there; women account for about 40 % of nascar fans.
also the pipeline is improving, with young women like Sarah Fisher (formerly and open wheel racer) and Danica Patrick coming into stock cars!!
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Falls Church, Va.:
Is it just me or does it seem like Kurt Busch is the Rodney Dangerfield of NASCAR? He wins the championship and matures greatly as a driver and still doesn't seem to merit much respect. I realize there are other great drivers out there but Busch should at least be considered one of the favorites this year considering his performance last year. Liz Clarke: youre right; he doesnt seem to command much respect. I think it's becasue many of his fellow drivers think he doesnt race THEM with respect on the track. He didnt handle himself well the first season or two in NASCAR, and once a young guy burns people on the track, it's hard for him to be respected. (see kevin harvick..)
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Ann Arbor, Mich.:
Just a comment from a female NASCAR fan:
I very much appreciate the small gestures on behalf of NASCAR to reach out to my age (mid-40s) and gender group. The "Boy from Ipanema" soft drink ad a year or so ago was a classic.
It's obvious that the advertisers who help put NASCAR on television put a great deal of thought -- and humor -- into their spots. It's very much appreciated.
NASCAR/Nextel Cup ads are always better than the SuperBowl campaigns.
Gentlemen: THANK YOU! We're buyin'!
Liz Clarke: let's share this comment with readers!
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Springfield, Va.:
Do you think the popularity of NASCAR is on the decline? Back in the mid-90s I really became a big fan, but for the past few years my interest has subsided.
Liz Clarke: i totally understand. the sport has gone through so much radical change in the past decade that it has alienated many long-time fans. that said, those changes--going to bigger markets, bringing in younger drivers from differnet regions of the country, signing national TV deal--seems to be minting new fans faster than it's driving off longtime ones. i have mixed feelings about this, having covered nascar for 15 years now (ack!) but nascar officials couldnt be happier with their TV ratings, souvenir sales and all the dough they'll rolling in
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Chevy Chase, Md.:
Why do people like NASCAR so much?
Liz Clarke: that's a question many people wonder. and it's hard to explain. i dont want to come off as evangelizing for the sport, but in a large sense you relaly have to see it--feel it, smell it, too--to appreciate it. it doestn translate on TV. it is colorful, loud, visceral. and the basics--driving a car--is somethign everyone does--therefore everyone has a secret fantasy that they could do it too. finally, its popularity has always resided in the personality of the drivers. at least in years past, they were very accessible and giving to their fans. normal people, humble, with no airs and a great appreciation for the ticket buying public. this is changing, though...
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Alexandria, Va.:
Not a question, just a comment; I understand how people just don't get what is so great about cars going around in circles, but I've found that most people with this opinion have never been to a race. Attending a NASCAR race is really an exciting rush, and as with some other sports, watching it on TV just doesn't do it justice.
Liz Clarke: here is another response to the previous question, submitted by one of you..
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Corinth, Miss.:
Do you see a day when NASCAR may have to do a Formula One-style mandate limiting car ownership/interest to a single two-car effort to prevent the conglomeration of teams as what happened last year to Yates and Roush, or to DEI/RCR?
Liz Clarke: it's a thorny issue. efforts to rein in multicar teams and make it possible for single-car teams to compete have been pretty lame. technically there's a rule that no owner can own more than 3 teams. so people get around that by listing their 4th or 5th teams as being owned by their wife, father, child etc. If you look at the recent champions, it's virtually all drivers from multicar teams: Hendrick, Roush, DEI--even Joe Gibbs racing, which added a third team this year. Their advantage lies in economy of scale, being able to buy relaly sophisticated equipment and hire the top engineers because they have $40-$60 million annual budgets and 35 test dates to work with. it makes it hard for drivers from single car teams, like ricky rudd, who might have $12 million a year to work with (and 7 test dates)
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Laurel, Md.:
Who was Jocko Flocko and why was he unique?
Liz Clarke: Ha! I suspect you are giving me a trivia question to see if i know what I'm talking about.
luckily for you, I love games of skill. So at the risk of getting this wrong---i will say that jocko flocko was a monkey who used to ride in the car with one of the flock brothers who raced dirt tracks for nascar in the 50s....Am i right? or close?
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Alexandria, Va.:
Does Ricky Rudd have a chance?
Liz Clarke: rudd is one of the more likable, experienced and skilled drivers on the circuit. but he's definitely handicapped by the fact that he's with a one-car team now. among drivers from one-car teams, he would be my favorite on sunday. but it's just so hard for these guys to keep up with the teams from roush, hendrick etc...
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West Coast:
Harvick seems to be in trouble again. Do you think Richard Childers will fire him if he causes some accidents early in the season?
Liz Clarke: harvick is REALLY in trouble among fellow drivers--many of whom i know woudl love to put him in the wall on the first lap sunday. restraint will prevail, but the cheers will be loud if he drops out early.
as for childress (and joe gibbs, too, regarding troublesome driver tony stewart), i tend fo find that drivers get canned only when the sponsor, who pays the bills, gets fed up. I dont see that GM Goodwrench has had it with harvick yet; they kind of like the image of a tough guy that gives no quarter on the track. sadly, he's not even close to the driver that his predecessor was
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Long Beach, Calif.:
How do you think Robby Gordon will fare this year? I noticed he has his own race team, and did not qualify for Daytona.
Liz Clarke: i give him no shot at much of anything. robby is one of the most gifted racers out there and has been for a long time. he's fabulous in off-road, indy cars and tons of otehr disciplines. btu there seems to be somethign about him, i think between the ears, that keeps him from finishing races (esp 400- and 500-milers) and getting the best out of his own skills and equipment. he keeps getting jobs on sheer talent, and keeps losing them because he implodes. now he's driving for himself, so at least he'll make his boss happy. but it's tough to win with single-team cars
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Laurel, Md.:
You were right about Jocko.
Will Mark Martin be able to fix his primary car in time for the race?
Liz Clarke: EVERYONE PLEASE TAKE NOTE!!!!
as for Mark, i haven't been by his garage this a.m. (will do so as soon as our chat ends) but as of last night his crew chief was determined to get it fixed. even though it was wrecked bad, the suspension seemed to be OK last night, so it seems to be a matter of hanging new sheet metal. it's a BIG deal though, as mark will have to drop to the back of the field is he used a backup car, as i bet you already know!
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Clifton, Va.:
Sarah Fisher has a Busch ride I believe. If she does even okay there will be a lot of pressure to move her up to the Nextel Cup. Danica Patrick will either go to Europe to pursue an F1 ride or end up with NASCAR because that is where the money is. NASCAR is 800lb gorilla in US motor sports. NASCAR has big problems with minorities. Many minorities just don’t feel comfortable at a NASCAR race. NASCAR needs to ban Confederate battle flags in the infield ect.
Liz Clarke: here are some comments from a very informed reader: I agree
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Washington, D.C.:
I'm not a fan of NASCAR, but why has that type of racing become more popular than Indy car or F1 racing?
Liz Clarke: lots of reasons. first is the myth that the cars are like the ones americans drive. so it seems accessible. the drivers themsleves have been really accessible, human and likeable--even the ones people have hated (earnhardt, by half the crowd; rusty in his youth; darrell w , too) helped grow a fan base simply by being a villain. plus it;'s close quarters racing with some rubbing and bumping--thrilling to watch (of course only if no one is hurt).
Indy cars and F-1 have been far more aloof and raraefied for most american viewers. if you appreciate all the technology money can buy and exotic cars, you love F-1. but if root for the common man, V-8 engines and leaded bas and all the throwback stuff that implies, youre a nascar fan.
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Alexandria, Va.:
Are all the cars hit in yesterday's crash going to be fixed by race time?
Liz Clarke: i'm not up to date as of this a.m., so i will tell you what i knew last night before checking with drivers adn teams this a.m., I think Mark will try to fix his car; rusty will go to back up, as will nemechek. jimmie johnson, who was the MOST irate and had a second place starting spot, can keep that spot because his car can be fixed.
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Clifton, Va.:
Real racers turn right and race in the rain!
NASCAR is the WWE of motorsports! The Frances run a nice socialist empire with NASCAR. NASCAR used to fun in the good old days but now it all about marketing and pretty boys!
Liz Clarke: another view from a passionate motorsports fan:
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Alexandria, Va.:
I know this is not up to you, but perhaps you can shed some light on this. For as large as NASCAR is, why does the Post deadicate so little space to it in the paper?
Liz Clarke: A comment for my editors:
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Vienna, Va.:
RE:peripheral vision.
In NASCAR, with the full face helmets, HANS devices and special side seat padding, nobody can see the periphery. Men or women.
Liz Clarke: you are correct in that closed helmets limit peripheral vision, which is precisely why the late earnhardt refused to wear one. he had uncanny peripheral vision and know how valuable it was. the HANS further restricts a drivers ability to turn his head. but it is still true, according to the drivers i know best and talk to often, that peripheral vision is a key component of being a great driver. in ANY form of racing
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88 City:
Liz,
Is it my imagination, or is the new leadership of NASCAR destroying the foundation this sport was built on, namely good racing? I don't care about some new points system and I don't care about a bunch of 1.5 mile tracks, but it doesn't seem to matter what I care. And anybody who talks back (see -- journalist Matt McLaughlin) gets their ticket punched. All the cars look alike, most of the drivers sound alike. Yech. When Dale Jarrett retires, I'm outta here.
Liz Clarke: i totally empathize with your feelings. i started covering the sport in 1990 and it's unreal how much it has changed--for the good and bad. one of the saddest developments, in my view, is the trend toward bland, bland bland in all things. almost every new track that comes along is a 1.5 mile superpseedway. the templates for the car makes (dodge, chevy ford) are 98percent identical, meaning the differences among nameplates is largely mythic, and the real mechanics have very little wiggle room to be creative adn innovative. the cars are as cookie-cutter as the tracks. and let's not even talk about the drivers: The young ones , at least to me, have been so media-coached and trained that it's hard to distinguish one from another. I walk around the garage and wonder whether all the spirited and funny individualists have gone. there is a price to be paid for being embraced by the masses, and nascar seems happy to make that trade...
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West Coast:
Great comment about banning confederate battle flags. In fact, the "rebel flag" is the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, making it that much more inappropriate to use outside of Virginia. Considering that it came into vogue in the 1950's as a symbol of segregation, it has no place at NASCAR events, to be sure.
Liz Clarke: I am cheering your comment!
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Clifton, Va.:
Worldwide FI is way for popular than NASCAR can ever hope to be. Especially with a race in China and a Indian driver driving for Minardi. Typically F1 races see a worldwide TV audience of between 250-500 million. Getting 5 percent of India's population would add incredible numbers to these figures. Worldwide a F1 races typically outdraws a NASCAR face by a factor of 10. FI has never been marketed properely in the US. The Frances have done an incredible job.
Liz Clarke: all of this is true. F-1 vastly outstrips nascar's poopularity globally. so does soccer. but as for F-1 in the US, it has generally stayed away by choice (tho obviously is back at Indy once a year). The Frances have indeed done a phenomenal job buidling a fringe, southeastern sport into a national phenomenon, with TV ratings second only to NFL (better than NBA, baseball and every major sport). France's made an ill-time foray into japan a few years back, but that was bascially their only misstep. now they are starting to export their brand fo stock car racing to Mexico (with a grand national race in Mexico city this march) and in canada, teaming with that country's equivalent of ESPN on big broadcast deal
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Motown:
To: "Real racers ..."
For me, NASCAR was a "gateway" into motorsports in general. There's no either/or here. Four wheels and a driver: let's ROLL!
(And more racing action on any given weekend, too!)
Liz Clarke: very cool comment:
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Mt. Airy, Md.:
Liz-Some experts think that the existing manufacturers supporting Nextel Cup (Ford, GM, Daimler Chrysler and we might as well add Toyota indirectly) don't believe that they are getting enough of a return on the reported $125M they're each spending annually to continue to justify it for long.
Some go as far as to speculate that one may even pull out in the next 24- 36 months, and that the manufacurers are really not even necessary any more. What's your take?
Liz Clarke: wow, i honestly have not sensed any rumblings of a pull-out by detroit backers. that said, it's impossibel not to notice that 4-door american made sedans are not selling at ALL anymore; and that was the premise of the tie-in from the start. It was: 'What wins on Sunday sells on Monday.' also, detroit's big 3 talked about the technology transfer between their racing dollars and the innovations that came along thereafter in street cars. both rationales for racing are quaint and dated. in ford's case, i do knwo they were urging behind the scenes that their NASCAR dollars spent in support of rivals Roush Racing and Yates racing be spent more efficiently, and this is largely why the two fierce rivals merged their engine departments. this woudl have bene unthinkable years ago, that rivals would become one. and i still cant believe that jack roush is happy that a yates car (dale jarrett) is on the pole for sunday's 500, but it's because he is now part onwer, with robert yates, in the operation that built that engine. as for your bigger question, i dont know what the future holds for Detroits investment in nascar. but it's no accident that the Frances have cultivated Toyota's involvement, adn many expect Honda and Nissan to follow.
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Chantilly, Va.:
I understand the thrill of racing, having been to a couple. But what I can't understand is how fans of NASCAR are SO over the top in their devotion. I like baseball, but my car isn't taken over by Red Sox or Manny Ramirez paraphenalia. My neighbor, on the other hand, has turned his truck into an extension of Rusty Wallace fandom. Where is THAT coming from? And it seems to me that over marketing to this degree may cause any sport to descend into self-parody and lost integrity.
Liz Clarke: I would love to know where the line is that marks the beginning of over-marketing. it's a great concept, and for all its excesses, i dont think nascar has gotten there yet. i'd think the sport is the ultimate case study for ANY MBA student....
And you're right: the NASCAR faithful are obssessive about displaying their loyalties: On t shirts, coolers, flags, decals on their own cars. It's odd, i know. But it's really a badge and a declaration of fundamental beliefs--all about what the driver, in their view, stands for.
The pettys, to many, represent family, loyalty and fair play.
The earnhardts represent the toughest of the tough; truly self-made man that dont take any grief from anybody.
Jeff Gordon has legions of young fans and female fans, who find him attractive, friendly, they like his colorful car. and he is a hell of a racer, if you watch him closely.
so this is a long answer. but it is a phenomenon that's worth of being dissected by somebody smart. it's great fun to be in a traffic jam on the way to a track, and notice that people with a no. 3 decal on their cars will let anoterh car with a 3 or 8 cut in front of them, but woudl CRASH before letting in somebody with a 6, 88 or 2 decal.
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Montgomery Village, Md.:
Liz
Will NASCAR be using the "top 35 teams are in " all season or just for this week at Daytona ?
Keep up the great reporting.
Liz Clarke: yes, the 35 rule--in which the top 35 teams in points are guaranteed starting spots regarldess of quaifying--will last throughout the year. it's to protect the sponsors that spend the most money from getting burned and shut out of a big race. as i understadn it, in the first few races of this season (i think the first 5) the top 35 will be based on how they stood in the 2004 standings. after that, the 35 with guaranteed spots will be based on 2005 standings.
and thank you for the kind words.
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Ft Meade, Md.:
Liz, have you had an contact with the Gibbs teams? They've never taken a Daytona 500, have they?
Liz Clarke: oh yes, i try to keep in close touch with what the gibbs team is up to: he's got 2 great drivers, stewart and B labonte; a news-making loose cannon in stewart; plus our readers care a lot about gibbs.
and gibbs has won daytona--stunningly in his second year, with driver Dale Jarrett. i believe that was 1993, and it was a fabulous finish (not fearful of showing my age, i'll admit to covering it) in which DJ outdueled earnhardt coming out of turn 3 on last lap for the win. it was huge for GIbbs.
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Alexandria, Va.:
Hey, all you inside the Beltway fans/chatters -- where are you hiding? I just moved up here from Prince William County and so far I'm the only merchandise-wearing NASCAR fan I've seen. Do any bars up here show the races? It would be nice to meet up with some fellow fans up here.
Liz Clarke: I dont know if chat participants can chat with each other, but here's someone who wants to hook up:
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Washington, D.C.:
The Indian driver in F1 drives for Jordan, not Minardi. The Confederate flags should stay so at least some small link to NASCARS past. At least, you can tell what region of the country they're in. If it gets any more cookie cutter I'm outta here as well.
Liz Clarke: here is another take on the flag issue:
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Liz Clarke: just want to thank you all for the great questions and comments. it's time i tour the garage and see how the repair work is going on the 6 car. i thoroughly enjoyed the chat and wish all a great weekend, liz
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