Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Headin' to Indy

At-track reporting, live chats with drivers and live updates on the ol' Twitter feed -- that's all on the plate for this weekend's NASCAR festivities in Indianapolis. FH writers Holly Cain and Geoffrey Miller will both be trackside for all your Allstate 400 coverage. Come on back, y'all.

Is it not amazing how bold NASCAR and their spokesman Ramsey Poston have been about the Jeremy Mayfield saga? One would think it would be in their best interest to go into "no comment" mode about the ugly situation, instead of consistently adding ~~meth~~ fuel to the fire.

Perhaps they need to be reminded that in the court of public opinion, no one wins -- and that goes for Mayfield, too.

This weekend's race won't be the Allstate 400 @ the Brickyard if you're not one of souls in the stands of the 2.5-mile motorsports mecca that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The reasoning for that is simple, and falls directly on the ol' greenback: Allstate Insurance Co. didn't pay ESPN, or its parent Disney, for the broadcast rights to Sunday's race.

As a result, television viewers will be hearing Jerry Punch say "Max Papis WINS the Brickyard 400 presented by Golden Corral!"

OK, OK... Papis might be a longshot, but the race name with the all-you-can-eat restaurant chain attached to it is the God's honest truth. Unfortunately, the race will end around dinner time on the east coast, leaving millions of buffet lovers out in the cold until at least Monday.

Danica Patrick said this week that F1 is not an option she's thinking about for 2010.

"I've had opportunities to take it a step further with Formula One, and I don't want to lead anyone down a path," said Patrick. "It's not in my heart to go there."

At the sound of that, some guy in Vegas who dropped $5 on the 1 in a million shot of that happening thought "Hmm...darn."

Realistically, I expect to see Danica in a red car -- an IndyCar, that is -- with a few dabbles in stock car racing to boot. And for those of you who deny she's got talent? It might be time to realize that she's been the most consistent driver at the stumbling and bumbling IndyCar outfit that is Andretti-Green Racing.

Back to NASCAR...

The tire debacle of last year at IMS has had a great impact on the track's attendance for this year's race -- even though the private facility never, ever releases attendance figures. That fact is made most clear with the sheer volume of radio and television advertising going on right now in the Indianapolis market.

Of course, the inflated prices of NASCAR tickets in general as well as this beautiful economic climate have made it a rough go for every NASCAR track in 2009.

For a measure of how bad the situation is in general, picture this: Bristol Motor Speedway has been running radio ads in the Indianapolis market for over a month now touting available seats for the coming Sprint Cup night race at the track.

In prior years, Bristol has been more of a sure-fire sellout than any of those bands you've come to despise.

Wrapping this up, the coverage for this week's race by us FanHouser's hopes to be plenty good. We'll have some interesting articles both before and after the race, so be sure to come on back for plenty of coverage from the Brickyard. And hey, if you've got a suggestion, just leave it in the comments below.

Practice starts Friday afternoon. See ya then.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

7-22-2009 @ 12:27AM

James said...

ESPN has got to cut the crap with the wallace love fest.steven wallace does not belong in a race car,he wrecks his stuff,wrecks other drivers then blames everything but himself.It is wrong that there were no onboard cameras at the end of the last Nationwide race because the wallace crew had wreckewd everything in site.And when little steven was having his hissy fit the ESPN crew just sat there and said very little when they should have had the balls to be reporters.the wallaces need to go,do your job ESPN!

7-22-2009 @ 3:50AM

nzcr14 said...

OH NO JEFFERY HEINEKEN. AIAIAIAI IT'S the other beer, MILLER SORRYYY.......Anyhoo, it's very appropriate for RAMSEY MORTON to spit as much as he can about the j METHFIELD SAGA,so other drivers or crews will GET IT AND DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT MESSING WITH DRUGS,while or before they hit the tracks.KUDOS TO MORTON AND NAZCAR;i have to disagree with you about the no comment way.
DANICA PATRICK HAS BEEN THE BEST PERFORMER AT ANDRETTI GREEN; sure she has, but you forgot to say; SHE HAS ALSO BEEN THE BEST WOMAN DRIVER OF OUR TIMES TOO.
THE TIRE PROBLEM AT INDYANAPOLIS???
WELL, JEFF GORDON AND TONY STEWART HAVE BEEN TESTING THE TIRES FOR INDY. BOTH SAID the problem has been fixed. SHALL BE A THING OF THE PAST NOW.
50 LAPS OR LESS in to next sunday race and we will all know too for sure, so lets wait and watch.
works for me...

7-22-2009 @ 11:44PM

Susan said...

I don't think Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart would place their credibility on the line about the Goodyear tires.

Poston hasn't really responded since Mayfield accused his stepmother of murder, or the Al Capone comment, or diluting urine. He's self-destructing all by himself.

I agree with Kim about Kyle Busch. Rick Reilly wrote an article today about Tiger Wood's behaviour at The Open. There is no excuse for his actions AND I feel it's ruining Nascar. I can't be the only Nascar fan that turns Nascar off because of Kyle.

7-23-2009 @ 1:41AM

WELL SUSAN,I don't think i will turn the TV OFF when nazcar is on exspecially now when STEWART has been doing so good and the CHASE CRAP is coming shortly, but WHAT HAS BEEN A MOVIE PLAY about me smashing the KYLIE might become a reality and that will be the first time ever I DUMP A DRIVER.
ALL KYLIE FANS shall begin to pull for the 20 joey lognut. It has become ASHAME TO pull for a sissy baby scumbag,even though he is a damn good driver.

DEJ HAS TESTED THE INDY TIRES TOO. HE ALSO SAYS THEY ARE ALRIGHT, NOW.

WHO, DO YOU MEAN IS SELF DESTRUCTING HIMSELF?
methfield or morton?
my take, U mean NORTON, cause he probably diluted the urine in the independent tests.SURE,at a private lab the nurse or any doc is not going to seat there and watch patients do it in a cup unlike nazcar has the choice to do and won't be invasion of privacy as would be in an independent lab.
works for me...

7-22-2009 @ 7:59AM

illsell4u said...

Expect a "competition caution" after about 30 laps this week so they can inspect the tires just to be sure. and once again we can expect a green, white, checkered finish this week as well. There is nothing like scripted racing.
mbl

7-22-2009 @ 10:57AM

Kim said...

I have very little hope that I will be watching a true competetive race this year at the Brickyard thanks to last year's debacle. Goodyear would have had to come an extremely long way to make this year's race better and I hope I am wrong, but I just don't see how that could have happened in just one short year.

I agree with Mike....there will be a competetion yellow thrown after the first 25 to 30 laps depending on if the drivers haven't caused a true caution yet. And I too expect a green-white-checkered finish. There is nothing more disappointing than that! And here starts the crappy coverage that is ESPN, the only broadcast network that is worse than TNT! Please bring back Fox or NBC! TNT and ESPN suck. Expect to have at least one if not two baseball or NASCAR races interrupted by one another this season. Ugh!!!

Kim

7-22-2009 @ 1:50PM

gregsachiko said...

Well, looks like I now have to understand everything about engines in the IRL, Indy and Nascar because I am being relocated back to the States (California) TRD headquarters in Orange County...sigh. The other guy could not hack it, so we are rotating positions.

Now I'll be with MORE nut cases out there, BUT I'll be with my brothers alot more. Closer to my home state. Be awhile before I talk to you because I got to be there by 8/10.

have a great summer and stay positive

Greg-san

7-22-2009 @ 1:59PM

Look up Brad when you get there.

7-23-2009 @ 7:06PM

Brad said...

Well I sure as hell can't argue with you on that one Greg, trust me there are plenty of 'Cases' to go around out here in Ca. and Orange county has it's share. You will be close to the Fontana track ( sorry it's a boring race ) and not more than a 4 to five hour drive to the Vegas or Phoenix tracks.

Aloha, Brad

7-22-2009 @ 2:04PM

Affirmative Mike!
Will do

Greg-san

7-22-2009 @ 4:28PM

prostockerone said...

Nasscar is great to watch on the TV, but the true racing in this world is Drag Racing ! You get one chance and if you lose ur on the trailer headed home or to the next race. Your not given several chances, be Yellow Flag, or 200 to 600 laps to make up your chance to win. Drag racing you only get the ONE CHANCE, if you lose you on the trailer !!

7-22-2009 @ 4:49PM

obamaizamarxist said...

Roger that. Love my girl Ashley Force..

7-22-2009 @ 7:53PM

How big of fools and idiots are Nascar officials and owners look like if they are the ones to be wrong on the mayfield drug deal, especially as hard as they have pushed this thing and as verbal as they have been about it. I was against Mayfield when the news came out but if Nascar is wrong Mayfield will be the new owner of Nascar. They are rightfully concerned if Mayfield is found guilty and Justified, yet they don't say much about that idiot Busch (Kyle) and how much he is tarnishing Nascar's creditibility when he throws his temper tantrums. Hope Kyle doesn't ever win another race. He gives Nascar a black eye more than Mayfield.

7-22-2009 @ 9:17PM

THERE YOU GO MIKE......... another FAN that is all for GETTING READY OF KYLIE BUSH.As soon as you take over BRIAN HITLER JOB, GO FOR A.S.A.P.
KYLE BUSH restricted to trucks and nationwide race.
And besides the movie play i mentioned in the other file, i really have been thinking of substituding him with J LOGNUTS.At very lest there is an 18 old that acts like a man and NOT A SISSY, BABY, PUNK!!!!!.And he has ZINFANDEL as his tutor, another plus.

ON FOX NEWS TONIGHT; A NAZCAR DRIVER BEING RIPPED OFF A BIG SUM OF MONEY.
Just heard on a FOX PREVIEV announcement.They did not say who the driver is, but will tonight FOX NEWS 10 pm east coast 7 pm west coast i guess.

7-22-2009 @ 10:23PM

I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAY TESTOSTERONE 8 but i think
DRAG RACING IS BORING RACING AND ENDS TO QUICK but i like the rocket fast pick up those cars have.
However had RON been around he would bless your words 100%.he is a drag racer.
U are not RON are U?

7-23-2009 @ 1:45AM

OOPS SUSAN, MY TAKE, YOU MEAN METHFIELD.
I screwed up and said NORTON.

7-23-2009 @ 2:41AM

Yeah, I meant Mayfield. For the record, I saw 3 scabs on his face during ESPN's footage from yesterday.

I just heard another TV interview that JM just gave. He said Mikey, Carl Edwards and I can't remember the 3rd driver he named defended him. I find it hard to believe! Especially Mikey, he is pro-Nascar always.

I am not a KB fan. I don't turn him off in Sprint Cup races (unless I DVR the race). I listen to the driver radios and follow Twitter so he doesn't bother me too much. When KB gets discouraged on the radio, it's hilarious and not approved for children eating M & M's. :)

7-23-2009 @ 4:34AM

YEAH SUSAN the other drivers most be HATEWARDS(always looks like he is on something.
MIKEY, if ya mean M. WALLPAPER, DAMN I MEAN wal mart
I DOUBT.WALTRIP seems a nazcar lawyer all the time
and he looks pretty normal.JM, is lieing again if he said MW. The 3rd driver; my guess, REED SORRYNSON
or DAVID GREMME.Everytime i seen them here in fans appearance SORRYNSON looked like he was on coke.HIS EYES ALWAYS RED,CONSTANT SNORTING HIS NOSE,constantly on the move like he had parkinson desease.STREPPE looked hi on weed, but do not take this for sure.i ONLY SAW THEM CLOSE ONCE /TWICE.
IF NAZCAR WINS THIS METHF. CASE I DOUBT ANY OTHER DRIVER IT'S going ever drive HI anymore.
The 3 SCABS, you saw on METHFIELD FACE. LOL, he most burned his face while cooking METHS,LOL.

7-23-2009 @ 6:52PM

Anna, Is it ok if I email you about something? I have a question. It may not be today because I have a migraine and it's getting worse!!! Thanks.

7-23-2009 @ 10:00AM

Just to clarify....the "Kim" at number 12 is not me.

I don't "hate" Kyle Busch. I do find him somewhat entertaining at times. I think he is extremely immature and needs to learn some respect and needs to grow up. That being said, he is extremely talented. I have to agree with Susan though. I have talked about this before as well. I am tired of listening to non-stop Kyle Busch goo-goo gah-gah fests by whomever is covering the race. If he's in the lead, that's one thing. But he hasn't even been running all that well the past few races and yet it's still Kyle Busch this, Kyle Busch that. It's as bad as it used to be about poor Jr. I am starting to wonder if they are going to report on when Kyle takes a dump, (sorry, that was crass....but seriously enough already).

As a mother to a young son that adores Kyle Busch (mostly because he drives that awesome looking M&M's car), I think Joe Gibbs and K. Busch need to realize that Kyle has a responsibility to his fans and to his sponsor to display a more positive attitude. I can't believe that M&M's wants their poster child to continuously have tantrums on and off the track.

JMO, of course.

Kim