NASCAR 2008 wrap-up podcast available

My last podcast for the 2008 season is now available on iTunes (search "Caution Laps") or click here.

Vickers Penalty at Martinsville

This is a consolidation effort from my previous blog site.

The original post date was Thursday, October 23, 2008.

In response to NASCAR's penalty for Brian Vickers #83 Toyota Red Bull team, David Poole of Sirius satellite radio's "The Morning Drive" program on channel 128, stated that he would also include hefty penalties for the sponsor of a team found in violation of NASCAR rules. Poole stated at 7:28 am this morning, that if he had his way, a race team found in violation of NASCAR rules would be parked for one race (along with other various point deductions, suspensions, etc.) and the sponsor would not be allowed to host any hospitality or participate in that race weekend in any way.

Well, somebody is trying to bite the hand that feeds them. You cannot hold the actions of a race team against a sponsor. Sponsorship is the driving force of this sport we love. Sponsors pay good money to these race teams to get their names on the cars and when a team is penalized and points are taken the profile and visibility of that sponsor may be lessened, which is a huge blow to a sponsor. Television doesn't discuss too much, those teams outside of the top 15 or so in points.

Along with being a major sponsor comes some benefits like being able to host hospitality events at the tracks for their customers. Poole would have them locked out and bleeding cash because they can't host cool events for their VIP clients because the race team they are associated with had a rules infraction the week before. And to punish the race team, you must alienate the pocketbook that keeps food in the race team’s mouths and keeps NASCAR alive. The idea of sponsorship lockout is insane.

If Kasey Kahne's #9 Budweiser dodge had a rules infraction; no Bud could be sold or consumed that weekend at the track? If Kevin Harvick's #29 Shell Chevy broke some rules; nobody with Shell gasoline in their tanks would be able to drive their car to the track? Poole needs to remember that sponsorship build the sport that he makes a living off of. Leave the sponsors out of it.

NASCAR is doing a fine job of being judge, jury and executioner. They haven’t forgotten what’s gotten them here.

Britney Spears? Didn't "Chinese Democracy" get released this past week?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have reserved the right to refocus the subject matter of this blog during NASCAR's off-season. Since Jimmie Johnson nailed down the title a few weeks back, I really haven't felt the need to address any of the issues facing NASCAR. The testing ban, teams merging/folding and the advent of Stewart-Haas Racing all have been diligently covered in traditional media and the blogosphere.  So I'm leaving the track for now to take a look at a matter of pop-culture that is puzzling me. Axl Rose releases Chinese Democracy, the most anticipated rock record of all-time, and Rolling Stone magazine's comeback cover story is...Britney Spears! 

Rolling Stone! The music magazine of record, puts TMZ Princess Britney Spears on the cover and not the real comeback story: Axl Rose and the 13 year Guns N' Roses odyssey. I've had my beef with Rolling Stone in the past: leaving Mike McCready off the list of the top 100 rock guitarists, giving Tool's masterpiece 10,000 Days 3-and-a-half stars (the same score they gave to Britney's new album Circus), and having Barack Obama featured on the cover 3 times in the last 9 months, but this is ridiculous. How much did Jive Records pay to have this story done? RS—I've questioned your integrity before, now I know you are all in bed with a marketing blowup doll.

I suggest Rolling Stone include themselves in their standing feature "With us/Against us" and place themselves as far to the right as possible. You are the bubblegum pushers. You've poisoned what's real and forgotten the proletariat that made you.