Oh, we weave …
Let’s begin with the poor of us at Low cost Tires, which is headquartered in Phoenix, by the way in which.
The corporate’s Boys in Advertising had been in full lather as Ryan Blaney, carried by the Low cost Tires Ford, took the to safe a championship shot this coming weekend in … sure, Phoenix.
Their man wins in clutch vogue, simply as he did a yr in the past, and will get a shot to win NASCAR’s largest prize, simply as he did a yr in the past. And he did it sporting the Low cost Tire colours and, guess what, no person paid him a lot consideration.
YES, MORE VOTING
We’re into all this advertising and marketing speak for a few apparent causes. First, advertising and marketing budgets, within the type of race-team sponsorships, are the mom’s milk of a racing group.
And secondly, NASCAR itself depends closely on a strong advertising and marketing technique. However no technique can sandbag in opposition to the weirdness that engulfed the top of Martinsville and certain had a bunch of informal viewers asking, “You suppose halftime of the Lions-Packers recreation is over but?”
First Gear: NASCAR ‘pocket safety’ … Chevy version
I promise we’ll get to Christopher Bell ordering a Harvey Wallbanger, however first, the stuff informal followers or the random passerby would contemplate weird.
And it will assist if you happen to go forward and watch the tweeted video above first.
How concerning the wingman efforts by Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon for fellow Chevy pilot William Byron within the closing laps? It ranked someplace between Smokey and the Bandit’s freeway rocking chair and Secret Service element.
Granted, producer teammates routinely assist one another every time possible. Notably at Daytona and Talladega, the place drafting mates are key to getting up entrance and staying there. However this was completely different — a rolling wall of safety.
Byron was Chevy’s solely shot at a championship shot, they usually weren’t risking any Jack Ruby moments (do your individual analysis, and, sure, I’m being barely over-dramatic).
Mildly surprising to your aggressive senses? Effectively, subsequent got here Bubba Wallace’s hold-my-beer second.
Allegedly, after all.
Second Gear: Ross Chastain ruined it for Christopher Bell
Bell wanted to realize one other place. Bubba had one to present. Each males drive Toyotas.
What a time for Bubba to have one thing go haywire in his Camry. Somewhat lack of footing, up the monitor he goes, and there goes Bell to the within for the go.
Uh-oh, he couldn’t make it stick going into the nook. Slides excessive, to the wall, and like a cat doing the walk-and-rub on a settee entrance, he simply sticks there by the nook earlier than gathering himself and darting down the frontstretch.
Drawback is, two years in the past, after Ross the Boss pulled that stunt for practically all the final lap at Martinsville, such issues had been outlawed by NASCAR. And after listening to the potential for dangerous unintended penalties, they had been in all probability proper to banish it.
However as a supposed one-off, it was fairly a magnificence. Let’s evaluate …
But it surely reared its head in shorter type Sunday, to the replays they went, and upon additional evaluate, it’s Byron to the “last 4” (decrease case, quote marks, to keep away from NCAA trademark violations!).
Third Gear: NASCAR guidelines, after some time
NASCAR is listening to loads of gripes about how lengthy it took to evaluate issues and make the decision. Simply shy of a half-hour, in truth. It made for excellent TV drama, however gripers gotta gripe.
This isn’t grandpa’s NASCAR, simply because it isn’t grandpa’s NFL. Trendy tech provides officers the chance to evaluate and reset. In auto racing, it’s not only a visible replay, however precise in-car and on-track telemetry that may be reviewed to assist the Johnny Legislation construct a case.
And there’s certain to be extra to return, by the way in which, after an intensive dusting of prints on the automobiles of Bubba, Dillon and Chastain. Radio transmissions don’t vanish, both.
In the meantime, Ryan Blaney received! Did you hear? He received Race 35 final yr, too. Then received the Cup championship seven days later.
And not using a wingman!
Fourth Gear: Martinsville serves weak punch and F-bombs
If you happen to suppose Blaney was overshadowed, contemplate the fellas of Friday and Saturday racin’. It wasn’t for a scarcity of attempting, although.
Keep in mind, NASCAR’s Truck and Xfinity circuits additionally set their Remaining Fours (oops, “last fours”) this previous weekend, and man did it get saucy.
Friday, Tanner Grey wanted a win to advance to Phoenix with a shot on the Truck title. As an alternative he was crashed, completed twenty ninth, blamed Christian Eckes, and knew proper the place to seek out him, since Christian received the race. With the TV cameras and microphones on the scene, Tanner dropped sufficient F-bombs to empty the battery on the bleeper.
Saturday, it was Chandler Smith going after Cole Custer after the Xfinity race. That one ended with Chandler throwing a “punch,” which will get quote marks as a result of upon evaluate, I swear it would’ve been open-handed. And admittedly, it hardly packed the proverbial punch.
In comparison with that, Muhammad Ali’s proper hand to Sonny Liston in Lewiston was a George Foreman haymaker.
