It Was A Joke

The Brickyard 400 wasn’t a race. It was a joke. NASCAR’s arrogance, callousness and disregard for the drivers’ concerns about the faults of the CoT cost them dearly this time.
And it seems that Tony Stewart’s opinion about Goodyear’s product was right on target. I can’t believe that Goodyear and NASCAR wouldn’t hold an open test for such an important race; you can bet they won’t make that mistake again.
Maybe the race teams should have boycotted the race, like their F-1 colleagues did at the same place a few years ago.
On another note, Michael Waltrip should retire. All he ever does anymore is crash.
Douglas M. Alborn
Tucson, Ariz.

Safety Was Breached

After watching the NASCAR Indy race — I guess it was a race; I have never seen one like that in all my years — I think NASCAR needs to rethink its approach to safety.
I personally think the every 10-lap competition cautions were not enough to ensure the safety of the competitors. I also realize NASCAR has commitments to the fans and sponsors, but safety in general was breached.
A couple of years back, many of the Formula One racers boycotted the race at Indy and only six cars took to the track. The NASCAR drivers should have done that as well. I am very glad that nobody was hurt. If anybody had been hurt, NASCAR would have more than egg on its face.
Mike Hale
Newport, R.I.

Seeing Red Over Yellows

The Brickyard 400 should have been called the Yellow Flag 400. Indianapolis Motor Speedway should receive a public apology from Goodyear and NASCAR. Also, one to the fans who attended the event and the racing fans in general. NASCAR should have sent the boss out and not one of the hired hands to make the post-race statements.
I was there in 1969 when Richard Petty led the drivers, who wanted to race and not make a show out of Talladega. The tires lasted about 10 laps on that day and Bill France, Sr. was quoted that he wanted them to put on a show and not race too hard. Is that racing and what the fans pay for?
Goodyear must make some serious decisions to make a safe tire and get their act together or get out of racing altogether. Remember Atlanta?
Derek Daly of Channel 8 in Indianapolis put it best in his post-race show, “This was an exhibition.”
I could not believe on Speed that Kenny Wallace and Jimmy Spencer said it was a very good race and the finish was exciting. Brad Daugherty of ESPN said it was not a race but nothing more than Saturday night heat races. These guys at Speed should be replaced. They are just broken-down former race-car drivers.
The fans deserve more than what NASCAR and Goodyear brought to the track. Put NASCAR’s Mike Helton and (Brian) France on the stand in front of reporters Jim Pedley, David Poole and Monte Dutton and grill them.
We don’t need any more yellow-flag races this year.
Jim Schmitt
Liberty, Mo.

Embarrassment For All

My wife and I were in attendance at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, and it was an embarrassment not only to the race sponsor and race-team sponsors, but also to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and, most importantly, to all the race fans who spent the money ($75-$150 or more per ticket plus travel and hotel and time) to attend.
NASCAR’s mandated and poorly conceived CoT for all teams appears to be a continuing problem for the teams to figure out as well as Goodyear. This CoT race car, which reportedly overloads right-side tires more than ever) also no longer represents any production-style cars currently marketed by manufacturers in the U.S. and now no longer offers any justifiable reasons for cash-strapped auto manufacturers to continue involvement in NASCAR.
The only differences among all the CoT race cars are the decals on each car, the engines and the drivers.
Tire issues had already surfaced in previous events this year with the CoT. However, NASCAR’s penchant to micromanage all aspects of not only the races, the CoT, Goodyear’s tire selection and the decision not to hold an open test at Indy where these tire issues could have been uncovered, appears to have caught up with them.
Fortune 500 companies may now even need to revisit their involvement with NASCAR given these recent events. And what about the race fan? Will NASCAR offer free tickets to them for next year’s event as Michelin did for Indy F-1 fans following the tire fiasco in 2005? Will NASCAR apologize to these fans for a situation that was preventable with proper management and planning that any major company would be expected to exhibit?
These issues and comments were also discussed at length on Indianapolis TV stations following the race. Time will tell how NASCAR handles this situation.
Paul Anton
Dearborn Heights, Mich.

CoT Among Problems

NASCAR’s CoT and NHRA Funny Cars have two things in common — they’re both ugly and neither one will turn.
Now that GM, Ford and Dodge are cutting back and Sprint is in financial trouble, it looks like NASCAR will have to dig into its own pocket.
Since NASCAR has become the No. 4 auto maker with the CoT, it can just turn out clone cars, call it IROC and pay Jay for the use of the name.
Brian France is in that river in Egypt (denial): There are NO problems. Take a look at the empty grandstands. He blames it on high gasoline prices. Wrong. A serious fan will find a way. Put the blame where it belongs — the CoT and the worst racing in NASCAR history.

Hmiel Deserves Break

After reading Vickie Kibble’s diatribe against Shane Hmiel, I felt compelled to write. I for one feel that maybe this man deserves a chance to redeem himself. There are many millions of people that have been demonized by addiction and have overcome it. Give the guy a break.
As for more deserving drivers being out there and Mr. Hmiel being offered rides through nepotism? So what? Do you actually think that racing dynasties pick their offspring as drivers because they are the best available?
People are human. They make mistakes. Unless you have walked a mile in this man’s shoes, I suggest you keep you keep it to yourself.
Wes Hutchinson
Casper, Wy.

Appeal For Crown Car

This is an appeal to USAC’s Kevin Miller and car designer Bruce Ashmore, who are in charge of building the dirt champ cars into the new Gold Crown Series. I assume the design of the cars has already been decided upon, but just in case, please remember we want to see the drivers, not down-tube bars.
More importantly, please read Dave Argabright’s biography of Chris Economaki, page 207:
“There has never been a rear-engine car built that approached the roadster in terms of beauty. Roadsters were a piece of art, they looked beautiful sitting still.”
That applies to what last year’s terrible Silver Crown cars looked like. Even if it’s a non-functional decal that resembles the rounded grills of the old dirt champ cars, it brings back some of the old glory.
You won’t get new fans if us old timers don’t show up with our kids and grandkids. That’s how we became lovers of the front-engine champ cars. With the aerodynamic hoods of modern sprints and midgets, I almost don’t have the appeal for them I’ve had for 50 years. If a rounded nose is made mandatory, no one will have an advantage.
I don’t go to Perris, Ventura, Springfield and DuQuoin to see speed records set in qualifying. I want to see side-by-side racing and passes, even if it’s three seconds a lap slower.
Gary Brody
Palmdale, Calif.

Tony’s Trouble

I see that Tony Stewart’s at it again, yanking the headset off an official and then shoving another official when he tried to leave the scene and was blocked. This time it was a USAC event, which will lead, most likely, to him not attending any more USAC events. But rather than accept the media’s take on this, examine why it happened.
It seems that last-second repairs to one of his cars were deemed too late for re-entrance into the event. I do not know the reality of that finding. If it were possible for the car to enter the track without endangering other competitors, why not? If that was the case, it seems another case of random officiating, which NASCAR has been lately known for and over which the CART series was formed (remember the 1981 Indy 500 fiasco?).
But I guess what you have to ask yourself is: WWFD? Indeed, what would A.J. Foyt have done in his heyday? I would say that official is lucky it is 2008 instead of 1968.
Larry De Cicco
Evergreen, Colo.

Danica Right This Time

With regard to the Danica-Milka confrontation, all I can say is that Danica was completely correct in her assessment — Milka Duno is a threat to everyone on the track.
During the recent IRL race at Nashville, I monitored the communications between Milka and her crew during every practice period and qualifying and can flatly state that Milka has absolutely no business being on a race track. She has no understanding of race-car dynamics and is unable to understand and communicate what the car is doing on track.
During the practice sessions, her crew was literally pleading with her to tell them what the car was doing, and she could not. Part of the problem may be her inability to communicate technical terms in English, but her major problem is that she hasn’t got a clue.
The IRL would be doing everyone a favor if they just sent her back down to Indy Lights and leave her there.
George Bristol
Cookeville, Tenn.

About The Anthem

Over the years, I have heard many bad and a few good renditions of our national anthem. The best national-anthem performance I have ever enjoyed was from the trumpeter Jesse McGuire at Phoenix Int’l Raceway. His music makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck and makes me proud to be an American.
Fortunately at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska, we have a very good singer. Stan Cisar, Jr. is also the track announcer. His good performances week after week deserve to be acknowledged. We appreciate his fine work.
Doug Rasmussen
Omaha, Neb.

How To Slow Down

If the NHRA wants to slow down its fuel cars, I have a suggestion — restrictor plates.
An engine is just an air pump. The more air it pumps through it, the more power it makes. Restrict the air, and you reduce the power. Why do engines make less power at altitude? No air.
They have mandated gear ratios, fuel percentages and rev-limiters with limited success. A simple plate between the injector and the blower would eliminate the need for any other restrictions. When the crew chiefs start overcoming the plate’s restriction with turning and by reducing aerodynamic down force and drag (and they will), the NHRA can just issue smaller plates for the next race.
Plate size could be adjusted to keep the speeds around 300 miles per hour. Less power would also save a significant amount of money by reducing the strain on everything from engines and clutches to tires and chassis and by using less fuel.
Richard Hansen
Kanab, Utah