The Brickyard Wrap Up
I watched the end of the race on line on YouTube. It looked very similar to the 2015 Brickyard end. Kyle Busch easily took the checkered flag but with Matt Kenseth rather than Joey Lagano in the runner up position. Toyota engines finished one and two. Busch led 149 of 170 laps after taking the pole. There were 8 yellow caution lights. Quite frankly, it was not a memorable race. Lagano tried to make a late run but the last crash and restart ended that bid. Lagano finished 7th. Danica Patrick finished 22, a lap down. Unfortunately, Danica’s novelty as a female driver has worn off and her limitations as a driver in NASCAR can’t be glossed over anymore. Since she lost her GoDaddy sponsorship she just isn’t drawing interest.
They are already calling this the race that no one saw. In 2015 the attendance was around 70,000. This year it may have been less then 50,000. Scalpers are claiming they couldn’t get face value for tickets and many were apparently left holding too many unsold tickets. The word for the race from fans and media was that it was HOT! Damn hot, oppressively hot, well you get the idea. If the heat is what the fans came away with after the race rather then excitement or satisfaction, you know your event is in serious trouble. The competition was described as underwhelming. It was Busch’s race all the way.
It was billed as the last race for both Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Both Hoosier legends have been a major part of the Brickyard 400 story. Stewart ran in the top ten until a pit stop violation cost him a lap penalty. He finished 11th. The most memorable moment of the race and maybe in the 2016 Sprint Cup season was Stewart and Gordon crushing side by side on their final lap of Brickyard competition. It was a moment for the ages. Gordon was filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. who is recovering from injuries. Apparently Earnhardt may be unavailable a while longer but there is no word on whether or not Gordon will continue to fill in for him.
The complaint from drivers and crews about the Speedway track is that it’s too narrow for NASCAR style passing and the turns are not banked enough for safe positioning. The Speedway wants to adjust the track and that’s what the big money they are borrowing from the state is supposed to be for. They are also planning to add high intensity lighting so that the race can be run under cooler nighttime conditions. All the Sprint Cup races have seen a decline in attendance and TV viewer ratings but none more dramatic than the Brickyard. Once the 400 was second only to Daytona in attendance and interest — it’s now dead last in both. If it doesn’t get a shot in the arm soon it could become extinct.
Indiana Fever Black Lives Matter Demonstration
The Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, and New Yew York Liberty and their players were all fined by the WNBA because of players wearing solid black practice shirts during pregame warmups on July 16. The teams were fined $5,000 and the players fined $500 for dress code violations. The players were showing support for Black Lives Matter. Fever guard Briann January said “It’s not about race. It’s about spreading love and care.”
The WNBA later rescinded the fine. It was the first time the Fever and Liberty players had worn the black shirts.
Fever Olympians
Indiana Fever players Tamika Catchings and Natalie Achonwa will be competing in the Rio Olympic Games. Tamika will play for the USA Women’s team and Achonwa for the Canadian women’s team. We wish both teams gold medal success.
snicewanger@yahoo.com