11/21/2007
PAVEMENT NOTES: 11/21/07
by Walt Stubbs
It’s been some time since my byline has made these pages and my
apologies to those who usually read this space. Much has gone on
since my last column, some two and a half months ago. Donny Lia
wound up capturing the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Championship in
convincing fashion as the Tour finished off one of its worst years
ever. Much can be attributed to that, starting with the death of one
of its own, John Blewett III and ending with Lia clinching the
championship before the final race was even run at Thompson. In
between you had a Tour that was reeling with the loss of its public
relations director, Mark Mockovak, the reduction of car counts,
FLASH races, and finally, not the greatest year of racing that the
Tour has seen since its inception in 1985.
You put that all together and that pretty much explains my
absence at any of the Tour races since Blewett’s death. As someone
who has followed the modifieds since the age of five and who has
covered the Tour since 1986, I can honestly say something was
missing from this year’s Tour. I’m not exactly sure what, but it’s a
safe bet that it starts in the quality of racing that was put on by
this edition of modified drivers. Way to many cautions ruled the day
at most of the races and it’s a theme that has been on the Tour for
the last few years. Call it a lack of experience or maybe a lack of
respect for each other but whatever the cause, it didn’t lead to
much side by side racing that the Tour used to put on for its loyal
fans. Maybe some of that can be attributed to some of the drivers
who are not looking at the Tour as a place to run for any length of
time, but instead, as a pitstop before heading somewhere else in
hopes of catching a break and going down south to run with the big
boys. Some will say that’s being going on forever, with the likes of
Jimmy Spencer, Brett Bodine, Mike McLaughlin, Greg Sacks, Jeff
Fuller and Steve Park all making the jump down south. What was
different then compared with now is that all of those drivers were
established in the modified division for some time before leaving
the division. The same can’t be said of today’s drivers, who seem to
be more concerned with there resumes than car set ups and the race
at hand. Of course, that’s not just the Tour’s problem but one that
has spread to all of the racing divisions, including Cup. What ever
happened to some of the characters who used to roam the pits, guys
like Dick Trickle, Tom Baldwin, Richie Evans and Jimmy Spencer, to
name a few. In some ways, racing has become too corporate, which
isn’t good for the fan who looks to get away from the corporate
world for a few hours so they can be entertained. Whatever the case,
the Tour was missing something and NASCAR needs to do something to
get it back on track. And if NASCAR doesn’t want to or feel the need
to, then those who do care, the loyal owners, fans, tracks, and
drivers need to look at an alternative route to bring back the
division to what it once was.
On that note, it appears that NASCAR might be trying to link
the old with the new by having all its past living modified
champions on hand at the Tour banquet, which will be held once again
at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut in December. While it’s a nice
gesture, will it merely be just a facade by NASCAR to make people
think that they do care about its oldest division and are planning
to do more to make it a better product? If past history has shown us
anything when it comes to NASCAR and the Tour, most of you reading
this should already know the answer.
There are already signs that things might not get any better
concerning the Tour in 2008. There are swirlings that legendary car
owner Bob Garbarino, finally capturing a championship with driver
Donny Lia, might be calling it quits. There are also rumors of other
teams leaving the Tour or combining forces with other teams, which
could lead to less car counts than more. That’s something the Tour
doesn’t need now. It needs more quality teams to come aboard but
that’s hard when you have a division where most, if not all the
teams, lose money versus making any. It also needs a quality
schedule, without FLASH races or if so, FLASH races that pay a lot
better purse. There are some rumors out there that we could see
Chemung, Spencer and IRP back on the schedule. That’s a good thing,
because the Tour needs to be more than Stafford and Thompson. It
needs tracks in Upstate New York as much as it does in New England.
I’ve always been a proponent of returning to IRP and never
understood how NASCAR’s only open wheel division doesn’t race during
the week of the Brickyard in an area where open wheel racing is
king. Of course, the Tour could use a public relations director to
answer many of these questions on behalf of NASCAR but no
replacement has been named since Mockovak left over four months ago.
Not a good sign. The banquet should provide some answers of the
Tour’s future but again, being NASCAR, that’s never a certainty. It
all leads to much more questions than answers, which if you are a
fan of the Tour, is not a good sign. Hopefully, I will be wrong. If
I am, I will be the first one in line when the 2008 season begins.
If not, it will be interesting to see how many come out to support
the Tour, including yours truly.
All views and news can reach me at 2 Constitution Court, Unit
501 Hoboken, N.J. 07030 where we are wondering, Whatever happened to
Marty Radewick?
THE END
Source: Walt
Stubbs/TheChromeHorn.com
Posted:
November 21, 2007 |