Okay. Now it's time I offer some of my own thoughts based on impressions and my own experiences. Internet lingo I learned not too long ago is "TL;DR" (too long; didn't read). Well, prepare for another TLDR post...
--- Best Moments ---
* The Mudsummer Classic - if you call or consider yourself any motorsports enthusiast, even you have to love the Eldora experience. How everything was executed was just a thing of beauty. I think prior to that race, NASCAR's top series hasn't raced on a dirt track since 1970. It almost makes you wonder if maybe Nationwide and Cup would maybe try some dirt track action. I loved this. Even on Twitter, I said something along the lines of "if NASCAR was looking to save itself with some stunt, they just saved themselves with the Mudsummer Classic."
* Frank Kimmel's 10th Title - Frank Kimmel is one of my personal favorite drivers. This guy is king of ARCA much like Steve Kinser is king of the World of Outlaws. Congratulations to Frank Kimmel on his tenth title. If he isn't in somebody's Hall of Fame, he should be.
* Darrell Wallace Jr. Breaks Through - I was so proud watching Darrell Wallace Jr. get his first win when he won at Martinsville. "Bubba" Wallace is going to be a star of the future in my view. He may one day be as successful in his series as another Black racer in another series- James Stewart.
* The Death of P1-Level Sportscar Racing - After some thought, I think this is addition by subtraction as far as sportscar racing is concerned. Audi's domination of top-level sportscar racing and the USCR going with Daytona Prototypes and P2 machines as the highest class of racing there, I am not really going to miss those high-level prototypes. Or maybe this is in reference to the USCR not having these high-end prototypes as the highest class of the USCR.
* Ryan Villopoto - This guy is awesome. I am normally a fan of James "Bubba" Stewart in AMA Supercross, but Villopoto is just a winning machine.
* Tony Kannan's Indy Triumph - Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Tony Kannan finally won himself an Indy 500 after 11 previous tries. A win at Indy is a win at Indy- even with the race ending under caution as Dario Franchitti crashed out a few laps from the finish.
--- Worst Moments ---
Now for the sad moments that I can remember or comment on:
* Remembering Those We Lost - Jason Leffler, Maria de Villota, Allan Simonsen, Dick Trickle, and others who don't immediately come to mind for me.
* Remembering What We Lost - SPEED Channel - Even if SPEED wasn't absolutely perfect or absolutely approved in covering motorsports and celebrating automotive culture, it was the best we had before SPEED was sacrificed to FOX Sports 1. If you want a little salute from one of our own GTPlaneteers, let me share with you this video from
mi amigo bueno and fellow Texan,
RACECAR:
Rest in peace, Speedvision and SPEED Channel. Even worse than this sacrifice is SPEED Channel going from the TV home of automobile culture and being "The Motorsports Authority"... to a lowly blog on FOX Sports. SPEED's condemnation is just as sad as it no longer being on the air.
* NASCAR Trucks' Mosport Finish - The finish to the Trucks race at Mosport was great... until that final lap crash at about the last corner. This video offers a look at the finish:
* The Final Seasons of Grand-Am and the ALMS - Both series have provided incredible racing for each respective series. I especially loved the ALMS as a fan of traditional sportscar racing. I do still loved watching Grand-Am with some of the intense finishes.
* The ALMS Race at Baltimore - There was a massive crash that took a while to clear up on the streets of Baltimore. It was a terrible moment. One or two drivers interviewed voiced something along the line of, (indirect quote) "a big crash happened, and we lost a lot of time racing. It's bad for the fans and the drivers."
* Tony Stewart Out - I used to hate Tony Stewart a lot. But in recent years, I've grown respectful of him. You have to respect that he speaks his mind and doesn't care much about any reprecussions. Sadly during this year, he got injured and ended up being done for the year.
* Michael Waltrip Racing's Faux Pas - ...or to use a word I learned earlier today- MWR's asinine actions. I am talking about the intentional spinout by Clint Bowyer just to screw over the pace of the race. This incident was almost like NASCAR's version of the Tim Donaghy scandal in terms of fixing or screwing sporting events. This basically resulted in Jeff Gordon being added as a 13th contender while Ryan Newman was knocked out of the Chase. This basically gave my man Jeff Gordon a new lease on life. Too bad things didn't go very well for him to get his fifth Cup Championship.
* Dario Franchitti's Injury and Subsequent Retirement from Racing - Dario Franchitti suffered a brutal crash here in Houston earlier this year. The impact and the surgeries later resulted in doctors saying Dario should race no longer. I did make it sound like a eulogy about Dario, and I apologize; but it is sad seeing Dario's racing career end this way.
More of the MWR controversy detailed here:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/sto...ruex-jr-ryan-newman-jeff-gordon-090913#!olsie
* American TV Coverage of Motorsports - I am mostly talking about the end of Speed Channel and the lack of racing coverage outside of NBC Sports Network. My parents' Dish package doesn't include NBC Sports Network. I would GLADLY trade Universal Sports Network with NBC Sports Network so I can see more racing action like the IndyCar Series, World Challenge, and F1. Never have I been more out of touch with racing news on TV than in recent times. SPEED's sacrifice to FOX Sports 1 left a huge hole in me in following motorsports. I still feel mostly displaced TV-wise since SPEED became FOX Sports 1.
--- Neutral/Indifferent ---
Here are a few details of 2013 I've been a bit indifferent about.
* Danica Needs More Experience - I love Danica Patrick. Always have- ever since first hearing of her in Toyota Atlantics. I just think she needs more grooming in the NASCAR ranks. Maybe one more season in Nationwide. As much as I like Danica and with all due respect, the pool of talent in Cup is much too deep for Danica. Regardless, I think she'll get better. Trouble is... can she at least be a contender and a consistent contender?
--- Looking Ahead... ---
Here are things I wonder in the future...
* Continued Growth of Global Rallycross Championship - I have to admit... once I started finally seeing some of the Global Rallycross Championship, I started to follow it a bit more. It can be much better and with some greater competition. I do wonder how much further this deal can go.
* Winning the Big One? - Kurt Busch can win all these races... but somehow isn't good enough to be champion.
* USCR... For Better or Worse? - GT/Sportscar/Endurance racing has been a style of racing I've always enjoyed more than any other. Getting to see it on TV was sad for me in the past because I needed (then) Speedvision to see the great events. The ALMS changed that when I saw highlights on NBC, CNBC, and even CBS. All I can hope for is that United SportsCar Racing continues what the ALMS and Grand-Am started. On top of that, can there be further evolution of sportscar racing in North America?
* Formula E Championship - As a motorsports enthusiast, I actually am quite interested in this championship... while most others wish something like this die a quick and painless death. A number of teams like ABT Sportsline and Super Aguri will make up some of the different teams to take on this championship.
* The IndyCar Series Road Course Race at Indy - Some like the idea; some loathe the idea. I usually call May as "May Madness" because of all the fanfare and action leading up to the Indy 500. May is going to have the road course race around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in addition to the Indy 500 itself. I am a bit indifferent on two races at Indy for the IndyCar Series, but to each his/her own.
And those are some of my thoughts on 2013 based on action I can recall. I may add more thoughts or replies in future posts.
