Another good race is in the can.
Geez, I love Pocono. Probably not so much if I had to sit in the stands, but at home with the TV it’s always a pleasure – even without the chaos of this particular race.
Adam Alexander proved to be the pro that the MRN audience has come to expect – some TNT technical glitches notwithstanding.
I love rain delays. They provide the opportunity to learn the nuances and history of the particular sport you’re watching without having to read every book ever written on the subject. Some of my favorite memories (and a good portion of my sports knowledge) came from listening to Jack Brickhouse and Harry Caray filling time during the rain, reminiscing about or interviewing people about tales of the sport.
Speaking of rain: 6.6.82, Bobby Allison, @ Long Pond with 41 laps to go, gambled on the rain and almost lost. With a push from Dave Marcis, Bobby was able to make the pits and refuel and win. Dave thought it was the gentleman thing to do though it cost him sponsorship from the owner of the car that otherwise would have won the race.
6.7.81: At College Station, TX, apparently with with too few cars (including backups) and fewer drivers, Kirk Shelmerdine drove his first Cup race. After two laps he quit. Unlike today, when he quit his status was officially classified as “Quit”.
If Ned were in the booth, we’d know what’s up with Larry Hedrick.
P.S. I used to post this stuff on 3 sites via “copy and paste”, but it seems Nascar.com has disabled that function. Anyone have the same problem?
Ref: racing-reference.info, Greg Fielden’s “Forty Years of Stock Car Racing”, Richard Sowers’ “The Complete Statistical History of Stock-Car Racing”.
