NASCAR TV Analyst Larry McReynolds Asks for Positive Coverage,

As long as they cut Pocono in half, I don't care.

 

That was one of ESPN: The Magazine's suggestions last year. They said that the long races are a relic from an era in which cars were more fragile and endurance was more of a factor in the race. Now it's just a parade until it's go time near the end.

They also said that Sprint Cup and Nationwide series drivers should not overlap, something I have always said because I think it dilutes the sport. NASCAR won't go all the way with that - but this year, they are at least prohibiting guys from accumulating points in both series. It's a start.

 

There was no shortage of stories when NASCAR was selling out every event they dropped a green flag on years back. No shortage of stories of how the demographic of the sport had changed. And NASCAR couldn't be happier.

So, if you want your name in the paper when you throw a touchdown pass, I'm gonna put it in there when you throw an interception, too.

Writers aren't writing this INSTEAD of a game story. Folks are churning out far more copy than they used to, and this is just yet another thing that goes out there. And it gets traction.

We have a track that is local. We have reported on the drop in attendance, and I think it's very, very valid. Maybe not to the Joe 6-pack in the stands, but it has a big impact on the economic state of things for business people around the track. Hotels that at one time were booked up six months prior to the event have not been full for the past few races.

Our town not seeing the same economic boost as 10 years ago is a story. And yes, that may not be a story for a beat writer who is covering 36 races a year, but it does have its place.

 

Yes and no.

There are 5-10 drivers in each series EVERY WEEK that have no business being in cars. Probably more in Nationwide. They're there DESPITE Cup drivers taking up 10-15 spots a race. So the overall quality of the racing in the Nationwide Series would decline precipitously without Cup drivers.

 

Not to mention, it takes those big names for many fans to give a rat's butt that there's even a race.

 

Don't leave us hanging. Who the hell is Charlie Rymer?

As for Larry McReynolds, he should let the media do what it does and stick to what he knows - fixing and talking about stock cars.

 

It dilutes the main event, though.

You should make the main event - the Sprint Cup series - as good as it can be, and then build around it.

It should be special to see Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart on Sunday. But it's not, because they were usually slumming on Saturday night.

 

And if the Nationwide Series can't stand on its own without the big drivers, then it's time to end it. NASCAR doesn't need three national touring series and hasn't for a long time. Keep the trucks and let Nationwide go. The good drivers will find their way into Cup or the trucks, if they're not already there. The rest can go back to ARCA, where they probably belong in the first place.

 

I'm sorry. You've lost any status you may have held with this post.

Jeff Gordon's last Nationwide start: Nov. 2000
Tony Stewart's last season with more than three starts in Nationwide: 2008

 

I'll credit you on Gordon, but I actually saw Stewart start a Nationwide race that I attended. He's my guy, and it made Sunday (Saturday on this stop, actually) less special for me.

 

I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but because the drivers are private contractors, NASCAR can't stop them from racing whatever they want to race.

And I'm not one that thinks the Cup race is any less special because a few guys raced the night/day before. If it was a case where racing took so much out of them that they weren't completely on top of their game on Sunday because of something they did on Saturday, maybe. But it's not.