Running 2018 NASCAR thread

And in an interesting little twist, Nascar goes to Indy in two weeks where the Xfinity race is the Lilly Diabetes 250. And the track president at IMS is Conor Daly's stepfather.

 

From the "you think you know these guys but you really don't" files ... I talked to Rick Crawford all the time when I covered the Truck Series, seemed like a good guy and was content with his unusual spot in Nascar as a career-long truck racer.

And now he might die in prison.

Ex-driver Crawford found guilty of enticing minor

 

Terrible news. And it's not likely that this weekend's race at Indy will provide any more uplifting news.

 

Not sure. But all the tracks get a nice payout from the fat TV deal -- and of course half the tracks are owned by NASCAR anyway. At the Brickyard this weekend, there will be the usual kvetching about empty seats and all, but the truth is IMS makes millions from the TV deal so the ticket sales are just gravy. (If the crowds of 15-20 years ago were paired with the current TV deal, IMS would need cargo planes to carry all the cash out.)

The elephant in the room is what the next TV deal will do to the sport, because it sure won't be more $$ than this one unless something changes in a hurry.