Anger Management

Showed my kids an ESPN interview with Kurt Busch.  Busch left on bad terms with powerhouse Penske Racing and got a job with a low-profile, low-funded Phoenix Racing team.

I remember Busch having rants on the radio, but I didn't recall them sounding as bad as the ones featured in the video.  This is definitely Exhibit A of how not to control your temper.

Dan Wheldon

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I showed the video above to my class today.  It's hard to talk to a class full of teens about death, and I'm sure I didn't do a good job.

I wanted to make sure they knew about the risks of driving 230 mph, and why Dan Wheldon's death in particular was news.  Didn't hear until after I showed the video that NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson recommended that IndyCar not drive in ovals--the speeds are too fast.

Most of my students aren't racing enthusiasts, so I wonder how much of this video sunk in.  Was it something that they were interested in because it was such a spectacular crash, or are they truly interested in the underlying reasons behind a race car crash?

Speak No Evil

It surprised me that people had a negative reaction to the comments Steve Williams made on Sunday after his current boss, Adam Scott, beat his former boss, Tiger Woods this weekend.

On one hand, yes, Williams should have taken the high road and not said anything about Woods. And yes, his comments overshadowed the fact that Adam Scott won the tournament.

On the other hand, people knew Williams might have something to say--why else would reporters seek him out for an interview instead of the golfers. And, like many NASCAR drivers had said, athletes need a "cooling off" period prior to taking questions from the media--their emotions are still raw from the competition, and they can say things that they might not have said immediately after a game.

Bottom line: Williams is still a great caddy, he's already off to a great start with Adam Scott, and, lastly, he should apologize to Scott and promise not to pop off again.

And for those that say Woods is too classy to fire back at Williams, check out this audio from several years ago where he blamed Williams for bad results at three different holes (hat tip to Steve Czaban).

Have At It, Boys

There's nothing in NASCAR like a great feud. There aren't any new ones in NASCAR like the ones from the '70s, but it's not for lack of trying, especially by Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.

Busch is one of those guys that people either love or hate. Most race fans I talk to hate the guy, but I'm kinda partial to him. Harvick's had run-ins with multiple drivers over the years, and after Darlington, it must be Kyle Busch's turn to tangle.

The old school drivers like Earnhardt, Allison and Petty drew a decidedly blue collar audience, but the growth of NASCAR in the last 15 years precipitated a preponderance of corporate, speak no evil, cookie cutter drivers that never did the wrong thing. With the recent ratings slide, maybe NASCAR is interested in drivers that will spice things up, on and off the track.

Now That's A Race!

From: Bleacher Report

Last year, the Daytona 500 was miserable to watch. I can only imagine how frustrated the fans were. Red flags, delays, defective pot holes and a six hour race do not make for compelling TV.

Fortunately, this year was about a perfect a story as you could write for NASCAR. A record number of leaders and lead changes. 10-12 cars in contention at the end. And an unheralded rookie driver taking his first career win in a car owned by two of the sport's legends. Sometimes, it just all goes your way!

Doing a NASCAR Fantasy Draft in My Class

I thought about doing this last year, but couldn't figure out how to do it without giving way too much extra credit. But with NASCAR's points system adjusted, I think I can pull it off. See the prezi I made below for details:

NASCAR Fantasy Draft on Prezi

NASCAR vs. Congress

From: Flickr, My Army Reserve

So, a Democratic congresswoman from Minnesota, Betty McCollum, wants to bar the military from sponsoring NASCAR teams. She says that the military (and taxpayers) are wasting their money sponsoring these teams when the money could be used elsewhere.

On the face of it, I can understand where she's coming from. I remember the hue and cry when banks receiving federal bailout money were thinking about continuing their sponsorship of golf tournaments. At the core of this issue is whether advertising and sponsorship is an efficient use of money. No one complains when money is used for utility payments or rent. In fact, while I was at business school, third-year business majors questioned the effectiveness of advertising.

Apparently, marketers and advertisers aren't selling themselves well enough. There's a pretty clear connection between advertising and market share, and the makers of the energy drink AMP can tell you how their sales went up after their association with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I have to think that if the military thought they weren't getting their money's worth, they would opt out of their contracts, right?

Besides, if she wants to really save money, how about cutting the subsidy for public broadcasting?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Student Drops!

From: zdnet.com


Isn't it frustrating when your good kids transfer out of your class? I have a pretty rough 7th period, and my best student (academically) is now gone. Why? Because we don't talk about NASCAR enough. And this student wants to go into sports marketing.

This is the second student I've had this year that has expressed an interest in a career in sports marketing, then dropped my class. Is it something I said?!

/end of random rant

/steps off soapbox

Fixing NASCAR's Points System

It looks as if NASCAR may tinker around with their points system, which has been in place since the '70s. Even longtime NASCAR fans get confused about how the points system works. Basically, the race winner gets 185-195 points, and second through 43rd get progressively less. Now, it appears NASCAR is kicking around the idea of giving the winner 43 points, and each subsequent finisher gets one less point.

I think this idea will make the math easier, but it doesn't solve the overall problem with NASCAR's points system. One of the greatest driver-to-driver insults is to say someone is "points racing," that is, racing conservatively to pick up a few points rather than gambling to win. If NASCAR and its fans really want to put a premium on wins ("If you're not first, you're last"), then there needs to be a greater separation between 1st and 2nd place. Using the current points system, I think the winner should get at least 50 more points than the second place driver. Since top 5 finishes and top 10 finishes are big, there should be a big drop in points from 5th to 6th and 10th to 11th. Will NASCAR ever come close to doing this? I doubt it...

Everyone Loves to Complain About the BCS

We're right in the middle of the BCS bowls, with the Rose and Fiesta having been completed and the Orange, Sugar and National Championship game to be played next, which must mean it's the time of year for national columnists to take shots at the BCS.

As someone who's been to seven bowl games, including two Sugar Bowls, I think there's nothing like traveling to a new city to watch your team play a school you wouldn't ordinarily cross paths with.  I wonder if most of the writers that criticize the BCS have gone to a bowl game as a fan of their alma mater.  I suspect most haven't.

While some criticism of the BCS is justified, as a long-time college football fan, I can't seem to recall so much whining about the bowl system prior to the creation of the BCS in 1998.  With no BCS, Oregon and Auburn wouldn't even be playing each other:  Oregon would be in the Rose Bowl playing Wisconsin, and Auburn would be one of two teams in the Sugar Bowl. 

But, the original point of writing this post was to point out that in today's current sports media culture, if you name a playoff system, there are people caterwauling about how it's not fair.  Witness:

1. The NFL, on the verge of having a 7-9 team make the playoffs
2. The NBA, with questions about reseeding the second round should there be upsets in round 1
3. March Madness, where the coaches of the teams left out complain about not being a top 65 team
4. NASCAR's Chase, which has been re-tooled several times and still confuses fans
5. The PGA's FedEx Cup, which may have the most baffling format known to man

So, if you're one of the villagers with pitchforks and torches that are chanting  "Death to the BCS," are you going to move on to one of the other playoff systems next?