Bob Jennings

What do you think of this photo? I find it interesting especially considering the location where it was taken. I took this shot from what has to be the worst viewing location at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I watched the "Brickyard 400" last August from the first row of the Northeast Vista leading into turn three. I love the Speedway more than anywhere else on this planet. But the seat I had for the seventh "Brickyard 400" wasn't good. Even with that however, sitting in that place was much better than not being at the race. So I'm satisfied with this photo considering the obstacles I faced.  

When I wrote this particular paragraph I heard thunder rumbling in the distance. I was winding down after staying home from work on the Fourth of July. Earlier I stopped off at Taylor's Pub at the corner of Eighty-sixth Street and Westfield Boulevard which is dead center in the area we Indianapolis locals call Nora. I had my favorite "two fingers" of Wild Turkey 101 (straight up) with a glass of ice water on the side. So I was feeling mellow as I wrote.

It was one of those nights that presented summer at its best. There was a warmth in the air and the moon was almost full with a bright white light that reflected off the rain clouds that were gathering. You know the feeling a night like that brings, sort of a tranquility and a sense of well being. I heard the crickets chirping in the woods around this apartment. But the quiet kept being broken by the sound of fire crackers exploding to celebrate "the Fourth." I had the window open and they went off in staccato fashion. Do you ever wonder why people are so fascinated by fire works? I enjoy the visual from traditional fire works displays like the ones that went off in communities and backyards all around metropolitan Indianapolis. However paying for fire works just to make noise doesn't make much sense to me. But then sitting at a computer writing about racing probably doesn't make sense to a lot of people either. 

To get back to my original theme, which isn't the beauty of a July 4th central Indiana summer night, when I walked into Taylor's Pub for my "two fingers" of Wild Turkey 101 there was a sign on the front door advertising a "Race Party" to watch the "Pepsi 400." The sign advertised that one of Sterling Marlin's show cars was going to be parked at Taylor's. I assume that meant it would be parked outside since they would have to rearrange a lot of stuff including the front door to bring the car inside. Forget I wrote that.

What the sign announcing the "Race Party" said to me was the annual "Pepsi 400" is a big deal now. Actually the race has been a big deal since they began running at night in 1998. That was the year the July race at Daytona International Speedway was to become the first racing event presented live in prime time on network television. But wild fires in Florida caused the "Pepsi 400" to be postponed from July to October and the race was bumped off CBS and carried on TNN instead. The "Pepsi 400" made it to CBS prime time the past couple years and the race has drawn the same kind of crowd and comparable attention to the "Daytona 500" in February. 

Before Bill France moved the "Pepsi 400" to an evening start the event was losing popularity. It's so hot in Florida around July 4 weekend that people stayed away and empty seats were nearly as visible as they are at Rockingham in February and Atlanta in March. They kept running the race earlier in the day to avoid the heat. I think it was starting around 9:30 AM when the switch to night racing was made. So France pulled a Bruton Smith and put lights around all 2.5 miles of the Daytona International Speedway and transformed what used to be known as the "Firecracker 400" from one of the embarrassments on the Winston Cup schedule into one of the highlights of the season. That Bill France is a slick one ain't he? 

This 2001 "Pepsi 400" was especially notable and it will probably make it to a coffee table book filled with all time NASCAR memories. The previous time cars raced at speed at Daytona in February was the moment Dale Earnhardt left this earth. The past week has been similar to the macabre following Earnhardt's death. I've seen that eerie in-car footage from Earnhardt's car as it hit the wall several times in recent days. Each time I watch the view Earnhardt had as the car goes into the wall I think to myself this is the final thing he saw. What makes this even more strange is that we now know as we watch the video replay that Dale Earnhardt goes from life to death while we are sharing his final experience. It's like we're taking the trip into the wall with Dale Earnhardt and we see the car come to a stop. But he's no longer with us at the end of the trip.  

If my description seems too intense it's because I'm trying to convey the power of the in-car video as Dale Earnhardt makes the transition from life to death. I'm not exaggerating when I say it's the most powerful visual I've seen in racing. The only other television shot that comes close in drama is when the Challenger space shuttle exploded in flames in February 1986.

It seems like the first couple weeks after Dale Earnhardt's death the media was obsessed with the story. Then the controversy about Earnhardt's autopsy photos simmered on the front page of newspapers for weeks after and that issue is still in the news. Perhaps not as big a story as the autopsy photos but still a big story is whether the seat belt in the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo broke or became unfastened during Earnhardt's fatal crash. 

The Earnhardt tragedy combined with the fatal crashes suffered by Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper last year brought NASCAR's safety methods into question. There have been charges of a cover up by NASCAR to keep the facts about the Earnhardt crash from surfacing. This was a good time for Bill France to turn over responsibility for NASCAR to a younger, healthier man. Mike Helton has been earning his salary as NASCAR CEO merely by having to deal with the controversy surrounding Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash in February. Helton must be a tough guy. With all the stress he's had to endure I'm surprised Helton hasn't lost some weight. He looks like a tough guy doesn't he? I like that Elvis hair style and big mustache. When there's a cigarette dangling from his mouth Mike Helton looks especially tough like someone you don't want to mess with. Only Tony Stewart or A.J. Foyt would dare to try.

Now I hear casual racing fans talking about the rumors that NASCAR plays with competition by "shall we say" tilting the rules to favor one team or another when they decide to do so. You have to be joking! No way NASCAR would mess with the rules on behalf of one competitor over another. It just can't be.  

Why do you think NASCAR hired Gary Nelson to be competition director? Nelson knew more ways to cheat than anyone you can think of. Sometime we'll remember some of Nelson's legendary "innovations'" when he was building cars for Bobby Allison. In the meantime does anyone remember when Allison was on the way to winning the 1982 "Daytona 500" and lost the rear bumper on the DiGard Gatorade Buick? Ask Cale Yarborough about it. Most of the crew chiefs in Winston Cup are smart guys. Gary Nelson is brilliant. Figure it out. 

Do you find it as coincidental as I do that Dale Earnhardt Jr. dominated as easily as he did Saturday night at Daytona? Not only that but every car associated with Dale Earnhardt was running fast in the "Pepsi 400." Michael Waltrip had his first good race since winning the "Daytona 500" and finished a close second to Dale Jr. Steve Park in the other Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) entry was fast as were Kevin Harvick and Mike Skinner in the Richard Childress entries.  

Daytona International Speedway took one from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. The total purse for the 2001 "Daytona 500" as reported on the NASCAR website was $9,678,704. The total purse for this year's "Indianapolis 500" was $9,615,325. Daytona's purse was $63,379 more making this the first time racing's richest prize wasn't paid at Indianapolis in May. That particular fact bothers me a lot! It indicates the "Daytona 500" presents a valid challenge to be racing's number one event.

Obviously I prefer "Indy" but the "Daytona 500" has been a great event. It's the only time during the year when I become truly excited about NASCAR. But for me the appeal of the "Daytona 500" dropped significantly when they began running with restrictor plates in 1988. Prior to that the speeds at Daytona in February were above 200 mph and within a few mph of what they were running at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May. The guy with the fastest car and the heaviest foot usually won. Since 1987 to varying degrees racing at Daytona has become a matter of who catches the best air (or the biggest favor from NASCAR). It isn't racing in the true sense because NASCAR doesn't allow enough horsepower at Daytona to pass. Nearly everything depends on aerodynamics generated by the other cars a particular driver has running around him.

This year's "Daytona 500" was a perfect example of what I'm talking about. When I wrote this I was looking at nine pages of handwritten notes I made last February while watching the Daytona telecast on Fox. It might be interesting to review them. Forget that! I just did and they take up about twenty pages.

Anyway other than the Earnhardt crash the most notable thing about the race to me was the way cars were running so tightly bunched for nearly the entire race. Were there 49 lead changes during the race? Big deal. Given the nature of racing at Daytona International Speedway in the restrictor plate era that means nothing. Cars were moving back and forth through the field like yo-yos. It was ridiculous. Horsepower and racing skill meant nothing. Who your drafting partner was meant everything. 

Sterling Marlin and Ward Burton, both in Dodge Intrepids, appeared to be the strongest competitors for most of the race. But Burton was caught up in that scary 18 car crash that stopped the race on lap 175. Marlin got caught behind Earnhardt when Dale was running interference for his son and Michael Waltrip in the final laps. The race winner Waltrip was buried in the pack for most of the race probably keeping out of harms way. These days running in thirty-fifth position is pretty popular at Daytona. But he found some helping hands and drafted his way into contention at the three-quarter mark of the race. That turned out to be all he needed to not only win his first Winston Cup event but do it at the  "Daytona 500."

I like Michael Waltrip. I think he's a nice guy and I was hoping he'd get a Cup win eventually. Unfortunately Waltrip's win couldn't have come at a worse time. The history books will record Waltrip's win in a small box score next to the headlines of the tragic circumstances of the same day. The on track drama that made the "Daytona 500" so memorable in years past has been forgotten this time. Actually other than the big wreck on lap 175 there wasn't much to see unless you enjoy watching traffic jams. The story of the 2001 "Daytona 500" was the death of Dale Earnhardt.

The loss of its biggest star hasn't hurt NASCAR at all however. In fact it has tended to help rejuvenate the Winston Cup series which seemed stale at times during the 2000 season. Attendance was up, even at some of those races during the early part of the season which usually don't draw well. The arrival of the Fox network has done wonders for NASCAR. TV ratings are up an average 29 percent from last season for the 16 races presented by Fox. The only Winston Cup event to lose the ratings war to another racing event was the "Coca Cola 600" at Lowes Motor Speedway which had slightly smaller numbers than the "Indianapolis 500" on ABC.  

What conclusions can be drawn from the rest of the 2001 Winston Cup season so far? I give up. The main conclusion I have drawn so far is that Jeff Gordon is still terrific even without Ray Evernham. I also come to the conclusion that Dale Jarrett is set to fight Gordon for the Cup championship even if he isn't very good as some people claim. I also think the Yates team is pretty strong right now and Ricky Rudd looks like he's having a good time racing again.   

I don't know what's wrong with the Jack Roush team. I can understand Mark Martin might be starting to slow down. He's getting older and he had his back rebuilt less than two years ago. But what's wrong with Jeff Burton? A year ago Jeff Burton looked like he was all set to be "the man." Speaking of what's wrong with, how about the Joe Gibbs team? Tony Stewart has two wins because he's the best race driver in America but where has Bobby Labonte been? 

The next question is when is Sterling Marlin finally going to win? When I watch Marlin racing like the "silver phantom" in Chip Ganassi's Coors Light Dodge, I think he ought to be winning. Do you get the same idea I do that when car 40 finally wins one it might become a habit?

I do a pretty good job watching the Winston Cup races when the season starts. I always fall behind during May however because I'm busy with the "Indianapolis 500." After May I usually only get to see bits and pieces of NASCAR races because they last too long, I'm watching another race or I fall asleep on the couch while the race is going on. I have the best intentions. I record the races and start watching them but I can't quite get around to finishing them. I'm still working on a cassette with the Winston Cup race at Martinsville in early April. As a matter of fact I haven't seen Charlotte or Tony Stewart's win at Sears Point although I have the tape.  

I was watching NBC Saturday night however. I can't believe what I saw! 

Don't get me wrong. I think Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a splendid racer and his future is limitless. He has carried himself in a brave, mature way since losing his dad. If anyone deserved to win the "Pepsi 400" it was Earnhardt Jr. But Saturday night at Daytona was absolutely ridiculous. It was so obvious I could sense Benny Parsons' embarrassment from the NBC broadcast booth. There is no way anyone can pass cars the way Dale Jr. did in the final laps at Daytona, all by himself, unless he has an extra bunch of horsepower. That means bigger holes in the restrictor plate. If you're talking about a good handling car at Pocono with four fresh tires and a hot engine, yes it could happen. But at Daytona with restrictor plates and 20 cars within a few yards there is no damn way. Sorry NASCAR fans. 

In Indianapolis with but one or two exceptions the media seems to think there was something fishy under Dale Earnhardt's shadow on Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Only the most naive racing fans I've listened to really believe the "Pepsi 400" was legitimate. The only question remaining for me is the degree of illegitimacy that occurred.      

At the same time NASCAR pulled a dirty trick on Tony Stewart by penalizing him for going under the yellow line. What was Stewart supposed to do? If he'd slowed down or hit the brakes 20 cars would've run into one another. I stood there in front of the TV afraid to look during the final laps at Daytona because the cars were bunched so closely. Wouldn't that have been good for NASCAR if another driver got killed?

You might be saying "Tony Stewart is your favorite." You betcha' Tony Stewart is my favorite. He's the best. Nothing would please me more if Tony were to tell NASCAR to go to hell and come back to the Indy Racing League where he belongs. Unfortunately that won't happen. I don't condone Tony's tantrums and he needs to apologize to that reporter and buy him a new recorder. But Stewart got a lousy deal from NASCAR at Daytona.

As you can determine, I came away from the "Pepsi 400" with a bad taste in my mouth. Yes, it was nice to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. win at the track where he lost his dad. It was also nice to see Britney Spears give the command to start engines. I liked her outfit. But let's face it. The whole thing was a sham. I understand NASCAR is in the entertainment business but ......

Finally, I want to mention Richard Petty. Did you notice the way the media and the fans jumped all over Richard Petty when he gave his assessment on Dale Earnhardt's talent earlier this season? Perhaps Petty could've been a bit more tactful. But how can anyone who loves NASCAR get mad at the stock car racing's all time great? How easy people forget who took them where they wanted to go. 

Winston Cup - 2000 season