Sunday, August 15, 2010

Michigan Gets Everything Right - Almost



The Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway was practically perfect.

The track was fast and furious. Jack Roush was back after his plane crash a couple weeks ago and watched his drivers take four of the top 11 spots. There were lead changes galore.  And Joey Logano and Ryan Newman even managed a slight post-race altercation to keep things juicy.

In fact, it's a good day at the races when the worst thing you can say is that the national anthem was butchered by a seemingly drunk member of Saving Abel.

The creepy rendition of the Star Spangled Banner made many a NASCAR fan wish Cain would show up and put Abel out of its misery.  It was so odd, even race winner Kevin Harvick mentioned it on the team radio before the green flag dropped.

But still and all, a bad anthem does not a bad race make.

And it sure wasn't a bad race for Harvick.

A prescient gamble by crew chief Gil Martin kept Harvick out of the pits and in prime position to win his third race of the season.  And he took full advantage of the opportunity, chasing Denny Hamlin down for the lead which he maintained the rest of the race.

The victory in the Irish Hills locks Harvick and the No. 29 team into the Chase. And it also shows his competitors that RCR can win on an oval.

"It's a lot of fun to come to the racetrack right now," Harvick said. "Everybody is doing a great job of not only continuing to press but to put better things on the racetrack and put things together correctly and just do a great job at the shop."

3 comments:

  1. The National Anthem should be performed with respect. I'm tired of having it sung by American Idol wanna be's or the current hot act unless they can do it properly.

    This debacle at Michigan isn't the first time the anthem has been butchered by some so called celebrity, but it should be the last. It was disgraceful and if the tracks can't figure out how to get it right, then NASCAR should step in and figure it out, but I'm probably dreaming to expect NASCAR to be concerned about something.

    Ask someone from the armed forces to do it, they do it well and with respect and that is what should be the expectation every time it is sung.

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  2. I tell you what this ongoing butchering of the National Anthem is a DISGRACE!
    What the hell is it about these low lifes having the honor to perform our National Anthem than just slapping every American in the face by intentionally making a mockery of it.

    Common race track owners, I know 13 yrs old that can do better than most of these has beens!

    Get with the program......PLEASE!

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  3. Nascar and Michigan speed way should be ashamed of there self. How can a organization as big as this be so stupid. nascar is trying to sell tickets to brain dead people. Does this country have respect for it self anymore? Were building musk where 3000 people were killed ..People need to stand and praisd the country for what it was. We are loosing our country.

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