It's been a while since the last trip to the mailbox, and yet again it's nothing butHowdy-Do'sfrom eager realtors, loveable insurance companies andthe relentless graybeardsat AARP.
So it's back to the laptop and virtual mailbag, where there'salways some action ....
HEY, WILLIE!
The Indy-Charlotte double was quite a feat of endurancefor Katherine Legge, especially considering gender and age.
If her Cup car had not encountered the wheel issue, do you think she would have finished in the top 20 or 25?
Short answer: Probably not. Not without some attrition in front of her. That’s not fully a reflection on her, but the part-time team (Live Fast Motorsports) whose car she was wheeling — yes, on three wheels for a brief time.
Longer answer: I’m pretty sure a few women just cleared their throats and are prepared to take issue with you, as well as plenty of fit folks in their mid-40s. Especially since she only turned 19 laps at Indy before a wrecked car got in her way.
Also, as a reminder, of the other five racers who did the Indy-Charlotte double, Tony Stewart did it twice and went flag-to-flag in both races, both years.
And not once — officially or in casual conversation — did anyone ever mistake Tony Stewart for a triathlete.
He did, however, seem to borrow from the playbook of the late, great Dick Trickle, who once answered a question about a growing fitness trend by saying, “You know how I get in shape to race? I RACE!”
HEY, WILLIE!
Is NASCAR trying to kill itself with bad formats (the “All-Star Race”) and now Amazon Prime?
I know they made money, but now they must be losing viewers, namely me. Instead of trying to build interest, I think they are doing the opposite.
We’re a week into Year 2 of NASCAR’s partnership with Prime, which is a week into its five-week run as Cup race broadcaster. The complaints are fewer than they were a year ago, which I assume is due to one of two things.
Either more viewers have given in and decided Prime is yet another place to dump expendable(?) income. Or they’ve reintroduced themselves to the radio.
Meanwhile, hate to tell you, but Prime delivers a great product. Don't believe me? Ask this guy ...
HEY, WILLIE!
Thank you for adding a little common sense to the scenario being played out over Kyle Busch’s sad demise. Deepest sympathy to his family and all who loved him.
HEY, MYRNA!
Just a horrible saga all around.
But as eventually happens during the process, pragmatic thoughts spring up. Here’s one that crept in …
Advertisement
Previous tragedy involving racers and untimely deaths usually happened on the racetrack. In their aftermath, the examinations often led to advancements in safety — changes to the cars, to the tracks and, in the case of Dale Earnhardt, a wide variety of measures.
Without knowing more than the basics at this time, the Kyle Busch tragedy seems to offer one obvious lesson: Don’t neglect your health if something is wrong and isn’t getting better.
I obviously have no way of knowing, but I assume there’s been an uptick in checkups this past week.
HEY, WILLIE!
Great job (as usual) on the column about Europe and Formula One (May 21). At F1, pomposity reigns.
Keep up the good work.
But that’s part of their charm, isn’t it?
HEY, WILLIE!
I struggled to recognize the names on the PGA Championship leaderboard, especially on the first day. Had you ever heard of Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jager, Min Woo Lee and Ryo Hisatsune?
Heard of them, yes. Pick any of them out of a lineup, maybe not at this stage of their careers.
None of them finished in the top 10 at week’s end, by the way, which brings to mind one of the great golf quotesnotattributed to Lee Trevino.
It was Peter Jacobsen, when briefly leading after his opening round at the 1990 Masters, who turned prophetic: “The slums of Chicago are full of first-round leaders.”
Three days later, he was tied for 30th.
HEY, WILLIE!
I’m pretty sure the first person not named France to run NASCAR (President, CEO or COO) was Mike Helton. Am I wrong?
You’re kinda right. Which might also mean kinda wrong.
A lot of us assumed Mike Helton would eventually start appearing on the France family Christmas card. His consolation prize, 26 years ago, was the NASCAR presidency.
But Bill France Jr., when not sidelined by health issues, was very much the final say through 2003, when Brian became CEO.
Currently, for the first time, there’s no NASCAR president since Steve O’Donnell was recently promoted from that position to CEO. Keep in mind, however, the family still owns NASCAR and if there’s a meeting of importance over in that GlassCar building on ISB, their chairs won’t likely be empty.
—Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal:Kyle Busch, NASCAR politics, Amazon Prime remain hot topics
