Presented by Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Mar. 18, 2015
Volume IX, Edition XXXIV
Wednesday's TV Schedule can be found in Couch Potato Tuesday here.
by the Frontstretch Staff
Tony Stewart and Roger Penske Making News Wave in USAC
Team Penske Named Finalist as Sports Team of the Year
Tuesday, the Sports Business Journal released their nominees for Sports Team of the Year. The award doesn't necessarily have to do with success on the field of play, but success in business. Team Penske was nominated for the award, which will be given in New York City this May. Read more
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Professor of Speed
by Dr. Mark Howell
That sucking sound you hear is Kevin Harvick taking the wind from NASCAR's sails.
While it's wonderful to see a team enjoy success, it's difficult to watch other teams deal with the domination. Despite showing up each week with similar equipment and the same schedule of events, the accomplishments of the No. 4 Chevrolet and everyone else have been relatively dissimilar.
Seven consecutive "top-two" performances? I never knew NASCAR Nation had such a term!
Not that NASCAR shouldn't acknowledge such an achievement. It's been four decades since Richard Petty enjoyed such a streak of success. And look what came of him as the years unspooled….
All eyes are on Kevin Harvick and his merry band of overachievers. This SHR (Singularly Harvick Racing) team is blazing a trail toward another – as in two-in-a-row – Sprint Cup championship, and we're only at the fifth event of 2015.
Other Cup drivers, like Brad Keselowski, insist that the season is far from over, but it sure feels as though we should jump directly to Homestead and cut our losses. It is always slightly uncomfortable when drivers, crew chiefs, and car owners admit to any one team's dominance. We've heard it in regard to Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough. We heard it in regard to Dale Earnhardt. We heard it in regard to Jeff Gordon. We heard it five years straight in regard to Jimmie Johnson….
But has Kevin Harvick tapped into some unforeseen fountain of good fortune? Watching Johnson fiddle with his car while Harvick burned up Phoenix would have made Nero drop his grapes and wonder, "What gives?"
And the emotions of the also-rans (despite decent runs thus far in 2015) seemed to slosh over into vitriol aimed at the nearest target. For Dale Jr. it was a poor choice of setup that led to a crazy loose car and a fiery blown tire. While Junior never flat out said that the blowout was his crew's fault, the fact that a loose condition turned into a handful of mangled Chevrolet suggested that the driver tried to hold up his end of Sunday's bargain.
To borrow the words of Joey Logano following the race: "… that sucks."
There's that verb again. Does the consistent success of one driver actually rob NASCAR of its popularity, or does it draw viewers in because said driver is having once-in-a-lifetime rides?
I remember the "Anybody but Earnhardt" signs being displayed by fans. I also remember seeing the "Anybody but Gordon" variation on the theme for several seasons.
I also remember the frustration that came with fighting a good fight but still losing the battle. Call it talent, call it money, call it good employees, or call it good luck, but don't call it one team working harder than all the others. That sentiment is unfair to the scores of people who turn wrenches, set up the pits, and scratch their heads in wonder as one car powers past the rest.
So, is Harvick's success stinking up NASCAR's show?
Right now it seems as if there's a sense of amazement, maybe even giddiness, with each dominant run by the No. 4 Chevrolet. It is as if audiences are waiting to see a lackluster performance – almost hoping for one – then feeling a release of pent-up tension as Harvick roars beneath the checkered flag to score yet another win.
Maybe it's because such success is relatively new to Harvick. Last year resulted in title number one after thirteen years of trying. If he keeps on keeping on like he's currently doing, for another five years will the "Anybody but Harvick" signs be far behind?
Sports fans have a love/hate relationship with winners. We tend to be thrilled by the accomplishments of successful teams, but only so much so. Too much winning means too much success shared by too few; winning is a luxury best divided amongst multiple teams across multiple seasons.
That's one of the great features of Sprint Cup racing: on any given weekend, any one of about 25 teams (and as many as 42, in total) has a chance to win. It's not like traditional "stick-and-ball" sports where a team has a fifty percent shot at success.
Unless you're Kevin Harvick, that is. He seems to have the whole top-two deal covered right now….
Dr. Mark Howell is a contributor for Frontstretch. He can be reached via e-mail at mark.howell@frontstretch.com.
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