I was beginning to think that the 600 in the Coca-Cola 600 was not how many miles were to be run to complete the race, rather how many hours had to go by before a winner was declared. I was waiting for my doorbell to ring Monday after seeing a security guard interviewed for filler material during one of the rain delays. NASCAR and these teams spend a tremendous amount of time and money finding ways to improve things, yet I can not believe that no one has come up with a tire that can run in the rain! (Tony Stewart and some others may claim that Goodyear can not develop a good tire for dry surfaces). I thought after the All-Star Race fiasco in 2001, developing a tire for rain, at least for a damp track, would have been more pressing than it obviously has been. Maybe you could have not made all 600 miles yesterday, but I think with a rain or weather tire, you could give the people who paid for tickets, a little more bang for the buck.

            One question I have is a result of the awesome tribute to the troops. This was a tremendous show of respect for our troops and think it was pure class by NASCAR and all of the teams. The question I have is this: Had those laps been run and that fuel been used, would David Reutimann have had enough gas to win the Coca Cola 340, or would the pit cycle worked itself out, providing Kyle Busch or Brian Vickers a shot at the win….These are the things I wonder about !!!!!

            Speaking of bang for the buck, had I gone to the track Sunday for the race and paid for a parking spot and the race was rained out, as it was, do you think I could have gotten my parking place again yesterday for free ?? I am saying no. The merchandise trucks were here for an extra day before heading out to Dover. Not only does rain affect the racing, merchandisers, and parking, but how about the schools & organizations that use the races as fund-raising events. Memorial Day was a snow make-up day in Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System. Many of the kids that are there selling programs and drinks had to be in school Monday. In this economy, I can not imagine that lost revenue being easily let go.

            NASCAR officials spent over four hours in meetings with team owners and drivers Tuesday, in what I have heard was a State of NASCAR and how do we improve things open forum. Ratings, attendance, and sponsorship dollars are all down with no immediate turn around in sight. Maybe NASCAR finally thought it was time to listen to some of the teams. Many assume that NASCAR was saving teams money by not allowing testing this year. All teams are doing now is going to non-sanctioned tracks, like Rockingham. The only benefactor to this is NASCAR. When testing is allowed at places like Lowes and Indianapolis, NASCAR sends officials to the tracks. When testing in Rockingham, no NASCAR officials are present, but the teams are. A few teams are up in Virginia testing on a road course Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, no officials are present. Everyone coming out of the meetings in Concord Tuesday was talking about how productive it went. Many opinions and ideas were expressed, so let’s see now if any are instituted.