In case you missed columnist Dave Feschuk’s gripping review of the Ayrton Senna film, here’s the link.
Also, if you go to this link, you will find a page of YouTube videos on Senna, some quite emotional.
Paul Menard was as unlikely a winner of the Brickyard 400 Sunday as Trevor Bayne was in February in winning the Daytona 500.
It was his first win in nearly 170 Sprint Cup starts (see post below) but it was as much a victory for his father, John, as it was for him.
John Menard, a multi-millionaire owner of a chain of U.S. Midwest Home Hardware-type stores, has been trying for more than 30 years to win at Indianapolis, sponsoring Indy cars as well as stock cars.
John Menard was an early supporter of Tony George’s Indy Racing League and yet the closest he came to winning the Indy 500 was 1999 when he hired CART driver Robby Gordon to pilot his car, only for Gordon to run out of fuel on the last lap and wind up fourth.
John Menard’s name has frequently been linked with others seeking to purchase the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, if it should ever be put up for sale. Bruton Smith’s name, and Tony George’s, are often mentioned in the same breath as his.
Once upon a time, when I went to the movies, I paid my admission and got coming attractions and a movie. Now, for the same price, I also get 10 minutes of commercials.
It’s the way of the world and is another reason why nobody should be surprised that Formula One will be available half the time on pay TV in England, starting in 2012.
The news that F1 has gone and done this, literally without warning, has generated a hot response on this blog and elsewhere. Many people have said that if this also turns out to be the case on this side of the pond that they will swear off F1 forever.
Bernie Ecclestone doesn’t think this will happen and I’m not so sure either. You’re either a fan of something, or you’re not. If you aren’t a fan, or are on the fence, you will care less. But if you are a fan, your resolve to give up the sport will only last for so long.
I give up on the Maple Leafs every year around Nov. 1. I swear I will never watch those bums play another game. This lasts, usually, until about Nov. 15. I even pay Rogers extra to include Leafs TV on my pay TV subscription, that’s how much I hate those guys.
By the way, let’s not split hairs about what’s pay TV and what isn’t. It’s all pay TV in Canada (or just about) because most of us pay Rogers or Bell to provide us with our television. I’m talking about the possibility, which I don’t think is that far off, when we will be asked to pay a premium to watch F1 races. Ergo, that's what I'm talking about when I say "pay TV."
It’s worked for professional wrestling and mixed martial arts; why not F1? And why not the Super Bowl? And the Grey Cup? How about the Olympics? The World Series? No, not next year or the year after, but some time in the not-too-distance future.
It’s inevitable with all pro sports and particularly F1. Sponsorships and rights fees to televise the races will only raise so much money. F1 is a privately owned big, big business and how successful the business is depends on net worth and cash flow.
To keep it going, the money’s got to come from somewhere and sooner or later it’s going to come directly from you and me.
There have been 14 different winners of the 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup races held so far in 2011. Keven Harvick and Kyle Busch lead with three wins apiece, with Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon winning two each.
Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith and Paul Menard have one each.
Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are the only drivers in the top ten who haven’t made it to Victory Lane.
Speaking of Edwards, there are reports, rumours, etc., that he has been offered a $10 million signing bonus to take over the No. 20 Home Depot car at Joe Gibbs Racing. Tony Stewart had that ride and handed it off to Joey Logano, who hasn’t performed. Edwards would be a good choice.
It would also give Joe Gibbs a break. Edwards is his own man; a mature guy. Gibbs had to put up with Stewart's anger management issues and handled that just about flawlessly. Then he inherited Logano's father. And Kyle Busch's antics. Busch seems to have settled down completely. With Logano off the team, dad will be elsewhere also. Gibbs will be able to breathe a big sigh of relief.
Before we leave NASCAR, Steve Arpin of Fort Frances, Ont., finished 13th in the Mike's Hard Lemonade-sponsored truck in the Camping World Series race at Lucas Oil Raceway outside Indianapolis last Friday night. Arpin had qualified 19th.
There were lots of empty seats at the Grand Prix of Hungary, unlike the early years of the modern era. The first was held in 1986 in front of a packed house and I always thought the major media missed the real story there.
It marked the first time that an F1 race – Formula One being the epitome of capitalism – had taken place behind what was then called the Iron Curtain. It was the beginning of the end of Soviet Union-style communism. By the end of the 1980s, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was all over.
Edwards joining JGR would be a powerhouse. I think it would put even more snap positively in Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin as they do like to compete.
Logano is a good kid and a swap to Roush may even be a smart thing. Besides, Jack could bite Tom Logano on one of his ankles and put him in his place.
Posted by: APP | 08/02/2011 at 07:34 PM