 | | Matt Kenseth cruised to victory Saturday in what some are calling an uneventful Sharpie 500. Credit: CIA Stock Photo |
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
August 30, 2006
11:49 AM EDT (15:49 GMT)
ELFIN COVE, Alaska -- Random thoughts run rampant as I peer out a foggy bay window facing a desolate cove in what very well could be Heaven, a slice of nature that knows no commercialization, where towering furs and pines command respect and the air and water are crisp and pure, and the monotony of rippling water is broken only by groaning sea lions and occasional sea vessels. A 50-something named Gordy owns the joint. Cove Lodge, it's called. The nearest Wal-Mart is 400 miles away; the closest city, Juneau, 85 miles. By boat. Juneau isn't accessible by land. Casey Mears sat in this seat here for much of the day, watching low-lying clouds ease by the Brady Glacier's 15,300 piercing feet, rising from the Pacific to a crystal blue sky. Hours. Just sat here. Gazed. And didn't get bored. Gordy's staff serves homestyle meals at dinner, and sits around the table telling stories after shoveling heaping mounds of homemade desserts into their bellies. Gordy, the mayor of Elfin Cove, is proud of his town. It's a remnant of the old frontier. He says it's what the United States was like in its infancy. No government. No ordinances. Not even taxes. Order is the responsibility of the town's 20 residents. By law, the town's boardwalks are considered highways. Fishing -- sporting and commercial -- sustains the economy. That's why Mears is here. Jimmie Johnson, too. Sport fishing. Halibut. King Salmon. Rockfish. Deep sea in the morning, river in the evening. They heard about the place, thought it'd be worth checking out. It's the antithesis of their daily being, see. Noncommercial. Mears is pleased. It is early evening, and he's watching the sun ease behind the behind the glacier. "I could get used to this," he says. "Does anybody's cell phone work?" Maybe a hint more commercialism is in order. But just a hint. Garth Benner, Eagan, Minn: Marty, Saturday's race was brutal! It has lost its luster the past few years since the Chase format has been added to the championship. There was no hard driving, long green flags, few multicar wrecks (we know Sadler wrecked on his own the first time!), and a predictable finish with eight of the 10 Chase contenders in the Top 10. This race needs to be moved later in to the Chase so these guys can bang and bump like the old days. Bristol is always great, but the night race will become just another race on the schedule if they don't get a new date. Who would want that to happen? I can't disagree, Garth. There's no question Saturday night's Sharpie 500 was far tamer than Bristol races tend to be. The drivers even said so. And from my perspective, your reasoning is spot-on -- the Chase puts people on edge. Many teams just wanted to bring it home in one piece Saturday night. The overall time of race, 2 hours, 57 minutes, 37 seconds, was quite indicative of that strategy. Bill Presson: Marty, when was the last time Petty had two cars qualified in the top 10? Nearly five years ago, Bill. The last time Petty Enterprises placed two cars among the top 10 in Bud Pole Qualifying was at Talladega in Oct. 2001. John Andretti started seventh in the No. 43. Kyle Petty rolled off eighth in the No. 45. Debi Sutherland: Hi Marty, back in '71 or '72 when Winston came into Cup and made major changes to the cars they began keeping new race records and started calling it the Modern Era. Now, with the COT phasing in next year are they going to start new records all over again? And if so, what will they call it? The new Modern Era? I doubt it, Debi. If they didn't enter a new "era" when the Chase was introduced, I highly doubt they'll designate a new era with the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow. The Chase is arguably the single most drastic deviation from the norm in the sport's history. COT is a huge initiative, mind you, but it won't change the fundamental base of the sport --- one car trying to go faster than the next. But the Chase concept completely changed the manner in which the sport is approached and perceived. Terry: Hey Marty, did you happen to catch the end of Kyle Busch's interview? I guess he took a swig of Gatorade before the camera came on and put the lid back on the bottle. Well, after the short interview he proceeded to take a swig with the cap on. He looked totally dumbfounded and it was great! Laughed until my belly hurt, Terry. Busch looked like he got smacked in the mouth. That's all the time I have today. Gordy's breakfast comes early. The opinions expressed are solely of the writer. | 
