What We Learned: Bit of this, bit of that

Bits and pieces of my mind after another weekend of racing. Once again: you’ve been warned.

Of all the “big” national racing series, I’m thinking the NHRA gets the least respect, at least from the media.

First of all, ESPN2 has given the NHRA a “home” on Sunday nights for final eliminations, but that hasn’t stopped the network from scheduling events ahead of the dragsters that tend to run long, like this past weekend’s Little League playoff game.

Really messes the DVR/VCR crowd up, but I’ve learned to set the recorder to go extra time.

But on top of that, this weekend there was a lot of interesting stuff going on with the NHRA in Brainerd, Minn., which was totally missed by the “print media.”

Like Funny Car point leader Tony Pedregon parting ways with his crew chief and assistant crew chief, and John Force deciding to swap cars with Robert Hight.

Although Pedregon said the split with Dickie Venables, who he’s earned two championships with, was amicable and mutual, there isn’t much information available on the “why.”

Pedregon is locked into the Countdown to 1, but with just a few events left before the playoffs start now is the time for teams that have clinched to work on the types of things that can make the difference between a title and an also-ran.

As for Force, he’s making the move to get Hight into the running for a Countdown slot. With three of his four cars inside the top 10 — daughter Ashley Force-Hood has already clinched a playoff spot, and his own team and Robert Neff’s are No. 8 and 9, respectively — Force decided to take one for the team and move into the No. 12 spot Hight was occupying after not qualifying at Brainerd.

With his usual “tact,” Force was all over ESPN2’s broadcast of the finals at Brainerd, discussing his need to support the sponsors of his team by ensuring they each got a shot at the playoffs.

And if you wanted to know more about these stories, you had to watch it on the tube or read what the NHRA was putting out.

I find it interesting that the NASCAR phenomenon known as “start and park” is suddenly a hot topic. S&P has been around for more than a few years, but depending on the network and announcers it goes all but unmentioned during broadcasts.

NASCAR would prefer to just keep S&P an industry secret, I’m betting, because there isn’t an answer to the problem, at least not one that NASCAR would approve of.

Now, as I’ve said time and again, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I tried to think of a way to discourage S&P and came up with an idea: Cut in half the money paid to any team that doesn’t race at least half the scheduled distance ¬— with exceptions made for accidents and actual, verifiable mechanical or safety problems (no more “electric,” “overheating,” “handling,” or “vibration” in the box score).

What to do with any extra purse money? Why not sweeten the pot for the teams that finish 20th and back — give them a reward for racing instead of parking.

The biggest problem with my solution — or anybody else’s for that matter — is the net result will be less than full fields of cars as the S&P teams will just stay home. If you consider the average race has at least four, and often more, S&P teams, NASCAR will be faced with starting 38-39 cars instead of the standard 43 for Cup, and Nationwide, and 30-32 for the Trucks.

Maybe that’s the solution: cut the starting field to 35 or 36 for Cup and Nationwide, and 30 for Trucks. Of course, if NASCAR does that and still gets S&P teams, it’s going to look pretty bare out there at Talladega.

If I was Kyle Busch’s PR person, I would strongly advise — no, insist — that he go back to not talking to the TV folks after races.

Busch finished third in Saturday’s Nationwide race after Brad Keselowski ambushed both Busch and Brian Vickers, who were battling for the lead on the final lap.

Of course, Busch’s position was that he and Vickers had the dominant cars and had Vickers played along, the win would have been decided between the two of them. Instead, Vickers insisted on battling Busch, and Keselowski got win No. 3 on the year.

I normally enjoy watching Kyle Busch race because he usually leaves it all on the track, but I’m past the point of wanting to see his interviews.

In fact, I would much rather see Carl Edwards’ post-race interview than Busch’s. Which is amazing, because I haven’t been a big fan of Edwards the past couple years. But this season he seems to have matured in his role as a newlywed and owner Jack Roush’s favorite driver.

Edwards will, always, praise the winner and fans in the grandstand in addition to giving thanks to his crew chief and crew, and slipping the names of all his sponsors into the conversation. If NASCAR runs a PR course for new drivers — and I’ve got to believe they do — I’m sure tape of Edwards’ interviews is used extensively, and for good reason.

I have 73 friends on an Internet social networking site. That’s not as many as some — maybe most — but the fact is there were just about 100 kids in my entire high school, all four grades combined, the year I graduated.

Before today I didn’t honestly think I could name 50 people, much less 73. I once ran a division in the Navy that had about 100 people in it, but there is no way I was telling those people what I was up to every day.

And by the way, any of you “following” me on Twitter … I tried it, I didn’t like it, I’m not tweeting anymore. That is way too far in the weeds, if you know what I mean.

When I was a kid in Illinois, my dad had a cartoon in the workshop of his electrical contracting business.

Back in the maze of shelves holding bolts, screws, outlets, conduit and wire, there was a drawing of a buck-toothed clueless-looking guy in coveralls, and underneath it read: “Two months ago I couldn’t spell lektrishun, and now I are one.”

That’s kind of how I feel about being a sportswriter/reporter/journalist. Five years ago I couldn’t spell it — or much else according to my pre-hire test — but suddenly I was one.

This trip down memory lane was brought to you courtesy of the news that I’ve put in my notice. By the end of the month I’ll no longer be a part-time employee of The Herald, but there is a possibility that I’ll still be around as a freelancer.

Details to follow … just don’t expect to be tweeted.