Revved Up! Autoweek Readers React to Week's Biggest Racing News
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We’re fresh off the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and getting ready for the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Why, it feels like REVVED UP!! Is in mid-season form already!
In this week’s edition of the mailbag, we dive into a variety of subjects, from controversial to complimentary, including Brian France, A.J. Foyt, IMSA, NHRA and the late, great Benny Parsons. Here are some of the more poignant comments from readers, as well as my take:
The Rise and Fall of NASCAR Innovator Brian France
Readers Say:
• Eric Hanscom: His dad and grandfather were the innovators. Brian brought it all down!
• Chris Quimby: Why don’t they pinpoint a time in history when NASCAR was at its best. So imagine this time period is the early 70s. Let’s bring back the cars as close to what they were in that time period! Yes Buick, Olds, Pontiac, Chevy, AMC, Dodge and Plymouth! Reconstruct these cars as close to original race trim as possible. And go racing! I guess you could call it vintage NASCAR racing! That I would pay to see.
• Motionman: Brian's biggest problem is that he just did not go to the races. His grandfather and father were at every race and the entire garage knew they could talk to them. Brian, not so much.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: While Brian was an innovator, not all of his ideas were successful. The Chase playoff format took years for fans to accept. The Car of Tomorrow had a lot of promise, but also a lot of shortcomings. I couldn’t agree more with Motionman, in particular. Brian maybe attended a handful of races in-person every year, whereas Bill France Sr. and Jr. were indeed at every race, as is Jim France now. Brian became a distant figure for many in the sport because of his absence from the track. So much business is conducted at-track.
A.J. Foyt Racing Explains Why It's Changing Car Number from 88 to 55
Readers Say:
* Bob9227: ABSOLUTELY ABSURD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are just numbers! Next will be no numbers at all because blind people can't read them. These people that are paranoid and narcissistic are ruining the world.
* Stp8112: Stupid response. My point was that I had never heard of the "88" thing. This whole thing of getting PO'd about things is rampant. Not sure what "88" even means, but I guess if it is going to upset people then a good thing to do. Why did it take so many years for this to surface, though? I wonder how many other numbers are going to drum up issues?
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I see both sides of this argument, both from Foyt’s perspective not wanting to offend anyone, as well as fans who consider changing the number from 88 to 55 being “absolutely absurd!” That being said, however, where do we as a society draw the line? Will the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL soon outlaw (so to speak) the wearing of the No. 88 or No. 14 or any other uniform number that some people or group may take offense to? Frankly, people, these are simply numbers to identify a race car, not to tout or push a certain political or social platform. Foyt picked the 88 in part to celebrate his 88th birthday. I’m sure he’s just as horrified as anyone when social media trolls started touting what the 88 means in certain parlance or group nomenclature. I mean, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran the 88 for 10 years (plus Alex Bowman for three more years afterward) with Hendrick Motorsports and not a peep was heard.
9 Racers (and 1 Owner) Ready to Make the Biggest NHRA Headlines in 2023
Readers Say:
• Mov6168: I think Steve Torrance will be a winner in 2023.
• F1Racer2B: Watching Camrie (Caruso) has been like watching Josh Hart in his past two years in the sport. Neither is boisterous, just clinical. She seems to learn something with each pass down the track.
• Lxsusrcks: The six Pro Stock ROYs that are still competing full time are an amazing group. While they don’t get the attention that the Top Fuel cars do, I have found them to be equally exciting going back to the’80s when WJ (Warren Johnson) was my favorite NHRA racer.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I agree with F1Racer2B that Camrie Caruso is going to become one heck of a driver with more experience. She is the next generation Erica Enders. It is going to be so much fun to watch the two of them square off more and more as each season goes on. As for Mov6168’s comment on Steve Torrence, I couldn’t agree more. Torrence is one of the hardest racers I’ve ever seen, and falling short last season is going to make him come back with a hunger in 2023 that I won’t be surprised if he wins half of the races, capping things off with another championship.
The 2023 Rolex 24 at Daytona Was IMSA's Giant Leap Forward
Readers Say:
• fld7691: The racing from all classes was excellent, so formulas are working. The top six/seven GTP cars were all running close together at least until we left the track to get dinner, around 9pm. Was able to watch on USA back at the hotel, so all good. Maybe IMSA’s PR department needs to get to work and sell its brand better. News in Tampa saturated with the Gasparilla Pirate Parade which expected over 300,000 people, but didn’t show anything about the Rolex24. Like your article said, “three hours after, everyone’s moved on”….
• Arvin_C: I was able to watch almost all of the Rolex 24 via Peacock streaming, which was excellent. However, I’m a die-hard endurance racing fan, so I knew where to go…and judging from some informal Tweets and comments, endurance racing as a whole needs to get the word out on how to watch these events as well as make it easier (FREE!) to watch these events on screens/TV. Aside from that, the racing was fantastic. I really was rooting for a Cadillac victory, but it was great seeing those Big 4 manufacturers fighting it out for the overall win…even if the Porsche and BMW efforts didn’t quite last; chalk it up to teething problems. The GT category continues to provide the closest, most spirited racing…let’s hope that Balance of Performance and Driver Rating issues don’t mess things up. I’m really looking forward to ‘24, when the GT formula will be even more homologated…the Corvette C8 Z06.R and Ford Mustang GT3 entries should shake things up quite a bit and draw even more customer teams and fans to the sport.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I agree that this year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona was one of the better IMSA races I’ve ever seen. Not only was there a fantastic crowd, many folks around the world tuned in on TV. IMSA should be very happy with the way things turned out and hopefully this is a harbinger of greater things to come for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, interest in IMSA competition at subsequent events and tracks oftentimes drops off after the Rolex until the following year. IMSA deserves a pat on the back for a job well done at Daytona, for sure.
Benny Parsons Reaches Milestone with 200-mph Qualifying Lap at Talladega
Readers Say:
• Andrew Brasher: One of the most underrated drivers, and actually, he was quite good.
• Dan Delly: The early 80's were such an exciting time in NASCAR...More sponsors, more competitive teams and ESPN bringing it all into America's homes so the world could how awesome the sport really was !!! Glad I got to see drivers like Petty, Pearson, Parsons, Yarborough, Allison, Baker and Waltrip race in person and saw all of them win in person at Michigan when I was a kid in the 70's and early 80's.....MISS THOSE DAYS....
• Brian Donahue: Benny deserves more recognition. He was a great driver!
• Dale Pritzkau: I always enjoyed watching Benny Parsons race – he was a class act.
• Cory Higdon: Ole BP, sure do miss him in the booth. One of the best.
Autoweek Contributor Jerry Bonkowski Says:
JB Says: I’ve always said the mark of a great man is someone you would have to look hard and wide to find another individual who would badmouth him. Such was the case with Benny. I never, ever heard anyone badmouth him. In fact, it seemed like everyone loved him, both during his time as a racer, as well as his time in the broadcast booth. He was a true Southern gentleman, even though he grew up in Detroit. He was the epitome of class, never had a bad word to say about anyone else, was fair in his opinions (even in the midst of controversy) and had such a calming influence. He left us way too young, but boy, what a legacy he left as a family man, announcer and racer!
Alright, that does it for this week. We’ll have a lot more next week, particularly about the Busch Light Clash in LA. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave comments below.
Follow Autoweek contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski
