What happened to Richmond??

Several years ago, Richmond was among the hottest tickets on the NASCAR circuit.  The track had many consecutive sellouts, racing was great, and the fans loved it.  Drivers would beat and bang, tempers would flare, and once in a while a fight or heated discussion would break out in the pits after the race.

So, what happened?

Yesterday's race can be summed up in about 2 words - yawn, and zzz.

If I counted correctly, there were only 2 passes for the lead under green flag conditions that did not involve pit stops or a restart.  Two passes.  Kurt Busch led more than half the race.  There was some passing in the pack, and some sheet metal exchanges, but all in all, it wasn't a very exciting race. 

During Friday night's Xfinity series race, Denny Hamlin led 248 of the 250 laps run.  One driver, 99% of the laps led.  That race was saved by the unfortunate pit fire that occurred in Brendan Gaughn's pit.  The good news on that is it appears nobody was seriously hurt. 

Going back to last season, the only two exciting things to happen at Richmond were the pit fire Friday night, and the fence climber last September.  Neither incident occurred on the race track. 


NASCAR wonders why attendance is down.  I think they need to look at the racing (or lack thereof) for some answers.

Steve Byrnes

The NASCAR family lost a great man on Tuesday morning.  

Steve Byrnes, who had worked as a reporter within the NASCAR family for 30 years, died Tuesday after a year long battle with cancer.  Steve was seen as an inspiration to many within the community for his fight against cancer, but also the positive attitude he showed up until the day he passed.  Steve didn't give up easily - he fought with every ounce of strength he had.

I never had the privilege of meeting Steve.  I probably passed by him on several tours and adventures through the garage or pre-race areas that I've been fortunate to have been around.  My only interaction was on Twitter, where I would leave messages of encouragement to Steve during his battle.  He usually wouldn't have time to respond, but favorited several tweets.  While Steve had no idea who I was, or probably nost of the fans that sent him messages or tweets, I'm certain he appreciated the words of encouragement and love the fans showed for him.

One of the best moments was the Bristol race this past weekend I attended.  The race was renamed to honor Steve and to support Stand Up 2 Cancer.  Many drivers had Steve's name, or a "SPB" decal, which were Steve's initials, on their race cars.  Watching every pit crew member standing on the wall before the race began, most holding signs simply stating "I stand up for Steve" was touching.  Steve mentioned that he was watching the broadcast from the hospital and I'm sure was smiling.

Many of his colleagues have mentioned that Steve was a professional, but also a warm, gentle person.  He sounded like the kind of guy that would sit in a room and talk to everyone.  They also said that he would get his hands dirty when he needed to.  

Steve leaves behind a wife, and a 12 year old son.  My thoughts and prayers are with them as they mourn his loss.  

Steve's last tweet Sunday night was in reference to the Cup race at Bristol.  It simply said "I went the distance".  Tuesday, Steve definitely went the distance.

Farewell, Steve Byrnes, and thank you for many years of entertaining and informing us.

#ByrnesStrong