This trip to Talladega will be the only time all month that the Sprint Cup drivers will be running in daylight.  In fact, it’s one of only two weeks out of 7 that they won’t be under the lights.

I enjoy the variety.  I wouldn’t want every race run at night, but I really enjoy the ones that are.

As we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the first night race at a superspeedway, it’s interesting to see exactly what that new technology has produced. 

I’ll never forget how cool it was the first time we saw the cars under the lights…they sparkled…and still do.  And, with the infield in darkness, the track just really jumps out.

For the most part, the night races generate a better fan experience.  It’s certainly more comfortable sitting under the lights than in the blazing sun.  They also allow fans more time to wander the grounds and get a better onsite experience for their money.  The one downside is that it makes for some really late nights driving home.

I’ll take the tradeoff.  And, I believe, it offers the sport a better chance to grow the fan base.  Do all the night shows by the Cup series hurt the local tracks?  In some cases, probably, but if it attracts more eyes and more interest in the sports in general, I think everyone wins.

I keep hearing folks talk about how much better racing was back in the “good old days”.  So, when exactly was that?

I did a little research using Bristol as my test case.

In the first 6 races of the 1980s, Bristol averaged fewer than 3 cars on the lead lap at the end of a race and fewer than 6 cautions a race for around 34 laps.  Only two of those races were decided by less than 2 ½ seconds…in one of them, Darrell Waltrip was on a lap to himself.

Jump forward to the last 6 races of the 1990s…more than 10 cars a race finished on the lead lap.  There were nearly 13 cautions for 87 laps per race (that’s over 17% of the race being run under caution) and, only once, was the margin of victory more than 6-tenths of a second.

Finally, we’ll look at the last three races there.  An average of 18 cars finish on the lead lap…there are 7 cautions for 47 laps and all three were decided by less just under a second.

So, which one is the good old days?  The early 80s had the cleanest racing…but, very few cars had a chance to win.  The late 90s had the closest racing, but also the most time spent under cautions.  The most recent racing saw a lot more cars in position to win despite the fact there were fewer cautions (by nearly half) but, the finishes weren’t quite as close.

Bottom line, we all have selective memories.  We tend to romanticize the past by remembering only the high spots.  That goes along with the old adage that you want to leave them wanting more.  A great finish will over-ride memories of a lousy event.

So, were the good old days that good?  More often that not…no.

One of the more impressive performances I’ve seen this year wasn’t on the track…but on the SprintVision screen.at the track.

The folks at SprintVision have created some features that allow a track announcer to interact with fans.  One of the games is to have a fan guess how many states a driver can name in 1 minute.

SPOILER ALERT!

Danica Patrick knocks it out of the park!  She rattles off 49 of the 50…and, even more impressive to me…does it alphabetically!

Seriously.

I’m pretty sure I don’t want to end up in a spelling bee with her.

And, just to show how differently each of us think…I couldn’t come close to listing the states in alphabetical order off the top of my head…I’d do it geographically.

To me, this is just further ammunition to volley back at anyone who suggests “they’re all dumb jocks”.  Clearly not. 

There was a time, not that long ago, that the only TV show you’d expect to find a NASCAR driver on was something like Fishing with Bill Dance or the Dukes of Hazzard. Boy, have the times changed!

There has been a gradual integration of NASCAR into the main stream of public consciousness. But, it seems like, recently, it’s been greater than ever.

Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick have all made forays into prime time TV. If Jeff Gordon were finished driving, he could easily slide into the co-host chair alongside Kelly Ripa.

I think there are two big reasons for the increased exposure away from the race track. The sport is bigger nationally than it’s ever been. And, the drivers tend to be more polished, well-spoken and media savy than in the past.

Even more interesting to me, is the way the current drivers are being embraced as peers by other professional athletes. That’s a big change from, say, 20 years ago. Denny Hamlin’s day as a caddy for Bubba Watson at the Masters is a perfect example of that.

Years ago, were something like that to happen…it would be lost among Augusta’s azaleas. Now, it’s a story that, not only, gets attention…but grew as Bubba Watson pulled on the green jacket.

There are two old adages in the entertainment industry: “Leave them wanting more” and “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”.

Both were on full display at Martinsville.

Let’s be honest, the race wasn’t much to write home about…but, the finish…folks can’t stop talking about it. And, in November, when we all look back at the season past, how many folks will rate the first Martinsville race among the best of the year?

It’s human nature. We remember the unique moments in our lives…the Hail Mary touchdown pass in the closing seconds of an ugly 3-3 football game. The buzzer-beater three to win the basketball game. The pass for the win coming off turn four to the checkered flag.

Unless you’re in professional wrestling, you’d can’t manufacture those finishes week in and week out. But, the truth is, the wild finish we got a Martinsville is getting a lot more mileage nationally than if Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson had picked up win #200 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Fair? No. But, that’s where our minds are. Quick…who won Daytona? Who hit the jet dryer?

My guess is, you had to think a second about Matt Kenseth…but Juan Pablo Montoya’s name came right to mind.

I have said often over the years that the best thing about lights at a race track is: you can wait out a rain delay. The worst thing? You can wait out a rain delay.

We have all spent hours upon hours sitting at a race track watching it rain and, having looked at the forecast, fully confident that there is no way we’re going to race today. But, you can’t just call it hours ahead of time…what if the forecast is wrong…and, it stops?

When it comes to weather delays, NASCAR has to consider things unlike like any other sport. Fans generally travel from greater distances to get to the event than say, baseball or golf. And, it takes a lot longer to get the “playing surface” in game shape than any other sport.

There is no other time that NASCAR faces a greater “no win situation” than when it comes to rain. No matter what the call, someone is not going to be happy.

Just know that a lot of factors go into a decision whether to call a race or wait out a delay.

Generally, the times I believe that NASCAR is thinking “let’s just get to halfway” are when we’ve already been through long or multiple rain delays.  

But, I would never suggest that the only time a winner can be declared is when the advertised distance is completed. That is unrealistic.

A lot of attention has been paid to all the empty seats at Bristol this March. And, without a doubt, it was disappointing to see them. But, it's a perfect example of the speedway being a victim of their own success.

Let's put some perspective on this...and I'm even willing to assume NASCAR's announced figure of just over 100,000 is a bit generous. Let's assume there were 85,000 folks on hand.

That's a lot of people. Anywhere. Much less in a geographic area where the nearest city with more than 200,000 people is, at least, 2 hours away.

For example, NFL teams are all in major metropolitan areas (except Green Bay)...and, only two can currently hold more than 85,000 fans at their home stadiums.

Trying to figure out exactly what is going on with Bristol is like trying to grab Jello. I think there are a lot of different factors that are all coming into play...many of which tie directly to the economy. Money is tight...we all know that. As a result, we're all making choice and some fans may be finding they can only go to one race a year there instead of two...and are picking the night race. It was nearly sold out last year.

Most fans have to travel a great distance to get there. If you're camping...$4 a gallon gas eats a lot cash. If you're staying at a hotel, 3 night minimums at $285 a night (for a room that will be $55 on Monday) is capitalism at its' worst.

Throw in the fact that some fans don't enjoy Bristol as much with the new pavement...and, the at home experience has become so good that some folks just don't want to leave.

Just don't be blinded by the past...85,000 will be one of the better crowds at NASCAR races this year...regardless of how it looked.