2-MINUTE DRILL
RACING CHAT Dave Kallmann answered questions on Wednesday. Read the full transcript at http://www.jsonline.com/sports/motor-sports/
Q. In reference to FoxSports recent rebranding of their digital division, do you see media moving away from written content, and more exclusively to video only presentations? How would to affect the coverage of sports? A. There’s a huge push for video all over the place. Still I also see a fair amount of blowback against auto-play, so maybe there’s hope for readers, too. I will say, in the case of Fox Sports, it makes a certain amount of sense. When I say Fox, you think TV ... hence video. On the other hand, the more talented journalists that are run out of the business, the more journalism suffers. And that isn’t fake news. Q. His grandpa and his dad had ‘it’. Does Marco Andretti have it? A. I sure hope there’s just something that hasn’t clicked that will, but after two wins in 11 years, the supporting evidence isn’t strong, is it?
Q. Will Dale Earnhardt Jr. win one race this year? A. It’d be great if he did, but I’m thinking 50-50 at best. Earnhardt averages about 1.7 per full season and had seven in the 2014-’15 span. But he doesn’t have any since. I’d say one of the two best remaining opportunites comes in a couple of takes. Q. If you could build a race track, what would you build? A. Iowa, but closer to a larger metro area. Maybe not State Fair Park close, but Hales Corners close or New Berlin close, with easy freeway access. Having said that, one thing Iowa has going for it is that it’s usually the only game in town, which can’t be said in a city with an MLB franchise or, say, Summerfest. Q. Kenseth, Logano, Hamlin, Bowyer, or Chase...which driver(s) will not make the NASCAR playoffs? A. If any of them, either Kenseth or Bowyer. Logano will win again and Hamlin will get in with a win or points. The other two, I’m not so sure. But this is more of a guess than a real informed opinion. Q. Dale Sr. or Jimmie Johnson? Which one is better? A. Yeah, right. Nice trap. If JJ gets eight or maybe even nine, it’s be pretty hard not to say he is, but you’d also have a heck of an argument on your hands. Q. Do have a good reason as to why Scott Dixon was way more competitive than his teammate Tony Kanaan on Sunday at Road America? A. To oversimplify, Dixon’s part of team figured it out for qualifying and TK’s didn’t. Ganassi figured Road America was a place where the Honda was going to be at a disadvantage with aero, but the team was willing to give up a little there and elsewhere to have its best chance to win Indy by changing from Chevy to Honda. Dixon hung in, grabbed the lead when he had the chance and avoided problems all day. TK was stuck mid-pack, had to work an alternate strategy and get caught up in a tangle his teammate didn’t. Being as how I had committed to Kanaan for a Sunday race advance, I was surprised he wasn’t in the mix.
Q. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski were on the record that a championship caliber truck series team costs $3 million a year to run. With purses a fraction of that, and sponsorship becoming becoming harder to find, are we looking at a possible elimination of the truck series? A. Not as long as people can find $3 million to go truck racing and manufacturers see it as a venue for development. But you will see — or really, have seen — the elimination of the Ross Kenseth and Ty Majeski types from top-flight truck rides. Q. Everyone wants to know when racing is coming back to the State Park? A. Just what I need in my life, right? One more mess. Well, I can give it right back: State Park (Speedway) has super-lates scheduled for July 20. State (Fair) Park has a giant potential demo derby scheduled for the track Aug. 3-13. Happy parking!