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Outside of the raging Darland debate as to whether he was a bad sport for climbing out of his car after the sentence for hot lapping was imposed, there was something I'm much more concerned about going on routinely at Bloomington now: They have fallen in love with that three-wheeled cushion killer service vehicle of theirs and IT IS HURTING THE RACING.
Okay, Short started on the pole, and might have won anyway, but I don't believe annihilating any chance for a real cushion to evolve over the course of the evening is the best way to find out whether a front-running regular who locked down on the bottom can be overtaken.
Everybody who truly attempted to lean on the top to advance paid for it by sliding over the racing surface that was made to endure about 15 minutes of flat-ironing by that diabolical farm implement (or paving machine, or whatever role that machinery plays in civilian service). I appreciate that the sheer talent on hand made for some action that is a cut above many other tracks, but Friday could have been epic, and it seems gone are the days when a real ledge would exist to reward the he-men (like Darland has long been) who don't drop their revs when they get to the turns. Hockett, Bland, Stanbrough, Sweet, Clayton, Matthews ALL would have been MUCH more in the mix if not for there being nothing to really lean on where there always used to be.
I love Bloomington's clay, and I respect every part of the prep that precedes the flattener, but that thing has gotta be retired for awhile to let races be won with a more level playing field than now exists. There is NO margin for error up there now, while only the boat anchor presence of the buried tires threatens whomever stays on the very bottom.
I've said my peace, and I accept the inevitable dismissal of it by some who feel it doesn't bear scrutiny.
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