William Byron's big lid, IndyCar 'roofs,' NASCAR rants ... and Farmer John? | HEY, WILLIE!

HEY, WILLIE!

I think it’s great that drivers come up with distinctive ways to celebrate their wins — Kyle Busch's bow, Carl Edwards’ backflip, Ross Chastain's watermelon smash.   

But why William Byron, a great driver, has to look like Spaceballs every time he wins is really an insult to him and his team. That goofy hat needs to be buried next to “Digger,” wherever he is.

MARK FROM VIRGINIA

HEY, MFV!

It’s called the Noggin Boss, which apparently got its big break on Shark Tank, and don’t think Byron is wearing one in Victory Lane just for style points.

Nope, there’s a marketing angle: You can buy one on his website.

Oh … for $110! Yikes.

Frankly, I’m good with Billy the Kid’s big lid because after a few years of assuming he was a tad bland (to put it nicely), the Noggin Boss shows he’s not just another racing veal. Well, that and dating Ryan Blaney’s sister, Erin.

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HEY, WILLIE!

OK, I doubt I'm the only one to email you about this, but ...

Indy-cars do not have roofs. I know you're focused on NASCAR but there are other series out there.

LARRY

HEY, LARRY!

One of the perks of writing columns instead of straight news is the license to speak figuratively.

You’re referencing my description of Kyle Kirkwood’s scary crash at Indianapolis last week, which went from scary to terrifying when one of his wheels was ripped away and sent like a missile toward the Turn 2 grandstands.

The wheel thankfully cleared the end of the stands and violently thudded into a Chevy Cruze, whose owner was otherwise quite proud of the prime parking spot. It seems folks underestimated how catastrophic that would’ve been if not for the fortunate extra boost of propulsion sending the wheel just beyond harm’s way.

Meanwhile, Kirkwood was upside-down, surrounded by sparks, as his car slid “on the frame of its Aeroscreen and roll bar” — you like that better than “roof?”

Maybe you do, but keep in mind, a couple of days after the race and one day after I got your email, I saw Kirkwood on a cable news show describing the wreck, and even he said “roof.” If I had Kyle’s email address, I’d forward him a correction.

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HEY, WILLIE!

Snot rag! 

I love it! I use that term a lot, but I've never heard anybody ELSE say it. Great minds think alike, I guess.

TOMMY IN GULF BREEZE

HEY, TIGB!

Unfortunately, that time I wasn’t speaking figuratively. 

But with my weekly (or should I say weakly?) efforts at picking NASCAR winners, I should probably keep that term lightly holstered and available with the flick of an alt key.

By the way, what do you call it when an uncivilized fella is without the aforementioned hanky, covers one nostril and lets one fly? I’ve always called it a “Farmer John,” but boy did I find some interesting stuff in Urban Dictionary’s thesaurus link.

HEY, WILLIE!

I must say I have never seen a more boring All Star Race than the one I watched from North Wilkesboro. 

Leave North Wilkesboro to the Truck and Xfinity Series and find another venue for the All Star Race.

RICK

HEY, RICK!

Don’t blame the track, blame the current short-track combo of tires, downforce, horsepower, etc.

Say what you want about NASCAR, but know that their Smart People back in the R&D Center are R’ing and D’ing day and night to solve that Rubik’s Cube.

HEY, WILLIE!

No idea what can be done to make racing better (although there have been a couple of good ones this season), since clean air is still a factor and there are so many teams and cars that pretty much run the same speed.  

The days of only a handful of cars being capable of winning are long gone. Today you pretty much have four from Hendrick, two from Childress, two from TrackHouse, four from Gibbs, two from 23/11, four from SHR, three from Penske, two from RFK — 23 total teams that could conceivably win any given weekend.  

Then there are several more cars just a step behind. All that competition makes it even tougher to pass.  

TOM

HEY, TOM!

Never thought I’d see parity blamed for someone’s perception of dull racing. But I bet Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher (the RFK racers) are happy to be considered weekly threats to win.

HEY, WILLIE!

Incredible revitalization of North Wilkesboro Speedway, BUT all the races were boring due to single-file front-runners racing on a one-lane speedway. 

If it wasn't for a two-lap overtime, some of the other races this year were in the same category. Thankfully, Daytona and Talladega are exciting to watch, although the wrecks take away from competitive racing.

RACER RICH

HEY, RICH!

I blame the Boys in Marketing.

Over the decades, TV commercials promoting an upcoming race made NASCAR races look like Steve McQueen's "road race" in Bullitt. 

Yes, there have been periods of time when paint-tradin’ was more prevalent than it is in other times, but trust me, it’s never, ever, ever been lap after lap of beating and banging in the All Hell Breaks Loose 500.

It was hard enough to draw and keep fans in normal times. In the TikTok age, it’s a mammoth chore for every sports-entertainment enterprise that doesn’t contain the letters N, F and L in its name.

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: William Byron's lid, NASCAR rants, and IndyCar 'roofs' | HEY, WILLIE