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| 30 for 30: Cope-ing with Sexiness |
ESPN's excellent "30 for 30" documentary series has produced some excellent programming over the past few years (well, and that dud about the Washington state Little League team), but only one (Tim Richmond: To the Limit) has focused on Nascar. How about we get some more before ESPN loses its Nascar coverage and pretends the sport doesn't exist? Here's what I'D like to see:
(NOTE: Going by the original 30 for 30 rules that all events had to happen in the "ESPN Era", so post 1979, and can't be anything that's already been examined in detail, like the 1979 Daytona 500 or the 1992 season finale)
Dale's Defeat--I'd love to see a look at Dale Earnhardt's disastrous 1981 season, arguably the worst season for a defending Winston Cup champion in the sport's history. Furthermore, we'd finally have a true biography of J.D. Stacy, the man who came in, ran off Dale Freakin' Earnhardt, sponsored about 7 cars, went "broke", and left.
Keep on Truckin'--The story of the start of the Nascar Craftsman/Camping World Truck Series would be pretty enlightening. They could shine a light on the off-road racers (like Jim Smith) who apparently conceived of the idea, as well as the motley crew who raced that first, strange season.
Tire Wars--Every time someone mentions, "Hey, Goodyear tires SUCK, they should get someone else to compete with them", I wished they knew the story of the late-80's and early-90's "tire wars" between Goodyear and Hoosier. Record speeds, constant blowouts, possible collusion, and, sadly, death all pockmark this cautionary tale.
Strange Bruton--Just think about it--sit SMI president O. Bruton Smith down in a chair, ask him a few leading questions, and roll the tape. Eventually we'll hear how Bill France Jr. sent CIA operatives after his car dealership, or how he invented Z-Max, All-Star Races, and asphalt.