Good race? Depends on fans’ tastes

Once in a blue moon I cough up a clever line like one I had Sunday writing about the Sprint Cup race.

I wrote, "For much of the day it would have been easier for a driver to pass a kidney stone than another car."

While basking in my humorous glory, it got me thinking about what makes a good race and I decided the answer depends on a fan's taste and number of years residing in NASCAR nation.

Here's my breakdown:

LEVEL 1

CRASH TEST DUMMIES

The entry-level fan is baffled to learn stock cars are not stock and were not driven from a showroom floor onto the track. They're more concerned about beer being cold than racing being hot.

They were disappointed Sunday because there weren't big crashes with cars flying above the frontstretch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. That's what they want.

A day at a race could be a passing fancy with more focus on fans passing beers from vendors than cars swapping positions on the track.

LEVEL 2

KNOW ENOUGH TO BE ANNOYING

They occasionally watch parts of races on TV and know enough to dislike one particular driver and adore another, based on personality, not talent.

Some in this group cheered when Kyle Busch's engine blew after 107 of 267 laps Sunday and he left the track with fire spewing from his car.

Others in the category cheered whenever Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran near the front, as he did much of the afternoon and placed eighth.

LEVEL 3

ARMCHAIR RACER

A race is rated as a good one when meaningful passes are made every few laps. Not much of that happened Sunday.

They are knowledgeable and understood the importance of two-tire versus four-tire pit stop strategies late in the race by winner Carl Edwards and runner-up Tony Stewart.

LEVEL 4

UNDERSTAND LOOSE, TIGHT

These die-hards hold doctorate degrees in stock-car racing. They appreciate the skill it takes to complete a circuit at more than 180 mph, whether in a pack or alone in qualifying.

They can explain "tight" and "loose" and know a track-bar doesn't dispense beer and how adjusting it and/or tire pressure can affect those handling conditions.

I'm a solid Level 3 and on the cusp of Level 4.

I respect the skill and smarts it takes to race in the Cup series, but I want to see passing -- lots of passing.

The lead in the Kobalt Tools 400 changed 21 times, mostly when cars pitted on different laps. The number of changes wasn't close to the fewest (13, in 2000) or most (28, in 2007) in a Cup race at LVMS.

Denny Hamlin drove from the back Sunday to finish seventh. He said softer Goodyear tires would produce more side-by-side racing and passing.

Edwards loves the track and doesn't want anything changed. He also won.

The speedway went above and beyond to improve racing in 2006, when about half of a $27 million improvement budget went to reconfiguring the 1.5-mile oval by creating progressive banking with 24 degrees in turns where there had been 12 degrees.

NASCAR has worked to improve the race-ability of Cup cars.

But the race still is lacking.

A fix would be for NASCAR and exclusive tire supplier Goodyear to have a test session at LVMS in January to help provide a better tire for the race. It not only would improve the LVMS race but also 10 others held on 1.5-mile tracks.

I'd like to end with a clever quip, but I've already used my quota for the year.

Maybe I need preseason testing, too, or softer tires.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit lvrj.com/motorsports for more news and commentary. Follow Wolf on Twitter: @lvrjwolf.