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None of the three things I mentioned in the headline are connected, I just decided to write a hodgepodge post with a few different thoughts and observations.  Feel free to comment on one or all (or not at all).

Fuel Injection
The new fuel injected engines were on display for the first time on Thursday at Kentucky Speedway.  The Cup teams were allowed to bring extra cars to an open test session in order to gather data on the new EFI systems.  There is no shortage of information about fuel injection, and it sounds like the testing was pretty uneventful.  Outside of the manufacturers using the new systems to develop technology, and the obvious marketing benefits, don’t expect much to change.  The cars shouldn’t drive much different than they do with a carburetor, so the racing action should remain unchanged.  Still no word on what this means for the superspeedways and restricting horsepower.

Jimmie Johnson
Still think JJ is too vanilla or too corporate?  Over the last five years, as he was running away with championships, one of the biggest criticisms of Johnson was that he didn’t have enough personality.  He isn’t controversial like Kyle Busch or beloved like Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Instead, he’s always polite and friendly in interviews, gets his Lowe’s mentions in, and has a hot wife and new baby.  But this boring image might be starting to change a little bit.  And it’s all thanks to Twitter.  This season, Johnson has become quite active on his @JimmieJohnson account.  He’s done everything from tweeting photos of himself in blond wigs to taking on fans who criticize him.  There have also been tweets about golf and adult beverages, and he’s always good for a giveaway… or 10.  He’s been able to show that he actually does have a personality and likes to have a good time.  It’s just unfortunate that it’s taken this long for the public to see it.  If you are active on Twitter, and don’t follow JJ, I’d suggest checking him out.

The Brickyard
We got the official announcement this week that neither the Truck nor Nationwide Series will return to Lucas Oil Raceway Park (formally ORP and IRP) for the 2012 season and beyond.  The NNS cars will become part of the Brickyard 400 weekend and a replacement event for the trucks is TBA.  Journo wrote last week about how this move would be a mistake, and our fears have been realized.  It’s a shame because racing at LORP was always great, and the stands were always full.  Now, we are stuck with yet another companion event.  Cup races at the Brickyard are usually not great, and Nationwide races will be even worse.  If this were Twitter, NASCAR and the track people would get a big fat #fail.

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway is home to one of the greatest traditions in all of motorsports. The prestige of the place and the events surrounding it made it a perfect fit for the up-and-coming NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1994. 200,000 spectators showed up that first year – in 2007 the number was 270,000.

17 years later NASCAR at Indy is struggling to find the magic it once had. The racing has never been that good, and attendance has been on the decline – down to 140,000 last year, still reeling from the tire debacle in 2008. With that in mind officials with IMS and NASCAR have been looking for ways to add value to the event.

In recent weeks that talk has centered around the addition of a Grand-Am Rolex Series event and potentially the Nationwide Series at the big track. The idea being, the more events, the bigger draw. Helping the case too is a guaranteed $700,000 payday for the Nationwide event.

Adding the Grand Am Series to Indy is, at least on the surface, a good fit – there is a great road course at IMS used for years by F1 and MotoGP. For the Nationwide cars though, the idea of a shift from Lucas Oil Raceway Park is a little cringe worthy.

The Nationwide cars have been at LROP every year since 1982. The short track always provides great races and great racing. While it would certainly be a novelty to see the cars at IMS, the racing is sure to be lacking.

With the Brickyard just a few weeks away, it’s interesting to think about not just whether or not the Nationwide cars should be there, but whether or not the Cup cars should be there. Certainly even in the worst year the Brickyard has produced attendance numbers any sport would envy. Still, with limited passing ability, the racing has always been lacking.

I think it important for a sanctioning body to occasionally evaluate the quality of its events. When those events reach a point that fan interest is clearly waning, perhaps it comes time to reconsider them. Perhaps, just perhaps, NASCAR is reaching that point with the Brickyard.

Sometimes it’s better to admit when things aren’t working and look for successful solutions than it is beat a dead horse – I’m not sure which they’re doing here.

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