Hoo, boy.
The Baltimore Grand Prix is famous for big-money wrecks but this one stands out, insofar as it’s the worst kind of crash a racer can have: one that happens before you get to do any racing at all. The Sunday-evening quarterbacking’s been intense, with various people being assigned blame. One name being thrown around is Scott Tucker, primarily because he’s the most high-profile pay driver in the melee. Jalopnik wrote a long story about Mr. Tucker’s business practices in the past. As a former manager of a check-cashing store, your humble E-I-C pro tem has a thorough and visceral distaste for that miserable, repulsive business, so the less I say about that the better. Let’s just say that Mr. Tucker can certainly afford to buy himself a new prototype. The question will be: are the rest of the participants in the crash just as well-off? In high-end sports-car racing, you never really know.
Jalopnik “wrote a long story” about Mr. Tucker’s business practices? Yes, another of those extensive Jalopnik investigative journalism pieces. Might wanna check that, Jack. pretty sure they may have, at least, written a kick-ass introductory paragraph to someone else’s work.
Okay, it’s a “syndicated” piece, you’re right, but Matt and the gang deserve credit for running it.
Man, thanks for spoiling the beans. The race broadcast on TV is not until Sunday.
Did something compel you to watch the video or was it simply the video title that spoiled it for you?
Eaugh, spoiled beans.
I watched it streamed “live”, if you use the term loosely, on ESPN3 yesterday.
Trust me, you should be thanking Baruth for saving you from that fiasco.
Ok. To be honest, the IndyCar race in Baltimore, which I did watch, was a big letdown too (unless you enjoy seeing an endless crash fest parade for the sake of good hard racing in the last five minutes).
I don’t believe that JB revealed who won the race, so it’s hardly a spoiler. FWIW, I saw this story at the Detroit dailies’ websites yesterday night while checking the recap of the Tigers’ 10-5 win over the Cleveland Indians. The crash, red flags and penalties at the Baltimore race were all over the general sports media.
Our job is not to hide news.
A giant car crash blocking traffic in Baltimore? Sounds like my daily commute!
LOL, you beat me to it! It not too different from my commute either… just more expensive.
Racing.
I’d much rather do it, then watch it. But when I do watch it, I like to
see the clowns sorted out. Wrecks do that.
They all have the skill of car control, and the only thing they have to demonstrate is self-control, and awareness of the dangers of the situation.
First lap crash, here. Duh.
To the point I make: I say force them to drive in the rain in NASCAR. Only then will we see the true, good drivers.
Crash at the Bawlmer GP and no “Wire” references? I am disappointed.
Why were there obstacles in the middle of the track?
The light rail track runs over Pratt St. there, so they installed the tire chicane to slow the cars down over it.
“Your humble E-I-C pro tem has a thorough and visceral distaste for that miserable, repulsive business” – I like Jack more and more. Check cashing businesses and payday loan shops are leeches on America’s struggling working class. Mr. Tucker can drive off a cliff for all I care, especially if that puts more talented drivers into the arena.
Agreed, predators taking advantage of desperate people, but there pockets run deep and the native American ownership is certainly an interesting twist.
I am not a fan of Tucker. I deplore the payday lending business. I hate that after racing in professional series for years, he went back and proved you can buy an SCCA championship. I root against him on track. I think ALMS would have vastly better ratings if they portrayed him as the heel instead of the hero.
All that said, he is the team owner not just a pay driver. So if he drives off a cliff the two car team, talented co-drivers, mechanics, engineers, etc are going home and not entering the arena.
This story reminded me of the high school where my kids went to school.
Lots of fender benders with rich brats in high priced cars they did not deserve.
“Biased Dad Comment” my son had the clapped out 1991 Explorer 2 door 5 speed manual at the time and was proud that it was both his money into it and our sweat and blood that kept it on the road.
Upon seeing the title in my inbox, I assumed this article would be about a BMW dealer service department.
This “race track” is a massive fail. Does anyone still doubt this after having watched the HORRENDOUS IndyCar race the following day? Oh yeah! It’s really fun to watch million dollar open wheel cars and prototypes bounce around on uneven pavement like a porno star’s fake boobies, and then catch some air at the chicane. The IndyCar even spent like half of its time under full course cautions. So did the ALMS race. Isn’t this fun? I hope this event doesn’t return in 2014.
I only saw the ALMS race, so I can’t speak to the IndyCar event, but it seems like they’ve got too many cars on too narrow a track. Also, some of those streets need resurfacing, but then it’s Baltimore. At least the course didn’t run over Orleans St; they’d need to use rally cars for that one.
I’ll miss it if they get rid of it next year; it’s nice to have a race event right there in the city. I don’t think I’d bother driving all the way out to Summit Point or VIR or wherever to see a race, but going a couple of miles to the Inner Harbor is different.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if they got rid of it; I can’t deny that it was a fiasco.