Sometimes in NASCAR, fighting is good for business.
At the 1979 Daytona 500, the first NASCAR race to be televised live from start to finish, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarbrough got into a fight after the two bumped on the final lap and went into the infield after Yarbrough was attempting to overtake Allison for the lead.
With the national exposure, the fight became a hot topic of conversation. The news made the front page of the New York Times sports section. In the next couple of years, live NASCAR races became a reality and the sport went from being a regional sport to having a national fan base.
Sunday at the Las Vegas 400, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch were involved in a brawl after Logano spun Busch out down pit road. Moments later, Busch and Logano were tangled with crew members pulling Busch away with blood on his forehead.
NASCAR Chariman and CEO Brian France tried to defuse the situation on Tradin' Paint, a show on SiriusXM Radio, when he said, "We're going to have moments. We just shouldn't come out of our chairs over this. It is what it is. The drivers are doing everything they can. The pressure on these guys today is so difficult. So it shouldn't surprise anybody that every once in a while somebody is going to boil over ..."
According to George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel, this fight is a great marketing tool.
"In other words, France stopped short of giving these guys a trophy. And maybe a raise," Diaz wrote. "Every sport is in the business of selling tickets, establishing wicked rivalries, and sparking fan interest. So what was wrong with what happened again in the emotional post-haste at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?"
After the fight, Logano said, "Not a lot of talking. Just a lot of swinging. We usually don't have any issues."
Busch's response: "That's how Joey races. He's gonna get it."
Diaz went on to write, "Fabulous. Is it too late for France to call Vince McMahon? Maybe there's a slot open in Wrestlemania here in Orlando next month. Cross promotional marketing gold kids."
The Cup series will be at the Phoenix 500 Sunday. It will be interesting to see what happens if Busch and Logano cross paths on or off the track.
Bonding over archery
The Colorado Rockies have found a new team building activity: archery.
New Manager Bud Black found a way to break up the monotony by scheduling an archery tournament Sunday which was won by pitcher Kyle Freeland over DJ LeMahieu, bullpen coach Darren Holmes and backup catcher Tom Murphy. Even better, there were no mishaps.
The tournament is one of several activities Black organized with his staff.
"Just talking to our guys and getting to know them off the field," said Black, who introduced the competitors before the first round of shooting. "What their hobbies are, their passions, what they do in the offseason or even in-season at times."
Freeland said he had gotten in target practices after workouts and purchased his first bow in the offseason.
Holmes, along with Murphy, likes to hunt during the offseason.
"Black does his homework on guys, makes sure he kind of knows what's going on before you tell him what's going on," Murphy said. "He gave us some time to get bows out here and do our thing."
Sports on 03/14/2017