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How about the 200,000 seat sellout for the Texas Cup race announced by the Fox anchor booth announcers! Texas GM Eddie Gossage has to take credit for that.

And this item is from Ernie Saxton, who writes in a number of outlets. The Texas TV ratings, overnight Nielsen, were 5.4 making it this highest rated sporting event on TV during the weekend. The 5.4 is 13 percent higher than last year. In contrast the Champ Car Series, the same afternoon, earned a 0.7 for their Long Beach race which is pale in comparison to the Texas Cup TV ratings. But not bad for Champ Car and being aired on NBC helped the ratings.

More on the overnights this time from jayski.com and the Texas Motor Speedway front office. The Samsung 500 easily outdistanced Sunday’s key NBA match-up between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, which garnered a 2.9 rating on ABC and ranked second for the weekend in the overnights. Saturday’s regional Major League Baseball on FOX was third with a 2.6 overnight rating. The 5.4 rating is a 13 percent increase from last year’s Samsung 500 overnight rating, which also was broadcast by FOX. The strong rating came despite the Samsung 500, which aired from 2-6 p.m./et, competing in the same time slots against key games for the NBA and the National Hockey League playoffs. The 5.4 already matches the final rating of last year’s Samsung 500, which is an extremely promising sign as NASCAR ratings traditionally see a modest to substantial gain from the overnights to the final ratings.

We got the impression that F1, Champ Car and Indy 500 champion Jacques Villeneuve would really like to land a ride in NASCAR even though he told Windtunnel’s Dave Despain and co-host Ron Lemasters, on Speed, that he really doesn’t care about NASCAR. He looked down on NASCAR drivers because he felt that most of them would never make it in F1. In spite of his smokescreen we think that he’d like nothing better than to land a solid ride in the Cup and or the Busch Series. Because he can’t stand the fact that his career is over in F1. Jacques appeared to be just posturing waiting for offers from NASCARland. He also told the two hosts not to believe all of the rumors and stories on the subject that he’s been out looking for a NASCAR ride.

On the Montréal Busch race this summer, he didn’t count out that he wouldn’t accept a NASCAR driving assignment, either. We felt that he’s just playing hard to get. All this reminded us of Juan Pablo’s comments, a few years back, about NASCAR(being red neck motorsports) when he drove Jeff Gordon’s Cup car and Gordon drove is F1 machine during an exhibition event on the Indy road course. In the post interview, JPM also talked down NASCAR and it’s fans. And now JPM is trying hard to settle into NASCAR’s Cup and Busch Series. It goes to show you that it’s not what these F1 drivers say, it’s what the do. They learned to play the political game in F1 because that series is filled with it. Jacques also brought that “political” aspect up during the conversations with Despain and Lemasters regarding his service in F1.

We still think that the F1 crowd is among the many other envious sanctioning groups who salivate over the TV ratings and crowds that the NASCAR Cup races draw every week even in the recent downturn. Rather than compliment and respect NASCAR drivers and fans, they choose to criticize. And it comes off as “green with envy”. They just can’t understand why NASCAR racing is so popular in The States while their version of motorsports is not more appreciated here?

The reasons are not complicated. It’s not so much the sophistication of NASCAR as it is the competitive nature of NASCAR racing and the presence of many home grown drivers which the American fans can relate too. As far as getting more American drivers into the other series it’s not going to happen any time soon or if at all. F1, CART and the IRL just give this US driver factor lip service and it’s been going on over the past 20 years. It’s “all sizzle and no steak” and their TV ratings and attendance in the USA reflects it. F1 is an elitist organization stuck on its reputation of technology first while the Champ Car and the IRL teams are more interested in how much sponsorship a driver can bring to a team in order to buy the ride. It’s this very attitude that’s fueling the success of NASCAR while the others seem to be spinning their wheels and not making any headway in making new fans nor improving the TV ratings.

Any doubt that NASCAR isn’t thinking about global expansion then guess again! According to published reports sanction chairman Brian France led a NASCAR delegation to China last Sunday, April 22. The reports say it’s to discuss possible expansion with some principals in one of the most populated countries, and an emerging market, in Asia. We’re sure that other motorsports interests will be looking at the results of all this with a lot of focus. Read that as F1, Champ Car and the IRL right off the top.

One company, with roadracing roots, that isn’t shy about their association with NASCAR is the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. They boast about the fact that the company continues to be the premier place to go for NASCAR drivers looking to improve their road racing skills. Series champions Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart are among the alumni competing at racing’s highest level. Hard charging contenders, such as Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, are also graduates.

“Looking at the points standings and realizing how successful our graduates in that series are, shows the level of training that both professionals and amateurs receive at the Bondurant School,” said Bob Bondurant, owner and CEO of the School.

Various race teams, such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Ginn Racing, and Jr Motorsports, have sent, not only their top drivers through the program, but also their developmental drivers. “With the Busch Series adding more road course races to their schedule, these teams are realizing how important the training we provide is for all the drivers in their stable,” said Mike McGovern, Chief Instructor at the Bondurant School.

From the Valvoline Track Talk Newsletter is this ditty. Yes, He REALLY Said That Bob Frey, NHRA PA announcer, on his first time behind a microphone in 1966 at New Jersey’s Atco Raceway. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I talked a lot.”

Let’s see what’s happening on the airwaves for motorhead action this weekend. It all gets underway on Friday with Cup Practice at Talladega airing on Speed at 4:30 p.m. followed by Busch Qualifying on that same channel. Speed returns with Cup Final Practice at 8 p.m. ESPN2 offers the Busch go at 9 p.m. from Dagga. Saturday goes like this with Cup Qualifying on Speed at 11 a.m. At 3 p.m. it’s the Busch Series from Dagga at 3 p.m. on ABC. Speed comes back at 5:30 p.m. with the Craftsman Trucks from Kansas. ESPN2 offers NHRA Qualifying from Atlanta at 7 p.m. Stay with Speed for the Grand Am event from Alton, VA Same Day Delay at 8:30 p.m. HDnet offers NASCAR West action from Troy, CA at 10 p.m. Sunday’s offerings include an AMA SuperX on CBS at noon. More Grand Am Rolex from VA on Speed at 1 p.m. Fox kicks in with the Cup event from Talladega at 1:30 p.m. while ABC airs the IRL Indy Car Series from Kansas at 4:30 p.m. There’s more for the bikers with AMA Superbike coverage from Fontana, CA airs at 5 p.m. The NHRA Finals from Atlanta are on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.(end)

NOTE: INFORMATION FOR THIS COLUMN CAME FROM VARIOUS REFERENCED SOURCES, PRESS RELEASES AND NOTES.

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