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Last reply · posted in Over the Air Television By RabbitEars.Info
I'm trying to figure out which antenna to install so I can pick up all my locals (93455 zip code) in HD. I'm currently using a cheap indoor antenna and receive CBS (in Santa Maria), but don't receive NBC (in San Luis Obispo) or ABC (in Santa Barbara). Going to antennaweb, the broadcast towers for NBC and ABC are almost 180 degrees off from each other, with CBS being about in the middle. I was thinking about an omnidirectional antenna, but with the mountains in the area, I don't know if I'd be able to get ABC. Is the Winegard SS-1000 a good antenna to use? Would it be possible that if I point it towards Santa Barbara that I might be able to pick up the San Luis NBC broadcast?

I also have the Dish Network ViP722. I was going to use a diplexer to join the satellite and OTA signals from the roof. If I need to put up 2 antennas to get the NBC and ABC feeds, can I still use a diplexer? Is merging 3 feeds onto a single cable possible?

Thanks for the input.
4 Replies · 6679 views
O
I'm trying to figure out which antenna to install so I can pick up all my locals (93455 zip code) in HD. I'm currently using a cheap indoor antenna and receive CBS (in Santa Maria), but don't receive NBC (in San Luis Obispo) or ABC (in Santa Barbara). Going to antennaweb, the broadcast towers for NBC and ABC are almost 180 degrees off from each other, with CBS being about in the middle. I was thinking about an omnidirectional antenna, but with the mountains in the area, I don't know if I'd be able to get ABC. Is the Winegard SS-1000 a good antenna to use? Would it be possible that if I point it towards Santa Barbara that I might be able to pick up the San Luis NBC broadcast?

I also have the Dish Network ViP722. I was going to use a diplexer to join the satellite and OTA signals from the roof. If I need to put up 2 antennas to get the NBC and ABC feeds, can I still use a diplexer? Is merging 3 feeds onto a single cable possible?

Thanks for the input.

The way to get the cleanest signal for all the channels is to use a rotator. With a good directional antenna like the Channel Master 4228, you'll probably have an easy time getting all three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC). The only caveat is that you can't receive all of them at the same time.

The Square Shooter is not nearly as good as the 4228, so it's harder to say whether it's good enough the pull in the weaker signals.

The attached TV Fool analysis for your zip code shows the relative signal strengths of the channels reaching your area. This is only used as a rough example, and you should definitely get your own analysis with your exact location for more accurate results. Pay attention to whether or not your location has a line-of-sight or a 1- or 2-edge diffraction view of each of the transmitters.

A rotator is definitely the way to go, but if you are philosophically against the idea, it will be a bit more tricky to do and you'll probably end up doing a lot more trial-and-error testing.

BTW, the "front-to-back" gain ratio for the SS-1000 is probably too high to allow you to get both ABC and NBC simultaneously. What you really need is a bi-directional antenna with decent gain out both sides. Also, beware that some antennas labeled as bi-directional actually do a poor job of being bi-directional (e.g., they become uni-directional on some channels).

An "omni" antenna will receive signal from both sides, but they have very little antenna gain, so you might not be able to pull in enough signal to watch the weaker station(s). This is a simple setup, so you might just want to try it to see if it works, but be prepared to return any products you purchased in case it doesn't.

Yes, you can combine two antennas prior to diplexing with the satellite feed. Note that if you take two identical directional antennas and combine them (one pointed at ABC and ther other pointed at NBC), you will most likely lose 3 to 4 dB of antenna gain compared to either one of the antennas by itself. That's why the rotator setup is preferred. The diplexor will probably cause another 0.5 to 1 dB of loss. If you're starting off with very high gain antennas, then this is still going to leave you with much more gain than you'd have with an "omni" antenna.

_______________
Chuck
D
Thanks for the input. I was trying to avoid the rotator only because of the added complexity and delay in picking up the stations. Right now I'm leaning towards trying the omni antenna just to see what I can get. I may end up with the rotator though.

I did notice something strange when searching for digital stations off my cheap-o indoor antenna. I was able to pick up KTAS and not NBC. They appear to be on the same broadcast antenna mount or at least near each other. And NBC broadcasts at a much higher power. Is there any logical reason why this occurs or was it just random that I was able to pick it up during the scan?
O
I did notice something strange when searching for digital stations off my cheap-o indoor antenna. I was able to pick up KTAS and not NBC. They appear to be on the same broadcast antenna mount or at least near each other. And NBC broadcasts at a much higher power. Is there any logical reason why this occurs or was it just random that I was able to pick it up during the scan?
It may be related to your antenna. If you are using an inexpensive rabbit ears plus loop style antenna, the loop is responsible for picking up UHF channels and the rabbit ears are responsible for picking up VHF channels.

If there are no adjustments on the antenna (usually a knob of some kind), then the loop is probably permanently tuned to provide optimum gain for the middle of the UHF band. The gain falls off as you get to UHF channels at the low (ch 14) and high (ch 69) ends.

Since KSBY is broadcasting on channel 15 and KTAS is broadcasting on channel 34, the antenna might be doing a better job picking up KTAS.

If your antenna has an adjustment knob, you might want to try it in different positions. This feature (if your antenna has it) is intended to give you a little control over the loop's frequency tuning.

You might also try different antenna locations and orientations. The "hot and cold spots" in your house usually change from one channel to the next.

FYI, the optimum gain for loop antennas is out of its edge. In other words, if you're facing the loop such that it looks like a big "O", the optimum gain points are directly out to the left and right sides (and technically up and down as well). You would typically point one edge of the loop toward the transmitter. In contrast, rabbit ears (for VHF) are the opposite. When using rabbit ears, you'll want them to be oriented perpendicular to the direction of the transmitter.

_______________
Chuck
dlsnyder
Some have had success using an antenna with a relatively wide beamwidth, like a 4-bay bowtie antenna, aimed at a point between two widely spaced transmitters. Your local Santa Maria station should be received just fine no matter which direction the antenna is pointed. In your case try aiming just to the right of KCOY and you may find you have just enough signal from KEYT and KSBY to be useable. In digital broadcasting, just enough signal is all you need.

When I used to live in Oxnard I always wondered what you folks up there in Santa Maria had to do to watch TV! We would always point our antennas toward Los Angeles (about 70 miles away) but would always have plenty of signal from KEYT channel 3 in Santa Barbara (about 45 miles in the opposite direction). Given the right conditions and a good antenna, we could also get KSBY channel 6, but most people never bothered with it.
Y
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
That's right folks. It is preseason football and the QB controversies are everywhere.

Cleveland signed Joe Flacco who turned 140 this year. He will likely be the starter, despite an incredibly hopeful performance from First Rounder-turn-Fifth Rounder pick Shedeur Sanders. Sanders pulled an oblique and will sit out the second game of the pre-season. My prediction is that Flacco will play roughly 17 snaps before *insert season ending injury*. The remainder of the season will see another 3 or 4 starters as injuries plagued Cleveland as it tries to rebuild after it rebuilt itself around a quarterback that could keep all his limbs intact. Meanwhile Haslam will be in court to help support the 'use funds that technically don't belong to the state' defense in order to help build a new stadium next to an airport. We keep hearing he'll go it alone, but no, he won't. There is tens of million in DOT related improvements necessary he doesn't want to pay for either.

In New England, the start of a new era. New England had unprecedented success under Belichick (whose name I still can't spell right) and have moved to former New England great Mike Vrabel. I'm pretty this is the first coach since Belichick. Right? The Patriots are rebuilding as well as trying to compete. Last season was difficult for Drake Maye who had to deal with an offensive line that practiced too much Buddhism and their passive stance on impeding the actions of others, led to Drake Maye running more yards behind scrimmage that the entire AFC East gained on offense.
351 Replies · 14863 views
rvvaquero
So, Pavia got passed over completely. Is he too short, or too disruptive? I enjoyed watching him last year. He played with the kind of enthusiasm all athletes could use a little of. He took a fairly good team to the edge of excellence.

Where will he go? Will he sign on to some team as an undrafted? Will he talk Vandy into paying him 5 million for another season in Nashville? Inquiring minds and all.
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Jimbo
So, Pavia got passed over completely. Is he too short, or too disruptive? I enjoyed watching him last year. He played with the kind of enthusiasm all athletes could use a little of. He took a fairly good team to the edge of excellence.

Where will he go? Will he sign on to some team as an undrafted? Will he talk Vandy into paying him 5 million for another season in Nashville? Inquiring minds and all.
Well, he Can't go back to Vandy, thats not an option unless they changed the rules again.
Once you sign being eleigable for the NFL Draft, your out of school. (hopefully that Never changes)

Will he sign on with someone as an Undrafted player, I'd say Yes, some one will sign him to At least the 3rd qb, maybe the #2 if he does well in practice ...

Vanderbilt's media says Pavia is 6' ... not sure what he measured at the Combine (was he invited to it, I would imagine, but don't know)
IF he is 6' I would say yes he has a chance, there are alot of Qb's 6' and under that have gone on to play.

My guess is he's more like 5'9" or 5'10", its common for schools to pad the heights and weights.
Google says he's 5'10" ... I wouldn't be surprised if someone doesn't give him a try.
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meStevo
Vanderbilt's media says Pavia is 6' ... not sure what he measured at the Combine

5' 9" and 7/8ths at the combine, lol. Clearly fudged some things for him at Vandy. He's also 24, and the 18th ranked QB of the class.

First Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014. Seems like his mouth and confidence didn't match his performance at the combine or teams expectations of his ability in the NFL.

Teams aren't interested in controversy unless the performance is there to justify it. Not worth it from your 3rd string / camp arm.

Wise of him to take the slice of humble pie and throw some balls for the Ravens, has little shot of making the active roster, but maybe he can play his way onto someone's scout team this year.

Or perhaps his road ends here, and he can try out for the UFL or something.
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M
5' 9" and 7/8ths at the combine, lol. Clearly fudged some things for him at Vandy. He's also 24, and the 18th ranked QB of the class.

First Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014. Seems like his mouth and confidence didn't match his performance at the combine or teams expectations of his ability in the NFL.

Teams aren't interested in controversy unless the performance is there to justify it. Not worth it from your 3rd string / camp arm.

Wise of him to take the slice of humble pie and throw some balls for the Ravens, has little shot of making the active roster, but maybe he can play his way onto someone's scout team this year.

Or perhaps his road ends here, and he can try out for the UFL or something.

Think the old adage "sit quietly and be thought of as a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt" comes to mind here. Wife and I were wondering who was advising him to talk to the press on draft day?
I lost the bet here, I figured he was a sure fire pick for Cleveland - mouth writes checks talent can't back up seems to be standard there.
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Jimbo
Think the old adage "sit quietly and be thought of as a fool or open your mouth and remove all doubt" comes to mind here. Wife and I were wondering who was advising him to talk to the press on draft day?
I lost the bet here, I figured he was a sure fire pick for Cleveland - mouth writes checks talent can't back up seems to be standard there.
What did he say on Draft Day, I missed that one.
M
What did he say on Draft Day, I missed that one.

On draft day, he was bad mouthing all the teams that had passed on him, he was sooooo.much better than all the others who had been drafted, every single one of them! 😁
Jimbo
On draft day, he was bad mouthing all the teams that had passed on him, he was sooooo.much better than all the others who had been drafted, every single one of them! 😁
Well, we obviously know that Class is not in his vocabulary.

He basically did the same thing when Indiana Won the CFP (and Mendoza won the Heisman)
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meStevo
🤣


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osu1991
Vrabel and Russini still the talk of Boston 😂


1778167220690-png.120508
Jimbo
Scott Greczkowski
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!

So let the game continue!

The last song was added by Bobby who posted...

One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters

CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!

Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game

Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.

Example:

Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow

Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio

Another example:

Ride the Lightning -- Metallica

Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne


Get it?


An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68675 Replies · 2681060 views
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long_time_Dish
I Can Hear Music - The Beach Boys
dishstaller
Boom Boom ( Out Go The Lights ) - Pat Travers
sdfntx
Palisades Park - Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon
RaiderPower
Cherry Hill Park - Billy Joe Royal
long_time_Dish
Lakeside Park - Rush
Bruce
Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in Internet Television (IPTV) Discussion Forum
I was reading this article


That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.

And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.


Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.

There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.

In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.

Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.

Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.

So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households

So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.

That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.

But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.

Imagine what 2024 will be like.
899 Replies · 72339 views
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Bruce
And again, 15 months in a row, streaming wins-

Cable and Broadcast added together-36.4%

Streaming with a massive 49.6%, 13.2% higher than Broadcast/Streaming.

IMG_2172.webp
Jimbo
And again, 15 months in a row, streaming wins-

Cable and Broadcast added together-36.4%

Streaming with a massive 49.6%, 13.2% higher than Broadcast/Streaming.

View attachment 194983
Your Still Thrilled about all this ?

These numbers will Never be accurate as many people use Both still ...

You have services like Hulu Live and You Tube TV that do, what you call Cable, but they ARE Streaming, so Which is is ?

Does it get counted 2x as both Streaming and Cable ?
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S
Your Still Thrilled about all this ?

These numbers will Never be accurate as many people use Both still ...
Nobody is "happy" or "sad" about this. Simply posting data in an non-editorialized way has nothing to do with anyone's feelings.

The data on the streaming side is immensely accurate, I'm guessing to the millisecond. Plus most people likely have not turned off data sharing and thus they are grabbing a huge swath of data. Much more accurate than cable which relies on a smaller sample size and probably not to the second.

In either case, nobody is getting "double counted" because it's usage based. If I watch 100 minutes of content and 30 minutes is on Youtube and 20 minutes on Disney and 50 minutes on YTTV, it's going to show up as 30%, 20%, 50% slices of my personal pie respectively.
Q.
Who does the Counting for Streaming ?

Neilson does the Broadcast/Cable ...
Nielsen does. If you go into the settings of any of your streaming accounts, you can turn off the option to share to usage data with their third party measuring service - Nielsen.
Jimbo
Nobody is "happy" or "sad" about this. Simply posting data in an non-editorialized way has nothing to do with anyone's feelings.

The data on the streaming side is immensely accurate, I'm guessing to the millisecond. Plus most people likely have not turned off data sharing and thus they are grabbing a huge swath of data. Much more accurate than cable which relies on a smaller sample size and probably not to the second.

In either case, nobody is getting "double counted" because it's usage based. If I watch 100 minutes of content and 30 minutes is on Youtube and 20 minutes on Disney and 50 minutes on YTTV, it's going to show up as 30%, 20%, 50% slices of my personal pie respectively.

Nielsen does. If you go into the settings of any of your streaming accounts, you can turn off the option to share to usage data with their third party measuring service - Nielsen.
I have turned some off, not others ...
dishstaller

Funny thing is that as the screen size and pic quality increase, the quality of the programming has DEcreased.
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dishdude
skipped the OLED Tv entirely?

AI slop
dishstaller
Pub Member / Supporter Lifetime Supporter
Last reply · posted in DISH Network Support Forum
I figured some of the guys would be looking here for an answer. You'll need to use this link

I'll mention what happened over there. I don't want to cause Scott any issues or put him in a bad spot.
3 Replies · 91 views
dishstaller
If any of you know some of the guys from the board and you have their contact info, please reach out to them....many failed to update their contact info and some even had starband email addresses.
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Scott Greczkowski
I figured some of the guys would be looking here for an answer. You'll need to use this link

I'll mention what happened over there. I don't want to cause Scott any issues or put him in a bad spot.
Now I have to go check out what happened now. Lol!
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Scott Greczkowski
Went and looked, not too bad...

Just let people know the address is satelliteretailer.com as DishRetailer.COM is not working. :)
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osu1991
Pub Member / Supporter
Last reply · posted in The Chit Chat Club
:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs

My health Insurance renewal for 2027 just came in. Going from $827 a month to $1,187 a month. Deductible going up a $1k to $9,350. Max out of pocket also going up $1k to $11,000. Doctor co-pay of $40. Urgent Care co-pay $50. ER 50% coinsurance after deductible. That's all in network. Out of network is double, should it be needed.

Have to think about this. I'm really tempted to just go without now. I only go to the doctor once or twice a year. I pay out of pocket for Tirzepitide and can do without the Rosuvastatin (crestor) now. Really tired of spending over $10k a year and getting nothing out of it.

After years with Blue Cross I switched last year to Ambetter as my Blue Cross premium was going from $1200 to $1800 for a Silver plan and the Bronze plan was still going to be $1300 at BCBS. Ambetter was $827 for the same coverage with a Bronze plan. Didn't think it would jump this much so soon.

I'm guessing a Silver plan is probably over $2,000 a month for 2027.
11 Replies · 120 views
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b4pjoe
Pissed off at the crappy healthcare costs
Are you employed with no work insurance or that is what you are paying for your workplace insurance? Or is that through Healthcare.gov? Retired? Eligible for medicare?
vazhog
that cut is only for illegals to get off the rolls and I was being sarcastic before -
osu1991
Are you employed with no work insurance or that is what you are paying for your workplace insurance? Or is that through Healthcare.gov? Retired? Eligible for medicare?
Started my own business in 2006, been self employed for 20 years this year.
meStevo
that cut is only for illegals to get off the rolls and I was being sarcastic before -

Even sarcastically it's wrong. Undocumented immigrants already weren't eligible for federal Medicaid, so there's no one to "get off the rolls." The immigrant-related pieces are a small part of the ~$1 trillion. They cut the federal match for emergency care from 90% to the state's regular rate and end eligibility for some lawful immigrants like refugees. Most of the "savings" come from work requirements, more frequent eligibility checks, and provider tax limits, which hit citizens.

Either way, the cost doesn't disappear. It shifts to states, hospitals, and everyone else's premiums and will only serve to make issues like those raised in this thread worse.
dishstaller
Undocumented immigrants already weren't eligible for federal Medicaid, so there's no one to "get off the rolls."
That's only part correct. Actually I had to look it up to make sure. There is NO Federal money going to Medicaid for illegals but there ARE some states that use State money to pay for Medicaid for illegals. Here's the list

    • California: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Colorado: Covers specific adult demographics (with upcoming budget caps in 2027). [1]
    • Illinois: Covers specific adult age brackets. [1]
    • New York: Covers specific adult demographics. [1]
    • Oregon: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Washington: Covers specific adult demographics. [1, 2]
    • Washington, D.C.: Provides adult coverage through the D.C. Health Care Alliance. [1, 2]
meStevo
That's only part correct. Actually I had to look it up to make sure. There is NO Federal money going to Medicaid for illegals but there ARE some states that use State money to pay for Medicaid for illegals. Here's the list

    • California: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Colorado: Covers specific adult demographics (with upcoming budget caps in 2027). [1]
    • Illinois: Covers specific adult age brackets. [1]
    • New York: Covers specific adult demographics. [1]
    • Oregon: Covers all income-eligible undocumented adults. [1, 2]
    • Washington: Covers specific adult demographics. [1, 2]
    • Washington, D.C.: Provides adult coverage through the D.C. Health Care Alliance. [1, 2]

Fair point, but it's consistent with what I said: no federal Medicaid money goes to undocumented immigrants. Those programs are state-funded, so the federal ~$1T cut can't touch them. Whatever states decide to do with their own programs is a separate budget decision.
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vazhog
The feds give money to the states for them to use - Cutting the fed funding only means the taxpayer savings will passed onto the states that need to make up the Fed dollars cut -See the list above for those states affected
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in What's Cooking?
We have a Breakfast and Dinner thread so... :)
Continuing from the Breakfast thread, found Cornbread mix so ...
Yellow Cornbread Mix
2 Hatch Green Chiles -diced
1 Egg
2/3 cup of milk
add to greased pan
Bake for 400f 20-25 minutes(From instructions)
now to put together and try... this to go with pinto beans...
5450 Replies · 336227 views
dfergie
Chili dog bowl, water… (homemade chili)
TRG
TRG
Leftover wanton soup and pork fried rice. Water.
dfergie
IMG_5955.webp

Sweet tea…
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TRG
TRG
Tuna salad sandwich on toasted honey whole wheat bread with a handful of kettle chips. Water.
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TRG
TRG
Breakfast for lunch. Crispy corned beef hash, home fries, two over easy eggs and sourdough toast.

1653.webp
dfergie
Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!
Last reply · posted in The Sports Section
160 Replies · 3678 views
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Foxbat
Weird F1 weekend is already over with a Saturday race.
dfergie
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
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Y
Today is the anniversary of Dan Wheldon's passing at Las Vegas in a dreadful crash that luckily didn't take more drivers' lives. I vaguely remember the crash, but I more strongly remember Paul Tracy trying to keep it together as he left the Medical Center knowing that Dan most likely wasn't going to.

The safety in these vehicles is beyond incomprehensible, especially relative to what it was 60 years ago, when dying wasn't unexpected. But it is still very dangerous. I always scoff at the prayer invocations, but never scoff at the risks these drivers take and the emergency workers out there who might need to pull short of a miracle to save a driver's life.
Tried to watch the truck race but the stage c**p is why I don't watch NASCAR anymore…
HBO Max has the live in car streaming without commercials, which provides an interesting take, but you are driving blind, knowing only what the team is telling the driver about what is happening on the track. The stages definitely ruin the NASCAR set up.
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Y
NASCAR is an abject mess, but at least it has Kyle Larson. Guy had the lead on the green/white checker, fell back to 12th or the like, kept his cool, and charged back to win with room to spare at the line. And win very cleanly!

NASCAR needs to stop racing at Talladega. Especially if they are going for elderly Sunday drives at the track! Stage racing is real stupid, but NASCAR should consider one half point a second per group gap as a bonus.