One of my favorite TV shows is "Numb3rs" on CBS on Friday nights. I enjoy trying to follow the mathematical machinations and pretending to myself that I understand them.
Some interesting number related stories have cropped up this past week.
Columnist Tom Bowles, writing on SI.com, says that NASCAR has begun keeping more and more statistics, some of which might even mean something.
Bowles' opinion is that the stock car racing series is continuing its effort to broaden its fan base by trying to attract those baseball fans whose fascination with that stick and ball sport seems to center around the numbers and percentages recorded over the years.
As he tells it, NASCAR now has the cameras and technology to figure out where a car was running during every part of every lap of every race. He said the stats released by the series can include such things as the number of times a car passed other cars under the green flag and how often a car passes another on a particular section of the track.
He notes that last Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, Jeff Gordon had the highest driver rating. Gordon led the most laps but finished in eighth place. Bowles' stance is that the stat thus is meaningless since the guy with the best driver rating didn't win.
As counterpoint, however, he welcomes some of the numbers. Particularly those that show that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. leads the Cup drivers in the percentage of laps run on the lead lap. He adds that, for those with the interest to dig into the numbers, it could help illustrate some of the strategies teams use in individual races and season long.
A visit to Jayski.com shows some interesting TV ratings numbers this week. Viewership for last Sunday's race at Michigan was not too spectacular. Of course, the race itself didn't turn out to be too spectacular, either.
To begin with, the start was delayed by rain, which undoubtedly caused many fans to just find something else to do. Then, the finish was advanced by rain as the red flag was dropped and Kasey Kahne declared the winner as the cars sat on pit road covered in tarps.
The Overnight Ratings for the event were just a 4. However, that was about the same as last year. In contrast, the ratings for this year's Daytona 500 run about three times higher.
Actually, though, most of the TV ratings for NASCAR events are 4 and change. They drop some for short track races carried only on cable outlets and the Talladega race was rated under 3, probably because it was rained out on Sunday and held on Monday.
Momma, can I have my name back? That apparently was the gist of negotiations between the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and his stepmother Teresa.
Darren Rovell, writing on ESPN.com, notes that when his father died in a racing crash in 2001, the rights to use Dale Jr.'s name automatically became a part of Sr.'s estate. Teresa, as executor, transferred the rights to his father's trust and then to herself.
Apparently, according to Rovell, last Friday night, Dale Jr. and Teresa agreed that the right to use his name would be restored to him.
Rovell's story says that Dale Jr. is the only one of the 20 Cup drivers whose names are trademarked who did not own the rights.
Imagine, each time he used his own name in a promotion or commercial, he had to ask his stepmother first.