I tend to agree with you, if it isn't the paparazzi snowing you with flash bulbs every 1/2 second it's silly reporters who fill time in between events on the track with little insight other than to reiterate the obvious. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy the side stories and the interesting little tid bits... but really, what is the point of asking the same question week after week. It creates a mind numbing effect in a sport that already is flailing around for an identity. Here is the news people, Danica Patrick is an Indy Car Winner, and she has become the face of your sport, so don't burn her out.

In fact I was watching the broadcast during the weepers delay on the track, and found that they blasted every bit of that silly footage they would have distributed during the normal broadcast just to fill time. You know, I think rather than cover the marriage and dental hygene of drivers they should focus on what make the sport interesting. Sure we want to see that stuff, but the endless questions from the guy behind the mike that thinks NO question has been asked until "I" ask it frankly gets old when he or she asks the exact same question in a different way than the guy or girl before. Drivers know these reporters, they hang around the garage for the scoop and rarely get one. Oh, unless you count gems like "I've just come from the garage area of Marco Andretti and his team are in a bit concerned over the plastic airfoil of the front wing, it was bumped by (you guessed it), a reporter and it now has a crack that could jeopardize Marco's performance today." Next thing you will hear is "Danica has just come out of the bathroom for the third time during this weepage delay, I am not sure if the pressure is getting to the young superstar, or the bikini under her racing suit might have needed adjusting, but either way she may probably could possibly win her first race and the signs of the strain are apparent, Jim?" C'mon, why don't you give the drivers a break. It's tough enough to compete with some of the best drivers in the world why do you feel the need to inject any more drama into the situation than is obvious.

One last rant by example. A few years ago NBC covered the Olympics in Nagano, Japan Of course snow storms delayed events but the single most common complaint about the broadcast was the fact that NO ONE saw any events. You saw finals in some race or another, and then you saw 3 special clips of atheletes at home struggling to survive and make it to the olympics. There was so much fluff that the actual events seemed to be the filler for the fluff broadcast. I think that Indy Car coverage could easily slip down this path if the producers don't stop and realize it. Some filler good... as long as it is good filler. Too much filler and not enough racing makes for boredom of race fans.

In summary reporters, limit your questions to the thought process of "that one was already asked and answered, lets ask some other pertinant question that race fans might want to know." Go Danica!