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A beach ball gets a caution thrown at it! This can only happen in NASCAR and only at Daytona. There were no actual “Big Ones,” aka, colossal crashes that take out half of the field. Throughout the race a car may have become loose, thereby snagging another car in it’s lone attempt at vehicular suicide. The largest stockcar melee actually came at the end of the race when J.J.Yeley and Greg Biffle tangled and took Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon out of contention with them. This wouldn’t have happened had they been running single file, but as in most restrictor plate races they were all packed next to each other like sardines. In these packs if a driver sneezes, he alone can take out five racecars. Would someone please tell Denny Hamlin if you are going to stand behind the Vice President of the United States, do not put the biggest wad of gum in your mouth and commence to chewing it like a cow with its cud. Tony Stewart wins the Pepsi 400. He not only climbs the fence but he jumps in the stands with all the fans. I was impressed, although he was going blind from all the cameras flashing just inches from his face. Tony did not think this stunt through, as his crew had to come escort him out. Not rescue him, but escort. Tony proved NASCAR has the best fans and no intentional harm would befall him. In other news: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins the Daytona Busch race and Terry Cook wins the Kansas Truck race. Which brings up a question: Why don’t the infield walls have softer barriers? Jeff Fuller in a Busch car and Kelly Sutton in the Truck Series had hard hits recently. I agree with Larry Mac when he said there should be no grass on the inside of a racetrack. It’s like racing a four-wheeler on an ice pond (I know from experience), you can’t stop on your own and it really hurts when you do stop. And if you’re like me, your dad will yell at you for cracking his race helmet. On to Chicagoland! My brother J.D. will be there taking great pictures and getting all the inside information. This is more of a plea than a statement. Have A Comment? Comments: "Would someone please tell Denny Hamlin if you are going to stand behind the Vice President of the United States, do not put the biggest wad of gum in your mouth and commence to chewing it like a cow with its cud." LMAO. Have you seen the pic of them during the anthem? tallglassofmilk CA As always pretty good. I didn't get to watch it because of promises and was happy Smoke was on fire. Leave it to Tony to go over the top (Pun intended) and into the crowd. wish I could have seen it. Once again being a redneck has its perks. Racecar drivers fall out of the sky. bubba shafer LA "Once again being a redneck has its perks. Racecar drivers fall out of the sky." Good one Bubba! B.A.  06/26/06 I figured out why road courses are not for my ‘viewing pleasure’. The Infineon race was in progress, I had just logged on to my computer and clicked onto NASCAR.com. Suddenly I heard Dale Earnhardt Jr. screaming with excitement. I looked at the TV and saw nothing that would produce such fervor. After a moment of slight confusion (it doesn’t take much) I realized one of the NASCAR/Trackpass videos started up and Dale Jr. was trapped in time at Daytona International Speedway on my computer and not in Sonoma, Ca. I never heard any shouts of excitement during the race at Infineon. There was no heart pounding acceleration, excluding restarts. Although that first crash took out several drivers, it still looked surreal. The crash seemed to take place in slow motion yet nobody had the capacity to stop and they continued to ping-pong off one another. How does a wreck like that happen on a track like Infineon? Both red-flagged crashes were more similar to a pile-up on a freeway rather then a crash on a speedway. I don’t want more crashes. I just want more speed, more side by side racing, and more exclamations of emotion coming from the driver’s radios. The big hubbub of the day was Brian Vickers going to a Toyota team and Jeff Gordon (race winner) announcing his engagement. Neither of them can apparently stick with American-made products. Terry Labonte made it clear he was not ready to be hauled off to a nursing home, as he led laps and finished in the 3rd position. Is the world off its axis? Busch drivers are beating Buschwackers, and veteran drivers like Johnny Benson (Truck Series) can’t stop winning races. If Derrike Cope (1990 Daytona 500 winner) wins at Daytona this weekend, it might be one of the most diverse years on record. Who came out winners this weekend, besides Jeff Gordon (who is now 8th in the standings)? Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne stayed stationary in the top three positions. Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle all moved up a position. Dale Jr., Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick all lost positions and Denny Hamlin fell out of the top ten. The July 4th weekend is approaching and that can only mean that Daytona is the next track to be visited. I want to say the Firecracker 400 but I know it's a soft drink race now. On a side note: NASCAR's very own Kurt Busch is voted 3rd on GQ's Ten Most Hated Athletes. Seems he's about as sweet as a stepped on rattle snake. Have A Comment? Comments: That was not Dale Jr. screeming when you opened NASCAR.com. It was Jeff Gordon ("You Guys Are Awesome"). Michael Binsley SC oops! I said I was confused! B.A. If it were not for characters like Kurt or Jr or either Gordon etc, writers would be hard pressed to have anything to write about and readers little to read as the racing in Nascar has ceased to exist. Paul Webster FL i agree im only a short trip to the track road racing doesnt do it for me either i went water skiing nice to read from somone with so much knowledge thanks Desmond Johnson CA 06/19/06 I grab my coffee, turn on my computer and begin to pore over the race recaps from this weekend. As a racing enthusiast I have a hard time transferring over from watching racing all weekend on TV to Monday morning talk shows. Today was different. I switch over to Speed Channel and instead of watching someone duct tape an engine together, Dave Despain’s Wind Tunnel is on. His show was dedicated to an interview with Chris Economaki, the great sports interviewer, past track announcer and teller of unique behind-the-scenes tales. Viewing this helps curb my racing withdraw for the day. I say, “withdraw” because only a handful of people I know care to discuss or listen to me talk “racing” ad nauseam seven days a week. Even my children sometimes wish I were more of a soccer mom and less of a racing/writer mom. But recently I proved to them that they can have much more fun at a go-cart track than a Chuck E Cheese. Nothing against Chuck E Cheese, but you really have to like children to go into a place like that. I don’t. On with the recap: Johnny Benson wins the Michigan Truck race in his home state to the delight of his family, friends and fans (who, by the way, had their own section). If you think that was an easy win, try having the tenacious Mark Martin on your bumper. David Gilliland wins the Kentucky Busch race. Who? Yes, a new name enters Victory Lane. Heck, so many Cup drivers enter the Busch race (affectionately known as Busch Whackers) and win it that I’m not familiar with most of the full-time Busch driver names. Mr. Gilliland had no sponsor, a not-so-well-known owner and all their engines are built in-house. He’s not even a full-time Busch driver. Talk about a Cinderella story. I predict he will participate in more Busch races and with a sponsor. Jeff Fuller had a hard hit in Kentucky. Whenever the rescue personnel are cutting the roof off of a car, you know it’s serious. Last reports were he is out of the hospital, and that is a great sign. Kasey Kahne wins the rain-soaked Michigan Cup race. Normally I don’t give much credence to someone who wins a race due to inclement conditions. That being said, Kasey’s car was strong and he has won 3 other times this year, so it’s not a stretch to assume he would have won had the race continued. There were quite a few crashes in this race, and if memory serves me, this isn’t normally a “crash fest” track. Tony Stewart, with the help of Jeff Green, hits the wall again. His shoulder seemed fine as he was hammering the front wheel-well of his own car. Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch were the losers for drivers already in the top ten. Martin and Stewart dropping two positions and Busch dropping out of the top ten altogether. Mark Martin is still having pit problems. Bad calls and bad pit stops have been plaguing him as of late. Has anyone thought about bringing Jimmy Fennig back? Nothing against Pat Tryson, but this is Mark’s last year. It’s just a suggestion. I watched a four set DVD collection called ‘American Stock’ that details the early years of stock car racing from 1936 –1971. I was pleasantly surprised. The pictures and film footage alone is worth taking the time to view. Some pictures, newspaper clippings and home movies were found collecting dust in these race family’s homes. I was told that since this DVD was produced no less than seven of the interviewees have passed away. This may not be the fast paced IMAX NASCAR DVD but it is much richer and full of stock car treasures. Here are some of the entertaining and hard-to-believe facts I found while watching this DVD. A driver could be held hostage by fans. A driver could make $500.00 a night running moonshine. If a driver ran out of tires he might steal the radials of a race fan’s car parked in the infield. If a driver’s engine failed he would have his son retrieve the family car from the parking lot to extricate the engine and place it in the stockcar. A woman had a land speed record. There was no auto racing for a three-year period. Many of the first racers and crew were highly decorated war heroes. The Hudson Hornet ruled the track from 1951-1953 and invented the saying, “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.” The Hemi was invented in World War Two. You could drive with a monkey in your stockcar. An owner could be forced out of the circuit because he looked like a Nazi. Richard Petty was almost a mechanic and a ‘never-to-be’ seven-time Winston Cup Champion. AAA, who now adorns the Roush #6 racecar, had immense disdain for NASCAR. Louise Smith could be driving down the road in the family car, turn left and end up in a NASCAR race, much to the dismay of her husband. I’ve come to the conclusion that Kenny Wallace is the Fonty Flock of our time. I was posed a question after watching this DVD; Did I believe that the highly paid, slightly spoiled drivers of today would want to race if they had to go through the hardship of the drivers of yesteryear? The answer is, yes. A racecar driver is a racecar driver, no matter what. It’s in their blood and no amount of setbacks or hardships will curb their desire to compete. If you don’t believe me then watch the profile on Wendell Scott. You not only get the interesting early history of NASCAR and colorful stories but it is chalked full of comments by well known drivers, sportswriters, owners and family members. To find out more, go to American Stock The makers of this movie said it would make a great Father’s Day gift. They weren’t kidding. I’m all set and that was easy. (unedited) The Great Race Weekend May/2006 My intention is not to sound ethnocentric but I’m glad an American won the Indy 500. Sam Hornish drank the milk and draped himself in the American Flag. I loved it and felt proud to be an American. It’s Memorial Day weekend and that is how it should be.  After perusing the sports pages, I noticed there were as many articles on Danica Patrick as there were on Sam Hornish. She came in 8th place. Good job but Sam Hornish won. Granted, a woman in auto racing still seems to be a cute novelty (although it shouldn’t be) and IRL needs all the attention it can get, but the winner is the winner and everyone else is not. I prefer to read about how Sam made that slingshot move around Marco Andretti for the win. That was exciting and a one-for-the-records race finish. I watched so much racing this weekend that I have actually started running races together in my mind. I watched races in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina and even Monaco. I’d go to sleep after one race or qualifying and the next morning didn’t know if I was going to the French Riviera or the Indiana cornfields. I need to get a life or at least get paid for living this one. In a nutshell, Congratulations to Ron Hornaday (CTS), Carl Edwards (Busch), Sam Hornish (IRL), Kasey Kahne (Cup) and Fernando Alonso (F-1). Tony Stewart has an injured wing. The ‘33’ Busch car has not been his friend this year. He should nickname it “Bronco” as that car has flipped him, rolled him and slammed him into the wall. The ‘20’ car turned on him too, and where did the ‘20’ car wreck, but on lap 33. Strange but true! Where’s your monkey, Tony? At least if you called him Chim-Chim, you could carry him in the car with you. Kyle Busch had an on-track temper tantrum. He’s just following in his brother’s footsteps, a little too well if you ask me. They fight Authority; Authority always wins (per John Mellencamp). Jeff Gordon has no love for Goodyear. The Roush boys are all smiles, as all five came in the top ten on Sunday night. Nobody could be happier than Ray Evernham and Kasey Kahne. Kasey is turning out to be the “real deal.” Even Jeremy Mayfield seems to have broken some bad luck by getting a 15th place finish. Your top 5 in the standings are: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Truck, Busch and Cup races will all be at Dover International Speedway this weekend. The All-star Crashfest May/2006 That’s how Tony Stewart described Saturday night’s race. He should know. He was involved in two separate crashes. The first one he had no control over. The jury’s still out on the second one. How it played out: Scott Riggs wins the Nextel Open and advanced to the Challenge. Kyle Petty wins the fans vote and advances to the Challenge. The Victory Junction Gang is the true winner of this event. The Challenge is a very competitive race. They can race hard because no race points are involved. What is involved is only ‘One Millllion Dollars’! It consists of three segments. Kyle Busch won the first segment and 10 cars were then inverted. This put Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin in the one and two position. The second segment begins and Kasey promptly loses control of his car, smashes Mark up into the wall and a cornucopia of spinning cars ensue. Mark Martin suggests that Kasey’s inexperience caused the wreck. The cameras then go to Kasey. He admitted he got loose, although he never apologized to the other drivers. I think it is very difficult to stay mad at Kasey. When the camera panned to him, he looked like he was about to burst into tears. I don’t know if it’s a combination of his Opie Taylor complexion and soft-spoken manner, but he seems so sorrowful. Tony Stewart doesn’t even blame Kasey. Instead, he blames Jeremy Mayfield for hitting him. Jeremy was part of the cornucopia and had no control over his or Tony’s fate in that pile-up. Jeremy takes the time to go to Tony and explain this. Why? Maybe he doesn’t want another piñata made in his image. Tony has minimal damage and gets back into the race. The track is cleaned up and Kevin Harvick goes on to win segment #2. On the final segment, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth get into one another, eliminating both from the race. I have watched that crash over and over. I have no allegiance to either driver and from my view that was Tony’s fault. I could not see it the way Tony said it played out. I even crossed my eyes and squinted real hard. Jimmie Johnson wins the final segment and the million dollars. This win turns me into a conspiracy theorist. Why do Lowes cars keep winning at Lowes Motor Speedway? Are they just that good or is there something more sinister at work? I hate to bring up “voodoo” again, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. Truck Racing Lowes Style May/2006 Kyle Busch wins the Quaker Steak and Lube 200. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Let’s start off with the truck race ‘media darlings’. Bill Lester, Erin Crocker and the Aussie. Bill Lester did not make the truck race. He did not get out of the garage in the allotted time to make qualifying. That’s just crazy. I don’t know what was wrong with the truck, but if it was that bad it probably would have been a dump truck in qualifying. That’s a punch in the stomach for points racing. He dropped five positions. Marcos Ambrose with Team Australia spun out only 5 laps into the race. I think he had a tire go down because he was alone when he spun out, but unfortunately he collected Mike Bliss and Jack Sprague. “I think a dingo ate his tire!” Erin Crocker started second. After a bad restart she never seemed to have any momentum. She hung around 14th place most of the race but finished 18th. Not a bad day all in all. Speaking of women, Kelly Sutton finished 27th after a great spinout save. Mike Skinner had looked promising, but after he lost the lead to Kyle Busch his descent continued. He ended up needing a new distributor cap. By the time they found out what it was and replaced it, he wound up in the pitiful 31st position. Mark Martin looked to be about the only person who could and would fight for first, but a couple incidences marred his evening: 1. Around the 16th lap he had to fight David Reutimann three whole laps for a position that cost them both a lot of time. Reutimann was racing like it was the last lap of the race. 2. Just as Mark was reeling in Kyle Busch, he came down on Bobby Hamilton Jr. Then Bobby came up on him and Mark blew a left rear. Then the tire started to come apart and disintegrated the entire left rear of Mark’s truck. He changed some tires and finished 13th. The one thing I didn’t like was the lack of sportsmanship shown by Ted Musgrave’s crew when Mark’s tire blew and Ted took his position. Cheering for his bad luck seems wrong. Ted took over Mark’s second place position but didn’t have a truck that could propel him to first. He ended up 4th. Todd Bodine finished 3rd and retained the points lead. For all the results click here. The truck race was as usual, exciting and entertaining. The All-star race should be spectacular! Darlington/May 2006 I love Saturday night racing, but I wish this one could have occurred in the daytime. I could have gotten some yard work done here and there. It’s not a jab at Darlington (okay, maybe a little), but I think this is one race better viewed in person. I was told I commented not less than three times that I was bored. So here we go. Congratulations, Greg Biffle. You still have a bit of an uphill battle ahead of you, but moving up six positions in points should put a smile on your face. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are driving like the Cup Champions they are. Darlington is a Jeff Gordon track as he has won there six times. And I do not believe Kenny Schrader prevented him from getting his seventh win. It’s not as if Schrader has it out for Gordon, it was just race traffic. There’s a lot of sixes in my story, so let’s move on to Mark Martin. What is going on with Mark’s pit crew? The last three races he has suffered more by going into the pits than being in a five-wide pack at Talladega. Did Jack give Mark a whole new pit crew? This guy is going for his one and only championship. You’d think Jack would pull out all the stops and give Mark the best of the best and not this sideshow. Did I see Tony Stewart’s monkey rolling a Goodyear tire from Mark’s car? I predict Dale Jarrett is not going to have a winning season, although he is 12th in points. You can’t say in the middle of the season you’re leaving Ford, Yates and UPS and think anyone is going to get excited about working on your car or team. Now that being said, Dale needs to do what’s best for Dale and the Jarrett family. And who’s that behind the Yates curtain number one, maybe Ward Burton? Michael Waltrip is doing flips, and why not? He’s going to have his own Cup team in ’07. And Toyota couldn’t be more thrilled. They have a Cup champion coming on board with his championship points, and Jarrett and Waltrip are Daytona 500 winners. Jarrett’s won the 500 in a Chevrolet and a Ford, so why not a Toyota? But something to think about; with all those rumors of a major car manufacturer leaving the NASCAR series, maybe Dale Jarrett knows something we don’t? Hey, Ford’s left NASCAR before (circa 1970). Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a virus. He was feeling so sick he asked the crew chief to find someone to take his place. He ended up staying in his car and finishes the race in fifth place. I don’t care who you are, that is determination! It was perfect timing on his part to fall ill. His mom was with him! Everyone would prefer their mom to take care of them when their feeling “sumthin’ tarr’ble.” Happy Mother’s Day. No matter how old we get, we still need our mamas. May/2006 This is an exciting month. We have Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and lots of racing days! All of these go together in my world and it’s a great big wonderful package. If it wasn’t for my mother, I wouldn’t be half as excited about writing or racing. Mom and Dad went to the Indy 500 when I was real little and they were hooked. They had always been stock car fans but were now hooked on open-wheel too. Dad bought Mom a 1970 Torino. She had it one day. We left my dad’s office, she threw it in reverse and rammed a big ol' dump truck. After she made sure I was okay, she looked in my four-year old eyes and said, “I never liked this car anyway!” So then Dad bought her a 1971 Mercury Cougar and entered them both in a pylon race. Apparently she liked this car. They ran all over the competition and walked off the course with a first place trophy in each of their arms. Mom also looked really cool in her racing gloves. On a side note, Dad won in his MG. You can’t beat an MG in pylon racing. My mom loved speed. We were on the interstate one day and I noticed the cornstalks were going by at break-neck speed. I looked at the speedometer and yelled, “Mom! You're going 100 mph!” She said, “Oh, I didn’t notice,” and slowed it to a crawling 90 mph. Mom would sit us in the front row bleachers at the county fair so we could watch her brothers destroy the competition in the Demolition Derby. We also watched the Powder Puff Derby because her girlfriends would be in that. She had her own motorcycle, but preferred to ride with Dad on the back of his. She supported my dad in the beginning when he, his brothers and nephews formed the Myers Racing Team in go-carts. I say in the beginning because a few incidences (concerning her children mostly) put a lot of animosity between them: 1. The track was built behind a bar. 2. Refer to #1, and Mom did not like me (a 7-year old girl) hanging with the team. On one particular day my dad’s best friend had a little too much libation and, after a racing incident, punched my dad’s uncle in the face. My dad, with me standing at his side, was talking to his uncle, who by this time had quite a bit of blood running down his face, when out of the corner of his eye Dad spotted Mom. She was standing next to her car with her lips tight together and hands firmly on her hips. I would say she was 5’2” and full of fury, but with her blond bouffant she was more like 5’6” and full of fury. No words were spoken between them. He told me to go get in the car with my mother. Before I could finish saying, “Awe, Dad, come on,” he knelt to my level, clenched his teeth and hissed, “Get in your mother’s car.” I ran to Mom’s car. Mom peeled out so hard, I’m sure some nice chunks of gravel pelted Dad in the head. My mom then witnessed my Uncle Kenny flip his go-cart and slide across the track. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was my brother getting burnt. With one of the races over, I hopped off the bleachers and ran with some of my cousins to a little pond off the side of the track. I was busy picking cattails when it happened. One of the go-carts would not fire back up, so Dad asked my brother to help push it off the track. When Jerry (my brother) went to push it from behind, he put his hand on the hottest part of the engine and fried the skin off his palm. Dad had to get my brother to the emergency room, but now he couldn’t find me. He knew he was in a predicament. He couldn’t call ‘5’2”-Full-of-Fury’ and tell her he had one injured child and one missing child. He would definitely get his fathering privileges revoked! After about 10 minutes I came skipping back, all the while my brother was in agonizing pain. I know it was a just a racing incident, but Mom saw one of her babies being hurt and this pretty much ended my times at the track. Did you read that last sentence? Whenever my brother hurt himself, he could continue doing it but I was banned from the event. That was Mom back then. She was the protector and Dad was usually the innocent bystander, watching his clumsy kids hurt themselves. My speed demon mother is much more tame nowadays, but you can’t take the Need For Speed out of someone. She has a 2003 Mustang GT. Enough said! Who had the Mojo at Richmond? May 2006 Dale Junior wins his first race in a long time. The NASCAR community seems overly thrilled with this. He is one of NASCAR?s brightest stars, so I can only assume it does more monetarily wise for NASCAR that Dale Jr. wins than, say, Derek Cope. A few notes: I could have done without DW?s graphic details of how Denny Hamlin ripped open his hand. I learned what the ?Arkansas Grip? (Mark Martin coined this word) was. It?s steering with your elbows because your entire arm lies across the steering wheel. Do you think DW likes Dale Jr.? He went on and on about what a great guy Jr. is. He was squealing when Jr. won. It?s good to have friends, and I will stop picking on DW now. Matt Kenseth?s car desperately tried committing hari kari. I know that?s a little anthropomorphic, but Matt?s car was not his friend Saturday night. His brake rotor broke off and then flew up into his oil tank, punching a hole in it. Maybe Matt should have rubbed Tony?s monkey all over his body before the race. Matt needed some "Mojo" of his own. What were Jeff Burton and Mark Martin thinking pulling into the pits when the pit lights were obviously blinking red? I can only assume they were completely "in the zone" and really needed their spotters and crew chiefs to be a little more on the ball. Why can?t Jeremy Mayfield catch a break? He?s minding his own business and out of nowhere someone crashes into him. He needs a little monkey rub too. Jeff Gordon?s car just quit running. How does that happen? And to have the announcers insinuate that maybe he hit the kill switch on his steering wheel and wasn?t aware of it. He?s not a rookie. I?m sure that was the first place he checked. The best pit crew had to be Kyle Busch?s. They acted like the Rainbow Warriors of the old days. Kyle has Kellogg?s Cornelius the Rooster as a sponsor. We could call them the "Rooster Boosters." The more names I come up with the more juvenile I become, so I?ll leave it to your imagination. Kevin Harvick is probably the driver with ?the most? at this point in the season. He sweeps the Phoenix races, won Friday night?s Busch race and led the most laps on Saturday night?s Cup race. With 110 laps to go he did not pit. That?s what lost him the race. The ?8? car was persistent, consistent and didn?t gamble. Jimmie Johnson is in the points lead with Stewart, Kenseth, Martin, Harvick and Junior in tow. And this weekend the race will be at "The Lady in Black" track in Darlington. COMMENTS: Wow! You sure did work up a sweat in recognizing Junior for his win. Too bad it wasn't the 48 or 24, for you would have used up at least half a page. Pull your claws back in, for they are not becoming to you. Go Junior. Try to remember just how many fans he has. Name: Ann Musgrove State: AL Thanks for the comments Ann. You are right in the fact that my racing room is filled with another drivers # but it's not the 24 or 48. B.A. 1. Any driver can make a mistake, even Jeff Gordon. I believe Gordon was the one who went the wrong way on pit road TWICE at Bristol after they changed the pits, right? 2. It wasn't actually old tires that cost Harvick. After all, when they finally pitted, they came back on the track on equal tires with the other front runners. But, they were 2 pit stops behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. They had 2 less chances to know what to do with their car to keep up with the track. Since his car had been so dominant, they were too conservative with the changes. His car wasn't as good as the 11 and 8 at the end. As to why they didn't pit - Junior had the benefit of having pitted early in the race and restarting 30th, then moving to the front fairly rapidly. He KNEW what his car was capable of. The 29 team, having led most of the race, was afraid to gamble on track position cause they didn't know what their car would do back in traffic. Sorry this was so long. Name: Janet State: SC Talladega Days April/May 2006 I don’t particularly have fun watching a restrictor plate race on TV, but watching it live in the grandstands is a whole different ball of wax! This is only my second restrictor plate race I have seen in person. It is exciting with a capital ‘E’! I don’t mind saying, I LOVE going to Talladega. Alabama is beautiful and I soak up that southern hospitality like a biscuit in gravy! Granted, I went to the Busch race instead of the Cup this year and the more thinned-out crowd may have contributed. As soon as we walked in the hospitality area we saw Mark Martin! Come on! Where else is that going to happen? I handled myself in an appropriate manner. I stood ten feet from him with my mouth open and my eyes as wide as saucers. I was happy when he left because my eyes were drying out and I needed to blink. The speedway and track personnel are very friendly. I asked a male hospitality worker if I needed a pass to get into a certain area. His answer was, “Honey, you’re so pretty if you act like you belong there, ain’t nobody kicking you out.” I suggest everybody make a trip to Alabama, if not for a race then at least for an ego boost. I went to the NASCAR Members Club booth and they handed me the very same magazine that I’m in! I accosted a nice group of men standing by me and showed them. They smiled politely and I can only assume thought I was a mental patient. I shoved it in the bottom of my bag for the rest of the day. The race started without a hitch and soon after, we had our first small melee. Everybody (not car) was fine and we had some great, never disappointing plate racing. Then, without warning or flight plan, Tony Stewart and his 33 car took to the air. It happened so quickly that all I could say was, “That car is not right”, meaning it was spinning around the track on its roof. The emergency personnel were on the track so fast they blocked the car number from my view. I was very concerned for the driver inside, not knowing who was in there. Then the paramedics plucked him out, he waved and the race fans started clapping. Pictures With a long drive ahead of us we left before the end and finished listening to the race on the radio. I can only image how excited the Alabama fans were to have Martin Truex Jr. win in the Dale Earnhardt paint scheme. With a good night’s sleep under my belt I was ready for racing on Sunday. But it was not meant to be. So I tuned in on Monday. That race was crazy. Who goes five wide? That was just insanity. Like I said in the beginning, watching plate racing on TV drives me nuts! So I will conclude with, Jimmie Johnson won. Watching a Cup race on a Monday makes my Tuesday feel like a Monday all over again. Does that make sense? Comments: Great pix darlin'. Wish I could have at least watched the race. I got all my Jayski updates though. Ye'll be good. Love you. Name: Craig Shafer State: LA Website: www.myspace.com/ceshafer/ If you think watching a plate race in person is great, you would love do what we do. We arrive the Saturday before "race weekend" and camp in the Pecan Grove right across from OV Hill North. Just a 2 minute walk to the track. Watch all the action and never fight the traffic. Name: Gail State: FL Fill 'er Up! Seriously, I Mean It This Time! Does anyone else find it strange that a car owner like Richard Childress is on a safari right in the middle of race season? I thought at first it seemed as if he had orphaned his drivers? That was until Kevin Harvick spoke in Victory Lane. Then I decided Richard is probably taking a well-deserved break. That being said, Kevin Harvick dominated Phoenix International Speedway. He is a skilled driver. They just need to cut his interviews short. He is afflicted with “foot-in-mouth” syndrome. I too suffer from that syndrome. But truth be told, as a writer I get a little excited when someone shoves a microphone in Harvick’s face. You never know whom he’s going to offend. He’s like the Don Rickles of racing. Everyone was running out of gas. Every time someone runs out of gas on the track I think back to when A.J. Foyt grabbed his so-called ‘fuel calculations’ computer and smashed it to smithereens on pit road. I imagine there are a few computers being broken over peoples’ heads today, especially in the ‘House of Roush’. There are a couple bright spots for Jack. Matt is in the points lead and Carl is acting like a team player by pushing Mark to his 11th place finish. But seriously, folks, whatever happened to a good ole’ Splash and Go? And to address a comment on my last article concerning cheating; every driver has a little something extra, that is, if they have a good car chief (yes, car chief, not crew chief). I also feel I was vindicated when DW and Jeff Hammond all but admitted ‘it’ on the pre-race show by saying they didn’t get better fuel mileage, they just had more fuel! They were implying it was hidden somewhere. So let’s review: cheating + getting caught = cheating but cheating + not getting caught = Winning. See kids! Stay in school because math really does come in handy. Well, except when it comes to fuel calculations. My mom always said I had ‘convoluted thinking’. My brother always said, “Whatever gets you through the day” and my Dad always said, “Stop standing in front of the TV and find my clicker!” But I digress. Restricter plate racing is back and I will be there, at least on Saturday. Speaking of fuel cells, didn’t they require smaller ones at this track (Dega) so people would have to come to the pits more often, thereby breaking up some of the ‘packs’? That’s my question of the week. Have A Comment? Name: Bubba State: LA Comments: As usual a brilliant observation. I figure Jr. gave up after getting a ford enema and cried to 21st. Mark and the boys at Roush had to be waiting for a debris caution or else they wouldn't have stayed out. Just my take on it. And as to your question about smaller fuel cells I say limit the gear ratio and if a guy wants to get in the lead so bad he will have to blow his car up to do it. Udden POP! Love you all at splash and go. A Full Day's Work/Martinsville 2006 The Paperclip is not a cookie cutter track nor is it an easy track. Drivers have to work their cars from the moment the green flag flies until they see the checkered. Drivers also don’t have as much time to be angry at one another. They are too busy saving brakes, making unscheduled pit stops, avoiding people spinning in front of them and yelling at their pit crew and spotters. It all uses up a lot of energy. Denny Hamlin has an unhealthy paranoia that Mark Martin is out to get him. J.D needs to sit him down and tell him it’s not a good thing for a rookie to bad-mouth Mark Martin. Denny had every right to be upset but after watching the replay, it was clear Mark got loose and slid down on him. That’s not aggressive driving, it’s just racin'. Then again, Denny might be right. Maybe Ol’Ironhead is driving with Mark, whispering in his ear, “I’ll help you get a championship buddy, but you have to do it my way!” Either way Mark Martin is second in the points standing. The come-back kid would have to be Dale Jr. Had this been an aerodynamic track, it would have been a death sentence for his car. He had to fight tooth and nail for that amazing fourth place finish. This track is a perfect example of sometimes you drive the car and sometimes the car drives you. Mark, Matt and Elliott are all an example of the car taking over. They’d be rolling along just fine then you would see the car decide, “I think I’ll go over here for a minute.” I don’t know how many times I said, “Where are you going?” Ward Burton was at Martinsville. He wasn’t in a car but he was sniffing around for one. I hope he finds one. Go to the truck series, Ward! It is a lot of fun and you will still have plenty of time to run your foundation. I think Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman have found in each other the perfect teammates. I’ll leave it at that and you can draw your own conclusions. Tony Stewart wins and it was an exciting race. I have one question. Is there a Victory Lane at Martinsville? I was trying to figure out why everyone was on the track and why Tony was conducting interviews there. I guess when you’re the 2005 Champion you can ‘hold court’ wherever you darn well please. I’m sure the fans enjoyed it. And that’s all that counts. Ban The Fans From the Pits? Ban the Family Members! It seems the major event from this weekend’s race is Greg Biffle’s girlfriend, Nicole, yelling at Kurt Busch’s girlfriend. First, every Biffle fan and crewmember had a right to be miffed at Kurt Busch. The explanation he gave about trying to get out of the way because he was a lap down, falls flat. That being said, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate for Nicole to yell at Kurt’s crew chief? The crew chief and spotter are the next responsible parties in line. Maybe these two ladies have had ‘words’ prior to this. Also, it is noteworthy that these are girlfriends and not wives. And we all know girlfriends are not spouses and therefore not actually entitled to bona fide family member status. It really makes you go hmmm. But fuel continues to be added to this fire as Kurt Busch throws out some flippant remarks about the incident and says about Nicole, “That just shows her professionalism.” Now it’s off the track and no longer a race related issue. Next, it’s an episode on COPS. Well, it makes for entertainment and I’m all for it! Ryan Newman is angry with Sterling Marlin. He also made a flippant remark, saying something about Sterling’s hairpiece must have got in his eyes. I laughed only because it is such a childish thing to say. I know because I’ve done it. When I am having an argument with my husband and I know I’m losing, I say, “Well, you’re stupid!” My Communications Professor would be horrified. First rule of an argument, never cuss and never personally attack your opponent; first one to do it, loses. I’ve lost many and I think Ryan has too. I’m sure some writer is going to pontificate that all this is a result of too much youth and inexperience in NASCAR today. I disagree. NASCAR has always been like this. It is a high adrenaline, high anxiety sport and that is the world they live in. What I do believe instead is that the inmates have finally taking over the asylum, that wonderful asylum being NASCAR. I know that I have gone on and on with the various soap opera dramas that are circling the sport that I forgot to mention whom actually won the race…Congratulations Kasey Kahne, you had them licked. But after watching Ray Evernham for a number of years I suspect that there is more to the car than meets the eye or Cup inspection. I suspect Ole Ray always has something up his sleeve. And to quote from the crew chief handbook, “It ain’t cheatin’ 'till you get caught.” Only two weeks to Talladega. I’ll be there, who’s with me? (Contributing writer – Jeff Carter. Why? He just had surgery, is stuck at home and is “all up in my business!”) Name: Marti State: ID Comments: I agree the women need to stay out of it. The men can fight their own battles and it made Biffles girlfriend look like an idiot. Yes, talking to the crew chief would have at least made a little more sense. They should talk to Patti Petty and have her tell them the story about how in the 70's and 80's the wives and kids had to sit in a car in the middle of the infield and only catch sight of the cars every once in awhile. If they're going to be on the pit box they need to keep their mouths shut and let the team take care of their driver. Name: Dave State: NE Comments: I never thought I would stick up for Kasey Kahne, but why would you try to insinuate that his car might be something other than legal after his win? That is such a slap in the face to him and his team, and it seems it is totally unfounded. Maybe his girlfriend needs to pay you a visit. RAIN, KAHNE, AND PAIN: NEWS From This Weekend The rain closed down the track on Sunday but Kasey Kahne prevailed on Monday. He ran a good clean race and got a well-deserved win. But I think the driver who worked the hardest was Matt Kenseth. He fell to the back twice and still managed to finish on the lead lap in 13th place. That’s not even “fun” racing, that’s a full day of playing catch-up! Pit road was a rodeo. John Slusher probably has a backache today. You remember, he’s Robby Gordon’s Catch-can man. Reed Sorenson picked him off on pit road. It’s the old story of man vs. car. Car wins! Carl Edwards and Dave Blaney played demolition derby there also. Bill Lester isn’t new or a novelty to me. I’ve watched him the last couple years racing in the truck series. I’ve always rooted for him because he is an underdog. He’s the only black man in the series and that makes him an underdog. He also seems genuine, articulate and never spiteful. That’s why I like him. He just wants to race. Reminds me a lot of Mark Martin. I have also said in past articles that the Truck Series is the most exciting series in NASCAR. I have been a fanatic of the Truck Series for 5 years. Sometimes when I'm in my Ford F-150 I race other trucks down the highway. They don't know they're in a race with me. Maybe that's why I always win! And Finally Bobby Hamilton had the worst news, as he will stop driving his #18 truck and begin chemotherapy. That is really going to be tough. There is nothing easy about battling cancer. Bobby Hamilton has never been known as a shrinking violet and he will fight it as well as anyone. (unedited version) Name: tallglassofmilk State: CA Website: http://drinkthis.typepad.com/answer_this/ Comments: Not to minimize Matt Kenseth's accomplishment from yesterday, but the stat that got me the most excited was this... Dale Jr. had the best streak of consecutive passes without being passed (18). He also had three additional strings of 14 consective passes without being passed, which was seventh best overall. That gave him four of the top-10 best streaks of the race. NASCAR SUPERSTAR! Note: This applies to NASCAR Superstars and not all NASCAR drivers. No more bass fishing. Now it’s yachting and ‘sports’ fishing. No more hunt’in trips; instead it’s an African Safari or a get-away to Prague. Instead of a cold Miller Light, it’s a glass of Kistler Chardonnay. No more ribs and barbeque chicken; more likely its Salmon Florentine on a bed of asparagus. Not only is the look of NASCAR changing  but the lifestyle of NASCAR Superstars is changing. You’d be hard pressed to find a NASCAR Superstar in one of those colorfully, loud, more-information-then-I-need-to-know t-shirts. But that shouldn’t stop you, the race fan, from buying them. That extra sawbuck will definitely come in handy because those bottles of Batard-Montrachet/Grand Cru 2002 can set a driver back about $325.00. They’re on 60 minutes and being interviewed by magazines such as Wine Spectator. They are asked to appear in primetime shows such as ‘24’ and ‘Las Vegas’. Even the upper eshelone cologne companies such as Drakkar and Halston want NASCAR drivers associated with them. And you know you’ve made it when Harlequin Romances wants the NASCAR name associated with its cheesy novels. I don’t care how these Superstars spend their money or where they place their face. I admire them. They can have the finer things life has to offer, because if you haven’t noticed by watching the Daytona 500, they are risking their life for the sport they love. And I have never left a race thinking, “What a rip-off, I want my money back.” Every race I have been to has been worth every penny I spent. They are that much fun. The problem I see happening is fan accessibility. The busier you are being famous, the less time you have for fans. Fan accessibility had been a major thing that NASCAR was built on. The new fans that have grown up with reality TV and who are constantly viewing the excesses of the rich and famous know those people are not accessible and may presume that this is the norm. This hasn’t been the norm in NASCAR, but I see it beginning. If there’s an autograph session I can get to, I will go. I don’t need autographs but I do need photos for my Website. I’ve watched Kevin Harvick, Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer truly enjoy themselves around their fans. I’ve also silently stood back and watched Dale Jr. seem so sullen and not even look up at the people he was signing items for. He seemed to be worn out. I think the most entertaining person I watched was Kyle Petty. The people he signed autographs for would walk away with big smiles on their faces. I guess that’s the difference between ‘old school’ and ‘new school’. One group is happy you are their fans and the other group is too busy to notice. I-ROCK!! Did you catch the Iroc race last night? All I can say (And I'm usually more savvy then this) is HOLY CRAP! I was not as interested in the race after Hornish knocked Mark Martin in the wall but I kept an eye on it. I sat down to watch the last six laps and that was when 'all hell broke loose'. Kinser's car is in the air, Scott Sharp's car is blazing and everyone else is dragging sheet metal to the pits. I sat there and thought, much like Kinser I'm sure, "what the hell just happen!" It happened so fast and the wrecks were so spectacular that I found myself sitting there with my mouth wide open! Then the truck race came on. That was very exciting but I knew Mark Martin had the fastest truck and was proabably going to win. I disagree with Ray Dunlap when he spouted out that the race should not have ended under yellow. They wrecked on the last lap and there's no restart once you get down to one lap left. Ray makes it sound like Mark didn't get that win fair and square. Besides it would have continued to be an all night wreck-fest. I can't believe we still have the Busch and the 500 yet! 2006 Preseason #1 Daytona is getting the Hall of Fame. How do I know? It doesn’t take a genius! With Kansas City and Richmond out of the running it has become crystal clear. What NASCAR wants is money. This is how they get it: A populated city- All three remaining cities fit the bill. NASCAR fans- All three remaining cities fit the bill. A city with lots of tourism- Daytona. Atlanta & Charlotte have no ocean and everyone knows a city by the ocean equals “Good Times”, that and a higher rate of drowning and shark attacks. I have never been attacked by a shark in Atlanta! Keep up the Good Work Atlanta, Georgia! But I digress. Weather- No snow is a big bonus to year-round tourism. Atlanta and Charlotte get cold! And Daytona is in Florida and this is the “Sunshine State”. I know because it says so on my license plate. A NASCAR owned track- Daytona, sorry Atlanta and Charlotte. A place they can keep their eye on- Daytona. NASCAR is headquartered there. It’s Daytona, folks. I don’t even know why NASCAR wasted these other cities’ time or money. Seems like a cruel joke. And for all you cities that don’t get the Hall of Fame, just change your city slogan. You could say, “Visit Richmond, Virginia, celebrating another year of zero shark attacks.” Daytona can’t say that! Comments: Daytona wins for NASCAR history, too. I'd be shocked if it went anywhere else. Name: tallglassofmilk State: CA you couldn't have hit it more on the nose if it was bozo. Name: adam State: NC 2005 Archives HOMESTEAD – Season Over I was thrilled to attend the final race of the season. It was as exciting as it was hyped to be. I’ll narrate my weekend in a nutshell. I arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday afternoon. My good friends Tina and Wesley picked me up and we drove to Key Largo. I met their friends and family, had some cocktails, a wonderful dinner and some great conversation. And least I forget, lots of laughs. Sunday, Tina and I both woke up to sinus headaches that could have easily killed an elephant. How did we end up with sinus headaches? EL-IF-I-KNOW! Ha! But after lots of medication we were ready to head to Homestead. It was a great day filled with shopping, being in the audience at Trackside, more shopping, tailgating and meeting some great people from all over the world. Just to add a side note here, I wanted to laugh at some of the things Mr. Penske had to say on the Trackside stage. His new job is Kurt Busch’s P.R. guy, but better him than me. We watched driver introductions (Jeff Gordon really does get booed) and the pre-race show was spectacular. But the best part was the cars revving up and that first green flag! You can’t describe it; you have to be there. The race was fantastic. We met more great people, had a few cocktails, listened to in-car radio, had a few more cocktails, and yelled for our favorite drivers. With 20 laps to go Wesley and I went downstairs to meet up with the Official NASCAR Members Club and join them on the infield to cheer for the 2005 champion, Tony Stewart. It was amazing to look up and see the crowd in the bleachers. Confetti flew, flash bulbs went off and Tony Stewart was crowned. Wes and I believed Tony must have had an electric razor in the car because we saw him up close and there wasn’t much of his usual five o’clock shadow. We finally were herded out and headed home. As we left the parking lot and headed down the highway, police car after police car zoomed by. Those loud sirens and flashing lights were an indication that something horrible had happened and it did. We came home to find out there had been a helicopter accident but it was reported there was only one injured pilot. When the sun rose the next morning we had found out he did not survive his injuries. RIP Johnny Campiglia and my sympathies to his family and friends. I had a great race day thanks to my friends and the other race fans. It’s hard for me, the race fan, to go through this break, but the drivers need it and deserve it. I mean, when else can a driver have a wedding? Have a safe and happy holiday weekend! You don't tug on Superman's cape … You don't spit in the wind, you don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger and you don't mess around with Jim (Jim Croce 1972). There are just certain things you don’t do and being belligerent to a cop with a tint (?) of alcohol on your breath should be added to the list. This saga of Kurt Busch has been in the making and this police confrontation was inevitable. The truly funny thing about all this is that he’s more like Jimmy Spencer than Jimmy is lately. This is an age-old lesson in “too much too soon”. It’s the story of a young, up-and-coming driver given too much too soon, much like his brother Kyle. This is what NASCAR wants and yet they don’t want to deal with the consequences. Winning a NASCAR race is 70% car and 30% driver. Kurt was a young, good driver that had proved himself. Jack Roush saw the talent and strapped that boy to one of his best cars and he got himself a championship. From all the past incidences we have found that Kurt was emotionally immature and did not possess the skills needed to cope with this newfound stardom. I’m sure people tried to guide him, but youth and stardom has a way of producing delusions of grandeur. He’s no longer Jack’s problem. Jack quit wringing his hands and has now washed his hands of him. I don’t blame him. There is a lot of bad blood there. Lucky for Kurt, he gets to start anew with Roger Penske. Penske sounds like he is ready to take on the challenge as he is already running interference with Maricopa County and with his sponsors. Tell me, how upset could Miller Lite be? They sell BEER! I’m not going to stop buying Miller Lite because I may not like their drivers’ off-track shenanigan. In conclusion, I like Miller Lite and I really like it in an ice cold brown bottle, mmm beer. What was this article about? Oh yea, don’t drink and drive and then yell at cops. And beware the bushes (cops hide behind them) and the Busches (they will give you a tongue lashing)! Fangs, Hypnotist and the Forgotten 11/8/05 In my last article I described Carl Edwards as a Big’ol puppy dog. I’m starting to think that description is not going to hold up much longer. He’s slowly turning into a Rottweiler. I also believe that the top five left in this Chase have become a bit testy with each other, all except for Mark Martin. While writers have pretty much dismissed him from winning the championship this year, he’s the only one laughing and smiling in post-race interviews. Yes, you heard me right, Mark Martin is jovial. So let’s recap the top five drivers: 1. Tony Stewart – cranky; shaves before he starts the race, full beard after race; If Smoke has any problems in Phoenix, he will kill someone – he’s been holding it in too long. 2. Jimmy Johnson – I completely forgot he was in the Chase, let alone second in points. He’s not getting a lot of airtime while drivers not in the Chase are interviewed much more (hint: 24 & 8). 3. Carl Edwards – puppy teeth out, fangs in. Still happy-go-lucky, but must start getting paranoid looking behind his back all the time. I mean, come on! You can’t take the win from Mark Martin on the last lap and relapse back to that aw-shucks-toothy grinned-plowboy act. 4. Greg Biffle – had a tough break at Texas, and in his post race interview you could see he was realizing the championship was slipping through his fingers. At least I think so. He always looks slightly surprised. Doctor Marlin has already described Greg’s condition to us. 5. Mark Martin – has learned the art of crashing into people, apologizing, and then hypnotizing the victim into truly believing it was an accident. Tony tried to walk away from Mark’s apology but Mark grabbed his arm. Don’t look in his eyes Tony! The post-race interview of Tony proves he looked into Mark’s eyes. I thought Tony was going to end with, “Now I have to go wash Mark’s car and make him a ham “sam’itch”. Two to go! Who’s going to Phoenix? I’m going to Homestead! Look for me! I’ll be the one handing out free Splash and Go can koozies. WOE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY Posted 6:30pm 10/16/05 Tire woes to be exact. I counted thirteen cars that had tires blow, some cars two times. I also counted seven other cars that got caught up in crashes due to other cars and their incessant tire problems. There were cautions, competition cautions and red flags throughout the race. Tires were blistered, blown and torn. This night was misery for most drivers but there were some bright spots for us viewers. I always have a good laugh when some one leaves the pits with a big’ole gas can still hanging off the end of their car. Not a catch can, but a big’ole gas can! Thanks for the laugh #12. Really, how does that happen without the pit crewmember hanging on for dear life and dragging behind the car? I think I’d hold on for dear life just to save my job! And then there was my "YEE HAA" moment when Carl Edwards drove like he was driving the General Lee. He escaped the McMurray-Waltrip-Jarrett wreck by going low into the grass. Then he hit a part of pit road and I swear every wheel came off the ground and he landed back on the other side of the grassy infield and never slowed down folks! He was completely focused and probably a whole lot freaked out! I wish I could have been a passenger in that car at that moment. Mark Martin seemed ticked off at Joe Nemechek but I don’t think he was. He yelled at his crew chief about how many times he was going to have to pass Nemechek on the track. The problem was with Mark’s pit crew. Mark had a fast car and would pass cars on the track, pull in the pits, pull out and those same cars were in front of him again. Mark had pit problems. It must have been like “déjà vu” for him. Or better yet, like running in circles and getting nowhere fast! HA! I crack myself up! (unedited version) With Three To Go I watched the Martinsville and Atlanta races. I did not write any articles on them. Why? It’s been crazy lately with the In-laws visiting and an inordinate amount of birthday party planning and celebrating. But the two major reasons were, 1. Nobody pays me 2. I’ve got Homestead on my mind! I’ve been getting ready for that fun filled weekend! With three races left this is how the top ten drivers fair: Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson seem to overcome any small or major problem they run into on the track. I contribute this to either witchcraft or voodoo. Greg Biffle has been Mr. Consistency. Much more boring without the voodoo but apparently he doesn’t need it. Carl Edwards is having a blast and sometimes seems oblivious that he is in a “Chase for the Cup”. He’s like a big’ole puppy dog. He’s out having fun so nobody should tell him how much money is at stake. Ryan Newman, hmmm, he sure does qualify well. He likes animals. I got nothing else. Mark Martin is pictured under the definition of “struggle” in the dictionary. You’ll also find a picture of him under “tenacious”. He’s the bipolar of racing this season. He’s behind but he’s just scrappy enough to pull it off. Matt Kenseth. Refer to my Ryan Newman above but leave out the qualifying. Rusty, Kurt and Jeremy are supposedly out of the running so no comment. The race is in Texas this weekend. I hope they fill the seats because Larry Mac said Atlanta had a lot of empty ones. It’s the track owners’ fault! Take Homestead for example. The ONLY pit passes are for Sunday (and they’re sold out). I love going to the Truck race but the track said NO pit passes! It makes no sense. So this means I can’t get autographs or pictures of Truck, Busch or Cup drivers. I’m not going to the Truck or Busch race because of this. This is called mismanagement and yes I could do better if I was in charge. First let me dig out my voodoo doll. (Unedited Version) MARTIN SHOWS HIS MUSCLE AND I THINK I’LL PASS ON LIVIN’ LIKE LABONTE Posted 3:09pm Oct. 10 Mark Martin dominated. He made a new track record with most laps led and won the race. Do you think he was still a little ticked off about the Talladega race? Jeez, he practically told fans to riot, or in the least, plan a coup against the NASCAR-powers-that-be. Well, that didn’t happen so he seemed to say this week, “Screw ya’ll! I’ll just go run the tires off my car, and if anyone gets in my way, I’ll just run your a$$ over.” I like this Mark Martin, although he was still his pessimistic self, even in victory lane. He said he was too far back in points to win the Championship. NO YOU'RE NOT! Anything could happen in the next six races, anything! That being said, Tony Stewart sure is bulletproof lately. Conversely, anything that can go wrong will go wrong for Kurt Busch. His own teammate Matt Kenseth won’t even help him get five points for leading. I wouldn’t either as this is a RACE and not a ‘Sharing Lesson’ in kindergarten. But what can go right will go right for Tony. I thought he was losing an alternator in this race but within seconds and a little fairy dust, Shazam, it’s like his car is brand new. Bobby Labonte had Ragu as the sponsor on his car. Inside his car on the dashboard it said “Livin’ Like Labonte”. I got to wondering, what is “Livin Like Labonte”? I wouldn’t mind living like Labonte. Then he hit the wall. Suddenly, I don’t want to live like Labonte. And finally, I felt bad for Brandon Ash. Whose brilliant idea was it to take this guppy and throw him in a shark tank? Not that he wasn’t doing a great job and staying out of trouble but eventually the sharks realize there’s something in their water that doesn’t belong. That shark just happened to be Dale Jr. The Chase is on and the next track is Charlotte, aka Lowes. FYI, Mark Martin said he loves Charlotte. (unedited version) IT’S IN GOD’S HANDS AND UPS REALLY DOES DELIVER! To quote Jimmy Spencer from some time ago,” I came to a race and a rodeo broke out”. We had two super sized “Big Ones”. I was quite shocked there were any cars left to race. I made a comment that if there were any more wrecks we’d only have the pace car left and it would have to race the ambulance. Michael Waltrip and Scott Riggs get “The Best Stunt Car” award, although Scott wins for most terrifying flips. Kyle Petty wins “The Most Tenacious” award. His car looked like a crab on ice but he crawled across the finish line. Mark Martin wins “The Most Dejected-It’s Like Watching Someone Beat A Puppy” award. Mark was caught up in the first “Big One” and he said later, "It's hard to fight God's will and God's will was for me to finish about last, I'd have a championship by now if it was God's will.” The Chase isn’t over Mark! Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth fought the rest of the day for first place. But who should sling shot into the lead like a bat out of hell? Dale Jarrett. On the last lap his crew chief was yelling “Horsepower Dale, horsepower”! Obviously Dale had a couple of extra fillies hiding in the trunk and they were some Kentucky Derby winners! Congratulations Dale! I believe Dale lives by the rule, “It doesn’t matter how many laps you lead, as long as you lead the last lap”. COMMENTS: Somethings got to be done about talladaga. Maybe take away half of the banking and take off the restrictor plates. Then they would have to brake for the turns and they would have plenty of horsepower for the straits. I think that would make great racing. good job Dale! -ford fan God,s WILL:It was god's will for me to go the dega race for the first time ever.And it will be god's will for me to never miss a race at dega! My girlfriend bought me these tickets for my 40th birthday.Here is how it went! We took the good time tour bus to start out with.We showed up at the bus station at 12:30am sun. morning.We were about the 5th person in line.First off at the gate there was a big sign that said No Alcohlic beverges allowed.I said to myself this is going to be along trip! But to my surprise everyone in front of us were drinking like fish.I looked at my girlfrind and said check'em out.They had these coolers full of beer!I said lets go to store and get some beer! My mate says its to late and we should sleep on way and then we can buy some beer at the track.I said okay to her and to myself I say this is bull----!!!.Anyways we loaded up and took off.Well They partied all the way to track.(needles to say we did not sleep)We showed up at the track at 8:30. got our tickets and took off to find our seats.The tickets said OV Hill North. Sec.FF Row:20.We climb the stairs and at the top I look over and to my surprise there is a beer stand.I get a tall boy Miller lite with a smile:_) and cont. on to find our seats. We did'nt have to walk far!! I look out at the track and felt like i was in heaven.What a beautiful site!!WE had some great seats and a skip and a jump from the beer stand. Life is GOOD!!They fire'em up and chills run down my back.They came around to take green! And the smell of that racing fuel and the roar of them 700hp engines.It could not have been any better!Until THE Big ONE!! I believe it was lap 20.My guy was out!"8" and my 2nd choice"6"was also in it.Needless to say I spent alot of the rest of my day at the beer stand.( I was TORE UP!!) BY the end of race.I Felt right at home!! Beer and bathroom!! Right down hallway.I wanted to share my expirience with you folks because I know you are big race fans.And can relate to my feelings unlike my co partner.She did'nt get it!! and I'm sorry for her. Because its something in your blood.I had a great time!! At dega and the bus trip was not bad. $140.00 per.person and the staff was great!! And did'nt have to drive home!! IT WAS GODS WILL... IT was good therapy I highly recomment it to Every RACE FAN.Hope to see there next year. I'll be at the beer stand(Tower OV HILL NORTH)I'll have a beer in one hand and a finger flyin at Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson in the other - buddude I was waiting for my UPS driver today. Why? Because I had just ordered some “can wraps” for my Website. I tracked my packages and today was the day. More than I knew! My dog tried to run inside his truck, as usual, and that was the icebreaker. I was excited about my packages, so he asked me what was in them. I told him they were “can wraps” with my web site’s logo on them. I then told him it was a racing web site. Now he seemed interested. He told me about working with Georgia’s own Jody Ridley and we talked a little more about racing. I asked his name before he left and he said that it is Bill Tutchtone. I’m a detective and history buff at heart, so I did the natural thing for me and “Googled” him. Bill Tutchtone is not just a racecar driver; he’s a good racecar driver. Talk about modest! He didn’t even tell me any of this! I found this at the Mobile Speedway site, “And there is no hotter driver than Bill Tutchtone of Pensacola, FL, driver of the No. 98”. And this: “Tutchtone’s racing career actually began years ago when he was in high school. He worked with many local teams, as well Mike Cope, the NASCAR All-Pro Champion, Mobile’s Rick Crawford, and he even traveled with Winston Cup star Jody Ridley.” Click here for the rest of the article. I love living here. Everyone knows a racecar driver or they are one! And if you read this, Bill, I still can’t find anyone to go to Talladega! And you know I have to say this, ”Race the Truck, Bill!” I’VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION; NASCAR NEEDS NEW PR REPRESENTATIVES. I have read so many articles this week bashing NASCAR and NASCAR NATION. I feel the reason for this is that these writers and workers involved in NASCAR are not being heard and fundamentally ignored. There is a revolt in the makings and NASCAR needs to listen. Some of the gripes; Rules and punishments that are applied are not being uniformly applied to all drivers and owners. This has always been the case in NASCAR. Is it fair? No. This has been a long-standing tradition, and isn’t that what folks want, to stick to some of its deep-rooted traditions? Would you rather have an outside commission running NASCAR? I didn’t think so. In all seriousness, my favorite drivers have been devastated and saved by these arbitrary decrees. It always comes full circle. Don’t you think some of the veterans deserve a little more leeway then the new kids on the block? I do, even though there is no certainty there either! I can’t find anyone who likes NASCAR Nation. Was this their thinking? Let’s put some attractive woman in a studio (preferably someone who has posed naked, because men love eye-candy); then throw a man in there (because NASCAR is a man’s sport and there had better be one set of testicles on that stage); keep them quaffed; then you send less attractive or older but NASCAR knowledgeable people on the tracks, garages and just plain hot sun to do the real interviews. These are the very things we are tuning in to watch. At least that’s the show I saw. What they should have done: Find some attractive, articulate and NASCAR knowledgeable people. I’ve read these people’s biographies. Many have sports/reporting backgrounds, not racing. And stop letting them wear the latest fad and give them a uniform. Fire suits for everyone. And don’t tell me women can’t look attractive in fire suits. If they need to show breasts, just equip them with a push-up bra and unzip the fire suit. Wha-laa, Eye Candy!! However, I don’t think that should be a check-off on their diversity list. I personally would like to see more men, unless they’re going to hire me! Bottom line; they need to make this program look more like racing and less like E! Entertainment channel. We the race fans don’t want to be like every other shallow, Hollywood-wannabe types. We like being in a league of our own. There is lots of racing this weekend folks and it’s all in Richmond Virginia. Let me start by saying, I obviously didn’t write an article on the California race and there are a few reasons why: 1. Things have been kind of crazy here since the hurricane. Lots of running and indecision of what the Navy was planning to do with my husband. 2. I’ve been to three races at the California Speedway and the atmosphere is a bit different then it is at other tracks. “Fans” are less likely to be there rooting for a certain driver and more likely to be there to ‘see and be seen’. I've never saw so many women in high heels at a racetrack. It boggles the mind. 3. And lastly, I simply conked out in my chair. I was sawing some serious logs before the end of the race. A California night race is not good for my ‘Central Standard Time’ brain. I have to say I’m very happy racing has come back to the southeast. I’m going to leave this article open and I will comment on the races as they come. Tonight 09/08/05 is the Truck Race. Thursday: The IROC race was fantastic. Martin and Busch fighting to the bitter end for a win. This display of racing is exactly why I’m a race fan. My whole house was yelling and screaming, just as if we were actually there. Martin comes out on top and I don’t think you could even say by inches, more like centimeters. Thursday: Truck racing is always fun. It seemed to have a lot of cautions last night. I prefer more green flag racing on this particular track only because there is so much opportunity for passing and some good hard racing. A question and some observations: -Why didn’t Tony Stewart qualify? -Deborah Renshaw could not keep the rear end of her truck off the wall. -Thanks for mentioning my name last night Mikey! He said his favorite KISS song was Beth and then attempted to sing it. Yikes! -Bad night for Roush racers. I’m really feeling bad for Ricky Craven lately. -Two of my favorite drivers finished in the top ten! -Congratulations Mike Skinner! You are HOT right now. And congratulations Bill Davis Racing! Busch Series Friday: Folks, Martin Truex Jr. had a tough night last night. That boy could not catch a break. I’m laughing because it seemed to be a comedy of errors, some his fault and some not. He got underneath Matt Kenseth’s car. That tore up some pins that hold his hood down. His hood stayed on but he was black-flagged. He didn’t quite listen to the Officials (never a good idea) and consequently lost two laps. Then this happens (You’ve got to see this and Realplayer is required) Video. Being knocked on two wheels does tend to put a person in a foul mood.  Martin then did some more ranting and raving that could put him in more trouble with NASCAR. I’ve never been a fan of his but I hope they leave him alone and re-watch the race and see all the troubles he had.Kevin Harvick won. He deserved the win, as he was up front the entire race. What the heck was Greg Biffle doing? Robert Pressley had an easy top ten, that is, until Biffle ran right into him, destroying Robert’s racecar. Please let me know if the video link does not work. A little off the racing topics 09/01/05 A wonderful group of ladies called The Red Hat Society obtained two adjoining hotel rooms at the Seville Inn across the street from the Civic Center. Their purpose was to allow refugees at the Civic Center to come and take showers, find clothes and toys and watch some TV. Our job was to go to the Civic Center and tell people to come, as there were no shower facilities in the Center. The Red Cross was and is there feeding and taking care of these peoples needs. I helped in a very small way but would like to share with you my experience with these wonderful people. I was told when I went in the Center to act like I knew what I was doing and I belonged there. They were protecting the people inside and didn’t want any old weird-o coming in. I guess I looked official because I made it up stairs and started to get the word around. In one family I took 3 daughters and a baby in my truck over to the hotel. Let me tell you about this family. From what I could see there was a mother, father, four daughters two infants and three brothers. Mother declined the shower but asked that I take the girls over. I tried to talk one of the teenage boys in going with us but his brother is mentally retarded and would stay with him. His brother’s name was Lance. I sat down by him on the floor. At first he tried to say mama. I reassured him she was standing around the corner. He then threw his arms around me and rocked back and forth. I hugged him back because it is a rare occasion when pure love is wrapped around us. When I thought I couldn’t be more overwhelmed his brother quietly said that besides his mama, I was the first person he hugged in the three days they have been there. Yes, I was truly blessed. But I had work to do. I spoke to every person I walked by. I asked them where they were from and if they needed anything. I found the major thing people wanted was conversation; something so simple and easy to give. Many people were from New Orleans; others were from Bay St. Louis, St Bernard Parish and Biloxi. These are my observations and the comments of people I spoke to, A couple from St. Bernard quietly told me they found out their house was gone. A man I was passing by needed to tell someone that his sister died in the hurricane. He stopped me in my tracks. I held his hands and asked if I could get him anything. He said no. Simple acknowledgement. Simply telling me was enough. I spoke to another couple and told them how foolish I was to stay with my family through Hurricane Ivan. The lady touched my arm. They were no longer refugees and I was no longer a volunteer. At that moment as tears ran down our faces we became comrades. I topped off a water bowl for a German shepherd that was shaded by a bass boat. My friend and I spoke to an elderly gentleman who would not go in the Center because his 2 chihuahuas were not allowed in. People brought him and his dogs food and water. It was very hot yesterday. Then a family from the Red Hat Society said they were taking his family and dogs home with them. In a back hallway I found an elderly lady. She said she was cold. I was about to get her a blanket but she said someone was getting one for her. She asked me to hold her hands because they were so cold. I held her hands and asked her, her name. She said, “Martha Walker. We Walkers just keep on walking”! We laughed but she was hungry so I got her some food, sweet tea and water. She thanked me and I told Martha goodbye. As I write this my husband, who is in the Navy, was just notified to be on stand-by, as they might need him and other service members to drive buses into New Orleans and bring people back to Pensacola. Most gas stations are out of gas, Naval ships are pulling into port and military helicopters pound overhead. This may not be a war zone but it sure feels like a MASH unit. Do you want to help? Go to Jayski's Hurricane Relief Page Not to long ago I wrote an article on Pocono and what a trash heap it was. Sorry Pocono. Michigan was much worse. Drivers and crews had to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to free their cars of “grill trash”. They gave up track position to get behind a car they could draft in the hope that their “grill trash” would fall off. They gave up track position to go in the pits to have crewmembers rid them of their “grill trash”. And, for many, the “grill trash” just suffocated the car and it blew up. Jeremy Mayfield won? I mean, who saw that coming? He even admitted that it was more of a process-of-elimination race. The first person that didn’t need gas in the last 10 laps was going to be the race winner. Don’t get me wrong; I think Jeremy is a fine racecar driver, but talk about a “lucky dog”. And while the Roush/Penske/Ganassi drama continues to dominate race media, Evernham Motorsports seemingly comes out of nowhere and gets a win. I want to thank Wally Dallenbach personally for his very loud and astute observation that the drivers were going to have to go in for a SPLASH AND GO! My only hope is that fans that are new to the sport may be curious as to what that term means and they get to Googling! At least on Google I’m #1!! Heaven: Tony Stewart is on fire, having a good time and acting like the champion he is. Who would have ever thought it? He is the image that NASCAR would like displayed. I’m sure the NASCAR powers-that-be have whispered in his ear, “Great job, keep up the good work, and we mean that literally”. No back sliding now, Tony. Hell: Kurt Busch is jumping overboard on the USS Roush. He has fans angry on both sides. The 97 fans feel abandoned and the #2 fans feel sucker punched. Kurt Busch and Miller Lite. No. He seems more like a wine spritzer guy to me. The #2 needs a tough guy! Put Tony in it. Or better yet, put Jimmy Spencer in it! Heaven: Jamie McMurray has had a bad week with rumors of backdoor dealings and contractually having to stay with a team he obviously doesn’t want to be with, as was apparent in this past week's news conference. And yet he pops in the top ten in standings (9th) and is in the Chase for the Race. He’s not acting like a “lame duck”. Hell: Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip can’t seem to catch a break on the track. Jeff’s issue seems to be car related and Michael can’t seem to prevent other drivers from running all over him! Purgatory: It’s only for three more weeks, but I feel these drivers will be so cautious and will not race hard or for a win unless of course it’s thrown in their laps. And those drivers are Rusty Wallace (4th), Mark Martin (5th), Kurt Busch (6th) and Jeremy Mayfield (7th). Mark Martin even said as much in yesterdays race. He said he wasn’t going to take any chances but after he makes the chase then he’ll take chances. The last three, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards will have to take chances and drive hard to keep those coveted positions. Michigan is this weekend, but really who cares (unless you’re going to the race) because just six days after that is the Bristol night race!!! And did you know that not one NASCAR race has been down south since July 2nd? Come on! And after the Bristol race they head all the way out to California and then turn around and head all the way back to Richmond! That’s insane. I bet those truck haulers are thinking, “Holy Crap! Can’t we inch our way out there?” They should start at some place like Pocono then move westward to Chicago, Texas, Phoenix and then California. My Silly Season Opinion; Let's step back and look at Jamie's (McMurray) side. Jack (Roush) did not do the same thing as Penske. Ganassi was dragging his feet and not telling Jamie if they were going to pick him up. Remember, they had the OPTION. Jamie had no say in this and was getting nervous of being out a ride and watching while all the other GOOD ones were getting ready to be taken. How do you know he (Jamie) didn't approach Jack? Jamie had every right to go looking for a ride when Ganassi refused to commit to him. AND Jack had every right to say, If Ganassi doesn't pick you up, you can drive the 6. Sabates, being the person he is decided to make himself look good and Jack look bad because he hates the House of Roush. It's called jealousy. The difference is Kurt is under contract. Not an OPTION contract and he had NO FEAR of being let go unlike Jamie. This is just too interesting of a story to not comment on it. It is a rarity to see an owner and a driver so close and so connected in NASCAR or any racing series. Jack has said he loves Mark Martin and Mark is his soul mate. Mark has said he would do anything for Jack. These are pretty strong words for two men to say to each other. There is certainly a lot more going on in this relationship than just a boss and an employee. Could it be that Jack revitalized Mark’s career when he was about to give up on ever having a cup ride? Yes. Did Jack need Mark in the beginning? No. Jack was already a millionaire businessman and a past racecar driver. In one book I read that Jack hired him because he liked him. He had said that Mark was not concerned about his salary but more about the car, engines and testing. I think what Jack wanted and found in Mark Martin was someone equally dedicated to his passion. This brings me to “The Salute to You – Oh Wait a Minute, Let’s Add Another Year – Tour”. Mark is leaving. Jack needs him to stay, so Mark will stay and help him. It’s just a part of life and it’s what friends do for each other. There was a saying -- and trust me when I say I’m paraphrasing -- “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. I can guarantee you that Mark Martin fans are not shedding any tears over this decision. Next year it can be the “Salute to Me Tour”, and the next year it can be “Salute to Dogs Tour”. It's a silly season and owners and drivers are splitting up and on not-so-good terms. Ganassi/Sterling Ganassi/McMurray(07) Ganassi/Manning (IRL) (note to self - don't work with Ganassi) DEI/Waltrip Roush and Martin are the exception and not the rule. By staying one more year for Jack, Mark Martin continues to show us what kind of man he is: A man with “True Grit”. The strange thing about Jimmie Johnson’s crash on Sunday was that the EMT officials allowed him to sit on the pit wall and refuse medical care. Since when do they let a driver refuse medical care? Every race that I have seen where a driver was involved in a crash they have required that the driver had to be seen by the infield medical unit before they were released. Whether they were taken by ambulance or not, they had to go there. I remember one race in which Dale Jarrett was involved in an accident and he waited and waited for the emergency personnel. He finally got out of his car and started walking alongside the track. When they showed up behind him in an ambulance he, waved them off as if to say, “Go to Hades”. They kept creeping behind him and finally after about a ¼ mile they convinced him to get in the ambulance. Jimmie Johnson was definitely dazed, had some smoke inhalation, and they take his word for it that he’s fine? I’ve seen drivers crash, jump out of their car, yelling and throwing punches and they are still rounded up by the officials and taken to the infield care center. Once released, they have either cooled down or they continue their tirade. Jimmie Johnson needed to be taken care of, period. Thank God for the safer barriers. He could have been killed, or at the least become a now-retired driver like Jerry Nadeau or Ernie Irvan. I think Tony Stewart enjoyed his win a little too much. He’s driving around and jumping out and driving around and jumping out. Even the interviewers gave up on him. They had to interview their top five finishers and in the background there’s Tony, still driving around. They go to another interview and there’s Tony in the background, climbing a fence … again. Tony, step away from the car! Congratulations. Bob Margolis from Yahoo Sports slams Gordon for not being a real Hoosier. He stated that Tony is the first true native in 40 years to win at the Brickyard. He is correct because we all know that Jeff Gordon was not born in Indiana. I do get tired of hearing he was “California’s own Jeff Gordon” or in Indiana, he was “Indiana’s own Jeff Gordon” depending on where the race was that weekend. Doesn’t he live in Florida now? Maybe after the divorce he went to North Carolina. Make up your mind! It doesn’t look like Junior is making the Chase. With the pressure off he could drive better than ever now, but something tells me no. There seems to be some issues at DEI that needs to be dealt with first. I’ll sign off from now on as, Florida’s, Illinois’s, California’s, Virginia’s, Wisconsin’s, Utah’s Own, B.A. Carter! I’ve lived in all of ‘em, so I guess that makes 'em mine! Welcome to the "I'll Throw A Caution For ANYTHING 500"!! Is Pocono a racetrack or a garbage heap? I have never seen so many cautions for debris in my life! The race was a snore in the beginning but became very entertaining at the end. Was I happy Kurt Busch won? No. Why? Because when he’s a winner, he’s gracious and all-American as apple pie. When he’s not, he is Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. I don’t like rooting for two people in one body. I want to know what I have in my pot. I don’t want to take the lid off when I am boiling a chicken and find a skunk! The same goes for Tony Stewart. He’s showing us his puppy side. I know! Who knew he had one! It’s nice, but when you think you’ve got a goldfish, it’s frightening to turn around and see a Great White! Okay, enough of the analogies! And people pick on Jimmy Spencer! At least he was a Rottweiler when I brought him home and he is every morning I wake up! Okay! Enough! What I’m trying to say is that I’ve seen enough of these guys on camera that I can discern when they are being fake and when their true colors are coming out. Now that being said, I don’t believe these new NASCAR reality shows make us part of some driver’s family. They are heavily edited. True colors come out on the track and I thank the reporters for being there. And speaking of reality shows, (trust me, I’m going to bring this all together) I recall the one with Jeremy Mayfield and his wife where she sat in the backseat and the dog got the passenger seat up front. Yes, I thought that very strange. But then I remembered prior to my husband and I having children, we treated our dogs like royalty. Then we had the little ones and those furry, mangy little vermin had to stay away from the babies. KIDDING. But they weren’t royalty anymore. The point is that people do and will change throughout their life. That’s normal. But changing day-to-day and race-to-race is a little abnormal. Dare I say schizophrenic? And I need to set this record straight: Mark Martin did not call Carl Edwards an idiot. This is what went down: Rusty said to Mark’s spotter, “Let’s take it nice and easy and bring these babies home now.” Rusty’s crew chief or spotter paraphrased and said, on national TV, “He (Mark) ain’t gonna race to wreck ya, but he is gonna race you, but he says he’s got an idiot behind him (Carl Edwards).” What Mark really said was, “I got a guy behind me that’s got no sense.” And lastly, a comment to my editor: You moved to Key Largo to get away from the hustle and bustle of St. Louis. Start writing that book! It will be a Best Seller! Who love’s Ya Baby? See you Saturday in Pensacola at the airport!!! Where there’s Smoke, there’s Fire! Tony Stewart is on fire! He seemed to have a rebirth of attitude and now is on a winning streak. It’s Hammer Time, “Can’t Touch This!” He’s also taken up fence climbing. Please keep the helmet on. Matter of fact, get Carl Edwards a helmet too. No post-race head injuries, please. I guess they got tired of pious sports reporters saying that NASCAR drivers aren’t considered athletes. Now we need Mark Martin to win again and maybe he’ll jump out of the car and bench press a few fans (he’s an avid weight lifter). Or have Michael Waltrip win and take a run around the racetrack (he runs marathons). Have Ken Schrader win and get in a soapbox derby car and race kids around the track (he’ll race anything). Maybe Dale Jr. can win again and jump out of his car and…ahh…drink a beer! Now that’s my kind of exercise! And now for some ramblings; Jamie is not happy with Matt. He did punt you, but he will be your teammate in ’07. Let the love fest begin. The nicest guy on the track took out Elliott. Then we all know it was an Elliott problem and not a Mark problem. But they have something in common. Aren’t green M&M’s the same as Viagra? Jeff Gordon lost his brakes. He and Robby did not see eye to eye on what to do. Robby told him to nurse it and stay out. Jeff said loudly, “I have no brakes! What am I supposed to do?” And they say you and Robby are buddies. Hmmm? Question? How are repairs going at Hotlanta? Please e-mail. Daytona: Love it or hate it? Loved it: "I finally got me a Daytona trophy.'' – Tony Stewart "It's a lot of fun when you have these kinds of cars.'' – Dale Earnhardt Jr. "It's a good thing, and we're very pleased with it and happy to be leading the points," – Jimmie Johnson Hated it: "I'm glad this is the last time I ever have to race here." – Mark Martin "Restrictor plate racing is just what it is -- it's going around in circles and putting on a show for the fans -- otherwise there's not a driver in the garage that would do it." – Greg Biffle “…Jeff Burton was bump-drafting me to get me going and just wrecked me." – Michael Waltrip First, let me say Congratulations to Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Todd Bodine. They are all winners this weekend in their respective series. But enough about the drivers, let’s talk about me! I am an avid race fan. I research drivers, compare statistics and study this sport’s historical roots. In other words, I am no slacker when it comes to NASCAR knowledge. Now that being said, you would not have known it by watching me last night. In the beginning, oh, say 5:00pm CST, I had my game face on. I had all the TVs on, the Trackpass on, all while perusing certain message boards. I was preparing. In preparing, I decided to open my first beer. They said it was raining but the race would probably go on as scheduled. They were wrong! And with nothing for my hands or eyes to do, I decided to have a few more beers. Finally, when the race started at about 9:00 p.m., I am officially “three sheets to the wind.” But because of the excitement of the race starting I have another ‘cold one.’ An hour into the race I decide to go on a message board and state to everyone that I am toasted. My only saving grace is that my ability to type is quickly going down hill as my fingers begin to feel like Jimmy Dean sausages. It’s not worth it to me to post any more messages. Trackpass has tiny little typeface and starts to become annoying to squint at. I shut it down. This would probably be a good time for me not to have another beer, but I do. At this point it’s anywhere between 11:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. My walking ability is hampering me from getting another beer, so I decide to finish watching the race in bed. Don’t ask me how I was going to accomplish this when I don’t turn the TV on and I flop face down in the bed. Fast forward to 7:00 a.m. I wake up and can’t seem to remember the end of the race. So I shake my husband awake and tell him I don’t remember who won the race. He said, “It’s because you fell asleep an hour before it was over! Tony Stewart won.” I too was disappointed in this race. It started too late. I succumbed to the peer pressure of beer commercials, and, as usual, the drivers I like always get smashed up in the “Big One!” But what are you going to do? It’s July 4th weekend! Have a beer and don’t drink and drive! The S's Have It! Setzer, Sauter, Stewart. I see that Johnny Sauter won the Busch race Saturday night. Johnny is from Necedah, Wisconsin, and it reminded me of something that happened many years ago. From 1991-94 my husband was a Navy Recruiter in Wisconsin. Necedah High School happened to be one of his regional schools. Years later we came to find out the Sauter boys were doing well in racing and my husband recalled talking to the younger Sauter boys (along with other students) about a career in the Navy. My husband mentioned that there were a lot of Sauters in that town. Come to find out, Johnny Sauter is one of 12 children. When my husband and I think back to those days we have to laugh. My husband was trying to get a Sauter to make a career of the Navy when now we see they had their futures mapped out for them, it seems even before they were born! Then in 1998 we met Tim Sauter at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Tim is two years older then my husband so he was not one of the “boys” my husband tried to recruit. For more info on the Sauters, try this page, The Sauter Story. On to the Cup race at Infineon Raceway. For the first time I am actually writing about it before it is over. It looks like Junior’s bad luck continues and he may not make the Chase for the Championship. He did get voted Fox’s Sexist Driver today. But if that God-awful, blazing hot pink construction paper and Elmer’s glue heart was his prize, I don’t think it will give him much comfort tonight. I’d rather you throw big dog nuggets on my yard and say, “How do ya like that, sweet cheeks”, than have to actually take that ugly, no-thought-put-into-it thing home.  This race has been pretty detrimental to a lot of cars. The good thing about road races is that it is very difficult to go a lap down. So far only nine cars are one lap or more down. Compare that to the truck race on Friday. Only four trucks were on the lead lap! I have really enjoyed seeing Ricky Rudd in the lead! But it looks like Smoke is going to win this thing. He has been driving great today. I love it when the announcers talk about fuel! I’m hoping they all need a “Splash and Go”! Do it! Do it! Congratulations Tony. We are going to Daytona next week! Yee Haw! The Roush Twinkie: Starring Tony Stewart as the cream filling Talk about dominance! Four of the five Roush Racers finished in the top five at Michigan on Sunday. Tony Stewart spoiled Jack’s ‘full house’ by taking second place, and Kurt Busch looked like the redheaded stepchild by finishing out of the top ten. Sterling Marlin was axed by Ganassi and his car blew-up! It didn’t just blow up but became one great ball o’ fire and he saved it from slamming into the wall. Can you say sabotage? Did anyone else notice that (besides the winner, Greg Biffle), Joe Nemechek was one of the fastest on the track all day long? Did anyone else believe that Mark Martin might have actually caught up to Greg Biffle? He was passing everybody on the track. He sure acts like he’s having a lot of fun. And the bad luck continues for Gordon and Junior. I think I might have figured out Junior’s problem. Every time I see a driver interviewed and Dale Jr’s name comes up they always make references to partying and beer. Hmmmm. Maybe he needs to not sample so much of his sponsor’s product. Heck, Mark Martin says he doesn’t use his sponsor’s product at all. So see, it can be done. And if I were Sterling Marlin, I would start hording in large quantities your sponsor’s product. I’ll help! You can use my garage. I’d much rather help Rusty out, but beggars can’t be choosers. And if you don’t know who these sponsors are, then “you don’t know nothing about Jasper Racing” (inside joke between me and J.D. that was highly fueled by Rusty’s sponsor) Until next time: Sterling, sleep with one eye open and call me for storage; Junior, dry out a little; And, J.D., whatever happened to Buckshot? He was in that highly-fueled-by-Rusty’s-sponsor disagreement. Oh joy, we’re off to a road course this weekend! Can you hear my sarcasm? Name: jeff State: FL Comments: I happen to like road courses and think there should be a couple more on the circuit.... No Article! Sorry. I had a busy weekend with tropical storms (Arlene to be exact), company from Kentucky and taking care of some animals for my friend (chickens and dogs to be exact). I watched the race and thought it was very exciting but I just didn’t have anytime to sit at my computer! Hope this weekend is different! B.A. Name: Tina State: FL Comments: Well, I saw the race too and thought it was fun. Heck, racin's always fun! Thanks, Ms. B.A. Carter, for getting me hooked! Who loves ya, Homey! NO MORE UNDERDOGS? We all know the roots of NASCAR. It began in the poor regions of the Southern United States, where boys could make money by delivering illegal moonshine while at the same time using souped up cars to outrun the law. The stories are filled with adventure, danger and rough and tumble good ole boys. In today’s NASCAR there isn’t a lot of the “good ole boy” gene still around. I saw it in the late Dale Earnhardt and gleams of it in drivers like Jimmy Spencer, Sterling Marlin, Ward Burton, Dale Jr., Elliott Sadler, Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd and even Mark Martin. I’m hesitant about Mark being included because I don’t see him cracking heads and running moonshine but he does have that gleam in his eye. It could be a combination of: Southern accents (But Jimmy’s from the north!); Actually being a “good ole boy”, even for a short time; And actually knowing how to work on a car engine. Those three things combined today might get you a decent mechanic’s job, but not a lot else. The difference between then and now is that you have to have money to get that ‘Sunday money’. I’m not even going back to the 60’s. The 90’s movie Days of Thunder even looks like an old time movie. You don’t see drivers going to the next race, sitting in the hauler with the car! Gasp! Drivers now have mansions, planes, yachts, and can be in the premier series of racing practically right out of high school. Team owners are kings and their drivers are superstars. This week Mark Martin reminded us how much things have changed. “Man, we used to fix these things ourselves, and we used to get fired if we wrecked them. You'd wreck one about four, five, six times and you're out of a ride. It's not like that anymore. You can wreck them every week and it seems like you can keep your job”. Speed TV The underdogs use to be the guys who owned and drove their car. If these guys didn’t do well, they did not make the next race, David against Goliath. Now these guys are called ‘Field Fillers’ and not considered competition. The next closest thing to an underdog is the single car owner. Seemingly unheard of in this Roush/Hendrick day and age, but the Wood Brothers are still doing it. And yet they still don’t feel like an underdog to me. So who are the underdogs today? It has to be the veteran drivers. It sounds like they’re 70 years old pushing 80. They are in their 40s being pushed out the driver’s side window. Just ask Ward Burton. It’s turned into a blue light special for youth over talent. After all, we are seeing more wrecks, disrespectful driving and disrespectful attitudes. I just want to grab some of these kids and say, “Didn’t you ever have to pay for things you destroyed? Weren’t you raised to respect your elders? Do you kiss your mama with that mouth”? We need the next generation of drivers, but it just feels like far too many of them still need parental control. Who do I think looks good to take over the reins? Thanks for asking! My picks are Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears, Kyle Busch (Not Kurt), Reed Sorenson and Jon Wood. I think their stars will shine brig |