 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
& Owners |
& Schedules |
Race Observations |
Garage |
Us |
Us |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
& Owners |
& Schedules |
Race Observations |
Garage |
Us |
Us |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
11/12/07 Jimmie Johnson won the Phoenix race and all but wrapped up the 2007 championship. I suppose if he blows up all his cars before the start of the Homestead race, contracts some horrible jungle disease and temporarily lose all feeling in his limbs; Jeff Gordon may then have a chance of winning his fifth championship. Along with Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch is a big winner this past weekend. Kyle Busch won the Phoenix Craftsman Truck race (non-Hendrick) and the Phoenix Busch race. He was also in a late model race in Las Vegas but didn’t win. I find that quite impressive and have to wonder why Hendrick let him go. Although the Busch brothers have narcissistic and dare I say, egotistical personalities which have had many a NASCAR fan rolling their eyes, they are still proven winners. You can’t dispute statistics (well, you could, but you would just get labeled as, “the crazy person who can’t do simple math”). I’m not going into their statistics but suffice to say, they are winners. Go to NASCAR.com for that. During the race I listened to Kyle Busch’s radio and heard this, “I love my mom.” What? Did I hear that right? It was clear as a bell. Okay, so he’s not some heartless megalomaniac. He has a mom? Sorry Mrs. Busch if I said too many disparaging things about your sons. Homestead may or may not be a snoozer. Remember people, this IS NASCAR and anything can and usually will happen. Maybe Mark Martin, who couldn’t quite win the first race of the season, will win the final race. DEI would at least end the season with a smile. Take it all in because the field is going to look very different next season; Mark Martin in the #8 Army car, Kasey Kahne in the Budweiser, Kyle Busch in a Toyota, Dale Jr. guzzling Mountain Dew etc… Interesting fact: Arizona is a true southern state and seceded from the union in 1861. Strange? It didn't even become a state until 1912. Have a comment? Visit my daily ramblings at "Horsepower & Happy Hour". Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news.  10/29/07 The person (Denny Hamlin) restarting the final laps of the race should not run out of gas. It tends to lead to a bottleneck, much to the dismay of Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. Juan Pablo Montoya couldn’t keep tires on the front of his car. David Ragan, Bobby Labonte, David Stremme, Joe Nemechek and Johnny Sauter also had tires blow out. That doesn’t take into account the numerous other drivers (e.g., Stewart, Earnhardt Jr.) pitting early and losing positions due to tires going down. The Atlanta track was so hungry for rubber it actually took Dale Junior’s entire tire off his car with one lap to go. It also led to a very nasty wreck with Jamie McMurray. Kyle Busch (who hates his team) looked to be the race winner until a late and long pit stop put him in the aforementioned bottleneck situation, causing him to lose more positions. David Gilliland got loose, spun and crashed into Mark Martin. I was going to say, “Some DORK, who couldn’t maneuver a tricycle in a driveway, was unleashed on the speedway and allowed to smash a 3500lb racecar into our beloved Mark Martin.” But, I thought the latter statement reeked of bias for a certain driver so please refer to the first sentence. To everyone’s surprise, Jimmie Johnson wins the race under yellow. Quote of the race, Tony Stewart said, “I don’t know what the **** is wrong today.” Indeed! Going five laps down made me wonder too. Eerie, The #6 car of David Ragan gets into the back of the #66 car of Jeremy Mayfield. When you get three 6’s together, you just know something bad is going to happen. Happy Halloween! Update: Fuel samples from the cars of Denny Hamlin and Dave Blaney did contain water. To continue with the Halloween theme, John Darby said, "There's no connection there that would make anybody think of some evil spirit trying to sabotage somebody's race car." Have a comment? COMMENTS: Do not even blame the triple 6 wreck on Ragan. Mayfield moved up the track and into the 6 car. Your comment about this are biased instead of just stating the wreck of three 6's you had to place blame on the wrong party involved. Based on how the car in front of those two all of a sudden pulled away Ragan obviously lifted and still got hit. Report the truth next time when making eerie statements. Brian MN After reviewing the tape, I say they both screwed up. That being said, it's nice to know there are David Ragan fans. BA Why hasen't anyone explained what happened to dale jr's wheel? not one mention of it in all Jayski. Don FL Wheels fall off of Junior's day-long battle at Atlanta This should help. BA Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 10/23/07 Tony Stewart has been more irascible than usual. He reminds me of the fabled old man standing on his porch yelling at the kids to get off his lawn. In this case, he’s sitting in a racecar complaining about every driver on the track. After another pit road incident (different race) he said some rather disparaging words about Paul Menard. During the Martinsville race he seemed irritated with the way Dale Junior was driving and commented that he had hit every car on the track. Tony then bumped Junior, maybe to discipline him? On Wind Tunnel Sunday night, Junior said, “I ran over a couple of guys and I just think he [Tony] was an angry witness to it. I’m not the guy to be disciplining though.” What else did Junior have to say? - He knows the Chase guys (Truex) are getting the best products for their cars, which would be expected. He felt DEI may be putting research and development parts in his car (value trains) to test and get ready for the 2008 season. - He and his father never discussed the future of DEI. - He was not Mr. Popularity in High School. He didn’t hang out with the “jocks or “preps”. Mooresville, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, was not Race City USA like it is now. - He really likes the movie “Get Back to Dirt.” He ordered many copies for his friends. He said it makes him want to quit everything he does and open a dirt track with strictly stock cars. - He was asked why he didn’t retaliate when Gordon bumped him out of the way in the last race. Why wasn’t he driving more like his father? He said he would have but didn’t have enough car to get back up to Gordon. - He chose Hendrick because he would not shy away from an opportunity to win a championship. - He has an auction at celebritysportsauction.com for Make-A-Wish foundation. - He wears a black helmet so he doesn’t have to worry if he scratches it up. - Fans motivate him the most prior to a race. NASCAR fans are the most loyal fan base. - He listens to “Blue Skies over Bad Lands,” by Matthew Good. In regards to Tony Stewart; I understand him. His personality is similar to most of my family. Maybe it is a mid-west thing. One day when I’m old I will yell at children and their incontinent animals to stay off my lawn too. Oh, wait. I did that once but in my defense, I was pregnant and hormonal. Dale Junior on the other hand is an enigma to me. I think his popularity is an enigma to him. He didn’t want all the attention (maybe the fringe benefits) but has seemed to come into his own. He sounds confident for once. Indeed, that’s the main ingredient for being a successful racer. Sources: Wind Tunnel Have a comment? COMMENTS: Someone should run the statistics on the number of on track incidents Tony Stewart has initiated in the last two years. I believe he leads all Cup drivers in that regard. Two of those (Dover and Martinsville) were under the caution flag. He is on PROBATION and NASCAR lets him run amuck! The only redemption is he has probably taken his team out of contention for championships the last two years. Sam Stott MI I did not like the way that Earnhardt, Sr. drove and was not particularly fond of him or what I considered his bullying ways. I do not want to see Jr. drive like Sr. I have always like Jr. and would probably be part of his fan base if it weren't so large already. Generally speaking, he drives like a gentleman and I wish for him to continue that. He needed to leave Teresa as boss - if, for no other reason, it is the only way that they will be friends someday or that he will have a decent relationship with Taylor. From my observation, Teresa is too tight to ever win a championship. DW had the same problem. Fran GA Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 10/15/07 We'll start with Lowes Motor Speedway, or as Homeland Security refers to it, "A large Petri dish full of diphtheria." I think some of the speedway’s neighbors also refer to it that way since they don’t want Bruton Smith adding on to his own track on his own land. The Mayor of Concord seems to have told the homeowners to shut their “yappers” and let Smith build what he wants. Seriously, why would you want a billionaire such as Smith to, "get the heck out of Dodge?" Man is the only kind of varmint sets his own trap, baits it, then steps in it.” ~John Steinbeck Does Homeland Security know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth were up at Lambeau Field on Sunday, possibly spreading the NASCAR disease? It should be investigated. Matt leaves the stadium a happy man; Junior, not so much. Green Bay 17, Redskins 14. If anyone saw the Bears game they saw the stink’in Vikings win over Da Bears. Did I say stink’in? I meant Minnesota (pronounced Minn-a-soo-da). Back to NASCAR! On Friday, Jeff Burton (a Busch whacker soon to be known as a Nationwide whacker) won under the lights. Saturday night, Jeff Gordon won the Cup race. It’s an all “Jeff” weekend. Although Gordon is no Cinderella story, after this win, it does appear that he will be taking home his 5th NASCAR championship trophy. Granted, Johnson, Bowyer and Stewart are still in the hunt but the Gordon train doesn’t seem to be getting derailed anytime soon. Normally I would poke some humorous fun at Gordon’s expense but since he had that baby, I’ve got nothing! Babies have a certain power that weakens my sarcastic writing ability. For me, “It's pretty hard to be efficient without being obnoxious.” ~Kin Hubbard Cheer for your team and your driver because if they aren’t Jeff Gordon, Ohio State or the Patriots, the future looks bleak. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 10/09/07 That’s how fans explain the outcome of a race. It’s the best race they've watched if their driver wins. It’s the worst race they've watched if someone crashes their driver. It’s the most boring race they've watched if their driver goes out early with engine problems. Either way, you have to pick and stick with a driver to become fully involved in the sport of NASCAR. The casual fan picks a driver but only gives a passing glance even if that driver is leading a race. The hardcore fan literally wills the tires to fall off the competitors' cars. The casual fan readily admits that a race is only interesting if a big crash happens. The hardcore fan doesn’t mind big crashes but may kick a chair across the room when they see their driver in the middle of the melee. The casual fan never watches a race from beginning to end unless they are at the track. The hardcore fan has the television, TrackPass and driver radio simultaneously running. They also yell orders into thin air in hopes of overriding the crew chief's pit strategies. For example: Crew Chief: Pit road is open. We’re gonna put on four tires and a round of wedge in the rear. Hardcore fan Hell no! We need track position, two tires and gas! At the track, nobody gives you a second look. At home, the dog just looks 'plain confused' and goes in search of some tires. No matter what NASCAR Inc. or NASCAR writers may say, everyone involved in the sport has favorite drivers. The first two readers that can identify my favorite driver will receive a free Splash and Go t-shirt (L or XL sizes available). Obviously no family or friends are allowed to enter. We are all human and therefore fallible and I wonder how obvious I have been in past articles? I try to be fair and balanced and hope most people find it difficult to pinpoint a favorite. Update: 10/09/07 8:30 AM (CST) No; I’m not taking a jab at the casual fan. They probably have a healthier grasp on reality than the hardcore fan. I should never write an article and then go to bed. I woke up with a NASCAR hangover. It’s where I dream of statistics and drivers and wake up a bunch of times thinking I need to write this important information down. I specifically remember Tony Stewart telling me something of great importance. I know it was important because I remember leaning in because Kenny Wallace was talking real loud right next to me. I woke up and there was no Kenny or Tony. There was just a clock staring and glaring 3:30 AM. I went back to sleep only to have Dave Despain inundate me with racing statistics. By the time he was done it was 5:30 AM. I just got up. If I tried to go back to sleep I’m sure Mike Helton would be next and I didn’t feel like getting yelled at. 8:50 AM(CST) Just heard that Miller and Coors are merging. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 10/05/07 #1. Embrace NASCAR’s History “Today they race on highways. Back then, we had plowed fields.” ~ Cotton Owens (It wouldn’t hurt to Google “Cotton Owens” either). “Years ago, you used to get out and fight and run around and chase each other with a jackhammer and stuff like that. Those were the good ol’ days.” ~ Dale Earnhardt Jr. I’m just saying, you never know when some bare-knuckling will break-out. #2. Build a Fan Base Not all NASCAR fans are ethnocentric. Many NASCAR fans are open-wheel fans as well. Some of us like racing in any form we can get. Treat those fans well and start building a foundation. Fans will be the linchpin in a successful NASCAR career. Ask Juan (or two drivers – I crack myself up). Juan has pretty much been accepted as a NASCAR driver. An addendum to that: Don’t go solely by Talladega because Juan is going to get booed and for the record, so will you. Don’t shoot the messenger! Jeff Gordon will be booed too, so you will be in good company. “When we get to the track, we’re basically turned loose to the masses. And you’d better be willing to deal with that politely, slightly, lightly, all nightly – whatever it takes.” ~Darrell Waltrip #3. Advice for Talladega “The hardest part of being patient is knowing that you want to move up, but you don’t have an opportunity to – and accepting it.” ~ Davey Allison “When you start thinking too much about wrecks and high speeds, it’s time to quit.” ~ Glen Wood “When I started out on asphalt and wound up on dirt, I knew I was in trouble.” ~ Jimmy Horton, after going over the wall and onto a dirt lane outside and well below the track, at Talladega in 1993 (okay, this quote wasn’t really advice but more of an, “Oh my God!” moment.) Both Franchitti and Villeneuve are career racecar drivers so this should be, “nothing but a thing.” That being said, I am not a racecar driver but I have a quote of my own: “If someone put me in a racecar at Talladega Superspeedway and told me in a few minutes I would be racing against the very best stockcar drivers; I would quickly surmise that I had made a horrific career choice. I would then fake a seizure.” ~ B.A. Carter Good luck and Auf Wiedersehen. Yes, I know it is German for good-bye. I’m polishing up on my German because I’m sure a Schumacher will be showing up at the track in a few weeks. All quotes are from “Drive Like Hell” by Eric Zweig  Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 10/03/07 I couldn’t figure out why Coors or Miller hadn’t snapped up the reins from Anheuser-Busch for the Busch Series title sponsor. I will refer to the NASCAR minor league as the Busch Series until they tell me otherwise. I then read this article on NASCAR.com and it shed a glimpse of sunlight on the situation. Whoever takes over the Busch Series will have to cough-up $30 million. As of right now Coors is taking over the role of “Official Beer” of NASCAR for a rumored $20 million. After reading all of the official sponsors of NASCAR it seems like Coors has made a smart move. What they should do is make a BOLD move and take over the Busch Series. What’s ten more million dollars? Just being the official beer does not guarantee sovereignty at every track. Budweiser has been the official beer and at two tracks I went to there was plenty of Miller Lite flowing. Beer drinkers are just as loyal to their brand as NASCAR fans are to their driver. They are not going to switch because NASCAR does. What will catch the eye of NASCAR fans is the sponsorship of an entire series. I assure you that Sprint/Nextel has been making a tidy profit from their involvement with NASCAR. The Coors Company has more to offer than Coors beer and running an entire series will give them a chance to display the company in a broader sense. By the way, have you seen the list of NASCAR sponsors? Who knew Callaway Golf was the official golf ball of NASCAR? What? Callaway should give away golf balls at the track. Never mind. Jeff Gordon’s car would look like the surface of the moon after a race. I’d prefer Gulfstream to send me a sample product and I’ll decide if it’s up to NASCAR standards. But I digress. Mind you, I’m not privy to what goes on behind closed doors. The new sponsor for the Busch Series may have already been decided and NASCAR is just saving the announcement for another (drum roll please), “Look what’s behind curtain #2”, press conference. Yawn. Just tell me already. I’ll buy whatever you’re selling. Heck, I’ll start golfing if my favorite driver tells me to. I’ll even start flying if Gulfstream sends me that sample! Update: Jayski reports that Nationwide Insurance will announce Busch series sponsorship. Many Gulf Coast residents may find this disturbing as there are still hurricane claims unresolved and NW pushes for higher rates. Probably not a favorite pick down here in the deep south. Update II: 10/03/07 3:00 PM EDT Nationwide Insurance to be sponsor of No. 2 series I'm sure there are many Florida homeowners rolling their eyes. Nationwide dropping coverage for thousands of Florida homeowners. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: After looking at the official sponser page and doing some quick figuring, can you imagine how many small busch and cup teams could benefit from that money if NASCAR wasn't siphoning potential car sponsers off the top? Tom FL In addition to raising rates, Nationwide just gave hundreds of employees their 60 day termination letters and are closing dozens of offices to cut expenses. Hick VA I think its interesting that NASCAR's official pace car is Chevy. I thought that was up to each individual track. I know LMS uses Toyota. superman GA 10/01/07 This was such a nice, sedate race in the beginning. Then a thunderstorm blew in and disrupted all on-track activities. Hours later the track was dried and the race resumed. This did not even resemble the same race or the same track as earlier in the day. 1. The race changed to a completely different television channel. Many viewers just assumed the race was called on account of rain. 2. We were told that they were still going to race but it would be cut short due to darkness. Kansas … Electricity? Thomas Edison? Ring any bells? (John Roberts said on Victory Lane that there would be some people complaining about this… I guess that would be me!) 3. From lap 157 to lap 210, the final lap, cut short due to darkness, there was more crashing of cars than racing of cars. The Chasers suffered greatly; Stewart, Edwards, Kenseth, Truex Jr., Hamlin, Burton and Kyle Busch were among some of the casualties of the day. 4. On lap 210 the race was called with a yellow and two crossed white flags. Greg Biffle, in the lead runs out of gas. Biffle rolls across the finish line with an empty gas tank as yellow, white and checkered flags greet him. Whew! That’s a flagman’s nightmare. Not only do they have to know how to wave a flag, they have to know how to make shapes out of them too. Here is where the controversy starts. Other drivers passed Biffle but the bottom line is, Biffle maintained his speed and crossed the finish line. Because he maintained his speed and you can not pass anyone when a yellow flag comes out, he wins. By the way, NASCAR said so. This means the discussion is over. The Kansas state motto is “Ad astra per aspera.” It’s Latin for, “To the stars through difficulties”. Ain’t that the truth! What drivers are doing after the race? Martin Truex Jr.: Reading “The Little Engine That Could.” Tony Stewart: Writing evil, anonymous emails to Kurt Busch. Jeff Gordon: Complaining about Biffle’s win to anyone who will listen. Jimmie Johnson: Listening to Jeff Gordon and nodding in agreement. Kyle Busch: Throwing away all of his #8 memorabilia. Jeff Burton: Cursing the media and their nosey cameras. Greg Biffle: Smiling. For some drivers it’s only going to go from bad to worse as Talladega looms in the distance. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 09/24/07 In the chase or not, these guys mean business!  Kyle Petty, who is not in the chase, made it very clear to young Denny Hamlin that Petty is a well-known name in this sport and there are more than 12 drivers on the track. He also made it clear that just because a driver was not in the chase did not mean that they didn’t have as much to lose by being knocked off the track, e.g., owners and drivers points. Tony Stewart who is in the chase was, well, Tony Stewart. Paul Menard blocked him from his pit so he went to smashing on Paul’s car with his car. I think Home Depot won that battle of the home improvement stores. That being said, I personally don’t want to be walking in a Menards store and have someone jump out at me and kick and punch me until I go to the Home Depot. I think I’ll just stick to Ace Hardware. Ace is the place with the HELPFUL hardware man, not the HURTFUL (Tony) hardware man. Mark Martin in second place behind Carl Edwards (race winner) tells his spotter, “It’s a good idea to remind Carl’s spotter we’re not in the chase." I could almost hear a macabre laugh afterwards. Why be so cryptic? Just say that you’re going to run up all over his back end. If Mark Martin, sounding like Snidely Whiplash, wasn’t enough to frighten me, along comes Tim Brewer. Tim Brewer, the ESPN/ABC race car analyst, told us how we find a dead cylinder. It’s the one not firing. Why thank you, Tim. Apparently Tim did not think I understood this explanation, so he adds that once we found that dead cylinder, “…that’s the dead puppy in the litter." I said, “I got it, Tim! No more analogies, please”! The pits (as Tony demonstrated earlier) were no safe haven either. Art Harris, pit crewmember for the 55 team, gets a tire right upside the head. It rolled out of someone’s pit box, hit David Ragan’s car and took flight until landing on Mr. Harris. He was taken to the hospital and released. Lest I forget, Kurt Busch blew a tire, hit a wall and took out a bunch of drivers. Dover was not kind to most of the “chasers”. The Monster Mile was true to its name. Maybe the Kansas track will be a kinder, gentler track? Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. Race Results Standings COMMENTS: Every driver out there should be glad that Mark Martin didn`t run a full season. I think that he would be in the chase and in or near the top. He is a great driver and very repectful of others. He doesn`t block, do the bump and run, he just the cleanest driver of them all. I hope he comes back for another year. Dale PA 09/12/07 Juan Pablo Montoya has started quite a trend. Although criticized by open-wheelers such as Michael Schumacher, he has proven that the jump from open-wheel to stockcar can be done. In reality, A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti proved this many years ago. The difference was that in the old days, Indy racing (before the split) was where the fame and fortune could be found and NASCAR was the red-headed step child. The tide has turned. So what is with all of this grumbling coming from fans and the media? I call it the “foreign factor.” Racers' accents are losing their southern drawl. Foyt and Andretti could jump back and forth from race series because they were Americans in an American sport (even if Mario has a bit of a European accent). Therefore it seems perfectly natural that the red-blooded American Sam Hornish would jump from IRL and embark on a NASCAR career. Foreign Factors making the jump: Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) F-1 Jacques Villeneuve (Canada) F-1 Dario Franchetti (Scotland) IRL Marcos Ambrose (Australia) V8. (He was not an open-wheeler and all of his cars had roofs on them, albeit the steering wheel was on the wrong side of the car. It helps a lot that he’s an Aussie. Americans seem to relate to Aussies.) Others that may be looking through the catch fence: Dan Wheldon (England) IRL Marc Goossens (Belgian) Rolex GT Patrick Carpentier (Canada) IRL Danica Patrick (USA) IRL. (Her name always pops up, but I feel she pretends to throw her hat into the ring as a bargaining chip with IRL teams. I believe she knows she is a star in IRL, whereas she would not be in NASCAR. If she could not run well in NASCAR it would be quite a blow to her racing career.) It’s becoming trendy to jump on the NASCAR bandwagon. Anyone can do it, you just need a big sponsor with a fat wallet and you can have your pick of cars in the NASCAR showroom. It’s also helpful if you’ve won the Indianapolis 500. Everyone should disregard Michael Schumacher’s aristocratic musings on NASCAR. Despite what Mr. Schumacher thinks, if you join the NASCAR nation, we no longer hold you down and force you to eat grits and drink sweet tea. We stopped doing that years ago. Have a comment? COMMENTS: Even though Dario Franchitti is a Scot with an Italian name, he does have a few things going for him. 1) People here in the U.S., do seem to have an affinity for real (Sean Connery) or fake (James 'Scotty' Doohan) Scottish accents. 2) He currently resides in "the south" near Nashville, TN and not too far from Nascar legend Darrell Waltrip and Nascar notable Sterling Marlin. 3) I saved the best for last. As you know, he is married to actress Ashley Judd who's as good looking as any other wife in the Nascar garage and her mom and her sister are the famous "The Judds" of country music fame. In conclusion, even though he's a foreigner by birth, he has more "southern" ties than most U.S. born drivers in the sport. Andrew Eisneberg TN I hate to see all these guys coming into NASCAR from open wheel. That’s what happened to CART and Indy Racing they lost their fan base. I find it hard to get excited about or become a fan of a driver whose name I can not pronounce who speaks limited English. I just want to see NASCAR stay an American sport. Nothing against those other guys but let them stay where they are, the only reason the want to come to NASCAR car is the money. Even drivers on the small teams have base salary's some place around 1 million a year plus the endorsements, and the other stuff. I read Ricky Rudd’s going to make around 5 to 6 million this year, that kind of money looks very attractive to drivers in a sport that runs half the races and pays less than half the money. There are lots of good stock car drivers out there that would love the chance to come to cup racing. For that matter there are quite a few former cup drivers that would love to come back to cup racing. But in NASCAR somet! imes it's monkey see monkey do, Chip Ganassi has had limited success with Montoya he seems to think bring another open wheel guy will take his teams to the next level. That remains to be seen. Glenn Gipe TX Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 09/04/07 Heat, fire and sweat pretty much describe this race. It was a tough race that only these NASCAR drivers could handle. Vehicular Heat Strokes: Joe Nemechek: Engine melted. Understand that I’m not a mechanic and these will be the definitions used. Michael Waltrip: Entire car burst into flames. The pit reporter commented that after speaking to Michael he still had that lovely “just burnt” racecar smell. John Andretti: Tire cutter, debris leaver. Robbie Gordon: Tire cutter, wall hitter. Ryan Newman: Slows down so Jeff Burton pushes him out of the way. Reed Sorenson: Taps Dale Junior and becomes a tire cutter. Jeff Gordon, Jeremy Mayfield, David Reutimann, Ricky Rudd, and David Stremme: Jeff Gordon takes out this group of drivers. All drivers return to track except Ricky Rudd. He chose not to return after a brief stint of unconsciousness and tearing up his shoulder. Retirement looks like a much sweeter prospect now. We can only hope it’s less painful. Jimmy Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports chalk up another win. Despite the melting temperatures, the stands were not empty. Those in attendance were some sturdy fans who just wanted to watch some racing. NASCAR fans really are the best sports fans. (My mom called and told me she decided not to attend the “Hellfire 500." She’s not as sturdy, but I am not allowed to say anything bad about her for fear of going to hell.) Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. Nickelback "Rockstar" 09/02/07 Don’t get me wrong, I like the video. It’s addictive. But in my world Hollywood has its own special place and that does not involve NASCAR. I love Hollywood gossip and laugh along with others when young starlets constantly make stupid choices. I have never shed a tear over somebody who has money and fame and can’t deal with it. Although, I could produce some crocodile tears if they pay me to listen to their sad story. I began to think that maybe Teresa was right. I see Dale in so many commercials, videos and hosting his own shows that I too wonder when he has time to fit racing in. What does young Dale want be, a rock star or a racecar driver? Strangely, he has managed to become both. That’s a tightrope walk that begs to have a safety net underneath it. News: Johnny Benson wins the Truck race at Gateway. Jeff Burton wins the Busch race at California Speedway. They were hot and sweaty! It's HOT there! *Brad Keselowski was air lifted to a local hospital alert and awake following a hard crash less than 70 laps into the event. Keselowski was said to be undergoing x-rays on his legs.* Update: Keselowski's X-Rays Negative After Crash Want to know what I'm doing right now? Twitter Me. I'm sure I'll make strange comments throughout the race. I'll also post what drivers say on their in-car radios. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 08/31/07 Sunny Southern California prepares to be invaded by the traveling NASCAR show. It brings its own celebrities and wily personalities. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of fans are not coming from the Los Angeles area. They come from Chula Vista, El Cajon, Lakeside, Riverside, Oceanside (Semper Fi!), San Diego (Go Navy), Escondido, Fallbrook and Bakersfield. California Speedway is a spacious, fan friendly track. Since it opened in 1997 the parking has greatly improved and allows easy access from vehicle to track. There are also trams and people in golf carts to take you wherever your heart desires. You will have to drink your beer in the parking lot. The speedway doesn’t allow alcohol to be brought into their track per ABC file #47-397398 condition 4. I’m guessing “condition 4” means they get to sell you ridiculously overpriced beer. Odd Choices? Hollywood sells sex. That is their main commodity. California Speedway has decided that this might work for them. They have unveiled the California Speedway Girls. They’re pretty AND they are NASCAR knowledgeable. Double D’s with racing degrees. What a novel concept. Melissa Ethridge will sing the National Anthem. Nothing says NASCAR like a … uh … never mind. Two child actors are honorary starters. Don’t you have to be a certain age to be in the pits? Stevie Wonder will be the Grand Marshal. Once again, the pits are probably not the safest place for this musical icon to be. I’m only doing a public service here. I’m giving the drivers a heads-up! There could be half-naked women, children and perhaps sight-impaired individuals in the pit/garage area. Be careful. On a side note, all of this reminds me of a family reunion I attended. Rules of Engagement: If any driver does venture into the City of Angels and should need some assistance, don’t go to the police station on Wilcox south of Hollywood Blvd. They’re cute and flirtatious but absolutely useless. Seriously, have they found my backpack that was unceremoniously stolen from me in 1995? I thought not! I’m just another person that got Cali-fornicated. Maybe that’s why I live in Florida now. My suggestion to you; stay at the track, tailgate in the parking lot and enjoy the race under that beautiful Southern California sky. For reliable tailgating tips, go to Laidbackracing.com. Sources: California Speedway Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 08/19/07 Andy Petree says of Kevin Hamlin’s rather lengthy destruction of his car, “I think he’s finished crashing now!” I laughed. It was comical. Hamlin got loose, bumped the wall, knocked the spoiler clean off, wobbled down the track, blew a tire out, went into a spin and finally settled on the apron. I’m sure Kevin Hamlin was ready to get off that tilt-a-whirl disguised as a race car. Denny Hamlin wins the Carfax 250. Only 11 cars finished on the lead lap. It doesn’t sound like much but that’s the nature of this type of track. The leaders get clean air and pull away from the rest of the pack. Mark Martin almost had a fourth place finish. It’s like saying the Chicago Bears almost won the Super Bowl. Mark ran out of gas on the final lap. He scored a 12th place finish and with the help of past teammate Jeff Burton, Mark and his empty gas tank were pushed into the pits. Brad Keslowski also ran out of gas. The fans cheered as his car slowly rolled over the finish line. Have any of these crews ever heard of a “Splash and Go?” It’s not like you have to be a brain scientist … or is that a rocket surgeon? Carl Edwards would like a word with Reed Sorenson. Although I’m pretty sure he would rather knock the Juicy Fruit right out of him first. Note to Tony Stewart: That #33 car hates you. I have said in past articles that you should call it ‘Bronco’ as it is always trying to buck you off. Don’t you remember Talladega last year? It threw itself on its roof trying to get rid of you. Heed my warning because I can’t be responsible for what transpires in the next Busch race. For all of your Busch Series news go to TheHotLap.com Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 08/16/07 THE FANS! ABC didn’t forget the fans! The fans tell you about the sport; their likes and dislikes. They describe how it feels when 43 cars come down the track in unison. Let’s just say it’s not quiet. This segment pumped me up so much I can’t wait to get back to the track. They demonstrate (with boos) that you can be an international star but in NASCAR you have to prove yourself … to the fans. They explain that the love of NASCAR is largely handed down from generation to generation. Mark Martin comes on and I’m thinking, “Please don’t talk about the Daytona 500.” Yep, he talks about the Daytona 500. Mark has no problem recounting his heartbreak and frustration. Mark said, “I’ve had a lot of disappointment in my career. I’ve got a lot of scar tissue. That makes you tough.” Please stop talking to Mark Martin. I’m running out of Kleenex. (Yes, I use Kleenex brand and the sponsor should pay me for giving them this plug.) The Montoya’s cherub-faced boy sleeps soundly on the couch as his father races at high speeds around the track. A crash then occurs. The contrast of the dangerous world of racing and the boy’s innocent repose, protected by his mother, is priceless. Connie Montoya and I are alike in some ways. I have my TrackPass, scanner and TV on, just like her. The difference is my kids start fighting, demand to be fed and want me to watch them go potty (God forbid they should fall in). They do everything BUT sleep. I want a Sunday nanny. Johnny Sauter then talks about his father James. He recalls his father’s struggles and absence from home as he tried to achieve stardom in the top tier of NASCAR. It didn’t happen and Johnny wished his Dad had been around more when he was younger. Then they throw Mark in the mix with pictures of his father, who died in 1998. My father recently passed. You can guess what happens next. I search for another box of Kleenex (cha-ching!). I’m not sure how many episodes there are. There is another one next week. It stars the same three drivers, crews and families. If you missed it, there are clips on ABC’s web site. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: MARK IS THE BEST. HE WON THE DAYTONA 500 BY THE OLD POOPS RULES. LOVE THE MAN. sylvia richardson TN They made a lot of NASCAR fans look like a HILLBILLYS! There are others! Don OH I too watched that segment! When they showed the Daytona 500 and the last laps with Mark winning, I STILL cheered the guy on! Even though the outcome will always be the same, I couldn't help but feel disappointed again when Harvick stole it from him. Had I been Mark, I would have driven like the Intimidator and knocked that sucka off the track and won the race! That's not rubbin', that's racin'! Tina FL 08/13/07 This race brought out the circus that is NASCAR. I’m giddy just writing about it. If you missed this race you missed a whole lot. My favorite circus performers in this race would be Juan, Kevin, Tony and that mischievous but resourceful fan. Jeff Gordon dominated most of the race and spun out in the end allowing Tony Stewart to zoom by and take the win. That was the result of the race but not the true craziness that is Watkins Glen. Funny radio chatter, Dale Junior is trying to catch the leader Jeff Gordon. Junior: I’m trying to catch him because he ain’t gonna back off. You think? Then some famous last words; Junior: I’m gonna get myself in trouble here. Granted, he did nothing wrong but within a lap of that remark his engine “gave up the ghost.” Martin Truex Jr. bumps Juan Montoya causing him to become loose and crash into Kevin Harvick. Harvick and Montoya exit their respective cars and commence to yelling and pushing each other. Tony Stewart’s crew chief reiterates this saga to Tony. Tony: I bet they kept their helmets on. That don’t count. Tony was right. They kept their helmets on and that doesn’t equate to a “fight.” Unless you’re Jimmy Spencer and you put a fist through the face hole. This entire drama brings the field to a red flag. While the cars are sitting with engines off, a Kenseth fan, realizing a great opportunity when he sees one, squeezes through (leaps over?) a fence, jumps a guardrail and approaches Matt’s car. Matt said the guy pushed his hat and Sharpie through the passenger side window and asked for an autograph. Matt: I’m a little busy right now. Guy: Have some balls. Matt: I’m a little busy. Where do I start? 1. You don’t presume the person you want the autograph from has been neutered. 2. You don’t walk on a race track during a race. 3. You stop drinking after that sixth Jack and Coke – and I’m assuming you forgot to add the Coke. Kenseth’s Crew Chief (or Spotter?) with some comic relief: Good thing you didn’t sign that hat. You would have been sent to the rear of the field for working outside your pit box. Finally, I think Rusty Wallace is turning into the Yogi Berra of NASCAR. Rusty: I have never seen a race like this--in a long time. Which is it Rusty? Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: I didn't get to see it but I "watched" it on nascar.com scoring pylon. GO SMOKE!!! I once saw a guy get on a tear in the latter part of a season and he won the championship. Dale come to mind? Tony is on fire and we all know that where there's Smoke.... Definitely a better race than the Busch? Robby watchin his P's and Q's? Juan getting mad at the wrong person and pooor little Kevin. And these are the days of our lives. NASCAR is the best. No doubt. And to the fan that came for the autograph, Shoulda tried Tony cause he won!!LOL Bubba Shafer LA Eh, Hoser, It's Not Your Win 08/06/07 Busch Robby Gordon said he won the inaugural Busch race in Montreal. NASCAR said Kevin Harvick won. I’ll side with Robby Gordon because frankly I still don’t think Kevin Harvick won the Daytona 500. That’s not the only reason I side with Robby Gordon. Robby got spun during a yellow flag. He should’ve been able to restart in his original position. NASCAR said “No.” This is right about the time Robby’s selective hearing kicked in. He went on to win the race (in his mind) and do doughnuts alongside Kevin Harvick. I’m sure Harvick was a little befuddled. NASCAR then takes Robby’s racing license and tells him he can’t race his own car in the Sunday Cup race. Is he a sixteen-year-old boy? They then say he may have more penalties. I suppose he will be “grounded” next. Apparently Robby peed in NASCAR’s Wheaties.  What more do they need to do? It’s not as if he spewed profanities on national TV. Cup Kurt Busch got in the lead and decided he liked being there. He liked it so much he finished in that position. Kurt’s car was unbeatable. Dale Earnhardt Junior’s car was no slouch either. He spun out early and still came back for a second place finish. Miller Lite and Budweiser dominate. Mmm, beer. Crown Royal was not so lucky. Jamie McMurray kept falling off the race track. He should have checked his horoscope for the day. I’m sure it said something like “DON’T RACE!” Although, in his defense, that third and final blow to his car was none of his own doing. It doesn’t matter. To describe his car in layman terms: “That dog won’t hunt.” The next race will be at Watkins Glen International. Kevin Harvick won the 2006 race. Jeff Gordon has the most wins with four. If I was a betting person, besides the aforementioned drivers, I would put my money on Mark Martin or Tony Stewart as they each have won three times at the Glen. Mark Martin also has the road course record there with his 103 mph lap he laid down in August of 1995. If NASCAR ever lets Robby Gordon race again, he is also a good bet for “The Glen.” Update: Mark is not scheduled to run at Watkins Glen. Call off all bets. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: Mark Martin would certainly be considered a favorite at the Glen except for one thing; he's not racing. Aric Almiorola will be in the 01. Name: dr FL Thank you for getting the Robby Gordon thing straight! Only those that bow to the NASCAR god's think NASCAR was right in this thing! I prefer to think there may somewhere be an actual NASCAR rule book, you know! The one NASCAR keeps referring to but never seems to read! I'm sure that most people that like NASCAR also go to the Saturday matinee at the movies! And even think both are real and exciting! Name: Douglas MI Regarding your comment about Robby Gordon and the Montreal race - I LIKE YOU A LOT!!!! Robert Isaacs State: NC Hey there, Finally someone stands up for this guy. He has done no more wrong then say a Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick or even the Big E. From what I saw of the race, the caution was out before Ambrose even spun out Gordon. So one he should maintain the lead or be in second. Nascar is wrong in this but nobody wants to write about that. They take Nascars position because they write for them. Too bad. This sport has become more and more like Indy. GO ROBBY GORDON! Name: peter zucco GA Unwrittent rule in NASCAR. Do something, anything, DO NOT LET Robby Gordon win. Blow up his car, run him out of gas, have a yellow for no reason one lap early (JPM likes that rule), put Harvick in front of him, anything!!! He did pass Marcos in a fairly normal method during green, but during caution he gets spun out? Would the spinner get penalized for that? Guess not. Hits under caution are ok? Why not put Marcos in 13th or parked or end of line. Robby won and would of won. Who won...........the guy that triggers the caution in the first place. Good ole CRAPCAR strikes again. Name: chris WI Well apparently you wern't watching the same Montreal race as I did. Robby Gordon passed Ambrose under caution. I guess you and all the others didn't see that. You are not allowed to pass under caution. That's why Ambrose spun him, to begin with. If Robby Gordon didn't do that, he would of won. Name: John FL If Robby Gordon was a hendrick driver they would have given him the win at the yellow flag. Name: JG PA I have preaching since the first time I saw Robby race that he had a Dale Sr attitude but I never would have knocked Ambrose out to prove that he is childish. I love him, there is no doubt, but he has gotten what he deserves and I just watched on ESPN that he is going to attempt to field a second car for Ambrose to drive. Now that is what I call acting like Dale, Sr. Kudos Robby because Ambrose had that race won and you know it. By the way BA, LOVED the interview with Bill Lester. I figure if Bobby Sr saw something in him he's truly got it. Racism is dead in the south I just wish the uneducated would figure it out. LOVE always Bubba Shafer LA Robby Gordon. I seem to recall a history of Robby before he started his own team being in a lot of skirmishes and wrecks to the point of looking like he could not drive a race with out one. There is some issues of him altering races for his own gain ( throwing debris out his window to have a caution.) After starting his own race team, he seemed to settle down until the Canadian race. Certainly the new bad boy of NASCAR. Name: photogr OH 08/03/07 Part 2 BA: is B.A. Carter Bill: is Bill Lester BA: Sponsorship, or I should say lack thereof, is a problem for every single series. Have you been able to secure a full-time sponsor for the last 11 races of the season? Bill: No, we haven’t yet. We’re going to see what happens. The situation that Billy (Ballew) and I are undergoing is trying to find somebody who is going to secure it for the rest of the year. We’ll see. BA: So, it’s kind of a race-by-race basis right now? Bill: Yeah, it is. BA: This is another sponsorship question. I read your biography in a lot of (different)places and you have the image NASCAR would like all their drivers to have, especially the things of late going on. You’ve got the looks, the charisma, meaning you’re a really good spokesman for NASCAR, and the squeaky-clean background (college degrees from Berkeley, married with children). You sound like a sponsor’s dream come true. And I was reading an article about Ardy Arani, CEO of Championship Group, Inc. He said in this article, securing sponsorship money is not a black or white issue and sponsorship is colorblind. And he said it’s more of an age issue. I can’t recall age ever being an issue in the Craftsman Truck Series, so maybe he was speaking more about Busch (Series). I wonder how you respond with the age issue and sponsorship. Bill: Companies can put up whatever qualifiers or parameters they want to to get the desired outcome. I am not in corporate America anymore so I don’t know why it’s the case that we are struggling like we are. It’s no secret most companies are trying to find the next Jeff Gordon or Young Gun. I don’t fit that bill as far as age is concerned, but that’s nothing I can do anything about. I have no control over that. I’m not going to spend my waking hours thinking about how I can possibly change my age. Having said that, Ardi had been really surprised and discouraged by the response of corporate America just from the standpoint of what you said: Hopefully being the right look, the right conversation, all that sort of stuff. Still, no company has committed. Plus the uniqueness aspect that I bring to the floor. For whatever reason it just hasn’t happened. We are really surprised in light of all the exposure we gained last year when I did my Cup debut at Atlanta. I understand it was quantified at 26 million dollars in (mega) media value. And for there not to be a sponsor to come and take advantage of that is very troubling and concerning. It makes me wonder how it’s going to be for the next minority driver, if he’s of African-American descent, to get a financial break. Who knows? All I can do is the best I can behind the wheel. BA: Aren’t you helping with that, about bringing the minorities up the ranks? I saw you were associated with the Urban Youth Racing School. Bill: I’ve lent myself to them in the past. I know Anthony Martin, the president, very well. I was there basically with Liger (Inc.) and the Urban Youth Racing League before they changed their name to Urban Youth Racing School where it was conceived. I’ve been part of the organization from 1998. I’m trying, on my end, to help and encourage minorities who are looking to get in involved in NASCAR and inspire to be drivers. I get reached out to on my web site through email all the time and I try to educate steps that a lot of the folks can take to hopefully realize the dream that they have, just like I’ve been able to live my dream. BA: You are a road racing champion. And now you’re here on the ovals after you’ve always been a road course kind of guy. You’ve raced the 24 hours of Daytona several times. Will you be competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the end of January? Bill: That remains to be seen. It’s kind of early to really have that locked down. I haven’t even really begun to look in that direction. I ran this year, as you may or may not know. I ran four years in a row from ’98 – ’01, then I got back into sports cars, Daytona prototype this past January for the Rolex, and subsequently ran the Daytona prototype race at Homestead in March. But yeah, I would like to continue to run sports cars. As you mentioned, my foundation, that’s my background. I love to turn right and left. I love to upshift, downshift, trail-brake. You know all the road racing techniques. I’m first and foremost focusing on doing all I can in NASCAR while I have the opportunity. Once that opportunity begins to fall by the wayside, then maybe I’ll shift my attention to other types of race. BA: Let’s hope the sponsors step up and it doesn’t (fall by the wayside). Bill: I hope so. I’m definitely hoping the same thing, that we’ll be able to attract somebody’s interest and commitment. BA: I only have a few more questions and I appreciate your time. Bill: Sure. BA: In the Truck Series you started out with Bobby Hamilton Racing and went to Bill Davis Racing. You had teammates on both those teams. You are now the star driver for Billy Ballew Motorsports. You don’t have any full-time teammates. Is it lonely in the garage without teammates or do you subscribe to the notion that there is no such thing as a teammate in racing? Bill: (Laugh) The fact of the matter is that if you have a teammate, all the trucks and everything are prepared under the same roof. Once you get to the race track it becomes very much each team focusing on what they need to do to achieve their objectives. Whether it is putting the right set-up for their specific driver or whatever the case is. Now having said that, obviously you can benefit from more than one truck being out there at the same time because you can go in different directions and find out what works and doesn’t work. You know, I’ve had it both ways. I’ve had Kelly Sutton as a teammate, I’ve had Kyle Busch as a teammate, and I’ve been able to benefit from that. We’ve also been very successful running by ourselves. We ran at Kentucky. I had no teammate, for example, and that was our best qualifying and finishing result. It’s really, as far as I’m concerned, it’s "come what may." I’m not particular about having a teammate or not having a teammate. I think that this year being the sole driver in Billy Ballew’s operation was a unique experience for me and one that I enjoy because all the resources primarily were focused on making sure the 15 truck was as successful as it could be. You know, when you have a situation where you have a Bobby Hamilton that you can learn from or a Mike Skinner or a Johnny Benson that you can learn from, there’s a lot to be said about that as well. BA: So you’re saying it’s more important to have a truck underneath you than a teammate next to you? Bill: That’s exactly right. BA: Will we be seeing you again in the Busch or Cup series before the end of this season? Bill: Well, that remains to be seen as well. We’re working hard to see whether or not we can secure that sponsor to take us to the end of the year and also maybe do some racing. There’s a handful of them in the Cup series. It remains to be seen. I’m working on it. I’m also working on my ’08 program. There’s nothing certain yet except uncertainty (laugh). BA: I’m down here in Pensacola and we have this thing down here called the Snowball Derby at the beginning of December. Bill: I’ve heard about it. BA: Did you ever think about coming down? They’re already signing people up. Bill: No, I never really have. I’ve never had experience behind the wheel of a late-model stockcar. You know, that’s what they run down there. I’m really kind of focused on the truck and the Cup stuff that I’ve done. I feel I have unfinished business with the Cup series. This game is very heavily dependent upon sponsorship. It’s like Ardi said, it’s not a black or white issue, it’s a green issue. There’s people struggling, no matter what their race is or no matter what their gender is, to get behind the wheel. It is very, very difficult. It’s one of the hardest things in the world, I think, to try to accomplish. It’s almost like telling Michael Vick -- using him as an example, which might not be inappropriate at this time -- telling Michael Vick, we like you as a quarterback but now you need to bring fifteen or twenty-million dollars so that you can play for the Atlanta Falcons. It’s one of those deals where it’s not just based on talent, it’s based on resources as well. With that said, there’s a lot of talented racecar drivers out there that haven’t had the opportunities that I’ve even had. Do I want to continue on doing what I’m doing? For sure. I love racing. I am no spring chicken anymore. There will come a time when I will have to focus my attention in other directions, in other areas. Hopefully that’s later rather then sooner. We’ll just have to see. BA: I hope a really good sponsor comes through for you. This will be my last question. I wanted to know if you have any juicy tidbits out there for me? Bill: Juicy tidbits? BA: Something that nobody else knows that you’ve got in the works or anything? Bill: Yeah, I understand. I wish I had something to give you, but no, I’m just focused in on trying to do the best I can with the situation I have that I am under right now. Hoping that the ride isn’t over yet. We’ll just see how it goes But no, nothing juicy to report. Dang! Oh well it was a great interview! Thanks, Bill and thanks, Angie! Angie was the facilitator in making all this happen. Special thanks to Miss Tina for all her help. Reference: Bill Lester Racing Billy Ballew Motorsports Championship Group Inc. Truck Series.com Urban Youth Racing School NASCAR.com Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: Good interview on the fox blogs with Bill Lester.. Reminds me of Willy T Riggs.. Good to see a fellow Pensacolian involved in Racing.. In the early 60s I actually raced on the new 5 flags speedway on Pine Forrest Rd. Used to be on Fairfield Ave until the area became developed.. I go by photogr on the Fox blogs. So what do you think about the farcas on the sports writer blog contest? Bit of a joke wasn't it?? Larry State: OH Bill Lester was gracious enough to grant me a telephone interview on July 31, 2007. He's a very accommodating and funny guy. He made me laugh when I should have been concentrating. It wasn’t all fun and games. He discussed some serious sponsorship issues also. Enjoy! 08/02/07 Part 1 BA: is B.A. Carter Bill: is Bill Lester BA: I thought I’d start this interview off with a hard-hitting question. You have two boys, a four-year-old and a one-year-old, Alex and Austin. Bill: That’s correct. BA: Do you or your wife get any sleep? Bill: (laugh) We’ve got the baby sleeping through the night now. We do get some sleep. It was kind of dicey there for a while because it took Austin a long time to get him to the point where he was sleeping through the night. Needless to say, that’s kind of trying. But no, we’re sleeping peaceful now. BA: Have the boys been to any of your races? Bill: Yeah, they both have. I know they’ve been last year, I’m not sure they’ve been this year. But yes, they have been. BA: I’ve read a lot of your biography on the internet and I wondered outside of racing and your growing family do you have any hobbies? Bill: Well, you know, it’s funny because I finally got around to picking up the game of golf. I guess you could consider golf a hobby because it’s something I’m trying to learn. I guess that’s a hobby of mine. BA: I’d say that’s a hobby. On the Friday night Truck Race at O’Reilly Raceway Park there were a lot of spins and wrecks. There were nine cautions thrown and I know there have been more (in other races). How were you able to steer clear of all of those, so to speak? Bill: There’s a whole lot of luck involved. The fact of the matter is you’re very heavily reliant and dependant upon your spotter. The bottom line is you’re the one who’s turning the wheel as the driver, and at the end of the day the decision is yours. Your spotter's giving you direction and guidance as far as what he can tell. But if at any time if I don’t trust what’s in my ear, I’ve got to overlook the objection of my spotter because I know what’s going on from the driver's seat. It’s kind of hard for him, being up at the top of a grandstand, to really know exactly what’s going on. Having said all that, still the fact remains you’d rather be lucky than good any day. I think that’s a true statement. Even with the best guidance and direction getting you through an incident, if it’s meant to be that you’re going to survive it and get past it, you’ll do it. If it’s meant to be, you’re going to get caught up in it, (laugh) no matter what you do, you’re going to get caught up in it. There’s times where I haven’t been really at fault or really part of what’s going on and I’ve gotten swept up. If you’re having a good season and your luck is there, then a lot of times I’ve gone, “Wow, in a prior year when I wasn’t having luck I would have been taken out in that incident.” For the most part it’s trying to stay calm, stay cool, try to anticipate where the trucks or incident is going to take itself and you try to steer clear. But sometimes no matter what your best efforts, you get swept up. BA: You did a good job in the race before that. You had a break, (last weekend) then the race before that you got a top ten. Bill: Yeah, I was pleased with that. We had a pretty good run at Kentucky. We missed the pole by one 1/1000 second. Which is crazy, because you would think that might happen to you once in your life, and it’s actually happened to me twice. I got beat I think it was going to be my third pole position of my career back in 2002 by Rick Crawford by 1/1000 second in Phoenix. But it’s happened to me again. I don’t know what it is with 1/1000 second. I’d rather get beat by three seconds than 1/1000. You just think about everything you could have possibly done to get 1/1000. But I knew when I did that lap I put it all out there. So if it was 1/1000 shy, I guess I have to live with it. BA: Don’t you have the track record at Kentucky? Bill: I do. I do have the track record at Kentucky, but I was talking about the pole position, Still I got beat by 1/1000 second. But the overall track record, I own it. I also got the first inaugural truck pole at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte in ‘03. It was the first time the trucks went to Lowes and I got the pole position. BA: About first times, I have a question for you. Last year was the debut of the Craftsman Truck Series on the Talladega track. The end of that was the wildest ending I ever saw. I believe you went out early with engine troubles. Bill: Yeah, I went halfway and my engine just decided to “give up the ghost.” I don’t know exactly what happen at the end of the race because I wasn’t there (laugh) to witness it. BA: How fun was it racing the Talladega track? Bill: Oh, it was great. I’ve always said throughout my career, the faster the track the better. Tracks like Daytona and Talladega are as fast as they come. You know we have to run with the restrictor plate, but you still have the draft and the draft is a lot of fun to experience. I enjoyed being there and I think they did a good job of the repaving of the track and everything and it was a pleasure to be on it. I just wish our race went the whole duration. BA: Well, you’ve got another chance. On July 1st I’m watching the Speed Report and Ray Dunlap says you’re out of the 15 truck. Then come to find out, he is wrong. Did you ever hear that? Bill: I heard the report on the Speed Report. I heard them mention it then, but I think what he interpreted was our continual desire to get fully funded. I guess he decided just to say -- I don’t know. I can’t read Ray Dunlap’s mind. The fact of the matter is that it is no secret we would like to have a stout, year-long, fully committed sponsor. We’ll do what we’re able to do this year and piece them together as we go. Part II - tomorrow. We will get more in-depth about sponsorship, road racing, teammates and minorities in the sport. Reference: Bill Lester Racing Billy Ballew Motorsports Championship Group Inc. Truck Series.com Urban Youth Racing School NASCAR.com Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 07/24/07 I have received many emails from fans who are displeased with NASCAR’s “youth boost.” I felt I should acknowledge those emails. With the recent NASCAR headlines (all promoted by NASCAR.COM) I have concluded that it is, out with the old and in with the new. Recent Headlines: Hip Hop Flavor – NASCAR, urban lifestyle are merging, creating new fan base New Blood brings whole new approach to racing The problem with this surge to add youth to NASCAR is that the older fans are the one’s buying the tickets. They are the demographic that can afford the big RV’s, the satellite dishes and the golf carts that are zooming around the infield. They are the one’s with the Gold MasterCard’s paying for the overpriced souvenirs. Be careful NASCAR. I don’t see 100 eighteen-year-old’s filling the the infield with RV’s. I don’t think 60,000 eighteen-year-old’s will be dishing out the cash for those high priced tickets. And I don’t see them buying beer at your tracks. You’d better hope they’re not. Although, if Junior signs with Pepsi maybe you can do away with beer altogether at tracks. I’m sure that would make Miller, Coors and Budweiser ecstatic. Richard Childress and Jeff Gordon produce their own wines. Who is their focus group? Could it be 21 year-olds whooping it up next to the beer bong at a frat party? Is that how they market it? I don’t think so. Relax NASCAR. Young America knows you’re here. Their parents most likely introduced them to racing. Why does NASCAR continue to bring on movie stars, who know nothing about racing, so they can promote their lame movies? Stop trying to kowtow to Hollywood. They don’t care about NASCAR, only ticket sales. Oh, wait, I get it now. NASCAR’s major player (Junior) has zigged when they zagged. They seem to be trying to make-up for it with a preemptive attack on everything “old-school.” We just need to follow the money. It’s not in the pocket of Dale Junior. It’s in the pocket of the fan paying for it all. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. COMMENTS: I think the first sponsor who ditches the new pretty boy image, and signs with a true racer, who will develop his own image will reap huge dividends. Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarbough, anyone besides the New Robots we have today. Hire a guy who can drive, and speaks his own mind. I spend money and like Country Music, Drive a Lexus. Most 20 somethings I know are trying to raise families and have little to spend on T shirts and diecasts. Don FL My apologies’ for not posting everyone’s comments sooner! I was gone all afternoon (child’s B-day party) and as soon as I arrived home my BIG dog up-chucked all over. It’s 10:30 folks and I can’t get these kids to bed! This is real life. I’m no cardboard cut-out! B.A. Maybe my name says it all.........but as a NASCAR fan since 1970........I for one do NOT enjoy the younger, NO Fear, guys crashing around on the track, hurting themselves and worse, others.Thru' all the years I have stayed loyal to Cup Racing, but Hip Hop?...........like Yogi, include me out GRANNY GIRL WI With regards to the NASCAR welcomes Hip Hop article. That just turned my stomach. I'm not sure why they won't spend the time or the money showing the fans they already have some love and support. Missy A CA Amen! You said it all. Old School PA Last time I checked NASCAR didn't have their name on the quarter panels or hoods of racecars. This is much more about corporate America and to whom they are focusing their marketing efforts. The most important demographic is men age 18-34. And for the record I am 43. Rich S UT I feel that NASCAR is just trying to be greedy and get more money to racers through sponsors and make the purse bigger because some stuffed shirt looked at a Nielson rating and said that 1-18 age group didn't satisfy his expectations so he said lets get lil Wayne to write a rap about NASCAR and Jr. and we'll get that demographic to respond. That's about as smart as advertising watch NASCAR while watching a NASCAR race. Maybe we'll get someone to watch a race while they're watching a race, is a stuffed shirt, sell him anything mentality and Mike Helton just ok's it because "It's good for the sport". NOT!! That and Larry McReynolds saying the car number and sponsor EVERY time he talks about a driver. A piece of advice from Ned to you Larry, LESS IS MORE! Other than that just watch the race and if you don't like what you see, TURN THE CHANNEL! Love ya Beth Bubba Shafer LA 07/16/07 Pre-Race Tidbits Tony Stewart’s motor coach was flooded out. Turns out it’s an inside job. His cats turned the sink faucets on and saw no need to turn them off. If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again…you can’t trust a cat! Papa Gibbs came to Chicago just long enough to give Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin a stern talking to. He took them out of the first half of Happy Hour practice. I’m sure they sat there listening to the other cars practicing and humming, “Put me in coach…I’m ready to play…today”. Race in a nutshell: Tony Stewart wins with the Roush cars of Kenseth and Edwards in moderate pursuit behind him. Whoever cleans the debris off the track at Chicagoland Speedway may have missed a few nuts and bolts. Here’s what happened… On lap 202 Dave Blaney cuts a tire, hits the wall and Ward Burton in the process. It was a hard hit that caused a lot of debris to fly off Blaney’s car. The yellow flag came out and you would hope someone would clean up the mess. Lap 207 the green flag flies but within 3 laps Dale Junior catches some debris that knocks his power steering belt off. The crew replaced the belt but the pump had already seized up. That man was worn out after the race. He said, “I’m gonna sit on the porch and drink some cold beer.” I would too because the free Budweiser isn’t going be flowing that much longer. Then on lap 223 Jimmie Johnson cuts a tire (debris suspected) and hits the wall. He crashes his Lowes car into the wall directly below the Home Depot sign. Oh, the agony. That’s a sponsor's worst nightmare. The only race that will transpire this coming weekend is the Busch race at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday. Everyone else will be on vacation. Cup racing will resume on July 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That’s one day before my birthday. Other great ones born on July 30th: Henry Ford and Neil Bonnett Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 07/11/07 I have been living in this peculiar land for about the last six weeks. I normally have my finger on the pulse of everything NASCAR. As of late I seem to be playing catch-up. There are a few major reasons why my NASCAR radar keeps experiencing glitches. 1. I live in Florida and it is summertime. Friends and family have been flocking here at rapid rates the last few weeks. This means for me, more time frolicking at the beach, lots of eating out and late nights. Mind you, I’m not complaining. I just feel like I’m on a permanent vacation with unlimited funds and the latter is a boldfaced lie. 2. My laptop went on a bender and consumed an entire beer. It died. With all the company, children, dogs and cats demanding my attention, I made a fatal mistake and left a beverage sitting next to my laptop. I finally purchased a new computer today and have spent the entire day setting it up. So far, so good. My children are happy because they would start to hyperventilate every time I asked to use their computer. As if I really enjoy tapping away on their sticky, Cheeto’s encrusted keyboard. I really try to avoid the children’s computer room since Dixie, our new puppy, has adopted it as her new “puppy pee park”. I need to hire a housekeeper, or maybe even better, a zookeeper. 3. I recently flew home because my father’s headstone was finally placed in the cemetery. Talk about living in an alternate universe; I still have his phone numbers programmed in my phone. After nine months I still have yet to accept that he is gone. I mention this because I wouldn’t be so obsessed about racing had it not been for my dad. 4. I went to Daytona for the Pepsi 400. It sounds silly, but being at the race makes me miss all the television interviews and that’s where a lot of my writing stems from. It was a GREAT race although darkened after the recent NASCAR tragedy. I expect to settle (somewhat) into the NASCAR news hound I was in previous months. Of course, next weekend the Blue Angels come home and put on their spectacular beach show. I’ll be there, reclining on a pontoon boat, not feeling guilty because there’s no race next weekend. There is a race this weekend and it’s in Joliet. I always want to hear the Blues Brothers whenever someone says Joliet. Chicago is a great place to visit so I hope everyone going has an excellent time. Just because my clutch has been stuck in first gear does not mean that Silly Season has. - Budweiser to go to Evernham (Kasey or Elliott?) - Junior gets Mountain Dew/Pepsi - Aaron Fike most likely never to race again if heroin charges stick and I think they will. - Jon Wood returns to racing, after a recent illness, in his family's #21 Craftsman truck Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 07/09/07 Daytona 400 pictures I got a whopping speeding ticket on the way over to Daytona. I was never able to run my scheduled "Hot lap" because the dang Busch race ran Saturday morning when I was supposed to be on the track. We went to dinner Friday night and sat a table away from Jeff Hammond. I found out that a lot of NASCAR types hang out at this restaurant. Shhh… my secret. One secret I don’t mind giving away is about parking; Park in the infield. It’s cheaper, if you have grandstand tickets. There are bathrooms everywhere and shuttles will take you anywhere you want to go. Just sit back and “people watch”. Truly, it’s an awesome experience. 07/02/07 I had written a long article on all of the races this weekend. Halfway through rereading it, I fell asleep. I decided to delete it as not to put you, the reader, to sleep first thing in the morning. Grab a cup of coffee or pour some beer in your Cheerios because here it is in a nutshell: Cup - Loudon Hamlin wins. Jeff Gordon is the bridesmaid yet retains the points lead with a second place finish. Busch Race – Loudon Kevin Harvick beats out Carl Edwards for the win. Eric McClure wrecks not one but two Hefty Bag cars. At least he has something to put the pieces and parts in. Truck Race - Memphis: Past champion Travis Kvapil wins. Why? He knocked leader Brad Keselowski clean off the track. He didn’t just bump Brad, he ran so far up his backend they both had crunched and hanging sheet metal. Travis said, “I’m a huge Brad Keselowski fan…I just feel terrible.” Really? TV News and Rumors? Trading Paint: Kyle Petty said on the Almirola/Hamlin (Busch Series) switch-a-roo, “This is not a sport. This is a business”. He then goes on to say that NASCAR is a business six days a week and a sport on one day. The sponsors ruined that one race day by turning it into business as usual. I say it’s a plain old carjacking! Someone get that boy a police report to fill-out. Speed Report: Ray Dunlap says Jon Wood is out of his Busch car and going back to trucks. Also Bill Lester will no longer be in the #15 Billy Ballew Chevrolet truck. Bob Dilner said the #5 of Kyle Busch and #70 of Johnny Sauter will be receiving penalties due to height problems in their post-race inspection. Bye-bye crew chiefs, if history repeats itself. Wind Tunnel: Robin Miller said IRL’s Sam Hornish going to NASCAR is a done deal. He will be in a Penske car alongside the ungovernable Kurt Busch. IRL’s Dan Wheldon may also be sniffing around the NASCAR garage. Specifically sniffing Mr. Ganassi. That didn’t come out right. I’ll be at Daytona this weekend. I’ll be the one in a Splash and Go shirt. Sources: Tradin' Paint, Wind Tunnel, The Speed Report Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. POLL RESULTS: Do you think NASCAR is excessive in their... Point's Deductions 11% Crew Chief Suspensions 56% Driver Suspensions 11% Or, I think NASCAR has been fair 22% 06/27/07 The Hendrick Boys (Gordon and Johnson) get championship size penalties. To be fair, they received the same as most who have messed with the COT car. Gordon (driver) docked 100 points Gordon (owner #48) docked 100 points Jimmie Johnson (driver) docked 100 points Steve Letarte (crew chief #24) fined $100,000, suspended six races and on probation until Dec. 31st. Chad Knaus (crew chief) fined $100,000, suspended six races and on probation until Dec. 31st. Rick Hendrick (owner #24) docked 100 points I’m sure Kyle Busch is giddy going into New Hampshire. The media heat (albeit still camped in the Hendrick garage) has deflected off him. That is until he makes some pompous, off-the-cuff remark this weekend. I can only hope. NASCAR informs us that Hendrick cannot buy the #8 from DEI because DEI doesn’t own it. NASCAR owns it. However, DEI can relinquish the #8 to NASCAR and maybe if NASCAR feels like it, they might give it to Hendrick if they say, “Pretty please with sugar on top.” NASCAR is telling them that money cannot change hands. You read that right. Two things: 1. This is probably not a good week for Hendrick to ask for anything from NASCAR; 2. It probably won’t hinder the sales of the “Free the #8” t-shirts. Although I still have no idea how “Free the #8” boxer shorts and thongs are helping Junior’s cause? DEI is having a good month. Not all the Earnhardts have jumped off the DEI ship. Kerry Earnhardt is securely employed at his father’s company working in several different areas. Kerry’s son Jeffrey is also contracted with DEI. He is presently driving the #1 DEI car in the Busch East Series for Andy Santerre Motorsports. Even though the ball falls back in DEI’s court on the #8 issue, it has become clear that DEI does not have control of what will happen to the #8 if they relinquish it. Maybe they should keep it for another Earnhardt. Jeffrey Earnhardt turned 18 last Friday. Bass Pro Shops is proudly returning to adorn the #1 Truex car. Martin’s win at Dover probably helped seal this relationship. The DEI boys are 11th (Truex) and 12th (Junior) in the standings. It does seem that Junior is concentrating on his #8, DEI Budweiser car and not on Hendrick’s…ummmm…#5, #8, #81 Sony, Pepsi, Kellogg’s, Budweiser or whatever it may be car of 2008. Silly Season just keeps getting sillier. Sources: Jayski, Answer This, NASCAR and DEI Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 06/25/07 There was a majority of drivers that were unable to finish the race without a Splash and Go. Infineon Raceway was a fuel mileage race indeed. A very dejected Jamie McMurray (running 2nd) ran out of gas on the final lap. He radios his crew and gives them the bad news. The next thing I hear is “F***! Bring it to pit road.” Jamie repeatedly tries to relay exactly what “out of gas” means by saying, “I can’t.” over and over. All and all it was rather sad. He’s bumming me out, so let’s move on. Juan Pablo Montoya ran over a few people but eventually ended up in Victory Lane for his first Nextel Cup win. Let’s just say that neither the Busch family nor Jimmie Johnson will have him over for a cookout anytime soon. JP has won a Busch road race and now a Cup road race. Some will speculate whether he’s a true stock car driver because of the absence of oval wins; oval racing being the staple of NASCAR. Who is in control at TNT? After Kyle Petty, Matt Kenseth and Marc Goossens collide, we hear this on the replay, “What the F*** was that?” Excuse me? This was on live television. Who said it? Was it a driver, crew chief, announcer or did a fan get dive bombed by an angry bird? Maybe it was somebody trying to figure out where Marc Goossens came from (the ladies should go to his website because he is quite a looker). Mark Martin didn’t even show-up for this race. Dang! He’s getting worse than Denny Hamlin. The next race will be this Sunday in New Hampshire. Neither Marc nor Mark will be there but you can bet Jeff Burton will. He has won at this track four times. He is running well, fifth in the standings and I’m betting he can get another New Hampshire trophy. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 06/18/07 It seems, at least for this week; Kyle Busch has shed his “cock of the walk” veneer. He now sounds young and wounded. Okay, granted it was only for a millisecond but I caught it on Sirius radio this week. In a nutshell, he told John Kernan and Ricky Craven that he didn’t find out until Monday (the day before Junior’s press conference) that his services at Hendrick Motorsports would no longer be needed. After the Busch interview, even John Kernan seemed surprised when he said, “Man that was kind of a bombshell.” Am I shocked? No. This is a common occurrence in NASCAR. Kyle Busch is also not the most receptive person when it comes to accepting constructive criticism (per Darrell Waltrip). Hendrick doesn’t want him and we find out in the same week that Roush doesn’t either. Who’s cheatin’ who? Who’s being true…and who don’t even care anymore? That would be Jack Roush. Jack already gave Kyle a chance and Kyle left him for Hendrick. Jack said, “I’ve been there and I’ve done that.” Kyle said he doesn’t want to go to Penske and be back in his brother’s shadow. Robert Yates (Ford) and Ray Evernham (Dodge) have touted interest in Kyle. Maybe Kyle should lay low and stop giving interviews. In one breath he says, “I’m not married to Chevrolet,” and then says, “I’d love to stay in Chevy…” Kyle has an uncontrollable desire to pontificate. I suggest he steer clear of Evernham Motorsports. We all know where a disgruntled Jeremy Mayfield ended up after publicly “outing” Mr. Evernham and driver Erin Crocker. It’s also been reported Evernham driver Elliott Sadler may not be all that happy in the #19. I think Kyle should go to Gibbs Racing. They seem to be capable of handling irascible characters (e.g., Tony Stewart). Sadly, for Kyle, it seems that Hendrick has a strangle hold on the Kellogg’s sponsorship. As I was writing this article I heard on The Speed Report (Speed TV) that Budweiser is winking at Kasey Kahne and not Dale Junior. Have I entered an alternate universe? Kasey Kahne has a multitude of young, sweet female fans. I can’t image their parents wanting to invest in pretty, pink Budweiser gear. I think Budweiser should stay with the Junior Nation and Kasey should stick to a more diluted sponsor. The gossip just keeps flying in tonight. What a Silly Season! Ginn Racing will be gunning for Kyle Busch Kahne is going to (wholesome) Gibbs? Forget Budweiser. Biffle needs a home because Roush can only have four drivers next year. Darrell Waltrip said on Wind Tunnel that Budweiser would not go with Earnhardt. It would be another drink not in a red can. *UPDATE* Could it be the #5 car with PEPSI as the sponsor? Free agents for 2008 (?): Kasey Kahne Elliott Sadler Greg Biffle Kyle Busch Kyle better hurry and polish up his resume. It looks like he’s getting some competition for those coveted stockcar seats. Have a comment? Sources: Roanoke Times, Racing One, Wind Tunnel and The Speed Report Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 06/14/07 Unless you live in a cave (or stuck in Atlanta airport for nine hours - like I was on Friday) you’ve heard that Dale Junior’s pick for a new team is Hendrick Motorsports. What they said and what they meant. Dale Junior and Rick Hendrick joke about a contract written on a napkin when Dale was 15 years old. Years later Mr. Hendrick brings it up to Junior again and explains why he never forgot about it. Rick Hendrick: …”I didn’t forget it. I was just scared of your daddy. I wasn’t going to try to enforce it.” What he meant, "I was scared of your daddy." Dale Junior: (on winning a championship) “I just wanted to pay my bills, and once I got past that, everything else was a bonus. I was…living with Kerry and his kids jumping over the couch back and forth, and I would have to lock myself in the room just to get some peace and quiet.” What he meant was, "I’m never having children." It seems the Hendrick stable opened up because Kyle Busch is headed to DEI. Will he be the new #8? Rick Hendrick: (on Kyle Busch leaving) …"He’s got so much opportunity.” What he meant was, "Kyle who?" Rick Hendrick:"On the Kyle situation again, Kyle is a young guy and a very talented guy.” What he meant was, “Woo-hoo! I got Dale Junior!" Dale Junior: “I’d like to be #8, but, you know, we have to obviously talk to Teresa about that.” What he meant was, “Please, please, please give me back the #8! Think of all those fans with #8 tattoos!” Rick Hendrick: (on DEI) “As far as swapping the 5 (number) for the 8, if they wanted to talk about that, sure, we’d be open to that.” What he meant was, “I don’t care as long as Budweiser is draped across the hood.” Really, what’s the difference between  and  ? Only  . Spooky, isn’t it?On a sentimental note: Dale Junior may have found the older, strong, male influence that should help him concentrate on his future gains and less on his major loss. One needs a father figure and one needs a son to guide. Everything happens for a reason. Special thanks to Jayski for the complete transcript. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 06/05/07 The Man: Is it a coincidence that Bill France Jr. passes away the same day as a NASCAR race? A race that was supposed to take place the day before but because of inclement weather took place on Monday. It seems he left this earth as he lived on this earth; on his own terms. Maybe he wanted to be assured that business was going on as usual before he went home. The Race: Dover DEI gets a win with a different Junior. A Martin Truex Jr. wins this race. He came home to get his first win. An owner other than Hendrick wins? Still, a Chevrolet wins and continues to dominate the Car of Today. I’m sure Ford, Dodge and Toyota are crouched, ready to pounce at anytime. At least I think they’re crouched, or did they fall asleep? Maybe someone should get a stick and poke ’em. David Stremme made it to lap 247 before he decided his stomach pains were too great and he needed to bail out of his car. This “revenge of the enchilada”* must have come on quite suddenly because the driver destined to replace him was hanging out in the 01 pit and not in the 40 pit. On lap 315 (yes, a full 68 laps later) Regan Smith takes the reins of the #40 car. If I’d have been as ‘green in the gills’ as Stremme, I would have pulled a Kyle Busch by bringing the car in, waving “Ba-bye” and hightailing it (instead of to the airport) to the lavatory. Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart crashed into each other, again. The #2 car of Busch sustained the most damage. That would have been the end of it, but let’s not forget that I did mention a Busch was involved. With no capacity of forethought nor the restraint of a toddler having a toy stripped from their arms, the #2 car takes revenge on the #20 car parked in the pits. This is never a good idea, especially when a pit crewmember from the #20 car almost received the brunt of the assault. NASCAR politely informed the #2 team that their day was over. In essence, they were told to, “Load it up and leave the track.” Drivers, please stop hiding inside your cars and get out and start bare-knuckling! This last statement was not NASCAR approved. Rest in Peace, Mr. France. It does seem business is going on as usual. William C. France Remembered *Update: It seems a tainted taco was not the culprit for Stremme's sour stomach. He has the flu. (Jayski) Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 05/29/07 Another Hendrick car, this time piloted by Casey Mears, wins the Coca Cola 600. Amidst all of the cars short on fuel and pitting for a splash and go, the #25 team gritted their teeth and gambled on fumes to get them to the checkered flag. They won that bet and then promptly ran out of gas. What could be more American than a Mears in Victory Lane on Memorial Day weekend with the National Guard as his sponsor? The only other acceptable patriotic wins could have been, Martin/Army J. Gordon/Dept. of Defense B. Elliott/U.S. Air force Hamlin/Marines Honorable mention goes to Dale Junior. Although he sported a camouflage scheme, his sponsor was still Budweiser. I suppose owning the #88 Navy car in the Busch Series could put him back in the patriotic group. Personally, I think the best looking car on the track was Ricky Rudd’s #88, Snickers Dark. Nothing patriotic about this car but the deep purple flames over black really made it stand out.  Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images FOX race announcers even made humorous comments about some of the paint schemes. When the green camouflage car of Casey Mears taps the side of the brown camouflage car of Dale Junior, you can imagine how comical that seems. DW: I don’t think that Casey Mears saw the camouflage 8 car. Mike Joy: They’re both camouflage. DW: That’s the problem. They don’t even see each other! This is a warning to drivers when choosing a sponsor. Watch what you wish for. Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the 360 OTC car, got loose, went into the grass, back on the track and spun around. DW: It’s written all over his hood what he was going to do. Mike Joy: A 360. Larry Mac: He did it and didn’t hit anything! Even Kyle Petty, previous winner of the 600, puts a little belief in sponsorship superstitions. Coming off of a third place finish he said, "…It seems like I gotta have Coke Zero or Coca Cola or Mellow Yellow or something on the car.” My favorite sponsor was Boudreaux’s Butt Cream. What’s the worst that could happen? You get a rash? All kidding aside…Thank you to all the veterans and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy weekends like this past one. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 05/24/07 This is Mark Martin’s new slogan on his business card. I told all readers at the beginning of the year that Mr. Martin was going to be hard to keep track of; and bless his heart, he hasn’t failed me. It has been reported (Jayski/ESPN) that Martin will take over driving duties for the # 24 Dupont car should Mr. Gordon be detained due to the birth of his child. This would take place sometime in the next four weeks. Why don’t we know the exact race? Babies are unpredictable little critters and will usually be born whenever they “darn well feel like it.” (Sometimes they refuse to get out of your body and you have to evict them via C-section. I say ten months is a long enough lease!) So far this year Mark Martin has driven for owners, Ginn (Chevrolet – Cup) Roush (Ford - Busch) Wood (Ford - Truck) Hendrick (Chevrolet – Busch) and now perhaps Hendrick (Chevrolet – Cup). His merchandisers must have all ready thrown the proverbial “white towel” into the ring. It beats chugging Maalox while trying to figure out a way to market this guy to the general public. This is nothing new to Kenny Schrader as he has been driving anything and everything his entire career. He was just up in Illinois (with Kenny Wallace) this past Tuesday night racing at some of my old haunts. We finally find the truth about racecar drivers; (something that separates them from the rest of the population) they were born to race. This isn’t just about NASCAR drivers. This is everyone who feels that adrenaline on a short track, dirt track, go-kart track and homemade track (been there, hurt myself). The end of May is the most spectacular time for racing. We have the Craftsman Truck race in Ohio and the Busch Series race in Charlotte on Saturday, The Indy 500 (I feel assured you know where that will take place) and The Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte on Sunday. It’s time to Gatorade-up drivers because the 600 is a long race! Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. |