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02/03/05 The Daytona 500 Hoopla! February is FINALLY here and most of us are gearing up for the Daytona. We will not be attending this year, nor have we ever, but we will be putting on our annual 500 party. We feel that a big party is in order just to get the season off on the right foot. We have friends flying in from Key Largo and all the usual suspects (our racing buddies) will be present on February 20th. Yes, we actually have people flying in because as I said this is no small event and we take our racing seriously. There are certain types of etiquette that must be followed in order to attend: 1. You must wear your favorite driver accessories, including but not limited to hats, shirts and jewelry. The vehicle you drive to the party should be accessorized, as well as your children and dogs. It’s a big party and we need to know what belongs to whom, although this can backfire. This party has a large group of “Martin” fans. You could be a childless “Martin” fan and out of the blue be handed a child that is wearing attire similar to yours. Don’t panic, just hand him to another Martin fan and eventually the owner of the child will be found. Dogs on the other hand will automatically go to their owner so please don’t pick them up. 2. BYOBeer. Not that I won’t have plenty and I love to share, but don’t drink my beer while telling me how much better a different brand is. Get in your accessorized car and drive the quarter mile down to the convenient store and buy your own. 3. You must join in the drivers’ pool. Pick a driver from the hat for only $1.00 per driver or 2 for $2.00. Have another beer you’ll see it’s a bargain. If you want to exchange drivers with someone else, feel free. All that matters is that the money is in the pool. 4. The big TV in the living room is for fans that want to watch the entire race. The smaller TV in the Florida room will be for fans that want to keep an eye on the race but also want to chat with old friends. Continue through the sliding glass door to the great outdoors and you will find “friends” who could care less about racing but love a party. We invite them because, heck, they are fun to have around and they throw good parties that we want to be invited to in the future. 5. Eat. The menu has yet to be planned but the spread could range from crawfish, corn and tators to burgers, dogs, wings and ribs. Bring what you want because someone will eat it. Be warned. There will probably be at least 4 pair of dog eyes on you at all times just waiting for your clumsy hand to drop something. Do not fear if they are merely staring but be cautious if you see long sloppy strings of drool hanging from their mouth. This means you are eating one of their favorite snacks and they would not be offended if you gave them a little sample. Note that they are not skinny and they have probably been given a few samples in the past. 6. Bring a designated driver. I will not believe that your dog is it and he just left his license at home. Also read the plaque on our wall, “If the Misses and I get to drinking and we ask you to stay the night, we don’t mean it!” And more than anything, have fun! Racing is back and everything is right in the world!  THE SALUTE TO YOU, LAST CALL, LIMITED SCHEDULE NEXTEL CUP? Out with the old and in with the new. NASCAR is shoveling them out with a bulldozer and bringing them in with a dump truck. That is what I thought at first. Then I decided not to go along with what others are saying and instead educate myself. There are 50 drivers on the NASCAR.com 2005 Nextel Cup Drivers roster (that’s a mouth full). Some of the drivers are fulltime and some are on a limited schedule. I could only use 48 of the 50 drivers because Morgan Shepherd and Greg Sacks’ date of birth have eluded me. I took the 48 drivers and their ages and figured out the median age for Cup drivers. It turned out to be 36 years old and that age is neither young nor old. I felt that Kyle Busch (19) and Brian Vickers (21) could have thrown off my Bell Curve. But by eliminating them from the calculations the median age came to 37. Not much difference. And even if we lose 3 veterans in 2006 to retirement, I did find that this year alone, 4 of the twenty-something drivers will become thirty, one 39 year old will be 40 and one 49 year old will turn 50. Let’s group the 48 drivers by age:
I have come to the conclusion that, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”, “what’s old is new again” and “everything comes full circle”. I’m glad the media hyped the Young Guns because it has brought more fans to NASCAR. This means I can watch races live on television every week. When NASCAR was not a widely popular sport we use to get taped versions of some of the races. Now I can watch every Truck Series and Busch race live! Not that long ago, few truck races were shown live, but thanks to the people at Speed TV we never have to miss a one. Speaking of truck racing, I would like to reiterate what I said last season. This series is one of the most exciting to watch. They are fast, wild and you don’t have to rearrange your schedule to watch one because they are short (mileage wise). If you have a chance, get a pit/garage pass for a truck race, it’s well worth it. The generosity shown by the drivers and crews is amazing. I also hear-tell that Robert Pressley has a full-time ride this year in the 59 truck! It’s about time the Mayor of Truckville and the Daytona truck champion is back! This is going to be the best truck series ever. And enter Mr. Excitement himself, Jimmy Spencer, driving the #1 Dodge! If you’ve met either of these men in person you can’t help but like them. They take their racing seriously and treat their fans like they’re part of the family. Just some of the drivers in this years exciting line-up:
And don’t forget the ladies, Sutton & Renshaw! They are both true racers with very interesting stories. If you don’t know these ladies or their racing histories it’s time to honor them and find out. Come on be diverse! I love racing! I’m just going to get it all out, a purging prior to the NASCAR season if you please. 1.) WHY IS WARD BURTON NOT IN A CUP CAR? HE WON THE DAYTONA 500 FOR GOODNESS SAKE! He’s not old. He hasn’t been in any recent wrecks that would hinder his physical ability as a driver. I am baffled and literally quite stunned with NASCAR car owners. His brother had it right, in the quote above. And check out Lori’s War Wagon. I think the picture says it all. 2.) RUSTY AND RYAN ARE STILL NOT GETTING ALONG. So what. All of the writers and reporters seem obsessed with this little tiff. They’re not the only team with driver animosity. Greg Biffle raced his teammate Mark Martin when Mark had the lead and Biffle was 2 (count’em –2!) laps down and made Mark lose the lead and the race. Then the very next weekend Biffle decided to give his teammate Mark Martin the “one finger salute”! Mark Martin was not amused, to say the least. I doubt very much they’re standing in the garage smiling and smacking each other on the back. Sterling Marlin would probably like to give Biffle a “one finger salute” right in his “bug-eye”, Sterling’s word not mine. But they’re not teammates so I digress. I do agree that it’s a tad more tense because Rusty owns part of Ryan’s car. I hear Ryan can be very particular, if not stubborn, about they way he feels things should be done. It’s hard to give in when you’re so rigid. That will be my only Mark Martin/Viagra play on words! 3.) JIMMIE JOHNSON JUST GOT MARRIED. It’s not going to last. Oh, come on! I’m not a doomsayer. Talk’s been swirling around the racing community, articles have been written about it and bets are being taken on message boards. Now I’m going to tell you why. The track record for marriages lasting between models and rich athletes/rock stars is abysmal. Why? 1. Because they have nothing in common. Nothing. 2. They will never see each other to share their uncommonness. It could possibly work if; 1. She quits her job and follows him and becomes very involved in racing and the racing community. But models have a short shelf life so this would probably not be a smart move on her part. 2. They don’t have children. Although they are both rich and we all know rich folk can afford those magical little beings known as ---- Nannies! This is the part where I have you lean in real close and I say, “Let me tell ya a story of how it use to be”. Translation – “ This could take a while”. Men who raced NASCAR in the old days did not make millions of dollars doing so. They put most of their money into making it to the next race. They did not have extra money to buy RV’s to bring their family along so they were not home a lot and many marriages ended because the women got tired of being “Racing Widows”. Let’s throw some kids in the mix. Now it’s becoming a Motley Crew. Children need schooling and structure so the wife needs to stay home and provide that, thereby becoming more isolated and alone. That was then. Now, many drivers not only make a living racing NASCAR, they have millions. They can afford RV’s, private planes, nannies and probably even tutors. This has probably saved many a marriage. And to tie this altogether and make a long story longer. The NASCAR drivers who are not millionaires but have been married for a length of time normally have wives who are very involved with their husband’s racing and it usually is a family business, kind of like Andy Belmont and his wife. Oh well, hope it all works out. Maybe I’m just jealous because I’m not a rich model and at my age that dream will not come to fruition. But it’s more likely I’m jealous because I can’t afford a Nanny! Finally, speaking of Sterling Marlin, I read he had his annual “Brews Cruise” in December. From what I read he goes on a cruise to Jamaica or Bahamas (does it really matter) with a bunch of race fans and they have sun, fun and booze. That has got to be fun to say the least. Now that man knows how to throw a party. 2004 Archives What is up With Greg Biffle? Has he lost his mind or was it never there to begin with. At the Atlanta race 2 weeks ago he’s 2 laps down and starts racing Mark Martin (his own teammate and the race leader) and causes him to lose the lead and costs him a very important win. Then this week I’m listening to Mark Martin’s radio and I hear this: Mark: Did you know Biffle just flipped me off? Pat Tryson: No I didn’t know that Mark: Well, I just wanted everyone to know that. Now I’m convinced there is something wrong with Biffle. 1. He’s got a better ride offer and WANTS Roush to fire him. 2. He does not like Mark Martin and WANTS Roush to fire him or 3. He’s lost his mind and WANTS Roush to fire him. I say put him out of his misery and have Roush fire him. It’s not a new phenomenon it just seems like a waste of time. Rusty and Ryan are having their problems and I hope they get that worked out soon. I mean Penske doesn’t need his team cars trying to wreck each other every weekend. I’m sure that would really start to get expensive. With two races left I’m sure of one thing. Tempers are going to get hotter! Can’t wait for the Southern 500! Note to Roush: Restraining jackets are pretty cheap. Goodyear? No! Badyear! Brickyard 400 08/08/04: What was up with those tires? In particular the front left! On a banked track I could see the right sides going to hell-in-a-hand-basket but this is pretty much a round road course! I’m not a physics major or an engineer so could someone help me out here? I do believe that every yellow flag and accident was due to a tire problem. Okay, Mark Martin did hit a wall early on for no apparent reason, but he kept on keeping on! Let’s get this over with. Congrats Jeff Gordon on your win! I wrote it right but I felt like a cat with a hairball! Congrats Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler (teammates) for driving like a team and staying up front! Congrats to Mark Martin-not once but twice having to go to 40th place and driving right back up to the front! Working hard and hard working! Dang those Badyear tires! Congrats to Dale Jr. for being able to finish a race since his accident! Dang those Badyear tires! Glad you’re okay, Ryan Newman, because that was a hard hit! Thank goodness for the safer walls! It was nice to see someone take a hit like that and still get out of the car “all ticked off”! I love racing! It’s off to Watkins Glen next weekend! Kiss of Death If you had a new Ford engine you were given the kiss of death! A big ole wet sloppy kiss of death. Who was kissed? Martin, Jarrett, Burton to name a few or name them all. I lost count. And on all of the racecars, hoses were breaking and fluid of every kind was flying around that track! Kenseth and Harvick must have had magnets attached to their cars as they connected hard on three different occasions. So the saying is true that opposites attract, and not in a good way! Robbie foiled Ryan and Jamie foiled P.J. Jones. Jamie didn’t realize his a$$-end was longer then it was. Maybe he should look into the Atkins Diet? Poor Mikey. Rusty had no brakes. He could have at least yelled to Mikey “No brakes! No brakes! Get outta my way”! Instead he must have said “No brakes, no brakes, oh well, I guess this #15 car will help slow me down a tad”. And finally the race ends under “yellow”. Boring! And yet another fan is not happy with the outcome and tries taking out a flagman this time. Temper, temper, I’m sure with your jail sentence you will be offered an anger management class. Hey, NASCAR ain’t just for Rednecks! I believe if you’re from Pennsylvania you would be called a Yankee! Note: 06/14/04 The Flagman is not pressing charges against the fan who hit him. It’s off to Michigan next week. Let’s hope it’s good weather! Well, well, well, a “Young Gun” doesn’t win a race? See what happens when Gillette just allows anyone ole person to use their razors! All seems right in the world when Mark Martin wins a race. He’s a racer’s racer, a man’s man and all around good guy and champion. All of the drivers like Mark and it showed as they came into Victory Circle to congratulate him. Tony Stewart redeemed himself, as he was the 1st one there. The FOX/FX cameras swayed from Mark and fixated on Tony. Tony had to remind them of who the winner was and quickly walked away. Jeff Burton had nice things to say also. Atta Boy Awards: Ricky Rudd: for helping Ryan to the pits. Kasey Kahne: for always giving it your all. You are sure to win plenty of races in your career. That other Casey just screwed it up for ya! Ralph Sheheen: There was a trivia type question about something that happen in the Cup Series a long time ago. On T.V. they showed the NNC series (which stands for the NASCAR Nextel Cup). Now, they haven’t even sponsored the series for a year yet and Ralph simply said “The Cup” series. Smart. I don’t think of Nextel when I think of a 1970’s, 80’s or 90’s trivia question. Since cell phones didn’t even exist (for most of us) it would sound pretty stupid. The “Where have you been?” Award: Quote from Mike Joy: “I fail to understand why so many people cheer Jeff Gordon’s misfortune?” Silly Mike. I’m not condoning it. I’m just saying, “Are you serious”? It’s all a Conspiracy! Or am I Just Paranoid! 1. Does anybody else find it a little strange that Lowes cars at Lowes Motor Speedway won both the Busch and the Cup race? It’s just something to think about. 2. Mark Martin had a great run going but as usual something exploded, caught fire or just plain fell off his car. And it is always a manufacturing problem. First fuel lines and now wires catching fire! Someone is trying to kill Roush Racers! Well, at least Mark and Greg. And what’s up with certain Ford drivers getting these special Roush/Yates/Ford engines and others having to wait. What in the hee-haw is going on there! While all of these secret, magical engines are being built by little elves in a land far, far away, Chevrolet is racing away, literally with all the trophies. For the love of everything holy, give Mark a car he can drive and he’ll race the wheels right off that thing. Yeah, I’m sure those are the next to go. 3. Good job to Jamie McMurray for taking a chance and staying out. Sometimes you just gotta go for it! 4. Too much! Too much! Racing that is. Never thought I’d say that but with the Indy being rain delayed and starting back up when the 600 was on, was a bit of an overload. I spent an inordinate amount of time switching channels, T.V sets and listening to radio transmissions on TrackPass. Indy was having a lot of crashes making it just too exciting to miss. I was running room to room tripping over dogs, bumping into walls. Okay maybe it wasn't too much racing but too much beer! HA! My TrackPass was so loud my neighbors probably thought I turned the house into a truck-stop. "You got your ears on, I'm eastbound and down"! Dang! Now that song is stuck in my head! It’s off to Dover this weekend. Well, not me but them. I’ll be here! Note to Ryan Newman Not your fault. Whenever you have Smirnoff Ice on your back you ALWAYS get a little loose! HA! Great job Matt and Ryan! A great race and that’s the kind of racing I like to watch. Losers of the race: 1. Kurt Busch for taking out his own teammate and others. Was it impatience? Was it a little helping nudge? Either way you took out half the field! You don’t back draft in this kind of race (nice excuse) and you don’t do it on a straightaway. At least that’s what D.W. said or was it Larry Mac? 2. Dale Jr. for ramming Mark Martin so he slides in to Terry Labonte. Refer to my Kurt Busch statement! Although I don’t think your intention was to back draft but it was to RAM Mark Martin. Winners of the race: Besides the obvious, 1. Jeff Burton & Sterling Marlin for only pretending to beat up Casey Mears when they stepped out of the ambulance. 2. Jimmy Spencer for having a big smile after his wreck even though deep down he wanted to wrap his hands around someone’s neck and squeeze! Yes, I bet it was the shortest race you’ve ever been in too! The 600 is right around the corner and more excitement is on the way! | B.A.'s Archives II | B.A.'s Archives 2004 | | Return Home | Drivers & Owners | Tracks & Schedules | The Garage | Racer Jake | J.D.'s Archives | B.A.'s Archives | About Us | E-mail Us | B.A.'s Race Observations | B.A.'s Archives 2004 | |
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