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 B.A.'s Race Observations |
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05/12/08 If you’re going to spend money on a movie this summer, you can’t go wrong with Speed Racer. That being said, if you did not grow up watching the Speed Racer cartoons, you may have problems associating with some of the characters. The movie stayed true to the cartoon. I know this because growing up, my brother and I would race home from school, grab a snack and flop in front of the television at 3:30 every afternoon, Monday thru Friday. We never missed an episode of Speed Racer. It was our ritual. Then we would run outside to re-enact the episode and my brother was always Speed Racer and I had to play the part of a reprobate driver like Snake Oiler. Sometimes he let me be Chim Chim. On the rare occasions he decided to be Racer X; I was still not allowed to be Speed. In the movie every actor was perfectly chosen for their character. However, Sparky the mechanic had a pleasantly surprising Australian accent. All of the races where bright, flashy, breakneck speed events i.e. the Fast and the Furious on steroids. It was as if the writer of this movie delved into each cartoon and grabbed a character here, a race there and all the campiness to produce a well made human version for the big screen. The amazing toys, weapons and shields that made the Mach 5, the Mach 5, were all in place. As expected they became very useful when Speed was inevitably attacked by unscrupulous drivers flinging medieval, spiked morning stars at him. Speed and his family had to thwart bombs, ninjas, Cruncher Block with his band of shady renegades and of course unethical sponsors. Sounds a little bit like NASCAR, excluding the ninjas. Heck, even Tony Stewart has a monkey. And just like the ending of every cartoon, Speed prevails due to his excellent racing skills, family values and his father’s masterful engine building. I have read where some critics have already criticized the movie and I understand why. They were never part of the club to begin with. I'm glad I didn't go see this movie with my brother as I'm sure he would have made me ride in the trunk. Go Speed Racer Go! Besides taking in the Speed Racer movie I also watched both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Darlington. Tony Stewart prevailed in the Nationwide Series and Kyle Busch wins in the Sprint Cup. Nationwide Results Nationwide Standings Sprint Cup Results Sprint Cup Standings Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news.   SPLASH AND GO STORE at Cafepress Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 04/28/08 RaceDay on Speed TV had a spooky, if not amusing, clip about Talladega being built over an ancient Indian burial ground and explained that this was the reason for the “strangeness” that is Talladega. It told of horrific crashes and specifically of when Bobby Isaac, leading a 1973 race with ten laps to go, pulled off the track, pitted and got out of his car. He said a voice told him to get out of the car. I don’t think he was crazy. Granted, I would have argued with the voice for another nine laps, but I believe it happened. Apparently, there were no disembodied voices speaking to any drivers this Sunday at the Aarons 499. Instead, there were a lot of tire gargoyles and they were chewing the dickens out of the Goodyear products. These Gargoyles really liked Roush cars. If race demons were attaching themselves to drivers, the drivers were Franchitti, Edwards and Stewart. Franchitti’s demon (Gunselman) gave him a broken ankle on Saturday. Edward’s demon (Lepage) massacred his car on Saturday and dined frequently on his tires on Sunday. I believe Tony’s demon possessed him on Sunday. He never seemed to get angry (after two wrecks) and one time pulling behind Earnhardt Junior he emitted a macabre laugh. It wasn’t a chuckle and it was followed by radio silence. I think he freaked Zippy out also. The Talladega curse didn’t disappoint as two “Big Ones” happened at laps 173 and 187. The injured cars would still limp back on the track, lose more dangling car parts and cause more yellows to come out. Is the COT the “ghost buster” this track needs? There were (to my count) 50 lead changes, four-wide driving and the cars seemed to adhere to the track better. It was a very entertaining and fast paced race to watch. Kyle Busch won the race under yellow because of the final crash. Would he have won anyway? I think he would have, but fans don’t want to watch a race finish under a caution and Talladega fans don’t want anyone but an Earnhardt in Victory lane. They also didn’t want to waste their beer cans on a Busch. Drivers can kick that Alabama clay off their shoes because they are headed to Richmond, Virginia this weekend. Unless of course there’s clay in Richmond, then just don’t worry about your shoes. Results Standings Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. Visit Horsepower & Happy Hour just for fun. Comments: Well first I would like to pt my opine on the Car of TODAY. I loved it!! Wholeheartedly. Watching Jamie Mc almost drive up under someone as he was slingshot on the outside amazed me. I love it. It was the best race I've seen in a long time and Kudo's to NASCAR for this. I am conerned about Jr. and his teammates. He IS a teammate isn't he? Leaving them out to dry was wrong and then turning? In the last lap to bring out the caution I believe he did in frustration. My opinion only. I love Jr. now and always will but all those that were having good days had bad because of him. Love the car though. Bubba Shafer TX 04/14/08 Mark Martin, poised to win Saturday night’s Phoenix race, had his hopes dashed after speculation that his fuel tank was empty. Leading the race and with ten laps to go he was pressured to come into the pits for a splash and go and left side tires. His team couldn’t agree on how many laps of fuel he had left but they did agree he wouldn’t make it to the end of the race. Mark disagreed because he had been saving gas for many laps; however, Mark, not wanting to be the one to screw up, relented. He finished in fifth. Mark Martin was simply in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Jimmie Johnson, had the same dilemma but gambled, stayed out and won the race. Winning this race had nothing to do with speed but everything to do with fuel strategy. Isn’t it a contradiction to tell a driver to slow down so they can win a race? Mark Martin did feel his crew was wrong to call him in but later said he supported their decision because they were a team. Mark Martin is a team player, although no driver leaves a race and says, “Everything went right for us today and fifth place is where we wanted to finish.” Bottom line: If a driver doesn’t win a race, it’s somebody’s fault! It’s either, the driver, another driver crashing into them, pit crew, crew chief, spotter or car chief. If you can’t find blame with one of them, then it’s usually Goodyear’s fault. The only NASCAR racing this weekend is the Nationwide series in Mexico City on Sunday. Did anyone get tickets to that race? Me neither. Race Results Standings Sources: NASCAR.com Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. Visit Horsepower & Happy Hour just for fun. Have a comment? Comments: This is another example why Mark Martin will always be second best. He had nothing to lose except the race and he hasn't won a race this year. So whats the big deal? He is simply going for the win these days. It was a gamble worth taking. Sharon IL 03/17/08 Jeff Burton won the Bristol Race. As a matter of fact, Richard Childress Racing took over the entire show with Kevin Harvick in 2nd and Clint Bowyer taking 3rd. It was nice to see a family man like Jeff Burton win this race. I have nothing against the "young guns" and their revolving door of girlfriends (they’re young, let them have their fun). It’s just heartwarming to see children in Victory Lane. It brings back fond memories of NASCAR’s firmly established family roots. I’m getting nostalgic, so let’s move on. Tony Stewart was poised to win this race. That assumed destiny goes right out the window as soon as we remember, this is Bristol baby! Anything that can happen, usually does and did. With 11 laps to go, tires were blown, yellows were thrown and most of the field pitted (including all RCR cars). With five laps to go, three drivers were low (Stewart, Hamlin, and Earnhardt Jr.) They could just spit because they did not pit. They had tires that were worn and soon, enemies sworn. Hamlin will lead but alas, Harvick had the speed (so much so that he rammed into Stewart causing another caution). When the race resumed we found Hamlin had no gas, thus allowing Burton to pass. Burton rolled on to Victory Lane as Stewart looked at Harvick to dole out some pain. Or, Harvick told Stewart he tried to pass but Tony would rather just kick some… Okay never mind, this is a family friendly website. There is one race this weekend and it is a Nationwide race on Saturday at Nashville. It could be your only racing fix. Don’t miss it! Have a comment? Comments: Hey there. Nice site. Just want to let you know that Dale would have had to had have a Four-Leaf clover in his pocket for luck. Three leafed clovers are all over the ground and don't seem to have much magic in them.... Big Henry GA Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. Follow me on Twitter. 03/03/08 Carl Edwards was the driver who hit the jackpot in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race and took the NASCAR points lead. He must have been very happy Mark Martin wasn’t running in second, (see previous article below). Roush Racing is on a roll and shows no sign of slowing down after winning last weekend’s race in California. Carl won that one too. Jack has other ponies in his stable and he’s let them loose. Greg Biffle is a steady steed holding sixth place in the point standings. And it’s probably safe to place a bet on Matt Kenseth to at least win, place or show. Rick Hendrick had two aces up his sleeve and they were Dale Jr. (2nd) and Casey Mears (13th). He had to fold on the other hands he was dealt (Gordon & Johnson) Drivers who did not hit the jackpot but instead a wall were, Tony Stewart (Video) Robbie Gordon Patrick Carpentier Jeff Gordon (Video) Dale Jarrett Kurt Busch (Video) These drivers’ experienced painful hits and Ibuprofen will be needed in high doses. Two drivers that broke even, because they saved their cars and others around them from crashing were: Jamie McMurray (Video) and Jeremy Mayfield. Drivers will be testing at Phoenix the first part of the week and then moving east to Atlanta for this weekend's race. Jimmie Johnson won the last Atlanta race with Carl Edwards right behind him. This race should be interesting, to say the least. Sources: NASCAR.com, Jayski Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. More interesting NASCAR tidbits at Horsepower & Happy Hour 03/02/08 Although slightly controversial, Mark Martin wins his 48th Nationwide (previously known as Busch) race. Mark was in the #5 JR Motorsports/Hendrick Chevrolet. How it happened: Mark Martin, leading with 15 laps left, had yet another poor pit stop (bad pit stops all day) and came out in 4th. Brad Keselowski (Mark’s teammate) did not pit and Carl Edwards came out of the pits in 1st. Mark Martin had the car to win and moved into the 3rd position. Mark pulled right into Carl Edwards, got him loose and Carl crashed into Brad. After the yellow flag was raised and the green flag dropped, Mark went on to win the Sam’s Town 300. My brother J.D. called in and said that Greg Biffle ran so hard and fast up to Mark Martin (then letting off very quickly) that Mark, trying to out run Greg Biffle, had no place to go except forward into Carl Edwards. He said everyone should watch Greg Biffle’s in-car camera at that moment. The gist of it is; the two cars in front of Mark and Greg were much slower. Everyone knows Mark is not a dirty racer yet some tried to make it sound like Mark did this on purpose. It was an accident. That’s just racing. Mark, as usual, is never happy and felt bad about how he won. I wish he would stop that. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (owner) looked pretty happy even though his other driver (Brad) was punted off the track. Rick Hendrick (part owner) was also all smiles in Victory Lane. Can you say, “Money, money, money?” Now, Mark needs to make some money for DEI Inc., in a COT and win a Cup race. A win in any race tends to build a person’s confidence and yet Mark Martin is an anomaly and seems to be paradoxical in all racing scenarios. On a side note: Kudos to Krista Voda for commenting that Mark Martin only went into the pits for a Splash and Go! Have a comment? Comments: That's how I saw it. Coming out of corners two and three, Carl "bobbled." With Brad high and Carl low, Mark chose to go high. With them opening, Greg went low (teammates with teammates) down the back stretch to pull even with Mark. At that point in the race, you had the two fastest cars behind two cars running even. For some reason, going into three and four, Greg seemed to back off. Mark dropped down low between Carl and Greg and Carl "bobbled" again. Then, Carl got ran over. Mark didn't mean it, nor would Greg have meant it...but you had cars holding up the race. If Brad had let Carl go, or if Carl had let off and let Brad go, you would have had the same one-two finish, but Brad and Carl would have had better finishes. That's racing. JD Well, the only flaw in all of this was Mark's own explanation. He said he wanted to help his teammate, wanted to finish 1-2. What teammate? His old teammate, Carl Edwards? I don't think the wreck was intentional and I don't believe Biffle should be implicated in this. It just goes to show you, even the veterans of the sport make mistakes too. racefan74 IL His "teammate" was Keselowski in the other JR car. joe blow NC Well looks like good ole saintly Mark is the same as most drivers, with the checkers in site he's gonna get it no matter what. Even if it involves wrecking teammates past & present. I didn't mean to do that, then why did he hit Carl in the corner. How many times did Earnhardt say I didn't mean to wreck him just wanted to let him know I was there. I used to to do the same, & I was known for it, but I wanted to win & I did a lot if you were in my way & I was faster I was gonna get around you one way or another. I just get tired of hearing what a clean driver Mark Martin is & how he would never wreck anyone to win. Butch Camp TX Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 02/26/08 The last race at the speedway was in the Fall of ’07 and the heat literally kept fans at home. The lure of a Cup race followed by heat stroke was not as appealing as one might suspect. The race this past weekend offered nothing more then soaking rains, cold temperatures and a chance of catching pneumonia; Once again, not appealing. Fast forward to Monday and it’s a fabulous day for racing. The only problem with that is, races weren’t made for Mondays; people have to work, kids have school and it just seems out-of-place to be tailgating and drinking beer at 11:00 AM. I didn’t say it was wrong, just slightly askew. It’s a shame because barring the bizarre weather, this is a great track. When the track isn’t weeping this is a place where you can witness long, green flag runs. If you like lots of wrecks, you’re better off at Talladega. Carl Edwards wins the Monday Sprint Cup race. The Cat in the Hat, Jack Roush, has proven once again; He will not be ignored. Four of his five cars were in the top 15. See results. Tony Stewart wins the Monday Nationwide race, although not in a COT he was still in a Toyota, as was Kyle Busch who came in 2nd. See Results. The race that did take place on schedule was the Craftsman Truck Series race on Saturday afternoon. Kyle Busch won that race in the Billy Ballew Toyota Tundra. See Results. The next race is in Las Vegas. If bad weather appears, this city has plenty of activities that beckons people to indulge. It is Sin City after all; gambling, showgirls and liquor, oh my! Have a comment? COMMENTS: I think the constant problems at california come from the RACING GODS, not indian spirits!! NA$CAR took a date from tracks who sold out every race and moved it to a more profitable location and crapped all over their roots and thus fan base FOR MONEY !! Now every year they give away more tickets than any other track so that us simpletons dont see all the empty seats in the grandstands !! If ya ask any LONGTIME fan they'll probably tell ya the same ....IRONIC JUSTICE is what it is !!! sparxmoore Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 02/15/08 There’s only one winner after a race and many times a driver can contribute their win to a teammate giving them a break, giving them a push or giving them some room. Daytona and any restrictor plate track are entirely different animals. Many times, at tracks like these, you have to depend on the kindness of strangers. To win at Daytona you really need a push to get you across the finish line and most likely, one of your buddies is not going to be behind you. There are no guarantees on who will be there to help you at the end and nobody knows this better then Mark Martin. In one race, his own teammate, Jeff Burton decided to push Dale Jarrett to the finish line instead of him. You can see how Mr. Martin may not trust anyone on the track or in the garage. Thursday at the Gatorade Duels, his suspicions rose again. With three laps left his Crew Chief informed him that the #44 car (Jarrett) would push him. Then he told Mark that the #29 car (Harvick) agreed to push the #44. Mark pauses and then says, “The #29 said that?” another pause and then he says very sternly, “Ask him! Tell him we need to know the TRUTH!” Good luck on that and if you don’t want a repeat of last year, Kevin Harvick would be the last car I would want behind me, let alone trust. Dale Junior won the 1st Duel and got his push from Reed Sorenson. Denny Hamlin won the 2nd Duel with the help of teammate Tony Stewart. Mark Martin came in 5th thanks to the push from … drum roll please… David Ragan (Ragan, who drives Martin’s old #6 AAA car). Ragan also pushed Martin past Harvick. Where was he last year? If you’re going to place a bet on this Sunday’s winner, the stars all point to the Hendrick stable. The odds are in their favor. Then again, DEI’s #8 might surprise you this year. The #8 does not have the Clydesdale horsepower, but instead it is “Army Strong”. Duel One Results Duel Two Results Daytona 500 lineup Here’s a little tribute to my uncles who served in the U.S. Army. Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 02/11/08 Budweiser Practice Punch Budweiser Shootout practice was more wild than the actual race. Multiple pile-ups occurred, which in one case, led to a vehicular temper tantrum, a visit to the oval office and an alleged punch in the face. Tony wrecked Kurt in practice. Kurt (delirious with flu symptoms) felt it was intentional. Kurt then rammed Tony’s car with his car, again. I was always under the assumption that a punch in the face is not as beneficial in alleviating flu symptoms as say … a cup of tea. Apparently Tony Stewart isn’t quite ready for anything as civilized as teatime. On the other hand, the ailing Kurt Busch has never done himself any favors by picking up a stick (race car) and poking the bear (ramming Stewart’s car). I like to refer to it as stupidity Déjà vu? Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer had a similar crash and afterward had a civilized discussion. I think the difference is that Ryan and Clint are not past champions and therefore their egos are not so bloated that they see other drivers as underlings. This Bud’s Still for You On Saturday, Dale Junior won the Budweiser Shootout without DEI, the #8 or Budweiser as a sponsor. Who knew it was possible? I’m guessing Rick Hendrick. Cheers. Pole Day On Sunday, Jimmie Johnson got the pole for the Daytona 500. No surprise. The surprise is, Michael Waltrip in a Toyota, starting in the 2nd position in the Daytona 500. Michael is a previous 500 winner (although overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt’s death) so that is not the shocking part. Toyota is the shocker. Toyota has a new game plan this year and I think it has something to do with winning. The rest of the field will be determined by the Gatorade Duels on Thursday, February 14th. That’s a perfect Valentine’s Day for me. No flowers, no chocolate, just racing. Is everyone as excited about this racing season as I am? Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 01/20/08 BAM Racing has come out with the Diamond Sponsorship Program. For a discounted price you can get your business name on a Sprint Series Cup car. With the high expense of maintaining a Cup car through a full season, BAM racing has come up with an innovative way to attract that sponsorship money. Just pay $5,000 (they say $4,995 and I prefer round numbers) for the year and you can have your business name on their car for the entire year. Why does this seem like a great bargain? Your business name is on a NASCAR racecar. Not enough to entice you? Then let’s put all of BAM’s racing cards on the table. Pros and Cons: Con: BAM is not in the top 35 in points and therefore must qualify on time for every race. If they don’t qualify, then the car will not race. If the car isn’t racing then your business name isn’t being shown. They are, at the moment, 47th in the standings with 18 out of 36 starts last year. Pro: That being said, $5,000 is reasonable for a medium size business and I suppose 18 times in a year is still great exposure for any business. Con: It’s a small logo. Pro: They make up for the small logo by; 1. Producing a free customized video/commercial for your business. 2. Sending you a certificate for your store front (whether brick or online). 3. Allow you to design promotional items royalty free. 4. Sending you a promotional newsletter and providing a sweepstakes contest to benefit your business. This is to entice customers to return to your website or store front for news and chances to win a race weekend. 5. Offering your business a chance to be a primary sponsor for one Cup race. This means your business name would be on the hood, rear and sides of the car. If this draws in the kind of money to keep a Cup team afloat, it will be seen as a great marketing strategy and other race teams will soon follow suit. This does not negate the fact that every team needs a major (million dollar) sponsor to stay competitive. Those Evernham engines aren’t cheap. Although this deal looks to be a win-win deal for the average Joe, this team’s success needs to be proven on the track. Ken Schrader will be their driver for the Bud Shootout and Daytona 500. At the end of 2007 BAM Racing said John Andretti would be back to pilot the #49 car for 2008 but it’s been pretty quiet in both camps (Andretti/BAM) since November. Maybe the, “No news is good news” adage is fitting. This deal ends On January 31 and then the price doubles. There’s no time for lengthy memos or meetings about this offer. I am not associated with BAM racing, although my initials pre-marriage were BAM. Update: 01/23/08 SceneDaily said that it doesn't look likely that Andretti will be driving for BAM in '08. Sources: BAM racing, 49 Sponsor, Jayski, NASCAR.com Have a comment? Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news.  Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. 12/02/07 For Snowflake 100 pictures go to the The Garage. For a few Miami Busch pictures go to The Garage Two. 11/20/07 On Friday afternoon, the only thing I was thinking about was watching the final Craftsman Truck Series race that evening. Then I got the call. My friend down in the Florida Keys informed me that her husband was given free Suite tickets to the Truck and Busch race. Due to the birth of their new baby she would be otherwise occupied and unable to attend. She said the tickets were mine for the taking. Since the Truck race was going to begin in about five hours, I felt confident I could not jet down in time. Both lack of money and flights from Pensacola would prevent this. In an earlier article I requested Gulfstream to send me a sample of their product and as you can see they have not. This left the Saturday Busch race dangling in front of me like a bright orange carrot. I explained to my friend that I would be unable to make the race because I have children and plane tickets cost money etc… in other words, I’m a responsible adult. My Husband then told me that it was a once in a lifetime experience and I should go. Seconds after my husband said this I realized that I have never been a responsible adult and there was no reason to start now. So in the wee hours of Saturday morning I’m jetting off to Atlanta GA. What? Apparently everyone heading to Miami MUST go to Atlanta first. I arrived in the Keys with just enough time (because I kept getting lost in Miami) to freshen up and head to the track. Upon entering the track and dodging a barrage of Tylenol samples being thrown at my head, I arrived at some elevators and was lifted up to the Champions Club. The inside was wonderful; filled with food, drinks and the 2006 Nextel Cup Trophy. The best part was opening the doors to the outside and hearing the roar of stockcar engines. Once I sat down, the smell of rubber and oil floated into the stands. That was the moment I knew I had made the right decision (you remember, the decision to leave my family alone and destitute). I listened and spoke to so many fans. NASCAR fans are truly the best sports fans. They are the friendliest, kindest and most helpful group of people. After a great race, where Jeff Burton was prolaimed the victor, my friend’s husband and I went on a scouting trip looking for his car. With the help of other NASCAR fans we quickly located it. I returned to my friend’s house in the Keys just to be offered more food and drinks. I slept like a baby that night, although the baby occupying the house did not, much to the parent’s dismay. I left Sunday morning, got lost in Miami again, and made it home in time to watch the Cup finale race. I remember sitting down to watch the race when my children began asking me about my trip (I refer to this as background noise, much like a jet engine). I told my children to keep it down; I was trying to watch the race. My daughter then said, “Weren’t you just at a NASCAR race?” I then replied, as a responsible adult, ”Where’s your father?” More on the final Cup race to follow... *Special thanks to Mick and Ellie for the suite tickets. Have a comment? Now that the 2007 season is over, I will post a few more articles here and many more short but related articles on my blog. Horse Power & Happy Hour You can also Twitter me Go to Splash and Go main page for all your racing news. B.A.'s Archives 2007 | B.A.'s Archives 2007 | B.A.'s Archives 2006 | Splash and Go Blog | | Return Home | Drivers & Owners | Tracks & Schedules | B.A.'s Race Observations | The Garage | About Us | E-mail Us | |
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