Wednesday, February 28, 2007

IRON Man... Yeah OK!!











I just cannot imagine the Rainbow "Kid" being dubbed "Iron Man" but if Mark Martin does not start at Bristol it will give Jeffy boy the most consecutive starts. That's just plain ridiculous. The nickname belonged to Terry Labonte and that's where it oughta stay. The idea that the whiner of NASCAR carry that title is like calling Richard Simmons the "Incredible Hulk".
I'm interested to see how the COT testing goes this week at Bristol. That's a good testing track for it.
Who is the favorite for Mexico?

Monday, February 26, 2007

Swept Away




Another race bringing a sweep! RoushSox driver Matt Kenseth swept the weekend away with a Busch win on Saturday and the Cup win at Fontana yesterday. That's two consecutive sweeps in as many races with Happy Harvick doing it at Daytona last week.
The Fontana Cup race was different from past races there with plenty of cautions to tighten up the field. It's usually a clean race with the leaders way out front. This kept it exciting but there were several disappointments, especially for DEI with both Dale Jr. and Truex Jr. losing engines. It also brought on many changes in the point standings with many drivers climbing many spots and yet others dropping like rocks and it left Mark on top. After only two weeks into the season there is a wide points spread, but LasVegas should change that.
Another hard slam into the wall by rookie David Reutimann. It's been a slammin' two weeks!! Thank you NASCAR for the Safety Barriers.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Safety First

A busy day here. Being a residential contractor is a pain in the arse at times. I absolutely, no way out, definitely must be finished with a job I'm on now by Tuesday so that I can meet a starting date of a new project on Wednesday...so I had to work today and even dragged Pattyjo out of the house early {dangerous} to help. The good news is...it looks good for completion on Tues. and the next project is one of those nice clean jobs...finishing off a basement in a log home. It'll be one big entertainment room with custom home theater, flat screen LCDHD, a wet bar all done in rustic cedar tongue & groove and we're even incorporating a few tree sections. I'll take some pics for later posting.

The wreck in last nights Busch race involving Jason Leffler and Juan Montoya left me thinking of Dale Sr.'s death. That was an incredibly hard hit head-on into the safety barrier {wall}. The very unfortunate early demise of the great Dale Sr. prompted many changes into the safety of the drivers. The safety barriers are one of the best changes made and in my opinion may have already saved lives. Tony Stewart's hit at Daytona was no bump and Leffler's slam could have been lethal if it weren't for the safety barriers. Many kudos go out to NASCAR for this and their continued efforts including the COT.

Photo credit: BGNRacing.com

Saturday, February 24, 2007

Surprise Surprise Surprise


It's no surprise seeing Gordon on the pole, but it was surprising to see Mark Martin shoved out of the way in the NCTS. Mark, always the gentleman said "We were looking pretty good. But they have a caution for just about anything when we don't need them and we don't get them when we do" a statement I'm sure reflecting back to last week. His strategy of trying to keep Ron Hornaday behind him kicked him in the arse and landed him a 23rd place finish after a good solid dominating race. Ya think maybe he shoulda stuck to his previous awesome restarts? Geez Mark!!
So where are the Fords and Toyo's? The top 10 lineup for tomorrows Auto Club 500 is 80% Chevy's with a couple of Dodge's thrown in for good measure. I expected to see a RoushSox car somewhere in the top 10 and the Yate's cars are way down the list. Another surprise. Toyo's Dave Blaney managed to land a 14th place start and surprisingly Mikey got left out completely... "Waltrip also will be watching the race instead of driving in it after being knocked out of the lineup by rookie teammate David Reutimann." Payback?! Karma Mikey, karma! The top 10 qualifier's make for a very good startup field with Martin, Harvick and Dale Jr. in the top 5. Will Happy Harvick make another sweep? That would be the surprise of all!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Talladega Story


It was about a year ago that I came home from work to find a card on our dining room table with my name on it. It was not my birthday, an anniversary or for that matter, any type of special occasion. It was just another cold winters day in the middle of a work week. My wife Patty {pic to the right} was standing there with a look of both excitement and apprehension. In fact she was so excited that I thought maybe she went out and bought me that F-250 Quad Cab 4x4 that I'd drool over every time I saw one. In the very tense moments of this the gears in my head were spinning out of control because I knew it was something big but I could not understand why...that is until I opened the card and by the look on my face you can see that I was shell shocked! Inside were two full weekend tickets to Talladega. The funny thing is, other than "just another race track", Patty had no clue what Talladega is. In fact she hated NASCAR and the amount of time it consumed me. She is a bit naive and in her innocent apprehension asked me where Talladega is... I kid you not! She bought the tickets from an ad in our local newspaper without any idea that we were about to plan a trip to Birmingham Al. What she did know is that the tickets were "awesome seats in something the guy told me {her} were in the tower of a tri-oval"... NO CLUE!! She was not even sure where Alabama was! Okay, so it's quite obvious that this woman loves me to death.

In the weeks that followed I educated her on some basic Nascar stuff and she began to develop an interest. All of a sudden she was asking me about qualifying positions, points, what N A S C A R stands for, etc. and instead of nagging me on race day she was putting out cheese and crackers and inviting friends over to watch "the race". The next thing I know she has proclaimed Tony Stewart as her favorite driver and when I asked her why Tony, her simple answer was "he's a "bad boy" and he's cute" {cute?}.

By the time the trip arrived, {which by the way on conditions of the surprise gift I had to pay for the trip...pretty even trade} Patty had some basic knowledge and a favorite driver. I had never been to a super speedway so this was a very new experience for both of us. What we encountered was absolutely incredible and horribly exhausting. Our motel was 45 minutes away and on Saturday we arrived at the gate of Talladega at 7:00 a.m., not soon enough. The size and the area this place covers is massive and we had never seen so many campers in one place. We thought we were at Mardi-Gras. We did the tour of the drivers trailer area and spent plenty...yada yada yada. The Busch race that day involved a wreck that sent Tony sailing upside down in the #33 right in front of us. Patty was screaming and in tears and even with my assurance that he was okay she swore to me that this was her first and last race and I would be attending the cup race on my own the next day. Well after the race what should be a 45 min. trip back to our motel we arrived there 4 hours later.

The next day we were up and out the door by 5:00 a.m. and the drive took 90 minutes. The traffic was 90% Dega bound with cars and trucks that were all advertising drivers, we had a Tony Teddy Bear on the dash...go figure!! The track parking lots were filling fast and the tailgating parties were in full swing. We got to our seats later and watched the pre-race show with much emphasis on Will Farrell and Talladega Nights. He was the Grand Marshall and the film had just completed it's production that past week. The rain came and never left...a rainout. We did not know what to do because we had plane reservations back for the next morning and had not booked the extra night at our motel...on the drive back to the motel Patty got the airline on her cell and managed to get a flight out for Tuesday and our motel accommodated us nicely. That drive took another 4 hours.

On Monday the weather was beautiful and Patty got a sunburn from hell!! It was a great race but it took us 7, yes 7 hours to drive 45 minutes!!. Patty's patience in a car is not the best and her sunburn was killing her so it was 7 hours of agony. Her sacrifices, pain and patience are a true testament of the love she has for me. She is now a huge NASCAR fan and absolutely loves the sport despite what she endured.

I shared this story because I am a fortunate man to have a wife with such devotion.


Tuesday, February 20, 2007

ALL RIGHT ALREADY



As I surf the many blogs and NASCAR sports writer reports I can't help but feel for the many, many mixed emotions concerning Kevin Harvick's victory.
My previous entry from yesterday emphasized "Bittersweet" as it truly is.
It's a confusing mess to say the least, one that will shadow NASCAR, the fans, the media, add-infinium...for who knows how long. There will always be "the one Mark Martin almost won".
The general concensus I've found, as I'm sure the rest of you have, is against NASCAR's call and the poll's wanted Mark to have his win. I too was rooting for Mark, yet Kevin's victory sits very well with me. At the same time my feelings go out to all the disgruntled fans, bloggers and media alike.
KUDO'S TO MARK!
KUDO'S TO KEVIN!
THAT'S RACING!
GET OVER IT!





Monday, February 19, 2007

Pit Road Racing ?


It's been 2 weeks of chaos, controversy, penalties, suspensions, lying, cheating, acting {Mikey should get an Academy Award} and the ultimate pit road speeding ticket. What the hell was Dave Blaney thinking? It was hard to tell from the tele, but it appeared he did not even slow down when he was forced into pit road after Sorenson made contact with Edwards. Report has it that he had a flat tire ta-boot!! With the pedal to the metal he flew out of the pit road exit and slammed Kenny Schrader and others. After re-entering pit road NASCAR officials sent his dumb arse to the garage but credited him with a 34th place finish. Come on fellas!! He endangered lives and was just plain negligent. My vote would be a DNF and a points penalty. Yet another bad call on NASCAR's behalf. Toyo has a 3 strike rule... wonder if Blaney got a strike or two from that move.

BITTERSWEET TO THE END


AN AWESOME FINISH AND A SWEEP FOR RCR DRIVER KEVIN HARVICK.
MARK DID HIS BEST BUT KEVIN DID BETTER...THE BEST MAN WON!
BITTERSWEET, BUT MARK IS USED TO THIS AND TOOK IT VERY WELL.
CONGRAT'S GO OUT TO KEVIN HARVICK, HIS TEAM AND RCR RACING.
PATTY AND I SAT IN OUR LIVING ROOM WITH A FEW FRIENDS AND FAMILY GUESTS WATCHING AS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR FAVORITE DRIVERS WERE TAKEN OUT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. WE WERE ALL OPPOSED TO THE #17 ROUSHSOX CAR BEING UP FRONT AND THE GREEN WHITE CHECKER SENT PATTY SCURRYING AWAY... THE INTENSITY TOO MUCH FOR HER. EVERYONE WAS SHOUTING FOR MARK'S WIN...AND TO KEEP KENSETH BEHIND HIM, WHICH BROUGHT PATTY BACK TO HER SENSES. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT CAUGHT US ALL BY SURPRISE WITH THE MELEE BEHIND THEM, THE RACE CONTINUED WITH HARVICK'S PUSH BY KENSETH SENDING HIM TO AN INCREDIBLE AND NEARLY A PHOTO FINISH.
TO SEE MARK TAKE A DAYTONA 500 WIN WOULD HAVE BEEN AWESOME, BUT KEVIN'S WIN FOR RCR IS AN INCREDIBLE TRIBUTE TO DALE SR. AND FOR THAT WE WERE ALL COMPLETELY THRILLED AND SATISFIED.
ON TO CALIFORNIA.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

THE GREAT AMERICAN RACE


A GREETING TO ALL OF MY FELLOW RACE FANS.
PLEASE ENJOY THE RACE
AND
MAY THE BEST MAN WIN...
OR MAYBE NOT!!!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

TOYO RULES... ROUSHSOX FOOLS


WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE FINISH TO ONE OF THE BEST TRUCK SERIES RACES EVER. NOW THAT WAS BUMP DRAFTING PERFECTION. I HAVE A FEELING THAT THIS ONE WILL MAKE THE HISTORY BOOKS. MANY KUDO'S GO OUT TO JOHNNY BENSON. JACK SPRAGUE'S TEAM MADE THAT APPARENT AS THEY ALL INDIVIDUALLY THANKED HIM. TOYO IS CERTAINLY MAKING A LOT OF NOISE. THE CAT IN THE HAT HAS LOST A BATTLE... MAYBE HE CAN GET A PINCH HITTER FROM FENWAY PARK AND I THINK A BASEBALL CAP ON HIS DOME IS FITTING.

Friday, February 16, 2007

BUMP DRAFT PERFECTION MY ARSE


I AM NOT A GORDON FAN SO HIS FAILED POST RACE INSPECTION KEPT ME GIGGLING UNTIL PEMBERTON'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SLAP ON THE WRIST. OK... SO IT VERY WELL COULD'VE BEEN AN HONEST MISTAKE, BUT MAYBE NOT!! THE SHOCK MOUNT TEETH NOT LINING UP, LATER CAUSING THE REAR TO DROP, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE AIR FLOW TO GO ABOVE THE SPOILER. SOUNDS INGENIOUS TO ME! BUT THEN I'M NOT MUCH OF AN AREO DYNAMICS ENGINEER. WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY? WHAT ABOUT KAYNE'S PENALTIES? I'LL GET OVER IT...
MICHAEL WALTRIP'S "MISTAKE" SPINNING JR. OUT LOOKED TO ME LIKE IT WAS DELIBERATE, ONLY BECAUSE JR. AND SMOKE WERE TEAMED UP AND ABOUT TO DUST HIM. MIKEY'S AGGRESSIVE DRIVING WAS APPARENT AND I FEEL HE WAS DOING ANYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO SECURE A SPOT. HIS PUBLIC ACT OF HUMILITY SEEMED TO BE AN ACT... MY VERY INTUITIVE WIFE TOOK ONE LOOK AT HIM AND SAID

"HE'S GUILTY AS HELL"... I LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO NOT TO CHALLENGE HER ON CERTAIN ISSUES...SHE'S USUALLY RIGHT.
photo credit NASCAR.com

Thursday, February 15, 2007

"I CAN'T DRIVE 55"

MIKEY, MIKEY, MIKEY! I'M AT A LOSS FOR WORDS ON THIS ONE. INDEFINITE SUSPENSIONS! $100,000.00 CREW CHIEF FINE AND POOR BUFFY GOT DOCKED 100 OWNER POINTS. THINGS ARE LOOKING PRETTY BLEAK IN THE MWR GARAGE. AND I REALLY ENJOY THOSE NAPA COMMERCIALS, BUT THOSE COULD BECOME A THING OF THE PAST. WOW! ONE WORD.

photo credit FOXSPORTS

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

"GO TO YOUR ROOM YOUNG MAN" WORDS MY MOTHER USED FREQUENTLY WHEN I BROKE THE RULES... HER RULES, NOT MINE! YET RULES NONETHELESS. SOMETIMES I DESERVED IT, OTHER TIMES IT WAS UNJUST, WELL AT LEAST THE LEVEL OF PUNISHMENT WAS, OR SO I THOUGHT. I WOULD GO THINKING MY MOTHER WAS UNFAIR AND MEAN AND EVEN WITH MY PLEAS OF INNOCENCE SHE STOOD HER GROUND. AFTER ALL, I BROKE HER RULES, AND I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER! THE RECENT AND HIGHLY PUBLICIZED RULES BROKEN BY SEVERAL NASCAR TEAMS HAS LEFT ME REMINISCING AND I CAN ONLY CHUCKLE, BUT WITH SYMPATHY OR PERHAPS IT'S EMPATHY. EITHER WAY...IF THE RULES ARE BROKEN THEN THE PUNISHMENT FITS...OR DOES IT? HARSH... THE SUPPOSED GUILTY THINK SO, BUT THEN SO DID I. NASCAR IMPOSED THE RULES...THEIR RULES AND AS THE OLE CLICHE GOES, "IF YOU CAN'T DO THE TIME DON'T DO THE CRIME"

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

BORIS SAID SAID.....

WATCHING THE SPEED REPORT LAST NIGHT BORIS SAID CONFIRMED, FOR ME AT LEAST, THAT HE HAS HALF A BRAIN UNDER THAT BIG HAIR OF HIS. HE RAN AN IMPRESSIVE QUALIFING RUN WHICH LOCKED HIM IN, BUT SAID SAID HE WILL LAY BACK DURING THE DUELS AND THE BIG RACE UNTIL THE LAST 200 MILES. WAY TO GO BORIS!! NO!! WAIT... I'M NOT A "SAID HEAD" BUT THAT WIG MAY DO MY CROWN SOME JUSTICE.

MOVING ON TO THE NEXTEL REPORT... WHAT A GOOFY PANEL. AND POLE SITTER "GILLIGAN" FIT IN PRETTY WELL WITH THE REST OF THE GOOFS. POOR MIKEY CLAIMING HE MESSED WITH BY-PASSING THE COOLING SYSTEM AND THINKS OIL GOT INTO HIS INTAKE MANIFOLD, BUT HE PUT THE BLAME ON HIMSELF TAKING TOYOTA OFF THE HOOK. AND WHAT A PLEASURE SEEING MARK MARTIN SITTING THERE... BUT HE WAS TRULY GOOFING OFF!! AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT A GOOF KEN SCHRADER IS. IT WAS MORE LIKE WATCHING "ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT"

Sunday, February 11, 2007

POST SHOOTOUT

GO TONY!! GO TONY!! MY WIFE CHANTED AS SHE JUMPED UP AND DOWN ON OUR LIVING ROOM FLOOR LAST NIGHT WEARING HER TONY P.J.'S AND DRINKING FROM A TONY CUP. THEN I HAD TO GO TO BED AND SLEEP WITH TONY BLANKETS AND IF HE WERE THERE HIMSELF I WOULD'VE BEEN SLEEPING ON THE SOFA!! THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME FOR THIS EXCEPT MYSELF, AFTER ALL, SHE WENT WITH ME LAST SPRING TO TALLADEGA... HER FIRST LIVE RACING EXPERIENCE. I GOTTA HAND IT TO STEWART, HE DID SOME AWESOME DRIVING, BUT HE'S PUTTING A DAMPER ON MY SEX LIFE.

ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE, I MUST COMMEND JR'S INTEGRITY. HIS APPOLOGETIC NATURE TOWARDS ELLIOT SADLER WAS SO COOL, AND I THOUGHT ELLIOT WAS GOING TO KISS HIM WHEN HE STUCK HIS HEAD IN JR'S WINDOW. JR'S PUBLIC ANNOUNCMENT ONLY PROVES THAT HE IS A GENTLEMEN'S GENTLEMAN. WAY TO GO JR!!

WHO'LL GRAB THE BUD POLE TODAY?

Saturday, February 10, 2007

BUD SHOOTOUT

SO TOYOTA IS LEADING THE PACK. OF COURSE D.J.'S VETERAN EXPERIENCE MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT... BUT CONSIDERING HIS "06" RECORD, IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE. I'M NOT SURPRISED AND I THINK WE WILL SEE TOYOTA UP FRONT ON A CONTINUAL BASIS. THE MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY IS THERE AND THE TEAMS INVOLVED ARE SOLID. HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT JACK!! OH, WHICH REMINDS ME... DID ANYONE HAPPEN TO CATCH JACKS HAT GETTING BLOWN OFF DURING PRACTICE?

Monday, February 5, 2007

2007 NASCAR Season Anxiety

It's been a long cold winter here in northern NY. The anxiety of looking forward to a fresh racing season is high!! I've spent a lot of time reading blogs and websites to take away the "jone's". The upcoming changes with the point system and the COT will prove to make 2007 a season to be remembered. The 2006 season serving as the reminder of the need for change and I must commend Brian France for a change.. pun intended. Toyota is welcomed by me but our friend in the "hat" Jack has waged war against them. What's up Jack ?? Is he afraid to have to dig to deep in those very deep pockets of his?? All in all it's going to be a very exciting year and at this time I have only tickets to the Pocono race for 6/10... I might have to dig into my not so deep pockets!!