Some of this, some of that, and the other

It's funny how, as the season winds down, we find less to get fired up about enough to think of a worthwhile post. It isn't that nothing is happening--there has been plenty of news.

NASCAR will implement their new drug testing policy beginning next year, in which all over the wall crew members, drivers, and NASCAR officials will be subject to mandatory random drug testing. Prior to the beginning of the season, all employees of all teams, and all employees of NASCAR will be tested. NASCAR has not, however, come up with a list of banned substances. They probably want to see how many people take over the counter cold remedies, drink Amp, or eat at Starbucks, all products that could result in a false positive. It should be up to the teams to police their own people, and we will stand by that assertation.

As it always seems to happen, just when a driver is getting good, he loses his ride. AJ Allmendinger has been showing steady improvement in adapting to NASCAR style racing, since he got back in the seat of the #84 Red Bull Racing car earlier this year. However, the big wigs in Austria who run the team seem to feel that Scott Speed fits the image they want, better. So, AJ is out of a ride for next year. Red Bull has yet to announce that Speed will be their man next year, but that is expected. Meanwhile, speculation has it that Allmendinger will fill the void left by Reed Sorenson when the driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing #41 car announced that he will be driving for Gillett-Evernham Motorsports next year. There may be more to this than meets the eye, as Red Bull waited until near the end of the season to announce that Allmendinger would be leaving the Red Bull Sprint Cup team. This made it more difficult for him to find options for next year, and we think, personally, that RBR may have been thinking of using Allmendinger in another series. However, Allmendinger has made it clear that he wants to stay in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has a lot of talent, and has been learning the car well. It is very possible that he will have a ride next year. It should be remembered that the last time he was released from a team--in the now defunct Open Wheel World Championship Series--he went on to win five out of nine races.


Last week I received an award from Trixie's Trailer Park called the "You Make My Day" award. It's one of these things we bloggers do to show our appreciation for other bloggers. That is very much appreciated.

I will pass it on to some blogs I like to read whenever I go on line.

First I would like to return the favor to Trixie's Trailer Park. She is a lot of fun to read, her passion for NASCAR and Tony Stewart is very much appreciated, and she has some very interesting insights. Trixie, I know you are receiving this award twice, but you deserve it.

Muse and Amuse doesn't seem to get enough recognition. Cheyenne blogs on NASCAR, especially on items pertaining to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. She is, in her own words, very opinionated, and will argue the point to the death. She really has made my day on several occassions. I feel her Muse and Amuse blog is very underappreciated, and we will attempt to remedy that by presenting her with a "You Make My Day Award."

We can't forget Church of the Great Oval. Clance' (pronounced "Clan-see" like my cat) inspired me to start my own blog years ago. She always makes our day, and we are more than happy to present her this award.

The Chase heats up, and the writing about it cools down. Greg Biffle is showing what he can do when he and his team are of a mind to do it. We are all still wondering what is up with the #24 team, because we are certain that Jeff Gordon hasn't lost his talent. So we will sit back and enjoy the next Chase race at Kansas this weekend.