Again, Mich Again

Just a few more observations before Sunday's race:
Elliott Sadler looks good in red--It's going to be hard getting used to Sadler in the #19 car, for the fans, not for the driver or the team. Sadler is a championship level driver, and early indications show that all he needed was good equipment. He qualified second for the race in a car that had had lackluster performence while being driven by Jeremy Mayfield. Although qualifying doesn't show how the car will do in a race, the fresh start for the team does a lot to improve attitude. Mayfield isn't a bad driver--and he will be in a car sooner than later--but he seemed to be stagnating with Everham, and perhaps he, too needs a fresh start.
The new Candyman. Don't expect immediate results from David Gilliland in the #38 car. He has proven that he can race with the big boys, but he does not have the experience in the heavier, more powerful Cup cars to produce immediate results. Gilliland is an investment in the future for Robert Yates Racing, and arguably a wise investment. The team needs to rebuild, and rebuilding from the ground up with all new assets may be all the team needs.

Mich-Again

I haven't done an update on the quirky, freaky, geeky reality program "Who Wants To Be A Superhero," so I will do one now, and somehow tie it in to this week's race at MIS (Michigan International Speedway).
Last week, my favorite, "Monkey Woman," got eliminated, because she got tripped up and tricked into admitting that she was a professional actress, which didn't sit well with Stan Lee, especially since she had misrepresented herself to join the competition. Honesty is an important quality in a superhero. On the same program, Tyviculus, a character based on the Roman Gladiator, was eliminated, for just not being honest with himself. Cell Phone Girl also got eliminated somewhere along the line, just because she didn't have the guts to compete in the challenges. That was all for the better, because I just couldn't see myself, or anyone for that matter, buying a comic book based on Cell Phone Girl.
So, going into this week, we are left with Major Victory, Creature, Lemuria, Fat Mama, and Feedback. Honest, I'm not making this up; this is an actual TV show. These five are all very down to earth, but as the show has progressed, so have their characters, which are probably what Stan the Man is looking for, anyway. And, we have gotten to know them better. Major Victory, a man who apparently had early mid-life crises, had abandoned his wife and daughter to become a male exotic dancer. He has now given up that life also, and is trying to get back to "normal" life. His participation in this competition is to help him regain some self-esteem. He was actually one of my early favorites, because he played the role of superhero so well from the very first installment, and is a lot of fun to watch as he stays in character through the challenges. Creature, whose character is a defender of nature, is a real life rainbow child, who wanted to create a different kind of superhero, one who is a real hippy chick. Naturally, she played her role very naturally. Unfortunately, by means of one of The Dark Enforcer's entrapment videos, she was exposed as being somewhat of a hypocrite, because she could not be a defender of nature and a litterbug at the same time. She was the next to be eliminated, but she took the elimination graciously, having served the purpose of creating the character she wanted to be. Lemuria, a character I never really got, is an extremely attractive woman, a realtor in "real" life, managed to make it this far without doing or being anything spectacular, aside from being one hell of an eyeful. Still, she had developed a bonding with the others, another quality Stan Lee was looking for, yet she had to be eliminated, because, try as she might, she just wasn't good at completing most of the challenges.
None of the challenges were easy but this challenge was particularly difficult. The contestants had to interact in one way or another with an incarcerated convict. These convicts may have been real, or they may have been actors, but, if so, they were very imposing figures. One was a large, very angry woman, and a very large, very angry man. They were quite convincingly pissed off. They were pissed off because of the TV cameras, pissed off because they were on work detail, pissed off because they were in manacles, and pissed off because they had to deal with these funny looking people in funny looking costumes. If they were in fact actors, they were very good at it.
So, poor, sweet Lemuria had the challenge of sitting on the large angry woman's lap. Not once, but three different times. The woman didn't even want to talk to her, to be near her, and when Lemuria tried to approach her, the woman shoved her violently away, and the guard had to step in. For Lemuria, the challenge was impossible. Her draw for the challenge was just plain bad luck.
I've gotten this far and I haven't mentioned racing yet, so to make a long story short, Major Victory, who had to rub the very large angry man's shoulders three times, Fat Mama, who had to brush the hair out of the large angry woman's eyes three times, and Feedback, who had to hug the large angry man three times, all demonstrated the right kind of compassion to enable them to complete their challenges.
Feedback's encounter was by far the most compelling and emotional, for he managed to learn from the man that he had lost his father at an early age. Feedback, a radio personality by trade, revealed that his father, too, had been killed when he was young. So well did he connect with the convict, that he convinced the guard to take off the man's handcuffs, which is all the man really wanted. Of course, they hugged.
My money is now on Feedback, for what it's worth, because I am a sucker for compassion. I am, quite possibly, the last of the SNAGs*.
*SNAG is an 80's acronym for Sensitive New Age Guy.
Okay, here comes the segue:
Unlike most reality shows, where the contestants get more at each others throats as the competition nears the end, the final three contestants in "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" draw closer together, strengthening comradery and partnership. Because of the type of track MIS is, partnership and teamwork are what it will take to be a winner in Sunday's race. It takes driver's skill, because the two-mile oval has long straight-aways and wide, flat turns, which means car control, throttle control, and some brake control are all-important. This also means that the crew chief is going to be busy, and pit strategy is every bit as important as driver skill.
Ryan Newman and his crew chief, Matt Borland, are a proven team at balancing these skills. In fact, if it comes down to fuel mileage, they are probably the masters at tracks like Michigan. Actually, there is only one other track like Michigan, and that's the California Speedway in Fontana, CA--it seems easier for me to mention this, than it is to polish my writing skills.
Anyway, luck seems to be more important in racing this year than I can remember in recent years, and if anyone is due a change of luck, it is the number 12 team of Newman and Borland.
A team which may not be due a change of luck, but certainly needs one is the number 16 team of Greg Biffle and Doug Richert. Even if you don't know much about racing, you probably know these guys from the very entertaining Subway Restaurant commercials in which they are featured. They are very much as likeable as the three finalists in "Who Wants To Be A Superhero." But, if likeability isn't enough to get them a good finish at MIS, Richert's experience and Biffle's skill are. Richert may not be the fuel mileage expert that Borland is, but Biffle is definitely a very good fuel mileage driver. Still, his track record at Michigan could be better.
Kurt Busch is on a tear. He is likely out of the race for the top ten in points, but, like him or not, it won't matter. He still likes to win races, and he is a highly skilled driver. We can only hope that, if he does win, he comes up with some celebration other than the snow angel. I'm drawing a blank on the name of the crew chief on the number 2 car, and am too lazy to look it up.
I do know who Mike Ford is, however. He is the crew chief for Denny Hamlin, this year's Wonder Rookie, and the number 11 team. Ford has the experience and the know-how to do exactly what is right at MIS. Lack of experience will not prevent Hamlin from doing exactly what is right with the car. He is that damn good, and it would be no surprise if he actually won on Sunday.
The top two Childress Racing teams, Kevin Harvick's number 29, and Jeff Burton's number 31, have been very consistent so far this season, and really don't need a top ten finish Sunday to stay in the top ten in points, but my money says both will finish the race very well. Harvick is on a high, coming off of his victory at Watkins Glen last week, and he could very well carry that momentum to a victory this Sunday.
The number 17 team of Matt Kenseth and Robby Reiser is one of the tightest in NASCAR Cup racing. Kenseth is another one of the very consistent drivers, and is also one of the top three when it comes to skill. Locked into the top ten finalists, for all practical purposes, he probably feels he is due a win, and is very likely to get one Sunday.
Another top ten team which is legendarily tight is the number 20 team of Tony Stewart and Greg Zippadelli. Of course this is the tem I will be rooting for to win Sunday, but, if they don't, I wouldn't be unhappy with a second place finish. Stewart sometimes gets frustrated at Michigan, though, and his frustration is often a factor. I want to agree with him though, that he has already red-lined his frustration, a few weeks ago when his frustration at the Brickyard got Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer very angry at him. Hopefully, because he took full responsibility for wrecking the two of them, they won't pick this race to retaliate.
I would like to mention the team of Juniors, as in Dale Earnhardt, Jr and Tony Eury, Jr in the number 8 car. They need to stay in the top ten, and will need to finish very close to the front to do so. Earnhardt has had problems with the aerodynamics of the cars over the last two seasons, and aerodynamics is very important at Michigan. It will take Eury's cleverness in pit strategy, and a lot of brute determination on Earnhardt's part to get a good finish Sunday.
I really hope that all the teams I mentioned finish better than the points leading number 48 team of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus. Not because I don't like the team, because I do. But they already lead in points, and a finish outside of the top ten could give someone else a chance to get into the top ten.
Well, this has been a very long post, so now I will say, mute the TV, tune the radio to PRN/MRN and enjoy the race.
Excelsior!

Review: The Glen Weekend

First, a correction. When I said that The Glen only had nine turns, I failed to count the inner loop, or "bus stop," which means in consensus reality that there are eleven turns. I have to remember that my personal reality is often removed from consensus reality.
That being said, in my personal reality, there has been some absolutely fantastic racing this weekend. Beginning with the Rolex Grand Am race at The Glen, the intensity was incredible. The Rolex race, a two hour "sprint" race featured only the Daytona Prototypes (DP's), and from the start, it looked like these guys were mad at each other. Grand Am is often the closest to NASCAR when it comes to contact between cars, and there was plenty of contact during the race. The problem is, much more fatal damage is done to the sports cars by contact than is done to the much heavier stock cars. It was an intense race, all the way to the finish, which was won by Scott Pruitt just ahead of a very hard charging Max Angelelli.
Then came the Busch race at the Glen. I wasn't home when the race started, but I was home in time to catch one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history. Neither Kurt Busch nor Robby Gordon had anything to lose, as neither is in the Busch points race, and only the win to gain. Both drivers are stubbornly determined to accomplish their goals, what you might call all-or- nothing drivers. They showed it in the last lap, going through the bus stop, when Gordon tried make good an opportunity to take the lead. Contact ensued several times as the cars banged side panels again and again. Both cars went into the grass, but in an excellent display of car control, neither car crashed, and Kurt Busch prevailed. That was racin'. Kurt has to come up with something other than the "snow angels" victory celebration though. That is really lame.
Then there was that CTS race at Nashville. The Craftsman Truck Series is probably the closest of the "upper tier" NASCAR divisions to the Saturday night circle burners, because the action is always intense. There is normally much more passing in the truck races, because blocking is not an option. Sure, the drivers try to block, but if the overtaking truck is faster, the blocker usually ends up in a spin, at least. With the championship points race tightening up, the racing is even more intense. Witness what happened on the last lap. Mike Skinner was winning, but championship points leader Todd "Onion" Bodine was moving up fast. Skinner tried to block him, but Bodine moved right through him. Obviously incensed, Skinner forgot that he was trying to win the race and retaliated against Bodine. While those two trucks were clashing, Johnny "Shemp" Benson shot up from fourth to first and won the race. This is important to race fans--Benson's racing style is very similar to that of Mark Martin's, in that he will not spin a competitor to win a race, but if given an opening, he will take it before anyone else can react. So congratulations to Johnny Benson, a personal favorite, on his fourth win in the CTS this season.
The real treat on Saturday was the airing of the Knoxville Nationals. This is a very intense form of racing and a must see for true speed junkies. I won't go into it here--I posted a separate article on Knoxville.
So we come to the weekend's feature, the NASCAR Cup race at Watkins Glen. It did not disappoint me. From the very first of the race, the guys were racing hard, perharps too hard for the beginning of a race where saving the brakes and transmissions are very important. Nonetheless, the start was wild, with Kasey Kahne trying to beat polesitter Kurt Busch through the first turn. Again, as in the Busch race, both drivers demonstrated excellent car control and the race continued.
As can be expected in a road-race, especially one which starts with so much intensity, mechanical attrition was high. Many of the drivers were racing as if it was the last ten laps, not the first ten laps, and Terry Labonte, in the #96 car, and Kyle Busch, in the #5 car, both had suspension and gear failures which put them in the garage for repairs.
We got to see some of the best of the best race against each other wheel to wheel. Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon and everyone--all the kind of match ups we love to see. Most notable were Elliott Sadler and Ryan Newman, both of whom had troubles early in the race and had very respectable finishes. There could have been a better top four vying for the win in the closing laps of the race, but not much better. Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, a surprising Jamie McMurray, a very strong mix of competitors who raced each other hard and clean. McMurray is especially notable, because he is a driver who has been stuggling to prove his worth, and, with a third place finish in both the Busch series and the Cup series at the Glen, he showed that he could race with the best. To see him hold off Robby Gordon the way he did was very impressive.
Stewart and Harvick made the finishing laps exciting. Nobody goes into the turns harder than Smoke, and Happy Harvick knew that, so he had to figure a different tact. He did, realizing that he had a faster car and could beat Stewart out of the turns. It was an exciting finish and a well deserved win.
I wouldn't blame Kurt Busch's fans--the two or three that exist outside of Busch's team and family--for being angry. The penalty did seem harsh, considering that it put one of the strongest cars in the race back in traffic, where things did not bode well. But, if NASCAR officials had made an exception to the closed pit lane rule, that wouldn't have been fair either, for someone else would eventually take advantage of that. The warning system needs to be fixed, perhaps with radio warnings by NASCAR officials, because if the #2 team had known that pit road had closed, Busch could have passed through without pitting and avoided the penalty. It is hard to place blame on this incident--someone on the team, the crew chief or the spotter, for instance, could have realized that if there was a caution that pit road was probably closed, and waved Kurt off of the pit stop, thus avoiding the penalty. But, in the heat of battle, while trying to repair damage, that is not what is on the minds of the crew. Every sports fan knows, in every sport that the officiating is as much a part of the outcome of any event as the players themselves, so, in the end, this could be considered just another racing incident.
That's racin'!

Real Racing at Knoxville

I used to be a regular patron of Rocky Mountain Raceway Park, near Boulder, Co, where one could see Midgets, Modifieds, Late Models, Sprint Cars, Winged Sprints, and anything else that races on dirt. Unfortunately, RMRP was closed last year, due to "moving in next to the airport" mentality. The new neighbors couldn't stand the noise, so the local government shut it down. I have been going through withdrawal ever since.

The Knoxville Nationals is the Superbowl of sprint car racing, the Superbowl being the Daytona 500 of professional football. For those who aren't familiar with the winged sprint cars, these are 850 hp engines in an 1100 pound car. Needless to say, with that great a power to weight ratio, these cars are fast. Combine that speed with a 1/2 mile dirt track and a lot of downforce, and you have real racing. I have mentioned before on this blog that there should be some kind of national television coverage, and those who watched the Nationals Saturday night on Speed know why. It is very entertaining and exciting racing. These cars are nearly constantly in a slide as they tear around the short track. It is also dangerous--first impressions will tell you "these guys are crazy."
James King, a second generation winged sprint racer and an up and a rising star, lost his life due to head injuries suffered in an accident during the Wednesday night preliminaries. It is a tragedy whenever one of our heroic racers die, even with the safety technology being as advanced as it is. Most of us realize that racing is a dangerous sport on any level--that is part of the thrill of racing--but none of us want to see fatalities. For many of us, the thrill is to see the drivers get out of a tough situation, and avoid a crash. Every death or debilitating injury, such as those suffered by Christiano Dematta, Ernie Irvin, or Jerry Nedeau, is a tremendous loss to the entire sport.
Every driver knows that his or her life is on the line whenever he or she is on the track. It is not a thought foremost in the mind, but one that is relegated deep in the subconscious. But every racecar driver has a strong personal initiative to win, so taking chances is the foremost element in racing.
Thus we see the extremely high level of emotions in racing, resulting in fist fights and on-track retaliation. Perhaps King's death was formost in the minds of the Knoxville Nationals participants as the opportunities to qualify for the final "A" main dwindled. During the "C" main, from which only the top two finishers would advance, Brian Brown, Danny "The Dude" Lasoski's nephew, spun Lasoski while he was trying to pass him. Keep in mind that these cars are going 140 plus miles per hour around a half mile track, and are very light open wheels, so any contact is extremely dangerous. Lasoski, skilled driver that he is, stayed in the race, however, and retaliated against his nephew during the caution. After the race, tempers among the family members exploded. George Lasoski, Danny's father and Brian Brown's grandfather, got into a shouting and shoving match with his son, in a tussle that very nearly came to blows. Thus was the level of intensity that prevailed Saturday night.

Still, the racing was extrordinary. There is nothing like watching these cars race, with lap times of less than eight seconds, and every racer on the move. So high is the intensity that thirty laps can seem like three-hundred. It is the best open wheel racing you could ever see, or, if not the best technical racing, at least the most exciting and entertaining. If you haven't seen a winged sprints race, treat yourself to one. Support your local dirt track, because, believe me, you will miss it when it's gone.

The I May Get Around To A Preview Race Preview

I am almost sad, this week, for Watkins Glen, home of my very very first Grateful Dead concert, is also the last of the road course races this season. Jerry Garcia, more than a guitarist and singer to the Dead, passed away 11 years ago on August 9. His music, and the joy of his music will always be with me.
This weekend’s racing at The Glen also mark the end of an era, because the next road course race, at Sears Point (Sonoma, CA), will feature the “Car of Tomorrow,” a cross between the Grand Am Rolex DP cars and the Craftsman Truck Series trucks. That’s right, folks, this will be the last road-course race for the cars we and the older drivers are finally getting used to. Well, it’s not all that bad--the Busch Series cars will remain as they are.
I like NASCAR road racing so much, I really wish there were more than two. It would be alright to see a race in the chase at the Daytona road course, or maybe Road Atlanta, but that would mean they would have to pull a location off the schedule, and that would piss a lot of people off. Still, they could rotate the last ten “chase” races every other year--how’s that for a proposition? One year, for instance, replace Talledega with a road race, then the next year go back to Talledega and replace Louden, and so on.
I could be on to something here. With all the tracks that ISC is trying to build, with talk of going to Canada, Mexico, and maybe even Europe, with no one seriously thinking about pulling any of Bruton Smith’s tracks off the schedule, NASCAR will soon find itself having to choose between two options to be able to satisfy all the venues. The first option, to increase the number of races during the season, is out of the question. Even though, up to 1971, there were fifty races scheduled in a season, only Richard Petty and a very few others ran in every race. Now with the costs in both time and money to the teams in drivers, it would be impractical to make a longer season--no matter how badly we want it to be year round. The other option would be to split the Cup series into two divisions, which is the idea that's been thrown about for a few years. This is not a good idea for many reasons, among which is that the fans want to see all the top stars race against each other The quality of the racing would deteriorate, because the difference in experience between the top veteran drivers and the field fillers would be so great that there would be very little racing. The problems for sponsors and sponsorship would be pretty obvious. So, although there would be more locations at which to see Cup Series races, and more races in all, it really wouldn't be the same.
My proposal represents a third option, one which I haven't heard anyone else suggest. Some of the tracks that are doubled could give up one of their races--the ones that have the lower attendence figures--and replace it every other year with a venue which doesn't currently have a Cup race. For example, one year, there could be a race at the Milwuakee Mile, rather than the first race at Dover. Maybe one of the races at TMS could be replaced with a race at Kentucky. But make it a rotating schedule, changing every other year.
Speaking of changes, we old time NASCAR fans are notoriously resistant to change. Any change in rules or racecar specs, and we whine like The Gordon, myself included, and have to be dragged kicking and screaming into acceptance. However, being a fan of all kinds of racing--a true speed addict, if you will--it doesn't matter to me if there are Italians, Brazilians, Canadians, or Columbians in NASCAR. This form of racing will remain uniquely American, and the American drivers will remain prevailant, if only because of the unique stock car racing experience. What I'm saying is this--NASCAR, soley because of its nature, and the type of racing it is, will not become like Champ Car, an American open wheel series which features only one American. The international diversity in NASCAR is actually good for the sport and for the fans. We can see how our drivers stack up, face to face, against internationally reknowned drivers. I say "NASCAR, bring 'em in."
By the same token, Toyota is just as much an American company as Daimler Chrysler. More Toyotas are built by Americans than are Fords. Ford will soon be building the majority of their cars in Mexico and Canada, with parts made in Japan. I say bring them in.
Well, I should get around to the preview. I could just point the way to Larry Mcreynolds' or Clance's previews which say pretty much the same things I would say. Tony Stewart, The Gordon, Robby Gordon, Boris Said, and Scott Pruitt are the usual suspects one would expect to see running up front in a Cup Series road-race. Kurt Busch, in the #2 car, is definitely getting the hang of turning right. Kevin Harvick has always done well at Watkins Glen, and we hope to see him up front for most of the race. Ron Fellows, my favorite Canadian, is another road course specialist who should be watched. And, I can't say this enough, never underestimate Denny Hamlin.
Watkins Glen is a faster track than Sears Point, with only eight turns compared to Sonoma's eleven. There is usually more wheel to wheel racing at The Glen, and the race is always exciting. There will be some beatin' and bangin' and there will be some flying tempers.
I can't get enough of it. Tune in your radio to MRN or PRN, mute the TV, and enjoy!

Who cares who won? The racing was great!

First things first. Speaking of Superheroes, racing great Benny Parsons, having been diagnosed with lung cancer--a type of which has a 20% survival rate--showed up for his commentator job at NBC looking and sounding good. I am backing Benny 100% and pulling for him with everything I have, prayers, faith, spirit--anything it takes to help him pull through and beat the odds.
Also, I hope we are all pulling for Bobby Hamilton, who is in the midst of radiation and chemo therapy, and helping us feel positive about his recovery from head and neck cancer by showing up at the track to get back into whatever he is able to do concerning racing. Attitude is 99% of recovery, and Hamilton, another true Superhero, has an excellent attitude.
Congratulations to Jeff Burton on his--correct me if I'm wrong--third pole this season. I have a lot of faith in this man, for he has really given RCR, including his teammates, a step up.
I like IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park)--I refuse to call it O'RP, even if it sounds Irish--and the Busch and Truck races there are always exciting there. The CTS races are normally pretty exciting anyway, but Friday night's race was exceptional. It's a .667-mile oval, and the racing there is reminiscent of the Fair Grounds races of my childhood, except with higher-powered cars. I didn’t matter to me who won, in the end, for both the Busch and the Truck series races were outstanding. I love short track racing, but IRP is really cool.
The Brickyard (Allstate) 400 is another of the best races on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. As I write this, there are less than fifty laps to go in what has been a very good race. But, I have to say it; I'm kinda hoping that Jimmie Johnson doesn't win this one. Matt Kenseth, one of my favorite drivers, and probably the most underrated driver in the field, has been leading, and Igor just passed him. Still, thirty laps is a long way at the big, 2.5-mile squarval. Johnson's final pit stop, under green with 34 laps to go, was flawless, though, and after the green flag pit stops, he continued to lead by 2 seconds. The tension is high. "Come on," I scream. "Somebody catch that man!"
It's what Jimmie Johnson does. With the luck he has, you just can't put a jinx on him. When he has problems early in the race, he just comes back stronger at the finish. You have to admire that.
Earlier in the race Johnson had tire rub problems and fell back in the field. Chad Knaus, his crew chief is a genius, and they fixed the car during the race, and there he is going for his first Indy win.
I feel so sad for Elliott Sadler. This poor guy just can't get a break, unless it's his car that breaks. Very early in the race, that's what happened, and Elliott, one of the best of the best, finishes last. Damn, I hope he gets a better ride next year.
My favorite Frank Zappa look-a-like, Boris Said, also had some bad luck in the first part of the race, and lost the rear end of the car. It was one of those hard crashes where you are just happy to see the driver walk away. Said can be a good driver--he's doing well with a single car team when he can qualify, and with some more experience as an oval driver, he could do well in the future.
I also feel bad for Jeremy Mayfield, another good driver who can't seem to buy good luck. He hasn't officially announced that he is leaving Everham, but it is pretty much a consensus that he will. I hope he gets a better ride next year, too.
Kasey Kahne looked like he could be a winner. He matched Jeff Burton, who led the most laps, pretty well through most of the race. He had a fast car, and the talent, but toward the end, some bad adjustments and bad luck in the pits set him back. On the last lap, he crashed, and did not even finish. It was a hard hit, head on to the wall, and we held our breaths as we waited for Kahne to get out of his car and walk away, which he did. Too bad for the cute little guy--who deserves an Indy win--that he didn't finish.
I would rather have seen Matt Kenseth win, but it's The Brickyard, and whoever wins, deserves it.
The Gordon drove a car with a paint scheme that matches what I think his image makeover should be. Black with a yellow splash on the hood. All he needs is, at least, a black cape, and maybe some shiny black over-the-calf boots. He also needs some better luck, if he is to make the top ten by the cut-off, five races away, for he had some bad mechanical problems throughout the race. I might actually like him better if he goes for the out and out bad guy image.
I was cheering for Dale Earnhardt, Jr, there near the end of the race, even though I knew he was going to lose the lead on old tires, because almost everyone else had a faster car. Still, he pulled out a sixth place finish, which is very good considering his up and down season.
So Jimmie Johnson takes the victory, and I am actually happy for him. Damn! The beer throwers have made it into the Hallowed Halls of the Brickyard. That's sacrilege. Not only is it bad sportsmanship, but also they are throwing The Sacrament on the ground, and profaning a Shrine. They should be banned. Forever. We don't need race fans like that. Simply booing would be just fine.
It's actually cool how Jimmie "Igor" Johnson reacted to the beer throwers. He stopped the car on his victory lap, dropped the checker flag, and got out of the car to retrieve it. It was almost as if he was daring the Infidels to hit him. I like that attitude.
All the other drivers and teams are happy to congratulate Johnson--Tony Stewart's crew even went up to Johnson's to do so, with Zippy Zippadelli, Smoke's crew chief, telling him this was a "special day." The Brickyard is simply awesome.
Even though ninth place in the point’s standings is still a precarious position, I have no doubts that Smoke will make the cut. Next week is Watkins Glenn, a road course, and I will not risk jinxing Stewart by saying anything else here.
I will now go to the "pornolizer" and use it to reread this post and have a good laugh.
"Go, Monkey Woman, Go!"

Formula 1 gets interesting

How to make Formula 1 racing more exciting:
1. Let it Rain
2. Have Kimi Raikonnen lead a few laps
3. Have a first time winner
Formula 1 uses rain tyres (tires are for NASCAR and tyres are for open wheel) and the race goes on during rain, unless the track is flooded, of course. It changes the racing drastically, for the cars are going a little slower and subsequently race better, as in more passing. As the weather and track conditions change, so does pit strategy, as the teams switch between rain, intermediate, and dry condition tyres. The handling characteristics of the cars change depending on which tyres they are using.
It was wet most of the time at the Grand Prix of Hungary this weekend, and it was actually some exciting racing as Formula 1 goes. There was more racing than usual. It may not actually be better racing, because the drivers make a lot of mistakes when they have to pass each other, but it was certainly more exciting.
I don't understand why Kimi Raikonnen hasn't won a championship. He is as good a driver, if not better than, seven time F1 champion Michael Schumacher or current champion Fernando Alonso. Maybe its the kind of luck he has. Like in this race, after leading most of the seventy laps, his suspension broke, with only seventeen laps to go. It always seems to happen--Raikonnen leads the race, but something happens to the car. I hope Dr Z doesn't read this, but could it be the mechanics of the car? Anyway, whenever Kimi leads a race, the racing behind him seems more intense.
Kimi wasn't the only driver to have mechanical problems. F1 whiz kid Fernando Alonso lost a wheel toward the end of the race, and didn't finish. With one lap left in the race, Michael Schumacher experienced instant karma for cutting through a turn, twice, when his steering mechanism broke, while he was running in third place. In the end, the young Englishman, Jenson Button took the victory. It was special--he had started in fourteenth place, and the odd sequence of events during the race brought him to the front. He had a very fast car, and took his career first F1 victory at the Hungaroring circuit.