While the Fortress Burns

Yesterday, our esteemed and hard-working United States House of Representatives to the Congress began investigation the important and economically stimulating issue of championship playoffs for college football. It shouldn't be long now, before they turn their attention to NASCAR. I'm sure Congress will make sure they mold NASCAR into a pastime that is fair, ecologically friendly, and politically correct. The following is some examples of legislation we may expect Congress to pass concerning NASCAR:

All vehicles participating in each event will produce a fuel mileage of no less than 50 miles per gallon.

The top speed of any vehicle participating in each event shall not exceed 55 miles per hour.

Any participant who is female, African-American, Hispanic, Homosexual, or an undocumented immigrant shall be awarded, at the start of any event, a 20 lap lead over any other participants.

For safety purposes, spectators shall be separated from the track by a 200 foot tall, 20 foot thick reinforced concrete wall.

In order to ensure that citizens who earn less than $40,000 per year do not mis-spend their income, the following excise taxes will be levied:

1. On the price of admission to all NASCAR events a 200,000 percent excise tax will be levied.

2. On the price of all souvenirs and collectibles, a 1,000,000 percent excise tax will be levied.

The revenue collected from this tax will be allocated to funds covering a 200 percent salary increase for all members of Congress, thus returning the investment of the taxpayers to the people.

There will be a 100 percent tax on all winnings awarded from each event. Members of Congress and the Executive Branch of the United States Government shall be exempt from this tax. Revenues from this tax will be allocated to the campaign funds of all political candidates who represent the Democratic or Republican parties.

The minimum wage for all pit crew members shall be no less than $500 per hour, or an equivalent salary.

The Federal Income Tax on the wages and salaries of pit crew members shall be levied at 95%, under the "New Millionaires" tax rate.

All vehicles used in NASCAR events shall be converted to operate on wind energy by the year 2013.

I'm sure Congress will do to NASCAR what it thinks is best for every American and undocumented immigrant. The above suggestions should give them a good start.

How Silly is Silly Season?

Dario Franchitti has found himself without a ride. This was something that was predicted by many in the media, but it wasn't entirely because of non-performance. According to Chip Ganassi the costs of running the team without a primary sponsor was too high.

This will undoubtedly generate even more grist for the rumor mill. Certainly, there will be stories about Tony Stewart finding a sponsor and getting a ride in the #40 car. His relationship with Chip Ganassi is well known, as it is Ganassi who has provided Smoke a car for the Indianapolis 500 in the past, when Stewart was doing double duty on Memorial Day weekend.

Stewart is already rumored to be signing with Haas/CNC, where he will be part owner and drive a car for the chronic backmarker, and wave some kind of magic wand that will suddenly make a top forty team a top ten team. While he is doing that, he is also rumored to be driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the number 5 car, since it has been announced that Casey Mears will no longer be driving the car next year. That alone should generate more rumors concerning Mears in the #40 car next year, even if Stewart is supposed to be in that car next year, according to rumor mongers, who have yet to explain how Smoke will be in the #5 car if that is where Mark Martin is supposed to be for 2009.

If Tony Stewart isn't driving the #33 car for Richard Childress next year, that may be the ride for Ryan Newman, who is reportedly unhappy with his Penske South team and is looking for a better offer before he renews his contract. Of course, everybody knows that Newman will be driving for the miserable #77 team for Haas CNC after Tony Stewart buys it and turns it around with his amazing powers. Or, perhaps Newman may want to stay with Dodge and drive the #40 car for Chip Ganassi.

There are those who would argue that Stewart could make a winner out of Haas. They say that he would have a better chance of winning a championship because he wouldn't be competing with Kyle Busch. What would happen to Busch if Stewart was with Haas that would keep him from being competitive is unknown at this time. They say that support for the team from Hendrick Motorsports would provide Haas with better cars. Hendrick is already providing as much support for Haas as they can without violating the four car limit, building their cars and engines. The only way they could do more would be to release Chad Knaus from the #48 team so Stewart could hire him.

Stewart would also need to find other personnel, such as chassis specialists, engine tuners, and car chiefs, since Haas is presently lacking in talent in those areas. Since Haas Industrial Systems sponsors the Haas cars, there may be enough money to get the best talent away from the teams that have it, but that is doubtful, as Stewart is also rumored to be looking for other sponsors.

But wouldn't Chevrolet Racing Division provide a lot of support, as they want Stewart back in their stable so badly they would lay off all the workers left in their North American operations to afford it?
Or maybe they would opt out of their support contracts with Hendrick, DEI, or Childress in order to give Stewart all the support he would need to turn Haas around. They wouldn't be likely to put more money into a new team, as GM has reported a fiscal loss for the third year in a row, and is rumored to be considering the withdrawal of support from NASCAR.

Of course, there is the often forgotten rumor that Stewart may stay with Gibbs to finish his contract through 2009, and then retire. Or he could still sign for three more years with Gibbs, but that is only if he can put up with "that punk Kyle Busch."

Is all this confusing? Of course. Obviously, not all of these rumors can be true, but we would like to think that if Tony Stewart has enough power to turn Haas CNC around, he could also drive for Hendrick, Ganassi, Childress and Gibbs all at the same time.

"Silly Season" has truly earned its name this year.

Really?

Warning: The following has the look and feel of a hoax, and is, at best an unconfirmed rumor. However, if you wish to pass it on, please do. We will be awaiting a call of employment from Sports Illustrated Online, ESPN, The New York Times, or the National Enquirer.

An unnamed source has probably confirmed that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may be considering exercising his option to be released from his contract with Hendrick Motorsports. It may be reported that Richard Childress has possibly offered Earnhardt a seat in the #3 Chevrolet made famous by Earnhardt's late father. This will possibly leave Hendrick open to hire Tony Stewart, who is reported by unnamed sources to be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this year, to drive the #88 car in 2009.

"Well, um," Earnhardt, Jr. may have been reported to have said, " It has, you know, always, well, been a, um, you know, dream, you know, of, well, mine, to, um, carry on, you know, my, well, Dad's, um, name in the same, you know, number car that he, um..."

At that point, the alleged reporter's tape reportedly ran out. Meanwhile Tony Stewart, who, according to unnamed sources, has not confirmed that he will be driving for Joe Gibbs in 2009, has not denied that he will accept the alleged offer from Rick Hendrick.

"We would be very happy to have him (Stewart) on our team," Hendrick could have said. "We might have to train him to be more friendly and open to the press, but we can not deny that his talent would be a great asset to Hendrick Motorsports."

It is not known if Tony Eury, Jr, Earnhardt, Jr.'s cousin and Crew Chief, will be going with Earnhardt to Richard Childress, nor is it known if Stewart's long-time Crew Chief and friend, Greg Zippadelli, will be going with Stewart to HMS.

"I haven't talked to Zippy about it, yet," Stewart is reported to have said, "I want him to be able to concentrate on winning races this year."

Credence can be given to this alleged report by the fact that Tony Stewart has been caught in front of the television cameras talking to Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, and Casey Mears. Also, Dale Earnhardt, Jr has been seen talking to Clint Bowyer of Richard Childress Racing.

According to the unnamed sources, Craftsman Tools could possibly reportedly be the sponsor of Jr.'s #3 car.

"Craftsman has long been associated with NASCAR, and it would be good for us to have them aboard," Richard Childress could possibly say, "But we don't want that stupid pit robot. Look at all the problems it has caused Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, leaving two lug nuts loose on each wheel. They can keep the robot."

It is suspected that if Stewart drives the #88 car for Hendrick in 2009, he will be Amped.

Happy to help!

First, a shout to The Stewart Fan, who has returned from his weekend at Richmond and written a couple of posts about it. It is good to hear from him, because he doesn't post very often, but when he does post, it is usually good reading. Check out his first-hand report from Richmond, and a review on Sprint's FanView gadget.

Now, as a Public Service to angry NASCAR fans, and in anticipation of Saturday night's race at Darlington, Rev'Jim's RantsnRaves presents "cut and paste" comments for your favorite forums or blog comments sections. Two of these may look familiar, because they were loaned to From The Marbles for the always fun "Comment-a-palooza" post.

"(Pick one: Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Biffle) Should have been parked and banned from racing for life for that move!"

"He hasn't won a race all season, and suddenly he wins at Darlington? Give me a break! You say NASCAR isn't fixed?"

"Goodyear Sucks"

"It was better racing before they repaved it."

"It was better racing before the COT"

"It was better racing when they had the Southern 500 at Darlington on Labor Day!"

"It was better racing before Toyota came into the mix!"

"Somebody should have wrecked that M&M's guy before he wrecked somebody else!"

"You know (any driver) didn't put (any driver) into the wall on purpose! Schrub made him do it!"

"That race was booooooooooooring!"

Except for one or two, these comments are generic enough to fit into any situation, no matter who you claim as your favorite driver.

You're welcome.

Uncovering Tom Bowles' "unnamed source"

On Rev'Jim's RantsnRaves, I have never claimed to be reporting news. Anything you read on here is based on my opinion, and that is as likely to come from my heart as it is from my brain. Still, when I mention something in the news, I am careful to attribute it to the source, complete with names. I am not a professional journalist, and I do not get paid for writing, so I hope and assume that people read my work for the purpose of entertainment, and that they find my opinion interesting.

A professional journalist, such as Tom Bowles for Sports Illustrated.com, can apparently present a supposition without naming sources. Last week Bowles published an article asserting that Tony Stewart would be leaving Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of this year to join Haas/CNC as a co-owner-driver, quoting "unnamed sources" so he wouldn't have to present proof. Even after more information came out that Stewart will not be leaving JGR at the end of this year, and that he was looking at several options before he decided what he was going to do after 2009, Bowles went on as if the Haas/CNC contract was already a done deal.

That article got such a wide and frenzied response that Bowles has decided to continue with the "unnamed source" theme, in his Friday "Inside NASCAR" assignment.

But he slipped up and left clues as to his "unnamed source" may be. Please feel free to set your sense of humor lose as I--tongue firmly in cheek--debunk some of the "points" in his article while exposing this source.

Theorem: The "unnamed source" is a fictitious character created from various quotes from various sources, including drivers, fans, crewmembers, and drinking buddies.

The first paragraph of the article begins with a phrase that could be attributed to anybody, fan, driver, etc, who has some connection to the sport, but ends with comments that lead us to believe that the source is likely a driver:

I love going to Richmond. It's a great race for the fans, and it's an enjoyable race for the drivers. It's a good short track; I like the fact that you can get side-by-side there. It's two wide, great racing all the way around, and it's always easy to get beside someone ... although it's really hard to complete the pass. That can be very frustrating, but that's just part of it. I think every track has its challenges; but even though it's great that we can run two-wide at Richmond all the way around, I still wouldn't want to race there every week. Even though I think that running four-wide at Talladega is great, I still wouldn't want to race there every race, either.

A little later, the source claims to have tested at Iowa and says what Rusty did in designing the track to be better than Richmond:

A great race track that I think they did a tremendous job with is the Iowa Speedway. Iowa is a better Richmond, in my mind. It's a little bit bigger, 7/8 of a mile, but it's short enough that you can get in there and you could race. We've been there testing, and I've run the second groove in a test; I know you could run it in a race.

What Rusty did with that race track, they took the best qualities of Richmond and then they fixed the worst qualities. One problem with Richmond ... one reason you get guys stuck side-by-side is turn three, and coming out of two, in particular, it gets so tight over there that the guy on the bottom -- is that the banking falls away so quick you can't complete the pass. When you get stuck side-by-side with someone, it's typically because the guy on the bottom doesn't have enough room to keep his speed. Well, they fixed that in Iowa. In Iowa, you come out of all turns with a little more banking, so you don't get loose, and I think they did a fabulous job with it.

This rules out Joey Lagano, who has raced at Iowa, but hasn't raced at Richmond, while the source has only tested at Iowa Speedway, but has raced at Richmond. Some names who fit that criteria, are Paul Menard, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, Martin Truex, Jr., and Steven Wallace. From the raving about Iowa and Rusty with no apparent prompting, and claiming that Iowa is better than Richmond, the clues are leaning toward Wallace.

"I don't know what Tony Stewart's doing; he hasn't told me yet."

That could be anybody. It is the most truthful statement Bowles has written in two weeks.

This next statement rules out Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and Martin Truex, Jr, because those two, at least, know about the exception when being forced below the line.

Kyle Busch should have been black flagged for his pass below the yellow line at Talladega. To me, it's a black and white rule. There's a very bright line going on the bottom of the race track, and if you pass somebody under it, it's very obvious that you did. NASCAR had said on many occasions that, "Gentlemen, this is a black and white rule. There is no gray area. There is no interpretation. If you go below the yellow line, you will be black flagged."

And, judging by the next statement, the "source" is apparently immature and has a predisposition against Kyle Busch, and seems to be making excuses for his own frequent wrecking:

And another thing; the only reason Kyle Busch hated Talladega [before Sunday] was because he wasn't any good. The only reason he hated it was because he always wrecked!

That comment could have just as well come from someone who has never raced in NASCAR. Add the next statement, which is something no driver who gets on the track wanting to compete with other drivers, would say about another driver, outside of a post incident "heat of the moment" rant.

Robby Gordon's going to be out of control at Richmond. It's really difficult to race around him. He's a great person off the race track, but he clearly loses his head when he gets in the race car. He's just a pain in the ass

That is one person's opinion. That person also claims that the Big One is no fault of Talladega, because people crash at every track. That leads us back to thinking the source is either Paul Menard or Steven Wallace, who crash at every track.

In order to narrow the identity of the "source" a little better, we should look at Wallace's post-race comments from Friday and compare them with the previous comments about other drivers:

"He’s just a little girl about it," Wallace continued. "I don’t know. I think it’s pretty bad when they call driver introductions and everybody in the grandstand boos you. He’s a sore loser."

If you noticed a similarity in the attitude, you are not alone.
But still, there is nothing conclusive here. The "source" could be a conglomerate of many people, or it could be Bowles' alternate personality. It could be Steve Wallace, or it could be Lauren Wallace, who is a fictitious character played by an actor.

I am tending toward Lauren.

Silly stuff

The story goes that Dale Earnhardt's widow was so angered by the attempted takeover of her corporation by her stepchildren, Dale Jr. and Kelly, that she attempted to bring her company to ruin by sabotaging the engines in Dale Jr's racecars so they would fail whenever he came close to winning a race.
Now, it seems that her devious ways have come back to haunt her, as the engine in Martin Truex, Jr's car blew up while he was in contention for at least a top five finish in last Sunday's Samsung 500. Perhaps she forgot to undo all the damage she caused?
Personally, I don't think she is capable of that. She is a former Miss Winston, and her sole purpose in life is to smile and look pretty. In short, she is a born and bred bimbo. That is why Max Seigel is running the business.

Picking on Martinsville

I am terrible at fantasy games. Even if I had been able to participate--I had no web access for several months--for the full season, my points would probably still be in the backmarker section. I have often wondered why, and that wondering has led me to believe that by picking drivers to win I have jinxed them.
Last year, I quit mentioning Matt Kenseth in my picks, because every time I picked him he ran into terrible luck. I didn't learn my lesson. At the beginning of the Chase this year, I picked him to be a possible Dark Horse winner, and look what has happened to him. I won't even mention the name of my favorite driver in this post.
I will base my picks on the assumption that I do jinx the drivers I pick, and on posts such as this one I found while surfing the forums (From Yahoo Answers, posted by "chritopher1"

Jeff Gordon is the best nascar racer of all time bar none.?
Petty no way his wins don’t matter cause they are inflated and had no competition...Dale sr. was born poor and made it to racing...that don’t make him the greatest driver. His 7 championship either...let him try and win one of the new cup championship...Dale is lucky the 24 wasn’t racing in 86 as well cause then he would never had one championship. beside Jeff Gordon has past Dale in wins in some 300 less races...the 24 would be capturing his 6th title this year if they didn’t try this stupid chase thing.. he would have a 500 pt lead over second even with his 100 pt penalty this year....I know you old heads want to kiss Dale’s feet but please let the man rip...in 3rd place all time...the 24 is the tiger woods of Nascar...and has just as big of a heart as Dale and his brat of a son ever had....24 to the front got another pole today...i know I’m right and i doubt that the uneducated non enunciating Dale SR and JR fan can read this. The 24 could win in any of years past championship the old timers are the ones who couldn’t win today

Now, you can't get any better information than that on who is going to win the race. Jeff Gordon is obviously the Best Racer Ever. Jeff Gordon is so good, that he will win even if his brakes fail and he wrecks his car. Jeff Gordon will be the only car on the track at the finish line, because everybody else will have wrecked trying to beat him. Jeff Gordon is so good, he shouldn't even have to run the race to win. There is no way that anybody is going to beat him, so they should all quit racing now, and go on from the "Drive for Five" to "Six for the Pricks" As the greatest racer ever, and forever more, nobody can come close to beating Jeff Gordon at Martinsville or any other track.
There, you heard it, I'm picking The Gordon to win everything.
Now, let's see how this jinx thing works.

Talladega pictures you didn't see

Jr. loses yet another engine. The Chevy RO7 engine is the best reason for Joe Gibbs Racing to switch to Toyota.


Tony Stewart's erratic driving during the race alarmed and puzzled many fans. Here he can be seen leading the field while driving in reverse gear.


Darth Gordon celebrates his surprise victory.
Jimmieeeee, I am your Father

The 'Dega Factor

Notice: The author of this blog is undergoing a fit of snarkiness. Please take everything written here with a grain of salt.


We all love mysteries. The best kind of mystery is the one that has so many twists, subplots, and surprises that it keeps us guessing until the very last page.
We'll set this mystery at the site of an old Indian burial ground in Alabama. Strong forces are at work. But are they physical forces, or a Spiritual force that defies all physical explanation?
The main characters number forty-three, with another forty-three supporting characters. At least seven of these eighty-six are villains, with more evil lurking in the background. There are over a hundred thousand minor characters who all figure into this mystery.
The name of the place is Talladega, a 2.66 mile D-shaped oval. Twelve out of the forty-three heros all quest for one object--the coveted Nextel Cup, the last one in the future history of mankind. Only one may capture it.
But that moment of capture is far off, for first an icon called the Checkered Flag must be collected. If it isn't, it is important to each of the Chasers, as those on the quest are known, to finish in front of the other eleven. And, there are thirty-one additional heros questing for the Checkered Flag.
The most popular, by far, of the thirty-one non-Chasers, is The Golden Child, Dale Earnhardt Jr. His following is multitudnous--fanatical worshippers who would throw a beer can through the windshield of a competitor, possibly causing serious injury or death at 190+ miles per hour, rather than seeing their hero lose. Dale, Jr. himself is a humble man, and a very talented driver, warranting much of the accolades heaped upon him by the rowdy multitudes. He can do no wrong in their eyes, even when he admits it and apologizes for it. If he runs into mishap, his fans say, it is because those close to him are out to stab him in the back. There have been claims that Junior's second cousin, Tony Eurey, Jr, is not really related to him, and that he is only going to Hendrick so he can sabotage Jr.'s car and spy on HMS for the Evil Teresa. So Talladega will be Tony Eurey, Jr's last chance to destroy Jr's car before he leaves DEI. Meanwhile, the Evil Teresa may not be done yet. She has been known to put miniature explosive devices in Jr's engines to make them fail with six laps to go in a race. But none of that should matter, because rookie Jaques Villeneuve is going to wreck the entire field by lap 182. Or will he?
With all the positive Spiritual energy emitted by the Jr Nation, as The Golden Child's following is called, Dale Earnhardt, Jr may prevail, escaping all the traps and pit falls being laid for him. This is the type of quest at which he is best.
There will be others who want to achieve that goal. The mean and nasty Tony Stewart--who has been known to take out the entire field just to be mean and nasty--posted the top speed at both practices. He is determined to win, even if it means taking out his best friend.
The evil Kyle Busch will be out for revenge, because The Golden Child accidently took him out of the running for the Cup, or so it seems. He may be driven to take out Junior, especially if he goes down a lap, for he will have nothing to lose.
Then there is the greatest Villain of all, The Gordon, and his non-identical clone JJ (Jeff Junior, aka Jimmie "Unibrow" Johnson.) They make up their own rules as they go through a race, with the blessings of the Gods, Mike Helton and John Darby, and the Devil Hinself, Brian France. One of the two is favored to win, not just the Checkered Flag, but the Holy Cup itself. We don't know which one, but since they are clones, it doesn't matter.
We honestly don't know what will happen. We will just have to wait for the last page on Sunday.

Our sensors are reading an anomaly

After around forty-five laps in the race, the ESPN on ABC race coverage broke for a commercial. I went to use the facilities, and, when I returned, the pre-race show was on. The drivers were just going to the introductions, and then there was a caution on lap 54. My question is, did this happen on everybody's television, or have I really gone nuts? As one who has spent a lifetime studying and experimenting with the Spiritual side of existence, I understand that, in the realms of Spiritual consciousness, there is no such thing as linear time. I wonder, have I transcended into that reality?
Cawsnjaws, an off-beat NASCAR blog, presents excellent stats on the coverage/advertising ratio of the broadcasts. There may be some sort of explanation there. For now, I will proceed as if I have, indeed, left the physical plane, and there is no such thing as linear time, so this post may be difficult for some to read.
The best interview during the race was the one with Jeff Green, after the "Big One," with fourteen laps to go. Green explained that there were many different races going on, which most fans realize, but don't really pay much attention to. We should appreciate his composure, his sportsmanship, and his reluctance to place blame on any single driver or incident. The Green interview was probably the most rational part of the entire broadcast. A close second was the interview following the Big One, during the red flag period, between Rusty Wallace and Carl Edwards. Rusty asked Carl if he was concerned about the tires, with all the debris on the track, and if he would pit to get new tires. Carl started to answer, then, realizing who he was talking to, asked with genuine curiosity and respect, "What would you do?"
I liked that.
The Monster Mile had claws and teeth, Sunday. There were thirteen or fourteen cautions and over 66 caution laps. During the last half of the race, there were as few as seven cars on the lead lap. The separation between the cars that were running well and the cars that weren't was huge and well-defined. The Monster didn't care who was running well and who wasn't--attrition came indiscriminately. Most notable was Denny Hamlin, who got himself into trouble several times, ultimately destroying his car and moving himself to the tail end of the top twelve in points. Kyle Petty, angry because he was one of Hamlin's victims, suggested that considering Hamlin's illness, he shouldn't have tried to race both the Busch and the Cup series. By putting himself through such a grueling test, Kyle said, he had "lost his focus."
Petty, always rational, was probably right, which makes NASCAR From The Bleachers right, and me wrong. Until somebody tells me that ABC's temporal glitch happened on their TV as well as mine, I will maintain that I am irrational anyway.
Matt Kenseth had a good car that allowed him to race Denny Hamlin for the lead, early in the race. When Denny started having problems, it looked as though Kenseth had the car to beat. Electrical problems threatened, but Kenseth ran well for most of the race. Then, toward the end of the race, the engine expired. Teresa Earnhardt, the one who exists in the fantasies of Junior Fanatics--not you, Antonette, the real "out there" fanatics--apparently thought she could give her favorite driver, Martin Truex, Jr., an edge by sabotaging the other Chasers, because the problem was--all together now--a BENT VALVE. Truex, however, was one of the twelve drivers involved in the Big One, and his car quickly disintegrated after that.
So, Evil--not the real one--Teresa's plot was foiled, much to the delight of the foil-hatted ones.
Jr., himself ran well, and I once again became appreciative of his ability to handle a car that was less than perfect.
Did you know that I've been labeled a "Jr. Basher," in the That's Racin'.com forums? Apparently, you're not supposed to start a sentence with "If he doesn't win," when referring to the move to Hendrick Motorsports.
So, for those who don't believe that I believe in Jr, I will write this:

If the magical power of HMS is great enough to turn less-than-mediocre drivers, like Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, into champions, think what it can do with Dale Earnhardt, Jr, the greatest driver in all the many Universes. In fact, Jr. will be so good that NASCAR will make a new rule that says that once a car is twenty laps ahead of all the others, every lap until the end of the race will be counted as a victory. Therefore, it won't just be thirty-six Cup races Jr. wins next year, he'll be awarded with 112 victories, the most ever in one season. And, he won't ever have to worry about sponsorship again, because he'll be sponsored by God.

That should make up for my version of ABC's commercial interruptions.
I was pleased to hear the comparison of the Busch Series and the Cup Series to the American and National leagues in baseball, rather than the minor and major leagues. I've been implying that comparison for some time now, except I didn't put it that way because I don't watch much baseball. I like the Colorado Rockies, so I'm not a baseball fan.
Anyway, back to the race. It was a thrill to watch Mark Martin racing for the lead--it always is, because his racing style is so unique. It was also interesting to see "Bad Luck" Biffle do so well. Can he finally put that bad luck behind him? A good racing Biff makes for good racing.
After all the smoke cleared, Smoke, who had been running most of the race around p-20 and a lap down, finished in the top ten. That's what patience can do for my favorite driver. Tony Stewart used every bit of his skill to thread through the wreckage of lap 386, and it paid off. Friday, he had stated that his goal in this race would be to close the gap between his points and those of the championship leader. Now, in second place, three points behind Jeff Gordon, we can say he met that goal.
After Carl Edwards scored a 9.8 out of a perfect ten on his Victory Backflip, I must admit that the race was, overall, pretty good. I just wish somebody could figure out a better way to cover it on television.

Happy Easter...

From the Easter Cat. I don't have a bunny, but I do have a hare-lipped cat who could substitute if I altered the picture a little...

Damage Control

I have to apologize for a statement I made in an earlier post. I referred to Tony Stewart as being "articulate." Clearly, I wasn't thinking, because by calling Stewart "articulate," I was implying that all of the other NASCAR drivers are inarticulate. That is far from what I meant, because I listen to a lot of race car drivers, and most of them do express themselves very well. Many of them are much better at speaking than I am. They talk gooder English than me. Before I dig myself in any deeper, I'll just have to say I've learned my lesson, and I'll never again make the mistake of calling a race car driver articulate.

One season ends, another begins!

The game that has become known as "The Daytona 500 of Professional Football," the NFL Championship game, is over. That means the football season is officially over, and the official start of the NASCAR racing season begins in less than two weeks.
There really is more contrast than comparison between the NFL Championship game and the Daytona 500. The football game is at the end of the season, and crowns a champion, while the 500 begins the season, and gives a peek at things to come.
But the prestige of both events is real. A true football fan can tell you every Super Bowl winner since it began in 1964, and a true race fan can tell you the winner of every Daytona 500 race since 1959. The thing is that while the NFL Championship game is between two of the best teams in the NFL, the 500 crowns a race champion out of forty-three of the best race drivers in the world, and all forty-three are in the same field of battle at the same time. The prestige of being a Daytona 500 winner is every bit as great as the prestige of being the season champion, either in football or racing.
Blame it on tradition.
Still, we have to give football a pat on the back for a few things about the Super Bowl. Prince's half-time show broke a long hiatus for public performance by the musician/singer, and it was truly an awesome show. Prince seemed to be able to fit more music into eight minutes than any Super Bowl half-time performer I remember. And the Bud Light commercials were as good as always, including one featuring politically incorrect comedian Carlos Mencia teaching illegal immigrants just enough English to ask for a Bud Light in a manner stereotypical to their race. Hilarious. Blockbuster took favorite commercial honors this year with an advertisement for Blockbuster on-line which featured an unclickable, and unfortunate, mouse.
So, in tribute to The Daytona 500 of Professional Football, I present this picture of the closest I will ever get to the Super Bowl.

If Brian Vickers Raced Bicycles...

Okay, not to pick on the guy, but I just couldn't resist. This isn't how I feel about Vickers, whom I think is an underrated driver, but this does go along with the perception that many people have of the kid since Talladega:

Please click here if you can't see the video.

Where in Hell Am I?

I ran across this while surfing, and thought it might be fun.

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to the First Level of Hell - Limbo!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very High
Level 2 (Lustful)	High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante Inferno Hell Test