Tony in Texas

Photo Credit:
PRESSWIRE Copyright © 2006 Mark J. Rebilas
For more photos, please visit That's Racin' slideshow

Texas Review

Tony "Smoke" Stewart is definitely on a roll. Wearing the complimentary ten gallon hat awarded to the victor at Texas Motor Speedway, he looked as if he was about to tell Rowdy Yates, "Let's head 'em off at the pass!"
Indeed, heading 'em off at the pass is exactly what Smoke did to win his second consecutive Cup race and his third in the last eight races. He made it look easy, dominating the race and leading all but thirty or so laps. His lead was challenged by Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson, but Kahne's car blew an engine, and Johnson wisely decided not to risk losing his points lead by pressing the issue. Stewart has now scored more driver's points during the Chase for the Championship than any of the ten Championship contenders. Eleventh place is the highest points position Smoke can hope for, but he is doing what he said he would do--winning as many races as he can. "I finally won a race at a track where Jeff Gordon hasn't won, yet," he said in a post race interview.
"We just got a late start (in getting a successful program)," he told the hosts of Speed TV's NASCAR Victory Lane. He is having a great time racing without the pressure of trying to win the championship.

A Matt Kenseth fan called the Speed TV program Wind Tunnel With Dave Despain and remarked, "(Kenseth) started the race like a sack of fertilizer and finished it smelling like a rose."
Of course, that type of performance is what the #17 team does. It seems as though Kenseth's crew chief, Robbie Reiser, cannot seem to bring a car that is good off the hauler, but, by the end of the race, Matt can finish in a high enough position to keep himself well within contention for the championship. This is where David Pearson, I mean Matt Kenseth, is consistant, and this is why I truley believe that he will be the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion. As it stands now, he is only fourteen points out of the lead.

Not that Jimmie Johnson doesn't deserve to win the Championship. Though he is not among my top ten favorite drivers, his talent and ability, and the talent and ability of the entire #48 team, must be a cause for celebation if he takes the Cup. As close as he has come to the ultimate prize, finishing outside the top three in points only once in his career, he does deserve it. It should be exciting to watch the points battle between Johnson and Kenseth over the course of the final two races of the season. Kenseth should re-attain the points lead at Phoenix, and Johnson should be better at Homestead. But then, much of that scenario depends on luck.

There are three other drivers who are still strong contenders for the Cup; Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Any of those three drivers could still take the points lead, if they finish far enough ahead of both Johnson and Kenseth. The lack of points security is best illustrated by the fact that Jeff Burton, who held the points lead four weeks ago, has fallen, due to bad luck, to a point to where he is out of reasonable contention. Anything can happen, and we don't know what will happen until it does happen.

This blog does not make a practice of commenting on infractions until NASCAR has completed its investigation, and penalties have been assessed. I will say one thing; what happens on the track, if it is a racing incident, should be resolved by the drivers involved. No crew member should risk getting his or her team sanctioned by getting involved in an altercation with another team that does not involve a driver or drivers. Scott Riggs got spun by Kevin Harvick, late in a race in which he was performing very well. He was not involved in the altercation which allegedly took place after the race, but he will probably recieve sanctions from NASCAR due to the irresponsible and immature alleged actions of one or more members of his crew, in a confrontation with Kevlena, that is, Kevin and Dalana Harvick. If anything was to have been said, it should have been only between the two drivers. Enough said for now.

Thanks, Terry

Photo courtesy of Babs at Mattit.
Terry Labonte ended his long and fruitful NASCAR Cup career Sunday, at the end of the race at Texas Motor Speedway. While his swan song wasn't as memorable as Michael Schumacher's, his career was. Twenty-two years ago, at the age of 28, he became the youngest NASCAR Cup champion at the time. His first victory at the Cup level was at the now discontinued Southern 500, and, fittingly, his last victory was at the 2004 final running of the Southern 500, at Darlington. He was truly a class act among the Cup drivers, cool and even tempered, earning the name "The Ice-Man." Texas Terry, as he is known, won his second championship in 1998, in a close points race with teammate Jeff Gordon. He is ranked 24th on the all-time NASCAR total wins list, but ranks eighth among all drivers in top-ten finishes. He also holds the record for most races started.
There is, at the very least, a feeling of melancholy whenever one of our racing icons retires. Every driver is a hero; living for the sensation of speed and fierce competition. Those of us who have been following NASCAR for a long time have seen a lot of our favorites ride off into the sunset. In the end, all we can do is tell our retiring heros, "Thanks for everything you have done for the fans."


Errata--A correction
The news item I used for reference when I posted my take on the Robby Gordon sanctions led me to believe that Robby had been fined $15,000 as a driver and $15,000 as an owner. After all, the article read that he recieved a "$15,000 fine and penalized fifty driver's points...and...a $15,000 fine and penalzed fifty owner's points."
That led me to believe that he had been fined $15,000 twice--as an owner and as a driver. That was not the case. In fact, the errant driver was fined only $15,000, and his crew chief was fined $10,000. My apologies for any misunderstandings. My error emphasizes my point, when I caution the reader to not place bets on what I post.

"T" For Texas

Disclaimer: The following is not intended to denegrate or in any way to make fun of Texas or Texans. It is written in such a way to emulate and pay tribute to the beautful and wonderful Texas drawl, with inspiration drawn from the late, great Waylon Jennings, King of the Hill, and my little sister. Please take it as a compliment, and please don't shoot me for trying.

Tell yew what--ah'm lookin' forward to the big race in Teyaxas this Sunday comin'. Yawl know that thar's goin' to be some real big Teyaxas action. T for Teyaxas, T for Terry. Teyaxas Terry Labonte. He'll be retarrin' from racin' after Sunday, but ah b'lieve he'll give us one ha-ell of a show. Tell yew what! Eyup!
Teyaxas Motor Speedway is sorta lack thuh one in Atlanta, but it ain't thuh same. Thar's a transition 'tween thuh fav percaint bankin' on thuh straitches and thuh twenty-fawr percaint bankin' on thuh tarns that's big as Teyaxas. Jus' axe Jeff Gordon. He don't lack thuh track none a'tall. Don't matter no ways, he's from Caly-forny.
Tell yew what--that thar Kasey Kahne is durn good at Teyaxas. Not that he's in containtshun for thuh champeenship any more, but that ain't gonna stop him from tryin' to win. If thuh boy has a good car, and if he has good luck, he could runna way with thuh race.
Then thar's good ol' Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He's got a durn fair shot at bein' thuh champeen, and Teyaxas is wahr he dun got his first win. He should be doin' somethin' rat good Sunday. Eyup!
Don't fergit 'bout mah boy Denny Hamlin. He lacks our good ol' track in Teyaxas. Shore as shootin', he's durn good, and he's got a whole mess of confidence, now that he is on his good tracks. Ah'm pickin' Hamlin to be thuh winner, come Sunday, if good ol' Teyaxas Terry don't take it.
Tell yew what, Matt Kenseth can do 'bout anything on any track. Yawl know that the #17 team is durn good.
Mah money is on that he'll do everything he can to keep his points lead.
Ah think Kyle Busch can just 'bout hang it up. If he does good, things go bad for him. It's just been a bunch of gawdurn bad luck fer him
Ah seem to be repeatin' mahself week after week, whenever ah talk 'bout thuh Chasers, so, for now, ah'll skip thuh rest of thuh top teyen, and talk 'bout some of thuh other drivers who'll be doin' good.
T for Teyaxas, T for Tony Stewart. Tell yew what, that ol' boy can wheel a car anywhere. Thuh transition 'tween thuh straights and thuh tarns ain't gonna bother him none, and wahr it's needed most, Ol' Smoke can just stick that car to thuh bottom of thuh track lack no other. And TMS is wahr that's needed most.
Bobby Labonte, Teyaxas Terry's brother, is workin' perty durn hard to bring Petty Racin' Enterprises back to the glory of old. He just keeps gettin' better and better at doin' that. Ah think he could at least take another top five finish in Teyaxas.
Tell yew what--Greg Biffle has always done good at TMS. Three yars ago, he pract'ly owned that thar track. Ah reckon it's 'bout time his gawdurned bad luck run out and his good luck start. His crew chief, Doug Richert, shor knows how to set up a car for that track. Ah wouldn't be too durn dissappointed if he wahr to win thuh race.
Ah'm still tickled plenty 'bout thuh retarn of Ward Burton to racin'. He's a good ol' boy from Virginia, who can drive a race car perty durn good. He will be tryin' to bring thuh #4 Morgan-McClure team back to thuh success it had in thuh good ol' days.
In eight yars, thar have been 'leven different winners at TMS. That just goes to show yew how tough a 1.5-mile oval can be, 'specially if'n it's in Teyaxas. Thuh winner, 'sides gettin' a few bucks, gets a pair of real shootin' arens. Of course, tha'r loaded with blanks, so thuh winner won't pull a Dick Cheney while celebratin' a victory.
Tell yew what--to get the entar effect of watchin' the race, get some good Teyaxas barbeque to eat durin' the event. If'n yew live in Teyaxas, or are goin' to thuh track, stop by Angelo's, if it's still thar (it was last time Ah checked, but that was some time ago). Teyaxas has thuh best barbeque in thuh world, and Angelo's is thuh best barbeque in Teyaxas. It's rat near the track, too, located somewhars in Fawt Worth.
If'n yew cain't get genuwine Teyaxas barbeque, yawl can make some good Teyaxas style chili con carny in
yawl's very own home. Brown two or three pounds of groun' beef, drain thuh grease, if'n yew have a hankerin' to do so, and mix thuh meat with 'bout a third a jar of red chili powder. Add, 'bout a palmful of cumin--be sure to crush thuh seeds--a clove of garlic, minced, and one medium size onion, chopped fine to medium. Toss it into a stew pot with 'bout two quarts of water, bring to a boil, then lower thuh temperature and simmer, covered, for 'bout two hours. Stir occassionally, and add water when necessary. Don't be afeared to expeer'ment--Ah lack to add a few dashes of Louisianna Hot Sauce, or somethin' lack that. Even a litter bit of steak sauce can be yer own secret ingredient. Once, Ah accidently dropped some seegar ashes in thuh pot, and it added some durn good flavor. Tell yew what--REAL CHILI AIN'T GOT NO BEANS. Double thuh recipe fur two people, triple fur three, and so on.
Eyup.
Yawl should have plenty of good ta-kill-ya and Lone Star Beer on hand, 'specially if'n yer watchin' thuh race on tee-vee. DRINK RESPONSIBLY IF YOU DRIVE, AND DRIVE RESPONSIBLY IF YOU DRINK. Yaw'l might wanna load the CD player with plenty of Waylon, and put thuh tee-vee on "mute." Waylon was thuh best singer/songwriter ever, even if yew don't have much hankerin' for country or western music.
Eyup.
And, oh yeah, GO COWBOYS!

Don't do The Crime, Etc.

Oh, no, not Robby! He really did it this time. His actions at Atlanta last week--throwing foam roll bar padding out of his car, to bring out a caution, and a lucky dog pass for him--are unforgiveable. There is a difference between a misjudgement in driving--such as that at Daytona in 2001, which caused a very scary wreck between Ward Burton, Tony Stewart, and Bobby Labonte, or the one in New Hampshire in 2004 which took Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield out of championship contention--and intentionally creating a situation to change the outcome of the race. Not only did he change the outcome of the race, but he meddled with the standings, and interfered with Jeff Burton, who was racing his way to gain a lap when the caution flag flew. This is outright cheating in the worst way, and though I was able to forgive him for the driving errors, The caution-for-debris issue is way too dishonest to forgive.
It isn't that I don't like Robby Gordon. I consider him one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR today. Some of my readers might remember this item I posted early in the season. However, I feel that the penalty--two $15,000 fines, 50 driver's points and 50 owner's points, plus probation for the remainder of the calander year--is not stiff enough. NASCAR has, in the past, ended drivers' careers for lesser violations--for example Curtis Turner, the Dale Earnhardt, Jr of his time in popularity, was banned from NASCAR for trying to unionize the drivers. I'm not advocating that. I don't believe NASCAR should end a driver's career unless in the case of substance abuse policy violations. In my opinion, he should have been suspended for at least one race, and his top ten finish at Atlanta revoked, because his blatent cheating resulted directly in that finish. A driver of Gordon's talant should be held accountable for such actions.
Robby Gordon has said he will appeal the penalty on the grounds that it is too harsh. He really should just accept it and count his blessings that the penalty wasn't more appropriate for his actions. The appeals board could, he should realize, impose a harsher penalty, rather than reducing the one that was handed him by NASCAR.

For Amazement and Amusement

A video showing proper(?) 4-wheeling technique :

Watching Nothing

I watched over three and a half hours of nothing on television last night, and was fascinated by it. As a Halloween special presentation, Sci-Fi Channel broadcast a live supernatural investigation of the Stanley Hotel on the program, Ghost Hunters. I watched much of it, until about 1:30 AM Mountain Standard Time, when I felt it necessary to hit the sack.
The show did have its moments--enough to keep me somewhat enraptured--such as some strange sounds they recorded that sounded like laughter and the murmering of a crowd. And, yes, I think I did see some unexplained shadow movement that was caught on camera. I am looking forward to seeing the debunking segment of the investigation, if it is aired at a later date.
There were also many good ghost stories, for the Stanley Hotel, the building that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining, has a rich history of hauntings and ghost sightings. But the disadvantage of doing the investigation on live television became apparent when crank callers rang the phone to one of the rooms in which the investigators were gathering information. Entertaining, yes, cool, no. Also, much of the program was of the investigators hunting "cold spots," which became tedious as the night wore on. Still, it was good enough for me to keep watching for as long as I did.
I am not a regular viewer of the popular program, but I do watch it occasionally. I am as interested in the paranormal as anyone is, and I have some personal experiences that I keep to myself for my own reasons and reference. There is a reason that the show is popular, but I think that the live presentation may have been a bit too much. It is just another example of why NBC is going broke.