If you paid close attention to what King Brian said about his tenure as Emperor of All Things NA$CAR, you noticed he didn’t actually deny he was being replaced. He said he expects to be around for years to come. If this is the case, why are France family members telling their friends that he’s on his way out? Is he the only one who hasn’t been let in on the secret or is it like the old thing of “He who laughs last didn’t understand the joke”?
Jules the Engine Guy brought up an interesting question about the rumors of the pending sale of NA$CAR which is circulating and also being denied by His Majesty. Could it be that this sale story is tied into the Kentucky Lawsuit as some sort of ploy on the part of the France family? Could it be they’re testing the waters just in case the judgment goes against them and they do have to sell off the NA$CAR part of the France family businesses?
I’ve been reading a few articles and checking around the net about the reactions to the buying of Loudon by Bruton and the concerns of the fans in the Northeast. They are genuinely worried that Bruton will pull a “North Wilkesboro” on them and transfer the dates to Sears Point and Las Vegas. I can’t blame them for feeling that way either. Bruton’s already established a track record of buying tracks, shutting them down and moving dates, so their fears are justified. Plus his comments about race dates being safe are almost as trustworthy as those of His Royal Highness on the same subject. Look for at least one date to shift in 2009 to Lost Wages.
Here is something that has gone back and forth with us race fans regarding showing the proper respect to the flag and the National Anthem:www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/
As you can see, it is a law, not just a custom or tradition that’s been handed down.
For those who have been reading my ramblings for a while will recall that I said that ratings and attendance would decline with the takeover by His Royal Highness and the advent of the Chase for the Chumps. Some folks laughed and said I was wrong. Well, I may have been wrong initially, but I was looking at the long haul and it appears that I’m right. And if you’ve been paying attention to what folks are writing and saying now, it’s like deja vu all over again. Things I wrote about 2-4 years ago are now being resurrected. Things I wrote about earlier this year are finding their way into a lot of different articles and opinions about what’s going on now. I’m not Nostradamus folks, but if I saw these problems coming and I know a lot of other race fans saw them coming, why didn’t the folks down in Daytona see them coming?
While the usual NA$CAR mouthpieces are still busy saying that the Chase for the Chumps is still the greatest thing since sliced bread and bubble gum trying to do some damage control since ratings and attendance has been off, they’re still defending the COT/POS as the next great innovation and keep saying it‘s not an IROC car. But around Lap 100 at Phoenix, Jeff Burton summed up the COT/POS in three simple words on his radio. “The COT sucks”. Burton’s a seasoned enough veteran to be able to make a call like that, so if he thinks it’s bad, along with a lot of other drivers, owners, and fans, then why do these folks keep saying it’s great? Thanks Terry.
And in light of the performance not living up to the hype with the Car of Tedium, as Monte Dutton called it, Badyear is back to the drawing board hoping to come up with a tire compound that might actually turn this “sow’s ear into a silk purse”. Good luck fellows. I guess you’ll be missing Christmas, New Years, and President’s Day with the families.
One of the more interesting bits I read about was the Old School Racing Champions Tour. I looked through the roster of drivers they have and there are a lot of very familiar names and a few who are near and dear to my heart. The cars are being built right now and the race schedule is up also. You can check it all out at: www.osrct.com/index.htm Go Dick Trickle!
For you folks who enjoy road course racing or the ARCA Series, ARCA has added a road course race to their schedule at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville New Jersey on Sept 28th. Now why would I plug ARCA? Because they still run on dirt, concrete, and asphalt like the old days whereas the Cup guys are strictly running on paved tracks. Here’s the link for the track: www.njmotorsportspark.com/index.html and here’s the announcement from ARCA: www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5922/2/
And for all you race fans who haven’t made your plans yet for next season, be sure to add Rockingham Raceway Park to your schedule for the ARCA RE/MAX Series on May 4th with the inaugural Carolina 500 for the ARCA Series and also the season-ending Hooter’s Pro Cup event on November 1st. Yes folks, The Rock is officially back. Check out the ticket prices for the events: www.rockinghamracewaypark.com/ Looks like a good deal to me and for any fan who ever attended or watched a race there knows how great a track it is. So be a part of history and be there for the return of racing to this historic speedway. If it wasn’t for The Rock, NA$CAR would’ve folded back in 1965.
We’ve got primaries approaching in several states and we’ve got politicians who have made their campaign headquarters in the local waffle house because of the way they keep waffling on various issues and we’ve got another who has violated at least one Federal law on several occasions. Check these candidates out closely because these are the people who you will be voting for. See how they stand on the issues that are near and dear to you whether it’s Immigration, National Security, Social Security, healthcare, childcare, education, and others and decide if these candidates are the ones you want running our nation for 4 years. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson to reflect the changes in voting rights, “ All free citizens of full age and sane mind shall have a right to vote for delegates. They shall give their votes personally, and viva voce.” So let your voices and votes be heard.
I want to welcome Jimmy back to the USA and
hope that his next military assignment is a much
more pleasant one than the one you just came
back from. And I want to thank the USO for
boldly going where a lot of politicians and media
folks won’t go to help entertain out troops and
bring them a little something of home no matter
where they serve.
I also want to send out a few prayers for Sue
from Senoia and wish her a speedy recovery from
the accident she had during the Atlanta race
weekend and also to Bill & Vickie over the loss
of their daughter to cancer.
While you may or may not support the actions of our President overseas, don’t hold it against the troops. You can show them some support by going to www.adoptaussoldier.org/ and adopting a soldier. This can be done by individuals or by groups. Having been a single service member away from home during the holidays, I can tell you that I wish something like this was around back in the day.
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Motherhood, Apple Pie, & John Wayne
Mad Mikie, Curmudgeon at Large
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Well folks, the season which will be remembered more for the action off the track than on is finally over. Under the Chase for the Chumps format, Jimmie Johnson is the 2007 Chump. Under the old system, Jeff Gordon would be the Chump. But not to worry, Jeff will be on stage in NYC with Jimmie since Jeff is the listed car owner.
Congratulations to Matt Kenseth on his win at Homestead. This makes 4 years in a row that Roush Racing has won the Homestead race.
Or if you prefer, it’s the first win by Roush-Fenway Racing there. I was sort of hoping for 4 in a row by Greg Biffle there, but it wasn't to be.
