Watching the brief glimpses of testing at Daytona reveals one very definite need for a complete repaving of that super fast and dangerous track. The track was last repaved in 1979 and is, as we said on the farm, rough as a cob. (I’ve used corn cobs in the ole outhouse in my youth so I know of what I speak.) Here’s the deal. The track rakes in the millions of dollars and it isn’t fair to the teams who spend millions to race to be subjected to the deadly potential of those bumps and sways. We’ve always expected the Big One at Daytona and Talladega but the roughness of the track ensure a Really Big One this time.
Another big time sponsor leaving. AAA has announced they are leaving the six team of David Ragan at the end of this season. Another big time sponsor is leaving and we are left wondering why. Roush and the "6" team are not field fillers. My personal opinion is the dollar demands for full time sponsorship has gone over the edge and my fear is we’ll be seeing more of this, not less.
Who came up with those butt ugly brown uniforms for the most colorful M&M’s? I couldn’t believe the picture I saw of Kyle Busch in his new racing uniform. M&M’s has so many different colors I can’t understand the choice of UPS brown for Kyle. Some times I think supposed marketing experts are highly over rated and in this case, color blind.
The new pit stop rules are another step in the right direction. Years ago I wrote extensively about the old practice of the tire changer placing the tires on the outside of the pit box to impede the team pitting behind them and the inherent danger to cars and pit crews. NA$CAR finally saw the light and required them to roll the tires back toward the pit wall. Now they have to carry them to the inside of the pit box which is the right thing to do. Not allowing teams to push start stalled cars beyond three pit stalls is an additional step in the right direction.
I read many complaints about last year’s dominance by the Hendrick cars. Well folks, this is traditional NA$CAR. At any point in time there is always a dominant team in our form of racing. For years it was the Petty’s. In other years it was Junior Johnson’s cars. The Wood’s Brothers dominated the super speedways for many years. Cale Yarborough was dominant for a few years. Jack Roush has been dominant. So wait around and you’ll see Hendrick teams encounter problems and someone else rising to dominance. It’s called racing my friends. Grin and bear it.
Another one bites the dust. Morgan-McClure closed its doors last Friday. A team that once dominated Daytona is no more unless a last minute sponsor is obtained. This is, sadly, another sign of the times and one that should wake up the suits down at The Beach. Unfortunately, it will not. The day is fast approaching when we will only see four owners controlling all forty three cars. There may be others purporting to be team owners but it will end up being all Roush/Yates, Hendrick, Gibbs and Childress/DEI. If you think the thrill is gone now, just wait.
That Yates Racing is at Daytona with two unsponsored cars even though there is an alliance with Roush is another sign of the times. Those two cars sat on the pole and outside pole at last years Daytona 500 and immediately faded to insignificance. I’ve never been a Yates fan but respect what he has accomplished in the past. Their inability to obtain quality sponsorship is a sad statement on the state of CA$HCAR who gleefully sucks up sponsorship dollars for their stupid Official Butt Wipe of NA$CAR nonsense.
Preseason testing at Daytona had the Toys fast in practice. It seems that the Gibbs people have stepped in and are helping all the Toy teams. While Kyle Busch set the pace in the first practice sessions don’t hold your breath that they will be there when Speed Weeks rolls around. Testing, by its nature, leaves many false impressions about who really has their game on. As mentioned above, Yates had the front row last year with two Fords and immediately faded into history. Those who can support the Toys shouldn’t get their hopes too high because we have to complete 500 miles to find the winner.
I was born in Indian of German/Dutch heritage.
It was instilled in me that I was responsible for
my own actions and welfare. It was drilled in me
that I had to be loyal to my family, faith and
country. It was pounded into me that my word
was my bond. My ex wife once claimed one of
my biggest faults was I was too honest. Who
knew honesty was a fault? This brings me to
someone I once admired greatly in the form of
Coach Joe Gibbs. I can’t tell you how much it
disappoints me that he sold his soul to Toyota
after all his years as a GM supported owner.
Coach is respected as a man of faith and
integrity but I can no longer believe that and it
hurts deeply. And yes David, I remember Pearl Harbor.
There is talk of going to Ethanol in our form of racing. I would have no objection if this was based on a performance factor. The sad truth is Ethanol is one big scam. It takes the equivalent of one and a half gallons of gasoline to produce one gallon of Ethanol which is only 70% as efficient as our current unleaded gasoline. Without federal subsidies, Ethanol would be costing you between four and five dollars a gallon and the capacity to produce enough of the dangerous to the environment stuff is many years away. In addition, valuable corn crops are being diverted to this wasteful process at the expense of the food market.
Well my spleen is somewhat relieved but there is still a dull ache there. You may disagree but never be disagreeable.
God bless you and yours, all who serve to protect and defend and all victims of terrorism. May you never forget the horrors of 911 and the fact that the Islamic nut cases want to see all of us dead.
Never forget: We are the land of the FREE because of the BRAVE.
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