State Appeals Court does its’ thing. If the records and the hearings are made open to the public, then transcripts will be available and who knows what damning information could be contained in those. From what some sources have told me about the divorce, there’s a lot of interesting information in those sealed papers which could have a major impact on a lot of other issues and cases involving both NA$CAR and His Infernal Incompetence.
With the announcement that North Wilkesboro Speedway will be hosting races next year, the folks at Speedway Associates Inc. are in the process of building their web site, www.historicnws.com and right now it’s under construction. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some more info about the site and some of the other activities going on with the track. Having been there several times, I know there’s some work that needs to be done. The only grandstands which are in need of repair are the Junior Johnson Grandstand, but work does need to be done on several other areas and facilities before fans and race teams hit the track.
To answer Denny Hamlin’s question about who’s running NA$CAR, that’s something we’d all like to know Denny. Right now, it’s like a rudderless ship because of the poor leadership and management. What needs to be done to bring the sport back to greatness isn’t being done. What needs to be done to make racing more exciting for the drivers and fans isn’t being done. So Denny, if you find out who is running things, please let us know.
And now, another Paul Harvey moment. I’m sure folks remember the lamestream media jumping all over Bobby Labonte being seen at Robby Gordon’s shop and they immediately said that Bobby was going to drive a second car for Robby Gordon. Here’s the rest of the story. Bobby Labonte was at Robby’s shop and yes they did talk racing. But they weren’t talking about Cup racing or even racing in NA$CAR. Bobby was at Robby’s shop checking out the Team Dakar equipment at Robby’s shop and talking with Robby about off-road racing and Robby‘s off-road racing efforts. They didn't discuss a second Cup car, a Busch Series car, or even Bobby driving for Robby in any capacity. So now you know the rest of the story.
I don’t know how many of you read Ed Hinton’s article in which he talked with royal henchman John Darby, Changes to car won't be coming soon But talk about a bunch of double talk and worthless dribble. Anyone notice Darby talking about the car being wind tunnel tested backwards and forwards? Gee, who could’ve prompted him to say that? If the racing is so much better today, then why are so many fans not going to the track or watching the races on TV? Why are so many fans complaining about the races being snooze-a-thons? And Pharaoh Ramses Posthole saying there were 13,000 passes during the Talladega race based on the loop data. OK, how many folks saw over 13,000 passes at Talladega? How many saw 1,000 passes? How many saw 100 passes? This is the problem with the loop data. It’s just another part of the smoke and mirrors operation to say that all is well and the racing is exciting despite what our own eyes show us. I hate to imagine the e-mail Ed got over that article. But it shows us fans just how stupid the folks in the Ivory Towers think we are.
So, the final TV ratings for Texas were released and they were the same as last season. Finally, a race in the Chase for the Chumps that didn’t have a loss in the ratings. Anyone want to bet that the viewer ship for the bulk of the football games this weekend exceed what NA$CAR pulls in for the entire race weekend?
And speaking of TV ratings, IBPN posted a gain of $121 million this past quarter. Disney, the parent company of ESPN posted some healthy gains although they were affected somewhat by the economy. The Walt Disney Company Reports Earnings for Fiscal Year 2009 So if Disney, one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world, and their subsidiary IBPN can post financial gains, and NA$CAR, who is also in the entertainment business and uses IBPN to broadcast their entertainment, is losing money by the bushel basket, what does that tell fans or viewers about the quality of the product? And why is it that only NA$CAR is taking the biggest hits when it comes to sports broadcasting on IBPN/ABC? The football TV ratings are up because of the economy. Folks who can’t afford tickets are staying home and watching the games. Fans who can’t afford race tickets should be at home watching the races but they’re not. So is it really the economy that’s causing the falling TV ratings and empty grandstands or is it maybe the sport itself and how it’s being run that’s the problem? You decide. Also of note, IBPN’s value is $4.3 billion. That’s what NA$CAR’s value was before The Emperor of All Things NA$CAR took over and dropped it down to $787 million. Yes Your Majesty, you really know what’s best for the sport. The financial figures show it.
Wow, a Rookie Orientation Program. Like this is something new. There was a time in the past when the rookie orientation program involved rookies being checked out by the veterans of the sport and the veterans showing the rookies the ropes and either giving a thumbs up or thumbs down on whether or not they felt a rookie was qualified to drive at a certain track. The new program doesn’t even involve being checked out by the veterans. It’s all about the rules, which as we all know are written in mud, the farce of a drug program, and being indoctrinated into the “Everything is Beautiful” philosophy that oozes from the walls of the Ivory Towers. Here boys, drink the Kool Aid, lean back, and enjoy the lobotomy. It won’t hurt a bit.
With the racing season coming to an end, there are some events coming up to help off-set that desire you might yearn for during the off-season.
On November 21st and 22nd, the Carolina Shine Festival will be held in downtown Madison NC. There will be the largest collection of authentic bootlegger cars along with 7 generations of stock cars. Plus what I consider to be the highlight of the event, the real Junior, Junior Johnson will be there. Call 1-336-408-6185 for more information.
For you folks who don’t have anything going on November 28th, the Lynchburg VA Moose Lodge will be hosting a book signing and autograph session from 2:00 pm til 4:30 pm. 3 time champion David Pearson, my good friends former champion Rex White, Peanut Turman, and Slick Owens, former drivers Ronnie Daniel, Earl Brooks, car owner, builder, and author Harold Smith, and racing reporter Gerald Hodgers will be there. For more information, contact Harlow Reynolds at 1-434-845-1388.
Also on November 28th from 11 am til 3 pm, a Hot Wing Throwdown and free car show will be held at Jamin’ Leather at Surfside Beach SC. Proceeds will benefit the Shriners. Call 1-843-839-5255 for more info.
And if you don’t have any plans for New Years,
the Polar Bear 150 will be held at The Rock.
Heck of a way to bring in the New Year. You can
call 1-910-205-8800 or go to
information. Advance tickets are a little bit
cheaper than buying them on the day of the race. So save a few bucks and get them early.
While it’s a ways off, pencil in the Columbia
Speedway Racers Reunion in Cayce SC. I
attended this event this year and had a great
time. It runs from April 14-17 2010. They’re
having music, a parade, vintage race cars, a car
show, a collector car auction, and an autograph
session with some of the racing greats from yesteryear. I was not disappointed with this get together. You can call 1-843-424-2155 to find out more.
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