There were two big events Sunday...The Daytona 500 and the Oscars...

Did you watch either, both, or neither?

Spoiler Alert:  Danica Patrick didn't win...What a shocker!

Whoa, Hey, Howdy and Good Day!!!!!! Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR updates and other fast stuff. It is now 14 days till the Daytona 500. This weekend is NASCAR's version of media days. They call it NASCAR Acceleration Days. There will be over 50 drivers at the Charlotte Convention Center talking to fans and of course autographing stuff. There will also be 5 new members to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Rusty Wallace, Leonard Wood, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas and Buck Baker. Congrats to the new inductees.

NEW RULES AND STUFF FOR NASCAR IN 2013

1. In order to curb Start & Park entries it was decided that $4000 would be taken off the prize money of the last 5 finishing spots and redistributed throughout the other finishing spots. So if running 1 to 10 laps and then parking for the day so you can save your equipment and collect a nice pay day is your deal, well, you'll be getting $4000 less. 

2. It was just decided that on the windshield on either side of the drivers last name will be the manufacturers logo. This is to increase awareness of who each driver is affiliated with. I'm thinking it's to even things out. The sponsors will be aloud to occupy the roof for the first time ever so I guess we have to give the manufacturers something. I guess the logo on the front grill isn't enough. 

3. Gasman will no longer be able to make adjustments on the car till fueling is completed. This will stop the issue of the gas can leaving the pit stall as the car pulls away still attached and dragging the can and gasman with. In the past the catch can man did the adjustments but his job was eliminated last year. The adjustment being to put a long wrench in a hole on either side of the back windshield to adjust the height of the car. 

4. Owners points can be used starting in points race #4 of the season.

5. In the past a champions provisional could be used to get into just about every race if a driver who was a past champion didn't qualify. This year, not so. The driver can only use a provisional once every 6 races. So if he uses 1 at the first race after Daytona he can't use one for 6 more races. Use them wisely.

6. There will be 36 spots that qualify on speed, 6 for using owners points and the last spot for the champions provisional. If no champion provisional needed than it goes to owners points.

7. Nationwide Series to cut field from 43 cars to 40. The Top 30 will be looked in on owners points. They have impound races so they don't want the crews wasting time working on getting the qualifying set ups transferred to race set ups during racing pit stops.

8. Trucks will be the top 25 in owners points locked in.

9. The Daytona 500 qualifying is a mix of regular qualifying and the results from the Budweiser Duels. Same as usual but still too confusing to figure out. Would love to hear a driver or crew chief explain it some time.

RAY EVERNHAM TURNS DOWN BIG OFFER 

At NASCAR's media event Ray confirmed that he was offered a chance to crew chief again for a powerhouse team but it wasn't for his old boss Hendrick. Ray was Jeff Gordon's crew chief during his first years in Cup racing. They got 3 championships together. 1995, 1997 & 1998. It was the '98 championship that they goe 13 wins which set a record for the modern era of Cup racing. Ray was also voted greatest crew chief of all time in 2006.

"I probably could still do it but I don't think I could have the results I had. I look back at our stuff with Jeff Gordon. If I couldn't hold up to that 1998 standard, I'd be constantly unhappy and frustrated, so I don't want to do that again. I got the call and I was flattered to get it but I had to pass."

Ray will be working on at least 15 events for ESPN as well as other projects this year including one with his former boss Rick Hendrick.

KURT BUSCH ON FORBES TOP 10 LIST OF MOST DISLIKED ATHLETES

The man who will be driving this #78 Furniture Row Racing Chevy is #8 on the list. 

1. Lance Armstrong                                     I get all these guys except for Romo.

2. Manti Te'o                                              What did he do? No SB trophy? Is that

3. Tiger Woods                                            really a worth while reason to put him 

4. Jay Cutler                                               on this list? Or was it because he dated

5. Metta World Peace                                  Jessica Simpson?

6. Alex Rodriquez

7. Michael Vick 

8. Kurt Busch

9. Kobe Bryant

10. Tony Romo

OTHER FAST STUFF

AJ Allmendinger will be test driving a Penske IndyCar. If all goes well he will be racing for Penske on April 7th @ Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Then if sponsorship can be had he will be at Long Beach to prepare for the Indianapolis 500. Penske says there's still a seat open for Tony Stewart if he wants one.

Speaking of Stewart....SHR has bought enough owners points off of Robinson-Blakeney Racing which fielded the #49 car driven by JJ Yeley last year to give Danica a start on owners points in 3 races if she fails to qualify. But not at the Daytona 500. That's a totally different animal when qualifying. 

Tony could swap out his owners points and let her have them while he uses a champions past provisional but then the team would loose valuable bonus money. Sorry Danica. Get up on it and go girl.

Tony has also decided to start a test team. Veteran crew chief David Hyder will be over seeing this team. 

Richard Childress has been wanting to bring the #3 back to Cup. He says 85% of the fans are in favor of it. He wants another Earnhardt or a family member in it. His grandson Austin Dillon has been driving the #3 truck and when he comes to Cup full time he plans on using the #3. In the mean time he will drive the #33 in the Daytona 500 for his grand father and the #51 at Las Vegas for James Finch of Phoenix Racing. He feels that driving the #3 in Cup before he's full time will cause undue stress. The fans want you to prove yourself every time you drive it. He understands the need to be his best in that number.

Mark Martin will be part time again this year in the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine for 25 races. Brian Vickers gets 9 races in it and owner Michael Waltrip gets the July Daytona race and the 2 Talladega races. Waltrip will be in the #30 Swan Racing Toyota for the Daytona 500.

Thank you to Jayski.com for the car pictures.

So there you have it folks. Another racing update and 14 days away from the Daytona 500. It would be Sunday. I'm sorry for those of you who will be digging out your homestead for the next week. It missed us. We got ice but that will melt soon enough. I don't need a V8 powered snow blower for that. But any way, those of you up north, take care and take a break from shoveling for rest and fluids. Everybody else, get your Sunday tradition, sports, family gathering, power nap or hobby on the front burner. Enjoy your Sunday and....

I'm outta here......

Howdy, Good Morning and Good Day. Welcome Gabbers and others to my NASCAR update and other fast stuff. Besides all the Super Bowl stuff like Jell-O serving chocolate pudding to the loosing teams fans and Ray Ray possibly sprouting antlers by game time there are some other things going on. I am crossing my fingers for Ray Ray and those antlers. 

GROUNDHOG DAY

It was the day for PA's prognosticating rodents to go toe to toe on their predictions. Punxsutawney Phil and Octorara Orphie did their duty early Saturday morning and in the frozen 12 degree air. Gus the Pennsylvania Lottery scratch off groundhog was no where to be found. Most likely he was still sleeping hugging his scratch off winning tickets and under a nice warm and cozy blanket.

Phil decided it was going to be an early spring. Orphie said 6 more weeks of winter. They were opposites last year too. But it's not the prediction that counts. It's the festivities surrounding the prediction. Each lodge has groundhog jigs, cannon firings, parades, breakfast and just a big get together for everyone filled with all sorts of shenanigans. Phil had 30,000 show up the first Groundhog day after the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray came out. 

Phil is a live animal where Orphie has been taxidermied. Both have been around prognosticating for over 100 years. Phil started in 1887 and Orphie in 1908. Phil's lodge members wear top hats and tux's. Orphie's wear top hats and lab coats. Supposedly Phil has lived so long because they give him a shot of magic elixir that gives him long life. Apparently they didn't share it with Orphie.

The legend goes that if the groundhog pops up out of his den and sees his shadow it's 6 more weeks of winter. If he sees no shadow then spring is right around the corner. I believe everything I read on the internet.....Bon jour...

FASTNACHT DAY OR FAT TUESDAY    

Fastnacht is German and means fast night. Fastnachts are yeast donuts that are usually made with potatoes. The idea behind Fastnacht Day is to rid your pantry of all the things you will be abstaining from for Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday. So we use up all the sugar, lard, butter, yeast and fats so that we can start fresh and new after Lent is over.

When making these donuts they've heavy. You don't even have to turn them over in the deep fryer because the doughy side is heavier than the side that's done. They flip themselves.

Traditionally they're served plain, powered or regular sugared. You dip them in molasses. But in this day and age people take traditions and twist them up. They're now made with creme fillings, jelly fillings, icing on top and glazed. 

I'm a traditionalist. Gimme the plain with some molasses for dipping. AND of course a cup of coffee. New Orleans has Mardi Gras, beads and Kings Cake. Central PA has Fat Tuesday, fastnachts and Groundhog Day. So on Feb 5th I'll dunk one for all of you.

DAYTONA IS COMING!!!!!!!!

Yup. On February 16th will be the Sprint Unlimited. A Saturday race where the fans can go to NASCAR.com and vote. They'll be voting on number of laps per segment, pit stop requirements, number of cars to be eliminated after the 2nd segment and what fire suit Miss Sprint Cup will wear in Victory Lane. So if you care what she wears or.....doesn't wear, you best go vote.

On Thursday afternoon when I'M AT WORK, the Budweiser duels will take place. These 2 races are short but help to seal up the starting positions for the Daytona 500. I'm still confused on the new qualifying rules. It's qualify or go home this year. No top 35 in points gets a guaranteed spot any more. But Daytona is always different in qualifying and I'm just not sure what is going on with that this year.

On February 22nd @ 8:30 pm it's the truck race. I plan on watching that on race buddy if NASCAR.com still has that going on. If not I can always keep my parents awake by going over there to scream at the TV. WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!

On Sunday February 24th @ 1 pm is the DAYTONA 500. The Zac Brown Band will be the pre race entertainment. Well, one of the many pre race spectacles. Hope they don't have to delay the race this year like they did for Kevin Harvick when the parachute dude landed way too close to his car and the weight on the line with the American flag hit the car. Big aerodynamic sapping dent in the side of the car had to be fixed. What they won't do to entertain the fans.

Daytona has been working on replacing some of the seats that have been there since the place opened. They want to add more seats on the front stretch, add more guest suites, modernize the concessions and redesign the exterior and interior. Couldn't find any pictures or detailed explanations on what's been done so far. You'd think their official web site would be bragging about it.

So the question remains....Should Daytona or should I say the owners of the Daytona track get a tax break? The Dolphin owners are already included on the legislative proposal. What say you Gabbers? Don't even ask me cause I'll go into my gimme a discounted ticket because my tax dollars bought your stadium rant. And we don't want that.

EX NASCAR DRIVER ARRESTED IN 3 STATE HIGH SPEED CAR CHASE

Tyler Walker and his girlfriend were arrested in Utah on Wednesday Jon 30th after a high speed chase across 3 states. He started out in Nevada when an officer tried to pull him over for speeding. He drove on into Arizona and was finally stopped in 6 miles into Utah when they threw out nail strips to blow out his tires. 

After they arrested Tyler and his girlfriend they of course searched the car finding alcohol, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Apparently we aren't so good at road course racing? Just an observation. Another thing. If your in a high speed chase (and you know the cops will get you)....why aren't you throwing the illegals out the window? Just a thought.

Any way, these 2 will be charged in all 3 states for the hot pursuit, drugs, drug paraphernalia, DUI and a whole laundry list of other charges....TIMES 3!!!!! I hope it was worth the ride.

Tyler had a promising career in NASCAR. PROMISING and HAD being the key words. He drove 19 Nationwide races and 9 truck races for Bill Davis Racing. Things were going great till he failed his drug test. He now or should I say was driving winged sprint cars. I'm not sure about recently.

Last year there was an ugly incident at Maple Grove when in a qualifying heat he fouled out and went into a verbal tirade in the pits. You can see that one on You Tube along with another one where he flips out leaving a night club. I tried to post his NASCAR photo and his now photo but they just wouldn't. Dude looks like a dead man walking. Sad to see another young life going down the tubes. 

How do you not appreciate and try to grow an opportunity like that? How do you throw it away? We have this guy snorting his opportunity up his nose. We have Titus Young acting like a child and being disruptive. He's daring them to dump him. What is up with our kids?

So any way, I've rambled enough. It's Sunday. SUPER BOWL SUNDAY. Can't say whether I'll be watching or not. I know I won't be rooting for any one. I have 2 guys left in my fantasy league. Gore and Crabtree. I'm still working on my NHL fantasy league. So much to ponder. 

You all have a great game. Hope your snacks are all lined up and ready to go. Those of you in the north east, just don't go out. I don't need one of those V8 snow blowers you guys up north of me have but it's fffffffffffffff- ricking cold right now and just enough snow to make a mess. I'm off to breakfast. Enjoy your day and......

I'm ​outta here.....

WHOA!!! HEY!!! Howdy and good day Gabbers, gawkers and others. It's time once again for another round of NASCAR updates. As the track turns as it were. We have more penalties, a suspension, a new baby, a sponsor leaving and lots more.

BABY OTIS ARRIVES

Right after the Daytona race on Saturday Delana Harvick was ready for delivery. Actually she was ready long ago but Otis wasn't. On Sunday 7-8-12, weighing in at 6.8 lbs and 19.5 inches came Keelan Paul Harvick. It would seem that Otis was just a code name on Twitter for the baby till he arrived. Congrats to the Delana and Kevin Harvick.

PENALTIES

For the 2nd week in a row Austin Dillon's team got penalized. This time his qualifying run was disqualified because a vent hose was left off under the seat that led to the outside. This was figured to give them an unfair aerodynamic advantage. Dillon's crew chief was fined $10,000, suspended from racing till July 25th and on probation till end of year. Car chief Robert Strmiski was also suspended.

Tony Stewart was hit with the same penalty in the Cup race for Daytona. Greg Zippideli the Director of Competition said they didn't mean for that hose to be off. Thr back window was changed and must've been bumped. NASCAR said, no excuses. That will be 6 owners and 6 drivers points deducted and a starting position of 42nd for Tony Stewart in the Daytona race. Crew Chief Steve Addington gets a $25,000 and probation till August 22nd. Car chief Jeff Meendering the same thing.

US ARMY LEAVING NASCAR BUT NOT ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

The US ARMY has decided NASCAR isn't getting them the exposure they need for better recruits. So they're leaving NASCAR. They sponsored Ryan Newman and will keep the 12 races for 2012 at $8.4 million. They have no plans to leave Shumacher in the NHRA though. 

The Army National Guard plans to stay with Dale Earnhardt Jr though. They have been with Jr since 2008 and get some revenue back from his merchandise sales. They feel that sponsoring Jrs car has brought them quality recruits since teaming up with him. 

Mean while there are 2 US representatives (Betty McCollum-D-Minn and Jack Kingston D-GA) who are sponsoring an amendment to the 2013 defense appropriations bill to block any military divisions from sponsoring race teams. 

Says McCollum," The Army made the right move to eliminate a wasteful program and protect taxpayer dollars - which has been my goal all along. Congress is facing a very difficult budget environment and I want taxpayer dollars protected - even at the pentagon. 

So I can go along with these 2 representatives if the taxpayers is why they're doing it. Too bad for Newman though. At the start of the Season Stewart told Newman that if he wanted to look for another ride he could because sponsorship is drying up and with The US Army making that announcement this week it's safe to say unless a miracle happens Newman is done at SHR. Best friends or not Tony can't or won't run a race team out of pocket. Just divide 8.4 million by 12 once or multiply it by 3 for the total amount for 36 races. That's 25.2 million for the season.

ALMENDINGER DRUG TEST FAILURE

Yep. AJ Allmendinger failed his random drug test after the Kentucky race. So 90 minutes before the Daytona started last week it was announced that AJ wouldn't be driving. Penske racing was frantic till they got a hold of Sam Hornish Jr in Charlotte North Carolina who was in the middle of doing a live show on SPEED when he finally took the call during a commercial break. Off he ran for the air port and made it to the car just mere minutes before the start of the race. The crew had his seat, steering column and pedals changed out just for him. He did experience some issues but for a last minute change out it was as good as it gets. NASCAR even gave extra start up laps so Hornish could get pit speed info and last minute adjusting in the car. 

Mean while, AJ had till Tuesday to have his "B" sample tested or to make it known he wanted it tested. Since AJ wants his own attorney and a toxicologist of his choosing there it won't take place till next week. Penske is standing behind his driver or at least being very professional about it. AJ has not spoken to the media.

AJ released a written statement through his rep...." I have requested that the "B" sample be tested following the steps according to NASCAR's 2012 rule book regarding this situation. I fully respect NASCAR's drug usage policy and the reasons they have it. I am hoping this can get resolved as quickly as possible so that I can get back to driving the No.22 Penske Racing Dodge. I am sorry that this has caused such a distraction for my Penske Racing Team, our sponsors and fans. Obviously I would never do anything to jeopardize my opportunity here at Penske Racing or my fellow drivers. I am very conscious about my training and health and would never knowingly take a prohibited drug."

AJ said he tested positive for a stimulant. Didn't say what or how or if it was illegal. This is a very dire situation AJ finds himself in. There's no ticky locks, no do over, no the lab screwed up or no time outs. NASCAR takes this seriously and AJ needs to be open and forth coming about any and all foods, drinks, medications, supplements, etc he's taken in the last week before he was tested. It's possible he could keep his ride but I'm seeing a suspension for 90 days at least and rehab. No matter how insignificant this looks in the lab. While this is being worked out Sam will be back in his car this weekend and there are several drivers in the wings who want or need a ride. Newman is one, David Ragan, Brian Vickers, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and David Reutimann. Doors open. AJ better play along or lose his ride for good.

DAYTONA COKE ZERO 400

 Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle dominated the race till cautions changed the line up and Tony Stewart who had to start in the back found his way to the front and stole the lead and the win away from Kenseth. It was an exciting finish with nail biting door to door action and cars spinning every where. Glad NASCAR has those electronic transponders to help with who is where. Any way this gave Stewart 3 wins now. I'm not sure if the 6 penalty points dropped him another spot in the standings but he's still in the top 10 and the Chase no matter what. 

THE DANICA

Danica had an accident at the Daytona Nationwide race and ended her day in 31st. She's 9th in the points though. Another female I've been watching is Johanna Long. She came in 12th at Daytona. Would be nice to see what she could do in a well sponsored ride and good equipment. Hhhhhhhmmmmmm.

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

This weekend it's off to a 1.058 mile flat track. Tough to drive. I expect Stewart, Gordon, Johnson, Newman and Kyle B to do great things. In fact Kyle has the pole for tomorrows race. My under dawg picks are Keselowski, Kurt B and Burton. My "C" List guys are Bobby Labonte and Brian Vickers. 

I went out on a limb for my Yahoo fantasy picks this week. Gordon, Kahne, Newman and Vickers. Gordon and Kahne have had bad luck all year and Newman is just crazy. He's either top 10 fabulous or wrecked. Vickers is hungry for a ride and is subbing for Mark Martin this week. So I'll be chewing on my finger nails all race long. Wish me luck. This is the last race with TNT. Thank God for that. 

DEPRESSION COOKING WITH CLARA

Lastly is something that's not racing but I found it and I thought there'd be some interest. On You Tube is a channel called Depression Cooking With Clara. Her grandson is a film maker and decided to film her cooking food she ate during the depression and telling stories of how she lived at that time. Very interesting. Now I know where some of the recipes my grand parents made came from. She made her last film last summer because she said she was damn old. I guess at 96 you could be that.

You all have an awesome week. I hope you got a splash of rain like we did here in PA. Thanks for stopping by and take care now......

Good mourning Gabbers, gawkers and others. Welcome to another racing update. Lets see here...I got a first in Pro Stock, a penalty handed out, Point Standings update, griping and general go fast type stuff. 

NHRA PRO STOCK

     First up we have our first female winner in Pro Stocks. They do that stage and stomp thing. Name? Erica Enders. She's from Houston Texas and she's 28 years old. Went to Texas A&M, Mays Business School. Didn't know going to business school could make you drive fast but it worked for Erica. On Sunday, July 1st Erica beat Greg Anderson down the straight away with a pass of 6.627 for 207.40 mph. Yep. Dats fast. 

Enders said of her win," I think that if I could have planned it I would have asked to run Greg in the final. You know that he made it very clear that he didn't want to lose to me. He's a very competitive guy and I love him to death but I couldn't wait to beat him." 

To make this win possible Enders finally got a competitive ride with Victor Cagnazzi last year. Times had been lean before hand. Victor teamed Enders up with Dave Connolly as her crew chief and this was his first win as a crew chief. I think this deserves an air wrench salute. VVVVVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLLL- VVVRRRLLLLLLLL-Zzzttt - Zzzttt - Zzzttt - VVVVVVVVRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Oh yeah.

TNT STILL SUCKS

     Apparently the Twittersphere, blog-o-sphere and Facebook were absolutely lit up over the TNT Kentucky coverage. Supposedly 1/3 of the air time was commercials. The same ones over and over. Mac N Cheese or Mashed Potatoes seemed to be on every ones minds along with guys needing to know if the Viagra would make their 69 Camero go faster or if they could sail a boat better while eating mac N cheese, mashed potatoes and Viagra. I'm thinking a Coke Zero to wash it all down would be in order being that they are an official sponsor of NASCAR and this weekends Daytona race. So this weekend TNT will go to a split screen coverage. It will also be simulcast on Tru TV. Yep. Same network as that Lizard Licking show comes from. Never watched it but just the name sounds fun. 

PENALTY

     Richard Childress has his grandson Austin Dillon in the #3 car in the Nationwide Series. Austin won the June 29th race at Kentucky and the points lead too. But not for long. Seems his car failed post race inspection because it was sitting too low. Childress explained that the right rear jack bolt worked it's way loose because Kentucky is so bumpy and rough. He said he excepted the penalty and they would move on. Austin lost 6 valuable points and the points lead. His crew chief Danny Stockman Jr lost $10,000. Ouch.

SUBSTITUTION

     It was reported that Denny Hamlin woke up with a sore back on Monday and in order to concentrate on the Sprint Cup race he chose to stay out of the Nationwide car this weekend. Joey Logano will drive the #18 Sport Clips Toyota for Denny and Clint Bowyer will step into the #20 Dollar General Toyota. 

POINTS STANDING AS OF JULY

     1. Kenseth 2. Dale Jr 3 Johnson 4. Biffle 5. Hamlin 6. Harvick 7. Bowyer 8. Truex Jr 9. Stewart 10. Keselowski 11 Edwards 12. Kyle B

Except for Truex Jr and Harvick, every one in the top 10 has at least 1 win. Edwards in 11th and the first wild card spot has no wins. Kyle B has the 2nd wild card spot and 1 win. A lot has been happening this year to our last years top 10 guys.

     Jeff Gordon has been having a crappy year. That would be putting it mildly. At the opening Daytona 500 his motor blew by lap 81. At Bristol Gordon and Dale Jr scraped together and Gordon got the flat tire. At Fontana a pit stop penalty when his gasman falls outside the pit box with his gas can still connected to the car puts him down a lap in 26th. At Martinsville during the Green-White Checker finish, Newman pushes Bowyer making it 3 wide with Johnson, Gordon and Bowyer. Tracks not wide enough and out goes Gordon. With 30 laps to go at Kansas he's down to 7 cylinders. AND I COULD GO ON!!!! He sits 18th in the points with no wins and possibly no hope of getting a wild card spot for the Chase. Dude needs to find his lucky woobie or something.

     Kyle Busch has been having some nightmares as well. Last week at Kentucky it looked like his car was on a pogo stick bouncing around the track. He came in 10th but what a bummer since he led like 118 laps. He broke a shock mount when he scraped the wall. He's been doing that lately along with a few blown motors. 

     Kurt Busch has been driving for a small under funded team since he was asked to leave Penske last year. He's struggling with his demons and needs to start bringing Finch's cars back in one piece. Dude can't afford wrecked cars. Of course Kurt wants more than the cars have to give. Hopefully he can make it to the end of the season without any more anger issues popping up.

     Carl Edwards being last years runner up you'd think he'd be right up there in the mix. Not so far. He's got a death grip on 11th place with no wins. He needs some top 10's to stay there. Actually he needs a win by the end of the season because Kahne, Newman and Logano are tied for 14th and each has a win. Rule states that the wild cards for 11th and 12th go to the guys in the top 20 who have more wins. Stats will be used to break ties. If he stays in 11th or 12th he needs a win to secure his Chase spot. Can't do that without consistancy.

     Dale Earnhardt Jr has been Mr Consistancy of late. He's 2nd in the points and credits his crew chief Steve Letarte for calming him down, getting better info out of him to fix the car and for giving him confidence. Nuff said.

     Harvick and Truex have no wins but quietly sit in the top 10 just concentrating on finishing as close to the front as possible. Kenseth, Biffle, Hamlin, Bowyer, Stewart and Keselowski are all trying to be as consistent as possible as well. It's what gets you in the Chase.

BRUTON SMITH AKA $$$$$ Bags

     Mr Smith owns the Kentucky Speedway and fought long and hard to get a race there. Also owns Bristol Motor Speedway. He owns opinions too. This week he announced that NASCAR is boring and we need to do something to liven things up. His #1 proposal? Lets just throw random cautions to bunch up the field for those double file restarts he loves so much. His #2 proposal? Get Goodyear to bring a softer tire so they wear out faster. His #3 proposal? Bring back the convertible series.

The random cautions thing is just plain STUPID. Nothing like ruining the integrity of a sport by changing or rigging the outcome by throwing a caution because you're bored and want to see a Green- White Checker finish or just a plain old double file restart. Luckily the officials at NASCAR have my back on this one. Mike Helton said they had no plans to do such a thing. He said some times we have a hard enough time convincing the fans that the caution is legit already. THANK YOU MIKE HELTON.

The softer tire thing is a good idea IF Goodyear can bring one and it were safe. Each track surface and banking are different. The crew chiefs leave the air pressures low so the heat builds the tires back up during racing. Softer could be bad. 

Now the convertible series was back in the 50's when the cars were going half the speed they go now. So can you imagine a convertible other than an F1 or Indy car going 200 plus mph? 

If Mr Smith is bored, he needs to sell his race tracks, shut up, crawl back inside his wallet and join the other A.D.D. riddled individuals here in America and go look for another sport. I like my sport the way it is. Thank you very much.

THE DANICA

     Nothing much to report here. She came in 12th and minus a lap at Kentucky last week and moves up to 9th in the points just 185 points out of first. Strides are being made.

DAYTONA - COKE ZERO 400

     That would be 7:30 Saturday night ( 7-7-12 ). I don't know if I'll be able to stay awake for it but I'm going to make an effort. Maybe Juan Montoya will take out another jet dryer. Matt Kenseth was our 500 winner. To help with over heating NASCAR said they could adjust the radiator valve from 28 psi to 32psi. This will give the drivers another 15-20 degrees before the temps start rising. I don't think it will do much for keeping the guys from tandem drafting. They'll be doing a combo of both tandem drafting and side by side lines. Haven't checked in on the practice or qualifying but I was told at work Gordon is looking good. We shall see. 

With Stewart having EFI issues, Newman taking out Bowyer, Burton being MIA most of the season and Kyle only coming in 10th , I lost my #1 spot on the NASCAR fantasy league at work but I retained my #1 in Yahoo. Kahne and Kenseth saved my butt. This week I'm taking Kenseth, Dale Jr, Menard and Waltrip. Wish me luck.

Hope your 4th celebrations were tasty and you spent some time oohing and aahing at the big bangs in the sky. Take care this week and thanks for stopping by.........