And You Thought You Did Stupid Things?

Well just read on about the 2005 Darwin Awards..Consider yourself lucky!!!

* In Detroit, a 41-year-old man got stuck and drowned in two feet of water after squeezing head first through an 18-inch-wide sewer grate to retrieve his car keys.

* A 49-year-old San Francisco stockbroker, who "totally zoned when he ran," accidentally jogged off a 100-foot-high cliff on his daily run.

* Buxton, NC: A man died on a beach when an 8-foot-deep hole he had dug into the sand caved in as he sat inside it. Beachgoers said Daniel Jones, 21, dug the hole for fun or protection from the wind, and had been sitting in a beach chair at the bottom Thursday afternoon when it collapsed, burying him beneath 5 feet of sand. People on the beach on the Outer Banks used their hands and shovels, trying to claw their way to Jones, a resident of Woodbridge, VA, but could not reach him. It took rescue workers using heavy equipment almost an hour to free him while about 200 people looked on. Jones was pronounced dead at a hospital.

* Santiago Alvarado, 24, was killed in Lompoc, CA, as he fell face-first through the ceiling of a bicycle shop he was burglarizing. Death was caused when the long flashlight he had placed in his mouth (to keep his hands free) rammed into the base of his skull as he hit the floor.
* Sylvester Briddell, Jr., 26, was killed in Selbyville, Del, as he won a bet with friends who said he would not put a revolver loaded with four bullets into his mouth and pull the trigger.

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Paul Stiller, 47, was hospitalized in Andover township, NJ, and his wife Bonnie was also injured when a quarter-stick of dynamite blew up in their car. While driving around at 2 AM, the bored couple lit the dynamite and tried to toss it out the window to see what would happen, but apparently failed to notice the window was closed.

RUNNER UP:

* TACOMA, WA: Kerry Bingham had been drinking with several friends when one of them said they knew a person who had bungee-jumped from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in the middle of traffic. The conversation grew more heated and at least 10 men trooped along the walkway of the bridge at 4:30 AM. Upon arrival at the midpoint of the bridge, they discovered that no one had brought a bungee rope. Bingham, who had continued drinking, volunteered and pointed out that a coil of lineman's cable lay nearby. One end of the cable was secured around Bingham's leg and the other end was tied to the bridge. His fall lasted 40 feet before the cable tightened and tore his foot off at the ankle. He miraculously survived his fall into the icy river water and was rescued by two nearby fishermen. "All I can say," said Bingham, "is that God was watching out for me on that night. There's just no other explanation for it." Bingham's foot was never located.

AND THE WINNER:

Overzealous zookeeper Friedrich Riesfeldt (Paderborn, Germany) fed his constipated elephant, Stefan, 22 doses of animal laxative and more than a bushel of berries, figs and prunes before the plugged-up pachyderm finally let it fly, and suffocated the keeper under 200 pounds of poop!

Investigators say ill-fated Friedrich, 46, was attempting to give the ailing elephant an olive oil enema when the relieved beast unloaded on him. "The sheer force of the elephant's unexpected defecation knocked Mr. Riesfeldt to the ground, where he struck his head on a rock and lay unconscious as the elephant continued to evacuate his bowels on top of him," said flabbergasted Paderborn police detective Erik Dern. With no one there to help him, he lay under all that dung for at least an hour before a watchman came along, and during that time, he suffocated. It seems to be just one of those freak accidents that proves that 'Sh** happens!"

The Punt, Pass, or Kick???

Okay, well it looks like Darrell Waltrip has coined another phrase that will stick with all of the short tracks and that is the Punt, Pass, and Kick especially at Bristol.

We did see our fair share of these words:

-Gordon punting out Truex

-Burton and Yeley kicked out of race because of Gordon/Truex mess.

-Stewart punting Truex then passing and kicking Truex out of race.

-Kenseth punting Gordon, passing Gordon, Gordon after the race shoving not kicking (at least take off the helmet Jeff and be a real man)

-Dale Jarrett's rear bumper panel passing right off of the track into the front of a lucky fan.

-Dale Jr passing and passing and passing but then getting punted back.

-Bowyer, Vickers get punted by Blaney's spin out.

-Busch punting Kenseth, passing and taking the checkered. Hey Kurt, looks like a familiar move, I bet if Jimmy Spencer was out there, you would of spun him again like last time. Kurt payback is right around the corner, lucky you got those ears pinned back so you can see from side to side.

-Pass on those ties that Jeff and DW wear on the weekends....hey guys, shop where I do for my work clothes...try the Men's Wearhouse..George Zimmer will guarantee how you look.

-Chris Meyers, you better not be late for another 10 Laps or the next driver will kick ya.

-18 total cautions but not passing the record.

Okay, we all have to remember this is Bristol!!!! Check the emotions at the door. I have to give credit to Harvick for his driving and not going after Busch...remember there was a time Harvick would not give a crap who he ran into..he is definitely showing maturity or his wife has threaten him...lol

Okay, enough babbling. Bristol down..here we go to Martinsville..YeeeHawww

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words...

or in my words just a few..check out my captions to these weekly pictures from Atlanta


Well this sure does beat picking my nose



Has anyone seen my hat?



Okay Okay...I will validate your parking..Geesh


Robby: Hey Dad, are you really sure I should sign there?

Okay, just thought this would be something different to do.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Peace!!!

Tom

Tis the Season For Rain...

Well isn't this just great. First, the race on Sunday is postponed for rain which really made my Sunday boring and now I am at work (shh, don't tell anyone I am writing in my blog during my work day...lol) and the race is scheduled to run at 11am this morning. I just took a look at the weather and it is not looking promising. Big time rain is moving in for the entire day into tomorrow. Perhaps the race will be rescheduled. I hope so, I hate missing a race but I should look into getting someting like TIVO or a DVR for these types of occasions.

Since yesterday was a wash out, we just sat around and watched the Harry Potter movies and then watched my favorite show, The Soprano's on HBO in HDTV...gotta love that!!!

What did you all do on your day without Racing?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Have a great day.

Tom

Hey Bill Lester...Way 2 Go!!!

Now that is what I call an achievement. I am very proud of Bill Lester to "race" his way into the Cup race at Atlanta. It just goes to show what determination and skill can do for someone and Bill sure did prove that in Qualifying 19th. It has been a long time since an African-American has driven in the Cup series and it is a shame it has taken so long. So lets hope that Bill has set an example for other minority drivers to get up there and compete because it can be done.

WAY TO GO BILL!!! Kick butt at Atlanta.

Unique UPS Truck Pictures

Well I just had to share these two pictures with you. As you can see, I did modify them a bit. The first one is my dream truck and the second picture would be embarrassing if you were the driver for UPS on that delivery route...LOL

Those Idiot Sightings

Well here are the latest batch. I bet you know some of these types of people:

*Know anyone like these?*I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call thelocal township administrative office to request the removal of the DeerCrossing sign on our road.The reason:"Too many deer are being hit by cars out here!I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore." >From Kingman, KS.
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IDIOTS IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked theperson behind the counter for "minimal lettuce." He said he was sorry,but they only had iceberg.He was a Chef?Yep...From Kansas City!______________________________________________

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employeeasked,"Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?To which I replied, "If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?"He smiled knowingly and nodded, "That's why we ask."Happened in Birmingham, Ala.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when its safe to cross the street.I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine.She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for.I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red.Appalled, she responded, "What on earth are blind people doingdriving?!"She was a probation officer in Wichita, KS
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker.She was leaving the company due to "downsizing."Our manager commented cheerfully, "This is fun. We should do this moreoften."Not another word was spoken.We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.This was a bunch at Texas Instruments.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itselfand for the sake of her own life, couldn't understand why her systemwould not turn on.A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office no less.
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IDIOT SIGHTING:
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up ourcar, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the servicedepartment and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driversside door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively triedthe door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. "Hey," I announcedto the technician, "its open!"His reply, "I know - I already got that side."This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, Mississippi!
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STAY ALERT!They walk among us ... and they REPRODUCE


Like I said, you probably didn't even realize that these types of people may live right next door to you...LOL

I hope you enjoyed these, I know I did

Tom

My Retirement Flag

Hi again everyone,

I wanted to share this picture with you because it really means the world to me. This picture was taken by a friend of mine who attended last years Coca-Cola race at Charlotte (May 2005). This was taken right out front where they display all the flags. As you can see, there is an American Flag right up front, well that is my retirement flag. I retired that August from the Navy after 20 years of service. You are allowed to have your flag flown wherever you want and guess what...there it is...right out front. It flew there the entire weekend. Humpy Wheeler even signed an official letter from Lowe's telling how my flag was flown..how cool is that. Here are some other places it was flown:

-Dale Jarrett Inc. in Hickory (sent me pictures of them raising the flag)

-Driven in the #14 Navy car at Kentucky last year by David Stremme (signed certificate from David Stremme, Terry Bradshaw, and Fitz), stating it was driven at 168.114 mph.

-Flown on two of my old boats (USS San Juan SSN-751 and USS Memphis SSN-691)

It was funny at my retirement when they announced to everyone where my flag was flown, noone has ever heard of a flag being flown at a racetrack for the entire weekend or driven in a race car.

Yep, I am unique and hey it is my flag.

Have a great one!!!

Tom
"Where the rubber meets the pavement"
www.dalejarrett4ever.com

Sin City Racing At Its Best

-Okay, what is wrong with this picture. Poor Kenseth leads the most laps, late caution causes him the race, Jimmie Johnson wins...AGAIN!!!

-Kyle Busch -vs- Tony Stewart and the winner is---->Kyle Busch 3rd, Tony Stewart 21st

-Loose tire for JJ Yeley is snake eyes for his chances in the race...finishing 17th

-Kasey Kahne gambles on the outside, takes 4th.

-Jeff Gordon in a green car? Hmmm, well the odds have it..finishes 5th.

-Ryan Newman busts and finishes 43rd.

-Is it me or does it appear that Kurt Busch's ears pinned back isn't helping his aero.

-Clint Bowyer is breathing a sigh of relief with a good finish, now he doesn't have to worry about a hit being put out on him.

-Hey Hamlin, don't quit your day job..stick with racing the car. You never know, they may ask you to drive the FedEx truck and race DJ

-Tony Stewart, get that temper under control and listen to Zippy.


Las Vegas sure does have its excitement. Just imagine what it will be like next year with 20 degree banking. Are we talking another Atlanta? Maybe, but the banking at Atlanta is more progressive making it the fastest track on the circuit and only 1.54 miles..simply amazing.


Hey Fox Broadcasting, I have to give you big kudo's for the coverage. You actually showed alot of the field yesterday and didn't stay focused on just the lead cars, it is about time and I love the Wire cam, it gave a great view of the front stretch and the pits, I am glad something good came from the NFL.

Well that is my report for Vegas!!!

What are your thoughts?

Tom
"Where the rubber meets the pavement"
www.dalejarrett4ever.com

My New Ride...

Well I have seen some of my friends posting pictures of their new cars so I just had to share mine. I bought this car when I retired from the Navy after 20 years of service this past September. I think I treat it better then I do my two girls...LOL, only kidding.

It is a 2005 Nissan Altima SE with the 3.5L V-6. It is the same engine that is in the Maxima and let me tell you, this car has zipppppppppppppp!!! I have done a few things to it since these pictures were taken. I have had the windows tinted, had those rain guards put on all of the 4 windows and had my Radar detector and XM radio installed.I have noticed though it doesn't handle very well in the snow, I just think it has too much power and being front wheel drive just makes it worse.

I just want the warm weather to get here so I can have it detailed inside and out. Gotta keep my baby looking brand new.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Tom
www.dalejarrett4ever.com
"Where The Rubber Meets The Road"

The Soprano's Paint Scheme

Clint Bowyer will be sporting a special paint scheme for the Premier of the Soprano's 6th season on HBO in Las Vegas during the UAW DaimlerChrysler 400. This is an anxiously awaited season for this show since it has been almost 2 years between seasons. It is sure to be worth the wait.

The BuschWhacker Series

Maybe this is what they should rename the Busch series. I have read numerous articles on this hot topic of whether or not the Cup drivers should be allowed to race in the series.

Yes, it does bring in the crowds and increase the TV ratings but what about those teams in the Busch series that are trying to survive race by race and you have the other Cup teams in there backed by big time sponsors like Roush and Hendricks. I really do feel sorry for the little guy just trying to make a name for themselves. Nascar is all about the money which is a sad sad thing. What is more important...money or the sport? Well one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that one.

The example given was the Busch Daytona race where the Top 12 finishers were all Cup drivers and some of these drivers are only part time teams not involved in the points race but they are taking away valuable points from the guys who try to get in the race every week.

I have watched Busch series races before the big names from the Cup came down and started driving and I still enjoyed the races, it just isn't fair to the Busch guys.

Will Nascar ever do anything about it...I doubt it....can you say $$$$$$$$$$$

Just my opinion and I am sticking to it.

Tom
www.dalejarrett4ever.com
"where the rubber meets the pavement"

Happy Birthday to my daughter Chelsey

I just wanted to post this for my daughter since I didn't have time yesterday (Sunday). My daughter, Chelsey, turned 12 years old yesterday (March 5th). We took her out to her favorite restaurant on Saturday night and then on Sunday she got the present she asked for. She had no idea she was getting it. It is the Teal Colored Special Edition Nintendo DS with all 4 of the Nintendo Dogs games, it is so awesome. I can't believe the graphics. I sure wish they had things like this when I was growing up. The only thing I had was my lego's or my atari ping-pong...LOL

I wanted to thank my friend Mike Harper over at http://www.spinoutzone.com for the wonderful Birthday message he left on his site for my daughter. Hey Mike she saw it and was really happy...you made her day!!!

Well everyone, gotta get working.

Have a great day,
Tom

Who should be inducted first?

I was reading on SI.com that they have 10 drivers who should be inducted first into the soon to be Hall Of Fame. Here are their picks (not in any specific order):

1. Richard Petty
2. Dale Earnhardt
3. Junior Johnson
4. Big Bill France
5. Fireball Roberts
6. Fred Lorenzen
7. Buck Baker
8. Bobby Allison
9. David Pearson
10. Darrell Waltrip
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are my picks:

1. Dale Earnhardt (no brainer here)
2. Richard Petty (be silly not to see the King inducted first)
3. Alan Kulwicki (the man did make a difference, plus he gave us the Polish victory lap)
4. Junior Johnson (fastest Moonshine runner ever)
5. Bill France (hey one of the founding fathers)
6. Fireball Roberts (come on, with a name like that)
7. Bobby Allison (One of the Living Legends and part of the Alabama Gang)
8. David Pearson (hey, the Silver Fox is only second to the King in victories)
9. Darrell Waltrip (if he doesn't get in first, we will never hear the end of it)
10. Ned Jarrett (The "Gentleman" with 8 different Hall Of Fames deserves a place there)

What would be your Top 10?

I love Van Pooling...

Since I work up in Newport, RI and live in CT, I was getting tired of spending $70 a week on gas and putting over 600 miles a week on my new car so I decided to join a van pool. I had to wait for about a month to get on one but I just started this Wednesday and I love it. I don't have to drive, I just sit back, relax, enjoy my coffee and listen to my MP3 player and maybe catch a snooze on the way in. It takes us about an hour or so to get to work so it is a nice break. It only cost me $120 a month to ride the van so considering I was spending close to $300 a month on gas plus the wear and tear on my new car, it is a GREAT deal. It is a 15 passenger van and there is 10 of us on it with plenty of room. I am just glad I got on. My van looks like the one in the picture to the far right.

Well I hope you all have a great day. We are suppose to get hit with snow today...Yippee!!!

Be safe!

Tom

The Car of Tomorrow for Nascar???

I know this is a hot topic but what is up with this? Has anyone read the article on Nascar.com about the good and bad points with this car?

What is wrong with the cars they are driving today? They are much safer, I mean just look at some of the wrecks that have happened in the past 3 years and drivers walk away.

This new car of tomorrow is another way of Nascar changing things up. First, no more driving back to the yellow, the Lucky Dog, Winston to Nextel, changing the rear spoiler...what next, the drivers have to hug each other after each race?

Hey, Brian France, why don't you stand up and take a stand and implement more harsher penalities to the drivers who blatantly break the rules...Now that would be a change I wouldn't mind seeing.

Have a great day,

Tom