Gas Prices + Economy = Missing Races

Is anyone else out there enjoying the rising gas prices? I live in Connecticut and we are ranked as the 2nd highest for gas prices. An average gallon of unleaded is around $4.28 here. It is unbelievable that the prices are this high. It has made me rethink on how I do things in regards to traveling. I usually go up to Loudon for at least one of the races but this year I am having to cancel, it is just too darn expensive. It is not NASCAR's fault and I don't hold anything against them, it is our wonderful government.

The picture above is what I am planning to purchase very soon. It is a Honda Reflex. You have probably read numerous articles that the sales of scooters are rising and heck when you are getting 85 MPG, you can do the math. Now, I am not getting rid of my car by no means but this scooter will be my way back and forth to work which will save me big time money. They are not cheap but you can pick up a used one for a great price.

Can you picture a parking lot full of these scooters at a NASCAR race instead of all of the trailers? It is going to make it difficult for tailgating but just imagine how easy it will be for traffic before and after the race. We are seeing it week in and week out on TV on how the attendance is falling for the races and it is just because people are cutting back and opting to stay home, cook out and watch the races on their big screen TV's. Heck, that is what I have been doing and I can even DVR the race if I am not home and watch it later.

It is truly sad to see all of this happening to us but it wasn't something that just came out of the blue and hit us hard. We have been seeing this trend happening and instead of our government doing something about it, they just sat back and hoped it would correct itself and now we are all paying for it. I am seeing more and more people walking and taking public transportation. I drive home after work and I can see fewer cars on the road. Our government is way behind the power curve. I have no doubt that our economy will recover, we had this problem back in the 70's under the Carter administration and we turned it around so who is to say we can't do it again. Whoever the next president is going to be is going to inherit a headache, I hope they bought plenty of tylenol.

Just a point of view here and I am not going to get into politics but there is a trend building here, we started to see the gas prices go up back in 2006 and that is when the democratic party became the majority in the house. Jimmy Carter was President back in the 70's when we went into a depression and he was a democrat. The upcoming election shows that most likely our next president will be a democrat. See what I am talking about? I am not pointing fingers, we should of been building refineries over 10 years ago but alas, we are WAY behind the power curve.

It is a sad day when a diehard NASCAR fan can not even go to a race that is only 2 1/2 hours from his home. Yep, I am talking about me. Remember, this is not NASCAR's fault, it is those guys sitting up on the hill that give themselves a nice raise each year while others are living out of their cars because they can not afford their homes anymore.

WAKE UP GOVERNMENT!!! YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU!!!

Is the economy effecting your NASCAR plans? Lets hear it!

Attention Dale Jr. Fans, Check This Out!!!

I am sure all of you Junior fans are aware of this but just in case you are not, they have a really cool contest going on over at AMP. The first 70,000 fans to sign up will get their name on Juniors car for the September Talladega race. All you have to do is register, it is that easy. Here is the link to the site: www.ampenergy.com

Hurry up because I am sure they are going fast.

Streak To The Finish...Toyota/Save Mart 350

Who would of thought that Kyle Busch would be winning this race. The way everyone has been talking about him and his lack of performance really put a fire in his belly and he was out to prove everyone wrong and he did it impressively. Once Kyle got out front, there was no looking back. There were a few times that drivers had a chance at him, especially Jamie McMurray and David Gilliland but the #18 was just too quick and Kyle did not miss his mark. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that this kid is really on fire and has his eye on the prize to be the next Cup Champion.

Here are some of my observations from the race at Sonoma and most of them came with about 8 laps to go:

1. Was Kevin Harvick trying to make a 7-10 split in the closing laps of the race? He just drove that car too hard into the turn and completely lost it and in the process, took out two of the contenders that had a very good chance at giving Busch a run for his money in Tony Stewart and Jamie McMurray. Tony did recover and finished 10th but McMurray ended up with a disappointing 18th place finish.

2. How about that tire pressure. Elliott Sadler really did push the limits with two laps to go with that tire. Was it a risk to take? I can see the view of the team trying to push it and finish the race but what if Elliott's tire would of blown out, how many cars behind him would of been effected? You know that Clint Bowyer was really watching him carefully but on the flip side to that, a driver is so worried about that, that he loses his concentration about the other drivers around him. Do you think NASCAR should of black flagged him? It is all opinion and he ended up finishing 19th and wrecked his car. Was it really worth it?

3. Doing Donuts. That was one of the best burnouts I have seen in awhile and look how symmetrical those circles were that Kyle made right at the finish line although his rear drivers tire was completely vaporized.

4. Road Course Ringers not hearing the bell. What happened to all of the hired guns for this race? Most of them finished at the back of the field due to mechanical problems. One of the BIGGEST disappointments was Marcos Ambrose who was running in the Top 5 for most of the day until the incident with McMurray that knocked him out of the race and finished his day early. It is really disheartening when you have a guy that is driving his first cup race but let us not forget, he did not make too many friends out there on the track. He was driving a bit too aggressive and not doing the give and take. You need to gain the respect of your fellow drivers out there and with his style of driving, he did not gain any favor points.

5. More Empty Seats. Once again, we see the lack of filled seats at another race and it is probably not going to get any better in the future with skyrocketing gas prices, especially in California. I am surprised the smaller teams are being able to keep up. I have this gut feeling that some teams both in the Cup series and in the Nationwide series are going to be forced to bail out and retire their organizations. In a sport that is fueled by gas, no pun intended, it has to be a strain. It is not cheap to fuel those haulers when you are paying close to $5.00/gallon for diesel.

6. Hey Marty, get the hint. Marty Snider needs to pick and choose his words more carefully, especially when he is interviewing Tony Stewart. I give Tony a lot of credit for maintaining his composure during the post race interview. Tony was trying to tell Snider that he did not get to see the replay of the accident and Snider just kept pushing the issue until Tony, very calmly, said "You were not in the car and out on the field so how would you know what is going on." Umm Marty, that was a subtle hint to shut up before you were made to shut up. Snider did try to recover by saying that Tony had a great car but that is just adding more salt to the wound. Just another case of foot in mouth disease by these stellar reporters that are hired to cover the races.

7. Give credit where credit is due. As I mentioned earlier, critics have been really hard on Kyle Busch. Yes, he does have this "Rowdy" attitude about him but having 5 wins under his belt has to say something for the kid. He has shown that he is very versatile in his racing being able to race pretty much anywhere on any track. Now that he has put aside racing in the other leagues, he is staying focused on the #18 Team and winning the Cup this year. Does he remind you of another driver that was this young? Just in case you are wondering who I am talking about, it is Jeff Gordon. Fans either love him or hate him and that is the way the fans are seeing Kyle. Not too many boo's heard from the crowd after his victory. Does this signal a change in the way fans are viewing him? We shall wait and see.

Overall, my predictions for this race were a little skewed. I was expecting to see more from the Road course warriors and more of a challenge for the lead but we only saw two passes for the lead and once Kyle got out front, it was all over. We had to wait for the last 8 laps of this race for it to become exciting. Just your typical road course race. Better to just DVR it and watched it later. I do want to put out a congrats to David Gilliland and Yates Racing for finishing 2nd, his best finish of his career.

Next up is Loudon. Looks like those haulers will be paying big money at the pumps to get all the teams back across the country. Who is the rocket scientist that do the NASCAR schedules? Do you think we will see another schedule change for 2009 now that the economy is being hit so hard. If I am a betting man, we are going to see changes. We may even see some of the races cut from the schedule but alas that is just my opinion.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Who's The Boss at Sonoma...

We have a change of pace this weekend with the upcoming road course race at Sonoma. We get to see intentional right turns and watch what city traffic looks like around rush hour in downtown New York City. Hmmm, that makes for an interesting thought to see a road course race in New York City, do you think people would line the streets to see that? Probably not.

Anyhow back to the race this weekend. Here are some of my random views:

1. I have been reading numerous articles out there about this race and all you hear about are specific drivers, for instance Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Okay, we know these two drivers are very good on these tracks and history shows us that but if you remember last year, history was changed when Pablo Montoya took the checkered flag and he did not do it the easy way and did it starting from 32nd. I believe we are going to see history once again change. One driver that I would like to point out that has really been overlooked is Patrick Carpentier. Yes, yes, I know what all of you are saying but despite sitting 38th in points and having an average finish of 33rd, he is going to end up surprising quite a few people.

2. How about them, well what are they calling them these days? Ahh yes, the road course ringers or even a better name in my opinion, the "road course warriors". This is one of the two times of the year that we see drivers getting called in to take over the seats of some of the less experienced Cup drivers. Is that really fair to the driver? Giving the fact that some of the younger drivers do not have the experience, is it up to the owners to make the call and dial 1-800-GETMEADRVR. I will admit that it is pretty interesting when they have the in car cams during these types of races. We usually get to see the Master, Mr. Boris "Big Hair" Said working those pedals and gear shifter. It gives the viewers a better idea of just how much effort it takes to do these types of races. Perhaps this will be Said's race because if you look at how his season has been, it is nothing to shake a stick at or even a toothpick for that matter. I have personally met Boris and he is one of the most down to earth people you could ever meet. He has the happy go lucky attitude and doesn't have that ego unlike alot of the Cup drivers, not that I am pointing any fingers at a specific driver but I have heard he likes M&M's.

3. The Dark Horse riding into Sonoma besides Patrick Carpentier could be David Ragan. I have been really impressed with this kids performance so far this year. He had big shoes to fill in taking over the ride from Mark Martin but David is being his own driver and not trying to show he is another Mark Martin. The media really has not been following him lately with all the hype of Kyle "KY Jelly" Busch taking over the spotlight, David is flying well below the radar and if people are not careful, he is going to pass them all as a blur. Watch out for this kid!!

4. Sponsorship Problems. Another road course expert is Robby Gordon and unfortunately his car will be without a sponsor this week or will it? How about last year when Monster Energy Drink slapped their colors on his car at the last minute. Robby can drive and whether or not he has a sponsor on his car will not change the way he drives. He is not afraid to take chances and doesn't back down from anyone. I know alot of people do not care for Robby Gordon but give credit where credit is due.

5. Is it Strategy or Luck? To be perfectly honest, this race is almost a crap shoot on how to win this race. Will it be fuel mileage? Maybe pit strategy? These races are so unpredictable and it is hard to determine what will really work at this track. That is why you see some of the crew chiefs throwing out the dice or shaking up their chicken bones, just kidding people. We all have to make a few jokes here and there.

I am really not a big fan of the road course races. I just don't see the excitement and it tends to get a bit boring. Don't get me wrong, I know there are alot of people out there that enjoy these types of races because we get to see Right turns, but I will take a race at Bristol or Lowe's any day of the week. Good luck to all the drivers this week and we shall see who will be "The Boss at Sonoma."

Streak to the Finish...Michigan LifeLock 400

Well Good afternoon to everyone. I am finally back and ready to start my weekly article called Streak to the Finish. I have been away far too long and it is about time to Crank this up!!!

First and foremost, congratulations to Junior, it has been quite a dry streak for him but he proved that even on vapors he can win a race, thank goodness for a Yellow. I know for a fact that one very special person in my life is so happy to see him win and that is my daughter Amanda. She is a diehard Junior fan and that past couple of races have been heart breaking for her with him coming so close but yet so far. Enjoy the win Amanda!!!

Here are some of my thoughts about the race at Michigan:



1. Did anyone else notice the amount of empty seats in the stands? It is hard to believe that a track like Michigan would have that many empty seats. It shows just how much the economy is really taking effect on the sport and it is not going to get any better. Gas prices are soaring and people are just having a hard time driving from point A to point B let alone going to a race. Ticket prices are still high and that coupled with fuel prices, people are opting to just sit at home and enjoy the race. Can you see race tickets going up in price with the price of fuel for the cars to race? I believe it is coming but come on people, this sport makes soo much money it is really sickening. Lets remember the fans and perhaps if more incentives are there for race packages, people might be willing to go to one.



2. How about Citizen Kahne? Is this guy on a mission or what? Back to back wins and now gets a second place finish. Do you think driving under Budweiser has given him that extra umph to get the job done or is it he is out to impress more of those older women...LOL, just kidding. I am very impressed with Kahne this year and after his poor showing last season, he is showing he has what it takes to win races. Now we just have to figure out what is wrong with his teammate Elliott Sadler.



3. Vivacious Vickers!!! I really did think that Brian would win the race yesterday, gotta hate those late penalties. His Toyota was so strong yesterday and the way he was cutting through the field was quite impressive. Heck, even his teammate AJ looked impressive yesterday. That kid is going to get the job done and you bet your sweet you know what that after he had to sit out a few races that that gave him the push he needed to start getting his head in the game. Watch out for this kid in the future and he should do well next week at Sonoma.



4. Time for Tony. Alright, we all know that Tony is not having the most stellar season of his career. He is hanging on to the 12th spot in the standings and could drop out at anytime. Tony has the talent but I do think deep down inside he is more concerned about what he is going to do once he decides to either leave Gibbs Racing or not. He has made it clear he does like driving under the flag of Toyota but a good driver can adapt to any condition even though he might be driving a different brand of car. We all know it is just a matter of time before Tony gets in that winner circle and next week is right up his alley with a road course race.



5. Fox Fanatic. I really do miss the broadcasters at Fox. It is something about that Boogity, Boogity, Boogity. I am not a big fan of TNT and Bill Weber is like listening to nails on a chalkboard. Can we get a replacement for Wally? I know we can find someone else to drive the TNT car around the track. One thing I do miss is Benny Parsons. It is strange not to see him in the booth. I do like Kyle up there and he does bring alot of knowledge, lets just hope it bleeds over to Wally.



6. Ho-Hum. Lets put just another so so race in the books for Michigan. It wasn't really that exciting of a race and the only highlight was everyone wondering if Junior would have enough gas to cross the finish line. It is a very fast track but lets admit it, sometimes an insurance seminar is a tad bit more exciting.



I know some of my comments may sound harsh but hey that is my opinion and my blog. We all have our views and opinions on what happened during the race. Let's hear yours.

All The Rumors About Drivers

Is it me or does the silly season just keep getting sillier by the minute? It is almost like keeping up with the free agency of the NFL and Baseball.

It is just amazing that these teams that have the drivers such as Biffle, McMurray, Stewart, and Bowyer are even considering letting their drivers go and if they do go, what teams do you think they would end up with?

We have heard the rumors that Stewart could be leaving Gibbs to join HAAS and this would be to set himself up for retirement. If you ask me, I personally think that Stewart is not happy driving for Toyota. I remember his comments about Dale Jarrett when Toyota first came into the Cup series and how adamant he was about the whole deal. Now the shoe is on the other foot and he is not liking it. As far as not winning races, well you just have to look at his other teammates in Hamlin and Kyle Busch. These two are running strong so what is wrong with Stewart? The man definitely has the talent but it just doesn't seem he is hungry enough for a win. Perhaps Michigan could be a turn around point for him and the #20 Team.

Now Biffle and McMurray, Roush needs to keep these two in the stables. Biffle is showing signs of life and of course McMurray just seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time on the track, it is not his fault and why punish someone. Of course, you can see that the efforts are more focused on Edwards, who rightfully so, is burning up the track this season but when you have a 5 driver team, assets are limited and so is money, especially with how things are going in today's economy.

All in all, I just wish the silliness would end but then what would we have to talk about? Things like Kyle Busch forgetting his girlfriends name on national TV? Oh Please!!!

Please Say A Prayer...

Good Morning Everyone,
I wanted to ask all of my friends out there in the blogger and NASCAR world to please send your prayers to the love of my life, Lori. Last week she was in the hospital for emergency surgery. They found a cyst on both of her ovaries. Both her ovaries had to be removed along with the cysts. They did a biopsy on the cysts, NO CANCER!!! They also removed a large mass on her right side which was Endometriosis. She was released from the hospital last friday but after 2 days she started to develop a fever and nausea. Late Sunday night, her fever got up to 103.9. She was taken to her doctor's office first thing Monday morning by one of her best friends Rachel and after she was examined, the doctor admitted her back into the hospital. They ran a series of tests yesterday which included X-rays and a Catscan. As of this morning, we still do not know anything and we are waiting to hear from the doctors. I will keep everyone informed but please take a moment to send a prayer her way. The power of prayer is an amazing thing.