Streak To The Finish...The Brickyard 400

First off, lets hear your best caption for the picture above, I am sure some of you can figure out some witty comments for this one.

I am not going to beat a dead horse because all the talk about the tire issues at Indy have run thin and it is water under the bridge, so to speak.

Building Something Together: Did anyone think that Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Team would not win a race this year? Come on people, this is the two time defending champion and they are just gearing themselves up for the Chase. They are not showing their hand and I expect that this team has some surprises in store for everyone. Stand by.

Money Spent: Can you imagine paying $1400 for a set of four tires for your car? Now, take that number and times it by a factor of 12 and you have a bill for $16,800 for race day. You know that has to hurt the one car teams. Hmm, do you think Goodyear has a replacement policy?

Taking the Bull by the Horns: Big Kudo's goes out to AJ Allmendinger!!! This is a kid that most people wrote off and thought would end up looking for a job but I have said it in the past that he is one to keep your eye on. He and his team showed they have what it takes to run out front and finish strong. AJ led 4 laps and got his first Top 10 finish coming across the bricks in 10th. I know he is sitting 40th in points but they are making it into the races on time, doing it the old fashioned way since they are outside the Top 35 in owners points. He is one to watch.

Watch What You Say: Mark Martin did say before the start of the race that he was going to win it but alas, he who talks smack ends up going to the back. Luckily, he didn't go to far in the back and finished 11th.

Disappointment: For one of the biggest races of the year besides the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 turned out to be a series of 10-12 laps sprints. What kind of race is that to put on for the fans? You really can not fault Goodyear. Yes they do make the tires but remember it was NASCAR that opted not to test here. A lesson learned but too much, too late.

Can You Say, OH NO! : Kevin Harvick was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he got slammed by Kurt Busch after Busch's car got loose and collected Harvick. Matt Kenseth, who did have a car capable of winning, fell victim to the failing tires. That is probably the worst damage I have seen from a blown tire. Heck, it even blew out the side rear window. Last but not least was Brian Vickers whose engine let go, at least it was not a tire and it was a great move on Vickers part to keep his car up high to avoid laying down oil all over the track. That should be the Move of the Race.

Got a Snickers Bar: This was one race that really dragged on and it was almost painful to watch. All the excitement came in the last 20 laps of this race. Not really what I expected to see from a race at the Brickyard.

Safety First: Yes, NASCAR did throw all the competition cautions to avoid any disasters but come on people, this was totally unnecessary if NASCAR would just take the time to do testing. Are these people really that ignorant?

To sum it all up, it was not the greatest race to watch for one of the biggest of the year but there were some lessons learned here. NASCAR and Goodyear need to put their thinking caps on and come up with a solution. Great job by the drivers to try and put on the best race they could with what they were given.

Cat Fight On Pit Row...

Is this a sign of things to come for Danica?

The Silly Season Continues, Next Up

On the list is Ryan Newman. It was just announced that Newman will be leaving Penske Racing at the end of the 2008 Season. Where will the Rocketman land? Rumors are saying he will join Stewarts team or even possibly take over the reigns of the #20 at Joe Gibbs Racing and then even join Richard Childress Racing to be their 4th team in 2009.

Personally speaking I see Ryan going over to Stewarts team next year. He would be a perfect fit for a team that is just starting out under new ownership and Stewart will want experience and not take on any new development drivers. Does this mean that Scott Riggs will be jobless next year? Probably so. Scott Riggs has been busting his butt to keep that #66 in the running week in and week out and to just release him is totally unfair but that is the nature of this business.

Is it me or is NASCAR becoming more and more like the NFL with free agency? It gets to the point where you start to wonder if any driver is safe where he is at nowadays. Of course, the driver will go to whoever offers the most money, which is pretty sad. What has happened to the loyalty? I completely understand that these drivers want to win a championship but to just go somewhere because the money is better is not the right reason. These drivers make plenty of money and it sometimes appears to me that it is greed.

Another driver that is being closely watched is Martin Truex Jr. Where will he go? Rumors are saying he could possibly go to Penske to replace Newman.

Will the madness ever end?

What are your thoughts? Inquiring minds want to know.

Proud Member

Visit The Church of The Great Oval

The Annual Ride To Work

Hello everyone. First off I would like to wish you all and your families a safe and wonderful 4th of July!!!

I am not sure how many cyclists we have out there but this is a great idea and the company I work for sponsors this program and it will be our second year of participating. We all know that the gas prices are out of control and are forcing many of us to rethink how we live our lives. Isn't it amazing how a material can control our lives to such an extent, it is actually pretty darn scary if you ask me.

This program gets everyone that owns a motorcycle, scooter, and yes even the old manual bicycle to join in for the day. I am still looking into buying a scooter and one that I have found is the Honda Helix, just have to see how things work out, they are not cheap and I am sure the prices on them will go up especially with the demand for them right now.

Here is a little bit about this program: This year's 17th Annual Ride To Work Day is just a month away. The recent rise in gas prices have caused many commuters to turn to motorcycles and scooters to save money on transportation, and they are finding them to be an economical, efficient and enjoyable way to get to work and around town. Because of high world-wide gasoline prices, this is expected to be the largest RTW day ever, in terms of numbers of participants.

According to the United States Census Bureau and the Department of Transportation, over eighty million cars and light trucks are used for daily commuting on American roads, and about 200,000 motorcycles and scooters are a regular part of this mix. On Ride To Work Day, the practical side of riding becomes more visible as a larger number of America's 8,000,000 cycles are ridden to work.

Ride to Work Day helps demonstrate how these vehicles make parking easier and help traffic flow better. Studies have shown that across equal distances, commuting motorcyclists reach their destinations in less time than those using automobiles, that motorcycles and scooters consume less resources per mile than automobiles, and that they take up less space on roads. Motorcycle and scooter riders seek improved employer recognition and support for this form of transportation, and more public and government awareness of the positive value of riding.

Here is the link for their website: http://www.ridetowork.org/

Once again, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY to all my fellow Bloggers and their families.

Streak To The Finish...The Lenox Industrial Tools 301

I would like to pass on congratulations to Kurt "The Rain Man" Busch but I just hate seeing races end like that and especially with condition of his car, looks like the left rear shock assembly was about to drop off of the car but it is what it is and it is a win in the record books for Kurt, as Tony Stewart said, "That's racing man."

A recap from the race. Don't be afraid to chime in on your opinions, they are all welcome here.

1. Can AJ Allmindinger ever catch a break? He has an outstanding qualifying run and then his car goes south for the winter. I wonder what Vickers was thinking when he saw his teammate blow up?

2. Giving the High Sign. After McMurray plowed into the back of Junior, I am sure Junior was not replaying the hand signal he was giving to let everyone know he was pitting. I thought we had spotters out there for the drivers?

3. Punt, Pass & Kick. That was the name of the game for the little episode that took place between Kyle Busch and Montoya. Okay, so NASCAR holds Montoya for two laps for his aggressive driving but is it just because Kyle is the points leader that he was not guilty in this incident. Indeed Montoya spun him around and in the process wrecked his own car but it takes two to tango. The post race interviews were totally different and Montoya was not afraid to say, "Yeah, I spun him." All is fair in love and war but not in this case.

4. Dreary Times. It was not only the weather that was depressing on Sunday. Stewart was just not feeling it after having such a dominate car to find himself finishing 13th on the day. His interview went rather well but of course it wasn't Marty Snider doing the interview. The #20 Team is just having that kind of season. It is just a matter of time before Smoke gets in Victory Lane.

5. More Empty Seats. I know I keep talking about this week after week but once again you could see the empty spots in the grandstands at Loudon which is normally a sold out event. People blame it on the threat of rain for the weekend. I call BS on that one. NASCAR fans are the most passionate and after spending all that money on tickets and travel time, they will be there. Just another indication that our economy is really effecting the things we love to do.

6. Casey at bat. But who will he be at bat with next year? It was said by Rick Hendrick that Casey Mears will not be in the #5 car next year. Despite having a 7th place finish this week and a Top 5 last week at Sonoma, looks like he is on his way out. I give credit to Casey for going out there every week and giving it his best but you can only do your best with what they give you.

7. Brothers In Arms. So we have Jimmie and Jeff doing a little bumping and grinding against each other. Jeff calls it racing and Jimmie calls Jeff a spoiled brat over his radio. Will Daddy Hendrick have to put Jimmie in a time out if they can't play well together?

8. Silence is Golden. Or is it? The most under rated driver out there right now in the Top 12 in the point standings is Jeff Burton. You never hear anything about him during the race except how he is slowly moving up through the field and that is about it. He starts 31st and finishes 12th under the red flag. Too bad the rain came, would of been interesting to see those last 17 laps.

9. Not Too Shabby. The race was actually pretty exciting this week even though they added an extra "Lap" to the race. Just thought it odd to be the Lenox Industrial Tools 301. Sounds more like an advanced shop class at college.

Off we head down to the Triple H (Hazy, Hot and Humid) of Daytona for the Coke Zero 400. Can someone please tell me who thinks up these names for the races.