Passing The Time During The Off-Season

So what do you do to occupy your time during the off-season and anxiously awaiting the start of testing and speed weeks at Daytona? It is difficult to realize the 2006 season is finished and now that the crews have some well deserved time off to spend with their friends and family. My Sundays now consist of watching the NFL and getting my honey-to-do-list finished before the snow up here in Connecticut hits. To be honest, I did accomplish some of those things during the races. Yes, yes, I know what kind of fan pulls him/herself away from the TV to work on such things as cleaning out the gutters or winterizing the house? Well, the races in the Chase were not really that exciting to watch and I did find myself channel surfing during the endless commercial breaks. Here are some things that might help you pass the time during the off-season:

1. Put up those Christmas decorations.
2. Get the car ready for the winter weather.
3. Visit the website www.racetalkradio.com and check out the live broadcasts during the week, there is something for everyone to listen to and you can even phone in and be a part of the show.
4. Or do you like to do donuts? Then you have to check out www.doindonuts.com you never know what to expect.
5. For great editorials, go to Dennis Michelson's site at www.stockcarpitpass.com and Mike Harper's Spin Out Zone at www.spinoutzone.com
How about doing that paint project that you have been putting off.
7. Do you have a fireplace? Then what are you waiting for, get out there and start splitting and stacking that wood.
8. If you own a website, like me, make sure you are working on it a little at a time to be ready for the start of the 2007 Season.
9. Possibly do some EBay shopping.
10. Catch up with old friends that you lost touch with in the past.
11. Follow your favorite NFL football team.

There are probably things that I am forgetting so please chime in and share your thoughts. I hope you and your families had a wonderful thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I will be traveling to New Jersey today for the holiday weekend down at my sisters. I will be back next week so I will be taking a break from blogging.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

Make sure to eat plenty of turkey and don't forget the dessert.

The Final Streak Of The 2006 Season

It is time to say goodbye to the 2006 season and get ready for the Daytona 500 in February of 2007. Can you tell I am happy that this so called silly season is over and done with? Jimmie has his crown and gets to sit high on the thrown for the next year as the 2006 Nextel Cup Champion; it is still hard to say Nextel. As expected, the race at Homestead was not one of the more exciting races we have had this year. One finds themselves getting bored watching all the drivers, with the exception of Harvick, avoid Jimmie like the plague. No one wants to be labeled as the driver that ruined the wedding. This is one of the many problems with the Chase format. Maybe NASCAR will put on their thinking caps this off season instead of the dunce caps and perhaps come up with a way to solve the issues revolving around the Chase.

Thank goodness we have football to fill the gap during the off season. We can take time to recharge and get ready for 2007. People can now get those home projects started that they have been putting off on the weekends and even perhaps take in some golf, yeah right.

Here are the last bare facts of the 2006 season. It has been a pleasure to write these articles over the season and I do look forward to being back again next year. I am not a writer for any magazine or corporation. I just put my thoughts down here to share with everyone and I am always open to feedback.

- We all knew that Jimmie had a point’s lead of more then 60 points but how many times did we have to hear it in the Countdown To Green pre-race show? That topic was beaten so much it was a well done steak.

- Since when does a Miss Florida get to read the invocation? Is she an ordain minister? How did she make it through her question and answer portion of her pageant when she has to use index cards to read the invocation.

- Bravo to the American Idol winner Taylor Hicks for his rendition of the National Anthem.

- Hard to believe that Ryan Newman couldn't see that rookie strip that went all around the #30 car of Juan Montoya.

- Keep your fingers crossed for some better marketing commercials next year and that the elephant and the spooky girl do not return. What is that slogan? Oh yes, it's the windows. I hope breaking one doesn't mean 7 years bad luck.

- Do you think that Mark Martin would have been a good contestant on the TV game show "To Tell The Truth"

- Can people give it a rest about how it is about time that Jimmie Johnson finally won the Championship? He has only been driving in the cup series for 5 years. How do you think Mark Martin feels after his 24 seasons in the cup series without a championship?

- Welcome to the Nextel Cup Montoya despite the BBQ grill that was lit by Ryan Newman.

- Farewell NBC and welcome ABC/ESPN.

- Denny Hamlin finishes 3rd in the point standings. He is the only rookie to finish that high in the standings. He knocked Tony Stewart off of that stat when Tony finished 4th in the standings in his rookie season. Just to be fair to Tony, he was under the old points system.

- What happened to Jeff Gordon? Looks like Hendricks dumped everything into the #48. Jeff was running in the back all day and that worthless effort to try and block for JJ was just plain ridiculous.

- Congratulations to Greg Biffle on this 3rd straight win at Homestead. Just one of those important things that got over looked due to all the hype of JJ winning the cup. Like Rodney Dangerfield, Greg gets no respect.


We close the book on this season and now it is time to gather our thoughts about what will happen in 2007. Toyota will be entering the series. Numerous drivers shifting teams. NASCAR possibly changing the Chase rules, again. You never know what to expect in the wild world of NASCAR.

Have a great off season everyone and Happy Thanksgiving.

Woke Up This Morning...

Maybe we need to call in the Soprano's to have a talk with Brian France and NASCAR to get some of the following issues resolved:

1. Is it that the fans have had enough with NASCAR? Perhaps this is true. One problem is that the season is just too long. We start racing around Valentine's Day and don't finish up until close to Thanksgiving. The only other sport that comes close to that length in time is baseball but it is like comparing apples to oranges. These teams are on the road so much that it is no big surprise that most of them have personnel issues on the homefront and then you have the changing of the crew during the season.. NASCAR says it is about family but lets be real, these guys don’t see their families and when the season does end, they are back working in the shops getting ready for testing which starts in about 2 months. Lets face reality though, if they did shorten the season, the tracks along with the teams would lose money.

2. NASCAR has become a big business within the past several years and yes I did say business. It is all about the dollar sign and not about the fans. Did you know that half of the races this season were not sellouts? California, who wanted so desperately a second race and took it from Darlington, failed to sell out both of their races. Heck, even the Brickyard 400 failed to sell out this year and was the smallest crowd in its 13 year history. I am not saying the fans will not show up at the races, I know I will pay the high price of tickets to go see a race or two but it does cost money to go to the races and the prices keep going up. It is even getting expensive to go to the Busch races and you can thank the Busch whackers for that one.

3. Fans watching the races on TV have fallen lower then those of 2005. This years Daytona 500 did have a record viewing audience of over 12.5 million but we do have to remember that this race is like the NFL's Superbowl and is one of the most watched events in any sport. This is in part due to the races starting later in the afternoon and going into the evening hours. People just lose interest in watching it. Also helping the falling of the ratings in the poor job of broadcasting in NBC. I have mentioned it time and time before that Bill Weber is an awful guy to have in the booth and it shows with the ratings. Perhaps with ESPN/ABC coming onboard next year, it will improve, it can only get better.

4. What about having the races shortened from the 400 and 500 miles to 300 miles? We have found ourselves watching a long race of 500 miles and wondering if it will ever end and then we end up starting to channel surf or doing something around the house that is on the "honey-to-do list." Another thing to take into consideration with this is that the engines are taking a beating over 500 miles revving rpm’s of over 9300, you try driving your car like that and see what happens to the family Chrysler Town and Country.

5. Could it be that the fans are just tired of seeing the major teams dominate? We are all not fans of Hendrick, Roush, Childress, and Evernham which have the resources that some of the smaller teams don't. NASCAR did come up with a possible answer with the Car of Tomorrow. There are people out there that doubt it will make a difference but we just have to wait and see. This car is promising to make the racing closer, more exciting, and fun to watch but time will only tell.

All in all, with the COT and its side by side and bumper to bumper action coupled with a shorter schedule and the meaningless laps during the middle of a race could keep the fan base from dwindling down even further. NASCAR needs to make its move quickly. Just a thought, how would the owners of the teams react to issues if they had totalk to Tony Soprano? Silence is golden.

Streak To The Finish...Just The Bare Facts at Phoenix II

First off, I want to apologize for my tardiness in getting my article posted for this past weekend race at Phoenix, guess I was still tired from all that excitement during the race. Of course you know I am joking when I say excitement.

Is it me or has the racing become less interesting to watch? Has the Chase turned the fans to watching other sports like football? I did find myself bouncing back and forth between watching the race and winterizing my house and it was more eventful winterizing then seeing Harvick dominate at Phoenix. Along with the boredom of the Chase, how about the Busch race and the Busch regulars not even getting a fighting chance. To be honest, NASCAR needs to do something to help the regulars out. Perhaps limiting the amount of races a Cup driver can participate. Whatever the solution may be, I do hope NASCAR will come up with a plan that suits everyone.

Okay, enough rambling on, here are the bare facts from the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway:

1. Days Of Robby. Maybe Robby Gordon should have hit the pace car since that seem to be the only car he didn't run into during the race.
2. Nails on a chalkboard. Can anyone else applaud that we only have to listen to Bill Weber one more race weekend? How many more dim-witted comments can one person endure? Perhaps a shock collar around his neck and the remote in Wally's possession would make for an exciting broadcast.
3. What happened to the Police Academy? Kurt Busch as an honorary Sheriff? Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
4. Think before you speak. Kyle Busch should listen to those words due to the fact he blasts Tony Stewart for wrecking his #5 Kellogg’s Chevy. Perhaps watching the replays on the TV monitor may shed some light on your views Kyle. Get a grip, get over it, and get ready for the 2007 season.
5. Scaling the fence. After back to back weeks of climbing the fences, it just wasn't the same to see no one climb the fence at Phoenix.
6. No Robot here. Matt Kenseth was in rare form Sunday when he said in a pre-race interview and a live post race interview that he doubts his team has what it takes to contend Jimmie Johnson for the championship. Does it seem a bit harsh for Matt to say this about his team? No. Look at their performance over the last few weeks, it just hasn't been there. If you are going to win a championship, you have to be consistent and that goes to the #48 team. I give credit for Matt to say such things and be honest instead of feeding everyone a line of BS.
7. It is all about the mirrors. Tony Raines caused Jeff Green to spin out late in the race and that could probably be attributed to the suns reflection off of those DLP mirrors.
8. A plug for Lowe’s. No I am not talking about Jimmie Johnson. It is about how Jamie McMurray, after being tangled up in an accident with Tony Stewart, said it looks like he will do all his Irwin Tool shopping at Lowe's. Hey Lowe's, you might want to send a Gift card to Jamie.
9. Flawless Victory. Kevin Harvick better be praising his pit crew after their performance on Sunday. Kevin may have been driving the car to the checkers but those pit guys did not miss a beat with stops all less than 14 seconds.
10. Guest Speaking 101. During Monday Night Football on ESPN, Jeff Gordon was a guest in the booth. He was introduced as NASCAR's most popular driver. Doesn't that belong to Junior? Also Jeff was presented with a gift from the guys in the booth for his wedding, a Belgian Waffle maker, how original but I give Jeff credit with his comeback when he said "Well guys, you know they don’t eat those in Belgium."
11. Free Agent Market. Between the drivers and crew chiefs switching around, one can relate NASCAR to other professional sports like baseball and football. It is just hard to keep up with who is on what team driving what car. The latest is Biffle moving to the #6 next year and his current crew chief, Doug Richert, will not be at the helm. At least he doesn't have to worry about Subway sandwiches thrown in his face or coke sprayed on him anymore.

Let's face it, unless some really and I do mean REALLY bad luck happens to Johnson next Sunday at Homestead, he will be the 2006 Champion. Is the race worth watching? There will be people watching the race just hoping for something to go wrong on the #48 team. Hey people, wake up, this is reality, not Survivor. Jimmie will not be voted off. Good luck to all the drivers in the Ford 400. May the best man win!!!

Happy Veteran's Day!!!

Today is Veterans Day and I wanted to say to all of our veterans out there that we do appreciate your dedication and service to our country. If it wasn't for people like yourselves, we wouldn't be where we are today.

I would like ask everyone out there to take a moment and just say a quick thank you to all of those veterans who fought for and still are fighting for our freedom that we so truly love.

A Crazy Election

"You can be Secretary of the Offense, you'll be Secretary of the Inferior, and I'll be Toastmaster General!"

After seeing the results of election day here in Connecticut and also across the country, I am happy that they are done and over with finally. Now we can actually watch television without the worry of seeing those commercials of our government officials talking trash about one another. Was it me or was it just childish? I found watching the home shopping network more exciting to watch during the debates.

As we all know, they are just letting us hear what we want to hear. We know how a house that is ruled by the Democrats. Hmm, makes you wonder if all those campaign promises of our troops coming home if they take over the house will ever happen. I don't see it. That is why this whole political situation is a scam. They say one thing and then do another. We do not live in a perfect world. We do have it the best out of any other country in the world but give me a break. I suppose if a politician actually told the truth, he would never get elected.

Are we ready for a female Speaker of the House? Don't get me wrong, I am all for equality but just keep this in mind. If the President and Vice-President just so happen to be in a freak accident, you do know who is 3rd in line right? You got it, the Speaker of the House. Do you think that Hilliary Clinton would be jealous of Nancy Pelosi? Hey Hilliary, if you play your cards right, she may ask you to be the Vice President. Now there is a concept, a woman President and Vice-President. How do you think things would go?

Tuesday night really ticked me off. All the major TV stations were carrying the live broadcasts from the winners campaign headquarters starting around 9pm and didn't finish till after 11pm. I missed one of my favorite shows, Boston Legal. What bothered me the most was who really cares to listen to that music playing at their headquarters as their victory songs. Who cares about the victory speeches and thanking of the mothers and families and so on and so on. Accept your victory and carry on. Put the ticker on the bottom of the TV announcing who won, but geesh it was bad enough to flood the airwaves with all the commericals but now cutting into shows. It is a crazy, crazy world we live in. Thank goodness NASCAR was not racing, now there would be some upset fans in the audience, don't you think?

I am a Tom Fuller and I approve this message!!!

Cars Out On DVD

Cars is now on sale on DVD (November 7th, 2006)

If you are a NASCAR fan, you will really appreciate this movie. Pixar did a wonderful job in making this animation film. You just have to see it to believe it. I was truly impressed with the level of detail they did to make this movie so life-like.

Go out and buy the DVD today, I know I am. Walmart is selling it for $14.97 for the first two or three days. You will want this for your DVD collection.

As soon as I am done posting this, I am out of here to go buy my copy.

Streak To The Finish...Just The Bare Facts at Texas II

The silver guns that Stewart shot off in victory lane where not the only things smoking in Texas. Tony proved he was definitely the "Lone Gunman" or "The Smokin' Gun" during the Dickies 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway. Stewart led the most laps and his pit crew gave him nothing but flawless stops during the race. This was definitely a team victory for the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

The Dickies 500 also marked the end of a Fantastic career for Texas Terry Labonte. Also known as the "Iceman", Terry finished the day 36th but was truly impressive and gave me those goose bumps was when Terry did his parade laps before the start of the race and his son, Justin, drove up next to him in the old #44 1980 Monte Carlo that Terry got his first victory at Darlington over 26 years ago. Terry had a great run during his racing career with two championships under his belt. You will surely be missed Terry.

Without further delay, here are some of the bare facts from the Dickies 500:

1. Tony Stewart turned his fastest lap on the last lap of the race. Very impressive for a driver that only took 2 tires and the guys behind him were on 4. What does that say about this team?

2. Cutting back on the junk food and having that personal trainer has helped Tony with his fence climbing abilities.

3. Hypothetical speaking, if Tony was in the Chase, do you think the other drivers would have a chance? Inquiring minds want to know.

4. Could you believe it that after Kasey Kahne's engine blew up and he was headed back to the garage area, the NBC broadcasting team made the comment about how he (Kahne) perhaps shouldn't have ran 8 or 9 more laps in practice. Here is one of the Chasers and a sarcastic comment like that is said on TV. I wonder how that announcer would feel if he was stranded on the side of a desolate road with a flat tire and a car drives by and says "You should have checked your tire pressures at that last gas station 75 miles back."

5. This being Terry Labonte's final race of his career, do you think the TV camera's could of given him just a bit more exposure instead of the one shot on TV when he was shown being put a lap down. Yes, yes, they did show him doing his parade lap before the start of the race but for a two-time champion, one would think he would get a tad bit more exposure.

6. Did Harvick take the air off of Rigg's spoiler? By the replays, it sure did look like the #29 wanted by in a bad way. Hence, once again the #10 loses out on a possible Top 5 finish.

7. Speaking of the #29 in Kevin Harvick and his wife Delaney, do you think Ray Evernham will take matters into his own hands in keeping his personnel under control? It was totally uncalled for in what the unnamed crew member of the #10 did by pushing the both of them along with a NASCAR official after the race. Looks like chivalry is truly dead.

8. How many more times do we have to endure the dreaded commercials with the elephant for DLP and the darn cake race for the Low-Definition productions by Sony? Calgon, take me away.

9. Will anyone else be happy when Election Day will be over and done with tomorrow (Nov. 7th) because of the slanderous commercials. Which are more annoying? The politics or hearing Bill Weber announce the race? Your vote does count.

10. What else can happen to the #31 team? Talk about just pure back luck and timing. Jeff Burton needs to keep with that positive outlook he has held this entire season. He still has a chance at this championship. Like him, things can happen to drivers in these last 2 races.

11. Did anyone else scramble on their TV to find CNBC when NBC announced it would switch to that station for the rest of the post race? I know I was one of those fans trying to surf through all 175 channels.

12. Sick and Tired. That is the true statement for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Here is a guy who was suffering from the flu all week but still managed to climb into the race car and drive 500 miles.


Okay, there are only 2 races left before the Champion will be decided. Will it be the bride's maid Jimmie Johnson? How about Matt "Cheese Head" Kenseth? Perhaps momma's boy Denny Hamlin? Or the 2006 Busch series champion, Kevin Harvick. Next up is the sunny valley of Phoenix. Who will be victorious and who will go home crying?