My Major Career Change

Well after 7 years at working for Progeny Systems, I have moved on and took a different path for a job. I am now working for Pacific Drilling as an Electronics Technician onboard one of their Deep Sea Drilling rigs, the Pacific Meltem which is pictured below:

I started on April 8th, 2014 and was flown out to Geoje, South Korea where the boat is currently finishing up being built at Samsung Shipyard. This is my first time in South Korea and I must admit it is an eye opener but I am loving it so far. The crew of the rig is outstanding and definitely take care of each other. I have a few other pictures below to share and I hope you enjoy them. I will be sure to keep posting to show everyone just how amazing this place is and I hope to hear what you think about it.

 Coming along side as the rig is currently moored out in the harbor. We have to take a ferry each day to get out to the rig to work.

The picture above is from the top of the helo deck.

Stretching Your Dollars at the Pump

I can’t believe this and they get away with price gouging. Makes you wonder who the owner is since he is unwilling to comment, probably is from the Middle East over here on a free ride. Sorry but this kind of thing just really upsets me and it effects all of us.

Stretching Your Dollars at the Pump

Gordon gets belated return to victory lane - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

My hat off to Jeff Gordon and his entire team on a fantastic race yesterday. It didn’t appear at first that Jeff had what it needed to win the race but he got up to the front and never looked back. Oh there were a few flubs on pit row but the team overcame them and charged right back up to the front.

In the closing laps Kyle Busch could not keep Gordon from getting the lead back and taking home the win from Phoenix. I know there are a lot of Gordon haters out there but you know what, this guy still has what it takes to win races and perhaps this could be his season for the “Drive for Five”.

Gordon gets belated return to victory lane - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

Oil price passes $99 per barrel - Yahoo! Finance

Oh great, here we go again with the rise in gasoline prices. With the problems over in Libya, the stock market is seeing its effect and all of us will be feeling it very soon. It is expected that gas prices will hit close to $5.00 a gallon by summer time. Sounds like we have to start looking at drilling our own oil and you know what that means right, we might have to start looking at Alaska or looking at alternate means of getting around because I don’t know about you but $5.00 a gallon is going to hurt the pocket. I do remember the rise in gas back in 2008 and that hurt but it did not last that long but it was under different circumstances. There are just too many “what ifs” about what is going on over in the Middle East.

What are your thoughts?

Oil price passes $99 per barrel - Yahoo! Finance

Fryer's Five: Bayne better off racing for N'wide title - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

I agree with what Jenna says about Bayne in staying in the Nationwide Series. He needs to develop his skills in that series before stepping right into the big shoes. He has a lot of potential and with the right training he will definitely become a top level driver in the Sprint series.  Keep an eye out for this kid in the years to come.

Fryer's Five: Bayne better off racing for N'wide title - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

Movers and Chasers: Daytona - February 21, 2011 - NASCAR.COM Video

and once again there are changes but will this change be a good one? You make the call.

Movers and Chasers: Daytona - February 21, 2011 - NASCAR.COM Video

Trevor Bayne, you are not dreaming...

You just one the Superbowl event of NASCAR, the Daytona 500. This was the thing that NASCAR really needed after a disappointing season last year with attendance and in my opinion just the lack of fans not wanting to watch the races due to having the same winners week in and week out. Here we now have a kid, and yes a kid, only 20 years old comes out of nowhere and takes the checkered flag.

As I watched the tandem duo's all day during the race, I had my eye on this kid. I was very impressed with him and also Regan Smith driving the #78. These two were always there being the pushers vice the pushee and they were hooked up with some veterans during the race. Hard to believe that you would want someone with one of those dreaded yellow stripes on their bumpers behind you pushing going close to 200 mph but that wasn't the case with Bayne. Now Smith is not a rookie but he hooked up with Dale Jr who is very selective on his draft partners. It was unfortunate that Smith got caught up in that late wreck but was able to salvage it for a decent finish.

We did hear a lot of talk during speedweeks about Bayne but no one really picked this youngster to win the Grand Daddy of NASCAR events. It is a shame that he is not running a full season and is committed in the Nationwide Series because he gets no points in the Sprint Series but hey at least he got the $1.5 million dollar check. Hats off to Bayne and his entire team and it was so great to see the Wood Brothers in Victory Lane after 10 years since their last win. This kid will be flying high for quite some time and his name is now part of the history books as winning the Daytona 500, he definitely has some company in that department. He may not win another Sprint race this year but he can always say he was the winner of the 2011 Daytona 500.

Congratulations Trevor Bayne!!!

Dale Jarrett to be inducted...

into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.

Former NASCAR champion driver Dale Jarrett, crew chief and engine builder Waddell Wilson and former Charlotte Observer motorsports writer Tom Higgins will be inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame in January.

All three were selected on more than 65 percent of the ballots cast by NMPA members to earn induction into the Hall of Fame.

"These three men have impacted the sport on the track, in the garage and in the media center. Their contributions are significant," said NMPA President Dustin Long.

Higgins covered NASCAR and other motorsports in a 40-year journalism career, including 34 years at the Observer. He was one of the first reporters to cover NASCAR full time. He received NASCAR's Award of Excellence in 1996 man and won the NMPA's George Cunningham Award in 1987.

As a crew chief, Wilson won the Daytona 500 in 1980, '83 and '84. His engines powered teams to 109 wins, 123 poles and three Cup championships.

Jarrett, now an ESPN analyst, won the 1999 Cup championship. Among his 32 Cup victories were three Daytona 500s (1993, '96 and 2000). He and father Ned are the second father-son combination to have each won at least one series title behind only Lee and Richard Petty.

Read more: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/09/01/45456/jarett-wilson-higgins-get-motorsports.html#ixzz0yKorIYAq

Bandalero's at Waterford Speedbowl

It was Wacky Wednesday at the Waterford Speedbowl last night on May 26th, 2010. That is my daughter Chelsey getting ready to sing the National anthem. She did a beautiful job at singing, I am just so proud of her.

We had a fantastic time. My company, Progeny Systems, sponsored our night at the races.

#11 FEDEX Team Claims Pit Crew Championship

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin's Pit crew for taking the #1 spot at the Pit Crew Championships held in Charlotte beating out Dale Earnhardt's team in the semi -finals and thus beating out Jeff Burton's team to win it all.

Denny and his crew have been a great streak and this is just another one of those feathers in the cap.

Can you say Sprint Cup Champion???

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Lock and Load for Logano

Well it appears that for being in just his second season, Joey is off to a great start and better then we have seen from others in the sophomore season (Kahne and Hamlin). My hat is off to this young kid for not being afraid to race up there with the big boys and from his racing on the track, he is doing it cleaner and better then a lot of the veteran drivers. I truly enjoy Joey being from Connecticut as that is where I reside so it is a boost for the state, just wish it helped with all of the taxes this state poses on us...LOL, just kidding Governor Rell. Not only can this kid drive, he has one of the best crew chiefs out there in Greg Zipadelli, I mean look what Zippy did for Tony Stewart and there were times that Tony and Greg did not see eye to eye but as we all know Tony had his temper tantrums in his early days but it was Greg that brought him back to earth. Zippy is truly a bonus for Joey and the two are really working well both on and off the track. With all the hype of the Daytona 500 winner and the Jimmie Johnson show, Joey is flying under the radar and sits 8th in the points standings. Yes, it is only 3 races into the season but this young kid is off to a fantastic start. Joey, keep doing what you are doing and race like there is no tomorrow.

My Dream Car...

Oh yes, one day it shall be mine. Maybe not in this lifetime but it shall happen

A New Blog for Me

Hello everyone,

I have started a new blog over at Yardbarker.com. I am still planning on updating this blog along with some different articles on my new blog. You can find my new blog here:

My New Yardbarker Blog

Way To Long!!!

Hello Everyone, I know I have been away for quite some time but things happen in life personally and professionally and they can not be helped. The past several months have been extremely busy with my job along with having to take on a part time job. We all have to do what we need to do in order to support our families and I am doing that in supporting my two daughters. I plan on starting my blog back up shortly so please keep a look out for my articles and don't forget the Daytona 500 is just right around the corner. Take care, Tom

Texting While Driving Is Deadly

I know this is off the track of NASCAR and Football but I wanted to share this with all of you about the dangers of texting and driving.

This video that I have linked is very graphic but I know that after watching it, if you have teenagers that drive you will want to share it with them to emphasize the dangers of texting while behind the wheel.

I have a 17 year old daughter and I know for a fact that I will be showing her this video.

Here is the link:

Texting Can Be Deadly

Another Hot one in Atlanta

Racing at Atlanta under the lights was everything we'd hoped and more. NASCAR has made a very smart move in bringing the race to Atlanta for the Labor Day weekend, as instead of a snoozefest we usually got in California, we actually got to see racing. Yep, that's right, racing, a foreigh commodity in the era of the COT, it seemed for awhile.

In the Cup series race here we saw 13 different leaders in the race, unheard of in recent races. Granted, some of those were the inevitible "stayed out to lead a lap for 5 bonus points" moves, but Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya all looked like they were the car to beat at one point or another during the race.

In the end though, it was all about Kasey Kahne, although the other drivers who had a good night looked equally as pleased with their performances, specifically Kevin Harvick. He really wanted to win the double and seemed poised to do so when his teammate brought out the caution with only a handful of laps to go. Kevin hadn't been good on the short run, needing 12 to 14 laps for his tires to warm up and loosen his car up.

With only 15 laps to go on the restart, his crew added a full pound of air to the tires to try to give him a better short run, but when David Reutimann gave Kasey a little nudge to get him going, Kasey was able to check out. He openly thanked Reutimann in his Victory Lane interview, admitting that he hadn't been able to shift through the gears properly all night long and having that bump eased his shifts and propelled him forward. He quickly got ahead of the rest of the pack and there was simply nothing anyone else could do. Juan Pablo Montoya appeared to be strong enough to take over second from Kevin, but when his car got scarey sideways with two to go, JPM settled for third.

Although the top 12 in the Chase Race got shaken up a little, no one from outside the top 12 move in to displace those in. In fact, Matt Kenseth, who was a lap down early in the race after scrubbing the wall, managed a 12th place finish and has 20 points on Brian Vickers - not a lot, but at least he is ahead instead of behind. Vickers didn't have a horrible day, finishing in 7th and leading a couple of laps, but he needs to do better than that and have Matt fail miserably in order to get in the Chase.

Kyle Busch lead 24 laps in the race, and at one point had jumped up to 9th in the point standings, but as we all know, it's the finish that counts. Kyle's true passion for his sport showed yet again and he refused interviews after the race. Interestingly enough,he is making history, even without running for a Championship in the Cup side. if he is unable to make the Chase, I have no doubt he will still go out to win every race, and will likely also concentrate on wrapping up a Nationwide Championship.

Kasey's win jettisoned him five spots in the Chase standings, up to sixth, just behind Carl Edwards, who had a terrible night. Carl, racing with broken bones in his foot, was also racing for Cancer, in a car designed by Cancer patient Jodi Lawrence. She was interviewed prior to the race and also road around the track with Carl and Dave Burns and a camera crew. She looked as if she wished the camera crew would just go away, as she was videotaping her own little souvenir the whole time. Carl's car ended up in the garage early on, with an oil lead that was diagnosed as an oil cooler failure. Unfortunately, that oil cooler is in the radiator, and it took the crew 23 laps to get it repaired.

Jimmie Johnson had catastrophic problems fighting a loose race car all night long and finished way back with Carl Edwards, in 36th. Kurt Busch as well, had a loose car and he crashed out of the race with around 100 to go, and accompanied Carl and Jimmie in the back.

In all, JPM and Kasey were the ones who moved forward, while Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle, really not even mentioned during the race, dropped. The stories of the race, however, had to be Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. For a good portion of the latter part of the race, they were the only two non-chasers in the top ten. While Kevin's crew made a great call on the final pit stop, however, Jr's did not, and whateer tires they put on the car resulted in him going backwards, quickly. And yes, it is the finish that counts, but 17th place is a lot better than the mid 30's he was getting earlier this year.

And Kevin? Well, now that he and Richard Childress have come out publicly to deny any movement anywhere, they seem to have a new-found burn to succeed. Maybe they aren't in the Chase this year, but I do look for them to challenge next year as well.

The second story simply has to be the feel good story. Bobby Labonte, ousted from the 96 car earlier in the week in favor of Erik Darnell, jumped into the Taxslayer Chevy and pulled off a 18th place finish. Although he didn't lead a lap, he was in the top ten throughout the day.

Oh, and his "replacement"? Well, he finished in a stellar.....30th. Oh, and David Gilliland, who was displaced for Bobby, jumped into the Wood Brothers 21 when Bill Elliott was injured, and managed 19th. right behind Bobby.

With 11 races to go in the Season, there are still a ton of stories to play out. Next week it's on to Richmond for the Race to the Chase finale. Only 4 drivers are locked in, Tony, Jeff, Jimmie and Denny Hamlin. Carl isn't, surprisingly, and with only 85 points separating Carl in 5th from Matt in 12th, almost anything can happen.

Americans Do Show Their Respect

My dad sent this video to me and I wanted to share it with all of my friends here. Most of us take for granted the freedom which we are given here in the United States and often forget those that are overseas protecting our freedom from those who want to take it away from us. This video really shows the support of the American people for a fallen soldier.

Killed in action the week before, the body of Sergeant First Class John C. Beale was returned to Falcon Field in Peachtree City , Georgia , just south of Atlanta , on June 11, 2009 . The Henry County Police Department escorted the procession to the funeral home in McDonough , Georgia . A simple notice in local papers indicated the road route to be taken and the approximate time.
Nowadays one can be led to believe that America no longer respects honor and no longer honors sacrifice outside the military. Be it known that there are many places in this land where people still recognize the courage and impact of total self-sacrifice. Georgia remains one of those graceful places. The link below is a short travelogue of that day's remarkable and painful journey. But only watch this if you wish to have some of your faith in people restored.

Here is the link for the video. I hope you will take the time to watch it.

Sergeant Beale's Video

Mayfield. Guilty or Innocent?

Could it be that Mayfield did take methamphetamines? Jeremy just doesn't fit the profile for someone that would take those types of drugs. There is a lot of speculation on the validity of NASCAR's drug testing and that is what Mayfield's attorney is trying to prove.

To be honest in what I have been reading throughout the internet, it just doesn't look good for Mayfield. It is a shame that this has happened to him especially after he formed his own team and now is having to lay off personnel and borrow money from outside sources such as his family.

Mayfield will be the example that NASCAR will use in the future about how tough their drug testing is and their zero tolerance policy and the consequences of such acts but that all depends if the judge rules in favor of NASCAR.

I am curious to hear what you think about this whole situation.

Happy Birthday Grandmom!!!

I wanted to let everyone know that today would of been my grandmom's 99th birthday. The first picture is of my daughters with Dot Dot (that is what they called her) and the second picture is of me with my amazing grandmom.

There are certain people in your life that you truly look up to and that you can share anything with no matter what it is and that was my grandmom. She was the one I could talk to about anything and she would always have time for me and give me her view and opinions which I always took to heart.

I have so many fond memories of my grandmom and they will last forever because those are the things that are precise to me in my life. I believe too many people tend to forget about their grandparents but I know that our grandmom was truly loved by everyone in our family. Grandmom was always full of life. We gave her the nickname the "Energizer Bunny" because she just kept on going and going and going.

I was very close to my grandmom and when my mom called me and told me that she had passed away, I felt my heart just rip apart. I just could not believe that she was gone but grandmom led a long and wonderful life and I only hope I get to live to that age and be just as happy and joyous as she was in her life.

Tonight, I will be lighting two candles that are placed on each side of my grandmom's picture on a shelf in my house. Those candles will be lit tonight in her rememberance for all the love, happiness and joy that she brought into my life and everyone else's heart that she has touched.

We love you Grandmom. You are missed but never forgotten.