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

Gloomy Day at the Glen

Okay, so we know that Juan had his fair share of incidents on the track. Did he purposely spin out Harvick? I really don't think so after watching the replay for the 1000th time. That is not to say that Juan was driving a bit too hard and didn't give the #1 any room but hey this is road course racing and Juan is a very good road course racer but this is the big leagues and everyone needs to play along with each other in the sand box otherwise you might find yourself stuck in it. It was just one of those days at the Glen. Just a side note, Juan did get into the back end of Dale Jarrett also, although that was not televised as much as the rock em sock em robot fight with him and Happy.

Just some side notes:

1. Great job by Ron Fellows and the #96 DLP team...they sure did need a good finish. A Road Course Warrior prevails.

2. Does the media have any sense of humanity? So Jeff went into the turn a bit too hard and lost it but give the guy a break and let him have a chance to cool down and relax instead of shoving the microphone right in his face. Calgon, take me away!!!

3. How about Denny and racing all over except on the track. He sure didn't care about his teammate that was running right next to him.

4. Poor Junior. Someone better check Teresa's pocketbook for a voodoo doll because he just can not catch a break. Gives a new meaning to "Going out with a bang."

Overall, it was a pretty exciting race to watch despite being a road course. Congrats to Tony Stewart. One person's misfortune is another ones gain!

Kissing The Bricks...Did you know

How the tradition started at Indy of kissing those gritty and rubber filled bricks? Well being a huge Dale Jarrett fan, I will let you all in on the details, of course I know some of you already know the answer but this is my blog so I can say whatever I want...LOL

Back in 1999 when Dale Jarrett won the Brickyard 400, his crew chief, Todd Parrot suggested that the entire team go over to the finish line, turn their hats backwards, kneel down and all at the same time kiss the bricks. What do you know? Something as simple as that has turned out to be a tradition for the winner. DJ may not be having the stellar season, but he and his crew chief from the past did make history numerous times...as a matter of fact, DJ won the championship that same here.

Inspiration & Desire...

My Daughters Kaitlynne(left) & Chelsey (right)
during Father's Day

Okay, now all of you are probably wondering what the heck I am going to talk about with a title called "Inspiration & Desire."

First, lets break down each word:



1. Inspiration: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions



2. Desire: to long or hope for



Both of these words relate to a great deal of things in our lives. We have those in our lives that give us that inspiration to better ourselves in all that we do. I am sure everyone has someone in their life that gives them that extra push that they need in their life. Someone that is always there when you need words of encouragement or to lend a helping hand. You see these types of things happen in NASCAR all the time. These crews and drivers that come out week after week looking to be the car in Victory Lane and hold that trophy high up in the air. Take Denny Hamlin for example, do you remember who he said inspired him to pursue his dream of racing? It was his mom and dad that always backed Denny in what he dreamed of doing and even took out a second mortgage to finance his racing. There are two special people in my life and those are the two in the picture above. My daughters are my inspiration. Now if that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is.



There was a time for myself where I found that I almost gave up on this blog along with my website. I have been doing my website now for 5 years and this blog just over a year so to just toss it all off to the side would take alot for me to do and as I said, I was so close to doing it. Suddenly something happened in my life that gave me that "Inspiration" to start working on my website again and start blogging. It only takes one moment in time that turns your life around for the better and I have my Guardian Angel out there keeping a constant eye on me making sure that whenever I start to have those thoughts in my head to kick my ass to the curb and put me back on the right path. I know that you all have someone like that in your lives and always be thankful for those people.



Now how about that word Desire. This can be seen in the eyes of every driver when they get behind that wheel whether it is the Cup, Busch, Truck, ARCA or any kind of race series. The desire to win and always be remembered for winning at that track. Do you think that desire plays into any part of the Cup series when they race the Daytona 500? Oh Hell Yes!!! That is a dream of every driver and that dream FINALLY came true for the late, great Dale Earnhardt and did you see the reaction of the fans and every pit crew. To see everyone lined up to congratulate him as he drove by, that is a wonderful part of this sport. Even though these teams go head to head every week, at the end of the race they are one big family. What is your desire? Do you have one? Could your desire be just to be happy for the rest of your life? I know for a fact that I have always desired to share my life with that special someone where I can just be myself and not worry about being judge. To be able to just sit and talk and tell each other about one anothers day. Desire is a very strong word to use but when you really want something in your life that you have been waiting for a lifetime, you have to reach out and take hold of it and never let it go. Always remember the saying "Keep your eye on the prize."



Who inspires you? What do you desire?



I want to share this quote with everyone that My Guardian Angel sent to me:



Just as the wind dances in my hair, as the ocean massages my thoughts, as the sun blankets me in happiness, and as the earth travels with me across universal challenges, so all the elements of your love fill my life

Chicago...Chicago...It's the place to be

It is off to Chicago this week. DJ sits 40th in the points standings and of course will have to qualify on time. The UPS Toyota has had one issue after another and trust me when I say that I have been very disappointed in their performance. Don't get me wrong, I know this is their first year in the Series and they will get better with more time, it is a learning process, but when it is your favorite driver and he is not making races, well it just plain stinks. I do watch the race every weekend despite Dale not being in most of them but it is just me. You sometimes find yourself battling over whether you still want to follow him but I keep telling myself that DJ will always be my favorite driver no matter what he drives. He is a Cup Champion and noone can EVER take that away from him.

Should NASCAR take lessons from the DMV?

I have recently read numerous articles about the inspection process that the teams have to go through before they can put their cars on the track and I must say that NASCAR needs to re-evaluate their program. The biggest issue is how the inspections are conducted by order of point standings. Is this fair? Does it mean that the drivers sitting 19th, 34th, or even 45th in points should have equal time on the track as the driver sitting 1st in points? Heck yes!!! As much as NASCAR says it is fair with their rules, this is one rule that needs to be put through the House of NASCAR and revamped. Come on, if the DMV can move vehicles like clockwork through their inspections, don’t you think NASCAR could do the same? Heck, at least NASCAR doesn’t have to worry about the alignment of the headlights.

All cars should be inspected first before anyone gets out on the track for practice. The teams sitting lower in the points are losing valuable practice time while the top teams are taking advantage of the situation. If a car does not make it through inspection the first time, well that is the teams fault and so they should wait but that should not be the case if you make it the first time. Does this mean that NASCAR would have to start earlier in the day for the inspections? Oh my gosh, it may cut into their sleep time. Give me a break, these inspectors are more then likely making big bucks for what they are doing so who cares if they have to start early. The teams that are really hurting are the ones that are just starting out like the Toyota teams. Okay, we all know that the teams get to come to certain tracks and test well that is what it is, testing. They take back to their shops what they learned from their testing to apply for the upcoming race. Well things can change with track conditions and things need to be looked at but if these teams are not getting the time required, i.e. because of the inspection process, is that really fair?

This is an issue that fans really don’t care about but come on now, lets be fair to all the teams. Being a diehard fan of the sport, it is just my opinion that NASCAR really needs to take a hard look into this problem and yes I call it a problem. NASCAR would probably come back and say it is an inconvenience. Typical answer from the office.

Can Toyota Make It?

Well it has been two races now for Toyota and it is still really too early to tell if they will make it in the Cup Series. They are still compiling data and taking lessons learned from the races back to the shops. It has been difficult for them due to all the teams with the exception of Bill Davis do not have any owner points and are sitting on the outside looking in. Two teams really hit hard is that of A.J. Allmendinger of Team Red Bull and Jeremy Mayfield of the #36 which have failed to make the first two races putting them in a really deep hole which will be almost impossible to climb out of.

We all knew this would be a very steep learning curve but give these teams time to find their stroke. Look at Brian Vickers with his 10th place finish at the Auto Club 500. Dave Blaney was on his way to a great finish when his oil pump belt fell off. All the teams are feeling the hardship, it was to be expected. Of course, everyone wants to finish the race and even bring home the checker flag but I believe it will take a lot more time before Toyota brings that flag home in the Cup Series.

Now, if you take a look in the Busch series, well Toyota is doing rather well. Dave Blaney is showing that the Camry has the horsepower to drive to the front and the #99 Aaron's Dream machine is doing much of the same.

There are plenty of fans out there that despise Toyota being in the Cup series. Heck even people in the garage do not like the idea. Jack Roush was even stated as saying he can not wait to hand Toyota their head on the track. This comes from a man with a 5-car team that had to reach out to a baseball team for co-ownership. I just feel bad for the drivers when they have to thank the sponsors of the car...Like Matt Kenseth..."Yes, the Roush-Fenway-Red Sox-Dewalt Ford Fusion ran really well tonight."

Give Toyota a break. You don't see fans bashing the truck series but of course we are not talking about the top level of racing.

Just my opinion.

Is That Really A Dollar Sign in the Word NA$CAR?

Why is this question asked you say? After reading a recent article on NASCAR.com about the awards that were handed out in New York, I was shocked at how much money was given out for those separate awards. Some of these awards seem either far-fetched or just plain ridiculous. Don’t these drivers make enough money already with their sponsors? Here are some questions that I have about this whole awards fiasco:

1. Why would you get an award for being an announcer that has helped promote NASCAR? You are doing your job and getting paid for it. Yes, it is nice to get recognition for your contributions, but that healthy paycheck, your travel and accommodations paid for and not to mention getting to be at the track calling the race.

2. Chevrolet presented Johnson's wife with a 2007 Corvette? You don't think she drives a nice car already? I wonder what the trade-in value is for that Corvette.


3. Despite getting caught for so-called cheating at the beginning of the season, Chad Knaus still managed to receive the Crew Chief of the Year Award.

4. The engine department at Hendricks Motorsports received $107,000 for their engine building capabilities. Hmmm, I wonder how many people make up that department. Will they get the money or will it be just put back into the department funds? Yeah right but if you have 100 people in that department, each person gets roughly $1000 but then factor in taxes and you get around $720.

5. Are these awards taxed? Do they have to be claimed on their taxes? Not that they would see any difference.

6. Is this why the ticket prices for us loyal fans keep going up every year? It is like when a professional team has a big name on their team and has to pay big bucks to get him, the end result is jacking up the prices for tickets to help pay the payroll. Sound familiar?

7. What does it mean when they say that Jimmie Johnson received a scale replica of his No. 48 Chevrolet made from gold? Are we talking a 1:1 scale, or the diecast scale of either 1:18 or 1:24?

8. Only $50,000 for the Rookie of the Year award given to Hamlin? Heck, the one with the most Budweiser Poles gets $100,000. Is that fair?

9. Kenseth gets $75,000 for the fastest lap. Okay, what does that mean? Which track was he the fastest? He didn't appear that fast all the time. Can we get a little more specific NASCAR?

10. Two punch knockout for Citizen Kahne. He gets $100,000 for having the most poles during the season and then gets $101,000 for the Commit to Win Award. Is it me or do those two figures not look right? Was someone trying to out do the other? Was someone jealous?

11. Oh and here is just something totally outrageous, in that during the ceremony tonight, the NASCAR Foundation will have a Red Carpet Online Charity Auction for fans to bid on clothing and accessories worn by NASCAR celebrities at the Nextel Cup Series Awards Banquet in New York. Who wants a smelly t-shirt? Do I really need a tuxedo so when I go to all my social functions I can say, "Hey check out my new tux, it was worn by Kevin Harvick." Like someone is really going to believe you. Do you get a certificate of authenticity? I do hope that NASCAR does put the money towards the foundation.

12. What the heck is a Drive Thru Pit Award? You get $105,000 for being the most courteous driver when you are told by NASCAR that you are penalized for entering or exiting pit road too fast? Jimmie Johnson got this award. As my favorite comedian, Bill Engvall, says "I believe that the most courteous driver should be the one that throws his water bottle out his window while coming down pit road to serve his penalty and hits his crew chief right on the head." Robby Gordon should have been the winner.

13. Why are the awards given out just for the Top 10 and 11th place finishers? You don't think that some of those other teams below them had their shining moments. How about Fatback McSwain and his contributions to the #21 team? Scott Riggs as possibly the most improved driver or comeback story of the year despite missing the Daytona 500? How about Petty Enterprises? Let’s share the wealth.


Are the paychecks really warranted for these awards? Do they really need to have a dollar figure attached to them? Does it know you accomplished something worthy of recognition by a trophy with your name engraved on it? It just seems that NASCAR is all about the money and trying to be the #1 sports event. Wonder what the old veterans of the sport think?