Where was the love in Richmond???

Well it sure wasn't coming from the NBC/TNT broadcasting booth. Does anyone else realize there are 32 other drivers out there trying to win a race. Yes, it is the last race before the Chase starts and it sure was an exciting race. It was a no-brainer to figure out who was the only one that had a chance to break into the Top 10, Kasey Kahne. The big drama was who was going to either stay or go and that fell on 5 drivers. Unfortunately the one to fall was Tony Stewart. It was a shock to everyone that he didn't make it. Let's not forget, he wrecked his primary car which was designed just for this track. All in all the race did have its excitement.

Here a few examples of NO LOVE:

1. Dave Blaney finishes 4th, only his 2nd career Top 5 finish---no mention of it or post race interview.

2. Kenny Schraeder posting a 7th place finish---no coverage of his great finish.

3. Bill Weber not knowing what track he is at when he says.."And Harvick sweeps Bristol" Hey Bill, we are at Richmond.

4. Jeff Green getting parked---Looks like you have to be a high profile driver to get away with things like that.

5. Too many commericals---How about more racing and less breaks.

Okay, I am finished with my venting. Don't get me wrong, the Chase does add the excitement but it would be nice to see other drivers recognized for their accomplishments.

Next up...the 1st race in the Chase for the Championship. Should be interesting to see how the drivers not in the chase react to the ones that are.

Where is the Love? Trial and Tribulations of California

Well it sure was not there in California this weekend for both the Busch and Cup races. Did anyone happen to see how many empty seats there were for the Busch race? Reports say there were 40,000 fans but I seriously doubt it. The Cup race did have its lack of fan support at the track. One would think that with both of these races under the lights for the first time in California that the crowds would be higher in numbers. When compared to other night time races at the other tracks, looks like California is not keeping up with the numbers. Could it be the lack of fan support out in California? Perhaps it was because it was the holiday weekend, but that never seemed to be a problem when the race was in Darlington. Oh, that is right; NASCAR moved that race to California to bring in more revenue. Doesn’t look like California is holding up its end of the bargain. Perhaps NASCAR might show some chivalry and give the race back to “The Lady In Black.”

How about that Busch and Cup race, sure was exciting, NOT! Did anyone else notice that when the broadcast came on for the Busch race, the cars were getting ready to roll off of pit road? What happened to the National Anthem? The prerace show? Are NBC and NASCAR hurting that much for money that they have to start cutting the programming for the Busch race despite all the Nextel cup drivers that were entered? 7pm EST to start a race is great if you on the west coast but us poor east coast people have to suffer the anguish of this late start, coupled with the lack of excitement in the Busch race, I for one ended up falling asleep on the couch. Did I also mention that the first regular Busch series driver finished in 10th place (Jay Sauter) and then next in line was 14th place Burney Lamar? Seems like another night devoted to the Busch Whackers which brings me back to the lack of attendance for this race, with all that talent on the track one would think more people would be there to see them perform. We all know Bristol is the King of the Hill when it comes to night races and their Busch race brings in close to 100,000 fans for a half a mile track, maybe California might consider some sort of partnership with the marketing guys at Bristol. California has a seating capacity of 92,100 where Darlington has only 60,000 but after seeing the availability of seats at California for the two night races, NASCAR should look at bringing back the race to Darlington for the Labor day weekend.

Next up on the list of complaints is the NBC broadcasting team. What was going on between Bill Weber and Wally Dallenbach during the Cup race? The absence of Benny Parsons, the mediator, was apparent due to the arguing amongst the two during the race; Benny seems to be the one that keeps peace in the booth. I say bring back Alan Bestwick. Take him off of pit row, put him in the booth and stick Bill Weber somewhere doing interviews with NBC/TNT and NASCAR executives. If it seems as though Bill is getting picked in, you are right. Sunday’s night race was a great example of the ignorance that they have for the sport. Up till the last 30 laps of the race, it was pretty uneventful as it is with all the California races and then we had the pit strategies from the various teams. All the focus for the entire race was on the drivers who are in contention for the Chase. If you do the math, that was about 14 cars, and they were the main focus of the broadcast team. How many times did we hear, oh he is in, nope he is out or he is on the bubble, nope he is in and the last one, the drivers in green are in and the drivers in yellow are on the bubble. How about the other 29 cars out there? Looks like the sponsors of those cars are not paying enough to be shown on TV. Even one of the Chase contenders, Mark Martin, driver of the AAA Ford, was rarely talked about during the race. Maybe AAA did not give Mike Helton his promotional discount or the left Brian France waiting too long for a tow. Was there any attention paid to Cling Bowyer who finished 3rd and Dale Jarrett finishing 10th? No. Here are two drivers that are not in the fight for the Chase with big time sponsors and do not get shown or talked about on TV. All Bill Weber said after showing the results from the race was And Dale Jarrett finishes in 10th. You would think that a veteran driver like Dale Jarrett and a rookie driver in Clint Bowyer would get some kind of recognition and how they finished in the Top 10. I did not find out until I read it on UPS Racing. It just shows that NBC/NASCAR have the blinders on when it comes to the other drivers in the field that are not in the Chase. Has the sport changed? Will the fans continue to pay the outrageous prices for tickets? Can NASCAR find a happy median for their broadcasting teams? How many more changes are in store for NASCAR in the 2007 and beyond seasons? One can only hope that one day someone will wake up in the front office of NASCAR, walk into the board room meeting and say; Hey, why not make this the sport for the fans.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

A Hummer Of A Tribute

Karla Comfort received a lot of looks and even some salutes from people when she drove from Benton, Ark., to Camp Pendleton, Calif., in her newly-painted, custom Hummer H3 March 2. The vehicle is adorned with the likeness of! her son, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, and nine other Marines with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division who where all killed by the same improvised explosive device blast in Fallujah, Iraq, in December.

For Karla Comfort, having the vehicle air brushed with the image of the 10 Marines was a way to pay homage to her hero and his fellow comrades who fell on Iraq's urban battlefield."I wanted to let people know (Marines) are doing their jobs honorably, and some of them die," said the 39-year-old from Portland, OR "I don't want people to forget the sacrifices that my son and the other Marines made."

Leading up to her son's death, Karla Comfort had received several letters from him prior to his return. He had been deployed for five months, and Comfort "worried everyday he was gone until she got the letters and found out the date he was coming home," she said. Marines knocked on the front door of her home in Farmington, Mich., at 3 am with the dreadful news."I let my guard down when I found out he was coming home," she said. "There are times that I still cannot believe it happened. It's very hard to deal with."

Karla Comfort came up with the idea for the rolling memorial when she and her two other sons attended John's funeral in Portland, Ore. "I saw a Vietnam (War) memorial on a car, and I said to my son Josh, 'we should do something like that for John,' she recalled. "He loved Hummers." She purchased the vehicle in January and immediately took it to AirbrushGuy & Co. in Benton, Ark., where artist Robert Powell went to work on changing the plain, black vehicle into a decorative, mobile, art piece. "I only had the vehicle for two days before we took it in," she joked.

Two hundred and fifty man-hours later, Powell had completed the vehicle. The custom job would have cost $25,000. Out of respect forKarla Comfort's loss and the sacrifices the Marines made, AirbrushGuy & Co. did it for free. Comfort only had to purchase the paint, which cost $3,000. "I love it," she said. "I'm really impressed with it, and I think John would be happy with the vehicle. He would have a big smile on his face because he loved Hummers."

Karla Comfort gave Powell basic instructions on what to include in the paint job. But in addition to the image of her son in Dress Blues and the faces of the nine other Marines, there were several surprises. "He put a lot more on than I expected," she said. "I think my favorite part is the heaven scene."On the left side of the vehicle, a detail of Marines are depicted carrying their fallen comrades through the clouds to their final resting place. The American flag drapes across the hood, the words, "Semper Fi" crown the front windshield and the spare tire cover carries the same Eagle Globe and Anchor design that her son had tattooed on his back. "All the support I have been getting is wonderful," she said.

Karla Comfort decided to move back to her hometown of Portland, and making the cross-country trip from Arkansas was a way for her to share her son's story. It's also her way of coping! with t he loss. "Along the way I got nothing but positive feedback from people," she said. "What got to me was when people would salute the guys (Marines). It's hard to look at his picture. I still cry and try to get used to the idea, but it's hard to grasp the idea that he's really gone."

Let's get this Hummer going around the world, we won't forget!

My San Diego Trip

Hi everyone. I just got back from San Diego, CA from a business trip and got to do some sight seeing during my stay. It is such a beautiful city and brought back a lot of memories of when I was stationed there in the Navy back in 1985-1986. I was amazed at how many things DIDN'T change. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Our New House

Hi everyone,
Just thought I would share some new pictures of our house. It is not the biggest, but it has a wonderful front and back yard along with a deck attached that is too die for. We are slowly getting it together and taking it day by day. Hope you like them.