Tony Stewart Wins 2011 NASCAR Championship With Heart And Steel

TONY! The man! He passed everyone, but himself. Twice. The absolute best effort since Million Dollar Bill came from 2 laps down to win the Winston million. Even better than when Harry Gant won Dover being the only car on the lead lap. Even better than when the "Ice Man" Terry Labonte won upside down on his roof sliding across the finish line. Better than when Petty won while Yarborough and the Allisons literally used fists to beat the hell out of each other at Daytona.

And Carl Edwards showed the classiest post race demeanor ever. Good for Carl. Better for Tony Stewart who drove one the the best races ever seen.

Hard Headed Earnhardt, Sr.

This says it all for me.
"When I stopped, I looked at it and got in the ambulance and looked back over there and I said 'man, the wheels ain't knocked off that car yet,'" Earnhardt said.

"I went back over there and looked at the wheels and I told the guy in the car to fire it up. "It fired up and I said, 'Get out. Unhook me, I've got to go."

"We took off after 'em. You've got to get all the laps you can. That's what we're running for the championship for."

The other Earnhardt, Sr.
From the grandstands, he was beheld as superhuman. And somehow when the fans came close to him, to talk or touch him, they never could quite humanize him. They were skittish. They would grasp their autographs gratefully and hurry away, careful to keep their distance once more.

But if you knew him, really knew the complicated, enormously gruff but deeply compassionate man (oh, how he hated it when his big heart showed in public), risen from the textile mill town of Kannapolis, N.C., with a ninth-grade education . . . if you really knew him, then Ralph Dale Earnhardt was so very, very human, so deeply of the commonfolk who loved him.

.

Love him or hate him, Ralph Dale Earnhardt paid you back for your time and money everytime he raced.

Danica + NASCAR = Showboat

Scott Dixon may be key to Danica's NASCAR future
That would then open a seat that could be filled by Danica Patrick, whose contract with Andretti Green Racing expires this season. Patrick is represented by IMG, which is currently "gathering facts" on possibilities in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

Good Lord, I miss the likes of JD McDuffy, Tiny Lund, Harry Gant and the other drivers that actually knew that A Maxwell House Steering Column was a joke, but with Danica we'll be able to see Tofu sponsored races in the Sushi capital of the world.

Talladega Demolition And Airline

Yes, this race will be remembered for spectacular wrecks, but the racing was absolutely phenomenal.

Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR...

The secret to a really good April fools joke is making it really believable. In this case Car & Driver offered up a story that is so believable that they had to apologize.

APRIL FOOLS? Obama Orders Chevrolet and Dodge Out Of NASCAR...

Sorry! - Car News
April 2009

Car and Driver has a proud tradition of April Fools’ Day jokes stretching back 30 years. We regret if this year’s went too far.

Actually, when Obama returns from his Cavalcade of Chat, where he is putting world leaders to sleep, he will drive Chevy and Dodge not only out of NASCAR, but out of business. He won't feel his work finished until only Toyota remains and all the drivers are illegal aliens.

UPDATE: I was reminded by email that I should be fair to Obama because each race field will be driven not by just illegal aliens, but also former Gitmo inmates and people totally unqualified to race. Each team will also have to conform to socio-economic, sexual orientation and racial guidelines, not to pointless and old fashioned ideas of skill and private ownership. To bring NASCAR up to speed, so to speak, it will be renamed the Fannie & Freddie Unity Car Klash.

I do stand corrected.

NASCAR STIMULUS PACKAGE CREATES JOBS

From my email

JEFF GORDON FIRES HIS ENTIRE PIT CREW
NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon has announced he has taken advantage of the new Stimulus Package program to employ inner-city youth by firing his professional pit crew and replacing them with ex-gangbangers.

The decision to hire the boys was inspired by a recent documentary on how unemployed youth from street gangs were able to remove a set of wheels from a car in less than 6 seconds, even without proper equipment. Gordon's existing pit crew could only do it in 8 seconds, even with the benefit of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of high-tech machinery.

The scheme was hailed as an "excellent and bold move" by Gordon's management team, as most races are won or lost in the pits.

At the crew's first practice session, not only was the inexperienced crew able to change all 4 wheels in under 6 seconds, but within 12 seconds they had changed the paint scheme, altered the VIN and sold the car to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10 cases of Bud, and a bag of weed.

Time For Racing

I love NASCAR fans.

NASCAR, Tofu And History

I like NASCAR. Many people do and many don't. I had a friend who told me, "I just don't get it!"

NASCAR is not sport you "get". You like it or you do not. Me, I love it. Small tracks at Martinsville, Bristol, mid sized tracks like Dover, the first "super speedway" at Darlington and two zip code tracks like Talladega, I love'm all, but I love the smaller tracks the most because they are the history of NASCAR all the way back to bootlegging and country roads. Ask Junior Johnson. He's not ashamed of his and his sport's history. He has a smile on when recalling those days. When Junior is smiling, that is very very good. When he is not, well, quickly move behind a solid object.

The France family created NASCAR. They sweat the bullets, risked everything many times over and made NASCAR what it is today. A sport where a kid who graduated with an engineering degree from Purdue can make more money coming home fifth than Richard "The King" Petty made in his first two seasons. Richard never went to Purdue. He did go to Duke for a fundraiser for Ronald Reagan back in 1980.

Few other sports have the individuality of NASCAR except possibly bowling and poker. Tiny Lund was huge. Harry Hyde figured out how to hide fuel in a car where officials couldn't find it. How can you not love a sport which has a guy named Fonty Flock?

Buddy Baker's dad, Buck, once wrecked his race car, flagged Buddy and his car into the pits and yanked Buddy out of the car, jumped in, made up two laps and went on to win. After winning Buck slid into the pits, jumped out saying "GD, that's how you win." Buddy asked what about victory lane and his dad said as he stomped off, "Find it on your own."

I once saw the greatest driver in the world at Powell Speedway on a hot Saturday night in the heart of Ohio. Powell was maybe a half mile track with wooden bleachers that held maybe a hundred people in those days. After winning Petty stayed until midnight shaking hands, signing autographs and making sure his winning purse was cash. Thus was the sport of NASCAR, small town by small town, close interaction between drivers and fans, and cheatin' and beaten and bangin' were just part of the sport. Many northerners who now are pleading for a race used to call NASCAR and its fans hillbillies as if that was an insult. Powell Ohio would kill for a NASCAR race and the millions of dollars pumped into the community, but instead Powell has grown from a small town to become a bedroom community for Columbus and is now acre after acre of cookie cutter McUgly McMansions on cutsey named streets.

Now NASCAR is coast to coast and south to north. Yeah I'll watch them all, but the history is being lost for new venues and bigger, faster and newer tracks.

This week they're racing (that mean mashing the gas pedal down and turning left for a couple hundred miles) in California. Like I said, I'll watch them all, but NASCAR in California is like going to Taos for clam chowder, Boston for blue corn tortillias, Vegas for religion or New Orleans for dieting.

They all can be done, but why?

NEWMAN!

Ryan Newman

Kurt Busch

Tony Stewart

Kyle Busch

Dale Earnhardt, Jr

UPDATE: Texas Fred commented that the Bud car is now Kasey Kahne and not Jr (he came in 9th) and he be absolutely correct though my wife thinks Kasey is actually Bill Elliott's love child.

Daytona This Saturday

Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp, principles in the historic photo finish at the end of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959, were involved in a horrifying last-lap crash in the second Twin 100-miler in 1961. After Beauchamp's #73 Chevrolet snagged the rear bumper of Petty's #42 Plymouth, both cars broke through the guard­rail and soared out of the speedway. Petty suffered multiple life-threatening injuries, while Beauchamp sustained less serious head injuries. See more pictures of NASCAR.

Brent Musburger, NASCAR, OSU And God's Tempting Of Me To Shoot My TV

It was, as usual, horrible and irritating to have Brent Musburger announce the OSU vs Michigan football game yesterday. Of course most ABC Sports coverage is mainly about ABC, upcoming ABC shows and advertising with a little sports sprinkled in between. Musburger and "friends" then go on to discuss cute sidebars and have absolutely worthless tech gadgets block most of what sports they do show. Now, add Musburger's obvious bias for Michigan, his constant negative comments about anything OSU and you have a situation where heat rash is more enjoyable.

Today is the last NASCAR race of the season. The DuPont Dweeb, Lil'Jeffy Gorden, has a chance (very little) to win the championship. His team mate Jimmy Johnson is the likely winner. It could be a great race. For the championship finale ABC could have brought their "A" game, but no, they have decided not to. They brought Brent Musburger.

Why is Brent Musburger on my TV again? He knows less (and could care less) about NASCAR than I know about brain surgery. What have I done to deserve this?

Sound off.

Hudson Hornet & NASCAR

Canfield, Ohio

1st Place

3 laps ahead of nearest rival

Canfield is a very cool village. Good people live there.

Unfortunately, like Powell, Ohio the Canfield track is gone.

Democrats/NASCAR, Oil/Water?

Those "we love everybody" Dems and Libs are at it again...

Congress considersConcord hazardous?
NASCAR fans might seem rabid, but are they actually contagious?

Getting a hepatitis shot is standard procedure for travelers
to parts of Africa and Asia, but some congressional aides were instructed to get
immunized before going to Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord and the racetrack in Talladega, Ala.

The House Homeland Security Committee planned a fact-finding trip
about public health preparedness at mass gatherings and decided to conduct the
research at two of the nation's most heavily attended sporting events, NASCAR's
Bank of America 500 event this weekend and the UAW-Ford 500 last
weekend.

Staff who organized the trips advised the NASCAR-bound aides to get
a range of vaccines before attending -- hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus,
diphtheria and influenza.

I guess even with 10's of millions of dollars at stake for programs and projects for buying votes, the Dems still don't get it. Like when they called King Petty a drunk.

Maybe there are hard feelings lingering since I heard Billy Clinton booed at Darlington and Ronald Reagan cheered wildly by a monster crowd years before.

Yep, that NASCAR crowd is stoopid, but are they dangerous?
.

Busch Brothers Too Stupid To Race

When push comes to shove and quick thinking is paramount, the Busch brothers just cannot beat the Peter Principle.

Think back to all the times either Kyle or Kurt screwed up themselves or worse trashed the hopes of other drivers.

Again, think back to junior high when the goofy looking weirdo always seem to have the "sorry" look on their face when the apparent winner was lying on the ground because they were tripped up and lost the race because of the "sorry" guy that was too uncoordinated to control themself.

Picture the Busch brothers. Both of them. Dweebs.

Note: Kurt, beware the Indy meatball. You might be toast. He might deep 20 you.

Rough Life

Presently, I am looking toward Ireland over the Atlantic. The tide in coming in and the sun is shining as it can't seem to do in my beloved Ohio.

For those that enjoy NASCAR, the Monster Mile claimed many victims yesterday in the race at Dover. I think Dale, Jr and Tony Stewart were more surprised than anyone that they salvaged a good run. Plus Edwards may lose his victory due to post race inspections.

Today, the inlaws and my wife are taking me on a secret journey in Maryland. It should be fun.

Rainy Night Day in Georgia Michigan

Rain forces postponement of Cup race at Michigan

Kasey is starting 3rd. His year can't get worse. The DuPont Dweeb is on the pole. Yeah I do call him the Rainbow Warrior on purpose.

Jr is starting 39th. His Teresa was over tightened, but a wedge made it worse.

My boss is going to be po'd about work tomorrow. Good thing he can't fire me.

This Ain't Petty and it Earns Hard Feelings

Teresa doesn’t get it

As expected, Earnhardt refused to allow the No. 8
to follow Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Hendrick Motorsports. Or, according to Hendrick
officials, the price was so high it didn’t make sense for Earnhardt Jr.’s new
team to buy it.

So, the No. 8 that Earnhardt Jr. made famous, that was such a
part of the Earnhardt family and that had such a huge fan following will now
fall into the hands of another driver, one, presumably, with absolutely no
connection to the man who founded Dale Earnhardt Inc.

Dale Earnhardt brought the No. 8 to NASCAR specifically for his son. It was the number that Earnhardt Sr.’s father, Ralph, raced on the short tracks throughout the South. It had historical and family significance when it graced the side of Earnhardt Jr.’s car.

Along with the promotional push of Budweiser, it was Earnhardt Jr. who
made the No. 8 the most famous car number in racing. In fact, it had become
arguably the third-most famous and significant car number ever, trailing only
Richard Petty’s No. 43 and Earnhardt Sr.’s No. 3.

Via Return of the Conservatives

GO, BILL, GO!

Bill France Jr

1933 - 2007

His father may have been the architect of NASCAR, but throughout his life, Bill France Jr. proved to be the ultimate general manager.

Embezzling stripper off to jail in NASCAR case

Stripper gets 40 months for embezzlement

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A former stripper was sentenced to nearly three-and-a-half
years in federal prison Friday for attempting to embezzle more than $1 million
from a bank to start her own NASCAR racing team.

Moonshine, strippers and NASCAR. Is America great or what!

Earnhardt Gets It.

For Earnhardt, negotiation may prove the easiest part

Congratulations, Junior. It's beginning to look like you're going to get
controlling interest in Dale Earnhardt Inc., the race team your late father
founded. You played hardball, and you won. Teresa, your stepmother, really
didn't have much of a choice. You're the whole show. You walk, and she's left
with a once-promising but enigmatic outfit that chronically underperforms.

Of course, you'll never be as smart and efficient nor as subtle as Hillary and Little Jonnie Edwards.

Lucky you.