Track Trash – Zero Coke

Enough excitement for everyone, and another great race.

And more proof that the COT is drivable and can be competitive.

Another…..old geezer taking up space. Sorry if I offend anyone, but SirMark is older than dust, and can’t possibly run for the roses. An old geezer, yes, and it takes one to know one. I’ve got 5 bucks saying he won’t win the Championship in ’09. Any takers? Before you do, you probably ought to check the odds in Vegas. He just might win a race or two, but beyond that it’s a pipe dream. I say….Fogettaboutit. So if he thinks he’s gonna make a serious run for it, he might think about getting a lobotomy instead.

Trueaxle: You really, really don’t want to tick off a driver that’s negotiating a new contract extension. The new-car-didn’t-make-it-through-inspection could be the last straw for this serious driver. And if he leaves TEI, this would make the whole company into a third rate organization (if it’s not there already).

Sale: Motorsports Authentics announced they’re ‘slashing prices’ on their stuff. Is it to help the cash-strapped fans? Heck no. They really want to push all the soon-to-be obsolete collectables and wearables (a new word for your dictionary). So they’re turning this probable negative sales outlook into a marketing ploy with free advertisement. So I wouldn’t rush right out and spend yer ‘economic stimulus payment’ on something that could be bought for pennies on the dollar next year. No siree, Bob (say….who IS Bob??).

Sun glasses: I know I’m back to the same rant, but why do the idiot drivers have to wear sunglasses, even in the dark? Someone told me a long time ago that it was somewhat disrespectful to talk to someone with your sunglasses on, cuz they can’t see your eyes and ‘read’ you. But now we have a bunch of prima donna drivers that want to hawk their brand of sunglasses (because they’re getting paid for it). Then again, maybe they’re afraid that someone’s gonna come along and try to poke their eye out. Yeah, that makes sense….

TNT: They’ve been promoting their ‘wide open coverage’ for this race, which in reality is that you can see the race while the commercials roll. However, as is the norm with commercials, they are much louder than the normal programming, thus it distracts me and irritates me to the bones of my body. I finally got into the habit of turning off the TV sound, and turning on the radio, but too often they were in synch with each other (so I ended up with some silence).

Da race: Actually, it was a great race. Plenty of lead changes, a lot of intensity, a few ‘big ones’, and a number of heroes dramatically falling by the wayside. All of this added up to a great race for the fans, and they deserved what they got.

Smoke: It was rather surprising to learn during the race that Smoke was sick enough to bail out of his seat. We knew he was a tad queasy before the race, but in this day and age it’s highly unusual for a driver to give up his seat during the race. It was great to see Yeleybean climb in there and make some steady moves to mid-pack. Too bad he got tangled up in one of the melees.

Trueaxle: Ok, so he was on a mission. And he wanted to cap this night off with an impressive run. But 2/3rds into the race he must’ve gone brain-dead, cuz within 5 laps he spun two drivers out by pinching them. First it was JamieMac, then FlyinRyan, and neither one of ‘em got back in the mix.

JJ: Having pulled a bad pit stall, JJ tried to compensate for it by some questionable tactics. Several times he exited his pit and drove right to the outside pit lane, cutting off cars and nearly causing major problems on pit road. He nearly dinged Gordo several times, which may have raised Gordhead’s intensity. On the track, though, JJ had sporadic success and is running a far below his 2007 achievements.

Jr.: It was good to see Jr. so strong the whole race, and many woulda thought he’d be right in the hunt at the end. But with about 20 to 30 laps to go he got shuffled out of the lead pack and never recovered. But all in all, it was a very solid race for the 88 car.

Gordo: I was impressed with his ability to get up front and stay there for that long. But it all came down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and within the green/white/checker finish, he got tangled up with da Flipster and paid the price for it. Goodbye Top 5, and hello 30th place.

KidKyle: Da Kid had a remarkable evening. About half way through the race, while in 3rd place, he lost it and nearly crashed. But he somehow managed to whoa the horse down and regained his composure some 35 places back. From there it was another of his charges through the field, ending up in the right spot at the right time.

Kudos: To da Flipster and Mattyboy for their steady run to the front. To Da Kid’s older brother for an impressive 4th. To DavieRagan for an outstanding 5th. Finally, to RoboGordo for a fantastic 6th place finish.

Heaps of 3’s all over yer Interstate battery,
Racing Maniac #3, #88e