And now, a three horse race. Will Hendrick egos go wild? Will the man in black prevail?
Stay tuned.
DJ: Well, it’s good to see DJ moving on. His biggest goal next year will be to get his car in the top 35 by the end of the 6th race (unless he just happens to make one or more races on speed, in which case he’ll probably extend his term). Good call, DJ. From one gray haired old fart to another, it’s just as good on the other side of the fence, if not better.
Mikie: I’m sure there’s some wisdom in a 50/50 split of his business, but if I were he, I woulda kept 51% just so everyone would know who the boss is. I can envision some day in the future when the half partner wants to do something his way, and Mikie wants to do it another way, and they end up in a hissy fit.
Mikie ll: The 00 car seems to be losing the Burger King and Dominos sponsorships next year, but MWR has indicated they would run the car without sponsors if need be. Based on other owners who had done this before, this doesn’t seem like a very good business decision. Running a car without sponsorship can drain your capital in a hurry, and drive you to the poor house in the process. There are a lot of bodies in the boneyard without any sponsors on them…….
Looking: Stremme is still not in a seat for 2008. This shouldn’t be too surprising, considering that there are too many drivers for the available seats. Just look at the open wheel aces that’re jumping into the sport, and you understand why owners would rather take a chance on a proven champion, rather than a so-so driver.
Jeans: I thought it was amusing. Jr. signs with Hendrick. Wrangler re-ups with Jr. Levi’s drops JJ.
Interesting: Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo recently admitted that he almost became a NASCAR owner in 2004. “We would have bought a NASCAR team if Reggie White hadn’t died.” The team ?? Hendrick Motor Sports.
We’re infected: According to the Charlotte Observer, 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, NA$CAR’s CMS race this weekend and the Talladega race last weekend. Staff who organized the trips advised the NA$CAR-bound aides to get a range of vaccines before attending — hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and influenza. If they were sitting in the chicken bone section, amongst the unbathed, and getting bombarded by half eaten chicken bones, I can certainly understand their concern.
Da Race: 15 Yellows and a Red thrown in for good measure. From the numbers, one would assume it was a wreck-fest, but that wasn’t the case. No “Big Ones” to speak of, but a lot of single cars just loosing it and slapping the wall. However, there were a few dicey moments. Like about 1/4th of the way through the race, when Gordo slammed into Jr.’s rear end on the straightaway. Many Junior Nation fans (and probably Gordhead’s entire team) expected retaliation, but it didn’t happen. And I’m sure the sweet talkin’ Californian will try to smooth this over ASAP. For a guy running for the Championship, this was a pretty stupid move to pull. It’s a good thing he didn’t hit KidKyle, Smoke or Hambone, because they have especially short fuses. Heck, I’d even throw Mr.Pigtail into this list, cuz he never ceases to amaze me.
Da Pits: About half way through the race, Zippy must’ve dropped his bifocals, cuz he forgot to warn Smoke about pending problems while leaving his pit stall. First he bounced off of Maynerd, then he T-boned KaseOfKahne, all within 20 feet from his pit stall. Pin this one squarely on Zippy’s shoulders, cuz he has the responsibility for overseeing pit road activities.
Da Spin: About 2/3rds the way through the race, JJ spun (by himself) and dropped from the top to 29th in a heartbeat. Not to worry. Das Knaus calmly took control and they eventually recovered about half of the lost spots. But many fans expected the 48 car to run for the W at the end, cuz this is what’s supposed to happen in fairy tales. But alas, we ain’t in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Shoot ‘em: It all boiled down to several shoot-outs at the end. The first one came with 5 laps to go. The 24 and 5 cars faltered on the restart, and FlyinRyan shot past them for the lead. Then Rocketman did the unspeakable…….he lost it and spun, thus handing the W to one of the Hendrick cars following him. Talk about a dimwitted move. He had the W in his hands and his over aggressive driving resulted in one of the big blunders of his career.
G/W/C: After a long Red to collect debris and blow off the speedy-dry, they ran a Green/White/Checkers. Nail biting time, cuz half the crowd was expecting the 24 and 5 cars to run out of gas. But no bobble, and another W for the flames.
Playoffs: Looks like it’s boiling down to a three car race, with Bowowyer the decided underdog. Unless one or more of them has a calamity (wreck, blown engine, etc.), there seems to be little hope for the other contenders. Three cheers to Jack, the car in black, the dark horse in this race.
Kudos: The cream rose to the top at the end. Then there was Blarney in 6th, Mikie in 10th, and Blobonte in 12th as unexpected heros.
Heaps of 3’s all over yer DuPont chemicals,
Racing Maniac #3, little e
Homeland Security might also want to set those Public Health Aides
up with something for bubonic plaque, anti-venom and a priest prepared
to do an exorcism or two… that chicken bone section is like a scene from “Escape From New York”.
Da Race: “It’s a good thing he didn’t hit KidKyle, Smoke or Hambone, because they have especially short fuses.”
Didn’t Lil’ e do that to KidKyle a couple of races ago, and Kyle just said that his team prolly didn’t appreciate it ’cause they are going for a championship this year even if Lil’ e isn’t.