Weekly Racing Rant

9/30/07 Kansas-Another wild one! In the aftermath of Sunday's Kansas race, you'd think the Cup Series had run at Talladega! The Chase is all shaken up and of course, there's controversy. I won't get into the controversy this week. I'm pretty happy that Greg Biffle got a win. In other news, we'll have a new sponsor for the Busch Series next season in Nationwide Insurance. We'll also have a new title sponsor for the Cup Series in Sprint. Scott Riggs has signed on with Haas/CNC to replace either Jeff Green or Johnny Sauter, Joe Nemecheck will take over the 78, and Travis Kvapil will pilot the 2nd entry for Yates Racing. Still alot of "free agents" out there. With that being said, how many true stock car drivers will never reach their potiential due to the sudden influx of open-wheel drivers coming to NASCAR? Of course this comment comes in the wake of Ganassi Racing releasing David Stremme in favor of Dario Franchitti. Nothing against Dario but, these boys aren't even earning their stock car stripes. A coulple of ARCA and Busch races and suddenly, they're ready for a full-time Cup ride? A litttle something for everyone to think about this week. As usual, this is only one man's opinion, and we all know what opinions are like! See ya'll next week.

9/23/07 Dover-What a great weekend of racing! To start things off, Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of Kerry, grandson of Dale, and nephew of Dale Jr. and Kelley, won the pole and finshed 3rd in the Busch East Series race at Dover! In Saturday's Busch race, Jason Keller, Palmetto State native, finished 8th! Saturday night, Travis Kvapil won and Jon Wood finished 3rd in the Las Vegas Truck Series race! Finally, Sunday, Dale Jr. finished 3rd, Greg Biffle finished a much needed 2nd, and Carl Edwards got the win! Now on to my rant for the week. Is it just me, or does it seem like the "Chasers" seem to get a bit of an advantage? It looks to me like most of the "non-Chasers" tend to just pull out of the way and let them by. I know, alot of ya'll are saying, "Well Kyle Petty took out Denny Hamlin!" Point taken but, was that a racin' deal or a patience deal? Never the less, what was up with NASCAR allowing Tony Stewart to beat the mess out of Paul Menard under caution? I'm sure folks were thinking, "Tony's just messing up his car." He may have but, it looked to me like he did alot more damage to Menard's car. Are the Chasers suddenly allowed to dish out this kind of "justice"? Tony's arguement was that Menard stopped short in the pit stall. Menard did so to keep from hitting one of his crew members. It wasn't that long ago that a driver (Kurt Busch) put one of Tony's team members in harm's way. You'd think he'd understand. Of course, NASCAR did nothing during Tony's tirade under caution. That tells me, if you're a "Chaser", go ahead do what you want, NASCAR will look the other way. Well, at least that's my opinion.

9/16/07 New Hampshire-Not a bad race. Big congrats to Clint Bowyer, the 07 Jack Daniels crew, and the entire RCR organization! What a great way to start the Chase. Hmmm, I do believe someone said he was one of 4 drivers to watch out for. Dale Jr. and the Bud crew gambled for all it was worth and still managed to get a decent lead lap finish. How 'bout old Reed Sorenson? I get the feeling he's going to finish this season strong and be a serious threat next season. Don't be surprised if he pulls out his 1st win before the end of the year. All in all it was a fairly uneventful race. I hope the Chase doesn't affect racing to the point that it's not worth watching. It seems like all of the non-Chasers have the attitude of pull over and let the Chasers pass. I realize that no one wants to be the guy to cost someone a title but, come on, it's RACING! It almost seemed like the Chasers were even scared to swap paint with each other. I hope I'm wrong about this. Well, another good weekend for my Clemson Tigers! 3-0 is a great start. It's on to Raleigh, NC to play NC State next week. My wife's poor ND Fightin' Irish are really looking bad. I can't think of a nicer way to put it. Glad to see that my Falcons are playing as bad as ND, no wait, the Falcons actually scored an offensive Touch Down this week (they're still 0-2 though). Ya'll have a great week!

9/15/07 Catch up time!-Sorry folks, this week has been a train wreck for yours truely! I'll make it quick this week since I had knee surgery Thursday and it's time for some meds! Richmond was what everyone expected, a great race! What a more fitting way for Junior to miss the chase than with a blown engine. Seemed kind of ironic. Good luck to my Chase picks: Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, & Matt Kenseth. Don't be overly surprised when one of them win the Cup! As for the other sports in the world, how 'bout them Clemson Tigers? So far so good! Not the same fortunes for the Falcons though. I get the feeling it's going to be another L.....O......N.......G season. Oh well, here's to the Chase and Dale Jr. getting a few wins!

9/2/07 California-I know it's not racing but.......the count-down to Bowden Bowl is killing me! I really hope Tommy made it to the proctologist this week and got his head pulled out! Beatin' his daddy for the 3rd straight time would do the Clemson fans alot of good! (In case anyone is wondering what I'm talking about, tonight is the Florida State vs. Clemson game. Yours truly is a HUGE Clemson Tigers fan!) Whew! Thanks ya'll. Anyway, does anyone think Dale Jr. could have done anything else in his power to gain points last night (other than win, of course. Finished 5th.)? Just when I think something will go his way, it doesn't! Another whale of a run by the Bass Pro team as well. If Dale Jr. doesn't make the Chase, and I think he will, Martin Truex will be a force to be reckoned with! That team is on a tear. I really think with both he and Dale Jr. in the Chase, DEI may win it's first Cup title. How about Bobby Labonte's last few weeks? Nice runs! He followed up back to back top 10's with an 11th place finish. Is Petty Enterprises on the verge of a return to glory? I think so! Well, on to Richmond, where all of my Chase predictions will be made or broken! Ya'll take care.

8/22/07 Michigan-Ya know, 2 days is a bit excessive for a rain delay! I'm starting to notice a connection between rain cooled tracks and Kurt Busch. I'll ask again, have I ever mentioned that I'm not a Kurt Busch fan? I really thought Martin Truex would give him a good run for his money at the end. Dale Jr. really shot himself in the foot when he over-shot the pit box. Cost him alot of positions. 3 more races for the Bud team to get in the chase. Rusty Wallace asked the best question of his short commentating career, "What's up with the DEI engines?" Once again, 2 DEI engines went up in smoke. Of course the local conspiracy theorist (yours truely) figured one of those were supposed to be Dale Jr.'s! How 'bout Tereasa Earnhardt's latest slap in Dale Jr.'s face? Can you believe she actually wanted a cut of the money from the 8 if she released the number to him? She has made it obvious that he is nothing but a cash cow to her. I wish I had something good to say about the Busch race last Saturday but, once again, it was dominated by Cup drivers. Well, we're off to Bristol! Don't miss the Truck race tonight! It's guranteed to be great. Here's to the Bud team in Victory Lane this weekend! (Insert the sound of beer opening here) 'Til next week, ya'll take care.

7/29/07 Brickyard 400-Well, well, ol' Tony won it again. The only car that seemed to have anything for him lost its engine with 20 to go. Congrats to Tony's #20 Home Depot team. Nice B.S. slip in the post race interview by Tony as well! Yeah, it cost him 25 points and $25,000 but, it made for good TV! I'm just glad my son wasn't in the room! DEI had flashes of greatness. Dale Jr. led a good number of laps and Martin Truex looked strong all day. Dale had horrible luck with 20 to go. Yes, he is the aforementioned driver that lost an engine. He was running 5th at the time and gaining on 4th place Jeff Gordon. Martin Truex overcame a handful of pit road penalties and rallied to a top-15 finish. Both drivers still hold the last 2 spot in the coveted Chase! Great run by Juan Pablo Montoya as well! He ran clean all day and finished an impressive 2nd. I opened my big mouth the other day and made the statement, "The day Montoya puts Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart in the wall, I'll go buy and wear a Montoya T-shirt!" I get the odd feeling I'll be buying a new T-shirt in the near future. On to Pocono this week. Let's all pray for NO RAIN! I get the odd feeling that we're going to see a surprise winner this week.

7/21/07 Gateway-I know ya'll didn't think I'd let the Busch Series go by unnoticed! What a great race. I know I'm anti-Cup driver when it comes to the Busch Series but, Reed Sorenson deserved that win last night. What confidence booster for him. I still believe he got called up to Cup too early. What was up with Carl Edwards last night? I really like Carl but, the rough driving he displayed was uncalled for. Dang Carl, you only have an 850 point lead in the season point standings! Go easy on the young guys. Another reason he made me upset was that one of the wrecks he caused took out fellow South Carolinian Jason Keller. Jason had a great run going (9th at the time of the wreck)! Oh well, here's to another great weekend of racing. 'Til next week at the Brickyard, ya'll take care!

7/15/07 Chicagoland-Well, I guess Tony Stewart will be in a good mood for 2 weeks or so. He finally got himself a win. I was fortunate enough to be at the race this weekend. I spent Friday afternoon in the Busch Series garage. After Cup qualifying, I watched as Tony came into the garage area alone, a single fan asked him for an autograph and he replied "No thanks". What? It's not like he was being mobbed or he was pressed for time. Tony, quick reminder, the fans are the ones who keep you employed. Without us, you're one of us. Nice job by Dale Jr. going old school with no power steering and keeping it out of the wall. Tough break for Martin Truex and the Bass Pro Shops team, they had a really strong car until they dropped a cylinder. Once again, Matt Kenseth had one of the strongest cars in the field only to come up one spot shy of a victory at Chicago. Oh well, here's to a well deserved off week for most of the Cup drivers and here's to a great Busch race in St. Louis. I think I may take the Dale Jr. approach and sit on the porch with a cold beer!

New Hampshire 7/01/07-I'm sold. The "COT" or "new car", whatever you want to call it, is providing the fans with what they need, close, hard fought racing! Another great finish. Awesome call by Mike Ford, Denny Hamlin's crew chief, to take 2 tires. You could see the look of relief on Denny's face after the win. It was a long time coming! DEI flexed their muscles once again. Truex in 3rd and Dale Jr. in 4th. Seemed like the lap traffic on the last restart really hindered their progress. Johnny Sauter and Kyle Busch were both found to be too low in post race inspection. I'm sure we'll hear about a penalty on Tuesday. Did anyone care for the Busch race on Saturday? I certainly didn't . I'm really tired of seeing the Cup drivers turn it into their playground. I understand that a handful of them are a necessary evil to help fill the stands and add some needed competition but, come on! Almost the entire top 20 were Cup drivers! I really like to see the young guys, not to mention the verterans like Jason Keller (a Palmetto State native), get out there and duke it out. It's not like you see the Yankees have a bad season and decide to play a season of AAA ball to win a title. The Truck Series race however was great. Congrats to Travis Kvapil and Roush Fenway on another victory. Why aren't the Cup drivers flocking to the Truck Series? Probably because the Truck Series if filled with hard nosed veterans that can't be pushed around, they do all the pushing! I'm not trying to take away anything from the Cup guys running Busch races. They just need to limit the number of races they can run in a season. I'm tired of drivers like Kertus Davis and Ashton Lewis not having a ride because they get put into the wall by a Cup driver in his hobby car. Again, when I run NASCAR one day, all the wrongs of stock car racing will be righted! I hope ya'll are getting a good chuckle out of this, I sure am! 'Til next week!

Sonoma 6/24/07-Was that a road race? I couldn't tell you the last time I saw that much competition on the road, nice race. Congrats to Juan Pablo Montoya, he now joins Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney as the only drivers to win in NASCAR, Indy Car, and F1. I though he could have shown a little more emotion in Victory Lane. He acted like it was no big deal. Oh well. Nice to see Dodge break through as well. Congrats to Jeff Gordon and his wife Ingrid on the birth of their daughter! Now, if only the 24 team could stop cheating. That's right, the 24 & 48 teams were found to have illegal modifications to the front fenders and were parked for Friday's practice and qualifying. Yesterday, the drivers were docked 100 points, 100 owner points, $100,000, and the crew chiefs were suspended for 6 races. I still think Chad Knaus, crew chief for the 48, should be benched for the rest of the season. This ain't the first time he's been caught! As a matter of fact, this may be 4 straight seasons! C'mon NASCAR, it's another slap on the wrist for Knaus. Well, when I run NASCAR one day, I'll make everything right! 'Til next week, ya'll take care.

D-Day (Dale Jr. Day) 6/13/07-Rumor confirmed. I was in shock for a second until Dale Jr. remarked that an on track "don't really want to call it a rivalry" with Jeff Gordon will not fade away. Yes, it is very hard for me to swallow the fact that the driver I love is going to be team mates with the driver(s) I love to hate. I've always had a soft spot for Rick Hendrick. The man has been throught the ringer the last few years. I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Hendrick at the 2002 Southern 500 at Darlington (have I mentioned that it's the greatest track in the greatest state on the planet?). The man could not have been more cordial and personal. It's 45 seconds of my life I'll never forget (not to mention the 15 seconds with Dale Jr. at Vegas, different story). After learning a little more of the Hendrick Motorsports history, I feel very comfortable and proud to be pulling for one of their drivers. For those of you who don't know, Dale (Big E) shook down (test drove) the first car ever built by Hendrick. On top of that, he got Rick Hendrick his first Busch Series victory in 1983. To add a little more fuel to the fire, Dale Jr.'s maternal grandfather, Robert Gee, was a co-owner of All-Star Racing (now Hendrick Motorsports) with Rick Hendrick. Knowing this should help ease those doubting Dale Jr.'s decision. I'm looking very forward to next season. Heck, I'm looking forward to the rest of this season! Can anyone else smell that? Oh, it's Dale Jr.'s championship! I'll holler at ya'll after Michigan!

Big announcement 6/13/07-Dale Jr., the favorite driver of yours truely, will hold a press conference at JR Motorsports this morning at 11am EST. According to "sources close to the issue", Dale Jr. will be announcing he will drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year. Now, before anyone jumps the gun, this is not confirmed. I will follow my driver no matter what. Will I follow Dale Jr. to HMS.......YES! Will I find it in my heart and soul to pull for his possible team mates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson...............NO! Those of you who know me know that I do like Casey Mears. 2 out of 4 ain't bad. Again, this report is not confirmed. The truth will be told this morning. The "real" Dale Jr. fans will follow, everyone else, good luck with another band wagon!

Pocono 6/10/07-Well, it happened again. The chosen one had another victory placed in his lap. I know, everyone is tired of my conspiracy theories. Bottom line is if I didn't have the ammunition, I wouldn't have the theories. Why is it everytime Gordon or Johnson need a break they get it? Did anyone else notice that there were no cautions for blown tires or folks smackin' the wall but, as soon as Ryan Newman got a run on Jeff Gordon for the lead, suddenly, there's a caution for rain? Hmmmmmmm, sounds like a fix to me! All jokes aside, great runs by Newman and Martin Truex Jr.. Can't say enough about Truex the last few weeks. Looks like DEI will be in good hands next season. On to Kurt Busch. Looks like NASCAR dropped the ball again. According to their penalty, putting someone's life in danger is only as severe as having the wrong mounting brackets on the wing of the "new car". Interesting NASCAR, last I checked, people weren't as expendable as mounting brackets. Oh well, chalk up another one to inconsistancy. I think I've whined enough for now!

Dover 6/4/07-Hot damn! Martin Truex Jr. got his 1st Cup win! What an awesome race. He not only won he dominated! Thought it might be a 1-2 finish for DEI until Dale Jr. had the tire issues. Good rally for him to finish 22nd though. Wow, still can't say enough about Martin, Kevin "Bono" Manion, and the whole Bass Pro Shops team. Now, let's address Kurt Busch. What breed of moron is he? If NASCAR is going to fine the 8 team 100 points, $100,000, and suspend Tony Eury Jr. for 6 races, then Kurt should get, at least, a 1 race suspension! If you missed it, after Kurt and Tony Stewart made contact on the track and wrecked each other, Kurt flew down pit road to pull up next to Tony and run his little "yap, yap" mouth. While it's OK for drivers to talk smack to each other, Kurt didn't take into account that Tony's jackman was on the right side of the car pulling out a fender. When Kurt whipped in, the jackman had to literally jump onto the hood of the 20 car to avoid being hit by Kurt Busch's car. It's one thing for drivers to take out frustrations on each other but, to put members of the pit crew in harm's way is totally unacceptable. If NASCAR doesn't make an "example" out of him like they did the 8 team, they are going to have complete anarchy on their hands for the rest of the season. I really don't care that Kurt was parked for the rest of the race. I don't think it was enough. You can probably guarantee that if there is no penaltly, I'll be doing plenty more ranting. Whew! OK, I'm done for now. Again, congrats to Martin Truex Jr. for showing everyone that he and DEI will be OK without Dale Jr.

Coca-Cola 600 5/27/07-Sorry for the delay! First and foremost, congrats to Casey Mears! I've been waiting almost as long as he has for his 1st Cup win. I got to actually see his 1st Busch win at Chicago last year. What a race. Who would have thought it had been 10 years since Kyle Petty's last top 5? Good runs by J.J. Yeley and Reed Sorenson as well. I feel bad that I've been focusing on the Cup Series and failing to mention the grassroots of NASCAR-the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series. Can't wait for the "new car" to be full time in 2008. Hopefully, it will narrow down the number of Cup drivers in the Busch Series. I'm looking forward to some of the young guys like Kertus Davis, Marcos Ambrose, Shane Huffman, and Stephen Leicht to get a win. You can't say enough about the Truck Series. It's hard nosed, all out racing! Nice to see the Chevys and Fords get up there and win! Well, not much fuel for this weeks fire. OK, yes, I was laughing and cheering my butt off after Jeff Gordon's wreck but, not until I knew he was OK. Seriously, how fun is a sport when you don't have a few guys to root against? Ya'll take care!

Darlington 5/13/07-Well, another night race rain delayed. Sunday did not disappoint! The Lady in Black once again proved that she's the baddest track in NASCAR! Would you really expect anything else from the "Palmetto State"? Great run by Dale Jr. and the Bud crew. Too bad NASCAR is probably make a BIG example out of them for the "illegal" spoiler brackets. Just another obstacle they'll overcome. As for the race winner, yes, Jeff Gordon has talent but, for goodness sake, enough with Hendrick Motorsports! How many rabbit's feet do they get this season? I felt really bad for Denny Hamlin. With a car that good, it should be the driver's race to lose but, unfortunately, he has no control over the pit stops. Glad to see Ryan Newman run well. His name just popped up in the rumor mill as looking for a new ride next year. I honestly think it would be good for him. Seems like Penske is too wrapped up in retooling Kurt Busch's image to care what the 12 team does. Too bad Darlington doesn't have a 2nd date anymore. The only driver that complained about the track was Juan Pablo Montoya. He'll get over it! Nobody on the LEAD lap complained! Ya'll take care and I'll be back to holler some more next week!

Pre-race-Darlington 5/12/07-It happened. Dale Jr. will leave DEI at the end of the season. I get the feeling a championship is not far away and you can bet with all the negotiations aside, this season is about to pick up for the Earnhardt Nation! With all due respect to Junior, I'll let this topic end for now. Normally, I wait until after the Cup race to rant but, last night is worth talking about now! What is up with Tony Stewart? Did anyone else who watched notice that Ryan Newman held his line and Tony did all the beating and banging. Now I didn't start this little project of mine to bash Tony every week but, if he's going to keep giving me reason to, I will! Tony actually had the nerve to come over the radio and claim that Ryan did all the beating and banging. Tony, replay dictates otherwise. Grow up already Tony! No one doubts your talent. You have the hardware to back it up. Quit throwing fits on the track and aiming the blame elsewhere. OK, I'm done. Congrats to Denny Hamlin and his team on the win last night. Denny stated that he's going to work on getting the winning trophy up to Blacksburg, VA to be displayed at Virginia Tech. A classy move by a classy guy! Take care, I'll have more to say after tonight, I'm sure!

Richmond 5/5/07-I'm sure my fan or 2 that read this have been licking their chops waiting to hear what I've got to say about the latest COT race dominated by Hendrick Motorsports. Here it goes. What the heck is going on? I realize that HMS spent alot of time researching and developing the COT but, come on! Are they the only one's on the track? Have they surpassed the rest of the field that bad? I'll go with no. All you have to do is look at the 25 team. While the 5, 24, & 48 cars seem to run and the drivers perform flawlessly, the 25 team continues to struggle. It seems to me that HMS has all their eggs in 3 baskets. Until they have all 4 teams competing at the same level, the rest of the field has a chance. It kills me how the 25 struggles year in and year out. Folks, Casey Mears has more talent than Kyle Busch. Yeah, I said it, he's got alot more composure, maturity, and class as well. The talent debate can be put to rest easily. Switch the two cars out and see what happens. The 25 seems to be nothing but left-overs from the other 3 teams. I feel terrible for Casey. Anyway, I've got other stuff to get to. What's up with Jeff Green? Two of the better, not to mention lead lap, cars got taken out by a car 3 laps down that seemed to be out of control. If I remember correctly, David Regan got parked by NASCAR last year for the same thing. I'm thinking the former Busch Series champ should have at least gotten a warning. That was ridiculous. Then to add fuel to the fire, he gets involved with lead lap cars in the closing laps of the race! Darrell Waltrip put it best when he said, "What's Jeff Green doing racing with Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart? He ain't got no dog in that fight!" Amen to that Darrell! He wasn't racing for position yet, NASCAR allowed him to interfere with cars that were. Tough breaks for my boys at DEI this week. Great rebound for Paul Menard and a couple of great saves for Dale Jr. Poor Martin Truex couldn't buy a break this week! Well fan(s), I'll leave you with this. The most disturbing thing I saw this week was the cover of my favorite racing periodical, NASCAR SCENE. One of the headlines reads, Tony Stewart forced to apologize for quesitoning NASCAR's integrity. I'm sorry, forced? I'm sure anyone who has read this knows good and and well that I'm no Tony Stewart fan but, for NASCAR to force someone to apologize for criticizing them is ridiculous. If they want him to apologize for something, how about we flash back to the Talladega race weekend and the out of line comments he had for David Gilliland and the lack of apology to Kyle Busch after he flipped him at 195 mph? NASCAR needs to wake up and listen to what the drivers, owners, and fans have to say. Maybe Tony shouldn't have expressed his opinion on national radio but, it's just that, his opinion. Forcing someone to apologize makes NASCAR look like a bunch of bullies. If that's what they want to portray and still call it a "family" sport, more power to them. Personally, I think it's a crock! Sorry NASCAR, I'm not apologizing! Ya'll take care! I'm sure I'll have plenty to say after the greatest race of the year at the greatest track on the circuit in the greatest state in the nation.......................The Lady in Black.....the track too tough to tame......Darlington Raceway...........in Darlington, South Carolina!

Talledega 4/29/07- Well, NASCAR got exactly what they wanted, a mess of a finish and "Wonder Boy's" own spot on the all time win list. I'm not trying to sound like a disgruntled Earnhardt fan but, c'mon, let 'em race! How many times can you wave off one to go knowing that half the field is going to run out of gas? That was ridiculous! Speaking of ridiculous, would the "fans" please quit throwing crap on the track! I'm not sure if they noticed or not but, they weren't just hitting Gordo's car! Now, on to "Terrible Tony". Grow up Tony! Poo-poo happens. Nobody is out to get you. As much as he'd like them too, drivers aren't about to ruin their own run to "payback" Tony. Bad mouthing David Gilliland was way out of line. Gee Tony, if NASCAR is that terrible maybe you should head back to IRL and see if you get the same kind of following and paycheck over there. They could use the ratings! All in all, 'Dega did not disappoint. Hopefully, DEI can have a good showing again this weekend at Richmond. Go get 'em Junior, defend your win! Y'all take care!

Phoenix 4/23/07-Most of us knew it was only a matter of time. This Saturday it happened. Jeff Gordon tied Dale Earnhardt for 6th on the all time win list. I am I happy? Not really. It was a nice gesture by "Wonder Boy" to ride around with the 3 flag but, if you're going to pay tribute to a legend, at least ride around with the flag facing the crowd! Nice move on Dale Jr.'s part to go to Victory Lane to congradulate the "Rainbow Warrior" and thank him for the tribute to his Dad. Oh well, records are made to be broken, right? Anyway, is anyone else tired of the rabbit's foot that seems to follow all the Hendrick drivers week in and week out? It seems like everytime bad fortune is about to be bestowed upon an HMS driver, everything goes their way. Funny too how 2 weeks ago at Martinsville Jeff Gordon claimed that the COT wouldn't allow him to pull a bump and run on Jimmie Johnson but, this week he pulled it off on Tony Stewart. Tony Stewart. Here's a topic all of its own. It must be back to "Terrible Tony" this year. There were reports that he shoved a fan after the race at Texas. This week he refused post race interviews. Maybe him and Kyle Busch were having a temper tantrum face off! As much as I'm tired of these antics, the sport needs them. Just like the WWE, you need good guys and bad guys. Dale Earnhardt was considered both. The difference, Dale didn't cry when things didn't go his way, he didn't throw fits, he didn't hold grudges. Dale left it all on the track. If you rubbed him the wrong way, he rubbed back. If Dale made a mistake, he may not apologize but, he may do something else to make it up. We miss you Dale!

Texas 4/18/07-I know, I'm late. Was that an awesome race or what! Glad I was there to see it in person! I was amazed at the number of folks that left after Junior's engine expired. I'll admit, it crossed my mind. Good thing I didn't! This was by far the best race TMS has put on. Then add in the drama going on within the race. Tony vs. Juan, Junior in the 5 car, and the lead changes! Sunday was good old, hard nosed, door to door racing. I was really glad to see all 3 DEI cars run well. Hats off to Ganassi Racing as well! The season continues to get better and better. Heard some interesting comments after the race about what Kyle Busch's pit crew had to say about Kyle. (I won't repeat it here, it's not that kind of site!) Let's just say they refered to him as a whining "kitty". That was followed by the comment that maybe Junior was headed to Kyle's motorhome to take his girlfriend too! Good laughs! Attention DEI, get him signed! In case you're not aware of the WHOLE story, Junior is not out for control of DEI for himself. He his trying to gain control for himself, Kelley, Kerry, and Taylor. He is truly trying to keep it a family business. Well, that's about all I've got for this week. I'm about 99% sure that Saturday night in Pheonix will not disappoint us!

Matinsville 4/1/07- Well, looks like Hendrick Motorsports has the COT figured out. Did Jeff Gordon hold back, I think so! I'm sure the COT would have loosened up, say, Matt Kenseth just fine. Oh well, I'm sure Rick was on the radio letting both drivers know the consequences of tearing up his cars. Not a bad race overall. Great to see the good ol' #8 out front, the Bud team needed that! They are now sitting 11th in the points. Not bad for a team everyone counted out of the Chase two races into the season. Now if DEI can just get Truex and Menard on the same page, they may finally emerge as the power house everyone wants them to be. How 'bout the #48's team helmets getting stolen? C'mon "fans", we get to enjoy some privelages that fans of other sports would truly envy, getting up close and personal with your favorite atheletes. Don't ruin it with some boneheaded move like that. If you'll remember, same thing happened to Harvick a few weeks back. NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports should probably start their search for the helmets on e-Bay! By the way, yes, drivers are athletes. How many stick and ball players have to perform to keep their jobs and sponsorships? How many of them lose 5 to 10 pounds on game day? How many drivers do you hear saying, "I'll drive when I want to drive (insert play for drive to get the true Randy Moss effect)? The answer: 0 (that's right, zero). Why do you ask, because they realize that, unlike most of America, they acutally enjoy what they do for a living and appreciate what they have. OK, so some drivers whine alot and walk around with chips on their shoulders (the Busch brothers, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, just to name a few-yes this is biased, if you don't like it quit reading!). Bottom line is, whine and complain as they may, they take care of the sponsors and show what they have on the track and prove why they get to do what they do. While I may not like all 43 drivers in the field, they are there for a reason, because they are among the best the stock car racing world has to offer. Let's see guys like Randy Moss and T.O. step up and be men. Appreciate what you have, be an athlete, not a player! Wow, this really did turn into a rant! Y'all take care! Good luck to you and your drive in two weeks at Texas Motor Speedway!