Monday Mulling…….

Whaddya know!…..
I guess NASCAR radar must have picked up a signal from the hinterlands! The Talladega Freight Train came and went with only a few debris cautions and voila! We saw debris!!! Of course, Talladega is a convenient place for NASCAR to redeem itself. Face it – there’s not much need to “bunch up” the pack when you have 43 cars that actually WANT to run single file! But I’ll give ‘em credit for making sure WE knew that something was on the track when the yellow flew. Let’s see what shows up on TV screens at the next few intermediate tracks where a REAL motive exists for “manipulation” of the pack!

Verborrhea…….
I can’t get inside of Tony Stewart’s head. If I could, I’d probably hear: “I showed ‘em it’s not a good idea for me to speak to the press immediately after I fail to win a race!”

He would be right. Smoke’s comments directed at David Gilliland after Sunday’s race were harsh, derrogatory, bullying and just flat crossed the line. Lousy timing, Tony! Remember – you bolstered many fans' & mediamembers' “perceptions” that NASCAR was dealing off the bottom with bogus cautions. Just when we (and NASCAR) seemingly took you seriously and we saw that constructive measures MIGHT occur in response to your tirade – you pitch an adolescent hissy fit and move from the “torch bearer” category to the “petulant buffoon” column in less than 10 words! I’ll bet Helton is breathing a HUGE sigh of relief! Way to go, idjit! Do me a favor, Tony..... shut up and drive for a while, OK? Stop acting like a no-talent broadcaster who simply lucked into a radio show!

Burning (flipping, spinning, banging) Busch……
If you believe in Karma – I’m sure you’ll agree that Kyle Busch’s cosmic slate ought to be clean after Saturday & Sunday’s wrecks. Over the course of the weekend, I received SEVERAL calls from anti-Shrub buddies saying “Poor kid - I feel sorry for him!” So do I! Kyle is a talented driver who is still a few years shy in the age department of reaching public maturity (an excuse Tony DOES NOT have for shooting off at the mouth). Besides, compared to The Man In Orange lately, Kyle's downright eloquent!

Happy Birthday!......
It's Elliott Sadler's birthday, so here's wishing him a very happy 32nd!

Local Stuff......
Got to spend the day at Thunderhill Raceway (a/k/a "My Classroom") in Kyle, Texas this past Saturday. I love this place! I typically get a better education in a few hours at this track than I could possibly glean by reading the net & watching TV. I'm still trying to gain some familiarity with the myriad series that run here -- but the variety is amazing. On Saturday, we watched everything from Ford Pintos & Karmann Ghias battling like crazy, to NASKARTS (I want one), to Legends (mini-IROCs?), Late Models (cars I actually RECOGNIZE from my youth), Hobby Stocks (Aunt Edna's Buick) & TSRS Modifieds (vroom)!

Once again, our benevolent Jedi came down from Big D with his RV, so we had a primo place to cool off and catch up on the Busch race. Ringside seats at the drivers' meeting and weigh-ins were a treat, and Dave (ever the carpenter) even got tapped to help build the Victory Lane Backdrop! We even came home with some "souvies" -- 2 more SRT's! (Stinky Racing Tires!) I feel a pair of end-tables coming on!

Beatin, Bangin, Rivalry & Competition -- Oh, and then some stuff about racing!

Those who’ve read my internet offerings over the last year or so know that I’m as much a fan of humanity as I am a fan of racing. Human nature can often be viewed as a spectator (and participatory) sport! The internet provides us with a means of relationship building – and those relationships take on lives of their own (some fruitful and worthwhile, and some not)!

Back in the not too distant past, I engaged VERY unwittingly in a flaming online battle with a particular blogger and his allies who had the unmitigated audacity to post some wicked satire about my favorite driver! Fur flew, alliances formed, fingers pointed and sides were taken. Battles were waged across several message boards and legends were born!

Funny, but I’ve found that the more vehemently I disagree with someone’s ideas – the more likely it is that a kernel of truth exists somewhere in their words. Early in the fray, I recognized that my opponent (while quite opinionated), was in possession of a WEALTH of NASCAR knowledge! “What a shame!” I thought, that this individual (a rare soul who can explain technical issues in lay terms and has seen firsthand the career history of my favorite driver), exists as an island among the disenfranchised Sadler fans – may of whom are crying in the wilderness for REAL racing knowledge!

I’m well versed in the apparent “hotness” of my driver! I need no further enlightenment regarding the “cuteness” of his posterior. He’s young enough to be my kid! What I REALLY want learn is more about the technical issues, the business issues, and the performance issues that affect his team! As much as I enjoy my Fan Club and related message boards, they’re not always educational tools and “damaged relationships” always seem to take precedence over competent teaching. Alas, I had found a “mentor” – but he had royally ticked me off!!!

To make a long story short – we somehow managed to bury the hatchet (and not in anyone’s head) and found that we could get along online without compromising our fierce loyalties. We agree more than we disagree, but don’t worry – we still butt heads now and then. This weekend Dave and I had the delightful opportunity to attend the Texas Racefest with Phil (yes folks – THAT Phil!) and his lovely wife, Jenell. I’m pleased to report that all went well (until he abandoned us after hijacking a golfcart and burned our lunch). OK, enough controversy – now on to:

The TEXAS RACEFEST!

OK, NASCAR has told you, ELLIOTT has told you, now I’M going to tell you: GO TO YOUR LOCAL TRACK!! Take a buddy, load up the ice chest & the tailgating stuff. Take your camera and your Sharpies. Take NOTES, for gosh sakes! It’s everything you wish Cup races were!

The Allstate Texas Racefest is the seasonal inaugural race for the NASCAR WEST Grand National Series. For all intents and purposes, these are Busch cars. NASCAR West has undergone several changes for the ’07 season, including crate-engine and composite body programs. The minimum age for drivers is now 16 and the series serves as a developmental forum for future Busch and Cup hopefuls. The TSRS Late Model Modifieds also raced on Saturday. These are our local racers in the slickest cars I’ve seen in a while! I’m completely ignorant when it comes to the TSRS series racers, but since these guys run every Saturday night at Thunderhill, you can bet I’ll be learning more!

The track is a TIGHT 3/8-mile paved oval – sort of a “NanoRichmond.” Facing torrential rains and possible cancellations, I’m extremely impressed with the promoter, Full Throttle Productions, and track owner Mary Ann Naumann for keeping everything on schedule and dodging the Texas weather bullet. The track is immaculate, seating is plentiful and the tickets and pit passes are VERY reasonably priced. Several hours after a minor mis-communication regarding exactly where we were to pick up our passes, a staff member literally tracked us down in the pit area to make sure we had been properly taken care of! THAT’S customer service!

ALL the drivers were present at a pre-race autograph session that also included Texas Terry Labonte! We left the autograph session with a stack of signed hero cards and the chance to chat with the drivers who may well be the next crop of Busch & Cup rookies! Allstate did an excellent job of sponsoring the event, giving free seat cushions to attendees who entered a raffle for free $300 gasoline cards! One lucky fan got to ride along with “The Iceman” himself for 5 laps.

The racing was PRIMO! The TSRS series cars are fast and the action was riveting. I’ve a lot to learn about this series, but the long green-flag runs and frequent passing made for a exciting race. Needless to say, the NASCAR WEST race was a highlight, featuring lots forceful passing and a slew of yellow flags. A green/white checkered flag was a great finale and I left the track one happy camper (especially since the race was won by a DODGE)! BTW, we FINALLY enticed the teenager and his girlfriend into joining us at a race! I think we have a new addict in the family – he’s already asking how much tickets to TMS cost!!

The post-race inspections made the entire event a learning experience of the first order. Believe it or not – the NASCAR Officials took the time to explain their tools, paperwork, job duties, and even let us get “up-close-and-personal” with the cars going through post race. Several Crew Chiefs had brought carbs to the table for inspections, and they were kind enough to show us how the mounting brackets were removed, and explained the differences in carb bodies, etc. The Officials took the time to show us STEP-BY-STEP how they checked clearances, diameters, and tolerances. We learned about brake cooling systems, jackbolts, rear ends, etc. while watching the actual inspection process. The amount of time these guys spent with a small group of curious fans was more than impressive – and the gratitude they expressed to US for supporting THEM was genuine and heartfelt.

All in all – I learned a some REALLY good lessons about racing AND about human nature; I might gripe about NASCAR Officials AND bloggers – but when you get to know ‘em – they’re really A-OK!