EMS, PLM & COT (e.i.e.i.o!)

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an Industry Week Magazine webcast entitled 'Redefining the Race: How Evernham Motorsports' PLM Strategy Drives NASCAR's Most Innovative Race Team.' While the webcast is primarily a promotional piece for EMS’ engineering software provider, Dassault Systemes, I found it an extremely enlightening view into the inner workings of EMS – and into a few of the current “non-workings” as well!

Evernham uses the “PLM” (Product Lifecycle Management) business model to field cars each week. Simply put, PLM is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its conception, through design and manufacture, to service and disposal. Using PLM methodologies, EMS functions as an automobile manufacturing company – one that has to bring a new product to market 36 times a year! PLM cuts time to market drastically, but is manpower and equipment heavy – two factors which require considerable capital. Capital, as we all know, is in short supply in many NASCAR teams nowdays – thanks in no small part to the new “product” that must now be brought to market – the COT.

One point made during the webcast was the ability of EMS’s PLM software to access shop data from the track during raceday, and and to communicate online with realtime engineers from the track. In a perfect techno-world, Josh Browne would be able to enter track, performance, weather, surface, temp, etc. variables into his laptop atop the pit box – and voila! The computer would indicate the needed adjustments based on these variables. Problem is – no historical data exists yet for many of the variables faced this season – new track surfaces, new nosecones on existing cars, funky weather, new tire compounds. In effect there may well be too many “first-time” situations facing EMS this season to make their investment in the PLM discipline pay off in the near term.

So, until EMS’s Magic 8 Ball starts producing useful information – we experience mediocrity. Heavy reliance on technology for crucial solutions doesn’t always deliver, and there are times when all the pocket-protector wearing, geek speaking race technobes in the world can’t help if they are unable to effectively handle the one CONSTANT that exists each week – communication with the driver.

To my knowledge, no software company has been able to successfully code “The Sadler Variable.” In order to correctly interpret the data coming from the driver of the #19 car (and every other car, for that matter) – it takes an entirely different set of HUMAN skills. Sadly, it’s these skills that seem strained on both sides of the scanner on raceday – and frustration is becoming increasingly apparent. This translates to the fan base as conflict between driver and crew chief. Whether such conflict actually exists is the cause of much speculation in the peanut gallery, and the sudden appearance of “Sports Psychologists” in the halls of EMS. I wish them luck – finding a perfect fit between driver and crew chief, particularly one that can survive the stresses and strains of a mediocre season, is NOT an easy task. If a personnel change is in the cards for the #19 team, it’s a sure-fire bet that MORE resources ($$$) will be required in order to tie up contracts.

I realize I’m often accused of being a cockeyed optimist when it comes to the #19 – but in this case I still think my stubborn loyalty is rightly placed. The #19 has finished every race (remember all the blown motors last year?), has stayed out of the wall, has minimized pit row penalties, and has had mid-pack finishes despite all the factors seemingly working against a win. Taken in context, the 2007 Season can boast MANY improvements over 2006, but fans have short-term memory when it’s been a while since the last trip to victory lane.

And for the record, I think EMS will eventually win the REAL Chase this year -- The 2007 Race To The Bank will help them bring home some Cup trophies before too long.

I'm Baaaack!

Yep, I had the crud. And did it up right, too! “Acute bronchitis” was the doc-in-the-box’s diagnosis, and I resisted the urge to tell him that I fail to see anything cute about coughing up chunks. Nonetheless, with nothing but time on my hands for the last four days, I had every intention of making my convalescence productive. Update the blog, catch up on my reading, work on some crafts – NOT! Thanks to some magic formula cough syrup in a brown prescription bottle, I discovered that it’s pretty near impossible to type (let alone read) while unconscious. Nevertheless, the goop did the trick and I’m back to my (ab)normal self. Soooooo……

It’s 6.7 Now, Right?

Dave and I heard the news last night and, in unison, we cried “He’s changed his numberrrrrrrrr!” That’s right – Junior is leaving DEI -- and in what has to be the most media-savvy move of the decade -- he’s left it at that. In the span of a few hours, the media (and the public) have commenced churning out every scenario imaginable with regard to Little E. The Childress/Hendrick deals are obviously the most popular theories, but I’ve come up with a few hypothesis of my own for your consideration. How ‘bout:

- HRM/JR Motorsports, Ltd.: In secret meetings in KY last week, The King met with the Queen regarding the formation of a joint Euro/American racing team with the unlimited resources of the British Empire (the only possible way to compete with Hendrick). With the full intention of courting Dale Jr., her majesty promised that Tony would be retained as Crew Chief, consequently Blair announced his resignation as Prime Minister today.

- Jr. LIVE!: Not to be outdone by Tony Stewart -- Jr. simply sets the stage for his new Sirius Radio program by creating controversial call-in subject matter in advance. “Tell Me Where To Go!” with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is expected to eclipse Smoke’s show in popularity.

- Crazy Mutant Desert Guys Motorsports, Inc.: Dale unwittingly discovered the ultimate pit crew during the filming of his Superbowl commercial, and is building a truly “indie” team around his new friends.

- “I’m just messin with ya’ll. I’m staying with DEI. No harm done, huh?”

I’m sure there are one or two more I’ve not thought of yet, but hey -- I been sick!

OK, back to music for a bit…..

I had a lifelong dream fulfilled last night!! Pete Townshend’s long-lost and legendary Lifehouse Method project has at last become reality. Method went “online” yesterday, and I was able to “sit” for two musical portraits using the new system. I’m completely enthralled with the end result and totally humbled by the fact that I’m participating in an endeavor which fulfills Pete’s lifelong dream to see this project through.

If you’re in eye-shot of this blog – I urge you to “sit” for a composition. But first, you ask, just what is Lifehouse Method? Well, let me go back in time a bit to explain……………

It was one of those experiences that gets indelibly burned into the brain. I was 13 years old and babysitting for some friends across the street from my parents’ house in Conroe , Texas -- nearly midnight , and my charges were fast asleep. The patriarch of the household was a stereophile who had amassed an incredible system equipped with a pair of Koss headphones so massive with insulation they weighed a ton. Late night FM radio in Houston was still a rather dubious affair – the infamous Crash Collins was known for his smoky growl and strange “inhaling” noises while spinning the some really heavy vinyl and the tell-tale spaces of dead air (indicating that he’d once again nodded out). I wasn’t allowed to listen to such “garbage” at home.

Collins must have had some really good stuff that night, because he decided (perhaps inadvertently) to spin an entire album side (rare in those days) from the Who’s 1971 album “Who’s Next.” Townshend, the creative force behind the Who, had earlier in 1969 penned the first Rock Opera – "Tommy" – and I remember thinking “Well, if this is half as good……” When the opening synthesizer riff began, I was instantly mesmerized as if something internal was vibrating in harmony with the song. As Townshend’s initial power chord struck, I was totally captivated. When Entwistle’s thunderous bass finally joined the fray, I was awestruck, captivated and I knew I had found my anthem – Baba O’Riley! I immediately struck out to learn more about the album, the band, and eventually the concept that lay underneath some of the best rock-n-roll ever heard!

I was surprised to learn that the hypnotic synth riff that opens “Baba” was actually constructed using personal DATA about Townshend’s Spiritual Leader, Meher Baba, that had been somehow fed into an algorithm which transformed it into music! In fact, the entire Who’s Next album was indeed a collection of songs salvaged from a failed project conceived by Pete to gather vital statistics from individuals and reflect this information back to the audience in the form of music. “Lifehouse” as the project was called, was another rock opera of sorts – a story set in the future when humanity was controlled by the government via stimuli force-fed to them over a “GRID” – a hardwired information network with leads to each individual called “experience suits.” The protagonists in Townshend’s story were rebels who managed to free humanity by hacking into the Grid and flooding it with music. This music, created by their own algorithms, culminated in a crescendo so powerful and celestial it took down the Grid.

While the story was fiction (at the time) – Pete’s desire to find the “lost chord” via synthesized information wasn’t. Additionally, he aimed to make performance a two-way street wherein the audience participated in the creative process. At one point, Townshend had actually gathered a group of subjects in the Old Vic Theater in London to attempt this artist/audience interaction. The project failed mainly due to the fact that Townshend lacked the complex technical equipment to process the information. The few songs he had written to score the original Lifehouse opera were pieced together and released as the seminal “Who’s Next.” Practically no one knew the backstory!

By the time I had discovered Who’s Next, Lifehouse had already faded into rock-n-roll lore, rarely mentioned by journalists and audiophiles. What a shame, I thought – that such an enigmatic idea should languish. Lifehouse was always on my list of musical “if onlys.”

And then, along came the Grid.

I have to snicker to myself whenever the argument over “who predicted the internet” points an appreciative finger in Al Gore’s direction. As the net grew, many remembered Townshend’s vision of a society grown complacent compliments of their addiction to an orchestrated information feed. New technology flooded the music industry, allowing artists to experiment with input, output and everything in between. In 1999, Townshend resurrected Lifehouse, finally mixing and re-arranging the now classic Who’s Next tracks back into their original form.

The world finally heard the Lifehouse opera on BBC Radio on December 5, 1999 – but it was simply a “performance” and NOT the collaborative effort Townshend’s rebels of the Grid. In order to truly complete Lifehouse – the music had to be a 2 way street.

Enter Mathemetician/Compser/Philosopher Lawrence Ball, Programmer Dave Snowdon. Since 1999, Pete has ridden the helm of an ambitious endeavor to create the software program that would allow an individual to provide personal samples/images/data and have the information transmographied into a unique musical “portrait.” An interpretive work of audio art particular to one person – reflective of their mood, voice, etc. The final piece of the Lifehouse puzzle was finally complete, and on May 1, 2007 it was put into place – The Method went public.

Initially, participants may “sit” for 3 pieces of music. In order to interact with the software, you are asked to provide a sample of your voice, an image, a sound, and a rhythm. In return, the system composes your 5-minute musical portrait. The results are astounding! The Method will be open to the public until July, and eventually many of the “portraits” will be combined into a larger work which will be performed live! Having spent many decades wondering “what if” with regards to Lifehouse – I can say I am absolutely elated that my "what if" dream has at long last turned into a reality that exceeded my expectations tenfold!

Be a rebel and sit for your own musical portrait!

www.lifehouse-method.com

Listen to yourself in an entirely new way!

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!

Debris or No Debris – THAT’s the Perception!

Is is Racing or Wrestling? Is it Live or is it Memorex? Is it Spontaneous or Scripted? Is it a Sport or America ’s latest made-for-TV drama? Are we enjoying our favorite pastime or are we being taken to the cleaners by the France empire?

Regardless of your opinion – you KNOW you’ve asked yourselves the questions….

Tony Stewart has finally given public voice to a big issue in “stock” car racing – exemplified by the seemingly scripted and way-to-conveniently timed "competitition cautions" called by NASCAR Officials for alleged debris on the track. Smoke has certainly minced no words, and while it’s one thing to read such stinging, controversial opinions from the media and internet peanut galleries – it’s entirely another matter when one (or more) of NASCAR’s most talented drivers and 2-time Champions confirms these hypotheses out loud. NASCAR is fake and we’re all ignoramuses with open pocketbooks?

Ouch!

OK, so I’m not ready to put my TMS season tickets up on eBay yet. But I have grown past that stage of NASCAR naivete that many seem to cling to so longingly. This isn’t your father’s NASCAR – it’s a marketing-driven sports enterprise and a privately owned mega-corporation. While I don’t believe our sport is entirely “fixed” – I certainly believe it is manipulated for reasons OTHER than safety!

Show It or Throw It!

IF (and I use the conjunction delicately) these pesky “debris” cautions are indeed in response to a concern for safety….. (i.e. IF something has actually been observed on the track …) SHOW IT! NASCAR can put a camera on a red-hot brake rotor and a GPS that beams the car’s precise position to my PC. If a hotdog wrapper has created a safety issue – it’s a relatively simple matter to display (or at very least describe) the offending offal during a race broadcast. Give us a paragraph on Tuesday along with the penalty reports summarizing each of those “debris” cautions! I’d gladly give up the right to “vote in” a driver on Trackpass – if you’ll give me ONE channel of NASCAR Race Control on my PC each and every Sunday!

When an actual SAFETY issue occurs (like flaming cars skidding upside down across the track -- REGARDLESS of what lap we're on), THROW IT! It’s these inconsistencies that remove all credence from NASCAR’s “safety first” response to Tony’s rant.

NASCAR has within its power the ability to do some very constructive damage control -- and in the fans' eyes damage control is sorely needed! If the governing body wishes to reverse this perception of “scripted races” and redeem themselves (somewhat) in the eyes of the fans (and drivers), they can take the high road rather easily. If not – the manipulation will continue and even the most casual race fan will be lured into believing that we're simply watching a 4-wheeled version of WWF. Don’t take the road to Vagueville, Brian -- SHOW US that you don’t think we’re fools!

While we're at it....

Want some REAL competition? Take the “actual” debris found on the track, show it on TV, and then put the scrap up on eBay! A heftybag that cost a major driver a race (and perhaps a Championship) ought to fetch a pretty penny from us morons!! You can use the money to put SAFER barriers ALL around the Great Wall in Daytona (safety is a priority -- just ask Jimmy Johnson or Jeff Fuller!)

And while you’re shopping in Bejing, Brian, you might want to let the PR folks know that it looks REALLY bad to us fans to have you running off to start a new series in China just as Kentucky Speedway is suing you for anti-trust violations!

But we’re ignorant! What do we know?

Remember When All We Had To Learn About Was RACIN???

Like many, I have my morning routine pretty down pat. I check my email, then start making my rounds of bookmarked sites. Chief among my NASCAR stops are several journalists’ blogs, as well as key online periodicals – and I’ve recently added a new one near the top of the list:

The Wall Street Journal.

It’s fairly obvious that I’m an Elliott Sadler fan, and therefore I’m among the multitudes who are trying to understand why our driver isn’t being sprinkled with confetti and doused with soda at the end of the race. It’s been a pretty dismal season, and the knee-jerk reactions have run the gamut. Many want to place blame in the drivers’ and/or crew chief’s laps, while others are blaming the owner, the engineers and/or the fabricators. Some blame just about everyone!

For myself, I’ve learned (most of the time), to keep my blaming fingers curled inward until I do a little research. Things are not always as they seem, and in Sadlers’ (and EMS) case – there’s a lot more going on in Detroit, Michigan and Stuttgart, Germany than in Statesville, NC or Emporia, VA!

The Chrysler Sale

It looks as if Dodge’s parent company, Germany’s Daimler/Chrysler, is serious about selling off the Chrysler portion of its’ operation to a private equity firm. There are numerous bidders, and the sale looks likely within the next 4-6 weeks according to Wall Street and Detroit pundits. Will a new Chrysler owner commit to the same estimated $100 million annually to keep a presence in NASCAR – it’s ONLY racing endeavor? It seems unlikely that a new owner with a need to compete with America’s NEWEST #1 automaker – Toyota – will resist the urge to streamline it’s budget.

BUT……

The UAW (who reportedly opposes the sale) is in the midst of collective bargaining with Daimler/Chrysler. If a sale is eminent, the UAW may be forced to make concessions in its contract negotiations in order to entice Stuttgart into keeping the truck-heavy Chrysler lines intact. When unions make concessions (particularly in health care and retirement benefit packages) – they lose members AND dues. If they manage to help salvage Chrysler by drastically cutting employee benefits – THEY might be the ones who need to “streamline” their budget!

BUT……

Many of the drive train parts for Mercedes Benz are made by Chrysler plants in the US. Shedding the marque will DEFINITELY cost the Benzers in the long run. And German workers have representatives, too!
So….. What’s This Got to Do With NASCAR?

Eggs! That’s what. My EMS #19 car has all its hardboileds in the same German-owned and Labor-Unionized basket.

Although there are several “Dodge” teams – only our two EMS cars are sponsored by the “manufacturer” via it’s dealership network IN PARTNERSHIP with the UAW. There is no “Ford Dealers Ford” or “Chevy Dealers Chevy” – let alone one who’s partnered up with a labor union that is at times diametrically opposed to the manufacturer’s profit potential! From where I sit – it seems that anything fortuitous that befalls EITHER of our primary sponsors in this upcoming “deal” is going to take potential NASCAR sponsorship money out of the other’s pocket.
And right now – it’s that very money that’s much needed to boost Evernham’s chassis engineering staff and put Ray back in the shop (as opposed to pounding the pavement for a partner). Evernham, himself, stated on Sirius last week that his forte was under the hood rather than in the boardroom – so here’s hoping a new financial partner will have the B2B expertise needed to find a sponsorship marriage that doesn’t repeat the current reliance on all things Dieter Zetsche!

Lest we also forget – The UAW Daimler/Chrysler 400 (a/k/a the Las Vegas Race) has already been run for 2007. If a reduction in NASCAR financing is on Dr. Z’s mind – will he pull funding for the 2008 premier-sponsorship of the next Vegas extravaganza – or will he pull the greenbacks from the (marginally performing) cars on the track?

As for me – I have a sneaking suspicion that the sale will move forward with Daimler/Chrysler keeping enough stake in the company to ensure an economical supply of Benz parts. Will their presence in racing decline?

That’s why I’m checking the Journal!

The “Legends” of TMS – Part III

Ahhhh. Raceday! The cosmos FINALLY gave us the weather we had been hoping for all week, and we happily discarded the earmuffs in exchange for the sunscreen and tank tops! While my out-of-towners did NOT get a full weekend of nice weather – they certainly got a good example of Texas weather in general: unpredictable!
As with any endeavor that involves 5 women and an early morning appointment – we started the day running late. Race day traffic entering the TMS complex was a booger, and by the time we located parking and schlepped our gear to the infield, we were running late for our planned gathering, but ready to rock-n-roll nonetheless.

We didn’t leave disappointed, though – and once again serendipity smiled on us and we managed to hook up with our “objective” for a little celebration. (Endless thanks to Mr. G. for once again making time where none seemed to exist!) As I turned to depart, I caught sight of a group of gentlemen chatting near the exit. Something looked familiar – and then it hit me: RICHARD PETTY! I was standing mere feet from The King himself (and I had one HELLUVA crush on him as a teenager)! It was at this point that my brain shut off.

I guess Mr. P is accustomed to the sounds of jaws hitting the pavement – and if so he certainly got a symphony from us! What an absolutely delightful, courteous and considerate man! He took the time to sign autographs for everyone, (and me all blubbery and whompityjawed), AND he thanked US for being there! HE thanked US! Now that, dear friends, is why he’s THE KING!

There’s only one thing that could even come close to holding a candle to the mornings’ adventures – and that’s HAULER SHOPPING. It was at this point that Dave’s brain shut off. He had managed to keep us safely away from the haulers for most of the weekend, but in true Kamikaze form, we broke free and headed for lootville to fill shopping lists for friends, family and of course – US!

Imagine the logistics of keeping 5 women with different shopping agendas and different rates of travel all together in a crowd of 250,000. We managed to keep everyone together with one exception – we briefly lost Mel when we were distracted at the Raceday stage, (I guess it was Hermie’s fault!) , but we managed to track her down before getting seated for the pre-race. Is it just my generation of Kubrick kids – or does the sight and sound of a B-52 flying low overhead give anyone else those “Dr. Strangelove” goosebumps?

As much as I hate to admit it, the race was somewhat of a snoozer. Long green-flag runs, mediocre performance from the EMS guys, and little passing in general kept us off the edges of our seats. I had more fun watching the Jr. fans and the Gordon fans as they baited one another until Jr.’s car got “keelt” by a wayward Shrub. Sadly, many of Jr.’s fans left the grandstands unaware that he was piloting the #5 in the final laps.

At about midpoint during the race – I wondered why there was so much “stuff” floating and swirling around us. I finally dug the glasses out of the backpack and realized that we were being swarmed by honeybees! Hundreds of obviously allergic folks bailed out of their seats. I’ve seen lots of strange stuff in my time, but a honeybee swarm during a Cup race is way up near the top of my “WTF” list!

Alas, the race was over (and rather early, too, owing to the long green-flag runs) and it was time to head back to the hotel for our last night together before half our group departed on Monday. We managed to coax Mel into coming back to Austin with us rather than spending a day in Dallas alone, and I’m glad we did! Got to do a little late-night sightseeing in the Capitol City before sending everyone packing for home.

What a wonderful experience! As many of you know, we managed to prove to ourselves and to others that former bitter rivals can put their racing opinions and differences aside and become good friends, and regardless of which driver’s “colors” we flew – we all came away from TMS with some “victories” under our belts. Is it November yet?

The “Legends” of TMS- Part II

A good rule of thumb with Texas weather is that the stronger the thunderstorm, the colder the front that spawned it. This rule held true on Saturday as we awoke to painfully cold temps and strong winds. My friends from North of the Mason Dixon were suddenly giving me the stinkeye as we headed off to the Track Souvie Shop to stock up on all the cold weather gear I told them to leave at home. “Bring you shorts & flip flops!” I suggested, “It’ll be hot & sunny!”

In retribution, they made me ride in the cargo hold all the rest of the weekend.

Hats off (or ON) to the TMS Gift shop. They had properly stocked the store with reasonably priced gloves, ear warmers, jackets & scarves. Thus bundled up, we headed back to the infield for Cup Practice. Dave immediately located the Goodyear shop and happily quizzed the techs on matters rubber, Merri and I located peach spots immediately in front of the inbound garage side, while Robin, Mel & Alnee covered the Garage Exit. I had completely forgotten NOT to leave those three without adult supervision!

Many megs of digital pics later, we headed to our seats for the Busch race. But NOT before a lengthy session at the Racing Electronics hauler for a remedial course in Scanner Programming. After explaining our plight (a waaaaay too complicated scanner and two waaaaay too feeble brains), we were advised that the kindly lady who had sold us the moster back in November was no longer with the company. Obviously, she was the only other person on the planet who understood the evil HAL9000 Technonightmare Model Scanner, and it took all three hauler employees to first figure out and then explain WHICH 3 buttons to push to program in a driver. Eureka!

I had a true rock-n-roll moment on the way to our seats for the Busch race! The South tunnel which runs under the track is, in effect, a large corruated conduit pipe. The race had started as we entered the tunnel, and the acoustics of were freakin incredible! The tunnel picks up the low end of the sound spectrum as the cars pass over, and the end result is akin to a raging battle between Entwistle and Moon! Hell, you coulda left me in the tunnel and I’d have been perfectly content with the rumble!

Using the Busch race as scanner-practice, we decided to listen to Kasey Kahne in the 9 car. Anyone who would like to intelligently continue the “Sadler Communication Quality” discussions needs to spend some time listening to Kasey.

CC: “Did that adjust make the car better?”
KK: “It’s pretty much the same, but kinda different.”

Dave and I had to laugh out loud several times as the Loose-Tight-Loose drama played out with a driver who seems to raise “vague” to an artform far beyond anything the Southern Gentleman has been accused of! According to KK, the setup problems were very similar on his Cup car in practice, lending credence to the fact that recent Evernham performance issues might originate in the shop, rather than between CC’s and drivers. Callers who feel the need to skewer Josh and/or Elliott on Sirius Radio might want to listen a bit more carefully to Ray’s show! May a strong financial partner come along soon!

The Busch race left us famished, so we beat feet back to RV land for an evening with Mr. & Mrs. Lugnut. More gracious hosts don’t exist! Due to the location of our vehicle in relation to both the track and RV lot, they kindly shuttled us to and from our destinations, and treated us to some primo steaks and wonderful spaghetti! Many, many thanks to Phil & Jenell for their kindnesses!

I must admit I wasn’t quite prepared for the cultural spectacle that is the backstretch RV lot! The distinctly Mardi Gras-like atmosphere (complete with bead throwing in exchange for bodacious tatas), made for some of the best people watching ever! Not to be left out, we took advantage of the fact that we were in possession of a number of unused racing waffles, left over from the Trackside cancellation. Now, everyone knows it’s a sin to let a good Eggo go to waste, so we decided to see if the “aero” qualities of the All-American Racing Waffle were all they were cracked up to be!

Tomorrow we’ll get around to Part III – the final chapter in our TMS saga! Stay tuned!

Weekend Break

TMS Part II is forthcoming! I promise! Had to take a little break over the weekend to travel East and visit the kinfolks. What a treat! It's been quite a while since we've made the trip to Willis to see my parents and my ornery Grandma, and it gave hubby and I an opportunity to enjoy a leisurely drive through the beautiful countryside and to do a little "prowling" for antiques in Brenham and Carmine!

As many of you know, Dave and I are incurable collectors. Our respective major obsessions, Akro Agate glass and Fiestaware are getting scarce in our neck of the woods, so it's a real treat when we BOTH make some good finds! As luck would have it, I managed to snag some vintage stuff (Yellow Fiesta relish base, cobalt covered sugar and teacup), as well as some discontinued Chartreuse & New Cobalt pieces! Alas it looked like we'd once again go home with no Akro for Dave, but as we rounded the corner in a dusty attic shop in Brenham -- there it was! AKRO! PRIMO Akro!! Oxblood & White AND Cobalt & White cig jars, a Yellow Ribbed Flute shallow bowl, AND a green Thumbpot! I know this sounds like jibberish to non-collectors -- but to hubby and I it's pure gold! Picture a couple of fat, middle-aged crazies in matching Sadler T-Shirts running around an antiques store high-fiving and yelling "SCORE!!!!" I'll bet the clientele thought we were referring to racing!! Let 'em wonder!

Tonight, the rest of TMS will be up, along with some pics of our cool finds! Who knows, maybe we can coax more of our NASCAR friends into collecting weird stuff!

Edited to add "loot!"

A Pause to Remember

While I'm working on TMS - Part II, I wanted to get this up to remember those who lost their lives so senselessly at Virginia Tech. God Bless everyone.

The “Legends” of TMS – Part One

Well folks, Dave and I survived the Spring TMS weekend! Is there such a concept as “blissful endurance?” If so, that description might be the most apt of all in reference to our most recent racing adventure! Several themes ran through the weekend: Friendship, Reconciliation, Celebration, Good-Natured Mischief, Sheer Insanity and of course………. Weather. We busted a few old myths, added new chapters to our existing “legendary” rivalries, and had one helluva good time! Here’s Part One of the Ballad of TMS!........

We arrived in Cowtown (actually, Lewisville) on Wednesday night. The poor rented Ford (a/k/a “The Belt Sander”) was loaded down with everything but the kitchen sink. Our trip from Austin was quiet and we enjoyed the gorgeous bluebonnets along the way. Our late-winter rains were plentiful and the annual wildflower display is in full swing. Of course the folks at A&M have been busy lately, as we caught sight of many “Maroonbonnets” and “Albinobonnets” outside of Hillsboro. Danged Aggies can’t leave things alone! Where are the Burnt Orange ones???

Thursday was spent playing Airport Shuttle for our little crew of international attendees. First came Robin from Niagara Falls, NY. We warned Robin – “You won’t be able to miss us at the airport!” HAHA! I think it was the bunny ears and the Sacred Racing Waffle that gave us away! Mel made it in next from Edmonton, Alberta (where it’s so cold they plug their cars in at night to keep ‘em warm)! Next was Merri from Las Vegas, NV – our “legendary” former-nemises-turned-buddy, who took one look at the lunatics dispatched to pick her up and promptly made a U-turn! (We captured her nonetheless). Finally, we snagged Alnee from Chesapeake, VA, who was standing at the Airport gate waiting patiently for her ride. “HEY LADY! WANNA WAFFLE???” was all it took to get her attention and we all headed back to the hotel (getting lost in the process and winding up near Texas Stadium! Oops!)

Our first trip to the track came on Friday morning. After picking up our credentials (which included tornado procedure packets – doh!), we headed off to the infield JUST in time to try out our new rain gear! My eternal thanks to Dollar General Stores and their great cheap NASCAR rain ponchos! Once in the infield – the fun began. Picture five women with cameras and one poor “chaperone” (long-suffering hubby Dave) on our semi-annual chocolate & coffee-fueled prowling trip to the NASCAR garage. We managed to score autographs AND hugs from Robert Yates (Merri was right – he gives GREAT hugs), autographs from Ray Evernham (I KNEW I should have brought that goat), Jeff Burton, Dr. Dick Bergeron, Bob Dilner, John Roberts AND got a pic with Cousin Carl (I was tempted to lay into him about that Richmond Busch race, but he was being such a good boy), so I just made my best “Opie” face for the camera!

As the weather turned more ominous, we decided to hoof it out to the RV area to hunt down our other “arch-nemises-turned-co-conspirator” – the Legendary Phil! Luckily, the Lugnut had installed Satellite TV and was happily monitoring the incoming weather. Here in Texas, we ALWAYS monitor weather. 24-Hr. Doppler Radar is a popular channel, and the sight of lots of red, orange and purple accompanied by many spinning “shear” markers didn’t look too good. As we patiently waited for the graphic that indicates predicted path, we managed to coax the Yankees into the RV lest they panic and run for the border. Sure ‘nuf – the red arrow on the screen ran straight through TMS and the sirens started to wail.

For those of you who haven’t been to TMS – it’s a mammoth widespread citadel in the middle of a million acres of flat cow pasture. There is NOWHERE to go in the event of a weather disaster. Folks in the track structure might well find shelter in the bathrooms & tunnel areas, but there’s no sanctuary for the tens of thousands out in the parking lots and camping areas. As I scanned the darkening sky with thousands of metal flagpoles flying overhead, all I could think of was LOOK AT ALL THE LIGHTNING MAGNETS! Fortunately, that telltale “green” sky that typically precedes a tornado hadn’t appeared and within minutes it looked like the entire storm system split DIRECTLY at the track and made end-runs around either side.

We dodged the weather bullet on Friday, and since Trackside was obviously cancelled, we headed back to Lewisville for some Tex-Mex and much needed shuteye. Saturday and Sunday would be BIG days with massive crowds and we needed all the energy we could muster! More on that in the next episode!

Trackside Sadler Fans’ Meet & Greet!

Well, since Trackside starts at 6 pm on Friday night – and since we have a healthy contingent of Sadler fans planning to attend – what a great place for us to have an unofficial meet & greet!

We’ll be gathering near the Trackside stage around about 5ish depending on Elliott’s qualifying time. Can’t miss us – we’re the ones with the waffles! (had to pick something obvious that would stand out in a crowd)! Those of you who’ve IM’d or emailed me should have my cell #, give me a call or email for a number if you need to!

Before our “meet & greet” though – I’d like to propose a “truce” of sorts. Humor me, here. As everyone knows, Sadler fans are stretched across many friendly - and some NOT so friendly - forums, blogs, IM’s, chat groups, profile sites, etc. As humans do – we form friendships and often bicker, bitch, snipe, dig and gossip about one another. Some have waged full-fledge warfare. We have some SOLID friendships out there, as well as some obviously hurt feelings within our ranks.

For THIS event, dear friends and foes, may we leave ALL baggage in the parking lot, all animosity in the car, all bickering and innuendo at home and all enmity on another planet? Let’s try to find our COMMON denominators as Sadler fans for this one event and save the unpleasantries for another time. Grind the axes elsewhere. None of us get anywhere NEAR enough time with our long-distance friends or at the track – wasting that valuable time on trivial disagreements is NOT how I want to spend these precious 4 days!

We have all the time in the world to battle it out online throughout the season. As I’ve seen, even the most ardent online opponents can become great friends if given a chance. Compromise creates respect, respect spawns understanding, understanding breeds tolerance, and tolerance builds character.


I was gonna post the lyrics to Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” – but I’ve crossed WAAAAY over the Kumbaya limit here and I’m even making MYSELF sick! LOL!

See ya at TMS!

TMS Spring Pilgrimmage Chapter 2 – The Rentathingy

Lemme start by wishing everyone a happy Good Friday!

I live in a world of 2-seaters. BIG 2 seaters! My dear old Ford pickup – “Big Red” - is a GREAT road-trip buggy! As long as it’s a road trip for two! It has something resembling a back seat, but you’d be hard pressed to do any traveling back there unless you’re a hamster. Storage space – that’s what it is. Covered storage space. Dave’s van is the same. Yeah, it’s a huge Ford Van, but it’s one of those “rolling toolbox” vans with cages, shelves, and racks of power tools. NOT fit for travel – but you could build a town with all the stuff he hides in there!

Soooo – this year we decided to rent a suitable vehicle for the Road Trip to TMS and the various side trips needed to pick up folks & baggage at the airport, dining out, tailgating, etc. Gotta be big enuf to hold our squad of loonies AND all the loonie accessories! We got to have our “stuff” y’know! Carlin would be proud!

Timing is everything in vehicle rental-dom. It’s Texas Relay Weekend in Austin and rental vehicles are scarce as hens’ teeth right now. After several persuasive phone calls, my friendly Enterprise guy was able to locate a ride he alleged would be PERFECT for our trip! One problem, tho – it didn’t meet our most important criteria: it was not RED. Oh well, in the spirit of compromise (and desperation), I relented and took a black one. A couple of well placed #19 stickers will take care of that!

“What is it?” I asked.
“An SUV. It’s called an Edge. Ford makes it.” He replied.
“Never heard of an Edge. What’s it look like?” I inquired.
“Like an Explorer!” said my friendly Enterprise dude.

He lied.

After a half an hour of paperwork, identification, verification, payment, DNA sampling and hair follicle testing, I was given the keys to the Explorer look-alike and directed to the garage for “pre-race inspection.” It was there I got my first glimpse of the Ford Edge.

It looks like a belt sander.

This is one UGLY vehicle. If you took half a coconut shell and stuck four big wagon wheels underneath – you’d have an Edge. NO lines. NO personality. It’s so butt ugly it oughta have hair. What’s worse, it looks EXACTLY like every other soccer-mom, amorphous stagecoach on the road. NOTHING distinguishes it from it’s friends. Except that its uglier.

But it IS a big ‘un. Just the right space inside for all our belongings and buddies. With no choice, I accepted the keys and took temporary possession of the monstrosity. Of course, I had to futz around with all the gadgets inside, adjust the seats and wheel, find the A/C and get acquainted with the interior. Not bad – seats are REALLY comfy. I cranked it. Nothing happened. So I turned the key again. KKHGGGGGGAAARRRRRRZZZB! It was already running. Oops! Pretty quiet motor, huh?! (I could feel the Enterprises dude grimace.) Sheepishly, I managed to creep out of the parking garage into the light of day.

Nice steering, pretty tight turning radius for a brick on wheels. I settled in and thanked the cosmos that at least it didn’t DRIVE as hideously as it looked. Other drivers didn’t seem to be pointing and laughing. OK, I’ll give it a bit of a chance to grow on me. Then it dawned on me – I hadn’t yet checked out the Edge’s most important feature: The STEREO. Had a couple of CD’s in the briefcase. (required for REAL Who fans.) Popped in Who’s Next and let ‘er roll!

Have I told you how much I love the new Ford Edge????

Whatever this contraption lacks in looks – it MORE than makes up for in sound! Like being front, dead center at the Met! AND ----- it’ll crank to 11!!! (Spinal Tap fans will grok)! I’m happy! Elated, even! Got tuneage extrordinaire for the road trip!!! What a GREAT vehicle!!

Soooooo… If you see a bunch of happy lunatics dressed in red Sadler race gear riding in a belt sander on I-35 between Austin and DFW – don’t bother to honk. We won’t hear you!!!!

TMS Spring Pilgrimmage – The Prologue

It is exactly 7 days until Dave and I begin our semi-annual trek to Dallas Ft. Worth for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Our twice-annual mecca to mingle with fellow fans, friends, co-conspirators and likeminded loonies. It’s four whole days of race-nirvana! Between Thursday and Sunday, we’ll walk a hundred miles, sweat, freeze, stand in line, sit in shade, dodge crowds, dodge Dodges, hiss at the bad guys, cheer for the good guys and enjoy the company of dear friends we see only a handful of times per year.

Right now, it’s “prep time.” I have moved entire households cross country and it didn’t require the amount of planning and packing as this race trip does! NASCAR fans are the most wardrobe simplistic folk on earth. Give ‘em comfy shoes, a pair of jeans, and a drivers’ T-Shirt & and ice chest and they’re fully outfitted, right?

NOT a chance!!!

I’m packing enough wardrobe to outfit a Broadway production, enough electronic gadgetry to outfit a 3rd World Army, and enough racing/tailgating schwag to open a themed restaurant! I have 3 big Rubbermaid containers filled with hot weather gear, wet weather gear, cool weather gear and I’m now ready for flash floods, mosquitos, blisters, headaches, famine, sunburn, darkness, deafness, heartburn, dry mouth and vitamin deficiency! Communication will NOT be an issue as we will have cell phones, land lines, TV, Satellite, text messaging, wireless internet, hi-speed internet, scanners, LCDs, Direct Connect, Weather Radio, CD Players, Mp3 Players, and a car radio! You want pictures? I have FIVE digital cameras, a camcorder, Digital Video camera, a handful of disposable 35mm’s and a freaking sketchpad!

Speaking of scanners……..

Dave and I sunk megabucks into a scanner setup during the Fall race at TMS. Not satisfied with the NORMAL scanner, my digit-head hubby had to have the model equipped with ALL the doo-dads – 2-way microphones, hookups for 3 of our closest friends, extra antennae, etc. The sweet little white-haired saleslady at the hauler seemed to be a whiz at programming the contraption. 3 simple buttons – enter the frequency code and channel and PRESTO! Audio from your favorite driver! She kindly repeated the instructions and we had NASCAR race control! Looked easy enough – I managed to get a couple more drivers programmed in without too much headscratching and off to the races we went!

Now it’s time to reprogram the scanner for THIS race. I handed the bag to Dave last week and said –

“Here ya go, honey! Can you get this thing ready for TMS?”

“Whaddaya mean, ME?” he replied, “I thought YOU were paying attention to the instructions!”

Yeah, well - that was 5 months ago! I’ve slept since then! I have COMPLETELY forgotten which three buttons the evil old white-haired windbag pushed and it’s NOWHERE in the 1,500 pages of Users Guide written in Taiwanglish that came with the darned thing! Hey, I only use this dadblasted mess a couple of times a year! For gosh sakes, I can’t even program the danged DVR and I use it almost daily! You actually expect me to do things that require 15-digit frequencies after a long winter’s nap? Nonsense!

My usual plan of action when in techno-panic is to bribe our teenage whizkid into handing the issue. Not this time – “I don’t DO radio” was the smug reply. Well hey kid, how ‘bout “I DON’T DO SUPPER?!” Naw….he knows me better than that! Still no programmed scanner.

Sooooooo --- anyone out there a Scanner Programmin’ Guru? Taking a cue from Craigslist barter section:

I HAVE MOSQUITO REPELLANT! YOU HAVE SCANNABILITY?

We’ll see where it goes! More Prologue to TMS as they prep wears on – and my sanity depletes!

Where's the Green?

Yeah, well...... I'm bored at work and decided to "redecorate" the blog. Bear with me the next few days until I find a "look and feel" we can all live with! I'm a code-idiot. Who knows where the danged title bar will wind up next!

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!

Wireless Fans.....

From the “Just When You Thought it was Over” department - seems I’m still attending live music events via cell phone! Oh, I’m not complaining, mind you! I think it’s an absolute joy; and as I’ve stated before, taking the time to call and share an event with a friend compromises the “live” attendee’s ability to enjoy the show with hands free and voices raised. An ultimate act of consideration!

Tonight, my dear friend Robin from Niagara Falls, New York is attending a show featuring Eric Church, Miranda Lambert & Dierks Bentley in Rochester, NY. Poor Robin - my bosom NASCAR buddy, my fellow Sadler aficionado and frequent traveler to Austin for spontaneous insanity (i.e., waffles, cheesecake and car parts) -- had to put up with over a month of my musical SXSW- and Who-obsessive behavior and distractions which left me racing-impaired! I tried to share the madness by calling her mid-gig from Rachel Fuller & Pete Townshend’s DirecTV filming – and tonight, she repaid the favor by calling me on HER cell to let me hear a few numbers from Lambert & Bentley live!

We’ve started something……. (Well, sort of!)

You see – the NASCAR bunch did it first! A few months back – during those dark, dreary, and dismal months that stock car fans refer to as the dreaded “off season” -- I got a phone call from Las Vegas, Nevada. At work. Where there are REALLY good speaker phones! I had a bit of advance warning, but it didn’t prepare me for the absolute THRILL of what I heard.

It sounded like this:

“ZZZZZZZZNNNNNNNnnnnnnnnuuuuuuuuu!!!! ZZZZZZZZZNNNNNNNNuuuuuu!!!

IT WAS CARS!!!! Testing at the Las Vegas Track! And not just ANY car, gang, ……… it was MY CAR!!!! The #19!!!! God Bless Merri!!! She took the time to brighten the dark days of offseason with a call to share the music that warms a race-fan’s heart like no other! HORSEPOWER! While Daytona was still weeks away – I felt like the green flag had already dropped and managed to keep my race-starved sanity intact until the real thing came along!

Of course, my co-workers were worried that I had completely lost my mind. “Her speakerphone is making a strange buzzing noise and she’s got tears in her eyes! Whassup with that?” They should have seen me during the Tampa2 Who Encore! (Thanks again, Burton!)

Sooooo – I’ve just realized that I’ll have an opportunity during the next few weekends to repay some precious favors! Thunderhill Raceway (our local 3/8ths mile asphalt) opens its season this weekend, and the BIG one – Texas Motor Speedway is only 15 days away. My phone is charged. Anybody wanna sound bite?

READY! AIM!! BLAME!!!

Folks in Sadlerville is at it again! The long, long fingers of blame are hunting a target – but it appears that the target keeps moving! Everyone has opinions, speculations, complaints, suggestions and downright remorse over the #19 Team’s performance at Bristol this past Sunday. What a heartbreaking turn of events we witnessed – as once again Elliott Sadler went from front-runner to keep-upper, and we now need a scorecard to keep track of the theories regarding what actually happened – and who is at fault!

I’m surprised at the number of fans who see this as a SINGLE problem, with a SINGLE culprit and a SIMPLE solution. ONE bad guy… ONE problem… and the insatiable urge to point that finger firmly in ONE direction and see the issue resolved by next Sunday. In this case, I’m afraid, we need to point a whole fistful of digits (and perhaps some toes, as well) at many contributing factors. As usual, at some point in the various Sadler camps’ blame games – the only targets actually hit are the fans themselves. We actually blame one another for blaming! Ain’t racin’ grand? Ain’t people funny?

I’m not immune, either! We ARE talking about human emotions here! If we didn’t get self-righteously indignant and hot-headedly vocal about our drivers’ (lack of) results – all our posts would look like this:

“The UAW Dodge Dealers’ Dodge Avenger failed to achieve the results desired this week. We shall endeavor to persevere.”

Or……

“I’m SOOOOOOOOO happy that we didn’t come in 28th!!!!!!”

Or……

“Drat.”

Sooooooo….. for the record, I think it’s a little bit the driver’s fault, a little bit the crew chief’s fault, a little bit the Team Owner’s fault, a little bit the pit crew’s fault, a little bit the COT’s fault, a little bit Brian France’s fault, a little bit of Bristol’s fault, a little bit of Goodyears’ fault; and a WHOLE lot of racin’s fault!!!! I’m hoping that this week, we get straighter rims, a track that allows some passing, a driver who’s LONG recovered from the flu, a Crew Chief who understands his driver (and vice versa), an owner who has spent some quality time with his progeny discussing improvement, and an audio feed that doesn’t leave a huge gaggle of opinionated fans without anything to base their speculation on during the crucial parts of the race!

In the meantime, I’m going to practice a little old-fashioned cockeyed optimism and rejoice in the fact that EMS seems to have REALLY great motors (for the #19, anyway) this year, Elliott didn’t drop in the points order, he didn’t seem to be a fish-out-of-water in the COT, he’s had NO DNF’s! And most importantly:

Finishing 27th didn’t make him a BIT uglier!!

(now I’ll get some blame for THAT comment, for sure!)


AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT……..(but not really):

When disappointments occur, as they often do in any fan-based endeavor, it’s nice to see an online community rally to the support of those less-fortunate. This past week, I’ve been witness to some of the most INCREDIBLE camaraderie I’ve ever witnessed from a group of message-board/forum members. Yup – the Who-heads strike again.

The Who had to cancel a couple of U.S. gigs last week due to Roger Daltrey’s serious bout with a viral infection and resulting dehydration. The first was in Tampa, where several of our group traveled for a semi-official get-together, only to do an about-face and return home when the show was stopped mere moments into the 1st song. So many people expended time and money making the trip to Tampa – including several younger fans who had never seen the band live, and who had chances to meet Pete & Roger for the first time. (Race fans: Imagine the disappointment if you had traveled across the country to a race, had VIP seats & hot passes, only to have Elliott get sick and the race rain out 2 laps in!)

Instead of moaning, wailing, and gnashing of teeth – WhoTour forum members rallied around their fellow fans and provided the most sincere encouragement and moral support I’ve ever seen! The “tribe” managed (for the most part) to help each other re-group after SXSW and make the trip BACK to Tampa a week later and in return they provided those of us at home with the most incredible concert experience imaginable short of being there in person!

Each “live” attendee used cell phones, cell cameras, blackberries, etc., to stay in constant touch with those of us on the board, posting photos and a running commentary of the 2 final shows on the U.S. Tour, and took the time to call us on the phone during key songs so we could listen “live” to our band make their farewells to the US. They obtained setlists in advance so we could “cyber-synch” our experience with our own recordings of recent live gigs. We even got to share in the exuberance of Michelle getting a hug from Roger – AT LAST!! (high drool-factor!)

I recently learned how hard it is to really ENJOY a show while fiddling with cameras, cellphone, etc. You have to watch the show through a camera lens, you can’t “boogie” around lest you take shaky pics, and you certainly can’t “whoop and holler” or you’ll drown out the sound you’re trying to capture!! In a complete act of unselfishness – Burton Anderson called me on his cell at the beginning of the FINAL ENCORE of Tommy and let me hear the BIG farewell all the way from “Captain Walker” to “Listening to You!” Now THAT’S a case for sainthood, right there! Thank you from the bottom of my heart Burton!!!! That absolutely ROCKED!!

The Sounds of Sadler!

Well, I’ve waxed musical for a good bit – time to get back to hashing over the Holy Oval. No lack of “material” in the NASCAR world of late! Having spent a week or so hanging out in person with my OTHER group of online buddies (Who-heads, Attic-addicts, Bumpband-buds, Baba-brethren), I’ve noticed many similarities between the online communities that seem to spring up where and whenever a message board, blog, and a celebrity is involved! As diametrically opposed as intellectual/spiritual British rock-n-roll and American stock car racing appear to be – the FANS are much the same. As much of Pete’s work of late reflects the desire to see CONSTRUCTIVE relationships between fans and artists – it stresses equally the importance of the development of HEALTHY relationships between the fans themselves (that’s US, gang!) You can’t weave a complete tapestry with all warp and no weft, now can ya? I’m a lucky gal to have such delightfully engaging and spontaneous friends in TWO disciplines!

OK, nuf philosophy – let’s talk about Sadler!

Once again, technology has given us perhaps a bit TOO MUCH contact with our driver. No longer faced with having to “vote” each week for the privilege of listening to raceday radio contact between driver, spotter and crew chief – we have now have Raceview, Trackpass, DirectTV and other services beaming audio into our heads each Sunday. No longer satisfied with armchair critiquing what we SEE – we have now become experts at shooting holes in what we HEAR! Consquently, folks have been lambasting the communication skills of the #19’s driver AND crew chief – and the justifications run rampant!

Where do I sit? Simple answer here: I have no freaking idea! LOL!

What am I hearing? To a casual listener (i.e., NOT an insider) – sounds to me like decisions on adjustments might be a bit vague and unfruitful. Sounds like Sadler is giving good information AT FIRST, but when adjustments fail to correct the problems he describes – he becomes frustrated and blows off steam with such things as “you’ve killed the car!” (NOT a succinct description – but then again, I don’t think it’s MEANT to be)! I hear Josh “mulling” over changes out loud, asking Sadler his opinion in many cases – usually when Sadler “has his hands full” trying to control an unruly car. Is this a good time for him to mentally diagnose the car? I doubt it.

BUT…..

Josh Browne has CC’d exactly TWO races this season after returning from his controversial suspension. Prior to that, we had Mr. Evernham himself (who had NOT CC’d a race in a month of Sundays). Is it too soon to level blame after 4 races? Perhaps. Have they had time to “get their communication” roles straightened out? One would think so, now wouldn’t one.

On the other hand, we have folks out there in the cyber-ether who have been privvy to radio convos between Sadler and his assorted CC’s for several YEARS. Some report that they are NOT hearing anything new. That Elliott has worked with CC’s who are able to be decisive, respond with quick changes, and take charge. The result? Loose in, tight in the middle, loose out.

I think it will take a bit more time to tell. In the meantime – I can manage to keep myself from NASCAR nervous breakdown by rejoicing in the fact that Elliott has managed NOT to DNF, that he’s stayed OUT of big ones, that he’s sitting “respectably” in the points standings – far above his team mates and OTHER “biggies” on the track who have found themselves in the garage early on. “Attababy’s” help my racing mental state, too! We’ve had some good Attababys even tho we’ve complained about the other conversations. Nothing has happened yet that makes me give up on the season – BUT…..

This weekend is Bristol. Will the COT be a plus or a minus for the #19? Will we be calling it the “Car of Tomorrow” or “Clusterf$%#$ of Today” come Monday? THAT’S the $64 question!

SXSW Pics

Here's the visual evidence!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7343066@N05/

Enjoy!