Highest Paid Drivers, Restrictor Plates, Media Attacks, and Other Junk in the Trunk

Tell Me Again Why They Can’t Help Sam Ard?

The plaque Sam's holding was recently sold on E-Bay to pay medical bills

　
After the recent release on Forbes of the 10 Highest Paid Drivers in NA$CAR and the 10 teams worth the most money, I have to ask why they can’t step up and help out Sam Ard and his wife Jo? I will give Dale Jr and Mr Happy a sprout because they have helped out. But how about the other 8 drivers? It cost about $200,000 a year to keep somebody with Sam’s afflictions alive and maintain a minimal lifestyle. Let’s face it, Sam isn’t going out for dinner every night or hitting the dance floor on the weekends. He’s not out drinking “sodas” and hunting palm trees or rear ending somebody while driving and texting. He’s bed-ridden and will be for the rest of his life. Considering these drivers spend that much on fuel for their multi-million dollar corporate jets every year and live in estates worth mega-millions, how hard would it be for the remaining 8 drivers to kick in $200,000 a piece? And considering the value of the race teams listed, how hard would it be for just one team owner to help out the Ards? And consider the positive press and PR they could get out of it for helping out one of the legends and doing what the France family and NA$CAR won’t do. That alone would be priceless for them. How much positive press could Ford get if one of their teams helped? But no, something that could be a really big “feel good” story with the high dollar drivers or team owners helping Sam out won’t happen and instead it’ll be left up to the long time, die-hard fans who remember Sam and his contributions to NASCAR to help out.
　
Restrictor Plates
　
I had a question that would probably require a massive number of e-mails, snail mails, and phone calls to NA$CAR to actually accomplish the desired results. The question is, “Could somebody please put a restrictor plate on DW’s mouth?”.
　
Media Attacking Each Other
　
After Trevor Bayne’s win, some members of the media cheered. Well, it seems that Faux King Brian’s army of Kool Aid drinkers find that to be unacceptable and say that anyone with a media credential shouldn’t be cheering or rooting for any driver. If that’s the case, how come they aren’t attacking Jabber Jaws, Larry Mac, Crusty, Drab Brad, and other network analyst and commentators for their weekly cheerleading sessions for Faux King Brian’s Chosen Ones, the drivers of the teams they own, and the sons or brothers they have who are on the track? After all, they also have media credentials. Is there some sort of double standard here within the ranks of the media? Using the Kool Aid Crowd’s own word, they deem this behavior as “unprofessional”. Isn’t that what I’ve been saying all along about the Booth Buffoons? And what’s hilarious about this is that one of them doing the attacking is the same guy who turned over Hambone Hamlin’s twitters to NA$CAR. Now there’s a real trustworthy journalist for you. First rule of journalism is to protect your source.
　
Closing the Barn Door After the Horse is Gone
　
Rather than black flagging the co-owner of Motormouth Motorsports before he crossed the finish line or DQ-ing him after the race for his truck being out of compliance with NA$CAR’s rules, the win still stands. However, the crew chief has been fined $25,000 and the team docked 25 points. For some reason, no fine was issued or points taken away from The Human Shill with the official excuse being that he’s not running for points in that series. Now keep an eye on this folks should we see other Truck Trash come over from the Cup Series and their trucks don’t meet the rules after a win. Will they receive the same treatment or will they be fined and docked points? And also, pay attention to what happens to a regular Truck Series driver whose winning truck doesn’t meet the rules and what’s done to him, his crew chief, and team owner. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
　
Who’d Have Thunk It
　
Despite being the perennial back markers running just ahead of the start & parks, Front Row Motorsports driver David Gilliland managed to put a car into the Top 3 at Daytona. Over the winter, Bob Jenkins spent some money on cars and engines to make the team a little more competitive this year. You can call it what you want to. Luck of the Irish, the restrictor plate crapshoot, or whatever you want to, the fact that this underfunded underdog team came in 3^rd can’t be refuted.
　
Daytona Opinions from the Fans
　
Terry from Delaware: What a joke. That is not a race; that was pirouhet (sic) choreographed dancing.


Russ from Virginia: My guess is that the afterglow of a shiny new winner wears off the slide will continue.
　
Unkle Phil: I was glad to see Trevor Bayne win in the Daytona 500, now maybe DW will shut the f*ck up about Dale Jr. and Jimmy Johnson; that is if he ever does shut-up. I was disappointed in the fact that there was not an interview with the Wood bros.; that was bull$hit as I have listened ever since I was a kid, prior to television, about the Woods bros. pit crew in the Indianapolis 500 of the radio.

Joe, Flash’s Cohort: Yeah I was screaming loud enough for the neighbors to hear but what the hay i don't care this doesn't happen but once in a great while. That kid has a lot of driving smart's not to have anymore experience than he does usually the rookies are the first one's to cause the wreck's. I thought for sure tantrum Tony or Junior was gonna nail him driving like nobody else was on the track and junior told one of the media after the race he didn't care he was going to drive like he wanted and everyone better get use to it and tantrum had nothing to say must have been pouting in the trailer.

Submariner Bill: That was a VERY satisfying outcome. Seeing a Woods Brothers car in victory lane, with that paint scheme on it... How sweet.

If I recall correctly, Michael Waltrip who turned not one but two cars causing big wrecks, and then in the interview blamed it on the cars he turned. Awesome. The crowd looked bigger than last year.

Dean from Tenn.: Well another 500 has come and gone and I must say in my opinion it ranks up there with one of the worst. All of this 2 car pushing crap has got to go. Its bad enough when you've got Na$car, pit crews and such determining the outcome of a race, but now we how 2 car- hook ups. Please give me back the day when the best driver decided the outcome and not Na$car, crews, 2 car hook-ups and such. The only thing good about today's race was the Wood Bros. winning again, more so than Trevor, which he makes my point I've been saying for years. Here you have a totally inexperienced driver, but, put him in a good car, point him in the right direction and bingo, we have a winner.

As you can see, a variety of opinions and observations about the Daytona 500. These weren’t solicited by me either, so don’t think I went looking for strictly one-sided views.
　
Something to Ponder
　
If there really are 75 million NA$CAR fans and every single one of them tuned in to watch the Daytona 500, they still couldn’t match the NFL’s ratings of 111 million viewers for the Super Bowl.
　
Seating Figure Disparity
　
The seating capacity for Phoenix is 76,812 and yet the Arizona Republic newspaper said the track sold out the “50,000” seats. So if there’s 76,812 seats in the grandstands and they only sold 50,000, that means there’s a disparity of 26,812 seats. And I know for a fact that not all the seats were sold out. Tickets for the Cup race were being given away all the way back here to the East Coast. So that’s not a sell out.