One Bad Apple Ruins It For Everyone
I think by now folks have figured out that I stick up for the little guys and have been trying to help out Sam Ard and his wife Jo. There are some people out there who really need to be taken out behind the woodshed and be straightened out. Jan, who is Sam’s nurse and a friend of the Ards, sent this to me:
Recently Jo had Sam sign some cards for a man who had mailed them to her stating that he only wanted it for his son's collection. Jo even sent him a patch. This man (E-Bay User ID: pit4nascar - me) paid her absolutely nothing. Now he has shown his appreciation by listing it for $25.00 or best offer on E-bay. Sam is not even in the photo. Because ...of this fraud Jo has requested that no signatures will be given except through me.
So for you real fans out there who have helped out Sam and have supported him in his fight against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, my thanks and my apologies on behalf of the Ards for having to take measures like this to protect Sam’s good name and to keep low lifes like this one from exploiting Sam’s medical condition.
Stuart Virginia Still Home to Wood Brothers
I had a chance to talk with Eddie Wood of Wood Brothers racing briefly at the autograph session at the old Wood Brother’s shop turned museum Last Friday night and asked him about the shop being in NC. Eddie said that he still lives in Stuart and commutes to the shop in Harrisburg. So even though they may have moved the shop to NC to be closer to the action, Eddie still has his roots firmly attached to Stuart.
Martinsville…The New Bristol?
Back before Bristol was reconfigured, it was THE track you had to go to at least once in your lifetime because of the intensity of the racing there. Since the track was reconfigured and the generic race vehicle was introduced, the 500 “parade laps” conducted there have lowered it’s stature from being a legendary, action-filled, knock-down, drag-out, bare-knuckle brawl to the same hum drum status as that of Fontucky and the cookie cutter 1.5 mile tracks . Martinsville on the other hand has elevated itself to THE Action Track as witnessed this past Sunday. Lots of beating, banging, trading paint, chrome horn use, and chess-like pit strategy. And while it wasn’t a sell-out, it had more fans there than I’ve seen in the last 3 years and folks weren’t falling asleep. They were cheering, booing, and applauding at what was happening on the track. So if you’re not happy with what Bristol has become, I suggest going to Martinsville.
No Tire Problems at Martinsville?
"Here's what we know: The tire is different than what it was last year. The tire's not failing. The tire has some different drivability characteristics that everybody is dealing with. But it's a combination of a tougher left side and softer ride side, so the cars feel different. It's hard to make a judgment either way right now. We'll see what 500 laps of racing does." - John Darby at Martinsville
I consider Darby’s statement pretty interesting considering a couple of “brave drivers” talked about how the tires were wearing down to the cord during the race in post-race comments. Are we going to have an entire season of tire problems?
Martinsville Live Versus Martinsville on TV
I got several e-mails and Facebook messages about how horrible the Focks coverage of the Martinsville race was. Here’s a sample. This is from Vince on Facebook:
We got the same ole Racertainment from Faux. Plenty of ultra tight shots, in-car cams, roof cams and bumper cams. Couldn't tell who was where on the track half of the time. The incidents on the track were continually missed live and shown in replay instead. DW was his usual obnoxious self. It's all about him after all.
This is from Joe on Facebook where we were originally discussing an article by Monte Dutton. As I was at Martinsville, I let Joe know what I saw and this was his response:
We don't ever get to see that stuff on TV. They always follow the lead cars. I know there is always good racing in the pack somewhere, but we are at the mercy of FOX. Wish they would put a camera inside Robby's car for a race, now that would be entertaining.
This is from an e-mail from Dave in Texas:
I just don't see how a new fan could get interested in this entertainment, err, sport. The TV "coverage" is of one car at a time. All the "action" is on replay (if at all). Blabbering, huge graphics and hundreds of commercials (usually the same ones over and over again - this week were even the same one back to back!?!). What a turn off.
Well, the end is here. Hope they like what they have done!
I sure hope the fine, feathered finks at Focks are reading these comments as well as those at The Daly Planet. I know exactly what the folks at home missed. Lots of good racing going on mid-pack on back. Clean passes in addition to the normal bumping and banging. I watched Busch the Elder, Robby Gordon, Paul Menard, and Trevor Bayne racing each other although some of it wasn’t for position. Bayne probably learned a thing or two following Robby around as long as he did. You didn’t get to see cars start out strong on the beginning of a run and fall back to where they started from at the beginning of the run. Instead, the home audience got the see the usual pre-prescripted “usual suspects” and maybe a couple of others because of blown tires or wrecks but not the rest of the racing going on mid-pack on back. It’s a shame really because to me, the best racing wasn’t what was happening up front.
Two Thumbs Up to Mr Happy’s Crew
After the Victory Lane celebration at Martinsville , Mr Happy’s crew pushed the car down the front straight and around Turns 1 & 2 to get it back to the garage area. When several fans were cheering about Mr Happy’s win and congratulating them, they stopped pushing the car and thanked the fans and held up one of the bottles of champagne they had with them. This is a lot better than some other crews do pushing the winning car back to the garage with their fans cheering. So to Mr Happy’s crew and their recognition of the cheering fans, two thumbs up.
Tim Richmond Lawsuit
If you have access to the PACER system, Tim Richmond's case # is C-C-88-0204-M, filed in the Western District Court of NC, Charlotte Division. Filed in 4/281988, Timothy L. Richmond versus National Association For Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc (NASCAR), et al .
A Real Anomaly
Here’s a real anomaly for you. Johnny Sauter, a Truck Series regular, actually won the Truck Series race at Martinsville. He’s the first Truck Series regular to win a race this season. 3 Cup drivers won the first 3 races even though they were said to be an anomaly by the Minster of Propaganda. What was that about anomalies Ramsey?
New Street Names Coming
At the site of the old Augusta International Raceway in Hephzibah Georgia, two new street names will be added when the next round of street names are approved for the housing area there. My good friend Rex White and Wendell Scott will be having streets named after them. They’ll join Fireball Roberts, Dave MacDonald, Frank Warren, and others in having streets named after them. Hopefully the Scott family can make it down there for the official ceremony when it happens. Rex is a fixture at the annual Augusta International Raceway drivers reunion and car show so you know he’ll be there.
Giving Credit Where Credit’s Due
Not many folks know this but North Wilkesboro Speedway, particularly Steve Wilson and his wife Ann Marie to be exact, pioneered the idea of using Twitter to provide race updates to fans who were following the races at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Twitter. At one point, North Wilkesboro was burying NA$CAR and their controlled media by providing these updates and passed them in popularity on Twitter as Tony Stewart remarked after the first race that North Wilkesboro used Twitter to update the race fans. Since then, you’ll notice a lot of NA$CAR’s controlled media types provide a constant barrage of Tweets for practice sessions and the races to update fans. But they’re just being copycats of the track that wouldn’t give up the ghost and is still a favorite in the hearts of many a race fan.
Somebody Finally Noticed Jeb Burton
If you’re a fan of Ward Burton, then you know his son has been trying his hand at racing the last few years. Somebody in the media finally discovered it and wrote about it. Day late and a dollar short?
New Race Fuel Stinks
The old unleaded race fuel use to have a somewhat nasty smell to it but the ethanol that’s being used now makes the old race fuel smell like Chanel #5. I can’t put my finger on it exactly but there’s something about the odor that really doesn’t settle right with the olfactory senses as I found out at Martinsville.
Ethanol Plant Files for Bankruptcy
And BZF went to ethanol for exactly what reason? Besides the obvious one of filling his bank account.
http://www.wxii12.com/r/27426377/detail.html?taf=gws
Ethanol Causing Problems with Motorcycles?
The Italian manufacturer Ducati is having to replace plastic fuel tanks because they are becoming distorted. Apparently, when the tanks have to be removed for maintenance, they've swollen so much they won't fit back on the bike! Removing the gas tank for some maintenance duties is common on motorcycles. Dealers are replacing the affected tanks as needed. Ducati and the regulatory agencies are investigating but won't divulge their findings yet. BMW motorcycles are also having a similar problem in America. Since the problem only exists in the USA, the thinking is the ethanol in the gas is causing the problem.
The AMA (American Motorcycle Association) is vigorously protesting the proposed increase in the amount of ethanol in our gasoline (to E-15).
Texas Doomed to Poor Attendance This Weekend
It seems that there’s not a heck of a lot being done to advertise this weekend’s race at TMS. Here’s an e-mail from a fan there:
The races are this weekend at TMS. Almost nothing in the Dallas paper about it. No one seems to care.
The track did the same thing they did last year. They raised ticket prices $5.00 this week, but put a $10.00 off coupon in Sunday's paper for the qualifying and Nationwide "race" (that Kyle Busch will "win"). So......I'm supposed to be too stoopid, again, to see that it's not a $10 coupon but a $5 coupon. I find that insulting. Boy, that Eddie Gossage is a genius, ain't he?
There will be a pre-race "concert" by 3 Doors Down. It is $79 (not including your ticket). For that you get to stand on the grass in front of the stage to hear them do 4 songs. Wow. At Indy a few years ago, 3 Doors Down sang all during the driver's introductions - no extra charge. Again, how 'bout that Eddie?
I’m not sure but I think I got a stomach bug or some bad hot dogs at Martinsville so I have to cut this one short folks. I’m beginning to think my toilet is my new lounge chair I’m spending so much time on it.
Keep an eye on the kids and God bless the troops.
Curtis Turner for 2016 HOF
Showing posts with label Ethanol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ethanol. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Teleconference
Several things I gathered from Faux King Brian’s teleconference last week. One is to expect the broadcast portion to be “dumbed down” even more than it has been. Why? Remember the last time Faux King Brian talked about creating new fans? We got the massive invasion of the Short Attention Span Crowd.
“I look at the interest level of the sport, and that's growing after having peaked and maybe dropped back a little bit for some reasons a couple years ago. The general interest level is going up and that's what we're going to be working on, is creating new fans”.
And last year when he admitted that the “fans” have a shorter attention span than they use to. Gee, I wonder why? Expect to see more things aimed directly at the Short Attention Span Crowd, like repeating the same garbage over and over and over even more than they do now. A good example would be how many times per race we get an explanation of aero tight and aero loose.
Read the question carefully and then the answer.
Q. You have the races where you grow ratings and attendance, then you have the off week. Can you detail the reasons why you have this off week so early in the season? Are you going to change that for next year?
BRIAN FRANCE: Well, it's historically how many events in the calendar we want to run, regardless when they ran. Historically it has been around this time where we do have an off weekend. Arguably you would like to have that come down eight or ten races later. But that's just how the schedule and the climate issues that we face with certain markets and everything else has played out. The reason for changing it is mostly driven that the other sports calendars are going to change on us - not just the NFL, but maybe some other things. So we're trying to get into the right date. It also does accomplish, when we change next year, moving back the 500 a week, we'll eliminate the early schedule gap here. That will probably be a good thing.
The answer doesn’t answer the question. It’s like a politician speaking. Lots of hot air and words that mean nothing.
Q. Brian, a lot of feedback that we in the media get from fans is about the post-race show or the lack of a post-race show. There seems to be a sense of frustration that fans invest so many hours into an event, then they get under 10 minutes of reaction after from the drivers that they've been watching. Is that something that NASCAR is hearing from your fan council? Do you have any input with FOX to try to solve this dilemma fans are faced with?
BRIAN FRANCE: We do have a fair amount of programming that happens with the SPEED Channel throughout the post race, even into the evening typically. But, yeah, I think generally speaking we would agree, that it would be nicer to have a longer post-race. But if you think about it, most sports don't have a particularly long post end of a game, whatever else. The networks don't stick around for an additional half hour. It's not something FOX should be thinking about because, after all, that's just not the norm with network or even cable television. Once the game is over, there's typically a short post-race. You hope the rest of it, social media, NASCAR online, places to digest good post-race information is where they go.
Considering who really calls the shots on what will and won’t be shown, I’m rather surprised that Faux King Brian doesn’t appear to really care about putting the NA$CAR brand on the winner even more with more post-race exposure of the winner and getting in as many post-race interviews as possible to help extend the NA$CAR "branding" of his brand of racer-tainment. Plus he seems to forget that not everyone gets Speed TV. Folks who don’t have cable or satellite can’t watch it. And even some folks with cable or satellite don’t have it because it’s not included in their package or is considered an extra that cost them through the nose. So they can’t watch the post-race coverage Speed TV offers.
Q. What do you see as the biggest impact on television ratings? Sponsorship revenues you and the tracks can earn or how are they becoming more critical on the rights fees as you start negotiating in the next couple years?
BRIAN FRANCE: We spend a lot of time looking at obviously traditional broadcast television. Our cable partners are critically important. We spent a lot of time recently looking at the other media, which is social and digital media, where that's all going, where people are getting information, content and everything else. We have a plan. We have a robust plan in the long run. We'll try to capture both. But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them.
If Faux King Brian and his cronies actually spent a lot of time watching the races on TV, they’d see what the fans are complaining about with poor commentary, poor coverage, and too many commercials and the need for split-screen coverage like IndyCar uses to show both the race and commercials at the same time instead of the current running of commercials being briefly interrupted by a lap or two of racer-tainment. “We have a plan”. I seem to remember Richard Nixon saying the same thing when it came to Vietnam only we never found out what the plan was.
“But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them”.
Notice the word “fix”. Faux King Brian is making it sound like race fans are a bunch of junkies in desperate need of drugs. A Freudian slip on his part? As the TV coverage and commentary is God awful, fans who have the means use things like Track Pass or Race Buddy to actually watch the races and supplement that with radio coverage by PRN or MRN to help eliminate the highly biased commentators and shills. I don’t know how many folks have noticed it but a lot of effort is being put into advertising the sanctioning body’s official web site. They’ve sponsored a couple of trucks and if you look at the tracks you’ll see the web site’s name painted on the asphalt or on the grass. Of course, after the latest changes to that web site and how badly they screwed it up, I can see why they’re trying to lure fans in and advertise it. If they really wanted to get fans to that web site, they’d make it easy to navigate and use. Instead, they make it more complicated than trying to assemble an engine while blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. Fans use Twitter, Facebook, and various blogs to stay up to date and to get reliable info which isn’t in the same cookie-cutter mold as is presented by the lamestream journalists.
Q. Brian, can you address the ethanol situation and what challenges have you faced with the implementation to the new fuel in the three top series?
BRIAN FRANCE: Well, the fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working. We couldn't be happier with it. From the early testing, we got good performance numbers. The teams certainly think it's working well. It obviously takes us another step. Especially now that you see energy prices going where they're going, it takes us a way down the road with a real biofuel that we're using in the car. They've just been a really good partner so far and it's going well.
“The fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working”. Obviously you didn’t hear the profanity-laced dialogue between Biffle and his crew chief at Vegas regarding the new fuel and the fueling system. It isn’t working well. You might be happy but that’s only because you’re getting paid to be happy about it. Just what are you going to do when Congress cuts off the funding for ethanol because it’s actually a farce? You want a real bio-fuel? Try running the algae-based gasoline. Or convert to diesel and have the teams run oil from some hamburger or chicken joints and fill the stands with the smell of French Fries or fried chicken. That’s true bio-fuel.
Q. What do you think of Danica's run last week, historically what that did, the highest finish by a female in any NASCAR national series?
BRIAN FRANCE: I think that elevated her. There was some discussion, did she have the right stuff to compete in the Nationwide Series. You know, I think she dispelled a lot of that. There's always circumstances in the start of a new career. But sometimes things are out of your control, people can crash in front of you, a hundred other things. I think she elevated herself quite nicely. That's nice to see. She's a very competitive person. She's always said she's here to compete, not just happy to be here. That fits my criteria.
Anything that makes you a buck fits your criteria. Danica’s finish is not the highest finish by a female driver in NA$CAR. She finished 4th in a fuel mileage race in NA$CAR’s AAA series equivalent. Sara Christian finished 5th in NA$CAR’s top series in 1949 at Pittsburgh. Janet Guthrie finished 6th at Bristol in 1977 in NA$CAR’s top series. So until she runs in the Cup Series and gets a 4th place finish she isn’t the highest female finisher in NA$CAR.
There were more questions asked and Jayski's got the transcript posted for all to read. Check it out, read it very carefully, read what's said, what's omitted, and how the questions are really answered versus what the question asked.
“I look at the interest level of the sport, and that's growing after having peaked and maybe dropped back a little bit for some reasons a couple years ago. The general interest level is going up and that's what we're going to be working on, is creating new fans”.
And last year when he admitted that the “fans” have a shorter attention span than they use to. Gee, I wonder why? Expect to see more things aimed directly at the Short Attention Span Crowd, like repeating the same garbage over and over and over even more than they do now. A good example would be how many times per race we get an explanation of aero tight and aero loose.
Read the question carefully and then the answer.
Q. You have the races where you grow ratings and attendance, then you have the off week. Can you detail the reasons why you have this off week so early in the season? Are you going to change that for next year?
BRIAN FRANCE: Well, it's historically how many events in the calendar we want to run, regardless when they ran. Historically it has been around this time where we do have an off weekend. Arguably you would like to have that come down eight or ten races later. But that's just how the schedule and the climate issues that we face with certain markets and everything else has played out. The reason for changing it is mostly driven that the other sports calendars are going to change on us - not just the NFL, but maybe some other things. So we're trying to get into the right date. It also does accomplish, when we change next year, moving back the 500 a week, we'll eliminate the early schedule gap here. That will probably be a good thing.
The answer doesn’t answer the question. It’s like a politician speaking. Lots of hot air and words that mean nothing.
Q. Brian, a lot of feedback that we in the media get from fans is about the post-race show or the lack of a post-race show. There seems to be a sense of frustration that fans invest so many hours into an event, then they get under 10 minutes of reaction after from the drivers that they've been watching. Is that something that NASCAR is hearing from your fan council? Do you have any input with FOX to try to solve this dilemma fans are faced with?
BRIAN FRANCE: We do have a fair amount of programming that happens with the SPEED Channel throughout the post race, even into the evening typically. But, yeah, I think generally speaking we would agree, that it would be nicer to have a longer post-race. But if you think about it, most sports don't have a particularly long post end of a game, whatever else. The networks don't stick around for an additional half hour. It's not something FOX should be thinking about because, after all, that's just not the norm with network or even cable television. Once the game is over, there's typically a short post-race. You hope the rest of it, social media, NASCAR online, places to digest good post-race information is where they go.
Considering who really calls the shots on what will and won’t be shown, I’m rather surprised that Faux King Brian doesn’t appear to really care about putting the NA$CAR brand on the winner even more with more post-race exposure of the winner and getting in as many post-race interviews as possible to help extend the NA$CAR "branding" of his brand of racer-tainment. Plus he seems to forget that not everyone gets Speed TV. Folks who don’t have cable or satellite can’t watch it. And even some folks with cable or satellite don’t have it because it’s not included in their package or is considered an extra that cost them through the nose. So they can’t watch the post-race coverage Speed TV offers.
Q. What do you see as the biggest impact on television ratings? Sponsorship revenues you and the tracks can earn or how are they becoming more critical on the rights fees as you start negotiating in the next couple years?
BRIAN FRANCE: We spend a lot of time looking at obviously traditional broadcast television. Our cable partners are critically important. We spent a lot of time recently looking at the other media, which is social and digital media, where that's all going, where people are getting information, content and everything else. We have a plan. We have a robust plan in the long run. We'll try to capture both. But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them.
If Faux King Brian and his cronies actually spent a lot of time watching the races on TV, they’d see what the fans are complaining about with poor commentary, poor coverage, and too many commercials and the need for split-screen coverage like IndyCar uses to show both the race and commercials at the same time instead of the current running of commercials being briefly interrupted by a lap or two of racer-tainment. “We have a plan”. I seem to remember Richard Nixon saying the same thing when it came to Vietnam only we never found out what the plan was.
“But one of the ratings impact is people are getting their news, updates, their fix, if you will, in lots of different ways today. We're going to want to, as a sport, make sure that we're taking advantage of all of them”.
Notice the word “fix”. Faux King Brian is making it sound like race fans are a bunch of junkies in desperate need of drugs. A Freudian slip on his part? As the TV coverage and commentary is God awful, fans who have the means use things like Track Pass or Race Buddy to actually watch the races and supplement that with radio coverage by PRN or MRN to help eliminate the highly biased commentators and shills. I don’t know how many folks have noticed it but a lot of effort is being put into advertising the sanctioning body’s official web site. They’ve sponsored a couple of trucks and if you look at the tracks you’ll see the web site’s name painted on the asphalt or on the grass. Of course, after the latest changes to that web site and how badly they screwed it up, I can see why they’re trying to lure fans in and advertise it. If they really wanted to get fans to that web site, they’d make it easy to navigate and use. Instead, they make it more complicated than trying to assemble an engine while blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back. Fans use Twitter, Facebook, and various blogs to stay up to date and to get reliable info which isn’t in the same cookie-cutter mold as is presented by the lamestream journalists.
Q. Brian, can you address the ethanol situation and what challenges have you faced with the implementation to the new fuel in the three top series?
BRIAN FRANCE: Well, the fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working. We couldn't be happier with it. From the early testing, we got good performance numbers. The teams certainly think it's working well. It obviously takes us another step. Especially now that you see energy prices going where they're going, it takes us a way down the road with a real biofuel that we're using in the car. They've just been a really good partner so far and it's going well.
“The fact that we haven't had a discussion is evidentiary proof of how well it's working”. Obviously you didn’t hear the profanity-laced dialogue between Biffle and his crew chief at Vegas regarding the new fuel and the fueling system. It isn’t working well. You might be happy but that’s only because you’re getting paid to be happy about it. Just what are you going to do when Congress cuts off the funding for ethanol because it’s actually a farce? You want a real bio-fuel? Try running the algae-based gasoline. Or convert to diesel and have the teams run oil from some hamburger or chicken joints and fill the stands with the smell of French Fries or fried chicken. That’s true bio-fuel.
Q. What do you think of Danica's run last week, historically what that did, the highest finish by a female in any NASCAR national series?
BRIAN FRANCE: I think that elevated her. There was some discussion, did she have the right stuff to compete in the Nationwide Series. You know, I think she dispelled a lot of that. There's always circumstances in the start of a new career. But sometimes things are out of your control, people can crash in front of you, a hundred other things. I think she elevated herself quite nicely. That's nice to see. She's a very competitive person. She's always said she's here to compete, not just happy to be here. That fits my criteria.
Anything that makes you a buck fits your criteria. Danica’s finish is not the highest finish by a female driver in NA$CAR. She finished 4th in a fuel mileage race in NA$CAR’s AAA series equivalent. Sara Christian finished 5th in NA$CAR’s top series in 1949 at Pittsburgh. Janet Guthrie finished 6th at Bristol in 1977 in NA$CAR’s top series. So until she runs in the Cup Series and gets a 4th place finish she isn’t the highest female finisher in NA$CAR.
There were more questions asked and Jayski's got the transcript posted for all to read. Check it out, read it very carefully, read what's said, what's omitted, and how the questions are really answered versus what the question asked.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Never Ending Rules Changes, Safety Concerns, and Other Stuff
Daytona Rules Changes Seem Never Ending This Season
I asked when the insurance company would force NA$CAR to slow the cars down and every time the Cup and Busch Series cars got above the 200 MPH limit, a new set of rules and specs were issued. We were assured that after the grill changes nothing else would be done. Well, guess what? Both the Cup and Busch Series were made to run smaller restrictor plates. So all the testing the teams did over the off-season at Daytona was for nothing. About the only info that was useful was the tire wear info and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the tires were the next thing changed before Sunday’s race. And I also wouldn’t be a bit surprised if NA$CAR did something else to make the races even worse than what they’re going to be. Maybe have the teams carry an extra 1,000 lbs of ballast or a boat anchor to “improve the show”.
Safety Concerns
Something that has been mentioned since the introduction of the generic race vehicle has been the inability of the drivers to see out the rear of the car or to see through the car ahead of them leaving drivers to pretty much drive blind when they’re on the restrictor plate tracks. This is a major safety issue which seems to have fallen on deaf ears just like what the fans really want. For once, it would be nice if NA$CAR actually was pro-active with safety rather than their usual reactive. Like maybe using Lexan for the rear spoiler so the drivers can see who’s behind them or through the car ahead of them. They use it for the “glass” in the cars. So why not use it for the spoiler to give the drivers more visibility.
You’re Bias is Showing
During the coverage of the practice session in which Jr wrecked his car, it didn’t take long for someone to find a scapegoat. They placed blame on Robby Gordon. Last season, Robby was partially immune from criticism of anything happening on the track in close proximity to him because of the make of decals that were on the generic kit car he was driving. Now that he’s sporting Dodge decals on the generic machine, he’ll be the official scapegoat of anything that happens within 100 yards of him. Even if it’s 100 yards behind him, it’ll be Robby’s fault. Just watch.
Keeping the Records Straight
I’ve mentioned from time to time that NA$CAR needs to correct the record of Bobby Allison to show he has 85 wins and not 84. For some reason they steadfastly refuse to give him credit for a Winston Cup win he got driving a Mustang in 1971 at Bowman-Gray Stadium even though Bill France Sr. asked him to enter the race and run the Mustang.
Another bit of record-keeping NA$CAR refuses to acknowledge is the 1982 Sam Ard actually won 16 races. According to NA$CAR, they didn’t start keeping track of the Busch Series records until 1983. However, some recent records were turned up that showed Sam had 16 wins that season which means that his actual record is still intact and that Shrubbery still hasn’t broken it.
I think an unbiased, outside source needs to come in and correct the record books so that drivers get the credit they’re due and that history and any integrity that might possibly exists in the grout of the bathroom floor next to the mold and mildew of NA$CAR can be maintained.
Promises Promises
I don’t know how many folks remember a tune of that name but having been a musician in my youth it was a song I was familiar with. It seems that during an interview last year with a female reporter from MRN that Kyle “Shrubbery” Busch made a promise to once again help out Sam Ard when he officially broke his record. Now don’t get me wrong here folks. I know what he did when he tied Sam’s record. He made a $100,000 donation to help Sam and Jo Ard out and it was very much appreciated by them and by a lot of race fans whose opinions of Shrubbery aren’t exactly that great. However, if he’s going to make a promise to help the Ard’s out a second time, then he needs to step up and do it. Let the fans know he’s a man of his word.
Tim Kohuth Sentenced
Tom Kohuth, who was the shop chief with Ultra Motorsports when I had a chance to work with them and first started writing for Laidbackracing.com, was sentenced to a minimum of 9-½ years in jail after a plea agreement on 2nd degree murder charges back in September of last year. This info seems to have been kept very low key. He was driving under the influence when the rollback he was driving crossed a media and hit another vehicle killing the driver. If Tim’s name might sound familiar, he’s part of the reason why Kenny Schrader give us 1-½ thumbs up. My thanks to Ray Dunlap from Speed TV for the info.
Another Interesting Point on Ethanol
Floyd brought this one to my attention. Since ethanol has reduced our gas mileage it means we have to fill up more often. And since we have to fill up more often, we’re helping to fill up the state and federal coffers more often through taxes placed on gasoline by both state and federal governments. Is it any wonder the states aren’t complaining about the reduced gas mileage and why E-15 is being pushed? Less mileage, more fill-ups, more tax revenue.
More on Fuel Injection
My buddy and fellow military veteran Richard was listening to Sirius 128 when they had someone on talking about the pending move to fuel injection. And the interviewee said something that is very, very true when you really look at it. Since the cars will all have to have NA$CAR’s password code to run the fuel injection system and use NA$CAR’s software to run the engines, NA$CAR has effectively created a spec series engine for the cars. It won’t matter what make the car engine is, they’ll all be running the same program which makes them all equal just like a true spec series engine. Just when the snail’s pace towards returning some branding to the cars was happening, we get NA$CAR making something else on the car just like the old IROC cars. You can bet the Big 3 won’t be happy when they figure that one out especially as they want the current, state-of-the-art technology to be used and not the antiquated technology NA$CAR keeps using.
I asked when the insurance company would force NA$CAR to slow the cars down and every time the Cup and Busch Series cars got above the 200 MPH limit, a new set of rules and specs were issued. We were assured that after the grill changes nothing else would be done. Well, guess what? Both the Cup and Busch Series were made to run smaller restrictor plates. So all the testing the teams did over the off-season at Daytona was for nothing. About the only info that was useful was the tire wear info and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the tires were the next thing changed before Sunday’s race. And I also wouldn’t be a bit surprised if NA$CAR did something else to make the races even worse than what they’re going to be. Maybe have the teams carry an extra 1,000 lbs of ballast or a boat anchor to “improve the show”.
Safety Concerns
Something that has been mentioned since the introduction of the generic race vehicle has been the inability of the drivers to see out the rear of the car or to see through the car ahead of them leaving drivers to pretty much drive blind when they’re on the restrictor plate tracks. This is a major safety issue which seems to have fallen on deaf ears just like what the fans really want. For once, it would be nice if NA$CAR actually was pro-active with safety rather than their usual reactive. Like maybe using Lexan for the rear spoiler so the drivers can see who’s behind them or through the car ahead of them. They use it for the “glass” in the cars. So why not use it for the spoiler to give the drivers more visibility.
You’re Bias is Showing
During the coverage of the practice session in which Jr wrecked his car, it didn’t take long for someone to find a scapegoat. They placed blame on Robby Gordon. Last season, Robby was partially immune from criticism of anything happening on the track in close proximity to him because of the make of decals that were on the generic kit car he was driving. Now that he’s sporting Dodge decals on the generic machine, he’ll be the official scapegoat of anything that happens within 100 yards of him. Even if it’s 100 yards behind him, it’ll be Robby’s fault. Just watch.
Keeping the Records Straight
I’ve mentioned from time to time that NA$CAR needs to correct the record of Bobby Allison to show he has 85 wins and not 84. For some reason they steadfastly refuse to give him credit for a Winston Cup win he got driving a Mustang in 1971 at Bowman-Gray Stadium even though Bill France Sr. asked him to enter the race and run the Mustang.
Another bit of record-keeping NA$CAR refuses to acknowledge is the 1982 Sam Ard actually won 16 races. According to NA$CAR, they didn’t start keeping track of the Busch Series records until 1983. However, some recent records were turned up that showed Sam had 16 wins that season which means that his actual record is still intact and that Shrubbery still hasn’t broken it.
I think an unbiased, outside source needs to come in and correct the record books so that drivers get the credit they’re due and that history and any integrity that might possibly exists in the grout of the bathroom floor next to the mold and mildew of NA$CAR can be maintained.
Promises Promises
I don’t know how many folks remember a tune of that name but having been a musician in my youth it was a song I was familiar with. It seems that during an interview last year with a female reporter from MRN that Kyle “Shrubbery” Busch made a promise to once again help out Sam Ard when he officially broke his record. Now don’t get me wrong here folks. I know what he did when he tied Sam’s record. He made a $100,000 donation to help Sam and Jo Ard out and it was very much appreciated by them and by a lot of race fans whose opinions of Shrubbery aren’t exactly that great. However, if he’s going to make a promise to help the Ard’s out a second time, then he needs to step up and do it. Let the fans know he’s a man of his word.
Tim Kohuth Sentenced
Tom Kohuth, who was the shop chief with Ultra Motorsports when I had a chance to work with them and first started writing for Laidbackracing.com, was sentenced to a minimum of 9-½ years in jail after a plea agreement on 2nd degree murder charges back in September of last year. This info seems to have been kept very low key. He was driving under the influence when the rollback he was driving crossed a media and hit another vehicle killing the driver. If Tim’s name might sound familiar, he’s part of the reason why Kenny Schrader give us 1-½ thumbs up. My thanks to Ray Dunlap from Speed TV for the info.
Another Interesting Point on Ethanol
Floyd brought this one to my attention. Since ethanol has reduced our gas mileage it means we have to fill up more often. And since we have to fill up more often, we’re helping to fill up the state and federal coffers more often through taxes placed on gasoline by both state and federal governments. Is it any wonder the states aren’t complaining about the reduced gas mileage and why E-15 is being pushed? Less mileage, more fill-ups, more tax revenue.
More on Fuel Injection
My buddy and fellow military veteran Richard was listening to Sirius 128 when they had someone on talking about the pending move to fuel injection. And the interviewee said something that is very, very true when you really look at it. Since the cars will all have to have NA$CAR’s password code to run the fuel injection system and use NA$CAR’s software to run the engines, NA$CAR has effectively created a spec series engine for the cars. It won’t matter what make the car engine is, they’ll all be running the same program which makes them all equal just like a true spec series engine. Just when the snail’s pace towards returning some branding to the cars was happening, we get NA$CAR making something else on the car just like the old IROC cars. You can bet the Big 3 won’t be happy when they figure that one out especially as they want the current, state-of-the-art technology to be used and not the antiquated technology NA$CAR keeps using.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Assorted Pieces and Parts
Going back to the Ethanol Odds and Ends, this came from Unkle Phil, a former racer and long time racing fan:
I used to run an IMCA modified out here at Canyon Raceway Park. I could buy $45.00 worth of gas, as it took twice as much Alki. (alcohol-MM) at twice the cost. The al. ran cooler and developed half again as much power. God halp you if you did not drain the carb at the end of the night.
Based on Phil’s experience with alcohol, there is a definite problem with water absorption, which is also an issue with ethanol since it contains alcohol. And like everyone else I read about how special tankers will haul the ethanol to the tracks. When the tankers sit overnight, there will be condensation which will accumulate inside the tanker. How is this going to be taken care of? Will several gallons be drained off at the start of every day to make sure the water is removed? If so, what will be done with the contaminated fuel? This is a bit of a recycling issue that needs to be addressed. Or will they use some sort of special water absorbing filter to remove the water so that when the teams fill up the dump cans they only get ethanol and not a mix of water and ethanol? And how often will the tankers be replaced so that any type of corrosion won’t get into the fuel as a result of the water contamination? Lots of questions but no answers from the Daytona Beach Palm Tree Hunter.
One stat I saw a couple weeks ago said there were 40 fewer Service Master cautions in 2010. I’m curious how many Ms Terry DeBris cautions there were for 2010. Were there more or less versus 2009?
I just got word that the fabricators at MWR are being paid $500 a week with the economy being used as the reason. Normally, fabricators make at least twice that. If MWR would like to respond, by all means do. And in plain English without the double-speak of some PR person replying.
One title for an article I saw mentioned something about the races needing to be treated as big events. Actually, the races need to be treated as races and not sports entertainment or some marketing gimmick which they currently are now. The races need to be about racing and actually contain racing instead of long, drawn-out parades. The race has a sponsor, the green flag has a sponsor, the checkered flag has a sponsor, the cautions have a sponsor, the pit stops have a sponsor, the pit out has a sponsor. About the only things that don’t have a sponsor is the drivers’ own “pit stops” prior to or after a race. But I’m sure that’ll be coming some time down the road. Something like the Pine Bark Butt Wipe Fastest Flush or the Colonel of the Urinal Shake and Dance brought to you by Richard Slimmins “Shaking to the Oldies“. Cute little jingle singing “No matter how much you shake and dance the last drop always goes in your pants”. Or maybe drivers passing gas. The Foulest Flatus brought to you by Roust Air Freshener. “If the drivers are a rippin’, there’s no need to be trippin’. And who can forget the drivers burping? The Biggest Belch of the Race brought to you by Burper’s Bird Seed. “If the birds are burping, you know it’s a Burper”. How about if they catch some crew chiefs, crewmembers, or NA$CAR officials picking their noses on camera? The Nastiest Nosepick brought to you by No-Snorz Nasal Strips. “And the winner of today’s Nastiest Nosepick goes to NA$CAR official Rufus Rumjug with his double-digit cleaning of his hand-picked proboscis”. The possibilities are endless. They could get sponsors for everything. Scratching their crotches, cleaning their ears with car keys, picking their underwear out of the cracks of their rears, ear wax, nose hair, nail fungus, drool, you name it, they could find a sponsor for it. And imagine going to pick up the check at the awards dinner in Vegas with the film rolling of that award winning moment. I’m sure the wives and parents sitting at home would be so proud seeing their husband or son managing to get two fingers in there trying to pick for some “gold nuggets” or scratching their crotch in a manner that would make a big league baseball player envious.
But let’s get back to the main point. The races themselves. If they truly are races, then they need to be treated as such and not some freaking carnival with the drivers and crewmembers being shown off like sideshow freaks. Fans want to see real side by side racing and not cars running side by side because the aerodynamics don’t allow passes to be completed. The folks paying subscription bills to cable or satellite TV companies aren’t paying to see just one or two cars for 3-4 hours during the brief interruptions of the commercials. They’re paying to see all 43 cars racing for 3-4 hours. The remaining fans in the stands aren’t buying tickets to see a 43 car parade for 490 miles only to be interrupted during the last 10 miles by some racing. They pay to see 500 miles of beating and banging, donuts on the door, chrome horn usage, real passes done through the use of horsepower and skill, and drivers using strategy like a chess master. Despite the fact that fans have been screaming for this loudly the last few years, it continues to fall on the deaf ears and the blind eyes of the occupiers of Daytona Beach’s Ivory Towers and continues to get worse. When you have the Head Honcho being totally surprised that somebody would dislike his 10 race playoff, you have to wonder not if but when NA$CAR will be closing its doors due to the cluelessness of the folks in charge.
After seeing the interview that Jennifer Jo Cobb did on CNN, I have to wonder why is it that a well-spoken, hard working woman who’s worked her way up through the ranks and followed in the family business of racing isn’t the female face of NA$CAR? Her background and how she followed the family tradition would attract both male and female fans. Because of her beliefs, she’d be a great role model for young girls. And as she doesn’t through temper tantrums, doesn’t have a mouth that would embarrass a sailor, and is friendly with fans, she’s definitely more classy the Queen of Hype. And since she is well-spoken as well as being easy on the eyes, I’m surprised some major companies specializing in women’s products haven’t jumped up to sponsor her. I think that clothing companies, perfume makers, and other companies are missing out on a great opportunity. And with her family’s history of racing, I would think that some racing parts companies would step up as sponsors. But then I forgot. She’s not the new savior of NA$CAR. She’s not being hyped and promoted to high heavens by the Beach Boy Bubbas. The Queen of Hype is. I hope Jennifer Jo does well in her 5 Busch Series races and finishes well ahead of the Queen of Hype. Maybe then she’ll grab some sponsors’ attention. And as she’s one of the few folks in a Ford in the Truck Series, I’ll be rooting for her since I’m a long time Ford guy.
The fine folks at Save the Speedway have started up a new site to bring folks news in addition to history. It’s called Speedway Digest. This is what Steve Wilson of Save the Speedway said about the site:
Save The Speedway has launched Speedway Digest as a way to help other historic speedways get their message out and to help them out. We will also be following NASCAR throughout the season and document the history of NASCAR and the tracks they race on.
Rick “The Sign Man” from Save the Speedway has done an amazing job documenting the history of North Wilkesboro Speedway and hopefully other tracks and supporters of other historic tracks can take Rick’s lead in documenting their tracks’ history. You can check out Speedway Digest at
http://speedwaydigest.com/
Two thumbs up to the 315th Air Wing for the humanitarian efforts in delivering over 40 tons of supplies to Haiti and Grenada. The humanitarian aid delivered to Haiti consists of 76,000 pounds of medical and school supplies, clothing, food and furniture donated with the assistance of Haiti Lifeline Ministries, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Hesston, Kan. These items will be utilized by the Lifeline Orphanage and provide assistance to the children who call it home and the surrounding community. 7,000 pounds of aid consisting of medical and educational supplies, clothing, furniture and dry goods were delivered to Grenada to help children and their families start the new school year. Naturally, the lamestream media seems to have missed this effort so to the folks of the 315th Air Wing, many thanks from one old veteran for your efforts.
I used to run an IMCA modified out here at Canyon Raceway Park. I could buy $45.00 worth of gas, as it took twice as much Alki. (alcohol-MM) at twice the cost. The al. ran cooler and developed half again as much power. God halp you if you did not drain the carb at the end of the night.
Based on Phil’s experience with alcohol, there is a definite problem with water absorption, which is also an issue with ethanol since it contains alcohol. And like everyone else I read about how special tankers will haul the ethanol to the tracks. When the tankers sit overnight, there will be condensation which will accumulate inside the tanker. How is this going to be taken care of? Will several gallons be drained off at the start of every day to make sure the water is removed? If so, what will be done with the contaminated fuel? This is a bit of a recycling issue that needs to be addressed. Or will they use some sort of special water absorbing filter to remove the water so that when the teams fill up the dump cans they only get ethanol and not a mix of water and ethanol? And how often will the tankers be replaced so that any type of corrosion won’t get into the fuel as a result of the water contamination? Lots of questions but no answers from the Daytona Beach Palm Tree Hunter.
One stat I saw a couple weeks ago said there were 40 fewer Service Master cautions in 2010. I’m curious how many Ms Terry DeBris cautions there were for 2010. Were there more or less versus 2009?
I just got word that the fabricators at MWR are being paid $500 a week with the economy being used as the reason. Normally, fabricators make at least twice that. If MWR would like to respond, by all means do. And in plain English without the double-speak of some PR person replying.
One title for an article I saw mentioned something about the races needing to be treated as big events. Actually, the races need to be treated as races and not sports entertainment or some marketing gimmick which they currently are now. The races need to be about racing and actually contain racing instead of long, drawn-out parades. The race has a sponsor, the green flag has a sponsor, the checkered flag has a sponsor, the cautions have a sponsor, the pit stops have a sponsor, the pit out has a sponsor. About the only things that don’t have a sponsor is the drivers’ own “pit stops” prior to or after a race. But I’m sure that’ll be coming some time down the road. Something like the Pine Bark Butt Wipe Fastest Flush or the Colonel of the Urinal Shake and Dance brought to you by Richard Slimmins “Shaking to the Oldies“. Cute little jingle singing “No matter how much you shake and dance the last drop always goes in your pants”. Or maybe drivers passing gas. The Foulest Flatus brought to you by Roust Air Freshener. “If the drivers are a rippin’, there’s no need to be trippin’. And who can forget the drivers burping? The Biggest Belch of the Race brought to you by Burper’s Bird Seed. “If the birds are burping, you know it’s a Burper”. How about if they catch some crew chiefs, crewmembers, or NA$CAR officials picking their noses on camera? The Nastiest Nosepick brought to you by No-Snorz Nasal Strips. “And the winner of today’s Nastiest Nosepick goes to NA$CAR official Rufus Rumjug with his double-digit cleaning of his hand-picked proboscis”. The possibilities are endless. They could get sponsors for everything. Scratching their crotches, cleaning their ears with car keys, picking their underwear out of the cracks of their rears, ear wax, nose hair, nail fungus, drool, you name it, they could find a sponsor for it. And imagine going to pick up the check at the awards dinner in Vegas with the film rolling of that award winning moment. I’m sure the wives and parents sitting at home would be so proud seeing their husband or son managing to get two fingers in there trying to pick for some “gold nuggets” or scratching their crotch in a manner that would make a big league baseball player envious.
But let’s get back to the main point. The races themselves. If they truly are races, then they need to be treated as such and not some freaking carnival with the drivers and crewmembers being shown off like sideshow freaks. Fans want to see real side by side racing and not cars running side by side because the aerodynamics don’t allow passes to be completed. The folks paying subscription bills to cable or satellite TV companies aren’t paying to see just one or two cars for 3-4 hours during the brief interruptions of the commercials. They’re paying to see all 43 cars racing for 3-4 hours. The remaining fans in the stands aren’t buying tickets to see a 43 car parade for 490 miles only to be interrupted during the last 10 miles by some racing. They pay to see 500 miles of beating and banging, donuts on the door, chrome horn usage, real passes done through the use of horsepower and skill, and drivers using strategy like a chess master. Despite the fact that fans have been screaming for this loudly the last few years, it continues to fall on the deaf ears and the blind eyes of the occupiers of Daytona Beach’s Ivory Towers and continues to get worse. When you have the Head Honcho being totally surprised that somebody would dislike his 10 race playoff, you have to wonder not if but when NA$CAR will be closing its doors due to the cluelessness of the folks in charge.
After seeing the interview that Jennifer Jo Cobb did on CNN, I have to wonder why is it that a well-spoken, hard working woman who’s worked her way up through the ranks and followed in the family business of racing isn’t the female face of NA$CAR? Her background and how she followed the family tradition would attract both male and female fans. Because of her beliefs, she’d be a great role model for young girls. And as she doesn’t through temper tantrums, doesn’t have a mouth that would embarrass a sailor, and is friendly with fans, she’s definitely more classy the Queen of Hype. And since she is well-spoken as well as being easy on the eyes, I’m surprised some major companies specializing in women’s products haven’t jumped up to sponsor her. I think that clothing companies, perfume makers, and other companies are missing out on a great opportunity. And with her family’s history of racing, I would think that some racing parts companies would step up as sponsors. But then I forgot. She’s not the new savior of NA$CAR. She’s not being hyped and promoted to high heavens by the Beach Boy Bubbas. The Queen of Hype is. I hope Jennifer Jo does well in her 5 Busch Series races and finishes well ahead of the Queen of Hype. Maybe then she’ll grab some sponsors’ attention. And as she’s one of the few folks in a Ford in the Truck Series, I’ll be rooting for her since I’m a long time Ford guy.
The fine folks at Save the Speedway have started up a new site to bring folks news in addition to history. It’s called Speedway Digest. This is what Steve Wilson of Save the Speedway said about the site:
Save The Speedway has launched Speedway Digest as a way to help other historic speedways get their message out and to help them out. We will also be following NASCAR throughout the season and document the history of NASCAR and the tracks they race on.
Rick “The Sign Man” from Save the Speedway has done an amazing job documenting the history of North Wilkesboro Speedway and hopefully other tracks and supporters of other historic tracks can take Rick’s lead in documenting their tracks’ history. You can check out Speedway Digest at
http://speedwaydigest.com/
Two thumbs up to the 315th Air Wing for the humanitarian efforts in delivering over 40 tons of supplies to Haiti and Grenada. The humanitarian aid delivered to Haiti consists of 76,000 pounds of medical and school supplies, clothing, food and furniture donated with the assistance of Haiti Lifeline Ministries, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Hesston, Kan. These items will be utilized by the Lifeline Orphanage and provide assistance to the children who call it home and the surrounding community. 7,000 pounds of aid consisting of medical and educational supplies, clothing, furniture and dry goods were delivered to Grenada to help children and their families start the new school year. Naturally, the lamestream media seems to have missed this effort so to the folks of the 315th Air Wing, many thanks from one old veteran for your efforts.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Ethanol Odds and Ends
I was going to write a piece about ethanol but The Daly Planet beat me to it.
So I’ll just add a few things I’ve found regarding ethanol.
E-15, unfortunately. is also part of a Federal law. The Renewable Fuels Mandate is mandating more alcohol mixed into gasoline, and sadly, it even destroys small engines too. NASCAR is having to buy the E15 that's part of this stupid law. So don’t think they’re doing this out of the goodness of their hearts or for their genuine concern for the environment. One thing that was mentioned to me was that it shouldn’t cause any problems with the fuel lines. If the lines are purged both before and after the race with gasoline like the Indy cars do, then it won’t be a problem. But once again, will NA$CAR and the team owners ensure that the purging is done? And even if the lines are purged, you still have all the ethanol that’s trapped in the sponge-like material inside the fuel cell. So the problem with the NA$CAR vehicles isn’t totally solved unless the fuel cells are broken apart, the inside materials removed, and then replaced by fresh material. Just think of how much cost that will add up to after a 36 race season. Not to mention how much gasoline will be used in the purging process. Not very “green” is it?
By the time the grain is planted, grown, harvested, and made into ethanol, that it takes about 1,600 gallons of water to make a gallon of alcohol. Not so good when you consider water run-off from fertilizers, some of which use petroleum by-products, and especially not so good if they’re doing this in an area where there’s a water shortage, like southern California for example.
E-85, ethanol, biobutenal, etc, contain alcohol which requires use of ColdFire or similar special agents to put out fires, since they burn much differently. I’ve seen footage of alcohol fueled cars on fire and outside of the waves of heat produced by the burning alcohol, the flame itself is not visible. Some of the drivers did the old “stop, drop, and roll” because they were on fire despite the flames not being visible. It took a fireman who was closer to the driver than the wrecked race vehicle to realize what was going on and he extinguished the flames on the driver. Are NA$CAR’s all volunteer firemen at each track going to be able to extinguish the ethanol flames or to recognize the fact that a vehicle or driver is burning? A dedicated traveling safety crew would like what the IndyCar Series uses. And since there don't seem to be any provisions right now for a fireman in each pit stall, what NA$CAR should do is take the former catchcan personnel and have them spray water or ColdFire on the the fuel inlet and overflow valves to reduce the odds of a fire on pit road after refueling takes place.
Ethanol also is creating a lot of problems with outboard motors and well as two stroke engines, like dirt bikes, weedeaters, and other products. One thing that’s mentioned in the link is the problems that ethanol pose to aviation fuel and why it can’t be used. The problem being that of water, which I stated before. In aircraft, the water will freeze in the fuel lines causing the aircraft to run out of fuel and if the pilot isn’t good or lucky enough, the plane will crash. Ethanol also increases the risk of injury to the passengers in the event of a fire because they cannot readily see the flames and avoid them.
The late Don Hamm and myself were checking our gas mileage after the switch came to the current E-10 ethanol mix. I lost 4-6 mpg. That may not sound like a lot but when you’re driving 700 miles one way that 4-6 mpg can be the difference between me arriving safely at my dad’s home or running out of fuel on I-95 in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp. If we’re forced to use E-15, we’ll lose about another 2-3 mpg. This means a loss of 6-9 mpg if and when E-15 becomes mandatory for passenger vehicles. So just how is that saving fuel and the environment when you’re having to burn up more of it? It’s not.
Then there’s a question nobody in the media seems to want to ask. Ethanol is being passed off as an American product. Is it really an American product made totally from American alcohol mixed with American petroleum, which would make it an American product, or is it American alcohol mixed with Saudi petroleum products, which would make it an American-Saudi product? In order for it to be a totally American product, the petroleum would have to come from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, or California. And having done some reading of the Wall Street Journal, I haven’t found where there’s been an increase in the production of American crude to be used to make this supposed American ethanol.
Here’s hoping everyone has a great 2011 and always keep our service members in your prayers because without them we wouldn’t have the freedoms that we do.
So I’ll just add a few things I’ve found regarding ethanol.
E-15, unfortunately. is also part of a Federal law. The Renewable Fuels Mandate is mandating more alcohol mixed into gasoline, and sadly, it even destroys small engines too. NASCAR is having to buy the E15 that's part of this stupid law. So don’t think they’re doing this out of the goodness of their hearts or for their genuine concern for the environment. One thing that was mentioned to me was that it shouldn’t cause any problems with the fuel lines. If the lines are purged both before and after the race with gasoline like the Indy cars do, then it won’t be a problem. But once again, will NA$CAR and the team owners ensure that the purging is done? And even if the lines are purged, you still have all the ethanol that’s trapped in the sponge-like material inside the fuel cell. So the problem with the NA$CAR vehicles isn’t totally solved unless the fuel cells are broken apart, the inside materials removed, and then replaced by fresh material. Just think of how much cost that will add up to after a 36 race season. Not to mention how much gasoline will be used in the purging process. Not very “green” is it?
By the time the grain is planted, grown, harvested, and made into ethanol, that it takes about 1,600 gallons of water to make a gallon of alcohol. Not so good when you consider water run-off from fertilizers, some of which use petroleum by-products, and especially not so good if they’re doing this in an area where there’s a water shortage, like southern California for example.
E-85, ethanol, biobutenal, etc, contain alcohol which requires use of ColdFire or similar special agents to put out fires, since they burn much differently. I’ve seen footage of alcohol fueled cars on fire and outside of the waves of heat produced by the burning alcohol, the flame itself is not visible. Some of the drivers did the old “stop, drop, and roll” because they were on fire despite the flames not being visible. It took a fireman who was closer to the driver than the wrecked race vehicle to realize what was going on and he extinguished the flames on the driver. Are NA$CAR’s all volunteer firemen at each track going to be able to extinguish the ethanol flames or to recognize the fact that a vehicle or driver is burning? A dedicated traveling safety crew would like what the IndyCar Series uses. And since there don't seem to be any provisions right now for a fireman in each pit stall, what NA$CAR should do is take the former catchcan personnel and have them spray water or ColdFire on the the fuel inlet and overflow valves to reduce the odds of a fire on pit road after refueling takes place.
Ethanol also is creating a lot of problems with outboard motors and well as two stroke engines, like dirt bikes, weedeaters, and other products. One thing that’s mentioned in the link is the problems that ethanol pose to aviation fuel and why it can’t be used. The problem being that of water, which I stated before. In aircraft, the water will freeze in the fuel lines causing the aircraft to run out of fuel and if the pilot isn’t good or lucky enough, the plane will crash. Ethanol also increases the risk of injury to the passengers in the event of a fire because they cannot readily see the flames and avoid them.
The late Don Hamm and myself were checking our gas mileage after the switch came to the current E-10 ethanol mix. I lost 4-6 mpg. That may not sound like a lot but when you’re driving 700 miles one way that 4-6 mpg can be the difference between me arriving safely at my dad’s home or running out of fuel on I-95 in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp. If we’re forced to use E-15, we’ll lose about another 2-3 mpg. This means a loss of 6-9 mpg if and when E-15 becomes mandatory for passenger vehicles. So just how is that saving fuel and the environment when you’re having to burn up more of it? It’s not.
Then there’s a question nobody in the media seems to want to ask. Ethanol is being passed off as an American product. Is it really an American product made totally from American alcohol mixed with American petroleum, which would make it an American product, or is it American alcohol mixed with Saudi petroleum products, which would make it an American-Saudi product? In order for it to be a totally American product, the petroleum would have to come from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, or California. And having done some reading of the Wall Street Journal, I haven’t found where there’s been an increase in the production of American crude to be used to make this supposed American ethanol.
Here’s hoping everyone has a great 2011 and always keep our service members in your prayers because without them we wouldn’t have the freedoms that we do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)