Can You See The Real Me?

Can you see the real me? Can you? Can you? —The Who,
“The Real Me” ( Quadrophenia, 1973).
　
　
The picture NA$CAR and it’s celebrity spokesmodel’s PR people would like to paint doesn’t come anywhere near close to reality. In order to find out what NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel is really like, you have to go outside of the NA$CAR box and go to the open wheel folks who “know her best” and that’s what I’ve done. Unlike the NA$CAR controlled media, which can do little more than sing her praises from on high, I went to the folks who had to deal with her in a professional setting on a regular basis and did some research to go with it. It’s not the pretty picture NA$CAR and their controlled media likes to paint.
　
Officials called her the “Queen Bitch”. Her own team called her "Bitch in a Box" for her antics during practice. She would pull into the pits, take off her helmet. Then she would pop up and complain, then sit back down, then pop up again to complain time and time again. The crew members at the front of the car stated “she looks like that clown that pops out of a jack-in-the-box”. 　
What did her fellow drivers think of her?
　
Dixon, Carpenter, Wheldon, and Franchitti all called Danica the Queen of Blockers. “She doesn't hold her line and blocks hard when she was about to be lapped”.

(If you’re not familiar with IndyCar or IRL rules, blocking was prohibited. And yet, Brian Barnhart, former head of racing operations, didn’t seem to see the blocking when it was going on.)
　
This is a comment by Ed Carpenter after the Iowa Corn Indy 250 back in 2008 regarding the blocking:
　
"I just started working with my car, working towards the front but Danica was doing her normal supreme block job," Carpenter said. "She is the new Scott Sharp of the series as far as I am concerned. That is two races in a row."
　
An official on pit lane was assisting Mid-Ohio security during an IndyCar race there. He was a Danica fan at that time. Security was at the gates to pit lane to prevent fans from entering the pits, as the pre-race preparations were starting. Danica walks through the gate, followed by several more people. The official stopped the people in order to check their credentials. Danica turned around and yelled at him, "They're with me, get over yourself!". After that he went over to Dan Wheldon to say “Kick Danica's butt”. Dan replied, "So, you met the real Danica." Wheldon apologized for her actions, stating the drivers appreciate the track workers & officials for all they do. Needless to say from that moment on, that official was no longer a Danica fan.　

One interesting incident, in light of a recent statement about not wearing make-up, comes from when NA$CAR’S celebrity spokesmodel was in the Atlantic Series and her car broke.
　
She pulled off track and was getting out of her car to go over the wall. When she saw the course marshal arrive to see if she was alright, Danica responded, "I'm so glad you're a woman. How does my make-up look?" 　

Of course, IndyCar fans remembers her throwing her team under the car when she qualified so badly. It seems she had to set the car up herself rather than having it set up by a more competent teammate. When she was interviewed, she was absolutely stunned at the boos from the stands. It was the next year she started her move to NA$CAR.
　
Andretti Autosports held an option on Danica's contract for the 2012 season. In January of 2011, she informed Andretti she was going to NASCAR full time in 2012. The deals were all done at that time, but she strung everyone along through September stating she had not made up her mind. A female version LeBron James.
　
Rahal-Letterman won the Indy 500 in 2004 with Buddy Rice. In 2005, Danica was promoted to the IRL. RLR's performance suffered, as Rice and Meira had to work on getting Danica's car set up. In 2006, Danica decided to screw Rahal in another way, by announcing she was moving to Andretti-Green. Shortly after, Rahal-Letterman shutdown their full time IRL program. Before 2007, when Danica joined, Andretti-Green was a powerhouse team, winning titles and the Indy 500 with drivers Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, Dan Wheldon, and Bryan Herta. Then, along came Danica and the Andretti-Green team went downhill.
　
First Wheldon left, then Dario, leaving Kanaan alone to set up Danica's and Marco's cars. With the merger of the IRL and CART/ChampCar, the series began to move to an oval and road/Street course series. While Danica was average on ovals, she was even worse on road & street courses. As the series shifted to fewer ovals and her performance fading along with her popularity, she began looking at NASCAR. The money was going to be better and early indications were they were going to glorify her with unending coverage. In 2010, she started running a limited schedule for Jr. Motorsports in NNS and again in 2011. She stated through much of 2011 that she had not make up her mind about her 2012 plans. However, that was all lies, as she had told Andretti in January of 2011 that she intended to leave for NASCAR and not exercise the option with Andretti for IndyCar.
　
And let’s look at some stats. During his 10 years of driving in the IRL/IndyCar, Dan Wheldon led 2,865 laps with 16 wins and 43 podium finishes. During his 8 years in the IRL/IndyCar, Sam Hornish Jr led 3,428 laps got 19 wins, and had 47 podium finishes . During 7 years in the IRL/IndyCar, NA$CAR’s current celebrity spokesmodel led 124 laps with only 1 win and 7 podium finishes. Numbers alone show that NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel does not live up to the hype.
　
Let’s look at the celebrity spokesmodel’s stats for the 2012 season:

Race	Finish	Wreck	AVG. Finish	% of Wrecks	Start	Avg. Start	% of Finishes on Lead Lap
Daytona Qualifier		1		100.0%
Daytona NNS	38	1		100.0%	1
Daytona 500	38	1	38.0	100.0%	29	15	0.0%
Phoenix NNS	21		32.3	75.0%	30	20	0.0%
Las Vegas	12		27.3	60.0%	12	18	20.0%
Bristol	19		25.6	50.0%	27	19.8	16.7%
Fontana	35		27.2	42.9%	21	20	14.3%

When the announcement was made that she would be the new NA$CAR celebrity spokesmodel, what’s the first thing she talks about? It wasn’t racing. It wasn’t her competitors. It was her branding & marketing. That right there should tell you where her priorities lay.
　
Dave Despain said on Wind Tunnel that she was over-hyped. And Dave would know. He’s been covering and following racing of all sorts for more years than I care to think about. Shawna Robinson, the first woman to sit on the pole in the Busch Series, couldn’t understand what all the hoopla was about. Shawna got her pole at Atlanta back in 1994. If you’ve never been to Atlanta, seen races there, or haven’t been following NA$CAR very long then you don’t know about the difficulties of driving there because of the speed, the need to have a car that handles well, and the driver skill actually required to turn a competitive lap. It may be a 1.5 mile track but it’s not the typical cookie cutter design.
　
And how about more recently in NA$CAR? It seems that the celebrity spokesmodel got in the face of her teammate Cole Whitt, verbally abused him knowing full well he wouldn’t take a swing at her because of her gender, and told him he needed to stay away from her because he’s inexperienced. Whitt? Inexperienced? He’s got quite a few more NA$CAR starts than does his teammate and finished 15^th at Phoenix while the celebrity spokesmodel finished 21^st, 3 laps down. And to add an explanation point to her poor performance at Phoenix, stomped away from the media after the race without so much as a word. Not exactly the image the new “savior” of NA$CAR should be displaying.
　
And what would’ve happened if you had replaced Cole Whitt with say Milka Duno? Would the celebrity spokesmodel have gotten away with the same verbal abuse? I don’t think so. She probably would’ve gotten a shove or maybe even a shot in the snot locker from Milka. It’s easy to get away with using your gender to berate and abuse your male teammate or competitors but try it with another female and see what happens. Especially a female who won’t take any guff.
　
Some folks will say I’m being sexist or a woman hater and they’re entitled to their opinions. Just like I’m entitled to mine. What I’ve done is expose some of the history of NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel and newest savior. Gender has nothing to do with it. If you’re going to buy a “product”, you want to know all there is about it before you purchase it. Would you buy a Chevy Volt knowing that they catch fire when recharging? Or that they could catch fire during an accident? I didn’t think so. So why “buy” into the hype about NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel when there are far better, friendlier, and more honest female drivers around who can be held up as good role models? Drivers like Simona De Silvestro, Johanna Long, Tammy Jo Kirk, Patty Moise, Janet Guthrie, Lyn St. James, Shirley Muldowney, Louise Smith, Shawna Robinson, Ashley Force & her sister. Drivers who are or were more concerned about racing than about their own “branding & marketing”.
　
And in the interest of full disclosure and to dispel the idea that I’m sexist, hater, or a woman hater, I do follow Simona De Silvestro & Milka Duno on Twitter. I follow Jennifer Jo Cobb on Facebook. I was a member of the Shawna Robinson fan club and my autographed driver’s card is hanging up in the bedroom of one of my nieces as an example to her that she accomplish what she wants with her life. I also use to cheer for Shirley Muldowney as she took down the big boys of drag racing. So adjust your opinions accordingly.
　
To paraphrase Teresa Earnhardt, I have a question for NA$CAR’s new savior. Do you want to be a race car driver or a celebrity spokesmodel? Answer that truthfully and you have the key to her future.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Hype, Lotus, Dakar,Bill Lester, & Other Things

Let the Hype Begin
　
If you’ve seen the commercials for the Daytona 500 on Focks during the football play-offs, you’ll have noticed that it’s not the race that’s being hyped but NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel that’s being hyped. She has yet to turn one competitive lap in a Cup car at Daytona and yet the hype is overwhelming. So when the race isn’t in the “All Waltrip All the Time” mode, it’ll be in the “All Danican’t All the Time” mode.
　
Cruel & Unusual Punishment?
　
For those fans who may have missed the announcement, Focks will have both of the Motormouth brothers on Focks during the race broadcast. As usual, Jabber Jaws will be in the booth with Motormouth Mikey being in the Hollyweird Motel bumping Hollyweird Hambone to the position of roving reporter. With both Motormouth brothers flapping their gums fast enough to break the sound barrier while they‘re cheerleading & shilling, don’t expect to hear anyone else get a word in edge-wise. Not even Larry Mac with his new Larry Mac to English Dictionary.
　
Could this be a deliberate attempt by Focks to drive their ratings down to rock bottom so when the TV contract renewal comes up they can go cheap? Something to think about.
　
Daytona Testing
　
When the Cup teams went to Daytona to test, Robin Pemberton stated that the teams would race in packs. That was a statement, not a suggestion, which means that once again NA$CAR is trying to mandate driver actions and help manipulate the race similar to what Bill France Sr did at Talladega back in the 60’s when the well-known drivers of the time went on strike because they felt the speeds were too high and that the tires couldn’t handle it leaving a bunch of relative unknowns to compete. Bill France Sr dictated how fast the cars would be driven. What we’re seeing now is the same sort of manipulation to make the race artificially exciting rather than let the drivers actually race, even if it is the two car Brokeback racing we’ve seen the last couple of years.
　
Missing from the pack racing practice on the last day was SHR which packed up and went home. Considering that NA$CAR’s Celebrity Spokesmodel didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the pack practice, odds are you can expect to see her involved in “The Big One”.
　
Lotus News
　
Simona Di Silvestro took the new Lotus Indy car through its paces at Palm Beach International Raceway and Sebring International Raceway. From what I’ve read, Lotus will be running both of their famous livery colors. The BRG & yellow and the black & gold. So for whichever era of Lotus racing you enjoyed, you’ll see a reminder of it.
　
Dragon Racing, owned by Jay Penske, will be fielding the new Lotus car with Sebastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge behind the wheel. That now makes 2 female drivers behind the wheels of Lotus cars in IndyCar. It’ll be interesting to see Katherine and Simona compare notes of their cars and set-ups while the new car is going through testing. Lotus plans to put 1,000 miles on the current test engine before the testing at Homestead on Jan 23-24. That’s about what Lotus figures to be about half the life cycle of the engine.
　
On the F-1 side of the Lotus effort, they pioneered an adjustable suspension system which works off of the braking system. Since the driver cannot make the adjustments from the cockpit, FIA has ruled it’s legal despite numerous complaints from other F-1 teams. Once again, we’re seeing racing innovation being made. Hello? NA$CAR?
　
Dakar Rally
　
While Robby Gordon didn’t win the rally, he did win a stage or two of it. However, despite having been passed, the sanctioning body said that Robby ran an illegal engine then changed it to illegal duct work doing their best imitation of NA$CAR changing rules in mid-race. Apparently politics came into play after Robby won the final stage of the Rally. It seems that Peterhansel (no, that’s not a German bedroom toy) was supposed to win the last stage but Robby rocked the boat on that one. In an earlier stage of the rally, Robby was trying to pass Peterhansel using the rally’s equivalent to a horn (called a sentinel) however Peterhansel refused to move over and allow the faster Gordon to pass him. Peterhansel should’ve been penalized but wasn’t. Robby had some “kind words” for the Dakar Rally sanctioning body, ASO. One was he might be back next year. The second was “They can kiss my a$$”. While it was a learning experience for Robby, he’s also found another sanctioning body that likes to change rules in mid-race.　

RPM & Busch
　
In one of those “No Duh” statements, RPM stated that the reason they didn’t sign Busch the Elder was that he was poison to sponsors. And it took The King how long to figure that out? I guess he’s getting a little bit slower with age.
　
Then there’s also the Roush Factor. Considering what Busch the Elder did and said about Roush when he drove for Roush racing, there’s still a lot of animosity there and since Roush builds the engines and cars for RPM, it’s a sure bet that The King wouldn’t have had any new cars or engines had he signed Busch the Elder.
　
Busch the Elder must be anticipating getting a number of black eyes this season as he’s signed with an eyewear company for sponsorship on the Phoenix Racing car. Last black eye I seem to remember Busch the Elder had came at the hands of Mr Excitement, Jimmy Spencer. However, Busch the Elder has given a number of black eyes to team owners & sponsors. So being able to hide a black eye is important and I’m sure those sunglasses will do a good job.
　
As to the length of Busch the Elder’s tenure at Phoenix Racing, I’d say it’ll last as long as his past chump provisionals are needed. Then he’ll get the boot the same way Bill Elliott did.
　
200 MPH Mustang Coming in 2014
　
When Ford revamps the Mustang for its 60^th anniversary celebration, the GT-500 and Mustang Cobra will be equipped with turbo V-8’s that will allow this street car to reach 200 MPH. And as it will be a production model and meets the basic eligibility requirements of a production car, will NA$CAR allow this car to be raced? After all, it is a stock car and isn’t racing stock cars what NA$CAR is supposed to be about?
　
Bill Lester Rides Again
　
After being unceremoniously dumped by Autohaus despite a 2^nd place season finish, Bill will be back on track in the #18 Muehlner Motorsports Porsche GT 3 for the 24 Hours of Daytona. As it currently stands, this is a one race deal however, I’m sure it will go beyond that based on Bill’s skills and previous experience.
　
Old Dog, Same Old Tricks
　
Johnny Benson was planning to make a comeback in 2012 in the Truck Series right up until his sponsor was stolen by NA$CAR’s conjoined incestuous twin I$C to sponsor a race at Michigan. NA$CAR and I$C stealing sponsors is nothing new. They’ve been doing it for decades. However, in these tough economic times, you’d think that with TV contract money coming in and having plenty of sponsors of their own, that they’d leave the sponsor of a popular and well-liked driver like Johnny Benson alone so he could help put butts in the grandstands. But greed trumps common sense once again in the Ivory Towers of Daytona.
　
Stolen Laptop
　
In case you missed it, there was a laptop containing drivers’ and NA$CAR officials names and other information that belonged to Aegis Labs that was stolen a while back. Naturally, NA$CAR & Aegis Labs said there was nothing important on the computer and that the laptop was probably in a pawn shop. Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned up on E-Bay with all that supposedly unimportant information on it going to the highest bidder? Or if somebody’s, like Faux King Brian’s, ID was stolen. I can just hear it now. His Royal Highness on the phone talking to Mister Card about a charge on his card. “What do you mean I sent Jeremy Mayfield two dozen roses, a box of chocolates, and a note saying ‘Come back. All is forgiven XOXOXO’?”. Or John Darby talking to American Excuse, “What do you mean I bought a lifetime membership in the Hair Club for Men?”. Or Shrubbery talking to Whiner’s Club, “What do you mean I sent a ton of M&M’s to a diabetic ward? Oh wait, I did. Never mind”.

Sanity?, RGM 2nd Hummer, Lotus, Cotton Owens, & More

RGM Fielding 2^nd Hummer for Dakar Rally

　
Robby Gordon is fielding a second Hummer for the Dakar Rally with 2011 Dakar Champion Nasser Al-Attiyah as the driver.

Sanity?

　
You have to wonder what Stewart is thinking by firing his championship crew chief Darian Grubb. When was the last time a Super Bowl winning football team dumped their coach? When was the last time a race team owner fired a championship winning crew chief? It really makes you wonder if maybe Tony needs to be taking some medication.
　
Of course, by hiring Addington, he’s hiring a crew chief who is use to being abused and berated by the likes of the Busch brothers. So that is one plus in his favor.
　
Maybe Darian should go have a chat with another Floyd VA native Jeff Agnew about being his crew chief on Jeff’s Truck Series team? It may not have the glory of being a Cup team but they’d get the support of a lot of the county’s 14,000 residents.
　

Jimmy Clark's 1965 Lotus Type 38

Lotus Advantage for DW12 Car

　
It seems that with the rear weight problems that seem to be occurring with the DW12 car that IndyCar is testing, Lotus may have a decided advantage. They produced an engine that is lighter than both the Honda and GM engines. This could give the returning Lotus a handling advantage on both the ovals and road courses. As it stands right now, the GM and Honda powered cars don’t seem to do that well on the oval tracks because of the weight issues and lack of thrust. So this could make Lotus the king of the oval tracks.
　
Speaking of Lotus, it was announced that Simona Di Silvestro will be sporting the traditional Lotus colors next season. That should bring back a few memories for those of us who remember the glory days of Lotus with Jimmy Clark at the wheel.
　

DROP AND GIVE ME 20 MAGGOT!

Perfect Crew Chief for Busch Brothers 

　
Considering the amount of abuse the crew chiefs for the Busch brothers have taken, I think I’ve figured out who would be the perfect crew chief for them. Retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey. He wouldn’t take any lip off of either of them and would break them down into nice, polite, civilized human adults instead of their current status of spoiled brats. I can just hear him telling Schrubbery, ”Drop and give me 20 maggot!”. He might not win a race as a crew chief but he’d win some hearts and minds in the garage and the grandstands.
　

The Hype Has Already Faded

　
The championship hasn’t even been decided a week and already the hype is fading from not only the lamestream media but also NA$CAR’s controlled, Kool Aid drinking media. What does that really say about the significance of not just Stewart’s win but of NA$CAR overall?
　

Interesting Coincidence

　
We had 5 championships in a row won by a convicted felon team owner. This season, the championship was won by a convicted felon team co-owner who bought cars from the convicted felon team owner.
　
And while the convicted felon co-owner was serving his time, who was given stewardship of his team and made some major mistakes in paying personnel and their federal income taxes? The same convicted felon team owner that he buys generic race vehicles from.
　

Another Coincidence?

　
With the comparisons of NA$CAR being like the WWE on the rise since 2003 and having WWE Hall of Famer Sgt Slaughter as the Grand Marshal for the Busch Series race at Homestead, you really have to wonder. By having Sgt Slaughter as the Grand Marshal, it confirms to some folks that NA$CAR is “in bed” so to speak with the WWE. The scripts for the races being too close to the scripts being used by the WWE.
　
If you look at Tony Stewart’s wins in the Chase for the Chumps, it’s much too close to the classic Hulk Hogan script. And the Homestead race was even more like the classic Hulk Hogan script. Tony started good then went back to 40^th after some repairs were made. And like Hogan after being beat down by his opponent, Tony makes the miraculous recovery and goes on to win the race in much the same way Hogan would suddenly finds a reserve of strength to come back and beat his opponent in the ring.
　
So you have to wonder. Will Vince McMahon be the Grand Marshal for the 2012 WWE, I mean 2012 Daytona 500?

Good Luck Dustin Long

　
I don’t know how many folks have read Dustin’s work over the years but the paper he works for just decided to downsize and eliminated his position just like a lot of other newspapers have done. While he still has his job writing an occasional article for Sports Illustrated, he won’t be going back to his normal newspaper reporting. I may not have always agreed with what Dustin wrote, just like folks don’t always agree with me, but he did a good job of reporting and was innovative with his own fan council, Backseat Drivers Fan Council, in using their ideas and opinions to show what the fans truly thought about what was happening on the track unlike the NA$CAR fan council which is nothing more than a marketing research operation. Hopefully a major news operation will snap Dustin up so he can continue with his reporting of NA$CAR and use his ideas to really get a true feel of what race fans think.
　

A Little Bit of History

　
I don’t know how many folks have watched the movie “The Last American Hero” with Jeff Bridges, a movie based loosely on the life of Junior Johnson, but go back and have another look at it. You’ll see Jeff “driving” the #00 car. The car is actually Busch Series Champion Sam Ard’s car.
　
And speaking of Sam Ard, he and his wife are still in need of help. If you can help them out with donations or can do some repairs on their house, it would be greatly appreciated.
　

Going Bananas

　
I hope the Charlotte tourism folks aren’t thinking that Chiquita moving into the office building next to the NA$CAR Hall of Fantasies is going to get them off the hook financially with the Charlotte taxpayers. Do they really think the Chiquita folks will go bananas over being next to the HOF and spend all their free time visiting it? Plus the tax breaks that Chiquita will get, rumored to be between 50%-90%, isn’t really going to endear them to the Charlotte taxpayers either although it will result in some jobs with the company. Know matter how you slice it, the HOF is a financial disaster for the taxpayers of Charlotte and will never see any black ink.
　

RCR Auctioning Off #33 Team Equipment

　
With the #33 team officially shut down, RCR is using Iron Horse Auction Company to sell off the equipment from the #33 team. This is also the same company used by Jeremy Mayfield to sell off his race team gear and equipment along with some personal property. I hope RCR isn’t planning to get a lot of money off of the Camry’s Of Today they’ll be selling. No other racing series uses them and Mayfield was only able to get about $8500 for one of the generic race vehicles he had for sale. That’s less than what teams get for the old “Twisted Sister” cars which usually pull in at between $10,000-$30,000.
　

Racing Great Battling Cancer

　
Both Cotton Owens, legendary owner & driver, and his wife are both battling cancer right now. So if you can add them to your prayers or keep them in your thoughts it would be appreciated.
　

IndyCar Viewership & Attendance Up 2 Years in a Row

　
While NASCAR has been beating their chest over the fact that their races TV ratings were up but nowhere what they were in 2008, IndyCar’s viewership was up 28% overall. Race attendance was up 22%. Compare this to what we’ve seen NA$CAR do this past season with attendance being off at the majority of its tracks and ratings. Up 3% for BSPN/ABC, 16% for TNT, and 9% on Focks.
　
The attendance figures for NA$CAR that have been released can’t be trusted as we’ve seen races claimed to be sell-outs had ¼-½ their seats empty plus tracks removing seating or changing their seating to give fans more room. Bruton reports an 8.8% decrease in attendance through September 2011 when compared to the same time in 2010 according to the SEC filings. I$C has an 8.7% decrease in attendance in comparison to the same time in 2010.
　
“INDYCAR had one of its strongest years in growth on TV and in live audience in 15 years on the last year of our current car. We believe that the new car along with Honda, Chevy and Lotus coming into the IZOD INDYCAR Series will help the sport show positive momentum for 2012” said Randy Bernard, IndyCar’s head honcho. I predicted that IndyCar’s new car, the DW12, would increase their TV ratings several months back and it seems to be reflected in Bernard’s opinion. I guess we’ll see what happens next season.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Miscellaneous Miscellany

Richmond Ratings
　
Nowhere close to the all-time highs of a 4.2 in 2002 & 2007. Just remember, that while the ratings were up, they’re not even close to the all-time highs for the fall Richmond race ratings. And the 2002 fall Richmond race was before the TV contracts were negotiated and was shown on TNT. So just how is going to the internet going to affect the TV ratings for next season? I guess we’ll find out next season.
　
Not the Fastest Growing Sport
　
With the number of teams that have folded since Faux King Brian took over, the large number of sponsors that have left or seriously cut back on sponsorship, and the recent announcement of KHI folding and Germain Racing facing some serious financial issues, you have to wonder just how much longer things will continue to go downhill? The only thing that seems to be growing right now in NA$CAR is the number of teams folding, and the number of start & park teams. You know it’s bad when both the Busch & Truck Series show up with short fields or 1/3 of the field is start & parks. Robby Gordon, who had been running full-time, has now switched to start & park in the Cup Series. And the grandstands aren’t getting any fuller either despite the announcement of that NA$CAR’s celebrity spokesmodel will be driving full-time next season in the Busch Series and part-time in the Cup Series. By the time next season rolls around, we may be at least 3 teams short in the Truck series, 2 teams short in the Busch Series, and 1 team short in the Cup Series.
　
De Silvestro to Penske?
　
Simone De Silvestro has been in talks with Roger Penske regarding a possible move to Team Penske. And she would be a good choice as Simone brings Entergy, Nuclear, and Areva sponsor dollars with her and they’re three year sponsorship deals plus options. Helio Castroneves may be able to scrape up a little sponsorship from Brazil but not nearly enough to fund a car for a full season. Briscoe has nothing for sponsorship, so if Simone does make the move to Penske, Briscoe will probably be the driver that Penske drops.

More Red Ink for HOF
　
This is from the Charlotte Business Journal regarding the France Hall of Fantasies:
　
Attendance at the NASCAR Hall of Fame fell by 35% in July from a year earlier, continuing a trend of declining results. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, operator of the $200 million publicly funded stock-car museum, reported the figures at its board meeting Wednesday. In July 2010, 33,452 people visited the hall of fame. Attendance declined to 21,910 in July 2011, the first month of the new fiscal year. July marked the third month of attendance slips of 30 percent or more in year-over-year comparisons. Those figures offer a barometer of interest in the hall of fame, which opened in May 2010. For May 2011, attendance was 30 percent below the previous year (25,034 visitors compared with 35,090 in May 2010). In June 2011, crowds dropped by 39 percent to 17,604 visitors for the month. Visitors authority board members didn't discuss the hall of fame results during their meeting. A recent update to City Council included questions and discussion of whether ticket prices could be hurting attendance. 　
One thing that’s hurting the HOF is its location. Another thing that’s hurting it is the fact that instead of all drivers, owners, mechanics, crew chiefs, etc. that should be eligible for induction aren’t. Faux King Brian has dictated that the selection process be done by star power and name recognition instead of on the merits and records of those who should be nominated and inducted. If there was a category for advancing racing through inventions or improving existing parts, guys like Tiger Tom Pistone, Rex White, and Banjo Matthews would be at the forefront of the nominees. Geoff Bodine might get in for the use of power steering on race cars. Holman-Moody might get in for developing the standard spindle, hubs, and other parts that have become the standard in stock car racing. So by going after star power rather than actual achievements, Faux King Brian is shooting himself in the foot.
　
Act of Desperation 2
　
In an attempt to staunch the flow of the rivers of red ink coming from the HOF bookkeeper’s page, NA$CAR is having one of the Chase for the Chumps drivers at the HOF once a week from now through the end of the season. Once again, Faux King Brian is either drinking his own Kool Aid or has had one too many “sodas” again.
　
Races Going Online
　
For those folks who have their computers hooked into their big flat screens or have their computer in the same room as their TV will be able top watch the races online for 9 out of 10 of the play-off races. Now, the up side is that it will give more folks access to the races. Folks who don’t have access through cable or satellite TV will be able to watch the races via the internet. The down side is that it will have an impact on the TV ratings. With the large number of complaints about the quality of the broadcasts on TV and the constant interruption with commercials, sponsor plugs, mention money plugs, idiotic graphics that take up anywhere from a third to three quarters of the TV screen, this could very well be the direction that NA$CAR is headed as they’ve been extremely reluctant to use the side by side format for commercials like Versus uses for IndyCar races because it doesn’t allow NA$CAR’s sponsors, not the team sponsors, but NA$CAR’s sponsor to have their type of “branding”. So don’t be surprised if and when you get just as many commercials online as you do during a TV broadcast.
　
Give Bobby Allison His Due
　
For decades, Bobby Allison has been trying to get credit for his win at Bowman-Gray on Aug. 6, 1971 while driving a Ford Mustang from the Grand American Series and beating out the drivers running Grand National Impalas, Galaxies, and Chargers. Under the rules of the day, and with Bill France Sr.’s blessings, Bobby, Tiny Lund, and others would run in Grand National races using the Grand American cars, especially because there was a short field. The strange thing is that Tiny Lund has been given credit for a win in his Grand American car. So why hasn’t Bobby?
　
　
I think this win should be given to Bobby and it’s long overdue. One thing it would do is correct the official records of NASCAR. Another thing it would do is put him in a tie with Jeff Gordon. Now think of the publicity that Faux King Brian could generate with this. Lots of hype and hoopla of the 2 of them together and when the day arrives that Jeff should pass Bobby’s record, then a nice ceremony in Victory Lane showing Bobby congratulating Jeff. And the last thing it would do is deflate the oversized ego of Jabber Jaws with his 84 wins. Something a lot of fans would like to see happen. So Your Highness, there’s one heck of a PR opportunity and photo ops just waiting for you to exploit it by simply correcting a one win situation.
　
Bowyer Going to MWR?
　
The bad thing with Bowyer going to MWR along with their new sponsors is we’ll get even more shilling than we currently do out of the Motormouth Brothers. And considering MWR’s win record, well, I sure hope Clint enjoys being a back marker or consistently running mid-pack. You can bet that Crusty isn’t a happy camper since his sponsor is jumping ship and he’ll probably tell us that somewhere between now and Homestead. But then, can you really blame 5 Hour for jumping ship considering how many times Crusty’s boy has finished a race on the tow hook?
　
8^th Annual Augusta International Raceway HOF Induction
　
Friday September 16th, Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society (AIRPS) will hold it's 8th Annual Hall of Fame Induction and Banquet. This years inductees are Jack Ingram; also known as the Iron Man, Sam Sommers former Cup driver, Jimmy Manese; motorcycle hot shoe, L R Newman of drag racing fame and George Lonergan; Hobby Class star. Also Bruce Brantley of Chamblee GA will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Banquet starts at 6 pm and tickets are $20 . Tickets will be, as long as they last, at the door. The event will be held at Diamond Lakes Regional Park off Windsor Spring road in Hephzibah, Georgia, just outside Augusta . This is the site of the former Speedway complex.
　
On Saturday September 17th AIRPS will hold it's annual racing reunion this year partnering with the Charley Norwood VA Hospital to hold a Welcome Home Party for four companies/units of returning Veterans. It's free to the public with a kids zone, car show racecars and autograph session. The Veterans Administration will have a health fair, job fair, school fair and many other information services. There will be a stage with live entertainment for good family fun and all are welcome. Opening ceremonies are at 10 am with event closing at approximately 2 pm. For information call Harvey Tollison at 706-829-6825
　
　
　

Penske Stuff, Irony, Mystery Debris Solution, Subliminal Message, and Other Miscellany

Hendrick Decals On Penske Indy Cars
　
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Penske will be the lead Chevy team in IndyCar next season. Penske’s contract with Dodge also ends in 2012. The Queen of Hype will be driving for a Hendrick satellite team in the form of JR Motorsports next season in a full-time capacity. She has also threatened that she will be driving in the Indy 500 every year while she is in NA$CAR. Since she has managed to P.O. just about every team owner, engineer, strategist, crew chief, mechanic, driver, teammate, and pit crew in the garage through her temper tantrums, hissy fits, and inability to set up her own car, the only way she can get a ride boils down to somebody “buying” a ride for her and Slick Rick is the one who’ll be buying the ride.
　
Penske Has Sights Set on De Silvestro
　
Penske isn’t making any secrets about the fact that he wants Simona De Silvestro driving for Team Penske in IndyCar. Even with 2^nd degree burns on her hands, she attempted to run the Indy 500, which shows the signs of a true racer rather than a prima donna, spoiled driver. I think she and Team Penske will make a good match.
　
The Joke is Jabber Jaws, Not on Jabber Jaws
　
When Shrubbery spun out towards the end of the WWE 600 at Charlotte, good old Jabber Jaws immediately made the excuse that somebody had run into the rear of his car. Then on the replay, it was clear that there wasn’t a car within 3-4 car lengths of Shrubbery when he spun. Then Jabber Jaws trying making up yet another excuse for him spinning. Let’s face it, Jabber Jaws has become as big a joke in the announcing booth as he was at the end of his driving career. He needs to retire before he embarrasses himself any more than he already has.
　
Double Secret Probation Fine
　
It seems that Newman was secretly fined $50,000 for punching JPM. These sorts of fine are nothing new as we saw with Hamlin being sold out by a card carrying journalist to NA$CAR during Twittergate and by one legal definition could amount to extortion.
　
Subliminal Message with Pocono Sponsor?
　
Is NA$CAR telling us that the race is going to last 5 hours and that it will be a snoozer by having 5 Hour Energy Drink as the race sponsor? Maybe it should become the official sponsor of the cookie cutter tracks since they all tend to be snooze fests.
　
Great Idea for Debris Cautions
　
Mike in Orlando came up with a great idea to make sure that NA$CAR is on the up and up when it comes to debris cautions.
　
How's this for a way to get rid of our friend: put a helmet cam on the guys in the safety truck that pick the debris off the track during cautions. The same kind of helmet cam that is occasionally worn by "over-the-wallers" during pit stops. When a yellow flag is thrown for debris, the helmet cam goes on and stays on until the safety guys can show us just what kind of debris (if any) there actually was on the track to bring out the caution. For me, these phantom cautions call into question the integrity of that specific race and NASCAR in general. When a significant portion of your fan base equates your (supposedly on the level) sport to professional wrestling, you've got a problem. And yes, it would be interesting to see how many times the feed from the cam goes out at an inappropriate time, like when there's no debris to be found...anyway, thanks for indulging me.
　
“Boys Have At It” Confusion
　
When NA$CAR announced their new policy allowing drivers to express a little emotion on the track, I don’t think they were considering it would result in millions of dollars of cars and trucks ending up being scrap metal. And it seems that one or two drivers have taken it to heart by wrecking, spinning out, and punting other drivers throughout all 3 of NA$CAR’s top touring series. It doesn’t matter if the other driver was a wet-behind-the-ears rookie or a seasoned veteran, these drivers have wrecked them all with one of the two really taking it out on the rookies and less experienced drivers. To make matters worse, NA$CAR has hyped this up in their ads and interviews showing wrecks galore, even wrecks that happened with the old COT with the spoiler. McDowell’s qualifying wreck at Texas, Cousin/Crazy Carl going into the fence at Talladega, Bowyer sliding on his roof at Daytona, Logano tumbling down the track at Dover, and all of these wrecks being used to promote a races at tracks where these wrecks never occurred. Not to mention the ads for the All Star Race preaching revenge, getting even, and havoc run amok. And yet when Newman and Childress both practice their version of “Boys Have At It”, they’re punished for it. So who’s really at fault? Newman and Childress for going along with the program that NA$CAR is advocating or NA$CAR for laying the hype about “Boys Have At It” on so thick that people have actually started believing it?
　
By sitting around with their thumbs up their backsides and allowing certain drivers to conduct a reign of terror on the track, NA$CAR has contributed to the problem and is an instigator of it via their controlled media. As has happened in the past, NA$CAR is saying one thing yet doing another. They want drivers to have bare knuckle brawls to get folks to watch on TV or attend the races and want the drivers to wreck millions of dollars worth of race vehicles so they can fill the coffers of the Ivory Towers without having to spend much in the way of advertising. They get their controlled media to hype things up for them at no cost to the Ivory Towers. Then in turn they fine the drivers or owners for “actions detrimental” for carrying out “Boys Have At It” when they go bare knuckle with 30% of the money going to charity and 70% lining the pockets of various executives and staffers. So while there’s animosity and ill will running amok in the garage and on the track, NA$CAR is laughing all the way to the bank while quietly instigating and promoting the violence and carnage that’s happening.
　
Isn’t It Odd
　
When Shrubbery was nailed for doing 128 mph in a residential area putting the residents of the area at risk, his car manufacturer said nothing. When Shrubbery gets “pruned” by a 65 year old man, they come out in defense of Shrubbery and want the head of the “pruner” be served up on a silver platter.
　
Advice for Richard Childress
　
Two words: Tonya Harding.
　

Jules the Engine Guy had some interesting observations regarding irony:
　
#1
Dodge makes a complaint about engines, saying Ford has an advantage.
Yesterday, in the order of the makes, Dodge, Chevy, Toyota and Ford is last. Dodge dominates too. Nothing against Ford but amazing how that works out.
　
　
#2
With the advent of the new fueling procedures and ethanol, tires now last for an entire fuel run. Are the tires better or is the mileage worse? Also interesting is that its a 50/50 toss up as to whether or not the teams fill the cars with fuel. We heard of Biffle, Kurt Busch, and now Tony Stewart having these issues. One make of car seems left out. The make that hasn't had a problem advertises that its line is the most fuel efficient.
　
　
#3
Cryal Busch (although he does not admit it) tries his damnedest to drive like Earnhardt Sr. He loves it when they make that comparison. So what does he do? He gets ticketed for driving an exotic sports car 3x the speed limit in the county where Earnhardt Sr lived. Then he gets his ass kicked by a man almost 40 years his senior. That man, Earnhardt's car owner.
　
Penske Going to Chevy for Cup?
　
2012 is when Penske’s contract with Dodge runs out and with the announcement that his IndyCar operation will be the lead Chevy team and his IndyCar teams were spotted with Hendrick decals on the rear spoilers, you have to wonder if Penske is already building the new cars without saying anything or if he’s planning to have some sort of alliance with Hendrick in 2012 in the form of possibly being yet another Hendrick satellite team. I’m just speculating here but the indications are pretty strong. So what say you Roger? Is your Cup operation switching to Chevy or not come 2012?
　

TV Ratings Deception
　
Don’t be deceived by all the hype of how Focks ratings had the biggest increase in the last 11 years. If you go back and look at where the ratings were before Faux King Brian took over and the high point, the TV ratings are still down by at least 25%. So while they may have gone up for Focks this season, they’re nowhere near where they use to be.

　

Curtis Turner, IndyCar Stuff, Rolling Thunder Modifieds, History, and Other Stuff

Hall of Fame Contender: Curtis "Pops" Turner

　

Curtis Turner with mechanical wizard Smokey Yunick

Curtis Turner was born is a small town in Virginia called Floyd back in 1924. Curtis was known for a number of things. He made and lost more money than most of us will ever see in the timber industry. He was known for holding some wild parties. He was also known for his abilities behind the wheel of a stock car. He was also one of the Founding Fathers of NASCAR along with Raymond Parks, Red Byron, Red Vogt, and the Staley Brothers whom you rarely hear about. Curtis was one of the first drivers to use an airplane to get from one race to the next. Curtis tried to start a drivers union which got him and Tim Flock blackballed for life in 1961. Of course, Big Bill France didn’t know just how popular Curtis was with race fans until the other racing series that Curtis ran in while he was blackballed pulled in more fans than NASCAR was pulling in. Probably a good place to find out about Curtis Turner is to read the book “Full Throttle”. It covers the days from when Curtis hauled sugar to make moonshine and getting shot at to his popularity with Ford Motor Company and how he used that to get the Wood Brothers the backing of Ford to his untimely death. Characters like Curtis don’t come along very often and there definitely aren’t any like him in today’s squeaky clean, politically correct NA$CAR. Some of the “supporting” characters in Curtis’ racing career were the Clown Prince of Racing Joe Weatherly, Smokey Yunick, the Wood Brothers, Big Bill France, Bud Moore, and a who’s who of racing from the good old days of racing.
　
Probably one of the more interesting things (to me) that happened during Curtis’ career was after Big Bill France re-instated Curtis in 1965. Nobody wanted to take a chance on Curtis because of his age. But one team did step up and gave Curtis the break he needed to get back into racing. The same team he helped give a break to years before. The Wood Brothers. They never forgot what Curtis did for them by getting Ford to back them in their racing efforts so they fielded a car for him. And as sort of a jab at the owners who wouldn’t hire him, Curtis had his age as the car number, the #41. Unfortunately for us fans, Curtis retired from racing in 1968 and went back to the timber business. He lost his life in a plane crash which some have attributed to the fuel in his plane that he got before starting the next leg of his flight back to his home in Roanoke, VA. He was given the nickname of the “Babe Ruth of Stock Car Racing” by Sports Illustrated in 1968 and was the first NASCAR driver to appear on their cover. By the time he appeared on that cover, he had won over 350 races in NASCAR, ARCA, MARC, and USAC. Curtis was also the genius behind Charlotte Motor Speedway, which you’ll never get Bruton Smith to admit to nor the betrayal Bruton pulled on a vote as to whether or not to keep Curtis on the board of the speedway.
　
If you look at the “total package”, which is something I urge the voting members to do, Curtis rates right up there and is worthy on being inducted into the HOF.
　
A couple of side notes, Floyd, VA., where Curtis Turner was born, is also the home town of Tony Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb and USAR driver Jeff Agnew. Curtis’ daughter Margaret Sue, Pam Roberts (Fireball‘s daughter), and Sybil Scott (Wendell’s daughter) use to be the 3 Musketeers of the infield when they followed their dad’s careers around from track to track and maintained a life-long friendship.
　
Somebody’s Fibbed About The Split Screen Coverage
　
Back when BSPN first got their segment of the broadcast contract, fans were hoping that this would be the advent of the same split-screen coverage that Disney/ABC/BSPN had used for their coverage of the IRL. His Imperial Incontinence, Faux King Brian, dashed all the fans hopes when he stated that split screen coverage would not be allowed because it wouldn’t allow the sponsors to present their form of branding. Well, it seems we’re now catching Faux King Brian in yet another fib.
　
When asked about the split screen format, here’s a non-answer given by BSPN:
　
“Since we returned to NASCAR racing in 2007, one of the most common questions from our fans has been ‘why don’t you do the commercials side-by-side?’” said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content. “We’re very pleased to be able to do it now with NASCAR Non Stop and showcase the advertiser while still showcasing the race. ESPN’s mission is to serve sports fans and this is a way to give the fans more racing action during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.”
　
Now here’s an answer from BSPN that’s actually an answer:
　
"Currently, we are not allowed to do side-by-side per our rights agreement with NASCAR," Rich Feinberg said before the Daytona 500. "But I know that in our partnership we have discussions with them about that and overall we understand the frustration."
　
So it’s not the sponsors or advertisers who prohibited the split screen coverage but NA$CAR itself which prohibited it. When will Faux King Brian ever learn that his fibs will eventually come back to bite him in the backside? Like the COT will make the racing more exciting, the COT will solve all of the aero problems, we want to bring back our long time fans, it’s Dale Jr’s fault NA$CAR isn’t doing better, and I know what’s best for the sport.
　
　
IMS to Drop NA$CAR?
　
Racer magazine is reporting the sales of tickets for this year’s Brickyard 400 are lagging behind last year’s low turnout of an estimated 140,000. Last year’s attendance was down nearly 50% from the 270,000 that attended in 2007. IMS officials are stating they believe the over-saturation of Cup, NNS, and truck races in the Midwest is a contributing reason, especially the addition of Kentucky just 170 miles away along with Chicago, Michigan, and Kansas.
　
Considering that the France family and ISC have abandoned IndyCar (IndyCar does not race at any ISC tracks), that maybe IMS is considering dropping NASCAR because it is becoming a money loser since the Goodyear tire fiasco.
　
One Manufacturer’s History Speaks Volumes
　
Toyota had partnered with Dan Gurney’s All American Racers and dominated the IMSA prototype ranks, virtually destroying that series (which was revived by Panoz and became the ALMS). Gurney and his AAR team built an Eagle powered by Toyota into the CART series. Toyota suddenly dropped Gurney and driver Robby Gordon in favor of providing engines for Newman-Haas and Ganassi. As in fighting continued within CART, Penske brokered a behind the scenes deal to take Honda and Toyota to the IRL, because of the Indy 500.
　
They were the engine to have when they went to IndyCar, as Penske and Ganassi were cleaning up. Honda partnered with Andretti-Green and when that team’s drivers began dominating, so Toyota joined Chevy in leaving the series.
　
In Formula 1, Toyota was spending more than Ferrari per year, something to the tune of $750m. They even were caught with design information from Ferrari, as one of their car designs looked very much like the previous year’s Ferrari dominating car. But in all their years in F1, they only mustered a couple of podium finishes. So they left and put their money into NASCAR.
　
Toyota, through their Lexus brand, provided support of Ganassi’s Grand Am team. After winning a couple of titles in the prototype division, in late 2009 Toyota announced they were leaving Grand Am. This forced Ganassi to scramble and he ended up putting together a deal with BMW.
　
Toyota’s track record is clear. If they ever win a title, both driver and manufacturer, in Cup or after a number of years with limited success, they will be gone. If they pull out, gone is the money NASCAR relies on, because I’m sure the next TV contract will not be anywhere close to the current one.
　
　
Alex Tagliani on Pole for Indy 500
　
In a feel good story for the upcoming Indy 500, Alex Taglaini put his car on the pole for former driver Sam Schmidt, who was paralyzed as the result of a crash during testing. Beating out the powerhouse teams like Ganassi and Penske is no small feat. Ganassi driver’s Franchitti and Dixon both managed to run out of fuel which put a serious dent in their qualifying efforts. Former NA$CAR driver John Andretti was the only one of the five Andretti Racing drivers to qualify. Simona De Silvestro, coming back from a fiery wreck earlier in the week, was able to qualify 24^th. This leaves the Queen of Hype, Ana Beatriz, 2 Ganassi cars, a Penske car, and others to try to make it in on Bump Day qualifying.
　
2012 All Star Race Rumors
　
Rumors are already surfacing regarding next year’s All Star Race and the Queen of Hype’s silence over next year’s plans on driving in NA$CAR. I’m not sure where the rumor started but according to the rumor she’ll be running in the 2012 All Star Race. I don’t see how she can get in based on her current driving levels in the Busch series and the fact that she has yet to drive in a Cup race, much less win a race in any of NA$CAR’s Top 3 series, but considering past results of the fan vote have been rigged to get certain drivers with high dollar sponsors in, it wouldn’t be a real surprise if the Queen of Hype did get in.
　
Rolling Thunder Modifieds Rolling On
　
Last year’s Rolling Thunder Modified Touring Series winner Trevor Edwards continued his dominance of Newport Speedway having now won both races in the tour’s history at Newport Speedway. Trevor was also the pole-sitter for the double-points event. Eldon Zacek of Concord, NC finished 2^nd. Chris Brown of Ft. Washington, KY assumes the Series points lead after two races this season while finishing 3^rd. Jeff Woods of Vinton, VA was fourth and is now 2^nd in points while Ed Ditges of Orlando, FL rounded out the Top 5.

Lauren Edgerton of Chesterfield, VA becomes the first woman racer in the 20-year history of the Rolling Thunder Modifieds and Lauren finished 6^th. Vance Hall of Richfield, NC finished 7th and moves to third in the points.

The Rolling Thunder Modifieds are scheduled to return to Dillon Motor Speedway on July 9, 2011 for their 3^rd race of the season.
　
　

Tax Deductions, Missing Memorabilia, HOF, & Other Stuff

Sam Ard Donations Can Be Tax Deductible

　
If you’re looking for a tax deduction for next year, you can donate to the Sam Ard Care Fund through Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) at:
　
Samuel J. Ard Care Fund
M.R.O.
Smith Tower Suite 405
555 Concord Parkway South
Concord, NC 28027

　

Ramo Stott Memorabilia Still Missing

 

　
Still no word or any leads on the Ramo Stott memorabilia that was stolen from the Stott household in Iowa. There is still a reward for the arrest and conviction of the dirt bags who stole it.
　
Spinning the Ratings Numbers
　
NA$CAR’s latest “spin” has to do with the ratings numbers. If they moved a race from one weekend to another, but there was still a race on, then the numbers are still valid. For example, if race #5 of this season is measured against race #5 of last season, then the numbers comparison should be valid. However, because the race locations may be a week earlier or later than last season, the numbers are being skewed to show that this season race at Talladega for example is up versus last year’s race even though they’re not on the same weekend. “Flip it on full spin cycle boys, we want those numbers to look good”.
　
Nielsen Media Research estimates there are 115.9 million television households in the U.S.A. "Household Rating" is an expression of the percentage of households tuned in to any show at a given time. Therefore, a 1.0 rating would equal an average of 1.159 million households were watching during the program.
　
　
2012 HOF Nominees


The announcement was made for next years HOF nominees. And once again I’ll say that Raymond Parks Jr and Red Byron should be inducted. They should’ve both been inducted in the first class. Without the financing of Raymond Parks Jr’s moonshine, Bill France Sr would’ve had to fold up his tent and gone home. In the tradition of real sports, Red Byron should’ve been inducted in the 1^st class as he was the first champion. But as this is about family oriented sports entertainment and Faux King Brian doing his best to sever the ties of moonshine and the South to the origins, revising history, and making of what was once a sport, both of them lost out.
　 　
After those two, here’s where it gets tricky. There are a lot of worthy folks on the list. The Wood Brothers who revolutionized the pit stop. Two time Grand National and American Motorcycle Association Champion Joe Weatherly. Two time champion Herb Thomas, who’s career was ended early thanks to Carl Kiekhaefer because Herb changed teams and Kiekhaefer was irate about it and had Herb intentionally taken out during a race in Shelby NC after which Herb was never quite the same. Two time Grand National champion Tim Flock who was blackballed by Bill France Sr along with Curtis Turner for trying to form a badly needed drivers’ union which is still needed today is another worthy candidate. There are some sentimental favorites for me on the list. Fireball Roberts, NASCAR’s first real superstar, who was my hero as a kid. Hometown hero Curtis Turner. NASCAR’s original Golden Boy Fred Lorenzen. Cotton Owens who was a success as both an owner and driver and was selected as one of NASCAR’s Top 50 drivers. But despite the accomplishments and contributions of some of these early legends, they won’t make it in because they don’t have the “name recognition” or “star quality” that Faux King Brian is lusting after. Some still have the heavy taint of “redneck”, “Southerner”, and “moonshine” to their names and legends which the Revisionists, PC crowd, and Faux King Brian despise so much. We have one driver who could be selected because of his ethnic background, and no, I’m not going to mention his name because that would be used by Faux King Brian‘s Diversity Program as yet another sham showpiece and actually dishonor the driver. Pick who you want and vote for them. Drop an e-mail to Dustin Long as he’s one of the voting members and let him know who you think should be in the 2012 class and why.
　
IndyCar Moving Forward
　
While the dinosaur that is NASCAR still continues on with it’s generic race vehicles and will eventually embrace 1980’s engine technology with the TBI (Throttle Body Injection) system, IndyCar is bringing in engine manufacturers who are using current, state-of-the-art engine technology and will be moving away from their generic 1980’s Dallara bodies to a variety of body styles next season. According to Autoextremist owner/writer Peter De Lorenzo, “Because the buzz at Long Beach wasn't about how great the ALMS is, it was about how many quality teams from the ALMS and Grand-Am were seriously considering giving IndyCar a shot in 2012”. This could boost the car count for IndyCar to levels where they could actually have to resort to “go or go home” qualifying procedures and hurt the Grand-Am Series, which is owned by NA$CAR, because of it‘s dwindling car counts under the “leadership“ of Jim France, Faux King Brian‘s uncle, and the real lack on interest by NA$CAR in the Grand-Am Series and the incorporation of NA$CAR‘s “techniques“ to generate artificial excitement. What’s it going to take to get NA$CAR into the 21^st Century, run relevant engine technology, and have race vehicles that actually resemble their street counterparts? A walk-out by the Big 3, which they have threatened to do if NA$CAR doesn’t get off their slower than molasses rear ends and start making the cars readily brand identifiable as either a Mustang, Challenger, or Impala.
　
Another Woman to Drive in the Indy 500
　
Conquest Racing has announced that they will be fielding a car for Pippa Mann. This means that the Indy 500 field will have 3 female racers and one female celebrity in the field. Folks don’t know it because Pippa’s not a celebrity but she was the first woman to sit on the pole at IMS and did it in the Indy Light cars. Pippa will be joined by drivers Simona De Silvestro and Ana Beatriz and female celebrity the Queen of Hype.
　
IndyCar to Bid Bye Bye to the QoH Next Season
　
It’s looking like the Queen of Hype won’t be back in the IndyCar Series next season based on what sources are telling me. She’ll be spending next season promoting her branding and marketing in NA$CAR full-time instead of the current part-time branding and marketing schedule she’s had the last two seasons. If the branding and marketing schedule on BSPN turned your stomach the last 2 seasons, just wait til next season when it‘s all Danican‘t all the time on BSPN.
　
No Problems at Talladega for Robby

Robby had his Fast 5/Speed Energy show car and souvenir hauler at Talladega and didn’t have a single problem with his show car being towed, being banned from the I$C tracks, or being accused of “ambush marketing” which is also used by a home improvement company, a car manufacturer, a certain cell phone provider who is the only one allowed thanks to the exclusivity agreement, and the “fine” folks at Focks who employ ambush marketing every time they shill for one certain auto manufacturer who owns Jabber Jaws, certain drivers who are brand names by themselves, the official fuel provider, the official tire provider, and every time they slip in a logo for the Cup and fuel provider on either the roof cam, in-car, or rear cam views with the driver‘s name and car info.
　
Speaking of which, anyone happen to notice which driver’s fans are being targeted by American Ethernol with the roof cam shots?
　
SCCA Action at Long Beach
　
In the SCCA World Challenge race at Long Beach, female driver Shea Holbrook won the Touring Car division. Joey Hand co-piloted the Team BMW RLL M3 to the ALMS GT win at Long Beach. So far he has won the Rolex 24, Sebring, and Long Beach - 3-for-3. Looks like Joey could have a banner year if this keeps up. Can or will anyone step up to the challenge?
　
US Forces Still Involved With Japanese Relief Efforts
　
About the only thing we’re hearing about now in the media is the occasional reports about the nuclear reactors that were damaged during the earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan but our troops are still there helping with various relief efforts. Now that roads are re-opened, helicopter efforts launched and recovered from the USS Ronald Reagan have been scaled back. Our troops will continue to assist in the relief efforts there until the Japanese government can fully take over for our troops. Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said the U.S. aid underscored the importance of the two nations’ military alliance. “At no other time have I felt as proud of our alliance with the United States,” Kitazawa was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying. So while things may be scaling back some, we’ve still got goodwill ambassadors on the ground lending a helping hand.