NASCAR Loses to Patriotism..and Old Time Dirt Track Racing!

Posted on | February 28, 2010 | No Comments

OK…I admit..frankly I watched very little NASCAR this weekend. Why, you ask? Well I will tell you, there were three factors that kept me away:

1) With my lovely bride out of town, I was granted the gift of a no-holds-barred session with my lovely little girl. Grace kept me plenty busy, and just a tad distracted. Plus, with the delay in the Nationwide race, there were too many things working against me.

2) I had the pleasure of getting back to basics with (semi-local) Dirt Track Racing. This weekend brought the joy that is the Texas Motor Speedway World Dirt Track Championships. In this case “world” meaning Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and maybe Mississippi, Arkansas, and Nebraska. Nonetheless, what a great throwback to good ol’ fashion dirt track Saturday nights. PGTerrill and I took our boys, and a few associated friends and family out to these great races. Unless you have had the opportunity to enjoy a Saturday night of racing, y0u really can’t appreciate the fun that can bed had. For a mere $15 (for adults) you can enjoy about 10-15 races in a single evening. This is 15 different opportunities to share with my son and his friends the fun of picking a winner for this heat race. How do you pick? HELL, I don’t know..he looks fast, I like his number, I think his name is cool…OMG…Look..It’s freakin’ Batman out there (BTW..Batman was fast as HELL). Regardless, I love this night…a great chance to give the next generation an opportunity to learn what real local racing is all about

3) USA vs Canada for the Gold Medal. I won’t lie..I tried to watch both..and play sports trivia at one of our local haunts. It worked..for about 2 periods..then it was all hands on deck for the remaining hockey game. While the USA lost, I am so proud of our team. Canada won, and God bless them for it, they deserved it. Truly a great team, and for a country that so desperately wanted (needed) this victory, I do wish them well. I think the USA Hockey future is bright.

Nonetheless, NASCAR was in Vegas this weekend, and SURPRISE, your reigning Sprint Cup Champion was victorious. I am not sure what it is going to take to dethrone the mighty 48 team. Jimmy Johnson and Chad Knaus are simply better than everyone else. I think it is going to require them “losing” it rather than anyone else “winning” it. BTW..this weekend brought the end to act 1 of the Danica experiment. She wrecked in her final run through early season Nationwise. I was amused that her crew chief actually used the word “babe” when talking to her on the radio. Before you get all worked up about a redneck being…well…a redneck, you should know that he was trying to “talk her off a ledge” after her wreck. Danica is extremely passionate, and perhaps a wee-bit hot headed whenever she is dis-serviced by a mistake from another driver. She is definitely going to have to learn how to check that emotion…at least enough to get the proper experience in the big cars. The fact is that in racing, accidents happen, people misjudge closing speed..and even the vaunted Danica will one day have to say..yeah I am sorry about that…just a racing deal. Nonetheless, we will pick this discussion up in a couple months.

Next week is in Atlanta…so we’ll see what the next round of goin’ fast and turnin’ left brings.

~Cheers