Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Chevy Rock 'n Roll 400

This week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is up. Click on the title to read and comment.

Race Chat- Richmond

Greetings race fans. Hopefully, we have all calmed down following the truck race. Right now, we're in a holding pattern as Michigan is trying to send their game with Notre Dame into overtime. If they do, Katie will have a Michigan voodoo doll for the rest of the CFB season.

So, it's the last race before the chase, and according to ABC seven spots are still up for grabs. Who will be in, and who will be out when the checkered flag waves?

Can we please get this game over with? I WANNA WATCH THE RACE!!!!!!


Reminder: When we get over 200 comments, you have to hit the newer posts button to go to the next page.

Chargers v Raiders Preview and Week 1 NFL Picks!


Hi Everyone! If you are interested, I just posted my take on this week's Charger Vs Raiders game as well as my picks for week one. Come on by and tell me what yo think. It's hard to pick week one, but we'll see how it goes. I will give you one prediction here and now.... The Chargers will not choke against the Raiders!

Click on the title of this post to read more!

Atlanta Falcons at home against the Miami Dolphins

Friday, September 11, 2009

A Prodigal Son Returns?

Hadn't seen anyone else chuck this on here yet so I figured I'd do it; Richard Petty Motorsport to switch to Ford at the end of this season.

Pump Up the Volume

Heading into the Italian GP at Monza, Jenson Button has very little momentum on his side. But really that’s okay, because his closest rivals in the F1 championship have not taken advantage of the Brawn GP driver’s recent struggles. Wild race results at Spa with Raikkonen piloting the Ferrari F60 to the top spot on the podium, and chasing him all the way to the finish line was (this is not a misprint) Giancarla Fisichella in the suddenly fast Force India car. Fisi took the pole, but let the flying Finn steal the win away from him. I understand those were Force India’s first ever championship points for finishing in second, but they truly let a GP win slip through their fingers.

Monza is another low downforce track, so will that play into Force India’s strengths and give them another chance at GP glory? Will Red Bull Racing make the title chase interesting? Will a suddenly motivated Raikkonen bring home a win for the tifosi?

Stay tuned, those questions and more to be answered this weekend.

As for the dudes with the roofs and fenders, the Sprint Cup festivities return to Richmond for the final dust-up before the Chase Challenge for Special Drivers takes effect. Four drivers have the luxury of knowing they’ll be chasing for the title, but there are eight spots left to be filled. The Rowdy One in the 18 car alone should be worth the price of admission (or in my case, the price of watching from my couch), and my guess is that he’ll repeat his earlier RIR victory with another chance to bow and wave to the crowd. The other dude to keep a close eye on is Matt Kenseth in the 17 car. His wife is expecting a child, the pressure of making the Chase is bearing down on him, and he must fend off the #18 wild child …. Will Kenseth be The Iceman or Mr Crash-n-Burn? Let the games begin!

Should be fun to watch every time the 17 and 18 cars get even remotely close to one another on the track. Or what if the 6 car should happen to bump the 18 car? Might a Roush car maybe do a tap dance with the 18? Cue the spooky music and stork’s conspiracy theory.

Oh yeah, and there’s football too! College football grinds into Week 2 and the NFL is set for Week 1 of their season. Bears vs Packers in prime time on Sunday Night. Time to fire up the ol’ Weber grille and get back dedicated to my cholesterol diet.

Bears 27
Packers 10

Right Sides Only

Last race for the Chase!

Did NASCAR fianlly get it right, or just get lucky?

ALWAYS REMEMBER!


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Thursday, September 10, 2009

It's No Lie, Stewart Won the Prelude

Click on the title and enjoy the Prelude to the Dream.

All Filler, No Killer - The Kid in the Candy Shop Edition

It's AFNK for Atlanta and I've got my sticky mits on a new toy.

Click on the title and read the insanity - there will be a quiz.

The Trifecta- The Blackout's Over Edition

Greetings, race fans. It's a great week for the Beagle. On Tuesday, UPS left a surprise package for Katie from Stewart Haas Racing on the porch(they give away swag to fans registered on the website every month, and this month was Katie's turn), and the cable imposed race blackout has ended. Yep, we're doin' the happy dance.

This week's Trifecta takes us to the capital of the Confederacy along with a side trip to St. Louis for our three races.

First up is the Nationwide Series race from Richmond Friday night. The green flag drops at 7:43pm ET.

Next is the Camping World Truck Series race from St. Louis Saturday afternoon. The green flag drops at 2:48pm ET.


Finally, we return to Richmond for the Sprint Cup series race Saturday night. The green flag drops at 7:43pm ET.


The Rules:

You may choose any driver; however, you may not use the same driver in both the Nationwide and Cup races(ex: if you pick Kyle B. for the NW race, you cannot use him in the Cup race ahd vice versa).

Driver changes must be posted to this blog prior to the green flag for the race you wish to change.

Good luck, and let's go racing!!!

Attention Smoke Fans:




As part of Burger King's new ad campaign (thank god, they needed one) Tony Stewart has agreed to take a polygraph test to prove he truly loves his Whopper (as if there was any doubt).


He'll also be answering other questions, and here's where you come in: Starting Sept 25, you can submit your questions and, who knows, maybe yours will be chosen.

http://www.truthabouttony.com/

Somebody (or maybe all of us) has got to ask about the trombone-playing!

What a goofball!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Gas and Go--Richmond (Summer Race 2009)

This week's Gas and Go is up. Feel free to view and comment.

The Speeding Bullets: Pep Boys Auto 500

This week's edition of The Speeding Bullets is up and running. Just click on the title and as always feel free to comment...

Motorsport Power Rankings No.34

Click on the link, rejoice in Musical Italians and the fact the Karma got Carl Edwards.

Read, comment, abuse.

Making of a Champion, Part II

Just before the end of the 1964 season Bill France announced the banning of the Hemi engine and the Ford 427 High Riser. France was relenting to pressure from Ford concerning the potential dominance of the Hemi. Ironically the Championship for “64” was hotly contested with Petty only winning because he competed in two more events than second place finisher Ned Jarrett. The final point totals are misleading as during that time points were calculated by events entered and miles completed.

France’s decision made little since considering that Chrysler products won 26 out of 61 races in 1964 with Petty winning nine times, Ford and Mercury scored 35 checkered flags with Ned Jarrett winning 15 times. The Ford teams gave a good accounting and were very fast with great performance. The real story is that Petty’s embarrassment of the field at Daytona in February was not taken kindly by Bill France. He would pay for his decision dearly.

Chrysler responded to the Hemi ban by boycotting all Nascar events there by parking Petty and the other Dodge and Plymouth teams. They refused to run approved available engines to make their point. Ford was content with France’s decision knowing that their approved engine would be competitive.

Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises decided to go drag racing in 1965 and were very successful until a child was killed when Richard’s car lost control due to mechanical failure at a race in Dallas Georgia. This tragedy ended Richard’s quarter mile runs forever.

Without the very popular Petty on the track and no Chrysler product’s for fans to root for Bill France and Nascar took a huge hit at the box office and it is likely that the sanctioning body would have become bankrupt during the 1966 season with the loss of so much revenue. Bill France finally relented allowing the Hemi back into competition on July, 25th of 1965.

Richard and Petty Enterprises regrouped to finish the season with four victories. The fans were again going to the races, the track promoters were happy and Chrysler was back in the racing business.



Early in the 1966 Daytona 500 it did not look to be Petty’s day as he lost two laps to the leaders with tire issues. Once the tires woes were corrected Richard easily outran the field taking his second Daytona victory by over a lap with Cale Yarborough finishing second. Bill France must have winced as the electric blue Plymouth streaked under the checkered flag but there were no tears for France as he took a suitcase full of money to the bank after the festivities concluded at Daytona. The fans were back en force with Petty and Chrysler on top again at Daytona.

Richard had a relatively quiet and workman like year winning eight times with a third place finish in the Championship after David Pearson’s great season which included 15 wins and the title driving Cotton Owens Dodge. 1967 would be anything but quiet for Richard Petty.

The 1967 season has been well documented and surely is one for the ages. Why this happened is subject to speculation. What did happen will never be seen again. Richard Petty started the season with blistering the field by over 2 laps at Augusta’s half mile bull ring. At Daytona Petty fell short with a late race engine failure while Mario Andretti shocked the racing world by winning the 500 with a thrilling performance.

Mario’s great Daytona drive would soon be eclipsed by Richard Petty’s incredible season. The competition was showing up thinking about finishing second. An amazing 27 victories turned the racing world on it’s head as Petty ran the gauntlet that included four separate back to back wins, a stretch of three in a row and an eye popping ten victories in a row from August 17th at Winston Salem to October 1st in North Wilkesboro. Richard remarked of his 10 win streak by stating that the other drivers mentally were losing the race before it even started. The lowest finish that Richard recorded while running at the end of an event was 11th at Daytona in July and Petty managed an 8th place at Daytona in February while parked in the garage with a blown engine His other low finishes were due to mechanical failure or accidents. One can only imagine what Richard’s season totals would have been if not for 8 DNF’s. The legend was born with nicknames like the Randleman Rocket, Ole Blue and the King. The later stuck at Richard was on top of the racing world.

The 1966 Belvadere was so good that after crashing the car and damaging the front suspension during a short track race Richard told the crew to fix it instead of parking for the day. After repairs Petty maded up a seven lap deficit to win the event by two laps.

Supposedly nothing changed at Petty Enterprises between the 1966 and “67” seasons as Maurice Petty only re skinned a 1966 Plymouth with 1967 trim and of course fresh engines. When Maurice and Dale Inman were questioned about this huge turn around they only shrugged their shoulders and did not give an answer. Could it be that Petty received a phone call from Auburn Hills Michigan after blasting the field at Daytona in 1966 to Bill France’s chagrin ? Was Chrysler concerned about Nascar’s scrutiny of the Petty powered freight train after embarrassing Bill France’s marquee event two of the last three years ? Or did it all come together just right with great cars and great driving. It did not matter as Richard Petty made a statement that will forever be chiseled into the record books.

Richard Petty’s career up to this point was marked by consistent finishes with flashes of brilliance as he and Petty Enterprises took advantage of their opportunities on the way to becoming the first family of racing. The coming years would see more jewels added to the crown as there was much yet to accomplish.

to be continued

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Name that Film: Back to School Edition


Hi Everyone! Stop on by and try your luck at this week's game. We are celebrating the beginning of another school year! Check out blood's latest intro and try your luck at the quotes! See you there! Just click on the title of this post.

Rating the Pep Boys 500

The rating from Sunday night's race is up. Just click the title.

View From The Flagstand

Cold Buds in Hotlanta!

Click the title to see this week's flags, plus a new flag makes an appearance!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Hey All You Lug-Nuts and Fan Addicts

Did you know that many of your friends are on Facebook? We have a thriving little group- I won't name names because I know I'll forget someone. If you're already on Facebook, search for Katie Scarlett O'Beagle and send me a friend request. I'll get you hooked up with the rest of the gang. If you've thought about joining Facebook, this gives you a reason to go ahead and sign up.

We'd love to have you join us!

IMPORTANT- Please include your blogger name in your friend request. That way, I'll know who you are :o).

SYMT Chase 2009

The Atlanta race results are up with race winner and are season champion. Also info on whats going on for next weeks race and the chase.

Cheers to All

UM? Is this a record yet?

Well, Last night I watched as Dave Blaney got his 21st DNF in 22 tries, this one due to a electrical issue. I would have thought I might see a long list of accidents , WRONG. The list covers just about everything. 5 brake failures, 4 for overheating, 2 electrical issues, 2 accidents, 2 engines, 2 rears, 1 fuel pump, 1 vibration? 1 transmission, 1 steering and a partridge in a pear tree.

Anybody know what the problem is with this team? Anyone know what the record is for DNF's in a season? Or dnf's per start ratio? Gotta be a trophy in there somewhere.

On another note; Yeah Kasey, YeeMum must have gone topless for all 500 miles, Yeah YeeMum, way to take one for the team.

On another note; I see where my buddy jon464 was a tad bit unhappy with the late yellow and thinks Happy got jobbed? I say jon goes under the bus for the sour grapes.

COME-TO-JESUS MEETING???

When I heard this expression "Come-to-Jesus" meeting in a blog last week, I thought it was one of those "real" meetings like when Joe Gibbs invited Dale Jarrett to a Christian Athletes half-time show at the Super Bowl where DJ became a Christian. But it seems, it's just a name for a "good-talking-to" when drivers need an attitude adjustment! THAT'S RACIN's David Poole was known for calling it a "Come-to-Jesus"-style meeting when drivers were taken out to the woodshed for bad tempers and bad attitudes. So I started doing some research.

Did you know that Kyle Busch spotted a fan, crying in the stands and tried to hand her the checkered flag through the fence at Bristol? or after the uproar over smashing the guitar trophy, he donated some money to give 150 guitars to two area high schools?

How sweet! Seriously, something has changed him. I first noticed the change when at Bristol, rookie Chase Austin pulled in front of Kyle and put him in the wall. Kyle was leading the race but afterward, all he said about it was, "mistakes happen sometimes -- I've made plenty. We'll go on and get them next week." Wow!

It's claimed Kyle Busch had a "Come-to-Jesus" meeting with his spotter and public relations manager during the off week between Chicagoland and Indianapolis. Kyle had radioed in to his crew during the race that he "didn't care what they thought, the car was junk!" He didn't know until it was too late that the car had lost spring rubbers from the suspension but the damage was done. He had already spouted off at his team. So came the discussion on how to not wear all of his emotions on his sleeve. Kyle admitted that maybe the reason he's won some races is because of "who he is," but maybe that's a lot of the reason why he's lost some races is because of "who he is."

The same expression was used after Robby Gordon sent Joey Logano all the way off the track and into the tire barriers and then Joey's car caught on fire. Someone said it was time for NASCAR to have a "Come-to-Jesus" meeting with Robby. Joey's hilarious response was "You can't fix stupid!"lol

And what about the "Come-to-Jesus" meeting at Michigan with Brian France because of the drivers "speaking out" against the Car of Tomorrow? France had just told the drivers at the end of 2008 that they needed to show more emotion. He even hinted that Jimmie Johnson's personality wasn't compelling enough to get more fans to jump on the band wagon. Now Brian is telling them to keep quiet!lol

I suppose it is a catchy phrase but somehow, a "Come-to-Jesus" meeting brings to mind people's hearts being changed out of their own convictions, not someone else's. Whatever works! I would just hate to see the drivers turned into clones!!!lol

HOT OR NOT : THE NIGHT IS RIGHT

WELL WILL TRY THIS ONE MORE TIME.

THE LINK IS http://gunaquatsmyopinion.blogspot.com/
GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

GUYES THE NEW HOT OR NOT IS UP, HOPE I REMEMBERED AND GOT THE LINK RIGHT.

GUNAQUAT

Pep Boys Auto 500 Race Pictures

Pictures are up from last night's trip to the race. Just click on the title and feel free to comment!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Who Would You Throw Under The Bus?

Sports fans, this is the time of week to throw whoever you think goes under the bus. I only have three.

ESPN: These idiots were ROOTING for a late caution because they KNOW that Kevin Harvick would have won the race. They were still smarting from the @$$-kicking that Happy laid on the field in the NNS race the night before. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW ESPN?? DAMN YOU TO HELL. UNDER THE BUS YOU GO FIRST!!!!!

Clint Bowyer: he brought out the last caution with his spin. Clint, next time get your car under control. For costing Happy a win, you get thrown under the Bus. DAMN YOU!!

Shawne Merriman: for allegedly assulting Tila Tequila. I'm not a Tila fan, but NO WOMAN deserves to be assaulted. Shawne, you shouldn't be doing that. You get to go under the bus for allegedly assaulting a woman.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Pep Boys 500

My latest Good Bad and Ugly is up. Click on the title. Your comments are welcome. FYI, even though Kahne won, he didn't deserve it.

Race Chat- Atlanta

Greetings everyone. This is the last race of Katie's cable imposed race blackout. Next week, it is back to broadcast and a beagle glued to the television.

Some notes:

Katie wishes to remind all Carl Edwards fans that the voodoo duck only works when Carl is actually in the race car. Anything that happens outside of the race is on him.

Many people are hoping that Kyle Busch doesn't make the Chase this year- not because they dislike Kyle, but because they think it will be a more interesting final 10 races with him having nothing to lose. Your thoughts???

Let's get this one over with, so Katie can start watching races again!!!!

Cranial Tidbits

Just some stuff I thunk.