This is my recap of the Chargers vs Ravens week 2 matchup as well as my Bolts / Fins preview. Week 3 picks as well!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Gas and Go--Dover (Chase Race 2009)
The latest Gas and Go is up. Click on the title to read and feel free to leave a comment.
It's been fun!
I'm going to focus on God, God healing Tommy & TOMMY!
Keep him and me in your prayers.
Thanks for the friendship.
It's been fun but it's time to get down to business!
Love ya.
Beverly
Keep him and me in your prayers.
Thanks for the friendship.
It's been fun but it's time to get down to business!
Love ya.
Beverly
Friday, September 25, 2009
Right Sides Only ©
Should be an interesting race.
JPM's making it an interesting Chase.
Click it, or ticket.
JPM's making it an interesting Chase.
Click it, or ticket.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
All Filler, No Killer - The Confusion Abounds Edition
More for the most random NASCAR review around, with another Jr rant this week.
SYMT Chase Race #2:
Ernie Irvan
So the loss of Davey left the Robert Yates organization without a driver. But no one saw what was coming next for this race team.
In September, 1993 Ernie Irvan signed up with Robert Yates Racing to drive the Texaco Havoline 28 Ford Thunderbird. His first race for Yates Racing was at Darlington. Ernie started 10th and finished 5th.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Update, On the SYMT teams
Just so everyone understands the blue team vs red team in the SYMT Chase. What each team wants is to get as many if not all higher up then the other team members. Really if one team gets the top 7 spots they will win or anything close to it. The more at the top the better.
The ones who have alot of points need to help out the others and try to stay on top to win or maybe feel they want some one else to have that honur. Example 1 - CR who has the most points gave some to Photogr to try and push him up from the bottom. Thats great.
Example 2 - Klvalus wants to give some of her points to the top 2 on her team which shows she is a great team mate but, we need her to move up for now and keep her points till she has moved up.
Hope this helps.
Thanks and allways CHEERS!!
The ones who have alot of points need to help out the others and try to stay on top to win or maybe feel they want some one else to have that honur. Example 1 - CR who has the most points gave some to Photogr to try and push him up from the bottom. Thats great.
Example 2 - Klvalus wants to give some of her points to the top 2 on her team which shows she is a great team mate but, we need her to move up for now and keep her points till she has moved up.
Hope this helps.
Thanks and allways CHEERS!!
The Trifecta- Build Your Own Edition
I'm posting the Trifecta a day early because I expect there to be some questions about this week's format.
Last week, we had our first perfect Trifecta since the big move. F2 went 3 for 3 with his picks of Kyle Busch (trucks), Scott Dixon (IRL), and Mark Martin (Cup). Will we see another perfect score this week?
This week, the Trifecta will be a "Build Your Own" format. Choose a driver from 3 of the 4 races listed below. Choose your races carefully. Once a RACE is chosen, it cannot be changed. Drivers may be changed up until the time of the scheduled green flag.
Race #1: The NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Dover, Saturday 9-26; green flag drops at 3:45pm ET.
Race #2: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Las Vegas, Saturday 9-26; green flag drops at 9:49pm ET.
Race #3: The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Sunday 9-27; green flag drops at 8:00am ET.
Race #4: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Dover Sunday 9-27; green flag drops at 2:15pm ET.
Good luck, and let's go racing.
Last week, we had our first perfect Trifecta since the big move. F2 went 3 for 3 with his picks of Kyle Busch (trucks), Scott Dixon (IRL), and Mark Martin (Cup). Will we see another perfect score this week?
This week, the Trifecta will be a "Build Your Own" format. Choose a driver from 3 of the 4 races listed below. Choose your races carefully. Once a RACE is chosen, it cannot be changed. Drivers may be changed up until the time of the scheduled green flag.
Race #1: The NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Dover, Saturday 9-26; green flag drops at 3:45pm ET.
Race #2: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Las Vegas, Saturday 9-26; green flag drops at 9:49pm ET.
Race #3: The Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Sunday 9-27; green flag drops at 8:00am ET.
Race #4: The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race from Dover Sunday 9-27; green flag drops at 2:15pm ET.
Good luck, and let's go racing.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
LIMBO
It seems 10 years ago, we would start over again after 7 years invested in the company. What would you do if you were sexually assaulted by the branch manager? Once intentions were made apparent (i.e. showing no interest)the Good Girl, who is also the Saint and a light angel, who began as a recruiter and worked her way to the top, one behind the henchman, was crucified and ostracized by the entire REAL ESTATE community, crippled in an industry that is signed, sealed and delivered by the contacts you maintain. 7 days a week on human safari. A moral dilema yes, but not the Eternity.
How does one play the game and remain true to the name of their honor? Combating the industry with a virus of good sound advice could be a seed planted to heal. Disinfect the officers presently taking the 60/40 cut nevermind the 25% on all referrals. There's no overhead! What ken possibly be determined as just? What is plain excess?
The melting pot became the icy firing of Johhny Y, one of the shining stars in the sky covered in soot, who was called into the office like a solemn schoolboy, due to a clash in personalities. Determining market trends as a potential agitator, strictly for the people you see, it seems the Heavy came down in the form of an employee who complained to the powers that be, who then set up a meeting for the axe to fall, later that afternoon.
Hard labor for a slum land-lord. There is a level of manipulation. One must take advantage of the system. Fast money corrupts a consequence so what is your price? When purchasing property, shouldn't you be a pain?
You have to combine a person and their skills. Meet and greet. Illustrate as a glamour girl on the Price Is Right. Lay the groundwork with little reason but brightly colored lights like at a fast food resturant. Have realistic expectations and find the likes and dislikes.
"I'm totally screwing him."
Land something that may be called property. Be care and concern. 85% of the general public is ignorant. The animal preys on these missing elements in the shadows, averting their faces, which is always changing. Talk about trips to Africa to shoot big game, playboy on the town, puppy at home! This offer is good until...
Over an hour later Johnny Y sent a message via Pirate Radio to an x-employee no longer with the company. J.Y. was subsequently fired. Funny how word travels. Ground Control has intercepted the message in circulation and Johnny was informed via the HR director.
"Your services will no longer be needed."
A consumer being consumed. A young punk evolving into an asshole with no compassion for the weak. Lend, loan and buy, Shelter 1-2-3, you've seen the papers and our mugs on T.V. Ship all your information overnight. I depend on slothfulness and your inattention.
Then there's the messages' sudden disappearance from the company's main hard-drive...
"I don't know what the sleuth-hound has been feeding you, but none of that shit is even remotely true! A man named ___ steals money and sexually assualts his prey at will."
Meanwhile in the same office earlier that day.
"Johnny Y...your not a team player."
2 days later she files a sexual harrassment suit while on a leave of absence. All this will be decided by Thanksgiving and they are gonna grill Johnny Y with diabolical depositions with a grueling pace set just to trip him up! But the truth doesn't change now does it!
Every appointment had been difficult, up to this point so why should this be any different? Tragedy at every stop. Continuous junction, misdirections upon every point. I was prescribed anti depressants and couldn't even get an appointment for months and talked to like, 15 different doctors. Whatta monkey wrench in my social life! 8 different affidavids were filed. Like I was gonna cause any havoc to the company and become a liability? I didn't have the time! This has been going on beyond years and has been like an anchor around my neck if you need to know the truth. Think of the weight lifted with our cessation. One person is dead...think of that one elderly lady, frail and thin, weathered by time with snow white hair and spectacles; meek, but not scared, her entire savings in the hands of Christopher Sly!
Comepletely liquidated by those Option thugs! She was a kind old woman but scared, and with good reason it seems! Last thing she wanted to do was go through the mortage process and potentially part with her life savings, which is, by now, in a remote country searching for the White Elephant. This started in March and they promised to be done in a timely fashion.
Right in time with the season to break. Closing costs were down.
"I would't have to deplete everything...will I?"
She had since moved out of her condo and waited over 3 months only to find out the house just wasn't ready. What's the use? First, who has any options? She had moved in with her ill-accomodating family to stay in an cramped inlaw's apartment, only to pay for storage and perish shortly thereafter and I don't want that to be me.
How does one play the game and remain true to the name of their honor? Combating the industry with a virus of good sound advice could be a seed planted to heal. Disinfect the officers presently taking the 60/40 cut nevermind the 25% on all referrals. There's no overhead! What ken possibly be determined as just? What is plain excess?
The melting pot became the icy firing of Johhny Y, one of the shining stars in the sky covered in soot, who was called into the office like a solemn schoolboy, due to a clash in personalities. Determining market trends as a potential agitator, strictly for the people you see, it seems the Heavy came down in the form of an employee who complained to the powers that be, who then set up a meeting for the axe to fall, later that afternoon.
Hard labor for a slum land-lord. There is a level of manipulation. One must take advantage of the system. Fast money corrupts a consequence so what is your price? When purchasing property, shouldn't you be a pain?
You have to combine a person and their skills. Meet and greet. Illustrate as a glamour girl on the Price Is Right. Lay the groundwork with little reason but brightly colored lights like at a fast food resturant. Have realistic expectations and find the likes and dislikes.
"I'm totally screwing him."
Land something that may be called property. Be care and concern. 85% of the general public is ignorant. The animal preys on these missing elements in the shadows, averting their faces, which is always changing. Talk about trips to Africa to shoot big game, playboy on the town, puppy at home! This offer is good until...
Over an hour later Johnny Y sent a message via Pirate Radio to an x-employee no longer with the company. J.Y. was subsequently fired. Funny how word travels. Ground Control has intercepted the message in circulation and Johnny was informed via the HR director.
"Your services will no longer be needed."
A consumer being consumed. A young punk evolving into an asshole with no compassion for the weak. Lend, loan and buy, Shelter 1-2-3, you've seen the papers and our mugs on T.V. Ship all your information overnight. I depend on slothfulness and your inattention.
Then there's the messages' sudden disappearance from the company's main hard-drive...
"I don't know what the sleuth-hound has been feeding you, but none of that shit is even remotely true! A man named ___ steals money and sexually assualts his prey at will."
Meanwhile in the same office earlier that day.
"Johnny Y...your not a team player."
2 days later she files a sexual harrassment suit while on a leave of absence. All this will be decided by Thanksgiving and they are gonna grill Johnny Y with diabolical depositions with a grueling pace set just to trip him up! But the truth doesn't change now does it!
Every appointment had been difficult, up to this point so why should this be any different? Tragedy at every stop. Continuous junction, misdirections upon every point. I was prescribed anti depressants and couldn't even get an appointment for months and talked to like, 15 different doctors. Whatta monkey wrench in my social life! 8 different affidavids were filed. Like I was gonna cause any havoc to the company and become a liability? I didn't have the time! This has been going on beyond years and has been like an anchor around my neck if you need to know the truth. Think of the weight lifted with our cessation. One person is dead...think of that one elderly lady, frail and thin, weathered by time with snow white hair and spectacles; meek, but not scared, her entire savings in the hands of Christopher Sly!
Comepletely liquidated by those Option thugs! She was a kind old woman but scared, and with good reason it seems! Last thing she wanted to do was go through the mortage process and potentially part with her life savings, which is, by now, in a remote country searching for the White Elephant. This started in March and they promised to be done in a timely fashion.
Right in time with the season to break. Closing costs were down.
"I would't have to deplete everything...will I?"
She had since moved out of her condo and waited over 3 months only to find out the house just wasn't ready. What's the use? First, who has any options? She had moved in with her ill-accomodating family to stay in an cramped inlaw's apartment, only to pay for storage and perish shortly thereafter and I don't want that to be me.
Name That Film: Patrick Swayze R.I.P. Edition
Hi everyone in Lug-Nut Land! Blood-N-Bolts Productions have a new Name That Film game out for you to test your Patrick Swayze movie trivia skills. Drop on by and try your luck! Just click the title above.
SYMT Chase Loudon Results
Its up and with a new fun thing to help out your TEAM MATES as well, yes I have added something to this...and you have team mates to help out as well to win the chase and your team to win.
Tsfanpc is up next to host.
Cheers2All
Tsfanpc is up next to host.
Cheers2All
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Speeding Bullets: Sylvania 300
This week's edition of The Speeding Bullets is up on a Monday for once! Click on the title to read my analysis of the Martin-Montoya battle and much more...
View From The Flagstand
Enjoy the 'View' while drinking the new Martin Bombs.....Geritol and Red Bull.
Dang, Mustang. Just click the title.
Dang, Mustang. Just click the title.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
HOT OR NOT: CHASE INTRODUCTION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
FOLKS THE NEW HOT OR NOT IS UP AND REALY TO READ
POINT , CLICK, READ, CORRECT
GUNAQUAT
POINT , CLICK, READ, CORRECT
GUNAQUAT
Winners and Losers: Sylvania 300
Finally the actual race and all the talk of championships and pressure and strategy is put to the side at least for the drivers. They get to work and do what they do best, that’s race to win.
With all the anticipation and the buzz surrounding what is a wide open Chase, see which drivers were the winners and which were the losers.
Winners
Mark Martin
Leading the points in the first race of the Chase is not always the best position to be in. For Mark Martin though he was relaxed and wasn’t worrying about points, he was focused on the race.
Martin started 14th after a disappointing qualifying. They weren’t the best car early in the race. Martin dropped back early to as far back as 16th but a stellar first pit stop put them into the top 10. After that stop they never ran outside the top again.
Martin gave feedback when needed and worked traffic perfectly. He survived the multiple late race cautions and a hard charging Juan Pablo Montoya.
The win secured him the top position in the chase and only lost him five points from where he started on Sunday.
Martin gives credit to everyone around him, but face it, he is the favorite for the Championship right now.
That is all that matters.
Points: First
Clint Bowyer
For Clint Bowyer not making the Chase was a tough blow to a driver who had made the las two Chase. This year he can play spoiler without the pressure the Chase brings. On Sunday Bowyer quietly ran a great race, and a top 10 finish to show for it.
Bowyer started a little off on their setup. They were struggled with a loose race car early but Bowyer was able to give good information on what he needed in his car. Bowyer got great track position after a series of solid pit stops.
At one point he was running in the top three battling for the lead. He fell back in the end to 10th but let it be known Bowyer won’t go down quietly even if he won’t win a championship.
His impressive today should only fuel this team not only for the remainder of this year, but to get them back into the Chase next year.
Points: 15th
Elliott Sadler
What a run for Elliott Sadler, we know he can run well on the restrictor plate tracks. Sadler hasn’t shown strength on intermediate and short tracks. Today though they struggled with a race car early but Sadler was able to give solid feedback to his crew.
They battled track position all day long but when it counted and mattered most they were able to hold position through the late restarts. An eighth place finish is exactly what this team needed to change momentum.
Sadler has a lot riding on the final 10 races and even though he has a ride secured he has never been a contender for a championship.
That starts right now for Sadler.
Points: 24th
Losers
Kasey Kahne
During Kasey Kahne weekly press conference he seemed a bit unsure of who was in charge at Richard Petty Motorsports. With many questions unanswered and no real leadership Kahne could only name Kenny Francis as the one he turns to.
One of the questions was the engine department, this week the engine shop director was let go and that was not was the reason for an engine failure. Let's be honest though this engine failure should make Kahne nervous going forward.
What momentum they had coming into today has all but disappeared.
Kahne early on was moving forward but sensed there was an issue on the backstretch he could hear the engine missing. Few seconds later the engine blew and their day was over.
They dropped all the way to 12th in the standings and that would be the best they would be able to do.They would finish 38th.
Kahne needs leadership and while Francis is a strong leader, if they want to have success in the chase there needs to be a man pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
Otherwise Kahne might be an afterthought in the Chase.
Points: 12th
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With all the focus on the Chase drivers, there are a few drivers that are already looking to improve for next year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those drivers, but in recent weeks they have been showing improvement on the track.
Earnhardt started mid pack but quickly was moving forward, in 50 laps he was in the top 10. He was running in the top five before halfway.
This team has seen a turnaround and they are running better. Earnhardt had flawless pit stops and the feedback to the team allowed them to keep up on the car.
Earnhardt and his team are communicating the best he has all year long with his Lance McGrew his crew chief.
The results though don't show that.As we have seen throughout the year trouble on a late restart David Reutimann got into Earnhardt who went hard into the wall.
This should have been a solid top 10 finish turn into a 27th place finish. This was not of his doing with drivers checking up in front of him, he had nowhere to go.
Earnhardt fans should start to feel better progress is being made, albeit too late for 2009.
Points: 21st
David Stremme
As we took the green flag on Sunday the top ten was covered with Chase drivers but a couple drivers had surprising qualifying laps and one of them was David Stremme.
They were using the same setup that Kurt Busch had in his car, and the speed proved that. They were top five in practice, and were looking forward to racing on Sunday.
He ran up front for the first 100 laps but soon began to fall backwards. The handling on this car was going away and the adjustments on pit road were sending them backward.
Then on lap 193 there was contact with AJ Allmendinger sent him spinning. He ended up two laps down and finished 28th.
Stremme is out of a ride at the end of this year and is auditioning for his future in this sport.
Points: 31st
Lucky Dog…
Bobby Labonte
When the weekend began Bobby Labonte was fighting to get into the race. After a stellar qualifying lap that put him eighth, Labonte was in.
The question that remained was would he race all 300 laps? With limited sponsorship they didn’t have enough money for pit crew or tires.
Labonte a former champion went to work and through negotiations he was able to secure enough money to complete the race. It paid off as he ended up leading the race at one point.
You know it’s a tough economy when a former champion is struggling to run a full race. Labonte shouldn’t have been in this position but a sponsorship deal with his other car No. 96 saw him in a car he hasn’t driven before late in the year.
For Labonte if he had a great ride who knows what the results would be, but that is one too many ifs at this point in his career.
Points: 29th
Final Lap…
The first race is over and the standings had a major shakeup and this won’t be the last time this happens.
We saw what was expected the Chase drivers dominated both the good and the bad stories on Sunday.The race was pretty good we saw some great battles throughout the field..
The coverage though was less than impressive, for the first race of the playoffs. ESPN seemed to be struggling with covering not only the Chasers but everyone else.
Sometimes they were so focused on the Chasers they were missing the good racing back in the pack.
The post race coverage was pitiful by ESPN.
I know it is football season but if you want to make the Chase relevant the TV coverage needs to improve. NASCAR fans want to hear from their drivers. The least they could do is talk to the Chase drivers if nothing else.
Don’t want to miss football coverage then cut the pre race show down that way NASCAR fans get everything they want also.
Next up is Dover, who will rebound? Who will play spoiler? Who will take checkers?
See you next Sunday.
With all the anticipation and the buzz surrounding what is a wide open Chase, see which drivers were the winners and which were the losers.
Winners
Mark Martin
Leading the points in the first race of the Chase is not always the best position to be in. For Mark Martin though he was relaxed and wasn’t worrying about points, he was focused on the race.
Martin started 14th after a disappointing qualifying. They weren’t the best car early in the race. Martin dropped back early to as far back as 16th but a stellar first pit stop put them into the top 10. After that stop they never ran outside the top again.
Martin gave feedback when needed and worked traffic perfectly. He survived the multiple late race cautions and a hard charging Juan Pablo Montoya.
The win secured him the top position in the chase and only lost him five points from where he started on Sunday.
Martin gives credit to everyone around him, but face it, he is the favorite for the Championship right now.
That is all that matters.
Points: First
Clint Bowyer
For Clint Bowyer not making the Chase was a tough blow to a driver who had made the las two Chase. This year he can play spoiler without the pressure the Chase brings. On Sunday Bowyer quietly ran a great race, and a top 10 finish to show for it.
Bowyer started a little off on their setup. They were struggled with a loose race car early but Bowyer was able to give good information on what he needed in his car. Bowyer got great track position after a series of solid pit stops.
At one point he was running in the top three battling for the lead. He fell back in the end to 10th but let it be known Bowyer won’t go down quietly even if he won’t win a championship.
His impressive today should only fuel this team not only for the remainder of this year, but to get them back into the Chase next year.
Points: 15th
Elliott Sadler
What a run for Elliott Sadler, we know he can run well on the restrictor plate tracks. Sadler hasn’t shown strength on intermediate and short tracks. Today though they struggled with a race car early but Sadler was able to give solid feedback to his crew.
They battled track position all day long but when it counted and mattered most they were able to hold position through the late restarts. An eighth place finish is exactly what this team needed to change momentum.
Sadler has a lot riding on the final 10 races and even though he has a ride secured he has never been a contender for a championship.
That starts right now for Sadler.
Points: 24th
Losers
Kasey Kahne
During Kasey Kahne weekly press conference he seemed a bit unsure of who was in charge at Richard Petty Motorsports. With many questions unanswered and no real leadership Kahne could only name Kenny Francis as the one he turns to.
One of the questions was the engine department, this week the engine shop director was let go and that was not was the reason for an engine failure. Let's be honest though this engine failure should make Kahne nervous going forward.
What momentum they had coming into today has all but disappeared.
Kahne early on was moving forward but sensed there was an issue on the backstretch he could hear the engine missing. Few seconds later the engine blew and their day was over.
They dropped all the way to 12th in the standings and that would be the best they would be able to do.They would finish 38th.
Kahne needs leadership and while Francis is a strong leader, if they want to have success in the chase there needs to be a man pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
Otherwise Kahne might be an afterthought in the Chase.
Points: 12th
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
With all the focus on the Chase drivers, there are a few drivers that are already looking to improve for next year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is one of those drivers, but in recent weeks they have been showing improvement on the track.
Earnhardt started mid pack but quickly was moving forward, in 50 laps he was in the top 10. He was running in the top five before halfway.
This team has seen a turnaround and they are running better. Earnhardt had flawless pit stops and the feedback to the team allowed them to keep up on the car.
Earnhardt and his team are communicating the best he has all year long with his Lance McGrew his crew chief.
The results though don't show that.As we have seen throughout the year trouble on a late restart David Reutimann got into Earnhardt who went hard into the wall.
This should have been a solid top 10 finish turn into a 27th place finish. This was not of his doing with drivers checking up in front of him, he had nowhere to go.
Earnhardt fans should start to feel better progress is being made, albeit too late for 2009.
Points: 21st
David Stremme
As we took the green flag on Sunday the top ten was covered with Chase drivers but a couple drivers had surprising qualifying laps and one of them was David Stremme.
They were using the same setup that Kurt Busch had in his car, and the speed proved that. They were top five in practice, and were looking forward to racing on Sunday.
He ran up front for the first 100 laps but soon began to fall backwards. The handling on this car was going away and the adjustments on pit road were sending them backward.
Then on lap 193 there was contact with AJ Allmendinger sent him spinning. He ended up two laps down and finished 28th.
Stremme is out of a ride at the end of this year and is auditioning for his future in this sport.
Points: 31st
Lucky Dog…
Bobby Labonte
When the weekend began Bobby Labonte was fighting to get into the race. After a stellar qualifying lap that put him eighth, Labonte was in.
The question that remained was would he race all 300 laps? With limited sponsorship they didn’t have enough money for pit crew or tires.
Labonte a former champion went to work and through negotiations he was able to secure enough money to complete the race. It paid off as he ended up leading the race at one point.
You know it’s a tough economy when a former champion is struggling to run a full race. Labonte shouldn’t have been in this position but a sponsorship deal with his other car No. 96 saw him in a car he hasn’t driven before late in the year.
For Labonte if he had a great ride who knows what the results would be, but that is one too many ifs at this point in his career.
Points: 29th
Final Lap…
The first race is over and the standings had a major shakeup and this won’t be the last time this happens.
We saw what was expected the Chase drivers dominated both the good and the bad stories on Sunday.The race was pretty good we saw some great battles throughout the field..
The coverage though was less than impressive, for the first race of the playoffs. ESPN seemed to be struggling with covering not only the Chasers but everyone else.
Sometimes they were so focused on the Chasers they were missing the good racing back in the pack.
The post race coverage was pitiful by ESPN.
I know it is football season but if you want to make the Chase relevant the TV coverage needs to improve. NASCAR fans want to hear from their drivers. The least they could do is talk to the Chase drivers if nothing else.
Don’t want to miss football coverage then cut the pre race show down that way NASCAR fans get everything they want also.
Next up is Dover, who will rebound? Who will play spoiler? Who will take checkers?
See you next Sunday.
The Lugnut Report: Different Track, Same Results for Michael Waltrip
For Michael Waltrip, the final 10 races are the final act, as he prepares for a part-time ride in 2010.
Waltrip is handing over not only a full-time ride but a sponsor in NAPA that has been loyal to not only Waltrip but to the organization as a whole.
NAPA moved from a well-established Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Waltrip and his struggling, young organization that was started from the ground up.
NAPA watched the organization struggle and now as they build toward the future.
The future really does start this week, as this team prepares for not only the rest of 2009 but next year.
Sunday marked Waltrip's 750th career start, a incredible accomplishment in a sport where you can be the "It" driver one year and without a ride the next.
On Friday, Waltrip struggled in qualifying trim; he ran a fast lap of 20.2 seconds. Running 24 laps he was sitting 31st on the speed charts.
Waltrip had an early draw for qualifying going out fifth. He had a decent qualifying that scored them 21st in the lineup.
A decent starting position should have given them something to build off.
In the second practice of the weekend, the team was working on race trim and finding the handling and setup for the car.
They ran 26 laps and their fastest lap was on lap 16. They ran 20.5 second lap was good enough for 19th on the charts. Signs of improvement as the practice wore on.
With final practice coming up like everyone else, it’s all about race trim and getting a game plan. Waltrip, though, struggled in final practice.
They ran only 22 laps and their fastest lap was his second lap of the final practice. With a time of 29.8 seconds, Waltrip was only 38th fastest at the end of the hour.
Not a good way to head to the green on Sunday, struggling with the handling of the car late in practice.
After the green flag waved on Sunday the car quickly started slipping backwards.
On Lap 23, Waltrip told his crew chief the “car is as bad as it could possibly handle.” He was loose in, chattering in the center, and too much air in the front tires.
On Lap 34, Waltrip was 33rd and was in danger of going a lap down.
Just a handflul of laps later, he was one lap down.
When the first caution came out, he was 33rd and one lap down; after air pressure adjustments he came out exactly in the same position.
On the second caution for debris, the car was still loose, but it had good drive off and better in the center.
Waltrip was frustrated but they were the first car one lap down and were hoping for a quick caution to get them back on the lead lap and back in the hunt.
The cars’ handling, though, had them going backwards, and they went down two laps.
On lap 168, Waltrip got caught up in a chain-reaction wreck with Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler causing slight damage to the car. Waltrip was able to change tires make repairs and stay just two laps down.
With no other cars one lap down, they were in line to get one of the laps back if a caution came out. When caution came out, they got the lucky dog and were the second car one lap down, behind Scott Speed.
They soon fell back down two laps; effectively their day was over.
Waltrip was never able to get back on the lead lap, and with a poor handling race car, the results was a 27th-place finish and the first car two laps down.
It has been a long time since we have seen Waltrip run up front consistently and contend for wins.
Sunday’s like this have come to often for Waltrip and has made his choice to go into semi-retirement a little bit easier.
Waltrip is looking ahead to Dover and rebounding from another poor finish.
Check out Jen Preston's Lugnut Report on Kurt Busch.
Waltrip is handing over not only a full-time ride but a sponsor in NAPA that has been loyal to not only Waltrip but to the organization as a whole.
NAPA moved from a well-established Dale Earnhardt Inc. to Waltrip and his struggling, young organization that was started from the ground up.
NAPA watched the organization struggle and now as they build toward the future.
The future really does start this week, as this team prepares for not only the rest of 2009 but next year.
Sunday marked Waltrip's 750th career start, a incredible accomplishment in a sport where you can be the "It" driver one year and without a ride the next.
On Friday, Waltrip struggled in qualifying trim; he ran a fast lap of 20.2 seconds. Running 24 laps he was sitting 31st on the speed charts.
Waltrip had an early draw for qualifying going out fifth. He had a decent qualifying that scored them 21st in the lineup.
A decent starting position should have given them something to build off.
In the second practice of the weekend, the team was working on race trim and finding the handling and setup for the car.
They ran 26 laps and their fastest lap was on lap 16. They ran 20.5 second lap was good enough for 19th on the charts. Signs of improvement as the practice wore on.
With final practice coming up like everyone else, it’s all about race trim and getting a game plan. Waltrip, though, struggled in final practice.
They ran only 22 laps and their fastest lap was his second lap of the final practice. With a time of 29.8 seconds, Waltrip was only 38th fastest at the end of the hour.
Not a good way to head to the green on Sunday, struggling with the handling of the car late in practice.
After the green flag waved on Sunday the car quickly started slipping backwards.
On Lap 23, Waltrip told his crew chief the “car is as bad as it could possibly handle.” He was loose in, chattering in the center, and too much air in the front tires.
On Lap 34, Waltrip was 33rd and was in danger of going a lap down.
Just a handflul of laps later, he was one lap down.
When the first caution came out, he was 33rd and one lap down; after air pressure adjustments he came out exactly in the same position.
On the second caution for debris, the car was still loose, but it had good drive off and better in the center.
Waltrip was frustrated but they were the first car one lap down and were hoping for a quick caution to get them back on the lead lap and back in the hunt.
The cars’ handling, though, had them going backwards, and they went down two laps.
On lap 168, Waltrip got caught up in a chain-reaction wreck with Joey Logano and Elliott Sadler causing slight damage to the car. Waltrip was able to change tires make repairs and stay just two laps down.
With no other cars one lap down, they were in line to get one of the laps back if a caution came out. When caution came out, they got the lucky dog and were the second car one lap down, behind Scott Speed.
They soon fell back down two laps; effectively their day was over.
Waltrip was never able to get back on the lead lap, and with a poor handling race car, the results was a 27th-place finish and the first car two laps down.
It has been a long time since we have seen Waltrip run up front consistently and contend for wins.
Sunday’s like this have come to often for Waltrip and has made his choice to go into semi-retirement a little bit easier.
Waltrip is looking ahead to Dover and rebounding from another poor finish.
Check out Jen Preston's Lugnut Report on Kurt Busch.
Who Would You Throw Under The Bus?
Sports fans, it's that time of week again. What in the world of sports has got you in a tizzy? You can call out the object of your ire by throwing them under the Bus. And not feel guilty about it. This is a guilt-free zone here at Who Would You Throw Under The Bus?. I have a few nominees this week.Shane Mosley: he barged in, WWE-style, into Floyd "Money" Mayweather's post-fight interview. Mayweather had dominated Juan Manuel Marquez en route to a unanimous decision over Marquez. Mosley then had to act like an ass and tried to provoke Mayweather in an effort to get a payday. For acting like a total ass, Mosley gets thrown under the Bus.
Jeff Reed: the Steelers' kicker missed two short field goals that would have given the Steelers a hard-fought win in Chicago. For costing his team a win, Reed gets thrown under the Bus.
Kevin Harvick: he was upset that Ron Hornaday was racing him late in the Truck Series race on Saturday, allowing Kyle Busch to win. NEWS FLASH, Kevin--that's what Hornaday's SUPPOSED to do. You're paying him to RACE. He was doing his job. Had Hornaday been a lap down and was racing him, Harvick's ire would have been understandable. But Hornaday was in second, behind only Busch. While Harvick had a strong truck, it wasn't as strong as he thought; he couldn't overtake Hornaday even though Hornaday gave him LOTS of room on the inside. So Harvick should be upset at himself and not Hornaday. Perhaps it's the frustration of his worst Cup season boiling over. But I'll solve this by throwing Harvick under the Bus that Hornaday is driving.
Milton Bradley: the Cubs' OF got himself suspended for the remainder of the season for critical comments about the team. The Cubs say it was for "conduct detrimental to the team." The sad part is that Bradley has mad game, but is a major head case. At this pace, he'll be out of the league before long. Apparently, anger management courses haven't worked with this guy. Bradley gets thrown under the Bus as part of his anger management class.
Those are my nominees for the week. Feel free to come in with yours!
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -- Sylvania 300
This week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is up. Click on the title and feel free to comment.
Race Chat- New Hampshire
Well, here we are at the 1st race of the Chase. So with 10 races to go:
- Who is your pick to win it all?
- Who is your dark horse candidate?
Katie will start off with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.
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