NASCAR - UAW-Ford 500 - from Talladega - on NBC, Sunday 10/2 at 2:00pm ET

NASCAR/Jayski ^

[tubebender]

Now why did you do that to me. Do I owe you money or did I make a pass at your wife when I had been drinking or did I kick your dog or did I say your car was just a little better than a Yugo but not much...

[fideist]

Now why did you do that to me

I am avoiding Mikey like the plague even on Super Speedways, so I am just thinking out loud about where to go.

[WestCoastGal]

"We can't pick all of those!"

We can't?? WAhhhhhhh

[WestCoastGal]

Darrell Waltrip: Oh by the way, it's kind of ironic that Michael is leaving a well-established company like Dale Earnhardt Inc. — much like I left Hendrick Motorsports — to do something in the future with an auto parts company. I had Western Auto, and he's got NAPA.


Something else about Mikey's move is kind of humorous to me, too. Over the last five years, I'm sure that you've heard me talk about the "23" car at Daytona and Talladega.

That's how I referred to the No. 8 and the No. 15 because in the beginning, they were basically one car. They were two cars working as one.

You may have been confused because you may not be as good at math as I am. But the 8 and the 15 equal 23. Michael hasn't told me what his car number is going to be at Bill Davis Racing, but I assume it will be 23.

And that's kind of ironic.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4915084

[tubebender]

Silly season in Humboldt County... Nascar Auditions

[SouthTexas]

My sentiments EXACTLY!!!LOL

We got rain this evening, ya'll? (I think that's what that was.)

[SouthTexas]

suspicion of racing

A good guess.ROFLMAO!

[WestCoastGal]

Aha, street racing.

Back before everything became so expensive people could go to the dragstrip and race each other.

[WestCoastGal]

This is really long, but if you were/are a Dale Earnhardt fan it will give you goosebumps.....

333333333333333333333333333333

Travel back in time for Dale Earnhardt's final victory

Earnhardt led the outside line. He was fourth. Two laps to go.

“The Intimidator is scraped and beaten on the right side, but he will not be denied!” ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch said over the screaming engines and fans as the field raced in turn 2.

“Mr. Restrictor Plate knows there are two laps to go! Earnhardt drives to the high side of Bobby Labonte. Wow.”

After Earnhardt passed Labonte for third down the backstretch, he gripped the wheel with his left hand and waved his right hand back and forth.

Hit me, he was telling Kenny Wallace. Hit me hard.

Wallace, inches behind Earnhardt, bumped his friend. The contact shot Earnhardt past Dale Jr. and into second.

Now Earnhardt raced beside Skinner, his teammate, for the lead in turn 3. The crowd nearly drowned out the engines.

Suddenly, Earnhardt Jr. faced a dilemma. He was going for the win, but he had to be careful not to help Skinner pass his dad. How would that look, the son helping someone beat his father? At Talladega? Earnhardt Jr. knew his daddy would cuss him out for such a move.

So as they raced side-by-side about 90 seconds from the finish, Earnhardt Jr. debated his next move. Skinner, preoccupied with Earnhardt on his outside, left Junior an opening underneath.

The young driver went for it, moving under Skinner along the frontstretch. It came as his father lunged ahead on the outside lane for the race’s 49th lead change.

They crossed the start/finish line three abreast. Earnhardt Jr. on the apron. Skinner in the middle. Earnhardt ahead on the outside.

One lap left.


Wallace tried to make a move on Earnhardt at the start/finish line, but Skinner blocked his path in the middle lane. Wallace couldn’t slow and bumped Earnhardt.

Earnhardt flashed forward. Wallace followed with Nemechek behind. They broke away.

Earnhardt weaved down the backstretch. He wanted to break the draft and prevent Wallace and Nemechek from getting a run. Wallace closed in turn 3. He readied to make a move and score his first career Winston Cup victory. He glanced in his mirror.

“Who’s that?” Wallace thought to himself.

He didn’t recognize his teammate. Nemechek normally drove a blue-and-white car, but for this race his car carried a metallic maroon-and-silver paint scheme. Not knowing who was behind him, Wallace hesitated. His chance disappeared.

Spotter Danny Culler’s baritone voice climbed higher as Earnhardt neared the checkered flag. “Clear all around,” Culler said, as the crowd of 140,000 stood . “Three cars single file and then they’re three-by-three behind that.”

Earnhardt headed toward the tri-oval.

“Coming to the checkered,” Culler said. “Watch your mirror. Watch your mirror.”

Wallace could do nothing but follow Earnhardt to the finish line. “You the man!” Culler said as Earnhardt won. “Congratulations, champ!”


Long after the race that night, Kenny Wallace and Dale Earnhardt met in the motorhome lot. They shared celebratory drinks of Sunny Delight and vodka.

Earnhardt knew he couldn’t have won without Wallace behind him those final laps, pushing him to the front. He owed Wallace.

As they drank, Earnhardt placed his arm around Wallace’s neck, tugged his friend closer and asked, “So, what do you want for Christmas?”

Wallace, beaming from the praise Earnhardt gave him earlier in Victory Lane, just said he was thankful Earnhardt had given him his first Busch ride in 1988. They smiled, laughed and enjoyed the night.

About a month after the race, Earnhardt appeared at the Charlotte studio of the ESPN auto racing program, “RPM2Night.” Bill Weber was there.

Weber had interviewed Earnhardt in Victory Lane on live TV that day. Afterward, he grabbed a handful of fake million dollars bills dropped on Earnhardt to celebrate the $1 million bonus he won .

Between segments at the studio, Weber asked Earnhardt to sign those bills so Weber could frame them and give them to staff members. As Earnhardt signed, they talked about that race and the finish. Earnhardt’s blue-green eyes glowed.

“I never thought I could get back to the front,” he said.

Then Earnhardt winked.

[WestCoastGal]

I'm SHOCKED I Tell Ya!!

Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said he expects NASCAR officials to issue a technical bulletin as early as Friday outlawing the trick shock absorbers used by Hendrick Motorsports teammates #48-Jimmie Johnson and #5-Kyle Busch in their 1-2 finish Sunday at Dover International Speedway. Instead of soaking up bumps, as shocks normally are designed to do, Smith said the Hendrick cars' shocks were designed almost to work in reverse; every time they hit a bump, the shocks jacked up the car's rear end for about 15 seconds. Because cars encounter frequent bumps at Dover, the shocks apparently kept the Hendrick cars' tails elevated about an inch beyond what NASCAR rules allow for most of the race, directing more air to the cars' rear spoilers and creating extra aerodynamic "downforce" that helped the cars stick to the track. Cheating? Not exactly, Smith said. "It was clearly an ingenious engineering exercise, and they ought to be commended for their ingenuity," he said. Johnson's team declined comment through a spokesperson.

This explains why the two Hendrick cars failed an initial technical inspection by NASCAR officials Sunday night but passed the maximum-height requirement after they "settled," as NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston explained this week. Officials confiscated the Hendrick cars' shocks after the race, along with shocks from four other cars [#'s 2,12,6,16].

Smith expects NASCAR to prohibit all teams from using such shocks beginning with the Oct. 9 race at Kansas Speedway. The Hendrick shocks wouldn't help in this weekend's race because downforce isn't a major concern at Talladega and teams typically try to get their cars as low to the ground as possible without violating NASCAR's minimum height requirements. Smith figures that Busch, a rookie, has been testing the system all season. "That didn't show up for a championship (contender) the day before Dover," Smith said. "That required a lot of effort, a lot of testing." Penske Racing president Don Miller, meanwhile, wondered why the Hendrick cars apparently were given a second chance to pass officials' maximum-height measurement. "All I can say is, if it comes in as too high, it should be black and white," Miller said. Said Poston, via e-mail: "When the (No.) 48 went up on the platform, it was initially high, but in a matter of seconds the car settled and it made the required height. Absolutely no one made an adjustment to the car; however, as often is the case, an inspector was under the car but did not touch it. The 48 only made one trip through inspection."

[tubebender]

I can't find it now but there was a story in yesterdays paper about the police sponsored Saturday night "Street Drag Races" at the Samoa Drag Strip and the success it has had on reducing street drags in the city.

They don't use the Christmas Tree but use a Flag Man to send off the racers. I'm not sure if they use the clocks. These races are in addition to the NHRA drags over there.

I'm posting this wearing my new 50th Anniversary Samoa Drags sweat shirt, and yes I was there in 1955 for the first race...

[tubebender]

Nascar used to be noted for it's team innovation but now it's cookie cutter cars and cookie cutter tracks...

[WestCoastGal]

By DUSTIN LONG, The Virginian-Pilot
September 30, 2005

Dale Earnhardt keyed his radio to talk to spotter Danny Culler. Earnhardt was moments from dueling with 42 other drivers at 190 mph.

“All right, Danny; get in this car with me,” Earnhardt commanded. “Get in here with me.”

Culler stood atop a tower overlooking Talladega Superspeedway’s start/finish line. Earnhardt’s message was clear: Be the black car’s guardian angel.

“I’m in there with you, champ,” Culler said.

He always called Earnhardt champ.

No driver in history was better at this 2.66-mile track, where NASCAR returns to race Sunday.

Yet, Earnhardt’s edge had faded on this cloudless October day five years ago. New rules had altered the aerodynamics of the cars and the strategies of the race teams. [Sound familiar?]

Read on here to see how Na$car changed the restrictor plates just before final practice

[steveegg]

I rather like Smith's explanation. Not bad for a lawyer :-)

[steveegg]

Qualifying order -

Order	Car	Driver	Make	Sponsor
1	41	Casey Mears	Dodge	Target/Breast Cancer Rsrch Fndation
2	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Lowe's
3	1	Martin Truex Jr.**	Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker
4	8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Budweiser
5	40	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	Coors Light Camouflage Can
6	5	Kyle Busch*	Chevrolet	Kellogg's
7	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	GM Goodwrench
8	22	Scott Wimmer	Dodge	Caterpillar
9	88	Dale Jarrett	Ford	UPS
10	33	Kerry Earnhardt**	Chevrolet	Bass Pro Shops/Tracker
11	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge	Dodge Dealers/UAW
12	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	Cingular Wireless
13	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	DeWalt Power Tools
14	18	Bobby Labonte	Chevrolet	Interstate Batteries
15	42	Jamie McMurray	Dodge	Texaco/Havoline "Shine On"
16	20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	The Home Depot
17	77	Travis Kvapil*	Dodge	Kodak EasyShare/Jasper
18	32	Bobby Hamilton Jr.**	Chevrolet	Tide
19	25	Brian Vickers	Chevrolet	GMAC/ditech.com
20	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	DuPont
21	6	Mark Martin	Ford	Viagra
22	7	Robby Gordon**	Chevrolet	Menards
23	34	Hermie Sadler**	Chevrolet	Mach One Inc.
24	0	Mike Bliss	Chevrolet	NetZero Best Buy
25	89	Morgan Shepherd**	Dodge	Victory in Jesus/Dutch Quality Stone
26	01	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	U.S. Army
27	19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge	Dodge Dealers/UAW
28	09	Johnny Sauter**	Dodge	Miccosukee Gaming & Resorts
29	66	Kevin Lepage**	Ford	Ace & TJ Show/Peak Fitness
30	2	Rusty Wallace	Dodge	Miller Lite
31	49	Ken Schrader	Dodge	Schwan's Home Service
32	07	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	Jack Daniel's
33	38	Elliott Sadler	Ford	M&M's
34	97	Kurt Busch	Ford	Sharpie
35	37	Tony Raines**	Dodge	BoSPOKER.net
36	4	Mike Wallace**	Chevrolet	Lucas Oil Products
37	21	Ricky Rudd	Ford	Motorcraft Genuine Parts
38	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	Post-it/National Guard
39	192	Mike Skinner**	Chevrolet	Front Row Motorsports
40	45	Kyle Petty	Dodge	Georgia-Pacific
41	10	Scott Riggs	Chevrolet	Checkers/Rally's
42	12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	ALLTEL
43	15	Michael Waltrip	Chevrolet	NAPA Auto Parts
44	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	World Financial Group
45	43	Jeff Green	Dodge	Cheerios/Betty Crocker
46	11	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	FedEx Ground

* Denotes Rookie
** Denotes driver/team not in the top 35 in owners' points (slowest 3 in qualifying go home, 8th-fastest will start 43rd)

[steveegg]

Just past halfway in practice 1 (the only pre-qualifying practice) -

Top 10 (best speed) -
Joe Nemechek - 189.141 mph
Elliot Sadler - 189.014
Scott Riggs - 189.474
Ryan Newman - 188.074 (in the Chase)
Dale Jarrett - 187.942
Rusty Wallace - 187.942 (in the Chase)
Travis Kvapil - 187.894
Jeff Gordon - 187.820
Tony Stewart - 187.794 (in the Chase)
Bobby Labonte - 187.779

Others in the Chase -
Greg Biffle 11th
Kurt Busch 12th
Carl Edwards 19th
Jimmie Johnson 20th
Jeremy Mayfield 27th
Matt Kenseth 278h
Mark Martin 32nd

Field-fillers -
Bobby Hamilton Jr 22nd
Martin Truex 30th
Kery Earnhardt 31st
Robby Gordon 35th
Mike Wallace 36th
Kevin Lepage 39th
Hermie Sadler 41st
Johnny Sauter 43rd
Tony Raines 44th
Mike Skinner 45th (just got on the track)
No real time for Morgan Shepherd

[fideist]

Who is giving Kerry E. the ride?

[steveegg]

Who is giving Kerry E. the ride?

Childress.

[WestCoastGal]

"I'm posting this wearing my new 50th Anniversary Samoa Drags sweat shirt, and yes I was there in 1955 for the first race..."

Any drag racers that we would know begin their careers there? Many started in So Cal at San Fernando, Long Beach and the one in Irwindale I think.

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks for posting that Steve, I just got back.

Gosh, I hope Kerry makes it in.

Any updates, are they still on the track?