Random Rants

Stuff bouncing around inside my noggin:

She's taken.
Wendy Venturinia, that is.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2007/06/27/2007-06-27_the_stories_venturini_could_tell.html
For you SINGLE men, she's engaged.
Move on.

What the F***!
http://www.frontstretch.com/jmeyer/10155/
Oh, yeh!
Nothing better than a F bomb sliding past the delay button making it's way to the airwaves.
Uttered from the mouth from Kyle Petty, only 1 lap after leading his team in prayer.
Absolutelyfukinprecious.
You can't script sh** like that.
And this gem from a drone from TNT,
........all 43 cars in NASCAR races are miked, TNT spokesman Jeff Pomeroy says, and the audio that pops up on-air can't always be identified: "We can assume that audio came from one of the three cars in the accident. But we can't be sure it was Kyle."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-06-25-hiestand-weekend_N.htm
Then why did Kyle apologize?
Wish I had a TNT spokesperson for some of my past sins, "We can assume one of the cars were doing 84 in a 55 officer. But we we can't be sure it was Mr. Ruch."

The Natural
Tim Steele retires
http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5131/2/
Good move.
The SMART move.
I'm sure a TOUGH move.
The kid had "it".
Raw natural talent.
Fearless.
It was painful to watch him struggle at Berlin in his late model the past year.
The fall from grace was tough to watch and imagine tougher for Tim.
I have said many times, Tim was better than Johnny Benson Jr.
When Tim was healthy and in his prime, he was awesome.
Now, I also said he didn't have the PR savvy and gift of gab as JB.
If I was a mad scientist, I'd take Tim's talent with JB's PR, and I'd be mopping up in cup.
I applaud Tim's decision.
But the Steele fans can still root for that famous red #16 with a new local talent.
Another Kid.
http://www.johnnyvandoorn.com/

Sonsabitches will let him race
Floyd's back in the car this week.
http://www.tonyraines.com/
All is right for the Raines fans.

Shame on Berlin
The blue tarps were brought out for the big late model wreck
AKA the "death curtain", because when you see them at a track, it's not good.
Yet, no Official word from the track on the status of those injured in the wreck.
And you wonder where all the "rumors" and "bad information" stem from?
Your inability to set the record straight with the facts.
You have a website.
Use it to your advantage.

Some Berlin Observations......

* 11 car wreck
Picture is above of an 11 car pileup at Berlin Saturday night.
Great Photos by track photographer Tom Devette.
http://tomdevettephotography.smugmug.com/AUTO%20RACING
It would only have been a 5 car wreck but the last 6 drivers could see no further than their dash, shame on them.

* Blue Tarps are bad news at a Race Track
The above wreck brought about a driver being cut out of the car. This was done after it was announced all drivers were ok AND after they moved two cars.
THEN they bring out the blue tarps to prevent the fans from looking?????
I don't get it.
If everyone is ok, then why the tarp.
I see a "blue tarp", I think bad, real bad.
Thankfully, the driver cut out of his car waved from the stretcher to the crowd, which brought a well deserved cheers.

* Merging
The track official who sent the #8 out in front of the pack out of turn 4, can be relieved of his duties. What a dumbass move.
This precipitated a caution being thrown, then a pile-up on the back stretch.

* Green Flag
Drivers need to learn how to start a race.
There were horrible starts and re-starts, where they couldn't start side by side.
And a few waved off.
It's not that hard of a task.

* Stupid Stocks
The nickname heard rumbling through the stands as the marathon feature was going on for the "Super Stocks"

See you at the races.

Rescue Me - The best show on TV

Don't call at 10pm on Wednesday night.
I'm busy.
Rescue Me, starring Denis Leary airs on FX at 10pm on Wednesday.
It's one of the few shows that has me laughing out loud.
The writing is phenomenal, and you have to catch the replays, to see the one-liners you missed.
Yes, it pushes the envelope.
Granted, it's not for everyone.
But being a Denis Leary fan, I applaud the writing and twists and turns the plot lines take.
Some memorable quotes:

Franco Rivera: He's retarded.
Kenny Lou: Like Rainman retarded or Paris Hilton retarded?

Uncle Teddy: [in Tommy's house, the kitchen is an absolute mess] Hey, Tommy! Check it out! I made chili tonight!
Tommy Gavin: Yeah, no shit. What did ya do, mix it with a goddamn shotgun?

Chief Jerry Reilly: [watching Sean Garrity and Probie playing Scrabble] Look at this - a meeting of the minds and the minds are a no-show.

Uncle Teddy: [after a suicide attempt] Is this heaven?
Tommy Gavin: No, it's my *garage*!

Kenny Lou: "Mint Pussy". Probably one of *the* worst Ben & Jerry's flavors ever.

Tommy Gavin: Let me tell you something, sister, you serve two purposes in this house - you can give me a blow job or make me a sandwich. I'm not in the mood for head and I had a late breakfast, so you're shit out of luck.

Richard: She's got the sweetest ass!
Franco: How do you know if she's in a wheelchair?
Richard: They stand her up sometimes.

Sean: Why is he pulling out a peppermill?
Maggie That's not a peppermill!

What is a Cup Team Worth?

http://www.forbes.com/2007/06/15/nascar-valuable-teams-biz-cz_jg_0615nascar.html?boxes=custom

Great article on what Cup teams are worth.

Two great stats from the article.

Hendrick expects a big pop to the bottom line when "Junior" arrives. The company already pulls in more than $17 million from licensing, but Earnhardt pulled in more than that by himself last year. "I do plan on expanding my gift shop," says Hendrick.

Think about that, the ENTIRE Hendrick team pre-Junior pulls in $17 million, Junior does that all by himself.

That is why everybody was clamoring to sign Junior.

And why letting him go was a company ending move by wicked step-mom, Theresa.

And this nugget.

Despite soaring costs, the average NASCAR team banks $12.3 million in profits, or roughly 15% of revenue. That compares with $16.5 million and less than 10% for teams in Major League Baseball.

Average?

Average profit per team is $12.3 million.

That is why, you see the million dollar Prevost's, lear-jets and multi-million dollar homes by owners and drivers.

Lake Norman is known as the "Redneck Riviera".

What is a Cup Team Worth?

They Benched My Driver........Sonsabitches.

I never liked the Dallas Cowboys.
I was never into "America's Team".
Always thought they were arrogant and cocky.
Now, the Cup team, called Hall Of Fame Racing (arrogant), co-owned by two former cowboys, Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, bench my boy, Tony Raines in favor of road racing specialist, Ron Fellows.
What a crock of shit!!!
Roger and Troy are just figureheads who don't know the difference between a lug nut and a nut cracker.
The blame goes to Bill Saunders, the managing partner, who comes from a road racing background and probably a buddy of Ron Fellows.
http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/06/19/rfellows.traines.road.races/index.html
I'm surprised he didn't put himself in the seat instead of Fellows.
HOF has sub-par equipment at best.
The single car team, leases cars and motors from Joe Gibbs Racing.
They unload slow, qualify slower and race even slower.
They are on their 2nd crew chief.
The over the wall crew are slow, and I'm being nice.
At Dover a few weeks ago, Floyd had a great run going.
They left a wheel loose at the start of the race.
Nice oversight there crew chief.
In the race as Floyd had charged into the top-15, guess what they left another wheel loose.
So for the 2 road course races this year, they decide to put Fellows in the car.
Here's hoping they fall flat on their ass.
Floyd, needs to look for a better gig.
Can Floyd run up front?
Damn, straight.
If you give him a decent car.
The photo above is from 2005, he actually led 2 laps in that race with the #37, before they ran outta gas with 2 laps to go.
So given good equipment, he can do the job.
Screw HOF!

MIS Traffic No Problem....For The Citzens Bank 320

Yesterday I went to my first MIS cup race since 1990.
I had stayed away from a track 2 hours away to attend races 12 + hours away (Bristol & Charlotte) to avoid traffic.
I did have a feeble attempt about 7 years ago to attend a Cup race. But after sitting on Hwy 127 for over an hour and missing the start of the race.
I had decided to stay away from the Cup races at MIS.
The last time I was there, I watched my favorite cup driver at the time Butch Miller.
We had no traffic issues yesterday.
We watched the Citizen Bank 320 and drove right out, no traffic issues at all.
Oh, it was the Citizens Bank 400?
Ok, we left with 40 laps to go.
We saw the winning pass.
Carl was leading.
It was hot.
It was boring.
Typical Michigan.
Great three and four wide racing.
But the traffic is horrid.
And I wasn't taking a chance.
No way.
Traffic in?
No problem, we left Grand Rapids at 545 am, drove right in at 745 am
Since the tickets were free, this Dutch boy don't mind leaving with 40 laps to go.
Kudos to Glaceau Vitamin water for the great time at the hospitality tent.
First class all the way.

Before And After Shots

Don't they make a cute couple.

Ray is 50.

Erin is 26.

Ray was, emphasis on "was", married for 19 years.

Erin drives for Ray.

She has yet to win a race.

Looks like she won Ray.

My favorite is the last photo of Ray.

If looks could kill.

"You Wanna Swap Rides?"

Rick Hendrick said a few weeks ago,"there is no room at the inn".
Guess what?
Kyle got shoved out the door and Voila!
We have one room available.
Anyone interested?
You with the Bud uniform on and with your hand in the air, may I help you?
What's your name son?
Dale Jr
Nice to meet you.
Have a seat....for the next five years.

Good Ole Boys Club Still Alive And Kicking

No hard feelings, right?
Nope.
Shit Happens.
Remember that whole Johnny Benson, unapproved Nascar driver Mike Lichty truck crash last month at Charlotte?
Nice to see a couple can work things out.
JB, team owner Bill Davis got fined.
The crew chief got suspended.
But all is well within the "circle of trust".
JB is back running an ISMA Supermod for the Lichty family at Toledo this Friday.
http://www.arcaracing.com/content/view/5059/2/
Let's hope everyone has their licenses in order.

Time For A Change

Rodney sucks!

I Root For...............Floyd Anthony Raines

Floyd Anthony Raines
The mug above, that's my guy.
Also known as Tony to you cup fans.
Who??
I get that all the time.
Anyone can root for Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson.
Or even Kurt Busch. If you want to keep defending his actions and lack of "poor judgement".
But it takes a REAL race fan to root for Floyd.
Floyd ain't challenging for a win every week, but he is doing what he loves, driving a stock car in Nascar Nextel Cup.
Which a lot of weekly short track drivers wish they could say.
Floyd was the 1996 ASA champion and parlayed that into a Nascar Truck ride, there he won 4 races, two at I-70 Speedway and one each at Louisville Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
He then got a chance in the Busch Series.
Over the course of 8 years he hasn't won a race in 187 starts.
In his 97 career Cup starts we only have 2 top 10 finishes.
We know our team isn't Hendrick Motorsports, but we keep the faith.
So, a good day is running in the top 20 and a top 15 we get real excited.
Floyd still sells hats, t-shirts and die-cast cars.
And yes, I have my share.
The next time your watching a race, check to see where my guy Floyd is running remember this.
Has Jeff Gordon ever looked this happy?

Busch: I thought I would get parked this weekend

The many faces of Kurt Busch

It's nice to know Kurt Busch agrees with me.

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/06/08/kbusch.comments.penalty/index.html

Kurt said "I thought I would get parked this weekend"

No shit Sherlock.

And so did Josh Pate of Nascar.com

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/opinion/06/08/jpate.kbusch.penalty.crime/index.html

Nascar says it "considered" it

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/06/08/kbusch.rpemberton.responds/index.html

Like I said gutless.

Let get together, August 15th at Berlin Raceway and give Kurt a great big West Michigan welcome.

http://www.berlinraceway.com/news/news_032007.shtml

NOT!!!!

Haven't booed anyone at Berlin since Mike Eddy in 1990

Or was it 1991?

Doesn't matter, I know it happened.

Spun Bob turn 4, outta the lead.

Bastard.

Can't wait to wear my Jimmy Spencer T-shirt and have Kurt autograph it.

Who could root for Kurt Busch?

Where's Billy Wease when you need him?

Gutless Nascar

Dumbo got away with one.

Gutless Nascar announced this morning

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/06/08/kbusch.penalty/index.html
Kurt Busch will not be suspended for his attempted murder of Tony Stewart's jack man at Dover.
He was docked 100 points.
Big whoop.
He was also fined $100,000.
Ohhhh, I bet that hurt.
That's the Busch household monthly budget for cosmetic surgery.
See the taxi cab doors open in that picture above, I mean ears.
Look at him now, there pinned back with super glue now.
His wife Eva?
C'mon those ain't real.
He'll be real remorseful say he's sorry, blah, blah, blah.
Kurt Busch needs to thank Bill France Jr, he got a mulligan.
Gutless non-call.

PPV Is Cool......

I bought my first PPV last night.
No, it wasn't "Naughty Newscaster's 9".
However, I must admit those titles are rather eye catching.
As for the plot lines and the moving pictures, I wouldn't know.
My PPV purchase for $24.95 was the dirt late model race, "Prelude to the Dream".
Before you label me a "loooooooooooooooser" remember, the title of the Blog is "Schmoe Knows Racing", not "Schmoe Knows Naughty Newscasters".
Schmoe not stupid.
It was a good race and even a better telecast.
No commercials.
A ton of smiles and laughs, by the drivers.
Without the pressures of a Cup race, Cup sponsors, car owner and big brother Nascar watching over you, the drivers were having fun.
And it came through on the broadcast.
Were they serious?
Uh, yeh.
Bill Elliott got upside down in the first race.
When the green flag dropped, all the drivers wanted to do was WIN!!
The most refreshing thing of the broadcast was the free-wheeling of the broadcasters of Mike Joy, Kyle Petty and "Jaws" Darrell Waltrip.
By being a non-Nascar event and the lack of what-you-can-say and cannot-say, it was great tv.
When was the last time you heard "Winston Cup" mentioned on a Nascar broadcast?
I lost track last night.
It was like they had no rules.
I have never laughed during a Nascar broadcast.
Last night, I laughed numerous times.
The announcers had fun.
And so did I.

Once A Meathead.........

Once a meathead, always a meathead.
http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/06/04/tstewart.kbusch.dover.wreck/index.html
You can't change a leopards spots.
You can pin your ears back, but your still a Dumbo.
He's a hothead.
He's a punk.
He's a smart ass.
Where's Jimmy "Mr. Excitement" Spencer to punch him in the nose again?
I have seen him twice be rude to TV reporters when he thought they were off the air. The latest was at the World 600 (I know), when he told pit reporter Shannon Spake to "speak up". I can never hear you, you need to get better.
The first was when Dave Burns asked him a controversial question at Chicagoland Speedway.
Thinking he was off the air Kurt turned to walk away, then walked back said "What the hell you asking me that for?"
He needs to be knocked down a peg....or two.
It is interesting, that the Busch Brothers dad, Tom Busch spots for another driver, Johnny Sauter.
Don't believe me, check the link below.
http://www.jayski.com/pages/pitcrew-chart2007.htm
Wonder why he's not spotting for one of his kids?
Sorry, blue deuce fans, your driver's a meathead.
Will Nascar have the balls, to park him?