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...punching on the walls of reality since 2005...
Puff House is embedded at the bottom of this page. Or click on the spitfire image above to go direct to my new blog, Puff House.

Through the Smoke...

Free Speech. NASCAR. Trivia. Bitching and moaning.

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Location: Texas, United States

Neo-Redneck into...Free Speech. NASCAR. NFL. Trivia. Comic books. Nerd propaganda, Geek culture. Biting social commentary, bitching and moaning...WARNING: This is not journalism, mainstream or citizen. Anything presented is flavored by my diseased mind, my frustration and/or my sarcastic wit. Not necessarily in that order. You were warned.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Looks like Frist is Counting on Bush Having Coattails to Ride to the White House in '08

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist(R-TN) has crossed back over to the Dubaian company taking over our ports.

Isn't this a flip-flop??? Didn't we learn in the last election that flip-flopping was a bad thing?

Uh huh.

That is such a good idea, HEAVY SARCASM...as I already stated, here.

Someone needs to look this deal over. Someone who isn't someone's brother-in-law, old school friend, father's hunting partner, or who stands to make a buttload of money off of this deal. Take a long hard look at this company. Someone needs to look at the legalities of the deal and the safety of the American homeland from the standpoint of 911 and the things that the commission that studied 911 and the events leading up to it.

Maybe Frist is ready to drink the Kool Aid, but the American public shouldn't be.

Seems shortsighted and illicitous of him to be making a statement like this after only one weekend when the proposed 45 Day review hasn't even began yet.

Of course, commentators on Fox News have already changed their tunes as well. I heard one of them earlier today calling the Ports flap a Democratic plot.

Geez.

All I know is that I will sleep better knowing that the ports through which massive amounts of unchecked material flow are in the hands of Americans.

Is that jingoistic? Sure, sue me.

Serious steps need to be taken to make the America that we live in, that my children live in, safer.

Customs needs to check bulk shipping items more closely.

INS needs to pay better attention to foreigners who come into this country on Visas.

The Border Patrol needs to be expanded and given a mandate to capture and deport immediately person's crossing the border.

Those people who put together those Border Crossing maps that make the whole experience safer and better, need to be arrested for aiding and abetting the illegal transport of illegal aliens across our national border. I'm not afraid of the man who needs to come to America for work...I'm afraid of the man who crosses the border with a backpack nuclear device.

The Coast Guard fleet needs to be upgraded in both ships and technology.

And for God's sake, Americans need to be in charge of all of the major ingress and egress points for shipping.

How a Republican President and Administration and, now, a Republican Senate Majority Leader can't see this as a problem is beyond me. I would almost expect something like this to come up on the radar and try to slip by us during a Democratic Administration. But considering the party positions, this coming from the Republicans has me flummoxed.

Ronald Reagan would never have done anything this stupid.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

The Auto Club 500 at Fontana, California - Just Us Cup-date

The Auto Club 500 at Fontana, California -

The Race Report

The Roush-keteers ran wild at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. Greg Biffle had the car to beat all day long. He and Tony Stewart seemed to be setting up for a late race showdown...until...engine problems claimed them both. Biffle lead the most laps. All 5 Roush cars were in or around the Top Ten all day long. Jimmie Johnson brought a late race charge to the fore, but it was too little, too late. On a green, white, checkered flag restart, Carl Edwards went from fourth to third, passing Kasey Kahne, and from the way he was charging toward the front, had the race been two laps longer, he would have gotten past Johnson for second place, though whether he could have ran Kenseth down isn't knowable. Kenseth took the victory in the California twilight last night heralding a Roush sweep of the weekend's major series racing activities with Mark Martin winning the Friday night truck race, Biffle winning the Saturday Busch race, and Kenseth bringing home the trophy for the NEXTEL race.

No big wrecks. No long yellows. No drama overshadowing a good 500 miles in the southwestern U.S. And television coverage that wasn't so commercially focused that we missed three quarters of the race so someone could try and sell us razors...re: Fox Rocks while NBC Sucks.

Yahoo Raceflash

Stats, facts and observations from Bob Margolis via Yahoo's At The Track

Margolis is onto something with his wondering how many cautions there were for debris back in the 60's and 70's. Unless debris is metallic, they shouldn't throw a caution flag. The mysterious blue glove that was thrown on the track toward the end of the Saturday Busch race was blatant cheating. And surprise, surprise, when NASCAR checked post-race, everyone had their gloves.

Darian Grubb, the interim crew chief on the #48, may soon have Steve Letarte's job, if Steve can't help pull Jeff Gordon and the #24 out of the 26th place in points.

Margolis points out that Earnhardt Jr. is 5th in points...well...I think it is a little early to be crowing about how good Junior is doing.

The most exciting part of the green, white, checkered flag finish was Carl Edwards racing and passing Kahne for 3rd and taking a shot at Johnson going out of Turn 4.

The Dodge Controversy lost a lot of its luster as a result of the results from Cali. The three Intrepids that ran in the race didn't do so great. This speaks to the superior race balance of the Charger despite one of the Intrepids sitting on the pole at Fontana. The best finish by an Intrepid was 16th by Kurt Busch, who was one of the loudest proponents of the balance issue. The Dodge Chargers of Kasey Kahne in the #9 and Casey Mears in the #42 finished ahead of him.

Dropping the Hammer - NASCAR's enforcement of penalties - Shane Hmeil fails drug test gets lifetime ban.

Speed Channel's California Notebook - Tony Stewart, Intrepid vs. Charger, and Roger Penske on Toyotas and "how he'd handle rule breakers in his organization."

More Intrepid vs. Charger...the Results

Race fans are supposed to be better than this.

Complete Finishing Order

1 Matt Kenseth (17)
2 Jimmie Johnson (48)
3 Carl Edwards (99)
4 Kasey Kahne (9)
5 Jeff Burton (31)
6 Jamie McMurray (26)
7 Casey Mears (42)
8 J.J. Yeley (18)
9 Mark Martin (6)
10 Kyle Busch (5)
11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8)
12 Denny Hamlin (11)
13 Jeff Gordon (24)
14 Clint Bowyer (07)
15 Martin Truex Jr. (1)
16 Kurt Busch (2)
17 Dale Jarrett (88)
18 Brian Vickers (25)
19 Scott Riggs (10)
20 Ryan Newman (12)
21 Reed Sorenson (41)
22 Jeremy Mayfield (19)
23 Elliott Sadler (38)
24 Jeff Green (66)
25 Kyle Petty (45)
26 Robby Gordon (7)
27 Joe Nemechek (01)
28 Ken Schrader (21)
29 Kevin Harvick (29)
30 Dave Blaney (22)
31 Bobby Labonte (43)
32 Sterling Marlin (14)
33 David Stremme (40)
34 Terry Labonte (96)
35 Kevin Lepage (61)
36 Michael Waltrip (55)
37 Brent Sherman (49)
38 Mike Garvey (51)
39 Scott Wimmer (4)
40 Stanton Barrett Jr. (95)
41 Kenny Wallace (78)
42 Greg Biffle (16)
43 Tony Stewart (20)

The Just Us Cup-date

Place - Driver
Finishing Points
Deduction (DNQ/Prov -5, DNF -5,
Bonus (Pole +5, Most Laps Led +5, Win +5)
TOTAL

2nd - Jimmie Johnson
Finish Points - 65
TOTAL -- 65

3rd - Carl Edwards
Finish Points - 60
TOTAL -- 60

4th - Jamie McMurray
Finish Points - 55
TOTAL -- 55

9th - Mark Martin
Finish Points - 50
TOTAL -- 50

11th - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Finish Points - 45
TOTAL -- 45

13th - Jeff Gordon
Finish Points - 40
TOTAL -- 40

16th - Kurt Busch
Finish Points - 35
Pole -- 5
TOTAL -- 40

17th - Dale Jarrett
Finish Points - 30
TOTAL -- 30

23rd -- Eliott Sadler
Finish Points - 25
TOTAL -- 25

28th - Ken Schrader
Finish Points - 20
Prov -- -5
TOTAL -- 15

29th - Kevin Harvick
Finish Points - 15
TOTAL -- 15

36th - Michael Waltrip
Finish Points - 10
TOTAL -- 10

42nd - Greg Biffle
Finish Points - 5
Most Laps Led - 5
DNF - -5
TOTAL -- 5

NASCAR: Intrepid vs. Charger

Penske South brought two Dodge Intrepids to the California race this week instead of the factory supported Dodge Charger. Due to a loophole in NEXTEL Cup rules the '04 and '05 model Intrepids are still approved for Cup races...much to Dodge's chagrin.

Penske and a few other teams have stated that the Intrepids have better balance on the track than the current Charger, whether this will lead to changes in Dodge's racing program or not remains to be seen.

And...surprise, surprise, surprise, Kurt Busch put his #2 Miller Lite Dodge Intrepid on the pole for the race later today.

SIDEBAR: Just Us Cup-date...Nancy Cline's #2 Miller Lite Dodge is on the pole...that's a bonus 5 Just Us Cup points.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 4th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Mark Martin
#6 - AAA

Mark Martin had a great swan song season. So great, in fact, that he and Roush decided not to part ways at season's end, but have rolled forward for at least one more with a new sponsor and a rejuvenated attitude.

He ran the full season in the Roush Racing Viagra Ford. The Viagra sponsorship deal ended at the end of the last season. He recorded 1 win, 12 Top 5's, and 19 Top 10's. His winnings totaled $5,994,350.

Martin is running a limited NASCAR Craftsman Truck schedule. And doing damned good doing it. Back to back wins in the two races ran so far.

This car is projected to be Todd Kluever in 2007. With Roush's agreement with NASCAR to downsize his team, I'm not sure what that says here. Seems like it would be a natural to close up the #6 and be down to 4 teams and ready to roll, but, then, I don't work for NASCAR or Jack Roush.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? This car will run regardless. The AAA deal is signed and I would assume that it is solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? It is possible.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? With Roush equipment, his talent, and experience, he should win at least one race this season.

Bad Start...

And the weekend is off to a bad start at California for Ken Schrader in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event planned for Sunday.

He failed to qualify and will have to take an owner points provisional to get into the field for the race.

In Just Us Cup fantasy racing parlance, that translates into his starting the weekend with a -5 points.

Whoopee!

HA!

The Smoking Lamp #71

I am reformatting the Smoking Lamp comic book fan fiction review that I have been doing for about a year now.

JLU-2001

Dark Genesis #2
Dark Genesis #3
Dark Genesis #4

by Curt Fernlund

This is a big imprint-wide crossover featuring all the heroes and villains of the DC Universe in fan-ficky goodness. Curt again proves why he is the man in charge at JLU-2001.

Favorite scene: Jimmo(Jimmy Olsen) coming face to face with an escapee from the Monster Factory...a giant green rampaging version of himself.

Zard vs. Grodd came in a close second.

Showcase #19

by Alex Hayden

You can see Alex's writing maturing over time. Over the last year, he has grown as a writer. Good stuff, stem to stern.

Freedom's Five...hope this becomes a regular series. Wonder at whether there should be a connection between them and the new Force of July that I developed over in JLU's Aquaman.

Favorite scene: Psimon telling the others that he wasn't going anywhere and that Doomsday needed to be stopped. I liked the clear brained Psimon being a hero of the piece. Made a nice juxtaposition to the evil bastard that he usually is.

Superboy #7

by Curt Fernlund

This one is full of good images.

Favorite scene: Death shrugged. Cool!

Martian Manhunter #9

by Brent Lambert

This one seemed too short. Good stuff. But too short.

Favorite scene: Captain Atom found in a box in a storehouse that put me in mind of the final scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Ark of the Covenant is stored away in an endless warehouse.

Friday, February 24, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 5th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Jimmie Johnson
#48 - Lowes

My feelings about this driver and his situation have been pretty clearly expressed following the incident in Daytona qualifying, but this is about last year.

Johnson had a great year in 2005.

He ran the full season in the Hendrick Motorsports Lowes Chevy. He recorded 1 pole, 4 wins, 13 Top 5's, and 22 Top 10's. He had the most Top 10's of anyone last season. His winnings totaled $6,796,660.

His '06 season is going to be impacted by the fallout of the rules infraction at Daytona. You can't go four races without your crew chief and there not be some impact. The Hendrick's organization is solid and strong. But that is a very hard row to hoe. Let's wait and see how the #48 stands when we get to Bristol.

Rick Hendrick is going the extra mile to try and put out the rumor that Chad Knaus is angling to get out of his contract so he can go work for Everham. Knaus is in the middle of a five year contract extension, which Hendrick wants to renegotiate and extend even further.

It was actually a fairly quiet offseason for the #48.

Johnson and Knaus appeared on an episode of the NBC series Las Vegas, playing themselves. The airdate was listed as February 6th, but I don't recall advertising pushing that episode, so it may not have aired yet.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. The Lowes sponsorship is solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? He's ran for the championship for the last two years. Even with the four race handicap, he should be in the thick of things coming down the stretch.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? He had 22 Top 10's last season. If you consistently run that close to the front in races, you will have a chance to win. Johnson wins 3 races this year...at least.

Disturbing, Disturbing, Disturbing...How Evil Are You?

Holy crap!

I'm scared of me.

You Are 82% Evil

You're the most evil person you know.
The devil is even a little scared of you!


That's a cheery damned afterthought...The devil is even a little scared of you.

This can't be right...

I like puppies and small children...

They're delicious.

No! No!

That's just not right.

Okay, okay...I'll go to church on Sunday.

Hope I don't burn the preacher's hand when I shake it.

I'm going to hide under a rock somewhere and hope the villagers don't come for me.

HA!

Click the link take the test yourself. It'll only take a minute. Why should I be the only one worried about my immortal soul. HA!

With much thanks to Barry Reese, Mr. 48% Evil, for sending me off on this tangent.

Danke, Mein Freund.

A True Hero...



I don't think I'll ever forget this image.

It's burned into my memory. This little man standing in front of that line of tanks in Tiannamen Square. Shaking his jacket and his arms and moving to stay in front of the tank.

I wonder what happened to him. If he survived...if he's in prison...

I'll never forget sitting there stunned as I watched that video.

That was bravery. That was defiance. That was courage. That was conviction.

That was the mouse reaching out to strangle the hawk as it tried to swallow him.

That was Don Quixote tilting at an impossible windmill.

That was incredible.

That should be shown in Civics classes in high schools.

Freedom isn't free.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 6th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Ryan Newman
#12 - Alltel

Ryan was the first driver that I saw follow the ABC route to Cup Racing. ABC equals ARCA, Busch, and Cup. This means that they develop up the ladder in a planned manner. Racing more at the lower levels, gathering experience and advancing as the plan dictates. Penske did a great job of bringing him along.

He had the quote of the year. It was either from last season or the season before. He had been involved in a pretty intense wreck. And he was released from the infield care center. He's walking along and the reporter Jeanie Zelasko comes up to him and asks him, "How do you feel, Ryan?"

His answer is pure NASCAR gold. "How do you think I feel?" He retorts as he storms across the infield and into his hauler. Greatness.

In 2005, he ran a full season in the Penske South Alltel Dodge. He recorded 8 poles...yes, 8 poles, cementing his nickname of Rocketman, 1 win, 8 Top 5's, and 16 Top 10's. He earned winnings of $5,578,110.

The Ryan Newman Foundation has released a book titled Pit Road Pets. The book features first person stories of 50 NASCAR celebrities and their pets. Proceeds from the book go to "no-kill" animal shelters and Humane Societies. He has also been doing book signings at $10s per with the proceeds benefiting the same charities.

Penske is likely to run Dodge Intrepids instead of Chargers at California and Vegas. Both the '04 and '05 Intrepids are still on NASCAR's approved list and Penske believes those cars are better performers than the newer Chargers.

An announcement came down that Newman and, teammate, Kurt Busch are going to split time in the Penske Busch Series #39.

Penske has also announced that they will be staying with the Dodges through at least 2008. This puts the kibosh on the rumors that were swirling that Penske was going to jump to Toyota when that manufacturer makes its NEXTEL Cup debut next season.

A quote from Ryan when asked about his years as Rusty Wallace's teammate which he gave on something called Clear!Blue, "It would have taken a different Rusty Wallace and a different Ryan Newman and that wasn't the situation. It probably never could have been different than it was. We all know Rusty is the way he is and I'm the way I am. That wasn't the best of scenarios for teammates. There wasn't a point where we could have fixed it."

They approached the tracks differently. They were "old school" and "new school", oil and water...something's just aren't meant to be.

The relationship between Ryan and Kurt seems to be significantly different. Time will tell if the two can get along.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. The Alltel sponsorship seems solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? I'd give him a longshot chance at doing it.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? The man won 8 poles last year. He knows how to drive fast and smooth. Yes, he is capable of winning.

Have We All Been Living in the Same Country as the Bush Administration for the Last 5 Years?

I can't believe that the Bush Administration was willing to go to the mat for Dubai Ports World. In what alternate dimension was this going to be acceptable to the American public?

With as hard as the White House is sticking to the United Arab Emirates company taking over the 6 major U.S. ports, I wonder which Administration crony stands to profit.

SIDEBAR: Quietly, the information that it is more than 6 American ports who would be under the control of this company. How many would it be? Try 21.


This has to be about the Benjamins. Only money could make intelligent people think something this stupid is a good idea.

SIDEBAR: Oh and now that the firestorm of public debate is rising, the Bush Administration and Dubai Ports World have agreed to delay the finalization of the takeover.

Wonder how long they are going to wait for the American public to look somewhere else before they finish this deal?


And the Administration sent Condoleeza Rice to the UAE to sooth their feelings about the deal being talked down by the American public and the Congress. That could be damaging to her future political aspirations. We don't need future potential Presidential candidates kissing ass in the Middle East...bad enough that they do it to lobbyists here in the States.

SIDEBAR: I really hope that Condolezza becomes the NFL's next commissioner. Better job. Better benefits.

HA! Now there is a potential poll in there somewhere.


Oh geez...a couple of weeks before the ports deal became public the UAE company, Dubai Ports World, who wanted to take over the 21 U.S. ports, donated $100 million dollars to Katrina relief...uh huh.

Bush finally managed to do what he promised in his first Presidential election campaign. He promised to reach across the aisle in Congress and bring both sides together. Well, it worked. Both Republicans and Democrats hate this deal. Good work, George.

A Chinese daily paper is reporting that there was a "secret" deal between the Bush Administration and the state-owned UAE firm Dubai Ports World which would have allowed the company to take over the ports while sharing intelligence and cooperating with U.S. investigations.

Now, I can't speak to the veracity of the report in the Chinese paper...but isn't it exactly what we suspected when we first heard this story breaking.

Sigh...the India Economic Times confirmed the story above from the Chinese paper.

The New York Times threw down some facts and figures related to the burgeoning controversy regarding the Ports deal.

A lot of ink and screen time are being allocated to this story and, rightly, so. This is a big story. No freaking way should major points of egress to the United States be under the control of countries that harbor terrorists who want to kill Americans. No way. No how. Uh uhh.

And, of course, the spectre of racism is being used as a reason for why Americans are opposed to the Ports deal. Nope...it has to do with a nation/region of the world where evil organizations are operating and who want to destroy our lives and our people.

This quote from the above article makes the pucker factor rise:

Politicians have raised concerns that some of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers used the United Arab Emirates as an operational and financial base. And critics contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist.


The resistance of the American people to this deal has less to do with racism and more to do with words like September 11th, the UAE as operational and financial base, nuclear components, Iran, North Korea, and Libya.

And the UPN Daily Buzz just pointed out another important fact. The UAE is one of the few countries in the world who recognize...the Taliban. You remember them, right? They were the bad guys in Afghanistan.

The deeper we dig into this stuff, the worse it seems as a business deal.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

The Justification for Red Light Cameras

How naive do the companies who manufacture these things and the municipalities who put them up really think the American public is?

These things are designed to make money for the manufacturer and the governing body who put them up.

Traffic safety, my eye.

They aren't there to prevent wrecks. They are there to maximize the profit potential associated with traffic violators who due to limited law enforcement resources would "get away" with it without said cameras being in use.

Wrecks are still going to happen.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 7th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Matt Kenseth
#17 - DeWalt / USG / Carhartt / R+L Carriers

The Wisconsin native, Matt Kenseth, had a good season for Roush Racing. He made the Chase along with all the other Roush cars finished 7th in points. He had 2 poles, 1 win, 12 Top 5's, and 17 Top 10's. Those numbers add up to one hell of a season. Those Top 5 and Top 10 numbers in particular point to how consistent this season was for the #17 team. He scored winnings of $5,790,770.

Around the time that Roush signed Jamie McMurray, Kenseth raised a stink. He felt that with Mark Martin retiring, which he changed his mind about, he should have input into who the racing team hires as the next young driver since he would be the senior driver on the staff. Well...surprise, Matt...Mark didn't retire and the name over the door is Jack Roush not Matt Kenseth.

Sponsorship will be hodgepodge this season with DeWalt on the car for the majority of races and then a mix of primary sponsorships for the balance of the season.

Kenseth won the IROC race at Daytona. He leads the points in the Crown Royal International Race of Champions. He is the only cup driver in the Top 4. Of the 12 cars running this season, only 6 finished the race at Daytona. It was a mess of mangled machinery.

He finished the Daytona 500 in 15th after tangling with Tony Stewart in an on-track disagreement which drew penalties for both of them.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes, the car will run every week.

Do I think he could go win a championship? It's a Roush car with a talented driver. He will be in the Chase.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes, he could win 2 races this year and possibly a third, but I doubt more than that.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

The Hammer Falls on the #48...But Not as Hard as It Should Have...

Chad Knaus won't be at the track until the 5th race of the season. A four race suspension was handed down by NASCAR today, along with a $25,000 fine.

Now, the other team that got penalized at Daytona got a monetary fine plus forfeiting 25 points in the Championship standings.

But...the 48 hasn't lost any points. And this isn't their first infraction. Knaus was in trouble last year for cheating. I'm calling bullshit.

Not to take 25 points from this team in light of the infractions is a crock.

There isn't a level playing field. The Staubach/Aikman DLP #96 was penalized owner and driver points, plus a monetary fine for a carburetor. Knaus and Johnson's penalty should have been higher because they had engaged in similar activity last season.

Yes children, cheaters never prosper...unless they drive or work in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.

SIDEBAR: Johnson's World partytime. Excellent. Johnson is worried about the reputation of the 48 and how this will reflect on all the other wins that they have. I think it calls into question and taints everything he and Knaus have done together. He lost whatever respect I had for him with that dedicating the victory at the Daytona 500 to the "Haters of the 48." The cocky bastard gets caught cheating and skates(No championship points have been taken from them). Let's see how he feels when he comes back to earth over the next 3 races without his puppet master.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 8th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Rusty Wallace
#2 - Miller Lite

Rusty Wallace had a decent season. He ran good all season even though he didn't have a pole or a win. He ended his career last season and made the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

He had 8 Top 5's, 17 Top 10's, no wins, and no poles with winnings of $4,868,980.

His retirement from driving won't be his retirement from the racing community. He has his Busch team running, the #64 Top Flite team. And he is supposedly going to be doing the call on Indy Racing League races this season...possibly as a tryout for being one of the booth voices when ABC/ESPN pick up NASCAR racing next season.

Many of Rusty's fan sites are still operating...2 World Order, Montana's, to name a few.

Rusty ran the 24 Hours of Daytona with Danica Patrick.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? n/a

Do I think he could go win a championship? n/a

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? n/a

The 43 Days of Daytona - 9th Place in 2005

The Top NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Driver Profiles of 2005.

---------------

Jeremy Mayfield
#19 - Dodge Dealers

Mayfield had a good season. He has enjoyed a career renaissance while driving for Everham. Amazing what quality machinery will do for a competent driver.

He had 1 win, 4 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, and no poles with winnings of $4,566,910.

In making his second Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Jeremy showed that it wasn't a fluke the first time around. He is a solid presence and a good driver. Things that following his performance in the Penske South #12, I never expected to say about him. Good for him. I love it when underdog drivers get their chance in quality machinery to show what they are really capable of.

Chad Knaus, his name seems to be coming up in a lot of places already this season, rumored to be angling to get out of his contracts at Hendrick Motorsports to come work for Ray Everham, who gave him his first job in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup. Considering that Everham lost both of his crew chiefs at the end of last year to Robert Yates's #88 and 38, the rumor may have legs...whether it's true or not.

Everham is the home of early season rumors. A rumor is out there that Everham is about to move his Cup garage to Indianapolis. If true, this could herald NASCAR's true growth as the race teams spread out geographically. Personally, I'm ready for a team to make Texas Motor Speedway their home track.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? The Dodge sponsorship is solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? Probably not. He will be good. And he probably will make the Chase again. But no, no real chance to win it all.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. I don't project him winning more than one though.

Monday, February 20, 2006

The Daytona 500 - Just Us Cup-date

The Race Report

Yahoo Raceflash

Loads of Expert Analysis via Yahoo

Stats, facts and observations from Bob Margolis via Yahoo's At The Track


The part of Margolis's excellent observations that caught my eye...Kenny Schrader in the Wood Brothers #21 went from 33rd to 9th in 20 laps...NBC totally missed that aspect of the race. See my previous commentary on how I feel about NBC's coverage.


Rumors are floating this morning that Jimmie Johnson may have his Daytona 500 victory, but his crew chief is likely going to be suspended for three races and the #48 is going to be fined points. So, yes, they got the victory, but those all important points toward the Chase are in jeopardy.

Stewart's tough day...Road Rage at Daytona...Outspoken Ryan Newman...Figures and Facts

After talking up safety and being careful all week, what could Tony Stewart have been thinking when he ran Matt Kennseth down the track. NASCAR's hands were tied at that point they had to penalize him and when Kennseth retaliated...again...what were they supposed to do, except what they did.

Another Schrader story

"To the Haters of the 48..."
...Yes, Jimmie, that would be me.


Complete Finishing Order

1 Jimmie Johnson (48)
2 Casey Mears (42)
3 Ryan Newman (12)
4 Elliott Sadler (38)
5 Tony Stewart (20)
6 Clint Bowyer (07)
7 Brian Vickers (25)
8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8)
9 Ken Schrader (21)
10 Dale Jarrett (88)
11 Kasey Kahne (9)
12 Mark Martin (6)
13 Robby Gordon (7)
14 Kevin Harvick (29)
15 Matt Kenseth (17)
16 Martin Truex Jr. (1)
17 Terry Labonte (96)
18 Michael Waltrip (55)
19 Bill Elliott (136)
20 Kirk Shelmerdine (27)
21 Brent Sherman (49)
22 Dave Blaney (22)
23 Kyle Busch (5)
24 Mike Wallace (109)
25 Kevin Lepage (61)
26 Jeff Gordon (24)
27 Travis Kvapil (32)
28 David Stremme (40)
29 Reed Sorenson (41)
30 Denny Hamlin (11)
31 Greg Biffle (16)
32 Jeff Burton (31)
33 Joe Nemechek (01)
34 Sterling Marlin (14)
35 Bobby Labonte (43)
36 Jeremy Mayfield (19)
37 Jamie McMurray (26)
38 Kurt Busch (2)
39 Kyle Petty (45)
40 Hermie Sadler (00)
41 J.J. Yeley (18)
42 Jeff Green (66)
43 Carl Edwards (99)

The Just Us Cup-date

Place - Driver
Finishing Points
Deduction (DNQ/Prov -5, DNF -5,
Bonus (Pole +5, Most Laps Led +5, Win +5)
TOTAL

1st - Johnson
Finish Points -- 65
Win -- 5
TOTAL -- 70

4th - Sadler
Finish Points -- 60
TOTAL -- 60

8th - Earnhardt Jr.
Finish Points -- 55
Most Laps Led -- 5
TOTAL -- 60

9th - Schrader
Finish Points -- 50
TOTAL -- 50

10th - Jarrett
Finish Points -- 45
TOTAL -- 45

12th - Martin
Finish Points -- 40
TOTAL -- 40

14th - Harvick
Finish Points -- 35
TOTAL -- 35

18th - Waltrip
Finish Points -- 30
TOTAL -- 30

26th - Gordon
Finish Points -- 25
TOTAL -- 25

31st - Biffle
Finish Points -- 20
TOTAL -- 20

37th - McMurray
Finish Points -- 15
DNF -- -5
TOTAL -- 10

38th - Busch
Finish Points -- 10
DNF -- -5
TOTAL -- 5

43rd - Edwards
Finish Points -- 5
DNF -- -5
TOTAL -- 0

A Disgrace...



Jimmie Johnson winning the Daytona 500 is a disgrace considering Chad Knaus's cheating in qualifying.

I agree with Dale Hansen. The 48 shouldn't have even been running. If that car would have had to sit out the Daytona 500 because of the use of an illegal part in qualifying, it would have served notice to the rest of the teams in NASCAR that this kind of thing would no longer be condoned.

The "wink, wink," "nudge, nudge" attitude of the NASCAR hierarchy is crap. Either support and enforce the rules or don't even pretend.

Sincerely,
Mark "Puff" Anderson
Through the Cigar Smoke
Proud member of the Haters of the 48 Club

NBC's Daytona Coverage Sucked...

Every 5 laps, they went to commercial.

The 1st yellow happened during a commercial. They came back showed the pit stops and immediately went back to commercial.

NBC SUCKS!

Fox and TNT are better. ABC and ESPN need to take notes.

From Lap 15 to Lap 20, they were at commercial. They seemed to go to commercial every 5 laps the whole first half of the race.

NBC SUCKS!

Under green flag racing, you are looking at 8 laps missed for every commercial break.

One more time...

NBC SUCKS!

They came back from commercial at Lap 44 and went back to commercial at Lap 46.

Sonuva...! You get the idea. I can't believe they ran 2 laps and went back to commercial.

Thanks NBC! Thanks for ruining the race for me, the race that I looked forward to for three months.

Their coverage was so pro-Jeff Gordon that it was disgusting. Their "Through The Field" segment which last year was excellent was sullied by they way they handled it. They went through the field to 15th place and, then, jumped to Jeff Gordon who was running 38th. What about the guys who were running 16th through 37th.

NBC SUCKS!

Worst race coverage I've ever seen. I can't believe Benny Parsons lends his good name to this crap.

The NBC announcing team smells like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart's ass. Schrader was fastest in the last Saturday practice. He ran consistently in the Top Ten all day long. He finished 9th. He was mentioned once, when they were showing where everyone finished at the end of the day.

NBC SUCKS!

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Well...its in the record books

The Daytona 500 - 2006 is over.

Jimmie Johnson won. More commentary about that crap next week.

And some more about NBC's lackluster start to the season.

Long frustrating race today. No big, big, multi-car wreck. No perfect storm. Think that was more a function of the weather conditions than it was of NASCAR's increased focus on limiting aggressiveness.

Schrader had a good run. Edwards got podunked.

Next up, California.

Just Us Cup-date coming either tomorrow or Tuesday morning. Depending on computer conditions.

Due to Technical Difficulties...

The 43 Days of Daytona won't be complete until the week after the Daytona 500.

I spent most of last night and this morning reloading and reconfiguring the computer here and I'm going to be watching the pre-race activities and the Daytona 500.

Look for the 9th place down to 1st place driver profiles to be complete before the next race of the '06 season.

Thanks for your patience,
Mark "Puff" Anderson
The Cheeseman

Saturday, February 18, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 10th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

---------------

Kurt Busch
#2 - Miller Lite

Kurt ran the full season last year in the Roush Racing #97-Rubbermaid/Sharpie Ford. He had 3 wins, 9 Top 5's, and 18 Top 10's. His winnings totaled $6,516,320.

His championship defense last year didn't turn out quite like he or Jack Roush planned. By the end of the season, Busch was entertaining alternative offers and Roush was out signing Jamie McMurray to take Busch's Roush seat. It seems odd to me that a defending Cup champion changes teams in his title defense year. Busch eventually signed with Penske South to replace the retiring Rusty Wallace.

Then, there is the whole drunk driving issue at Phoenix at the end of the season.
That's all past now though.

Now, he is in the Penske South Miller Lite car vacated by Rusty Wallace when he retired at the end of last season. Considering the relationship between Rusty and his Penske teammate Ryan Newman, this has to be a win for Penske. Teammates who can get along, ...provided these two volatile personalities can get along for an extended time, will be good for Penske South.

Busch had cosmetic surgery to have his ears altered to fit back against his head more. Uhm...okay.

Word has it that both Penske South entrants will be driving 2004 model Dodge Intrepids at California Speedway and Las Vegas Motorspeedway. This comes as Daimler-Chrysler-Dodge is trying to work out with their drivers about the new nose for the 2006 Dodge Charger that has yet to be provided to NASCAR for approval. Both the '05 and '06 models are approved for use by NASCAR...this makes me suspect that Penske is taking one more step toward positioning themselves to be one of the teams that jumps to the Toyota Camry when it comes aboard next season.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. The Miller Lite sponsorship is another of those high quality deals. This one is solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? I do not believe that Kurt Busch will be solidly in the hunt for a championship this season. He may be in the Chase for the Championship and I recognize that anything may happen if you make the Chase, but I just don't have that feeling for Kurt this year. Maybe next time.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. Maybe 2 or even 3.

Listen Closely...You Can Almost Feel It

1

day

til

the

Daytona

500

The 43 Days of Daytona...The Top Ten Begin Today

Look for the Top Ten driver profiles from 2005 sometime today through tomorrow morning.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 11th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

---------------

Jeff Gordon
#24 - Dupont / Pepsi / Nicorette

He ran a full season in the Hendrick Motorsports #24. He had 2 poles, 4 wins, 8 Top 5's, and 14 Top 10's. His winnings totaled $6,855,440.

Turmoil in the crew chief position marked his season. They just couldn't seem to get things right...from their perspective. Winning 4 races makes things look pretty dang good from the outside looking in. They threw away a good crew chief in Robbie Loomis. He is going to make the Pettys so much better this year. The bar has risen since the last time Gordon ran for a championship. There are a more good teams who could run for and win it all every year than there were the last time Gordon won a championship. A lot of teams have done a lot of catching up to the premiere teams in NASCAR. Trying to live up to impossible standards and be better than everybody else in the current NASCAR environment is a recipe for disaster. I believe that running Robbie Loomis off like he was the cause of the problem with the #24 team was a mistake. Time will tell how big a mistake.

Considering that Gordon has a lifetime contract with Hendricks...I wonder if lifetime would extend through multiple seasons with no wins and haphazard performance. This is the first "lifetime" contract that I've seen.

Gordon and Superman will again be teaming up for the July Daytona Race just in time for the release of the new Superman Returns movie.

Pepsi has inked as an associate sponsor on the #24 through 2010.

There are currently only four regular NEXTEL Cup tracks that Gordon hasn't won on; Texas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Homestead. Wouldn't surprise me if he knocks one of these off the list this year.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. DuPont is another of those Holy Grail sponsorships in NASCAR.

Do I think he could go win a championship? He's always a threat. But I think that with the recent crew chief turmoil and with NASCAR taking a closer look at Hendrick Motorsports in general following the rules violations last year and the problems already this season with Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus on the #48, the running for a championship may be overshadowed by trouble within the organization.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes.

Friday, February 17, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 12th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

---------------

Jamie McMurray
#26 - Crown Royal / Irwin Tools

Last season, he ran all 36 races in the Chip Ganassi #42-Texaco/Havoline Dodge. He had 1 poles, no win, 4 Top 5's, and 10 Top 10's. His winnings were $3,923,970.

Toward the end of last season with a year left in Jamie's contract, he signed a follow on contract...but not with Ganassi. This year and for the next few season Jamie McMurray will be behind the wheel of a Roush Racing Ford. Ganassi seems to be floundering in the wake of this. At first they weren't going to let him out of his contract and make him drive the last year of it. And then, they released him. They fired Sterling Marlin and ended up with a team consisting of Casey Mears and two rookies. The jury is out on whether Mears is ready to be the senior member of a race team or not.

Jamie joins an established group of winners. There was some initial tension when it became evident that Matt Kennseth felt slighted because he hadn't been consulted, since with Mark Martin's retirement, that didn't happen, he thought he was going to be the senior member of the race team. Add in Kurt Busch leaving the team and Matt felt secure. Sorry Matt, Jamie is there and Mark came back...you're still not it...and Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle might both have something to say about who sticks around in a Roush car when he has to draw down to four teams, between 2009 and 2011, in accordance with NASCAR rules here in a few years.

Jamie has talent. He showed that the second time he ran the Coors Light car while Sterling was injured and won. Jamie in Roush equipment could be a holy terror...but then, in Roush equipment they have six holy terrors.

Jamie and Carl Edwards were added to the Gillette Young Guns line up.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. It is a mixed bag between three or four companies, but Roush has become very professional at this.

Do I think he could go win a championship? Roush equipment. Talented driver. Yes. Yes. And Yes.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? See answer above.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 13th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

---------------

Elliott Sadler
#38 - M&Ms

He ran the full 2005 season in the Robert Yates Racing #38. He had 4 poles, no win, 4 Top 5's, and 12 Top 10's. His winnings were $5,024,120.

Sadler has signed on to be the 4th seat on the Speed Channel's Friday night Trackside Live show when after July 7th, Darrell Waltrip steps aside.

Teamed with Tommy Baldwin, Elliott has a quality crew chief who knows what it takes to get things done in NASCAR. This could bode well for the M&Ms #38 Ford Fusion.

Hmmm...just dawned on me...Slugger Labe left the #19 for Yates and is working with Dale Jarrett and, then, Tommy Baldwin leaves the #9 for Yates and is working with Elliott Sadler...I'm willing to bet that Everham and Yates really, really don't like each other right now.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes.

Do I think he could go win a championship? The equipment is there. The crew chief is there. The question becomes whether Elliott is ready to run for a championship. I'm going to say yes...eventually, but not this year.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. Elliott should absolutely win at least one race this year.

My new favorite cereal...



Three parts Frankenberry and one part Cheerios...

Mmmm, mmmm, good.

That is some good Frankeerios.

The Unschooling Method...

You have got to be kidding me.

I don't have a problem with home schooling. But the "unschooling" method, allows the children to set their curricula and agenda. They decide what, when, and how they want to learn.

According to CNN, there are over 150,000 American families taking part in this.

5-year olds and 10-year olds should not be "deciding" what they are going to learn and when they are going to do it.

Geez!

CNN did a great job of focusing on the "success" stories. A girl in Georgian was able to play piano and though she was of an age to be in the 4th grade, she reads at a 7th grade level. Hmmmm, okay...test her. Don't tell us and expect us to accept that kind of statement.

The structure of schooling is part of the socialization process. Without proper schooling, I would have probably been a hermit...as opposed to what I am now...watch it, no jokes from the peanut gallery.

One of the parents in the story was quoted as saying that "if his children wanted to go to college, they could..."

Uhm...how? Is he going to set up a chemistry lab in his garage so they can get their science creds? What about foreign language credits? What about all the other myriad credits and requirements needed to qualify?

Home schoolers and "Unschoolers" should have to file lesson plans and grades with the state so that results can be tracked and the children involved in those programs won't be left behind. I think in a structured home school environment that is less likely to happen, but the whole "Un" process seems to be unstructured, unfocused, and unrealistic.

The idea of leaving the education of the future generation in the immature hands of 5-year olds or 10-year olds isn't one that I condone.

Listen Closely...Smell the Rubber Burning

2

days

til

the

Daytona

500

Thursday, February 16, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 14th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

---------------

Kevin Harvick
#29 - GM Goodwrench / Reeses

He ran the full 2005 season in the Richard Childress Racing #29. He had 2 poles, 1 win, 3 Top 5's, and 10 Top 10's. His winnings were $4,970,050.

...and still it was a down year.

It was snakebit. Something good would happen and, then, something bad.

Harvick has a temper, but that can't be blamed for what went on last year. He won a race...but had some equipment failures. It was a down year for RCR equipment, just ask Jeff Burton and Dave Blaney...especially Blaney. The biggest opportunity of his career so far went belly up with his losing the #07 Jack Daniels ride.

Harvick is interested in the future of NASCAR. The following quote comes from Kevin Harvick via ESPN.com.

"No one has been able to replace Earnhardt as a voice for the drivers in the NASCAR Nextel Cup garage area." Speaking Thursday during NASCAR's annual Media Day, Harvick said longtime Cup star Rusty Wallace filled some of that void until he retired last year. "With him gone, I can't tell you who is going to step up," Harvick said. "It's like our biggest stars are involved in a lot of other things and not taking 100 percent interest in the sport now." Without saying his name, Harvick made it clear that he believes four-time champion Jeff Gordon should be filling Earnhardt's role as the unofficial drivers' representative to NASCAR. "There are people who should be more involved and you know who I mean," he said. Gordon shrugged off the apparent criticism, saying the sport has changed and no one can really replace the charismatic and often enigmatic Earnhardt. "I know people have asked me, `Why haven't you done that? Why haven't you done that?' I've never really felt like it was my place to do that," Gordon said. "I feel like over the years that I've been here that I've earned more respect, but I don't know if I'll ever have the type of respect that Dale had. I think we all play a certain role in doing it together as drivers. It is our responsibility to bring up certain issues and try to do our best to keep the sport growing. But the sport is growing. It's been doing good."


Looks to me like has taken all the necessary steps to allow Tony Stewart to step past him as NASCAR's leading driver. Look no further than the bump drafting commentary that Stewart made after the Bud Shootout and NASCAR's making moves this week to limit and penalize excessive bump drafting.

Harvick may be getting his wish. Gordon doesn't want the job. Stewart will take it as a responsibility, not that he necessarily wants it either.

Rumors are swirling that when the Toyota Camry debuts in NASCAR next season with 3 different teams, one of them being Team Red Bull, that Kevin Harvick may be in the seat of one of the Red Bull offerings.

Harvick is long on talent, short on temper, and he has a lead foot. Add quality equipment to that equation and RCR should be running for a championship...if they don't come back consistently, it wouldn't surprise me if Harvick does move on to greener pastures at some point, being Dale Earnhardt's heir apparent at RCR or not.

Good news is that Jeff Burton put the #31 Cingular Chevy out of the RCR stable on the pole for the Daytona 500. That is a good step in the right direction.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. The GM Goodwrench deal mixed with the Reeses deal is solid.

Do I think he could go win a championship? Yes.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. In a bad car, Harvick could win a race. If RCR puts the right combination under him consistently this season, he could win 5 races.

US Olympic Snowboard Team Sponsored by Bud...



Hmmm...



Somebody better tell them that that's Budweiser, not Bud.

Isn't it frowned upon to have beer sponsors at an event where some of the participants are underage?

There are members of the Olympic teams who are still minors. I think there shouldn't be a problem with sponsorship money coming from beer sponsors. But I thought there was a law regarding this kind of thing.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 15th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Dale Jarrett
#88 - UPS

Dale is finishing his career in quality equipment at Robert Yates Racing. The same quality equipment that two years ago had him in the hunt for the championship late into the season. With Elliot Sadler as his teammate, there is quality all around. Add in Yates engines, and he is excellently positioned to finish his career on top.

He had 1 pole, 1 win, 4 Top 5's, and 7 Top 10's in 2005. His winnings came to $4,705,440.

Look for the UPS commercials to take it up a notch in their "We want Dale to race the truck. People love the truck" advertising campaign. Suspicion is that at the end, we see a UPS-sponsored Craftsman Truck running and Dale will race it for at least one race.

Jarrett is starting to ask himself the hard questions about whether he is going to continue racing past the age of 50. He doesn't just want to be out there driving around. He wants to be competitive...don't we all...don't we all.

Dale teamed with crew chief Slugger Labe could go a long way toward making Dale feel like he's competitive.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. The UPS deal is one of the most solid in NASCAR. This one is top five alongside the Bud with Jr., NAPA with Waltrip, and DuPont with Gordon.

Do I think he could go win a championship? It's possible...but I doubt it.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. Yates equipment, championship calibre driver, high tone crew chief who is ready to step his game up...yeah, it's possible.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 16th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Joe Nemechek
#01 - US Army

Nemechek ran the complete season with the MB2/MBV racing team. He was the highest climber of the three cars in that stable.

He had 1 pole, 2 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, and no wins in 2005. His winnings came to $4,223,380.

There's no big news surrounding Joe Nemechek. He's in good equipment and he has talent. He has great teammates to work with this season in Sterling Marlin and Bill Elliott. I'm not sure, but based on age this might make Nemechek the junior member of that race team. They are the anti-Young Guns.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes, despite the announcement that the U.S. Army would no longer be a NASCAR sponsor, they will maintain their sponsorship of the #01 car.

Do I think he could go win a championship? No...the equipment is good...but not that good.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. Joe can win.

Last M*A*S*H Closes...



The last U.S. Army MASH unit is closed. Its tents and equipment turned over to the Pakistani Army.

This unit began its service on the World War One battlefields of France and it ends its career in Pakistan helping the people injured and forced from their homes by the earthquakes that struck that region a few months ago.

The Army is transitioning to the Combat Support Hospital model which will require doctors and nurses to be out in the field instead of waiting for them to be flown in.

Listen Closely...Can You Hear the Rumble...

3

days

til

the

Daytona

500

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

The Just Us Cup Table is Up...

Its still not too late to join in.

Come one. Come all.

Pick an unassigned driver and drop me a line at

puffdoggydaddy@yahoo.com

American Idol Gets the Gold...Olympics Take Silver...



This is a sad commentary on the American public when something like American Idol draws more viewers than the Olympics.

I've always loved the Olympics. One of my favorite things has been watching the parade of nations in the opening ceremonies.

Sigh...and American Idol is more interesting to my fellow Americans than our best taking on the best from around the world.

Sad.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 17th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Brian Vickers
#25 - GMAC

Vickers and the previously mentioned Kyle Busch could have been cut from the same cloth. They are both long on talent, long on mouth, and short on patience. And, both run for Hendrick Motorsports.

He had 1 pole, 5 Top 5's, 10 Top 10's, and no wins in 2005. His winnings came to $3,982,130.

He is being more welcomed into the fold than his stable mate, Busch. He appeared regularly on Inside NEXTEL Cup on the Speed Channel alongside Ken Schrader and Michael Waltrip last year and will put in a number of appearances again this year.

He, also, picked up an associate sponsorship from Mountain Dew. Dew was a mainstay associate with the Everham organization since its inception. They are one of the more committed associate sponsors in the game.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes.

Do I think he could go win a championship? No. I'm going to say he doesn't have enough experience. I've been wrong before...but this time, I'm right.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Hendrick power and the talent that he has already shown, he could win possibly as many as three races.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 18th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Jeff Burton
#31 - Cingular

Burton landed on his feet after his departure from Roush Racing. He showed up in a quality ride with a quality team. He had a decent first season with Richard Childress Racing in the #31 following numerous years with Roush in the #99. And if looking at his qualifying run for this year's Daytona 500 is any indication expect good things from this team this season.

He had 3 Top 5's, 6 Top 10's, no wins, and no poles. His winnings came to $4,265,670.

He is long on talent and in a good set of equipment. This could be a very solid year for Jeff Burton. I just hope his brother, Ward, has a little good luck come his way soon.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? This is a solid sponsorship deal.

Do I think he could go win a championship? I'm on the fence about this. The talent is there. There is no way that you can justify Jeff not being as talented as Matt Kennseth or Kurt Busch...but I still suspect for them to win it all like they did...well its like qualifying at Daytona...sometimes the wind has to blow right. Is it possible? Yes. Is it likely? No.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 19th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Dale Earnhardt Jr.
#8 - Budweiser

It is amazing that Dale Jr. finished this low. He was destined to finish higher than this. He is a great driver, in great equipment...what could have gone wrong?

Could it be the media has built him into something beyond what he truly is? Could it be that all of the crew turmoil and flip-flopping at DEI made it impossible for him to perform.

This year, he has his choice of crew chief back. His crew is back in place. He expects to win 7 or 8 races this season. Yes...you read that right, Dale Earnhardt Jr. expects to win 7 or 8 races this year...before the Chase begins.

Last year's record was 1 win, 7 Top 5's, and 13 Top 10's for winnings of $5,761,830.

He has his father's legacy, his company's dreams of greatness, and the media and fans high expectations riding on him. I hope he can deliver.

What we've seen so far is a very good race car driver. To be the champion that he, the media, and the fans expect him to be, he will have to step it up another level.

We'll see.

This makes it sound like I expect him to fail or want him to fail. I don't. The bar is extra high for him because he's Dale Earnhardt's kid. I hope he gets over that bar. It would be great for the sport we all love and a fitting tribute to his inspiration, and the hero of many a NASCAR fan, the Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? The Budweiser sponsorship is a solid, long term NASCAR partner.

Do I think he could go win a championship? Yes, provided they win beyond the restrictor plates at Daytona and Taladega.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. He will win a race. And the possibility is there for more.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 20th Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Kyle Busch
#5 - Kelloggs / Carquest / Delphi

Kyle Busch is 2004 NEXTEL Cup Champion Kurt Busch's younger brother. His driving style is very similar, as is his attitude and arrogance. He ran the complete season in 2005 in the Hendrix Motorsports #5.

He had 1 pole, 2 wins, 9 Top 5's, and 13 Top 10's. His winnings came to $4,185,240.

Those results made him a shoe-in for the 2005 Rookie of the Year. Expect big things from him this season...provided that his ego doesn't outshine his talent.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Solid sponsorship.

Do I think he could go win a championship? Yes. Hendrix power and the kid has talent...provided his ego doesn't get in the way.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes, he will win a race or two this season with a high probability of winning more than two.

Happy Horny Werewolf Day!!!

The following quote comes from Warren Ellis's Bad Signal. I love the way he thinks.

Happy Valentine's Day to all. And to those who hate the day, I say this:
Valentine's Day is a Christian corruption of a pagan festival involving werewolves, blood and fucking. So wish people a happy Horny Werewolf Day and see what happens.

Horny Werewolf Day needs to come back. I expect R Stevens and J Rowland to have t-shirts ready for next year.


A round of applause to Warren.

And if your sitting across from him in the pub, buy him a drink.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Bud Shootout Results from Daytona...

2006 Budweiser Shootout Results

POS DRIVER CAR START--LEAD
1 Denny Hamlin 15--16
2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 19--1
3 Tony Stewart 3--7
4 Scott Riggs 8--2
5 Jimmie Johnson 2--12
6 Matt Kenseth 16
7 Mark Martin 13
8 Jamie McMurray 17--1
9 Joe Nemechek 4
10 Dale Jarrett 9
11 Michael Waltrip 21--11
12 Bill Elliott 12
13 Elliott Sadler 6
14 Ken Schrader 1--18
15 Kyle Busch 14--4
16 Carl Edwards 11
17 Ryan Newman 7
18 Kasey Kahne 5
19 Jeff Gordon 10
20 Kevin Harvick 18
21 Brian Vickers 20

Woes for Lowes

The Hendrix Motorsports #48 Lowes Chevy Monte Carlo is being forced to go to the back for the Gatorade qualifying races coming up on Thursday for the Daytona 500. After qualifying, the cars go back through tech inspection.

Well, when the car returned from the track to go through tech after laying down a 5th best time while trying to qualify for the front row of the Daytona 500, the rear window had been adjusted in what NASCAR called a clear attempt to alter the aerodynamics of the car.

Chad Knaus, crew chief of the #48, has been ejected from Daytona. I'm sure other fines will follow along with possible additional suspension.

This follows Knaus's being fined $30,000 and suspended for 2 races last year.

Kevin Harvick commented on the fairness of the situation, in light of his crew chief, Todd Berrier, being suspended twice last season for a total of six races, that there seemed to be a double standard at work and "...that maybe we needed to brown-nose more."

I like Kevin Harvick. He tells it like it is. You get a lot of that from NASCAR drivers. Some of them have the politically correct speak going on, but some of 'em will tell you like it is.

Bad Times...

It's bad times to be a Blogspotter.

All weekend, I couldn't get stuff to post and today I couldn't even log in.

I set up a Yahoo 360 as a possible replacement...I actually posted on my LiveJournal, which I only created so that I could post to my friends' LJ's.

Ah well...we'll see if Blogspot is fixed now or not.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Bud Shootout from Daytona...

...was rain delayed last night.

Will be running the complete race this afternoon.

Woo hoo!

Sunday afternoon racing on TNT, I am so freaking ready.

They are doing front row qualifying right now for the Daytona 500 next weekend on NBC.

Look for the Just Us Cup table to go up sometime early next week. If you haven't signed up for the Just Us Cup, its not too late. Check out the post here and follow the instructions to grab your favorite driver.

The 43 Days of Daytona are going to be complete by race time next Sunday. Watch for the Top 20 driver profiles from the 2005 season with info on their prospects, sponsorships, etc for the 2006 season kicking off next weekend.

Friday, February 10, 2006

20 Places to Go...

The 43 Days of Daytona are behind schedule.

They will finish before the green flag is dropped for the Daytona 500. Check back soon. We're about to start flying.

And to my Just Us Cup comrades, I'll be dropping you an email when the new table goes up.

Ken Schrader Drew the Pole for the Bud Shootout

Woo hoo!

Coolness!

Woo hoo!

Kenny has the pole for tomorrow nights inaugural event of the 2006 season. Yes, its just the Bud Shootout. Yes, it doesn't count in the point standings...

But, its the first racing of the 2006 season and one of my guys is starting on the pole.

Life is good!

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Texas Senator Hutchinson Requests a Homeland Security Investigation on Mexican Army border Incursion in Texas

Yes...it happened. Whether they were genuine Mexican Army soldiers or not remains to be seen. They were dressed as Mexican Army.

Blows my mind. Texas was invaded in my lifetime.

Geez!

Read Hutchinson's press release here.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Super Bowl Censored the Roll[bleep] St[bleep]nes

Yes, it's true. Apparently at two points during the performance Mick's microphone was lowered when he came to the offending phrases and words.

The words and phrases...

In Start Me Up when he sings..."make a dead man come." The microphone powered down.

And in Rough Justice where they refer to a "cock". The volume descended and rose again.

Apparently in (Can't Get No) Satisfaction, the line "I can't get no girlie action" was deemed suitable by the morals police in the NFL office.

Thank you, Janice Jackson and Justin Timberlake.

It sucks that this went on. But a bigger question is...if the Stones wouldn't have said something about it afterwards, would we have noticed?

But...show of hands, how many of you noticed that the Stones were being censored at the time?

That's what I thought.

Monday, February 06, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 21st Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Ricky Rudd
#21 - Motorcraft / Air Force

Ricky Rudd ran the entire season in the Wood Brothers #21 sponsored by Motorcraft and the Air Force. He had 2 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, no poles, and no wins. His winnings came to $4,300,410.

In the closing days of the season, he announced his retirement from racing. A month or so later, the Wood Brothers hired Ken Schrader to drive the #21 Little Debbie/Motorcraft/Air Force Ford.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? N/A.

Do I think he could go win a championship? N/A.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? N/A.

The 43 Days of Daytona - 22nd Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Casey Mears
#42 - Havoline / Texaco

Casey ran the entire season in the #41 Target Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. He had 3 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, no poles, and no wins. His winnings totaled $4,234,170.

Casey Mears seems like a nice guy in all the interviews you hear him do. His 2005 season was decent compared to other drivers, but there is this feeling that if Ganassi hadn't already planned on parting company with Sterling Marlin and been surprised by Jamie McMurray jumping ship and going to Roush, that Casey would have been looking for a ride this season.

Instead he finds himself in the #42 Havoline/Texaco Dodge vacated by McMurray. His #42 Target Dodge become Reed Sorrenson's, with David Stremme landing in Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge. This is a hell of a youth movement by Ganassi considering this makes Mears the veteran on the team.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes.

Do I think he could go win a championship? No, with all the changes this heralds rebuilding year for Ganassi...and whether Casey Mears will still be driving for Ganassi when the rebuild is over is up in the air and likely to remain so for the entire season.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? No. See previous answer.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Put This on the List of Things I Didn't Need to See




MADRID (AFP) - Naked save for their regulation crash helmets, a group of militant cyclists held anti-car protests in several Spanish cities, calling for "more human and liveable cities," less pollution and more room for pedestrians and bicycles.

I May Never Be Able to Get Out of This Chair...

In the last 30 minutes, my Yahoo Launchcast played...

The Pretenders - "Middle of the Road"
Quiet Riot - "Come on Feel the Noise"
Poison - "Nothin' But a Good Time"
ZZ Top - "Gimme All Your Lovin'"
Def Leppard - "Photograph"
Night Ranger - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"

I've been sitting at my desk rocking out. And I have the strange urge to grow my hair back out. I was, also, beginning to lose the feeling in my legs.

Then...Launchcast let me off the hook and played Warrant's "Heaven".

Everytime I hear Warrant, I think of that 80's Power Ballad commercial from K-Tel, that is running on VH1 right now. The catch line that really gets me is "...because every bad boy had his soft side and still does."

[sarcasm]Uh huh. Yeah. Right.

I better change the channel if I expect to get anything done today. HA!

When the Launchcast station finally learns your preferences and starts playing songs based on what you like, you can get a good run of some pretty good songs going.

Thursday, February 02, 2006

The 43 Days of Daytona - 23rd Place in 2005

Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.

----------------

Kasey Kahne
#9 - Dodge Motorsports

Kasey Kahne is a very talented young man...who looks very, very young. The standing joke is that he is 11 or 12 and should be in Middle School instead of behind the wheel of those 800 horsepower race cars.

Kasey ran 36 races last season for Ray Everham Racing. He won 1 race, took 2 poles, 5 Top 5's, and 8 top 10's. He hung impressive numbers last season with winnings of $4,874,840. He finished 23rd in points for the 2005 season.

He has a solid future in this sport and will be a great racer for a long time to come.

He will be sporting a new paint scheme next season with a large white area down the sides of the car.

Rumor is that Everham Motorsports may be moving their garages and headquarters to Indianapolis. This kind of thing is overdue. The great majority of teams are all based in and around North Carolina and as NASCAR becomes a national sport, teams will need to expand their bases. There are talent pools that have yet to be explored out there.

Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes. Absolutely. Dodge is one of those solid sponsorships

Do I think he could go win a championship? Yes. The other team, the #19, has made the Chase the last two years. Kasey is a better driver than Jeremy Mayfield...in the same equipment...it's only a matter of time.

Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? Yes. He will.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Red Guard...



1st Guard: This public display is causing a commotion. We should arrest them.

2nd Guard: Uhm...did you say something?

How Did You Think They Trained Buckingham Palace's Guards???



If he can keep his cool and ignore this...he gets the job...of course that's probably what he's hoping for anyway.

HA!

When Superboys Attack...




This is about the recent DC Comics Infinite Crisis issue #4, the transdimensional epic that is supposed to redefine the DC Universe for the next 20 years, as Crisis on Infinite Earths defined the last 20 years.

This issue has engendered a lot of debate.

The Earth-Prime Superboy goes on a immature, drunk on yellow sunshine rampage. He dropped hints in the first couple of issues about how much he wanted to get out in that yellow sun. For those not in the know, part of Superman/boy's powers come from the yellow sun. And Superboy has spent the majority of the last 20 years trapped in a pocket dimension where he hasn't been getting his recommended daily allowance of yellow sunlight.

Add to that the fact that Luthor, ...yes there was an alternate reality Luthor trapped with him in that pocket dimension for the last 20 years, has been whispering in his ear for that whole time about how they could make it better and fix things. When he first appeared, we all thought Alexi Luthor was a good guy. Now...we see his genetics coming to the fore.

Anyway Superboy-Prime gets out in the yellow sunlight. Confronts the current Superboy and proceeds to tear into him. Why? Because Connor, current Superboy, won't admit that Superboy-Prime is a better Superboy and should be the only Superboy.

And because, Superboy-Prime is very, very immature.

Immaturity plus superpowers equals a very, very bad mix.

The Teen Titans arrive to help Conner, who is getting his ass handed to him.

And drunk on yellow sunlight, Superboy-Prime kills three of the Titans and maybe four. Pantha and Wildebeest(good riddance) were taken out. Bushido(I know nothing about this character) gets taken down. He tore another character's arm off...yes, you read that right...he tore Risk's arm off. Risk was one of the new team of Teen Titans from the short-lived series a year or three ago. He froze Red Star into a Siberian popsicle.

When Kryptonians let loose, normal humans shouldn't be around...they are way, way too dangerous.

Now a lot of the debate online has centered around Superboy-Prime being presented out of character. Well...considering that he appeared in a handful of issues over 20 years back, I'd say that he doesn't have an established character.

And all you need to know about the character is what I've explained above. Drunk on yellow sunshine! Immature! Superpowers! Equal disaster waiting to happen.

When did I turn on Superboy-Prime...when he kicked the dog. Nobody kicks Krypto. Bastard. Shame he got carried off into the Speed Force by the Flashes. I really wanted somebody to whip his ass.

Ah well.

I'm digging Infinite Crisis.

Jodie Sweetin...the Tabloids were Right...Partially

Apparently there wasn't an intervention by former Full House co-stars.

She checked herself into rehab.

Yes, America, she confirmed it on Good Morning America this morning. Stephanie Tanner, Jodie Sweetin, was addicted to Crystal Meth. The double life that Meth forced her to live tore her marriage and her life apart. She is currently undergoing a divorce.

She went through rehab and claims to have not used for several months. She doesn't have the addiction look. Maybe she really is clean. I hope she is.

It would be nice for there to be a good story about a child star getting their life back together after the "real" world knocks the crap out of them.

Good Morning America could learn something about being supportive. Their label running under the images as they are interviewing her..."Fallen Star"...seems more appropriate to have used a line something like "Rising Star".

She's clean. She's sober. She wants to act again.

Good luck, Stephanie Tanner. Good luck.


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