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It’s time once again! Grab the rakes and shovels, because the shores of my vast ocean of thoughts have once more become cluttered with the flotsam and jetsam of assorted debris and nonsense. Yes, despite those groans of misery, those horrid screams of delirium and the ever present hate mail to follow, I bring you another dose of Stooge’s “Mind Flotsam”. |
First my apologies for the lack of a race report this past week for the Brickyard. My college daughter was celebrating her 22nd birthday and I did my dad-ly duties by driving 2 hours to her college town and taking her and 6 others out for a great Cracker Barrel luncheon. I set a tape so that I could at least watch the race that evening and do a race report but despite my “electronic savvy” my VCR decided I didn’t need to see the race. So since I have yet to see the Brickyard (and Sterling finished 2nd!) there was not nor will there be a race report for Indy. Ooops!
Now down to business.
Back in February we lost one of the best race drivers to ever sit a NASCAR seat. Of a sudden, many “sports writers” climbed out from their armchair athletics to denounce the sport of auto racing. Yes, that terrible racing had claimed a life, the fourth in about a year. Many went so far as to claim that auto racing was death incarnate and should be banned. One particular writer even attacked the family of this driver as he had attacked NASCAR’s “first family” when they lost their fourth generation family member.
Of course, I’m a firm believer in our first amendment and these writers are just as entitled to their opinions as I am entitled to mine. But, in the past week football has claimed the lives of four players. That’s one week! Not one year! One pro player, two college players and a USIFL player all died due directly to the sport of football. And yet, I have not seen a single “armchair athlete” write a column calling for the banishment of football. I have not seen a column by Jay Marriott, of the Chicago SunTimes, talking about “Football’s High Price, Death is Not a Sport, at Least Not One I Wish to Popularize”. That would be blasphemy in the home town of the Bears.
Bob Wojnowski, of the Detroit News hasn’t put out his article about "This is why a lot of us don't get it...I wish I could sympathize more with heart-broken fans...But in auto racing, everything passes too quickly, with little regard for the consequences. There's another race this weekend...NASCAR enthusiasts often complain that non-fans "just don't get it." This is what I don't get: How can people die so easily and everyone move on so readily? How?...I understand the fascination with violence. Football is violent, but it doesn't have the specter of a funeral hanging over every game. The thrill of watching it, knowing the stench of death is never far away? The buzz of endangering lives for entertainment? That I don't get. I hope I never do." Just substitute football for racing Bob. But then the Lions would probably never let you in the locker room again.
And of course we can’t forget good old Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald and his scathing words; “But you can bet on this: They're coming, all the same sorry explanations, the excuses, the cliches that serve as a temporary sedative until the next guy drives into a wall, leaving a wife and family behind. We can hear them now . . . Old Ironhead Earnhardt. He made his own choice. He lived his life to the fullest. He held nothing back. He died doing what he loved to do. What a load of crap. What a cruel thing to do to a 12-year-old girl.” Didn’t see anything about Stringer’s family, or Wheeler’s, or Jones’, or Autin’s… where’s his “load of crap”? Oh yeah, I forgot, he likes football and has to be selective, lest he find his narrow mindedness sending him to the unemployment line.
Of course, that’s just my opinion. And I’m never wrong.
This week we’re heading back to a road course race. Some day I hope some of you get a chance to write a race report for a road course race. So and so started in the lead. He led until he pitted. Someone else led for a lap or two and then so and so got his lead back and led until the end. Any racing passes for the lead? Not a chance. Just many laps of follow the leader. Try to write 10 or so paragraphs about that. Then you’ll see why I hate road courses.
I hear Tony Stewart is “turning over a new leaf”. The all new and improved, mild mannered Tony. Reporters are getting their tape recorders back out of the repair shop as we speak. Just don’t wave them in front of his bodyguards or they’ll kick the reporters under the nearest transport. C’mon…bodyguards? In Nascar? Hey Tony, you ain’t W!
Of course, I also hear that a “fan” punched Junior for not signing an autograph. I think he must have been a CART fan that thought the big go-carts were in town. Us NASCAR fans are “beer swilling, back-woods hillbillies”. We’d rather set about on the front porch and watch the grass grow. Ain’t got enough gumption to make a fist, let alone throw it.
It amazes me that so many are already handing the crown to Jeff Gordon. Hey folks, 160 points is one accident, one blown engine, a flat tire or two. We’re 21 races into a 36 race season. If anyone can remember Alan Kulwicki’s championship season you know 160 points is nothing. We WILL have a great points battle. Bet on it. Those Yates guys ain’t hearing any fat ladies and Sterling has been awful consistent of late. Don’t forget that the point system rewards consistency. And I’m willing to bet that Tony Stewart ain’t rolling over yet either.
McDonald’s! Ha-ha! Jump on the bandwagon of the big money CART guy, drop the hick talking NASCAR guy. Now how do you get this stupid cart to stop so they can jump back off.
Thank goodness for that great TV contract too. Big money for all involved in NASCAR! Jeff Gordon just received the lowest purse ever for an Indy race. Did someone at NBC forget to send some of them billions to Tony? Or did he forget where he stashed that big TV check? I could have sworn NASCAR was saying that purses could only grow with all that TV money. I know I'm seeing record amounts of commercials. Wonder where all that ad revenue is going?
Only two more weeks until the Bristol night race. Bet them points get a shaking then. I'm counting the days!
And what ever happened to Blackie Wangerin? AND Mark Martin!