NASCAR fans here?

M

mycroftt

Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Messages
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I can't imagine that I'm the only one.

How about Talladega? Was Gordon's car incredible or what? It looks like Jeff might be on a roll to his fifth championship.
 
How about the fact that Michael Schumacher and Ferrari have yet to win a Grand Prix this year?
 
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mycroftt said:
I can't imagine that I'm the only one.

How about Talladega? Was Gordon's car incredible or what? It looks like Jeff might be on a roll to his fifth championship.
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Although I am not a Gordon fan,I agree he is a great driver with well-heeled sponsors.What do you expect from the modern era drivers that were racing micro-mini,micros or whatever since they were barely walking ?They are politically correct & programed to recite a commercial spiel when they are in the winner's circle.
My kind of racing was rock-em ,sock-em & if you got put into the wall;Too bad ! It was rough & ready, no penalties,no apologies. If you lost the race you might win the fight afterwards.Sponsors were usually local car dealers ,farms or even chicken ranches & aid was minimal.
I rember being in Myock N C at the end of one season & it was announced that the point winner was getting $1,000 that year. Forget who now but he was popular then. The amount was a few bucks short of a thousand & they asked if they could pass a hat to round out the figure. Man,a bunch of farmers stood up,reached in their high-bib overalls & whipped out their wallets. Believe I gave my last quarter.

Fast forward to Charlotte Motor Speedways first qualifying . Little Joe Weatherly was the announced point winner of last season. He & the announcer stood on the start-finish line. Announcer said" Little Joe,here's your $2,000 award money". He turned to see a wheelbarrow upended with 2,000 silver dollars headed in all directions . " Oh ,shix!"

Television rang the death toll to racing "Southern style" & it was a sad passing for me.

Uncle [ Am I really bitter ? ;) ] Alan
 
Uncle Alan: While the old days of racing are definitely gone, never to return, there's still plenty of that kind of racing at the local short tracks. I spend at least every other Saturday night at our local track. I try to go whenever the Legends are running because the kids like them.
 
Jeff Gordon? You're a Gordon fan as well? My boy K Busch is going to win
another title this year. Gordon is about to pass up Dale E's win total which
is no small feat he's very good but since 94 with the first indianapolis win
he just hasn't "clicked" with me. I used to be Dale Jarret fan but not now.
J Gordon has a ton of skill but ever since he was on the "Hot Seat" on ESPN
and they asked him "what do you like fishing or hunting?" and he replied with
"fishin or hunting EWWWW" I kinda lost the good feeling for him.
 
That was a heck of a race!

My oldest niece married a die-hard Gordon fan, but were all trying to convert him...yuk yuk...most of my family are Dale Jr. fanatics, but I lean more towards Kevin Harvick.
 
fixer27 said:
Jeff Gordon? You're a Gordon fan as well? My boy K Busch is going to win
another title this year. Gordon is about to pass up Dale E's win total which
is no small feat he's very good but since 94 with the first indianapolis win
he just hasn't "clicked" with me. I used to be Dale Jarret fan but not now.
J Gordon has a ton of skill but ever since he was on the "Hot Seat" on ESPN
and they asked him "what do you like fishing or hunting?" and he replied with
"fishin or hunting EWWWW" I kinda lost the good feeling for him.
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You're saying that Kyle Bush is gonna win a championship? ;) Well I think a Hendrick's driver will win but he will be driving either the 24 or the 48.

I never had much use for Kurt Bush since I was put off by his cockiness and I thought it was great when Jimmy Spencer socked him in the schnozz, until I met him at Martinsville last year signing autographs at his souvenir trailer. He is a legitimately nice fellow. He is especially nice to the young kids, getting down to their level and focusing his attention on them, smiling and answering their questions. I saw a lot of kids walking on air after meeting their hero and I gained a new respect for him.

Gordon is not what you would call a "man's man". I heard him talking about his life one time and it was a little bit sad. He has spent his entire life at the racetrack since he was 5 years old and didn't have what I would consider a normal childhood or adolescence. Still though, I like him because of his skill and competitiveness. My favorite Gordon quote is "I figured out a long time ago that it isn't racing I love - it's winning".

I also like Gordon because just about everybody where I live is an Earnhardt fan and I like to display my huge 24 flag on race day and cut in front of Earnhardt fans so they can see the big 24 in the back window of my truck. I also go around wearing Gordon T-shirts and caps. That's just the kind of guy I am... :)
 
mycroftt said:
Uncle Alan: While the old days of racing are definitely gone, never to return, there's still plenty of that kind of racing at the local short tracks. I spend at least every other Saturday night at our local track. I try to go whenever the Legends are running because the kids like them.
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I am fortunate to have Barberville & New Smyrna tracks within 30 minutes or so away.Most of my favorite Carolina's tracks are housing developments now. Chantilly & Richmond were great short tracks. Used to go to the fairgrounds .That old oil covered clay provided excellent adhesion. After the herd exited a turn,you could watch the surface squiggle back into shape like it was alive.
For years we had seats in the Little Joe Weatherly section at Daytona for $35 bucks. Go to NASCAR web today & price them. Best race ever,for me,was Pearson & Petty wrecking coming off the 4th turn in '71 or '72. You could see Petty pounding & uriging his car but that high-wind Mopar starter just wouldn't fire her up. Pearson limped his 3-legged Ford over the line for the checker. Heck,I watch it on TV now.Having that High resolution installed today. Hope it's available for Darlington.
Hey, I watched them build the Pentagon & was on the first A.B.& W. bus into it ! Guess it's like my boy said,I am a dinasour . ;) ;)
 
FullerH said:
How about the fact that Michael Schumacher and Ferrari have yet to win a Grand Prix this year?
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How about the fact that it is newsworthy whenever Schumacher doesn't win? It says something about his dominance, doesn't it?
 
Unfortunately, yes. It is not good for the sport to be utterly dominated like that, but I don't blame Schuey. Hell, he is far and away the best driver and he has had by far the best car. It's all rather like Fangio in the Mercedes-Benz W196 cars in 1954-1955.
 
I love the crashes!

(hiding under my desk)

If I had a favorite driver, I guess it would be Jr. Other than that, I've talked to guys who've raced those cars on practice tracks, y'know, 500 bucks to drive for ten minutes. Some said they lost control of themselves. I'd still like to drive one!
 
I liked Gordon at first, but once he started winning all the time I kind of
didn't like him (he was a little to prissy) But after he got divorced I thought
"man he's human after all" but no, I don't think EWWWW is a word.
But credit were credit is due he is a heck of a driver. I couldn't stand Dale E
I saw him wreck T labonte at Bristol he wins the race and that Nascar
official comes out saying T Labonte better not retaliate that did it for me.
No more Dale E for me, but I do like Jr. though.
 
Met Ralph, Jr's granddad in Kannapolis N.C. in 1960 . He had a garage apartment type home & almost the whole first floor was garage but it wasn't open to the street. Dale was playing around in the garage with some other 10 or 12 year old boy.Ralph was a great driver but I never did get to see him race. The Charlotte MOtor Speedway was being completed & was the main focus of that area.Guess Ralph was like most of his breed. Worked & raced hard & did rather well. Those Thursday.Friday ,Saturday nights & Sunday afternoons gave them opportunity to work their trade in earnest.Almost every community had a track at various times & the hardier ones survived,some for well over 40 years.
There was a convertible circuit in the early '60's & but I only saw one race in Wilson,N.C. You could see knotted muscles as they fought the cars into the turns . No power steering then. Curtis Turner won that one ,due to Little Joe wrecking the closest competitor & himself. Funny,somehow ,the grandstands caught fire,race was stopped & some of the drivers came up to the fence & watched the firefighters until it was put out & resumed racing . Part of we spectators finished the race as standees.
Jr. will do very well once he & the team get tuned in.He has the ability & instinct for it.
Got the bigass TV with the high tec-whatever in today. Saw part of a race on one & was truly impressed. Looking forward to hearing Daryl say boogedy-boogedy at Darlington. First time I heard that , Frog Milehouse or one of the sidekicks in the coweboy movies said it. I laugh at all the theories of it's origin but WE know.

Uncle [older'n dirt ] Alan ;)
 
Uncle Alan,,
Although only 35...a veteran of Barberville and New Symrna Speedways, not to mention Ocala and the "south's fastest 1/3 mile dirt track". Yeah, I know it's paved now, but who really cares? Saw the Allisons (Bobby and Donnie) along with David Pearson and Cale Yarborough race enough at Barberville to know who real racers were/are...
We all wish it was the way it used to be...argue with my dad about that every so often, but the way it is is still pretty darn good.
Enjoy the racin' on that hi-res, hi-def, plasma, digital whatcha-macallit...Ralph E. would want it that-a-way!
 
Yep,those were among the best & you were fortunate to have seen them short-tracking. We use I-95 a lot & try to hit Florence,S.C. when Rogers Barbecue is open to enjoy real mustard-based Carolina barbeque.We were there recently & saw Cale advertising his dealership on TV. Some foreign brand but he was as straight-forward as ever. An older friend in Wilmington,Davis Raper gave him his first driving job at Myrtle Beach. Raper had 2 cars there & gave Cale one to drive. Surely,he was underaged but who checked in those days? Cale qualified well but totaled in the first race. Seeing his potential,Raper let him have the other car. Evidently ,having to start at the rear,he barreled toward the front & wham! Totaled the other car. It was reported to me by Mrs. Raper " Cap'tn Davis, what we gonna' do now?" She said " I don't know about you 2 but I'm getting a backhoe & we're burying those wrecks & as of now,we're out of racing !"
Didn't stick though. Reminded Cale of it at Rockingham & he laughed & agreed it happened. Raper was too old & feeble to travel & when I'd see Cale now & then at other tracks he'd send a special hello to the Rapers. Always went into the infield in those days because as long as you weren't in the way you could go anywhere. Enjoyed the drivers & had some interesting conversations with them.Things have changed now.
In those days,anything engine wise was okay & at some tracks the Petty,Pearson group & others would be a lap or two ahead but as speeds increased,so did the extreme danger . Restrictor racing is their answer but it really gets boring waiting for the big wreck,wondering who'll surviv ;) e. Ho-hum. Still racing in a diluted form,I guess.

Uncle Alan
 
Did anyone watch the race tonight. I will simmarize it by saying that any of 100 factors determined the races outcome. This has to be one of my most favorite NNC races in recent memory and exactly what makes NASCAR Nextel Cup racing the very best on earth...IMHO, of course! :cool:
 
"anyone watch the race tonight?" You mean the Kentucky Derby? :D

Yeah, I watched it those tires made such a huge difference, Biffle went by
Newman like Newman was in reverse. And the last lap when the guy got
bumped I was sure that he was going to hit the wall but he controlled it.
And martin spinning and only losing only one position and he's going to
retire after the season? That man can still drive just fine. NASCAR almost
never disappoints, always lively racing on the circuit.
 
Right on Fixer!

Just when folks think NNC is getting boring they produce a race like this.
That was a blast to watch even on the TV. In person would have been better and just imagine if you were one of the drivers...talk about a swing of emotion, expectation, $ in your pocket...too cool! :cool:
 
Oh,yeah!JR.I mean NASCAR.Earnhardt is the steamroller that leads NASCAR into the new millenium.I agree TV killed SOUTHERN style racing.As you can probably tell I love JR.But what is better than a JR./Jeff Gordon dash to the finish line on the last lap.Not ruling out any of the other 41 drivers.As there are the new young guns,the fast old guys(a few retiring this year,Mark Martin.Rusty Wallace).I'll shut up,just wanted to post something here.NASCAR arguments are as embattled and embittered as any I've seen posted here.You'll notice I did J.Gordon his due.It was hard.I'm out of here.leatherbird.
 
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