Thursday, October 14, 2010

Right Sides Only

The boys are back in town. Most of the NASCAR race teams are located within 30 minutes of Charlotte Motor Speedway, so they all consider this their home track. Saturday night's race will get us halfway through the Chase. Hang in there.

Barney? No, Blaney

The Front Row Motorsports' #37, driven by Dave Blaney will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Andy Griffith Show. The car will sport the black and white Mayberry patrol car colors, and feature some of the show's favorite characters on the hood. Shazam!

Going Mobile

Mobil 1 is coming to Tony Stewart's #14 SHR Chevy next year. The oil company will be a primary and associate sponsor on Smoke's car. This leaves the other SHR car of Ryan Newman still looking for some sponsor help. Wix Filters is being pursued by the #39 team for that open slot. Wix Filters will be on the Petty Blue #43 of AJ Allmendinger this weekend.

Fame Game

The second class of inductees into NASCAR's Hall of Fame was announced on Wednesday. David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Lee Petty, Ned Jarrett, and Bud Moore became the newest members. While all five are certainly HOF worthy, some are questioning how Allison with only one Cup title, and virtually the same number of wins as three time champions, Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip got in, and they didn't.

Maybe Waltrip actively campaigning for a spot turned off some voters. I would hope so, but what of Yarborough? One of the voters wrote of the politics involved in the election process. A process in which 52 voters are in a room for hours debating strengths and weaknesses of all the candidates.

The voter, Dustin Long of the Virginian Pilot, claims that some voters were putting stock into what a candidate did after he left the sport. Ridiculous! That should have no bearing on what you did for the sport! Allison is a great guy, a great storyteller, and has been around at different tracks and events since retiring as an owner back in the 1990s. Yarborough, stayed home and tended to his businesses since retiring as a car owner about the same time.

That is no reason not to vote for the man. His three year record in the mid-1970s, when he won three straight Cups, makes JJ look like Matt Kenseth.

Charlotte Chatter

Bobby Labonte will be in the #10 Stavola Labonte Chevy for their first race this year.

Kurt Busch looks to win his third race of the year at CMS this week. It's never been done before.

David Pearson won 11 straight poles at CMS from 1973 thru 1978.

Bobby Allison has 23 top-5s at CMS. Tied for first with Richard Petty.

Casey Mears got his first win here. He's still looking for number two.

Get Better Wishes

Shane Hmiel is in critical condition after several surgeries this week. Last Saturday, while qualifying his USAC Silver Crown car at Terre Haute, Hmiel flipped the car onto it's right side and hit the concrete wall with the top of his exposed roll cage. He suffered a broken neck and back. He's a tough kid, but he has a long way to go. Courage.

15 comments:

  1. I think Kahne was the closest....he just ran out of time to mow down Burton in the 2008 October race, lol

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  2. I guess, just like the so-called experts that select baseball and football HOF'ers, processes that annually lead to controversy, NASCAR has to tag along... I was surprised by a couple of selections that seemed to me to be Johnny come lately's as compared to other much more prominent contributors to making NASCAR what it is today... My Hall of Fame starts with the true pioneers in the sport and goes from there. Common sense is a learned virtue that too many people seem to have missed out on. Allison over Yarborough is a travesty.

    Looks like Jeff Gordon's on the pole at CMS Saturday night... Kyle is 6th and Kurt 20th...

    Here's pulling for Hmiel.

    Thanks Gene!

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  3. Thank you for the update on Shane Hmiel.

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  4. I cringe when I see Andy Griffith in those sorry adds attempting to lift seniors spirits over the crappy new health care law.

    They need to induct 10 or 15 a year into the HOF for a couple years. I'm tired of NASCAR's approach to media madness. If it bleeds, it leads. Controversy is not healthy, PERIOD!

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  5. I agree Gene - Cale should be in with Bobby.

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  6. As long as CR brought up seniors and health care, tell me again why AARP is a rip-off since I have held onto the card for 'x' amount of time without activating it because of something you said, but it escapes me now what you said.lol

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  7. Bev, check the VFW PAC story that was in the headlines this week. Very similar to what AARP did during the health care debate. Basicaly, putting money, and a place at the political table, over it's member's interests.

    But, this a NASCAR BLOG! LOL

    I read a good article somewhere this week, that NASCAR's HOF is set on this 5 per year deal, knowing that it is unfair, and breeds controversy. They like it that way.

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  8. Tez... I haven't a clue???

    Dwindy...I don't know what to think about the HOF. If they can't even get the first class right... last year, what will they do 5-6 years down the road? These first two or three classes should have been no-brainers... save the controversy for down the road.

    ATH... they have not said yet if he will ever walk again, but it doesn't seem good right now.

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  9. CR... I thought they should have inducted a bunch the first couple of years, too. But, at just five a year... they will be digging deep for worthy members in 10 years or so. The number of drivers and teams that won over 20 races is pretty short.

    A...Always
    A...Against
    R...Republican
    P...Politics

    Moseby... I like Allison more than Cale or DW, but both had better stats.

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  10. Sorry, I thought I was on Copperhead Road.lol

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  11. My picks for the Trifecta;

    NNS...Harvick
    Cup...Johnson
    NFL...49'ers LOL, they can't loose that many game in a row!

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  12. My picks for the Trifecta;

    NNS...Brad
    Cup...Jamie
    SEC...DAWGS LOL, they can't loose that many games!

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  15. Since CR and I are the only ones playing TRIFECTA this week, didn't I just win?lol

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