I knew this weekend it would be the Jeff and Jimmie show.  And I really didn’t see it coming, but it lived up to my prediction.  I hate to say this but I would have rather had Jeff or Ryan win then Jimmie.  If you read my blog on a regular basis I am not, I repeat, NOT a Jimmie Johnson fan.  You know how when you get a feeling about someone and you can’t put your finger on it…well that’s how I feel about Jimmie.  There’s just something there I don’t like.  Maybe it’s the fact he says and does what is expected of him, he doesn’t step outside the box (i.e. Tony) and speak his mind (i.e. Tony).  Postman and I had a discussion on who is the better driver Jeff or Jimmie.  We both picked Jeff.  Jimmie can drive the car, but would he be as good a driver at a less dominant team than HMS?  I think Jeff could.  I have always felt Jeff is one of the best drivers on the NASCAR circuit.  I have seen Jeff take a piece of crap car and turn into gold.  Jimmie as done that per se, but hands down I would take Jeff every day of the the week and twice on Sunday. 

In the spring race Jeff tried to move Johnson out of the way to take the lead, but once again Jimmie prevailed.  I was hoping to see a rematch this past weekend with Jeff coming away the victor.  Towards the end of the race I thought it was all going to play out.  Jeff showed last spring he has no qualms about moving his teammate out of the way for the win.  He is running for his 5th championship.  I would take out my own grandmother for that matter.  But all those cautions ruined everything for us race fans.  I never thought there would be a third car in the mix, but there was Newman chewing at the bit.  Newman had nothing to lose.  He isn’t in the Chase and he hasn’t won a race in two years.  He almost came away with one last week at Lowe’s, but the racing goddess had other plans.  I really wanted to see a battle between Jimmie and Ryan.  I think Ryan would have taken him and perhaps put him the wall.  I am not a Newman fan, but if that had occured…who knows Ryan may have had one more fan on his side.

Even though there are four races left in this season, I think it will come down to either Jeff or Jimmie winning the championship.  Tony would have to run the table and hope J&J have bad races, but if I know J&J THAT’S not going to happen.  I know Clint is running third at this point and he still has a dog in this fight, but just like Tony he is going to have to drive like a mad man to if he hopes to overtake J&J.

There has been some dicussion about “team orders” around the track.  I really don’t like team orders.  Who cares if Jimmie doesn’t like the way Kyle is racing him?  It’s called racing.  Why should Kyle yield to you just because you are racing for the championship?  Why should Kyle take it down a notch?  It’s not like you have shown the love for Kyle lately.  As I recall you showed Kyle the front door and said have a good day.  I don’t want to see teammates take each other out, but come on people this is racing.  This isn’t a friendly game of tag.  Why should Kyle show any loyalty at this point of the season?  I do give him props for being a good teammate and employee.  But would the same orders be given if the roles were reversed?  In my opinion…no. 

Teammates not getting along??? Discontent among the Roush drivers???  Do we all have to get along with one another???  What’s wrong with a little disagreement between teammates?  Look at what Tony did to Denny earlier in the year.  It happens.  You speak your mind and move on.  I would take Matt over Carl any day.  And wasn’t it Tony who called Carl Eddie Haskell.  If you have watched Leave It To Beaver, you the type of character Eddie can be.  Carl, in my opinion, isn’t all what he seems in front of the camera. 

Some sad news to report…I will not be able to attend the Texas race this year.  I am very despondent, but I am seeking therapy for my situation.  The only thing that is getting me through this is knowing that I will be in Boston next summer for a week and half.  And thanks for the new Ipod Postman…I love listening to my “pit passes”.

I perused over to Ms. H blog this morning and noticed she doesn’t like NASCAR.  That’s not a shocker.  I still love her any way.  I mean after all she did let me watch a race at her home with another fellow NASCAR fan.  Plus she Tivoed a show and made a subsequently saved it for me on DVD profiling one of my favorite drivers.  So now I can watch it over and over any time of the day or night.  NASCAR is an acquired taste.  It’s all good. 

Football this past weekend was uneventful…TTU got the stuffing beat out of them by Missouri.  It’s not surprising though.  Tech’s been known to lose the week after playing A&M.  This happened last year as well.  I thought LSU was going to lose again, but a last second touchdown put LSU up over Auburn.  My Cowboys and Colts won this weekend. 

Well…I guess that’s about it for today.   Have a great week!

I don’t know if it was my excitement from Tech beating the Aggies of Texas A&M, but I really wasn’t interested in the race Saturday night.  I guess I get tired of the Jimmie Johnson lovefest every time the circuit is in Charlotte.  I get it.  Jimmie loves the track and he has dominated the races at Lowe’s since coming into the Cup series, but enough already. 

As usual there was the #48 heading to the front and staying there.  Once again the lovefest continued with the race announcers.  I can’t tell you how excited I was when I heard (was on my way to grab some food for dinner) that Jimmie spun his car out.  I thought wow someone else may have a chance to win this here race.  But lo and behold there was Jimmie back up to the front like nothing had happened.  Seriously folks, Jimmie can fall into a pile of doggie doo and come out smelling like a rose.  I would have taken anybody to win except Jimmie.  Because we all know if Jimmie, it would have been so much overkill.  Have a mentioned that I NOT a Jimmie fan.  I just wanted to mention it just in case you are new to the Park.  Maybe I should have sneezed or coughed on Jimmie…you know how germs can travel from one person to another.  I guess my wishing and hoping paid off.  Jimmie didn’t win the race, in fact he didn’t even finish in the top 10.  Congratulations to Jeff Gordon for securing his 2nd win in a row and perhaps his spot to win a 5th championship. 

I believe this is the second time this year Jeff has been low on fuel and come away with a victory.  I thought on the last restart when Ryan just blew the doors off everyone, he was finally going to back up his pole sitting abilities, but I guess it wasn’t in the cards.  Because the next thing Ryan knows he is in the wall because of a blown tire.  I wonder if some rabid Jeff Gordon fan shot out the tire or perhaps some phantom debris appeared out of nowhere?   It was all a weird kind of night for the NASCAR boys. 

Even though there is still plenty of racing left, I believe it is a three man race–Jeff, Jimmie, Clint.  As much as I want and hope Tony runs the table, it is going to be an uphill battle.  Tony is 198 points out.  He is going to need the top 3 to have bad runs and I just don’t see that happening.  This isn’t Jeff or Jimmie’s first rodeo.  If I had to pick the winner of this thing I would have to go with Jeff and he to be honest I think he deserves it.  He is having a phenomenal year. 

I am not surprised by the announcement that Dale Jarrett will be racing his last race at the All-Star race next year.  The last couple of years for Dale have been tough especially this year.  I do hope he goes into the broadcast booth.  I like him as a broadcaster.  I am still not sure about Rusty.  He’s bearable and better than some of the alternatives. 

I would like to give props to the Red Raiders for beating the Aggies this weekend in Raiderland.  The first drive by the Aggies looked good and I thought our defense was in trouble, but alas they proved me wrong.  After a cheap shot by the A&M defense on Graham Harrell, the Aggies couldn’t keep up.  Harrell launched his air attack on the Ags and we came away with a 35-7 victory.  We have dominated the Ags in Lubbock.  The Ags have not won a game in Lubbock since 1993.  We have pretty much owned A&M over the years.  I would like to see this mentality against Texas and Oklahoma.  The Red Raiders are finally in the Top 25 for the first time this year.  I believe they would have been in earlier if it wasn’t for that loss to Oklahoma State several weeks ago.

Congrats to Kentucky for taking LSU to 3 OTs for the win as well as Oregon State for defeating Cal.  This propelled the Ohio State Buckeyes to #1 in the first BCS rankings this week.  Who knew college football would be so exciting this year?  I hope Ohio State can stay atop the rankings, but it doesn’t bode well for the #1’s this season.  First USC, then LSU.  But you never can tell…it ain’t over till it’s over.

The big game in the NFL yesterday turned into a snooze fest.  Too much hype in my opinion.  I really wanted and hoped the Cowboys would pull one out over the Patriots, but the Cowboys defeated themselves once again.  At times the Boys looked like a high caliber championship team and at other times like crap.  I have to give a Guns Up to TTU Red Raider Wes Welker.  He played lights out against the Cowboys.  He scored 2 TDs and had his first 100+ game of his career.  He was awesome.  Way to represent Wes! 

This is only Monday, but I am ready for the weekend.  It is going to be a long, long week.

Yesterday a co-worker sent me an article from the Charlotte Observer entitled “Congress Considers Concord Hazardous?” (by Lisa Zagaroli) I read first few sentences and became quite peeved.  I was not aware that you needed shots to attend a NASCAR event.  I guess I missed that memo from the Center of Disease Control. 

In article it explains how the House Homeland Security Committee was planning a fact finding mission about the public preparedness at mass gatherings.  They decided to choose two events, the race last week in Talladega and this weekend’s even in Charlotte.  Apparently staff aides for this group were “advised” to get a range of vaccines (which including hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and the dreaded influenza ) before attending these events. 

I can understand the need to conduct research to see if our public health system is prepared for a mass outbreak, but why just these two NASCAR events?  There are lots of other sporting events this committee could have attended (i.e. Super Bowl, any college football game, the OU-UT game last weekend).  Once again as a NASCAR fan I have to defend myself as well as my fellow NASCAR fans.  We are not a health hazard.  I have attended several races at TMS and the only health hazard I have come in contact with is second hand cigarette smoke and perhaps some exhaust fumes.  According to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), these immunizations were common for those who work in the health care profession and since the staffers were going to be in contact with health care facilities these immunizations were recommended but not required.  Seriously? 

I am just tired people.  Why is it that I as a NASCAR fan have to justify myself for choosing a sport I love to watch?  I don’t see people who are football or baseball fans having to defend themselves.   When people find out I am a NASCAR fan they immediately assume I am some hick from the sticks.  Some may look at the name of this blog and think I am buying into the stereotype, but if you personally know me, this is not the reason I named the blog Trixie’s Trailer Park.  I have to admit I thought about changing the name of the blog several months ago.  But after much discussion with Postman and a few others, I decided to keep the name and the way I intended this blog to be.  I can’t change who I am.  I love living in the South.  I am proud to be from the Great State of Texas and I love being a NASCAR fan.  That’s who I am.  If you want to think I am hick from the sticks then you are entitled to your opinion.   By the way I am headed off to Urgent Care clinic today to get my immunizations just in case I come in contact with some narrowed minded political types this weekend.

On a side note…Congrats to Ryan Newman for getting the pole this weekend!

I would love to start with discussing the race at Talladega, but I have to take a turn into the garage for a few laps.

HOW ‘BOUT THE COWBOYS!!!  I thought the Boys had blow a game they should have dominated from the beginning.  But even before the game started on Monday night I was a little concerned.  Those in the know thought the Boys would win this one.  It was Buffalo, not the best team in the NFL of late.  The Boys were 4-0 only a handful of undefeated lefts in the league.  I told Postman the Boys needed to come out out score early and often and keep pounding the entire game. a  However this did not happen for majority of the game.  Romo had 4 inceptions going into half time.  It was as if the wheels on the Cowboy Express had been left off.  What was happening?  It was Monday night.  Weird things happen on Monday night football (i.e. Theisman’s leg).  I have to admit both Postman and I became disillusioned with the Boys.  The Boys have struggled over the past few years and this looked like another one. So I went to bed.  I decided to flip over to see how the game was right before I went to sleep…and too my surprise the Boys were within 2 points and were headed towards the goal line thanks to a late quarter touchdown and a onside kick recovery.  The Boys were in position to get in field goal range.  Field goal unit on the field, Folk kicks an incredible kick of 53 yards and it’s good…but wait it wasn’t.  Once again just before the ball is snapped the Bills coach calls a time out to ice the kicker (side bar–this rule needs to be changed–coaches are abusing the spirit of the rule).  Here we go again…Cowboy nation held their collectively breath and BOOM…through the uprights!!!  COWBOYS WIN!!!  For the love of Pete…COWBOYS WIN!!!  Talk about pulling one out from the dark crevices of the backside. If the Boys play like they did against the Bills, the Patriots will be 6-0 after Sunday.

Now on to Sunday’s race.  There were a lot of unknowns for the COT.  This was the first test of the COT on a super speedway.  I was a little excited about how the COT would do on the place where everyone waits for the big one and were bump drafting is an art.  I have to say I was a little disappointed.  I don’t know if it was because of the unknowns drivers were using different strategies, but I really hate “follow the leader” races.  You know its boring when a driver gets out of his car and he thinks it’s boring.  For the race wasn’t all that exciting until about 50 or so laps left.  HMS teammates hooking up and Smoke making a charge to the front.  I have to give Gordon his props.  He did exactly what he said he was going to do.  Stayed out of trouble, hung around the pack, and then made his move towards the front and into victory lane with a little help from his teammates and Smoke.  Tony finished 8th.  Gordon leaves Dega with the points lead.

I hated to see Waltrip’s day end on a bad note.  He qualified on the pole and ran pretty good much of the race and at one point looked like he was going to get a good finish, but alas Waltrip bad luck struck again.  And again the #8 had a DNF due to an engine failure.  Take heart Jr Nation, that won’t happen over at HMS.

More football notes…OU beat UT (when you put state pride in the hands of the Horns, you will get the short end of the stick), but A&M did beat OSU, so not all was lost for Texas.  USC lost to Stanford…way to go!  Ohio State rolled to victory and my Red Raiders pummeled Iowa State.  We play A&M this weekend in Lubbock.  This is one of two games the Red Raiders look forward to every year.  I don’t usually comment on the goings on in my fair city–there’s plenty of that out there, but I have to comment on something that happened.

Apparently in getting for the onslaught of Aggies that will enter the Hub City, a TTU fraternity designed and printed T-shirts for the occasion.  This is nothing unusual, but in this case it’s just wrong. 

Here is the front of the shirt.

 

And the back

I find this shirt VERY OFFENSIVE!  As an alum of the university I am outraged.  Our university began a campaign entitled Raider Power with the four emphasis being HONOR, RESPECT, PRIDE, TRADITION.  This is certainly not honorable, respectable or full of pride or tradition for Texas Tech. 

The fraternity at the center of this has been placed on probation by the university for the rest of the year.  The fraternity will destroy the remaning shirts, donate all monies earned from the sales to a local animal shelter, make a public apology and sponsor an educational seminar on animal cruelty.

I am still trying to understand what were the members of the fraternity thinking with this idea.  Was there some sort of adult beverage involved when this idea was conceived?  And the fact the shirts were printed bothers me as well.  The company who printed the shirts didn’t question the content of the shirt?  I just don’t understand who was at the helm on this train wreck.  If the fraternity wanted to raise money with the sell of t-shirts to commemorate the Aggie weekend, there are far better ways to do it.  Shame on you!  Shame on you!

That’s it from the Park!

Dear Dorothy and Toto–Thank you for a wonderful experience there in Kansas, however I am glad we are no longer in Kansas.

I have tried for two days now to write about the Kansas race, but between work and this “injury” that has taken over my right side, I have had time to squeeze it in.   With regards to my injury, I have this mysterious pain on my right side just below the rib cage.  Nothing is broken and there is no pathology according to the doc, but it really, really hurts when I cough, laugh, sneeze, or do any kind of stretching.  Heck it even hurts when I lie in bed.  I guess it’s all muscular, but hey I got some decent pain meds out of the deal. 

Now on to Kansas…just when you thought the Chase couldn’t get any weirder…two rain delays and shortened race later.  The Chase standings are once again scrambled with my driver Mr. Stewart coming out with the short end of the deal.  I have to give Zippy props for making a good call before the 2nd rain storm hit, but letting Tony stay out negates the great call.  Zippy should have brought Tony down pit road and fixed the tire rub.  I really don’t know who makes the final decision to stay out, but come one now…how long have Tony and Zippy been “married”?  Instead, Tony’s tire goes down and gets rear ended by Kurt B.  I think it’s a racing deal with the Kurt thing.  Some times you can’t stop or avoid a slow car on the track.  All I know is Tony was not happy.  I would like to thank the media for letting Tony cool down and not try to get immediately after everything happened.  I have to say I am like Tony at times.  When I get mad about things I some times say things I would never say under much quieter times.  The media knows he is like this and I hate to say they want that sound bite, but that’s another topic for another day.

Congratulations to Greg Biffle on winning the race albeit a strange ending.  I would have loved to seen the green/white checker though.  You had Clint and Jimmie hot on the trail of Greg.  It would have been an interesting shootout between the three of them.  But as it turned it might not have been with Greg low on fuel.  There was a little controversy regarding the ending and some questioned if Biffle should be declared the winner of the race.  It is to my understanding once the yellow is thrown, the field is frozen according to the last scoring loop.  You must maintain a reasonable speed behind the pace car and you cannot pass under the yellow.  Greg in my opinion did just that.  Even though he went to the bottom of the track to keep his fuel going, he still maintained a reasonable speed behind the pace car.  It was as if he was crawling along the bottom.  Then Jimmie and Clint passed him under yellow which you cannot do.  I guess NASCAR made the right call according to the rules.  I wonder if they are going to look at that and make changes….only time will tell.

 I do have to give some kudos to NASCAR for trying to get the race in for the fans.  I know how expensive a NASCAR weekend can be on the old pocketbook.  If I was one of those fans in the stands I would want my money’s worth.  Should they have continued the race after the 2nd rain storm, I don’t know.  It was obvious after the rain stopped it would be a shortened race.  I think part of it may have been it was a Chase race.  That could have been played part in their decision, but who knows.  I guess that’s why I sit here in Texas.  They get paid the big bucks to make those kinds of decisions.  And yes I am aware that if the race was called, Tony would have won and be leading the points race coming out of Kansas instead of where he sits today which is 4th and 117 points back of Jimmie Johnson.  And once again Jimmie falls in a pile of cow doo and comes out smelling like a rose…crashes his primary car in practice, starts in the back, finishes third and is now back in the lead in the points.  UGH…

Other news while we all slept…

1.  Dario Franchetti makes his move to NASCAR and will drive the #40 car.  now?

2.  Scott Riggs will become the driver of either the #66 or #70 next year.  Could David Stremme be header over to GEM

3.  M&Ms will now sponsor the #18 and Kyle Busch next year.

I guess that’s all for now…oops..one more thing…I am looking forward to the COT at Talladega this weekend.  After seeing the coverage of how rowdy Talladega can be both on and off the track, I think I need to make a pilgrimage to a Dega race.  For those of you going to the race this weekend or have already arrived, drink a cold one for me.