Trixie radioed...

Yes, I have been watching Dancing with the Stars this season. Tonight is the last one of the season. It is down to Mario Lopez (Slater from “Saved by the Bell) and Emmitt Smith (who needs no introduction).

I will be rooting for Mr. Smith. After all he does hold the all-time NFL rushing record just above Mr. Walter Peyton. And he has THREE Super Bowl rings. Oh did I mention he played for the Dallas Cowboys. And if you make a showing at a NASCAR race well then you are alright in my book!

Good luck to Emmitt and his partner Cheryl Burke!

Trixie radioed…

Well, it looks like we are down to the last race of the year. Before we get to that fact, let’s revisit today.

Congratulations to Mr. Harvick! He was running on a defective battery late was not on full voltage. He needed a push from the wrecker to jump start his car after the late race crash. Tony finished 14th.

I think the Chase has come down to really two drivers Mr. Johnson and Mr. Kenseth. Jimmie just has to finish in the 12th position to claim the championship. Am I happy about this fact? Not so much, but I will deal with. I do have to give him his props. He was at one time 8th in the standings and people were considering him not to challenge for the title including myself. But he has battled back and had some good finishes including the last two. This may be the year that finally gets him over the hump. But all my support will be thrown Matty’s way.

Rumor…DEI to purchase RYR? I am holding on to my thoughts until I see further reports.

Next week will end this 2006 NASCAR season. I will have to fill my Sundays with other activities. I have football. The Cowboys are keeping me guessing as well as my Red Raiders. This also means I will have to find other things to write about here in The Park. Don’t worry…I have lots of things to comment about which don’t usually get discussed during NASCAR season. I am looking forward to next year. Tony will be back in the Chase and I hope with Elliott and The Biff coming in with him. There will be lots of changes to talk about. Will the Chase format get “tweaked”? The only thing I want to see is more points for winning a race. I think Buschwhacking will be looked at as well.

Not only will I be watching the last Cup race of the season next Sunday, but I will also be watching next Saturday the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs #2 Michigan Woleverines battle at The Horseshoe in Colombus. This is HUGE!! Depending on when the Busch race is televised, I may have to miss it. I have grown up a Buckeye fan…well since coming out of the womb. I remember sitting with my father watching the Bucks during the Woody Hayes days. I saw OSU gig those Aggies in the 1987 Cotton Bowl. I was thrilled when they won the National Championship in 2002. My fellow Red Raiders played OSU that year. We lost, but we put up a valiant effort. Of course Postman will be rooting for Michigan. That’s right I married a Michigan fan. I just tell my father Postman married up. I love you Postman.

Oh one more thing…YOU ROCK KANSAS STATE!!! You did what my Red Raiders should have done a couple of weeks ago. BEAT UT!!!

That’s all from The Park today.

Trixie radioed…

Congratulations to Mr. Matt Kenseth for winning the Busch race today at Phoenix.

I know this isn’t just of Matt, but I kind of like this picture. I wonder what they were discussing??? Maybe Tony was giving Matt some tips on fence climbing? Or maybe they were deciding what to give Jeff Gordon for his wedding?

Trixie radioed…

As you are out today running errands, watching football games or even a little NASCAR take a moment to remember what today is all about.

Say a little thank you to all the Veterans you know or even ones you don’t know. It is because of them we are able to do, say, and be who we are. I may not always agree with those around me, but I am glad I have the freedom to voice my opinion.

To all the veterans in my family, THANK YOU. To all the veterans who I don’t know, THANK YOU.

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Trixie radioed…

Pat Tryson who is currently the crew chief for Mark Martin, will become Greg Biffle’s crew chief beginning in the 2007 season. This may be a good move for Biffle. Biffle contended for the title the first two years in the Chase format. I think Greg could have been in the Chase this year, but he ended up in messes that were not of his doing. Perhaps Tryson will help him return to the Chase next year. Effective immediately the crew chief for Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards will switch again. I guess the previous switch didn’t work out for either of the drivers. Sometimes change doesn’t always work.

Good Luck to all the Boys in Phoenix this weekend. The Chase is down to just a few drivers now. I think it will come down to Jimmie, Matt, Junior, and perhaps that rookie fella Denny Hamlin. My money will be on Matt K. The driver I thought would walk away with the championship Jeff Burton had one too many mulligans. And well we all know how Tony didn’t make the Chase. Elliott Sadler switched teams mid year and is still going through his adjustment period. I think the 2007 season will definitely be one to watch.

Speaking of Phoenix, Maricopa county Sherriff Joe Arpaio now has a “new” deputy on his staff. That’s right folks Kurt Busch was made an honorary sheriff’s deputy on Thursday. Remember last year Kurt wasn’t exactly “best friends” with the sheriff’s department. Due to his actions in Phoenix last year Kurt was suspended for the remaining races by Roush and basically finished his season at home. Now he’s an honorary deputy. Wow! what a difference a year makes.

Trixie radioed…

That’s right ladies and gentlemen..both Jeff and Ingrid are off the market.

Jeff Gordon and Ingrid Vandebosch were married in Mexico on Tuesday. Congratulations.

Trixie radioed…

Postman and I made another pilgrammage to Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend. For those of you who aren’t from Texas, Lubbock is roughly 5-6 hours from Ft. Worth. The drive isn’t all that bad, upside you get to see lots of Texas…downside stuck in a car for 5-6 hours.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2
My only goal today was to meet and acquire an autograph from Mr. Elliott Sadler. As most of ya’ll know this goal was accomplished. We missed our turn, got caught up in some NASTY traffic, and arrived late, but that’s all in life of a NASCAR fan. I just have to say television and pictures don’t do Elliott justice. Can I just say….VROOOM!!! Sorry I got a little distracted. There wasn’t much going on at the track on Thursday except truck practice.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Another one of my goals for the weekend was to swing by and watch Trackside live. It was being taped early in the day due to the truck race. I had my sign hoping to get on television. You sometimes have to be somewhat creative to get on television. So I began to write on the posterboard the following…“Spent all my money, Mom—sent more!” I think I accomplished my goal because the camera stopped several times on my sign. Plus when Jeff Hammond was standing on the stand he pointed towards my sign. I don’t know if I managed to get on television because I forgot to Tivo the show and my friend didn’t have Speed TV. Oh well…so if anyone taped it can ya let me know if you saw my sign? Of course my sign couldn’t top the sign I saw above one of the food vendors…“Pork Butt on a Stick”. I guess you can put another on a stick and sell it.

Got my picture with Rutledge. It was definitely a lot of fun except for those pesky drunk people in front of me. I know drunk people at a NASCAR race, but these people we just plain rude. Thank you for letting me see your tramp stamp (a tramp stamp in case you don’t know is a tattoo placed on the lower back)…I could have gone all my life without seeing that.

Let me just say it was FREAKIN’ COLD at the Truck race. I was definitely in layers…shirt, jeans, sweatshirt, jacket, toboggin, gloves, scanners earphones and Tony blanket. I was still freezin’ my ass off. My NASCAR collection for a heater…just one chance to stand in front of a heater. I am slowly getting into the trucks. Got a chance to meet to meet Johnny Benson. He was just standing around in the truck pits. I guess the truck drivers can pretty much walk around unnoticed.

Another cool thing about the truck race was Emmitt Smith and his Dancing with the Stars partner giving the start command. It was amazing to see him draw more cheers than the drivers. Of course…he did play for the Cowboys and well he was a HELL of a football player.

Congrats to Clint Bowyer for winning the Silverado 350K in the #46 Jack Daniels Silverado.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
I decided not to hang in the pits on Saturday. I was a little tired from the previous two days. I did pick up all the free stuff I could, but what the heck am I supposed to do with it? I guess I could use it as stocking stuffers. I just wanted to take in all the midway action before going in to watch the Busch race.

I stood in line to get a chance to win something from the Goody’s Headache Powder display. It was kind of like Plinko from the Price Is Right except you didn’t win money. I won instead a radio headset. I also was able to get my picture taken on one of those riding lawn mowers that can do a 360 in your yard. Only thing missing was my beer. I also had my picture taken with a cardboard cutout of Tony and the Nextel Cup down at the Nextel Fan Area. Plus how could I resist a picture with Sparky (TMS mascot) and the Aaron’s Lucky Dog dog.

I thought the Busch race was pretty boring. It bascially became the Kevin and Tony show. And Kevin Harvick won…didn’t see that one coming.

I would have to give some props to Shane Huffman. I saw his crash coming out of turn 4 and let me tell that was a HELL of a crash and you knew it was going to leave a mark. His car was junk as you can see from the pictures. Our seats are located across from pit road entrance so we got to see what was left of his car. It is amazing how the drivers can walk away from something like this.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5
The weather forecast for Sunday was RAIN! I didn’t care if it rained as long as it stopped during the race. It did rain before the race, luckily Postman and I were inside at the Q&A with Greg Biffle at the time. It was supposed to be Jamie McMurray at the Q&A, but I guess due to scheduling conflicts he wasn’t able to be there. I am glad. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jamie, but I was interested in seeing Greg Biffle. I have kind of watched him over the season and you know he is kind of growing on me. We were able to submit questions for Greg to answer. They didn’t pick mine, but Postman was thrilled they picked his.

We decided to head into the stands to take our places for the race. After a several runs around the track with the jet dryers and several laps under caution, the green flag dropped for the start of the race. Tony just dominated the race. I thought Kasey was going to get him, but Kasey’s engine just gave out. Then there was that pesky other home improvement store driver knocking on the back bumper of Mr. Stewart. I think Princess Jimmie could have caught Smoke, but a late race crash pretty much sealed the deal for Tony. I belive Jimmie was also big picture racing. I think I would have done the same thing if I had been Jimmie. Not only did Tony win the race, but he won my a cool $75! Thanks Tony!

Before I begin my discussion about the pre-race festivities I have to say the following. I want to say that I know several Dale Earnhardt Jr fans and all of them are wonderfual people. Just like me they are passionate about their driver as well as NASCAR. They respect my right to cheer on Tony and I respect them. However, this little rant is directed at the Junior fans sitting about three rows down from me at the race. Do you really think Jimmie and Jeff can see you flipping them off at 180 mph? You may be decent people, but you made watching this race unbearable. You were loud and obnoxious to all the other fans who paid hundreds of dollars to come see their drivers race. You blocked the view of several of your fellow race fans because you were being stupid. No wonder Postman cheered when Dale Jr. got loose and crashed. I know all drivers’ have fans who do this.

Speaking of Junior, TMS was celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year. As part of the “10 Years Strong” celebration, they had the fans vote on the top 10 moments at TMS. Congratulations to Junior for topping the list. His first victory at TMS topped the list.

My favorite part of Sunday was the pre-race festivities. TMS gave Terry a Texas size goodbye. Along with several goodies including a new Texas Silverado, he given a wonderful tribute. Justin Labonte was driving his father’s 1980 Monte Carlo. The same car Terry drove to his first Cup win at the Darlington Raceway. It was pretty cool to see them drive side by side as they lead the field around the track. (Sorry for the blurrines). I was touching when Terry’s daughter, Kristy, gave her father his final “Gentleman Start Your Engines” command. I think what touched me the most…Mr. Hendrick giving Terry the car he used for his final race. I’m not much of Hendrick fan, but that was pretty cool of him. Terry Labonte will be missed by this NASCAR fan. Thank you Terry!

Of course, NASCAR wouldn’t be NASCAR without a little controversy. Kevin Harvick got Scott Riggs loose which resulted in a late race crash. Apparently there was a scuffle in the pits resulting in Kevin and Delana as well as NASCAR official being knocked down. This was caused by a crew member of Scott Riggs. I know tempers get hot, but come on dude. It’s racing, plain and simple. What did it cost you? You were basically fired. Can I just say DUMBASS? You should have taken a lesson from Dale Jr. The same thing pretty much happened to him and he handled it like a professional. He knew it was a racing deal nothing more.

Well, that’s about it in a nutshell. I Saw lots of people who define the word redneck. I came home with lots of free stuff which I still don’t know what to do with, lots of souvenirs including a car tire, and sore feet and back. But I will do it all again come April.

That’s it from The Park…