MAVERICKS Party
Postman won a Mavericks viewing party package from one of his favorite sports radio shows The Williams and Hyatt Show on Monday by answering a Mavericks trivia question. The package included front row seating in front of the HD Big Screen TV at 50th Street Sports Bar and Grill, $10 gift certificates and 40 tokens for Charles and four of his closest buddies.

The quest for a Mavericks shirt…because Postman did not own a Mavs shirt, we went on a quest to find one for him in Raiderland. We looked at every stinkin’ store in the mall..nothing…we looked at K-Mart and Walmart..nothing. He was able to find this Dirk shirt at Champs in the mall after an exhaustive search. I opted for the Maverick blue polo shirt.

A good time was had by all in attendance. I had three drinks…1 Sunsetini (vodka, orange juice, and peach) and 2 Appletinis. I was feeling mighty good by game time. The food was great and the atmosphere ok. I was hoping it would more rowdy than it was, but overall fun. We left sometime during the 3rd period because the smoke was getting bad and we had to be at work the next day.

Unfortunately the Mavericks lost to the Heat 98-96. Looks like no sweep for the Mavs–oh well, they still lead the series 2-1.
GO MAVERICKS!

Go fast…turn left…don’t crash!

From “We Wonder” today on NASCAR.com

… what hurts worse than a broken shoulder?
Let’s get this straight, NBA players (ahem, Shaq) sit out weeks because of a bum toe or a baseball player (how do you like your juice, Barry?) decides not to play due to a sore back. But Tony Stewart drives 500 miles with a broken shoulder? A broken shoulder.
Tired of this story yet? Well get another big dose of it. We’re talking about last year’s champion suffering through an injury that — according to the aforementioned — would have ended the NBA Finals or halted a pursuit of being a home run king. Yet Smoke finishes third in his first full race back.
Is it safe? Depends. Is it smart? Who knows? But until Steve Nash dishes a no-look dime to Dirk with his arm in a sling, there is no argument.

I would have to agree with this one. I know I couldn’t drive 500 miles with a broken shoulder. I hate it when I even have a little back pain. You rock, Mr. Stewart, you rock!

Go fast…turn left…don’t crash!

Denny–CONGRATS ROOKIE! YOU ARE THE MAN! First race at POCONO–you win the pole and you finish FIRST which gives you your first CUP points race win. Nice driving when your tire blew. This puts you 9th in the standings. WELCOME TO NASCAR MR. HAMLIN!

Tony–Welcome back Smoke! 3rd place…no shoulder injury can keep Smoke down. Tony moves back up to 4th in the standings

Elliott–Decent run, finished 20th. How cute was Elliott on Fox pre-race explaining Pocono to this year’s rookies? He can definitely teach me a few things about Pocono if he wants. Thanks to Babs for the “booty” picture from yesterday’s Happy Hour coverage.

Kenseth–Another top 5. Good Job!

Biffle–I have to give props to #16 team for battling back after brake problems. He finished 6th.

Petty–you know you are having a bad day when your tire is faster than you are. Does he get the 5 bonus points if his tire leads a lap????

Edwards–The jack came out from under the car and his boys couldn’t get the car lifted up. Lost a lot of time in the pits. Guess no backflip at Pocono today.

HMS–SPEEDING IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE PITS BOYS!

Gordon–No brakes…BAM…Mr. Gordon meet Mr. Wall…that drops him out of the top ten.

RCR–Nice run boys. Burton was battling up front, but got a speeding penalty during a pit stop. Burton finished 9th, Harvick 13th, Bowyer 21st.

Congrats to Jazil for winning the Belmont Stakes.

Notice the number Jazil is wearing??? That’s right folks #8?

Here’s the weird, twilight zone, moment…Barbaro, Bernardini, and Jazil all won and have one thing in common…that’s right folks ALL were wearing the #8 when they won!

Maybe Dale Jr. should switch to horseracing..he he!!!!

View from the Pit Box…

Pocono Report
Way to go Denny! Best place to start is from the front row–not too shabby rookie! See ya at the Bud Shootout in 2007!


Other notables….
3. Kasey Kahne
7. Greg Biffle
11. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
12. Kevin Harvick
13. Elliott Sadler (woo hoo!!)
18. Tony Stewart
20. Mark Martin
25. Matt Kenseth

Texas Report
Congrats to Todd Bodine! I saw the last part of the race. It looked like Mike Skinner was going to win, but those announcers jinked yet another driver. They said Skinner had not won at Texas and when he was close something would happen. Yep…that’s exactly what happened…yellow came out late and the race went to a green/white checker. This meant Todd Bodine was able to close up on Skinner, pass him, and go on to win. Have to give Todd his props. He was lapped, got the lucky dog, and came back to win.

Non-Nascar report from Texas: Congrats to Helio Castroneves for winning the Bombardier Learjet 500 at TMS.

Nashville Report
Pole winner–Todd Kluever–Busch rookie.

Best highlight during practice…Justin Labonte crashing Little Shrub’s primary car..(as Trixie stands up on the pitbox and does the happy dance) and he struggled ALL night long…and several laps down.

It was nice to have the Busch race be DW free! Thanks Hermie for making listening to the announcers a pleasant experience.

Best name for a driver…Cale Gale.

Congrats to Flipper! Clint, Kevin, and Denny gave him a good run, but it just wasn’t enough.

Happy Anniversary Postman!

Postman and I have been married five years today. I still can’t believe it’s been five years already. I guess time flies when you are having fun. That’s exactly what’s it been, FUN! When you find your best friend everything around you just falls into place.

Not only will I remember 2001 as the year we were married, but it is the same year the NASCAR family lost Dale Sr. and we lost Americans on 9.11.2001. We went to Vegas for our honeymoon and stayed at the Sahara. For those who haven’t been to Vegas, the Sahara is home to NASCAR Cafe. They have lots of memorabilia hanging from the ceiling, walls, etc. They have several showcases too. During our visit, they had on display one of Dale Sr’s cars. It was surrounded by cards, letters, photos, and flowers. It was breathtaking to see how many people paid tribute to the #3. I was touched by their love and devotion. This was probably when I got bitten by the NASCAR bug.

Postman and I made another trip to Vegas a couple of years ago and once again stayed at the Sahara. This time I took more pics. One of those was of Tony Stewart’s Winston Cup Trophy. Maybe this time we go back this August they will have his Nextel Cup. How cool would that be? We also visited the MM Store. If you haven’t been I suggest you go…if you are an Elliott Sadler fan..go directly to the 3rd floor. You can see a full size Elliott car. I will definitely be stocking up on my Sadler stuff.

Ok…back to the real reason for this post…to say Happy Anniversary to Postman…here’s looking forward to many more years. I love you!

View from the Pit Box…

Free Agents
Brian Vickers has asked and received permission from Hendrick Motor Sports to look for other opportunities. I haven’t really followed Brian Vickers all that much, but from what I have seen he does not “fit in” with “Three Amigos” (Little Shurb, Princess, and Gordo). We all know the #88 will need a driver for 2007. If Vickers is looking and finds a home, the #25 will need a driver. Vickers is not the only driver looking for another ride for 2007. Casey Mears announced that he will not be back next in the #42 for Chip Ganassi. His annoucement doesn’t surprise me either. Of course he could move to the #25 if Vickers signs with another team or there’s always the #88 too and then of course Toyota is probably looking for other drivers.
I know Mark Martin will be retiring from the #6 after this year and Todd Kluever is picked to replace Martin, but in my opinion, I don’t know if he is ready. From what I have seen, he needs to get some more seat time under his belt before taking over. Both Mears and Vickers might be suitable replacements.
It will be interesting to see the next round of musical drivers. We will all just have to sit back and speculate. I personally would like to see Vickers with Yates or perhaps Roush especially if Jack decides Kluever isn’t ready for the #6. I like Mears, but I don’t know if he would fit in at HMS either. I don’t see him as a whiner, princess or a jackass.

Craftsman News
Congrats to Mike Skinner for winning the pole at Texas Motor Speedway. Postman and I are season ticket holders at TMS and wished we could be there tomorrow night, but unfortunately Postman has to work this weekend. Part is glad though because I know it will be HOT!

Non-Nascar Report
The Dallas Mavericks start their quest to win their first NBA championship tonight against the Miami Heat. I would love for the Mavericks to sweep the series. If this were the case they would clinch the championship next Thursday, June 15. Why is this special? Because it is MY BIRTHDAY!!!! However, I think Miami will give the Mavs some tough competition.