Day O’ Racing-2013 version

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

I have to say I love Memorial Day weekend.  To me it’s the start of summer, even though the official date isn’t until someone in June.  It also means my birthday is a few weeks away, but most of all it means I get to celebrate Day o’ Racing!  I have been somewhat unofficially declaring the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend Day O’ Racing!  I mean three races in one day–Monaco, Indy 500, and the Coke 600!  I usually don’t get up early on Sunday to watch Monaco, sorry boys, I like my sleep and as you know the Coke 600 is a marathon.  I need my rest!

I have been somewhat posting pretty religiously about Day O’ Racing since 2005. I started looking back on my posts and I have to say some of them are quite entertaining.  Back in 2006, Tony ended up hitting the wall and fracturing his right scapula. For the most part, Charlotte seems to get the best of Tony at times.  If you want to check out some blasts from the past, you can, just click on the year (2005, 2007, 2008, two posts from 2009(a), 2009(b), 2010).  Sorry there really isn’t much from 2012 and nothing from 2011 (this was due in part to my father’s death on April 18 of that year).

I was excited for this year’s version of Day O’ Racing!  I love watching the Indy 500!  There is so much tradition surrounding this event, how can you not watch?  If there was only one race a year I watched growing up, it was the Indy 500!  In fact, I told my husband, this was at the top of my race bucket list, yes, even before the Daytona 500.  I love how the drivers are introduced, the playing of taps, and of course no Indy 500 would be complete without Jim Nabors singing “Back Home in Indiana”.  I don’t know if Indy will be the same once Jim Nabors is no longer able to sing at Indy.  I guess they could CGI him in.  I mean they can do all kinds of things with technology these days.  Any how, I was excited about this race!  For one, AJ Allmendinger!  I mean AJ had a rough 2012.  But I was glad to see he had been given a second chance with Roger Penske.  It was so exciting to see him lead laps and I thought how AWESOME it would be if he won the whole darn thing, but alas it wasn’t meant to be.  He had issues with his seat belt and had to pit under green. But as much as I would have loved to have seen AJ get the checkers, my heart was with Tony Kanaan!  That’s right, I cheer for another Tony on Day O’ Racing.  Indy 500 has been that elusive win for Mr. Kanaan.  Just like the Daytona 500 with some racers, the Indy 500 can be a cruel bitch!  But not this year, my friends!  After 12 years of trying, Tony got see those checkered flags fly for him!

Now I thought to myself, maybe this was a good sign for my other Tony!  I took some time to catch my breath and eat because the marathon was coming up later in the afternoon.  Just like with a marathon you have to pace yourself, and the Coke 600 is no different.  This is the longest race of the year for the competitors.  Of course, not everyone will make the complete 600 miles. As much as I like to say I watched the entire race, I didn’t.  There are parts of the race that can get kind of, shall we say, boring.  I have to say, the weirdest part of the race was when the cable dohickey thing broke and wreaked havoc with competitors as well as race fans.  NASCAR red flagged the race.  Normally under red flag conditions, teams cannot work on the cars.  They can look all they, but no touching is allowed until the yellow flag is back out.  However, NASCAR allowed teams to work on the cars for 15 minutes.  Plus the drivers were given their spots back when the caution came out.  I have to say kudos to NASCAR for making this decision since this was something beyond the competitors control.  I am glad no fans were seriously hurt and escaped with minor injuries.

But as with the Coke 600, teams need to adjust to the track conditions.  This is a race that starts in the daytime and finishes up in the night-time.  The teams who can make the best adjustments throughout the day usually find themselves at the front late in the race.  Kasey Kahne was poised to win another Coke 600, but a late yellow changed everything.  What do you do if you are Kasey?  If you stay out, the rest of the field comes in, you come in the field stays out.  Kasey stayed out and well, the majority of the field pitted.  Kasey still had a shot to win the race, but to me his restart wasn’t the best and especially on older tires.  As the drivers took the green, here comes The Closer–Kevin Harvick to the front!  Once he got out in front, it was over.  I don’t care if Kurt looked to be making a charge, Kevin had this race. Congratulations Kevin!

Oh a high note, Tony scored his first top 10 finish since Phoenix!  Maybe they have figured things out.  This Gen 6 car has all of SHR befuzzled and bemused!  I know Tony likes to win, but he was glad to take this type of finish after all the struggles over the past couple of months.  Maybe Tony can take this positive upswing into Dover this weekend!

Other tidbits..

  • Can’t believe we are half way through the first 26 races.  Right now, Jimmie Johnson is leading the points and has 2 wins.  Here is the rest of the Top 10 [Edwards (1 win), Kenseth (3 wins), Bowyer (0 wins), Kahne (1 win), Dale Jr. (0 wins), Harvick (2 wins), Menard (0 wins), Truex (0 wins), Keselowski (1 win)].  It looks like the 2 wild cars will go to Kyle Busch (sitting 11th and has 2 wins) and Eric Almirola sitting in 12th spot.
  • If some drivers don’t step it up the might find themselves out of the Chase this year.  Some of these drivers include Greg Biffle (13th), Jeff Gordon (15th), Kurt Busch (18th) and Tony Stewart (20th).  None of these drivers has a win so far this season.
  • Even though David Ragan has a win, he is outside the top 20.  He is currently sitting 27th.
  • Denny Hamlin is sitting right now at 24th.  He would still have to get into the top 20 to even have a shot to make the Chase.

My final thoughts…

I haven’t been a big Kurt Busch fan over the years.  I don’t discount his talent.  Just like his brother, he can drive the wheels off his car.  Kurt was the first driver to win a championship under the Chase format back in 2004.  But some of Kurt’s backlash is his own doing.  But I think he is having a good year even though he doesn’t have a win as of yet.  He has been thisclose, but has been able to seal the deal.  So far Kurt has shown some promise with the Furniture Row Racing team this year.  I believe Kurt will get the elusive win this year.  Maybe this is what Kurt needs.  Sometimes you have to take a step back to realizee how lucky you are to race in one of the premiere racing divisions.

Tony needs some good Mojo right now…so here’s my shameless gratuitous picture of Tony!

2011 championship

And the winner is…

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

If you didn’t get a chance to vote for the design of the pace car that will lead the drivers to the green at the Party in the Poconos 400, then you missed out!

Here is the design you, the fans, chose with 2,965 votes…

pace car 3

 

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Party in the Poconos 400

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Have you voted yet for which Pace Car will lead the field to the green at Party in the Poconos 400 on June 9, 2013 at Pocono Speedway?  If you haven’t, you ONLY have from today until Monday, May 27 to cast your vote!  Once May 28 is here, the decision is final! So drive on by and cast you vote and make your voice heard…zoom on over to Walmarturl.com/fandriven400.  You can vote once a day every day until May 27!  Here are your three choices!  Get busy for Fans of Design 1 & 2 because Design 3 is leading the competition!  I like all three designs, but I have to admit I am lovin’ Design 3!

pace car 1 pace car 2 pace car 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are in the Charlotte area this weekend and want to attend the Coca Cola 600, but budget is a little tight!  No problem…you can take advantage of the $99 Family Four Pack!  With this specially priced pack, you get 4 race tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 Cokes!  That’s not bad! Can’t make it to Charlotte this weekend?  You can still take advantage of this FANTASTIC bargain at other races throughout the season…Dover (June 2), Pocono (June 9), Michigan (June 16) and one of my favorite races Daytona (July 6)!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Party in the Poconos 400–the journey continues…

/ Trixie / 1 Comment

Pardon me for the lack of posts lately, I have been dealing with spotty internet access and starting a new job.

There was some exciting racing back in Talladega and I had lots of items to discuss on that topic, but I just don’t want to rehash all the news coming out of that race weekend.  You can check out a great post over at Bad Groove!  I will post something later on Darlington.

Right now, my attention is turned to the Party in the Poconos 400 at Pocono Speedway on June 9!  This race is just around the corner everyone!  If you have your tickets and hotel reservations set TERRIFIC!  If you are still thinking about going, you are in luck, you can still take advantage of a great bargain…$25 tickets.  You heard me…$25 tickets!  So head on over to Walmart.com/NASCAR and take advantage of this ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY THE BEST DEAL AROUND!

Don’t forget if you can’t make it to Pocono Speedway, you can take advantage of the Family Four Pack!  That’s 4 tickets, 4 Cokes, and 4 Hotdogs for ONLY $99!  In fact you and three of your buddies can head to Charlotte this weekend to watch the All-Star Race for just $99! If you don’t take advantage of this special, you might miss some exciting racing!  I mean, NO POINTS, $1 million dollars, what more can you want?  Or if you can’t make the All-Star Race, you can take advantage of this Four Pack for the Coke 600!

Without further ado, let’s get to the winner of the concession stand item vote.  After  4,638 votes were cast, the winning flavor of pierogie is the LOADED BAKED POTATO SKIN PIEROGIE!  This flavor ran away with 2,619 votes.

Now that we have the name of the race, favorite pierogie, we move on to the final stage of voting for you fans–the Pace Car Design!  Just like before, you can vote for your favorite Pace Car Design at Walmarturl.com/fandriven400.  Voting opened on May 7 and will continue through May 27.  From the looks of the designs, this may be a tough decision for you guys out there.  Besides, how can one choose between different designs on a Chevy Camaro?  Either way, you can be part of the action by choosing the Pace Car Design.  Here are your choices…

pace car 1 pace car 2 pace car 3

Party in the Poconos 400

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Party in the Poconos 400 presented by Walmart is a little over a month away (June 9).  If have already made plans to head to the race, FANTASTIC!  If you have not made plans, but not sure if you can afford it, you are in luck!  Walmart in partnership with Pocono Speedway to offer 16,000 concourse level tickets for just $25!  That’s what I said $25!!!  Tickers at this low price are still available and can be purchased online at Walmart.

You can still cast you vote for the pierogie you want to see served at the race.  You can choose from the following three pierogie flavors:

  1. Hot Honey Buffalo Wing
  2. Loaded Potato Skin
  3. Sweet Cinnamon

pierogi

Right now, Loaded Potato Skin has a commanding lead.  So if you are fans of the other two pierogies, you better get to voting!  Remember just like with the name of the race, you can vote once a day, every day until May 7.  You can vote online via the Walmart Facebook Page at walmarturl.com/FanDriven 400.  Make your voice heard!

There is a third stage of voting you will get to participate in as fans.  Beginning May 8th through May 27th, you will get to choose between three designs for the pace car.  So be on the lookout for your chance to decide the design!

Beginning June 5, Walmarts in the Long Pond area will be hosting NASCAR fan events.  These events will feature real stock racing car and simulator displays, FREEsamples from suppliers, driver appearances and more!  Man, that sounds exciting!  Plus while you are participating in these exciting events, you can pick up some of those tailgating items you may have left behind!

So make your summer plans to join other race faces at Party in the Poconos 400 presented by Walmart on June 9, 2013!  You don’t want to miss out on all the action!

Have a great day!

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

/ Trixie / Leave a comment

Short tracks are my favorite tracks on the circuit.  You get 43 cars in a small arena fighting for the same real estate.  When you hear “going three wide” on a short track, it usually isn’t a good thing.  Short tracks make for some exciting racing, but it also can create some angry and/or hurt feelings during and after the race.  Saturday night was no different at Richmond.  It seemed the fireworks had already started on Friday night after the Nationwide race.  Nelson Piquet Jr kicked Brian Scott, as we say in our household, in the peanuts.  Then members of the RCR Nationwide crew were involved in an altercation outside the track.  Before I get into all “love fest”, I want to talk about the race

Matt Kenseth team’s came into Richmond after receiving severe penalties from NASCAR.  With these penalties, he lost the credit for his pole win.  So with that, Matt Kenseth rolled into Richmond and won the pole!  Up through roughly lap 253, the only two drivers who lead laps was Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.  In fact at one point early on in the race five of the first 6 spots were held by Toyotas.  Kyle took the lead roughly around 253.  It looked like the Toyotas had everything dialed in to the Toyota Owners 400.  The first non-Toyota to lead during the race was Kurt Busch after the 6th caution on lap 203.  It was fun to watch the Busch brothers race at times.  They are very competitive races and want to win and Saturday was no different.  The Busch brothers are aggressive drivers.  I have seen Kyle do things with his car that leave you thinking, “Did I just see that?”  Kyle is having a good year and Kurt is having a decent year, well compared to where he was last year.  I have called both brothers out on this site for their behavior both on and off the track, but I always have given them props for their driving talents.  BUT…I was none too pleased with Kurt after Saturday night (and to be honest there were others at Richmond who were none too pleased either).

Tony was entering the race mired way down in the points and no top ten finish since the 2nd race of the season at Phoenix.  I was hoping this would a chance for Tony to get back on track as the summer stretch approaches.  He tends to get “HOT” this time of year.  So even though, he is in his worst 8 race start of his career, this Tony fan was hoping for a good result on Saturday.  To my surprise, he was mired in the 20s for a third of the race.  Every time there was a caution, I would track where he was when the yellow flag flew and what position he restarted.  Around lap 171, he reached position 17th!  I was excited.  Perhaps if he managed to get to 17th, he could get in the top 15.  After the 5th caution of the night, Tony restarted 13th!  Wow!  I can’t believe how pumped I was for Tony to be up in 13th position.  I thought maybe as the night when the #14 team had gotten something figured out with his car.  He continued to race in these positions until the proverbial black cat hit.  Tony caused a crash.  He got loose and got into Jimmie.  This put him back down to 24th.  He did come over the radio and took 100% responsibility for the crash.  At this point I thought, this evening is over.  Yes, it was at lap 328 and there was still some racing left, but with the troubles this team has had over the last several weeks I wasn’t optimistic.  I have learned you never can count out Tony Stewart.  Tony was up to 5th for the restart after the final caution of the night.  I couldn’t believe it Tony had a shot at the victory! Restarts can be tricky and this one was going to be no different. It was crazy!  All I saw were cars moving every which way to get their best shot at the win.  And like he is known to do, here comes Kevin Harvick.  With the front-runners bearing down, I really did have hope that Tony would have the chance to win.  Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be thanks to Kurt Busch.  From my viewpoint, it looked like Kurt took Tony out of the groove causing Tony to get loose.  Tony was on his way to the best finish he has had since Phoenix.  Tony finished 18th.   Tony was not happy with Kurt and made no bones about it after the race was over.  Of course, Kurt said he didn’t know what the 14 was upset about.  Really Kurt?  Of course, Tony wasn’t the only who was not happy with Mr. Busch.  I believe Matt K. was upset with him as well.  Oh by the way, Tony left without comment.

Congratulations Kevin Harvick!

Other tidbits…

  • I believe the penalties handed down to Matt Kenseth by NASCAR were harsh.  I know NASCAR are hard asses when it comes to fuel, engines and tires.  But in this case, this was a clear oversight on the people at TRD.  In fact Clint Bowyer’s engines from Richmond and Daytona had rods too close for comfort so TRD pulled them out of use.  Because of TRD’s oversight, JGR suffered the brunt of the penalties.  JGR is appealing the penalties.  Joe Gibbs said he was appealing on the severity of the penalties.  It will be interesting to see how all this shakes out.
  • Can Denny Hamlin make a run for The Chase this year?  He has been sidelined since his wreck at California.with a back injury.  It will be a long road for him.  He will have to rattle off some wins along the way, but there are those who think he can do it.  He begins his journey this week at Talladega.  He has been given the clear the start the race which will allow him to receive the driver points.  Then Brian Vickers will take over the car for the rest of the race.  He is targeting the race at Darlington (May 11) to be his first full race since California.
  • Speaking of Brian Vickers, I am glad he has been given the chance to show what he can do in a Cup car.  Like Denny, Brian knows what it is like to see someone else to drive you car.  During the 2010 season Brian had to step away from his ride due to illness.  He did not return to competition until 2011 season.  He has had a rough time the last couple of years, but I think he is back on track with his career.  He is now running full-time for JGR’s Nationwide program as well as driving for MWR.  Keep on plugging away Brian.
  • Favorite term I hear uttered during the broadcast…”roll bar motel”!  Thanks for making me almost spit Coke-Cola all over the floor Mike Joy!

Some final thoughts…I am returning to work as of tomorrow, May 1.  I was planning to start grad school and being a stay-at-home mom.  Unfortunately, grad school cost money and I don’t get a salary as a stay-at-home mom (even though it is one of the hardest jobs around), so I am headed back to the work force.  It may seem weird, but I really like working.  I like being a mom and being around for my kiddos, but being there is something I get from working in an office.  I am nervous, but excited all at the same time.  Luckily, I am returning to the same employer, Texas Tech University, however it will be in a different capacity.  What does this mean for The Park?  Absolutely nothing.  I just will have to do some of my posts late at night or very early in the morning.  Thanks for riding along with them over the years!