In light of the recent "Indy Tire Incident" I found the following quote extremely humorous and ill timed. I'm not choosing candidates or politics, simply pointing out a funny political quote.
ELKHART, Ind. - Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday taunted Republican presidential rival John McCain for first mocking the idea of keeping tires inflated for energy conservation and then agreeing the practice works.
When asked about the air-pressure issue during an appearance Tuesday
night, McCain said: "I agree with the American Automobile Association.
We should all inflate our tires." Obama had noted that keeping tires
inflated and cars tuned was endorsed by both NASCAR and AAA and should
be part of any comprehensive plan to reduce reliance on imported oil.
Anyone know if Sunoco fuel is imported from the middle east?
This is the place where you, the fan, get to fix the most recent NASCAR fiasco.( From extended rain delays to inconsistent rule implementation, NASCAR has managed to make just about every mistake possible. )
This weeks Brickyard race was a fiasco due to tires that lasted only 10-13 laps. The conditions are this: you ran a limited test several months prior to the race in which tires failed after 10 to 13 laps, but you were told that the situation would get better after the race ran awhile. Next, the teams show up the week of the race and the problem is still there, even though cars are practicing and laying done rubber.
NASCAR handled this problem by keeping their collective heads up their ####, and said of the fans, "Let them eat cake". We will run the race and throw competition yellows every 10 to 13 laps. Robin Pemberton will walk around looking at tires in disbelief. We will tell everyone involved that they are to say "Everyone is doing the best they can, its no ones fault." We will also have tires designated for next weeks race brought to the track just in case we run out of spares. (This plan would have then created next weeks fiasco titled Pimp my Race: Pocono: Not enough tires.)
Okay, thats how the professionals at NASCAR did it, how would you?
Isn't it odd that every driver, owner, crew chief etc. had the same comment about Sundays race? "Its no ones fault, everyone is trying there best...yada, yada, yada" The driver's meeting probably went something like this: " Anyone says anything other than "Everyones trying there best!" and you don't pass inspection at Pocono!"
As the sanctioning body, NASCAR is ultimately responsible for everything. Whether its not making sure Goodyear brought good tires or if it's doing business with a crappy tire company who didn't bring good tires. If Brian France is a man he will come out and take responsibility for Sundays..."race".
As a Kyle Busch fan, I was happy to see him take it easy. It initially looked like he was going to drive the tires off the car...literally.
Is it just me, or is Steven Wallace a "Wreck Magnet". I realize that incidents happen, everyone has bad luck and if you're in a race with Kyle Busch there's a good chance you finish mad at the guy. However, it seems that Wallace is involved in a lot of low profile "racing incidents" for it to just be bad luck.
Anyone have any thoughts or counter thoughts on the topic?
Can anyone comment on whether or not NASCAR's tendency to name products as the official one of NASCAR affects teams trying to find sponsors? Obviously, SPRINT sponsors the series, so no other cell phone company can sponsor a team. What about SONOCO fuel, GoodYear tires etc., do these "official" brands have exclusive rights to NASCAR sponsorship? It would seem to me that by NASCAR appointing these brands as Official, they are eliminating potential sponsors for owners.
In light of the recent lawsuit, I would suggest that London Fog be the official trenchcoat for NASCAR officials.
I just heard, on FOX, that MLB along with other professional sports, namely NASCAR, are wanting to get a cut of Fantasy League revenues.
I'm not sure how many of you play Fantasy League, but for me and my family we have a yahoo league that has grown to 25 teams. Its part of the reason I even watch the entire races. If NASCAR were to be so greedy as to charge me for playing the game I would seriously consider not watching any more.
20-2.1J (any device or duct work that permits air to pass from one area of the interior of the car to another, or to the outside of the car, will not be permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, the inside of the car to the trunk area, or the floors, firewalls, crush panels and wheel wells passing air into or out of the car)
As you can see, its not a complete copy, but it is a start. Please feel free to add on any pages you may have as well. We might be able to come up with a complete book some day.
Gordon sounds like there might be a sour grape in his wine,
As effusive as Johnson was, former HMS teammate Jeff Gordon was a bit more evasive in his assessment of Busch, but in a joking manner.
"If that's the case (Busch is leading all three series) in
Homestead, I'll be really impressed," Gordon laughed. "We know how
talented he is. That talent doesn't surprise us because we see it all
the time. If he does that for the whole year, then I'll be way
impressed."
He's already bested Gordon as the youngest driver to win a race, now he's leading the points in two series and is second in another. He has the best car control of any driver in any series. Gordon you sold out along time ago, somewhere between getting your own cologne and developing your own energy drink. Next you'll be selling chicken for Clyde Torkle ("The fastest chicken in the South").
It turns out Robbie Gordon actually had the correct nose-covering for the Dodge Avenger. Which, means all other Dodges were in violation of the rule, including this years winner Ryan Newman.
100 points, $100,000.00 or Take the win...its the only consistent penalty for making an example out of Robbie. That was the justification for it's severity, right.
Robbie's penalty was for just having the wrong hood on before the race, Newman and other Dodges ran the entire race with it.
NA$CAR sent Joe Nemechek to the back of the pack because he missed driver introductions. The reason to have the formal intro before the drivers enter their cars is to get people in the stadium early, which means more souvenier and concession sales, which also lengthens the broadcast, which means more money from commercial advertising. (In the old days driver introductions were done while the drivers made their warm-up laps.)
Here again, some lame #### non-racing rule created as a money making scheme has affected a race. Whats worse is Joe Nemechek was attending a Chaplain service and got caught up in the fans, making him miss his intro.
I guess if he had been signing a helmet for a disabled child he would have been escorted off the premises.
Though its not as dramatic as hanging upside down in a burning race car and deciding to have your #### removed. You may use this opportunity to make some hard decisions
Terri O'Connell races toward the checkered flag
An interview with Terri O' - Transgendered race car driver
If you grew up as a good ol' boy from Mississippi, a NASCAR career
may have been higher among the echelon of your future dream
achievements - especially if you wanted to make your racing-hero dad
proud. J.T. Hayes faced just such a situation. With 500 wins on the
NASCAR circuit and a promising career ahead of him, he thought he had
found the "right" track... Almost.
A series of events and one particularly awful racing accident in
1991 shifted J.T.'s perceptions. Trapped upside down by his seatbelt
with fuel pouring and smoke billowing from the vehicle, J.T. Hayes
decided life was really too short to not live it as who you are.
To greatly simplify the story, a decision was made and cars sold to
finance a sexual reassignment surgery that put a racing career on hold.
In time, the sheltering and constraining cocoon of J.T. Hayes had
disappeared and Terri O'Connell emerged to take the wheel.
Full of inner conflicts and fights with the world to be who she is
and do what she loves, Terri's is one of those stories to which many
#### people can relate. But ask Terri her story today and she'll tell
you, "I'm a woman fighting the odds... I may have come from a very
unique set of circumstances, but today, I'm a woman whose fighting to
do what she loves to do the most." With a new book coming out soon,
television appearances behind and ahead of her, movie deals in the
works and a new competitive NASCAR team being assembled, Terri
O'Connell's dream of once again setting hot rubber against professional
pavement will soon be a reality. Only this time she has an added
advantage - she lives as the person she was born to be.
Dan Weil: Who were the most inspirational people or heroes in your life?
Terri O'Connell: My Dad was always my hero; he was just the
coolest cat. Daddy was the most awesome race driver I've ever seen. He
was a gentle person and a mechanical genius, he could have been a movie
star - drop dead good looks, equal talent to Andretti and all those
guys. He was just living in Mississippi so he was known through the
southeast region. In terms of motor sports I had a lot of them. Jimmy
Clark, was way before my time but he just intrigued me....Jackie
Stewart too. Andretti was really "my guy". I was into Indy cars and
Formula One... As for women, Rosa Parks and Cheryl Tiegs
D: Right now, what is your biggest dream?
T: It's a combination of several things. This motor sports
stuff is in my blood and won't go away. I think I'd like to buzz around
the Indy 500. And to get my book and movie project done in a way that
is high quality. I want to be able to teach people that they can beat
the odds too.
D: When it comes time to relax, how do you do it?
T: I listen to music and dabble with my art. You know, I'll
tell you what I do; I get in my Edge, throw on some music, and get out
and drive. It's my environment; it's what gets my computer cranked up.
D: What is your story really about?
T: Obviously, we're having this conversation because of this
gender issue. And obviously Newsweek did this story because of the
gender issue. But the meat of the story is about beating the odds, with
a very, very unique set of circumstances and trying to mold them into
some sort of reality that makes sense.
Like the fact that I was born prematurely with lungs that were small
- and I grew up as this androgynous kind of person. I didn't grow the
way the other boys did, and then I grew up in this small town in
Mississippi, and then I took on this racing legacy of my father's, and
then for me to transcend from regional racing to national racing - we
just weren't in the politics of the national scene. So to get to the
national level, we had to have the help of doors being opened. It just
comes down to an incredible set of circumstances and beating the odds.
I think the gender issue helped to improve me - I wanted to prove
everybody wrong.
Really, the transgender issue wasn't an issue. I was dealing with
women's issues. It's a very, very, rich set of circumstances that made
me have to beat the odds since day one. You just have to stick to it
and be smart about it. You're not always going to be smart about it,
but you always need to try to think smart.
D: Your story has been covered in the press since 1998, why do you think the #### press has taken so long to cover your story?
T: A couple of the local papers in Atlanta covered my story
and a local paper in Nashville. I'll be honest with you. I can walk
into any #### club in America and there won't be 2 people who'll know
who I am. When I was on Larry King last year, I got all these emails
from people who said, "I had no idea that you were transgendered." I
think I just come across a d v e r t i s e m e n t s
srExecute(); as
too damn normal. And that makes people have to deal with it. It makes
it real.... I got in this to be a girl not to be transgendered. You
know what I mean? You've got to be who you are. Honestly, I've never
really pursued the GLBT media. In fact all of the mainstream press I've
received has been because they've found the story and pursued me. But
you would think that just logic would say the GLBT press would cover
this. Really, I want to retain my professional career, I want to be
able to walk down the street and be the cool, hip wife of some guy at
the country club. I think most of the girls in the [transgendered]
community want that too. But you have to pursue it. I just want to put
a really normal face on this, which is my reason for doing this.
D: What is the biggest challenge for you, in racing?
T: It's one thing to go through what I've done, [ the
reassignment surgery ]. It's another thing to have to compete in a
sport where there's no women's division. These boys play for keeps.
Anybody who doesn't think so has another thing coming. Those boys will
take you down. What you have to do in motor sports to survive is on a
whole different level. First you need millions of dollars and then you
could lose your life. It's dramatically different than other sports.
I have to tell you this story; there was this guy who did this story
on me for George magazine. He was a tough little guy from NY. He came
down to the sprint car races, the night before the 600. We were walking
through the pits. He's a big hockey fan. He said to me, "Hockey ain't
#### I can't believe you did this." [She laughs ]
D: How has NASCAR treated you? Do you have the support to race again?
T: I think that there's plenty of support there. I think it's
one of those things, they're probably thinking well here she is. What
are we going to do with her? I just think they don't want to make it a
circus, and I don't want to either. I want this to be professional and
keep the integrity. But I have a lot of support from people who are
helping me to put this together and they are NASCAR insiders. So, they
know me. They know that I'm just coming in there to compete.
D: If your car could speak, what would it tell us about you?
T: I'm smooth. That's my trademark. Smooth. I think it's just something you get naturally. My dad was like that too.
D: I've enjoyed spending time with you and getting to know
you. To me you're nurturing, down to earth, strong, focused, and an
absolute sweetheart. How would you describe yourself on the track?
T: I think I'm a lot like Rick Mears. I have this very smooth
style of driving and I'm just absolutely hell-bent on winning. I just
friggin' hate to lose. I'm able to deal with it and accept it as any
human being must. I'm there for one purpose. To finish first, first you
must finish... and that applies to life, you know?
D: What makes you different from other folks?
T: I'm a race car driver. It takes a lot of confidence. I
think it's because I just have confidence that I can do this and win.
I've never been afraid to get into the game. If you want to finish the
race, you've got to get into the game. I think that's what sets me
apart from so many people. Ultimately, I just had to get into the game.
D: What makes you the same as everyone else?
T: I'm just a human being. I'm just a human being. Food and
shelter, that's it. And I need a pat on the back every once in a while,
just like everybody else does.
I think it's really important for people to know that I'm just a
girl, and that's how I live my life. This transgendered thing - I just
got caught up in it. It's odd to be in this. I just want to have my
anonymity as a woman. I need my feminine cache. I need it. But I also
feel like there's a responsibility on my part for contributing to the
awareness of this for others. But, I'm not the spokesperson on this
issue and I don't want to be.
To tell you the truth, it's the auto racing that makes this story.
If I looked like a 6' tall linebacker - it would be a different story.
The press would cover it and then be gone. Like last year, when I
walked into Larry King's studio he thought I was one of the actresses
from Desperate Housewives. His producer had to introduce me as the race
car driver and he was surprised. So basically, I'm a 5' 6", 118lb.
pound woman that races cars. It's a very superficial thing, but that's
the reason they cover it.
Hometown: Corinth, Mississippi
Occupation: NASCAR Driver, Author, Activist
Hobby/Pastime: Music, graphic design and art." I like that edgy-funky, Peter Max stuff."
Favorite chase scene: "Bullitt," with Steve McQueen!
