Welcome to the land of cotton and the dusty plains of West Texas for this week's GGW Show Your Moon Tour Race.
The race is called the West Texas Tubleweeds and Twisters 250 and it will be held at the Lady Luck Speedway in Lubbock, Texas.
A little About Lubbock and the Plains:
Lubbock is an small city in the northwestern part of Texas. Lubbock's nickname is the "Hub City" which comes from being the economy, education, and health care hub of a multi-county region commonly called the South Plains. Longest stretches of wide open country, dusty plains, cotton and oil fields, and some of the greatest people make up the landscape of the Plains of West Texas.
The South Plains area is the largest contiguous cotton-growing region in the world. The "Plains" area is also number #1 in the U.S. in petroleum production, number #1 in the U.S. in peanut production, and in 2007 became the number #1 in the world in wind generated electricty with a massive 450 turbine wind farm that stretchs along I-20 over a 200 mile area. We don't just say we "Do it Bigger" in West Texas. We can actually back it up.
West Texas is known for heavy winds, sandstorms, and massive thunderstorms that are almost a year round occurence.
No that's not the Iraq Desert in the pic above. That's a West Texas Sandstorm moving in on a suburban Lubbock neighborhood in springtime.
Unfortunately, with all that wind available and the volatile, unpredictible weather in the area, Texas and primarily the South Plains have also produced the most recorded tornadoes in the world throughout our history.
With tornadoes, tumbleweeds,and sandstorms rolling across the plains like Old West Outlaws in search of achance to "storm" the town, its only fitting that this week, the GGW Show Your Moon Tour takes us to an old dusty dirt track just south of Lubbock called the Lady Luck Speedway.
The track is a 3/8 mile clay oval that originally opened around 1967. The Race season at Lady Luck includes several different series including Enduro Class,Pure Stock, Outlaw Stock Class, IMCA Southern SportMod, IMCA Modified, and 305 Sprints.
A Few of the local boys' (and girls) rides:
While the scenery "aint much" to look at and the track is one of the smallest in the area, it still continues to be the most popular place around Lubbock to catch a race or get your kids involved in the sport of racing. They host several events a year just for kids like battery powered car races for the "little ones" when the main racing series are not running. The Lubbock area is know for its friendly people and the atmosphere at all the racing venues out here is always an enjoyable one.
Classic Car Shows, burnout contests, charity events and taking a drive down to the old drive-in Movie Theatre in Lamesa(very close to where Speedbeagle is from) are all a big part of the racing atmosphere in West Texas. Car Enthusiast and Racing enthusiast here are one in the same. It "aint real racing" if you just watch the race and call it a day.
Race Night in West Texas, whether its at the Lady Luck Oval or a nearby 1/4 or 1/8 mile straight tracks, is almost as popular as the "Friday Night Lights" of High School football. There will be a mandatory caution sometime Friday evening for those of you that would like to catch some of the most exciting high school football in the country with Lubbock Monterrey hosting the Odessa Permian Panthers in a clash of high scholl football titans literally just up the road from our GGW track.
Lubbock is the home of The College Baseball Hall of Fame, the hometown of Rock-n-roll legend Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holley, and nearby Littlefield, Tx is the home of Legendary country singer Waylon Jennings.
Many of the greats of oldies rock, classic country, and what has become Southern Rock, or rockabilly have roots in theWest Texas area. Its part in American music culture history follows a line very similar to the grass roots of Memphis and Nashville and the days of Elvis Presley.
So with this GGW race, we celebrate all classics and the so called "Baby Boomer" generation that worked so hard to build this nation into the wonderful place we live today,and a big reason why terrible events like what happend 7 Yrs ago today fail to destroy the love Americans have for the things that so many of us take for granted.
Apple pie, friends and family, football, and racing are the most important things in the country no matter where you go. Without that generation laying the foundation for us and putting in long hours in steel mills, cotton fields, oil rigs, and cattle ranges, we would have none of those things.They didnt have a choice. To make a living during the great depression years when a lot of the southwest looked like dusty dry old West Texas, they had to just maked do wiuth what they had. No internet, cell phones, 5 cars per family, 747 Jets to travel on, or the other luxiries we have today.
With that said, the cars we are racing this week are all tributes to the classics and the generations that made America what it is today.
Okay! Lets get to the qualifying. Being that we're racing in the center cotton country, we were going to have a Tractor Tippin' contest to set the qualifying order, seen here with Jokerswild abd Photogr in the first round of qualifying.
We even brought in a "Tractor Tippin expert" to explain it
One or two of the drivers finally figured it out as the John Deere man himself Tylerhead looked to run away with the pole position.
However, too many drivers couldn't get the tractor tippin' thing down because of the lack of sleep ridin' all night on the Kong Limousine Service that Texascudaguy provided for the group to get to here to Texas.
Whoops!
Since the tractor tippin thing didnt work out too well, we decided to just go with reversed points standings order for our starting grid which puts Klvalus on the pole this week.
Here's the Race Lineup:
Row 1 Klvalus on the outside showing off her Miller Lte colors in a classic 59' Vette.
On the inside, we have tsfanpc driving a Britsh classic with a very American name in her 63 Austin Healey..
Row 2 is Photgor on the outside in his Ford "Woodie" Wagon looking for a lane to surf to the lead .
Frevr3fan on the inside celebrating another lost legend of the Chevy world, The Camaro SuperSport. I here Dale Sr. had a whole collection of these.
Row 3 outside features Hanahan, a favorite to win this race because of his experience a ghost cowboy of fire, giving him an edge in this wacky Texas style race. A Cuda Bond Enterprises built Aston Martin DB5(the ultimate bond car) could either make or break this race for him. Lets just hope his car serves him better than those limos Cuda provided.
Jbroomy on the inside of Row 3 looks to be a "Deuzzy" as they say in his 1930 Duesenberg, so we can't count him out either.
Row 4 is where both the maddogs are. Jokerswild is on the outside driving the Dark Night Special, a 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom.
On the inside is Forenic looking for purple passion in his purple 55 Chevy Belair.
Forensic2 and Jokerswild side by side into that first corner makes me think everyone behind them may hold back a bit on the start. You never know what to expect from these wild ones on the track
In Row 5, On the outside is Moseby is bringing out some double firepower with his Hell-Camino 57' El Camino.
On the inside is Tylerhead driving an Elvis Pink Cadillac just to show up the Buddy Holly fans at the race.
Row 6 features SweetKena, GGW's own wild cat in the original Wildcat, a 1954 Buick one to be exact.
On the outside is Jon 464 looking to take out Photogr's geese, Claude and Maude, with a fast flyin' 1970 Plymouth "Super" bird of his own.
Now I'm sure you've heard the saying "Dogs are mans best friend." Well in Texas a horse is right there with him.
In Row 7, on the outside, we have Speedbeagle riding the best horse we could find in a Mustang Shelby GT500.
On the inside is Yeemum looking to soon be "Charging" through the pack in her 69 Charger.
Row 8 sports 2 more Girl-rillas with Gerell on the outside doing her best James Dean impression in a 1955 Porshe 356 speedster .
On the inside is HotFootLori looking to quickly put the hot foot pedal to the metal and say "Bye Boys" in her 1932 Hi-Boy(s) roadster.
In row 9, we have Dwindy who plans to be "thundering along" rain,shine, tornadoes, or hurricanes in his 62 Thunderbird,
On the inside, Tezgm99 is aiming to sting the competion in his 1951 Hudson Hornet.
And Finally bringing up the rear in the 19th spot is ole Cuda Kong hemi-self looking to just set the cruise and enjoy the ride this week in his 71 Plymouth Cuda.
Well,thats it. The track is ready, all the drivers have their bootstraps tightened, their lugnuts stashed, and the field is set to go so there's nothing left to do but get this thing started before a sandstorm, tornado, or even Hurrican Ike has a chance to wash us out.
I used to put these in all my NASCAR posts. I get them from Mike Smith, and editorial Cartoonist for the Las Vegas Sun. I emailed him once when i had first started blogging here after stumbling upon his cartoon archives at the Vegas Sun site. Great cartoonist and a nice guy. He does a new one each week during the year for the NASCAR season, and year round for political and other topics.
Here are a few recent ones pertaining to NASCAR for you to enjoy before you head off for Labor day BBQs, parties with friends, the lake, to watch the race with friends and family , or what-Not.
1.Dupont team finds a way to get back into the chase.
2. M&M Team prepares the hauler for Kyle Busch
3. NASCAR an Olympic Sport?
4. Phenom olympic swimmerMichael Phelps on NASCAR in the Olympics.
All Cartoons Courtesy of Mike Smith, award-winning editorial cartoonist featured daily in the Las Vegas Sun, L.A. Times, N.Y. Times, USA Today, and many others. Always has some great stuff and very funny so go check him out when you have the time.
Seems like its been forever since i had the chance to get back on here after learning that my grandad was terminally ill just over two weeks ago.
Well, my Grandad Billie Bridges finally passed last Wednesday after a long long battle with heart issues for many years. . He was definitely a fighter. He was one of the few people in this world that was blessed with a second chance after he had his first major heart attack in 1987. What was amazing is that he came back from another one in 94, a triple baloon bypass a few years later, another major heart attack about 2003 and brain surgery in 2007. The man actually died 3 times over the last 20 yrs and came back stronger each time.
Basically he was a real cool cat with at least nine lives. A great man who was generous and caring, never selfish, and always looking out for others even when his health would fail him. Many didn't think he'd survive in 1987 and he managed to make a great run for another 21 years. Even though he had a weak heart, his will and faith were enough to keep him ticking all those years and he made it to 74 which is considered a long life for someone with major heart issues.
I wanted to Thank you all for your prayers and support the last few weeks and for tsfanpc for taking my host spot for the GGW race last week.
Also whoever commented and got me a win and to Forensic2 for showing support through the GGW team for me when i was unavailable to let you all know how things were going.. It has been a tough 2 weeks for the family. Granny gave us a scare after realization of him not being next to her anymore set in for her, and so we've moved her to South Texas to be with her son. I dont like being so far from her, because our generation has been closer to her than her son for some years, but the health care available to her there is a LOT better, so its for the best.
So i've been helping with funeral arragments, insurance stuff, moving granny, and tons of other things lately. Sorry i missed any wonderful blogs you posted the last week or 2.
Good to be back, and again, Thank you ALL for the prayers you sent, and your comments concerns during last week's GGW race. I told my mom how much all of you were worried about the family and she thought it was wonderful that a bumch of online mon-keys in cars actually cared that much.. LOL(Now you know who i got my touch of smart-arse from)
Anyways,I'm way behind on work now because of all thats been going on, but I'll try to catch up on the blogs as i can.
Just an average sports fan. Enjoy in order of favorites: NFL, NASCAR, College Football, MLB, College Basketball.
NBA, and NHL are currently on my "Overrated, Overpaid, and Overhyped" list.
Classic Car enthusiast
Blog topics --
Big fan of humour, but will occasionally chime in on serious subjects as well.
Appreciate quality writing and grammar, and commend it, but will not hold it against those who don't excel in those areas.(I'm definitely nowhere close to perfect either.)
Please stop by anytime if the subject intrigues you. Your opinion is always appreciated.
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