Hey all.

Just thought that I would share this with all of you. A friend of mine who was the same age as me found out Early last year that he had cancer. His mother died of cancer in January of 2007 and about 2 months later he found out he had cancer also.  Unfortunately in December of 2007, He also passed away.

Now to the point of this blog. He was working on rebuilding a 1972 Barracuda. He was hoping he could stay around long enough to see it completed. Unfortunately he didn't get to. But his wife has finished it  and I thought I would post the pictures here to share with everyone. She still has a few small things to do to it but being a cuda kind of guy, Sorry about that Cudaguy, I loved it. I just wish he was here to see it finished. But I'm sure he is enjoying it now also. He has probably offered the Lord a ride in it.

He was a great friend and we miss him greatly. Hope all of you enjoy looking at these pics.

Just sitting here pondering what next year will look like for Tony. There are a lot of  questions to be answered but Tony is not ready to announce anything just yet.

First question: I wonder what colors Tony will be running. As sponsors spend a lot of money to be on these cars, this question will be answered more by the announcement of who will sponsor him. I personally like the look of the Old ####e colors on the Nationwide car, so I guess I wish Old ####e would step up to be the primary sponsor on the car but I kind of doubt this. Also some are speculating that Office Depot will be the sponsor. Just another question to have to ponder and wait for an answer. 

Next question: is who will be the Crew Chief. I hope Ton;y can get one of the good ones. All of the crew chiefs are good, but as we all know there are just a few who are great, and Zippy is one of those. It will be hard for him to find someone like Zippy. If he can get the right people for his team he will be alright. After all in his own words he learned that getting the right people is the key to success from Joe Gibbs himself.

Next question: Who will his second driver be. I don't know but I believe if he probably already knows but he just isn't ready to let it out. As with the other questions there is a lot of speculating about several drivers. One in particular Is up front. We'll just have to wait and see.

It should be interesting. What are your thoughts on these questions.

Here is a site I came across on the internet that I thought some of you may be interested in. It is a quiz on the basic NASCAR rules.

I was sitting here and, as photogr would say, I was just a thinkin'. I have been hoping Dale Jr. would win a race this year because he is one of my favorite drivers. I'm not a big Hendrick fan but you have to give the man credit for his ability to build great teams and spotting talent. Anyways as I said I was just a thinkin' that Jr. has come close to winning but something has kept him out of winners circle. About a week ago I changed my avatar to a picture of Jr's car and he wins this week. Maybe it was luck or kharma or something else I don't know, but I believe I'll leave my avatar as is for a while.

What do you think?

Multi-car teams in NASCAR. Good or Bad?

Just to rehash an old question.

That is my question. I will try to examine the good and bad of both ends of this questions. First the good and the bad of multi-car teams.

The good:

1. It brings a lot of people to racing that normally would not be watching a race.

2. It gets a lot of money involved for the drivers and teams from sponsors.

3. It brings a lot of coverage on television.

4. It has caused NASCAR to become more of a national sport and possibly an international sport.

5. It has made the competition on the track closer and made it harder to earn one of the coveted NASCAR events.

Now the bad:

1. It has taken the single car teams out of the competition.

2. It has created a new fan base and ignores the conventional fan base.

3. It has given the big money to the multi-car teams and made it almost impossible for a single car team to sign a big time sponsor.

4. It has made NASCAR more like the IRL, Cart, F1 racing.

I could probably go on and on with things it does and doesn’t do for NASCAR but I will stop with these few here so that I can continue with my blog.

I wanted to list these things to get to this point. I don’t think any owner should have more than two teams. This would free up big time sponsors to go to other teams whether it is a single car operation or a two car operation. As it is the multi-car teams take all of the sponsors, and it is understandable that a sponsor wants to be with a winning team, but they take them up and the little guy can’t get the money’s needed to field a competitive team. NASCAR was built by the guys who worked hard all week long through the week and labored hard most all night through the week just to have a car to race on the weekend. These are the guys who brought the rock steady race fans to the track. Now this in no way is to say the new fan is less of a fan but it just seems to me that NASCAR has forgotten that little fact. I have always heard you dance with who brung you.

As for multi-car teams making NASCAR more like the IRL league or Cart, or even F1 series we all know how these series are doing as far as surviving. It’s not to say that these series have poor racing, just the opposite. There is great racing, it’s just that the almighty dollar rules these series as with NASCAR and the multi-car teams and I fear the fate of these series is the future fate of NASCAR if they don’t get a handle on this before it is to late.

I really believe that if NASCAR put a two car limit on teams it would create a world that contains the best of both of these lists I have compiled at the top of this blog. I believe it would make for better racing and a lot stronger fan base all around. I don’t know maybe I’m just rambling on but I’m sure you guys will let me know if I am.

    While sitting here and pondering the comments of Photogr's blog, (I'm a just a Thinkin") I was reminded of a time a few years ago when I was helping a friend with his racecar at a couple of our local tracks. These were some of my most enjoyable times, although it is a rough and dirty task.

    First of all let me say if you have never worked in the pits it is an experience you should try. We raced at a couple of local Nascar sanctioned tracks. Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, Tn  and Lonesome Pine Speedway in Coeburn Va. We also occasionally went to one or two other tracks.

    Now down to the jest of this blog. I helped a friend of mine with his team "Big Dog Racing". I wasn't paid anything but the enjoyment that I recieved was worth it all. It is a hard, hot, and dirty job. If any of you have ever worked on a racecar in the Pits you know what I'm talking about. With all of the hot engines, boiling sunshine, dirt, gas fumes, rubber dust and everything else, if you didn't enjoy racing you would just hate it. But if you love racing you just pay it no mind. When you get to the track early in the day and work with the car all day making it better, then make a run and bring it in to check tire temperatures and maybe make some tuning changes on the engine you are zapped of all energy.

    Come race time is really the only time you have  to stop and maybe get something to eat. If you are not one of the health concious, (there is some great eats at your'e local tracks), Maybe get some rest and enjoy the race if all goes well. If things don't go so well, Well then you; are busy again. Maybe it's a flat tire, a wreck you are involved in or whatever the case it's back to it again. Sometimes it's terminal for the night, and you just try to get the car loaded into the trailer so you can head home and get prepared for next week. Now there is a lot of work.

    Anyways, for me even though there was no pay involved, I had some of the greatest times of my life. When you win a race or two it makes it just that much better. There are usually teams always looking for help but can't afford to pay anyone. If you have an oppurtunity you should give it a try sometime. If not it's just about as enjoyable just attending the races and getting all of the smells, dirt, rubber, grit, and grime without all of the work and long hours.

    So support your local tracks, Learn who all of the drivers are, the ones you hate and the ones you like. There is nothing like it. Although I haven't raced in several years now I still remember and enjoy those days. They "Were" some of my best times.

    I was just reminiscing and thought some of you might like to join me with some reminiscing of you own. I would like to read some of your experiences. Soooo I'll be watching for your best times.

    Happy New Year to all!!!!!!!!

It has been awhile since I have posted a blog. I just haven't had a lot to talk about. I read the blogs everyday and reply to some of them if I have a comment. Lots of times I just don't reply just because what I have to say has already been said in the comments and I just don't want to repeat someone elses thoughts.

Anyways I haven't forgotten all of you and just wanted to let you know I'm here reading your stuff everyday. GGW racing is a whole lot of fun and I'm glad to be a part of it. Those of you who have not read any of GGW blogs I think you would find it interesting and funny. The storyline is written by photogr and the pictures and artwork is done by forensic2.  Check it out. I log on when I rise each morning to see any new comments and also when I get home in the evening.

Yeemum has posted a blog that I think all of you might enjoy reading. It's about reading other bloggers material in other soprts. I personally am only interested in CFB other than Nascar, but I have read some other fine pieces of work by other bloggers.

I look forward to reading the blogs everyday so keep up the good work and even if I don't reply to a blog, remember I am here reading it. You have all become such a big part of my family I would severely miss all of you if you weren't here.

Looking forward to the new Nascar season. February is not to far away.

When Nascar invoked the Chase format, it was reportedly to make the points race more exciting. Now I will be the first to say the old system had its problems as does the chase system. Every format you could come up with will have its own drawbacks. As I see it the Chase is about the same as the old system. Just look at the Truck series this year.  It is going to be an exciting finale this weekend. The Cup series also had its exciting points races with the old system. It appears to me that the same can be said about the Chase system. Some years we will have a close points race and other years there will be the times that someone will run away with it and make it kind of boring.

I myself would prefer the old system with all of its faults over the Chase system, but we have the Chase system for now. So lets just enjoy the last race of the season and look forward to the 2008 season and hope it will be more exciting,  with less Nascar involvement (ie: unnecessary penalties).

So having said all of that, I will just say, I'll raise my cup in a toast to all of the new friends i have made here on this blog site and will be looking forward to more good race reading fixes during the off season.

So Here's to all of you.

    Is Nascar losing its Fans? I for one don't think so. They may be losing some "racefans" that lack the love of racing as such. The true nascar fan just loves racing. Yes they may not like a certain driver winning most of the time especially if said driver is not their favorite, but they will not leave racing for it is their love.

    Yes we have fans here in Nascar (just like any other sport) that are temporary fans. They show up for awhile especially if a driver they like is winning. As soon as their driver starts on a losing streak they are gone. Is Nascar correct in pandering to these fans? I don't think so. The true fan will be there in racing in one form or the other, whether there is Nascar or not. Nascar just needs to consider the true fan over the fly byes, when making their decisions.  They would be wise to realize this and stay with racing the way it should be.

    I personally am not a JJ or JG fan but you have got to love what they have accomplished in the competitive world of Nascar these days. As in all forms of racing (and sports in general) everyone either loves or hates the top dog. There seems to be no middle ground. Just look back to the days of Earnhardt Sr, the Pettys, The Silver Fox, etc.

    As in all sports the fan is the revenue source so I can understand Nascars need to woo them to the sport, and they will certainly attain some true fans through this method but the majority will be the come and go fan. 

    What do you think.

Should the rules be changed? I think not. I like that a team can look for an edge. That is what racing is all about.

There seems to be a large number of people who want Nascar to change the rules to Help their favorite driver to be able to win. It seems that if your team can't win you want more rules yet these are the same people who complain that Nascar has to many rules or sticks its nose into places it doesn't need to be when one of the existing rules goes against their driver. I just don't understand it.

Personally I think Nascar makes to many rules changes (for parities sake) now. This is not something new. It goes way back in the days of nascar. For instance in the late 60's and 70's they disallowed or restricted chryslers carburetors. The reason being the other manufacturers carbs could not compete with it. Well to me that is what Racing is all about. I is all about someones ability to take a piece of machinery and manipulating it and putting a great driver in it and winning.

I believe we should get back to racing as it was originally meant to be. I have a hard time understanding why a manufacturer would even want to compete in the manufacturers championship. If they do R&D and come up with an edge it is going to be restricted (removing the edge they worked so hard to develope) so there will be parity.

What do the rest of you think.