GREETINGS FROM SW OKLAHOMA:

     FOLKS THIS PAST WEEK ANOTHER TRADITION, ANOTHER ICON OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF NASCAR, WAS THROWN BY THE WAY, AS HUMPY WHEELER WALKED AWAY FROM WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE, LOWE'S MOTOR SPEEDWAY.

     I DOUBT THAT WE WILL EVER KNOW THE ENTIRE STORY OR THE REAL  REASON BEHIND HIS DEPARTURE, BUT WE CAN ALL GUESS THE MR. BRUTON SMITH HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.  WHETHER IT WAS THE PURCHASE OF THE KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY, OR THE STEAMROLLING OF CONCORD OVER BUILDING A DRAGSTRIP OR SOMETHING ELSE, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT SOMETHING WAS DONE THAT MR. HUMPY WHEELER COULD NOT OR WOULD NOT STOMACH.

     REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A KID AND THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE BIGGER THEN LIFE AND YOU FIGURED THEY WOULD JUST ALWAYS BE THERE, FOLKS LIKE MICKY MANTLE, WALT DISNEY, CAPT. KANGAROO, YOUR GRANDPARENTS, WELL FOR MANY NASCAR FANS HUMPY WAS IN THAT SAME CROWD, AND NOW THINGS WILL JUST NOT BE THE SAME.  THE LOWE'S RACES WILL BE JUST ANOTHER RACE, BUT ALL THE GRAND SURPRISES WILL BE GONE.

     I READ AN ARTICLE THIS PAST WEEKEND, THAT SAID SMITH WOULD NOT SPEAK TO OR BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS HUMPY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FAREWELL DEAL BEFORE THE RACE SUNDAY.  WELL FOR ME, MR. SMITH DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH CLASS TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS HUMPY WHEELER ANYWAY.

     AS I HAVE SAID , NONE OF US WILL EVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, BUT FROM WHAT LITTLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND SPOKEN OF THIS INCIDENT, IT PUTS BRUTON SMITH IN THE SAME CLASS AS JERRY JONES AND THE WAY HE FIRED TOM LANDRY OF THE COWBOYS, AND THAT IS A CLASS THAT I WOULD NOT SPIT ON IF THEY WERE ON FIRE.

     STUNTS LIKE BUYING TRACKS JUST TO CLOSE THEM AND MOVE RACE DATES TO ANOTHER TRACK, OR THREATENING TO CLOSE LOWE'S TO SCARE THE CITY COUNCIL IN CONCORD INTO GIVING HIM WHAT HE WANTED, AND NOW THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF HUMPY WHEELER AFTER 32 YEARS, JUST CONTINUES TO ENFORCE THE IDEA THAT I WOULD RATHER ASSOCIATE WITH SOMEONE "WHO DOESN'T HAVE  A POT TO "P" IN OR A WINDOW TO THROW IT OUT OF", THEN THE LIKES OF BRUTON SMITH.

THAT'S MY OPINION  -  WHAT'S YOURS

GUNAQUAT