by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Yessiree Bob, the folks at ESPN got the ball started a couple of years back when they became the host for the most popular NASCAR information site on the web, jayski.com. What started out as one man’s quest, or rather, thirst for information and news of NASCAR has grown to be a valiant contender among the top sites on the net. If you are on any chat board or room you will see words like, “hey did y’all read Jayski’s today” or “man I saw this at Jayski’s.” The site has always been the front runner with NASCAR news and the easiest one I know of to navigate. It’s easy to find what you are looking for --be it rumors, paint schemes, team information or anything NASCAR. The best part is it has got the Cup, Busch (hopefully changing to the AT&T Series) and the CTS and, like I said, anything you want real easy.
I know that there ain’t a NASCAR fan that hasn’t been to Jay’s site at least once a day for the past several years and I’m there right along with ya. Especially since that other site that I used to visit once in a while changed their format; there isn’t a better place to be.
Oh yeah sure, I surfed nascar.com and I liked it well enough, but I would find out the real goods from Jayski’s when I wanted to know something. Now Mr. Turner has changed the nascar.com site, much like Mr. France has changed NASCAR, and to put it bluntly, IT SUCKS! You can’t find a blooming thing on there. It was easier to catch an article or two but there ain’t no way with the new format.
I know that Ted has got to make a few bucks to keep Ms. Hanoi happy, and with the new front page at nascar.com he must be bringing in the bucks, what with all the ads. Click here, spend some money, click this and be a member (for a small fee), get inside with your driver and ride along with them on race day for just $19.95 a race. What a joke they have become and I hate even trying to load the dang page even with DSL. Those fans with dial up probably don’t even try. ESPN has said that Jay will still run the site. There will be a few new banners and some tiny changes but they feel that Jayski’s works and, unlike some, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Now I wonder if Jay will take a little time off to catch his breath because I know the guy works real hard to keep Jayski’s.com up-to-date and on-the-money, so Bubba, take a day or two off, maybe visit Cape May.
Here’s a headline I wasn’t surprised to see and I bet not many of y’all were either: “Developers drop proposal for NASCAR track.” Why in the world did International Speedway Corporation think that the legislators of the Great State of Washington were going to spend tax payers dollars on a venue for them to make money? NASCAR wanted the state to pay half of the $368 million to build a track near Seattle and, out of the kindness of their wallet, they would cover any and all cost over runs. The state could sell bonds to cover their half and make money on the back side, but the real squeal to the deal was that NASCAR said the project would put, are you ready for this, FOUR BILLION DOLLARS into the state’s coffers and create THOUSANDS OF JOBS.
You know, if I could invest $184 million bucks and get back 4 billion, me and Bank of America would be talking monthly payments right now. Thousand of jobs and billions of dollars? I wonder just how long B of A would finance that for because I don’t think that kind of return would start in my lifetime, or any of y’all’s either. If they did get a track on the other side of the world, where would the race date come from, one of Bruton Smith’s tracks? I don’t think so. Now NASCAR really pulled out all of the stops trying to get the politicians on their side, why they even sent Winkin, Blinkin and Nod to try and swing them over. One of them state boys called The King a drunk driver and NASCAR fans a bunch of rednecks, but then he did apologize about the DWI remark.
What was Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip and Greg Biffle (better known as the IMF) doing there in the first place when I bet not a single one thought a race track up there was a good idea? They should have sent Tom Cruise and his team to convince them boys, or maybe Jim Bob and Billy Bob in Bubba’s truck with the winch on the front. With the Washington track issue a dead end, will that bring a new flame or a large fire to the push for a track in “New York City” (I said that like they do in those salsa commercials, but y’all can’t hear my tone of voice in print, so I figured I had better spell it out fer ya). Like Tony said a few weeks back about NASCAR and something like there’s a light on but there ain’t nobody home, what’s wrong with the tracks you took races from?
You know, that would be just too easy to do and they got to go and try to get a new track with 750,000 seats and room for another 200,000 in the infield. Dang, can’t you have 100,000 fans at a race and make money? Brian, Brian, come on now buddy, ease up a little there mate and give Richmond or North Wilkesboro back a race. Slip one over to Kentucky Speedway or make Mr. Bruton happy and let Vegas have another one. You know, I think if they could find a feasible way to have races all year long, yeah 52 weekends a year, they would dang sure do it and not bat an eye, but then I would really get sick of it, I do believe.
Well I’m about done for this week so I’ll let y’all go for now, yeah sure, bet you thought I wouldn’t mention the Car of Tomorrow. Wrong!! Fumes’ making drivers and crew members sick last week and now this week the stuff is on fire and Harvick ain’t happy. “I mean, this thing just started burning up. It’s almost turning into a joke now,” is what Kevin had to say about the smoking, melting fire-breathing dragon in the door of his #29 SHELL car. Not only is the foam a fire issue, but now many teams are talking about the brake systems going into a meltdown effect. Is it just the newness of the car and time being needed to correct these little problems or can it be major flaws in the design of the COT?
NASCAR says that it is fixable and has a few weeks to get things right and even that on a larger track these won’t be a problem, but is that true? Will they be able to hold up under 190 or 200 mph at Talladega, or will they really show off there and be the great cars that NASCAR is hoping for? I don’t care what they do to them, unless they scrap them and then I’d be happy.
OK now I’m done and y’all should know how to contact me by now, but if you don’t-- get ‘r done at tinynascars@yahoo.com You also know that right here I usually say, “If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!!” and I mean that, but in a few weeks there will be something that changes that for a weekend: the “Good Guys” car show, and you don’t want to miss that one right here in our little berg on April 20th -22nd at the Gator Bowl. I know it ain’t the Gator Bowl no more but I still call it Winston Cup racing too.
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