by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Yes indeed there sure is a lot going on and very little on the track. Oh sure, Kasey is in Australia or rather was in Australia and my Mate Pete got himself a bunch of autographs from him and I’m not too sure if I’m getting one either. Kahne went around with a few other American drivers and with some real good Aussie guys but came up short and got rained on. Pete said, “Kahne drove real well and came in 3rd behind 2 “hardened” sprintcar pros but he sure showed that he can dive one of those babies. He was very accessible to all of us so that was great.” He went on to tell me how friendly Kasey was and to be up close to him you wouldn’t think that this young fellow could drive a sprint car much less a Nextel Cup ride.
All in all to have a talent like Kahne and the other Americans racing with the local boys was real thrilling for Pete and later on this month there will be a whole gang of drivers over there in his part of the world. Heck it’s only fair for them to go down under and I would like to see NASCAR develop a series there rather than China or Europe. Guess Mr. France doesn’t feel there is that big of a following as there is in Hong Kong, OK? Australia does have sprint racing along with several other types with the V8 Supercars being very popular and a few years back they had their own version of NASCAR. The Australian NASCAR Racing as I’m told it was called, raced on mainly two oval racks. One was a half mile and the other a full mile track, Calder Park Motorsports better known as “Thunderdome Speedway” and not like a Mel Gibson movie.
I have learned over the past few years as the Aussies would say, “You Yanks ain’t got the market corned on racing” there has been a ton of it going on and is going on “In the Land Down Under”. I think it would be a heck of a lot easier to spell Goodwrench or Home Depot on the side of a race car in Australia than it would be in China. I know a Mate of mine would sure like to see more of it over there and all so a NHRA series of some kind there too. But like I say, NASCAR needs to get back to their roots here in the States before they venture into uncharted parts of the world so like I say, “who listens to me”? I will give them one more year of my time and if things continue to turn me off on NASCAR I guess I’ll have to start following Roller Derby.
Now off the track, things like a new wife going to have a baby and drivers getting engaged and marrying a super model is the big news right now. Along with those happenings are the new NASCAR goodies starting to hit the market place and the new paint schemes for the 2007 diecast cars. The Car of Tomorrow is also getting big headlines not only on the track but in the dealer’s inventory and everybody is saving up to buy their driver’s car, which won’t be cheap this year if Brian France and Bruton Smith have anything to say about it. I have got my orders in for all my guy’s cars and I sure hope they don’t come in all at once or my wife will be mad at me like usual. If they spread them out just a tad and she sees one or two come in at a time it is a whole lot better for me. It’s when five or six boxes hit the door and I get the call on my cell, “Your CARS are here” I know what that means.
Oh what the heck, I don’t have a big boat to go fishing in or a lot of hunting rifles to hunt with and I finally kicked the gambling habit thanks to President Busch. Why can’t I spend a few bucks on a diecast car or six or eight, I mean ya gots to have them don’t ya? I do try to limit myself to just my three main guys and then like next month I’ll buy a few other drivers but only because they’ll be cheap. I won’t buy my usual 3 or 4 driver’s jackets next month, just one or if I’m pushed two but then again, they’re a lot less than during the season. You know, I say my wife gets on to me about car buying but she’s really not that bad. There was this one time when this great big box came in, I had told her to be on the look out for it and what it was going to be. She didn’t think I had really bought one and when it came in she called and said, “RICHARD, YOUR TIRE IS HERE!!” she did ask just one thing, “where ya going to put it?” Now you know what I said don’t you?
You know I have been seeing the headlines that read, “RYR brings Rudd out of retirement” or “Rudd comes back from retirement” and things like that. Did Ricky really retire, I thought he said wasn’t, he was just stepping back or taking some time off. What ever the case is I am sure glad to see him back in a race car and double happy it is at Robert Yates Racing. Now Robert, build your own motors and stop buying all that stuff from Roush Racing and let’s get back to basics. OK? Who knows, perhaps Ernie can fill in for Ricky every so often. With Rudd in the #88 or #28 or whatever, you will have a good season in 2007 or at the least some time to find a good rookie and that might be hard with so few coming up these days. And Ricky, I know you will do your best because that is the type of driver you are and the fans are with you.
A few months ago, Ward Burton made it known that he was wanting to get back into NASCAR but it seemed that there was not going to be a place for him even with the “Silly Season” in full swing. What do I read today, “Ward in a Ford” is that something or is that something? Ward Burton goes from no ride to a full time cup ride right on to being a “Buschwhacker” not what do ya think of that? He’s got the 36 races in Cup with a Chevrolet and will drive a Ford for 20 in the Busch Series (shortly to be changed to the “NASCAR Goodwrench Series or Cingular Series or AT&T Series or just maybe the Wally Mart Racing Series). I sure hope he don’t get mixed up while he is in victory lane and call his winning Ford a Chevy or vice versa, don’t you?
Well the holidays are over, sure hope they were as good for you and yours as ours, and the racing season starts pretty soon, and none to soon for me, cause I’m about out of old tapes to watch. Why, I even went to Blockbusters the other night but when they said five bucks each for the rental fee I just said thanks but no thanks and left. I did buy a few blanks for taping this new season so I’m on R for ready to get this thing going at Speedweek. Oh yeah, by the way, I think there has been a small concession on the part of management at Entertaining U. If I give up just a couple things I’m asking for like medical insurance and reduce the rate I want them to put in my 401k and retirement plans then there’s a slight chance you all will be reading me for another season, don’t that make y’all happy? You know where I am and that’s tinynascars@yahoo.com and back to normal, If it ain’t NASCAR it ain’t s**t!!
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