by richard teague tinynascars@yahoo.com
Man there’s a ton of things going on in NASCAR these days and on the top of the list is the “Fat Boy” climbing the fence again and he said he was too old and fat. Well I’m way too much of both but after a great win like that I’d dang sure try and do it my own self. But then I didn’t win the race like Tony did. With something that in baseball that would be called a balk and advance the batter to first base didn’t do that at all. Instead, Dale Earnhardt Jr. got hung out on the track and said afterwards, “I was thinking surely we weren’t going to pit, and I pulled up on the track.” With that last minute turn to pit road Tony put the hard driving Earnhardt in good track position but really got himself in a better spot with a trip to the pit. Stewart after the race, “My plan was to come in. I just didn’t want to show that until the last minute, and “We were able to somewhat set the tone for what everybody else was doing.”
Well he sure did and by bring in the leaders except for Junior who wished he could have got tires but had no way to cut down to pit road. He did set the tone. With ten laps to go and a run at Dale he blew by him bring Jimmie Johnson who couldn’t catch him either and putting Earnhardt in too third place. The current NASCAR Champion said about not being in the Chase and not worrying about the point that, “It takes the pressure off of us and lets us do what we do best - and that’s win races.” You know, that maybe true but Tony Stewart, I think would probably still drive like that even if he was in the Chase. This is exactly why I say I do not like the Chase format because there are guys in it that didn’t have a chance before the last ten and here’s a driver that should be the Champion. O My, am I praising Stewart, well I guess I am but only because he deserves it.
You know I haven’t said much about Ole Awesome Over The Hill Million Dollar Bill Elliott in some time and I know that John and Glenda, two big fans of retired drivers feel slighted so this is for them. Here is a guy that has been in 754 races with 44 wins, 175 top fives and 55 poles in over thirty years of racing in Cup alone. Even though he has never really been on the top of my list of drivers I have all ways respected his ability at driving but to other fans like my afford mentioned friends he has been elected NASCAR’s most popular driver 16 times and that’s a record. Why even the “NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award” will be renamed for him but only after he finally retires but like another driver and I won’t mention any name, MARK MARTIN, who the heck knows when that will be.
Last week Atlanta Motor Speedway changed the name of the grandstands on the east turn to “Elliott Grandstand” to honor Bill and his family for the years of dedication and contributions to the sport of racing and AMS. I know I have told y’all about how several years my friend John talked me into going to a show where he was going to sign autographs and how we met him in the parking lot of the Prime Osborn Convention Center then we stood in line for almost four hours to get an autograph. He gained my respect that day after perhaps unknowingly getting us back for beating him out of parking space to get his signature. Now all of his fans can buy his autobiography, “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” telling about his life from childhood to the most popular diver in NASCAR, I know that John and Glenda will have one soon if they don’t all ready.
Diversity, well OK it happened at Memphis Motorsports Park last Saturday when Juan Pablo Montoya ran his first NASCAR Busch Series race and was followed by a small group of Tennessean Colombian fans. They wore soccer jerseys and Colombian flags to show their support and hoped to meet the driver from way south of the border, Montoya. Some of them even slipped up to the grandstand for introductions of the drivers and cheered for him which made him feel uneasy but he did take time to sign autographs. Now that sounds familiar of other NASCAR fans that have done the same thing doesn’t it? Juan showed that he could race with the big names of NASCAR but at one point he likened it to “being in kindergarten here” but still finished in 11th place and that ain’t bad for a first race. Now he may have made a mistake or two but Chip Ganassi thought of it this way, “He blamed himself for it, but he’s learning,” and maybe he is, but like all ways, only time will tell.
Did anybody notice that Jeremy Mayfield was in the truck race last Saturday afternoon? Well I sure missed it but have no to fear, Mayfield will be back on the Cup circuit at Phoenix and Homestead and then there is next year when he will race for Bill Davis Racing in the #36 360 OTC Toyota with Tommy Baldwin as crew chief. In the truck race he said, “I must have run over something out there with the late cautions we had,” which is considerably better than taking bad about your car’s owner. You know, I think he would do good in some off road and Baja racing only because he could have a co-driver / navigator / big mouth wife to tell him how to walk, talk, bad mouth other people and not to mention driver the vehicle. Wait a minute, I think BDR did say something about installing a SECOND SEAT in that there Toyota didn’t they? Was his wife the one from the old commercial about using motor oil for perfume or something, now she was a babe?
Now a couple of drivers are moaning about what time the races start, come on guys can’t you find something else to complain about? Jamie McMurray about the sun’s glare late in the afternoon in at Atlanta, “It is a challenge to see where you are going.” Jeff Gordon about McMurray running in to back of him, “You couldn’t see anything going into Turn 1.” Now Jimmie Johnson thought Atlanta wasn’t near as bad as California Speedway where talking about the sun he said, “you’re steering right at it, which is tough,” and he quoted Dale Junior when he said, “‘It’s a mother.” I don’t see eye to eye with NASCAR all the time but really I do think that they take in to consideration many things when a race is going to start but even if the sun isn’t in their factor group does it really have to be?
Just a few of the things this week going on in NASCAR and with three more races there should be a bunch more then we can take a break from the “Silly season”, Yea Right!! Well things got started this week with my agent and the owner of the newspaper and if my guy and his guys (lawyers) can come up with the right numbers I am hoping for a multi year contract. I mean after all I like reading my stuff and so do my wife, my Granddaughter, some of my Real Friends and I hope Y’all do too. Heck even if it doesn’t go the way I would like it too I could all ways get back into the Chevrolet parts business (little hidden meaning there). If you feel the need it can be done at tinynascars@yahoo.com and you can all ways email Will at the paper (will@entertainingu.com), he loves to hear from y’all too. You know the rest, If it ain’t NASCAR, It ain’t s**t!!
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