Viva Las Vegas...

We've made another trek out west to the great city in the desert, Las Vegas. I was pleased to find out that only 2 of the 3 series were here this weekend. We will only have Nationwide and Cup here, so that will lighten the load a bit.
It will be interesting to see if Matt Kenseth can win the first 3 races of the season. Matt's crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, was a wrestler at the University of Indiana, so, in my book, he has 2 great things going for him. Stay tuned this weekend to see if 3 is in the cards...get it, Vegas, in the cards...wow.
Speaking of gambling...I don't plan to do any. We are staying at an Embassy Suites, so it should be a nice, relaxing weekend. We are across the street from the Hard Rock Hotel, so "the kids" can go play if they want. I am not "a kid" anymore. I'd like to go see a show if I have time, like "Blue Man Group" or something tame like that...we'll see.
Next week we are in Atlanta and then a week off! Yippee!

Shrub goes for a triple...

Can it be done? Can a driver driving all three NASCAR series, Camping World Trucks, Nationwide and Cup, win all three races in a single weekend? Well, Kyle Busch may just be that man. He set a record yesterday by winning the truck race and the Nationwide race in one day...it had never been done before. There have been several times when a driver has won the Nationwide and Cup race in a weekend, but never two races in a day. And no driver has ever won all three events in a weekend. Though I am not a big fan of Kyle Busch's, I'd like to see him do it for the attention it would garner and the excitement of it. Now, some, ie. Rusty Wallace, are saying, during commercial breaks and not on the air, that he thinks the Joe Gibbs teams including Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, are cheating. He thinks their aerodynamics are altered and giving them an unfair advantage. But I don't know...I don't see them coming in 1,2,3...so I think Kyle's driving may have something to do with his winning.
So we're two races down and one to go here at Cali this weekend. And like I said, the racing has been at a minimum. It was interesting to watch Michael McDowell do his "Mr. Inferno" impression...fire, fire, fire!
So on to my predictions...
My friend, Jeff Hamilton, will do the invocation. Well, that's not a prediction...that is on the schedule. He is married to Jayme Jones, Jay and Marilee Jones' daughter who I had a crush on from 1988-90. He's a great guy!
3). Carl Edwards
2). Greg Biffle
1). Jimmie Johnson
Have a great raceday, everyone!

Goin' back to Cali...

I know...I used that title last year when we came to California, but it's just so darn catchy...Thanks, LL.
I flew out to California yesterday, a day early, to "get the truck back in working order" after all the excitement from Daytona. That actually just means that I get paid an extra 1/2 day to do what I always do...yippee.
I slept so good last night...being on east coast time since I was in Daytona for two weeks, then getting out here on Pacific time, I was falling asleep at about 9pm last night. I didn't have to get up until 7:30...that translates into a lot of sleep! I did get up and go work out before I came in and actually worked out last night before bed, too. Unfortunately, the macadamia/chocolate chip cookies at the front desk negated any workout from last night. They were a tasty bedtiime snack!
California Motor Speedway, now known as the AutoClub Raceway or some such nonsense, is, and I hope the big wigs don't see this, one of the most boring tracks and ends up being the two most boring races of the season. The track is so wide that there just isn't the beating and banging you'd like to see. Plus, they guys get so spread out, a driver can actually lead from green flag to checkered. The trucks and Nationwide series will also be racing. They both have their races on Saturday.
I am glad I am out here. I love the weather! It is 74 degrees today and the humidity is nice.
I've also got some extra curricular plans on this trip. In the late '80's I moved out here to do an internship at Trinity Broadcasting Network. It turned into my first post college job and it was a great 3 years! Through Facebook, I have found a bunch of my old work buddies and we're going out to dinner on Saturday night. The last headcount came up with 20 people, so it should be fun remines-uh, riminish-um...remembering and telling old stories. Anybody know how I can lose 40 lbs. by Saturday night?

The Superbowl of Stockcar Racing...

The Daytona 500...the Superbowl of this sport comes first in the season. Odd, but true. This race pays the most and sets the tone for the season. If a driver has a great 500, that can boost their entire season. If just the opposite happens, it can put the team in a tailspin early on that they may not be able to recover from. There were 57 teams that tried to make it into the 500, but the field only holds 43. That means 14 teams failed to make the first points race of the season. Here's an interesting fact and the main incentive for a team sinking a lot of money into making the 500...if you finish last, that's last place, the absolute worst of the field, 42 cars finish ahead of you, you are the biggest loser...it pays $250,000...to lose! So making the 500 is huge! Many teams come to the 500 hoping to make the field and with that publicity try to get sponsorship for the rest of the season. One of those teams that did that this season is a brand new team with a very familiar name at the helm. Tommy Baldwin, crew chief of the 2002 Daytona 500 winning team was let go by Stewart/Haas Racing at the end of the year. He quickly put together a team called Tommy Baldwin Racing, hired Scott Riggs as his driver and they qualified for the 500. They parlayed that into some new sponsorship that just may get them into every race of the 2009 season. Baldwin and Riggs are both cast offs to a certain extent and now have the chance to "prove 'em all wrong". I hope he has a great day!
Another great story is the previously mentioned Stewart Haas Racing team. Tony Stewart, 2 time Sprint Cup Champion left the comfort of Joe Gibbs Racing, his home for over 10 years, to for SHR. He hired fellow Hoosier, Ryan Newman, away from Penske Racing to make a great 2 car team that is loosely affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. They get their chassis and engines from HMS, so it is basically a 5th and 6th team for Rick Hendrick. Tony had to qualify on time to get in and did...Ryan also qualified well and both were in great starting positions for the 500...then came yesterday's Happy Hour...which was neither happy nor an hour for SHR. Ryan's right rear tire blew during the practice and he wrecked...it only got worse from there. As he was spinning, his car collected the car of team owner Tony Stewart and both cars were trashed. Therefore, both the 39 of Ryan Newman and the 14 of Tony Stewart have to go to the back of the field in backup cars. I am still pulling for Tony. Though many people don't like Tony because he is quite a jerk sometimes, I think he's an incredible driver!
I am also pulling for A.J. Allmendinger, a former open wheel driver starting in his first Daytona 500. Who's you're pick for today's race?
It will be an incredible 500 once again...if the rain holds off! With the chance of rain sitting at 70%, it doesn't seem likely that we'll get the whole race in today. If we can at least get halfway plus one lap, the I can go home tomorrow! I have been here since February 3rd and I'm ready to go home...for a day. I have to fly to California a day early, on Wednesday, to get the truck put back together after SpeedWeeks. Yippee.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but, as you know, it may just be an oncoming train!
My projected top three is:
3. Denny Hamlin
2. Jimmie Johnson
1. Jeff Gordon
Happy Raceay!

Talk About Being Petty....

We're still making tv in Daytona...The track is quiet Monday and Tuesday, except for the Petty Driving Experience cars making some laps. On a side note, I hear from some people who have done it, the Petty Experience is incredible...you ride along in a replica stock car at about 150 miles per hour on a real NASCAR track. Some even let you drive, but at a lower rate of speed. So if you have a lot of disposable income, that is a place to lay it down...or just give it to me...I'll find a use for it.
Today we had a very late call...1:30pm! It was so great to get to sleep in after such long days of 14-18 hours a day. I slept about 10 hours and still got a workout in...great morning!
We still have the Duel coming up on Thursday...two races that will determine the rest of the field for the 51st Daytona 500. I am pulling for a few guys to make the cut. One is AJ Allmendinger...he is a young guy that should do well this year with his new team, Richard Petty Motorsports. RPM is a combination of Gillette/Evernham and Petty Motorsports. AJ has done pretty well in his year and a half in NASCAR, but now with great equipment, I think should make it in the top 20 each week.
I was very happy to see my favorite driver, Tony Stewart, make it in the 500 on qualifying day. He has taken on his own team, so now as owner/driver, the pressure has got to be huge. Luckily, for Tony, he's got a new house to go home to. Well, it's being built as we speak. It is a 14,000 foot log cabin in Columbus, IN...and get this, it has an indoor pond for him to fish in..AN INDOOR POND!!!! I have a friend who is doing some lighting a electrical work on it and says the house is amazing. I'll bet you'll see it on MTV cribs very soon!
Still in sunny Florida!

1st Race of the Season...

The Bud Shootout is upon us. This is the made for tv race that up until this year featured drivers who won a pole the previous season and all prior Bud Shootout winners. This year, NASCAR has thrown a bone to the car manufacturers by letting the top 6 drivers by points of each manufacturer plus an extra "wild card" driver of the same manufacturer. So, Dodge gets 7, Toyota gets 7, and so on...28 drivers in total. They have also added 5 laps to the race. It is strange because some of the drivers in the race that is for money only haven't really paid their dues to be in the race. ie Scott Speed, AJ Allmendinger, Paul Menard...and some of the least experienced are in the front...it could be a disaster!
This is one of my favorite races because it just an all out slobberknocker! The cars they use are for this race only, and not used in the 500, so they don't really care if they beat the crap out of them!
This race is really for the fans, so hopefully you can tune in and enjoy it!

SpeedWeeks has begun...

Welcome to Daytona! The temperature is a balmy 48 degrees and will drop to 25 tonight, so all you folks up North can lower your jealousy meter...not quite a tropic vacation down here...but there is no snow!
We are leaps and bounds ahead of last year with our production truck. Since we got to keep the same truck, and we used it in January for Preseason Thunder, we are very well set up. We've modified a few things to make the back to back to back shows go smoother by moving one evs to the edit suite. That evs can ingest the packages for the next show while we're busy playing back for the current show. Since all the evs's are networked together, we will be locked and loaded for the next show at all times. Plus, it will cut down on the human traffic in our area while we are on the air. It's surprising how loud a producer, two talent and multiple production assistants can get...unless you have children, then you know.
Today is just a set day, but the buzz is starting...producers are floating in, dropping off tapes, sharing their philosophies on how to accomplish their goals...yada, yada.
But I have a new outlook on this season. I am going to happily do my job, not complain (as much), and smile more. It's just tv.

Here's a rabbit trail....I was thinking about my dad this morning as I was getting dressed. He used lots of phrases from his military days when talking to us that I didn't get until many years later. One such term was "scivies"...that mean underwear. I think it derives from "civies" meaning civilian clothes. I still enjoy running around in only my scivies. Another phrase that I was on the receiving end of quite often was "At ease!" My young ears heard "attease"...one word. I knew it meant get quiet immediately...and the louder it was proclaimed, the quicker one should get quiet. Not until I watched some military program on television later in life did I understand it was "at ease", meaning relax at attention. Just a window into my life...look through as long as you'd like.

There are all kinds of races during SpeedWeeks...qualifying races, shootout races, trucks, Nationwide and, of course, Cup. I'll try to update more often during SpeedWeeks as drivers, owners, crew chiefs, and numbers are all changing!

And on this day, February 4, 2009, I am picking two drivers that I will follow closely this year...hopefully to the Cup Championship...#33 Clint Bowyer and #14 Tony Stewart. Feel free to comment on the drivers you'll be keeping an eye on this year, who you want to win it all and who you think will win it all.
Welcome to SpeedWeeks!