Well, the 2009 racing season is all but over and overall it was a pretty good year. NASCAR still has some things they definitely need to work out, and while I continue to get annoyed when I watch the TV broadcasts I'll get lured back in during the Daytona 500 coverage in February 2010.
Short track racing (asphalt and dirt) appears to be headed in the right direction for the most part. In a time where the economy has seemed to wreak havoc on many things, most short tracks and series have survived and I'm looking forward to attending some of their races in 2010. It will be neat to see the return of North Wilkesboro Speedway late next year, but at the same time sad to see historic tracks like Nashville and Milwaukee perhaps going away.
My travels were a success in 2009. Drove down to North Carolina three times: PASS South Series at Orange County Speedway, ISCARS at Hickory Motor Speedway, and my first visit to Rockingham Speedway for the ARCA and UARA series! Also, supported some of the local tracks in the area including an annual stop at Mountain Speedway in St. Johns, PA, a return to Williams Grove Speedway for the first time in awhile, and my first trips to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, PA and Big Diamond Raceway near Pottsville, PA.
2010 will be even more exciting, beginning with my 2nd annual trip to the Atlantic City Indoor Races in late January. I'm still trying to firm up the rest of my travel plans, but I will be going to North Wilkesboro either for the Labor Day weekend PASS race or the October USAR Pro Cup race. What I'm looking the most forward to is my first trip to Pensacola, Florida for the 43rd annual Snowball Derby next December! I plan on purchasing a Flip Video over the holidays so I'll be posting more videos to my YouTube account in the new year.
2009 was a year to forget in the poker world. I only had the opportunity to play in one tournament in Atlantic City and did pretty poorly. In fact, I don't really recall making it into the money in any cash tournaments I played in. Then there was my second place finish in a tournament where the winner received an all-expenses-paid trip and $1,500 buy-in into a tournament in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. That was probably the heartbreak of the year. Oh well, there's always next year. I plan on attempting to win a couple trips to the Borgata in Atlantic City and the World Series of Poker again. No matter what happens, over the summer I will be traveling to Atlantic City to play in at least a $300 tournament.
So until next year, I wish everyone happy holidays!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Not My Four-Time Champion!
Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus and their entire team on being four straight ten race chase champions! I’ll give them that. They got the job done when they needed to, but I still can’t convince myself that it was history in the making. It’s incomparable to the feats that Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, and Jeff Gordon have accomplished and besides being on paper I don’t see it as something better than any of them have done.
I have to admit that I am a “classic” points fan, but before anyone forms a rebuttal saying that they would have raced differently if there wasn’t a chase, “classic” points are different from when Richard Petty won some of his championships before 1975, etc., they have to realize that I am looking at the overall season statistics and what the outcome may or may not have been.
Saying that the drivers would have raced differently does have some accuracy. 2008 and 2004 done the “classic” way could have had a different outcome due to the close points race. However, 2007 is where this point is flawed. No matter how you crunch the numbers, in any other system that rewards consistency Jeff Gordon would have been the champion. Not since 1990, did a driver with as good of an average finish as him fail to win the championship AND have a better average finish than the champion. That was Mark Martin, and the reason he was second in points is because his team incurred a 46 point penalty following the spring Richmond race. The final difference in the championship was 26 points. One thing I have to add regarding Mark Martin is that if after he and his current Hendrick teammates retire, and Jimmie Johnson and/or Jeff Gordon are inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame before he is then I will refuse to visit that place for the rest of my life. There is no better driver representative for NASCAR, a sponsor, and fans today than Mark Martin and while he has or may never achieve a championship I think those aspects alone make him a true NASCAR Hall of Famer once he is eligible.
The Richard Petty different points system theory is debatable for two of his championships. Based on my rough calculations, he still would have edged his closest competitors for the championship though (Cale Yarborough in 1974, Bobby Allison in 1972). However, for his other three championships prior to 1975 there is no doubt in my mind he would still have been champion in almost any points system. Also, with the “classic” point system Petty would have been a contender for the championship in 1973, 1968, and 1963 so clearly he could be a seven (or more) time champion no matter what system is used to calculate points. I consider Jimmie Johnson at best a three time champion, which is still great and a notch above Tony Stewart (he pretty much has two fair and square) and a notch below Jeff Gordon who I believe at worst has five (or maybe six) championships.
What are historic are the team combination aspects. Maybe only twice has a driver and crew chief combination been successful for so long besides Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus: Richard Petty/Dale Inman and Dale Earnhardt/Kirk Shelmerdine. Jeff Gordon/Ray Evernham I actually put below the Johnson/Knaus combination since they weren’t together for as long.
The team itself Hendrick Motorsports, has performed historic proportions never seen before in NASCAR. For the past decade and a half, no matter how it’s calculated, the team has racked up nearly two-thirds of the championships. That has never been done in such a vast amount time, although some may argue that back in the day there weren’t multi-car operations like todays. It still goes to show that no other team today can seem to win championships and back it up year in and year out.
One other thing that I believe is historic is the driver to driver relationship. While Jeff Gordon tends to downplay the fact that he’s mentored Jimmie Johnson somewhat, the fact is it’s still a fact! Gordon was integral in choosing Johnson as a driver and while some say Johnson doesn’t deserve the ride I believe he paid his dues at least more than many other drivers currently in the series. Johnson raced for two years in the American Stock Association which was an excellent proving ground, and he and his ASA team together moved into the NASCAR Nationwide (Busch) Series. While their success was marginal it showed that Johnson could perform with a startup team in a series, which in a way was what the #48 team was their first year. I would consider Jeff Gordon the legend here, because I have never seen a former NASCAR champion have so much impact on a driver and have it result in championships. Ned Jarrett and Dale Jarrett might be the closest to those criteria, but Ned didn’t really play a major part in Jarrett being with the Yates Racing team. Many are similar but didn’t result in championships on one end or the other (Junior Johnson never won a championship but helped Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip win multiple). Other father-son/mentor-protégé combinations may have worked out well, but never resulted in Cup Series championships on both sides (Earnhardt/Earnhardt Jr., Richard/Kyle Petty, David/Larry Pearson, Richard Childress/Dale Earnhardt, Benny Parsons/Greg Biffle).
To sum things up, I believe Jimmie Johnson and the entire team is the best out there right now, but I still need to give it time before I call them historic or legendary. We’ll see what happens over the next decade and maybe I’ll change my mind. As far as the chase goes, it is what it is. People can keep suggesting methods in which some of them seem very good on paper, but there always seems to be some sort of flaw. I'll believe what I believe, and everyone else can believe what they want to believe.
As for the 2009 season as a whole, it was one of my least favorite seasons since I started watching in 1988. It was the first time where I watched Talladega and was rather disappointed. The first time I have completely lost interest in traveling to Talladega to see a race there. The first time I wished my favorite driver would just retire already so I didn’t have to watch anymore. The first time that I couldn’t stand watching pretty much all of the races on TV (from Digger to the mentioning of Jimmie Johnson every five seconds). Maybe I’ll just listen to them all on MRN next year. Time will tell if I gain/lose interest in NASCAR from now forward.
I'll be back soon to discuss my plans for races I'll be attending for the 2010 season.
One more non-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series related thing: for anyone looking forward to the Snowball Derby race this Sunday I've uploaded the entire 1995 Snowball Derby which was broadcast live on Prime Network affiliates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXCoW50cjBw&feature=PlayList&p=F9E4A25FD0657EB1&index=0&playnext=1
I have to admit that I am a “classic” points fan, but before anyone forms a rebuttal saying that they would have raced differently if there wasn’t a chase, “classic” points are different from when Richard Petty won some of his championships before 1975, etc., they have to realize that I am looking at the overall season statistics and what the outcome may or may not have been.
Saying that the drivers would have raced differently does have some accuracy. 2008 and 2004 done the “classic” way could have had a different outcome due to the close points race. However, 2007 is where this point is flawed. No matter how you crunch the numbers, in any other system that rewards consistency Jeff Gordon would have been the champion. Not since 1990, did a driver with as good of an average finish as him fail to win the championship AND have a better average finish than the champion. That was Mark Martin, and the reason he was second in points is because his team incurred a 46 point penalty following the spring Richmond race. The final difference in the championship was 26 points. One thing I have to add regarding Mark Martin is that if after he and his current Hendrick teammates retire, and Jimmie Johnson and/or Jeff Gordon are inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame before he is then I will refuse to visit that place for the rest of my life. There is no better driver representative for NASCAR, a sponsor, and fans today than Mark Martin and while he has or may never achieve a championship I think those aspects alone make him a true NASCAR Hall of Famer once he is eligible.
The Richard Petty different points system theory is debatable for two of his championships. Based on my rough calculations, he still would have edged his closest competitors for the championship though (Cale Yarborough in 1974, Bobby Allison in 1972). However, for his other three championships prior to 1975 there is no doubt in my mind he would still have been champion in almost any points system. Also, with the “classic” point system Petty would have been a contender for the championship in 1973, 1968, and 1963 so clearly he could be a seven (or more) time champion no matter what system is used to calculate points. I consider Jimmie Johnson at best a three time champion, which is still great and a notch above Tony Stewart (he pretty much has two fair and square) and a notch below Jeff Gordon who I believe at worst has five (or maybe six) championships.
What are historic are the team combination aspects. Maybe only twice has a driver and crew chief combination been successful for so long besides Jimmie Johnson/Chad Knaus: Richard Petty/Dale Inman and Dale Earnhardt/Kirk Shelmerdine. Jeff Gordon/Ray Evernham I actually put below the Johnson/Knaus combination since they weren’t together for as long.
The team itself Hendrick Motorsports, has performed historic proportions never seen before in NASCAR. For the past decade and a half, no matter how it’s calculated, the team has racked up nearly two-thirds of the championships. That has never been done in such a vast amount time, although some may argue that back in the day there weren’t multi-car operations like todays. It still goes to show that no other team today can seem to win championships and back it up year in and year out.
One other thing that I believe is historic is the driver to driver relationship. While Jeff Gordon tends to downplay the fact that he’s mentored Jimmie Johnson somewhat, the fact is it’s still a fact! Gordon was integral in choosing Johnson as a driver and while some say Johnson doesn’t deserve the ride I believe he paid his dues at least more than many other drivers currently in the series. Johnson raced for two years in the American Stock Association which was an excellent proving ground, and he and his ASA team together moved into the NASCAR Nationwide (Busch) Series. While their success was marginal it showed that Johnson could perform with a startup team in a series, which in a way was what the #48 team was their first year. I would consider Jeff Gordon the legend here, because I have never seen a former NASCAR champion have so much impact on a driver and have it result in championships. Ned Jarrett and Dale Jarrett might be the closest to those criteria, but Ned didn’t really play a major part in Jarrett being with the Yates Racing team. Many are similar but didn’t result in championships on one end or the other (Junior Johnson never won a championship but helped Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip win multiple). Other father-son/mentor-protégé combinations may have worked out well, but never resulted in Cup Series championships on both sides (Earnhardt/Earnhardt Jr., Richard/Kyle Petty, David/Larry Pearson, Richard Childress/Dale Earnhardt, Benny Parsons/Greg Biffle).
To sum things up, I believe Jimmie Johnson and the entire team is the best out there right now, but I still need to give it time before I call them historic or legendary. We’ll see what happens over the next decade and maybe I’ll change my mind. As far as the chase goes, it is what it is. People can keep suggesting methods in which some of them seem very good on paper, but there always seems to be some sort of flaw. I'll believe what I believe, and everyone else can believe what they want to believe.
As for the 2009 season as a whole, it was one of my least favorite seasons since I started watching in 1988. It was the first time where I watched Talladega and was rather disappointed. The first time I have completely lost interest in traveling to Talladega to see a race there. The first time I wished my favorite driver would just retire already so I didn’t have to watch anymore. The first time that I couldn’t stand watching pretty much all of the races on TV (from Digger to the mentioning of Jimmie Johnson every five seconds). Maybe I’ll just listen to them all on MRN next year. Time will tell if I gain/lose interest in NASCAR from now forward.
I'll be back soon to discuss my plans for races I'll be attending for the 2010 season.
One more non-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series related thing: for anyone looking forward to the Snowball Derby race this Sunday I've uploaded the entire 1995 Snowball Derby which was broadcast live on Prime Network affiliates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXCoW50cjBw&feature=PlayList&p=F9E4A25FD0657EB1&index=0&playnext=1
Sunday, November 22, 2009
November North Carolina Trip Summary
I apologize for the lack of an update, but it's been an extremely busy week since I got back from my mini-vacation to North Carolina.
It was an excellent trip, even though there wasn't much going on at most of the dozen or so race shops the Friday I visited them. Most if not all of the teams were in Phoenix already. I thought it was amazing that these race shops look like usual corporate offices, but then you can look in the wide windows in many of them and check out the race shops. I stayed local to the hotel I was at, which was in a business park with several race shops. Next time I plan to go a little off the beaten path and visit Penske, JR Motorsports, and maybe even over to Charlotte to check out Hendrick Motorsports and some other teams.
One of my personal favorites during the weekend was my visit to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. If you haven't been there, I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance. What an excellent museum with tons of motorsports history that is very informative and interesting! I even purchased an old school Jeff Gordon Baby Ruth early 1990's T-shirt from the gift shop! In addition, I made touristy stops at Lake Norman and downtown Mooresville.
Then Saturday was race day! The ISCARS Dash Touring Series sanctioned by ASA was at Hickory Motor Speedway for their championship event. Three drivers were separated by eight points coming into the event. Danny Bagwell, who was the two-time defending champion, won both 75 lap races. Bagwell was not eligible for the championship since he missed a couple races earlier in the season. The championship battle came down to the wire. After race #1, Randy Humphrey finished 2nd and Jason Shultz 3rd. However, Shultz led laps so Humphrey's point lead was still slim. In race #2 Shultz jumped out to an early lead, while Humphrey marched through the field. Humphrey would spin going for second place and rebounded for a third place finish, but it wouldn't be enough. With his second place finish, rookie Jason Shultz won the championship! The full article can be found at: http://iscarsonline.com/viewnews.asp?News_ID=8462.
Along with the ISCARS were the East Coast Flathead Fords. It was my first time seeing this series, and was cool to see some of the vintage vehicles racing around the historic track. Stuntman James Smith was on hand as well doing some neat stunts.
Photos from the race can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/.
Photos from the entire trip can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046856&id=37801386&l=185bb0e747.
Videos from the race can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24
Next week probably following the Thanksgiving holiday and after I collect my thoughts, I will post/rant a post-NASCAR season summary.
It was an excellent trip, even though there wasn't much going on at most of the dozen or so race shops the Friday I visited them. Most if not all of the teams were in Phoenix already. I thought it was amazing that these race shops look like usual corporate offices, but then you can look in the wide windows in many of them and check out the race shops. I stayed local to the hotel I was at, which was in a business park with several race shops. Next time I plan to go a little off the beaten path and visit Penske, JR Motorsports, and maybe even over to Charlotte to check out Hendrick Motorsports and some other teams.
One of my personal favorites during the weekend was my visit to the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. If you haven't been there, I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance. What an excellent museum with tons of motorsports history that is very informative and interesting! I even purchased an old school Jeff Gordon Baby Ruth early 1990's T-shirt from the gift shop! In addition, I made touristy stops at Lake Norman and downtown Mooresville.
Then Saturday was race day! The ISCARS Dash Touring Series sanctioned by ASA was at Hickory Motor Speedway for their championship event. Three drivers were separated by eight points coming into the event. Danny Bagwell, who was the two-time defending champion, won both 75 lap races. Bagwell was not eligible for the championship since he missed a couple races earlier in the season. The championship battle came down to the wire. After race #1, Randy Humphrey finished 2nd and Jason Shultz 3rd. However, Shultz led laps so Humphrey's point lead was still slim. In race #2 Shultz jumped out to an early lead, while Humphrey marched through the field. Humphrey would spin going for second place and rebounded for a third place finish, but it wouldn't be enough. With his second place finish, rookie Jason Shultz won the championship! The full article can be found at: http://iscarsonline.com/viewnews.asp?News_ID=8462.
Along with the ISCARS were the East Coast Flathead Fords. It was my first time seeing this series, and was cool to see some of the vintage vehicles racing around the historic track. Stuntman James Smith was on hand as well doing some neat stunts.
Photos from the race can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/.
Photos from the entire trip can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046856&id=37801386&l=185bb0e747.
Videos from the race can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24
Next week probably following the Thanksgiving holiday and after I collect my thoughts, I will post/rant a post-NASCAR season summary.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Last North Carolina Trip of 2009 Preview
I've changed my mind and have decided to post every now and then on here in addition to my new blog on www.racing-reference.info for the time being.
I've been waiting three months for this trip (I was planning on going in September, but mother nature had other plans)! Looks like Ida will pass through and hopefully cause little harm and the weekend is looking beautiful. I'm heading down Thursday and stopping first in Race City USA, Mooresville North Carolina. I'll be doing some touristy things, at the least visiting a few race shops and the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. It's probably not the best week to visit the shops since the teams will be heading out to Phoenix, Arizona this week, but it will still be fun.
Then Saturday, I'll be heading to the historic Hickory Motor Speedway for the ISCARS (former Goody's Dash Series) season finale doubleheader in which the top three are only separated by eight points, including two rookies! The classic East Coast Flathead Fords will be there as well and I'll get to see them for the first time. One other thing I'll be looking forward to is the fact that I won't have to hear Jimmie Johnson's name mentioned every five seconds, haha!
Overall, it should be an exciting weekend. I'll make another post with links to photos and videos that I take upon my return.
I've been waiting three months for this trip (I was planning on going in September, but mother nature had other plans)! Looks like Ida will pass through and hopefully cause little harm and the weekend is looking beautiful. I'm heading down Thursday and stopping first in Race City USA, Mooresville North Carolina. I'll be doing some touristy things, at the least visiting a few race shops and the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. It's probably not the best week to visit the shops since the teams will be heading out to Phoenix, Arizona this week, but it will still be fun.
Then Saturday, I'll be heading to the historic Hickory Motor Speedway for the ISCARS (former Goody's Dash Series) season finale doubleheader in which the top three are only separated by eight points, including two rookies! The classic East Coast Flathead Fords will be there as well and I'll get to see them for the first time. One other thing I'll be looking forward to is the fact that I won't have to hear Jimmie Johnson's name mentioned every five seconds, haha!
Overall, it should be an exciting weekend. I'll make another post with links to photos and videos that I take upon my return.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
I'm Moving!
Actually my blog is moving. It's been picked up by www.racing-reference.info. I don't have an individual page yet, but all blogs including mine (ajcrdstr24's Racing and Poker Blog) can be seen at http://racing-reference.info/blogmaster.jsp. For those not familiar with Racing-Reference.info it is an interactive motorsports statistical Web site. I'm excited for this opportunity because several race fans visit the site every day, it's one of my favorite Web sites since I love statistics, and I've found out that many racing fans are also poker players!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
One Good Day, One Bad Day
Both of the past two weekend resulted in a great Saturday and a not so great Sunday. Two weekends ago, I went to the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs for the first time. Boy was it neat. My favorite was seeing a modified that Bobby Gerhart raced back in the 1970's. Photos can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/72157622342284097/. Once again weather foiled my plans on Sunday, which was to go back to Sundance Vacations Speedway for some more racing.
Last weekend I had my fingers crossed once again that the weather would hold up for some racing at Mahoning Valley Speedway Saturday night. The forecast began to look promising later in the week, but on Saturday there became a chance of thunderstorms. Luckily, mother nature finally cooperated and my first visit to Mahoning was definitely worth the wait. Over six hours of side-by-side racing around that small track. The faster modifieds went around the track in less than ten seconds! Photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/72157622516354216/
Then Sunday, I was ready to drive to the Eastern region's TOC poker tournament. However, 45 minutes into the tournament I woke up with pocket Queens and raised pre-flop...got three callers. Flop was KQ8...3 diamonds. Every checks so I bet the heck out of it and still get two callers. Turn is meaningless...everyone checks and I bet again, only to get min-re-raised. At this point I had over half my chips in the pot. End result was, he had the nut flush and the board didn't pair and I just drove an hour and a half to play 45 minutes of poker! Oh well, there's always next time.
The rest of October will be pretty quiet before making my final trip to North Carolina in November. More details to come.
Last weekend I had my fingers crossed once again that the weather would hold up for some racing at Mahoning Valley Speedway Saturday night. The forecast began to look promising later in the week, but on Saturday there became a chance of thunderstorms. Luckily, mother nature finally cooperated and my first visit to Mahoning was definitely worth the wait. Over six hours of side-by-side racing around that small track. The faster modifieds went around the track in less than ten seconds! Photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajcrdstr2009/sets/72157622516354216/
Then Sunday, I was ready to drive to the Eastern region's TOC poker tournament. However, 45 minutes into the tournament I woke up with pocket Queens and raised pre-flop...got three callers. Flop was KQ8...3 diamonds. Every checks so I bet the heck out of it and still get two callers. Turn is meaningless...everyone checks and I bet again, only to get min-re-raised. At this point I had over half my chips in the pot. End result was, he had the nut flush and the board didn't pair and I just drove an hour and a half to play 45 minutes of poker! Oh well, there's always next time.
The rest of October will be pretty quiet before making my final trip to North Carolina in November. More details to come.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Change Of Plans
Good things come to those who wait. I won't be going to North Carolina this weekend since the race that was originally scheduled was postponed, and the weather forecast for the weekend is looking quite miserable as well. Instead I'll be staying local, but still trying to leave Lancaster county. I might consider going to the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs, since I've never been there. Also, if the weather is nice, I might possibly go back to Sundance Vacations (Mountain) Speedway for their Sunday afternoon races.
I still hope to attend at least two more races the remainder of 2009, including Saturday night October 3rd at Mahoning Valley Speedway where there will be two Modified features along with all of their local divisions (once again, weather permitting). Then the trip to North Carolina will be in either October or November. Right now it looks like I'll be going to Hickory for the ISCARS finale. It fits well in my schedule since I have off work for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11 and I can spend Thursday and Friday in Charlotte and Mooresville. We'll see when the date gets closer.
I still hope to attend at least two more races the remainder of 2009, including Saturday night October 3rd at Mahoning Valley Speedway where there will be two Modified features along with all of their local divisions (once again, weather permitting). Then the trip to North Carolina will be in either October or November. Right now it looks like I'll be going to Hickory for the ISCARS finale. It fits well in my schedule since I have off work for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11 and I can spend Thursday and Friday in Charlotte and Mooresville. We'll see when the date gets closer.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Post Labor Day Weekend
Well, it was an eventful Labor Day Weekend. Not as eventful as last year since I went to two races in North Carolina then. However, the local races were great! The weather was clear for both. Friday night there was some great racing at Big Diamond Raceway with Modifieds, Road Runners, and Sportsman all racing on the wide and short dirt track. The article and finishing order can be found at the track's Web site: http://www.bigdiamondraceway.com/PressRelease.asp?ID=578.
On Sunday, it was off to Sundance Vacations (formerly Mountain) Speedway. It was a very nice day compared to the past couple times I've been there when it was freezing. The show moved along very smoothly and it was some of the best racing I've ever seen there. The article and finishing order from that race can also be found at the track's Web site: http://sundancevacationsspeedway.com/.
I posted more photos and a few videos from the race. They can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044346&id=37801386&l=84cd254a04 and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. I apologize for the bad picture quality from Friday night. I didn't realize that the camera battery was low and tried to get as many pictures out of it. After that I used my cell phone to take pictures, but they came out very blurry.
By the way, I wasn't even in contention to win the trip to Atlantic City Thursday night. I guess I'll try again next month.
Next weekend will be another weekend away from racing and poker, as I will be in Massachusetts. The weekend of September 26 will be the next racing weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. I'll give more details on that in the following weeks.
On Sunday, it was off to Sundance Vacations (formerly Mountain) Speedway. It was a very nice day compared to the past couple times I've been there when it was freezing. The show moved along very smoothly and it was some of the best racing I've ever seen there. The article and finishing order from that race can also be found at the track's Web site: http://sundancevacationsspeedway.com/.
I posted more photos and a few videos from the race. They can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044346&id=37801386&l=84cd254a04 and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. I apologize for the bad picture quality from Friday night. I didn't realize that the camera battery was low and tried to get as many pictures out of it. After that I used my cell phone to take pictures, but they came out very blurry.
By the way, I wasn't even in contention to win the trip to Atlantic City Thursday night. I guess I'll try again next month.
Next weekend will be another weekend away from racing and poker, as I will be in Massachusetts. The weekend of September 26 will be the next racing weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. I'll give more details on that in the following weeks.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Labor Day Weekend
Well, I'm not really interested in talking about this past weekend. Everything went smoothly moving in my sister, but the driving in New York and the parking garage debacle was murder! I had a better time at Pocono Raceway sitting in the parking lot not moving for two hours!
Looking forward, Thursday night is one more chance at winning a trip to Atlantic City...once again at the Watering Trough. After that I'll be cutting back with the poker playing a little bit. Next major tournament will be the Tournament of Champions (if I qualified) on Sunday, October 4th. Since I'll be in North Carolina the last weekend of September, I'll be playing in the Eastern region's TOC.
Labor Day weekend should be exciting, and for once the weather forecast is looking nice! Friday night, if everything goes according to plan I'll be going to Big Diamond Raceway for some dirt racing. Then on Sunday, I'll be heading up to Mountain Speedway for the first time in 2009 for several different divisions of racing.
Have a good Labor Day weekend everybody!
Looking forward, Thursday night is one more chance at winning a trip to Atlantic City...once again at the Watering Trough. After that I'll be cutting back with the poker playing a little bit. Next major tournament will be the Tournament of Champions (if I qualified) on Sunday, October 4th. Since I'll be in North Carolina the last weekend of September, I'll be playing in the Eastern region's TOC.
Labor Day weekend should be exciting, and for once the weather forecast is looking nice! Friday night, if everything goes according to plan I'll be going to Big Diamond Raceway for some dirt racing. Then on Sunday, I'll be heading up to Mountain Speedway for the first time in 2009 for several different divisions of racing.
Have a good Labor Day weekend everybody!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
I Guess I'll Go To Atlantic City Some Other Time...
So things started off well during the Monday night tournament. Some guy limped in with KK and so did I with J5 and the board came in this order: K-9-5-5-5. He bet the minimum on the flop so I called, I smooth called his bet on the turn since there were no straight or flush draws and then we ended up getting all the chips in on the river. Next hand I crack AA when I hit a full house with K9. After that I didn't do too well, but I guess I can't be mad after those suck outs!
Next chance to win a trip to Atlantic City will be next Thursday at the Watering Trough once again. This weekend I'll be stepping away from poker and racing world to send off my sister to college.
Next chance to win a trip to Atlantic City will be next Thursday at the Watering Trough once again. This weekend I'll be stepping away from poker and racing world to send off my sister to college.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Crushed By Quads!
So things didn't go incredibly well on Saturday, but I guess I can't complain. The race I was planning to go to was canceled Saturday morning due to rain in the forecast so I had the whole day to devote to poker. The Borgata qualifier was going well and I was ahead in chips and satisfied with the way I played until one hand in the middle stages of the tournament:
I get dealt KJ and three players see the flop: AA9, everyone checks. Turn is a K, big blind bets. Player to the right of me asks how much he has and looked like she was ready to raise until she just called. At this point, I thought she had an A and I should have just folded, but I call to see the turn. River is another A and the big blind puts out a decent sized bet. I was not convinced that this guy had an A just by the way he played the hand. Girl to the right thinks for awhile, which means she doesn't have an A, and finally folds. Just in case my instincts are wrong I just call. I was wrong and he flips over an A, and my chip stack is crippled. I spent the next hour and a half trying to double up, keep up with the blinds, and stay alive, but ultimately I was knocked out with about 17 players remaining. Oh well, there's always next time!
Later at the Watering Trough I was doing really well and catching cards and for awhile thought that I could possibly win two in a row there, but things went downhill at the final table and I finished seventh. However, the $10 bounty went to a good player.
On Monday night at the Watering Trough I have another chance at winning a seat in an Atlantic City tournament. In the racing world, I'm considering going to two races on Labor Day Weekend: 1. dirt racing at Big Diamond Raceway Friday night, 2. Mountain Speedway Sunday afternoon.
Once again, we'll see what happens!
I get dealt KJ and three players see the flop: AA9, everyone checks. Turn is a K, big blind bets. Player to the right of me asks how much he has and looked like she was ready to raise until she just called. At this point, I thought she had an A and I should have just folded, but I call to see the turn. River is another A and the big blind puts out a decent sized bet. I was not convinced that this guy had an A just by the way he played the hand. Girl to the right thinks for awhile, which means she doesn't have an A, and finally folds. Just in case my instincts are wrong I just call. I was wrong and he flips over an A, and my chip stack is crippled. I spent the next hour and a half trying to double up, keep up with the blinds, and stay alive, but ultimately I was knocked out with about 17 players remaining. Oh well, there's always next time!
Later at the Watering Trough I was doing really well and catching cards and for awhile thought that I could possibly win two in a row there, but things went downhill at the final table and I finished seventh. However, the $10 bounty went to a good player.
On Monday night at the Watering Trough I have another chance at winning a seat in an Atlantic City tournament. In the racing world, I'm considering going to two races on Labor Day Weekend: 1. dirt racing at Big Diamond Raceway Friday night, 2. Mountain Speedway Sunday afternoon.
Once again, we'll see what happens!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Alright, Here's The Deal Me!
Title is a reference from comedian Jim Gaffigan's act. Saturday afternoon I will be playing in a poker tournament in Harrisburg hoping to win a "Suite Vacation" at the Borgata in Atlantic City.
If all goes well, I'll be a happy man.
If things don't go well and I'm out before 4pm I'll head to Mahoning Valley Speedway (weather permitting) for two modified races (remainder of a previous race and another 100 lap race) as well as other local divisions.
If things go somewhat well but I'm out before 7pm I'll head to the Watering Trough in Mount Joy to play poker where there is a $10 bounty over my head since I won last time.
Worst case scenario is if I get so far but don't finish in the top three and I don't make it to the other two things. Let's hope Saturday is not a heartbreaking day!
If all goes well, I'll be a happy man.
If things don't go well and I'm out before 4pm I'll head to Mahoning Valley Speedway (weather permitting) for two modified races (remainder of a previous race and another 100 lap race) as well as other local divisions.
If things go somewhat well but I'm out before 7pm I'll head to the Watering Trough in Mount Joy to play poker where there is a $10 bounty over my head since I won last time.
Worst case scenario is if I get so far but don't finish in the top three and I don't make it to the other two things. Let's hope Saturday is not a heartbreaking day!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Back from North Carolina!
I had a great weekend in North Carolina at Orange County Speedway. Photos from the races are available at www.flickr.com/ajcrdstr2009/sets and photos from the entire vacation are available at www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2043252&id=37801386&l=89839dd919. Videos are being posted and can be found at www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
Race results from all seven divisions of racing can be found at multiple sources: www.speed51.com/2009_Stories/PASS_South/Trackside_Now_OrangeCounty_8-8.html, www.racewithpass.com, www.allisonlegacy.com, www.prochallenge.net and www.motorstats.com/TrackResults.php?trackId=1.
The next race I will be going to is tentatively Saturday, August 22nd at Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton. However, it depends on how I do in the Borgata qualifier poker tournament that I play in earlier that day in Harrisburg.
Race results from all seven divisions of racing can be found at multiple sources: www.speed51.com/2009_Stories/PASS_South/Trackside_Now_OrangeCounty_8-8.html, www.racewithpass.com, www.allisonlegacy.com, www.prochallenge.net and www.motorstats.com/TrackResults.php?trackId=1.
The next race I will be going to is tentatively Saturday, August 22nd at Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton. However, it depends on how I do in the Borgata qualifier poker tournament that I play in earlier that day in Harrisburg.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
OCS This Weekend!
Well it's finally here...packing up the car and traveling to North Carolina Friday morning for the Southern Sizzler at Orange County Speedway (www.ocstrack.com) in Rougemont Saturday night! The night's racing action will include the PASS South Series (www.racewithpass.com), the PASS Trucks, Legends, Bandoleros, Pro Challenge, Allison Legacy, and the local Limited Sportsman. I'm taking my mom and sister and this will be the first race they have ever attended, 11 years after I became hooked when I saw my first race at the same track. It should be a fun night!
I'll let you know how the weekend went when I get back and will post a link to the pictures I take. Have a great weekend!
I'll let you know how the weekend went when I get back and will post a link to the pictures I take. Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Weekend
This past weekend was eventful to say the least. Saturday night was the "Clyde" at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway and all week up through Saturday morning there was a very little to no chance of rain. Of course I check the weather forecast 15 minutes before I leave and there is a thunderstorm watch and an 80% chance of rain from 7-8pm! Of course it rained following the heat races and then once the track was dried they got the first feature race under way and it started raining again. Luckily, the track crews do all they can to get the race in and close to 1am the features were finished. Some great micro sprint races I must say! Article and results are available at www.lancomicrosprint.com.
Sunday was the team heads up tournament in Pottstown and we "won" the first round...we ended up getting a bye! In the second round my team carried me to victory. Despite my loss, I didn't go down without a fight. I think we were the only second round pair that was still playing at the end of the match. In the next round I beat the defending TOC grand champion, but unfortunately my teammates didn't win and we fell into the losers bracket of the double elimination tournament. In the next round I played the TOC Day 2 winner. Unfortunately my teammates had some bad luck and lost their matches and we were eliminated, so my match didn't really matter. However, I kept playing and was ahead in chips and ended up "winning". I now have a 6-2 record in heads up matches.
This weekend isn't going to be too exciting. I'll be getting my car ready for traveling to the PASS South race at Orange County Speedway the following weekend!
Sunday was the team heads up tournament in Pottstown and we "won" the first round...we ended up getting a bye! In the second round my team carried me to victory. Despite my loss, I didn't go down without a fight. I think we were the only second round pair that was still playing at the end of the match. In the next round I beat the defending TOC grand champion, but unfortunately my teammates didn't win and we fell into the losers bracket of the double elimination tournament. In the next round I played the TOC Day 2 winner. Unfortunately my teammates had some bad luck and lost their matches and we were eliminated, so my match didn't really matter. However, I kept playing and was ahead in chips and ended up "winning". I now have a 6-2 record in heads up matches.
This weekend isn't going to be too exciting. I'll be getting my car ready for traveling to the PASS South race at Orange County Speedway the following weekend!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Time To Go See Some Racing!
So I began my weekend Friday night at the vet with the cat, but everything went fine. Then watched an episode of Seinfeld where Elaine failed a drug test twice...remind you of someone? Blahahahaha!
Finally I get to go to a race Saturday night, first one since Williams Grove back in May. I can't wait, even if it's just Micro Sprint racing...it's still racing!
Then it's the three-man heads up poker tournament on Sunday. Hopefully we'll do well.
I'll update during the week sometime!
Finally I get to go to a race Saturday night, first one since Williams Grove back in May. I can't wait, even if it's just Micro Sprint racing...it's still racing!
Then it's the three-man heads up poker tournament on Sunday. Hopefully we'll do well.
I'll update during the week sometime!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Exhausted
Exhausted after a long weekend, but it was well worth it. Glad I got to see my family and I'm glad it was this past weekend, because otherwise I probably would have traveled to Orange County Speedway and the races were rained out. They rescheduled the races for August 22nd in the afternoon, which makes me think that if I don't win Bristol tickets perhaps a day trip to NC?
For the third year in a row I was away during the Chicagoland race weekend and for the first time I might have missed a good race. Mark Martin winning, Jeff Gordon second, Kyle Busch DNF'ing...sounds good to me.
One of my favorite poker players Phil Ivey is still in the WSOP with less than 50 players remaining which is exciting. Maybe this year will be the year for him!
This weekend will be a much needed uneventful weekend followed by a busy weekend with the "Clyde" race Saturday the 25th and the Team Heads Poker Tournament in Pottstown on Sunday the 26th.
For the third year in a row I was away during the Chicagoland race weekend and for the first time I might have missed a good race. Mark Martin winning, Jeff Gordon second, Kyle Busch DNF'ing...sounds good to me.
One of my favorite poker players Phil Ivey is still in the WSOP with less than 50 players remaining which is exciting. Maybe this year will be the year for him!
This weekend will be a much needed uneventful weekend followed by a busy weekend with the "Clyde" race Saturday the 25th and the Team Heads Poker Tournament in Pottstown on Sunday the 26th.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Stats
I was just looking at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings, and noticed if Regan Smith made every race and had the same average finish he would be 26th in points...ahead of drivers like Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte, and David Ragan! If Brad Keselowski made every race with the same average finish he would be 13th in points, six points out of the chase!
Looks like Jason White made it to day 2 of the World Series of Poker, unless there is another Jason White playing in the main event. Good luck to him!
Looks like Jason White made it to day 2 of the World Series of Poker, unless there is another Jason White playing in the main event. Good luck to him!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Hope Everyone Had A Happy 4th!
So I got home in time to see the end of the Daytona race and I must say thank you to Tony Stewart. Kyle Busch finally gets what he deserves for continuously blocking at the restrictor plate tracks! Also, give a call to Regan Smith and that Furniture Row team. They continue to get things done.
One more thing to mention, I just read that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Jason White is playing in the World Series of Poker main event. Being both a racing and poker fan, I thought that was pretty cool. Best of luck to him.
One more thing to mention, I just read that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Jason White is playing in the World Series of Poker main event. Being both a racing and poker fan, I thought that was pretty cool. Best of luck to him.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
You Don't Have to Look it Up Because We Already Did!
So I guess it's farewell to Bill Weber after reading he won't be a part of the last two TNT Cup races. He wasn't one of the best announcers, but as a database guru I will miss his statistics and his slogan mentioned in the title above. I guess I'll just have to look up stats on racing-reference.info and pretend Weber is reading them to me (creepy, huh? LOL!) Ralph Shaheen definitely is qualified to announce in the booth though, after all of the various racing series he has been a part of over time.
In other NASCAR news Jeremy Mayfield has received an injunction to compete as early as this weekend at Daytona. I'm not too sure how I feel about it. There's no way he is going to receive a respectable ride, but at the same time I think NASCAR was a little harsh. If he's innocent, it's going to be very embarrasing for them. It's not like Mayfield showed signs of being a meth addict. If he used it once or twice I think the suspension he's received so far was enough. I never like hearing about drug problems in racing especially since the only Aaron to ever race in NASCAR was caught doing heroin and hasn't been back since, thus giving my name a bad name, haha!
I won't be traveling to any races in the near future. I'm going to North Carolina the weekend of the 11th for a family reunion. I'm slightly bummed out that I won't get to go to Orange County Speedway that weekend where the ISCARS, ASA Southeast and Rolling Thunder Modifieds will all be competing, but I'll get to see some family that I haven't seen in awhile. I'm looking forward to attending all three of those series races when they go to Hickory Motor Speedway in September! For now the next race I will be attending is the Clyde at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Brickerville, PA on Saturday night, July 25 for some great Micro Sprint racing. If you're in the area check out lancomicrosprint.com
Not much on the horizon in the poker world either. I want to wish everyone good luck that will be competing in Atlantic City at the Borgata on July 19th for a major tournament seat. On Sunday July 26, I will be playing in a three-man team heads up tournament. Hopefully we'll do well. There might be a trip to Atlantic City sometime before the end of the summer as well!
In other NASCAR news Jeremy Mayfield has received an injunction to compete as early as this weekend at Daytona. I'm not too sure how I feel about it. There's no way he is going to receive a respectable ride, but at the same time I think NASCAR was a little harsh. If he's innocent, it's going to be very embarrasing for them. It's not like Mayfield showed signs of being a meth addict. If he used it once or twice I think the suspension he's received so far was enough. I never like hearing about drug problems in racing especially since the only Aaron to ever race in NASCAR was caught doing heroin and hasn't been back since, thus giving my name a bad name, haha!
I won't be traveling to any races in the near future. I'm going to North Carolina the weekend of the 11th for a family reunion. I'm slightly bummed out that I won't get to go to Orange County Speedway that weekend where the ISCARS, ASA Southeast and Rolling Thunder Modifieds will all be competing, but I'll get to see some family that I haven't seen in awhile. I'm looking forward to attending all three of those series races when they go to Hickory Motor Speedway in September! For now the next race I will be attending is the Clyde at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Brickerville, PA on Saturday night, July 25 for some great Micro Sprint racing. If you're in the area check out lancomicrosprint.com
Not much on the horizon in the poker world either. I want to wish everyone good luck that will be competing in Atlantic City at the Borgata on July 19th for a major tournament seat. On Sunday July 26, I will be playing in a three-man team heads up tournament. Hopefully we'll do well. There might be a trip to Atlantic City sometime before the end of the summer as well!
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