Well, I've been back in Pennsylvania for nearly a week now and I'm still recalling the week's events from the Pensacola, Florida area. I apologize that I didn't get a chance to post any sooner, but I've been so busy with work that it has taken me all week to get around to posting photos, videos and typing this. Over 300 photos can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064408&id=37801386&l=2fad6e2f6a and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064439&id=37801386&l=2d91f346c3, and over an hour of videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
The trip started off a little bit sluggish. Due to the dreary weather, my connecting flight from Charlotte to Pensacola was delayed about an hour and a half. Once I arrived in rainy Pensacola and got my rental car, I was ready for some dinner and headed straight to Beef O' Brady's where Speed 51 was doing a Internet radio show. Guests included Snowball Derby competitors Mike Garvey, Dan Fredrickson and eventual winner Johanna Long. From there, I headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. The good news was absolutely no inclement weather was expected for the remainder of the week.
When I woke up Wednesday I did my first of three days of sightseeing. After all, an advantage of traveling to races is seeing some great parts of the country as well. I headed west into Alabama for the first time in my life and into downtown Mobile. It's a very nice little historic city with good food. I then headed a little further south and checked out where Mobile Dragway and Mobile International Speedway were located. On the way back, I saw Hank Aaron stadium, which includes his childhood home and museum. Little did I know that I was only 15 minutes away from entering Mississippi. There's always next time!
Wednesday evening I headed to Five Flags Speedway for their Green Flag Party. As a spectator, I have never experienced anything like this! The pit area was opened to the fans for FOUR hours, with live music on the frontstretch part of pit road where fellow fans, drivers, crews and staff mingled and had a great time. I had a chance to talk to Chase Elliott about the Pro Late Model the team was working on right in front of us. The highlight of the night is when I got my picture taken with NASCAR driver David Ragan. Afterward, a guy nudged me and told me to look at the picture that was just taken. I looked up and it was Rusty Wallace's son Steve, and in the picture he was making a goofy face behind us. Priceless stuff right there! Before the evening came to an end, I made sure to thank the track general manager Tim Bryant for all him and his staff do and that as I fan I appreciated them making me feel welcome.
Thursday morning it was time for some more sightseeing. I headed down towards Pensacola Beach. Since the high temperature was only around 60 degrees the beach and area around it were fairly empty, but it was nice to see the Gulf looking very nice again. After my brief experience at the beach, I drove back to downtown Pensacola. I really like downtown there because it didn't really feel like much of a big city at all. There were very few one way roads, there was ample free parking available in lots of areas and there was plenty to check out. Following this it was finally time to head to the track to see some racing, even though it only consisted of Snowball Derby and Snowflake 100 practice sessions during the afternoon. Even at that hour in the middle of the week, the track parking lot was full. It would be that way the remainder of the week, but there were free parking and shuttles available about a mile down the road every day and night.
After practice concluded, I could have stayed to watch two of the local races at the track. However, I decided that I wanted to do some racing (or so I call it). Down at the Fast Eddie's Fun Center there were affordable go-kart races being held, in which some drivers and members of the media were competing too. It was a small slick track so you had to have some ability to handle your kart, although many of the races turned out to have quite a bit of beating and banging. I purchased a pass to race in one of the normal races they do as practice and I finished 3rd. This wasn't too bad because later on the top two finishers from each heat race would transfer to the next round. Following the media and Snowball Derby drivers races it was time for the Snowball Showdown heat races. I was in the first heat race, and I must say it was pretty neat hearing SPEED's Bob Dillner introducing my name prior to the heat race! It was even neater getting to rub fenders with him and drivers like former NASCAR Southeast Series champion J.R. Norris and Revolution Racing development driver Rebecca Kasten. Unfortunately, I did not transfer in either of the heat races I competed in. I was knocked around like a pinball and came home 7th in the first one. Then for an additional fee they allowed you to enter more heat races. I didn't do too bad in the next heat race, finishing 4th a few seconds behind three guys that are actually race car drivers. Overall, it was a fun experience and even though I hadn't seen an actual feature race at Five Flags Speedway I already had a spectacular week so far.
Friday morning was my last stint sightseeing and then later that day began the main reason I came to Pensacola. I drove down to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Prior to walking in I thought this will be something I can walk around and tour for about a half hour to an hour. I was totally wrong. I spent at least two hours gazing at all that the museum had to offer. Even if you are like me and don't have much knowledge about the subject matter, I would highly suggest learning from everything available in this museum. It was simply breathtaking and a privilege to walk around a building like this.
After a bite for lunch it was time to head to the track. Up first were practice sessions followed by Super Stock, Modified and Snowball Derby qualifying sessions. Cale Gale tied the all time track record set by Gary Balough in 1980 for the Snowball Derby! Qualifying was so competitive that big names such as Jeff Fultz, Mike Garvey and Clay Rogers were forced to take provisionals for Sunday's race. The night's Super Stock and Modified feature races were complete mayhem. I seriously lost count of how many red flags were flown during the evening. The modified winner took the checkered flag at 11:59PM, concluding a long, cold and probably expensive night for some.
Saturday turned out to be a much more pleasant day weather and racing wise. The late morning began with the final Snowball Derby practice session and then Snowflake 100 qualifying for the Pro Late Models. Then followed the Snowball Derby last chance race where Scott Hantz beat out Ryan Sieg for the win. Top drivers such as David Rogers, Stephan McCurley and Ryan Blaney were sent packing. Next up were the Snowflake last chance races. Chase Elliott qualified 2nd for the race, but his time was disqualified due to a minor technical infraction. Him and Daniel Hemric, who was DQ'd prior to qualifying, marched to the front and transferred into the feature. During the Snowflake 100 race it looked like Augie Grill was going to run away with the race, which surprisingly only had two cautions. However, Chase Elliott steadily moved towards the front all while saving his tires and came from 31st starting spot to win the 100 lap race. I was listening to the radio on my scanner and there is probably no one better than his dad and spotter Awesome Bill to calmly coach him to the front. The evening's festivities were over by 8:30PM, a full three and a half hours prior to the previous night. Now it was time to get some rest and get set for the big race on Sunday!
Sunday morning, the streets and the track were packed. It was finally time for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby! The race started off very clean, with some great battles and passing for the lead positions. It seemed like no one could hold down the lead for more than ten consecutive laps. The first caution was a heartbreaker, because Eddie Mercer in his last Snowball Derby was involved and done for the day. The next 200 laps saw some great green flag racing with some cautions and multi-car wrecks peppered through. The first 250 laps showed me that these are some of the best short track racers in the country. It seemed like just about every driver in the race took their turn at running in the top five or top ten. Lots of pit strategies occurred and near the closing stages it looked like my dark horse pick Donnie Wilson was going to be the car to beat. He had already passed by such talents as Chase Elliott and Landon Cassill and had his sights set on leader at that time Bubba Pollard. Then the two got together sending Pollard spinning and the first of many cautions near the end of the race. I still thought that Wilson had this race won, but when crash after crash occurred it was apparent that Johanna Long had the car to beat on fresher tires. Making things a little more confusing for the fans and competitors was Five Flags Speedway's rule about finishing under green. Their rule is once lap 295 is complete they must run five non-consecutive green flag laps. It took them until about lap 325 to do this, which perhaps cost Wilson the win. After some controversial battles for the top positions Long ended up taking the lead and pulled away during the last two green flag laps of the race. The local girl from Pensacola secured the popular win! Even if the rules may have been confusing it was still quite the exciting finish, which is what I'm sure each and every fan went there for.
So now my time vacationing is over and it's back to reality. I would definitely like to go again, but even as a spectator the cost of traveling on my own to an event like this starts to escalate. I highly recommend experiencing the entire week's festivities and what Pensacola and the surrounding areas have to offer. If anyone reading this has an interest in going in the future, please let me know and maybe as a group we can all cut some of the travel costs for transportation, lodging, etc.
Next up will be the Motorsports 2011 show followed by the Atlantic City Indoor Races in mid to late January once again. Until then, I hope everyone has a great holiday season! Thanks for reading!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
It's Almost Snowball Derby Time!
As I sit at my computer typing this blog, I keep counting down the days for what might be the single most exciting trip of my life! On Tuesday, November 30 I will depart the Harrisburg International Airport and connect to a flight to Pensacola from Charlotte. Amazingly, it will be my first time outside the eastern time zone. After arriving in Pensacola, I will ride in my first official rental car to my hotel and from there it will be time to check out the many attractions Pensacola, Florida has to offer and the several events going on all week leading up to the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby. I will document the entire trip with my camera and flip video, posting photos and videos for everyone to see when I get back.
If you are unfamiliar with the Snowball Derby, it is a who's who of short track super late model racing with a bit of NASCAR flavor. Current NASCAR drivers David Ragan, David Stremme and Landon Cassill as well as Truck Series drivers Ryan Sieg and Johanna Long will be there competing. Although defending race winner Kyle Busch will be busy attending the NASCAR banquet, he will still have a presence fielding two cars for the race. Future stars with some familiar last names Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Ross Kenseth will be there contending for the win. Former winners of the 300 lap race Augie Grill, Clay Rogers, Eddie Mercer, Dave Mader III and perhaps Bobby Gill will all be there. Other notables among the current 55 entries include former ARCA champion Tim Steele, current ARCA driver Grant Enfinger, ASA Midwest driver Dan Fredrickson, former Kevin Harvick Inc. driver Cale Gale just to name a few. A couple drivers who have a ton of laps at Five Flags Speedway but have come up short from winning the Snowball Derby will be there to try again: Wayne Niedecken Jr. and David Rogers.
The night preceding the big race will be a 100 lap pro late model race called the Snowflake. Currently approximately 65 cars are entered including many of the names that will headline the Snowball Derby. Among the drivers doing double duty will be Mike Garvey, Stephan McCurley, Johanna Long, Ryan Crane, Bubba Pollard, Josh Hamner, Chase Elliott and Augie Grill. Modifieds, Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers will all be on hand for feature races during the week as well.
Predictions for Snowball Derby: How can you go against the 14 year old phenom Chase Elliott who has 12 wins in a late model in 2010? I think he will be taking the biggest win of his career so far at the Snowball Derby. Ross Kenseth will turn in an excellent second place performance with 2010 USAR Pro Cup champion Clay Rogers finishing third. My dark horse pick is Donnie Wilson. This Oklahoma driver has not won any races of this magnitude, but he has someone who has calling the shots. Freddie Query has been his crew chief all year and they have steadily improved race after race. The feel good story will be if David Rogers, after years of trying, would make it into victory lane.
Predictions for Snowflake: The double duty drivers will reign supreme as Mike Garvey, who has won two recent pro late model races and I think he will be able to take home his third during the Snowflake 100. Fan favorite Johanna Long will finish second and Georgia driver Bubba Pollard third. Kenzie Ruston will be my dark horse for this race. She hasn't really had the finishes to show for it, but she has run very well in some of the late model races she has competed in this year. The feel good pick would go to Eddie Mercer as this may quite possibly be his last Snowball Derby week as a driver.
Predictions for Homestead: Jeff Gordon wins and becomes the first full time driver to win at every Cup track he's competed on. Despite the silly chase format, Kevin Harvick finishes 2nd and wins the championship anyway when Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin finish just outside the top ten, giving Richard Childress Racing their first Cup championship since they won it with Dale Earnhardt in 1994. Finally, after the major set back of the week when Furniture Row Racing's hauler was involved in an accident going back to the race shop, the team regroups and Regan Smith gets his first top ten since his win at Talladega in 2008!
If you are unfamiliar with the Snowball Derby, it is a who's who of short track super late model racing with a bit of NASCAR flavor. Current NASCAR drivers David Ragan, David Stremme and Landon Cassill as well as Truck Series drivers Ryan Sieg and Johanna Long will be there competing. Although defending race winner Kyle Busch will be busy attending the NASCAR banquet, he will still have a presence fielding two cars for the race. Future stars with some familiar last names Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Ross Kenseth will be there contending for the win. Former winners of the 300 lap race Augie Grill, Clay Rogers, Eddie Mercer, Dave Mader III and perhaps Bobby Gill will all be there. Other notables among the current 55 entries include former ARCA champion Tim Steele, current ARCA driver Grant Enfinger, ASA Midwest driver Dan Fredrickson, former Kevin Harvick Inc. driver Cale Gale just to name a few. A couple drivers who have a ton of laps at Five Flags Speedway but have come up short from winning the Snowball Derby will be there to try again: Wayne Niedecken Jr. and David Rogers.
The night preceding the big race will be a 100 lap pro late model race called the Snowflake. Currently approximately 65 cars are entered including many of the names that will headline the Snowball Derby. Among the drivers doing double duty will be Mike Garvey, Stephan McCurley, Johanna Long, Ryan Crane, Bubba Pollard, Josh Hamner, Chase Elliott and Augie Grill. Modifieds, Super Stocks, Sportsman and Bombers will all be on hand for feature races during the week as well.
Predictions for Snowball Derby: How can you go against the 14 year old phenom Chase Elliott who has 12 wins in a late model in 2010? I think he will be taking the biggest win of his career so far at the Snowball Derby. Ross Kenseth will turn in an excellent second place performance with 2010 USAR Pro Cup champion Clay Rogers finishing third. My dark horse pick is Donnie Wilson. This Oklahoma driver has not won any races of this magnitude, but he has someone who has calling the shots. Freddie Query has been his crew chief all year and they have steadily improved race after race. The feel good story will be if David Rogers, after years of trying, would make it into victory lane.
Predictions for Snowflake: The double duty drivers will reign supreme as Mike Garvey, who has won two recent pro late model races and I think he will be able to take home his third during the Snowflake 100. Fan favorite Johanna Long will finish second and Georgia driver Bubba Pollard third. Kenzie Ruston will be my dark horse for this race. She hasn't really had the finishes to show for it, but she has run very well in some of the late model races she has competed in this year. The feel good pick would go to Eddie Mercer as this may quite possibly be his last Snowball Derby week as a driver.
Predictions for Homestead: Jeff Gordon wins and becomes the first full time driver to win at every Cup track he's competed on. Despite the silly chase format, Kevin Harvick finishes 2nd and wins the championship anyway when Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin finish just outside the top ten, giving Richard Childress Racing their first Cup championship since they won it with Dale Earnhardt in 1994. Finally, after the major set back of the week when Furniture Row Racing's hauler was involved in an accident going back to the race shop, the team regroups and Regan Smith gets his first top ten since his win at Talladega in 2008!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Babbling About Television Ratings
It's a given that week after week the television ratings for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races continue to sag. Given the arguments about the economy with less people investing in cable and satellite television, opinions that the radio announcing team is better than certain television networks and the presentation of television coverage (with all the commercials) taking a hit; let's set those aside and look at a couple other factors that I feel are making a major impact.
I do not like comparing NASCAR to other professional sports, but for the television aspect it must be viewed this way. NASCAR, much like all professional sports, has several teams/drivers/players a fan can pick from and some have a greater fan base over others. For instance, in Major League Baseball how many times do you hear the phrase: this outcome "will reduce the TV ratings" whenever mainstream teams such as the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox or Braves fail to make the World Series? The answer to that question brings us to NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been by far the Most Popular Driver over more than half of the last decade. With millions of fans, his continuous fading away from a chance at wins and championships over recent years has to be impacting the sport in a negative way, as many slowly turn their backs and lose interest.
I think while the culture of individualizing sports players/drivers into big stars through fan bases, contracts and endorsement deals has definitely made professional sports what they are today, it is no doubt killing them at the same time. Some members of these fan bases focus on their one particular team and could care less about the rest of them, and when their team is out of the running they change the channel to find other entertainment. Whatever happened to people watching sports for the sheer enjoyment of it? Less and less people seem to be interested in the underdog story anymore. Society has pushed this selfishness onto many of us, leaving us saying "if my team's not winning, then it doesn't matter!" Obviously, when I say many or most I'm referring to mainly the casual fans. The hardcore sports fans tend to stick with their sport through thick and thin.
The one exception appears to be the NFL, which continues to thrive in the ratings category. Just think that no matter who is playing, millions of people look forward to the Super Bowl each year. To add to it, gatherings occur throughout the season for Monday night, Sunday night football, etc. no matter what teams are in the limelight (of course I am aware in areas around the major cities there normally is a spike in interest). NASCAR has some elements similar to it, but in addition to the tracks' promotions I think NASCAR and the television networks need to strive a little more to make each of their races their own major event. More needs to be done than the posts on NASCAR.com's homepage or the 15 second commercial that airs. Some random person off the street will most likely be familiar with the Daytona 500 or Brickyard 400, but would they know what the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon is unless they live in the New England area? Trying to think from the casual fan's mindset, it just seems like some of these races are just another weekend at some track that looks different from the last one they were at. How is that supposed to convince more people to watch?
NASCAR should take some aspects from the marketing efforts of the NFL, or even other successes such as the Olympics or college basketball's March Madness and learn something about making themselves something absolutely unique as possible once again. Make it something that anybody that just has a glimmer of interest can't miss. I'm just tired of seeing events generalized and the officials wondering why their ratings are down every week. The answers are right in front of you. Do something about it!
I do not like comparing NASCAR to other professional sports, but for the television aspect it must be viewed this way. NASCAR, much like all professional sports, has several teams/drivers/players a fan can pick from and some have a greater fan base over others. For instance, in Major League Baseball how many times do you hear the phrase: this outcome "will reduce the TV ratings" whenever mainstream teams such as the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox or Braves fail to make the World Series? The answer to that question brings us to NASCAR. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been by far the Most Popular Driver over more than half of the last decade. With millions of fans, his continuous fading away from a chance at wins and championships over recent years has to be impacting the sport in a negative way, as many slowly turn their backs and lose interest.
I think while the culture of individualizing sports players/drivers into big stars through fan bases, contracts and endorsement deals has definitely made professional sports what they are today, it is no doubt killing them at the same time. Some members of these fan bases focus on their one particular team and could care less about the rest of them, and when their team is out of the running they change the channel to find other entertainment. Whatever happened to people watching sports for the sheer enjoyment of it? Less and less people seem to be interested in the underdog story anymore. Society has pushed this selfishness onto many of us, leaving us saying "if my team's not winning, then it doesn't matter!" Obviously, when I say many or most I'm referring to mainly the casual fans. The hardcore sports fans tend to stick with their sport through thick and thin.
The one exception appears to be the NFL, which continues to thrive in the ratings category. Just think that no matter who is playing, millions of people look forward to the Super Bowl each year. To add to it, gatherings occur throughout the season for Monday night, Sunday night football, etc. no matter what teams are in the limelight (of course I am aware in areas around the major cities there normally is a spike in interest). NASCAR has some elements similar to it, but in addition to the tracks' promotions I think NASCAR and the television networks need to strive a little more to make each of their races their own major event. More needs to be done than the posts on NASCAR.com's homepage or the 15 second commercial that airs. Some random person off the street will most likely be familiar with the Daytona 500 or Brickyard 400, but would they know what the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon is unless they live in the New England area? Trying to think from the casual fan's mindset, it just seems like some of these races are just another weekend at some track that looks different from the last one they were at. How is that supposed to convince more people to watch?
NASCAR should take some aspects from the marketing efforts of the NFL, or even other successes such as the Olympics or college basketball's March Madness and learn something about making themselves something absolutely unique as possible once again. Make it something that anybody that just has a glimmer of interest can't miss. I'm just tired of seeing events generalized and the officials wondering why their ratings are down every week. The answers are right in front of you. Do something about it!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
NASCAR On South Park
Before I begin, I would honestly say that I am quite the South Park fan. While some of their humor can be considered vulgar, derogatory or sometimes childish; most often they successfully and brilliantly put a hilarious spin on pop culture and make some things questionable in the world today pretty funny.
That was not entirely the case with the "NASCAR" episode of South Park. In no way was I offended by their take on their views of auto racing; however, I would like to critique the episode without going into too much detail and ruining it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
This particular episode could have been about just about any subject and I would have been slightly unimpressed. It appeared that they just slapped an episode together in a few hours and said "here you go, Comedy Central!" Obviously I'm not referring to the visual aspect of the show (which always sort of looks to be thrown together in a short amount of time, haha!), but more the substance and plot of the episode.
In retrospect, maybe the creators should have done some research such as reading articles about what has been going on recently, or even read various fans' blogs all over the Internet criticizing some moves NASCAR has made recently and somehow factor it into the episode. They've done the same thing with hundreds of other topics for years and kept audiences laughing over and over again.
I wouldn't even mind if they completely tore NASCAR apart as long as they did it the right way, which normally involves me laughing and saying "that's true!" It was unfortunate that I went into the evening looking forward to this episode and ended up for the most part disappointed.
All is good though. I'm sure they will be back to their normal ways next week...when they make fun of Jersey Shore.
That was not entirely the case with the "NASCAR" episode of South Park. In no way was I offended by their take on their views of auto racing; however, I would like to critique the episode without going into too much detail and ruining it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
This particular episode could have been about just about any subject and I would have been slightly unimpressed. It appeared that they just slapped an episode together in a few hours and said "here you go, Comedy Central!" Obviously I'm not referring to the visual aspect of the show (which always sort of looks to be thrown together in a short amount of time, haha!), but more the substance and plot of the episode.
In retrospect, maybe the creators should have done some research such as reading articles about what has been going on recently, or even read various fans' blogs all over the Internet criticizing some moves NASCAR has made recently and somehow factor it into the episode. They've done the same thing with hundreds of other topics for years and kept audiences laughing over and over again.
I wouldn't even mind if they completely tore NASCAR apart as long as they did it the right way, which normally involves me laughing and saying "that's true!" It was unfortunate that I went into the evening looking forward to this episode and ended up for the most part disappointed.
All is good though. I'm sure they will be back to their normal ways next week...when they make fun of Jersey Shore.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
I Honestly Never Thought I Would Say This, but...
...I went to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway to watch some live racing! After experiencing the 2008 Daytona 500, I thought nothing would ever top that. Then, just over a year later I went to the reopened Rockingham Speedway and thought nothing would ever top that. Now I've been to the first stock car races at North Wilkesboro since 1996 and I've come to the conclusion that it just keeps getting better! The short track in the small North Carolina town may not have had as much three wide racing or hype as the Daytona 500 or didn't have Andy Hillenburg's rejuvenation and the speed of Rockingham, but it was the best overall race weekend atmosphere I've ever witnessed. Great food, great competitors and most importantly a great turnout of great fans were on hand and that's all North Wilkesboro needed to make it a successful first weekend back. Smiles were on everyone's faces throughout the entire race day. The only minor complaint I had was the old scoring pylon was not operable and it was a little hard to follow how many laps were complete during green flag racing. Initially I thought the old NASCAR Winston Cup Series painted walls were going to make the place look a little run down, but it along with the old 76 gasoline ball on pit road gave the track a very nostalgic look that you just don't see at almost any race track anymore. I literally cannot wait to go back for the 300 lap Pro All Stars Series Super Late Model race in April 2011! Photos from my trip can be found at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2061668&id=37801386&l=5ec159c551 (you do not need to be a Facebook member to view the album). Videos from the racing action can be found on my YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
And now...it's time to wind down for the next few months. I've been paying a moderate amount of attention to the NASCAR ranks, but haven't had a chance to watch or listen to any races from green to checker. Speaking of which, does anybody else mute their ESPN/ABC TV broadcast and listen to the MRN radio broadcast instead? In the news, I saw that Justin Allgaier has been set free by Penske to seek other options. How can Roger Penske do this?! Allgaier has proved that he is the most talented stand-alone Nationwide Series driver and has proved he is quite the versatile driver winning the ARCA championship a few years back with wins throughout his short career on short tracks, intermediate tracks, superspeedways, dirt tracks, road courses and even Pocono! If someone doesn't sign this rising star for 2011, something is completely wrong with NASCAR and I will be completely baffled about what can be done to save the future from going down the tube. Hopefully he doesn't go the same route as talent like Stephen Leicht and virtually disappear from the sport. On the other hand, I hope he doesn't go the Landon Cassill route and take one-race start and park rides with underfunded teams. Good for Landon getting his name out there, but there has to be a better way although I'm not sure what that could be. Auto racing has something that no other sport or competition experiences. Sure you need to have a bankroll if you want to aspire to be a professional at just about anything, but the bankroll needed for a professional racing career is astronomical when you compare it to just about anything else. Maybe that's what makes it so fascinating yet frustrating at the same time. It might be too early to be worried about this entire subject, but I sincerely hope that I'm not the one saying I told you so at Daytona in 2011.
Like I said before, I will pretty much be winding down getting into a bit of a save mode. I have one major poker tournament coming up in October where approximately the top dozen players will get invited to another tournament in Atlantic City where various prize packages will be offered. After that I'll be counting down the days until I get to fly down to Pensacola, Florida for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby! More details about this upcoming trip to follow...
And now...it's time to wind down for the next few months. I've been paying a moderate amount of attention to the NASCAR ranks, but haven't had a chance to watch or listen to any races from green to checker. Speaking of which, does anybody else mute their ESPN/ABC TV broadcast and listen to the MRN radio broadcast instead? In the news, I saw that Justin Allgaier has been set free by Penske to seek other options. How can Roger Penske do this?! Allgaier has proved that he is the most talented stand-alone Nationwide Series driver and has proved he is quite the versatile driver winning the ARCA championship a few years back with wins throughout his short career on short tracks, intermediate tracks, superspeedways, dirt tracks, road courses and even Pocono! If someone doesn't sign this rising star for 2011, something is completely wrong with NASCAR and I will be completely baffled about what can be done to save the future from going down the tube. Hopefully he doesn't go the same route as talent like Stephen Leicht and virtually disappear from the sport. On the other hand, I hope he doesn't go the Landon Cassill route and take one-race start and park rides with underfunded teams. Good for Landon getting his name out there, but there has to be a better way although I'm not sure what that could be. Auto racing has something that no other sport or competition experiences. Sure you need to have a bankroll if you want to aspire to be a professional at just about anything, but the bankroll needed for a professional racing career is astronomical when you compare it to just about anything else. Maybe that's what makes it so fascinating yet frustrating at the same time. It might be too early to be worried about this entire subject, but I sincerely hope that I'm not the one saying I told you so at Daytona in 2011.
Like I said before, I will pretty much be winding down getting into a bit of a save mode. I have one major poker tournament coming up in October where approximately the top dozen players will get invited to another tournament in Atlantic City where various prize packages will be offered. After that I'll be counting down the days until I get to fly down to Pensacola, Florida for the 43rd Annual Snowball Derby! More details about this upcoming trip to follow...
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