Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Bad crash
While this is probably less scary to most of our readers than our story the other day about the flight out of Newark Airport that lost an engine in a fireball on takeoff Saturday night, it is a chilling sight.
Nascar veteran, Mark Martin, gets caught up in traffic and there is a spinout in front of him. He is collected in the crash, and his car whips on to pit row. The angle is so odd and so atypical, that suddenly he is in severe danger. The back entrance to pit row, the way the drivers go behind the pit wall is not padded. It is a concrete abutment. Martin smashes into it hard, just behind the driver's seat. At the 1 minute 30 second mark of the video, you can see oil shoot from underneath the car.
Martin walked away, very lucky he wasn't a fireball.
Nascar veteran, Mark Martin, gets caught up in traffic and there is a spinout in front of him. He is collected in the crash, and his car whips on to pit row. The angle is so odd and so atypical, that suddenly he is in severe danger. The back entrance to pit row, the way the drivers go behind the pit wall is not padded. It is a concrete abutment. Martin smashes into it hard, just behind the driver's seat. At the 1 minute 30 second mark of the video, you can see oil shoot from underneath the car.
Martin walked away, very lucky he wasn't a fireball.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Dayonta 500
If you aren't excited for this year's Daytona 500, you obviously didn't see the finish to last year's race!!
The 2007 Daytona 500 was far and away the most exciting Daytona since the legendary 1979 race when Richard Petty came from a miraculous, last lap, 3rd place as Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison literally fought it out on the infield grass after crashing on the final straightaway of a 500 mile race. Watch the unbelievable clip of Daytona 1979 here. This clip is slow to load, but sooooo bad ass. This race, this lap is where the Clarion's love for NASCAR truly blossomed.
Watch the final two laps of the 2007 below. Ignore the clueless announcers, who miss the whole thing. Keep your on the yellow and red, Penzoil, number 29 of Kevin Harvick. Harvick is 7th place when the clip starts, the first time he is barely visible is at the 17 second mark on the clip, he can be seen, yellow with red trim, well back, for 10, 15 seconds. He is still 6th at the one lap to go white flag. Harvick makes one of the all time guttiest passes you will every see!! The clip still makes the Clarion editorial office erupt. The announcers nearly miss it completely as Harvick comes from nowhere, the "doomed outside line," beating out sentimental favorite, Mark Martin by inches at the finish line as the field wrecks behind them. 500 miles of racing decided by inches on the final lap. It was bad ass.
And while Martin was many folks sentimental fav, the Clarion was pulling hard for Harvick, the driver who really inherited Dale Earnhardt's legacy. A racer, not a pretty boy making jeans commercials, Harvick took over Earnhardt senior's car when he was killed on the track at Daytona in 2001. Like his mentor, he took the hard outside line, the outside line is for the bravest of the brave, because you gotta run the car right up against the wall. Watch the clip, they, in the person of Kyle Busch, run him right up against the wall at 200 miles an hour and Harvick, he just keeps driving a straight line and mashes the pedal down even harder.
Harvick has raced the 29 ever since Earnhardt's tragic death. His number 29 implies the loss of Earnhardt, who raced the number 3 car. Despite winning numerous races before the 500, he has only achieved limited popularity in a NASCAR universe of stars. He is less well known than champions like Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewarts, as well as the beloved, photogenic, losers Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip.
The 2007 Daytona 500 was far and away the most exciting Daytona since the legendary 1979 race when Richard Petty came from a miraculous, last lap, 3rd place as Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison literally fought it out on the infield grass after crashing on the final straightaway of a 500 mile race. Watch the unbelievable clip of Daytona 1979 here. This clip is slow to load, but sooooo bad ass. This race, this lap is where the Clarion's love for NASCAR truly blossomed.
Watch the final two laps of the 2007 below. Ignore the clueless announcers, who miss the whole thing. Keep your on the yellow and red, Penzoil, number 29 of Kevin Harvick. Harvick is 7th place when the clip starts, the first time he is barely visible is at the 17 second mark on the clip, he can be seen, yellow with red trim, well back, for 10, 15 seconds. He is still 6th at the one lap to go white flag. Harvick makes one of the all time guttiest passes you will every see!! The clip still makes the Clarion editorial office erupt. The announcers nearly miss it completely as Harvick comes from nowhere, the "doomed outside line," beating out sentimental favorite, Mark Martin by inches at the finish line as the field wrecks behind them. 500 miles of racing decided by inches on the final lap. It was bad ass.
And while Martin was many folks sentimental fav, the Clarion was pulling hard for Harvick, the driver who really inherited Dale Earnhardt's legacy. A racer, not a pretty boy making jeans commercials, Harvick took over Earnhardt senior's car when he was killed on the track at Daytona in 2001. Like his mentor, he took the hard outside line, the outside line is for the bravest of the brave, because you gotta run the car right up against the wall. Watch the clip, they, in the person of Kyle Busch, run him right up against the wall at 200 miles an hour and Harvick, he just keeps driving a straight line and mashes the pedal down even harder.
Harvick has raced the 29 ever since Earnhardt's tragic death. His number 29 implies the loss of Earnhardt, who raced the number 3 car. Despite winning numerous races before the 500, he has only achieved limited popularity in a NASCAR universe of stars. He is less well known than champions like Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewarts, as well as the beloved, photogenic, losers Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
NASCAR Season Opens
The NASCAR season opens today with the Daytona 500. NASCAR is a sport long near and dear to the Clarion’s heart.It used to be packed with fascinating contradictions. One holdover, but likely to change to ere long, continues to be running the biggest race of the season first. No other major American sport kicks off its season with its biggest event.
This tradition has its roots in an era when winning the Daytona 500 was as big as winning a season long points championship. Heck, winning the Southern 500 was big as winning the points championship in the day. The Winston Cup was about winning races, each and every race. They went all out to win every Sunday, but Mother's Day. In the era the Clarion was weaned on, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Daryl Waltrip won races, and it was about how many races they won, yearly and in their careers. The era at which points championship points became central was the Dale Earnhardt days.
Now NASCAR has moved on to, and through a playoff system, to an expanded playoff system. It is a whole eon back that North Wilkesborough lost its race and they decided to race at the Brickyard in Indy. In this next generation, Darlington, South Carolina loses Labor day weekend. And Rockingham, North Carolina loses its last race; instead they are racing in Kansas City, Chicago and New Hampshire. Rockingham was always the second race of the season after Daytona. It made sense after opening with a couple of weeks in Florida, the drivers wanted to get back home to North Carolina to see their families. Today, even though most teams are a still based there, no more do most drivers come from North Carolina. Not only has bootlegging faded into ancient history, but all week the headlines have been on NASCAR harshly enforcing the rules. Who even remembers the maxim, “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
There are far more than half a hundred other changes the Clarion could recount to you to demonstrate the relentless globalization of a once Southern phenomenon. Each one seemingly achieving another level, a Busch Race in Mexico, a switch of series sponsors from cigarette makers to cell phone networkers; this year it is the first foreign car maker, Toyota, to compete in the NASCAR’s headline racing series in fifty some years. Toyota’s trucks have been doing exceeding well in NASCAR’s equivalent to double-AA baseball, the Craftsmen Truck Series. As an ardent free trade advocate the Clarion has no problem with Toyota competing, no objection. We do think they will suck for a couple of years and that no matter when it happens it will sound exceeding weird to hear some one say, "He won that race in a Camry."
The other less noticed, but equally interesting foreign flavor coming to the series is ace Columbian driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya has one Indy 500 and seven Formula One racing wins to his credit, as a CART series title as a rookie. He will be racing the #42 car for Chip Ganassi racing. Says here he finishes higher than gravy-training loser Michael Waltrip. The gravy-training loser, Michael Waltrip, is now running his own team and driving a Toyota. No one else wanted him to drive for them. As you may know ,Waltrip has been docked a 100 points in the championship series standings. Meaningless, except for the negative publicity it has garnered Toyota, since he never finishes higher than 20th anyway. Waltrip has won a stunningly awful four times in 676 career starts. He is currently maintaining a two year streak of more Did Not Finishes than top ten finishes. Waltrip nevertheless has managed to ride his brother’s coat tails and his own goofy looks to many, many endorsement dollars above and beyond his career $32 million in racing earnings. His brother was never beloved by NASCAR nation either. He was the Jeff Gordon of his era, a disliked, upstart, usurper, stealing from the end of King Richard’s career, trying push aside Junior Johnson’s last great driver, Cale Yarborough.
The Clarion’s from the heart prediction Kevin Harvick.
The Clarion has rooted for Richard Childress Racing ever since King Richard Petty retired. Loyalty is still possible in NASCAR. (in a way in which veteran readers and associates know the Clarion has lost it in the NFL and baseball. No matter how much we still follow and enjoy those sports.)
Kevin Harvick took over driving for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) the season Dale Earnhardt was tragically killed at Daytona. The Clarion was a huge Earnhardt fan. Rather than switch our loyalty to a different team, even if it was one Earnhardt’s son, Junior was driving for, we stuck with RCR guys. They were the team that lost their driver, our driver.
Harvick had the Clarion when he stuck the #29 on the side of the car. The analogy of #3 minus something was clear as day. Harvick has run moderately well since then, he made the chase last year, he has won ten cup races total. One caution RCR has not done well at restrictor plate races in recent years.
We be watching and rooting.
This tradition has its roots in an era when winning the Daytona 500 was as big as winning a season long points championship. Heck, winning the Southern 500 was big as winning the points championship in the day. The Winston Cup was about winning races, each and every race. They went all out to win every Sunday, but Mother's Day. In the era the Clarion was weaned on, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Daryl Waltrip won races, and it was about how many races they won, yearly and in their careers. The era at which points championship points became central was the Dale Earnhardt days.
Now NASCAR has moved on to, and through a playoff system, to an expanded playoff system. It is a whole eon back that North Wilkesborough lost its race and they decided to race at the Brickyard in Indy. In this next generation, Darlington, South Carolina loses Labor day weekend. And Rockingham, North Carolina loses its last race; instead they are racing in Kansas City, Chicago and New Hampshire. Rockingham was always the second race of the season after Daytona. It made sense after opening with a couple of weeks in Florida, the drivers wanted to get back home to North Carolina to see their families. Today, even though most teams are a still based there, no more do most drivers come from North Carolina. Not only has bootlegging faded into ancient history, but all week the headlines have been on NASCAR harshly enforcing the rules. Who even remembers the maxim, “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
There are far more than half a hundred other changes the Clarion could recount to you to demonstrate the relentless globalization of a once Southern phenomenon. Each one seemingly achieving another level, a Busch Race in Mexico, a switch of series sponsors from cigarette makers to cell phone networkers; this year it is the first foreign car maker, Toyota, to compete in the NASCAR’s headline racing series in fifty some years. Toyota’s trucks have been doing exceeding well in NASCAR’s equivalent to double-AA baseball, the Craftsmen Truck Series. As an ardent free trade advocate the Clarion has no problem with Toyota competing, no objection. We do think they will suck for a couple of years and that no matter when it happens it will sound exceeding weird to hear some one say, "He won that race in a Camry."
The other less noticed, but equally interesting foreign flavor coming to the series is ace Columbian driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya has one Indy 500 and seven Formula One racing wins to his credit, as a CART series title as a rookie. He will be racing the #42 car for Chip Ganassi racing. Says here he finishes higher than gravy-training loser Michael Waltrip. The gravy-training loser, Michael Waltrip, is now running his own team and driving a Toyota. No one else wanted him to drive for them. As you may know ,Waltrip has been docked a 100 points in the championship series standings. Meaningless, except for the negative publicity it has garnered Toyota, since he never finishes higher than 20th anyway. Waltrip has won a stunningly awful four times in 676 career starts. He is currently maintaining a two year streak of more Did Not Finishes than top ten finishes. Waltrip nevertheless has managed to ride his brother’s coat tails and his own goofy looks to many, many endorsement dollars above and beyond his career $32 million in racing earnings. His brother was never beloved by NASCAR nation either. He was the Jeff Gordon of his era, a disliked, upstart, usurper, stealing from the end of King Richard’s career, trying push aside Junior Johnson’s last great driver, Cale Yarborough.
The Clarion’s from the heart prediction Kevin Harvick.
The Clarion has rooted for Richard Childress Racing ever since King Richard Petty retired. Loyalty is still possible in NASCAR. (in a way in which veteran readers and associates know the Clarion has lost it in the NFL and baseball. No matter how much we still follow and enjoy those sports.)
Kevin Harvick took over driving for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) the season Dale Earnhardt was tragically killed at Daytona. The Clarion was a huge Earnhardt fan. Rather than switch our loyalty to a different team, even if it was one Earnhardt’s son, Junior was driving for, we stuck with RCR guys. They were the team that lost their driver, our driver.
Harvick had the Clarion when he stuck the #29 on the side of the car. The analogy of #3 minus something was clear as day. Harvick has run moderately well since then, he made the chase last year, he has won ten cup races total. One caution RCR has not done well at restrictor plate races in recent years.
We be watching and rooting.
Labels: NASCAR, Predictions, sports
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Sports rants and takes
ESPN, NASCAR and the INDY 500 among other rants and thoughts
How funny was the ESPN commercial airing last week referring to the Indianapolis 500 as, “the biggest IRL race of the year.” Hey ESPN buffoons, there are no other IRL races that ANYONE gives a rat’s ass about. You can’t give away tickets to the rest of the IRL season and even the biggest racing fans can’t name a single other IRL race. Even people who like the silly open wheel cars, they could still name five Formula One races well before they could think of any other IRL race.
Danica Patrick, as big of a boon as she has been for the Indy Racing League, has moved it from the level of Equestrian Horse jumping, e.g. competitive weaving has more fans, to the level of the Trotters, almost semi-matters exactly one day per year. (The Hambletonian) Quit kidding yourself, ESPN honchos. NASACAR rules the American auto racing universe. Heck, even on your sister network, where were king Regis Philbin and the delightful Kelly Ripa broadcasting from ? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t from the track where they were holding “the biggest IRL race of the year?!!?” Try again. They were at the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s tenth or twelfth biggest race of the year. I’d give you the link to the NASCAR schedule, but their website is atrocious, more pop-ups and annoying ads than a porn site.
On another note, Richard Petty is creep, who needs to quit embarrassing himself. Why do reporters even go to you for quotes, you old goat ? Duh. Because they know that you’ll say something so stupid and backward that it will be newsworthy, like last week when he went Bobby Riggs on the idea of female racecar drivers, when asked about Danica Patrick.
"I just don't think it's a sport for women," Petty said in an interview with The Associated Press. "And so far, it's proved out. It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."
Brilliant Richard, crawl back into your hole and shut your yap. All one needs to know about Richard and his attitudes is, in a state where Jesse Helms was repeatedly elected, and NASCAR is the next most popular sport to ACC basketball, Richard Petty got trounced running for public office. Enough said. Richard Petty sexist old goat
Danica Patrick on the other hand has been nothing but gracious, composed and well-spoken in every interview I have seen with her. She deserves a ride in a real racing series, ASAP, at least, get her a Busch car. Persons calling her the new Anna Kournikova need to check themselves, Danica isn’t in this to become a model or date hockey players, she’s already married. Her focus is clearly on doing everything she can to become a first rate racecar driver. Heck she was “borrowing” her parents truck at age ten. Now that’s a driver in the NASCAR spirit.
Michelle Wie, who won’t even be bothered playing women’s events, now there’s a candidate for the next Anna Kournikova, all publicity seeking, no substance. Hey Michelle win something, anything, even on the Nationwide Tour, then give us a call, until then try to keep your PR people in check. Looks to me (albeit from afar) like Anika Sorenstam could kick your ass up and down the course on an off day.
Complicity in over-promoting Michelle Wie, just one more reason why SportsCenter has started to suck. Thank the powers that be that at least we don’t have to watch every single Barry Bonds at bat. At least until next year when he is DHing in the AL and chasing Hank.
One more NASCAR note, Michael Waltrip started 43rd and finished 41st at the Coca-Cola 600!! Any of you who know something about NASCAR are probably not surprised. Waltrip is one of all of sports, all-time overrated, gravy training athletes. He couldn’t carry Dick Trickle’s racing helmet to the track. Waltrip has made his career off his brother’s coattails, which have long since disappeared. He has made far more commercials than he has ever won races. His peers know Michael Waltrip isn’t good enough to be considered even an average Nextel Cup racer. Even when given a great team and the best equipment available, which is what it is all about in recent vintage NASCAR, Waltrip has still sucked ass. Now that he has his own team, look for him to get worse and worse before hopefully disappearing completely. Waltrip has made Kyle Petty and George Bush, the second, look like guys who made it on their own merits. Michael Waltrip’s career stats are so bad NASCAR.com hides them. They have their reasons, having wildly over promoted him, based on his alleged good looks. But the more resourceful can find that in 654 career races Waltrip has had more DID NOT Finishes (DNFs) than Top Tens, and never had a season where he averaged better than a 16th place finish. Michael Waltrip is a gravy training career loser
How funny was the ESPN commercial airing last week referring to the Indianapolis 500 as, “the biggest IRL race of the year.” Hey ESPN buffoons, there are no other IRL races that ANYONE gives a rat’s ass about. You can’t give away tickets to the rest of the IRL season and even the biggest racing fans can’t name a single other IRL race. Even people who like the silly open wheel cars, they could still name five Formula One races well before they could think of any other IRL race.
Danica Patrick, as big of a boon as she has been for the Indy Racing League, has moved it from the level of Equestrian Horse jumping, e.g. competitive weaving has more fans, to the level of the Trotters, almost semi-matters exactly one day per year. (The Hambletonian) Quit kidding yourself, ESPN honchos. NASACAR rules the American auto racing universe. Heck, even on your sister network, where were king Regis Philbin and the delightful Kelly Ripa broadcasting from ? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t from the track where they were holding “the biggest IRL race of the year?!!?” Try again. They were at the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s tenth or twelfth biggest race of the year. I’d give you the link to the NASCAR schedule, but their website is atrocious, more pop-ups and annoying ads than a porn site.
On another note, Richard Petty is creep, who needs to quit embarrassing himself. Why do reporters even go to you for quotes, you old goat ? Duh. Because they know that you’ll say something so stupid and backward that it will be newsworthy, like last week when he went Bobby Riggs on the idea of female racecar drivers, when asked about Danica Patrick.
"I just don't think it's a sport for women," Petty said in an interview with The Associated Press. "And so far, it's proved out. It's really not. It's good for them to come in. It gives us a lot of publicity, it gives them publicity. But as far as being a real true racer, making a living out of it, it's kind of tough."
Brilliant Richard, crawl back into your hole and shut your yap. All one needs to know about Richard and his attitudes is, in a state where Jesse Helms was repeatedly elected, and NASCAR is the next most popular sport to ACC basketball, Richard Petty got trounced running for public office. Enough said. Richard Petty sexist old goat
Danica Patrick on the other hand has been nothing but gracious, composed and well-spoken in every interview I have seen with her. She deserves a ride in a real racing series, ASAP, at least, get her a Busch car. Persons calling her the new Anna Kournikova need to check themselves, Danica isn’t in this to become a model or date hockey players, she’s already married. Her focus is clearly on doing everything she can to become a first rate racecar driver. Heck she was “borrowing” her parents truck at age ten. Now that’s a driver in the NASCAR spirit.
Michelle Wie, who won’t even be bothered playing women’s events, now there’s a candidate for the next Anna Kournikova, all publicity seeking, no substance. Hey Michelle win something, anything, even on the Nationwide Tour, then give us a call, until then try to keep your PR people in check. Looks to me (albeit from afar) like Anika Sorenstam could kick your ass up and down the course on an off day.
Complicity in over-promoting Michelle Wie, just one more reason why SportsCenter has started to suck. Thank the powers that be that at least we don’t have to watch every single Barry Bonds at bat. At least until next year when he is DHing in the AL and chasing Hank.
One more NASCAR note, Michael Waltrip started 43rd and finished 41st at the Coca-Cola 600!! Any of you who know something about NASCAR are probably not surprised. Waltrip is one of all of sports, all-time overrated, gravy training athletes. He couldn’t carry Dick Trickle’s racing helmet to the track. Waltrip has made his career off his brother’s coattails, which have long since disappeared. He has made far more commercials than he has ever won races. His peers know Michael Waltrip isn’t good enough to be considered even an average Nextel Cup racer. Even when given a great team and the best equipment available, which is what it is all about in recent vintage NASCAR, Waltrip has still sucked ass. Now that he has his own team, look for him to get worse and worse before hopefully disappearing completely. Waltrip has made Kyle Petty and George Bush, the second, look like guys who made it on their own merits. Michael Waltrip’s career stats are so bad NASCAR.com hides them. They have their reasons, having wildly over promoted him, based on his alleged good looks. But the more resourceful can find that in 654 career races Waltrip has had more DID NOT Finishes (DNFs) than Top Tens, and never had a season where he averaged better than a 16th place finish. Michael Waltrip is a gravy training career loser
