Can’t we all just get along?

In the book “Men and Speed,” Jack Roush tells the story of putting his teams together in a room during the 2001 season and keeping them there until they aired every gripe, complaint and whatever else was getting under their collective skins.

I wonder if he’s doing it again this week with two of his drivers? Both whom are pretty secure in Roushdom future when he has to pare down to four teams.

During the after race melee, I was in the late stages of the Family Fall Festival at New Life Church. All day long, several of us there were checking the leader board on live phone updates or by calling friends watching the race at home.

But boy did we miss a confrontation between Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth. I’ve since watched it on You Tube and Mr. 99 LOOKS like he’s having a friendly word with Mattman, patting him on the chest and maneuvering away from the camera.

Did he actually think the camera wouldn’t follow him?

But when the fist came up, I lost respect Carl Edwards. He’s the one at Roush Fenway who is supposed to be the media savvy one of the bunch. The cover boy who works hard at his image. You can take issue with other teams, but your own teammate? Gimme a break.

In my view, he just looked like a bully.

Wait 'till next year...

Halloween 310 has come and gone at Ona Speedway and I am again reminded how much more fun you have at the local short tracks versus the NASCAR events.
You are closer to the action.

There are lots of prizes just for showing up and paying $5 as opposed to $130 and $4 for a bottle of water, with roughly the same amount of time at the track.
When they aren’t in the car, drivers sit in the stands before and after their races and visit with the fans.

The wrecks can be just as big, just not at 190 mph. And the drivers still jump out of their cars, voices wailing and arms flailing, the difference is you can actually hear what they are saying.

So if you missed the action Saturday at Ona, you missed out on prizes from the track management and the Official NASCAR Members Club; keeping lots of money in your pocket for chicken sandwiches, reasonably prices beverages and unofficial race pools with your friends; some pretty big wrecks with drivers yelling at each other; and meeting some of those drivers before the race.

Prize winners from the ONMC to non-club members, who received their choice of Dale Jr., Dale Sr., Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart 2002 Championship caps were:
Curtis Hedrick of Milton, W.Va., Peter B. Garrett of Huntington, W.Va., Susan Arthur or Kenova, W.Va., Donna Wageman of Hurricane, W.Va., Terry Lee Solt of St. Albans, W.Va., and Jerry Dean of Branchland, W.Va.

And as a special gift for ONMC club members, the management of the track let me wave the green flag for the Any Car race. Thanks to photographer Jim Ellis for the picture of me on the flagstand.

But don’t fret, next season non-club members will be in the running for “Lucky Dog” prizes at each race. And there will be prizes for ONMC members, too.

So watch the NASCAR chase for the next five weeks, although the winner already seems to be determined. No conspiracy theory here, although there’s always room in NASCAR for that.

Then bide your time, watch the races you’ve taped, and show up in mid-May at Ona Speedway.

Whine, whine, whine

Gas, no gas, light, no light. Juan Pablo cuts a tire and debris ensues. Caution comes out. If the field is frozen, the field is frozen.

Quit whining. But then again, Jimmie Johnson learned it from the best.

I feel sorry for the boys behind The Biff, but NASCAR (in its own take on wisdom) froze the field for a caution. You can’t pass on a caution even if you are yards away from the finish line. Remember, “no racing to the start finish line under caution.”

Hey! They could have called the race during the red flag stop in the thunder, lightning and rain when Tony Stewart was in the lead. It was past the point of no return. But the skies cleared, the track dried and off they went.

But that would have made NASCAR’s Bad Boy the winner and not the Hendrick Pretty Boys.

Only Biff, Greg and Jack know for sure if he was out of gas or not. The Roush team, er, Roush Fenway team, says he had fuel and race officials told him not to fire up the car.

Conspiracy theories aside, you can’t pass during a caution. Biffle wins the race.

But then again, NASCAR could change its mind tomorrow, or today. It is sort of the norm for them.