Biff loses...to a girl?

It was a tough day for Greg Biffle in Akron on Wednesday.

He lost a really big, important race to a girl. Not just any girl, but a 15-year-old girl, at that.

Well, she WAS the 2007 Stock Division Soap Box Derby World Champion, Tyler Shoff of Akron.

It didn't matter Biff was the NASCAR Truck and Busch series champion.

Hey, Biff, blame it on the tires, they were Goodyears and it was the Goodyear Fuel Max Challenge.

She got four new Goodyears, you didn't.

It was the tires, I'm telling you. It was the tires.

Thanks to the Associated Press and Goodyear for the photo of a happy Tyler and smilin' Biff.

It's racin' in the Tri-State

Get ready, the local 2009 race season is already underway at Rocky Top, and Ona Speedway gets added to the schedule beginning this weekend.

Let's review. A few changes at Ona, where Late Models will race one time monthly.

We'll name the drivers and cars in each class, one group at a time.

At Ona, drivers in Elite Modified, plus their car numbers will be:
#3H Hubie Hatfield
#3R Roger Dilly
#4 Brian Jacobs
#6 Gary Chapman
#10 Jake Keaton
#12 Brandon Stickler
#17 Steve Mills
#20 Mike Cooper
#22 Tracy Berry
#27 Eric Maynard
#28 Shane Koontz
#32 David Grass
#55 Chad Bailey
#72 Jerry Graley
#93 Thomas Mays

Driving Modifieds at Rocky Top are, along with car numbers:
#7R JD Ritenour
#8 Dave “Fireball” Pinkerton
#10 Jake Keaton
#11F CJ Ferguson
#20 Jason Perry
#56 Chuck Yeley
#80 Daley Lyons

You gotta love the Rocky Top Website. Each driver has a little bio box which includes name, where they've won what, technical info about their car and who the sponsors are.
Sounds like practice for interviews with response like, "well, I tell ya, the Altoids #20 Chevy...I want to thank my sponsors....." and reel them off in a New York minute.

Rocky Top races this Friday night and testing day is Saturday at Ona.

Get out there and enjoy some local racin'!

Meet me in Charlotte

The annual convention of the Official NASCAR Members Club will be in Charlotte, N.C., the few days prior to the All-Star Race.

Members have some terrific activities on tap. If you aren’t a member and would like to get in on the events, there is still time. Join by April 25 and register for the convention by April 26, and you’re in.

On Wednesday, May 13, members visit Victory Junction and participate in the 2nd annual ONMC Bowling League Open.

There’s also the ONMC 500 – a kart race between members at the NASCAR Speedpark!

Thursday, we really gear up with a tour of the NASCAR Research and Development Center and shop tours around town. Personally, I want to head straight for Stewart-Haas and the Childress Vineyards.

Friday night is the big convention event and the Ultimate Tailgate.

Of course, we always take in the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Time Warner Cable Arena. Members can get $5 off tickets for the fun of watching crews battle it out. It will be shown at 9 p.m. on SPEED.

You also get discounts for tickets to the All-Star Race on May 16 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. ONMC gets 20% off Pit Passes to each race.

In addition, and this is really cool, you get a track garage tour on Friday (free!) and access to driver introductions to the All-Star Race (free again!).

In addition, and this is really cool, you get a track garage tour on Friday (free!) and access to driver introductions to the All-Star Race (free again!). Oh, by the way, there’s a trip to JR’s place, Whiskey River and shop tours include JR Motorsports and Gibbs Racing and two more. (Crossing fingers, Stewart-Haas, Stewart-Haas, Stewart-Haas.)

But you have to be a member! And be registered for the Convention.

If you are interested in that, and discounts and special VIP events at every NASCAR track in the country, visit www.nascar.com and click the ONMC tab. Read over member benefits. If you are interested go to the chapter locate and search for Huntington, WV. Chapter number is 257052. You can get a discount on membership at the Huntington or Charleston, WV sites.

Membership is $59 for one year through the site, $25 off the regular price of $89. Convention is $99 for all three days, or $69 for just Friday. The full convention cost includes five meals.

Then, you’re on your way to be the envy of your racing friends.

Man or machine?

First off, props to Jeff Gordon for winning at Texas on Sunday. He's got the hat and guns of the winner.

There are some pretty neat gifts for winning at various tracks - grandfather clocks, guns, a bear statue. And, they get a trophy and money to boot!

On to today's question.

Winning. Is it the in the hands of the man, or under the hood of the machine. Good question.

Like I've always said, I don't know Jack about what makes a car go other than Sunoco fuel and a pedal inside the vehicle. But let's look at a few instances.

Mikey Waltrip. Had good cars at DEI, won a few. Strikes out on his own and can't buy his way into most races. I'm 50-50 on this one. Could be him, could be the car. Could be some questionable acquisition of parts. (ooops! Sorry Cat in the Hat)


Joey Logano, or J-Lo. (Better nickname than sliced bread.) OK, he's young, real-ly young and inexperienced in the Cup car. He fares better in the Nationwide Series. The Gibbs cars have to be good, look at stablemate Kyle "Rowdy" Busch. Here, I have to go driver.


Then, startup owner/driver Tony Stewart. Startup is the key. Granted, he's using Hendrick power plants, and they are now Chevy (ah, that's a happy Smoke in a Chevy.) I'm looking for Smoke in Victory Lane shortly after NASCAR broadcasts leave FOX network and Digger-cam for 2009. Ditto on this, driver. Yes, we know it's 2-time Cup Champion Tony Stewart, not to mention all the other titles in various divisions. But He drove last year at JGR. Ergo, driver makes the difference, I think.

In short, probably the driver makes the difference.

But that doesn't explain Gordon's loooooong time between wins. That's a toss-up.

Thanks to Getty Images and the Associated Press for the photos.

Pancakes, NASCAR and fund raising

While all eyes are focused on Texas this weekend, a little bit of NASCAR can be found closer to home here in West Virginia, along with good cookin'.

There will be a pancake breakfast at Max and Erma's in downtown Huntington Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m., to benefit the Walk for Autism coming up April 25. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door.

How does that relate to NASCAR? If you have to ask, you've never been to one of the group's local events or never met Bill Harvey. His business dealings send him to tracks on the east coast and he gets many limited items and has them autographed.

As a fund-raiser for the Autism Society - which, by the way, is a cause near and dear to the hearts of Elliott and Hermie Sadler.

Hillbilly Hot Dogs will host the annual Autism Auction on May 9. A couple of items up for bid will be on display Saturday morning at the pancake breakfast.

Elaine Harvey and her husband Bill are tireless workers for the Autism Society and he has quite the NASCAR collection. A few of his awesome autographed items are on the block, and hopefully they'll send along photos so you can see them.

Namely, a signed Dale Jr. display hood and a construction hard hat with approximately 20 autographs.

For more information about the items up for bid, the Walk for Autism or the local Autism Society, you can call the Autism Services Center at 304-525-8014
or the WV Autism Training Center at 304-696-2332.