At the Track

We'll note happenings at the national and local levels of racing.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Fontana fun



Ah, the traveling peeps.

Their last stop was sunny southern California at Auto Club Speedway. They sent along photos from their seats, of themselves in those seats, and various other adventures of the day like posing on pit road, a place which after the race garnered much attention.  



Of course, they were first hand witnesses to the post race melee. Depending on where you sit, your view of pit road can be not so great. At home, we saw every punch and heard every 7-second delay comment from the always amusing, often fiery, Tony Stewart. That would be the Tony we have missed since he became a team owner.

And no penalties – points or cash – for anyone. When you get called to the big red truck after a race, you expect a penalty or two on Tuesday. But not on this Tuesday. When the race incidents break into fisticuffs after drivers climb out of the cars, the Peeps turn to each other and in unison say, “Mr. Stewart to the big red truck. Calling Mr. Stewart to the big red truck,” followed by much laughter and discussion of money and points. Just insert whichever driver is involved in whatever happened. Gordon, Bowyer, Busch (either one), Harvick.

Now, when you are at the track, you have to check Twitter for updates from the teams, but the RaceViews are generally set on certain drivers, not the broadcast. So, texting was fast and furious after the race.

But, here are the photos, courtesy of Peep Roberta Hunter. Sista, hopefully I’ll see ya in May in Charlotte!






Thursday, March 14, 2013

For all the fans of the 24. . .

Disclaimer: I am not a Jeff Gordon fan. I will give him props for being a 4-time champion. I will recognize he has been a mega talent on the race track. I do, however, take issue with him saying he's from Indiana. Have you noticed he's from the Hoosier state when he races in Indianapolis, but not necessarily any other time? But we digress.

He's a great product spokesman. He's articulate. He's comfortable in front of a camera. He can read a script with the best of them. He can improve pretty well, too. Did you see the show, "I Get That a Lot"? Pretty funny stuff.

Which leads me to today's offering.

Jeff Gordon on You Tube. A few favorites for your viewing enjoyment.

I don't care if there was a stuntman driving. I don't care if the "car salesman" was an actor. This has already gotten 8 million hits on You Tube and it is funny! Dukes of Hazard and Smokey and the Bandit have NOTHING on this clip.




Jeff and the Hendrick shop folks doing the Harlem Shake? That's pretty funny, too. 


How about taking a road trip with Gordo? In an 18-wheeler, headed to Daytona, no less. 


And finally, something I always laugh and laugh when I replay. The Jeffy Shuffle, or the Texas Two Step with Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton. For the best view of the fight itself skip to about the 4 minute mark when you see the side camera view.




There you go, Gordon fans! My homage to the 24. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Peeps – not just for Easter baskets




Peeps have always been a sweet, sugary, yellow chick treat this time of year. Did you know they explode if you put them in a microwave? But, that’s a whole other story.

This story is about peeps. People peeps. That wonderful slang term for your friends, your group, your posse, the folks you hang with and have fun with regularly.

Where’s my peeps?

Most recently, the peeps were at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Without me.

Well, here are the adventures in peepdom at Vegas. We have Roberta Hunter, Bert for short. Junior fan. And Laura Hepner, Lol for short, and for laughs. She’s a Five-Time fan.  And Joni Baumgart, as I call her Joni Stewart for her favorite driver who’s name happens to rhyme with Joni. Well, he’s my driver, too. We share lots of inside Smoke jokes. 

There are more NASCAR Members Club peeps, but these are my primary posse. 

Now that you've met the peeps, here we go!

First off, they send where they are sitting for the race.

Next came the text saying it was raining. Raining a lot. They were headed back to Circus Circus 25th floor.

Did we mention driver appearances? They caught the Stewart-Haas team hamming it up at the MGM Grand. Here, well, the boss is pretty amusing and Danica has been the talk of the track since winning the pole at Daytona.

But the jet driers hit the track without Juan Pablo Montoya, and the rains left. The race is on! So were trips to the souvenir haulers where they posed with the ginormous driver faces. And a quick trip to the Sprint Experience to take a photo with the Cup.



Did we mention you can see the cars come out when you are perched in the Neon Garage?



And listening to the driver meeting, held outdoors for the fans to see.

There was more mugging in their seats, headsets in place, waiting for the green flag to drop.

When the laps were done and the winner proclaimed  - Matt Kenseth – it was time to head back to pack, nap and fly home.

But first. Traffic. Plenty of traffic. And they all texted about it, too. Can you whine in text language?

So, next, it’s off to Bristol. Pray for no snow.

Oh, and here's the news from Bristol - Charlie Daniels will lead the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance and San Francisco 49ers Daniel Kilgore, a native of Kingsport, Tenn., and played at Appalachian State, will be the race's honorary starter.