Pot holes get us all, Even at Daytona..

We have all experienced it, the uncertain feeling you get after you plow through a pot hole on your way to work. You hope first that your tires didn't blow, or that your axle is still in one piece, or maybe you are just left with a misaligned steering column. I was pissed off to all heck when I received a nice V shaped notch in the rim of my '88 Nova. I paid $400 bucks for that car, and after one pot hole disaster the cost of operating the fickle machine almost doubled.

These are the breaks, hey shit happens right? You move on, register in your files where the hole was and swerve like hell at the last minute every time you approach said pot hole. What if your car cost you several million dollars, and you are driving on the nonpareil circuit known as Daytona International Speedway? Yeah you would be pretty ticked off about a gaping hole conveniently located on the exalted track. Not only do you now have to repair the millions of dollars worth of damage to your car, you also have not won the big one, not taking home the big purse, not kissing your wife in the winners circle, not on Letterman the following Monday. That is a whole lot harder a pill to swallow than a dented rim on a Nova.

This is the scenario that played out for 4 time defending champ Jimmy Johnson. The 48 hit the hole, lost a tire and pretty much saw their Daytona 500 dreams fall through the cracks in the pavement.

While the race itself was spectacular, the best plate racing I have seen in years, these delays were almost too much to handle. Needless to say I ran out of DVR space as the final restart was shaping up. I set the dam thing for 3 extra hours thinking I was in the clear. Did my Valentines day diligence then sat down for the race. I had avoided all media up until that point, no facebook, no internet, and no television for the entire day. While in the grocery store I even managed to avoid eye contact with a man wearing a Jeff Gordon #24 hat. But this all came to an abrupt halt on lap 206, just as the third restart flag was waiving. I missed the 88's white knuckle driving and his stampede to the front. Had I seen these laps The edge of my seat would have been worn thin.

This brings me to my next gripe, all these restarts. Like Jr. said in the post race, its like the last few minutes of an NBA game, with all the fouling, and timeouts, and posturing for the minimal chance that you could erase that 9 point deficit in 34 seconds (flashbacks of Reggie Miller in the Garden just filled my head). Had the race ended under the old rules Kevin Harvick would have won, and Jr. would have finished in the high teens. But these are the rules and we love to follow them right?

On a side note Jamie Mcmurray won the Daytona 500.

Michael Clark (emsea)

Serious business

So we are in for a real treat this year judging by the performances in the duels last night. Both races were decided by less than 6/1000ths of a second, that is about the same amount of time it takes to blink your eye, literally. There, I just blinked, that was the difference in both duels at Daytona. In fact you have probably blinked 40 times already while reading this post.

NASCAR got it right this year with the new rule tweaks, pleasing race fans from coast to coast. A larger restrictor plates and a leniency towards the good ol' bump draft will have all 200,000 plus fans in attendance as well as the TV audience all on the edge of their seats come Sunday.

Talking with a co-worker of mine, Ben, who is new to the sport but quite enthusiastic about it, we have come to the realization that taking the cuffs off the drivers will help draw in marginal fans. Fans who want action not science. Most people look at me like I have two heads when I tell them how much formulaic science goes into the preparation and execution of a winning race team. And believe me the science part of the sport is as important as the tires themselves, but people want to be entertained not quizzed. We want to see the "sling shots" and the bumping, and the wrecks. Heck 9 out of 10 of us know and associate the legendary phrase "rubbing is racing", the phrase that Robert Duvall's character Harry Hogge made famous, with NASCAR.

So lets see it play out the way it was meant to. Put the race in the drivers hands and let them sort it all out. Give them an inch and they will take a yard, and that my friends is a good thing, a real good thing.

Michael Clark (emsea)

SHH don't tell

I have dvr'd the twin 150's and am anxiously awaiting the evening bell here at work so i can go indulge in some racing!

The twin 150's are like a great appetizer right before you delve into a perfectly cooked filet mignon! It is just the right amount to wet the pallet before the main course.

With the Daytona 500 being on valentines day, I know a bunch of y'all are facing the same problem as me, what to do? My wife tolerates my racing addiction but will she sit through 500 miles of it on what is supposed to be the international day of amore'? She did say I can watch the race but warned that my time spent in the living room feeling the draft may cost me some time in another room in my house, if you know what I mean. Oh what to do? One way or another I will see the race pole to pole, but it is a matter of when, not if!

Michael Clark (emsea)

here it goes (again)

With the new season upon us it is hard to ignore the obvious, one Danica Patrick, two i did not make an entry all last year following the Daytona 500. Well my friends that with any luck will change this year. over the wall will be a double entendre. I will hope to make this site a Nascar/MLB blog. the focus will be on the reigning champions the New York Yankees, and all things nascar.

with the 500 just around the corner and pitchers and catchers reporting in a few short weeks things will start to heat up real soon.

more to come!

michael clark (emsea)