Granny Grump

The Nationwide Series was off this weekend which saved them a lot of stress, mad fit throwin’ and repairin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. So that freed up Saturday for the Trucks and another race shortened weekend. Duck and I were real excited about this race weekend. Martinsville is one of those tracks where the drivers have at it whether they are supposed to or not and get away with it most of the time, at least while it’s happenin’. For those who want to know, Hotrod Todd and teammate Papis get our vote for the top have-at-iters for that race. Anyway, Duck and I decided to have our lunch early as to cut down on our own fit throwin’ durin’ the race messes. So with nothin’ on the crates we settled in on the divan and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved for Crafty Matt, Handsome Hornaday (back in the #33), Hamlin, Rock’em Sock’em and Buescher. For those who want to know Happy Man started 6th in his #2, Hotrod Todd started 7th and WOG started 10th. The rest you can look up.

Those trucks were made for this kind of racetrack as far as Duck and I are concerned. 200 laps of pure hard racin’ is just what we like for Saturday. Yessirree! And with no Flippin’ Carl in this race Duck was free to just enjoy himself and so was I, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Things got intense immediately like they always do there. Course that’s what gets everybody’s blood a pumpin’. Know what I mean? There was jostlin’ passin’ and repassin’, beatin’, bangin’, donuts on the sides of the trucks, front and rearends gettin’ crunched, trucks spinnin’, walls bein’ hit, drivers gettin’ ticked and even more. Absolutely great racin’ there to my way of thinkin’ with no one gettin’ hurt thank our good and gracious LORD.

And some people might even say that Todd and his teammate Papis took that old sayin’ “tit for tat” in to overtime, but to that Duck and I say whatever! Look here. They are teammates. They know each other’s racin’ ways and even Duck and I know if you mess with Hotrod you’re gonna get hotrodded. And Papis didn’t back down to Todd, neither, so good for him I say! In the end though all they did was tear up their trucks and didn’t win. Denny Boy, drivin’ Rowdy’s usual #18, made a late race pass on Handsome and WOG while they were battlin’ and won the race! That was his 1st truck race win and he now has joined the ranks of the 23 drivers who have won in all 3 top NASCAR series. GOOD for him I say! Handsome came home 2nd ahead of WOG, Rock’em Sock’em and Coulter. For those who want to know Hotrod Todd got the best of that ‘twixt teammate tantrum stuff and finished 11th while Max wound up 18th, Crafty finished 12th, Happy finished where he started and the rest you can look up. Frankly Duck and I were amazed that 23 trucks finished on the lead lap. As for the points standin’s WOG still leads by 11 over Buescher and Handsome who moved up a spot and Rock’em Sock’em fell a spot to 4th. The rest you can look up and there are only 2 races remain’ on their schedule.

Now for Sunday’s Cup race. Duck and I were so ready. In fact Duck could barely sleep Saturday night knowin’ His idol, Flippin’ Carl, was on the pole. Course the weather forced the field to start accordin’ to the points but that didn’t bother Duck none. I had to smile at his wild eyed duckly excitement. So with our tummies full from a late breakfast we quacked and cheered as Carl lead Robo, Good Bad, Smoke and Happy Man. For those who want to know Same Champ (who may not be again this year) started 7th, Jeffie started 10th, JR started 9th and the rest you can look up.

Bow howdy were we excited to get this race a goin’. Right off the bat Duck was upset cause Roba passed his idol but Flippin’ Carl took it back pretty quick. The first caution came with a big ‘ol mess involvin’ 8 drivers includin Jeffie, JR and Brian Vickers which was only the first of many mishaps for him let me tell that one somethin’ right now. I tell ya this much Vickers seemed to be a wild man runnin’ into pert near everybody. I’m exaggeratin’ some but he was involved in a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway I think Jeffie got the worst of that deal. By lap 65 there had been 4 cautions but Vickers wasn’t involed in the 4th one. Anway there was all sorts of jostlin’, rubbin’ and bangin’ goin’ on. Then low and behold caution 5 on lap 85 involved Vickers again and Cute Jamie who tried to pay Vickers back would up endin’ his day when he hit the wall instead! Sad for him I say, but Vickers was still goin’. And for some reason Duck’s idol was havin’ one heck of a bad race day initially and even at one point went a lap down. Various drivers had the lead at one time or another includin’ Same Champ, Jeffie (I think), Smoke, Flyin’ Ryan, Allmendinger, Rowdy Boy and Hamlin. I may have missed some for all I know. What I do know is by race end there was 18 cautions, the last comin’ on lap 492 involvin’, yep you guessed it, Vickers. His car was just plain torn up. Mercy sakes I remember thinkin’ he was drivin’ like he did when he started racin’ runnin’ into or over pert near everbody, but I guess that’s neither here nor there. Anyway the final green came with 3 laps to go with Same Champ leadin’ but Smoke made fast history with that and took the lead with 2 to go and after bumpin’ it up with him on the last lap Smoke won that race! Yessirree it was an awesome finish. Good for him I say! Same Champ finished 2nd followed by Jeffie, Happy, Hamlin, Burton, JR, Truex, Jr, Flippin’ Carl and Flyin’ Ryan. The rest you can look up. There was so much goin’ on durin’ that race that I failed (most of the time) to noticed a dejected Duck. But he rallied up some when he realized his idol still had the points lead by 8 over Smoke who moved up 2 spots with that win. Happy is in 3rd 21 points down and the rest you can look up.

Now for some other stuff. Seems durin’ a taped instruction to Same Champ from Crew Chief Chad Knaus, master Crew Chief got himself in a bit of a dilly. He told Same Champ if he won the race to spin the car and damage the rear. Interestin’ stuff there. Course with him and JR waitin’ too long to move forward that wasn’t even close to a problem for them, but Chad’s mouth was. The 48 cars gets taken to the Tech Center for the last 4 races thanks tothat statement. Guess he forgot about the in car equipment. Open mouth, insert NASCAR’s boot there Chad! Bet he minds his p’s and q’s for a short spell. If not someone needs to tape up his loose lips.

And by the way, JR said that hangin’ back stuff at Talladega and Daytona ain’t happenin’ anymore. Uh, smart deal there, JR. Yessirree!

Additionally Smoke had a message for Duck’s points leadin’ idol. He said these last 3 races are not gonna be easy wins for Flippin’ Carl. I am sure that is oh so true and we will all see very soon now, won’t we?

Also a crew member on the 38 team was hit on pitroad by Mark Martin, bless his heart, but is gonna be ok thank our good and gracious LORD. Goes to show Hotrod Todd was right about those crew members bein’ in harms way when he was goin’ off on his teammate.

And finally sad news for the Wallace family. Rusty, Mike and Kenny lost their father unexpectedly this past weekend. Remember them all in prayer. Rest in peace Mr. Wallace.

That’s it for now. Email, comment or don’t. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

Since the race started late afternoon Duck and I ate our main meal of the day early so with our tummies full we settled in on the divan with some hot chocolate for refreshment and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved for 94 laps and James Buescher as he led them to the line followed by Piquet, Jr., WOG, 3 Wheels Now, Handsome Hornaday and Middle Wallace. For those who want to know Crafty Matt started 12th, Rock’em Sock’em started 20th, Rowdy Boy started 17th and Jeffery Earnhardt, Kerry’s boy started 34th. It was good to see that boy racin’ again. Anyway, the rest you can look up.

It was excitin’ from the get go let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Handsome was drivin’ the #2 truck again and Middle Wallace was behind the wheel of the #33. Duck and I thought that was interestin’ for Mike to be drivin’ that truck cause Curly Sadler usually drives it but his wife is expectin’ their 2nd baby so Duck and I were pleased to see Middle get this chance. Duck and I like those Wallace boys and we hadn’t seen him in a truck race in quite a long spell. Handsome and Middle worked real well together. Two veterans like that? Yep we were excited to see it and those boys worked right well together. No learnin’ curve there, nossirree.

No lap by lap deal here but 23 trucks finished on the lead lap. There was a wreck or two but nothin’ too major in the grand scheme of it all. Course you wouldn’t feel that way if you were one of those involved in an accident, but I’m just sayin’. And what a choice Happy Man and wifey made in stickin’ Middle Wallace behind the wheel. He, with Handsome pushin’ him, won the race! Oh my good and gracious LORD it was so good to see him win after all this time. This was Middle’s 5 overall victory and 1st since he won the mid season race at Daytona in 2004. GOOD for him I say! So instead of him and his wife celebratin’ their anniversary on some exotic island somewhere they were whoppin’ it up in victory lane. Handsome seemed real happy for him, too, congratulatin’ him in Victory Lane. Anyway Handsome finished 2nd followed by Buescher, 4 Wheels Now and White. For those who want to know WOG finished 7th after NASCAR penalized him with 5 laps to go and sent him packin’ to the back after he was shuttin’ the engine on and off to conserve fuel and couldn’t maintain speed. He was not a happy camper let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now, but ya can’t fight those powers that be. Know what I mean? Anyway Rowdy Boy finished 9th, Rock’em Sock’em finished 15th. WOG is still the points leader but only by 3 points followed by Buescher, Rock’em Sock’em down 14 points and Handsome Hornaday now only 16 points behind WOG. The rest you can look up.

Now for the Cup race yesterday. Once again Duck and I were wonderin’ how the dancin’ duet deal was gonna work. Lots of racefans, Duck and I included, have been critical of this lately type race happenin’s at Daytona and Talladega. But again we decided to wait and see. Course this late in the race season and with so much on the line for so many, we figured there would be some who would look at the “big picture” more than earlier in the season and go for safe, no problems finishes which appears to have happened. Can’t say we blame ‘em none, more or less if ya know what I mean. Anyhow Cutie Mark Martin landed the pole followed by Same Champ Jimmie, Bowyer, Baby Face, Jeffie G and JR. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl started 9th, Good Bad Brad started 16th, Rowdy Boy started 34th and Big Brother Busch started 14th. The rest you can look up.

Course Duck was excited to be cheering for his idol but I warned that boy to be mindful of that “big picture” deal we have discussed since the chase started. He said he would so with lunch on the crates and us on our usual ends of the divan we quacked and cheered as the field took the green go ahead for 188 laps of the unknown.

Course everybody knows how the drivers have to pick a draftin’ partner before they start the race. For those with teammates it’s usually an easy choice but for those without such it can be difficult if not impossible. Duck and I expected Same Champ and JR to do the usual and draft together with Jeffie and Markie doin’ the same and they did. Smoke and Flyin’ Ryan tried it this time, too, but that changed up when Ryan got banged up. That’s one of the bad sides of this 2 by 2 deal as y’all know. Anyway with no lap by lap report on NASCAR’s website I can’t give ya one even if I wanted to, which I don’t and can’t remember it all anyway, but I can tell ya that the jostlin’ up front was impressive and constant. When JR pushed Same Champ to the lead the roar in the grandstands was amazin’ but when Same Champ pushed JR to the lead the roar was deafenin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Duck and I were woohooin’ all over the place. I was hopin’ for this to be JR’s day to win and Duck was hopin’ his idol would win. Neither one of our wishes came true, sadly for us and those drivers. Course everyone on every lap was expectin’ the “big” one and while there were a few wrecks nothin’ on the scale of years past happened thank out good and gracious LORD. Bobby LaBonte had a pretty nasty hit front, back on the inside wall and then finally on the side when Big Brother Busch couldn’t slow down in time fairly late in thw race. Sad for both of ‘em I say. That sweet Bobby hurt his foot and came out of the infield care center with no shoes and only one sock on.

Jeff Burton teamed up with teammate Bowyer and that was a match made for Victory Lane. Except for the last lap Bowyer was the pusher but as we have all seen so many times each driver wants that win and if the timin’ is just right it can work out to pull out and go for the win. That is exactly what happened and Clint was the winner with Burton in tow. GOOD for him I say. That is a great partin’ of the ways gift he gave himself right there wasn’t it now? Anyway Blaney finished 3rd followed by Good Bad, Vickers, Kutie Kahne, Smoke, Hamlin after all his problems, Mikey (so good for him I say) and Truex, Jr. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl finished 11th, Markie finished 20th, Baby Face in the Woods Bros #21 finished 15th, Robo finished 18th after leadin’ a spell, JR came home 25th with Same Champ followin’ and Jeffie followin’ Same Champ. The rest you can look up. I was able to keep Duck in emotional check by tellin’ him his idol is still leader by 15 over Robo. Good Bad moved up 3 places to 3rd 18 points behind the leader with Smoke in 4th up 1 spot and Happy Man in 5th down 3 spots. The rest you can look up.

Now for the other stuff. I read where Brad Daugherty’s team is leavin’ his affiliation with Mikey. He has got some good people goin’ with him and Duck and I hope all goes well with all those involved.

And did y’all see that smoke comin’ from the hauler in the garage area after the race? Seems some crew members were dumpin’ unused fuel into a storage can and somehow, someway it caught fire. The back of the Truck itself was damaged with hoses melted and what not but noone was hurt thank our good and gracious LORD and the fire was put out real quick like by some crew members. The truck and hauler have now become the haulees, if ya know what I mean.

And finally I have to say the calls for JR and Same Champ Jimmie to hang back in the pack were just like the last restrictor plate race and that was WRONG. They waited too long then and they waited too long yesterday to get their keesters headin’ up front. I kept tellin’ Duck they were waitin’ too long cause it was gettin’ too late and sure enough even JR said he thought they had. Well JR was right and so was this granny. Sure seems unlike Knaus to not learn from his past booboos. Maybe that boy is just tired or somethin’ but when do the drivers take control and do what they think is right? Oh yeah, they are just the ones drivin’. Maybe there is some “big picture” reason goin’ on but WHATEVER this granny says. What do y’all think?

Anyway there ya have it ’til next time. Next week Cup and the Trucks head to Martinsville and Nationwide is off for another weekend so email, comment or don’t. Either way is fine cause I’m a very busy woman and even more so with Freezie May back in these parts. That’s one needy baby sister if ya know what I mean. I’m not tryin’ to complain ya understand, I’m just sayin’. Anyway, Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

Now to racin’ stuff. This weekend was another one of those changed up kind of schedules. Friday had the Truck race in Vegas and the Nationwide race in Charlotte and then Saturday was the Cup race in Charlotte. There was no NASCAR race on Sunday but the INDY cars raced at Vegas with oh so tragic and sad results, but more on that later, as well.

First up was the Campin’ World Trucks with Handsome Hornaday on the pole. I was so proud of the man. WOG started 2nd followed by Kligerman, Rock’em Sock’em and Crafty Matt. For those who want to know Hot Rod Todd started 13th, Peters started 11th and the rest you can look up. So when the green flag waved Duck and I were on our feet quackin’ and cheerin’ for you know who. This was the Handsome Man’s show for sure. He won the race so GOOD for him I say! What a way to show he still has what it takes while lookin’ for a ride next year. Yessirree he was amazin’! There were 10 cautions durin’ this race but drivin’ the #2 truck again he lead 107 of the 146 laps! Now that is the biggest piece of the pie any way you cut it! That was 2 victories in a row for him, his 4th win this season, his first Vegas win ever and his 51st career victory. Yessirree that man is amazin’! Course for Duck and I he always has been but that’s neither here nor there. Crafty Matt finished 2nd followed by Peters, Rock’em Sock’em and Hot Rod Todd. For those who want to know WOG finished 17th and that girl Jennifer Jo Cobb finished 18th and the rest you can look up. WOG is the points leader by 5 points over Rock’em Sock’em followed by Buescher who is 7 points down and Handsome who is 21 points down. The rest you can look up and there are 4 races remain’.

Later that day we changed states and tracks and headed to the excitin’ Charlotte Motor Speedway. Duck was real excited to have his idol in this race again and so was I. I like that boy. He’s a good racer, cuter that a kitten and not only can that boy drive but he is an amazin’ flipper. Yessirree Duck and I were excited, worn to a frazzle from helpin’ Freezie May but excited. Menard started on the pole followed by Stenhouse, Jr, Good Bad Brad, Wide Smilin’ and Flippin’ Carl. Rowdy Boy started 6th, Sam, Jr started 7th (good for him I say!), Curly Sadler started 12th and the the rest you can look up. Just for a note of possible, but not necessarily to all, interest, 6 trucks failed to qualify and 7 Cup drivers were entered in this race.

Anyway, with the green flag a wavin’ Duck and I were once again on our tired achy feet cheerin’ and quackin’ for our favorites. Menard was out in front for quite a spell and the 1st caution was called when Front Row’s engine blew up on lap 25, which after pit stop cycled around put Stenhouse, Jr in the lead and Flippin’ Carl fell to 8th. Course Duck was frustrated but it was early and he held it together. Just 2 laps later Good Bad got the lead then the 2nd caution came out for debris but he still was the leader at the green and by half way Rowdy Boy was in 2nd. Somewhere in there another caution came out for Sorensen’s mechanical problems and the wall seemed to be a menace to some drivers. Did they move that or what? Anyway, after pitstops followin’ caution #4 Rowdy Boy was the leader but Carl seemed to be improvin’ slowly which had Duck in a much better frame of mind, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. But on that same restart lap Good Bad took the lead back so good for him I say! So several more drivers hit the wall and produced another lead change or a few. There were a total of 7 cautions the last bein’ with 8 to go. Rowdy Boy was the leader on that restart followed by Flippin’ Carl. Duck was crazy quackin’ as y’all can imagine. Course so was I for those who want to know cause Rowdy and Flippin’ have that stuff betwixt them. So Flippin’ Carl got by Rowdy Boy and held on to the lead for the win. Good for Flippin’ Carl I say! And good for Duck and me too! Made the rest of our day much more enjoyable if ya know what I mean. Anyway Rowdy finished 2nd followed by Baby Face, Curly and Brain Scott. Stenhouse, Jr is the points leader with Curly trailin’ by 15 points. 3 races remain on the schedule and the rest you can look up. For those who want to know Duck and I had a wonderful night’s sleep, mine interrupted occasionally and enjoyably by Duckly chuckles.

So Sunday mornin’ Duck and I got our chores done early so we could rest up for the evenin’ race. We had an early enough supper so we only had, but really didn’t need, buttered up popcorn and that tasty and curious Coke Zero for snacks which were divided (Coke and popcorn) in 2 bowls for Duck on the crates. Smoke had the pole followed by Robo, Flippin’ Carl, Allmendinger , Biffle, Flyin’ Ryan, Menard, Kutie Kahne, Same Champ and Ragan. For those who want to know Markie started 13th, JR 15th, Big Brother Busch 20th, Rowdy Boy started 25th but didn’t and Jeffie 23rd. Also Baby Face was runnin’ the #21 in this race. It’s always great to see that car and team runnin’ Cup. The rest you can look up but as a possible point of interest to some it was great to see Hermie Sadler on the startin’ line up. I love to hear that boy talk and he is just so precious to this granny. Course that’s neither here nor there so we rose to our feet and cheered and quacked as the field took the green for 334 laps and the 5th Race For The Chase!

Tony got a good jump and a good lead from the get go and for a spell the top 3 were runnin’ just as they started. There was the usual jostlin’. Same Champ moved up a bit early on. That Baby Face was doin’ a great job and had moved up in the top 10 by lap 34. Good for him and that team I say! After the first tound of pit stops Tony got the lead back but 5 laps later Bif passed him for the lead but the first caution flag on lap 77 changed up the runnin’ order with Flyin’ Ryan out front but eventually Bif took the lead back. After another round of pit stops Robo was the leader with Smoke and Same Champ Jimmie in tow. Course Duck was havin’ a fit but after a couple more cautions Tony was back out front. Some where in all that racin’ stuff Flippin’ Carl took the points lead and when Duck heard that he decided to be one happy Duck. Yessirree he got pretty doggone perky! After another round of pitstops and after startin’ dead last because of an engine change, Rowdy Boy was the leader at the half way mark. Good Bad was not runnin’ his usual good and actually never did get over that bad bump. Sad for him I say. Then on lap 238 somehow someway Baby Face ran out of gas. Oh so SAD for him I say. He was doin’ such a great job but wound up back in the race 3 laps down. The JR took an unscheduled pit stop and wound up 2 laps down.

After caution number 5 when Blaney’s car blew up Rowdy maintained the lead. Then a few laps later the 6th caution came out when Jeffie, Ragan and Kutie Kahne tangled up. Then pretty quick like caution #7 came out when Bif blew a tire and hit the wall but that didn’t change the lead neither. Then on lap 310 Robo Matt did it when others couldn’t and snatched the lead from Rowdy. Good for him I say. A few laps later Same Champ hit the wall hard and tore up his car. Robo held on to the lead to win with that same ‘ol stuff betwixt Rowdy and Flippin’ who finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Guess they agreed to disagree again but good for Robo I say. Kutie finished 4th followed by Aussie Ambrose so good for them all as well I say. The rest you can look up. So Flippin’ Carl is the points leader by 5 points over Happy Man and Same Champ fell 5 spots to 8th and the rest of that you can look up too. 5 races remain for the season.

Now for the other stuff. I hope to ward off some unnecessary email about my baby sister’s name. Yes her real name is Freezie May. She was a mid life child for my folks and was born on a freezin’ winter’s night. My mama, bless her amusin’ heart thought it would be a funny and appropriate name for that little bundle of stuff. Freezie hates the name, however, but she has no right to complain cause while her daughter was restin’ after a difficult delivery she named that grandbaby Ethanol. That’s right she did! Can you believe that? She said she wanted to make an environmental statement. Whatever this granny says. Course she did give the baby a common and regular family middle name of May, thank our good and gracious LORD but enough of this mess!

And finally there was a horrible tragedy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway yesterday. On the 12th lap of the INDY car race a star on the rise died from his injuries suffered in a horrible 15 car wreck. Dan Wheldon, a handsome and well loved 33 year old racer, a husband and father of 2 small boys lost his life. The race was officially called some 2 hours later and a 5 lap tribute was given him by fellow drivers. Race car drivers do put their lives on the line each and every time they climb in the cockpit but in this day of such safety measures and soft walls we tend to forget that this can and still does happen. Thoughts and prayers for his family and friends.

So there you have it. Email, comment or don’t. Granny Grump over and out!

Granny Grump

The Nationwide and Cup guys were at The Monster Mile in Dover this weekend and the Truck drivers were in Kentucky. The Nationwide and Trucks ran on Saturday and Cup ran on Sunday. With a mixed up schedule like that was it sure kept Duck and I on our toes let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now.

Curiously the Nationwide race was the first to run on Saturday. Duck and I got our chores out of the way and settled in with snacks and drinks on the crates waitin’ for the race to start. Course Duck was excited cause Flippin’ Carl was racin’ in this event along with 6 other Cup drivers. He was all smiles and duckly giggles as we sat down on the divan and quacked and cheered as the race got underway. Cutie Elliott started on the pole followed by Duck’s idol, Wide Smilin’, Bowyer, the younger Truex. For those who want to know Baby Face started 9th, Good Bad started 8th, Kutie Kahne started 7th, Stenhouse started 6th, Jamie McMurray (that precious boy) started 15th and Speedy Reedy started 19th. The rest you can look up.

Bein’s that this was a 3 race weekend and Duck and I have some plumbin’ repairs to do today, I will just have to give highlights today. There were 4 cautions durin’ this race. The 1st happened on lap 6 for debris. On the restart Flippin’ Carl took the lead. Oh the cheerin’ goin’ on from Duck’s side of the divan! Course I was cheerin’ too ya understand cause I like Flippin’ Carl Well that and when he’s runnin’ good my race viewin’ is more enjoyable. Know what I mean? Anyway, soon after Cutie Elliott started to fade, bless his curly headed heart. There was a competition caution on lap 40. Good Bad won that race off pit road with you know who in 2nd. But Good Bad didn’t hold it long. Nossirree! Flippin’ Carl was the one to beat. Long story short here, no one could beat him. He led 179 of the 200 laps. Good for him Duck and I both say! Good Bad came in 2nd followed by Bowyer, Kutie Kahne, Stenhouse and Baby Face. For those who want to know Speedy Reedy finished 7th. Stenhouse is now 22 points ahead of Cutie Sadler with Speedy Reedy 49 points behind the leader. The rest of that you can look up too.

We didn’t have much time between that race and the Truck race out in Kentucky. That blue grass there agrees with some of those drivers. With all the Cup drivers in Dover this was a purely runnin’ Truck race. Good for all of the Truck drivers I say. Course that left me with less worry about Duck’s behavior so I was real ready for a no poutin’ Duck enjoyable event here. Yessirree, I was! Duck and I did eat a pre-prepared supper before the race started. Twasn’t much but with our bellies full we cheered and quacked as WOG led the field to the green followed by Handsome Hornaday, Piquet, Jr, Ickler and Loftin. For those who want to know this was the 1st NASCAR race that WOG’s younger brother, WYG raced in with his older brother and he started 15th so good for him I say, but more on that later. Course their Grandpappy Winemaker was present and all puffed up with pride and I don’t blame him one little bit! And curiously Handsome Hornaday was runnin’ the #2 truck for this event. Seems owners Happy Man and wife wanted to have a better chance winnin’ the owners championship than they would have had with someone else in that truck. So out of a job now Handsome complied. I mean, wouldn’t you? You sure as shootin’ would. Anyway with so much for Duck and I to remember and pay attention to the race was underway.

Have to get right to the point here cause my pipes are waitin’ on us, so Handsome Hornaday won his 3rd race of this season that night. That cagey soon to be unemployed to my amazement 4 time Truck Champ did it! He led a total of 42 laps of the 150. GOOD for him I say! This was a real good race to my way of thinkin’. 18 times the lead changed up with 11 different drivers claimin’ that top spot. WOG finished 2nd followed by Buescher, Piquet Jr, and Ickler. For those who want to know Rock’em Sock’em finished 14th and in his 1st ever truck race WYG finished 18th. Good for him Duck and I say. He’s gonna be a star like his brother. Yessirree he will. Know what I mean? Anyway, WOG is the leader in the points 3 ahead of Buescher. Rock’em Sock’em, Peters and Handsome round out the top 5. The rest of it all you can look up.

Duck and I slept real peaceful like. Mild happy sounds could be heard comin’ from Duck’s room from time to time and that was real pleasin’ to this Granny. He loves his Flippin’ Carl and I try real hard to be understandin’ when things fly south for that boy and Duck so I’m not complainin’ this time, I’m just sayin’ thank our good and gracious LORD for pleasant, peaceful sleep.

Anyway next day we were all ready for the 2nd Race For The Chase. Yessirree we were! No snacks today. We just needed that 400 laps of speed! Martin Truex led the field followed by Big Brother Busch, Menard, Flippin’ Carl and Rowdy Boy. For those who want to know Happy Man started 22nd, Jeffie started 34th, Same Champ started 6th, JR started 21st and Smoke started 28th. The rest you can look up. So with Flippin’ Carl who the day before won the Nationwide race and said his Cup car was even better and with Duck excited at the possibilities, we cheered and quacked and the green flag waved and hoped the rain would stay away!

As I have already said, and I hate to chew my cud more than once, no lap by lap deal here today. Our pipes are a callin’ us real loud now, so with 10 cautions 2 of which were for light rain and a competition one at lap 40, the race found Big Brother Buch celebratin’ in Victory Lane. I’ll tell ya one somethin’ right now, this race was tough on Smoke, Flyin’ Ryan and JR. Those boys just had it rough all day. JR started back in the field but was really improvin’ workin his way up to 12th place at one time but one somethin’ or another went against him and he finished 2 laps down along with Smoke and his teammate. We felt for them, Duck and I did. Anyway good for Big Brother Busch. That boy was really good pert near all day. Course same Champ Jimmie was too but he finished 2nd! Flippin’ Carl had his problems too includin’ a pit road speedin’ penalty but he worked his way back up to finish 3rd followed by Kutie Kahne and Robo Matt. Rowdy Boy was an unusual so so. I mean he finished 6th but just wasn’t his usual stuff out there. Harvick would up 10th behind Aussie Ambrose, Jeffie finished 11th. Flyin’ Ryan finished 23rd, JR 24th and Smoke 25th all 3 laps down repeatin’ my still shocked self here on that point. SAD for those 3 I say! Anyway Happy Man is now the points leader tied with Flippin’ Carl. Course that fact made Duck’s idol’s 3rd place win easier to handle for us both thank our good and gracious LORD! Smoke fell to 3rd place, Jeffie fell 4 spots, Same Champ Jimmie moved up 5 points and JR fell 2 spots to 10th. The rest you can look up.

Now for some other stuff . Did y’all hear Bowyer is movin’ to Mike’s team? He’s probably gonna drive a third car for that stable. Well good for all of ‘em I say. Don’t know who will fill his seat over at RCR but guess we will all know when they do.

Handsome Hornaday is still without a ride next year as far as this granny knows. Amazin’ dumb happenin’s there!

And the announcers this week didn’t have to apologize for any driver havin’ a potty mouth. Course Big Brother Busch’s car didn’t have inspection problems either. I’m not sayin’ no one else did have a potty mouth, it’s probably just that they didn’t flub up and broadcast it. Course I don’t really know if anyone did, I’m just assumin’ and sayin’.

And finally it was so cute to see the segment on Saturday betwixt WOG and WYG. Why those boys are best friends as well as brothers. Warms this granny’s heart to see such as that, it does. Course once they are rubbin’ and racin’ permanent like in CUP they may not always feel like best buds but they will always be brothers so I think they both will be stars pert near real soon like.

Next weekend the Trucks are off while the Nationwide and Cup will be in Kansas, so hang on to Toto there little Dorothy, the winds of speed are a comin’ your way honeybunch. So there ya have it folks. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

The Nationwide series was off this weekend which put the Truck Series in that normal most of the time spot. Uncommonly only 2 Cup regulars raced in that event. Those were Happy Man and Rowdy Boy. The race started midday so Duck and I decided to combine lunch, supper and snacks together on the crates and have that in front of the TV instead of just snacks. We decided on soup and sandwiches which was easy enough, just cut Duck’s sandwiches in 6 pieces and give him a bowl and we settled in to watch Rowdy Boy start on the pole followed by Happy Man, Coulter, WOG and Handsome Hornaday. For those who want to know Rock’em Sock’em started 14th, Crafty Matt started 10th, 4 wheels now started 22nd and Bodine started 11th. The rest you can look up. So with BFFs Rowdy and Happy startin’ side by side and Duck and I expectin’ some oh so friendly competiton betwixt the 2 we quacked and cheered as the green flag waved. Yessirre we were expectin’ some excitement from the get go! I’m not encouragin’ the friction ya understand, I’m just sayin’.

Anyway that betwixt and between never happened. In fact it was a mild race by our standards if ya know what I mean. Don’t know how y’all felt but Rowdy led 165 laps of the 175 and the 10 he didn’t lead was because of pit strategy which if memory serves this granny correct was lead by WOG. Anyway only 6 trucks finished on the lead lap and Rowdy Boy won. Good for him I say. WOG finished 2nd followed by Happy, Handsome, Rock’em Sock’em and Crafty Matt. Good for all of ‘em I say since they were the only ones on the lead lap.WOG is now the points leader with Buescher in 2nd, Rock’em Sock’em in 3rd, Peters in 4th and Handsome in 5th. At least it was a safe race for them all thank our good and gracious LORD. The rest you can look up.

So Sunday Duck was more interested since you know who was doin’ you know what. We just decided on those curious but nice tastin’ chili Fritos and lemonade. It was great for Duck and I to see Steve Park’s name on the qualifyin’ list earlier that day but when the race started we realized he didn’t make the field. Duck and I were both so very sad for him so we hope he keeps on a tryin’. Anyway Flyin’ Ryan landed the pole followed by Kutie Kahne, Vickers, Biffle, Big Brother Busch (more on that later), Happy, Jeffie, Rowdy, Truex, Jr and Same Champ Jimmie. For those who want to know, JR started 12th, Smoke started 20th and Flippin’ Carl started 23rd much to Duck’s dismay. The rest you can look up and ya know what I mean. Anyway with snacks on the crates and Happy and Rowdy startin’ infront of and behind each other and Duck and I again expectin’ some somethin’ betwixt the 2 and with 6 of the Chasers startin’ in the top 10 we cheered and quacked as the pace car pulled off the track. Yessirree we were expectin’ some excitement this time!

Seemed to be excitin’ from the get go with a lot of 2 wide stuff goin’ on back in the field but the upfronters were single file. Flyin’ Ryan lead ‘em off. Smoke was amazin’ too. That boy was movin’ up fast. Why before lap 20 he had cracked the top 15 and JR had moved into the top 10 while Rowdy was fallin’ back some. Flippin’ Carl had moved up just a tad bit but Duck remained optimistic. After pit stops Kutie Kahne was the leader of the pack and lappin’ cars right and left. Course it doesn’t take long for that to happen and continue at Loudon if ya know what I mean. After a caution and pitstops for some and not for others cutie Mark was leadin’. Now I was excited for him, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. He was doin’ so good on those old tires. Yessirree he was! He held that lead for 45 or so laps. Good for him I say! Somewhere in the mix and laps later Robo Matt and Flippin’ Carl got together which ruined their chance for winnin’. Course Duck was in one foul fowl mood after that! I sure wasn’t lookin’ forward to what that meant for the rest of the day.

Anyway after that caution and pitstops Jeffie was leadin’ while Duck was grumblin’ on the divan. He likse Jeffie and all but he loves Flippin’ Carl so I just ignored him as best I could. After final pitstops with around 50 or so to go for some, which meant some couldn’t make it all the way, Bowyer took the lead and he wasn’t one of ‘em who pitted. Same Champ Jimmie and Rowdy Boy had a bit of a bang up and Rowdy came out the winner on that deal while Smoke had moved into 2nd and workin’ Bowyer hard like. With 2 laps to go Bowyer ran out of gas and Stewart won! GOOD for him I say. But poor JR had a flat tire on the last lap and both Duck and were wonderin’ who finished where. Sad for JR I say!

Anyway, Good Bad finished 2nd followed by Biffle, Jeffie, Vickers, Robo, Ragan, Flippin’ Carl, Juan-toya and Smith. For those who want to know Rowdy finshed 11th, Happy finhed 12th, JR finished 17th and Same Champ finished 18th. The rest you can look up. At least Duck was pleased that his idol finished in the top 10. Course he grumbled most of the day cause Carl didn’t win but Duck loves him so whatever this granny says. Smoke is now the points leader. Good for him I say! Happy is 2nd 7 points down followed by Good Bad down 11, Flippin’ Carl down 14 and Jeffie down 23. For those who want to know JR fell from 5th to 8th down 26 points and the rest you can look up.

Now for some other stuff. Handsome Hornaday is still without a ride. What in Sam Hill, whoever that is, is goin’ on? Guess every owner wants a young gun these days but that man is a great racer, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Another whatever this granny says!

And finally it seems that Big Brother Busch’s car had some prerace inspection problems. I don’t remember what it was but a serious lookin’ Penske was shown chattin’ with a serious lookin’ Big Mike Helton. It all got worked out and Big Brother was allowed to start where he qualified but while the drivers were on the warm up lap that cutie Allen Bestwick was apologizin’ for Big Brother Busch’s potty mouth that was aired. I didn’t hear it and neither did Duck. We must have been on a prerace potty break outside or somethin’, but shame on him I say! Course I guess one of the worst potty mouths in recent racin’ history was that good lookin’ Rust Wallace who got fined for that often enough. Wonder if Kurt will get fined? Maybe but this granny thinks if they are gonna listen in on the radio conversatons of a madder than all get out driver known to have a potty mouth, which Big Brother was and is, then perhaps they ought to tape delay and cut the nasty part out before airin’ it. Know what I mean? Makes sense to this granny, anyway.

So that’s it for now. Next week Saturday is a switched up race day with 2 races. The Trucks will be at Kentucky and Nationwide at Dover. Cup will be at Dover on Sunday. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

Course 1st off was the Truck race Friday. Only 2 Cup regulars competed in this race. The surprise pole winner was Steve Arpin (his first career pole), followed by Happy Man, Kligerman, 4 Wheels Now and WOG. Rowdy Boy was the other Cup regular who started an unusual 14th. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday started 16th, Buescher started 6th, Rock’em Sock’em started 13th and the rest you can look up. So with no snacks or refreshments on the crates Duck, somewhat excited, and I quacked and cheered as the green flag flew.

I think Happy Man was the favored to win this race cause he has won the last 3 truck races and his team has won the last 4. Duck and I discussed this before the race and with Duck’s idol not competin’ in this here event his mind was free to think other ways so Happy was who we thought might be the winner. It seemed as though we were gonna hit that nail smack dab on the head, too, cause that boy was out front most of the race. He was just a rocket, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. But that track is as fickle as those barber shop bozos around here and gives us all some excitin’ and unexpected results sometimes. This here race was one of ‘em. Yessirre it sure was. I didn’t actually count ‘em so I looked it up and Happy had led 99 laps when the last round of pit stops began. But that poor boy developed a vibration so when others chose 2 tires to get track position Happy had to take 4 which sent him to 3rd place after all that stuff cycled around. WOG came out first and Rowdy Boy 2nd. Course Happy and Kyle were battlin’ each other for the spot while WOG pulled away but Happy took second, Piquet, Jr finished 3rd, Kligerman finished 4th, Rowdy finished 5th and WOG won. Good for him I say! Ya know streaks always have a beginnin’ and an end and this just happened to be Happy’s. For those who want to know Rock’em Sick’em ended 6th, Crafty Matt 7th, and Handsome Hornaday finished 10th. Buescher’s points lead dwindled to 3 points and WOG moved up to the bridesmaid position with Rock’em Sock’em in the 3rd spot just 3 points behind WOG. Now that’s a real close call there. Yessirree! The rest you can look up.

Saturday was the usual schedule for the Nationwide Series. 6 Cups boys ran in this event. Course one of ‘em was Flippin’ Carl so you know who was pullin’ for, well, you know who. Brian Scott (his first ) took the pole followed by Good Bad Brad, Menard, Ryan Truex and Cutie Sadler. For those who want to know Almirola started 6th, Cutie Jamie started 23rd, Baby Face started 9th, Wide Smilin’ started 8th, Flippin’ carl started 10th and Kutie Kahne started 22nd. The rest you can look up. So again with no snacks on the crates one excited Duck and I quacked and cheered as that green flag waved. Yessirree the excitement was in the air!

Scott’s lead only lasted for the 1st lap cause Good Bad took the lead on the second lap. He was basically the one man show up front with a really good lead until lap 90 when lapped traffic gave Flippin’ Carl the lead and he had a good bit of space on Good Bad but when the other upfronters pitted Flippin’ Carl didn’t and that boy ran out of gas on lap 123. Shame on his crew chief I say! Shamey, shamey! Anyway even with a slow pit stop he managed to get in the 5th spot after all was said and done. The Good Bad ‘un was just the star of this show. He was out front and amazin’. Course Flippin’ Carl was amazin’, too. Duck and I were right proud of that boy. Anyway after 3 cautions and only 10 cars on the lead lap and a very healthy lead over Duck’s idol, Good Bad Brad won the race. Good for him I say. Duck’s idol finished 2nd followed by the pole sitter Scott, Almirola and Hornish, Jr. For those who want to know Cutie Elliott finished 6th, cutie Jamie finished 7th, Menard finished 9th and Baby Face came home 11th. Oh and I forgot to tell y’all Kutie Kahne had an accident and only finished 65 of the 200 laps and finished 33rd. Sad for him I say! Stenhouse, Jr leads Cutie Elliott in the standin’s by 14 points. 3rd spot through 5th is Speedy Reedy, Almirola and Allgaier. The rest you can look up.

So Duck was somewhat calm and collected. The only sounds I heard on any regular basis was some low duck grumblin’, thank our good and gracious LORD! I was hopin’ that was a good sign for the Cup race on Sunday, if ya know what I mean.

Sunday we had chores to do and didn’t turn the TV on until race time. Rain, rain and more rain. After a spell I decided to cook up some cabbage and onions and smothered that in bacon. Oh how tastey that was. Duck was still settled on the divan in front of the TV. I took his to him. Course it was still rainin’ so I decided to clean under the beds and do some laundry. After a long day of me cleanin’ and Duck waitin’ they called the race and rescheduled it for Monday mornin’. Actually I was fairly glad. Cabbage affects Duck and I both in certain negative ways, though we love it but you may know what I mean. It was best held on Monday. I know the Cup boys wanted to get that 1st Chase race out of the way and I’m not dismissin’ their wishes but with cabbage effects, rain and all I’m just sayin’.

Anyway Monday mornin’ I fried up some corn cakes then buttered ‘em up and poured honey over the top, cut ‘em up and placed them on the crates with cold, fresh milk to wash it all down. We were ready for racin’, no doubt about it. Robo took the pole position followed by Menard, Big Brother Busch, Flyin’ Ryan and Flippin’ Carl. For those who want to know Good Bad started 6th, Same Champ started 12th, Jeffie started 23rd, JR started 19th and Rowdy Boy started 9th. The rest you can look up.

So with sticky lips and duckbills we cheered and quacked as the race finally got underway. Robo held the lead until the first competition caution on lap 30. Rowdy Boy took the lead after pit stops but 11 laps later Big Brother Busch took the lead. Even after a caution for debris Kurt was still leadin’. I was glad to see that boy doin’ so well. That team has really come alive of late. Yessirree he was just pullin’ away from the rest of the field. And Smoke who started 26th was movin’ up like a man on a mission. Well come to think of it, he was of course. By lap 87 that boy took 10th spot. He was amazin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Flippin’ Carl was in the 2nd spot so Duck was havin’ fits on his side of the divan. I was a tad bit more quiet. I was watchin’ some 3 wide racin’ at times and some wigglin’ cars that made me nervous. JR had moved up too. He would move up, fall back and move up again. I was gettin’ dizzy watchin’ that but I was cheerin’ for him. I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Anyway can’t do a lap by lap deal here but on lap 164 Cute Jamie’s car blew up. Sad for that darlin’ I say! After that Good Bad was the leader but Same Champ took it away from him a few laps later. There are a couple more cautions and a lead change or 2. And then on lap 237, oh my good and gracious LORD, Smoke took the lead and JR was in the top 10! There was talk about some drivers not havin’ enough gas so the end of this was gonna be excitin’. Then on the last lap all kinds of cars were runnin’ out of gas includin’ Same Champ Jimmie, Rowdy Boy and even Jeffie! Smoke won this race! From the outhouse to the penthouse…that boy won! GOOD for him I say! Happy Man finished 2nd and JR finished 3rd. Good for both of them I say. The points standin’s were all shook up at that point. Yessirree we have ourselves on hot Chase!!! Happy Man took over the points lead with Smoke trailin’ by 7. Flippin’ Carl is now 3rd 10 points down, Big Brother Busch is 4th 11 points down and JR is 13 points down in the 5th spot. The rest you can look up. Wow I was so excited to see JR jump 5 spots and Duck was excited to see his idol jump 2. Oh my good and gracious LORD I am gettin’ all excited again just reportin’ it here. GOOD for all of ‘em I say!

Now for a little other stuff. Handsome Hornaday is still lookin’ for a ride for 2012. Makes no sense to me or Duck!

And how about that Caveman givin’ the command for the Cup race? That was interestin’! Those cavemen remind me of some relatives of mine…inlaws and blood. I enjoy those commercials. Course I like that little green lizard gecho too. Then of course I like the fact that Nationwide is on my side. Well they would be if I had Nationwide, but I don’t. I couldn’t decide so I just stayed with our town guy, “Gus Is A Must”. He handles all our insurance needs and those of most of this area I am told.

And finally this has nothin’ to do with racin’ but is a concern to Duck and I and maybe y’all as well. Ya know some space junk is gonna crash down here on earth somewhere on Friday. They can’t say where or exactly what time that day but said there is a 1 in 3200 chance of someone gettin’ hit. Now that concerns me. The last time somethin’ around here fell from the sky was about 10 years ago. Duck and I were havin’ breakfast one mornin’ and we heard a big crash. We ran outside and the hens were havin’ a fit and some strange ringin’ sound was to be heard. Duck and I ran out there and right smack dab in the middle of the hen house was an alarm clock goin’ off. The big hole in the roof was the tellin’ of what happened. Those poor hens were so scared they stopped layin’ eggs for a couple of weeks. Breakfast was all changed up durin’ that time, I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now. To this day we have never learned of that alarm clock’s origin. Weird happenin’ it was. “Gus Is A Must” came through for us, however.

So That’s it for now. Next week the Cup and Trucks head to Loudon. The Nationwide Series is off. Stay safe and remember to look to the skies. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

The Truck series had an off week but that series wasn’t lackin’ in news. More on that later.

Anyway Friday’s usual racin’ spot was for the Nationwide Series. Good Bad Brad started on the pole followed by Flippin’ Carl, Rowdy Boy, Baby Face and Funny Man. For those who want to know Stenhouse started 6th, Curly started 8th and Speedy Reed started 17th. Oh and the unzipped one started 32nd. The rest you can look up.So with cheese and quackers (a little Duck humor there) and iced tea on the crates Duck and I cheered and quacked as the green flag waved for 250 laps of crazy enjoyment! Course Duck was on his webbed feet quackin’ like a crazy duck for his idol, but that’s neither here nor there and no big surprise. By somewhere around lap 10 Duck’s main man took the lead. Oh the feathers that were flyin’ let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Duck took that AFLAC Duck pose he has learned to mimic from the commercial with the pigeons. I hate that pose and those nasty pigeons but Duck is dramatic when it comes to you know who so I said nothin’ at that point cause I was excited for Flippin’ Carl too. You know it doesn’t take long for the leaders to start lappin’ the end of the field and on lap 65 the first caution flag waved. Then a few laps later Caution 2 came out when Good Bad Brad hit the wall which basically ruined his chance at this win. Well that and the unziiped one rear ended him. It’s Richmond after all folks. Know what I mean?

Anyway the lead spot changed back and forth between Rowdy and Flippin’. Several more accidents happened which led to caution 3, 4 and 5. Flippin’ Carl was the leader at that point but he and Rowdy Boy were still battlin’. It was excitin’ for Duck and me let me tell ya that one somethin’. Yessirree! Lap 209 = caution 6, the last caution of this race thank our good and gracious LORD!. Seems that one was for some bump and rebump stuff between Happy and Baby Face. Again Richmond usual stuff, but excitin’ none the less! After that Rowdy Boy was the one to beat. Oh Flippin’ Carl tried. He really did and was gainin’ some space but in the end Rowdy Boy took the win. Good for him I say against Duck’s wishes, but he was the winner and he deserves it. I couldn’t tell what Duck was truly thinkin’. I mean I know he was disappointed and all, but he just had this dazed look on his face, glassy eyed stare it was. Bit on the spooky side if ya want to know what I thought but there was no fit throwin’ or uncontrollable quackin’ so I just set about cleanin’ up the snacks and feathers and let him do his duckly thingie. Anyway Stenhouse came home 3rd followed by Ryan Truex (not the only Truex that can drive the wheels off a good car) and Funny Man. Good for all of ‘em I say! Stenhouse is still the points leader over Curly by 16 and the rest you can look up. Sleep came late for us but it did come thank our good and gracious Lord.

So on Satarday mornin’ we got up and set about gettin’ the chores for the day out of the way. Duck was still actin’ weird. I admit I was a bit on the concerned side, but what is a granny to do? He did his chores and I did mine. I just talked to him in my usual manner and when race time approached I put the cheese and crackers back on the crates with fresh cold tea. Rueti Tootie was on the pole followed by Cutie Jamie, Same Champ Jimmie, that cute Mark Martin and Bowyer. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl started 8th. Happy started 7th, Juan-toya started 10, Rowdy started 13th 2 spots behind big brother, Jr started 27th and Smoke started 22nd. The rest you can look up.

The retired Marine/actor Emrey gave the commend to start the engines. I thought it was a bit unusal to hear him say “let’s get crackin’” but later I saw his Wonderful Pistachios commercial and then I understood. Oh well I say! Anyway with 400 laps ahead of us I cheered and Duck just sat there as the green flag flew. Jamie got a great start and snagged the lead on the first lap. These boys we serious and the 1st caution came out on the 2nd lap when Andy Lally hit the wall. Then just 6 laps later Bowyer and Reuti wrecked and involvin’ JR and Denny along with a mess of others. Crazy racin’ I say! There was a lap of silence on lap 9 in remembrance of 9/11. I thought that was wonderful. Duck was already silent but I know he thought it was good, too. Green flag waved 11 laps later with cutie Jamie leadin’. There were 3 more cautions by lap 51. That last caution got Vickers upset with Aussie Man and he blamed him for a wreck with Kutie Kahne which ended his night. Vickers got parked by the powers that be. More Richmond madness, literally! I’m tellin’ ya that race was excitin’ to me at least. Duck was still in lala land somewhere. Mercy me he was actin’ strange like. Anyway, Robo Man lead the field at that restart but eventually Happy Man took the lead. Several rounds of pitstops changed up the lead. And oh my good and gracious LORD there were a total of 15 cautions. Imagine that! Why by that 15th caution at lap 384 I was just wantin’ it to go green and stay green if ya know what I mean. And it did! Happy Man was leadin’ Flippin’ Carl by just a short bit of time and space and held him off for the win. Good for him I say!

There was still very little reaction from Duck. I was beginnin’ to think I just might have to take him to his quack doctor, no pun intended. I had finally had it. I let loose on that boy. I told him I wasn’t gonna take this silence anymore and that the chase for the chase was over and that now only the chase itself remains. I said, “I mean good grief Duck, Flippin’ Carl is in the 5th spot just 9 points behind Rowdy Boy and he is tied with Same Champ Jimmie, Big Brother Busch and Flyin’ Ryan for cryin’ out loud. He has a chance to win the championship. So say somethin’ “! Well I asked for it! He took to quackin’ and liked to have never stopped. It’s an interestin’ sound, the woohooing in duck quack but I was grateful for the noise! I need to wind this here race report up so the rest of the race and standin’s points you can look up.

Now for some other stuff. Same Champ Jimmie and Big Brother Busch still have that rivalry goin’ on. But shoot fuzzy, it was Richmond and expected. Course they were not the only ones renewin’ or makin’ rivalries. That day it appears most of the “have at it” was allowed. Wonders do never cease, it seems. in NASCAR at least. I’m not complainin’ ya understand I’m just sayin’.

And I am sure you have read about the sale of Harvick’s Nationwide and Truck teams to bossman and Winemaker Childress. That makes sense from a performance and financial standpoint if ya know what I mean, but with different drivers for those series between the current different owners it means some somebodies have to go. Course I’m thinkin’ first of Handsome Hornaday. His website said he will be lookin’ for a ride for 2011. Sad for this multi champ winner I say. Someone smart with good equipment and business smarts needs to snatch this veteran driver up and now! Know what I mean?

Also read where Johnny Benson is returnin’ to the Truck Series next year. GOOD for him and the series I say!

And finally I hope yesterday brought fond personal memories to those who lost loved ones on 9/11/2001. I also hope we all felt pride in our nation, pride and thankfulness to all emergency personal who aided in rescue and recovery and who place their lives on the line each and everyday. And I hope we all resolve to never forget. NEVER!

Til next time, email, comment or don’t. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

So I will give a short run down here on the racin’ events, but, there are other pressin’ matters to discuss to my way of thinkin’.

First off, the Truck race went off without a hitch on Friday. 4 wheels Now Carmichael started on the pole. Good for him I say! Bowyer was drivin’ for Happy Man this time and he started 2nd followed by Buescher, Kligerman and Flyin’ Ryan as the top 5. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday started 17th, WOG started 8th and Rock’em Sock’em started 12th. The rest you can look up. So, Duck and I stood up and cheered and quacked as the green flag waved!

Bowyer really was the class of the field leadin’ 97 of the 130 laps. But we all know that best durin’ a race isn’t always the best at the end. Sometimes it takes a driver with a lot of experience and caginess to pull off what seems to be the impossible and that is exactly what happened. But let me back up for a spell and tell ya that It was an excitin’ race. Yessirree! Rock’em Sock’em entered this race as the points leader but had one problem after another. He wound up finishin’ 29th, 22 laps down and lost the points lead to Buescher. Handsome Hornaday planned ahead and conserved fuel from the get go and with a well planned pit strategy which gave him the edge he needed at the end, he won the race even with a damaged truck. Amazin’ and good for him I say! Yessirree that man knows his drivin’ and it was just wonderful to see him in Victory Lane again. This was owner Happy Man’s 4th win in a row with the 3 previous races bein’ his own wins as the driver. So good for him I say, too! Since Duck’s idol wasn’t runnin’ this race he was cheerin’ for Ron right along with me. Bowyer finished 2nd followed by Rowdy Boy, Blake Feese (we hadn’t seen that boy run in quite some time so good for him I say!), and Flyin’ Ryan. For those who want to know WOG finished 6th. You can read all about the race pert near anywhere so if ya want to know more you can look it up.

Next up was the Nationwide race on Saturday. This race was 195 laps. Yessirree Duck and I were excited. Flippin’ Carl was competin’ in this here event and started on the pole followed by Good Bad Brad, Rowdy Boy, Ryan Truex and Stenhouse, Jr. For those who want to know Happy Man started 8th , Kutie Kasey started 7th and Curly Sadler started 9th. The rest you can look up.

So of course with Flippin’ Carl leadin’ the pack we cheered and quacked real loud like as the green flag flew. Flippin’ Carl was amazin’, but after the first caution and pit stops he had to go back in cause he left the pit stall draggin’ the air hose and gun. Duck was fit to be tied, I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Course he restarted back in the field but after several different leaders he was back in the lead by lap 94. It was back and forth for various leaders but in the end Flippin’ Carl won. Good for him I say! Why Duck was so doggone happy he took to quackin’ and jumped up on the crates and tried to do a flip like his idol. He didn’t make it and hit his cute little duck head on the corner of the crate. Oh that scared me right out of my socks, let me tell ya that one big somethin’ right now. Duck was a bit dazed but quickly recovered thank our good and gracious LORD. After the Victory Lane speech I chewed Duck up one side and down the other. Crazy fool Duck! Why that best not happen ever again! Anyway Rowdy Boy finished 2nd followed by Stenhouse, Jr, Happy Man and Kutie Kahne. Good for all of them I say! Stenhouse, Jr is now the points leader by 15 over Curly Sadler. The rest you can look up.

Next up was the Cup race which was supposed to be run on Sunday but all that rain and storms that had caused so much sufferin’ and destruction out that way made it to Atlanta and after tryin’ and waitin’ hours to get that race underway they called it and rescheduled the race for Tuesday so everyone could enjoy the Monday holiday. Good for the Daytona powers that be but so sad for the race fans who couldn’t stick around til then.

Anyway the skies did look a little forbodin’ as the race got underway. In fact the tack had to be dried to get the race started. Kasey Kahne landed the pole with Bowyer, Rowdy Boy, Vickers and Jeffie roundin’ out the top 5. For those who want to know Robo started 6th, Flippin’ Carl started 7th, JR started 29th and same champ Jimmie started 17th. The rest you can look up. So as the the green flag waved Duck and I quacked and cheered bein’ so glad the race was finally underway for 325 laps of excitement. Yessirree we had ourselves a race goin’ on!. Oh the jostlin’ that was goin’ on for 1st place. We had Kahne, Rowdy Boy, Bowyer, Vickers and by lap 47 Jeffie took the lead. Flippin’ Carl faded some much to Duck’s dismay but he was still excited over Saturday’s win for his idol. Oh he had the lead at one point but it didn’t last. Followin’ pit stops others lead but Jeffie was the one to beat. Yessirre and after 9 cautions and a red flag for rain Jeffie beat same champ Jimmie after an amazin’ fight to keep the lead. Why it was as excitin’ as it gets let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Same champ just couldn’t get it done. Even Duck was quackin’ up a storm for Jeff. I was right proud of him! That win made Jeffie’s 85th career win and his 3rd this season. Good for him I say! Jimmie finished a hard fought 2nd followed by Smoke, Big Brother Busch and Flippin’ Carl. For those who want to know JR finished 19th and the rest you can look up includin’ the points standin’s which got interestin’..

Next up, the Trucks have an off weekend and the Nationwide and Cup drivers head to Richmond. That’s gonna be fun with a BIG Ol’ F! Yessirree.

Now I know this here race report isn’t as thorough as usual but I feel I need to take some space here regardin’ the 10th anniversary of 911 on Friday, the worst attack on our beloved country’s soil. All over the country people will be rememberin’ those who lost their lives on that horrible day and those who fought to save lives. Nearly 3000 people it was that died between the 3 crash sites! And then I read where that Bozo Bloomberg didn’t invite the fire fighters and first responders to the ceremony cause there was no room for ‘em. What in blazes has that man been drinkin’ for heavens sakes? What? That has got to be the biggest slap to the faces of New York’s finest! I read that 72 first responders died that day and so many more are comin’ down with serious and life threatenin’ diseases regularly. Forgive my language but that’s a hell of a way to show appreciation and respect. They weren’t invited to go to the Twin Towers that day either but what would have happened if they hadn’t? Oh my good and gracious LORD I shutter to think about it. I’m as mad as a dry duck to hear all this ridiculous nonsense. Why I can’t believe that mayor’s ridiculous way of thinkin’. Anyway, I know everyone else has more respect for those heroes than that Bozo! He may be in a position of authority but he is a small, small man in my eyes. Duck agrees with me. What do you think?.

There have been reports of potential attacks in this country on that day. God forbid that city needin’ more help on that day from those who have been slighted and disrespected, but they would be there if needed and I bet there would be room for them then. I’m just real upset by all this. How about you?

Stay safe and well loyal readers and other folks. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

This was one strange racin’ schedule week to my way of thinkin’. The Trucks raced on Wednesday, the only such day race this season. Imagine that. Why Duck and I had been so busy durin’ the early part of the week that we pert near missed the race. We just got lucky, thank our good and gracious Lord. Curly Sadler landed the pole followed by Piquet, Jr, Handsome Hornaday, that Gaughan Boy and Buescher. For those who want to know Happy Man started 6th, Rock’em Sock’em started 12th, Rowdy Boy started 7th and WOG started 17th. To Duck’s dismay Flippin’ Carl didn’t run this race. The rest you can look up. So with last minute knowledge of this race and no snacks prepared Duck and I piled on the divan and quacked and cheered as they waved the green flag.

Course we all know what a wild, excitin’ place Bristol is and with Happy Man and Rowdy Boy runnin’ this race ya just don’t know what to expect or when to expect it if ya know what I mean. More on that later too. Anyway, this was an action packed event as is the usual at Bristol. 200 laps goes pretty fast at Bristol. Can’t do a lap by lap deal but Handsome Hornaday wrecked on lap 10. Seems his bad luck this year just keeps on comin’. Paludo’s engine blew up on lap 90 and then on lap 100 Rowdy Boy’s day ended when he hit the wall while he was tryin’to pass Curly Sadler. Sad for Rowdy and Paludo I say! Anyway this is an interestin’ deal here with Rowdy and Curly cause Curly who usually drives for Happy Man was drivin’ for another guy. Seems they both had different takes on the accident. Nothin’ new about that cause each driver sees that stuff differently but I gotta say more on this later, too. Anyway Happy Man took the lead from Jason White on lap 98 and held it to the end. Good for him I say. This was his 3rd Truck race in a row and his 3rd win in the Trucks Series in a row. This might be one of the reasons Rowdy Boy was all bent out of shape. Well that and the fact that he didn’t get the chance to battle his best buddy Happy but like I said more on this whole thingie later. Anyway, Rock’em Sock’em finished 2nd followed by Bodine, Buescher and Peters. For those who want to know WOG finished 3 laps down in 23rd, Handsome Hornaday finished 24th and Curly finished 9th. Rock’em Sock’em kept the points lead by 8 and the rest you can look up.

Next up we waited until Friday when the Nationwide drivers took to the track. Now Duck was a happy critter cause his idol was racin’ in this here event. We got our snacks of deep fried chicken liver bits and fresh made lemonade on the crates and quacked and cheered as Rowdy Boy lead the field to green followed by teammate Wide Smilin’, Curly Sadler. Funny Man Wallace and Leffler. For those who want to know, Flippin’ Carl started 6th, Bowyer started 9th, Baby Face Bayne started 7th and the rest you can look up. So with that lineup Curly started right behind Rowdy Boy. Duck and I were so interested to see what was gonna happen between those two that we nearly busted a gut quackin’ and cheerin’ as they waved that green flag. Wasn’t much to that concern cause Rowdy boy goosed that car and jotted out in front of Wide Smilin’ immediately.

On lap 35 Reuti Tootie spun out after he and Kutie Kahne got together. Not sure about that deal. May have been an on purpose thingie. Looked that way to Duck and me, course that’s neither here nor there and that wound up bein’ the first caution. They ran green until lap 125 when Clements had a flat tire. Pit stops put Bowyer in the lead. Then the 3rd caution came out when Funny Man brushed the wall and Bowyer was still leadin’. Caution 2 was on lap 145 when Kligerman spun. Kyle took the lead again on lap 178. Another caution on lap 191 had Wide Smilin’ in the lead cause he stayed out but on 206 Rowdy took the lead again makin’ him and teammate 1 and 2 again and they finished that way! Good for them I say! Bowyer finished 3rd followed by Bowyer, Flippin’ Carl and AA. For those who want to know Curly finished 8th, Speedy Reed finished 12th, Baby Face finished 13th and the rest you can look up. Stenhouse, Jr maintianed the points lead over Curly by 5 and the rest you can look up too. Duck handled his idol’s finish right well. I just never know what to expect from Duck anymore. Course that’s neither here nor there.

So Saturday we were ready for 500 laps of action. Yessirree! With left over chicken liver bits and freshly made lemonade on the crates Duck and I were on our feet quackin’ and cheerin’ as Flyin’ Ryan lead the field to the start/finish line followed by Flippin’ Carl, Robo Kennseth, Jeffie Boy, and Cutie Mark Martin. For those who want to know same champ Jimmie started 13th, JR started 22nd and Good Bad Brad started 8th. The rest you can look up.

The action started from the get go and Jeffie took the lead on lap 5. By lap 12 Flippin’ Carl moved into 2nd. Duck was havin’ himself a quackin’ fit, I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now! Oh it was excitin’! By lap 19 Jeffie started lappin’ the field. First caution was for debris on lap 32. Good Bad Brad stayed out and was the leader on the restart on lap 37 but on the next lap Robo Man took it away from him. By lap 72 Bowyer and Smoke went a lap down. Doesn’t take long at this place if ya know what I mean. Another caution for debris came out on lap 103 and same champ Jimmie won that race off pit road. Kvapil blew an engine on lap 128 so caution 3 came out. Same Champ still was the leader. Jeffie retook the lead on lap 183. That boy was doin’ great to my way of thinkin’! By lap 208 only 24 cars were on the lead lap. Like I said it doesn’t take long!

After pitstops Robo and Jeffie were the top 2 racers on lap 257! Jeff retook the lead on lap 266, though. Again that boy was like greased lightnin’! Duck and I pretty much think he is the one to beat! Can’t do a lap by lap deal here. It’s gettin’ late and you can look it up just like I did. But I will say 3 more caution flags waved. Good Bad Brad took the lead on lap 421 and stayed there to win that race. Now that boy is the perfect example of how fit thee drivers are. After his accident and racin’ with a broken ankle that boy has come back to win at Bristol. Good for him I say! Burns my buttons when those Barber Shop Bozos say the drivers don’t need to be fit cause all they do is drive. Course they sure notice how fit that Go Daddy unzipped girl is! Personally I think that goop they put on those few hairs on their heads sinks in to their brains and makes them stupider than they used to be. I’m not sure but I’m just sayin’. Anyway Truex, Jr finished 2nd followed by Jeffie, same champ Jimmie and that darlin’ Jamie McMurray! Good for all of ‘em I say. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl finshed 9th to Duck’s dismay, Jr finished 16th, Rowdy Boy finished 14th and the rest you can look up. Rowdy and same champ Jimmie are tied for the top 2 spots in the standin’s and Flippin’ Carl is in 4th 35 points behind. I am still tryin’ to get Duck to look at the big picture here. He stomped off to his room followin’ the race and I heard a big bang and then a whole lot of very low, grumblin’ soundin’ quacks. Serves him right if he was kickin’ stuff in there. So as the noise continued on in to the night I chuckled my way to peaceful slumber.

Now for some other stuff. Guess y’all heard Go Daddy Danica’s news about next season. Good Bad Brad tweeted this, “Her assent up the ladder of the sport thru various branding techniques only serves to undermine the … future credibility of female racers who wish to make it based on skill, mental toughness and a never give up attitude.” He said somethin’ about openin’ a pandoras box and that if she doesn’t make it that could very well close the door for other female racers for years to come. GOOD for Good Bad, I say! That boy is as smart as he is tough!

And for the next other stuff I want to comment on the Rowdy Boy/Happy Man/Curly Sadler issue. Oh my good and gracious LORD how silly can one great driver be? Well quite a bit to this granny’s way of thinkin’. Rowdy Boy is claimin’ that Curly wrecked him because his owner/usual bossman in the Nationwide Series is his biggest rival Happy Man Harvick. Now I guess if ya stretch your imagination a good bit you could come up with that line of thinkin’ but if ya look at the footage it sure appears that Busch cut down on Curly and then hit the wall. Course Rowdy had to get even and rammed Curly before goin’ behind the wall. That’s a whole lot of damaged cars and money involved in all that Tom follery. And it aint even Rowdy’s or Elliott’s vehicles and therefore money for cryin’ out loud. I’m thinkin’ Coach Joe (Busch’s Nationwide & Sprint Cup boss) needs to take that boy out behind the shop shed, if they have one, and straighten out that boy’s tail feathers a bit. Know what I mean?

And finally I want us all to pray for all those people affected by Miss nasty Irene. Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected. People have lost their lives, homes and businesses damaged or destroyed, lost all they own, hearts broken and lives changed forever. If ya don’t know how to pray just say this, “Our good and gracious Lord please grant strength and love to all those affected durin’ the horrible destruction of this past weekend and we ask this in your son’s most precious name. Amen.”

So that’s it for now. Next week is Atlanta. Email, comment or don’t and you know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

No race on Friday. Nossirree! Saturday the Trucks were in Michigan, home of the famous Mr. Excitement/ Big Brother Kurt incident 8 years ago and Nationwide ran up in the Northern other country in Montreal. So Duck and I settled in with no snacks but some cold Ice Tea on the crates and we cheered and honked (Duck has a cold) as the green flag waved. Crafty Matt led the field followed by Todd, Handsome Hornaday, cutie Mark Martin and Kligerman. For those who want to know Happy Man started 6th, WOG started 10th, Rowdy Boy started 13th and Rock’em Sock’em started 14th. The rest you can look up.

Michigan is one of those tracks where the racers get real serious and after business right off the bat. And they did, yessirree! Oh my good and gracious LORD, those boys were goin’ 4 and 5 wide in rapid fashion. AS we sometimes see, those who qualified real good weren’t so good durin’ the race or had a bunch of badness happenin’ to them. Handsome Hornaday was one of ‘em, let me tell you that one somethin’ right now. And as is the case sometimes some of ‘em who weren’t that good in the beginnin’ got better. Poor Papis had an accident on the second lap but was able to finish the race and ended up in the 19th place. Rowdy Boy ran over a part of someone’s window and it went right through the radiator so he was out of competin’ on lap 63. Fuel mileage took Crafty Matt’s chance of winnin’ away. He stayed out too long and ran out of gas. And then he tangled up WOG, Kligerman, and Armstrong within the last 13 laps which led to several restarts. Yessirree, those boys were gettin’ after business and it just plain didn’t work for some of ‘em. But it worked for Happy who took the lead and kept it through a green/white/checkered finish. GOOD for him I say. And with that win Happy Man became the 1st and only driver to have ever win at that track between all 3 series so another GOOD for him I say. Peters, Paludo, Buescher and Starr rounded out the top 5. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday finished 7th, cutie Martin finshed 14th, WOG finished 22nd just below Crafty Matt and Rowdy Boy finished 25th. The rest you can look up. Rock’em Sock’em still is the points leader with Buescher in 2nd and WOG in 3rd. The rest of that you can look up to.

Next up the Nationwide guys and 2 girls headed to Canada with a whole bunch of road course dandies. I told Duck I was pretty sure one of ‘em would wind up winnin’. The mornin’ had looked good but durin’ the race there were storm clouds formin’ so those boys and 2 girls needed to get that race at least half way done. Jacques Villeneuve took the pole followed by Tagliani, Leffler, Scott Speed and McDowell. Flippin’ Carl started 14th to Duck’s dismay, Curly Sadler started 16th, Aussie Man started 9th, Rusty’s boy started 7th and Carpentier who was retirin’ after this race started 32nd and RG started 6th. The rest you can look up.

74 laps down’t sound like much of a race but let me tell you one somethin’ right now, this race was amazin’. Every lap was action packed and after the race at the Glen Duck and I are definite fans, of road course racin’ for now at least. So when they waved the flag Duck with his cold and I stood up and honked and cheered as 2 Canadians had the top 2 spots. Villeneuve cleared for the lead. Lap 2 saw a couple of pit stops and several more followed before lap 10. Danica girl smacked in to Annett on lap 11 and the Dufault girl spun 2 laps later and then again 3 laps after that. By lap 21 Villeneuve had the lead again and Aussie Man was in 3rd. Duck and I were cheerin’ and honkin’. I admit I was surprised cause Duck’s idol wasn’t doin’ all that great. I think he was havin’ problems with his car early on. By lap 25 Aussie was in 2nd but quite a bit behind Jacques. After pit stop Robby was leadin’. We like Robby so we were on our feet for him.

On lap 44, with half way out of the way and it was an “official race”, Villeneuve banged into Aussie and then Aussie banged back on the same lap. Villeneuve got the worst of this deal and never recovered really. Robby’s car caught fire with 7 laps to go and brought out the last caution. Sad for him I say. Green flag waved for Aussie Man who won with a nice lead. GOOD for him I say makin’ a Cup and Nationwide win for him in 2 weeks! Tagliani finished 2nd followed by McDowell, Rusty’s boy and Fitzpatrick. Carpentier never made it to the end and retired with an unfinished race so sad for him I say! For those who want to know Fliipin’ Carl finished 7th, Curly finished 10th and Robby finished a fire hot 31st. Stenhouse, Jr holds the points lead followed by Curly, Speedy Reed, Allgaier and Almirola. The rest you can look up. Duck and I both went to bed all fired up over that day’s race viewin’. Not sure what Duck was thinkin’ about his idol but I didn’t ask so with peace reinin’ in my home I drifted off to sleep.

With snacks on the crates and mornin’ chores mostly done, Duck and I settled in on the divan for the Cup race. One of last weeks news maker, Biffle, grabbed the pole followed by Robo, Flyin’ Ryan, Wide Smilin’ and cutie Martin. Good Bad Brad started 6th, Jr started 8th and the rest you can look up. Anyway, by lap 37 Flippin’ Carl is in the garage with engine trouble. Oh the moaning goin’ on on that end of the divan! Biffle cleared the field from the get go and held it right well leadin’ so many laps of the first 90 or so except for results of pit stops when he pitted again and Lally took the lead but when Lally pittied Biffle regained the lead but on the next lap Rowdy Boy passed him. Then Kutie Kasey lead after pits stops for a spell then on lap 121 Jeffie lead until 125 when Robo and Jeffie battled back and forth. Can’t and won’t do a lap by lap so in the end after a green/white/checkerd caused when Big Brother Busch hit the wall, Rowdy boy just did the best job and won! Good for him I say! Same Champ Jimmie came home 2nd followed by Good Bad Brad, Cutie Martin and Flyin’ Ryan. Jr finished 14th after what Duck and I think was a questionable call for a pit stop when the other leaders didn’t pit on that last caution, Flippin’ Carl finished 36th with a broke car and the rest you can look up. It was an excitin’ race too to my way of thinkin’. Duck was thinkin’ somethin’ else obviously cause he was silent and went to his room only to emerge a couple hours later for food. Poor Duck, he was silent a good portion of the rest of the day. Rowdy remains the leader in the points with same Champ Jimmie 10 points behind. The rest of that you can look up too. Durin’ the night I heard some duckly cryin’ comein’ from Duck’e room. I didn’t go in there. He needs to learn to handle the results of a race like a big duck. Know what I mean? But it did keep me awake a good portion of the night so I slept in a little late this mornin’ resultin’ in this late report. I apologize loyal readers and other folks.

Now for the other stuff. I mentioned awhile back about some of those pit calls from the JR team and I felt bad about that cause those 2 work so well together but the last one yesterday, as I said seems amazin’ given the leaders ahead of him didn’t pit. Not bad mouthin’ anyone here, I’m just thinkin’ and wonderin’ why is all.

Also seems the Biffle and Boris show ended nicely without any fur flyin’ or any penalties so good for them I say! And finally I really like Rowdy’s commercial where he keeps callin’ Denny and wakes him up the night before a race. Seems like an onry thingie he might do considerin’ he snickers at the end real like. But, if he’s keepin’ Denny awake with those calls isn’t he keepin’ himself awake too? Just a pondersome one somethin’ I was thinkin’ and wonderin’ about. Course it’s not real stuff, is it?

Next up is Bristol Thursday through Saturday so enjoy your Sunday off. Anyway, there ya have it. Email, comment or don’t. ‘Til next time. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

First off the Trucks had the weekend off. Good for them I say! And the Nationwide and Cup guys were, as you are knowin’, doin’ the Glen thingie. So on Saturday we settled in with our mid day, easy eatin’ snacks and Coke Zero on the crates, mine in a glass and Duck’s in a bowl. It’s easier that way so as me not havin’ to hold it up for him every time he has an urge for thirst if ya know what I mean. Anyway, Big Brother Busch was subbin’ for Good Bad Brad and landed the pole followed by Rowdy Boy, Flippin’ Carl, Curly Sadler and Fellows. For those who want to know Same Champ Jimmie decided to throw his helmet in to the racin’ event and started 6th. Duck and I found that interestin’ and wondered what would happen if he and Kurt got a chance to have at it after all that big talkin’ he did last week but more on that later. The rest you can look up. So with hope for Duck’s idol we cheered and quacked as the green flag flew.

The threat of rain was loomin’ big let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now so everybody was gettin’ busy from the get go. Right off the bat Big Brother in his borrowed car took care of Little Brother in rapid fashion and Duck’s idol moved to 3rd. Oh the quackin’ and cheerin’ goin’ on. By lap 9 or so Rowdy left his brother in the loop and took the lead but then on the next lap Big Brother took it back. A few laps later Rowdy had to pit cause he used his car as a lawn mower. Not on purpose of course but his car was overheartin’. Curly was headed backwards. After pitstops Same Champ Jimmy had a drive through cause he left with the gas can still stickin’ in the tank and Rowdy had the lead again. He kept it for quite awhile but with 7 laps to go and a lot of Big Brother on his rear, Rowdy got passed by Kurt. There was a get together with McClure and Roderick on the next lap and caution came out makin’ for a GWC with Kurt, Flippin Carl, Same Champ Jimmie, Rowdy and Wide Smilin’ roundin’ out the top 5. On the next to the last lap Jimmie took 2nd and Duck and I were crazy wild wonderin’ if those top 2 would have another “incident” but Kurt won. Good for him I say. Even Duck was cheerin’! Same Champ Jimmie finished 2nd followed by Wide Smilin’, Rowdy and Flippin’ Carl. Good for all of them I say! Duck took his idol’s finish right well so good for Duck (and therefore me) I say, too! For those who want to know Curly finished 10th. The rest you can look up.

Next day the Cup race was scheduled but the rain wound up causin’ it to be postponed until Monday. Course that switched up Duck’s and my work schedule, but, it was the same for pert near everybody everywhere if ya know what I mean. Anyway the race was to begin at 10 their time and it started right on time. Yessirree, Duck and I were ready. No snacks today. We ate breakfast and cleaned the dishes with me washin’ and Duck dryin’. On time we settled in for the race. Right off the bat they were announcin’ rain drops, so we crossed our fingers as the green flag waved for Rowdy Boy, Allmendinger, Aussie Ambrose, Same Champ Jimmie and Juan-toya. For those who want to know Jeffie started 17th, JR started 25th, Smoke started 7th and to Duck’s dismay Flippin” Carl started 8th. The rest you can look up.

On the 1st lap Allendinger got past Rowdy for the lead then on lap 2 Aussie Ambrose took 2nd away from Rowdy. Big Brother Busch went down a lap by lap 6 cause of a spin. Then that cutie Aussie Ambrose took the lead on lap 9. Pit stop mixed up the lead several times and the 1st caution came out on lap 28. After pit stop Aussie is the leader again. More up front mixin’ up happened as is usual. At halfway Rowdy Boy was in the lead. Then the 2nd caution 4 laps later was for Big Brother Busch who spun and hit the tire wall which finshed his day as I recall. On the restart Rowdy was the leader again and JR had taken 3rd place. Duck was unhappy about Flippin’ Carl but I just let him pout it out. Poor Hamlin hit the wall when a tire blew which caused caution 3. Restart had Rowdy out front again. With under 10 laps left it was the Rowdy and Aussie show. Wow we were cheerin’ and quackin’, but the 4th yellow flag was for Indy winner when he blew tire, hit a wall and left a big mess all over the track. That made it a GWC race with Rowdy leadin’! Then it was Good Bad Brad leadin’ for a short spell but Aussie Man took it from him and made it to the checkered. It was a fantastic finish but a terrible wreck way behind them. The 2 Davids, Reuti and Ragan, tangled and Ragan hit the wall then hit Reuti who flipped and rolled. Oh my good and gracious LORD that was real scarey stuff right there let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now, so again thank our good and gracious LORD both those boys were ok! Aussie Man won so good for him I say for his 1st ever Cup win! Good Bad Brad came in 2nd followed by Rowdy Boy, Truex Jr, Wide Smilin’ and Happy Man. Good for all of them I say, too! For those who want to know, Juan-toya finished 7th, Same Champ Jimmie finished 10th, Flippin’ Carl finished 12th and Junior finshed 15th. The rest you can look up.

Course Duck was unhappy about his idol’s finish. And now he knows Rowdy took the points lead but I remedied that by tellin’ Duck they are tied for now. That helped a little but he knows Rowdy has 2 wins to Flippin’s 1 so I don’t know what tonight will offer. Sad for Flippin’, Duck and me, too, I say.

Now for some other stuff. This year with the “have at it” rulin’ by NASCAR some of these boys are havin’ at it. Course they get handled, but, I’m just sayin’ they are tryin’. This weekend Same Champ Jimmie had lots to say about Big Brother Busch and their “togetherness” at Pocono followin’ last weekend’s race. Jimmie said Kurt’s mouth is what gets him in trouble. Course we all remember the punch Kurt got from Mr. Excitement in the garage area at Michigan in 2003 after Kurt kept tellin’ Jimmy to punch him, so Jimmy did and they both got in trouble. Now a different Jimmy has a problem with Kurt’s mouth. Who knows where that will lead but it’s worth watchin’ for if ya know what I mean. Kurt says he is “in” Jimmie’s head. Well apparently he is. Shoot Fuzzy, that incident looked like a tit for tat deal to Duck and I. Rubbin’ is racin’ afterall. Right? This granny says whatever!

Then today after the race we had a good look at Big Boris Said goin’ after Biffle. Well accordin’ to Boris, durin’ the race he had let his people know to tell Greg’s people that they were gonna talk after the race, but again accordin’ to Boris, Biffle didn’t even let him out of the car before Biffle “throws a few little baby punches”. Boris called him a chump and said Biffle, “needs a frickin’ whippin’.” He called him a “scaredy cat” also and said Biffle had a problem with 1 finger on 1 hand. Woowee! That Boris is a really BIG guy! If Greg shows up at a race with a black eye, maybe Big Boris found him, after all. I’m not wishin’ somethin’. I’m just sayin’.

This year there have been quite a few deulin’ duos…Happy/Rowdy, Robby/Conway, Rowdy/Childress and now Said/Biffle. Bet there will be some announcements comin’ from Daytona on this one. So boys if you’re gonna have at it, do it away from the track for Pete’s sake. So there ya have it ’til next time. Email, comment or don’t and you know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

Saturday was supposed to be a 2 race event day split between 2 tracks and 2 states, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Yessirree she did! First off the Campin’ World Truck Series was scheduled to run at Pocono. Oh my good and gracious LORD, Duck and I love that track but who doesn’t? Oh wait, Peyton Sellers doesn’t but more on that later too.

The race started on time with a regular, so to speak, prayer and all. Happy Man grabbed the pole with his good best buddy Rowdy Boy in 2nd followed by Piquet, Jr,. Parker Kligerman and cutie Mark Marin. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday started 7th, WOG started 8th, and Rock’em Sock’em qualified 16th but didn’t started there. He missed the drivers meetin’ so he wound up at the rear end (more on him later too) along with Peyton Sellers who blew an engine before the race. Anyway, the rest you can look up. The skies were lookin’ dreary, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Duck and I had an early breakfast so we didn’t think we needed snacks, so with full tummies we cheered and quacked as the green flag flew. Pretty quick like Cole Whitt had a tire issue and 1st caution came out. When they restarted around lap 6 they had another caution right away cause cutie Martin had transmission problems which caused a mess involvin’ Lofton, Gaughan and White.

Seemed like this race was wrought with problems for quite a few drivers, if ya know what I mean. But not for Happy Man. Nossirree. Why even Happy’s BFF had a smokin’ tire problem at one point. Then the rains came at lap 17 and when the leaders pitted Kligerman stayed out for 1st place. Then they red flagged the race and it was postponed until the next mornin’. So we had to get ourselves some food together and change our plans accordin’ly. Next day they restarted early, which meant I cooked early and Duck and I had our biscuits and gravy on the crates. When they got the green, with mouths full we quacked and cheered…gravy flyin’ everywhere. Oh well, I said and the race was on. Can’t do a lap by lap but with 14 laps to go they were up to caution 6 when Peyton Sellers went spinnin’ and stalled on the access road. Then the 7th and final caution made for a GWC makin’ enough fuel a concern. LORD have mercy this race was amazin’. Happy won and his BFF finished where he started too. Buescher, Rock’em Sock’em and WOG rounded out the top 5. GOOD for all of ‘em I say! Handsome finished 9th and poor Peyton Sellers finished 25th 2 laps down. The rest you can look up and if your interested WOG lost the points lead to Rock’em Sock’em by 5 points.

Ok now let’s back up to Saturday again to the Nationwide race at Iowa. Whewee, if you’re confused deal with it. Know what I mean? I’m just tryin’ to give ya the facts. Anyway, the race got underway with Cutie Curly on the pole followed by Baby Face, Hornish, Stenhouse, Jr and Herring. For those who want to know, and a disappointed Duck and I did, Flippin’ Carl started 17th, Sorenson started 16th, and Funny Man Wallace started 8th. The rest you can look up. We had snacks ready on the crates awaitin’ and quacked and cheered as they went green. Duck was optimistic for Flippin’ Carl, thank our good and gracious LORD. We had a chat about that before the race and then we settled in for a wild race. Yessirree! Cutie Curly started fallin’ back right away, poor dear. Baby Face held the lead for 13 laps when Hornish took over the top spot. Then the 1st caution came out on lap 21. Hornish held the lead when the 2nd caution came out on lap 47 when Jamie Dick hit the wall. I heard a noise on the porch about 10 laps after the green, got up to see what it was and Duck took to quackin’ and yellin’. Why he scared this granny right out of her socks! Flippin’ Carl took the lead! I forgot myself for a few seconds and started quackin’ too! Thank our good and gracious LORD no one else was here to hear that!

Then on lap 99 or so Stenhouse, Jr. passed teammate Flippin’ Carl for the lead. That didn’t last long. Then the war was on between those 2. Back and forth they went. Duck and I made ourselves dizzy gettin’ up and down cheerin’ and quackin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. No lap by lap here either. Stenhouse had the lead on the final lap with Flippin’ Carl close behind. Then Steenhouse had a flat tire comin’ to the checkered. With the smoke and all Carl couldn’t see and hoped he would clear Ricky but just rammed right into that boy pushin’ him over the finish line as they were swervin’! GOOD for Stenhouse I say and for Flippin’ Carl too! Oh my good and gracious LORD what a race! Course those two have a history that continues apparently, but boys will be boys and teammates will get miffed with each other. Oh how it warms this granny’s heart to see good. not so friendly competition. Reminds me of back in the day when Elmer and Bubba ate a LOT of my red hot chili and later on had an issue with each other over who got to the outhouse first. LORDIE how those boys had their rambunctious fun, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway Curly rallied back to finish 3rd followed by Josh Wise and AA. The rest you can look up. Speedy Reedy is now 12 points behind Stenhouse in the standin’s. I truly did think, when I had time to collect myself after that wild finish, that Duck would go off and pout like he always does when his idol doesn’t win, but I was right proud of him. Yessirree! He did go to his room, but, I could hear him for quite some time in there sayin’ “yes, yes” in his cute quacky, duckly voice. Oh how I love that Duck!

Now let’s get back to Sunday, Pocono and the Cup boys! Rain was reported on the radar so nobody knew what was gonna happen or when. Wide Smilin’ had the pole followed by Kutie Kahne, Truex, Flippin’ Carl and Kurt. For those who want to know same Champ Jimmie started 18th, JR started 19th, Rowdy Boy started 11th and Smoke started 28th. The rest you can look up.

Wide Smilin’ pulled out front and held everybody else off until the first caution came out when Rowdy Boy spun on lap 10. Then on lap 14 Rowdy was told he pitted for tires too soon and had to start at the rear after pitstops. At around lap 23 Kurt Boy took the lead. Duck and I were cheerin’! We like that boy but it didn’t last long cause Hamlin took the lead! I’ll tell ya, Rowdy was knockin’ off spots right and left in his bid to get back to the front. That boy was like greased lightnin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Then on lap 41 all ducky cheers broke out! Flippin’ Carl took the lead but then he pitted next lap. Hamlin lead again after pitstops and Kurt Boy is holdin’ on to second.

No laps by laps as you well know. Sometime later Rowdy Boy took the lead. Then Hamlin again. It started rainin’ lightly around half way but the boys stayed on the track, thank our good and gracious LORD! Jr was doin’ good. Got up in the top 10 several times. The pit strategies that team has makes me wonder sometimes, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, on lap the 123 rain caution finally happened and then the field was red flagged. Oh how Duck and I hate it when that happens, but so do the fans in the grandstands. Know what I mean? Anyway, after and hour and a half plus they went green again with Bad Brad in the lead but then Kurt Boy took the lead. That boy has been amazin’ of late but brother Rowdy took it away and then Bad Brad took it away from him. Oh the excitement! I was amazed that Duck wasn’t havin’ fits about Flippin’ Carl. He was in the top 10 but Duck idolizes him. I think there was just so much action goin’ on Duck was mesmerized. Anyway with 10 to go it was the Bad Brad and Rowdy Boy show and Bad Brad won! GOOD for injured him I say! Rowdy Boy finished 2nd ahead of his brother, then same champ Jimmie and Flyin’ Ryan. For those who want to know Jeffie finished 6th, Flippin’ Carl 7th, JR came home 9th and Indie Boy finished 10th. The rest you can look up. Duck and I were worn out. We snacked lightly and settled down for sleep.

Now for the other stuff. The driver of the #66 truck sure had a rough time this weekend. When his hauler arrived at Pocono on Thursday it hit the flag stand and tore it down. Then that poor fellow had a fire in the engine and had to start the race at the rear of the field. Then if none of that was enough that poor boy went to spinnin’ with 14 laps to go and stalled on the access road as granny reported above which caused a caution…sad, sad, SAD for him I say. Hope he went home and got some rest. That child needed it. Bet he ain’t lookin’ forward to that place again! Nossirree!

Now for Rock’em Sock’em Sauter. That boy is the points leader so far. As I said above he missed the drivers meetin’ and had to go to the rear. Then it was announced today that his truck failed post race inspection with the right rear height. SAD for him I say cause penalties are a comin’.

And finally y’all know about Bad Brad’s horrible wreck durin’ practice at Road America last week. That poor boy was so bunged up. Had a fracture to his foot, all kinds of brusin’ and aches and pains. And then that boy drove the heck out of his car anyway. And then won! That was amazin’. I call him Bad Brad because when my grandkiddies were growin’ up they called good thingies “bad”. Crazy kids! So good Brad became Bad Brad. Durin’ his pit road interview he said he was no hero and that the military guys who died this past week in the helicopter crash were the heroes and that he just drives a race car. Oh my good and gracious LORD….GOOD for that boy I say. I’m real proud of him and his thoughts so from now on Granny is gonna call him Good Bad Brad! That’s a double good to my way of thinkin’.

So, there ya have it ’til next time. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

The trucks did their mostly normal Friday appearance at the LOR. I can’t get used to this track bein’ called Lucas Oil raceway. I liked it best when it was called IRP or even ORP. Course that’s neither here nor there since this is the last race for the Trucks and Nationwide Series there but I’m just sayin’. Anyway I wrongly figured since this was a race at a newly named track Duck and I should experience new snacks for our race viewin’ pleasure. I chose carrot sticks and those broccoli floret thingies with ranch dressin’ and cold lemonade. I got it all set up on the crates, turned on the TV and told Duck to dig in. Oh my good and gracious LORD! Duck did ok with pickin’ his choice of veggie but dippin’, well that was just a disaster! When he went to dip the bowl flew off the crate spillin’ the lemonade everywhere. The dip landed on my feet, splashed up on him and he took to havin’ a ragin’ fit. Why I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. So some 10 minutes and a less that perfect cleanup later Duck had a bowl of previously dipped veggies, I had some chips and neither one of us had lemonade.

Anyway the winemaker’s older grandson Austin (from here on out abbreviated to WOG which I guess means the younger one named Ty will have to be known as WYG) snagged the pole followed by Curly Sadler, J Coulter, Rock’em Sock’em and Handsome Hornaday. 2 pretty girlies started this race too. Johanna Long in 13th, good for her I say, and JJ Cobb in last so sad for her I say. So with sticky feet and still a bit of a mess about us we managed somewhat of a cheer and quack as the green flag flew.

This was just good short track racin’ if ya know what I mean! It really was. In no time at all the field was startin’ to get lapped. Duck and I admit to cheerin’ for Handsome Hornaday. I reckon it isn’t nice for us to say that, writin’ a race report and all, but he is just a character and racer we have come to like. You have favorites, right? So with all that said, which is neither here nor there, we felt for Hornaday. He has had a bit of a tough year. Course so has everyone else in that series. He won a race and there are 9 different winners so far this year. None of the regulars have a repeat win but Rowdy Boy has 5 wins. That affects the regulars in a big way! And as far as the points standin’s then it comes down to the number of poles and the number of top 5′s and 10′s.

This was another of those fuel mileage/pit strategy deals. No lap by lap as y’all know so in the end Timothy Peters, now to be known here as TP, got his first win. GOOD for him I say! James Buescher, Starr, Paludo and Hornaday rounded out the top 5. For those who want to know, WOG finished 8th, Rock’em Sock’em finished 23rd 4 laps down. The girlies: Johanna Long finished 17th 2 laps down and JJ Cobb finished 32nd 13 laps down. The rest you can look up.

Next up was the final race at LOR for the Nationwide Series on Saturday. No snacks today for us. Nossirree! If we needed or wanted somethin’ we had to go get it. Why my floor was still sticky which is neither here nor there. Anyway Duck was excited cause you know who was runnin’. No DNQ’s that day! All prayers this week were a more standard prayer before the race but Duck looked a bit sad for such. I smiled understandin’ly cause I liked Rev Nelms a LOT, too. Anyway, Stenhouse Jr started on the pole followed by Bad Brad, Flippin’ Carl, Allgaier and Baby Face Bayne. For those who want to know WOG started 12th, Funny Man Wallace started 11th behind his nephew (he’s has been doin’ really good of late so Good for him I say!) and Curly Sadler started dead last after an accident durin’ qualifyin’ so SAD for him I say) The rest you can look up.

This was one of those milder short track races for awhile to our way of thinkin’ except for Flippin’ Carl reachin’ 2nd around lap 26 or so, but when they woke up oh my good and gracious LORD we had ourselves a RACE. Yessirree! The first caution resulted in pitstops, of course, and when Flippin’ Carl came out 1st sticky winged Duck, and me of course, quacked and cheered! Course on that same lap Stenhouse took it away so Duck sat back down all sad like. I told him to just hold on cause there was lots of racin’ left but that didn’t do much good! That Stenhouse boy was just a rocket and had himself a right good space over Carl within 20 laps. Curly sadler was just amazin’. He was knockin’ off positions right and left. Yessirree he was awesome. By early in the 2nd half that boy was up to 4th and Bad Brad was worryin’ some folks with some mysterious rearend smoke but he was holdin’ his own in the top 10. Then it happened…a nasty wreck on lap 175 with Annett, Andrews and Rusty’s boy. They rightly red flagged the race. Took 5 minutes or so to get the field movin’ again after clearin’ away the mess so when they pitted Flippin’ Carl got a speedin’ penalty and that basically did his winnin’ bid in! Oh you can imagine the goin’s on from Duck’s end of the divan. I just ignored him. Yessirree! I was gonna enjoy myself. 3rd caution came out cause Baby Face lost an engine. Sad for him I say. The Allgaier’s car caught fire underneath. SCAREY for him I say, but he headed to pitroad, got out safely so sad and good for him I say! Then a 4th caution came out when Curly and WOG wrecked. Oh sad for them both too! A green/white/checkered resulted in his 2nd win of this season for Bad Brad. GOOD for him I say! That mystery smoke didn’t hurt that boy one iota, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. GOOD for him I say! I like that boy! Duck went to his room! James Buescher finished 2nd followed by Stenhouse, Jr, AA and Flippin’ Carl. For those who want to know Speedy Reedy finished 9th, Joe Nemechek finished 7th (GOOD for him I say!), Funny man finished 12th and Baby Face finished 28th. The rest you can look up!

Sunday was the Big Boys at the big track. Now I’m not demeanin’ the other series in anyway whatsoever. Just mean Cup boys at Indy. This is a place that all those drivers want to race and win at. We had snacks of chips and Coke Zero. It seemed easier and less to go through what we did on Friday. David Ragan started on the pole followed by Kutie Kahne, same champ Jimmie, Kurt Busch and Bad Brad. For those who want to know Rowdy Boy started 29th, JR. started 22nd, Flippin’ Carl started 10th and Jeffie started 8th. The rest you can look up.

It was a hot one for those boys. Course it had been that way all weekend. Anyone who says those drivers are fit athletes have their collar too tight messin’ up their thinkin’ if ya know what I mean! So with renewed hope and enthusiasm Duck quacked and I cheered as the race got underway! Kutie Kahne didn’t waste any time takin’ the lead on the first lap. Nossirree! Why those boys decided to get after stuff right away! 4 wide racin”! It was excitin’! Bad Brad was backin’ up a bit. Felt sorry for Kurt when he hit the wall early on but he seemed to be doin’ ok early. When the 1st round of pitstops began the lead was passed around between several drivers as is usual. Smoke hit the commitment cone on his entrance and had to serve a drive through. Sad for him I say! When the pitstop was over Kutie Kasey was back on top and 3 of Hendrick’s cars were in the top 10. JR had a run in with Wide smilin’ Lagano early on so that may well have kept him mired midpack. We were rootin’ for him, but Jeffie was the star of that stable all day long. He was runnin’ up front all day. Course not in the lead but still upfront. Good for him I say! JR did make it to the lead for a short spell. Oh I was yellin’ like a crazy woman, but, it didn’t last long sadly. Jeffie got the lead from him the next lap. And poor Flippin’ Carl was just fallin’ farther and farther behind to Duck’s dismay. Sad for him I say! Paul Menard took the lead after pitstops followin’ the 2nd caution but that also went away. Then the 3rd caution came out when Rowdy Boy hit the wall. Sad for him I say! Pit stops again shuffled up the lead. Oh I could go on and on but as I’ve said before the last lap is what counts most at the bank. When Menard got hold of the 1st spot he had no intentions of lettin’ Jeffie by. Oh Jeff tried, he really did and he was catchin’ Paul but he just plain ran out of time. Menard won his 1st ever Sprint Cup race! He wanted it so badly for his daddy and they all, family and crew got to kiss those bricks, Good for all of them I say. It was excitin’.

Jeffie finished 2nd followed by Smith, cutie McMurray, and Robo Kennseth. For those who want to know, Smoke came home 6th, cute smilin’ Mark finished 8th, Rowdy Boy rallied back to finish 10th. Jr finished 16th and sadly for him and Duck Flippin’ Carl finished 14th. Duck went to his room again even though I told him Flippin’ Carl still had the points lead. Sometimes he seems to get the “big picture” deal and other times he just falls short. I know he’s a duck, but he is a special race fan, died in the wool Flippin’ Carl fan duck and I guess I understand most times. Course if Carl pulls of this championship Duck will be wide smilin’ on banquet day let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now! And so will I!

As for the other stuff, I am sad for the Truck and Nationwide drivers sayin’ good bye to this week’s race track. It is fine racin’ after all. And another other stuff is the later reactions to last week’s Rev. Nelms prayer. Some called it ugly and some really liked it Duck and I bein’ among those, but, the overall majority liked it, it seems. Why I even saw ABC had 2 ministers who liked it and gave it a thumbs up so good for him and them I say!

So there ya have it. Next week is kind of a crazy schedule. Saturday has the Truck and Nationwide races. The Nationwide series heads to Iowa while the Trucks run Pocono. Then Sunday the Cup series races at Pocono. Strange arrangin’ there to my way of thinkin’. If you have some other stuff you want to discuss email, comment or don’t. It’s ok and you know why. Granny Grouch over and out!

Granny Grump

So we had ourselves only a 2 race weekend. The trucks raced Friday and Nationwide on Saturday. The Cup boys were off. Those racin’ guys and girls must have amazin’ fortitude to hold up amid the temperatures inside their cars. Know what I mean? I think one of the booth boys, maybe that handsome Mr. Rusty, said the temps inside the cars can reach 150 degrees. Woooweee! If it got that hot here why I would need myself some mighty big full body size washtub, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now and I don’t think they make them that blasted big. Do they? But enough of that stuff, I’m gettin’ uncommonly sidetracked if ya know what I mean.

All the racin’ boys and girls pretty much behaved themselves throughout the weekend. Course the most recent duelin’ duets (Happy Man/ Rowdy Boy and same champ Jimmie/Juan-toya) were somewhere else doin’ somethin’ else separately. But that mix it up rock’em sock’em stuff of back in the day sold tickets let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Course this is a different time now, a kinder, gentler 180 mph or more era I guess. So I’ve been workin’ real hard at a new age me, too. I stay out of the beauty shop with all those nitwit blue haired somethin’s and I only deal with Walter behind the meat counter when I absolutely have to. Course those crazy ol’ barber shop bozo’s I have to walk by still get under my skin but I’m workin’ on that. Well maybe.

Anyway, Winemaker Richard had himself the front row with his older grandson Austin inside and Joey Coulter outside followed by Curly Sadler, Handsome Hornaday and Timothy Peters. For those of you who want to know Rock’em Sock’em Sauter started 6th and fired then not ever fired Bodine started 21st and the two girls Johanna Long started 25th while Jennifer Jo Cobb started last. Duck was dismayed to see Flippin’ Carl wasn’t racin’ in the trucks. I explained that he can’t run every race for cryin’ out loud so with our snacks on the crates and cold tea as refreshments we cheered and quacked as the green flag flew.

150 laps was pure enjoyment. Nashville always packs a fun punch. Dillion and Rock’em Sock’em were the stars of that show let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. And that winemaker’s grandson was the fastest truck durin’ happy hour. Course he has that championship on his mind and he has to and is battlin’ Rock’em Sock’em for that. I can’t remember how many cautions there were although Duck says it was 3 but I’m not sure. Anyway I do know Sauter was in the lead on lap 127 and Dillion took it away then he sailed away to win that race. Got himself a Gibson guitar! Good for him I say! That boy is star stuff guaranteed but with a grand pappy like that it’s a fairly sure one somethin’ deal. There were only 17 cars on the lead lap at the end. And what a funny little character that Dillion Boy is! Why he stopped on the track and headed for the grass and tried to do a baseball type slide out there and wound up on his belly with his feet flyin’ in the air. No slidin’ could be done out there, nosirree. But it was cute. Dirty but cute. Rock’em Sock’em wound up 2nd followed by Timothy Peters, Piquet, Jr and Kligermann. For those who want to know Handson Hornaday’s run of bad luck continued and he finished 17th. and Bodine came home 6th. The rest you can look up. As for the points standin’s, Sauter is in the lead, Dillion is a close second and you can look up the rest of that too.

Duck and I were really lookin’ forward to the Nationwide race cause Flippin’ Carl was runnin’ in that one, thank our good and gracious LORD. Duck was so excited and I was really hopin’ Carl would do well! Actually there was only one other Cup driver in that race and that was Bad Brad who started on the pole followed by Rusty’s boy, Duck’s idol, Winemaker’s same grandson and that cute as can be Curly Sadler. The rest you can look up. So with Duck’s idol in plain view he stood up and we cheered and loudly quacked as they waved that green flag. Duck can be so cute when he is excited and happy, but when he isn’t, well, that’s neither here nor there.

Bad Brad had a real fine start. Course he was leadin’ that bunch and from the get go he got himself a real good spread on the rest. Soon enough though, to Duck’s total excitement Flippin’ Carl moved to 2nd. Somewhere around lap 50 or so the pitstops began. NASCAR with wisdom to their credit allowed one more crew member over the wall to tend to the oh so hot drivers with water and ice packs. That was a fine favor to our way of thinkin’. Sometime after the pit stops Flippin’ Carl took the lead. Oh the quackin’ goin’ on in here! But durin’ the 1st caution Carl got caught speedin’ on pit road and had to do the drive through thingie. You can just imagine how Duck reacted. Oh my good and gracious LORD! But soon enough Carl was back near the front and aimin’ for leader Bad Brad. But somethin’ was amuck with Brad’s engine and that was good news for Winemaker’s grandson who took the lead with Carl in tow. But Duck’s idol was not content to sit in 2nd. Nosirree. He took the lead lost it again to Dillion and then took it again. Oh Duck was up on his webbed feet, then down and then up again. Feathers were a flyin’ let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now, but, I didn’t care cause I was makin’ a bunch of noise and mess myself just woohooin’ all over the place. In the end Flippin’ Carl did it. He won the race, flipped and headed for the grandstands. Good for him and us I say! Oh how the fans crowded around that boy. Did Duck’s heart a world of good. Know what I mean? I was a one very happy granny. Peace would reign at home that night and Carl had himself another guitar!

Stenhouse, Jr. came home 2nd followed by the Dillion boy, Allgaier and Almirola. Good for all of them I say! Pole winner Bad Brad finished 12th but he was on the lead lap so good for him I say too! Only 13 cars finished on the lead lap and Scott Wimmer was the last of those. Reed Sorensen took the lead in the points standin’s. Good for him and sad for Curly Sadler who is 14 points and in 3rd place behind Speedy Reed. If there’s somethin’ I missed you can look it up!

Now for some other stuff. Did y’all read about that scarey wreck this weekend that cutie Kasey Kahne had in Pennsylvania when he was drivin’ one of those World Of Outlaw funny lookin’ but fast winged sprint cars? Oh that was a nasty lookin’ event let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Some driver got in to him and he took to flippin’ and flipped right over the fence! And then that boy walked away. Thank our good and gracious LORD! A BIG good for him I say!

And next up what did y’all think of the Baptist Rev. Nelms openin’ prayer? Why that preacher man asked for GOD’s blessin’s and was thankful about the cars, the engines, the tires, the fuel, his kids and his smokin hot wifey! Now some folks are bad mouthin’ this reverend, but our good and gracious Lord has said to give thanks for all things so he did! And he asked GOD’s blessin’s in JESUS name, another thing our LORD requires so what’s to ridicule here? A lot of the ministers who do the race prayers forget to say that. Course he separated the in JESUS name and the Amen with a boogity, boogity, boogity but shoot fuzzy why not? I enjoyed it, the drivers enjoyed, the fans enjoyed it and I’m thnkin’ our good and gracious LORD just may have enjoyed it. Course I am not presumin’ to speak for our LORD, I am just guessin’. Got our attention didn’t it? And we will remember that prayer for a long time to come. Do we remember any of the other race prayers? See what I mean? So a BIG GOOD for Reverend Nelms I say!

And finally I read about a sweet little sick girl who is tryin’ to help her favorite Nationwide driver Mike Harmon. What a precious little darlin’. Brought tears to this granny’s eyes let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now so if you haven’t read about it look it up.

Next week we head to Missouri. The Trucks and Nationwide do the dirt track Lucas Oil event and the Cup guys do Indy. It’s gonna be a long, HOT weekend.

So there ya have it. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Til next time Ganny Grump over and out.

Granny Grump

First up was the Natiowide Series race at New Hampshire. I always love the races there cause they’re just plain good. This was another one of those races where quite a few Cup guys competed against the regulars. Those were Bad Brad, Happy Man, Wide Smiler, Rowdy Boy, Flippin’ Carl, Kutie Kahne and Nemco Joe for those who want to know. Over the years quite a number of people have really complained about those drivers takin’ money and racin’ space away from the regular drivers cause a good many of these regular teams don’t have as much money as the Cup teams do and the winnin’s are quite a bit less too. What do you think? Anyway Bad Brad had the pole followed by Happy Man, Wide Smiler, A A and Rowdy Boy. Speedy Reed, Baby Face, Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott and Flippin’ Carl rounded out the top 10. And for those who want to know about the other Cup guys, Kutie Kahne started 12th and Nemco Joe started 16th. It is worth mentionin’ that Derrike Cope’s neice, one of pretty as can be twins that share that ride, was also racin’ so good for her/them I say! Anyway Duck and I quacked and cheered as the green flag waved.

It was excitin’ from the get go to our way of thinkin’. Course Duck was pullin’ for you know who but Rowdy Boy was on a mission. Early on Happy Man looked like the one to beat and was in lead early and quite a bit. Rowdy Boy was too. They just battled each other all day long. Before the race NASCAR warned Kevin about any trouble with Kyle and I imagine they warned Kyle about any trouble with Kevin. Course I know you’ve figured out that havin’ at it doesn’t really mean havin’ at it but it sure sounds good. Know what I mean? Anyway on lap 57 Duck and Flippin’ Carl’s hopes were dashed on pitroad. His day was done when his engine was. I worried about what I was gonna go through with Duck but I couldn’t and didn’t let it disrupt my viewin’ pleasure cause there was just too much racin’ left at that point. Know what I mean? Anyway there were a few other drivers leadin’ here and there but it really was the Happy/Rowdy or Rowdy/Happy show. I counted 8 cautions in the race but the reports say 9. I must have headed outside for a potty break and missed one I reckon. Can’t remember for certain. Anyway Steven Wallace got in to Wide Smilin’ on lap 190 causin’ a 5 car mess. Then just 6 laps later Brian Scott got in to Steven Wallace’s car in a 7 car mess and Steven got mad at Scott. Shame on him I say! Amazin’ to Duck and me when some drivers forget stuff and think their exhaust don’t stink like everyone else’s. Know what I mean? That reminds me of the time when Cousin Grouch’s husband Bubba got even with my late husband Elmer for lockin’ him in the outhouse. Bubba and Elmer had been bendin’ their elbows a bit one night on Bubba’s porch and when Elmer got up to go home he put his hat back on only to find Bubba had slipped some chicken do do in it when Elmer wasn’t lookin’. Oh Elmer was mad so I had to set him straight on that let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Course that’s neither here no there. Anyway I thought Happy Man had this race in the bag cause he was leadin’ on lap 205 but Rowdy Boy snagged the lead and kept it. Yessirree that boy won hisself his 100th win between all 3 series under a green/white/checker. And he tied Mark Martin’s 49th win in that series so GOOD for him I say! Like him or not that boy can drive. Not so Happy Man came home 2nd followed by Kahne, Stenhouse, A A, that Funny Man Wallace, Annett, Bad Brad, Steven Wallace and Allgaier. Only 18 cars finished on the lead lap and Curly Sadler remains the point leader so good for him I say! The rest you can look up.

Next up on the same day was the Truck race at Iowa. That’s a fun track for those drivers. It’s just good short track racin’ cause the track isn’t quite a mile long and this was a afternoon race. Yessirree this was gonna be good. David Mayhew landed his 1st pole in the truck series so a big good for him I say! Coulter, Buescher, Peters and Wine Maker’s grandson Austin Dillion rounded out the top 5. For those who want to know and Duck and I certainly did, Handsome Hornaday started 18th, Rock’em Sock’em Sauter started 6th and Todd Bodine, the fired and then not fired (in the news) driver of the #30 truck after the race last week at Kentucky began this race as the spur of the moment so to speak driver for the #5 truck. This was reported as a combined effort between Randy Moss and Germain Racin’ so good for Todd I say! After all the man can race! He’s a 2 time champion for cryin’ out loud! Know what I mean? So with this deal comin’ about in a matter of a few days Todd started 21st. So Duck and I placed our snacks on the crates and settled in for another race viewin’. I can say Duck was less than enthusiastic after his idol’s bad luck earlier in the day. That takes away from my viewin’ pleasure when he acts like that but he managed a mild quack, as he darn sure had bette,r as I cheered when the green flag flew.

It was action packed. Side by side with bumpin’ and bangin’. Yessiree I was enjoyin’ this one here. And I do believe Duck eventually gave in, somewhat, to the excitement. I did hear a few little duckly chuckles and cheers comin’ from that side of the divan. Anyway that little Austin Dillion was lookin’ real racey all through the 200 laps. He sure was givin’ it his all and who would expect any different from that boy? 6 cautions as I counted took up 32 laps of the 200. In the end though Crafty Matt Crafton won his 2nd career race which ended a 79 race dry spell. A big GOOD for him I say! Austin, Mayhew, Rock’em Sock’em and Coulter rounded out the top 5. Todd Bodine finished in the 10th position so good for him I say, too. That is amazin’ cause he only had 3 top 10 finishes before this race and no wins. Maybe he should stay right where he is. Know what I mean? Maybe that’s the plan. This granny just doesn’t know. And for those who want to know Handsome Hornaday finished 19th one lap down. Sad for him I say. And Sauter is the points leader so good for him I say. The rest you can look up.

There was an ARCA race at Iowa too Saturday but it was runnin’ on ESPN startin’ durin’ some of the Nationwide race. Poor schedulin’ plannin’ from the powers that be! Now how are Duck and I supposed to watch 2 races that are runnin’ at some of the same time? My VCR just can’t do that kind of stuff so we missed it. But I can tell you Ty Dillion, another of Wine Maker’s grandson’s, won that race. In fact we all found that out durin’ the truck race cause they announced that he was on his brother’s war wagon cheerin’ for him. Good for him I say but any other stuff you want to know about that race you’ll have to look up cause I’m runnin’ late which is neither here nor there. I’m just sayin’.

So Sunday we only had one race to watch thank our good and gracious LORD! We headed back to New Hampshire to watch what Duck calls the “Big Boys” run. Course he loves CUP cause he knows his idol is gonna be there and rightly so I say! This race started off excitin’ with Flyin’ Ryan and Smoke startin’ 1 and 2. Reuti Tootie started 3rd followed by Kurt Busch and Bad Brad. Burton, Jeffie, Juan-toya, Menard and Kutie Kahne. For those who want to know Rowdy Boy started an unheard of 19th which was just the beginnin’ of his day’s woes, Flippin’ Carl started 15th and JR started 27th. It was great racin’. I just love that track and who wouldn’t? So we quacked and cheered as the green flag waved. Yessirree we did! Ryan held the lead at the start and Kurt passed Tony for 2nd on the second lap but by lap 6 Tony took the lead. Oh Duck and I were on our feet. By lap 27 Smoke was startin’ to lap the field with a hefty lead. Newman got the lead back soon but on lap 41 Kurt Busch took the lead. It is so good to see that boy doin’ so well. Good for him and his team I say! Course I like Ryan too but a pass is a pass which is exactly what Ryan did. JR wasn’t doin’ too well..flat tire and such. He’d move up and then fall back. Sad for him I say! And then on lap 60 Rowdy Boy has a flat tire and slamed in to the wall and headed to the garage. Sad for him too I say!

No lap by lap as you know. Jamie Mcmurray briefly lead the race. So did Mark Martin, same champ Jimmie, Jeffie Boy, Andy Lally, Smoke, Wide Smilin’ Logano and Bowyer at one time or another sometimes because of pit strategies but in the end Ryan and Tony were the ones battlin’ at the front. Smoke tried every which way to pass his teammate but dispite the fact that he was faster than Ryan he just ran out of time. They wound up just where they started. Amazin’ stuff right there! Why we could have just skipped the race and used the startin’ spots as far as those 2 go. Course I’m not wishin’ that, I’m just sayin’. Good for Ryan I say! And good and sad for Tony too. Hamlin, Logano and same champ Jimmie rounded out the top 5. 6th through 10th were Kahne, Bobby LaBonte (GOOD for him I say!), Truex, Ambrose and Kurt Busch. Good for all of them actually I say! For those who want to know 10 caution laps plagued this race and JR battled back from a cut tire and problems on pitroad to finish 15th and Flippin’ Carl finished 13th. Course Duck was dismayed to say the least but when I explained to him, yet again, the “big picture” deal and that Carl had retaken the points lead by 7 over same champ Jimmie he brightened up quite a bit there. Yessirree that was some mighty fine racin’. Why duck and I were so tuckered out we took a nap right there on the divan with Duck on his side and me on mine. Just so you know Duck, bless his little duckly heart, snores. Bad at times let me tell ya that one somethin’ but that’s neither here nor there.

So there ya have it. No other stuff this time folks. Perhaps y’all can come up with some of your own. If so just comment. If not, no biggie cause as y’all know I’m a very busy woman. Next up is Nashville for the Trucks and Nationwide. Cup has the weekend off. Have a great week, behave yourselves and stay out of trouble. Ya hear? I plan to do just that if it is at all earthly possible. All I can do is try but I’m not promisin’ anythin’ just in case. Know what I mean? Grump over and out.