Granny Grump

This week we were treated to a trip to Charlotte for the truck race and the All Star event and then Iowa for the Nationwide race. Duck and I were both so excited to finally settle in on our divan with our race snacks on the crates. We were ready, let me tell ya that much right now. I had some left over potato salad and greens so I made Duck his own bowls and then mine and we began our race viewin’ weekend Friday night with Timothy Peters on the pole followed by Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillion, Brad Sweet and James Buescher. The rest you can look up. On a note of possible interest, again I made a poor choice for race viewin’ snacks apparently, but, without goin’ in to too much detail let me just say that was the first and last time I will offer those for that. Greens have a way of eventually affectin’ Duck which in turn affect me even though I am sittin’ on the other side of the divan. I must have forgotten that fact, but, that will not happen again. You can bet your belt on that one somethin’ let me assure you all! Anyway, with some unusuals up toward the front to start the race it was a fair race and not too long or short. We were treated to a former Formula One Champ Kimi Raikkonen (not a girl) debut in this race. The pole sitter crashed out around lap 62 and ended up in the 32cd spot. Sad for him I say! And since there’s more to cover I’ll cut this race report short and say you know who did you know what again! Rowdy Boy (he still gets booed as much as he is cheered which I think is just an ugly thing to do to any driver) won with Cute Clint finishin’ where he started, followed by Whitt, Buescher and that handsome Hornaday. I shouldn’t say this I guess, but I was pullin’ for Hornaday and so was Duck, actually, but he’ll get ‘em soon. Of that this granny is sure. And if you’re interested Raikkonen finished 15th, Not bad this granny says! The rest you can look up.

Saturday was the hyped up, muchly anticipated, curious and no points Showdown and All Star race where winnin’ is is the only importance because of the BIG MONEY! With time on short supply for Duck and I today (we still need to unpack and so forth) David Ragan had the pole followed by Allmendinger, Menard, Brad Keselowski and Jeff Burton. As y’all know the 1st 2 places transfer to the All Star event and then the fans pick the 3rd transfer. So after the several segments Ragan finished where he started so good for him I say followed by Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose (Duck and I just love his accent and he’s a real cutie to boot), Allmendinger and wide smilin’ Logano. JR finished 6th so good for all of them I say! Course that was Jr with no big surprise!

The All Star race is just excitin’ to even think about. Mercy sakes alive those boys will and do just have at it. They have nothin’ to lose and a million plus to win. Know what I mean? Course as you all probably know but I need to tell ya anyway Flippin Carl won and he did flip after tearing his car plumb up durin’ his burn and spin outs. Jack In The Hat wasn’t too happy about the car destruction but he can afford it and braggin’ rights are worth an awful lot. Course Carl can now afford to chip in on the repairs winnin’ over $1,200,000! Here’s an oh so GOOD for him I say! Needless to say Duck was as happy as he could be and so was I. I’m now officially off the Duck Doodoo List, for now at least thank our good and gracious LORD! No sense in sayin’ who followed that cause that doesn’t count for nothin”. If ya want to know look it up. Know what I mean?

And then yesterday we were treated to a rather quick Nationwide race at Iowa. That’s a little track with a lot of power and excitement. It was just the perfect endin’ to a very excitin’ race viewin’ weekend. Saturday and Sunday I stuck to popcorn and cold buttermilk for snacks. Better be safe than sorry with fresh air to breathe, if ya know what I mean. That race offered some new names and faces. The twin nieces of Derrike Cope threw their hats in the bullring and a former Formula One Champ Kimi Raikkonen (not a girl) was scheduled to run the #87 Nemco/Busch partnered car for this series debut but Joe drove the car. Could be Kimi (not a girl) was unhappy with his truck race debut on Friday at Charlotte but I thought he did right well, but, that’s neither here nor there. . Drew Herring landed the pole followed by McDowell, Austin Dillion, Flippin’ Carl (so Duck feels like he made up for the previous weekend’s lack of race viewin’) and Reed Sorenson. The rest you can look up. With just 250 laps at this short track, the race just zoomed by with plenty of jostlin’. In the end that little cutie Ricky Stenhouse, Jr won his first Nationwide race. Oh so GOOD for him I say! Flippin’ Carl took 2nd which actually put a smile on Duck’s beak thank our good and gracious LORD. Brad Keselowski, Reed Sorensen and curly headed cutie Elliott Sadler rounded out the top 5. The rest you can look up.

Now for the other stuff. Did any of you see the snippets of Kenny Wallace’s interview with Dale, JR and Steve Letarte? If not you missed some really fine viewin’. I was proud of the Cutie Kenny askin’ some pretty tough questions of the Hendrick duo. Why those two jumped right in there and answered those questions frank and clear. They know they have come a long way and are headed in the right direction. I could have watched those 3 talk all day long. I hope we get to see more of it in the comin’ days. I’m tellin’ ya. Those boys are on track for a win this season. I am so sure of that fact this granny has bet a jar of her secret and coveted beet and rhubarb jelly recipe with a certain silly someone behind the meat counter!

Well time for Cousin’s take on this weekend’s events. She did a read good job while Duck and I were gone so let’s see what she has to say. Take it away Grouch!
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Granny Grouch

Let’s git to this week’s racin’ comments cause, as you know, I’m a busy woman and don’t have time to waste! The Truck Series boys were back in action this week. I can’t say it was all that excitin’ of a race. They had the usual caution flags, there were ten or eleven in this race, dependin’ on whether or not you counted the last one at the checkered flag but it didn’t stop the race none. The cautions were for the usual happenin’s, like spinnin’ out or debris on the track. Kyle “Rowdy” Busch ended up our race winner, leadin’ the last seven laps. He won his 28th Truck Series race and is now tied for second all time with Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague. Good for you, Kyle and the boys, I’d say!

Movin’ right along, we had us a busy evenin’ with the Burnout Competition on Saturday, which was easily won by Kasey Kahne. Doesn’t he have the most beautiful blue eyes? Well, ain’t that right? “Bad Brad” was braggin’ about winnin’ the competition but he couldn’t git er done, maybe next season, Brad! Other drivers included “Rowdy”, “Sliced Bread”, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Regan Smith.

The Showdown race had four caution flags, the worse of which was when the #09 of Landon Cassill went spinnin’ out, slidin’ up the track and bein’ t-boned by the #64 of Derrike Cope, who had no where to go, for a hard lick in the driver side door. David Regan won the Showdown with “Bad Brad” finishin’ second, movin’ them up into the All-Star race. At this point in the day, granny grouch is fixin’ the snacks for the big race. I baked some homemade oatmeal cookies and had some milk to go with them, about half way through the race, they surely hit the spot! Know what I mean? I didn’t know whether to expect a good ol’ fashioned race or a exhibition match of the WWE, when this race got to goin’! And at this point, I’m also anxious to find out who won the Fan Vote, as if we couldn’t have guessed. Good for you, JuneBug/Junior, I say! As you all know there were four segments to this race. Greg Biffle won Segment 1 and Carl Edwards dominated the remainin’ segments for an all Roush Fenway Racing win. I was flabbergasted to see Ford take all, know what I mean? I have to give a shout out to David Reutimann for startin’ in the 18th position and coming home third, that was a good run for the #00 team, yes sirree! Mr. Five-Time started eleventh and finished eleventh, I guess that’s what you call a wash? I don’t think Chad was too excited, do you? Another shout out goes to all the drivers for behavin’ themselves durin’ the race. I guess they were all seein’ dollar signs in front of their eyes and couldn’t think of anythin’ trouble to git into! It looks like the Oval Office will be a quiet place this week! As you all know, unless you are livin’ in a cave, Carl “Flipper”/”Cousin Carl” Edwards is the MILLION DOLLAR MAN ! ! ! Congratulations to him and his #99 Aflac Team. I guess part of that prize money will be spent reparin’ the racin’ machine, after you hit the man-hole cover, Cousin Carl. To my way of thinkin’, there should have been a safety barrier of some kind around it. Know what I mean? I’m supposing that “The Cat In The Hat” will git over his wrecked race car. . . . .one day! As we say, that was one of them racin’ deals, Jack.

The last race of the weekend was the Nationwide Series race that was run in Iowa. I was confused with all these schedule changes this week, how about you? The Nationwide race bein’ run on Sunday? Don’t they know that it’s hard for us “mature” women to keep up with these young whipper-snappers? My good and gracious Lord! I was noticin’ where “Cousin Carl” and “Bad Brad” were the only two Cup series drivers in the Nationwide race. That also made this granny happy, I can tell you that right now! It gave one of the “Young Guns” a chance to win his first ever NASCAR race. I know’d you were about to win one, there Ricky, darlin’, so I’m doin’ my happy dance that it finally happened in Iowa, where you had all the trouble last year, but of course that’s neither here nor there, now! Just enjoy your win this week, hon! I couldn’t have asked for a better endin’ to a fun filled racin’ weekend!

Finally, this granny has to make a correction to somethin’ I said last week in my writtin’ about the Dover racin’. I said that Matt (Kenseth) hadn’t won a race in a while, but I got to thinkin’, this week, and realized that he did in fact win the race at Texas Motor Speedway, this season, which I reckon only proves that this old woman’s memory ain’t as good as it once was! I stand corrected and will be payin’ more attention to my facts before I go shootin’ off my mouth again! That’s all I have for you today, but I look forward to “seein’” ya back here next week for our report on the Coca Cola 600 and the Nationwide race, back at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Have a great week everyone!
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Well thank ya there Cousin, dear. I appreciate you takin’ care of racin’ business for me last week. I am sure you knew what was gonna happen to me when Duck found out about Flippin’ Carl’s win. And he did. I swear I do believe it was Bernice who spilled the bucket on that. Burns my bacon, if ya know what I mean. She was conveniently absent from the next 2 day’s visitations. Good for us ALL I say. I saw her mug in the crowd as we were pullin’ away. That’s the best way to view that woman, if ya know what I mean…seen for a split second and not heard. I’m just sayin’.

Next week it’s back to Charlotte. WOOHOO and pass the cider! Email, comment or don’t. We don’t care cause we’re very busy women! Grump and Grouch over and out!

Granny Grump

It was nice to have 2 night races in a row. Duck and I ate dinner early so we could enjoy mere snacks durin’ our viewin’ pleasure. Eatin’ the main meal durin’ races just doesn’t work out for us what with the messes and all, so I popped some popcorn, smothered it up with melted butter, had some veggie crackers which turned out to be quite tasty to our way of thinkin’ and some more of that curious string cheese stuff which I prestrung for Duck cause he has no hands. We enjoyed ice tea and Coke Zero (we trying to kick the caffeine habit) as refreshments.

Of course Duck was thrilled to have his Flippin’ Carl hero in both races. Sometimes he is so adorable with his duckly enthusiasm, but there are times he takes his devotion to unnatural duck or otherwise extremes, and ya know what I mean, but for this weekend (at least) that was neither here nor there, thank our good and gracious LORD!. Flippin’ Carl had the Duck pleasin’ pole followed by Brad Keselowski, cutie curly haired Elliott Sadler, Stenhouse, Jr. and Paul Menard. That baby faced Daytona winner Trevor Bayne put his car in the 6th spot with wide smilin’ Logano, Boy Howdy Rowdy, Cute 31 year old now (can you believe that?) Kahne roundin’ out the top 10 and we cheered and quacked as the green flag flew, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Carl was definitely the car to beat and he wanted that cowdoy hat in a big, fast way. Early on it seemed to Duck and I that the only true contender of Carl’s was Rowdy Busch and that boy wanted the hat and the win just as much as Flipper did, but a wreck with Tim Schendel on lap 66 wiped out that possibility. It was a strange happenin’, for sure. That Schendel boy’s tire blew and he slid up the track and Kyle just slammed hard right in to that car. There wasn’t enough time for Kyle to bat an eye or scratch an itch, if ya know what I mean. Sad happenin’s for Rowdy, I say!

Anyway Edwards led a total of 169 laps, held off Keselowski for the win and good for him, I say. He did look good in that hat and that’s a fact. Statistics show Carl has a total of 30 Nationwide wins which amazin’ly places him 5th in the all time wins for that Series. Another good for him, I say, and for me dealin’ with Duck! Keselowski, Menard, Lagono and Sadler were the top five in that order. Good for all of them I say, as well. Duck invited Goober the Goat (who I recently found out has a crush on the goat in those AFLAC commercials) in and they celebrated way in to the night. I went to bed but spied on them from time to time, I can tell ya that much right now. They behaved rather well, got a little loud at times with their rap music and all, but they are animals, after all. Know what I mean?

Saturday mornin’ I got up early and set about to get the daily chores done early so I could plan our racin’ snacks. Again we ate early so as to cut down on the durin’ and post race livin’room mess. I chose chips and dip, dried cranberries and again Coke Zero (and you know why). To eliminate my chip dippin’ for Duck every few seconds I unwisely poured the chips in his own bowl and dumped the brown onion dip (my particular favorite) on top. Well the dip was gone before the chips and then I had to deal with a belly ache laden Duck with onion breath, but, Pepto Bismol and patience paid off in the end, thank our good and gracious LORD, but I’m getting’ ahead of myself here.

Duck was in high spirits as the race began. David Ragan took the pole, followed by Flippin’ Carl, Bowyer, Robo Kennseth, Ragen Smith and same champ Jimmie. JR was mired way back in the pack in 28th with teammates cute as can be Mark Martin ahead of him and sweet Jeffie Gordon behind him. You can look up the rest, if ya know what I mean.

Now maybe I was just tired from the way in to the night animal celebrations goin’ on here, but, I thought the Cup race was a bit more excitin’ than the previous night’s event. They just got crazy from the get go. Duck and I like it that way. Early on there was all kinds of action. Regan opened up the lead considerably but durin’ a caution on lap 12 Tony Stewart collided with another car on pit road and that just began his woes for the day. Sad for him, I say! Kurt Busch took the lead durin’ the pit stop but that didn’t last long. I worried about JR a lot in the beginnin’ but that boy was ready to fight his way up front and he did a few times. Anyway somewhere around lap 44 Robo Kenseth took the lead showin’ that he was serious and that cute rascal won. Tony had fought his way back from the damage to his car to 3rd place on the final lap and that poor boy ran out of gas! Oh SAD for him, I say! Bowyer took second, followed by Flipper, Biffle and Menard in that order. Matt looked so cute in that cowboy hat shootin’ off those guns, too. Good, good and good for him I say! That ended a 76 race winless streak and the plane wreck 2 times survivor owner, The Cat In The Hat Jack was in Victory Lane to celebrate with the team. That was a pleasure to behold, I can tell you that much right now. And Matt didn’t look like a robot, neither. Why I haven’t seen that boy smile htat much in forever and rightly so, I say!. Good for all of them I say! It is always pleasin’ for me to see a driver end his winless streak and celebrate with a victory. We are seeing that this year, by golly and this granny is lovin’ it. I’m not wishin’ anythin’ bad on anyone else, I’m just sayin”.

Duck graciously was pleased with Carl’s 3rd place finish and I didn’t have to say a word to him. He nodded and smiled as much as a duck can. Course he had a belly ache as I stated earlier and that could be some of why, but, I need to give credit where credit is due. Know what I mean? So good for Duck, I say!

Now for the other stuff. Did you all get a gander at the grandstands at Texas? Why they looked plumb full to me! Now ya know why Bruton finally got his 2nd dates. Not sure what took NASCAR so long to do that. Some bucks a lot are a few years late and thousands of dollars short. Know what I mean”. And those Texans sure do know how to enjoy themselves! I can tell ya that much right now. I’m not baggin’ on the Daytona dudes. I’m just sayin’.

And secondly JR wound up in 9th place after startin’ 28th. I’m tellin’ ya this granny thinks that’s another winless streak that is gonna fall this year. Oh the nationwide celebratin’ that will be goin’ on when that happens and this granny will be one of them. Why I remember when Dale, Sr. won Daytona I took to dancin’ in the streets, whoopin’ and a hollerin”. I wound up behind bars for suspicion of street dancin’ under the influence. As if. Why when I got out I took that deputy by the only hair on his head and, well nevermind. That’s a story for another day and time, but you know what I’m sayin’.

And finally I am glad to hear that Trevor Bayne is doin’ ok after sufferin’ and bein’ hospital treated for some kind of insect bite before Saturday’s race. Good for him, I say! Those can be miserable, let me tell ya that much right now. Reminds me of the time my late husband Elmer got a spider bite on his behind when he was workin’ in the barn. Oh that man suffered wild itchin’ and fit throwin’ spells for days and believe me I suffered, too. Know what I mean? He wouldn’t go to the doctor cause he said people would laugh about where it was when they found out, and they would have found out. I’m sure of that much. Oh the memories I have of that man, but, that’s neither here nor there. Next up Talladega! Now those are some race fans that know how to enjoy themselves. so let’s see what cousin Grouch has to say?

Granny Grouch

Well, howdy there young’uns and other folks too ! ! ! Did y’all get to see that mighty fine racin’ we had from Texas this weekend? Actually it was two night races bumped together, which to my way of thinkin’ was purdy good. I’d much rather see night racin’ cause all the cars look so nice and shiny an’ all and ya can see the burnin’ hot rotors real good too, that’s them thingys inside the wheel wells, don’t ya know! Anyway, I thought we had us a purdy good race on Friday night what with Elliott Sadler bringin’ home a Top 5 and Paul Menard came in third, course “Cousin Carl” winnin’ the pole and the race was excitin’ to see also. And I was thinkin’ David Reutimann did a pretty decent job while he was fillin’ in for his teammate Ryan Truex who had to have some surgery on his hand. I hope your feelin’ better, Ryan, Honey! We all missed you at the race but I’m thinkin’ you probably miss us just as much or worse cause I know how your racers are about missin’ races – - – you’d rather be shot!

The Samsung Mobile 500 was one of them long racin’ deals. I was beginnin’ to wonder if it would ever be over but I guess that’s cause its such a big track and you can’t whip around it like you can at Bristol. I thought David Ragan had a purdy good night, startin’ in the pole and finishin’ in the Top 10 (seventh to be exact) not a bad run for that young man and he’s such a sweetie pie! Did ya know he once owned (I don’t know if he still does or not?) the Sheriff’s car from Mayberry RFD? Just a little trivia from Cousin Grouch for ya! And how about that Martin Truex Jr., two huge wrecks in a row, land sakes, and neither one was his fault neither. But the stuck throttle was a bit scary for my tastes I’ll tell ya that for sure, yes indeedy! Let’s just hope that all that wreckin’ is over for this season Martin, what do ya say??? I’m sure you can agree with me on that ! ! ! I have the same message for Tony “Smoke” Stewart – - – too fast entering Pit Road then runnin’ out of fuel – - – let’s get all this out of the way so that when the weather turns HOT (just the way you like it), you’ll have all that behind ya and you’ll really be “Smokin” and winnin’ like usual durin’ the summer months. Deal ???

I just read where my buddy Trevor Bayne was admitted to the hospital in Charlotte with an insect bite on his elbow, then the news update stated that he was treated and released and approved to go back to driving, again, we know how you racers are with your racin’ and your very protective of your helmets and other equipment. I get the biggest kick out of you fellas that way ! ! ! hehehe

Well, that’s about all I have for ya this week. Please remember that we are goin’ to Talladega next week and, oh yeah, we will have a Special Guest who is a Veteran in NASCAR racin’. He is NASCAR’s version of Yao Ming, all 6’5″ of him, and his home state is Kentucky ! ! ! Yes, my favorite driver, Michael Waltrip, will be restrictor plate racin’ at ‘Daga and if my memory serves me right he will be racin’ the Nationwide and the Cup race – - I really miss that tall and handsome feller bein’ around the race tracks each and ever week. But ya know, Granny Grouch will be there, in the front row checkin’ this out big time ! ! ! Yes indeedy you can count on that ! ! ! See ya all after the races at ‘Dega. Have an awesome week everybody ! ! ! Granny (Cousin) Grouch

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Well cousin Grouch, dearie. You did it again. I’m so pleased with your writin’s, I can tell ya that much right now. I just never know what you’re gonna say and I am very, very proud of ya. At least I don’t have to worry about you like we do when your great grandmama used to visit. Oh my good and gracious LORD! I’m not bein’ hateful, honey. I’m just sayin’ she was, well, colorful. Ya know what I mean. Oh Grouch, dear, just forget I ever said anythin’. Ok? Please and thank ya, dear.

So there you have it til next time. Email, comment or don’t. Either way is ok because, as y’all know we are very busy women.

Granny Grump

Duck was all excited cause flippin’ Carl was on the pole and Happy Harvick was runner up for the start. It was a fairly entertainin’ race for California standards to my way of thinkin’. There was a lot of jostlin’ up front early on. Miss cute as a kitten Jennifer Jo Cobb didn’t find the results she was a lookin’ for unfortunately. On lap 18, I believe it was, she went on a spinnin’ ride and her car wasn’t worth a plug nickel it seemed after that. Poor dear, I read where she was hopin’ for much more but there’s plenty of time left this season providin’ she can come up with the money she needs. Ya know around here we used to have a bake and jarred goods sale on main street when we wanted to raise a little spendin’ cash for our township coffers. It raised a little bit from those who were too lazy to cook or bake their own foods, but, I’m not suggestin’ that for her ya understand. I’m just sayin’. Also Steven Wallace went for a spin early on and Blake Koch had an up close and personal experience with the wall so there was some destruction goin’ on out there for those nutty fans who just watch for the wreckin’.

Anyway, like I said, there was plenty of moving around up front. In the end, however, it was Boy Howdy Rowdy who celebrated with the trophy after just takin’ on 2 tires on his last pit stop. Good for him I say! That boy is somethin’ else, let me tell ya that much right now. And he is always smilin’ these days. Well there’s no wonder to that for heaven’s sake considerin’ he is doin’ an awful lot of celebratin’ in Victory Lane and all. Mercy me, he’s talented and look at the stable he comes from. I think someone there has been sittin’ on that boy regardin’ his attitude, but more on that later. It turned out that Flippin’ Carl came in 2nd followed by that adorable Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr and that real cutie Elliott Sadler.

Of course as y’all can imagine I had to work with Duck a bit what with his idol comin’ in 2nd and all, but I think he is makin’ some limited progress. It’s that or he is hidin’ some of his true feelin’s. Either way I explained that Carl can’t win everytime. Duck made some grumblin’ noises that I swear sounded like he said, ” but Kyle does”. I know Duck is special and all but we all know that is impossible. Course that’s neither here nor there. I’m just sayin’. Anyway, he waddled on into his bedroom and I did hear some other disgruntled duck noises comin’ from that general direction, but all in all this week was better for my race viewin’. As a point of possible interest to y’all I do try to understand his duck disappointment. I truly do. I’m just sayin’.

So, Sunday’s race came and that was probably the best race I’ve seen comin’ from that West Coast track. There was much more action than is usual out there and even the booth boys said it was the best yet at California. Course now those folks out there only get one crack at a NASCAR event in their area, wouldn’t ya know. Anyway, it looked like for a long spell there that Rowdy was gonna pull another race winnin’ rabbit out of his magic helmet and sweep that weekend, too. But on the final lap the same champ Jimmy who was in 1st and 2nd place Kyle were battlin’ it out when out of the clear blue there came Kevin Harvick, who wasn’t happy at all last week, and on the last lap passed them and won that race! Good, good and good for him I say! Oh my I was on my feet so fast I just made another big mess with the food on the crates. I was a hoopin’ and hollerin’ all over the place. I can tell ya that much right now. I had to let Goober the Goat in yet again to clean up my mess, but hey, he wasn’t complainin’ none that time either. Anyway Kevin was certainly a Happy Harvick then! That was his and Richard’s 1st win there, I believe. Darlin’ Delana, the fire suit wearin’ one in the family, wasn’t there to celebrate with her cutie hubby, but, I’m sure they will make up for that when he climbs off the jet back home. Don’t you?

That win was just purely excitin’ to this Granny, let me tell ya that much right now. Just was a bit of a feelin’ for me that seemed like one of those amazin” Dale, SR like moves. Now, I’m not comparin’ here, so don’t any of y’all get ugly with me. I’m just sayin’ it was an amazin’ and excitin’ly familiar feelin’. The same champ Jimmy took 2nd place followed by Rowdy, robot Matt and Flyin’ Ryan. Tony who had been one hot rocket out there pert near all of the race drifted back to finish a no comment 13th. Pole sitter Juan came in 10th and JR ended up 12th. That was another good finish for him considerin’ he started 30th. Seems that team is on target for a victory celebration here real soon. I’m not promisin’, I’m just sayin’, and truly hopin’. Others were sprinkled in and around those mentioned here, but, y’all can look that up. Know what I mean? And this did wind up bein’ pretty much a repeat performance out of Duck seein’s that Fliipin’ Carl finished 6th. I did go off on Duck just a bit havin’ to explain that 6th place was good since he started 18th. I just didn’t want to spend my happy win time feelin’ dealin’ with a disgruntled Duck. Know what I mean? Anyway, things were quiet for the most part after that, thank our good and gracious LORD.

Now for the other stuff. I think it seems a bit interestin’ that in the year of “have at it” for the racers, Rowdy boy isn’t. I admit I find it a little bit refreshin’ and all, but y’all have to admit it is unusual at best. I think we might have gotten a tidbit of information from the booth boys. Larry and Darrell suggested that this might could be a strong suggestion from his sponsors and his bossman. Well that makes sense, but, it does seems a bit backwards to me. Think about it. Ya know this sport was built around racers with big mouths and bigger attitudes. But in recent years when racers weren’t allowed to “have at it” Rowdy (and a few others) did and now that they can Rowdy isn’t. Am I wrong here or what? I guess that’s neither here nor there. I’m just thinkin’.

And it looks like there just might be a big ol’ problem with the engines in that Gibbs operation. Y’all can bet the technical best of that bunch are and will be figurin’ all that wrong stuff out. Here’s hopin’ it’s sooner than later.

One more somethin’ is the fact that this Granny truly enjoyed the singers of the National Anthem this week. That little cutie David Archuletta is just adorable and has a voice for the ages! And Richard Marx was amazin’, too. A double good for booth of them I say for their talent and singin’ the right words!

And finally Mike Joy pronounced “pediatrics” correctly. I just love that guy and his voice. Good for him I say! I’m not pickin’ on him. He has cheeks and a smile that just tickles this Granny pink. I’m just sayin’ good for him.

Granny Grouch

Grouch says:
Howdy race fans, younguns and other folks too! WOW ! ! ! What a race weekend we had for ourselves out there in California, huh? How about that “Rowdy” Kyle Busch an his usually “Sweepin’-Self”, not to mention that he’s breakin’ all the records, 46 career wins in the Nationwide series, three short of Mark Martin’s record, who, by the way, finished eighth in the Royal Purple 300. When I seen Kyle go sailin’ through the grass when he hit the wet spots on the track, I thought, oh Lord, help us, here comes the old Kyle for sure but I was as shocked as I could be that that weren’t the case at all, my, my, my I am really impressed with you now, Kyle, honey! You are The Man of the 2011 season, that’s for sure!

I have to give some “Atta Boys” and “Kudos” to some drivers this week. It’s not quite the same as cryin’ towels and cigars like some folks are givin’ out these days but you must remember that I’m OLD! First off, Elliott Sadler, who started 34th and bless his little ol’ southern heart, came home with a Top 5! That’s some purdy good racin’, I’d say! Then I have Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who also had a great race, starting 12th on the grid and finishin’ 4th. I just love to see these younguns doin’ so well, don’t you?

Moving on to the most excitin’ racin’ I’ve seen in awhile. The Auto Club 400 on Sunday mornin’ (my time). At first I thought it was goin’ to be one of them “ho-hum” races, bein’s it was on one of them bigger tracks, don’t ya know? But we had all them tires goin’ down and causin’ all them cautions which was okay I reckin’ otherwise I might have caught me a nap, yes indeedy! But the endin’ sure wasn’t nap-worthy, that’s for sure! I have to admit Cousin Grouch here was a jumpin’ up and down, knockin’ stuff on the floor and Bubba was scared of me cause he thought I went plum crazy but, you see, I didn’t want the #48 car to go a winnin’ the dadgum race and he didn’t. To my way of thinkin’ they’ve won enough races for my likin’s, it’s time for somebody else to have a chance, know what I mean? So, Good goin’ to winner Kevin Harvick! That’s why I’m a likin’ the idea that we’ve had us five races and five DIFFERENT winners, so far!

Lastly, I know I’m runnin’ out of room and breath here. To the “RocketMan”, you just keep up the fine job you are a doin’, look at ya, second in the points standin’s, my bonnet’s off to you, honey, I know the Boss man is happy with your performance, and that precious little daughter of yours, Brooklyn Sage, that’s for sure! That’s all I have for this week. See ya all back here after Martinsville! Have an awesome week, y’all ! ! ! Take it away, Granny Grump.
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Well Grouch, darlin, your figures and factual self just amazed me yet again. Good for you, I say! Tell Bubba I said he needs to “toughen up” on race day or get out of the room. Know what I mean? I do agree with you 100% percent here, dear, so no more need in further writin’s. So that’s it for now folks. Email, comment or don’t. Either way is fine with us cause we’re both very busy women. Know what we mean?

‘Til next time Grump and Grouch over and out.

Granny Grump

Cole Whitt took the pole for the Too Tough To Tame 200. This 19 year old young ‘un drives for Red Bull and is a bit of a Brian Vickers look alike to my way of thinkin’. We all know it is rare for the person that starts 1st to end 1st. It’s just the nature of the racin’ beast. But he did and he didn’t…started 1st and didn’t end 1st, that is. But, he did finish on the lead lap and finished in the 8th spot. That is amazin’! There were 10 rookies in that race and he was the highest finishin’ rookie if ‘em all. Good for him, I say! I think Granny is really gonna like this boy. The next finishin’ rookie was Parker Kligerman who finished 14th. Granny just loves that name Parker. It pleasantly reminds me of the old time handsome as they come actor, Fess Parker. Oh that man was a good actor and had a scruffy beard like my late husband Elmer, but none of that is here nor there. So the trucks have a lot of rookies this year and that means a field of new talent and learnin’ and racin’ curves for the regulars to handle. It’s gonna be somethin’ to watch, let me tell ya that much right now.

Another young ‘un rookie out there in this series is 18 year old Johanna Long. I mention her because she is yet another girl in racin’ and we’re gettin’ quite a few now. Course, Miss Danica is the most well known right now bein’s that she drives for JR and is best known for her unzippin’ commercials, but this Johanna girl is a pretty zipped up young ‘un as far as Granny can tell and seems to have a good racin’ history to her credit. Unfortunately she didn’t have a real good startin’ or finishin’ spot, but she only got to run 96 laps before she wrecked. Just thought I’d mention her. Here’s hopin’ she does real well in the future. The season is young, after all. Know what I mean?

So, substitutin’ dimply Kasey Kahne won. Not sure where those older women who used to stalk that boy were, but, they weren’t in victory lane and that’s good to my way of thinkin’. There’s enough of those kind runnin’ around those tracks as far as I can tell. Anyway, good, good, and good for him I say and Rowdy Boy, his owner, too! The good lookin’, crafty as they come Ron Hornaday took the 2nd spot. Lord that man gave it his all, let me tell you that much right now, but fell just a bit short. He’ll get ‘em again soon. You can take that to your pot and cook it! Todd Bodine took 3rd followed by Matt Crafton and James Buescher. There was a lot of beatin’ and bangin’ as usual there and except for the constant and distractin’ Duck issues, I enjoyed it. It was excitin’, no mistake about it!

Now on to the other stuff. You just might be aware that Miss pretty as they come Danica is 1st in a poll posted on nascar.com as the biggest surprize for the Nationwide Series. Now I agree with that for several reasons, none of which I will mention here but some of which y’all might guess. Good grief and this Miss sits in 4th place in the standin’s too, only 13 points behind points leader Reed Sorensen! Now that’s pretty darn good, don’t ya think so? Above all those other drivers? Another good for her, I say! In fact I’ll give her two! What the heck? Course there’s 31 one races to go, so we will see, but, I’m just sayin’.

And finally back to that cutie and in the hot pot, Robby Gordon. Apparently there was some incident at Las Vegas with that other cutie Kevin Conway. There are two different versions available for readin’. One was with physical and verbal activities and the other one involves only verbal activites. Now it’s easy to, without any researchin’, figure out which driver belongs to which version considerin’ that Robby is on the probation end of the, thus far, results. Shoot fuzzy! It was startin’ to sound almost like the good ol’ racin’ days to me except for, well never mind. But this is a “have at it year”, right? I’ve lost track, some can, some can’t, some get in trouble, some don’t, some we know about, some we won’t. And, frankly speakin’, some race fans care about it and some don’t. Know what I mean? Whewie. That kind of maybe yes and maybe no stuff will dizzy you up in short order. I can tell ya that much right now. But, I’m out of time again. I’ve got to take the clothes down hangin’ here in the livin’ room, what with all the rain and all and Lord have mercy I have plenty more to do cause I’m a very busy woman. That Double Dexter of mine may be an oldie like me, but, it’s a goodie. It saves me a lot of time. I can tell you that much right now. I keep meanin’ to replace it, but, it just keeps on keepin’ on! Know what I mean?

Cousin Grouch what have you got to say about this shortie race weekend?
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Granny Grouch

Hello younguns and other folks. While the owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports was out of the country vacationin’, that little darlin’ cutie pie Kasey Kahne took over the duties in the driver’s seat of the #18 Toyota Tundra truck an’ won hisself a race! He’s won three out of four truck races he run in, ya know! I’m sure Kyle had a big smile on his face cause of them owner points, he likes them owner points! And ss ya know, the Lady in Black can prove herself bein’ perty mean out there with all them drivers bein’s as how she’s got all them there high banks an’ all. She’s been known to knock the daylights out of them drivers and she was a mean one this weekend, what with all them wrecks and all. Landsakes, it seems like they were wreckin’ ever couple a laps. I was thinkin’, my gracious how long will this crashfest last- – I’m a busy woman, ya know? Then they wrecked little ol’ Johanna Long, did ya all see what was left of the front-end of her truck? Thank goodness all them drivers was okay and no body got hurt. At least I have to say it wasn’t a borin’ race, ya know what I mean? The rest of the top five included: Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, Matt Crafton and James Buescher. Elliott Sadler came in 7th – - ain’t he just as cute as they come, with his southern self? And poor little Johanna finished 31st but she’s got lots of racin’ in her future, just don’t ya worry, Honey, this OLD granny knows what she’s talkin’ about!

Finally, “Rowdy’s” brother Kurt spent his “off-weekend” in Florida, attemptin’ to make his drag racin’ debut in the Pro Stock division, whatever that is? He qualified 12th fer yesterday’s Gatornational, however, he lost out in the first round of eliminations in the NHRA Full Throttle competition. Erica Enders, the fourth seed ran a 6.538 seconds (211.69 MPH) to Busch’s 6.541 (211.59 MPH). Enders’ biggest advantage was off the starting line, with a reaction time of 0.021 to Busch’s 0.04. They were running the races last night but it was past this granny’s bed time, sugar, so if you’re a wantin’ to know more, I’m ‘fraid you’ll have to search it our for yerself!

That’s all I have fer this week. See ya’ll back here after Bristol. Ya’ll enjoy yer short track beatin’ and bangin’ weekend, ya hear?

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Cousin, dear, you just amaze me with your technical self! Look at all those track facts and figures? Why I am proud of ya, darlin’. I really am! I didn’t get to watch the drag racin’ either, dear. Oh and yessiree, Elliott is just an adorable cutie! I’m certainly a fan of his, I can tell ya that much right now. And wasn’t it great to see Hermie, too? Course that boy should still be racin’ to my way of thinkin”, but he does look cute with a microphone and I love to hear him talk, as well. So, cousin dear, we agree on this weekend’s happenin’s once again! Good for you, I say! I’m just as happy as ants in jam when we don’t have to air our arguin’ in public. Know what I mean?

(BTW, cousin, did Walter behind the meat counter find you? Not sure what he wanted but that was the 1st time in a long time he was smilin’. Why he was downright goofy actin’. Hhhmm. Somethin’ I don’t know about? I’m just askin’.)

So loyal readers and other folks, there you have it. Email, comment or don’t. Either way is fine with us cause we’re both just very busy woman. Know what I mean?

Granny Grump

Well, the 2011 Las Vegas what races we did have are just a memory now, a good one for some and not so good for quite a few others, if ya know what I mean. The Nationwide race was excitin’ especially in the final lap. Leadin’ at the time Brad Keselowski had a flat tire and hit the wall, so cute as he can be Markie passed that wall fixture and won the race. Well good for you Mark honey, I say.That made Markie’s 49th win in that series! Another good for you, I say! Course I was so happy and a dancin’ around and yeehawin’ all over the place. How’s that for an almost retired 2 times racer? Pretty daggum amazin’ to my way of thinkin’. Now, I know young Brad is upset with a 3rd place finish (Justin Allgaier also passed him to finish second), but he’ll have many more chances. Course that doesn’t amount to a pretty nothin’ for that boy, but, honey there’s always next week. Know what I mean? Also it’s worth notin’ here that pretty as she can be Danica girl finished 4th. That is the highest finish for any woman in any NASCAR race so good for her, I say! And again in a post race interview she kept herself zipped up. Maybe that is what’s gonna happen next at that website. Now wouldn’t that just fry some pies? Anyhow 2 goods for her, I say! And then that cutie Trevor Bayne came in 5th. I’m tellin’ ya, that boy is gonna be one somethin’ to keep an eye on, just mark Granny’s words.

And listen here, Rowdy boy wrecked on lap 130 and wiped out his day of racin’. That’s not amazin’ but what is amazin’ is the way this boy has been behavin’ this season. I don’t know what has come over that boy but whatever it is, Coach Joe needs to find it and super glue it on that boy. Why, it’s a miracle to my way of thinkin’ and I want to say right here and now that I like it! I just plain do! Good for him, I say, a bunch of times over. Keep up the good work Kyle. Granny’s proud of you, honey!

So on we go to Sunday’s event. That was a pretty fittin’ race. Flippin’ Carl won. Now some people say that he only won because handsome Tony Stewart was penalized for a flub up on pitroad, and that may be. You could tell when he spoke about it after the race that Tony was just as upset he could be. I really felt sorry for the darlin’ but I had to hold off on that for quite awhile because of Duck. Why my word, when Flippin’ Carl won there was just a mess all over the divan, the floor and just everywhere to tell ya the truth. Feathers and popcorn everywhere. And then there were those ridiculous sounds…not quite quacks and not quite screams of joy. Lasted pert near to midnight, let me tell ya that much right now. I had to threaten him with a time out in the hen house (he hates those birds, says they’re so nasty). Anyway Carl won, flipped and then celebrated. That was fittin’ I suppose. After all, last week he was the car to beat and he was, beaten, I mean. So the ex-Juicyfruit Montoya finished 3rd with that Australian Ambrose (I could just listen to him talk for days) 4th with Flyin’ Ryan in 5th.

Also it is worth notin’ here that Dale, Jr finished 8th and was the highest finishin’ Hendrick driver of the day. Now, remember I said last week that the shakeup in that Stable was a fact of beauty and so far so good. Enough said on that subject. Don’t want any hateful email.

And finally for some other stuff. I’ll only point out one because I am runnin’ out of time here. This time the other stuff is about an almost embarrassin’ moment from Krista Voda when she was interviewin’ Marcos Ambrose. Did ya catch that one? She said, if I am rememberin’ correctly, somethin’ like “Marcos stuck his nu (then corrected quick to say) neck out.” Hehe! I had a good laugh there, bless her cute self! Reminds me of the time cousin Grouch and I were sittin’ in church and when a less than talented singer finished no one did anythin’. So, tryin’ to help, I said to Grough, ” Put your hands together and (now I meant to say clap) made an r mistake instead of an l. Well, she hasn’t let me forget that one, let me tell you that much right now. That was mildly amusin’ I guess, but speakin’ of Cousin Grouch, here are her latest comments:
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Granny Grouch

Now for the important stuff, Saturday’s race just goes to prove that them older fellers still got some racin’ in ‘em and can still win a race or two, at 52 years young. I know cause, Lord knows they tell us a hundred times ever week how young that cutie is! Have mercy! And how about that woman, out there runnin’ with all them whipper snappers? At first, I thought she was plumb crazy, not havin’ a clue as to what she was doin’, but, by golly, I think she just might prove me wrong. She came home in fourth place, ya know! The first female to do so, I guess she shut me up! Then, there’s the Cup race on Sunday. How about that Dale Jr.? Finishin’ in the Top 10 (8th to be exact). I thought the Junior Nation would tear the house down – - good for “JuneBug”, I’m happy to see him runnin’ better, keep it up, Boy! I guess swappin’ crew chief was a smart idea after all.

And finally, who was that youngster drivin’ the number 18 machine? I thought it was Kyle Busch but he was so polite and all, not his usual “Rowdy” self. You reckon gittin hitched agrees with him? I like the change a lot there, young man! You just might be drawin’ some more new fans your way, imagine that! By the way I guess you all heard that “Flipper” won the race. It was his second win in Vegas too! Congrats, my Boy!

That’s all I have for this time, folks, I gotta go slop the hogs. See ya all after the “Bristol Stomp” ! ! ! Go RocketMan (he came home with a Top 5, ya know) !
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I see we agree on Rowdy, Boy, Grouch…well on everythin this time! Good for you I say! Don’t worry about Duck, honey…he is still celebratin’ Carl’s win. Oh I am just worn to a frazzle with his foolishness.

So there you have the 2 Grannys’ take on this weekend. Email or comment or don’t do anything. Either way, we don’t care cause we’re very busy women!

Granny and Grouch, over and out!

Granny Grump

Friday was the truck race. I was surprised I have to say. I think most of the time those trucks get so excitin’ when that guy hangin’ over the track in that cage thing waves the green flag. Duck and I were so ready, willin’ and able to start yellin’ and carryin’ on and it just didn’t really happen. To the best of my recollection it was pert near the last 3rd part of the race before we actually got off the divan. Ended up bein’, for the most part, a fairly fittin’ event after all, thank the good LORD. And boy howdy Rowdy! Kyle, who led 107 of the 150 laps won that race. Clint Bowyer finished second followed by Handsome Hornaday, Johnny (Rock’em Sock’em) Sauter and that cute little Austin Dillion. Good for Kyle I say. He out ran the rest and finished the best. I truly enjoyed seein’ that boy in Victory Lane, I can tell ya that much right now. And to my way of thinkin’, and I do know it’s neither here nor there, we are goin’ to see big things from that young ‘un, Dillion. He’s got talent and good equipment, so y’all just watch that boy! But, it goes without sayin’ the veterans will take these young guns to task again and again. Granny is sure of that so you can take that to your pot and cook it.

Next was the Nationwide race on Saturday. Duck and I got all settled in. We treated ourselves to some popcorn and cold cider as watchin’ racin’ snacks. No big meal durin’ that race as we ate a lot of buttered turnips, greens and crispy fried chicken livers for our main meal earlier in the day. Now that is what my late husband Elmer used to call “stick to every important part” food. Oh how I do miss that man’s wit at times, but that’s neither here nor there. So Bowyer had the pole, which made that runner up spot on Friday a bit easier to take with big wishes for Saturday I am pert near sure, but Boy Howdy Rowdy had other ideas, let me tell ya that much right now. That boy took the lead in short order and lead the entire event! Can you believe that? Why I found myself rootin’ for him and at the same time rootin’ for someone to pass him (to spice it up a bit). That was a bit confusin’ to Duck and to me, I have to tell ya that much right now. That race was just a tad more excitin’ than the day before’s race, but in the end, side by side Kyle and Carl battled for the position and then Busch boy won yet again, VERY much to Duck’s dismay. Now I love Duck, I really do but he is very single minded when it comes to Flippin’ Carl. Course I like cute Carl too. He has such a winnin’, no pun intended, smile, but anyway in a post race interview Carl commented that he might owe Kyle a tap from an event last year but decided not to do it. Good for you I say, Carl. That is NASCAR class to my way of thinkin’, but in after the Cup race contemplation I’m wonderin’ if Carl feels that same way? (More on that later) I’m not suggestin’ anything here now, so don’t send me a bunch of ugly email because I don’t have time for that and y’all know why, I’m just sayin’, and I’m pert near sure you know what I mean. Anyway cute as Christmas better known as Happy Harvick Kevin finished 3rd followed by Rocketman Ryan and Speedy Reedy. Again Busch out ran the rest and finished the best. He was very thankful to Carl for racin’ him clean and again I enjoyed seein’ him in Victory Lane so here’s another good for Kyle, I say!

Then came the Cup race Sunday. I decided we should have our meal with racin’ as usual. Well that just might have been a bit of a mistake, to my way of post race thinkin’. We were off that divan and on our feet so much that Duck and I both knocked our plates off the crates more than once! I just hate havin’ to clean up a mess durin’ racin’, so I didn’t. I just let Goober the Goat in and he did it. Shoot fire, he did a better job than I would have anyway, bein’ that I was so involved in watchin’ and all. I think Granny is developin’ some bad racin’ habits, if ya know what I mean, but that’s neither here nor there. Oh my good and gracious LORD, that was a smackin’ good race. Lots of action. Unfortunately there were quite a few torn up cars but Jeff Gordon got ahold of the race and just wasn’t gonna give it away in any permanent way! Course everyone made a much too big to do over his winless streak to my way of thinkin’. I mean, sure, we were all knowin’ he could drive a corn cob and win, but, that’s the way it happens sometimes. Point is he was the best and poo pooed the rest! Kyle tried. He really did, but it just didn’t happen! It was oh so good to see Jeffie win again! So good, good and good for him, I say! Kyle finished a hard fought second, Same champ Jimmie, who just may not be this year, finished 3rd followed by Harvick and Newman. In fact all of that handsome Rick’s boys finished in the top 13! Why this shake up at Hendrick’s is just a fact of beauty, isn’t it? All but the same champ Jimmie with Chadrick the Trick, as Duck calls him, got a change for crew chiefs. I’m thinkin’ this will end some other streaks if ya know what I mean. I sure am hopin’ so. Yessiree Bob, I really am. Now, I’m not wishin’ anyone any back luck or anythin’ like that. I’m just wantin’ to see the other drivers in that stable become a lead horse more often, too. It’s time. Know what I mean?

And now for the other stuff. In the Cup race Rowdy boy Kyle wrecked Edwards. Now I am not sayin’ it was intentional in anyway and Kyle apologized up one side and down the other over and over again. Sweet and flippin’ Carl feels that wreck took out the best car in the race and that just may be so. No one is sayin’ it was on purpose. Racin’ can be wreckin’, after all. I’m just sayin’ when push comes to shove, and it will sometime between those two, who knows who is gonna be doin’ the pushin’ and who the shovin’? Time will let us know, I’m pert near sure of that.

And how about that Danica girl? Why she finished 17th 3 laps down. Durin’ a televised post race interview I expected her to unzip her firesuit and she didn’t! Good for you I say girl! I was shocked, but, good for you. That’s a start, anyway. I do have to say I found that commercial where she’s tellin’ JR to go long and then he left her at the track, quite amusin’. Now look here, you know that girl could get a ride to anywhere! But if that occurrence were real would she grab her shirt and well, nevermind. I’m just sayin’ that that girl is as pretty as they come. No doubt about it and the car doesn’t know if she’s female or what she’s wearin’, or not. The young girls of today need a role model and one who presents herself with class as well as beauty. Good role models for today’s young’uns are hard to come by and even more so for female young’uns. Know what I mean?

Granny Grouch

I hate to say this, younguns, but I’m havin’ a real hard time figurin’ out this new rulin’ bout only bein’ eligible to run for one series championship in a season. Why in blazes would ya wanna drive your tail off and not get a single point fer all your hard drivin’? I’m a lookin’ at that there Kyle “Rowdy” Busch runnin’ in all three series races, when he can only git the points for one series, don’t make no cotton pickin’ sense to this OLD granny ! ! !

I don’t know what it’s gonna take for some of these races to be excitin’ cause the race I seen on Saturday was as BORING’ as watchin’ grass grow! Why, I had to git up and go feed the chickens, slop the hogs, milk the cows and whitewash the fence whilest “Rowdy” ran around in circles with not a feller in sight to chase him down. That there ain’t racin’ to this OLD granny’s way of thinkin’, why it was a Sunday afternoon drive on Saturday for heavensakes! And as for Sunday’s race, I think them boys in the Broadcast Booth all need some eyeglasses, especially ol’ DW cause he kept a sayin’ that the #48 car was workin’ real hard to come through all the traffic in the field, well my landsakes, there was a fifteen car pile-up and most of the cars were in the garage gittin’ all fixed-up so they could come back out and race some more, so what’s he talkin’ bout? Then there was “Cousin” Carl Edwards – - – wreckin’ everythin’ but the Tow Truck and the Ambulance! What on earth was he thinkin’ of? I was happy as a pig in slop for Jeff Gordon winnin’ that there race but I think he needs to git to practicin’ his burn-outs! hehehe He also needs to remember who his sponsors are but I know he was excited, it bein’ over two years since he’s won a race an all.

Okay, this OLD Grouch has gotta go do the rest of her chores – - – -see ya next week from Las Vegas Motor Speedway!

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So there you have the Grump’s and the Grouch’s thoughts. Cousin, darlin’, now don’t get your bustle in a big bunchup here, but I agree with MOST of what you were sayin’. Ain’t really worth mentionin’ it here. This ain’t the place. Know what I mean? Just come on by and we can discuss it over cornbread and buttermilk. I’ll put Duck in the bedroom so you won’t worry about your coat, but, it’s only fair to warn ya that he is hot under his feathers over your Carl comments. Hope to see ya soon, dearie!

So, loyal readers and other folks email us or comment if ya like. Grump and Grouch, over and out!

Granny Grump

So, the big Daytona weekend is finally over. I went to bed scratchin’ my head and woke up doin’ the same. I don’t believe I have ever seen such a, let me pick my words with care here now, surprisin’, and excitin’ mess. Is that really what the big’uns in charge had in mind when they changed this and that over and over again? Of course when you paint yourself in a corner, there’s only 1 way to get out without makin’ a bigger mess, and most times that’s impossible. Maybe that’s all they could do at that point. Seems pert near everythin’ was different, but more on that later on.

It sure was a wonderful and a teary sight to see Mikey win the truck race Friday night. And in the fittin’ #15! And you called the way you would do it, Mikey! Why I took to bawlin’ and looked over at Duck and he was snivelin’ all over the divan too! I just love that tall boy and congratulations to ya, Mikey! By the way, I do so love that shakin’ your bootie commercial and you can rip your shirt off (course you had another one on underneath) anytime your cute self sees fit to, as far as this Granny is concerned. And that commercial wasn’t nasty like you know who’s. Now if you would have said to go to NAPA.com to see what happens next, I can tell you Granny would have done that quicker than skit, but, well, just nevermind what else I’m thinkin’. And then on Saturday when Tony Boy won? Oh my, that was pleasin’ to see, too! And he’s clean shaven and trimmer! Doesn’t remind me at all any more of my late husband, Elmer. Ah well, Granny doesn’t care, honey! You’re still just a cutie and a fast one at that! Now, I’ll always like a scruffy beard and there is still hope cause the season is young, but, Duck and I are as happy as flies in the pasture. Know what I mean? And then Sunday came. Well, there was excitement, I’ll give ya that much. But I bet those boys were so worn out, they are still sleepin’ it off this mornin’. Well all but the Wood Brothers’ miracle find, that cutie pie Trevor Bayne. Why it was awesome to see that #21 in the winner’s circle again after all these years. And this boy, this Daytona 500 winner is spit it out amazin’. Why even Duck was pleased. Course he wanted flippin’ Carl to win, but cute Carl did finish second, at least. Y’all know by now Duck’s an AFLAC Duck lovin’ quack, but enough of my grumblin’ about that. Point is Trevor Bayne, a 20 year old long shot, became a provin’ and amazin’ 500 winner. Never saw that happenin’ in any way. Good for you I say, honey. I am lookin’ forward to see what happens next with this kid. And congratulations to the Wood Brothers as well.

Movin’ forward, now for the wrecks. Well there were plenty, let me tell ya that much right now. And there was the big one on Sunday, of course. 17 cars in one screechin’, tearin’ up, big money costin’ melee. 12 went to the garage out of that deal. Course the big ones are always a Daytona deal and that part was, unfortunately, the same, although muchly (is that a real word?) unwanted. TTGL (thank the good LORD) no one was hurt.

Next topic is The National Anthem. It seems that The National Anthem is a song some folks have a hard time with beltin’ out the right words to lately (not my cup of tea Christina Agu-somethin’ or other) and now at the Nationwide race. This just doesn’t sit right with me. To that good lookin’ group, honeys, it’s “What so proud WE (not they) hailed” and “gave proof THROUGH (not to) the night”. Now this group was very good lookin’ as I said before and had spankin’ good voices. Let me tell you that much right now. Thing is, all us older citizens learned that song and the words in school. Why we all knew it in first grade, for cryin’ out loud! I wonder if the kids of today have problems recitin’ it? Repetition, that’s the key to my way of thinkin’. That’s what we did and that’s how I learned to cook such great meals, repetiton! My late husband Elmer loved to eat the same foods over and over. He wasn’t much into fancy stuff, just good stick to the ribs and belly types of foods, but that’s neither here nor there. Things sure have changed since I was a young’un, but not bein’ able to recite, or sing for that matter, the words to The National Anthem? Why, that burns my bustle, if ya know what I mean. Now in that singin’ group’s defense it must be a real scarey situation bein” in front of such a large gatherin’ and bein’ on TV and all. I’m just suggestin’ that practicin’ and a really cold glass of cider or buttermilk could just calm those big gitters a bit. They did sound pleasin’ to the ear and all, I’m just sayin’. But Martina McBride on Sunday? Absolutely perfect! No doubt about that and pretty as they come, too. And Granny doesn’t want to slight that young Native American girl who helped launch the trucks Friday. That little cutie is talented and she sang all the right words, too! Good job, honey

Now for the other stuff. These 2 car draft situations? Well, to me it looked like the animals must have looked headin’ in to Noah’s Ark (and no I wasn’t there smart mouth Walter behind the meat counter) on that fateful day, 2 by 2 but a good deal faster, if ya know what I mean. The driver’s don’t like it much, either, they said. White knucklin’ they called it. Well Trevor Bayne must have liked it, but the truck race was different. They’ve got it right. To my way of thinkin’, as far as the cars, well, the big’uns in charge messed that up. If it ain’t broke, y’ain’t suppose to fix it, dearies. And then try to fix it again and again the wrong way. Phooey I say! Now I understand wantin’ to slow ‘em down a bit, but, y’all made ‘em go that fast in the first place and react in the draft like they did. Ain’t that right? Maybe, just maybe now, instead of messin’ and tryin’ to fix up the new mistakes, ya ought to go back to some of the old, proven right ways (if that’s possible with made up cars). Not all of the old ways, ya understand. Ya have to be sensible, of course, I’m just sayin’. Look here now, drivers have complained for a long time about those restrictor plates, but, at least all of ‘em had the chance to work in larger packs and get some stuff done. Know what I mean? The big’uns in charge need to think about that mess before Talladega and back up a bit.

And wasn’t it wonderful to see some of the more recent, older and less fortunate but still quite capable drivers do so well? Why for a short spell there Robby Gordon (he finished 15th) was leadin’. That boy had a bee or two under his belt somewhere! And then take a gander at David Gilliland’s 3rd place finish, cutie Bobby LaBonte’s 4th place finish, Bill Elliott, that million dollar rascal finished 12th and Terry Labonte the older (and also cutie) brother of Bobby finished 16th. I guess some of those changes worked out ok. It was an excitin’ weekend all in all…just threw this Granny and Duck a few more that 4 turns. Know what I mean?

Now, finally, I wanted to include the comments of my good friend and loyalest (is that a real word too?) reader Granny Grouch, as she calls herself. She so amusin’ly says us Grannies have to stick together. You’re right to my way of thinkin’ there Grouch!

Granny Grouch wrote:

What a wild and crazy weekend this was for the openin’ weekend of the 2011 NASCAR Season. Why, Granny Grouch hardly knows where to begin!

The Truck race Friday night was almost too much for Granny’s pacemaker, what with Michael Waltrip pullin’ off his first Truck Series win EVER. I was so proud of him bein’ as I am one of his biggest fans. He done a good deed by honorin’ his former car-owner and friend Dale Earnhardt . I think it was fittin’ that he won that race. Way to go, Mikey ! And how about that feller Tony “Smoke” Stewart? winnin’ the Nationwide Series race. This driver can race the wheels off any car you put him in, good job, Tony!

I must say that the biggest thrill of the entire weekend was watchin’ Trevor Bayne. This young whipper snapper raced his heart out. What a breath of fresh air he is for NASCAR and the race fans alike. He has talent that he doesn’t even realize yet! It was a real pleasure to watch him race, he was so helpful to any and all of the other drivers throughout the day and seemed to be in total shock that he was the one celebratin’ in Victory Lane. That young man is on his way to bein’ a NASCAR Super Star! This Granny is lookin’ forward to the next race so she can continue to watch Trevor race!

Response:
Grouch, darlin’ good friend, loyalest reader and first cousin, I just agree with you up one side and down the other! Be sure to write your thoughts on the next race, honey. As you so amusin’ly say, “Us Grannies have to stick together. Thanks for your time. Grump so appreciates you takin’ time out of your busy day because I know you are a busy woman, too, and I know you know what I mean.
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So there ya have what’s on my and Grouch’s mind. Seems only fittin’ to respond to her, her bein’ the loyalest (again ?) reader and good friend and all. Email or comment if you like. Either way is fine with me cause I’m a very busy woman and even busier this year it seems (and so is Grouch), but that’s neither here nor there. Know what I mean?

Granny Grump

Seems to be that he headed to Daytona and left Milton and Marvin Moran (better known around these parts by not very nice townfolk as the Moron brothers) in charge. They said Walter wasn’t going to the race. He didn’t have a ticket. He was just goin’ to park at the track and soak up the atmosphere they said, whatever that is suppose to mean. They informed me and the rest of the townfolk I am certain, that he didn’t even make it that far. He was a victim of some sort of road rage incident to be explained at a later date in some “podunk town” somewhere along the way. Wound up havin’ some fine to pay and then didn’t have the money to go down to Daytona and get back home, so he was enroute back as they were speakin’. I must admit to a wicked granny chuckle that he missed the race altogether. Seems to be yet another moron around these parts. I’m not meanin’ to be mean in this particular instance, I’m just sayin’.

Now none of that is neither here nor there, if ya know what I mean. I’m just tryin’ to explain the preparation that Duck and I go through for the first raceday events of the season. So we got our plates all heapin’ ready and headed for the TV. Lord have mercy, loyal readers and other folks, that was some crazy racin’ out there! I was havin’ enough trouble tryin’ to remember who is where now and by the end, my memory failed me ever so slightly and I was yellin’ go Ward. Go go go! Duck reminded me in his ever so cute duckie way that I was rootin’ and cheerin’ for Kurt Busch. After that shock wore off, I yelled even more. Now I know I have taken those Busch boys to task quite a bit for their not so nice ways in the past, but, I have to say Granny was a bit impressed with those two little buggers today. Sweet Mark Martin wrecked Kyle accidentally and Mark was more upset than Kyle. Why Granny was so proud of that boy, I can tell you that right now! And Kurt was just as cute as he could be in Victory Lane, thankin’ Jamie and all. Of course Kurt’s a whole lot richer because of Jamie, but those boys are good friends as they tell it, so good for them both I say.

There was a lot of destruction in both races. Is it just me or did it seem more nerve wrackin’ out there? A newly paved track, redesigned cars, rule changes and some crazy moves had a good deal to do with it all. Those boys are goin’ be plumb tuckered out at the end of the 500. So will Duck and I, I can tell ya that much right now.

Bobby Gerhart did a fantastic job today winnin’ the ARCA race. Why he looked like a young whipper snapper standin’ in the window of his car with that big, winnin’ smile on his face. See there loyal readers and other folks. The older guys still can do what needs to be done. That’s why I have become such a fan of the truck series in recent years. I admit to lovin’ to see the older guys take the younger ones to task. Hornaday is a big favorite of mine, bein’ so handsome and all. But the main thing is that man can drive his hiney off!

Now for the other stuff. Richard’s grandsons are just amazin’, aren’t they? Those younguns are goin’ to be BIG! I admit to bein’ somewhat bothered seein’ a black #3 out there again, but, time marches on I guess. Still, in granny’s old eyes that will always be Dale’s car. I understand it though, I just get a bug in my bonnet when I dwell on it too much.

And I see that rat of a thing Digger is still out and about. Lord have mercy! He ain’t any cuter is he? And I love the Waltrip boy’s commercials. Now you all know how I feel about those rippin’ off shirt commercials of you know who’s, but, I have to say Mikey can rip his shirt off like that and shake his booty anytime he wants as far as I’m concerned. If ya know what I mean. He is just the cutest tall thing, isn’t he? And Darrell, why he looked down right handsome tattooin’ that young man’s neck. I couldn’t make out what that black thing by his eye was, but, some men do look good with black tattoo things by their eye. Know what I mean?

Well that’s it for now loyal readers and other folks, I guess. Duck and I are pert near worn out. We still have dishes to do. Tonight I’ll wash and he can dry. It takes him a bit longer than me, but, he needs to do his part. A lazy duck is an unhappy duck, I always say. I do hope he is over the Aflac duck lovin’ deal. That has been a big source of irritation around here for quite sometime. Lord have mercy! Time will tell I guess.

Ya’ll can write me with your thoughts if you like. Just keep in mind I am a very busy woman and a worn out one this evenin’. Just a note to my Evie. I miss hearin’ from you girl! We’ll catch up real soon! Until next time, and as my daddy used to say, be good and if ya can’t be good, be careful!

Brian Rose

I was so pleasantly surprised and in the coming months got to see and know a side of Brian Rose that I doubt many reporters or fans were truly exposed to. So when the reports surfaced in 2003 that Brian had been suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy I was so very sad for him, not because I was ashamed of him or felt he was beyond redemption. Rather I felt this sport had lost not only a great talent, but a genuinely nice young gun who could impact this sport in amazing ways.

In the following years I lost contact with him so I was thrilled to learn Brian would be running a handful of races this past racing season and decided to contact Brian recently. The interview was amazingly enjoyable, insightful and inspiring. His come back may just be one of the most important racing stories of the last decade in so many ways.

Drug use and/or abuse has affected, potentially 100% of today’s US families, either personally, or indirectly through family members or close family friends. I asked him if he would mind talking to our readers about that issue and what led him to turn his life around.

“Well, …(when) I was arrested in ’03 for driving under the influence, I had just reached a point in my life where I wasn’t really making good decisions day in and day out. My family was having financial trouble and my Mother and Father had gotten a divorce. A lot of people could say that at 19 or 20 there’s such a maturity and I was very mature as an individual. I was very presentable. I was very marketable. I had all the right qualities but I wasn’t really mature in how to deal with things on a professional level or being able to handle the success and failures that go hand in hand. I just wasn’t there mentally in making the right decisions. I lived more of a Tim Richmond, wild, drink beer and stay out all night and have fun, more of the rock star life style versus a driver who trains and is in the gym every day.”

“The transition probably would have never came about if I hadn’t been arrested. When I was arrested in 2003 I sat in an inpatient facility for alcohol and drug abuse and my first child was born while I was inpatient. Addiction as a whole or behavior that is associated with it never really comes to a breaking point unless something traumatic happens. Some people, unfortunately, have to experience killing somebody in a car wreck or they have to experience the overdosing of a close family member. Everybody has a different, what they call a bottom, where they bottom out and what they consider the breaking point in their life where they say, ‘ ok , I’m going to battle this, I’m going to control my own life and not let my life run out of control and (I’m going to) be successful and be who I want to be and this is the type of effort I am going to put forth in doing so.’ Really to me reaching that breaking point in my own life, to be able to make those decisions was on September 12, 2003 and here it is 7 years later. I am able to look back and remember the pain, the hurt, the anguish and frustration that I caused back then which is what keeps me focused and determined today because I know how good I could have been and should have been and the successes and longevity in NASCAR that I should have had at a very early age.”

“When I started to drive all the sponsors were looking for Earnhardt, Petty or Mark Martin. You had to be this super veteran driver that had all the history and wins to (get that) sponsor. And about 3 or 4 years after I was gone if you weren’t 16 years old and turning 18 tomorrow they wouldn’t sponsor you, so I was on the cusp of a new era in NASCAR as far as the demographic of what sponsors were looking for. It’s not that the expectations were too high. They were in line with what was to be expected. I just wasn’t at the maturity point to make decisions that would respect those.”

“I’m not one to shy away from the truth. The way it is is the way it is. I was a young kid who made bad decisions. I could have been part of the next generation of drivers. I had all the opportunities and I screwed it up along the way. I (now) find myself 30 years old, married with 3 kids. I look back and watch NASCAR on the weekends and say, hey, I’ve got a small window here if I want to do this and do this successfully and competitively, I feel that with my relationships and my ability for marketing, if anyone can put funds together to race competitively then I know both ends of it. I think I can bridge that gap with teams that are out there, or forming my own personnel and team with the sponsor dollars that it takes to race. There are not a lot of companies out there right now just writing checks. It’s a lot of cross marketing, trading out services for exposure and being able to turn those in to money.”

Having completed all that NASCAR required of him, Rose was cleared to race last season, is ready to acknowledge that part of his life, put that firmly in his past and concentrate on what his future may hold, hoping that includes racing at the top levels. In 2010 he ran a very limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series which included Kansas with Rick Ware, and Iowa and Texas with Danny Gill. That was Rose’s chance to reacquaint himself with people he had worked with in the past including the car builders, engine builders, crew chiefs, etc. The reception went very well according to him.

“This is such a team sport, much more so than 95 percent of people realize.” he explained. “It’s all about the work done at the shop, the preparation of the engineers and crew chiefs in today’s age. That’s where races are won. I was able to hook back up with Danny Rollins who was my Crew Chief at Bobby Hamilton Racing. Danny is a very special guy in my life, a real friend and (for now) we’re actually just enjoying racing and not getting caught up in 30 some races and being gone away from home full time. He has a little boy, Brody, who just turned 1 and I’ve got 3 kids now. My oldest is Olivia who just turned 7, my middle is Savvy, she’s 4 and Davis is 2.”

“What we’ve decided to do in 2011 is go to the first ARCA race of the year at Daytona with our own team. We did well at Daytona. Our No. 4 Harris Trucking / Team ASE Toyota Camry posted the second-fastest time during the final drafting session on Thursday afternoon in 48.664 seconds. That was 184.942 miles per hour. We’re going to work on our piece and try to have something special. Danny and I are motivated to win because we knew we should have won the truck race there 8 years ago but the boss man, Bobby, asked me to stay right where I was and to push my teammate to victory so that is what we did. Looking back on it now, Danny and I both are kicking ourselves in the butt, so we’re going down to Daytona and win the ARCA race. We’re going to go down there for fun. We’re going to run some truck stuff, run a Nationwide race or two, maybe run the second Talladega race along with a hand full of other ARCA races. We’re not going to be committed to any points chase or any division, but, when we show up at any track we are looking to be competitive to win. By the time Daytona rolls around I think we’ll be in a very competitive mode. That will take us through the first couple of months and then we’ll sit down and see what late model, and what the first truck and Nationwide race we’re going to run. We’re just going to put it out there and release what our race dates are going to be.”

“You know, God works in mysterious ways. The date I decided to change my life was September 12, 2003, as I said. That following month my daughter was born about 5 hours before my birthday when I was in the inpatient facility. Fast forward 5 years later. My son was born on September 12th, 2008. So 5 years later, to the day that I changed my life, I had my baby boy. It’s kind of weird how things come full circle in life. I have 3 precious kids, married my wife who is very supportive of me. We were together when I drove for Hamilton. She stuck it out with me. She’s put up with a lot of stuff. She’s a good person and probably my biggest fan to date.”

“I really feel like people can relate to my story. A lot of adolescents and parents deal with these issues at home. Some parents are alcoholics. Some kids run wild at school. Unfortunately these problems have become such a part of our society and this is something, as a whole, that we have to learn to deal with. I’ve got a business now with 60 employees and I deal with it as much as anybody on a daily basis, keeping everybody on their toes as far as drug and urine screens and that’s just the way it is anymore.”

Brian’s doing well with his businesses which include 2 internet companies that will stream live on demand events via the internet which can be downloaded to your television. He also has a coal company. Their first mining permit is pending. It is located in eastern Kentucky between Virginia, North Carolina and eastern Kentucky which will allow easy access for a late model or Pro Cup racing weekend in North Carolina or Virginia. It also affords easy access to motors, parts and other things needed to build their ARCA cars and Camping World Trucks.

There’s a maturity in Brian that is so genuine and refreshing which is coupled with truthfulness and accountability. His dedication remains as strong as ever and his goals are realistic and attainable. I genuinely hope he is able to realize all of those goals. He has done what many people would have believed to be impossible, having completed everything NASCAR has required of him. Brian Rose is BACK!

In today’s world of racing fans, many choose a driver based on a family name, a volatile attitude or any number of other reasons, all of which are perfectly fine. However, choosing this young man as a racing favorite can prove to be an investment of support in a person who represents success on much more than a track level. Brian has battled some of the biggest adversaries in life and won! He is a winner in every sense of the word. I have always felt this racer has a great deal to offer this sport, and the potential impact Brian can afford any sponsors, veteran drivers and newcomers is possibly greater than ever before. I truly wish him the very best of success. He deserves it. I know I’m pulling for him.

I want to thank my good friend Chris Knight of Knight Motorsports Management & Assistant News Director at Catchfence.com for his assistance. Chris will be working with Brian in the coming season, so, for more information on Brian contact Chris at chris@chrisknightpr.com

And be sure to check out Brian’s company at www.trueview.com And be sure to check out his racing website a www.BrianRoseMotorsports.com

Granny Grump

The stockings were hung where the chimney should be and the tree was so pretty with strung cranberries.

Duck came home finally, in bed safe and warm and the rest of the animals were out in the barn.

Then I heard such a racket and opened the door and in came Mark Martin and so many more.

There was Jeff, there was JR, and the same Champ Jimmie and he handed me Kyle who I put o’er my knee.

I gave him a talkin’ so loud and so clear, let’s see if things change in the comin’ new year.

The chatter was fun and the laughter so sweet, then I realized I was dreamin’. I had fallen asleep.

What a wonderful vision. It all seemed so clear but I woke up knowin’ it’s neither here nor there.

Course it could still happen someday, sometime when racers love Granny like Granny loves them.

Til then I’ll keep writin’ as time says I can cause we all know that Granny’s a busy woman.

I’ll close by just sayin’ y’all listen, ya hear? Merry Christmas, stay safe and be good all next year.

And that goes for y’all and all racers, please do and of course that includes Kyle and Danica too.

I’m not bein’ pushy, but I”m just a sayin’, listen to Granny and keep on a prayin’.

Know what I mean?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Granny Grump, Duck and everyone at Catchfence, of course.

Granny Grump

It is ever so evident that she needed a crackin’ the whip, no nonsense babysitter, chief cook and housekeeper. Although I had to learn to cook pert near all over again out there with a stove that had no flamin’ burner. Can you believe that? And you just can’t get some of the good and delicious food I know how and love to cook out there, either. Not a ground hog to be found anywheres, but you sure can buy brains and cow tongues! Not that those are bad, it just seems so unfair, if you know what I mean. But, that is neither here nor there, I’m guessin’. From the moment I go off that jet plane I was, shall we say, just overcome with culture shock. People have very little modesty out there. I’ve never seen so much exposed underwear that wasn’t hangin’ on a clothes line! Lord have mercy! And the girls were half dressed! And all those kids talk a weird language and have those blamed cellular phones glued to the side of their faces! It’s just not right. None of it is.

As soon as me and my Samsonite were in the door my niece and her husband hit the road for a much deserved and now I know why vacation and left me in charge. In charge I was, too, if you know what I mean. Took me a few days to get those kids properly clothed and speakin good ol’ regular English. All I did was take some nearly full strength Clorox a couple of times to some of their nasty lookin’ clothes and darned some of their blue jeans. I am still a bit upset with Cora(belle) for lettin’ her kids clothes wear out like that. Why those poor kid’s clothes were plum thread bare at the knees and seats of their pants! And those kids think I was born yesterday tellin’ me they bought them like that and thinkin’ I would believe that foolishness. Anyway after a few days those pants were pulled up and chests were covered, thank the good Lord. Of course I’m not sure what happened when they were out of my sight, but, respectfulness in my presence was probably all I could shoot for if you know what I mean. And soon there after they were comin’ home right after school too. Long story as to why, but, at least we reached an understandin’. I called it just punishment, they called it abuse or corporate punishment or somethin’ like that. Oh well. Peace did finally reign!

Almost got in legal trouble at the airport comin’ home, though. Some woman wanted to make sure I wasn’t a terrorist. Wanted to check me and mine out if you know what I mean. Why I pulled out my umbrella and gave her a good, loud talkin’ to, let me tell you that right now. I had to submit eventually, but, not after a thorough tongue lashin’. I know we all need to be safe when we fly, but, I’m just sayin’…me? Ah well maybe I’m just mellowin’ out in my older age, but a granny’s got to do what a granny’s got to do to get home. Know what I mean?

My sister, Cora(belle)’s mother, Francis Mae, took care of my place for me. That woman thinks I am so dumb. When I got there I asked where my duck was. She showed me a note and said it was from the duck tellin’ me he had gone off to look for the AFLAC duck and that he had fallin’ hopelessly in love. How dumb does she think I am? He can’t spell that good! Anyway I am hopin’ he shows up real soon. He loves the holidays. Just hope he loves them more than that AFLAC somersaultin’ emotion stealin’ quack.

That’s enough on my trip. I just don’t have the time or inklin’ to try to cover all the who’s its and what’s its that happened while I was in California so I’ll just start with Jimmy Johnson. Well, he is the Champ for the fifth time in a row. What more can you say about that other than Denny and Kevin aren’t? I mean really! And Homestead was as excitin’ as ever, if you know what I mean. Jimmy seems to be settlin’ into marriage and fatherhood real well. Good for him, I say! Maybe next year we will have a different Champ. I’m not predictin’ or wishin’ anything here, I’m just sayin’. And for the other stuff, that Danica girl is still unzippin’, if you know what I mean. I’m just sure I saw her granny in one of her commercials awhile back. She looked to be a reasonable and decent woman, from what I could tell. Oh well, we just aren’t responsible for the actions of our offspring or for their offspring and so on, thank the good and gracious Lord.

Oh and one more other stuff topic. I picked up some of that crazy kid language out there in the west. So for those of you who talk that stuff, I hope I can get this right. Yo, yo, man. Johnson is the dog…my bad, dawg! Dude, he is thick sick man, yo!

Well, I’m runnin’ out of time so I better close for now. I need to grab the shotgun and meet Walter from behind the meat counter out in the woods for turkey huntin’. He will pick it and I will click it! So, I do want to wish all my loyal readers and other folks a very Happy Thanksgivin’, (dudes and dudettes?).

Darrell Wallace with his mother and father

This 17 year old Revolution Racing and Joe Gibbs development driver was amazing. In the 10 races of this season, which included the Limerock Park road course, Darrell, Jr. had quite a head turning season with 5 top 5′s, 7 top 10′s and 2 wins plus locking down the Rookie Of The Year title. I contacted him recently to see if we could hear, directly from him, just what this season and success has meant to him. I asked him to begin where he wanted.

“Ok, well like you said we are still signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and last year we signed on board with Revolution Racing as part of the Diversity program. Revolution Racing is a new team that was established based on the diversity program where we have the try out deal of the combine and the top 10 who made it were able to capture 10 spots on Revolution Racing which consisted of 4 K&N Pro East spots and 6 Late Model All American spots. Everything was all in house, our workout, media, everything so it was all a big plus and a big step up from last year…definitely a lot better.”

“I’m 17 and I’m going to finish school early so I can concentrate on racing. We came into this season looking at Rookie Of The year. We were able to capture that in the UARA Series back in 2008 so that’s where our main focus was being a top rookie and knowing we would be fast. Then being able to go into the first race and get the win was more than we expected because we expected just a solid run, a top 10 or a top 5. So that was definitely a big plus for us. That put a little weight on my shoulders going into the next race where we finished 20th, which didn’t help us much because we fell to 6th in the points. It was kind of a struggle to work back up through, but, we had 3 consecutive top 3′s in a row. So it was pretty much a stellar season and being able to capture that second win at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire was awesome. It was a close battle between me and Truex (Ryan) for the championship standing and another close battle between me and Cole Whitt for the Rookie of the Year standing so 2 tough battles being able to be a part of is pretty awesome.”

I told Darrell that this year’s accomplishments were absolutely amazing and that I felt, or rather knew from our first interview, he had something special to offer this sport. To that he said, “I try not to think about it so much. I don’t want it to go to my head and become cocky, so, I kind of just need to lay low on it. My Dad, my Mom and my sister, my whole family are very excited for me.”

“We recently finished the D4D Combine for next year. We went up to Motor Mile and we were the fastest thing there again. That was definitely a plus to be able to set the bar high again and hopefully we will be able to capture one of the 4 spots for the East series and be able to go for the championship next year because that’s what I told everybody back home on the team, that I’m looking for next year, going for the championship. Hopefully we can go with that next year. There’s nothing definite locked down in house in store for Gibbs yet. Sponsorship is the main deal and I understand that. Times are tough right now so I just have to play it by ear with Gibbs, but hopefully I’ll have something by next year. I’ll be 18 next October. Hopefully at that point I’ll be able to compete in some Nationwide races by the end of the year or in 2012. There have been some talks but nothing really set so I can’t really say when I’m going to be able to do it but that’s what I am hoping for. I try to go out there and give it my all and fortunately I was able to do that this year. Every time we went to the track we were strong. The only time we had a hiccup was the last race of the season at Dover where we had problems with the carburetor and unfortunately we ended up blowing a tire and hitting the wall. That ended the day for us but other than that every other race we showed up strong out of the box as we expected, but we finished 3rd in the points and won Rookie Of The Year so I’ll take it.”

Darrell Wallace Jr. Wins The Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway

Speaking more on his parents presence and encouragement: “My dad had always been the driver, the crew chief, the cook, just everything up until now. This is different to get used to, but just having him there was awesome. Every race he had the radio and told me to be there and save something for the end, you’ll get them. It was definitely a plus to have him there every race just like I’m used to. And it was good seeing my mom at the racetrack, too, every week. She was always telling me to thank GOD first, to put him first with everything and when you do that it will all work out. And that is what happened. My sister was able to go to some races too. It was awesome to have the whole family present. It always means a lot to me. That just feels good. It feels like you’re home.

His racing hero? “My favorite driver was Dale, Sr. He’s no longer here but he will always be my favorite.”

The Drive for Diversity Program will make their decisions for next year soon. Darrell said they would notify the drivers in 4 to 6 weeks and it has been nearly 4 at this posting.

I was the first time I spoke with this young man and remain, so impressed with this young driver. He is genuinely and obviously VERY talented, humble (which is quite often lacking in this sport), dedicated, focused, friendly, appreciative and mature far beyond his 17 years. All of that speaks volumes as to his potential success and impact in this sport. He is a driver any team or sponsor would be proud to present. I am a fan of his and am honestly hoping we read, sometime next year, that he will be heading to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in some amazing equipment. For now age is preventative, but money will ultimately dictate the next direction of this young man’s racing future.

For sponsorship information please contact Darrell Wallace, Sr at darrell@wallaceindustrial.com You can also follow Darrell, Jr on facebook. His website is in the process of being updated so be sure to check it often at www.darrellwallacejr.com

Note worthy information:

Next year’s D4D East Pro Series schedule may include 14 races which means more success and exposure for this young gun.

Revolution Racing was formed in 2009 by Max Siegel who used to be part of the management team at Dale Earnhardt Inc.

With Wallace, Jr’s first win of the season at Greenville Pickens Speedway, he became the youngest driver to win an East Pro Series race by almost four months and gave the Drive for Diversity program its first ever victory in the K&N East Pro Series where many of the tracks he competed at he had never raced on before. Additionally Wallace was the first African-American racer to win in that series’ history.

Good luck, Darrell. We’ll be watching!

Hayes later recalled that Phil’s elevation to Winston Cup in 1983 was a mixture of perseverance and luck – the younger Parsons had run his own racecars in NASCAR’s Dash series and had run out of money (“If I had the choice between buying tires and eating, I bought tires”) and the racing credentials he’d earned to that point would not have been enough to warrant the kind of opportunity he wound up getting. It began in ugly fashion in the 1983 Winston 500.

Yet Parsons and the Jacksons persevered and by 1988 Richard had purchased the team from Johnny Hayes and the combination was a full-time participant. Five years after trying to blow open the walls at Talladega, Phil Parsons and Richard Jackson had won there.

In 1989, though, Leo and Richard had formed a second team; the team, basically Harry Gant’s #33 team transferred from the lameduck Hal Needham outfit, eventually was purchased by Leo and became a seperate entity. Richard, while still owning the former Phil Parsons team (changed from #55 to #1 in 1990), still had a role with his brother’s outfit, and the team became a point team in the sport’s transition to radial tires. Richard’s #1 car won poles at the 1992 Dixie 500 and the inaugural Brickyard 400, but perhaps the team’s best run came at the end, as Morgan Shepherd drove Richard Jackson’s #1 Pontiac in the 1997 Atlanta 500 to the top five.

He eventually became another casualty of the sport’s economics, and warrants being remembered for pushing on despite them.

At Dover Jennifer finished 22nd. We had a brand new truck there that wasn’t broken in and fortunately everything went pretty well with it. She wasn’t quite used to the steering and Dover was a complete unknown for her. She had never run a track that had banked straightaways and banked corners and Dover is in a league of it’s own. You can’t go anywhere to test for there, so for her to finish that race and not tear anything up and to have a good points day I will say we weren’t happy, but we were satisfied with the outcome. It’s fun to race at Dover, but it’s easy to tear up a lot of equipment there.

And this past weekend at Charlotte she finished 18th, the first car a lap down. That’s the first time she has raced competitively there too. We were very proud of her and the efforts of the team to get out of there in the 18th position. Now we’re locked in in the points and that takes a lot of pressure off of going in to Texas. Again, she didn’t tear any equipment up. That was the same truck we ran at Dover and all in all it was a successful day.

Texas is a track she is used to. She should be looking at top 15 there. We don’t have sponsorship for her yet, but, hopefully we’ll have that soon. I think I’ve got enough sponsorship for Texas where I can run the entire race. I’m looking forward to that. I don’t really want to mention the names because I don’t want anybody calling me, but, like I said I am excited about that. That’s basically the update on the team. It’s going pretty good and we’re looking to improve each week. So far we have been. We have had a couple of setbacks along the way, but, there’s not a race team out there that hasn’t. Even Hendrick has some setbacks going on right now, so that tells you that sometimes you do your best and it doesn’t matter how much money you’ve spent it’s still out of your control. You’ve got to have the racing gods to look down on you and, of course, we’re in control of our own destiny most of the time, but, in some cases we’re not.

I’m very proud of the job Jennifer is doing. She’s being really smart. She hasn’t made anybody mad, she hasn’t taken anybody out, and she hasn’t gotten in the way. She wants to be a little more aggressive and she is beginning to be. People can say what they want, but, I believe she is this type of person and racecar driver because of her dad, Joe Cobb being a racer. That had a lot to do with her attitude and her appreciation of what she has to work with now. Her confidence level is growing to where she’s feeling like one of the guys. All of her competitors are very helpful to her and they respect her. And she’s earning even more respect as we go along. If you didn’t read her name on the top of the truck you wouldn’t know it was a woman driving it. The truck doesn’t know the driver is a woman and she does a good job. She will work her way up. She is familiar with the vehicle and she can wear whatever hat she needs to whether it’s a spokesperson, a racecar driver, someone working on the truck or a model. I thought I wore a lot of hats until I met her.

Everybody has been nothing but respectful of her and to us. The officials are great to work with. Wayne Auton has been really good to work with, too. He is doing a nice job. We’ve really enjoyed being over there. The Camping World Truck Series is more like racing should be. It’s not exactly like ARCA, but, it’s not like Nationwide either, where some of the people are uppity. I can’t stand that stuff. I’ve told her let’s just finish the first half of the year and then we’ll be going back to some of the same places where she has some races under her belt that aren’t all new to her. She’ll know her way around some tracks and then we can expect bigger and better things, so right now everybody involved is pretty happy.

I was watching the Hall Of Fame program and saw how even NASCAR was humble in the beginning, how they helped the competitors get going when they were down on their luck, that kind of thing. Everybody just helped and worked together which is what made NASCAR what it is today. I think it has gotten away from that, like taking sponsors away from each other and things like that. There are still some people helping each other in the Truck and Nationwide series, but the higher up the ladder you get the less there is of that. There are guys who raced late models against other drivers and now are in NASCAR. Drivers and team members who back then never owned a racercar or a lugnut, and this really irks my rearend, and get hired with Hendrick, Gibbs or somebody like that and then all of a sudden they are too good to talk to the ordinary racer they drove against back then. And the 2 things this Hall Of Fame program pointed out was how Richard Petty never forgot where he came from, always had time for people and made them feel comfortable. And it was the same for Earnhardt. Both were 7 time Cup Champions. Maybe that’s the reason they were 7 time champions. Why the drivers, crew members or the media can’t see what 2 successful 7 time champions did and follow that lead is beyond me. We all need to learn from other people’s mistake as well as follow their leads with successes. NASCAR should see that as well.

During the program it was brought out several times how Bill, Sr and Jr had helped so many people when they knew they needed a car and helped people get to the race track. I don’t understand how we got away from that kind of support because car counts are dwindling as well as everything else. And it’s not done yet. If everyone watched as much of this show as I did they would understand what I am saying here and it would refresh some memories as to how it was and why NASCAR is so successful today. I guess what I am saying is some things will never be the same but they could be better.

I was in Erie, Pennsylvania running an ARCA race in ’06 or ’07. I was in my driving suit, had never been around Richard much, didn’t even think he knew who I was and some of his crew members volunteered to help us. Richard was Grand Marshall for the race and he came walking through the pit and saw me sitting on the way and said, ‘Hey Mike how are you doing?’ and all this and he didn’t have to do that, but we talked for about 5 minutes like we were best buddies. Of course my guys couldn’t believe it, but, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s what this sport needs to get back to in my opinion. The common man, the common race fan is not going to support someone who thinks he is better than they are. That goes from NASCAR, drivers, crew member and all the way down. When they make a person, a team or whatever uncomfortable, not needed or unwanted then the fan is going to turn their focus somewhere else. Just because you can drive a racecar or work for a prominent team in NASCAR or any other upper racing series that doesn’t make you any better than anybody else. You need to be thankful you have a job just like the people who work for smaller teams. Everyone has good and bad about themselves and I have things I would like to do over, but, we just need to try to be the best we can be in any situation. Sometimes people won’t let you do that, but, you need to do what you’ve got to do.

I’ve raced something for 37 years solid and never missed a year and have been fortunate to make a living at it about half of that time. I’m appreciative of that and I think being that way is what has enabled me to do this for so long. I’ve always been successful and a winner in any of the super late models and below and it’s killing me that I haven’t been in that kind of situation and had a really competitive ARCA, Nationwide or Truck ride other than a very few times. I’m focusing now on a couple of truck races, maybe an ARCA race and maybe even a couple of Nationwide races in the second half of this season and part of next season so we can race like everybody else.

And another thing that irks my rearend is people always talking about start and park cars. Again it costs as much to go and to get there as it does everybody else, but, they have to work harder than the better funded teams to get there. It’s like going to your favorite steak house, ordering a whole meal, only eating the salad before having to leave. It kills the team and hurts the driver more than anybody else. No one wants to start and park, but, it beats the hell out of sitting on the couch and never having the opportunity to race. That’s what these reporters who have never owned a piece of racing equipment, never stayed up all night working on a racecar or never had to work like that and are saying negative things without knowing what they’re talking about. They need to come and walk a week in our footsteps and then they will see what it is really like. That’s the way I look at it. And going back to what I was saying earlier, if it wasn’t for some of the things the under funded teams have to do there may not be full fields at some events.

I’m a fan of racing and I respect anyone who races, who has a passion for it and who is willing to risk their time, their family and even their life for it whether I like or dislike them as a person. I don’t know how others feel about this, but, I don’t like it when the fans start booing drivers like Kyle Busch. Kyle is not out there just to collect a paycheck. He is out there giving his all. He hates to lose. That reminds me of myself when I was running late models. If I didn’t win I was mad at Mike and I was mad at my car. I expected to win and I didn’t accept any lip. If there was lip I wasn’t happy. I’ve never been in a situation to race like he does above super late models, but, I was willing to risk life or limb to win the race and Kyle Busch is one of the few out there who is willing to do just that today on any day at any track. Some drivers are braver on different tracks, but Kyle will run that way on any track. I respect that.

Am I a fan of Kyle Busch? I’m a fan of everybody that races, but I do not agree with those people who do not respect a man that’s willing to risk everything to win. Anyone can get out there to collect a check. It’s just like Waltrip said, he was either going to let Earnhardt go past him or Earnhardt was going to aggravate him to death until he did. Earnhardt wanted it more than anyone out there and a racer’s competitors need to know that. A driver like that gives 110% and they are going to race just as hard for 10 bucks as they are for 10 million. It isn’t about the money. They just hate to lose. How can you boo a guy for doing his job 110%. I wish there were 43 drivers out there like that on Saturday and Sunday and everyone had the financial backing so we could race that way. They couldn’t build grandstands big enough to hold all the fans if it were like that. I’d give anything if I could run my Truck or even some Nationwide races like I used to run my late model races because I refused to lose. I didn’t like making excuses and I didn’t take them. I’m envious of guys who get the chance to race like Kyle does and who take full advantage of it because Kyle runs every lap like it’s the last and that’s the way you’ve got to do it. When you’re a racer you’re not thinking about a fine. And if someone needs an inch you’re not going to give it to them because at that point you are a machine. You’re not human. When you become one with your racecar you’re going for the win and you don’t worry about money. You don’t worry about your life or anything else. Once you’re use to winning 14th or 15th is nothing. That is truly the way it is.

We’re on the road right now heading to Texas. I’m looking forward to racing again. I’m hoping for a good race and want to be sure to thank my fans and Jennifer’s fan for their continued support.

I’ll get back to you all when I am on the road again. To be continued….

Frank Kimmel II, Frank Kimmel, Bill Kimmel

“I said this one time at a banquet a few years ago. We had won a championship, and my mom was still with us at that time. She has (since) passed away. It’s been 2 years now. I think one of the most touching stories, one of my earliest memories, was that we were driving to a race. Dad was driving and Bill and I were riding in the back of the pickup. I was around 6 to 8 years old, and Bill was 10 to 12, somewhere around there. We actually rode in the back of a stake bed pickup because it was crowded up front. Sometimes my sisters would go, so there may be my mom, dad and 2 sisters in the front of this standard pickup truck. There were no crew cabs back then. I remember it was late, dad had raced and we were trying to get back home so he could get ready the next day and go race at another race track. Mom was reaching in a little Styrofoam cooler, because there wasn’t plastic igloos back then, and she was reaching in there with a wash cloth and getting it cold and putting on his neck so he could stay awake. (Frank’s voice breaking ever so slightly)

“That goes back to the story I told earlier (previous article with Frank: Frank Kimmel “This Is Our Life, This Is What We Do”) that I think sometimes some of these kids (young drivers coming in to the upper racing series) don’t understand (what tough times really are). And another thing, riding in the back of a pickup truck. If you do that now it’s called child abuse. It was a cool time to live through. Our’s was a racing family and that’s what it took. Sometimes I think, nowadays, people might miss that a little bit.”

“My dad raced all through Indiana, through Kentucky and a lot of the dirt tracks back in the 60′s. He started in ’48 on an asphalt track right here in southern Indiana. That’s all he did, was race on short tracks for a living, if you can imagine. We would run on Fridays, Saturdays and twice on Sundays and sometimes on a Wednesday night show if there was one around. It was a busy time and there was one race car. He might have one crew member tag along sometimes in a passenger car, but normally, it was mom, dad, me, bill and maybe one or two crew members and my older brother Thom, before he had to go to Vietnam, was right there with him, too. It was a family oriented deal. He was racing his butt off and making a living.”

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Frank Kimmel Sr

So what did Frank’s father say when he said he wanted to race, as well? “It was never a question. He didn’t expect us to do it. It was not like that at all, but, when he saw that I was going to do it he thought it was a natural progression. He thought that is what Bill and I should do. He knew it was a drug, an addiction and he gave it to us, so, he was kind of stuck with it.”

“We have breakfast with him every morning. We go up and actually meet at Steak And Shake here in Clarksville about a quarter to eight every morning. He’s doing great. He’s 81 and he’s real happy right now. They just had a community yard sale around his house and he made something like $2000.”

“We invite him all the time to go to the races with us and he’ll go to Salem because it’s so close and Kentucky Speedway. We’re not racing there this year, but when we are there, he is always there. He’ll come to some of the close tracks. He didn’t go to Talladega this year, but, sometimes he does because I have 2 sisters near Atlanta, so he gets to see them. If it’s someplace he wants to go or someplace he wants to see he will go. If not, if it’s on television he just about stays home because he says he has a better view from home.”

Bill Kimmel, Sr.; Frank Kimmel II; Frank Kimmel; Donna Kimmel; Holly Kimmel

It is evident that this guy…a father, a brother, a son and a racer is really a great example of what racing was, is and even more importantly, what it is suppose to be. The guy is a 9 time ARCA champ, after all! It is amazing for me to realize of all the many racing stories and accomplishments of Frank’s career he could choose from he chose to speak of his father’s racing efforts to support his family and of a particular kind thought of his mother, tending to her tired and weary husband on the road home from a race. Yet, that truly was “the way it was” for Frank and his family. Again, many thanks Frank and good luck.

If you are a facebook junkie, be sure to follow Frank under the name Frank Kimmel. And be sure to check out his sponsors at www.menards.com and www.ansellconstruction.com .