Race Journal Online est. October 4, 2006"I believe anybody who tells you he is unbiased is a liar. Being human gives you bias, and you can't avoid that. The best you can ever hope to be is fair." -David Poole
Click to read David Poole tribute
Photo:Tom Pennington/ Getty Images for NASCAR RJO's Favorite Charities
Rest in peace Jason Leffler. A great driver who never had quite the time nor team support to get to the Cup level for an extended period of time. Not many people get killed in auto-sports anymore. Haven't heard of someone being in that bad of a sprint car crash in a very very long time. - Matt "The Assistant" Einarsson
Jason Leffler (September 16, 1975 – June 12, 2013)
Quote of the Week
"Fatherhood is something that is so amazing it's impossible to explain." -Jason Leffler, August 2007
JEERS to Cox Communications. Yes, while I understand they consider it an "upgrade" to make ALL the channels HD (even though customers had both already and could choose their preference), when they make HD mandatory, in order to record on the DVR, you have to have first either purchased an external hard drive, or erase virtually 90% of the saved contents. The race on Sunday... one race.... is currently using up 20% of my DVR. And in order to get it recorded, I had to forfeit the prerace show. I hate you, Cox. You will never EVER be my friend in the digital age or any other age. Ever.
CHEERS to a high school chaplain doing the invocation, and CHEERS to praying specifically for Charlie.
CHEERS to the very first part of the anthem, maybe the middle section, too, but then it went downhill from there and by the end was just a disaster.
CHEERS to the Screamin' Rebels!! We love a flyover by any kind of aircraft, especially some that are called rebels. Oh, you can try and take away our flyovers, but you haven't really succeeded now, have you?
When an artist is sad, he paints. When a sculptor is sad, he sculpts. A sad singer sings. And for me, writing makes my heart hurt a little less. I don't know if anything here will bring you the kind of comfort you seek, but we'll press on together.
I first read the news of Jason Leffler when my assistant posted it on Facebook. I was stunned. And then my heart began to hurt. So many thoughts clouded my mind and I wondered how to organize them into anything that made sense. Of course, things like this never do make sense, I don't s'pose.
I had seen Jason Leffler's last tweet, and it was just six short hours before he was pronounced dead. His last post was a photo of an Amish man in a buggy, which is just about the slowest mode of family transportation in America, and how ironic that he was being photographed by a guy who made his living being fast. Jason captioned it "Rush Hour."
CHEERS to TNT being back! It's a mere "Summer Six-Pack", they'll likely have too many commercials and most will be promoting their own shows, but still it gives us another six weeks before the suffering begins with ESPN, and more importantly, we have six weeks of our favorite booth duo.
CHEERS to seeing new perspectives. The noses of haulers? And handle names of some drivers. That's pretty fun info to know.
CHEERS to the restart rule that couldn't be more clear. It's no loophole, and Jimmie knows it. If he didn't know it, he wouldn't have also used the expression, that he took the bait.
CHEERS to Juan Pablo, who has been more amusing during this whole restart controversy than anyone else. "You gotta restart between the two cones - that I did. And you're not supposed to beat the leader to the line. What's so hard about that?" And pulling in behind the guy that jumped... brilliant!
JEERS to the Superman Curl on Michael Waltrip's forehead. What the heck was THAT? I know there are people who are supposed to make sure the TV talent looks good, so who failed?
JEERS to Denny's back bothering him... I wonder if he'll get to a point, maybe the Chase if he doesn't make it, and just take the rest of the year off to fully heal. Then again, once you have a back injury, I'm not convinced you ever really can "fully" heal. Sometimes the best you can do is manage the pain.
CHEERS to asking other drivers about Matt Kenseth. That was a great piece! And remember, only his jokes are funny.
CHEERS to the running scroll of those heroes lost since this race last year. We're just sorry it's so long.
CHEERS to Technical Sergeant Christopher Bittner and his Earnhardt allegiance! If the video had gone on longer, I wonder how many more things he had down there in his bag!
CHEERS to the drivers talking to their soldier fans, too. Very nice personal connection there.
CHEERS to "Father, we're so thankful for all the many blessings You give us, especially being at these races and watching. Father, we just pray you bless us with safety - the spectators and drivers. And Father, we just want to remember also the folks from Oklahoma. Be with them right now. Help us always to look to you for the answers in life. In Jesus we pray. Amen." CHEERS to Phil and Kay Robertson for the raising of their fine boys into great Godly men!
A two-time NASCAR premier series champion, Flock was one of the sport’s first dominant drivers. In 187 starts, Flock had 39 victories, a total that still ranks 18th on the all-time wins list. Flock won his first series title in 1952 while driving Ted Chester’s Hudson Hornet, and his second in 1955 driving Carl Kiekhaefer’s Chrysler. He dominated that season, posting 18 wins, 32 top fives and 18 poles in 39 races. Flock’s 18 wins stood as a single-season victory record until Richard Petty surpassed it with 27 wins in 1967.
CHEERS to the 99 team with Dick Trickle's name on the car. What a tragic situation, but as always, the NASCAR family comforts each other with great stories that celebrate the life of a great racer.
JEERS to Saturday night and already knowing who'll get the fan vote. If you watched practice and qualifying, you may have heard a certain announcer say "And they've changed the fan vote a little bit this year so even if the driver isn't on the lead lap, she.. uh, or he... can still advance to the main event." Yes, it was really that obvious. So we have the Frankie Stoddard rule (about pitting), and now we have the Danica rule (one of many) where all the little children get participation trophies. Way to forge a way for women drivers - by creating a very long list of exceptions designed to mask your limited driving ability.
CHEERS to being in complete agreement with Carl Edwards that we should do qualifying like that EVERY week! Not only is it so much more exciting, but incorporating a pit stop into qualifying truly makes it a team sport for qualifying and not just race day. And after our little trip around Kansas with Todd Bodine, we can attest that 150 does feel more like 200 when it's flat. The drive on the apron before blending up onto the banking was the most harrowing part of that ride for me.
Hate sharing things like this... Such a tragedy. Dick Trickle dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after calling police and telling them where to find his body. Some of the hundreds of Tweets posted are listed below.
Sad to hear of Dick Trickle. At some point we were all short trackers. He was the best. #RIPDickTrickle -Joey Logano (@JoeyLogano)
JEERS to the state of our country where a Military Chaplain has to offer a disclaimer to his invocation, to make sure people know he's not a government person mandating prayer. We've fallen so far away. (The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. -Psalm 14:1)
JEERS to a twangy anthem (twangier than we normally like), but CHEERS that at least we're still free enough to have that televised for each race.
CHEERS to Tony Stewart and his group of driver friends who all plan to drop to the back so they can stay with Denny Hamlin and keep him with an isolated and protective draft. See, now, THAT'S what we love about NASCAR. They may all be competing, but so often it's the kind of competing you do with your brothers. You all want to win, but in the end, you're all still brothers.
JEERS to a commercial in the middle of a NASCAR broadcast for Tires Plus advertising that they'll change all four tires in 59 minutes or less. Maybe they should have considered their audience before airing an ad like that, because this audience hardly thinks 59 minutes is anything to write home about.
CHEERS to the weekly workout Darrell Waltrip gets scurrying up steps, but still slapping hands on his way past delighted fans.
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TV Times are only estimates
Sprint Cup 2013 Schedule Saturday night races in red
Feb 24 Daytona FOX 1pm
Mar 03 Phoenix FOX 3pm
Mar 10 Las Vegas FOX 3pm
Mar 17 Bristol FOX 1pm
Mar 24 Fontana FOX 3pm
Mar 31 OFF (Easter)
Apr 07 Martinsvl FOX 1pm
Apr 13 Texas FOX 7:30pm
Apr 21 Kansas FOX 1pm
Apr 27 Richmond FOX 7:30pm
May 05 Talladega FOX 1pm
May 11 Darlington FOX 7:00pm
May 18 All Star SPEED 7:30p
May 26 Charlotte FOX 6:00pm
Jun 02 Dover FOX 1pm
Jun 09 Pocono TNT 1pm
Jun 16 Michigan TNT 1pm
Jun 23 Sonoma TNT 3pm
Jun 29 Kentucky TNT 7:30pm
Jul 06 Daytona TNT 7:30pm
Jul 14 New Hampshr TNT 1pm
Jul 21 OFF
Jul 28 Indianapolis ESPN 1pm
Aug 04 Pocono ESPN 1pm
Aug 11 WatGlen ESPN 1pm
Aug 18 Michigan ESPN 1pm
Aug 24 Bristol ABC 7:30pm
Sep 01 Atlanta ESPN 7:30pm
Sep 07 Richmond ABC 7:30pm
The Chase
Sep 15 Chicago ESPN 2pm
Sep 22 New Hampshr ESPN 2pm
Sep 29 Dover ESPN 2pm
Oct 06 Kansas ESPN 2pm
Oct 12 Charlotte ABC 7:30pm
Oct 20 Talladega ESPN 2pm
Oct 27 Martinsvl ESPN 1:30pm
Nov 03 Texas ESPN 3pm
Nov 10 Phoenix ESPN 3pm
Nov 17 Homestead ESPN 3pm
When I was a little girl, growing up in Southern California, my grandma would come visit from Indiana for three months a year to get away from the Indiana winters. Oh, the stories I could tell and the memories I have of Grandma's annual visits. But one of my fondest memories is of Grandma's penchant for See's Candy. There are few stores outside of the west coast, so I remember going to the candy store to order something special with my mom, to be shipped to Indiana. Whether it was Mother's Day, Grandma's birthday, or if it had just been awhile, my mom would kindly send candy to her mother-in-law half way across the country.
When she came to visit, there'd be a box waiting for her in the top drawer of the dresser in the spare room where she'd stay, and very rarely, she'd share a piece with me. I think the rarity of the occasion made it all the more special.
It wasn't until I moved to Nebraska that I really missed seeing See's Candy stores. Nuts & Chews. That was the special mix we'd always get in the box. And the square lollypops? There's nothing like them anywhere else. Caramel and chocolate and vanilla. If you've never had See's Candy, you should try a box. I promise you'll be glad you did. I recommend the Nuts & Chews, of course, so that's the picture I've posted for you. Click it and you'll see more. Great for gifts, but even better to order your own box. And if you hide it in the top dresser drawer, I won't tell anyone where it is. -Carol
