ron.brown11

When I was still in high school, I got to be friends with a man named Woody Fisher.He and his brother owned Fisher Brothers Distruting, the local Stoh's beer distributor in Cincinnati. He was the first person that I saw run a Petty Kit car. One day he asked what I was doing on the coming Thursday, and said that they were renting the track, and was going to do some set up testing. I got the time to be there from him, and skipped school & work that day. He had formed a financial agreement with a hotshot driver, to help sort out the set up for Woody"s Duster. It was Rodney Combs, who at that time was winning a lot of races on dirt & asphalt in the Midwest. Rodney had a Howe chassis Camaro. Not long after I left Cincinnati, when I went into the AF, Rodney started racing the east cost Dirt Series in a late model. He won a lot there too. After that, he drove Richard Petty's Busch Series car for a couple of seasons. For many years after that, he was a driving instructor for the Richard Petty driving school. Rodney was a really good driver, and he didn't care what the surface was. Woody was first on the track, running 10-12 laps. He came in complaint about something. So Rodney started wrenching on it, and Woody went out again for another handful of laps. While he was out on track, Rodney finished getting his car ready. Woody came back in, still complaining about the car. Rodney told him to basically have a seat, because Rodney wanted to shake down his Camaro. Plus, he wanted to run the track, to see what the track was giving him. Woody hadn't been racing that long, and didn't know how to feel what the track was giving him yet. Rodney's first 3 laps were quick, then he got serious. He turned the next 4 laps right at the track record. That was the last laps that car ran all day. So after getting to feel what the track had, he made 2 small adjustments to Woody's car. Woody went back out, ran 4 laps. He came in complaining that the car wasn't turning in the middle. Pretty much the same complaint as before. So Rodney got in Woody's car with no changes. In 2 laps, Rodney was running 1/10 second under the track record. He did that for 5 straight laps, then he came in. I was standing next to Woody as he was clocking Rodney. Embarrassed & pissed pretty much summed up the look on his face. Rodney offered to trade cars for the season, and Rodney's car was a brand new Howe with only a handful of races on it. When Woody said no, Rodney told him to grow a pair and drive the car then. Buy the end of the day, Woody was running right at the track record, and still on the same Goodyears that he started the day on. Woody went on to be a pretty good driver. He bought a Charger from the Petty's that Richard had campaigned for a season. Woody won some ARCA short track races, and it turns out, was pretty darn good at Daytona & Talladega. Unfortunately Woody's life was cut short by an illness. Before "Naming Rights' for a race became a big thing, the annual ARCA race at Daytona was called the Woody Fisher Memorial. Woody was a really great guy, and he really loved racing. I hate it that he didn't get to race that long. But I still remember the way he just lit up when he would talk about racing. He really loved it. Think about the racers that you know. How many just glow (not from anger),when talking racing? Those are the people that really enjoy what they are doing. I hope that others saw that in me when I raced, because that's what I felt.

Yeah, I would have loved to be able to show up and drive frontline stuff. But those drivers are usually the ones gone when to money runs out. I was pretty much self funded, and raced the same chassis (a used one), every year I raced. Did I have the best equipment out there? Hell no, but after year 2 I was consistently running in the top 8. Before the track introduced a tire limit rule, several teams' tire bills for the year were higher than what I spent for my whole season for everything. Another driving force for how I raced was this. My family never had to worry about groceries, gas, or food to eat, or a roof over their heads. I've seen that too. I never shorted them or my business. When I bought that used roller, before 1 single part was bought to complete the car, I bought all of my safety gear. No shortcuts there, as I've seen enough drivers' families have to pay for that mistake. A lot of drivers get into racing thinking that they are the next Jeff Gordon. But the reality is that 98% of Saturday night racers have reached their high-water mark. That may sound cruel, but that's accurate. Whether it lack of funds, or talent, that's about it. I got into racing to have fun. Gee, I never worked so hard to have that much fun. For us that are in the 98%, if racing isn't fun, it's time to do something else. I ran my first race at age 42, and did it because I always wanted to. If I wasn't having fun, and made some good friends, then I was doing the wrong thing with my time & money. Did I have enough talent to race at a higher level? I don't know, but my guess is no I didn't. Did I have enough money to race at a higher level, no I am absolutely certain that I didn't, without cheating my family or business. Plus, at the age that I started, not many car owners are going to hire me to drive their stuff. I raced because I loved it, had fun, and made some good friends. That's all anybody should want with their hobby.

When I lived in Tucson, every year the track would host a day for schools, and an auto tech school at the track. I always took time out from my business, and took the car to the track. I did it, because seeing a race car up close when I was 11 changed my life. I had fun talking to the kids, and some seemed pretty interested. But the best part was when I'd fire it up. That's when you'd see who was really hooked. There's nothing like 650hp engine, open headers, up close and running on alcohol to grab your attention! It was not uncommon to see some of those kids roaming the pits soon after. Some were still under 18, and would be dragging a parent or two along into the pits after the races. Others were already 18, and some of them were now helping a race team. Over the years I had a couple that hung around for awhile. Both ended up helping other teams that happened to live closer to where they did. I was happy that they were still involved. I started out with an open trailer too. It was basic to say the least. It was an old mobile home frame & 2 axles. Just enough wood to hold the tires. Hey, had I ever needed to change a clutch or trans, I had plenty of ground clearance!! Then I bought an enclosed trailer. I couldn't afford to wrap the whole trailer, so I got some 5'x8' images of the car and put them on both sides and the drop ramp. Not quite the same as actually seeing the car, but I left no doubt as to what was in there. I also put another decal on the drop ramp. It said "Follow me to Great Racing at Tucson Raceway Park". I also ran a few times at I-10 Speedway in Blyth, CA. The track GM wasn't amused when he saw that. Here's the best example of the "having too much money teams". There was a guy that started running the mod class, the second season I was running it. He had run 2 seasons in a street stock, and won 3 or 4 races there. Mom & dad had a towing company, and was doing pretty good, with contracts with both the city & county. They bought him a used mod, it wasn't a successful car with the experienced driver that had raced it for several years. About 10 races into his modified rookie season, he destroyed it. I mean that there was nothing usable left on that car, nothing!. He didn't run anymore that season. I'm guessing that he was able to convince mom & dad that it was the car's fault. Two weeks before opening day, the track had open practice. He shows up with a brand new Lefthander chassis, and an engine built by one of the best machine shops in Tucson. When the mods got our first time on the track that day, we got 4-5 warm up laps to get some heat in the tires. I was about a half straightaway behind him when the green came out on the front stretch. He looked a little loose in 1&2, so I backed off a little. Now I'm about a full straight behind him, and that was a good thing. He drove it straight into the turn 3 wall. Hey no worries. A guy named Paul Banghart, owner of GAT Racing, clipped the front and got it ready for opening night. Through the draw, this guy gets the pole for the main, that had 26 cars starting. Twenty one of those cars never made it to turn 1. That wreck tore up 14 cars that didn't continue the race. His car now needed both clips replaced. Thankfully he missed the next 3 races. When he did return, he had another brand new Lefthander chassis. It took 2 races for this one to need a front clip. When the season was over, I had gone to Paul's shop to pick up a couple of new bumpers & and a shock. I asked Paul if he had a guesstimate on how much this guy spent that season. He opened a file cabinet and pulled his folder out. He spent a few minutes totaling his bill. They spent over a $104,000 dollars for 2 complete rollers, 1 engine, and have this cars clipped 6 times (4 on 1, 2 on the second). This lasted going not quite that badly for 2 season more. Then mom & dad filed for bankruptcy. Racers are their own worst enemy most times. I liked the mom & dad, but couldn't feel sorry for them. Flagman, when I started going to races, all cars were predominantly from junkyards. A lot of NASCAR haters despise the new Next Gen car, because it's like watching IROC or spec cars (their words, not mine). In some ways that's valid. But the reality is for me is that I've been seeing that the majority of my life. Ed Howe of Beaverton, MI was the first mass produced late model chassis. They're still making chassis' today. If you crashed 1 of their cars, and it needed a front clip, you called them with the chassis VIN number, they pulled it off the shelf and had it shipped or you could go pick it up. In 2 seasons, usually half the asphalt late model chassis' running in the Midwest were Howe's. The second company to do it was Petty Engineering in Level Cross, NC. Yeah, that Petty. That was the start of the decline in junkyard chassis' being run. It was more expensive, but so much faster than getting a frame, prepping it, and then mounting it to the wrecked chassis. That's what got us to where we are today. You buy, not build a chassis. You buy, not scavenge for parts. The bad thing about these store bought chassis' is the cost. But the good thing is the speed at which you can fix a car. Plus, you usually can get a baseline setup from the company that built your chassis. A whole lot less trial & error than a junkyard setup. That really helps teams (new or old), get up to speed.

HiTech, I've been to Red River too. A lot like Altus, but not nearly as well run or maintained. I know 1st hand the costs of racing. I raced an open mod with a 650 hp engine. You needed 4 new Goodyear 8" slicks every week to have a fairly stable car ($500 a week 20 years ago). Not that a mod with that much power is ever stable, especially on 8" slicks. So the track did 2 things to try and ease the financial pain of the mod class (we were only racing for $400 a night). They went to a harder compound & after opening night, you could only buy 2 tires per night. But for opening night you could start with 8 new tires & 2 used tires. You had to manage your tires from opening day, until the end of the season, and we had a really long season. Our season started the last weekend of March, and ran until the week before Thanksgiving. We ran 22-24 times a season. The only exception to the tire rule was for extended distance races, and we could buy 4 again foe those. It helped the wallet, but it sure increased the pucker factor in an area near the wallet. Here's what the track didn't realize when they made the harder compound tire a requirement. Those harder tires were a really good field equalizer. Now spending $25k for an engine didn't matter, because the tires couldn't handle the HP. When the track started seeing high end shocks showing up on the mods, they mandated a sealed steel body, non adjustable shock. Anytime they saw something high dollar on a car, that seemed to not be directly prohibited by the rules, they'd get us together and see if most teams could afford to make the change. If most couldn't, they wrote a hard rule against it. And they enforced it too. Sure we had some drivers that won regularly, but they were also really good drivers. And, they beat you with that, not their wallet. There was a guy who ran super late models during all the years that I lived in AZ. He was in the AZ Racing Hall of Fame 15 years before he ever quit racing. He was a dirt racer, and that's what got him into the Hall. He took to asphalt like that's all he ever raced. This guy had more dirt & asphalt track championships them most drivers had wins. You can look on YouTube and see some of the races he won during the Winter Heat Series races that NASCAR promoted there in Tucson. He tried some things that weren't legal, and they parked him. He was the most popular driver at the track, and they still parked him. He never raced at Tucson Raceway Park again. Now, do you think that the other drivers in any class didn't notice? All of a sudden, cars that were winning a lot, just seemed to not be as fast. Rules work when enforced. Pretty much all the costs of racing have stayed fairly consistant over the years (when adjusted for inflation). The only big anomallies have been COVID & the supply chain issues caused by COVID (very big). Plus what has happened to our energy supply/costs in this country (almost as big). Everybody has a pretty good idea what's happening there, but I'll leave politics out of it. But this I know for certain, racers tend to be their own worst enemy, when it comes to the financial side of racing. First, we tend to choose a division that is usually over our heads talent wise and/or financially (but usually both). That right there is a mighty big hole to try and climb out from. I crew chiefed for 2 different mod teams. I bought the mod roller from the second team, at a very good price. But I had never driven a race car before. A 650hp car on 8" slicks is one helluva learning curve. By the grace of God, and a very successful super late model driver, I survived and had some success. Financially I wasn't rich, but I self funded the majority of my racing. The second big thing is that racers want better, faster, newer, shinier, fill in the blank. There's always something, that 1 thing that's going to put us in the winner's circle next race. Here's where I did a pretty good job. Every race I ever ran, was in the same car that I started in. I never had to clip it either. The trick to keeping racing costs reasonable (I can't believe I just typed that!), are the rules. Eighty percent of all the drivers is any class, don't have the money to "keep up with the Jones", 10% can afford some "better" stuff, and the last 10% have a much bigger wallet. What most promoters don't want to admit, is that they can't handle that 20%. That 20% are the ones in the comp director's, promotor or track operator's office, screaming that if they can't have/do, fill in the blank, they're not racing there anymore. So the track caves in, and the 80% fall farther behind. The track needs to understand that their show IS the 80%, and the fans would much rather see a lot of different winners, instead of 2-3 drivers winning all the races. Write strict rules that don't allow things that a street stock or 4 cylinder class doesn't need (never confuse want with need), and then enforce the rules. At the end of the day, nobody in their right mind would ever get into racing, if they don't have a lot of "disposable" cash. I've known a few that did, but most were smart enough not to want to give it a racer. Whether it's because they had been burned before, or they simply saw it as an endless money pit, I don't know. But I do know this, as I said above, we racers always want more money, speed, cars, trailers etc. AROB, I went just the opposite of you. I started out going to a very fast dirt 1/2 mile track called Tri-County Speedway. Four years later they paved it. It took me 20 years to see another dirt race, with one exception. I saw Bruce Gould win the very first World 100, at Eldora the same year that they paved Tri-County Speedway. For me, seeing Tri-County paved was an epiphany. I always hated having to watch cars having to run in the track. Then, if it was a sprint/midget race, having to wait to see them get all the cars push started. The racing I loved, it was just all that you had to watch just to get to the races. I'll watch some dirt races on FloRacing, but almost never live. By watching it later, I can fast forward to get to the races. Please don't anybody get offended, as I have said many times here before, I LOVE RACING! I just happen to love asphalt racing more, and I don't begrudge you loving dirt racing more.

Rodney, I still think a progressive banked 3/8 mile track (behind the back stretch) at COTA could be a winner. I'm sure the COTA would love to have another revenue stream too. If they would/could have uniform rules, and coordinate race dates, COTA, HMP, Mobile & Five Flags could have a great touring series. They could create their own points championships, and have a separate touring championship too. ARCA has done it with the East, West & National series' operating their own championships. Then they have crossover races, and because ARCA races big tracks, they also have a short track series championship. Mike, I've been to the Altus Speedway many times, but that was when I either lived in Altus or was up at Sheppard AFB for business. I'm certain that the guy (Bob Speer), that built and operated the track isn't still alive. He was already in his mid/late 60s the last time I was there, and that was in the mid-late 80s. I don't know if the family runs it or if it was sold off. He had a clean, well run facility. However the track was just 1/3 miles, and it was a bit tight. The best track in Altus was almost straight across the highway (US 283) from Altus Speedway. It was less than 1/2 mile away, literally across the highway. Tell me that was a good business plan! The last name I heard it was Sooner International Speedway. It was a beautiful 1/2 mile asphalt, with a slight d shape on the front stretch, and a small dirt track on the side. The guy who built it (Garland Waldroop), had talked with the man that owned/operated (Speer) Altus Speedway. He said that he had no intentions of trying to compete with AS, and that he would run on different dates than AS. When the track was finished, Waldroop opened it on the same day that Altus had opening night, then proceeded to go head to head with AS. It didn't work, and the track closed after a year or two. Now if you've never been to Altus, OK, there is more population on Altus AFB, then in Altus! Waldroop was a racer that literally came to blows with Speer over something. I'm guessing it was either cheating or that Waldroop was out spending everybody else by a large amount. The guy must have had money though, as he spent $750k of his own money to build Sooner. Sounds a lot like Hiway 16 & Pan Am doesn't it? Oh yeah, for the 1983 season, Sooner Speedway had a guy named Mick Schuler, from San Antion as the GM. Nick & Rodney, did you know this guy? I don't know if the Sooner site has ever been bulldozed over, but you can see an overhead sat picture of the track still. I really breaks my heart that Texas, the largest CONUS state in America, doesn't have great asphalt tracks & racing series'. I have racing friends from AZ & CA, and racing friends & family in the Midwest. Even they are dumbfounded about the lack of asphalt race tracks here, and the fact that we don't have a super late model series here. Is the economy that bad here? It wasn't that long ago that racers came from around the country, to prove that they were really a racer, here in TX. I know that racing is expensive, I've done it. I know the San Antonio was really hard on equipment, but teams seemed to be back fairly quickly when something got torn up badly. Have Texans simply lost interest in asphalt racing or is there something that I'm missing? Nick & Rodney, I'd really love to hear your thoughts on this. I would love to hear anyone's thoughts on it. I started with Nick & Rodney because I think that they have a good "big picture" vantage point, where as racers tend to have a narrower point of view. For me, all are important so that I can better understand what's going on.

Sorry, I forgot to tell you that the Camaro looks great Too!!

God Bless you for what you have done Mike. You are a good man. I promise you that you have had an affect on David's life & his family's life. You may never get to see it, but I'm betting that David will pay it forward, to another service member in need like he was (and I'm not talking about the car). Like I said to you before, you will never know how many ripples in the pond that you created. Blessings have a way of multiplying, usually in ways you never dreamed of. There may be many that look down their noses at racers, but I know better. Yes, we get nasty and dirty. Yes, we've been known to say some really bad things to/about others, after something bad just happened. But they are without a doubt some of the most kind & generous people that I have ever known. There is a guy in Tucson named Carlos Serrano, and he is one of the most intense/serious racers I've ever known. Second only to the late ARCA & USAC stocks great Jack Bowsher. Carlos was a very accomplished racer. He was a local terror in AZ on dirt bikes & quads, winning a lot. He was twice a European 250cc motocross champ, riding his own equipment that he maintained. He turned down factory rides there because he missed AZ. After he got back home, he took up racing off road buggies & trucks, and won numerous class trophies. Then NASCAR's Brian France, yeah that guy, decided to pave a track in Tucson. Carlos built a super late model, and taught himself how to race it. He won over half of the features in his first season. I can't tell you how many times I saw him stop working on his car at the track, to work on a competitor's car. I've seen him loan, or out right give a part/parts to them as well. He would tell you how he set up his car, and not lie to you about it. He helped me learn how to race, and to properly maintain a race car. He didn't know me at all. I really admired how he raced, and told him so 1 night at the track. I didn't even own a race car yet, so he couldn't sell me anything. That's why I love the racing community so much. Most racers tend to be giving people. I said all that to say this. Some will go way past just helping out their fellow racer. Mike, you absolutely fall into that category! I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate what you have done for David. Thank You!!

Again Mike, God Bless You for doing this!!

I do have an iPhone Mike. Please don't worry about sending me anything as it's going on. That young family deserves all of the attention that day. Just know that I am grateful that you want to do that for me. That in its self is more than enough for me. But this day will be about them, and what you have undertaken to make this happen. Thank You Mike McCain!!

Mike, I know that it wasn't as much as I wish I could have sent, but that's life on a fixed income. But I am still grateful that I can help. Please let me know how the reveal goes. You are helping change a young man's life. I'm praying that this will help him work through the things that his has been through, during his time "down range". You never unsee the things you've seen, you just hope to learn how to navigate them to keep your sanity. Thank You for doing this for him!!

Mike, that's the great thing about helping people. If you don't try to keep score about what you did, you get a lot more personal satisfaction out of it. You are that kind of person. Some of the best feelings I've ever had, was helping someone that I knew could never "pay me back". Whether that was because of their financial situation, or what ever, those will always be some really great memories of mine. I hope I never lose that appreciation of those feelings. You are a good man for taking on this project, because most wouldn't think of doing it. But without a doubt, you are about to change someone's life. Thank You for what you are doing!!

Mike, you are doing most of the heavy lifting. Those that have volunteered to do work for free or for a reduced fee are also doing the heavy lifting. People that are buying raffle tickets and making donations are just the helpers. But the most important thing, is that it is for a worthy cause. You will get to see some of the results of everyone's contributions, and that will be very rewarding. But here's the deal. Most of us never get to see the scope of any work done, when we try and help others. Think of it like this. Drop a small rock into a calm pond or lake. You get to see the rock disappear, and see a few ripples. Rarely does anybody get to see all of the ripples. What I'm trying to say is, you may never know how many people's lives you may affect with that one good deed. So think of it as the good deed that keeps on going. I thank you for what you are doing. I also want you to know just how much it is appreciated too. It's inspiring!

HiTech, I couldn't find your number, but Superman Nick Holt came to the rescue. I'll be contacting you.

I didn't get to see any of the race, but Chris finished 4th. Great Job Chris!!

I absolutely agree Radical, that it wasn't enough punishment. But at least they did something. I haven't yet dared to look at any main stream media. I'm sure the Al Sharpton's of the world are having a field day. HiTech, the $$ & points aren't a deterrent, and never have been. Plus Bubba isn't in the playoffs, so taking points means even less. I don't typically watch many podcasts, but did see Corey LaJoie's Stacking Pennies yesterday. I was a bit surprised at how firm his stance was that Bubba deserved being parked. He was also asked if fines & points deducted had any deterrence for drivers. Guess what he said? Not One Bit! Hell I've known that for more than a decade. NASCAR knows it too. There are only 2 reasons that they assess fines; 1) It gives the appearance that they are trying to convince the public that they are doing something. 2) Unless they have changed the destination of where that fine money goes, it goes to their children's charity. That way at the end of the year at tax time, NASCAR gets to take a big deduction for the donation, but most of the money comes from the fines assessed to drivers & teams. That's a publicity win & a tax win for NASCAR. My last 5 years in my insurance agency in Tucson, I never grossed less than $140K per year. I still have all my 1099s, and I sold it in Dec 2004. But because of all the standard deductions that were available (office rent, salaries of employees, unemployment payments to the state etc, plus my racing operation, and sponsorship of another car and track ads, I paid nothing in federal taxes & very little state taxes. When I decided to sell my agency, I went out and bought my wife a new SUV through the business. That made it an equipment purchase for the business. In 2004 the federal tax code allowed you to depreciate that purchase over a 5 year period. I paid cash for it, and took the entire depreciation (100% of the cost of the SUV) in the first year (my last year in agency). I then retitled the car in her name as a private citizen. If I had been a private citizen doing that, the IRS would have owed me a bunch of money. Instead I just didn't owe them any. Is that fair? By law yes. Do I think it's right? No I don't. That's why I think the IRS should be abolished. There is a much better way, that would be fair to all. As long as tax laws are written in Congress, the biggest tax cheats in this country, it isn't going to change. I said all that to say this. Now you know why NASCAR fines drivers & teams. They make money doing it.

Here is an interesting bit of info on this wreck. As of about 11am today, 23XI is still saying that they won't appeal the suspension. Now that could change, but it seems to me they are saying that they weren't too wild about his actions. I've never been accused of being a huge NBA fan, but I've seen my share of MJ, when he used to dominate the league. I never saw him ever do something to tarnish his integrity of/for the game. And he could have, because I saw him get some pretty flagrant fouls against him. Most of them were because he simply made opponents look silly with his skills, and they'd retaliate. I hope that is why they aren't going to appeal. I know that there is a lot of sentiment out there against NASCAR, and most of it is deserved. But in this situation, NASCAR was in a lose lose situation, no matter what they did. As I said above, I wish they had done this with the numerous other incidents that have happened over the last couple years. That way it wouldn't look like they were singling out Bubba.

Well he got suspended, and it was warranted. There have been other incidents over the last 24 months that should have gotten the same. Am I the only one that actually thinks that Bubba was the cause of this wreck? Don't look at either car once contact started, look at where all 3 cars were in the 3 wide pass. Bubba was out by the wall. Yes, Larson did slide up, but only into the second lane. He gave Bubba a lane to race. Plus, the fastest way around LV when making a pass is usually the high side. Oh yeah, that's where Bubba had placed himself. Once both cars cleared Harvick, Larson slid up into the second lane. This is where you really need to watch what Bubba does. He turns left to get on Larson's door/quarter panel. He knows as does every other driver, that will take the air off the inside car's spoiler, thus making that car loose. He could have easily stayed in the top grove, and the worst outcome for either driver is that they would have stayed side by side. My bet is that Bubba would have carried the momentum and probably cleared Larson by the next corner. His BS about the steering not working didn't work, as NASCAR took his car to the R&D center. No problem there. And as stated above, the telemetry showed Wide Open Throttle. It was no accident. Then Bubba had to walk about 50 yards, not feet, to start his shoving tantrum. He had plenty of time to think about what he was going to do. Again, no accident. Also, as stated above, no right quarter panel hook is acceptable, ever! I've seen what that can do up close and very personal. During the Winter Heat races back in the 90s, at Tucson Raceway Park, I was standing less than 15' away, when Chris Saylor got hooked like that in his super late model. Now TRP is a pretty fast track, for a 3/8ths mile. He spent a week in a coma, and to the best of my knowledge has never raced again. I left Tucson at the end of 2004, and he still couldn't get a drivers license. His dad used to build the engines for a modified team that I crew chief for. So I knew Chris. When he got wrecked, he and the other driver had been banging on each other for several laps. This was for 8th place in a B main that only the top 2 cars would transfer. Also, Chris was never an angel on the track. I've seen him rough up drivers many times. Never once did I see him ever try to wreck someone, let alone right hook someone. ESPN interviewed Chris the next year at one of the Winter Heat races. They only showed him from the neck up. He was still doing rehab for several issues. His speech was much slower than before the accident. By the time I left Tucson to return to TX, Chris wasn't still doing rehab, but his speech and eye vision were still issues. I like Bubba, and have been glad to see him to really start to develop as a driver. I was worried that we were going to keep being force fed BS like was the norm for Danica, with no results or improvements. I get that he basically lives in a fishbowl because he's black. But that unfortunately goes with the job at that level. And is isn't just a racial thing. Why couldn't Kyle Busch get enough sponsorship to remain with Gibbs? Why did Rick Hendrick have to self fund Larson when he brought him back from his suspension? That is also why Larson didn't dare slap Bubba with his helmet. Can you imagine those headlines if he did? They all live in that fishbowl, just Bubba's is also under microscope at the same time. Is it fair, no, but that's the way it is. I'm hopeful, very hopeful that these retaliation incidents will end. Yeah, I know that's wishful thinking, but one can dream, right?

I saw that Chris is going to race at Kern County this Sat. Fast, beautiful facility there. Good Luck Chris!

That was my bad, getting the purse money wrong on the Jennerstown race. Thanks for setting the record straight Rodney. I started watching Evan race 2 years ago. I can't remember is he was still 16, or had already turned 17. But even then, I was impressed how maturely he raced. But I was truly surprised at how many super & limited late models that he does chassis set ups on. I think his future is pretty bright. That new Van Doran chassis got badly torn up at Money in the Bank race. The guy he was racing with, Brian Campbell. They had another crash about a month later. During the closing laps Wed night, it was easy to see that Evan was faster than Brian. I was certain that we were going to see round 3 from them. Brian tried to pinch him off going into 1, and they got together. Thankfully they both continued. I was glad to hear Brian say in the post race interview that Evan had the better car. In the 2 previous crash interviews, neither were quite as courteous. I thought Evan's dad was going to kill somebody at Money in the Bank, after that crash. I hope that's the end of it, as both are really good drivers, and as Evan said with you Rodney, racing ain't cheap. I'm pretty certain that it cost Evan more financially though. He didn't lie either when he said that the racing is a lot rougher down south, then what they usually see in the upper midwest. I watch quite a bit from NC, SC and Fl. When I first started watching races from some of those tracks, I thought race cars there must really be cheap, or free. Many of those drivers didn't seem to mind destroying each other. And I'm not talking about that last lap, going for the win kind of crash. No, I'm talking about racing for 5th or 6th place on lap 2 of a 100 lapper. It's why I only watch the highlights from Bowman-Gray. Can't stand 2 laps of racing, the 10 minutes of track clean up, only to run 2 more laps and more clean up. Of all the tracks that I watch, with out a doubt Stafford Speedway puts on the best show week in and week out. All track promoters should be forced to watch at how well they run their show. They run on Friday nights, and their show is so "clean". Barring weather, their show starts promptly at 6pm local. They typically run 4-5 classes, and it's unusual to start less than 18 cars in any division. In the SK Mods, to SK Lite Mods, it's usually 28-30 cars. They always have at least 6 fully staffed wreckers, and know how to use them. It's quite normal with the Mods that 2 wreckers are needed to move a single car. They get the track cleared very quickly for most crashes. Their show is usually completed in less than 4 hours. It's a pleasure to watch a show from there. The Arute family really does a good job.

Evan Shotko has had a really good 4 days. After dominating at Jennerstown on Sat, and claiming the $30k, he goes back home to MI, and wins the 250 lap $30k at Berlin. He only led about 35 laps, but ran in the top 5 the entire race. Here's just a few of the other drivers in this race. William Byron, Eric Jones, Carson Hocevar & Bubba Pollard. It was a good race, with just one 3 car crash, and a couple of spins. Surprisingly, 1st, 2nd, 4th & 5th were locals. Only Eric Jones finishing in 3rd, of the NASCAR drivers. And in reality, he's a local too. He raced at Berlin before Kyle Busch gave him a shot, after getting beat by Jones at the Snowball Derby. A couple of months ago, William Byron absolutely spanked everyone the last time he came to Berlin in June. That was a 150 lapper.

Well, unfortunately the skies opened up, and they called the race with about 60 laps to go. Chris ended up finishing 5th. Good run Chris! Evan Shotko, a 19 year old that races at Berlin Speedway in Mich won. He led all but 2 laps, and nobody had anything for him all race. Evan is involved in the Alan Kulwicki Foundation for up and coming racers. He is also quite the chassis expert too. I rarely miss a race night from Berlin, as they have some extremely good racing there. There was 1 bad wreck just after halfway. A 15 year old kid out of North Carolina and another car got together entering turn 3. The kid hit the wall head on, and had to be helped from his car. He definitely got his bell rung, and they're sending him to have his left elbow x-rayed. Jennerstown is a very fast 1/2 mile track. He hit so hard that it broke the roll cage off the frame at the right a pillar. That car was really hurt. He did a quick interview before leaving the track. Thankfully he looked a lot more stable than when he climbed from the car. The other car involved was luckier. His car will only need everything replaced from the rear end back.

With 65 to go Chris is 6th.

Chris was the fastest qualifier, with a qualifying record, for the 150 lap Motor Mountain Masters race at Jennerstown today. At the halfway mark, he's running 7th.

What a shame. Another situation where nobody wins. The last 30 months have been incredibly destructive for everyone, and I don't see things getting better any time soon. Even though I wasn't born here, I'm a Texan. I've been around the world and back a couple of times. But I've got more years here Tham anywhere else. God willing, this is where I'll die. Texans can overcome anything. Therefore I believe asphalt racing will return to Texas. I don't know when or how, but I believe that. I've heard that they worked really had trying to keep racing going at HMP. Thank You for all your efforts!!

My guess is that because Chastain is already in the playoffs, one or more of those drivers that he turned yesterday, last week etc, will make sure that he has a bad first round of the playoffs. You don't piss off that many drivers in 1 race, and not expect retribution. And if you're going to pay him back, do it when it hurts the most, and that's in the first round of the play offs. I was happy to see that he thinks what he did was not acceptable, but until he proves it on the track, nobody will believe him. In a lot of ways, Ross drives a whole lot Ernie Irvan when he first came to Cup. I hope Ross learns quicker than Irvin did. Hamlin must be trying to get fired from Joe Gibbs Racing. After Chastain spun Bubba out, Hamlin went to try and wreck Chastain for the third time. NASCAR has a pretty strict rule for drivers wrecking others under yellow. They tend to park the wrecking driver for the remainder of that event. Now Hamlin had a really bad finish yesterday, so on the surface it's like no big deal. Except to Gibbs & FedEx. NASCAR has also been known to sit a driver for the following race too sometimes. If that happens, now that's a really big deal. If Hamlin is so worried during a race about 23XI racing, maybe Gibbs or FedEx, or both will let him, and let him go.