You know Lady K, you've got a really good point about the young guns versus the veteran drivers. It seemed for a while the younger the driver was the better. Owners were falling over themselves to get them in a car. Trouble is, in the Cup series you have big name sponsors paying a ton of money for winning results. I do believe that Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, et al, they are good drivers. But they don't know the simple fact about racing, it's not all about them. It's about respect from your fellow driver, knowing when to make a move and when to hold tight. With the pressure of having a big name sponsor on the car they feel compelled to go out and race like there is no tomorrow. At all cost. Funny how the tide has turned. Look at the number of rides that have opened up. Are the sponsors and teams clamoring for young drivers? No, many of them are looking for seasoned drivers who can get the job done and be consistent. Who wants to spend a ton of money on fixing torn up race cars? Just ask Tyler Walker (former driver of the #38 Great Clips Busch car). He torn up one too many and missed a drivers' meeting. Can you ever imagine Jeff Gordon missing drivers' meeting? With as many years as he has been racing you know he's heard just about everything there is to be said. But he makes the race because it is a part of his job. He is a veteran who respects the sport.

I'm still trying to figure out what the Petty organization did to make Carl Edwards angry. Carl hit both the 43 and 45 car. What is up with that? But those were not the only cars he hit in Bristol. I tell you, that boy is a loose cannon. But after each race where he has "accidently" hit other cars he usually says "I'm sorry/I didn't mean to get into him/I feel bad for him". Please, it's like he has a bag of excuses handy to cover up for his inexperience. Don't get me wrong, I think he has talent but it takes years of driving to refine that talent. At the end of the Bristol race, before any driver interviews, the cameraman caught Kyle Petty having a father/son chat with Carl Edwards. What struck me as funny was when Carl's eyes would wander Kyle would touch his shoulder and direct his eye contact back to him! Funny, I could just see him doing that with his own kids! Seriously, it takes a lot to make Kyle mad and if he was going to take the time to talk then Carl you need to listen! In catching up with my NASCAR reading this morning I saw an article on ThatsRacin about the incident and there as a wonderful quote.

"I'm glad we working (sic) that out and they're not mad," Edwards said. "Having Kyle Petty mad at you means you're a pretty bad guy."

I'm watching Happy Hour and I'm thinking this is so strange. I mean, since Bristol is a short track there is barely an infield for the haulers. The camera man is weaving (literally, it looks like the Blair Witch Project!) in and out of the cars. Now, my office is about a 10x10 space with a door, two desks (and chairs), counters, cabinets and filing cabinets-not to mention the computers, typewriter, printer, fax, etc. Watching the camera zoom in between the crew and the car started to feel weird. I mean, these guys are in their "offices" working on the cars. How would I feel if a cameraman was in my face as I worked? Or a commentator talking about what I was doing and the choices I was making. I gotta tell ya, the crew members have to have incredible focus to not be distracted by the cameras and reports milling around. My hat is off to you!

In only the third time in his career, Tony Stewart will have to go to a back up car for the Bristol race on Saturday. The other two times were at Chicago. Let's see ... he started racing full time in the Cup series in 1999, so thats 6 years of 36 races which would be 216 plus this year's races so far, let's say a total of 240 races, give or take, and he's had to go to a back up only 3 times? To top it off, he still ran 15th in practice. Just curious, how do those stats compare with other drivers? Anyone?

There are only a few races before the final Race for the Chase is set. There are a couple of drivers on the bubble that well, it would be okay if they made it but I wouldn't be heartbroken over it. But then there are two..Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon. It will take a miracle for Jr. to make it and I think Jeff has the best chance to make it. Will I be sad if Jr. doesn't make it? I guess more disappointed. If Jeff doesn't make it how will I feel? Neither driver is my driver but I like both of them. It will be weird if one or both don't make the Chase. Why you ask? Well, one sister follows Jr. and two follow Jeff Gordon. Me? I'm Tony Stewart. I know, I know, there is still that second prize of the winner of the remaining drivers. The monetary reward is nothing to sneeze at but it still is not a shot at the championship. That was my whole opposition to the Chase in the first place but that's another blog on another day. Back to the "what if they don't make it" issue. I have to think about how I would react if my driver didn't make it. First, I would be sad. Would I still want to watch races? Would I still root for my driver? You bet on both counts! I love racing and my driver is still racing. Besides, it ain't over until it's over! And I want to see who is standing at the end!

Have you had a chance to watch Beyond the Wheel? It's a half hour show on Speed. Originally, it was a small segment of Nascar Nation and then it was such a hit that they made it have it's own time slot. It's a really cool show. While there is an announcer voice in the back ground it is primarily scanner transmissions between driver and crew chief. Since the show on Thursday is about the previous race you know what happened during the race and now you can hear what happened on the radio frequencies. It's amazing to me to think that scanners haven't really been around all that long. Just how did crew chiefs communicate with their drivers before? That's right! The driver would put his hand out the window and tap on the roof or door of the car and the crew chief would put up a sign board. When I'm at a race I always listen to my scanner but it's hard to catch all the conversations. Beyond the Wheel takes the best (and sometimes the worst) of radio transmissions and puts them in one place. An outstanding show for sure!

Wow! is David Reutimann on a roll or what! He just won last week at the nasville Superspeedway in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and tonight he will start from the pole at the O'Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway. You know ole DW is smilin'!

I’m home from work and one of the first things I do is check out the NASCAR news to see what I have missed. I’m reading on Jayski that Dodge has petitioned for a new nose for use in 2006. There are deadlines to be met so that it can be used next year. Now, I’m reading this and I’m thinking…didn’t they test this nose? I mean, for a manufacturer to bring a new model to the track ithas to go through testing, pretty thorough I would think. So, I went cruising through the archives and Jayski and there it was. An article saying that the same folks who are requesting a new nose just lllllloooovvvveeeeddd the car as it was and everything was just gonna be great! Here’s a snipet of the article from Jayski: http://www.jayski.com/past/chrysler.htm The development of the race car was led by Dodge Motorsports Engineering with the support of each of Dodge's primary Nextel Cup Series teams: Evernham Motorsports, Petty Enterprises, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Penske Racing South. Much of the on-track testing was done by veteran driver Bill Elliott. NASCAR approved the race car for competition in August. "While we worked within NASCAR's templates, we found innovative ways to build great horsepower and aerodynamic performance into the Charger," said Ray Evernham, President and CEO of Evernham Motorsports. "We are looking forward to putting the Dodge Charger in the winner's circle of the 2005 Daytona 500. Now, will someone tell me what is wrong in this picture?

On the That's Racin website there is a really cool picture of Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and his brother, Terry. But if you look closely, you can see that this partial retirement thing is agreeing with Terry! He's looking a little chunky monkey to me! Now Jason Leffler wasn't a big guy so I gotta wonder how much it took to remove Jason's seat, replace it with Terry's and make it more comfortable for Terry's ever expanding middle area!

Kurt Busch is "challenging" in the words of Jack Roush. At least that's what he said when he was interviewed in the prerace before the Michigan race. "Challenging" and I beleived Jack also said something about "it's gonna stop" or "come to an end". I didn't quite get the whole quote but I got enough of the gist of it to really hear what he was saying. Man oh man, this is gonna get ugly before it gets better. Mark my words.

Just when you thought things were quieting down with Silly Season.......I just read where Matt Kenseth is a candidate for the #11 Fed Ex ride. Being a Joe Gibbs Racing team fan, I'm okay with this...not that anyone is going to call me and ask for my opinion! But, you gotta just wonder, what the heck is going on over in the Rousch camp and why is Jamie McMurray so eager to get there? Maybe he doesn't know what Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth have figured out? Roush does rule with an iron hand and maybe his drivers have been talking with other drivers and finding out about things they aren't getting that they are. Humm, stay tuned, you know there will be more to come!

Lady N COME HOME your dogs miss you! What is up with the dogs? I have yet to get a full night's sleep. They wake me up at midnight and then at 4 to potty. Sleeping until 6 a.m.? Forgetabout it! They don't want me to sleep! After the 4 a.m. potty break I somehow left Boomer outside the bedroom door. Vail kept growling and Bristol pawed at the door but I rolled over to try to get some sleep. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and saw Boomer on the other side of the door. Lots of love, hugs and kisses to Boomer. Lady B is not a morning person! It is going to be hot, hot, hot in San Antonio this weekend so we are making serious pool plans. Wish you were with us Lady N but somehow I think you'd rather be in Cape Code anyway!

I put Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers in the same pile. They are both very young drivers who have had minimal success and even less in the Cup series. They think they know everything and as anyone will tell you, you have to earn the respect of the other drivers before you are one of the guys. These guys are just wannabe's! As for Tony, I understand his frustration. Brian Vickers kept running across his nose, over and over again. He could have shoved him off the track and I would have been just fine with that. Humm, it's awful early for me to have such a strong opinion!

Hey Lady N! We sure do miss you around here but rest assured, your pool will be getting a good workout! I'm house/dog sitting for Lady N. You know she has three dogs. One I swear is possessed (Vail). Out of no where she will start barking loud enough to wake the dead! Well, I'm not dead and I don't need waking up! Boomer is the oldest and I find that I take special care of him watching out for him all the time. Know how long Lady N has had Boomer? Since she and Mr. B got married! Then there is Bristol who is Charlotte (Lady S's dog) sister. She is quite a handful but loving all the way around! I had to laugh when you said you wouldn't watch Inside Nextel Cup anymore with all the changes because that's exactly what I said. I like Dave Despain but I thought Allen Bestwick did a great job so why the change. Part of the reason the show works is because Michael Waltrip, Kenny Schader and Johnny Benson work well together. I don't like BrianVickers and I can see me tuning in to watch a show where I don't care to hear what he has to say. So, I'll probably watch to make sure I don't like it (which I'm sure I won't) and then never watch it again. Nascar, quit fooling with things that already work!

I remember the race when Kasey was taken out. Up until that race he had been the golden boy of the moment (kind of like Carl Edwards was at the beginning of this season) and it seemed like nothing could stop him. I also remember the uncontrollable laughter in the room as we tivo'd the trembling hand over the mouth over and over again. So, why would they choose to use that clip of Kasey? Especially when he looked so horrified at what had happened? I'm still smiling remembering how much we laughed that day!

So...did anyone catch Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Petty and Kasey Kahne on Larry King Live? First of all, I'm really glad that someone who has an inkling about NASCAR is interviewing these guys but you know, I'm really tired of broadcasts showing mostly wrecks. I do not attend races or watch races to see wrecks. Now, I have to admit that when it is a spectacular wreck, Tony Stewart flipping end over end in the back strech of Daytona or Ryan Newman's car catching the air and flipping until it completely came apart at Daytona or any number of wrecks like that...when I see those I am truly amazed to watch all of the safety features taking hold and keeping the driver safe. Me? I cheer when the wreck is over and I see the driver get out unhurt. But I digress.... Bob Costas, please, will someone wake this guy up out of the time warp! If you stood at a ticket gate and watched the people coming into the track you could easily count over 50% are women. It doesn't take a rocket scientist but it does take someone other than an man doing statistics to see that women make up a huge part of the crowds at the tracks. Bob, you even made some stupid remark about how all the calls that you took were from women. Do you really think we don't know that there is a producer who is monitoring who gets on air? Please. I am a woman but I am not stupid. So you threw in a call from a man for good measure, so what. While I'm on the subject, if you were going to push the woman side of the sport why not talk about the women who actually drive in NASCAR? Kelly Sutton, Debra Renshaw, Erin Crocker, and while she may not be in NASCAR (yet) how about Danica Patrick? Women know how to wheel a car just as well as men can. I remember years ago having a discussion (with a man of course) about how the college scholarships and TV time is so much better for male dominated sports. He kept insisting it was because men were better. I kept insisting that women would be better if they had all the years of time, money and exposure that men had through the years. Of course, he didn't get my point, and frankly, I didn't think he would. So what does this mean? Women in motorsports is not new (just ask Janet Guthrie). What is new is that they are finally get TV exposure and some money. Given time, women will equal if not surpass men in motorsports capability. Okay, I'm finished on my soap box. Next?

The Ladies wish to extend their sincerest condolences to the family of Coo Coo Marlin who lost his battle with cancer. As many race fans know, his son Sterling has been away from the activities at Watkins Glen to spend time with his ailing father. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Marlin family. On a side note, do you know how Coo Coo got his nickname? His real name is Clifton Burton Madin but as a toddler he couldn't quite manage saying his first name when asked. He kept saying "Coo Coo" and it stuck ever since.

Since my driver is Tony Stewart I had a really hard time reconcilling the fact that Joe Gibbs, yep, the same Coach Gibbs who doesn't like the Cowboys, was running my team! Over the years I have become to really respect Coach Gibbs, in fact, I know him as coach more than a team owner so I always call him Coach! But I digress, yep Lady K, on many occasions you will see Jr. wearing a Redskins cap because he just loves his Redskins. Me, I live in Texas, I love the Cowboys and can't stand the Redskins, but Coach Gibbs? He's a good guy!

I had to laugh too Lady S when I read about the camber mandatory settings. Give me a break! If a team wants to be stupid and set the wrong camber (from what Goodyear suggests) and have a tire blow, and blow they will along with the quarter panel, then let them. The only thing I ask is let me know ahead of time who the idiots are so my driver can stay far away from them. Now some teams have know how to stretch the camber issue and get away with it. Why penalize those teams and require that they march right along side the dorks who don't know how to engineer a car? Give me a break! Speaking of, it has just dawned on me something that Kenny Wallace said during the rain delay of the Busch race today. He said he had surgery to help his bald spot. On two separate occasions he had hair grafted from the back of his head to the top of his head. I don't have a problem with it, nor do I have a problem with men who are bald! But it got me to thinking, did Mike and Rusty have it done too? I mean, they are brothers. If one did it did all? And what about their father? I've not noticed the top of his head. Hummmmmmmm

When what to my wandering eye should appear but.......by gosh! That's gray hair in Tony Stewart's beard! I just watched Busch qualifying and Smoke got the pole. While they were interviewing him I wasn't surprised by the 5:00 o'clock shadow but there were a ton of gray hairs poking out all over!

I think Lady K is awake!

Gee, Lady S sure is talkative! I wonder if Lady N and Lady K will be as talkative when they get back....from wherever they are! Maybe Lady S is making up for the other two being AWOL. I know, I know, Lady N is busy and Lady K has a grand daughter getting ready for school. I'm busy too! In fact, so busy I'm going to go take a nap before the Rolex is on Speed. Go Tony Go!

Hey! It's been two days since we have heard from Lady N and Lady K! Where are they?

We haven't even gotten to the chase and so much has happened! I'm seeing more and more rumors about Michael Waltrip going to the 11 car in the Joe Gibbs camp. As a Tony Stewart fan I have no problems at all with Mikey being a new teammate! Interesting tidbit I saw about Kurt Busch moving from Roush to Penske. Ladies, we all knew about this because of the research we did. Roush controls the purse strings when it comes to merchandising. When we went looking for websites for the Roush drivers we could only find sites through Roush Racing. Jack controls it all. Well, maybe not anymore!

Silly Season is rocking and rolling! Man oh man! Everyone needs to be sure they watch the prerace on Sunday! You know there will not be enough time to interview all of the drivers and owners involved in these latest moves.

So, I just get an e-mail from Lady S telling me that her analyst (no, not psycho!) tells her that Kurt Busch is not only leaving Roush but the sooner the better! What the devil is going on over at Roush? First we hear Matt Kenseth talking very uncharacteristically about how hurt he was that he was not consulted about Jamie McMurray coming over. Now Kurt is leaving too? The Roush teams have been on such a roll lately so I ask, WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON? Stay tuned, there will be more to say for sure! UPDATE! It is true, Kurt Busch is leaving to take the #2 Rusty Wallace ride. Wild times are happening in Silly Season!

To Lady N and Lady S, I am team player. Jason is (was) a part of my team. I supported him even though I had doubts about his ability to bring the performance that Fed Ex was expecting. That being said, it's not a shock that he is out of the ride, especially when he fell below 35th in points and was not guaranteed a spot on the grid. When Bobby Labonte had to remove Interstate Batteries and put Fed Ex on his car I knew it wouldn't be long. I'm glad that Gibbs is looking within its organization to fill the seat rather than bringing someone else in.

Wow is all I can say. Many of you know that I am a Richard Petty fan from way back. When he was no longer driving I refused to pick another driver. It just seemed like I was being disloyal. In 1998 Tony Stewart came onto the NASCAR scene. I watched him and followed him but not too closely, you see I follow the King. I remember the race day very well when Lady N threw a Tony Stewart t-shirt at me and said "you like him, you follow him, now wear his t-shirt". From that day on I supported Tony Stewart and Home Depot. My favorite t-shirt is his 1999 Rookie of the Year t-shirt and I wear it for every Daytona 500 and I will until he wins it. I've not always agreed with what Tony has said or how he said it but I have stood by him through some really thick thick and some really thin thin. Why do I follow Tony? Well, quite simply he is a no BS kind of guy. He is a very skillful driver and can back up anything he says on the track. He has a heart of gold and is a simple, uncluttered person whose passion in life is racing. He makes no bones about it. Racing is his passion and his life. Growing up in Indiana the Indianapolis Speedway was where he watched his idol A.J. Foyt race. Tony longed to be like A.J. and to win a major event at the hallowed grounds. So today in the last 10 laps of the Brickyard 400 surrounded by my family I clutched a pillow closely to my chest and watched Tony surrounded by his family win the most important race in his career (second only to the Daytona 500). My tears flowed freely because I knew what a special day this was for Tony and his family. What a special day.

Today is one of our favorite kind of days! It is Lady K's birthday and it is race day! We are all gathering at Lady N's house (remember, she has the pool) for a bar-b-que meal, lots of pool time and of course, lots of racing! We are ready for a great day. Happy Birthday Lady K!

About the Newman/Wallace thing-I wonder if Newman has been "consulted" about who should take the ride. I mean, if Kenseth is incensed would Newman be? The more I think about it probably not. Newman is in his own world. What is up with Jimmie Johnson? You can't tell me that a championship leader (remember he lead in the points for quite a few weeks last year) and his team can't get through tech. That is just plain messed up. The look on the crew's faces when the officials announced that time had expired was horrible. These guys looked like they just lost their best friends. On the other hand it could be just a big rouse. You know, Jimmie is leading in the points and Jeff's best opportunity to gain some serious points is for Jimmie to have a bad race. What a good way to have a bad race than to miss the tech line, have to line up at the tail end of the field and have a bad pit stall. Now, did Jimmie and Chad know about it? Probably not. I think the team knew but didn't tell them so that they could look into the camera and not lie. Maybe I'm wrong but when was the last time you saw a driver sitting on the wall, la la la, waiting to qualify and not noticing that his car wasn't on the grid. Give me a break!

I have a Nextel phone with all the bells and whistles for NASCAR. In fact, I have a Tony Stewart Nextel phone. Today Lady S, Lady N, mom and I went shopping, lunch and did a movie as well (it was my favorite Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Knowing that I have my phone close by I know that I can always get the up-to-date information and so when I saw I saw that I had an alert from NASCAR with the line up for qualifying I made quick like a bunny to see where Tony was qualifying. I went through the list 3 times, once for names, again for numbers and then for names again. Lady S thought I has just somehow missed his name. Yeah, right, I'm going to miss my driver's name. She took the phone and lo and behold, she couldn't find his name either! What's up with that? I have the phone and I pay extra for the service so that I am always in the know. And why was my driver the only driver not listed? I sure hope this is not an omen for the race. Unless, of course, it's a good omen!

I guess all the grief that Kurt Busch got over his "trophy" girl statement resulted in something good. I just read where Kurt proposed to Eva Bryan. Wonder what he will call her now? Hey, don't get me wrong-Eva is a very pretty lady and from what I have seen (yes, I have seen her in person) she is a very gracious and kind lady. I like her. I can't say I like Kurt. At all. So...this will be an interesting match up. Eva, get something in writing!

All I know is that I am ready for some racing! Of course, my heart belongs to Tony Stewart. Lady S--get your computer up! It is such a pain to change computers. Call me if you need help.

The headline at http://thatsracin.com says something about "is the fence strong enough" alluding to the fact that if Tony Stewart wins the Brickyard (ya'll call it what you want, it's the Brickyard to me) he will climb the fence. All I know is that if he does win the Brickyard you will see tears run down my face because I know how special that race track is to him. He's come close several times, even sat on the pole but no win....yet. Go Tony Go!

I'm still laughing at Lady S's On the Road story this week! It was fun watching her squirm when people would come up. Who knew she was so shy. Me? I can talk with anyone, any where, any time! I'd finally sit down to take a break and drink some water, a car would drive up and Lady S would look like a deer in headlights! It was funny to see!

Oh, oh, does this mean we will have to hunt down a Stremme t-shirt in Daytona? Or can you wait until Texas?

As much as I missed Cup racing this weekend I know the rest of the season will be grueling! However, I am ready-bring it on! Knowing how badly Tony wants to win Indy and how many times his heart has been broken reminds me of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Daytona. Although Tony has only been in the Cup series since 1999 his passion for the place just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It would be a milestone for sure and lots of tears of happiness all around. But...... you just can't count out Jeff Gordon. How many times has he won the Brickyard? Jeff isn't finished yet. So, Lady S...where's the story on the garage sale? Inquiring minds want to know!