Journey through Life

Well, the 2008 Cup Schedule has finally been released. There are some slight changes, the guys won’t have a weekend off early in the season, in fact, they’ll run the first 5 races with the first break being Easter. And we’ll have a night race at Chitown! That should be fun!

It’s going to be interesting to see the TBA Series* schedule as the normal Cup off weekend, has been for Mexico City the last couple of years. That weekend was previously between California and Vegas. Cup drivers have previously done “double duty” by running in Busch and Cup simultaneously. Some run “here and there” races, others run weekly. And for any driver who runs Busch with the intention of running it full time *must* also run Mexico City.

*It’s the TBA Series, as Anheuser-Busch who previously sponsored the Busch series is scaling back their sponsorship. AB also sponsored the Weekly Pole Award and no longer will be doing that. Other than the Bud Shootout, which at least for now will still be named as such, due to a separate agreement with Daytona International Speedway, they will still be sponsoring driver Kasey Kahne. Yes, those who are paying attention, that is new. Dale Earnhardt Jr. who recently announced his intention of leaving the company founded by his father for Hendrick Motorsports will no longer carry the familiar colors of Budweiser. We also learned that Mother Teresa would not allow Jr. to bring the 8 with him, what will the tattooed fans do? Luckily all they need to do now, is add another 8 to their current 8 and they’ll be set! But we also learned that biotch Mother Teresa sent Hendrick a letter letting them know that the current 8 design is “exclusive” to TEI.

Anywho, since AB will no longer sponsor Busch, NA$CAR is having to find a new series sponsor. Rumors had included Wal-Mart and Subway, but apparently NA$CAR wants too much, so they’ve had to reduce the price. What happens if they can’t find a sponsor by seasons end? No problem, the series will still survive according to Spokesman Jim Hunter.

And since it will no longer be the Bud Pole Award, Coors Light will be stepping up to the plate. They previously had sponsored the #40 car for Sabates-Ganassi Racing. Now, NA$CAR allows “official sponsors” to have exclusivity clauses. Meaning, they can say who is and isn’t allowed to sponsor and put other restrictions out there. So it’ll be interesting to see if they try any hardball with Budweiser.

Date – Site
Feb. 9 – Budweiser Shootout, Daytona International Speedway*
Feb. 17 – Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 24 – California Speedway
March 2 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 9 – Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 16 – Bristol Motor Speedway
March 30 – Martinsville Speedway
April 6 – Texas Motor Speedway
April 12 – Phoenix International Raceway
April 27 – Talladega Superspeedway
May 3 – Richmond International Raceway
May 10 – Darlington Raceway
May 17 – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge, Lowe’s Motor Speedway*
May 25 – Lowe’s Motor Speedway
June 1 – Dover International Speedway
June 8 – Pocono Raceway
June 15 – Michigan International Speedway
June 22 – Infineon Raceway
June 29 – New Hampshire International Speedway
July 5 – Daytona International Speedway
July 12 – Chicagoland Speedway
July 27 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Aug. 3 – Pocono Raceway
Aug. 10 – Watkins Glen International
Aug. 17 – Michigan International Speedway
Aug. 23 – Bristol Motor Speedway
Aug. 31 – California Speedway
Sept. 6 – Richmond International Raceway
Sept. 14 – New Hampshire International Speedway
Sept. 21 – Dover International Speedway
Sept. 28 – Kansas Speedway
Oct. 5 – Talladega Superspeedway
Oct. 11 – Lowe’s Motor Speedway
Oct. 19 – Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 26 – Atlanta Motor Speedway
Nov. 2 – Texas Motor Speedway
Nov. 9 – Phoenix International Raceway
Nov. 16 – Homestead-Miami Speedway
*Non-points events

That’s what they’re calling it.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced the other day that he is now a Free Agent. He is leaving the company founded by his late father at seasons end.

He was unable to come to an agreement with his step-mother Teresa. Jr. wants to win races and wants to win championships and he felt that he would be unable to do it as things were.

There’s a lot of speculation as to who he may drive for. Some feel it may be the man his father drove for Richard Childress. Bobby Ginn a hotelier who purchased into what was MB2 racing is looking to get into the bidding war for Jr.

Jr. says it’s not about money, but about opportunity. Opportunity for wins and championships. He’s 32 and has yet to win his first Cup Championship. Being the son of a legend automatically has certain expectations. While Jr. may never get to 76 wins or 7 Championships, he would at least like to add to his current  17 wins and get at least 1 championship.

Jr. has asked for a few weeks to explore his options before the media bombards him. He would like to discuss options with teams as well as see what the reception would be with the other drivers and the crew members. If he can’t find a fit, then he may bring his Busch JR Motorsports up to Cup FT.

Jr. knows that fans and some of his current crew members may be sore at him, but hopes that they will forgive him.

Most of Jr. Nation and Earnhardt nation will follow him wherever he goes.  A few die hard Earnhard fans will stay. Many feel that DEI (or TEI as many feel it truly is now) will be nothing more than a museum within a year.

Only time will tell, but I wish Jr. the best as he explores his options. This was not an easy decision for him and I know that he will take the necessary time to decide on the fate of his future.

The last few years in NA$CAR, there have been what us fans have called “mysterious debris”. NA$CAR will call a caution for debris, but not one soul can see it anywhere.

Apparently, drivers have been frustrated as well, as they don’t see it either.

One of my favorite drivers Tony Stewart voiced his frustration on his Radio Show on Sirius radio. Well, NA$CAR was “disappointed” but didn’t know if they would “punish” him. Well, today at 6 AM, Tony met with NA$CAR and “apologized” for his remarks and was fined $10,000. For NA$CAR drivers, $10,000 is like $10.

Last weekend at Phoenix, Tony was in a position to win the race. NA$CAR threw their mysterious debris caution, which ended Tony’s chance at a win.  After the race, the top 3 drivers have a chat with the Media, to answer questions and such. Tony who is known for his temper, decided to skip the Media question and answer. He was quite frustrated and felt that he would stick his foot in the mouth. So then on his Radio Show, he decided to let his 2 cents be known.

Many fans have applauded Tony, as the fans have felt the same frustration.

So do drivers have a Freedom of Speech? Are they allowed to express their true feelings or keep them in for fear of being fined?

I’ve been following NA$CAR off and on for years. Around 2000, I started to really get into it after chatting with folks on another forum.

I follow all the series, I also like other forms of racing.

I do find some things difficult, especially now that I’m a Vegan. For the most part, there are not a lot of conflicts, short of sponsors. However, some of the guys participate in activities that I no longer support.

Here I’ll post thoughts on races, what’s happening with teams and/or drivers and just my 2 cents in general!