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The upcoming Memorial Day
weekend brings to racing fans a
smorgasbord of delights. From Monaco, to
Indianapolis, then on to Charlotte, we
have our travel plans all set up without
having to leave the couch. Now, this is
what I anticipate to be a mighty GOOD
weekend.
Meanwhile, we just wrapped up the
Victoria Day long weekend north of the
border. We had sun, cloud, and rain, all
combined with 35 mph wind gusts. Shale
is not all that tasty, but it does have
a lot of grit. With a lack of practice
time, it proved to be the perfect recipe
for the Little League baseball
tournament from hell. I know. You feel
my pain. Thank God we had some GOOD
racing from south of the line to take in
Saturday night.
It was all-star night in Charlotte and
Kyle Busch sure looked GOOD and strong.
He was the man. He had the car. He was
the man in the car way out in front.
Then, quicker than a Billy Ray Cyrus
inspired line dance at an Ex-Lax
convention, his car got all Achy Breaky
and he was done by half-time. It was the
best of times. It was the worst of
times. I smiled at times.
Three girls in a bunch of commercials
and a bunch of fans apparently love
Kasey Kahne. The GOOD hands guy needed a
hand from those fans, who voted him in
to the feature event after he failed to
advance through the preliminary
showdown. Maybe it is just something
about a fellow in a Bud car. After the
win at Charlotte, Kahne is GOOD to go
for this show for the next decade.
Too BAD things some things have to end.
Nearly a decade ago, Dale Jarrett won
the king of the NASCAR castle. He took
that free pass and ran what was billed
as his final race last week. Not all
endings are supposed to be story book,
and this one wasn't. The big brown
trucker was 21st of 24 entries, but it
was GOOD to see him just one more time
in those UPS colors.
A.J. Allmendinger has a great name,
especially for someone who allmendinged
poor ole Elliott Sadler in to the fence
in the Showdown. BAD for the southerner,
but the former open-wheeler went on to
win to get in to the Sprint showcase.
Unfortunately, the best he could get
there was 17th.
Things were better for that other chap
who developed a fondness for fenders.
Sam Hornish Jr, who was the runner up in
the preliminary, was able to post a 7th
place finish in the evening among the
stars. GOOD news during a season that
has not been all that hot.
Only four outfits might be represented
among the season's Top Dozen, but others
grabbed a share of the spotlight last
week. A Gillette-Evernham car won, a
couple of Penske entries (Ryan Newman,
Hornish) were in the Top Ten, and Mark
Martin gave DEI a nod. What are the odds
that their GOOD times will continue to
roll?
So, what about the big boys? Well,
runner up Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and
Carl Edwards gave Roush three near the
front and Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt Jr continued to keep Hendrick
on the map. Though Busch busted, Tony
Stewart was there for Gibbs. It was a
tough day for Childress, though not all
BAD with Kevin Harvick coming home in
11th.
As I continue to spit shale from my
mouth, my thoughts have already drifted
ahead to this Sunday. Not only does my
brother-in-law from New Jersey visit, we
have the Monaco Grand Prix, the
Indianapolis 500 (and somebody named
Danica), and the World Coca-Cola 600.
Will the Top Four continue to dominate?
Will Sam Hornish Jr manage to qualify?
Will I get to lay eyes on my
brother-in-law? I hope he likes motor
sports. I'll have to keep a seat open
beside me on the couch this Sunday.
Enjoy the racing!
You can
contact Ron at
thornton@speedwaymedia.com
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