Having problems with message search?
Countdown to Daytona
Here y'all go:
Daytona Countdown: '80
By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
Buddy Baker lifted his long-standing Daytona hex in record-setting style in the 22nd Daytona 500 on Feb. 17, 1980, leading 143 laps on his way to becoming the first winner to top $100,000 in earnings. His average speed of 177.602 mph was a new record for 500-mile races.
ALSO IN 1980 ...
• Pierre Trudeau returns to office as Prime Minister of Canada (Mar. 3)
• In Poland, a plane crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others (March 14)
• Referendum in Quebec where the population rejects by a vote of 60% the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada (May 20)
• The Cable News Network, or CNN, is launched in the United States (June 1)
• Washington Post publishes Janet Cooke's story of Jimmy, an 8-year-old heroin addict -- it was later proven to be fabricated (Sept. 29)
Courtesy: Wikipedia
"Dallas" was the No. 1 television show in 1980. The Dallas Mavericks played their first game on Oct. 11. The population of Dallas was 974,078.
In 1980, Namco released Pac-Man, the most popular arcade game of all time. More than 300,000 legitimate Pac-Man machines were sold worldwide -- and perhaps as many counterfeit ones. Other top video games released that year included Battlezone and Defender.
Hooked on playing Pac-Man after a recording session, songwriters Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia wrote a song about it. "Pac-Man Fever" hit No. 1 in 1982. Former NASCAR.COM writer Tim Packman worked at Lancaster Speedway as a high school junior in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1980.
If Baker had driven from his hometown of Charlotte to play Pac-Man with J.R. Ewing at the Southfork Ranch, the 1,028-mile trip would have taken nearly 19 hours by Cadillac Fleetwood limo -- list price of $24,343 -- or five hours and 47 minutes at Baker's race-winning average.
Because of that country's invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter announced a grain embargo against the Soviet Union on Jan. 4. Two months later, Carter announced that the U.S. Olympic team would boycott the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow.
The situation in Iran continued to worsen. On Feb. 23, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini asked Iran's parliament to decide the fate of the American embassy hostages. The United States severed diplomatic relations with Iran on April 7. Two weeks later, after mechanical problems grounded the helicopters that planned to rescue the hostages, eight troops were killed in a mid-air collision. In May, the International Court of Justice called for the release of the hostages.
Inflation continued at its record pace -- 13.5 percent -- while gasoline prices jumped to $1.25 a gallon.
On Nov. 4, with the issues of Afghanistan, Iran and inflation still on voters' minds, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan handily defeated the incumbent President.
"The Empire Strikes Back", the second episode in the Star Wars trilogy, was released on May 21 and grossed $290 million. Ron Luciano wrote "The Umpire Strikes Back" in 1982. The Empire State Building in New York is 1,453 feet, 8 9-/16 inches tall.
On April 21, Rosie Ruiz won the Boston Marathon but was stripped of her award when it was learned that she took a subway during the race and ran the final mile. Over 100 runners will race up a total of 1,576 steps and 86 floors in the 28th annual Empire State Building Run-Up on Feb. 1, 2005.
When Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, the top 1,300 feet disappeared within minutes. The blast area covered an area of more than 150 square miles and sent thousands of tons of ash into the upper atmosphere.
The blast also triggered the largest landslide in recorded history, sending ash and rocks, some the size of large buildings, tumbling across a 14-mile area. The landslide also spilled into Spirit Lake, sending millions of gallons of water surging down the mountain. Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band hit the charts with "Fire Lake" in May.
John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark Chapman on Dec. 8, just a few hours after the former Beatle had been asked to sign an autograph by the gunman.
Current drivers born in 1980:
•Casey Atwood (Aug. 25)
•Shane Hmiel (May 15)
•Kasey Kahne (April 10)
•Steadman Marlin (Oct. 29)
•Paul Menard (Aug. 21)
•Martin Truex Jr. (June 29)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Today In Nascar HistoryJanuary 25, 1941
Buddy Baker is born. Baker would start his Grand National career in 1959. It ended in 1992. Baker would win 19 races in his career. He would also win the 1980 Daytona 500..
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Be sure to check out my site and enter the Family Fun Sweepstakes brought to you by NAPA.
You can enter once a day! Be sure to pass this on to your friends and family!
http://www.webspawner.com/users/smonacel/index.html
<a href="http://www.webspawner.com/users/smonacel/index.html">Click</a>
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ø~*:._.:*~Ø:._.:*~*:. .:Ø~*:._.:*~ Ø:._.:*~*:. .:Ø~*:._.:*~ Ø:._.:*~*:.
"Because our readers are bored with the usual quotes"
ALMOST PROPHETIC QUOTES
http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/almost.html
These aren’t boring, they will inspire you about yourself
and about how the world can be a better place with your help.
Send a blank email: almostprophetic-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
.:Ø~*:._.:*~Ø:._.:*~*:. .:Ø~*:._.:*~ Ø:._.:*~*:. .:Ø~*:._.:*~ Ø:._.:*~*:.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quote's of the Week"I'm sure there are 43 other guys who are scared to death I'll be on the track with them."
Boris Said, talking about the Daytona 500
"Let's be perfectly honest, any driver who stands up and tells you guys `We've got trouble,' is pretty much screwed."
Jeff Burton, on the January optimism shared by all teams.
"Maybe Sterling and I will in 2006." Marlin: "We'll put Coors on one side and Miller on the other." Wallace: "Maybe Kasey could drive with us. Or Jamie [McMurray]. Or, hell, maybe even Ryan Newman."
— Sterling Marlin and Rusty Wallace talking about the 2006 Rolex 24 race at Daytona
“That would be pretty strange to not have the champion come back and do the tour. It’s my hope right now that I can screw it up royally.”
— Mark Martin on the possibility of winning the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series title.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
SCREAM OF THE CROP JOKES & QUOTES.
Jokes, famous quotations, and uplifting topics --
The BEST fun emailed free 3 times weekly.
To subscribe, send a blank email to
scream_of_the_crop-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
++++++
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bits and Pieces
Riggs: NASCAR has a 'hidden agenda'
Scott Riggs said he thinks he understands some of the reasoning behind NASCAR's decision to eliminate Happy Hour and impound the cars after qualifying. Some tracks are eliminating Friday's normal qualifying day and will instead run on Saturday and Sunday only.
"The hidden agenda of a two-day show is they'll feel better about having some more races on the schedule," Riggs said. "That's the hidden agenda." "Are we doing that to add two new events? Or one new event? No," France said. "That's not on our thinking at all. We're really just trying to save as much cost as we possibly can."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Talladega ticket will feature retiring driversTalladega Superspeedway says Terry Labonte, Mark Martin and Rusty Wallace will be featured on its commemorative tickets for the April 29 qualifying session for the May 1 Aaron's 499 Nextel Cup race. The track plans to print 5,500 of the $10 tickets honoring the three drivers, who have announced plans to retire or cut back their schedules. The track also announced that Deidre Downs, the reigning Miss America and a native of Birmingham, Ala., will sing the national anthem prior to the race.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Craven Hopes To Break the $1 Million Mark For Charity This SaturdayThis Saturday is the eighth annual Ricky Craven Snowmobile Ride for Charity in Greenville, Maine, and Craven's goal for the event is to raise enough money to break the $1 million mark. Craven has raised over $800,000 for charity over the previous seven years and this year 500 riders will hit the trails to push him over $1 million.
"With the money we raise this year we should be very close to hitting a grand total of $1 million," Craven said. "VIP Parts, Tires and Service has already pledged $45,000 so we are well on our way. This event just continues to grow every year and the support throughout the area has been tremendous.
"We're getting close to our limit of 500 riders this year, but we've never turned anyone away who wants to participate. This should be one of our best events, especially with the snow we received in the northeast last weekend. We have a lot of fun and I encourage everyone to come out and participate even if they don't want to ride."
The funds raised from this event are divided among five charities: Children's Miracle Network, Give Kids the World, The National Marrow Donor Program, Make-A-Wish and The Travis Roy Foundation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evernham adds sponsor
Evernham Motorsports says Trus Joist engineered lumber products will be a primary sponsor of its No. 79 Dodge for Kasey Kahne in the May 13 Funai 250 Busch Series race at Richmond International Speedway. Financial terms were not announced.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hendrick names new general manager
Hendrick Motorsports took another step Monday in its rebuilding and healing process, naming 32-year-old Marshall Carlson general manager. Carlson started at Hendrick sweeping floors. Most recently, he managed more than $200 million in real estate projects as the vice president of corporate financial management with the H endrick Automotive Group. He is the husband of Rick's daughter, Lynn.
``I can't think of a more appropriate or capable person to serve our 500 employees and their families,'' Rick Hendrick said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Darrell Waltrip supports expanding Chase field
By Nate Ryan
Richmond Times Dispatch
Pausing before providing his analysis of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Darrell Waltrip peeked inside a black binder bearing his autograph and pretended to glance at his notes.
"Hold on a minute," the three-time champion said with a smile. "I want to be sure I get this right."
Sticking to the party line was the standard yesterday during the first stop of the NASCAR Nextel Media Tour. In a news conference at the NASCAR R&D Center - shortly more than a year after the controversial Chase was introduced in the same location - Chairman Brian France proclaimed the experiment with a 10-driver, 10-race playoff an overwhelming success.
Anointing the 2004 season among the greatest ever, France said there would be no changes in the Chase next year. The format produced the tightest title race in history, with Kurt Busch claiming the championship by eight points over Jimmie Johnson and 16 over Jeff Gordon.
France was flanked on stage by Waltrip, Richard Petty, Jamie McMurray, Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne, and the Chase mostly drew praise during a wide-ranging session with about 200 media members. Its lone detractor was Waltrip, who didn't criticize the Chase overtly but suggested expanding the field to include the top 15.
He also wants NASCAR to give the Daytona 500 to Fox on a permanent basis. The Great American Race currently rotates between Fox and NBC.
"[NBC] plucked a carrot with the Chase format, and that's good for them, they're going up against the NFL," Waltrip said. "But next year they're going to have the Chase and the Daytona 500, and we'll have what's left. I'd like to see us have the Daytona 500 every year if that's the way it's going to be."
Waltrip also zinged NASCAR for turning victory lane into a choreographed procession of staged celebrations and sponsor placements. France said NASCAR wouldn't change its policies in the wake of last year's "Bottlegate" controversy, in which Gatorade-sponsored Jimmie Johnson was fined $10,000 for obscuring a Powerade bottle after a Pocono win.
"The fans want it to be spontaneous," Waltrip said. "The drivers need to be able to express themselves. When you start trying to orchestrate victory lane, it gets too sanitary for me."
It was one of a few Waltrip comments that caused France to roll his eyes yesterday
"I think Darrell needs to take some calls from sponsors on a Monday," France said with a chuckle.
Oh my gosh! I actually agree with Darrell. I am sick of the way NASCAR is handling victory lane. Talk about a snooze fest! And for France to treat Darrell that way just really ticks me off. Doesn't he realized that Darrell isn't the only one who feels that way? Every place I go on the internet, I see stories about the victory lane "celebration" or lack thereof. Brian.....you should listen to your elders....jerk!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Labonte ready to roll
By Buddy Shacklette
Daytona Beach Ness Journal
Monday marked the last of a three-day Busch Series test and the final day of NASCAR's Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway.
The 2.5-mile tri-oval will be closed until Feb. 3, qualifying day for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, so you will have to forgive Justin Labonte if he is ready to start the season now.
Labonte, who has just two career starts at DIS, heads into 2005 in his first full-time opportunity in the Busch Series and in equipment that was at the top of the speed charts all weekend during the preseason shakedown.
"I'm excited. (Sunday) night our car was really good and we were thinking about leaving and I said, 'Hey, we've got to stay,' " said Labonte, son of two-time Nextel Cup champion Terry Labonte. "We've got to try to get everything we can out of this car because we've got a really good shot at running well."
Wheeling the No. 44 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet, Labonte had the third-fastest single-car speed (181.488 mph) and fastest drafting speed (188.285 mph) Saturday. On Sunday he had the fifth-fastest individual speed (180.339 mph) and fourth-fastest drafting numbers (186.386 mph).
His Monday shakedown held stride as well, as the Thomasville, N.C., native turned the sixth-best lap (181.156 mph) of the morning.
It's no surprise.
Labonte is wheeling the same Chevrolet that Jason Leffler held up front and nearly won the race with here in July before having to block a late surge by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap.
"He took out half the field with that (car)," Labonte deadpanned. "We fixed the right side and brought it down here. It was fast off the truck and I'm excited."
It's hard for Labonte to contain his enthusiasm.
After running family-owned equipment with limited resources since 1999, the 23-year old is scheduled to run his first full season with a full-time sponsor and in equipment that contended for the championship -- Haas finished fifth in owner's points -- last season.
"This is definitely the best opportunity that I've ever had and the best equipment that I've had a chance to run in. It's going to be a good year for us," Labonte said. "This is a great opportunity for me, and we're sure going to get everything we can out of it."
Labonte, who had no top-10 finishes in 30 career Busch Series starts going into the Tropicana 300 in July, got the boost that his career needed at the expense of NASCAR journeyman Mike Wallace.
The third-generation driver was running behind race-leader Wallace at Chicagoland when Wallace ran out of the gas on the last lap and handed Labonte his first career NASCAR victory.
"That opened a lot of doors for me. To just have a win like that it helped out a lot," Labonte said. "We were to the point where we were getting ready to sign again with Coast Guard and that helped everything. It got a little more attention from some people and probably helped me get this ride."
By Buddy Shacklette
Daytona Beach Ness Journal
Monday marked the last of a three-day Busch Series test and the final day of NASCAR's Preseason Thunder test session at Daytona International Speedway.
The 2.5-mile tri-oval will be closed until Feb. 3, qualifying day for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, so you will have to forgive Justin Labonte if he is ready to start the season now.
Labonte, who has just two career starts at DIS, heads into 2005 in his first full-time opportunity in the Busch Series and in equipment that was at the top of the speed charts all weekend during the preseason shakedown.
"I'm excited. (Sunday) night our car was really good and we were thinking about leaving and I said, 'Hey, we've got to stay,' " said Labonte, son of two-time Nextel Cup champion Terry Labonte. "We've got to try to get everything we can out of this car because we've got a really good shot at running well."
Wheeling the No. 44 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet, Labonte had the third-fastest single-car speed (181.488 mph) and fastest drafting speed (188.285 mph) Saturday. On Sunday he had the fifth-fastest individual speed (180.339 mph) and fourth-fastest drafting numbers (186.386 mph).
His Monday shakedown held stride as well, as the Thomasville, N.C., native turned the sixth-best lap (181.156 mph) of the morning.
It's no surprise.
Labonte is wheeling the same Chevrolet that Jason Leffler held up front and nearly won the race with here in July before having to block a late surge by Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap.
"He took out half the field with that (car)," Labonte deadpanned. "We fixed the right side and brought it down here. It was fast off the truck and I'm excited."
It's hard for Labonte to contain his enthusiasm.
After running family-owned equipment with limited resources since 1999, the 23-year old is scheduled to run his first full season with a full-time sponsor and in equipment that contended for the championship -- Haas finished fifth in owner's points -- last season.
"This is definitely the best opportunity that I've ever had and the best equipment that I've had a chance to run in. It's going to be a good year for us," Labonte said. "This is a great opportunity for me, and we're sure going to get everything we can out of it."
Labonte, who had no top-10 finishes in 30 career Busch Series starts going into the Tropicana 300 in July, got the boost that his career needed at the expense of NASCAR journeyman Mike Wallace.
The third-generation driver was running behind race-leader Wallace at Chicagoland when Wallace ran out of the gas on the last lap and handed Labonte his first career NASCAR victory.
"That opened a lot of doors for me. To just have a win like that it helped out a lot," Labonte said. "We were to the point where we were getting ready to sign again with Coast Guard and that helped everything. It got a little more attention from some people and probably helped me get this ride."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Progress Is Seen in Effort for Staten Island Racetrack: The first Nascar Nextel Cup event on Staten Island could be held by the end of this decade if plans to build a racetrack there continue on schedule. "We're incredibly optimistic," Lesa Kennedy, president of International Speedway Corp, said Monday. "We've put a lot of resources behind it. We're moving forward. "Dream scenario would be yesterday. But realistic scenario is the latter part of the decade" Land has been purchased for construction, but Kennedy, the sister of Brian France, the Nascar chairman, said that the process of obtaining a permit to build could take up to two years. Kennedy said the goal now for I.S.C., the sister corporation of Nascar, was to convince local officials and residents that a plan to manage traffic was viable. "It's a challenging proposition," Kennedy said at a Nascar news conference here at the research-and-development facility. "Any time you build a facility of that size in a community, you need to educate everyone as to how the overall plan will work for bringing in traffic and that sort of thing. That's what they're doing now, one-on-ones with a lot of officials there." - The New York Times ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
FOX AD RATES UP ABOUT 10 PERCENT
Advertisers will be paying 9 to 10 percent more to buy time on the Fox network during its broadcasts of 2005 NASCAR races, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports this week. Media columnist Andy Bernstein says Fox had sought increases of more than 15 percent but settled for hikes that were similar to those for other top sports events. The story also says Fox has compelled advertisers to buy into additional races to secure choice spots and pricing during its coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.
Advertisers will be paying 9 to 10 percent more to buy time on the Fox network during its broadcasts of 2005 NASCAR races, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports this week. Media columnist Andy Bernstein says Fox had sought increases of more than 15 percent but settled for hikes that were similar to those for other top sports events. The story also says Fox has compelled advertisers to buy into additional races to secure choice spots and pricing during its coverage of the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
BRISTOL ANNOUNCES SELLOUTS Bristol Motor Speedway says its Nextel Cup races are sold out again this year, with all 160,000 seats taken for both races. The track said all of the tickets for the Food City 500 that were not used by renewing race and season ticket holders were sold to new buyers picked from those who entered drawings. The track also said all of its 150 luxury suites are filled by customers with multiyear contracts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Day one Highlight:
Boris Said, was onstage in the hotel ballroom Monday, addressing 300 media people in the biggest press conference of his life, when his cell phone rang.
And rang. And rang. He plucked it from his pocket, looked at the caller I.D., shrugged and let it keep ringing.
Now his audience was cracking up en masse. Boris Said can do that to people.
He returned to one of his bizarre philosophical observations: "There's 300 million people in America, and only 43 of them get to start a Nextel Cup race on a given Sunday, so the odds are pretty slim" -- and the cell phone rang again.
And rang. And rang. Said looked at the caller I.D. again. Still didn't answer.
"It's Dale Earnhardt Jr., trying to hassle me," Said said. (That's the way it's pronounced, like the past tense of say.)
It really was Earnhardt calling. He'd learned exactly what time Said would be speaking and also knew Said was just flaky enough not to turn off his cell phone for his big moment at the opening of NASCAR's preseason media tour.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Age just a number for enthusiastic Jarrett
While Wallace, Martin eye retirement, Jarrett eyes wins
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett isn't ready for the rocking chair just yet. And he hopes to prove it in 2005.
With Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin ending their Nextel Cup careers this season, many have wondered who would be next to head out to pasture. Jarrett, at 48 -- the same age as Wallace and two years older than Martin -- is approaching retirement age.
But not so fast, Jarrett said.
"If anything is going to wear on me physically, I want it to be the actual racing itself," Jarrett said. "I don't see that there's anything that these young guys that are 20 and 25 and 30 years old - they're great race drivers and very good talents - but I don't see anything that makes me, because I'm 48, physically not be able to do the things that they can do.
"Hopefully, my experience comes in somewhere along the way that will allow me to do things as well if not better than what they can."
Jarrett, though, is fighting an uphill battle. Time isn't on his side, and if he doesn't get back to consistently competing for victories this year, questions about his retirement will be more frequent.
But Jarrett could be poised for a solid season. After a rough 2003, Robert Yates Racing hired Mike Ford as Jarrett's crew chief, and the Jarrett/Ford pairing has paid dividends.
Jarrett didn't win a points race in 2004, but the No. 88 team stepped up its performance significantly over the previous season. A poor run at Richmond in September helped keep Jarrett out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but he reeled off four consecutive finishes of eighth or better in the final 10 races.
And Jarrett knows getting in the Chase can be done. After all, teammate Elliott Sadler did that last year.
"Not only do we get a lift from seeing that, but seeing how they did it and what areas they were working in was a big help to us," Jarrett said. "Mike is very good at taking the resources that he has around him and putting them to good use.
"That meant using (Sadler's crew chief) Todd (Parrott's) abilities and his engineer, Kevin (Collins), to our advantage, and they've been very good in helping us.
"So not only watching them, but working closely with them gives us a lot of hope for our race team."
The Sadler-Jarrett relationship has blossomed to the point that the two drivers are inseparable at the track. That also has helped performance, since whatever Sadler learns goes to Jarrett, and vice versa.
"If he's off testing I know that by 6 o'clock that evening I'm going to get a phone call from Elliott, and he's going to tell me what they'd done, what worked, what didn't work," Jarrett said. "So that gives me that process to start thinking about our cars, and then I can call Mike or go to the race shop the next day and, we start that process of talking and seeing if that's something we want to look at and do with our car."
That unity among teams has helped resuscitate Jarrett's bunch and should help Jarrett keep improving in 2005. This year, Jarrett won't fool anyone by winning the Bud Shootout, as he did in 2004.
Winning the pole-winners race was a good start, but it didn't signal the team was back on track.
"In all of that excitement and giving that reward to your team for their hard work and efforts, you don't want to bring them down by saying, 'Look, this isn't what this season is going to be all about right now. We have a lot of work to do,'" Jarrett said.
"We weren't the fastest car that night, but we ended up in Victory Lane. What needed to be said was that, 'This is great, it's great for morale, but we have a lot, a lot of work to do.'
"We were trying to build a team back and decide what type of racecars we were even going race. Obviously we were going to race Fords, but what type of chassis were we going to be running?"
That issue wasn't settled until May. But with more than a half-season with the same chassis and starting 2005 with Yates/Roush power, the foundation is in place.
"Even though we showed some signs of improvement the second half of the season and were able to compete at certain types of tracks, we still realize where our weaknesses are, so we've put a lot of effort towards that," Jarrett said.
The biggest weakness may have been mile-and-a-half tracks, so Jarrett and Ford spent a lot of time at Kentucky Speedway trying to get better.
This year, more emphasis will be put on short tracks and flat speedways like New Hampshire and Phoenix.
That narrowing of focus should be comforting to Jarrett, for this time last year he wasn't sure he could even run in the top 20.
But now, Jarrett is aiming a little higher.
"I view us right now being a top-10 race team," Jarrett said. "I honestly think that if we get started like I think that we are going to, we can show that we can challenge for a championship again and win some races."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~While Wallace, Martin eye retirement, Jarrett eyes wins
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett isn't ready for the rocking chair just yet. And he hopes to prove it in 2005.
With Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin ending their Nextel Cup careers this season, many have wondered who would be next to head out to pasture. Jarrett, at 48 -- the same age as Wallace and two years older than Martin -- is approaching retirement age.
But not so fast, Jarrett said.
"If anything is going to wear on me physically, I want it to be the actual racing itself," Jarrett said. "I don't see that there's anything that these young guys that are 20 and 25 and 30 years old - they're great race drivers and very good talents - but I don't see anything that makes me, because I'm 48, physically not be able to do the things that they can do.
"Hopefully, my experience comes in somewhere along the way that will allow me to do things as well if not better than what they can."
Jarrett, though, is fighting an uphill battle. Time isn't on his side, and if he doesn't get back to consistently competing for victories this year, questions about his retirement will be more frequent.
But Jarrett could be poised for a solid season. After a rough 2003, Robert Yates Racing hired Mike Ford as Jarrett's crew chief, and the Jarrett/Ford pairing has paid dividends.
Jarrett didn't win a points race in 2004, but the No. 88 team stepped up its performance significantly over the previous season. A poor run at Richmond in September helped keep Jarrett out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but he reeled off four consecutive finishes of eighth or better in the final 10 races.
And Jarrett knows getting in the Chase can be done. After all, teammate Elliott Sadler did that last year.
"Not only do we get a lift from seeing that, but seeing how they did it and what areas they were working in was a big help to us," Jarrett said. "Mike is very good at taking the resources that he has around him and putting them to good use.
"That meant using (Sadler's crew chief) Todd (Parrott's) abilities and his engineer, Kevin (Collins), to our advantage, and they've been very good in helping us.
"So not only watching them, but working closely with them gives us a lot of hope for our race team."
The Sadler-Jarrett relationship has blossomed to the point that the two drivers are inseparable at the track. That also has helped performance, since whatever Sadler learns goes to Jarrett, and vice versa.
"If he's off testing I know that by 6 o'clock that evening I'm going to get a phone call from Elliott, and he's going to tell me what they'd done, what worked, what didn't work," Jarrett said. "So that gives me that process to start thinking about our cars, and then I can call Mike or go to the race shop the next day and, we start that process of talking and seeing if that's something we want to look at and do with our car."
That unity among teams has helped resuscitate Jarrett's bunch and should help Jarrett keep improving in 2005. This year, Jarrett won't fool anyone by winning the Bud Shootout, as he did in 2004.
Winning the pole-winners race was a good start, but it didn't signal the team was back on track.
"In all of that excitement and giving that reward to your team for their hard work and efforts, you don't want to bring them down by saying, 'Look, this isn't what this season is going to be all about right now. We have a lot of work to do,'" Jarrett said.
"We weren't the fastest car that night, but we ended up in Victory Lane. What needed to be said was that, 'This is great, it's great for morale, but we have a lot, a lot of work to do.'
"We were trying to build a team back and decide what type of racecars we were even going race. Obviously we were going to race Fords, but what type of chassis were we going to be running?"
That issue wasn't settled until May. But with more than a half-season with the same chassis and starting 2005 with Yates/Roush power, the foundation is in place.
"Even though we showed some signs of improvement the second half of the season and were able to compete at certain types of tracks, we still realize where our weaknesses are, so we've put a lot of effort towards that," Jarrett said.
The biggest weakness may have been mile-and-a-half tracks, so Jarrett and Ford spent a lot of time at Kentucky Speedway trying to get better.
This year, more emphasis will be put on short tracks and flat speedways like New Hampshire and Phoenix.
That narrowing of focus should be comforting to Jarrett, for this time last year he wasn't sure he could even run in the top 20.
But now, Jarrett is aiming a little higher.
"I view us right now being a top-10 race team," Jarrett said. "I honestly think that if we get started like I think that we are going to, we can show that we can challenge for a championship again and win some races."
Preview: Dale Jarrett
Age just a number for enthusiastic Jarrett
While Wallace, Martin eye retirement, Jarrett eyes wins
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett isn't ready for the rocking chair just yet. And he hopes to prove it in 2005.
With Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin ending their Nextel Cup careers this season, many have wondered who would be next to head out to pasture. Jarrett, at 48 -- the same age as Wallace and two years older than Martin -- is approaching retirement age.
But not so fast, Jarrett said.
"If anything is going to wear on me physically, I want it to be the actual racing itself," Jarrett said. "I don't see that there's anything that these young guys that are 20 and 25 and 30 years old - they're great race drivers and very good talents - but I don't see anything that makes me, because I'm 48, physically not be able to do the things that they can do.
"Hopefully, my experience comes in somewhere along the way that will allow me to do things as well if not better than what they can."
Jarrett, though, is fighting an uphill battle. Time isn't on his side, and if he doesn't get back to consistently competing for victories this year, questions about his retirement will be more frequent.
But Jarrett could be poised for a solid season. After a rough 2003, Robert Yates Racing hired Mike Ford as Jarrett's crew chief, and the Jarrett/Ford pairing has paid dividends.
Jarrett didn't win a points race in 2004, but the No. 88 team stepped up its performance significantly over the previous season. A poor run at Richmond in September helped keep Jarrett out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup, but he reeled off four consecutive finishes of eighth or better in the final 10 races.
And Jarrett knows getting in the Chase can be done. After all, teammate Elliott Sadler did that last year.
"Not only do we get a lift from seeing that, but seeing how they did it and what areas they were working in was a big help to us," Jarrett said. "Mike is very good at taking the resources that he has around him and putting them to good use.
"That meant using (Sadler's crew chief) Todd (Parrott's) abilities and his engineer, Kevin (Collins), to our advantage, and they've been very good in helping us.
"So not only watching them, but working closely with them gives us a lot of hope for our race team."
The Sadler-Jarrett relationship has blossomed to the point that the two drivers are inseparable at the track. That also has helped performance, since whatever Sadler learns goes to Jarrett, and vice versa.
"If he's off testing I know that by 6 o'clock that evening I'm going to get a phone call from Elliott, and he's going to tell me what they'd done, what worked, what didn't work," Jarrett said. "So that gives me that process to start thinking about our cars, and then I can call Mike or go to the race shop the next day and, we start that process of talking and seeing if that's something we want to look at and do with our car."
That unity among teams has helped resuscitate Jarrett's bunch and should help Jarrett keep improving in 2005. This year, Jarrett won't fool anyone by winning the Bud Shootout, as he did in 2004.
Winning the pole-winners race was a good start, but it didn't signal the team was back on track.
"In all of that excitement and giving that reward to your team for their hard work and efforts, you don't want to bring them down by saying, 'Look, this isn't what this season is going to be all about right now. We have a lot of work to do,'" Jarrett said.
"We weren't the fastest car that night, but we ended up in Victory Lane. What needed to be said was that, 'This is great, it's great for morale, but we have a lot, a lot of work to do.'
"We were trying to build a team back and decide what type of racecars we were even going race. Obviously we were going to race Fords, but what type of chassis were we going to be running?"
That issue wasn't settled until May. But with more than a half-season with the same chassis and starting 2005 with Yates/Roush power, the foundation is in place.
"Even though we showed some signs of improvement the second half of the season and were able to compete at certain types of tracks, we still realize where our weaknesses are, so we've put a lot of effort towards that," Jarrett said.
The biggest weakness may have been mile-and-a-half tracks, so Jarrett and Ford spent a lot of time at Kentucky Speedway trying to get better.
This year, more emphasis will be put on short tracks and flat speedways like New Hampshire and Phoenix.
That narrowing of focus should be comforting to Jarrett, for this time last year he wasn't sure he could even run in the top 20.
But now, Jarrett is aiming a little higher.
"I view us right now being a top-10 race team," Jarrett said. "I honestly think that if we get started like I think that we are going to, we can show that we can challenge for a championship again and win some races."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Preview: Kevin HarvickHarvick shooting for multiple wins in 2005
No. 29 team assessing, regrouping after off year
By Lee Montgomery, NASCAR.COM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kevin Harvick seems to have made an effort to fly under the radar during the 2005 off-season.
He skipped NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway and hasn't been all that visible in the two months that followed the end of the 2004 season.
That season was a disappointment to Harvick and Richard Childress Racing; for after spending most of the first 26 races in the top 10 in points, Harvick fell to 14th after Richmond in September -- and out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
The final 10 races weren't much better, and Harvick slipped quietly into the off-season.
But missing the Chase didn't wear on Harvick as much as one might think.
"I don't know. I don't think it bothered me that much because I knew I did everything I could and so did the 29 guys," Harvick said. "We performed so poorly there for a while that I knew we really didn't belong in that group anyway."
He's right. In the four races before the Chase, Harvick couldn't finish any better than 12th. In October, Harvick pinned the blame on the team's poor performance on engines, and then he overheated an engine at Kansas and blew one up at Charlotte.
That's one area Harvick said RCR has focused on for 2005.
"We addressed several issues late in last season," Harvick said. "Most importantly was, were we getting the power out of our motors that the other Chevy teams were? I think Danny Lawrence and all the guys in the engine room have burned the midnight oil in an attempt to find us horsepower, and in doing so have worked on fuel mileage and reliability.
"It is not as easy to go fast and have the other factors come with it. I was very vocal about the engines last year and believe RCR is doing what it takes to address those concerns."
He'll need some more power to step up the performance of the No. 29. Of the drivers in the top 15 in points at season's end, no one had fewer top-five finishes than Harvick.
And he didn't visit Victory Lane, either.
Harvick said RCR also took steps to improve its chassis.
"We also took another look at our chassis, and I think we have made good progress in getting our cars where they need to be," Harvick said. "Because of this, we have focused our testing on some of the 2-mile and 1.5-mile tracks.
"We are very confident that our restrictor-plate program is one of the best in the sport, and I know our short track stuff is good. Hopefully, we have made gains all across the board."
Harvick was so confident in the plate program that he didn't test in Daytona. Instead, Kerry Earnhardt drove the No. 29.
"We had three other cars going to Daytona, so we felt our time was better served looking at improving at the mid-size tracks," Harvick said. "We sent the No. 29 to Daytona just to shake it down and look at the data.
"But (crew chief) Todd Berrier and I feel like we have a great program for plate tracks, and we have shared that with the other three cars. If they find something else, we will look at using it on our car as well."
Harvick's team stayed virtually intact from 2004, an indication RCR believes the No. 29 bunch isn't that far off.
"We really didn't feel like we needed to make a lot of changes from a personnel basis," Harvick said. "Everybody was on the same page last year, and while we all made mistakes, they weren't because of a lack of commitment to the team or from not having talent.
"We just made mistakes that happen to every team in NASCAR. We just made them at the wrong times. There have been some small changes, but that was more an attempt to improve all the teams and give some guys new responsibilities. But our team is pretty much what it was last year."
Harvick's confidence level, though, remains high. He has guarded optimism as the season approaches.
"Obviously we want to win the championship," Harvick said. "We feel like we have the caliber of team to do that. But you take things in steps."
The first goal is to win the Daytona 500, with the second winning "multiple races," Harvick said.
"We aren't satisfied with winning a race," Harvick said. "We want to win five or six. We want to make the Chase and from there you want to be crowned champion.
"That is how it looks on paper. To do this we need to run up front week in and week out and limit our mistakes. All you can ask is to have a chance at the win. If we have a chance every week, we will cash in and reach our goals."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Conversation: Junior
NASCAR's biggest star on turning 30 and his role in the sport
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a pied piper of sorts, fueled by ever-increasing success on the racetrack and a marketing blitzkrieg off it.
The possibility of over-saturation in the media genuinely concerns him, but adoring fans demand as much Junior as Junior's willing to give.
Some hang on his every word. Many even follow his fashion sense. (Remember all those backwards hats? And rest assured, come Speedweeks there will be no shortage of 20-somethings donning trendy, made-for-Junior Wranglers and Spy sunglasses).
He has plenty to say, and candidly did so last week when he sat down with NASCAR.COM's Marty Smith during a commercial shoot in Charlotte.
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Earnhardt discusses a surprisingly awesome Christmas present, how 30 has changed him, what he looks for in people and whether or not the sport can survive without him.
OK, man, the whole world knows you got a plane for Christmas. What else did you get?
Earnhardt: Well, I got the best gift I've gotten in five years. It's a pizza cooker. It's badass.
OK ... Have you made several pies to date?
Earnhardt: Hell yeah! It's a damn good cooker. It's way better than the oven. I like to eat frozen foodses, pizzas. I like to eat frozen pizzas, and this cooker cooks them like something else.
I thought 'big deal' when I saw it, and when I took it home I thought, 'Aw, what the hell, I'll throw a pizza in there.' And after I ate that pizza I was like, 'Son of a gun, man, everybody needs one of these.' It's awesome.
So you're buddies with Arturo Gotti, and a big boxing aficionado these days. What's your best punch? Ever knocked anybody out?
Earnhardt: No. I did hit my buddy Josh, PR guy for Martin (Truex), I hit him one time and his mouthpiece flew across the ring, which I thought was good. That's probably the best shot I've ever thrown. I've hit him in the gut a couple times.
Not to say he hasn't hit me and knocked me down several times, because he (outweighs) me by 40 pounds. We get into it pretty good. Most of the time we just have little sparring sessions that are a lot of fun.
(Professional Bull Rider) Ross Coleman hit me in the eye one time --- took a black eye to Kansas last year. That's about it.
That was your birthday extravaganza, correct?
Earnhardt: Yes.
Your thoughts on NASCAR's leadership?
Earnhardt: I'm pretty happy with it. I mean, to be a driver in the sport you've got to feel good. The situation could be the total opposite. We could all be pretty disappointed.
And the hard part about that would be we'd all be helpless. There's nothing we could do to help it or change it. So we've got to feel really lucky that we've got people making the right decisions and steering the sport in a productive way where we can all enjoy it and not feel helpless.
Everybody wants a piece of you these days --- what do you look for in people? It's got to be hard to trust people.
Earnhardt: Well, I don't like people that try to control what's happening. I don't like people to try to control what I do, what my schedule is, stuff like that.
I like people that look at me as the final decision on things like that. I feel like I've earned the right to make my own decisions. I want people to tell when they think they're not the best decisions that could be made and give me other alternatives, but I hate people making decisions for me without me ever knowing.
Like I was talking about earlier with the Busch car --- that just pisses me off. So those are the types of things that make you really mad and frustrate you, but for the most part I feel pretty comfortable. Me and J.R. (Rhodes, business manager) get along pretty good.
We have some highs and lows in working around each other all the time, but for the most part I think we understand each other. Mike (Davis, publicist) just started working for us recently -- he's awesome. We get along really good.
Jade (Gurss, publicist), I used to beat on Jade a lot about our schedule and stuff. I used to be pretty rough on him, but since he's gotten Mike he's backed off a little bit and now he's in a better, more comfortable position.
We get along a lot better than we did. We actually got to a point where either one of us could've walked away from one another, but we're a lot better off now.
To back up a moment, you were expressing to me some frustration about the Busch car you're going to race at Daytona?
Earnhardt: Yeah. I'm not real happy with the paint scheme on it. There's an approval process that has worked in the past, but it's not the same process used every time, I guess, because it skipped over me this time.
Define 'precedence' for me.
Earnhardt: Precedence is when you make a decision that has pretty large impact, and when the same situation occurs again you make the same decision out of consistency -- or what they call continuity. So that's what I would say precedence is.
Sounds like you've spent some time practicing that one.
Earnhardt: Well, they say 'continuity' out here at these photo shoots a lot, so it seemed like a good word to say. It does fall along the lines of precedence, consistency, continuity. It's all pretty much the same thing.
Very good. Obviously you're the biggest star in the sport at this point. Can the sport survive without Dale Earnhardt, Jr.?
Earnhardt: Absolutely. People wondered whether the sport would survive without Dad, and I would damn sure assume that's a far bigger loss than the loss of me to the sport.
I feel like I paved the way for a lot of different stuff, maybe not for everybody, but for people that are interested in the types of things I do driver-wise.
Say Mark Martin, he probably don't give a damn about being in Rolling Stone, but maybe Jamie McMurray does. Ya know? So I think I've opened some doors for people like Jamie, if that's what he's interested in. I like to feel like I could get some credit in those types of areas, and I made an impact in areas like that, and on the racetrack.
I feel pretty good about how I've been successful winning some races -- some big races. But yeah, there's guys in the sport now that would benefit greatly if I wasn't in the equation. There's guys that would step up. There's weeks now where I feel third, fourth, fifth in line. There's weeks when I feel like I'm leading the pack in a general sense. I think it goes back and forth.
Like Jimmie Johnson --- he has a good personality. He recently got married, so his appeal might be going in a different direction, toward a different type of fan. He seems to kind of be settling down a little bit.
I always thought Jimmie would be more like me, but he seems to have made a lot of huge decisions in his life that have changed how I expected him to go. Jamie McMurray --- me and him kind of remind each other of each other, I think.
He has a similar personality and a lot of the same interests away from the racetrack. So I think he could fill my role in the movie.
Has 30 changed you at all?
Earnhardt: Well, yeah, a little bit. I get a little more bossy, I guess. The older you get, the more demanding you get. I don't take as much s--- as I used to from people.
Like when my Mom tries to tell me how to do something, I'm a little more like, 'Well, I can handle it.' So, stuff like that. Not that I complain all the time, but if I had a complaint, maybe when I was 20, it'd get blown off pretty easily. Now I don't get blown off as easily, have a little more credibility wherever I go.
NASCAR's biggest star on turning 30 and his role in the sport
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is a pied piper of sorts, fueled by ever-increasing success on the racetrack and a marketing blitzkrieg off it.
The possibility of over-saturation in the media genuinely concerns him, but adoring fans demand as much Junior as Junior's willing to give.
Some hang on his every word. Many even follow his fashion sense. (Remember all those backwards hats? And rest assured, come Speedweeks there will be no shortage of 20-somethings donning trendy, made-for-Junior Wranglers and Spy sunglasses).
He has plenty to say, and candidly did so last week when he sat down with NASCAR.COM's Marty Smith during a commercial shoot in Charlotte.
In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Earnhardt discusses a surprisingly awesome Christmas present, how 30 has changed him, what he looks for in people and whether or not the sport can survive without him.
OK, man, the whole world knows you got a plane for Christmas. What else did you get?
Earnhardt: Well, I got the best gift I've gotten in five years. It's a pizza cooker. It's badass.
OK ... Have you made several pies to date?
Earnhardt: Hell yeah! It's a damn good cooker. It's way better than the oven. I like to eat frozen foodses, pizzas. I like to eat frozen pizzas, and this cooker cooks them like something else.
I thought 'big deal' when I saw it, and when I took it home I thought, 'Aw, what the hell, I'll throw a pizza in there.' And after I ate that pizza I was like, 'Son of a gun, man, everybody needs one of these.' It's awesome.
So you're buddies with Arturo Gotti, and a big boxing aficionado these days. What's your best punch? Ever knocked anybody out?
Earnhardt: No. I did hit my buddy Josh, PR guy for Martin (Truex), I hit him one time and his mouthpiece flew across the ring, which I thought was good. That's probably the best shot I've ever thrown. I've hit him in the gut a couple times.
Not to say he hasn't hit me and knocked me down several times, because he (outweighs) me by 40 pounds. We get into it pretty good. Most of the time we just have little sparring sessions that are a lot of fun.
(Professional Bull Rider) Ross Coleman hit me in the eye one time --- took a black eye to Kansas last year. That's about it.
That was your birthday extravaganza, correct?
Earnhardt: Yes.
Your thoughts on NASCAR's leadership?
Earnhardt: I'm pretty happy with it. I mean, to be a driver in the sport you've got to feel good. The situation could be the total opposite. We could all be pretty disappointed.
And the hard part about that would be we'd all be helpless. There's nothing we could do to help it or change it. So we've got to feel really lucky that we've got people making the right decisions and steering the sport in a productive way where we can all enjoy it and not feel helpless.
Everybody wants a piece of you these days --- what do you look for in people? It's got to be hard to trust people.
Earnhardt: Well, I don't like people that try to control what's happening. I don't like people to try to control what I do, what my schedule is, stuff like that.
I like people that look at me as the final decision on things like that. I feel like I've earned the right to make my own decisions. I want people to tell when they think they're not the best decisions that could be made and give me other alternatives, but I hate people making decisions for me without me ever knowing.
Like I was talking about earlier with the Busch car --- that just pisses me off. So those are the types of things that make you really mad and frustrate you, but for the most part I feel pretty comfortable. Me and J.R. (Rhodes, business manager) get along pretty good.
We have some highs and lows in working around each other all the time, but for the most part I think we understand each other. Mike (Davis, publicist) just started working for us recently -- he's awesome. We get along really good.
Jade (Gurss, publicist), I used to beat on Jade a lot about our schedule and stuff. I used to be pretty rough on him, but since he's gotten Mike he's backed off a little bit and now he's in a better, more comfortable position.
We get along a lot better than we did. We actually got to a point where either one of us could've walked away from one another, but we're a lot better off now.
To back up a moment, you were expressing to me some frustration about the Busch car you're going to race at Daytona?
Earnhardt: Yeah. I'm not real happy with the paint scheme on it. There's an approval process that has worked in the past, but it's not the same process used every time, I guess, because it skipped over me this time.
Define 'precedence' for me.
Earnhardt: Precedence is when you make a decision that has pretty large impact, and when the same situation occurs again you make the same decision out of consistency -- or what they call continuity. So that's what I would say precedence is.
Sounds like you've spent some time practicing that one.
Earnhardt: Well, they say 'continuity' out here at these photo shoots a lot, so it seemed like a good word to say. It does fall along the lines of precedence, consistency, continuity. It's all pretty much the same thing.
Very good. Obviously you're the biggest star in the sport at this point. Can the sport survive without Dale Earnhardt, Jr.?
Earnhardt: Absolutely. People wondered whether the sport would survive without Dad, and I would damn sure assume that's a far bigger loss than the loss of me to the sport.
I feel like I paved the way for a lot of different stuff, maybe not for everybody, but for people that are interested in the types of things I do driver-wise.
Say Mark Martin, he probably don't give a damn about being in Rolling Stone, but maybe Jamie McMurray does. Ya know? So I think I've opened some doors for people like Jamie, if that's what he's interested in. I like to feel like I could get some credit in those types of areas, and I made an impact in areas like that, and on the racetrack.
I feel pretty good about how I've been successful winning some races -- some big races. But yeah, there's guys in the sport now that would benefit greatly if I wasn't in the equation. There's guys that would step up. There's weeks now where I feel third, fourth, fifth in line. There's weeks when I feel like I'm leading the pack in a general sense. I think it goes back and forth.
Like Jimmie Johnson --- he has a good personality. He recently got married, so his appeal might be going in a different direction, toward a different type of fan. He seems to kind of be settling down a little bit.
I always thought Jimmie would be more like me, but he seems to have made a lot of huge decisions in his life that have changed how I expected him to go. Jamie McMurray --- me and him kind of remind each other of each other, I think.
He has a similar personality and a lot of the same interests away from the racetrack. So I think he could fill my role in the movie.
Has 30 changed you at all?
Earnhardt: Well, yeah, a little bit. I get a little more bossy, I guess. The older you get, the more demanding you get. I don't take as much s--- as I used to from people.
Like when my Mom tries to tell me how to do something, I'm a little more like, 'Well, I can handle it.' So, stuff like that. Not that I complain all the time, but if I had a complaint, maybe when I was 20, it'd get blown off pretty easily. Now I don't get blown off as easily, have a little more credibility wherever I go.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain,
Your
Momma "Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt – 1998
"It's nothin' personal, it's just racin'
-Dale Earnhardt
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Subscribe: KnowYourNascar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: KnowYourNascar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: KnowYourNascar-owner@yahoogroups.com
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This list is authored by:
Sandra Monacelli
221 W. 57th Street 18B
Loveland, CO 80538
970/663-6967
**This e-mail is sent by The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries, and may contain information that is privileged and/ or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please do not review, disclose, copy or distribute. Please delete the e-mail and any attachments and notify us immediately.**
Offline 
Send Email