Track Yack with Betty Jack DeVine
2008 NASCAR SEASON WRAPUP2009 NASCAR SEASON WRAPUPPREVIOUSLY ON TRACK YACK
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Welcome, gay NASCAR fans!And a super tall-n-frosty welcome to all of y'all heading to Atlanta for this weekend's huge party at Atlanta Motor Speedway! If the weather cooperates -- and we're keeping our eyes on Hurricane Earl, shoo, shoo! -- we think this Labor Day race could be even bigger than last year's inaugural event. Why? Because Atlantans love huge, wild parties -- old-timers, remember the Ramblin' Raft Race, and gay Pride before the Piedmont Park Snob Association ruined it? The night race at AMS is that kind of extravaganza: a big-ass, crank it up throw-down for grown folks who love fun! Hats-off to the AMS team for always working overtime to ensure that the fans have a fantastic experience at NASCAR's fastest track! Here are a couple of quick reminders for your raceday checklist: SUNSCREEN! Even though the race will be under the lights, most fans will be in the stands long before the sun goes down. And because of the way the track is situated, the front-stretch faces west toward the setting summer sun. That means you'll want to slap on lots of Coppertone to keep from getting crispy while you're getting toasted waiting for the green flag. ALCOHOL! You can buy beer at AMS, but remember there are NO Sunday retail sales of alcohol anywhere in Georgia. (I know, crazy, right?) Be sure to make that Jager run before the package stores close Saturday night! Then, remember to decant that sweet, sweet liquor into non-glass bottles; see next item. CHECK THE RULES! Most Atlanta sports and concert venues have onerous, draconian rules about everything -- you literally cannot even take in a sip of water, or a single peanut. AMS continues to let fans bring in their drinks and snacks, with few restrictions. To pack your cooler for a hassle-free trip through the gate, read the rules here: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/fans/faq/. "HEY, THERE'S [YOUR FAVORITE DRIVER] !" There's always a large crowd of driver-cruisers along the fences in the area between the drivers' RV lot and the pit/media area at AMS. I got a good picture of Carl Edwards there the year he swept both AMS Cup races. And last year, it was funny to see NASCAR President Mike Helton duck out into this very public area, mixed drink in hand, to take a cell call. But really, I've spied a lot more drivers at the other end of the RV lot, where the guys come and go on their golf carts. Stake out a spot around the secured gate, across from the hospitality area, and you're sure to have some good sightings! GOT YOUR TICKETS? Don't wait to the last minute! You need to be getting your tickets today! Visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com ! DAYTONA PAVING UPDATE: Finally, I promised you an update on the repaving of Daytona International Speedway, which I visited last month. This truly is a mammoth project: Among other steps, they had to remove all the lights in the turns so they could make a roadway on which ride the bulldozers that anchor, with heavy chains, the paving machines on the highly banked track. It's really something to see! In the best France family tradition, the public is invited inside for an up-close look at the work! In the 4th Turn Clearance Center -- the very best spot for bargains on NASCAR merchandise -- we met the friendly clerk Russell, a long-time DIS employee. This charming fellow allowed that he'd expected business to fall off badly during the project, but instead was surprised that DIS was drawing even more visitors than usual! Right after I left Daytona, the News-Journal ran a funny article about how the guys working the paving job are having to adjust to having an audience! One worker said that most jobs only attracts the attention of retired paving guys who want to tell you how they did it back up North! Well friends I'd better close and get back to making my race preparations! If you're
lucky enough to be in the infield this week, look for us down in Turn 2, the Flock
Bros. Corral! Happy Labor Day! Let's all meet up down at the Track Bar! Welcome, gay NASCAR fans!Sorry not to have updated in a while, but mercy, I've been busy! I just got back from my beloved Daytona Beach -- wish I could have stayed on through Summer Speed Week, as the stores were already decorating and folks were getting into the spirit! It was hot there but not as hot as Atlanta, where all the dogs' tongues are about to drag on the ground. Since we last chatted, our darling Brian Vickers has had to withdraw from the season due to a problem with blood clots in his legs. This news was quite disturbing to the whole NASCAR family, as Brian is so well-liked by many. I know we all send Brian our love and want him to put his health first. Brian was replaced in the #83 Red Bull Toyota by Casey Mears, who bless his heart, has struggled and even lamely crashed his team mate Scott Speed at Michigan. ("Bad form, crashing a team mate," Mother Burnside might say.) Georgia boy Reed Sorenson is now helming the #83 Toyota -- go get 'em Reed! There's been a powerful lot of fussing between Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, who just flippantly wrecked Joey out of a top five spot at Pocono. Joey was so mad that he about drove his car right across Kevin's whole team right where they were standing, and then he told an interviewer that Delana tells Kevin everything to do, anyway, so it's probably her fault. I think the fans are behind Joey, and they should be. NASCAR fussed at Joey's daddy after it said Mr. Logano shoved a broadcaster on pit road; dad denied it. Jamie McMurray has been doing great! He took his third second-place finish of the year in the extra-long Coke 600 -- coming oh so close to giving team owner Chip Ganassi the prize of having his cars take Charlotte and the Indy 500 on the same day. (Speaking of, what about the way Miss Ashley Judd got crazy after hubby Dario Franchitti pulled that one off? She was like part movie-star, part church-lady, part Gretchen Wilson, in her sundress, hat and shades running barefoot on the track toward Victory Lane. But what about that victory lap as the Chip, Dario & Ashley stood/sat in the back of a tiny convertible? She got herself in there, all right, but you better believe Chip Ganassi sat his big self right practically in her lap the whole ride! I hope she's all right.) Just finished watching Danica's return to NASCAR in the Nationwide event at Loudon. She started 25th and finished 30th, five laps back. Poor thing's day went south right quick when she and Morgan Shepherd had damaging contact in lap 7, and she never really recovered. (BTW, the New Yorker recently ran a long and interesting profile of Danica, including how she dropped out of high school to race, and her family basically bet the homestead on her career. She apparently taken flak from some for her sexy commercials, but please, why not? Racing is show business, too, and what's the point of looking that good if you don't work it?) By now, every schoolyard tot has heard the story of how Big Bill France and other key drivers and team owners got together and hammered out the basics of NASCAR racing back in 1948 in the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach. But did you know that the last man standing from that crowd of pioneers just recently passed? Mr. Raymond Parks of Atlanta lived a life right out of a movie script. The oldest of 16 kids, he ran away from Dawsonville, Ga., as a teen and set out on a career running moonshine to Atlanta. He worked hard, saved his money, always wore a suit and snappy fedora, opened business after business -- liquor store, service station, jukebox company, running the numbers -- bought and sold huge tracts of northwest Atlanta, went to prison twice, fought in the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and helmed NASCAR's first championship team. In the opinion of some, Mr. Parks came quite close to winning for Atlanta the prominent position in racing that Daytona Beach now enjoys. For an enthralling look at the wild and ragged early days of stock car racing, and more about Mr. Parks and other overlooked racing legends, check out Neal Thompson's excellent history "Driving with the Devil." I thought I knew a lot of this stuff but was amazed at all I learned when I read it. Our darling Scott Speed has some funny lines in the AP article this week about the 20th anniversary of "Days of Thunder." Check it out on theHuffington Post ; . "I'm droppin the hammer!" Well friends I'll close now and get ready for this very exciting Independence Day race weekend! Thanks for stopping by the trailer -- let's all meet up down at the Track Bar! Welcome, gay NASCAR fans!It's off the newsstand now, but last week the National Examiner tabloid did a big "Who's Gay?" cover story and the biggest picture was Dale Jr.! I was only half awake after an exhausting day and, like a fool, did not buy it. When I went back to get it, it was gone. While trying to find the article on the Web, I came across coverage of it on the site stockcarspin.com. Apparently, the Examiner's evidence included that Jr. is "35 years old with no girlfriend" and "never has a woman standing next to him in Victory Lane." It also talks about how Jr. has introduced a new candy bar called "Big Mo," and that is apparently "a gay slang." (There is so much slang -- thank goodness we have urbandictionary.com to explain it all to us: big mo is short for "big homo.") Once he's set the stage, however, stockcarspin's Ben Montedonico starts blowing more hot air than a jet-dryer -- and not just because "You can't believe everything you read." If the article wasn't the work of "a bunch of no-name writers trying to make up a bunch of crap so that they can be known," he says, then surely it must have come from "a group of liberal you-know-whats trying to push some radical agenda." Ben assures us that "Earnhardt is a conservative, with a predominantly conservative fan base" and notes, "If a driver promotes a product, fans of that driver tend to buy the product." Then, however, Ben trembles as he ponders, "But what if a driver promotes a radical agenda, and that driver happens to have half of America cheering for him?" In one scenario, Ben imagines "the fans would break away from their driver and jump on other drivers' bandwagons...." "But, and this is the scary part, the best case scenario for the magazine would be if the fans decided to support their driver and his outlook on gay marriage. In all likelihood, those conservatives who were once against gay marriage would now be for it, and the magazine's mission would be successful. That's the power of super-stardom." Like, wow. Ben seems Absolutly petrified that Jr. is going to come out and be some kind of gay Martin Luther King Jr. -- a person in whom the power of truth is so strong that even his enemies will come around to his way of thinking. In Ben's scary world, if a person of Dale Jr.'s caliber ever came out, that radical agenda we gays are always pushing -- you know, the right to take care of our families the same way as the straight folks? -- would be as good as inscribed in stone. Here's the bottom line: Every time a gay person -- famous or not -- comes out and the world keeps turning, we gays are one step closer to getting the rights and respect that are our fair share. Thank you, Ben Montedonico, for daring to imagine something that would indeed advance our "radical agenda:" An adored sports superstar comes out as gay, his fans shrug it off and love him anyway, and people everywhere start to get a clue that being gay is just not a big deal. The most fabulous start for a NASCAR season ever. Welcome, gay NASCAR fans,Thanks for stopping by the trailer -- I have to get my Atlanta wrap-up in the Public Record before we head to Bristol. This was the first ATL race weekend in several years when I wasn't at the track -- it's always something, as the feller says, and I just wasn't able to make it this time. And wouldn't you know it: I missed a heck of a race! I felt kind of like the kid who stayed home with a sore throat on the very day his class just happened to take a surprise field trip to the Fireworks, Candy and Puppy-dog Store! Briefly: Jr. took the pole to the delight of a the hardcore fans who braved Friday night's extremely chilly weather. He would not, however, lead even one lap in the show on Sunday. After we went green, tires quickly became an issue. By lap 20, we'd seen a blowout on the Robby Gordon machine, as well as Clint Boyer zooming in under green for new Goodyears. David Ragan suffered the next flat. Then came the incident that set up the day's biggest controversy. Brad Keselowski, running on the inside, moved up a tad and into Carl Edwards, who slid up and collected Joey Logano. Interviewed outside the Infield Care Center, Carl did not immediately blast Brad, other than to note that Brad "never gives me any room." But wait, there's more ... Back on the track, Mark Martin lost a left rear and tore up the grass some. After a while, Brad climbed to 4th. Kasey and Kurt swapped sweat for the lead with 85 to go. Kasey was running in front with 42 to go! Denny Hamlin had a flat, bringing out the eighth yellow. At the restart, Elliott Sadler ran into Max Papis, who cut down a tire for the 9th caution. Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth were up front at the restart. But with 15 to go, it was Juan Pablo Montoya running in second, the fastest car on the track! Then with 10 to go, Carl Edwards, running 156 laps down, booted Brad from behind on the front-stretch. Brad got completely airborne and came down on his nose and roof. It was a huge relief when Brad tumbled out, OK but very shook up. NASCAR quickly parked the #99 and called Carl directly to the trailer. DW declared the wreck "very unnecessary." Brad invoked the specter of death on the track and in the grandstands as he described the danger of being hit that way coming down the fastest part of the track; he made it clear he thought NASCAR should come down hard on that kind of driving. Back to this in a minute. In the first attempt at a green-flag-checker finish, there was a fat wreck that involved seven cars. Just before the second attempt, DW hollered out, "Honey! Put the food back in the oven and bring me a belt! I've got to tie the TV down!" That DW is one wacky hillbilly, I must say. Kurt held on for the final laps, and this time we all got to exhale, and finally, sit back down. A lot of people were, I think, pretty surprised when Tuesday came and NASCAR wagged its finger at Carl, handed him three weeks probation, and sent him on his way. Sure, we'd all heard the "have at it, boys," hoo-ha. But come on, now: It's one thing to race hard -- even to the point of wrecking out when cars are contending for position and the trophy -- but something entirely different when a guy who's just logging laps knocks out a top-five guy. That's entertainment? Do we really want races where any bozo with a chip on his shoulder can wreck out a contender on the last laps? Are we watching a top-class race, or that nutty Lucas Oil-sponsored wreck-a-bration that Speed TV shows on Saturdays? Don't get me wrong -- I love watching wicked-fast school buses miss each other by a whisker at the cross of the the figure-8 -- but I don't think Our Sport can really be taken seriously if that's what we have to offer. It's too random, isn't it? Just too... common?
But barring incidents that are truly dangerous and that compromise the integrity and entertainment of the competition, I'm certainly not opposed to an exciting feud. Let's see how the boys play when they get to Bristol. (You know, sometimes when people fight all the time, it means they like each other. A lot. Like Luke Snyder and Dr. Reid Oliver on "As the World Turns." Y'all know what I'm talking about?) We'll find out when we get to Bristol, I reckon! Let's all meet up down at the Track Bar! Daytona 500Welcome, gay NASCAR fans! It's taken me two weeks to recover from the wild excitement of Speed Week in Daytona Beach, capped by the screamin-n-cryin joy of Jamie McMurray's epic run to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500! What an amazing show! What a terrific new face for NASCAR! And what a king-size payoff for all of us who have pulled for Jamie for so long! GO JAMIE GO !!! Of course, Jamie had to share the spotlight with a pesky pothole, whose sudden appearance and refusal to be ameliorated by nary a compound (except that jack-leg save-all, Bondo) drove the race from chilly day to colder night. Even so, nothing could diminish the glory of Jamie's Daytona 500 Championship. Among his many public appearances during the week, his stop by the David Letterman Show was especially well done. If you haven't seen it, watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_KVMB7yf0E. The action started off in high gear with the ARCA race and the accompanying media frenzy over Danica Patrick. Without a doubt, there was an incredible amount of attention paid to Danica throughout the week. But Danica's 6th place finish in the ARCA event -- distinguished by a masterful save of what could have been a race-ending wreck -- and her subsequent OK performance in the Nationwide contest clearly showed she has the chops to race in those series. I also get the sense that Danica is on the leading edge of creating a new excitement about racing among young girls. At Practice Day on Wednesday, Dixie and I were charmed by a daddy and daughter (about age 7) nearby in the stands during Nationwide practice. As Danica sat in her car, waiting to take her laps, the young lady behind us repeatedly asked her Dad to take her down closer to the track, "so I can see her face." Dad tried to explain that they weren't likely to get that close to Danica, but he eventually relented and led the lil fan down to someplace presumably closer to Danica's face. Here are just a few highlights from our Speed Week adventures: With Cup qualifying moved up a because of the Super Bowl on Sunday, the folks who bought a Saturday ticket really got their money's worth. Qualifying set Mark Martin and Dale Jr. on the front row, greatly pleasing the fans. The wrecky ARCA contest never fails to excite -- it had lots of action with a win by Bobby Gerhart and a 23rd place finish by Daytona Beach's own Alli Owens, who had run hard in the top five most of the day. Before the Shootout, we got a song by Zac Brown and his band. I was so glad he did the peppy "Chicken Fried" and not one of those droopy ballads he's churned out lately. After the invocation by the Rev. L. Ronald Durham of Greater Friendship Baptist, we had the National Anthem by... Zac Brown! And then we had the command to fire engines by... Zac Brown! (And was that Zac Brown I spied after the race on pit road, sweeping up the lug nuts and throwing down the Speedy-Dry? Why, I do believe it was!) There were several wrecks, including by Mikey and Kurt Busch. Kevin Harvick, who'd been ill, took the win under green-white-checkers. On Wednesday, Dixie and I braved the chilly wind and headed out to Practice Day, when you can sit wherever you want for just $15. We climbed what seemed like a million stairs and tumbled out onto racing's Valhalla: the highest section of the Sprint Tower, where the seats have backs AND arms and there's actually room to walk between the rows! Best of all, the huge structure kept us out of the wind entirely as we enjoyed the sunshine and enjoyed a great view of the start-finish. (Speaking of: Did y'all notice the new flag stand -- tower, really -- at the speedway? It has these tubes with LEDs inside that change color depending on the condition of the race. But best of all, there is an elevator alongside the ladder! This innovation suggests a stream of ideas about who could now flag a race at Daytona: the oldest living US veteran! Stephen Hawking! Amy Winehouse!) There were several exciting incidents while we were there, and we saw Danica take some laps. At the carnival outside, I asked at the Earnhardt-Ganassi trailer for a McMurray sticker but was told they had none yet. (WELL HONEY I GUESS YOU HAD BETTER GET SOME NOW!, I thought after Jamie's magnificent win!) Despite a ripping cold wind from the North, we ended our day with a trip to the Ford Race and Rock Fest on Beach Street. This is always a cute festival with nice giveaways but the weather seems set against it, year after year. We caught a couple of songs performed by cute Chris Via and his foxy guitarist Alex. In years past, NASA had had a deluxe recruiting trailer, but this time they just had a funeral-home-type tent with a few things to give away. I definitely support NASA and hope you do, too. On Thursday, we headed for the Ocean Deck to watch the Twins. From our lovely waitress, we learned that after we'd left the festival the night before, the power failed, nixing the performance of Eddie Money. But then Mr. Money and his band piled into the Ocean Deck, where the house band stepped aside so they could do five songs! She even had a picture of them! How fun! The winners of the Twins were Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne. Next, a big storm with cold rain moved in. NASCAR didn't give up on the Truck race until after its announced start time, but it was obvious all day Friday that no one would be racing at DIS that night -- it rained buckets. In the rescheduled event after the Nationwide contest, Timothy Peters took the checkers. The news coverage of the Nationwide race was of course over-run with Danica Mania but today she had less chance to shine, as she got wrecked out in lap 70. Tony Stewart was the big winner. (BTW, during after the Nationwide flyover, the landing jets glided so low over our house that we could see their tires!) Sunday dawned cold but oh-so-bright and clear, and we knew we would get the race in. Tim McGraw gave a great three-song concert pre-race: "Something Like That" (aka "BBQ Stain") "Still" and "Southern Voice." Of course, we were waiting for that great line: "Sweet ice tea, and Jerry Lee / Daytona Beach, that's what gets to me!" But it looked like Tim spaced for a sec cuz he sang, "Sweet ice tea, Daytona Beach / [nothing], that's what gets to me!" It was kinda funny. Dixie thought maybe he was trying to get the audience to sing one line for him but missed a shift somewhere. (I hate it that Jerry Lee got left out -- hope he's not out right now, trying to hunt down Tim!) The other pre-race high point was an interview with Jr. in which he said he would like to raise children but the problem was the marriage part, and he did not know how people would feel about "Dale Jr." raising children outside of marriage. Well honey I did fall in the floor a little bit when I heard that. Do what, now? Why would Jr. want children but not a wife? Who would mind these motherless children while Jr. was working, which we assume is nearly all the time? I tell you, my mind is full of questions. I got seriously worried about the race's Woo-Hoo! Factor (TM - copyright Gaytona.com) at lap 8, when two of the wildest drivers -- new DeVine 9 1/2 team members Brad Keselowski and Sam Hornish Jr. -- got in a wreck with EACH OTHER (no guys, NO!) and Regan Smith. (It was OK: They both came back out.) Our pole-sitter Mark Martin was leading at the restart. Caution next flew for the spinning Joe Nemechek. Mike Bliss spun for Caution 3. A great crowd unity moment occurred when Jeff Gordon took the lead from Kyle Busch: The place went wacko! The announcers allowed how the #24 had once been the bane of the fans -- then dutifully noted that he got that reaction for passing Ky Busch. The next caution -- and the last in the normal part of the race -- came out when John Andretti hit the wall. Now the craziest thing happened: The surface in Turn 1 got a big old pothole. I'm talking cuss-out-loud, spill-your-drink-in-the-car-drink big. They had to red-flag the Great American Race. And it stayed that way. For a while. Do you know how sometimes you're in a situation where you think things are still kind of OK, but then you pick up on something that lets you know they are really completely out of control? Well that moment for me was when Brian France HIMSELF came on Fox to beg everyone's indulgence and forgiveness over the pothole, where they were now inserting the THIRD type of patching material they had tried, the first and second having failed to adhere. This was about an hour into the delay. Worse yet, the drivers started to say things like, "I hope we get to finish this race for the fans." Jr. wryly suggested they just put an orange cone on the hole and let everyone get back to it, but that wasn't going to happen. Dixie and I looked outside at brilliant sunshine and decided to hit the beach for a walk and some ocean air! During our stroll, we heard the cars strike up to running again out at DIS, but by the time our walk was through they were back under a red flag condition. When we got back home in front of the TV, the race was heading toward the final laps. These were a jumble of leaders, wrecks and green-flag-checkers. Jamie got a push from Biffle and made and astonishing, snake-charmer run through traffic to the front; Jr. blasted his way as far as 2nd; and at the last Jamie won the Daytona 500! And if you're gonna make fun of the man for crying in Victory Lane, make fun of me too -- because I was crying right along with him. What a fantastic victory for a great guy! One more thing: Unless I missed it, no one mention the May 2009 flood as a possible reason for the pothole. This calamity -- the same that wrecked Monkey Island, our Daytona Beach home -- left 10 feet of water standing in the turns at DIS and completely submerged the entrance tunnel. Though the Firecracker 400 was held on the track since that time, the area also suffered a major hard freeze in January, which certainly could have added to any damage.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!I'm so glad those rumors posted for months in the lobby were not true: The world-famous Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach continues in business (and during Speed Week was even the headquarters of the Herd Racing team.) ... Speaking of the Streamline, it's included in the neat racing history feature Jay Busbee has posted at http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/blog ... You MUST bookmark this site, which tries to list ALL the motorsports-related shows that come on TV http://www.racefantv.com/ ... Thanks to Jeffrey and Andrew for a copy of "Driving with the Devil," Neal Thompson's enthralling history about moonshine and the origins of stock-car racing. This is one great read! ... Don't forget to visit www.Queers4Gears.com, where my bud Michael will be blogging live from Las Vegas .... Be sure and visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com to get your tickets to the Kobalt Tools 500 weekend at on March 7. Y'all come!
Well friends this was Dixie's and my fifth time to be in Daytona Beach for Speed Weeks, and I'm thankful for every minute of it. If you're a race fan, you owe it to yourself to visit the World Center of Racing during a Cup race. Thanks for stopping by the trailer -- let's all meet up down at the Track Bar!
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