May 23, 2008 - All-Star Gazing

“There was only one problem with Kasey Kahne winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race last Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He didn’t really deserve to be in the race,” writes Joe Menzer on NASCAR.com.

Now, why someone would write such nonsense is beyond my level of motorsports journalism. My only thought is that Menzer is trying to stir up controversy from an otherwise uncontroversial race. OK, I admit, the race was a little on the boring side. Especially, after we have become accustomed to the excitement of this one race a year where it is no holds barred and the last car standing is usually the winner. Therefore, Kahne’s Cinderella-like win was the only excitement I found in the uneventful Saturday night race. 

Granted, he wasn’t spectacular in the Sprint Showdown and finished fifth, but the fans voted him in fair and square. All the drivers know the rules when they go into the All-Star race, and this is the one race they don’t have to participate in for points. So, in effect, if they don’t like the fan vote they can take their cars and go home like any other kindergartner that is not having fun on a play date.

Also, what Menzer forget to take into consideration is that NASCAR's All-Star Race is not technically an all-star race anyway. It is actually the same guys that race week in and week out at each NASCAR race. And the fan vote, is the only part of it that makes iton par with the all-star games in other sports. In baseball, the entirestarting lineup for both teams is voted upon by the fans. In football, thePro Bowl is voted on by the players’ peers.

And I ask, did Kasey Kahne have less business being in the race than Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte or Mark Martin, none of which has won a race in, say
the last 40 years? I am going to answer my own question and say, “No”.

Also, did Menzer, or anyone else, write articles criticizing Kerry Earnhardt or Kenny Wallace when they got voted in with zero chance of winning? They were certainly not front-runners. At least this year, the fans voted for someone with a chance to win.

As my good friend stated when I was telling her about this nonsense, “It’s not like they voted him into victory lane. He started at the tail end and had to race his way to the win.” Exactly my point!

Kahne steadily drove himself to the front of the pack during the four different sessions, and took a chance during his last pit stop to forgo new tires and give himself track position instead. Just because every teenage girl and soccer mom in the United States voted for him to get the chance to enter the All-Star race doesn’t make his victory any less of a win.

Actually, I live the life of a soccer and baseball mom on the weekends, and racing around with 43 guys on a racetrack for a few hours is nothing compared to two angry moms whose sons had a tussle on the field. Believe me, Kahne winning the hearts of his female fans was much more of an accomplishment, and if he gets a million dollars to boot, good for him. Maybe the next time one of the other drivers snubs a fan or autograph seeker, they will think twice and remember that a few autographs and photos with a fan or two might really be worth a million bucks!

May 8, 2008 - Can't Stand The Rain

The weather forecast for the NASCAR Dodge Challenger 500 in Darlington, S.C., Saturday night is 86 degrees with isolated thunderstorms and a 30 percent chance of precipitation. You may be wondering why I would care enough about the weather forecast to bother wasting my time writing a blog about it, but it matters, believe me!

For a NASCAR wife rainouts are usually nothing more than a minor inconvenience and a free pass for us to whine, complain and fuss at our husbands for a situation that they have no control over. However, there is one race a year where a rainout can cause major damage in every racing household, whether you are a crew member, driver, owner or just a ticket holder.  That one major event is the Saturday night NASCAR Darlington race the night before Mother’s Day.

Yes, we realize that our husbands are going to be gone a lot during the year going into the marriage, and that there will be rainouts and extra testing days that will keep them away on their scheduled days off. So, we adjust, live our own lives and pretty much keep ourselves occupied and happy with work, friends and other family.  However, Mother’s Day is the one day that we just can’t accept an unscheduled NASCAR race with a smile and open arms.

Honestly, mothers really don’t even need gifts, cards, or flowers. We just want someone home who will take us out, or cook, lunch and dinner for the kids and us. A husband at home on a Sunday that can make beds, prepare breakfast and keep the children quiet for an extra hour of sleep for their mother is the most precious gift that anyone can receive on Mother’s Day. Don’t tell Hallmark (or my husband) I told you that!

Last year, the dream of a quiet peaceful Mother’s Day was squashed like a bug as rain kept the teams in Darlington for an extra day of racing and caused thousands of families to cancel their plans, back up and punt. I am in no way blaming NASCAR, as I know they did what they needed to do by rescheduling the race for the hallowed holiday, and I am not blaming my husband – well, not anymore anyway. I am not even going to blame Mother Nature for having a bad day. I am just saying that I will constantly be checking the weather forecast several times a day between now and Saturday night.

Happy Mother’s Day to all, especially you, Mother Nature!