Bleacher Report - Articles by racethis 50

Jeffrey Earnhardt: A Little of This, a Little of That...SK Modifieds?

racethis 50 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 17:22:01 -0500

The Camping East Series may have ended, but Jeffrey Earnhardt is still driving hard, and it's in an SK Modified car this weekend. Earnhardt sat out the last two races of the Camping World East season to give seat time to teammates Aric Amorila and Ryan Truex, an up-and-coming young racer. This led to much speculation, which was just that, speculation.

DEI and this young driver have a solid plan and a promising future together and are still going strong. Although still searching the market for potential sponsors there is rumor of various talks for a potential NATIONWIDE ride next year.

This early in the new season, he is still looking and reviewing the seemingly endless options. Perhaps SK Modified open-wheel racing is in his future. Perhaps continuing to gain experience in the Camping World East Series suits his fancy. Or, just maybe, that NATIONWIDE ride is calling his name.

Any division is still a possibility and as always, sponsorship remains a goal for young Jeffrey as the next logical step in his career. A NATIONWIDE ride in the next few years, would be a dream come true for this up-and-coming driver.

However, this weekend, Jeffrey tried another "first" in his racing career when he agreed to drive the No. 8 SK Modified car in Concord Motor Speedway's North South Shootout in Concord, NC. The car, co-owned by Glen Johnson and Sean Cassels, was offered to Earnhardt last week.

Earnhardt had a chance to sit in, but not drive, this car in Stafford, where he ran a late model race. He liked the feel of the car and said he "couldn't wait to get in one." Conversations about potential races began here and led to his seat in the red, white, and blue No. 8 car.

Earnhardt jumped at the opportunity and was flattered to have been given the ride. When asked why he chose to run in a type of car in which he's never even hit a practice lap, the 19 year-old grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt replied, "It's racing! I can't wait to try it!" Jeffrey was excited at the prospect of driving an SK Modified.

He is a patient, determined, and hardworking young man, as was evident Thursday and Friday as the team owners and crew members worked diligently on the car that seemed to be giving them some trouble. The car was ready just in time for qualifying, putting the young Earnhardt in the position of earning his place in the race without ever having put in a full practice session in the car. The team pulled double-duty to get the car in great shape and they apparently did a tremendous job.

During heat race qualifying, true to his aggressive driving style, Earnhardt drove a fast and furious race. He ran close and bumped the No. 11 car in front of him, spinning it out and narrowly escaping taking himself out of the race. He slipped into third place.

This put him somewhere in the top set of cars out of 29 starters tomorrow. That's not too shabby for a kid who's never even driven an SK Modified, let alone the very car he will race Saturday night. The No. 11 car rallied and came back to earn a spot in the race, as well. The Modified race takes place Saturday evening, Nov. 8. Stay tuned.

Go Jeffrey, Go!

$20,000,000 Cup Car Ride: What a Deal!

racethis 50 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:11:41 -0400

When someone told me it took $20,000,000 to sponsor a Cup car for a year, I was speechless. I don't know about you, but that number was beyond my ability to comprehend. Yes, I know that all sports are privy to this kind of monetary sponsorship, but sheesh! That money does provide jobs for many people who then put it back into the economy and blah,blah, blah. But, it's still too much for me to bite off in one chunk.

So, I broke it down into some numbers I could relate to. $20,000,000 could do the following for those in need:

Buy 133 new homes ($150K each).

Provide insurance coverage for 50,000 families.

Pay for a four year college education with room and board (in state) for 500 students.

Purchase 4,000 used cars.

Give $1,000 each to 20,000 families that "fall between the cracks" for Christmas.

How about $20,000,000 for cancer research?

Isn't that amazing if you really think about it? Our society pumps so much money into advertising and leisure sports. What if we all took a year off and persuaded these corporations to do some of the things on the list above? Sure, we would be bored. Sure, it will never happen. I'm just "what if-ing" here.

I have an idea. Why don't we do a little fundraising instead? We could ask the big sponsors to take care of some of the issues I've listed above and we'll take one Cup car for a year! We could plaster 3 X 5's of those of us who contribute to the cause all over those cars. It would look like one big collage; a "fan-a-lage" if you will.

We could raise the funds to sponsor one Cup car if we did any one of these things and donated the funds:

100,000 bake sales

40,000 garage sales

1,000,000 smokers giving up one pack a week and donating the savings

57,142 families of four skipping traveling to a pro-sporting event (not all at the same time of course)

1,000,000 people giving up a "happy meal" once a week

Just a little food for thought. My cookies are baking as we speak and I'm heading out to have my "Glamour Shot" done tomorrow!

"If You Ain't First, You're Last": Advice From a New Race Fan

racethis 50 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:00:54 -0400

First Cup Race; A Day of Enlightenment

The infamous Ricky Bobby once said, "If you ain't first, you're last." Well, we definitely weren't first in the school of race fan savvy this weekend at Martinsville. My grown children and I just returned from our first Cup race. Apparently, we have a lot to learn about becoming official NASCAR fans. Oh, what we wish we had known before entering the arena Sunday!

For starters, don't, I repeat, DO NOT skimp on the tickets. We got the free ones from a promotion with the local grocery store. Although I am thankful that we went to the race for a song, the wise old saying "you get what you pay for" rang true. Row three, woo hoo! We felt like we were part of the action, because we literally were. As I held my purse in my lap, I could feel the contents shaking. I thought the hairspray bottle had sprung a leak, but when I checked, I realized it was simply the vibration from the track, which had come alive in my handbag.

After recovering from this new discovery, I focused my attention on the race. However, all I could really see was turn two and the straightaway in front of us, IF we leaned forward...a LOT. I consoled myself by staring directly across the track at the people in the pits on turn two who had a worse view than we did. (At least we could see the tops of the cars as they came down the stretch across from us.)

I did spy some empty seats on row 22 when we came in. I cautiously eye-balled those babies for the first 50 laps, then lost my nerve to relocate. Maybe it was the fact that I brought my children with me and my moral conscience kicked in. Whatever it was, we lost those seats to others who moved up. I think the cooler of Bud Light they consumed pretty much gave them the courage to be more assertive than myself. Whatever it was, I have to admit I was a bit jealous of the new occupants of row 22.

When I stood up on the seat and held my mouth just right, I was able to see the big screen tv in turn four and cleverly piece together the entirety of a most of the laps. OK, whining aside, I did enjoy myself. It was a great two hour trip to Martinsville with my boys and girls (plus one boyfriend) that I rarely have anymore (ages 25, 23, 20, 19 and 18). One can glean so much information about their lives, when they are held hostage in the car with you for an extended period of time. Ahh, the joys of motherhood!

We were amazed by the die-hard fans. What a great group of people they were! Every place we stopped along the way, there was a NASCAR "armchair quarterback" ready to share his or her opinion and story about their favorite driver. Everyone was nice, enthusiastic and ready to offer advice, knowing it was our first Cup race.

We were also surprised to find that once we passed a certain milemarker, it was obvious everyone and their brother were on their way to the race. For us, this occured on route eight in Riner, Virginia, about two hours from the track and 15 mintues into our trip! It was like being swept up in a riptide of sorts. Once we entered the flow of race traffic, there was no getting out of it. There was a little drafting, a little passing, but thankfully, no Carl Edwards-esque moves in our line-up!

Now, there were a few items we neglected to take with us that are obvious Race Day "must haves." We did just fine without them, but next time...! Here's the short list of accessories no knowledgeable fan should be without:

seat cushions
NASCAR color changing lens sunglasses
one large clear bag for the free dip the tobacco companies shell out
tailgaiting gear
beer coozies with your favorite race team on them
beverages to put in the coozies
Wrangler jeans (Hollister is just not appropriate, need I say more?)
seat cushions
BC powders (trust me on this one)
ear plugs
clear backpacks
racing headsets
cell phones that text or an in depth knowledge of American Sign Language
camera and a Sharpie pen
...and did I mention...SEAT CUSHIONS?

There a few of these items I feel compelled to comment on further: the racing headsets, cell phone with texting, camera, and Sharpie pen. As the fans piled in, I noticed we were in the minority in our street clothes and lack of team garb and gear.

I was a bit smug, I must admit, as I noticed people with headsets, thinking..."Is that really necessary? Isn't that just a bit of overkill?" The short answer..."NO!" I failed to realize that with earplugs in (and most of the time without them in) you can't hear a thing that is announced over the broadcast system. Apparently, the headphones not only allow you to screen out the engine noise, but tune into race information. My second moment of fan jealousy kicked in at this point.

This would be the appropriate time to mention the cell phone text feature or sign language skills. There will be no communicating with the members of your party without these essentials. Lip reading could be substituted here, I suppose, but my children mumble under normal circumstances, so this technique wasn't effective for us.

As for the camera and Sharpie pen, this brings me to the most unusual part of our Martinsville experience. I didn't realize that the Dale Earnhardt Sr. impersonator would grace us with his presence. He made his way through the crowd, to be inundated with spectators wanting his autograph and a picture with him. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been a big moment at the speedway, but here's where the story gets interesting. The boyfriend we had on the trip with us is a young relative of Dale Senior's.

As the impersonator stopped, two rows in front of us, I had a moment, wondering what he must have thought of all of this. Although he is a racer and probably used to this phenomenon, I held my breath for a second or two to watch his reaction. He sat there quietly and respectfully watching, as the fans mobbed "Dale."

It made me wonder how Lisa Marie must feel when she attends an event and Elvis impersonators come out of the woodworks. They must both experience a bittersweet feeling of pride that such love and admiration was inspired in the fans, while a fleeting hint of sadness surely floats past. No doubt, this was a bit ironic and more than a little awkward. But, it didn't make or break the day.

The race must go on! This, too, passed like the cars on the track; a normal part of the racing experience.

I want to thank the Martinsville fans for making us feel so at home. It is true, there are no fans like NASCAR fans. It was a great day at the races and a learning experience to say the very least. I'm asking Santa for seat cushions and headphones this year. I've been a pretty good girl.

NASCAR and Poker: Same Song, Second Verse

racethis 50 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:31:54 -0400

Poker and NASCAR, are they one and the same?

Ok, so I'm new to this NASCAR thing, but I'm an old hand at the game of Poker. As I've slowly learned the ropes and the lingo of the NASCAR fan, such as "the pole" isn't in a bar in the downtown district and that "getting a ride" doesn't mean a trip with a friend to the mall, I've come to appreciate this sport. I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Poker and NASCAR after my first Cup Race as a spectator at Martinsville.

In Poker, on a big tournament table, you lay low for a while, trying to reserve your chips until you think you have a handle on how your opponents play. In NASCAR, you try to survive the first half, as close to the front as you can without wrecking, while keeping an eye on the other drivers.

In Poker, when you have a good hand, you make your move, gaining some ground and checking out the response of the other players. In NASCAR, you take the chance when you have it, moving past each driver with confidence and caution at the same time.

In Poker, sometimes it looks like your flush is a sure bet, only to find out the guy next to you has a full house, (that's why you saved a little , instead of going all in.) In NASCAR, when the golden opportunity arrives, you make your move, but, you hold back ever so slightly to keep some control should something go wrong.

In Poker, patience is a virtue. In NASCAR, I don't know how much more patient you can be than to be sitting in a car, 250 laps down with 250 to go, calculating when you are going to push it for the pass.

At the end of a tournament, time's up for holding back, it's all in or no win. In NASCAR....need I say more?

I've always used Poker as an analogy to how we move through life. We check out the situation, we size up those around us, then we make our moves and take our chances when the timing seems right. Patience, strategy, the guts to make the big bet and the luck of the draw define the game.

In NASCAR, patience, strategy, the guts to make the big moves, an engine that does the job and the luck that you miss the wrecks on the track define that sport.

After this weekend at Martinsville, I'm certain that the sport of NASCAR was created by some old poker players who wanted to see a little more action then a full table of chips thrown in, when the last call was up.

Folks, it doesn't get more American and Apple Pie than Poker and NASCAR. I thoroughly enjoyed the race this weekend, but for now, I'm going to go wash the smell of burning rubber and racetrack from my hair and get back to the poker table, where I'll be racing for my own checkered flag; the "Chip Cup Championship." Ahhh, I can smell victory lane already :)