Thoroughbreds

archidude

Member since: 09/04/2007

Number of hits: 727

Location: Brevard, NC

Quote/Motto: “If I knew I was going to lose, I wouldn’ta run.” - Richard Petty after losing NC Secretary of State election in 1996

Favorite Driver: Mark Martin

Who Am I:
I am a self-employed architect, and thanks to my daddy I have been a race fan for about 47 years.

Favorite Track:
Richmond International Raceway

Favorite Racing Moment:
Sonoma 1989: Mark Martin rolling his car on its roof, climbing out, running to the pits to wait for his car to get towed back, climbing back in the car and continuing racing.

How I discovered Rowdy, and why I Listen:
I do not remember how I found Rowdy, but somehow found Rowdy about 2 years ago.

Why I'm a race fan:
Became a racing fan as a kid in Indiana in the early 1960s. Roger Ward was my favorite driver after I got a mug with his image on it from a gas station in 1960. Roger Ward proved to be a good favorite driver. I got into NASCAR in 1989 at Richmond. At Richmond, I didn't want to or expect to get hooked, but couldn't help myself.

What car/truck I drive now:
2008 Honda Civic LX

My dream car:
Subaru SVX, manual (non existent)

Favorite Music:
Dire Straits; The Beatles; Sousa marches; Charles Ives; Aaron Copland; Stravinsky; Holst; Taizé music; Percy Grainger - "Lincolnshire Posy"; Mozart - "Requiem in D Minor"; James Gang; Steep Canyon Rangers

Favorite Movies:
Lord of the Rings Trilogy; Bourne (Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum); Dr. Strangelove; In-Laws (original); Young Einstein; Raising Arizona

Favorite TV Shows:
The Office, American Experience, North Carolina People

Favorite Books:
I do not read much, but nevertheless I purchase many books with excellent pictures in them

Interests:
family, architecture, design, the United Methodist Church, day hiking; Apple (computer) related innovation, beer, wine, these mountains where I get to live

Dislikes:
The Disneyland-ish nature of our current built environment; heaps of money is being spent on sappy/sentimental architecture. We can do better.

Hobbies:
architecture, racing, grilling

Vices:
absolutely none, except lying about vices

Heroes:
my father-in-law (WWII veteran, all-around fine fellow)

Thoroughbreds

I forget who uses the term, but one of the wonderful routine Rowdy interviewees, I think it's Barry Dodson, who often refer to high-spirited drivers as "thoroughbreds." This appropriate analogy applies to driven drivers who are hellbent on winning. They simply cannot be held responsible for their actions while in pursuit of their single-minded goal. Dale Sr. was a thoroughbred. Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Juan Pablo Montoya are described as being thoroughbreds, along with just a handful of other active drivers. When Joey Lagano gets "here," the tag will probably fit him.

Any field of endeavor is all the better for it when a thoroughbred passes through. Example: Frank Lloyd Wright in architecture. These individuals are often geniuses in their own right. And, yet they have the knack for setting mere spectators and sometimes their own colleagues on edge. Life would be boring without thoroughbreds.

Unlike in horse racing, NASCAR has not yet had to resort to euthanizing one of these thoroughbreds following a hard crash ensuing from of a high-spirited chase.

RELATED ARTICLES from HOWSTUFFWORKS.COM:

How Sports Betting Works: From Thoroughbreds to Super Bowls
Creativity and Genius

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