Bud + Kellogg's Corn Flakes

And the beer in my bowl of corn flakes puns will begin in....3...2...1 - - -

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REVISITED...Penske Dodge days numbered???

Maybe it was an obvious observation, but I'm gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back for throwing this one out in a blog last week...

Now this comes out:

"Penske, who has been with just about every manufacturer in racing over the years and who is one of the world's biggest Toyota dealers, could be making the move to Toyota for next year. According to sources close to the situation, Penske could be looking at a merger with Michael Waltrip's struggling Toyota operation." (Courtesy of the Mike Mulhern at the Winston-Salem Journal)

I WANT A BROWNIE BUTTON

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A special thanks...

I need to post a special thank you to my girlfriend who put up with a special sort of "hell" yesterday.

It started with my getting up at the crack of dawn to watch the Monaco GP; and ended with us on the couch watching the Coke 600 while my laptop was running NASCAR's Trackpass - scanning between Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte, and Smoke.

For those that don't think fuel mileage races are exciting; I'd agree with this caviot - except when they become Russian Roulette like happened last night. And this did get her interest.

So baby...thank you for indulging my race geek. I owe you a trip to a museum

PS: CONGRATS KYLE AND CREW

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Penske Dodge...days numbered?

Just to stir some "silliness" up...

Does anyone think that Mercedes sale of Chrysler could open the door for Penske to change brands??? His prior relationship with Mercedes contributed to the teams change from Fords to Dodge.

Will he now be more open to approaches from...say...Toyota??? Of which he has a number of successful dealerships.

Something to keep an ear out for.

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Why Tony???

Why or how did I become an admirer of Tony Stewart??? The answer was one simple gesture/encounter with him.

Like everyone else, I saw on TV or read in the newspapers about the outbursts, the attitude, etc. Living for a time in Indianapolis, I probably was exposed to more of those reports than most NASCAR fans because of his IRL involvement.

Then a few years ago I happened to be in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show. During the week, the World of Outlaws was running at LVMS. Having been involved in the motorsports industry for a number of years, I was fortunate enough to have the right connections to get access to the dirt track suite for the event.

Tony was in the suite sitting at a counter along the window with a headset on; doing spotting/communications with Danny Lasoske (as I was told). Everyone in the suite seemed to be allowing Tony his space to do what he needed - though a press friend of mine that was there did catch him for a quicky interview and autograph before the racing started.

I was standing with some mutual business friends at a table talking most of the evening. During a break between heats, Tony walked past us and he must have overheard someone at the table mention something about getting a soda from the catering table. As he was walking by, he casually leaned in and mentioned that he was headed to get something to drink himself and that if anyone needed anything he'd grab it.

Now I know this isn't a HUGE deal, he's not offering to donate an organ. But it spoke volumes to me that he would take the time to extend an offer to complete strangers. To me it seemed like he appreciated that most of the people in the suite were treating like just another person, and he wanted to return the favor by being the same.

The bottom line is this. Tony Stewart is an incredible talent. I can't image any motor vehicle he couldn't drive and win in. He is extremely focused when he is at the track and the only reason he straps himself in week-in and week-out is to perform at the highest level and win. There is no other reason to be out there. And that focus and pressure (whether real or imagined) can lead to the negative outbursts, snide remarks, etc.

BUT...Tony is also an ordinary guy. Away from the track, he doesn't want to be treated any differently than any other individual.

...and THAT is why I am a Tony Stewart fan.

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My $0.02 on a racetrack in the NW

I was asked my thoughts on the NW racetrack "controversy". Right or wrong, here is my take:

I was born and raised in the Puget Sound area. A race fan, of mainly the straightline variety, I was in a very, very small minority growing up. The year that Derrick Cope (from nearby Spanaway, WA) won the Daytona 500 (1990), the race wasn't being shown live by the Seattle CBS affiliate.

Understand that the Puget Sound market that they are looking at building the track has transitioned over the past 15 years from a blue collar/manufacturing market to a white collar/tech market. Plus, many, many people that live here moved here - over the past 15 years - mainly from California (No Cal. to be specific).

The cultural changes here have been significant: the grunge music scene, Starbucks-conciousness, and software management/venture capital excesses.

Bottom line, I think the powers that be think that: A) They are "above" the stature of the racing "crowd". B) Taxpayers already funded two major stadiums in the past ten years. Facilities that most feel see more activity than it is perceived the track will. C) Those facilities were built in an urban area - so the perceived environmental impact was "negated". D) ISC is most likely looked upon as an "outsider" with no previous local presence/investment or political clout. In fact, it wasn't more than five years ago that I one of the higher ups at NASCAR - possibly Brian Frace - said that NASCAR would never bring a race to the NW because of the weather issues.

So ISC has their work cut out for them.

And honestly, I'm not in support of their proposal myself. They could afford to build the track 100% themselves. I come from the drag racing side of the business and there is only one track on that side of the industry that I am aware of that was built with the help of local public money - Heartland Park Topeka.

And lastly, I would change my tune completely if ISC would scrap their plans to build the track as a cookie-cutter oval and bring in something more like a Bristol of the west.

Sorry for rambling. If you've made it this far. Congrats...you'll never get those moments of your life back. LOL

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