Forum Activity for @ernest-sutton

Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
07/25/10 09:27:19PM
181 posts

Remembering Lee Roy Yarbrough
General

I have seen many, many race car drivers over the years............and a few that I consider to be some of the best I have ever seen. I place Lee Roy in that group of drivers that I believe were some of the best the sport has ever produced.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
07/22/10 05:29:14PM
181 posts

Edwards should get more than this
General

Has anyone ever seen NASCAR make a wrong or bad call...............especially since Sir Brian took the reins?? It's looking like that organization is made up of a bunch of slow learners.....it's been looking like that for awhile now. It ain't what it used to be.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
07/21/10 05:24:36PM
181 posts

Edwards should get more than this
General

Interesting - as I said earlier, neither of these drivers is my favorite driver...........but I didn't really see Keselowski do anything in this race that he should be put on probation for.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
07/18/10 07:32:28PM
181 posts

Cousin Carl Edwards, you tell me
General

I can appreciate what you're saying, Billy, and you are right about wrecks & rivalries filling up more seats in the grandstands - and NASCAR certainly needs that, seeing as how those numbers have been declining the last 2-3 years. The one thing I do not ever want to see again, though, is a driver lose his life on the racetrack - and I've seen that more times than I care to talk about. Keselowski's car stopped sideways on the track & he got t-boned on the passenger side - I don't even want to think about what the result would have been if it had been on the driver's side. I don't have any problem with aggressive driving - after all, that's what racing is supposed to be about anyway - and I believe that when drivers have disagreements on the track, those should be settled off the track.....in whatever manner they choose to settle it. I realize the cars are a lot safer today than they were in the past, but I still can't agree with using them as weapons. And, of course, the other issue is all the equipment of innocent bystanders being torn up - some of those teams are big-money teams, but others are not & can't afford those kinds of losses. I'm all for the most aggressive racing they can put on the track & yes, racers do assume the risk when they strap themselves in, but I believe intentional wrecking is crossing the line of acceptability.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
07/17/10 11:52:57PM
181 posts

Cousin Carl Edwards, you tell me
General

I have seen 2-3 replays of the last lap plus Carl's interview in Victory Lane. Based on replays AND Carl's interview, it appears that he wrecked Keselowski intentionally. I love racing, am not particularly a fan of either driver, and have seen both drivers be very aggressive at times. I have seen times when it appeared that Keselowski has been carelessly aggressive, causing others to wreck or cut down tires. To give either driver any benefit of the doubt (as far as intentional wrecking) would have to go to Keselowski because, even though he has much talent, he is not too far removed from rookie status & his careless aggressiveness may have been more of a wreck causer than intentionalness......Carl is much more experienced, has gotten mad a couple of times, & intentionally taken someone out. I feel pretty certain that NASCAR will have a serious talk with him about that, maybe fine, maybe suspension, maybe points loss. As I said earlier, neither of them is my favorite driver, but NASCAR, even though relaxing their strictness a little this year, is not going to allow intentional wrecking.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
06/28/10 07:07:17PM
181 posts

#3 to be or not to be--- that is the question
Stock Car Racing History

That is a tough call. No one was a bigger Dale Earnhardt fan than I was. On the one hand, I would like to see the #3 retired..........because there'll never be another Dale Earnhardt. On the other hand, there'll never be another Richard Petty, either (and I was also a Richard Petty fan)..........but the #43 is still on the race tracks. It brings back old memories when I see the #43 racing even though I know it isn't Richard in the car. There are other famous drivers/car numbers..........Fireball Roberts #22, Junior Johnson drove the #3 also, David Pearson #21 (and #17, I think)..........but, again, there'll never be another driver like Earnhardt, in my opinion. I think he & Richard Petty are to NASCAR racing what Arnold Palmer & Jack Nicklaus are to golf. Well, I've rambled here a bit & I'm still no closer to making that call. I don't believe I would be very comfortable being the driver if Childress ever decided to put a black #3 Cup car back on the track.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
03/23/10 09:03:38PM
181 posts

Open Air at Bristol
Current NASCAR

Thanks for the acknowledgement, Pete. It has really been my impression that NASCAR racing (and Cup racing, in particular) has been on a downhill slide since Bill, Jr. turned the reins over to Brian. I can appreciate wanting to keep the business in the family, but the least he could have done would have been to keep the control in the hands of knowledgeable & stock-car-racing savvy individuals. I don't know for sure but I suspect that even Lisa France Kennedy might have been a better choice. At any rate, it seems to me that there needs to be some "old school" advisors on the NASCAR board of directors before the sport becomes "beyond repair". Pete Banchoff said:
Johnny, I didn't get to watch much of the race or hear those "clowns" on Fox. I got so turned off by the Cousin Carl slap on the wrist from Atlanta that I found better things to do on race day. If there is something in the air for changes in Cup I'm not aware. There needs to be sweeping changes starting at the top. I don't know what bar these decision makers are at when decisions are made, but it's probably written on a cocktail napkin with another round on the way.

The comment by Ernest about Brian not being cut from the same mold as Big Bill or Bill Jr. is right on! Big Bill had family working in the field instead of sitting in the Ivory Tower trying to anticipate what racing should be. Maybe Brian should have taken tickets, sold programs, parked cars or sat in the Grandstands to learn what the fans are looking for like his Dad did.

Eric made a great point about Bristol. Race fans have always attended races there in numbers and the night race may tell what is really going on. Many tracks have been on the decline for butts in the seats...except Bristol and a very few other tracks. Now, who knows. We all know what happens when attendance plummets at a local track, you either get the people back or turn it into a shopping mall/parking lot or it becomes a Ghost Track for Bobby to talk about on Racers Reunion radio.

Pete
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
03/22/10 12:33:58PM
181 posts

Open Air at Bristol
Current NASCAR

I guess I was trying to be a little nice when I responded to "empty seats at Bristol" earlier, but I think you guys are absolutely right about Cup racing. Bristol should be the "wakeup call" that NASCAR should have recognized long ago..........if that race doesn't sell out, there is a serious problem somewhere. It has been my impression that current NASCAR leadership just didn't come from the same mold as the original & second-generation leadership. Here's another little tidbit of information..........I just heard last week that contractors on the new NASCAR headquarters in Daytona are not being paid & that liens have been filed against the property..........maybe current leadership has bitten off more than they can chew.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
03/22/10 07:24:58AM
181 posts

Open seats at Bristol
General

I'm sure the economy has something to do with it..........but it's also my opinion that the current NASCAR leadership has changed NASCAR racing to the point that it resembles what IROC racing used to be. There are too many boring races on the schedule, thereby costing other venues as well. There is no longer any room or incentive for innovation. There does seem to be some recent effort to move back in the other direction, i.e., somewhat allowing drivers to race more on the track without fear of huge fines & costly point penalties, but I also believe another problem is that some of the newer track designs are such that they produce sleep-inducing races..........and when the TV audience starts to go away, the networks will start reducing the huge TV packages they are now paying. I have spoken to many hardcore, veteran race fans who still love racing but just don't find the current state of Cup racing to be very interesting anymore.
Ernest Sutton
@ernest-sutton
03/20/10 11:23:47PM
181 posts

Pray for Larry Pearson
General

Thanks much, Angie, for the update..........I just read on AOL Sports that he has the injuries mentioned but none are life-threatening. I hate to see any driver get injured on the track, and I wish Larry a speedy recovery. Ernie Sutton angie pastor said:
I found this article at thatsracin.com

NASCAR legend faces surgery after crash
Pearson suffers multiple fractures; Glotzbach in good condition after wreck at Bristol
By Jim Utter - jutter@charlotteobserver.com
Saturday, Mar. 20, 2010
Rick Wilson beats Phil Parsons to win legends race
BRISTOL, Tenn. Two drivers taking part in an exhibition race among NASCAR legends at Bristol Motor Speedway were injured in a violent wreck and transported to a local hospital Saturday afternoon.

Larry Pearson's family confirmed through track officials that the driver had a compound fracture of his left ankle, a fractured pelvis and a fractured right hand. He was to have surgery late Saturday.

According to BMS officials, Charlie Glotzbach is listed in good condition.

On Lap 30 of the 35-lap event, Pearson spun and hit the outside wall. As his car drifted back down the track, it was T-boned on the driver's side by Glotzbach.

Glotzbach was able to get out of his car, which briefly caught fire, and was escorted into ambulance.

Safety workers spent several minutes attempting to extricate Pearson, who was knocked unconscious, from his car. Eventually works tore off most of the driver compartment to get to Pearson.

According to an ESPN report, Pearson was responsive when loaded on an ambulance. He was taken to a waiting helicopter, where he was airlifted to Wellmont Bristol Regional Medical Center in Bristol, according to BMS officials.

Pearson, 56, is the son of three-time Cup champion David Pearson and twice won the championship of what is now known as the Nationwide Series.

Glotzbach, 71, is a former Cup and Automobile Racing Club America series driver. In 1971, Glotzbach won the caution-free Volunteer 500 at Bristol, in a record pace that still stands (averaging 101.074 mph in two hours, 38 minutes).

The cars used for legends race at Bristol were from the USAR Pro Cup Series (formerly known as the Hooters Pro Cup).

Its our choice to race, said Rick Wilson, the winner of the event. You get older and they say youre reaction time goes down, then you see a 19-year old do something on the track and say, What is he doing?

Nobody makes anybody get these race cars. I love it. Its a chance you take.



Read more: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/03/20/30173/two-nascar-legends-injur...
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