I WISH............................
General
Thats why they call him "JAWS." Still holds true today.
Forum Activity for @christopher-krul
JUST ANOTHER HEARTBREAK FOR THE OLD TIMERS
Stock Car Racing History
This is upsetting me too because I love the track. Drove up from Florida to see a race there in October. I actually remember the last race there like it was yesterday. That place has alot of character something many of the modern NASCAR tracks lack. Glad I got a chance to see a race there. Theres alot of factors that I think led to this. First off much of the track was in poor condition. It probably cost them more to fix the track and get it back in order to put on a race. The walls look like they are crumbling around the track. I actually have a piece of the wall from the start finish line which has paint from the old Winston red on it. The old press boxes and tower near the start finish line look in bad shape. The track looks like it needs alot of TLC and sure that caused a major drain in funds. What also hurt was there was not much promotion. Not many people were aware of the fact that the track re-opened and not enough showed. There was a push to get a NASCAR sanction and no go. Without a major sanctioning body that hurt them too. With the huge car count they had for the Late Models this year I would have thought they were breaking even. They tried running under the lights, but bad weather postphoned it and I guess that hurt them as well. Alot of improvements were made to get it back in racing order though and its a real shame because the surface of the track is still good. I don't think this is over yet. Never say never.
Harvick Thinks He's Earnhardt, AGAIN - NOT
General
The thing that annoys me about Kyle is he thinks he can just go around bumping and wrecking, but when someone does it to him he whines, cries and throws a tantrum about it. Whats his deal throwing tantrums at Nationwide Series races? I know winning is good but man, its just a little Nationwide Series race. His arrogance and cockyness annoys me, however it was incredible to see Kyle come back from so deep in the field to finish well and it always seems like just when I think he has matured he does something really stupid. He has talent but at times I feel like he lacks class and maturity. Is is driving style close to Earnhardt's? Thats hard to really say because I think Earnhardt was in a class all his own. Kyle does not run well on plate races as well as Earnhardt did. I agree, Harvick seems to let his emotions get the better of him way too many times. He may be driving a black car but it does not have the #3 on it and it never will. I know if Earnhardt had been spun out he would have just laughed it off and just said "we'll see next week" but Harvick cannot wait till next week. Earnhardt never threw a hissy fit over things. He was always well composed, even after some of his most bitter defeats.
I do agree that the days of "Racers" are over. Today they are just "Drivers." When i think "racers" I think of guys who were the jack of all trades. They worked on the cars, spent many weekdays preparing the car to do battle on Saturday night. Many of them raced with very small funding and knew they had to race smart so they could run next week. Dale Earnhardt was the last of the "Racer" mold. He sacrificed so much to race and did it without his Father's backing after he passed. I read Bill Elliott's book and he had to work his way in. His family funded and raced with very little money, a limited schedule and old equipment. I have a new found respect for Elliott because his family was running against top teams with large shops and better equipment. Elliott built and worked on his cars in his small shop in Dawsonville. Now you cannot do this anymore. Realistically speaking to break into the Sprint Cup Series or Nationwide Series you need money. Talent alone will not get you there. Age also factors in. If I were a great driver in say late models and I was in my 30s no team would take me seriously because teams and sponsors want young drivers to break in now. Take for example Tim McCreadie. Great dirt late model driver, ran in the RCR driver development program, but too old. The other aspect is that these drivers are pushed much harder and running more races. No longer are these guys running years in the Nationwide Series or Truck Series, they are also running Cup races. In some cases double duty or part time in the Cup Series. So you have a case of being pushed so hard, so fast and so young. Not much room for learning and none seem to really get anything out of it. Kurt Busch's angry rant on the radio at Richmond really made me stop and think, here is a guy who is throwing his whole team under the bus. What a brat. Hes lucky Roger Penske was not at this race because Penske is a world class operation. He is being given a chance to race and this is how he shows his appreciation? He has no idea how lucky he is. Maybe if he had grown up working on the car and not having Mommy and Daddy take care of him he would have not been a jerk like that.
A FURNITURE COMPANY AND A NEW YORK YANKEE
Current NASCAR
Loved the race. Lots of drama. But I felt like I was watching a Soap with multiple storylines. I used to live in Upstate NY and the town where Regan Smith comes from is Cato, NY a very small rural town. I bet the town is happy about this. Congrats to him and his team they earned it. Glad to see someone like him win. Carl Edwards showed alot of class congratulating him and racing him clean. I was pleased to see the sportsmanship on the part of Brad Kesolowski and Greg Biffle congratulating him in victory lane.
The stuff between Kyle and Kevin was no surprise. The two hate each other. I was beginning to think finally Kyle has grown up and matured. Once again i guess not. Him spinning Harvick was uncalled for after Bowyer wrecked. Harvick needs to just remember one thing. REMEMBER TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK!!!!
ARE THEY GONNA BREAK OUT THE SOAP FOR MOUTHWASH???
Current NASCAR
Anyone hear what Kurt Busch said? He went off on Penske and the whole team now that was not right.
2-Man Bobsled Racing
General
It was a great finish but I just miss the old days of packs of cars working to beat other packs. The fact that the drivers are plotting their moves on the radio and talking to other drivers kinda destorys the racing a little. Problem with NASCAR is they keep toying with stuff that was not broke to begin with be it the points system, thetrack configuration at Bristol andaero packages on the cars.The racing at Talladega and Daytona was fine why change the aero package?
Low Life Taking Advantage of Sam Ard
General
Theres greedy fans with no respect and consideration. I am reminded of one story.
I would go to NASCAR testing up at Daytona to get pictures and autographs. The one thing that upset me the most was this lady would come with her kids and use them to get autographs destined for ebay. Every year. I would run into the same people from last year and go, "oh no not her again." She would use her kids and their friends to get autographs. She would come with a samsonite bag full of diecasts for certain drivers to sign so she could sell it on ebay. I watched as she passed these diecasts up front for her kids to have them signed. She moved fast and would get irritated if other people got stuff signed. She yelled at me when I put my flag up front near her kids so Elliott could sign. She would yell at people. Just very rude. I watched as one by one she had Elliott sign 10 cars. She was taking up the line around the Fanzone garage and spoiling it for people like me who came just to get one item autographed or give to friends. Its this kind of stuff that makes drivers hesitant to autograph.
This story really takes the cake. I have heard of Sam Ard and his accomplishments and for someone to make money off him is wrong. It should be the other way around. If anything someone should be helping to raise money for him and stop being inconsiderate.
Question of the Day for March 30, 2011
General
I miss the days of the old ESPN broadcasts which started with "GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES" and then it would go straight to the race. I miss TNN and TBS covering the races. It seems like in the old days they treated the races with respect. Now they treat it like its WWE. I think pre-race shows and concerts before the race takes the focus off the race. Its too much. The real stars are the guys on the track. Also. COULD WE LOSE DIGGER!!! I also want to say that I am getting very tired of DW talking about Kyle Busch all the time. Some of the broadcasters have a bias that I am noticing. The other thing that annoys me is how some of the broadcasters covering a race do a poor job covering the entire field. They never talk about guys 10th on back. i remember the old ESPN crew of Parsons, Jarrett and Jenkins would even talk of the guys in the back. Theres times where I find I am muting the TV and turning the radio to MRN because I get so tired of the poor announcing.
I like stock car racing but what does not get enough attention is the NASCAR Modifieds and the regional kind of racing. It used to be that the old regional cable sports channels used to cover it. But not anymore. Speed used to cover a wide variety of racing. Even short track racing like USAR. But Speed has now become this exclusive thing covering strictly NASCAR. I would like to see some of the regional and short track kind of racing get coverage. The local news here does not even cover the short track scene here in my part of Florida. I know some areas would be lucky to even get a mention of results.
I remember back in Upstate NY we had the show, "THIS WEEK ON DIRT" which covered the DIRT Modifieds in the area. It aired late at night though. They had video segments, race results and advertised upcoming shows. Eventually the regional cable sports channels carried some of the Super DIRT Series races called "RUSH HOUR ON DIRT." It was live coverage of DIRT Modifieds and they even broadcasted the big Syracuse race live flag to flag. Now Speed broadcasts that race later taped. 
The NASCAR coverage is good. The television exposure is there but its overshadowing other forms of racing. Theres more then the Sprint Cup Series. I would like to see better coverage of the other series.
It IS Time to Move On
General
Nicely done. I am thinking back to that Dale Jr commercial where he said something like, "He would want us to all move on." I never forgot that. I think just continuing to enjoy the sport is one way to carry on Earnhardt's legacy. He left probably one of the biggest marks on the sport. Ever! At the same time it is also important to remember others in the past too that were pioneers, heros and other great representatives of the sport who also left a mark. Its always great to keep great memories alive. This site as a whole I think does that. I became a fan in the late 80s. I am new here and I must say I enjoy this site, reading posts, looking through old pictures and savoring the history of NASCAR.