The Strike Team

cheating—-to violate rules deliberately, as in a game, or contest.

Two of JGR’s NNS cars were found to have 1/4" thick magnets under their gas pedals after Saturday’s NNS race. This was prior to a NASCAR mandated chasis/dynometer test. In theory these magnets would prevent the accelerator from going to its full limit. Thus preventing NASCAR from knowing the actual HP that these Toyotas had going to the drive line. All true, but this case would never hold up in court because NASCAR doesn’t know if the magnets were in place during the race.

Magnets under a gas pedal do not provide any advantage during the race. While it’s highly unlikely that they were under the accelerators of JGR’s #18 and #20 during the race on Saturday, can NASCAR prove that they weren’t? As my good friend and fellow blogger, Billy Bob Shakespeare, once wrote, this is much ado about nothing.

NASCAR doesn’t have a rule about having something affixed to the underside of an accelerator. A team could have a 2×4 block under one during a race, and it would be legal. It’s just a default rev limiter. No chance of the electronics malfunctioning with that.

How does NASCAR know that those magnets were not under the accelerators before, during, and after the race? Maybe a Gibbs employee wanted Lagano and Stewart to perform badly to make himself look better (Kyle?). JD Gibbs issued an apology. For what? It sounds like he doesn’t know what takes place at the track.

The Toyota teams were already penalized once this year for building a better, LEGAL, engine than the other manufacturers. I wouldn’t blame them if they did take steps to try and prevent that from happening again. I will say that if the #60 RFR Ford of Carl Edwards shows less horsepower than any other car, I’ll call shenanigans on that.

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Why did I drive 3 1/2 hours to go to a freaking NFL practice—not preseason—game. $3.70 a gallon, and I thought it would be a good idea to go watch the starters play one half of a game. I could see going once, but I’ve been several times. It’s always hot and humid as hell. I’m standing around there, sweating like Michael Irvin at a police road block, drinking and thinking what’s open in Jacksonville after midnight. Not much, that’s what.

I would give some game highlights, but there weren’t any. The Jags finally scored two TDs in the 4th quarter—after I left. The Jags did not look good, though. There’s my NFL report from Freakville. The next meaningfull game there will be Jags vs Steelers, first weekend in October. It’s either a Sunday, or Monday night game. I’ll be there, telling 40,000 Steeler fans what they can do with those terrible hankies they wave around.  I might even stick around until the game’s over.

The Southern 500 is back. Unfortunately, not on Labor Day weekend, but it will return next year. In 2009, the 60th year of racing at Darlington, the Southern 500 will be held on Darlington’s lone Cup race date. The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, held on the Saturday night before Mother’s Day, will become the Southern 500.

Nice to have the Southern 500 back. Please don’t add a sponsor’s name to the race. Of course, they’re looking for a title sponsor right now, and they’ll surely have one before next May.

The only problem I have with this is that drivers who win this new Southern 500, under the lights, in May, will be credited with winning the same race that other drivers won, while racing under the Carolina sun, in stifling cotton field heat.

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The first Darlington Historic Racing Festival will be held this Labor Day weekend on August 30 and 31. Dozens of legendary race cars—including four from the Indy HOF Museum— from different series will take laps on the speedway. Some participants include David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Darrell Waltrip, Junior Johnson, Cotton Owens, and Bud Moore.

The Festival will offer fans question and answer sessions with the legends, autograph sessions, car and vendor displays, cars—some almost 100 years old—taking laps on the track, along with other activities for the fans.

This sounds like a great opportunity to see a bunch of old race cars at one time, and get to talk to some of the best drivers that ever raced at Darlington. I will try and make the 90 minute drive and get some pics and a few good stories.

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Two Nebraska wrestlers were kicked off the team for posing nude for pics and videos on a pornography web site. The name of the site was not released, but I will bet folding money that it’s a gay porn site. Why not? Wrestlers must love putting their face and body up against another man’s sweaty ass and beanbag. That’s how they came to be known as nut grabbers.

Paul Donahue and Kenny Jordan were dismissed on Tuesday for their prancing and posing. Donahoe, a senior, won the NCAA 125 lb title in 2007, and was third last year. Jordan is a 133 lb junior.

Interesting that they were not kicked off until after they were found to be ineligible for violating an NCAA rule against athletes from appearing in pictures for commercial use. Commercial use? Corhuskers, indeed!

Ken Schrader says he’s not over the hill yet, and that he’s not retiring, he just doesn’t have anything to drive in the SCS. He could return later this year, either with BAM Racing, or Richard Childress Racing. His last Cup race was the Coca Cola 600 in May. He finished 33rd in the #33 for RCR.

Schrader stays busy driving his dirt cars every week, and the occasional ARCA race. He also still owns a CTS team and will drive in the CTS race at Bristol later this month. Former motocross world champion, Ricky Carmichael, drives in the Camping World East series for another of Schader’s teams.

Meanwhile, Schader’s former employer, BAM, continues to blow smoke. They still have some shop personnel under contract, and supposedley have some cars built and ready to race. BAM "loaned" employees to the Wood Brothers last week. Crew chief, David Hyder, and shock specialist, Dean Johnson helped Marcos Ambrose to his 3rd place run at the Glen after coming over from BAM.

BAM owner, Beth Ann Morgenthau said the following in a BAM press release last week, "We have a number of cars prepared at the shop and our guys were just itching to get back to the race track - as we all are. I made the decision to help out the Wood Brothers by making several of our key personnel available, included David and Dean. The benefit to BAM is that they will continue to learn these new cars and be in a better position to make the BAM Racing Toyota competitive when we return. Right now we are in continuing negotiations with more than one potential sponsor and we are planning to continue racing in the Sprint Cup Series in the near future."

I really hope that BAM is trying to do it right and get enough money from outside sponsors to make races and stay in the top 35 in owner’s points. That would be the most they could expect to do in today’s NASCORP. I’m sure they could try to qualify for a few races on the cheap. It’s nice to see that they’re not doing that. I guess Morgenthau’s financial advisor’s finally overruled her ego.

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Mark Spitz is crying because no one invited him—paid his way—to the Olympics to watch Michael Phelps try to meet or beat his record, seven gold medals. Spitz thinks that NBC, or the IOC, or somebody damnit, should have brought him along to China.

“I never got invited. You don’t go to the Olympics just to say, I am going to go. Especially because of who I am,” Spitz told AFP in Hong Kong. “I am going to sit there and watch Michael Phelps break my record anonymously? That’s almost demeaning to me. It is not almost…it is.”

I guess when you’ve won seven golds, 36 years ago, you can have a pretty high opinion of yourself. Then again when was the last time this guy had a chance to get back in the spotlight?

“They voted me one of the top five Olympians in all time. Some of them are dead. But they invited the other ones to go to the Olympics, but not me,” he said. “Yes, I am a bit upset about it. I won seven events. If they had the 50m freestyle back then, which they do now, I probably would have won that too,” he boasted.

Spitz thinks that it would have been a good idea for him to present the record breaking gold medals to Phelps. Gee, Mark, I wonder how much you could have charged for pictures of that, autographed of course. Spitz also shared the secret of Phelps’ success, “He’s almost identical to me. He’s a world-record holder in all these events, so he is dominating the events just like I did,” Spitz bragged. “He reminds me of myself.”

I think we can all see why they didn’t invite you, Mark. Let go of it, bro. Your time was 30 some years ago. No one likes to see some old dude trying to hang on to his past glories. What’s next, you try and kiss Suzie Kolber at poolside? You were a great champion…act like one.

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Matt Jones led the Jaguars in recieving in their first Preseason game against the Falcons. Yeah, that, Matt Jones. It looks like he is upholding the long tradition of Jag WRs, like Jimmy ‘The Party Starter’ Smith. You know, blow all week, ball on Sunday.

Look at the Jets’ easy-ass schedule. They’ll win at least 10 games, and BF will get all the cred.

Chad ‘Pop Gun’ Pennington? You’re shitting me, right? Parcells, please. I’ll bet folding money that Vinnie Testaverde starts at least one game for the Dolphins this year.

The Saints won the NFC South when they got Jeremey Shockey. Yes, he’s an asshole, but he has that U swagger, and he will play his ass off this year to prove the Giants wrong. He is also a beast, and is one hell of a run blocker.

Tony Kornheiser has gots to go! That dumb ass is totally clueless. What demographic is ESPN trying to attract with that idiot? Droolers who sit down on their remotes, and then can’t change the channel anyway?

Speaking of stale crap on NFL broadcasts, how about John Madden? He is painfull to listen to. I’ve been saying for 15 years now that he should have been let go 10 years ago. Do the math. A football analyist should be able to tell us something we don’t know, every now and then. All Madden could tell us that we don’t already know is how Brett’s ass tastes.

I have not posted a Brett blog until now. I am as fed up as anyone over this never ending bullshit. I’m not a fan of his, and I am damn sure not a fan of the Jets. Next to the Pats, the Jets are at the top of my most hated list.

The Jets schedule must be the easiest in the league. They will win at least 10 games with BF getting all the credit. They just won 10 games the season before last. Without Brett.

Jets 2008 schedule…..

Probable wins…..

Miami……..twice

Buffalo…….twice

@Oakland

@San Francisco 

Phoenix

Cincinatti

Kansas City

St Louis

Denver

Possible win

@Tennessee

Probable losses

New England………twice

@San Diego

@Seattle

Look at that freakin’ schedule. They could win 11 or 12 games. And who will get all the credit?

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Why don’t my posts show up in the ‘Most Popular Discussions’ section at the top of the main page when they meet the criteria?

I had a post yanked from the top of the ’by number of comments’ box on July 16th. Since then none of my posts have been on either side of the ‘Most Popular Discussions’ box. Why?

I have never recieved an explanation for being barred from the ‘comments’ section. Could I get that, or just reinstated?

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JJ Yeley has been bounced at Hall of Fame Racing. PJ Jones was named earlier this week to drive the #96 DLP Toyota this weekend at Watkins Glen. Wednesday it was anounced that Yeley won’t be back, and that 20 year-old, Brad Coleman will take over for the remainder of the season.

HOFR is a satellite team for JGR. Yeley drove for JGR before moving on to the 96 team this year. Coleman was once a developmental driver for JGR before he moved on to Baker-Curb Racing this year in the NNS. Coleman has just one top-10 this year. Last year, in 15 NNS starts for JGR, he had 5 top-10s.

Last month, after failing to qualify himself, Yeley drove in relief of Tony Stewart at Daytona. Yeley was in the top-10 most of the race, and eventually finished 20th after being caught up in a wreck. In two full years at JGR Yeley had 6 top-10 finishes.

The HOFR #96 is currently outside the top 35 in owner’s points. Tony Raines—-without a ride presently—-kept the 96 in the top 35 for the last two years, before getting cut in favor of Yeley.

Coleman, while promising, is no where near ready for Cup racing. One of HOFR’s execs, on the advice of a Gibb’s exec, is putting him in the car. These same execs also were in love with Yeley not too long ago. Coleman having a sponsor or two in his back pocket surely enhanced his value to HOFR. Further proof that being a decent driver (Raines) and keeping the car in the top 35 (Raines) is not enough in today’s NASCORP.

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