Garrett Duke

Well the ChicagoLand race has just finished and have to say that it was kind of an up and down race for me. Up because Gordon scored his nineth top five finish of the season by finishing third and down because Johnson finished I think 25th after getting spun out earlier on in the race. Not a whole lot of excitement with wrecks or anything like that...think they only had three cautions and one was for debri (which was on the apron of the track, so don't know why they had to throw a caution for that...). Anyway, Johnson had the most dominant car out there at the beginning of the race, he took the lead of the race right away and led a lot of laps. Then, he missed pit road which slowed him down and gave the lead back to Jamie McMurray who won pole of the race. After a caution, Martin Truex Jr. got too close to Jimmie Johnson to spin Jimmie out. Jimmie got control and was able to stay on the lead lap only to run into the wall a couple of times and then later on had tire problems. Points leader Kevin Harvick had a rough race and had to go to the garage for sixteen laps as they attempted to fix something to deal with the gas. The other accident was when Bill Elliot spun to hit the wall, Robbie Gordon who was trying to avoid him, ended up locking his tires and running into Elliot, which got them both airborne for a second. A pretty hard hit to both of them. Gordon raced up to lead a few laps of the race, but was raced down by David Reutimann and later passed by Carl Edwards. David Reutimann...who drives for Michael Waltrip...won his second race of his career. His first win came last year at Charolette at a rain shortened race. Here is the top ten finishes: 1. David Reutimann 2. Carl Edwards 3. Jeff Gordon 4. Clint Bowyer 5. Jamie McMurray 6. Kasey Kahne 7. Jeff Burton 8. Denny Hamlin 9. Tony Stewart 10. Paul Menard Here is the unofficial standings: 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Jeff Gordon (-103) 3. Jimmie Johnson 4. Denny Hamlin 5. Kurt Busch 6. Kyle Busch 7. Jeff Burton 8. Matt Kenseth 9. Tony Stewart 10. Carl Edwards 11. Greg Biffle 12. Clint Bowyer 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-15) Well, sadly to say, there is no race next week - they get next week off. Though I am sure they all are ready for a break (especially Johnson with his new daughter), but don't know if I'm ready for one. LOL. Guess I'll get one whether I like it or not. Indianapolis will be the next race which will NOT be on TNT...the races will now be broadcasted on ESPN until the start of the chase of which the races will be on ABC (so everyone w/out cable can start watching them again.) I like Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds who are on TNT. The other broadcasters are OK (all that is my opinion.) But am glad to see the change in broadcasting. Perhaps I am just imagining things here, but to me, on TNT, it seems to be more commercials than there is the race. Which is very frustrating to me. On Fox, they had way less commercials than TNT and am hoping that ESPN will not have as many commericals as TNT seem to have. (Personally, I wish the races would just stay on FOX. I just like their coverage and announcers better than the others. Though doubt that will happen. Once more, all of my own sorry opinion. ) Anyone else get to watch the race tonight? If so, what you think? Good to see the under dogs win every once in awhile like David Reutimann. Carl Edwards got his highest finish at second tonight...his second top five of the season. Gordon gained on Harvick, though still remains winless of the season - wins he needs to win the championship. And Bowyer is looking strong so far as well. McMurray has gotten his fifth top five finish of the year (last year he only scored one top five!) which is great. Kyle Busch who won the Nationwide Series race last night finished seventeen and wasn't really mentioned at all during the race due to being towards the back as was his brother who was at least a lap down at the end of the race. Now we have seven races left until the chase starts. . .

Bo 35 Luke 37 Jesse 28 (Poor ol' Cooter...)

Makes me wonder how legit your rules that you seem to go by, Roger. Not that they matter anyway, I play by my own rules, so don't expect me to follow that outragious rule you just stated.

Bo 34 Luke 37 Jesse 28 Cooter 1

Don't think I think badly of you Jami, as I said, you seem too nice to be as bad as your uncle. As far as Roger goes, I really hope he can handle a little teasing back in return.

Bo 32 Luke 36 Jesse 29 Cooter 3 (Well thanks for accepting me back! Roger - And yeah I did say that I was helping Bo out, but I didn't mean to give Cooter a point as well. Don't know how that happened, must have hit a wrong button or something. Anyway, sorry about that. Thanks for correcting me, Roger!

Total disrespect is what I seem to get on this thread. So I miss one little letter and I am instantly bad? But to answer your question, Jami, you seem too nice to be as bad as your uncle, but are you?

Thanks Roger! Well I actually do have some NASCAR news today...some may consider this good and others will consider it bad. LOL. Jimmie Johnson's wife, Chandra, gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday (mom and baby are doing fine). She was due on Saturday when Jimmie is suppose to be driving at ChicagoLand and if she gave birth on Saturday he would have had Aric Amerilo (Sp? LOL) drive for him. But since she was born on Wednesday, Jimmie will be racing on Saturday. They have yet to either put out a name or pick out a name, don't know which. If they come out with it, I'll let y'all know. I am looking forward to seeing pictures as well as to learn her name! They are saying there is a baby boom in NASCAR this year. Elliot Sadler and Carl Edwards' wives gave births to their first child (Sadler - a boy, Wyatt. Edwards - a girl -Anne). Now Johnson's wife gave birth to their first child. Ingrid - Gordon's wife, and Montoya's wife is due in August (Gordon's second child - suppose to be a boy - and Montoya's third child), and Jamie McMurray's wife is expecting their first child later this year as well. I for one am glad and excited for Johnson...one that he is now a father. He will make a great dad I am sure. Plus glad to see that he will be racing on Saturday night. I am sure Aric would do a decent job in the 48 car, but it would just be wrong to see someone other than Johnson driving it. I am highly hoping that Ingrid will give birth during the week as well so that Gordon will be as lucky to be drive every race this year. Know in '07 he had Mark Martin on reserve for when Ella was born, but I think she was born on a wed or thursday as well and he weas able to race. So hopefully he can have the same luck twice - to have a healthy and happy child and be able to race. It would be even more wrong to see anyone other than Gordon drive his 24 car! Can't be more exciting than this...new babies and NASCAR! (Sorry, had to say it since I do work at a day care! LOL)

Talk about stolen kites and bing games?! Sound like Hogg's up to one of his no good schemes again. Just another day in Hazzard.

Well this weekend's race is another night race at ChicagoLand Speedway in Joliet Ill and I am once again excited and am looking forward to it! (I surprised ya, I know I did! ) But am even more so since ChicagoLand is the closest track to where I live (five hours away!) and is a track that I have been to before...once. Sadly though, it wasn't for a race. I have yet to go to a race, though would love to go to one! My grandpa took me and my cousin to ChicagoLand Speedway several years ago and gave us his two tickets to ride in one of Richard Petty's Driving Experience cars! I was so excited and would love to do that again. Went three laps around the track in Dale Jr's old Bud car (my cousin got to ride in Stewart's old Home Depot car) going as fast as they do (my cousin asked his driver and he said he went 200 mph) and close to the wall and everything! It will be a day I will always remember, that is for sure. So for that reason, ChicagoLand Speed way is one of my favorite tracks (like Bristol is for I've been there for Dukefest before). Not much news so far...sounds like the president or vice president is talking about some pretty big changes for the chase next year, though don't know what as of yet. Am hoping them to be good ones. Ones that will better it. I am not a big fan of the chase, but I am willing to bet that I better grow to like it or accept it, it will be here for the long haul I have a feeling. I think the concept is good, just don't like how they do the points and the wins. They make it so that you need to win all the time to win the championship, which is what they all want to do, to win, but I think there is a lot to be said when I driver can string along a series of top five finishes and so forth as well. Sad when you go into the chase leading the field by four hundred points only to be sent down to second or third in the chase due to someone else having more wins than you. All of my opinion of course. This season seems so far seems to be a year for drivers to be upset at one another. I don't remember a year where so many drivers left upset at one another...especially team mates! Sure it has to do with their new "boys have at it" attitude and the double file restarts and so forth, but it seems like every race someone is upset at another. AJ Allmindinger got upset at his car owner Richard Petty when Petty tried talking to him after AJ's accident. Kyle Busch got upset at Juan Pablo Montoya after his incident. Only to add on to the list of upset drivers. Guess it gives the media plenty of things to talk about. I am just glad that it is no longer them talking about Jimmie vs Jeff or the people Gordon got upset at Sonoma a few races agao...guess it helps distance that. LOL. Well I am sure I bored y'all to death now with my babbling, but felt the need to post something here. Mid week I always seem to feel like talking about the next race or something associated with NASCAR.

Bo 31 Luke 35 Jesse 30 Cooter 5 I know that I said earlier that I was done with this thread and at the time I was serious about quitting it due to not being on line every day and at seeing it all go around in circles it seems. But I have been asked to return and at seeing how behind Bo is, well, I can't stay away much longer. Bo looks to be in need of some support here and I can't stand to let him down any longer than I already have. So if y'all, will have me back, I'm back to voting or playing this game. If not, well y'all can disregard my post or vote here and continue onward without me. But I am hoping y'all will forgive my abrupt departure and accept me back...pretty please????

Congratulations Lizzy!

Kite flying in the park seems to be a hot activity that you may enjoy as well, Roger. Sorry to say that there is no money to be stole flying a kite as there is in your bingo games.

Knitting inside an air conditioned building may be Roger's best option to stay cool in this summer heat!

Go ahead and brag while you can, Roger, but one day soon, the Cubs will beat your Pirates and I will no longer be crying.

Dale Earnhardt Jr finished second in February at the Daytona 500 which is his best finish of the season so far in the Sprint cup Series. (which was the same track they were on yesterday).

Everytime the Cubs lose, I want to cry.

I really like Toby Keith. Are you singing his "I wanna talk about me" song, Roger? That is one of Toby Keith's great songs!

Wow! Did anyone watch last night's race at Daytona? What an action packed race...no one could have said that it was boring, because it was anything but boring. Then again, I can say that, because Gordon missed getting wrecked out by all the accidents that had occured durring the last half of the race. If he was, I might feel differently. Only half the field was able to finish the race after all the accidents...especially after the big one that involved twenty cars! Gordon just missed that as he swerved and drove around it on the apron of the track - it started right before him. But it took out Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and a lot others. Mark Martin was involved, in fact when he pulled his car to the pits, his car caught on fire and a couple of crew members from Jimmie Johnson's pit crew pulled him out. Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch getting together was what started it several car lengths ahead of them. Juan Pablo Montoya got into race leader Kyle Busch (another accident) to take out Kyle Busch...Kyle went up the track as Juan went down and they connected to spin Kyle into the wall and out of the race. Kyle was mad and had a few sarcastic remarks afterwards for the media. Sadly my fantasy team didn't fare so well since I only had one driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr) that finished the race. Oh well I guess. LOL. They had over 45 lead changes throughout the race...Gordon led several laps and was in the lead with only a few laps remaining but lost the lead. He ended up finishing third, Kasey Kahne second, and Kevin Harvick won his second race of the season. Here is the top ten that finished 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Kasey Kahne 3. Jeff Gordon 4. Dale Earnhardt Jr 5. Jeff Burton 6. Carl Edwards 7. Kurt Busch 8. Reed Sorenson 9. Mike Bliss 10. Scott Speed (Several of those drivers were involved in accidents as well...) Here is the unofficial points as of now: 1. Kevin Harvick 2. Jeff Gordon ( -212...am excited about him climbing three spots in points since last week. He was really competitive last night. Looking more like the old Jeff Gordon. ) 3. Jimmie Johnson 4. Kurt Busch 5. Denny Hamlin 6. Kyle Busch 7. Matt Kennseth 8. Jeff Burton 9. Tony Stewart 10. Greg Biffle 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (finally in the top twelve!) 12. Carl Edwards Would love to hear what everyone else thought of the race last night and of the fireworks. Would have enjoyed it better if Gordon got the win he is deserving of (my opinion, of course), but am glad with third and that he was able to finish the race. There was a lot of good race cars out there that got taken out of the race...McMurray and Allmindinger to list a couple of them. I thought it was a fun and exciting race once it got started since it was rain delayed for a while last night, then went into over time with a green-white-checkered finish - they were still wrecking each other when the race finished. It was a crazy race, but a good one for a hand ful of drivers. That will be the last race on the old track, they are starting to repave Daytona starting on Monday so come February they'll have a new track to race on. Also enjoyed Darius Rucker's performance before the race as well. What y'all think?

Well, I am honored to hear that your expert thinks I know my NASCAR. So when do I get classified as a NASCAR expert? LOL Seriously, I do find it an honor to hear that and did make me feel good. Now if only you can get him to sign up here... Race starts at 7:30 tonight...am excited for it. Restrictor plate racing is always fast and exciting. Daytona is always fast and exciting. Dale Earnhardt Jr won the Nationwide Series race last night at Daytona. Wish I could have seen it. He drove his dad's old car. The highlights at the end of the race looked pretty exciting. Hopefully he can carry the momentum into tonight's race...he can come in second after Gordon. LOL. Any of you get to watch it? Tony Stewart won last year (think I may have said that already). They'll have some pretty good fireworks at the end if I remember right. Hopefully it will be a fun and safe race and all our drivers will have great finishes!

Well, I don't know how many if anyone reads all my ramblings here, but I guess I will continue with them until someone tells me to shut up. LOL. Well the Cola 400 is Saturday night...another night race. Khee...am excited for it. Then again, I look forward to every race. But as I posted earlier, I like night races. Not only does it give me an entire day on Sunday to do something or nothing, but they are also racing under the lights. Which is different than normal. It is also Daytona...hopefully they got the track repaved or fixed from the Daytona 500! Last thing anyone wants is to be dealing with pot holes as they did at the 500. I think they said they were going to repave the entire track after this race, so the next Daytona 500 they'll get a fresh track to race on. Not only am I having a hard time grasping that it is already July, but even more so having a hard time believing that the NASCAR season is already half over. I try to be optimistic to see that they still have half a season left, but still, it also means it is also half over. Perhaps I'd feel better if Gordon had a win or two to his name for this year or if he was being more competitive as he was at the beginning of the season. He is fifth in points, which is good, but don't feel as if he is championship caliber as of yet this year. Hopefully I am wrong. I am sure a lot of people are looking forward to the season to be over with and consider it to be a long season. But to me, it can't be long enough. LOL. December through Janruary has got to be the longest months for me! (Y'all think of why? LOL) It also means that we only have around seven races left until the chase starts. . . Anyway, they're racing at Daytona again on Saturday night. Dale Jr, Gordon, and Stewart are a few drivers that is known to be good at this track. Tony Stewart won the race here last year (he seems to get better as the weather gets warmer.) So it will be interesting to see where all our "favorite" drivers will end up on Saturday night.

Does anyone know any times for this? I tried looking up on line and couldn't find it and my computer was having troubles bringing it up. If anyone knows or could help me with this, it would be very much appreciated.

I always find that kind of ironic as well, but then again, Dale Jr has been voted as the most popular driver for the past seven years now. The announcers and the media don't talk about him half as much as they did when he was winning so much and was doing great behind the wheel. Back then, that was all you heard about, Dale Jr. It got old real quick and found myself not liking Jr at all. But now I have to say, he's my third favorite driver. I think with his name and who his father is, Dale Jr will always be well talked about and followed no matter where he is at in points or on the track. Which is kinda sad for the other drivers who may be deserving of that attention. Kinda like Danica Patrick and all the attention she is getting in the Nationwide Series race when she has yet to finish better than thirty-one in her several starts. Who else would get that much attention driving like that? As for what it will take for him to join the elite once again, I think he needs to continue to finish strongly within the top ten or five as he has in the past couple of weeks. He needs to start winning once again. I still don't understand why he hasn't done that yet. Driving for Hendrick he has the best cars under him with the best engines under the hood with the best equipment and all that. Just like Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Then again, Mark Martin drives for Hendrick and he has done nothing this year. In fact, am surprised to see Martin in the top twelve as of now. As for Jr. he needs to find whatever is missing in his team or within him that is making him come up short. Perhaps him and Lance McGrew need to get on the same page or better communications. Lance McGrew seems to be a pretty good crew cheif, but also have heard Jr talking pretty harshly to McGrew when he got upset or frustrated with the car. I think Jr is a good driver and he has it in him to win, we've seen him do it week in and week out for awhile there. He had a pretty bad accident a few years ago that I heard was a lot like his dad's accident, so maybe he still has that fear within him that is holding him back. Whatever it is, he needs to figure it out, deal with it. Perhaps he needs that one win to boost his confidence, his teams confidence to point him in the right direction.