Garrett Duke

I am sorry for your loss Jamie. Dogs are quick to warm your heart and make themselves a part of your family...so hard to lose a dog or any pet. Sorry Jamie and MM...my thoughts are with you through this difficult time.

Well Roger, I am not ranking David Ragen out completely, but if he were to win, Talledega woulda been his best bet. Restrictor plate racing is anyone's race to win...just look at Trevor Bayne winning his first restrictor plate race last year at Daytona 500. 'Dega and Daytona the track is in control and it all depends on who can stay out of the big accidents to hang on to the end of the race - where as the other races the drivers' and the crew are more in control. Meaning talent (not saying David isn't talented, just doesn't have the experience that JG and JJ have) as well as the money they put into the car comes more into play. David Ragen is driving for an underfunded race team meaning he don't have the high price equipment JG and JJ have driving for Rick Hendrick who is the biggest team in NASCAR has. Ragen had that with Jack Rousch last year before they dropped his contract, he didn't do too much for Rousch which was why they dropped David, but always felt that he should have given David more time to learn and to gain the experience...but once again, he didn't ask me. Sorry Roger, know that is not what you wanted to hear about Davide Ragen. As for the rest of the tracks and Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Know you told me not to answer your question, but I will anyway. I would love to say Jeff Gordon has it wrapped up and that he can win his fifth championship this year. I am definately not giving up hope on Jeff Gordon or on the 24 team...if anyone can do it, it would be them. But it is looking very unlikely. Right now he is sixth in points (position wise) but still sits forty-two points behind Brad Keselowski who is in first place at the moment. Just as Ragen's chance at a win at Talledega, Gordon's best chance to gain in points was at Talledega. He finished second while other chase contenders did get wrapped in the wreck like JJ and Jr (Jr lost four position spots thanks to 'Dega...while Gordon gained four position spots thanks to 'Dega), but only gained six points on Keselowski who finished fourth or something like that. Know they are saying that the top three in points (Keselowski, Johnson, Hamlin) are in the best spots for the championship right now. As I said, I back Gordon and his team a hundred percent and refuse to give up hope just as he is. It is still possible, he just needs a couple of wins and the top five guys to have some bad races. So far Gordon has finished 35th, third, second, and third in the chase...it is that 35th finish spot at the Chase opener at Chicagoland (thanks to a broken throttle that stole a fifth place finish if not better in that race) that is haunting him right now. As for Jimmie Johnson, it may as well as be his to win...or to lose either way you look at it. They are racing at Charolette this Saturday which was or is known as Jimmie's house thanks to how good he runs there. The other tracks on that follow, do think Jimmie is good at...only tracks he isn't too good at is the restrictor plate races where he failed to finish or do well at any this year. Or Bristol or road races...though he finally got a win at Bristol and at a road race last year. And yeah, Brad Daughtery is too negative to say something that positive about JJ...my opinion. Am tired of hearing him say week after week that Gordon is done with... Anyway, yeah it may be JJ's championship again this year...though JG has a few tracks he is good at coming up with as well. Refuse to give up hope - but if JG doesn't get it, I want it to go to JJ or perhaps Kasey Kahne who is fourth in points right now. Would love to see JG to finish in the top five in points at least - with his season and how it had gone thus far, that would almost feel like a win. Great questions Roger...hope your Ragen will get another top ten Saturday night for you. Or perhaps a win....

Here is the official top twelve points after the Talledega race: 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Jimmie Johnson (-14) 3. Denny Hamlin 4. Kasey Kahne 5. Clint Bowyer 6. Jeff Gordon 7. Tony Stewart 8. Martin Truex Jr 9. Greg Biffle 10. Kevin Harvick 11. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12. Matt Kenseth Well Talledega mixed up the Chase field a little bit, but not as much as I had thought it would. With Jeff Gordon in sixth place instead of eleventh, he is 42 points behind the leader...up six points than last week. Though have to admit it sounds better saying he is sixth in points than eleventh...my opinion of course...for what little that amounts to. As of right now (October 8th) there is six races left of the 2012 season...or should I say, six more weeks before my NASCAR withdrawl officially starts. Am sure the break is good for the drivers and their families, but personally, wish they would go back to how it was when Richard Petty raced...pretty much year round...and more than one race a week. Ah well, I guess I will enjoy the rest of the 2012 season while it is here and worry about the three month NASCAR drought when it comes...

Well I got to watch the first half of the race and just got to see the scary wreck. Wow...amazing how people can walk away from that. Know people watch Talledega for the big one, I for one can live without the big one. Today's big one There is a link to the wreck...never good to see the bottom of a race car...glad Tony Stewart and everyone in the BIG ONE is OK. Too scary to watch. The half that I did watch...only a couple of cautions due to smaller type accidents. Today was the last race for Kurt Busch as he will be taking over Ragen Smith's 78 car next week...he was leading the race when he ran out of gas and someone hit him from behind. He hit the wall...took his helmet off. It is requirement when the driver's car won't start up, that they have to be taken to the incare field center in the ambulance...well the ambulance came up and the paramedics placed their medical bag on top of Kurt Busch's car...then Busch got his car restarted and drove off. NASCAR kept yelling at Kurt to stop and since Kurt didn't have his helmet on (Driving on track) he didn't hear NASCAR. NASCAR then parked Kurt and his entire 51 team for the rest of the race... Well I apologize for not watching the entire race as I was hoping to, but got to go visit family and see the first half of the race. Talledega seems to always produce the big one and it did not disapoint today...sadly. I seen teh replay of the accident and even Stewart said he went down too early and Michael Waltrip was already there to create the big one. Here is the top ten finishes of today's race: 1. Matt Kenseth 2. Jeff Gordon 3. Kyle Busch (Roger you are going to LOVE this...) 4. DAVID RAGEN 5. Ragen Smith 6. Greg Biffle 7. Brad Keselowski 8. Travis Kvapil 9. Ryan Newman 10. Jeff Burton Talledega and Daytona the restrictor plate races is always good for shaking things up and seeing drivers up front you don't normally see. As they said in pre race, Talledega is out of the driver's control. Next race will be Charolette...we'll be going night racing Saturday night at 7:00 PM EST on ABC. 7.

I am so sorry for your loss MM . That is so hard...pets become part of your family and it is almost like losing part of your family. You will be in my thoughts and prayers...having two dogs of my own plus a fourteen year old cat (almost fifteen) I know and understand where you are coming from. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help, even just to listen. Once again I am so sorry about Sadie...may she rest in peace.

Thanks Hoss for the great images...loved seeing all that 24 even if it is for golf. Loved the picture of Jeff Gordon himself the most. Though am deeply insulted at your implications of a little ol' golf cart being faster than his NASCAR Cup car. Never seen a golf car go two hundred miles before. . . Well he'll be going two hundred miles per hour tomorrow or around that speed as they are at one of the fastest tracks of the circuit...Talledega. Well, I am hoping to get to watch the whole race, but don't know if I will be able to or not. Either way I will do a write up on it afterwards or on Monday...so if it is not right away, it isn't that I forgot, but that I didn't have time. But fingers crossed that I will be able to watch the race and do my review afterwards... The NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talledega will start at 1:00 PM EST (or the pre-race show) on ESPN. Here is the starting top ten: 1. Kasey Kahen 2. Ryan Newman 3. Clint Bowyer 4. Tony Stewart 5. Greg Biffle 6. Jeff Gordon 7. Carl Edwards 8. Trevor Bayne 9. Martin Truex Jr. 10. Sam Hornish Jr Once again, thanks for the images Hoss...love the 24s. Golf carts may not go as fast as Jeff Gordon's race cars, but ask Jimmie Johnson they can be just as dangerous. Think it was after his first championship he won, perhaps his second, during the off season Jimmie Johnson fell off of a golf cart and broke his arm. Though if my memory serves me correctly, he was goofing around when it happened so perhaps that had something to do with the broken arm more than that golf cart, but still, he broke it thanks to a golf cart.

So you saying we are safe to say you will not invade this great NASCAR thread with golf for another two years now? Thanks for the warning. Wow Hoss...your races are EARLY. Am sure glad my races aren't that early...think the earliest mine are is noon and that is just fine with me. Sounds like an exciting race to watch...must be an exciting racing weekend. Talledega gets pretty exciting...high paced and always producing the big one. Well not always a few years ago they cut down the restrictor plate size and the cars didn't go so fast...Tony Stewart acted as if he was sleeping in his car he was so bored with it. NASCAR musta got complaints about it and was pretty quick to change it back. Would love Talledega except for the constant fear of the big one...am just hoping my Hendrick team can stay out of trouble. (As well as everyone's favorite driver here...) Hope your driver does well for you Hoss at your race.

Thanks Roger...wasn't that the most beautiful score EVER? Still excited about the game...even if I didn't get to watch it. Thanks again.

Dang I really don't get no respect around here, now do I? First Roger hijacks my football thread with baseball and now Hoss is hijacking my NASCAR thread with golf. Roger is somewhat forgiven since I do love baseball and baseball is a great sport, though it has it's own thread. But golf? Now that is asking too much...sorry Hoss, but really? You just started talking about one of the slowest paced sports in a thread dedicated to the fastest paced sport...just don't understand. Yeah, I really don't get any respect around here... You better be getting all those golf carts and clubs outta here Hoss since Sunday they are visiting the fastest track on the circuit...your golf game just may get ran over by 43 of the fastest cars! LOL

Guess yesterday was themed with second place finishes for me...though you are the only one I know that would start talking golf in a NASCAR thread. But since you are talking golf and we all know who won yesterday's race, who finished first in your Ryder Cup?

Wow Roger what a great way to hijack my football thread and turn it into baseball...didn't you already start a baseball thread? Thanks alot Roger...perhaps I'll go over to your baseball thread and start talking about tonight's Bears and Cowboys game that I wont' be able to watch due to not having cable at my apt.... As for my World Series picks...GO REDS and GO YANKEES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry Roger, Dusty manages the Reds and have to go for ol' Dusty and thanks to their popularity, there is more players I knwo on the Yankees than I do any other team that is not the Cubs. Plus always liked Derek Jeter so I have to support his team during the post season...though if it really comes down to it, really won't get upset either way. My baseball season ends when my Cubs season ends. (GO CHICAGO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!! World Series champs in 2013 ) But since this is a football thread afterall : GO CHICAGO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!! DA BEARS RULE!!!!!!!!!!! BEAR DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad someone else liked that quote...came to mind just as I was typing that out. Probably be something I will never understand, hope he will gain on points next week and not lose 'em. Still...tenth place looks and feels better than twelveth position. I did horrible in all THREE fantasy baseball teams I was in...nothing to write home about that is for sure. Was in two private and one public. Started out good in the public, but with slow internet at my apt and no cable, it was hard for me to keep up. Next year will only do two baseball teams. LOL. Good luck Roger. Thanks Roger for the congrats...was very excited with second place. Not as excited as I woulda been with first, but second is pretty great as well. Will be holding my breath for next week's race at Talledega where it is known as having the "big one"...

Well the race has just gotten over and really don't know what to say other than once again, not a whole lot to write about. Was a good race...but the Monster Mile didn't collect much damage today. HA. So I guess if one watches for the wrecks, you were disappointed, but I for one watch for the racing, not for the wrecks. Think the one thing that changed the race was when JJ Yaley (I think) tire blew half way through green flag pit stops to put several drivers a lap down. Matt Kenseth sure didn't have a great day today as he hit the wall once and then came back out and blew a tire. Took it into the garage, came back out later. Kyle Busch led the most laps today until Jimmie Johnson stole the lead from him by a faster pit stop. JJ later had to break off and let drivers pass him in order to save gas. It came down to a gas fuelage race as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch both had to give up leads to go into pits with only several laps to go. JJ and Kevin Harvick both were warned by NASCAR to pick up their pace as they were going too slow in order to save gas. Jeff Gordon was able to get more gas as he went into the pits just for gas during a caution when most people didn't. Kasey Kahne was good up until the end when he had to go back into gas... In the end Brad Keselowski was bad fast and as always had good gas fuelage to his car and won...Jeff Gordon came home second. Crazy race...most of the race there was only nine or ten cars on the lead lap. At the end there was only 6 cars on the lead leap...glad Gordon and Johnson were amongst them. My opinion of course. Here is the top ten finishing order of today's race (top six were on lead lap): 1. Brad Keselowski (fifth win of the season) 2. Jeff Gordon 3. Mark Martin 4. Jimmie Johnson 5. Carl Edwards 6. Martin Truex Jr 7. Kyle Busch 8. Denny Hamlin 9. Clint Bowyer 10. Joey Logano (Dale Earnhardt Jr 11th (two laps down), Stewart 20th, David Ragen 30th) Here is the unofficial standings of of the chase drivers as of now: 1. Brad Keselowski 2. Jimmie Johnson (-5) 3. Denny Hamlin 4. Clint Bowyer 5. Tony Stewart 6. Kasey Kahne 7. Dale Earnhardt Jr 8. Martin Truex Jr 9. Kevin Harvick 10. Jeff Gordon 11. Greg Biffle 12. Matt Kenseth (Really don't understand how Jeff Gordon can finish second today...he gained in position (he was 12th before today's race) but he lost points.. Was 45 points behind JJ after last week and now sits 48 points behind Keselowski. Think there is a flaw in the straw (as Rosco would say) in NASCAR's point system here...once again, my opinion.) We will be at Talledega next week...the track the produces the BIG ONE. Be another shake up in the points after next week perhaps...

Well it has been a couple of years since they went their seperate ways in the music industry and I still miss Brooks AND Dunn. Got Ronnie Dunn's single album and is good and I am sure Kix Brooks' album is good...but can't be as good as when they are singing together. If only I could wind back time in music...LOL

Well the last thing I remember thinking about last night before I went to bed was with the realization that I didn't write my preview to today's race on here. So here it is, race day, and here is the race preview. The Sprint Cup Series will be racing the monster mile at Dover today at 1PM EST on ESPN. Starting with the normal pre race show, pre race ceremony, and then racing. Here is the starting line up (Top ten): 1. Denny Hamlin 2. Clint Bowyer 3. Martin Truex Jr. 4. Sam Hornish Jr 5. Kyle Busch 6. Greg Biffle 7. Jeff Gordon (is that better, Roger? ) 8. Ryan Newman 9. Kasey Kahne 10. Brad Keselowski (JJ will start 11th, Tony Stewart 24th, Dale Jr 25th, David Ragen 31) If anyone has another driver that you like, please feel free to tell me here or PM me with the driver and I will make sure to list where they start and where they end. As of right now the only drivers I know that people like or follow is David Ragen, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr, and Kasey Kahne (and the last four are of my own favorite team of drivers...) so let me know and I will be glad to make more effort into listing your favorite drivers starting and finishes and if anything happens to them on the track.

Detroit

Well Roger, I am sorry about your Pirates...am not a Reds fan by any means. All my support to go to my Cubs...when the Cubs' season ends, my season ends. Meaning I only have a few more games :cry: . But am very relieved and excited to hear that Dusty Baker will be back for the post season - was sad the Cubs got rid of him when they did. Guess I'll have to support Dusty on this one, Roger...after all, he does have a Cubs connection.

Awww poor David...that sounds like where Ragen Smih is right now. Hope you are wrong about that David. If so he can always do what Elliot Sadler did when that happened to him. He went back to racing Nationwide Series full time...a couple of years ago. So far this year Elliot has had a great season. Four wins and is sitting first in points right now (by a few points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr.). Would like to see Elliot back in Spint Cup soon. Was sad when he left for Nationwide and am excited for him that he is having a great year - hope he gets the NW championship this year...

Hopefully to watch the Bears win. Doubt I will be able to watch the game since I have to wake up four the next morning...really dislike their week games. But perhaps they will do better without me. Enjoy Applebees and the game.

Dang Roger what you have against my Chicago teams...at least you have nothing against my Bulls. As of yet. Then again it is hard to beat the team that the great Michael Jordan use to play for. Well I don't know how NHL is divisioned off as, but if the Blackhawks play your ice cold Penguins, well, they better plan to be crushed as all of your other teams will be. HA HA.

Hey Roger, how them chickens like the New Kids on the Block? Well some more new contract info has arised this week...last Sunday, Ragen Smith came forth (on his birthday of all days) saying that unless a miracle happened he wouldn't be in his 78 Furniture Row car next year. Well it is starting to look as if he'll be out of a ride before then. Like as of Charolette in a few weeks... Where Kurt Busch will take over the wheel of the 78 Furniture Row car as of Charolette (sp? LOL) and into next year. If anyone is keeping track this will be Kurt's third ride in the past three years... So as of now we have: Matt Kenseth out of the Rousch 17 car and into the Joe Gibbs 20 car. Ricky Stenhouse Jr from the Nationwide Series taking the Rousch 17 car. Sam Hornish Jr out of the Penske 22 car (formally AJ Allmindinger's car) and Joey Logano out of the Joe Gibbs 20 car and into the Penske 22 car. Ragen Smith out of the 78 Furniture Row car and Kurt Busch into the 78 Furniture Row car. Unless there is a surprise empty seat/car come available (which is unforseeable for this upcoming year) it is starting to look like everyone's contract will be made or met before the end of this year. (In case y'all are wondering...Jeff Gordon has a lifetime contract with Rick Hendrick. So until he retires, he's driving for Mr. H.) Sorry Roger, am unsure about David Ragen's contract info...no one has mentioned anything about his car opening up or if he'll stay with that team or not. If I hear, I will make sure to let you know...and everyone else know with any other changes in cars and drivers. But as of now, that is what it looks like.

Well Roger...I have been saying next year is the Cubs' year for probably the past twenty five years or so and that next year is bound to come sooner or later. And I think next year is as good of a year as any to break this hundred plus year curse that has covered my beloved Cubs. But just to be nice, I will let you believe that your Pirates will win it, but just plan on being disappointed when the Cubs crush your Pirates. After all, everyone knows that good always win and Pirates aren't exactly known for their good ethics and good behavior if you know what I mean. As for your Stealers...em Steelers, they too will be crushed. The Bears will devour your Stealers in the Super Bowl. That is if the referees will call the game correctly. The Bears are 2-1 this season...they will be unstoppable..em except for that one game. HA. GO BEARS...GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!

Well K Duke...Dusty Baker is in my thoughts and prayers and hope that he will return to your Reds. He use to be the manager for the Cubs. The only guy who was brave enough and smart enough to stand up to Sammy Sosa. I loved Dusty when he was in Chicago and still miss him. Hard to root against him, though Cubs come before Dusty and your Reds. For your sake and for Dusty's sake, hope they can go all the way. Dusty is a great manager...do like Dale Sveum for the Cubs, but still miss good ol' Dusty. I will love to get back at you next year Roger when my Cubs win the World Series. NEXT YEAR IS THE CUBS' YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

You are welcome, ROGER...and thanks for the capital letters and for the congrats. I was happy with Gordon's top five yesterday as well for my Bears winning. Was a good game for the Bears and a great way to rebound from that loss to the Packers. Sorry about your Steelers and Pirates losing...that is ample reason to be grumpy. But please don't take it out on me...they didn't lose to my teams. HA. Makes you feel any better the Cardinals beat my Cubs a couple of games...just not their year. Thanks for your odd apology, it is accepted. Sprint Cup will be racing at the Monster Mile Sunday...Dover.