HossC

So that's what NASCAR are doing - trying to prevent competition - now it all makes sense . You want my opinion? I think NASCAR have shot themselves in the foot over this one. I've had a really hard time just finding out exactly what Penske did wrong (most sources just list the obscure code numbers of the rules they're supposed to have broken). To me it looks like the Penske team thought they'd found a loophole or gray area in the rules and chanced their arm a little. NASCAR, wanting to assert their authority, have come down hard with a disproportionate penalty (my view and the view of the vast majority of posts I've read online). They've now put themselves in a no-win situation: if the penalty sticks, a lot of people will think they overreacted (as usual, conspiracy theories abound!); if the penalty get reduced, every future penalty will be open to question and challenge. All this while they're turning a blind eye to drivers physically attacking each other. I'm not denying that Penske broke the rules, or saying they shouldn't be punished, just that the penalty was too much. How about a simple rule: turn up with an illegal car and you don't get to race that weekend. That way it's all over and done with and people can move on to the next race. If a car is found to be illegal after the race, wipe any points scored that weekend. Maybe you'll consider my views biased. In F1 it's usual for teams to innovate and constantly bring new parts to races. It's quite often the other teams that challenge the legality of new parts, and then it's up to the governing body to make a ruling. You have to remember that the illegal Penske cars didn't even race - it's not like they won a load of races before the infringements were discovered. However much you love NASCAR, you have to accept that they're not always right. As far as the NASCAR website goes, I still find it much harder to navigate than the old one (even though it works fine in Firefox). One time when I visited last week there was only one lead story, but it still kept scrolling across the screen. Last year I could go to the homepage on race day and instantly see a weather report and any other late-breaking news along with a countdown to the start. There were clear links to the lap-by-lap feed and the leaderboard, and everything used less space so I could get more drivers/info on-screen at once. They're certainly not the only people who've ruined their website with an "improvement". Photobucket is now far less usable than it used to be, and they keep screwing it up in new ways. Failblog had a major makeover last year, and have now made subsequent changes to make it nearly as good as it used to be! We must congratulate Mufn for upgrading HNet without taking a step backwards.

I read the first two or three dozen comments under the story in that link - every single one implied that NASCAR is losing the plot and its audience. The one that really made me smile was the suggestion that the only thing worse than NASCAR's penalties was their new website .

players The Ohio Players were a funk/R&B band who had most of their hits in the '70s (Funky Worm, Fire, Love Rollercoaster etc.). I don't want to make you jealous, but the only radio show I listen to regularly is hosted by a guy who used to date Sade in the '80s.

music Brandy the drink is a distilled wine, and is often drunk after dinner. Brandy the singer's last name is Norwood, but she doesn't use it in her stage name. I never had you down as an R & B fan, Roger. Maybe you're just live Raj in 'The Big Bang Theory': "Ah, one name. Like, uh, Cher, Madonna, Adele. All the women who rock me."

brandy I know the story of St. Bernard mountain rescue dogs carrying brandy barrels is apocryphal, but I still think of the two together .

I thought JPM was unlucky not to get his first oval win last night. He stayed out of trouble and looked strong until that late caution. Not quite sure what happened to Ricky last night. I think he pitted early near the start of the race, and never got back near the top 10. He seemed to be dueling with the #24 for quite a bit of the race. Garrett, I know you weren't happy about Tony Stewart spinning out Jimmie, but he did take the blame straight away and ask his team to apologize. I'm afraid I missed the Stewart/Busch incident. The G-W-C meant that the race finished really late, and I turned it off as soon as the checkered flag fell.

A bit of both if I'm honest . I remember him racing and I remember the crash. I double-checked the years and I couldn't remember what had eventually happened to the team boss and chief engineer. Incidentally, talking of punishments, there's been a high-profile story in the news on my side of the Atlantic this week. In a top-level soccer match last weekend, one of the players bit an opponent on the arm. The match officials missed the incident, but it was caught on camera. His club fined him an undisclosed amount of money and the governing body have banned him for ten matches (which goes into next season). The fine is unlikely to matter much as he earns over $150k/week, but it's been a major talking point over here. I think NASCAR needs to take a serious look at driver discipline as well as minor technical infringements.

Nelson Piquet Jr did about a season and a half in F1, being replaced midway through 2009. After he left, there were allegations that he'd deliberately crashed his car during a race in the previous year so that his team mate, Fernando Alonso, could win. At the following trial the FIA (F1's governing body) gave him immunity in return for his evidence. He claimed that his team boss and the team's chief engineer had come up with the plan and that he'd been pressured into it. The team boss and the engineer were both suspended from the sport, although the bans were subsequently overturned on appeal. Piquet Jr had talks with a couple of other F1 teams, but decided to move to NASCAR when he failed to get a drive. His father, Nelson Piquet, won the F1 World Championship three times in the '80s and entered two Indy 500s after he retired from F1.

I hope y'all will excuse me for playing this out of turn, but I saw the sad news earlier that country legend George Jones had passed away at the age of 81. R.I.P. George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013). Here's a duet with his ex-wife: Two Story House - George Jones & Tammy Wynette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVL3p4DvWqk

The subject of this week's comparison was the song 'It's Not Unusual'. I've known the Tom Jones version for as long as I can remember. It was his second single, released at a time when he was virtually unknown, but it's become his signature song. NB. the song is from 1965, the video is from 1969. The cover version also dates from 1965, and is by an American soul/R&B group. Coincidentally, it was their second single too.

rascal

tire

This Matt Kenseth penalty seems harsh to me. I watch F1 where the cars usually have improvements and new parts for each race. Every designer tries to push the rules to the limit and find a loophole to gain some advantage. Occasionally a team is judged to have bent the rules too far and the offending part is banned. The last time I remember a driver/team being punished for illegal parts was several years ago. With Matt Kenseth it looks like his team's supplier made a genuine mistake (which admittedly should have been spotted), and the car had a single engine component that was marginally below weight without giving any advantage. The team gets slapped with a large fine, points deductions, and crew chief ban while drivers who fight and deliberately take out other cars get nothing. I can understand a zero tolerance approach to vehicle specs, but I wish NASCAR would be a bit more consistent and proportionate with their sanctions. Surely stripping Matt of the win and the associated points would be enough.

king

Well K-Duke, it looks like I'm stealing your whole song title again . This song dates back to 1957, and appears on my Bacharach and David album: The Story Of My Life - Marty Robbins In the UK it was a hit a year later for . It must be a popular title, because when I went to YouTube and typed "The Story of my Life", neither of these songs came up!

I'll stick with the title. This one is a big dance hit from 1992. For anyone my age it will also remembered (to quote Wikipedia) "because the song was used in ".It's My Life - Dr. Alban

I'm happy to see Ricky starting from third - I hope he's stays out of the wall this week . BTW. Tomorrow's race is on Fox at 1:00 PM ET.

With all that water, I thought you might appreciate this one. The opening line is "Get in, get out of the rain." Waterfront - Simple Minds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUBz4J1Gc-w

Oceanic For any of y'all wondering about the connection, it's an early '90s UK dance track:

I thought we'd had this song before, but I can't find it. It dates back to the late 1940s. I'm My Own Grandpa - Lonzo and Oscar If y'all are having a hard time figuring out the family relationships, there's a Wikipedia article that explains the genealogy .

Same title as the first Billy Joel track, very different song: Laura - Scissor Sisters

With the exception of the General Lee, all the new cars I mentioned are sold under the Johnny Lightning name, and use the old RC2/Ertl molds. They are mid-range in terms of price and detail. The Ertl Authentics/Autoworld Silver Screen General Lees share a mold. They are a level above the other cars (and other General Lees) in terms of detail, but you pay a premium price for that. You can also get a standard General Lee in 1:18 and 1:25, but don't expect the same quality. I found a comparison of three different releases here.

The simple answer is "No". Thelma Claire (T.C.) Rogers was never heard of again, and Boss resumed responsibilty for the Duke Boys probation.

Assuming that you're talking about 1:18 scale models, I covered the recent releases in this thread. The Autoworld 'Silver Screen' General Lee is the most accurate so far, but will cost you $80-90. I have the previous one by Ertl (very similar detail), and it even has seat belts, accurate hood hinges and a wired up engine. The recently released patrol car is also the best so far because it has the correct lightbar for the first time. Conversely, the original Double Zero is slightly more accurate, but you'll have a hard time finding one of them now (they came with a 1:64 model in the same box and occasionally appear on Ebay for about $250). If you want a new Double Zero I'd get one quickly as they seem to be getting thinner on the ground.