Ramblin' Ray - A Voice On The Road & Track

Hello Folks..Ramblin Ray here,

I realize I haven't written much on my "Adventures" out here over the road, but as you know, I've been keeping you informed on Nascar....(Imagine That).
Well, I decided to give you a little look into my little lonely world out here with some pics of our beautiful countryside. Now that Spring has finally arrived, there is more pleasent photos to take when the opportunity presents itself. During the Winter months, there really isn't much to see, especially since most of my routes have taken me back and forth on many highways, much so that I could drive from any Shipper to Consignee blindfolded.
On this post, I won't ramble, I'll share with you some pics that will start from here in lovely L.A. (Thats Lower Alabama for all you Southern California types).
So sit back, scroll down and enjoy the scenery.

Alabama

Florida

Mississippi

Louisiana

Tennessee

Virginia

Deleware

New Jersey

New York

Connecticut

Pennsylvania

Ohio

Indiana

Arizona

Wyoming

Arkansas

Utah

Illinios

Colorado

Texas

WOW....sure is pretty around this great country we live in. I'm fortunate to be able to see areas such as these. I hope you have enjoyed these pics and I promise to share more in the future. I just hope I can get to different areas.
Take care and be safe.

Ramblin Ray out.....10-4

Hey Race Fans....Ramblin Ray here reporting on one of the fastest tracks on the circuit where Restrictor Plates are King......Talladega Superspeedway.

The weather in Northern Alabama was primo for Saturdays Busch Series Race. As we stood in attendance while the National Anthem was performed, the skies provided an exciting sense of things to come for the weekend. Everyone cheered upon conclusion of the Anthem which followed up with 4 F/18 Super Hornets buzzing overhead.

J.J. Yelley, driver of the # 18 Vigaro Chevy lead the field from the pole position with Clint Bowyer, driver of the # 2 AC Delco Chevy at his side. It takes these cars over a lap to get up to speed. As the cars begin in double file formation, it would eventually grow to 3 and 4 wide around the 2.66 mile track. Only 4 cautions would come out, and as always, everyone waits to see when the BIG ONE would occur. The Big One is a crash that wipes out nearly 1 third to half the field. 1 caution was for debris, 2 were for single car accidents. The only Big One was when Tony Stewart, driver of the # 33 Old Spice Chevy, miscalculated his distance from Kenny Wallace's front bumper and drove down on his front bumper which caused his car to get loose, spin uncontrollably, flip in the air getting Airborne and land on his roof at the Start/Finish line and skidded several hundred feet toward turn 1.

Danny O'Quinn, driver of the # 50 Stonebridge Life Insurance Ford, had no where to go except into the drivers side of Tony's car. Tony got out without any injuries and took full responsibility for the accident.

This weekend was special as tribute was paid to the late Dale Earnhardt. This weekend would of been his 55th Birthday. On Friday evening, Dale Sr. was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall Of Fame. Every car in the DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) stables, sported the famous Black paint scheme for both the Busch Series and the Nextel Cup Series.

Martin Truex Jr. driver of the # 8 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevy made his first Busch Series start for the season. Truex is the reigning Busch Series Champion with two back to back Championships from 2004 and 2005. Truex has won the past 2 Talladega races in the Busch Series and striving to race in honor of Dale Sr.
As the racing heated up and drivers were swapping positions, the low line was not to the place to be as cars found out that the upper groove of the track was fast. Truex blocked a final surge from Kevin Harvick, driver of the # 21 Coast Guard Chevy to take to Checkered Flag. His 3rd Talladega Vistory in a row. As Truex celebrated, he held up 3 fingers for the famous #3 of Dale Sr as he took his victory lap.

On Sunday as the skies were partly sunny, or partly cloudy...(ok, just pick one!!), The crowds departed the campgrounds for the Track.

At the conclusion of the National Anthem, cheers grew louder as four A-10 Warthogs flew overhead. Comedian Will Ferrel gave the command to Start The Engines and the cars began their 3 pace laps around the high banks of Talladega. Just before the last pace lap, Mother Nature decided to "Rain On Our Parade". As we sat out the rain showers, it was clear that the race would not be today and the race was called to start on Monday.

Monday was surprising to both myself and best friend Captain Curtis as we noticed that not many fans departed the campgrounds and stayed for Mondays race.
The weather was beautiful with clear skies. So much so that I got sunburn on my knees and thighs..Oouch..!! After the Invocation and National Anthem, the fans got to give the command to "Start Engines"! That was cool......

As the Green Flag dropped, 43 800 hp engines came to life and roared around the 2.66 mile track and as the engines came up to full song, the shuffling, dicing and quick moves began. With the softer front bumpers that Nascar instituted recently for Talladega, the Slam Drafting that was seen in Daytona wasn't an issue at all. Especially since all drivers were warned in the Drivers Meeting. However, the Bump Draft was in play and was performed nicely by these professionals. As the race progressed, drivers were itching to get behind a faster car or duck out of the draft to follow and draft to the front.

By lap 9, cars went into turn 3 at 5 wide. Talladega can provide that with the wide racing surface, but it was insane, so much that Brian Vickers, driver of the # 25 GMAC Chevy went to the bottom of the 5 wide pack. Kyle Busch, driver of the # 5 Kellogs/Delphi Chevy was the meat in the sandwich right smack in the middle. Carl Edwards, driver of the # 99 Office Depot Ford wiggled just a little and bumped into Kyle who got squirrly and bumped into Martin Truex Jr, driver of the # 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevy and Ryan Newman, driver of the # 12 Alltell Dodge. A total of 13 cars got caught up in the wreck.
The racing continued after a lenghty caution and once again, they craziness continued with 3, 4 and 5 wide racing. On lap 45, Greg Biffle, driver of the # 16 National Guard/Subway Ford lost had an engine failure.
On lap 16, the Black # 8 took the lead and nearly everyone in attendance cheered so much Dale's spotter told him that the stands were shaking.

Running in traffic on lap 89, Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver of the # 8 Budweiser Chevy spun around in turn 3.

Damage may have occured in the spin, but Dale Jr got his repairs done and procedded back through the pack near the front in remarkable style.
Also sporting a paint scheme from yesterday was the #43 Betty Crooker/Cheerios Dodge, driven by Bobby Labonte for Petty Enterprises. It was good to see the old colors of legendary Richard Petty in the Carolina Blue STP again.

Kurt Busch, driver of the # 2 Miller Lite Dodge had to make an unscheduled stop due to a missing lug nut, but rallied back to take the lead on lap 158.
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the # 48 Lowes Chevy stayed under the radar until the end. with 2 other teammates around him, the Hendricks cars ganged up on Tony Stewart and muscled their way around the # 20 with Vickers in the lead and Jeff Gordon in tow. Vickers, seeking his first Cup career win knew the move was coming and with the last 3 laps remaining, whether you are a teammate or not, all bets are off and it's every man for himself.

Stewart was the leaader with 9 laps to go but got shuffled out of the draft and out of the top 10, but muscled his way back up front to the rear of Johnson's bumper for the final lap. As they came out of turn 4, Johnson blocked Stewart and recieved his 2nd consecutive Restrictor Plate win for the season, his 3rd win of the season, and takes the lead in points going into the next race at Richmond International Raceway.

An awesome weekend of racing and as we speak, the track at Talladega is being torn up to be resurfaced and ready for the next race in October. The track hasen't been re-paved since 1979. In the fall race of 2006, the Craftsman Truck Series will have their 1st ever race at Talladega, while the Busch Series will be off that weekend.
It's been 5 years since the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr, and homage to him was fitting for the weekend. We will always miss the Man in Black, "The Intimidator".
Ramblin Ray out.....10-4

Ramblin Ray here race fans,

The Battle in The Desert last weekend was one in which only one driver excelled and proved to the racing community that he is as determined as ever and has not lost the ability to drive. And drive he did.
Kevin Harvick, driver for Richard Childress stepped up to the plate and dominated the weekend with a win on Saturday in the Busch Series race driving the #21 Coast Guard Chevy to his 19th Bush career victory. Harvick lead 53 laps avoiding trouble as the rest of the competition was caught up in crashes.

Harvick had a solid re-start in the final two laps keeping the field at bay.

The following night form the Nextel Cup race, Kyle Busch, driver for the #5 Kellogs Chevy lead the field from the pole position. His 1st pole award so far this year. Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevy qualified 3rd, put due to a SNAFU, he had to start on race day from dead last in 43rd position. Steward in his usual ways made it through the field without incident and finished 2nd when it was all over. What a feat and show of skills.
About 100 laps into the race, the race was stopped due to a multi-car crash which collected several cars. Michael Waltrip, driver of the #55 Napa Dodge and Elliot Sadler, driver of the #38 M&M's Ford recieved the worst of the damage. During the Red Flag, pole sitter, Kyle Busch lost his temper and ran his car into Casey Mearse #41 Texaco Havoline Dodge. With the car pretty damaged, he took his car to the garage for repairs. Repairs lasted over 35 laps and once he returned, Nascar officials held him on pit road for a 5 lap penalty because of his actions during the Red Flag.

On Lap 223, Dale Earnhardt Jr, driver for the # 8 Budweiser Chevy got into the back of Kyle Petty, driver of the # 45 Wells Fargo Dodge that set off a chain reaction. Kyle received the worst damage as Jr's car sustained damage to the rear of his car.
In the closing laps, Harvick made it past Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Subway Ford and past Steward only to see the top contenders begin to run out of fuel. Biffle ran out of fuel, then Mark Martin, driver of the #6 AAA Ford. That left only Stewart to chase Harvick down and he never got close. Last year Harvick was running 4th and ran out of fuel, but not this time. He conserved as much as he could by letting off the gas at the Start/Finish Line and coasting through turns 1 and 2, and doing the same at the dogleg before turns 3 and 4. Stewart finished 2nd, Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Dewalt Ford came in 3rd.
Harvick is indeed "Happy".

The next race takes us to the circuits Fastes, Longest, Superspeedway in Talladega Alabama. I will have the opportunity to go with my good friends and spend the weekend enjoying the racing atmosphere and fun. I look so forward to going. Hopefully I'll see you there.

Ramblin Ray out......WFO !!

Hey Race Fans, Ramblin Ray here.

Week 7 in the Nascar Nextel Cup Series is now in the books.
It couldn't of been a better weekend as the early spring weather cast its favorable light winds and pleasant temperatures with clear skies.

With some mild to strong winds on Saturday for the Nascar Bush Series race, it didn't hamper Kurt Busch, driver of the #39 Penske Truck Rentals Dodge, to breeze to the Checkered Flag. Having led the last 70 laps to Victory in his first ever Busch Series Race, Kurt Busch joins a very short list of 4 other drivers that won in their very first series start. He's in line with Joe Ruttman, Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, and "Texas Terry" Labonte.

After Bush took the Checkered Flag, he proceeded to the Start/Finish line to celebrate his win. How did he do this? He got out of his car (and by the way, since his car was mostly Yellow, so was his Uniform), made a beeline for the grass and dove into the green manicured painted grass in hopes to make a slide and mark up his uniform with green grass. But the grass was a little harder than he expected and a chunk of grass embedded into the left side of his helmet as he landed on the grass, and stopped his momentum, thusly making him look like someone threw a Rag-Doll on the ground with a broken left arm as it was now under him. Since his plan didn't work as planned, he had to think of something to do. After all, when was the last time you slipped and fell and got right up and looked around to see if anyone watching? So in his quick thinking, he rolled over on his back and began doing the Snow Angel. The same as he did 2 weeks prior in Bristol when it snowed. It all looked stupid, but..oh well!

Sundays weather was perfect for the Cup Race. The winds died down and the temperature was ideal. Nearly all of the drivers enjoy Texas Motor Speedway. Its a fast track much like Atlanta with a mix of Charlotte. At the drop of the flag Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 UAW Dodge Dealers Dodge lead the field from the pole position with J.J. Yelley, driver of the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevy on the outside. Kahne lead the field to turn 1, but Mark Martin, driver of the #6 AAA Ford had different ideas as he took over the lead. Mark lead for 14 laps until Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 National Guard/Subway Ford, who is also teammates with Mark Martin, powered by the #6 and took control of the lead. Meanwhile, Tony Steward, driver of the #20 Home Depot was charging forward from a uncharacteristic start from 40th position. Eventually Steward would take control of the field by leading until the last 27 laps. Kasey Kahne throttled his Dodge past Steward and never looked back and became the 11th different winner in the 11 seasons that Nascar has raced at Texas and the only driver to win from the poll position.

It was a good race and we look forward to the next Texas race in November.
The next race is in the desert outside of Phoenix Arizona. A night race on a short track on Saturday night.

Thats all for now race fans. See you later.

Ramblin Ray out....10.4

......"Hello?....Hello?.....Can you hear me now?"...

Ramblin Ray here folks,
Does the above remind you of anything? Do you own a Cellular Phone? You probably do.

In todays world, this little sometimes tiny communication device, has become commonplace in our private lives and has turned us into a constant up to date, got to know, must have it done now, need to talk to you immediately or my world will stop, modern day society.

Technology is wonderful no matter how it may improve our way of living, however, the Cell Phone has become a most Dangerous device when not used with caution while driving.

As I drive these Interstates and US Highways and Byways throughout most of the country, it never fails to amaze me how many people have Cell Phones now compared to 10-15 years ago. Remember the "PAGER"?. That was a little neat device of the time. Clip one on to your belt and you felt like a person of importance, until everyone started getting one, then it became a nuisance with that double beep that could shrill a cat into hysteria, or vibrate off a table or desk with the same annoyance.

There is not a day that goes by that I drive down the road and have to slow down because either someone in front of me is driving much under the posted speed limit, or has just passed me and changed lanes in front of me then slowed down, to find out as I get to pass them and see them with a Cell Phone stuck in their ear.

Many times as I drive and approach an on-ramp to the highway and see an approaching vehicle getting ready to merge, 95 percent of the time, motorist are not cautious to the highway traffic that they are merging into because they have a Cell Phone stuck in their ear and they are not looking.

Getting ready to miss an exit....reason, Cell Phone stuck in their ear.
What disturbs me the most is the fact that these people are not using a headset, or some sort of hands-free device. I feel very strongly in the belief ...If you can afford to pay a monthly bill for your Cell Phone, then you can spend the money necessary to purchase a Cell Phone Holder and a headset.

The craziest thing I see frequently is when a motorist is holding their Cell Phone in their right hand to their left ear while driving or backing up. "WHAT THE......." is that? Not only do 4 wheelers do this, but so do some of my fellow Truck Drivers.

The most difficult of manuevers is trying to retrieve or send Text Messages while holding the wheel.

If I can get just ONE person to change their outlook on using their Cell Phone, by utilizing any type of hands free device while driving, then I may have saved someone from an accident.

Thats all for now,

Ramblin Ray out...10-4

Hey Race Fans, Ramblin Ray here again,

I wanted to wait until after the two Short Tracks were in the books before spilling my 2 cents. The first of the bunch was at Bristol's Thunder Valley, in Bristol Tenneesee. What a Weird, Wild and Wacky weekend it was.

As I was driving my Big Rig southbound on I-81 in Virginia, listening to the Pre-Race Show on my trusty XM Satellite Radio's Nascar Channel 144, I thought back to the day prior of qualifying for the Busch cars and remembered it was rained out. As a result, the starting grid would be based off of this seasons Owner points. But as I drove past Lexington and Roanoke Virginia, I went through a few scattered snow storms. Not unusual for early Spring nor unusual for the elevations on I-81 going up and down through the Appalachian Mountains. As I approached Bristol 40 miles due north, the radio announcers spoke of Snow heading their way, and fast. Sure enough, I ran into it and boy was it a White Out. It didn't last too long but the skies from the West were visibly showing the dark blue and black associated with the disturbance that was on track for the half mile oval.

The Cup Qualifying was Snowed Out, likes of which that hasn't been seen at Bristol before, but has occurred at Atlanta many years ago. As the Busch race got under way that Saturday, they were Red Flagged for a Snow Delay, the same system I was fortunate to drive through. The crews, drivers and fans alike enjoyed the unusual weather and stuck it out by making the best of it with snowball fights. Snowmen were being made, Fans threw snowballs across the track and vice-verse all in good fun. Wish I was there!!

Kyle Busch, driver of the #5 Lowes Chevy held off Kevin Harvick, driver of the #21 US Coast Guard Chevy, for the win.
On Sunday for the Cup Race, as expected, the racing delivered what we want to see at Bristol. Alot of beating and banging, rubbing and dumping. Bristol is where tempers flare, patience only last after 20 -40 laps, then it's time to get out of the way or be moved out of the way. Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Dewalt Ford Fusion seemed to have the car to beat, but Kurt Bush driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, had something to show to us all.

In the closing laps, it was inevitable that Kurt was going to do the old Bump and Run if he was in a position to win, and he didn't let us down. As he has done in the past, he used the bump and run on Kenseth, who was a former teammate, and took the lead to the checkers. On that final lap, Kenseth did the bump and run on Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 Dupont Chevy, and as a result Gordon went from 3rd to 21st.

On Pit Road, Jeff Gordon expressed his dislike for the maneuver by Kenseth by immediately shoving Kenseth as Kenseth approached Jeff's car. Nascar doesn't like that sort of behavior on camera and gave Jeff a $10,000 fine and put him on Probation until August 30th. I feel that the fine and Probation is BullS_ _ _! Boys will be Boys, and Nascar once again demonstrates the era of Political Correctness.

Kurt got out of his car at the Start/Finish line and began celebrating by making a Snow Angel on the track in lieu of the snowstorm that blew in the previous day. It was pretty cool and congrats to him and his team. But once again and for the second day in a row, Kevin Harvick finished 2nd to a Busch Brother. After the race Kevin expressed that If he would of been able to get to Kurt, he would of returned the favor for Matt Kenseth. There is some bad blood here.

At the Atlanta race, David Stremme, driver of the #40 Lone Star Steakhouse Dodge, got loose in turn 2, got into Kevin Harvick which in turn got into Kurt Busch. Immediately Kurt keyed up the radio and expressed his displeasure and dislike for Harvick, thinking he wrecked him on purpose. Soon after that incident, Kurt was explained about the situation and later recanted his statements. Kevin Harvick has used this incidental conversation from Busch as a weapon and has used it in the media since without letting up. The question would stand, how will it be a Martinsville next week, another short track?

Martinsville, Virginia.
This track is a half mile and shaped exactly as a paper clip. Speeds can get over 100mph down the straightaways before drivers have to hit the brakes hard to get into the corners. The challenge teams face here is Brakes, Brakes, Brakes. As the technology advances, drivers will still be just as hard on them as before. When they get to the end of the straightaway, they have to brake and let the car roll in the turn, then slowly press the gas to accelerate out of the corner.

Martinsville has two types of surfaces, concrete in the turns and asphalt down the straightaways. It is important to not press the gas too hard here out of a turn as a driver may break traction as they make the transition from one surface type to another. This race was one of the best so far. The drivers showed as much patience as they could, but Martinsville doesn't wait on patience.

On lap 2, 6 cars got wadded up. The #8 Budweiser Chevy driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr received the worst damage at the time by having his right fender completely torn off. Dale Jr and his team didn't give up and ran up to the front 2 times from the rear of the field to claim 4th place when the checkers came out. Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Dodge Dealers UAW Dodge Charger and teammate Jeremy Mayfield, driver of the #19 Dodge dealers UAW Dodge Charger, both suffered engine failures during the race that put out any hopes of being in contention.

Matt Kenseth did give a payback to Kurt Busch, but if you were watching the broadcast as I did, they never showed it..Hmm! Once Tony Stewart, driver of the #20 Home Depot Chevy, made his way to the front, he never looked back and lead the most laps in the race. He fought off Jimmie Johnson and a hard charging Jeff Gordon to the finish. Tony celebrated his first win of the season by climbing the fence at the Start/Finish line.

Congrats Tony on your 25th Career win. There was no issue on the track between Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. But Kevin has to be a little down for getting beat by both brothers, Kurt and little brother Kyle(aka "Schrub") Busch. (Get it..last name Busch, nickname Schrub).

Next week we go to one of my favorite tracks, Texas Motor Speedway. Until then Race Fans........

Ramblin Ray Out.

Ramblin Ray here folks,

Truckers have a communication device known as the "CB Radio". A little gizmo that is very necessary out here rolling thru this great country of ours. A device that provides information for Weather, Emergencies, Directions, Discussions, and of course Entertainment. Some of these transmissions are not for the weak at heart and require an Adult over the age of 21 to listen.(Yup, age 18 is just to young for some of you).

Since I am at the house for a few more hours before I depart to get my load up to PA for Mondays delivery, I thought of compiling a few nicknames and phrases that we use out here everyday. Some are pretty funny and strange.

Here's what we call Police or State Troopers;

"BEARS"
Why "Bears"? Are they big and furry or small and cuddly? Are they Black Bears, Brown Bears or Polar Bears? Well.......you're going to laugh at some of these if you've never heard how we refer to these "Enforcers of the Law".

"Full Grown Bear".......State Police or State Trooper.
"Bear"..................Sometimes or mostly a City Cop.
"Care Bear".............Police watching traffic in a Construction Area.
"Polar Bear"............Police vehicle in an all white car.
"DOT Bear"..............Dept of Transportaion Enforcement.

How about your everyday local police. They are referred to........
"City Kitty". How and when this came to be is beyond me. Do they Purrr? They are also referred to as "Barney Fife".

Now for the Sheriff.
"County Mountie". ....Do these fine representatives of the law reside in Canada riding on horseback? Are they trying to prevent "Sneidley Whiplash" from tying up Penelope to the railroad tracks?(Ok, I'm showing my age now). One could trace the term of "Bear" back to "Smokey the Bear". Remember the cute bear that wore a Forest Rangers Hat relaying the message to not start Forest Fires. Or the famous film by Burt Reynolds called "Smokey and the Bandit" back in the '70's.
In any case, we refer to the figure wearing a Smokey Hat as a "Bear", and in a couple of states, these officers don't wear that sort of headgear, they wear traditional hats.
Moving on...ever heard of a "Wrapper"? Not a candy wrapper, or "Rapper" on the radio, but a cop car. There are "Plain Wrappers" that come in a variety of colors. These cars are unmarked with no visible lights on the roof of there cars. They look like any ordinary vehicle driving down the road with the mission of deceiving you and busting you.

Other things we refer to;
"Chicken Coops"......Weigh Stations, Scale Houses or as they are called in the west, "Port of Entry". This is where trucks are weighed and sometimes given a random inspection by DOT. Never seen any chickens in there, must be hiding them from us...

"Pickle Park".....I'm not going to get into that one, but it does refer to a Rest Area.

"Meat Wagon".....refers to an Ambulance.

Now for some Phrases and codes.

"Got your ears on?"....means "Is your Radio On?"
"Can I get a Radio Check?".....means "Is my Radio working"?
"Whats your 20?"..pretty known for "Whats your Location".
"There's a 10-33 ahead".....means there's an accident ahead.
"Can I get a 10-36?"....means "Can someone tell me what time it is?
"You've got a Bear running in your Front Door!"...means there's a cop somewhere a couple miles or more ahead of you.
"Going to jump off here"...means "I'm going to take the next exit.
"Gotta get some Go-Go Juice".....means "I need to get some fuel".
"Gator in the Road".....means a blown tire carcass is on the road.
"On the Zipper".....refers to the Dotted line on the highway.
"The Granney Lane"....means the right lane, or slow lane.
"The Hammer Lane".....means the Left or far Left Lane.
"Cash Box"......refers to a Toll Plaza.
"Green Stamp".......refers to the New Jersey Turnpike.
"Thanks for the Flowers".....thanks for saying something nice.

Now for a few places around the country that have nicknames;

"The Dome"......Houston, Texas. It is said that when it rains outside Houston, it doesn't rain in Houston. Or it makes reference to the Astro-Dome.
"Shakey"........Southern California. Earthquakes, what else.
"Going to the Bottom".....refers to going to Laredo, Texas.
"Mardi-Gras"........New Orleans, Louisiana.
"Hotlanta"........Atlanta, Georgia.
"Wolverine"......State of Michigan.
"Chi-Town" or "Windy".....Chicago, Illinios.
Going to "Cowboy"......state of Wyoming.
"Steel City".....Birmingham, Alabama
"Choo-Choo".......Chattanooga, Tennessee.
"Crashville"......Nashville, Tennessee.
"K-Town".....Knoxville, Tennessee.
"Guitar"......Memphis, Tennessee.
"Gateway"......St'Louis, Missouri.
"The Alamo"......San Antonio, Texas.
"Cornhusker"......State of Nebraska.
"The Buckeye"......State of Ohio.
"Hillbilly".......State of West Virginia.

Here's a sample of a CB Transmission:

"....Copy the 10-33 Southbound, your Coops are open checking that ground pressure past the Cash Box and you've got a Full Grown with a customer at the 20 mile sticker and a County Mountie at your front door. I'm going to jump off here and grab some Go-Go juice and head over to Shakey..."

Heard any of these before? Some are indeed funny.
Thats all for now my friends.

Ramblin Ray out....10-4

Ramblin Ray here folks, (WFO !!)

I've been pondering the idea of doing a somewhat Nascar-101 for the folks out there that aren't into the sport as much as I am. As many of you may be, I once thought that watching cars going around in circles wasn't that entertaining. Yes..I know that comes as a shock and you may be saying to yourself.."Oh my God, not Ramblin Ray!"..., or "He used to be one of us".

But the fact of the matter is, to enjoy the sport, one has to understand the sport. Once my very good friend/neighbor at the time, back in 1994 when I lived in Virginia ,explained to me what goes into these cars and what the teams have to go thru on every different type track on the circuit. I was instantly hooked and have been ever since. I am by no way an expert on the sport, but I think I can deliver some basics for you guys to help you understand what goes on and why things are the way they are, and maybe explain some things you didn't know.

I'm going to "Jump the Start" on a question that Aunt Brenda asked me from my previous post that described a penalty given to Robbie Gordon, driver of the #7 Harrahs/Jim Beam Chevy, at the race in Atlanta.

Brenda wants to know, how can a driver get a penalty for speeding when racing is about speed?

Very good question Aunt Brenda, didn't see that one coming..The penalty Robbie Gordon received was due to him speeding on Pit Road. Nascar has instituted a Pit Road speed for every track on the circuit. The Pit Road speeds vary from track to track and can be as low as 35mph to 55mph. This rule was developed as a safety device. Up until several years ago (not sure when it became mandated) cars would enter Pit Road at Speeds exceeding 100mph which put the pit crews in danger and was finally deemed unsafe.

Before the start of every race, you will see the cars lined up double file behind the Pace Car(or Pace Truck). It will have a series of flashing lights on it. The pace vehicle will only go at the pit road speed. This gives the drivers and teams the opportunity to see what RPM and gear the car is in while following the Pace vehicle which in turn the driver has to remember to enter the pits at that speed and also leave the pits at that same speed (I'll cover more on that later on). It also ensures no driver gets an advantage. This should answer your question and I will have more on the subject later on.

Now for a few basics. There are many forms of racing throughout the country. Everything from go-carts, midgets, legends, bandeleros, modifieds, stock, pro stock, super stock, late models etc....Nascar has many sanctioned series that run throughout the country and these drivers hope to someday make it to one of the top 3 touring series. The top 3 (from 3rd to 1st) is The Craftsman Truck Series, The Busch Series and the Nextel Cup Series. I will primarily discuss the Cup Series, the Top Dog, where the best of the best in stock car racing battle it out.

There are 36 races during the season with 2 additional non points races held. Whereas the stick and ball sports have a Championship Game or Super Bowl at the end of their season, Nascars' Superbowl of racing is at the start of the season with the Daytona 500. Whereas other sports have a playoff system that leads into a Championship or Super Bowl Game, Nascar has implemented a playoff type system, that began in the 2004 season (more on that later).

Drivers who wish to compete in any race must first attempt to qualify for the race. Before qualifying, all cars go through the "Room Of Doom", or pre-qualifying inspection. All cars must conform to the specific templates, gear ratios and other rules set by the sanctioning body which is Nascar, or face stiff penalties. After inspection, cars qualify for a starting spot for the beginning of the race.

There are 43 positions on the track that are up for grabs during qualifying, the exception to this, is a rule that was imposed (also in the 2004 season) that guarantees the top 35 in owner points a starting position on the field for every race. Nascar also added 1 additional guaranteed position to a past Cup Champion. That leaves up to 8 positions available. There can be as many as 52 cars qualifying as it was this past Daytona 500 race and 9 drivers did not make the show.

On Race Day, cars go through a pre-race inspection prior to the race. Nascar Officials check the cars again to insure no team has made any unapproved changes to the cars that would give them an advantage. Again, if anything is found that doesn't meet the rules, teams will be fined.
The race begins and finishes. After every race, Nascar has a post-race inspection. The cars are picked at random. Anything found not conforming to Nascars rules are subject to penalties and fines.

That's all for now race fans but stay tunned for some more info.

Ramblin Ray out.....vroom vroom!!

Hello Race Fans!!
Ramblin Ray here for an update to Nascar.
As week 4 at Altanta Motor Speedway concludes, congrats go to the winner of the race, Kasey Kahne, Driver of the #9 Dodge Dealers UAW Dodge Charger. I didn't get the opportunity to watch the broadcast of the race since Mother Nature did her thing on Sunday, which postponed the race till the following day, but I did listen to the race from start to finish on XM Satellite Radio. It was an exciting race to listen to but nothing can beat being there in person.

The race didn't have any major wrecks or individual incidents and was pretty clean. Tires were a concern prior to the race due in part of the problems several teams had in the Busch Series race held on Saturday. Many Busch cars had rear right tire problems. This may have happened due to the softer right side tires Goodyear brought in. Consequently since the Busch cars have more downforce than a Cup car, the tires had more of a load on the rear. The Cup race held on Monday didn't show any of those issues, but a couple of teams saw tire wear from the right front tires. Nextel Cup cars are the same in weight as a Bush Series car, the difference in the two series cars is horsepower, spoiler height, and wheel base. With 100 more horses under the hood and a bigger carburator in a Cup car, much of the load goes to the front right tire in the turn. In a Bush car, the larger spoiler creates more rear downforce and the load is more on the rear right tire. After the race, a few drivers expressed their concern for a better tire at Atlanta.

After the green flag dropped at Atlanta on Monday, Kasey Kahne drove away to the lead for much of the first 10 laps. But the big story is Bobby Labonte, driver of the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge, for Petty Enterprises. He fought his way past 3rd on the outside of turn 4 and blasted his way up to take 2nd place away from Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Cingular Wireless Chevy. As Bobby caught up to Kasey and took the lead out of turn 4, everyone was standing in applause as the legendary #43 crossed the Start/Finish line as the new race leader. The car may not have been painted in the beautiful Carolina Blue or was driven by the Legendary King himself, Richard Petty, but it was a monumental day for Petty Enterprises and a throwback for fans of old. Bobby lead the race for the next 13 laps until a piston gave away in the engine and that unfortunately ended Bobby Labonte's day. I'm sure every race fan at the track, viewing the broadcast or listening on the air waves went silent for a few seconds in dis-belief. We have hope that the Petty organization will rebound and be better than last year, especially with this years accusitions of Bobby coming from Joe Gibbs Racing and Robbie Loomis from Hendrick Motorsports as race director.

Another spotlight for the race was Robby Gordon, driver of the #7 Harrahs/Jim Beam Chevy. Robbie started his own team last season and had an uphill battle throughout to make it into the top 35 in owner/driver points. The team never succeeded. They had to race their way in on speed for qualifying every race last season. Robby drove the wheels of his car on Monday. Starting from the 36th position and making it all the way to 3rd, even with being a lap down and having to start at the end of the pack twice, he managed to make passes with a dependable DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) engine. Unfortunately due to his own mistake, he came into the pits for fuel and was caught speeding, had to serve his penalty with only a handfull of laps remaining and finished 28th. The good news for Robby and his team is that they are going into the next race at Bristol 19th in points. They won't have to worry about making the top 35 in owner points after Bristol when the points reset with the top 35 for the current season.(More explanation of how this works in my next post).

Bill Lester, driver of the #22 Waste Management Dodge Ram, for Bill Davis Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, made history by attempting to qualify for not only his first Cup ride at age 44, but also as the first African American driver to qualify and make the field for the race at Atlanta. The last time this was accomplished was in June of 1986. Bill qualified 19th and ran the race unscaved and completed the race finishing 38th. He completed his objective of finishing the race and is commended for a job well done. Bill will run several more races throughout the season. We know how good he is in the Truck Series and look forward to seeing him in a cup car again.

The race finished under Green flag conditions, unlike the first 3 races of the season that saw the Green-White-Checkered. A rare occurance lately, but you gotta love it, at least I do..and the last time a Dodge won at Atlanta Motor Speedway was in 1977 with Richard Petty.

Bobby Hamilton, driver of the #18 Fastenal Dodge Ram, announced last Friday that he has Cancer in the neck. He is optimistic that he will beat this and return to racing no earlier than the last race for the season at Homestead Miami, or by next seasons Daytona Race. We wish you the best in recovery Bobby. Bobby also announced Atlanta was going to be his last race until he recovers and his replacement driver for the rest of the season will be his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr, driver of the #08 Corky's Rib & BBQ Dodge Ram.

Michael Waltrip Racing has announced a new Primary Sponsor for the #00 Aarron's Dream Machine. The Sponser will be none other than Burger King. Burger King will sponsor 5 races this season for Michael Waltrip Racing and Awesome Bill from Dawsonville will be the driver during these sponsored races. I hope they make enough headroom for the kings head and crown in that car.....

The next race at Bristol is the first short track of the season. Always a thrilling race as the cars go around the very high banks of this half mile track. Should be fun to watch as usual with the beating and banging......So stay tuned, more later..

Ramblin Ray out, 10-4

Ramblin Ray here folks,

Ever drive down the road with 2 to 3 cars in front of you, suddenly the car in front of you puts on their turn signal? Why of course you do. It's a common occurance. What happens next? The car in front of you makes the appropriate right or left hand turn, right? ..Well yes and no....Normally the vehicle will turn, but I have ran across a strange occurance in the past several years that makes me scratch my head.

In this scenario, the car in front of you turns on their turn signal and you can sometimes see the car in front of them with their turn signal on also, which would make one instantly think both vehicles are turning at the same exit point. Not the case sometimes. The first car makes the turn then the car that is behind them (or in front of you), turns off their turn signal and continues straight.

The first time I saw this I thought I was seeing things, or maybe I had just a little to much caffiene and was hallucinating. But after seeing this unexplained tactic I realized I was probably going insane trying to rationalize the purpose of this procedure. So I have determined that some people may have been instructed to employ this type of deception from Aliens.

One part of me thinks that it can be used as a safety signal to alert other motorist behind them that "Hey, someone in front of me is turning..."
Another part of me thinks "Well that is 'bout the craziest thing I ever saw".....Daggum, Daggum , Son of a...........Dagummitt! (inside joke)

In either case, it seems confusing. As we well know, when a turn signal is turned on, we immediately identify the direction of the intended turn and proceed occordingly. When a driver doesn't turn after having the signal light on, it is very possible that someone behind them will try to go around them and consequently nearly be in a fender bender or rear-end collision because of this type of action. So DON'T DO IT!

However, even with this type of behavior is the opposite action, or lack of.
Not using a turn signal at all. Yes... I know it sounds crazy and you may not believe it, but "yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".....sorry, wrong story.

Many motorist just don't use their turn signals and I see it every single day. The turn signal is a simple device taken for granted. When not used to indicate the direction of a lane change, or exiting the highway, or turning a corner, the driver following can easily run into the back of the vehicle if not aware or following to close. As some of these drivers change lanes on the highway, right in front of me as I carry a maxed out load of 48,000lbs grossing out the truck at 80,000 lbs legal limit, I sometimes wonder if they have a Death Wish, because I can't exactly stop on a dime.

Thats all for now my friends,

Ramblin Ray out, 10-4