DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It's noon in Daytona and it isn't raining. Yet.
Friday's schedule calls for qualifying to run from 1:05 for the Nationwide Series pretty much straight through until 6:30 or 6:45 when Cup qualifying would end.
I say would end because the chances of us making it 5 1/2 hours without a thunderstorm are tiny. It's Florida in July.
The schedule here makes no sense this weekend. Qualifying should have started at 9 a.m. Friday for Nationwide cars, followed around noon by Cup cars. That would at least increase chances for people to get a shot at qualifying for the race.
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If Martin Truex Jr. gets a 150-point penalty for the car that NASCAR took from his team here on Thursday, it would put him 221 points behind the cutoff for the Chase. That would be a critical blow.
You know what I think - the team shouldn't be here the rest of this weekend. As it stands right now, in fact, the team hasn't had its car on the track and that's how it should stay.
But that's not going to happen. The team hasn't practiced its backup No. 1 Chevrolet, but even if it doesn't get to qualify later Friday it's guranteed a starting spot.
Every other car that came here this weekend managed to build a roof that got through inspection. The No. 1 team, in fact, had a backup car on its truck that got through tech.
I guess you could say that shows that what happened on the impounded car could be an honest mistake. I never have bought that explanation, but I am also telling you it shouldn't matter. If you can't get a car to the track that passes inspection, you don't race.
In a perfect world, that is.
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How fitting is it that Jesse Helms, the former U.S. senator from my home state of North Carolina, died on July 4?
There may not be a man in history with whom I disagreed politically more often and more strongly. Regardless of that, a man who devoted so much of his life to public service should be honored.
Helms spent his lifetime fighting passionately for the things that he believed would make America better. One thing that's wrong with us as a country today is that we don't honor that as the definition of patriotism, regardless of what side of the issues an American might be on.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Weather forecasts and failed inspections
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4 comments:
Senator Helms wrote me personally when i joined the army in 1980 and I still have his hand signed letter in a scrapbook. Senator Helms was an honest and vigilant statesman for our state for most of my lifetime and I thank him for his years of service . He stood strong even when his views weren't popular and he had the courage to change his positions when he was on the wrong side of an issue and realized it.He never claimed to have single handedly passed an act of legislation to promote himself during an election as some of the current candidates are doing,but stood on his own morals and convictions ,and didn't try to hide his true beliefs in order to win a race. If only we had men today who were capable of honesty and dilegence to guide this country, instead of candidates who talk out of the side of their faces to sway popular opinion in their favor only to subversivly have different true beliefs. God Bless You Senator Helms and God Bless America
It's always OK to be a biggot, if you're up front about it.
David, couldnt agree more.. if you cant seem to pass pre race inspection its real simple from that point, two words, Buh Bye. the 150 point penalty PLUS the penalty of missing a race completely I believe just might get some peoples attention. Therefore, causing more people to PAY attention when fabricating roof lines so they PASS inspection. Just my two cents.... I'll be listening Monday!
anonymous #2, how was Helms a bigot?
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