Category: Truck Series

The headlines screamed the news when Randy LaJoie was suspended from NASCAR for violation of the sport’s stringent substance abuse policy. Now that he is one of the first to be reinstated following a strict educational protocol and intense random testing, he is open about sharing his experiences, in his own way and in his own words.

SM: Can you take us through what happened that led to your substance abuse suspension from the sport?

RL: “Me and my wife were at dinner with Mr. Steve deSouza and his wife. We got talking and he asked if I knew of anybody who could do some spotting for Brad Coleman and Matt DiBenedetto. I asked what it paid and when he said $650, I said hell, I’ll do it. So, the next day he called and gave me the dates and I said I could do them.”

“Come Charlotte weekend, our son was going on a mission trip and they were giving golf cart rides to raise money for the trip. So, that’s what I did and darn near paid for the mission trip by working on the golf carts.”

“Sunday night I jumped on the golf cart, was heading back to go home, run up on three guys that were having a very good time. They asked for a ride so I had them jump on and they were in a campground and I brought them there. I got there, there was a cookout, and I got talking to some people and the next thing I know we’re sitting cross legged smoking a peace pipe.”

“I never gave it a second thought. I went home and that Thursday after Charlotte, Steve called and said I had to get a license to spot. I really didn’t want to buy another license but I needed a Nationwide license. I was right around the corner from the place so I went in, filled out the paperwork and peed in the cup.”

“I went that weekend and spotted for Brad (Coleman), came home on Joe Gibbs’ plane and the Coach even complimented me on helping his young kid on the spotter’s stand. The next day I got an email from Brad’s dad saying how much he appreciated the job I did and how much the kid liked me. And then later that day, I got a phone call from the doctor, saying that he had a problem with my urine and that he found traces of marijuana.”

“My heart stopped and I broke out in a sweat. And then it hit me. I was like wow, ok, I did it. Obviously if I would have known going into the test that I wouldn’t pass it, why would I have taken it? Then it was like, ok what do I have to do to fix this. I just kicked myself for two days hard. I embarrassed my family. I embarrassed myself. I’m trying to help my kids get where they’re trying to go. All I could think was you dumb ass.”

SM: What happened next?

RL: “I talked to Mike Helton about what do I have to do to get this over and done with. About a week and a half later they called and they did an assessment. I’ve never been to a shrink but that was the closest thing that I’ve ever been to a shrink. Then after the assessment, which said that I didn’t need any treatment, I had to do classes. I also had to buy a dozen kits and piss in a cup every week. After the third one, I asked if they were all clean, which they were. So, that’s what it was. I’m doing some faith-based counseling and doing some stuff through the church. I want to be a better person. I want to be smarter and find out why I went down the road and did what I did.”

“I don’t know if it was the year that I had last year or what. My wife was diagnosed with cancer, my mom’s sick with cancer, and the seat company got put in the hole by an accountant. It all added up and obviously I didn’t make the right decision. So, I just had to man up, take it on the chin, and figure out what I had to do to fix this. I did it the best way I knew how…to tell the truth.”

SM: How did you cope with the headlines and the feelings that you had during the suspension?

RL: “I just wanted to crawl in a hole. I seen the hurt that it put on my wife’s face. I mean the boys handled it half-assed decent. We brought them both in to tell them and I could see that it looked like I just punched them in the gut. Then when I did get suspended, my first two days was phone calls to all the kids, they call themselves the ‘field fillers’, and I wanted to call all the parents and apologize. That beat the hell out of me.”

“I think you realize the friends that aren’t fake. There were calls asking if I got suspended from ESPN and I knew their next call was to ESPN. Then there were those that said to call if I needed anything and then never returned my calls when I did call.”

SM: How did the suspension affect your work and your livelihood?

RL: “You know it definitely put a strain on it. My wife took it as a bigger hit as an embarrassment on the name. We’re still not as good as we were before. But then again, I think we’re going to be even better. The business after I got back, there was an inch of paper on my desk and out of that stack, there were three negative ones. Those three, I responded to them. It took me an hour to type a paragraph apologizing to them and telling them that I still wake up every day trying to keep kids safe. Then I gave them my competitor’s telephone number.”

“I don’t know how I will get my good name back. There’s not many people that walk around with halos or live in glass houses.”

SM: What do you want people to know about this experience and what it has meant to you?

RL: “That I’m working on figuring out why I took the roads that I went down and I’m more than likely not going to do that again. I ask myself why every day. That’s something that I don’t know what the answer to that is. I just have to be a better person, follow the right attitudes. Obviously something bothered me that I wanted to hide from. Hopefully, I will get all my ducks in a row and not do that again.”

SM: What does the future hold for Randy LaJoie?

RL: “I enjoy working on the TV side. Will I get some of it back, I don’t know. I had three dates until the end of the year with ESPN and Versus had already filled my position. I still think my positives outweigh my negatives when it comes to racing. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve done a lot. I still wake up every day trying to keep my company afloat. My ‘Safer Racing’ tour is one of the best things I do and I turned it into a nonprofit. Every summer, I go on tour with different groups and go to different race tracks, looking at cars and telling them how to be safe. I have a wonderful program for kids who outgrow their seats but it’s a tough business to be in.”

“My boys have seen what I’ve been through. It was my birthday last Saturday and in their birthday card they both said that we seen what you went through the past two months and you handled it well and we’re going to do that. So, if it’s going to help those ‘field fillers’ get to where they want to be, that’s a lesson learned.”

In one of the most famous quotes from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the doomed heroine asks the famous question, “What’s in a name?” This past weekend, Kyle Busch could have asked the same question after some name calling at Bristol Motor Speedway that has continued throughout this week.

The name calling officially started during driver introductions prior to the Cup race on Saturday evening when Brad Keselowski came out, introduced himself and said, “Kyle Busch is an ass.” Keselowski was still incensed from the night before where Busch admittedly dumped him to win the Nationwide race, positioning himself to sweep the three-race weekend to achieve a record held by none other.

Since the race weekend, various other names have surfaced for the Bristol trifecta winner. Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was knocked out of the way and spun by Busch during the Camping World Truck race at Bristol on Wednesday evening, had her own name for the driver, “spoiled.”

“When you don’t have to worry about your equipment and its costs, you become spoiled,” Cobb said. “When you don’t have to worry about punishment from NASCAR, you become spoiled. When you don’t worry about other team’s equipment or safety, you are spoiled. When you have no regard for anyone other than yourself, you are spoiled.”

“This is not a smear statement,” Cobb continued. “I respect the heck out of Kyle Busch’s driving ability. But I cannot respect someone who has no regard for anyone other than himself.”

“It’s not about winning because he is good enough to win without putting other teams in jeopardy, yet he does,” Cobb said. “Does he not believe in himself and his own abilities? Is that why he feels like he needs to wreck others to win?”

In fact, Cobb was willing to give Busch a very different name, that of superhero, if he would just address and adjust his attitude and wrecking style.

“We can all tell him that it is not necessary to wreck others to win,” Cobb said. “He would be a true superhero if he knew that.”

“My heroes in this sport are fresh, respectable and have a sense of humility,” Cobb said. “If we are going to be lucky enough to fulfill our dream and be in a position to be looked up to by kids, then let’s have enough discipline to be real winners, not spoiled bullies.”

In addition to the name of spoiled bestowed by Cobb, David Reutimann, runner up in the Cup race at Bristol, had his own names for Busch as well. Rooty sarcastically dubbed Busch “Professor” and “Superman” after hearing Busch’s post-race analysis of Reutimann’s Bristol driving abilities.

“I don’t know if it was the fact that his Superman cape was flying out the back when I was behind him and I couldn’t see it or what the deal was,” Reutimann said sarcastically about his nemesis. “We got beat fair and square.”

“That’s what it comes down to. We just got outrun,” Reutimann continued. “Professor Busch, maybe he can start a driving school at Bristol and the rest of the field can join in and go and he can show all of us what we’re doing wrong. I need help.”

Other drivers willing to speak their mind, as well as many race fans, seemed to echo the naming sentiments of both Jennifer Jo Cobb and David Reutimann. Truck competitor Todd Bodine said much the same about Busch, dubbing him an outstanding talent, but one that he has little respect for due to Busch’s aggressive style.

There is one name, however, befitting for Busch that no one can dispute or deny. That name is winner and record setter. No one but Kyle Busch has ever won three major touring series races in NASCAR in one weekend, a feat which Busch accomplished handily at Bristol.

Busch’s team credited their driver with the record-setting moment, dubbing him with their own new name, that of great.

“We are in the presence of greatness,” one of Busch’s team members said after the driver crossed the start finish line for the final time at Bristol.

“I’ve been trying to do this since I got to NASCAR,” Busch said. “I love Bristol and I love winning. And to do it for the first time ever in NASCAR, to sweep the weekend, man that’s pretty awesome.”

Yet even with that phenomenal accomplishment, the name calling of Busch continues and most likely will do so throughout this off weekend for the Cup Series. Perhaps David Reutimann summed it up best as he took exception to the naming of Busch as great.

“Kyle Busch is a phenomenal talent,” Reutimann said. “He’s a heck of a race car driver. But it’s not always the stuff you do on the track that makes you great. Richard Petty is great. He was great behind the wheel but he’s also great off the race track. You have to do a little of both.”

Last week Kyle Busch ran three races at the Bristol Motor Speedway and made NASCAR history by winning all three of them. It marked the first time any driver has won events in the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup on the same weekend at the same track.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be taking a well deserved weekend off before they wind down their regular season before the Chase starts. That actually turned out to be somewhat of a dilemma for Kyle Busch. He only has one scheduled race this week: the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event Friday night at the Chicagoland Speedway.

This is a driver who pads his busy schedule with as many races as possible. So to fill the racing void of this week’s schedule, Busch has recently turned his attention to the world of short course stadium racing and their high powered racing trucks. In particular he has chosen to visit the Traxxas TORC Series, presented by Amsoil.

TORC, which stands for The Off Road Championship, is one of the most intense, and often brutal, racing series you could name. The series turns half mile dirt track ovals into one mile off road racing courses complete with sweeping, high banked, road course style turns, motocross style jumps and special features like turn tables and whoops that gives the appearance that these trucks were shot out of a cannon.

This is a form of racing where hard contact is the norm and not the exception. The life expectancy of sheet metal fenders is approximately five laps. It’s a racing world where a truck can land on its roof without warning. It’s also an incredibly exciting form of racing that attracts a growing legion of fans and has garnered the attention of national television. The first of 26 episodes of “The Off Road Championship” will debut on the Discovery HD Theatre Network on September 2nd.

Should Coach Joe Gibbs, the owner of Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team, be worried about his superstar driver entering this particular brand of rough and tumble racing? You bet he should.

Busch will make his Traxxas TORC debut on Wednesday and Thursday at the Route 66 Raceway in Joliet-Illinois. He will be driving a Traxxas sponsored Toyota Truck in the series’ Pro 2 division. This division features custom, full size two wheel drive trucks. The Toyota Busch will drive in the pair of races was built by Mark and Mike Jenkins widely regarded as two of the best in the business.

Busch’s venture into short course racing this week is also an opportunity to do some sponsor co branding. Traxxas, “the fastest name in radio control,” is a renown designer and retailer of some of the finest radio control race vehicles in the country. Traxxas recently signed a three race deal to sponsor Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota. The first of the three races will be Friday night at the Chicagoland Speedway.

To prepare for this new racing adventure Busch spent some time last week at the Wisconsin based Crandon International Off Road Raceway where he worked out with Rob MacCachren, the current Pro 2 Series points leader, and Jeff Kincaid, the winner of the most recent TORC Series race.

Busch began his new racing orientation slow and easy at first but, by the end of the day, turned his best lap which was one-tenth of a second from the fastest lap turned in by anyone during the test session. An elated Busch sent a “Twitter” message that read: “was in Cranston-Wisconsin today testing the Traxxas TORC off road truck. What a blast to drive. Got pretty good I guess. As fast as the good guys.”

Team co owner Mike Jenkins was extremely impressed with Busch during the test. “He started the day off with no experience and ended it as an off road racer,” Jenkins said. “He was tip toeing around the first session, getting the feel. He was within three seconds of the fastest lap in his first time out. That’s mind blowing. Its one thing to race on pavement and it’s another to do it off road. All the possible track conditions and he made the transition to off road racer in one day,” Jenkins added.

During a television interview Monday afternoon, Busch commented on his TORC debut and said “I have no real expectations; I think it just going to be a lot of fun.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if he won all three of his scheduled races this week.

Today, Randy LaJoie was reinstated into the sport of NASCAR, after being “suspended indefinitely” by the sanctioning body after a failed drug test during a party Memorial Day Weekend. News of the failed drug test broke on June 22^nd.

Now Randy LaJoie is a good guy and I understand he is sorry for what he has done, but this is an extreme slap on the wrist by NASCAR. This is a sport that has a “no tolerance” when it comes to drug tests and didn’t even want to listen to Shane Hmeil’s nor Jeremy Mayfield’s excuses.

So what makes Randy LaJoie different? I understand he doesn’t drive anymore, but when Mayfield wanted to run his team NASCAR would not let him anywhere near the track. So is that fair to Jeremy Mayfield.

I understand he has been a thorn in the side of NASCAR since his penalty was announced, but why penalize him for caring about his career and putting up a good fight! I haven’t heard anything about letting Mayfield into the sport as an owner and not a driver, but perhaps they should.

This to me is just one of many things NASCAR does to favor other people. LaJoie is a loveable character; I hear him on Sirius NASCAR Radio every other week and see him on television just as much.

Yet, because of that he is allowed to be in the sport! I don’t understand NASCAR’s logic! You can’t take drugs or you will be suspended for a long time, unless of course we like you then we will let you back in after two months!

That sends a real strong message through the garage area let me tell you! The no tolerance policy is a good one. With all the problems NFL and NBA and other sports have with the law, it’s refreshing to see that NASCAR doesn’t have much of that or drug problems.

Carl Long was suspended longer for having his engine 1/16^th of an inch wider than it should have been during an all-star race! I don’t know about you people, but I would rather have my kid measure wrong or forget to double check than take drugs.

This is a terrible move by NASCAR and everyone involved!

During the Bristol Motor Speedway’s Festival of Speed we witnessed a young driver create NASCAR history that had him literally sweeping victory lane. We were entertained by another episode from “Bad Brad” who once again found himself the unwanted center of attention. We also witnessed another free fall by a four time NASCAR champion that has us all wondering what’s going on. With those thoughts in mind, let’s begin with:

HOORAH for Kyle Busch for sweeping all three races at the Bristol Motor Speedway and setting a new NASCAR record that may never be broken anytime soon if at all. There is a small list of drivers who have the distinction of saying they won races in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series at the same track. But in those cases there were long gaps of time between those wins. Kyle Busch toppled that feat in three consecutive races within a period of 72 hours. His accomplishment is indeed NASCAR history.

With that accomplishment came some equally impressive numbers. Busch now has 16 wins this season in NASCAR’s big three national touring series. The breakdown is three wins in the Sprint Cup Series, three in the Camping World Truck Series and he tied his own Nationwide Series record that he shares with Sam Ard, with ten wins. During the Bristol weekend Busch ran a total of 956 laps while leading 514 of them. The paychecks were hefty also. Busch collected a total of $432,001 during the three Bristol events.

***********

But WAZZUP with the drama that surrounded this amazing accomplishment? The attention grabbing drama started during Wednesday night’s O’Reilly 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Busch, in his self owned Toyota, won the pole in qualifying only have to start at the back of the pack due to pre race engine repairs.

But the real drama in this truck race came at the end of the race. Some WAZZUP contact between Justin Lofton and David Starr, with only two laps left in the race, resulted in the Starr truck sliding up the track and into Ken Schrader’s truck. The contact was hard and a red flag was thrown by officials in order to safely perform the track clean up.

The green-white-checker finish that was to come created another dramatic question for Busch to consider: was there enough fuel in the tank to run the overtime laps? The team only made one stop for fuel in the race while gambling there would not be any overtime. The problem lied in the fact that the high banks of Bristol, 24 to 30 degrees, caused all of the fuel to collect to the left side of the tank. Unfortunately the fuel pick up, that feeds the fuel line and pump, is located on the tank’s right side. On the restart Busch admitted that the engine sputtered and he seriously wondered if he would make it to the checkers.

He got incredibly lucky coming into the final lap. Busch crossed under the white flag just as the final accident of the race presented the final caution flag. But even approaching the combined yellow and checkered flags his engine was sputtering. That’s how close he came to losing this race.

***********

Friday night’s Food City 250 also presented some WAZZUP drama as well. With 32 laps remaining, Busch and Brad Keselowski were racing hard for the race lead. Keselowski did a bump and run, which caused Busch to get loose and nudge the wall, and then passed for the lead. An angry Busch hooked him on the left rear quarter panel and turned him. Busch made it quite clear in victory lane that he didn’t appreciate Keselowski racing him that way and made it even more clear that he intentionally “dumped him.”

HOORAH to NASCAR for standing behind their “have it boys” policy established last January. NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said they viewed the incident as “good, hard racing and no action will be taken.”

HOORAH for the reaction that came from this incident. The anticipation that the hard feelings between the two drivers could spill over into Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race led to a last day surge in ticket sales that filled a lot of expected empty seats. Saturday night’s race drew 155,000 fans. Many of them stood in the rain Saturday afternoon to purchase tickets for that night.

That fact did not escape the attention of NASCAR icon Bobby Allison who quipped “I think old Brad and Kyle probably sold some tickets for tonight’s race at the end of last night’s race. There’s nothing more a promoter loves than a good fight, or at least the chance there might be a fight.”

That moment never came during Saturday night’s race. In fact the two drivers used a great deal of common sense and caution whenever they found themselves racing together. But you can bet those 155,000 fans jumped to their feet every time these two drivers approached each other.

Kyle Busch led the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol by leading four times for a total of 283 laps. But WAZZUP with his mind playing tricks on him during the final laps? Busch radioed in and swore that the track bar mount fell off of his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Then he called back again and said it could be a possible flat tire. That was him hearing every little creak and groan from the car while trying to get that Bristol sweep.

Not only did he get the sweep and his third Sprint Cup win of the season, but he also moved to third in the points standings. All Busch had to do is just start the next two races and he will clinch a guaranteed spot in the Chase. Then again, the way he’s running he will probably sew up the Chase berth at the Atlanta race.

HOORAH to Bristol Motor Speedway officials for presenting Busch an official broom in victory lane. A delighted race winner was only too happy to symbolically sweep the Bristol victory lane.

**********

HOORAH for some great one liners from some of the drivers during the driver introductions prior to the Sprint Cup Irwin Tools Night Race. The drivers were introduced to the fans backed by musical selections they picked out and were allowed to say a few words over the microphone.

When Kyle Busch was introduced he was presented with a giant bushel basket of freshly picked boo berries from the fans. The “Rowdy” one, who seems to revel in these moments, laughed and said “Y’all are so loving, I’m ready to win again.”

His Friday night rival said “I’m Brad Keselowski, driver of the #12 Penske Dodge-Kyle Busch is an ass.” Needless to say, that announcement was greeted with a standing ovation.

Driver A J Allmendinger said “I just hope I’m ahead of Kyle and Brad when this all goes down tonight.”

Tony Stewart responded by saying “I do want to be around Brad and Kyle when they get together because I want to see a good wreck.”

Carl Edwards, who’s past problems with Keselowski has been very well documented, walked out on to the stage to the refrains of “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the old classic by War from 1975.

HOORAH to the 155,000 Bristol Motor Speedway fans who stood and cheered after Kyle Busch completed the Bristol sweep. Many of them are not Kyle Busch fans, and never will be, but they truly respected his NASCAR history making moment.

Busch himself deserves another HOORAH for a typically sarcastic, but very funny, comment made during the traditional winner’s post race press conference. A reporter asked him about Brad. Busch replied “who?” The reporter said “Brad Keselowski” and Busch replied “I’ve never heard of him.” The reporter countered with “he drives the red #12 Dodge.” Busch responded with “oh yeah, I seen him then I passed him.”

**********

The Bristol Motor Speedway, with its progressive banking and concrete surface, can easily bring out the best and the worst of any driver. It will also run them through every human emotion you can name in between. The following is just a few examples.

HOORAH to Miguel Paludo, the Brazilian sports car champion who made his NASCAR debut last Wednesday in the Camping World Truck Series. Many racing observers said that Paludo and his team owners, the Germain Brothers, were completely nuts for staging a NASCAR debut at the Bristol Motor Speedway. However Paludo responded to the Bristol challenge and finished an amazing ninth and on the lead lap. Now those same critics are wondering if the Germain Brothers have landed something very special

HOORAH to Michael Waltrip Racing’s David Reutimann for a strong second place finish in the Bristol Sprint Cup race despite spending two days in bed while suffering horribly from food poisoning.

HOORAH to Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer who turned a 24th place starting berth into a fourth place finish in the Irwin Tools Night Race. More importantly, the good points night has returned Bowyer to the top 12 in points with a 100 point cushion over Jamie McMurray in 13th.

HOORAH to Jeff Gordon and the #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team for officially clinching his berth in the Chase line up at Bristol. That’s the good news. The WAZZUP lies in the fact that the four time NASCAR champion, and multiple Bristol race winner, just couldn’t seem to get a handle on his car’s set up. He started 26th in the race due to a spin out in qualifying but did manage to claim an 11th place finish. It was, surprisingly, the best run of the four Hendrick cars.

Speaking of Hendrick teams, WAZZUP with Jimmie Johnson and the continuation of the #48 team’s downward spiral? Midway through the race Johnson was hooked and turned by Juan Pablo Montoya into the wall. A split oil cooler forced Johnson behind the wall. Even worse, the latest round of bad luck has dropped the four time champion to ninth in the points, The good news is the fact that he’s still 257 points ahead of 13th place in the standings and his five previous wins, along with the 50 bonus that comes with them, will return him to the top of the ranking when NASCAR resets the points for the 12 Chase contenders. But the point that cannot be overlooked here is the fact that this powerhouse team hasn’t scored a top ten finish in the last seven races and everyone is wondering why that is.

Dale Earnhardt Jr gets a HOORAH for keeping his #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the top ten for much of the Bristol race although he faded to a 13th place finish by the end. But, for the kind of season this team is having, a 13th place finish has got to feel pretty good. Maybe the fact that Junior shaved his beard last weekend had something to do with it.

But WAZZUP with frustration and temperament again disrupting Earnhardt’s communication levels with crew chief Lance McGrew? During Friday’s final practice session Earnhardt came over the radio and yelled “this car is crap.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly tell the crew chief that the car is so tight he’s having trouble driving it. It actually doesn’t tell anyone much of anything. More and more this level of communication is becoming a real problem between Earnhardt and McGrew and could turn out to the the catalyst for a parting of the ways.

WAZZUP with more bad luck for the Sprint Cup Series’ other five time winner? Denny Hamlin had to take his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota behind the wall for a reported bad vibration. It turned out that the problem was a snapped drive shaft which is a rarity in this day and age. Hamlin finished 34th in the race but still remains fifth in the Chase standings.

WAZZUP with Mark Martin and the mediocre performance of his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet? Many felt that Bristol might be a positive turning point for Martin and company because he has such strong numbers there. But the car didn’t seem to ever hit it’s stride and all the adjustments in the world couldn’t seem to make it right. Martin finished 23d and unfortunately fell from 12th to 14th in the Chase standings. He’s now 101 points from returning to the top 12. But, with only two regular season races left before the Chase begins, it appears that his championship hopes may be over.

************

There were also a couple of bizarre WAZZUPS from Friday night’s Food City 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race as well. The first one absolutely goes to that wild ride Kasey Kahne took on lap 82 in his #38 Braun Racing Toyota. Contact between Trevor Bayne and Justin Allgaier collected Kahne. The car went up on its side with his right side tires above the wall while his left side tires transported the car down the straightaway and into the turn. The entire scene resembled the old Joey Chitwood Thrill Show from days gone by. In a post wreck interview Kahne was diplomatic and said the wild was no big deal and he’s been in worse situations.

Another WAZZUP goes to Mike Wallace, and his #01 J Davis Motorsports, due to some unbelievable bad luck at Bristol. It started on Saturday morning prior to qualifying when the Wallace car was pulled from the line. NASCAR’s policy is to place a team on a five minute time clock and if they fail to return to the qualifying line in the allotted time then they are officially listed as a DNQ-did not qualify. Fortunately for Wallace his team is within the top 30 in owner’s points so he was placed at the end of the field, 42nd position, for Friday night’s race. The bizarre part here is the fact that the car was pulled from the line because they could not get their window safety net to fasten.

His appearance in the Food City 250 was equally frustrating. With only 24 laps remaining in the race, Wallace checked up to avoid to two car accident in front of him and then was collected by the very fast Clint Bowyer who was leading the race at the time. Wallace had to settle for a disappointing 31st place finish and probably couldn’t wait to get home.

***********

The final HOORAH goes to a collection of fun race fans who were captured live by the SPEED Channel cameras. These guys were camping in the Bristol infield complete with a large inflatable swimming pool. Right in the middle of the pool was a fiery hibachi BBQ grill cooking dinner. That probably wasn’t a good idea and it was likely a Budweiser moment but they were seriously having fun at the Bristol Motor Speedway.