California Dreamin'

Coming out of Turn 4...

Congratulations to Matty for the clean sweep at California. I didn't get to watch much of the Busch race. I was busy trying to get all that laundry done I put off last week. I mean after all last weekend was Daytona weekend.--priorities people! Of what I saw, Matt dominated once he got the lead. I wasn't all that excited about watching the race today. Not bad for someone who is without their crew chief. Once again way to go Matty!I am not a fan of the California races. I know NASCAR needs to expand their fan base, but sometimes I feel some of the celebrities that come out for these races don't get NASCAR. How many times do I have to watch some reporter ask some celebrity the following question--do you follow NASCAR? It pains me to watch the celebrities struggle to answer the question. Who freakin' cares? Sorry, but get with the celebrities we are interested in--the drivers. Now on to the race...let's see what I can remember from the race since I didn't find it all that exciting except towards the end. Jeff Gordon lead the field as the green flag was thrown by Hall Fame quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and co-owner of the #96 DLP car, Troy Aikman. This was the first race unleaded fuel was used at the Cup level. Did this have some effect on the engines of Truex, Kahne, Earnhardt, and Blaney?

I wanted to see Tony come back from last week's disappointment of 43rd in the Daytona 500. His running today was definitely better than last week's. He did receive a speeding penalty again. He was able to work his way through the field last week to lead the pack. But this is California. Working your way through the field is a little bit more challenging for the driver and his car. Throughout the race Zippy and the boys gave Tony a good car. Tony finished 8th. Good Job Tony!

I have to give the "Tough Guy" Award to David Reutiman in the #00 car. That was a vicious hit. Of course we were able to get on board with David as he went through his crash. I have to say OUCH!!! Some times the on-board cameras don't always survive the crashes, however this wasn't the case this time. We were able to see what it was like in the car during the crash and after the car came to a stop. David was able to walk away from the crash thanks to all the safety features.

With this last race crash, it looked like it was going to be another shoot out for the checkers. Matt was in first with the 2007 Daytona 500 winner right behind him. Prior to the crash, Kevin was bearing down on Matt. Of course we will never know if Kevin would have overtaken Matt. Kevin had a left front tire go down and had to pit just as the green flag dropped for the final laps of the race. Jeff Burton was in position to possibly catch Matt for the lead, however he spun his tires after the restart. I was just hoping this race didn't end like the Truck race on Friday night. And speaking of Mark Martin...how 'bout that Crazy Old Man? He finished 2nd last week at Daytona and 5th this week plus he is leading the points standing. Not bad for someone who is running a part time schedule! I have seen quite a few interviews given by Mark Martin and I have to say what a class act he is. Here's my question...if he is leading the standings when he gets to Bristol, the first race he is not running, will he race? That's a question you know everyone will be asking.

The "WTF Were You Thinkin?'" Award goes to Michael Waltrip. I saw him with this hat during some of the pre-race coverage and I have to wonder what he was thinking. I know he wants to be taken seriously as a driver and car owner, but I have a hard taking him seriously when I see things like this. (See Picture At Right)

I have to say on a personal note...I haven't been visiting everyone's sites as I like to. There are some things going on at my end of the world that I am in the middle of that require quite a bit of attention. I am trying to juggle everything and feel a little overwhelmed at times. The Park has kept me on track and so if I don't get to comment on your postings I apologize. I have been reading them and you guys have posted some interesting thoughts and ideas. In fact some of them make me laugh out loud at times. Thank you. Hopefully, things will settle down here in the next few weeks and I will be able to get back to commenting and saying hello. Hey...Ms. H....I am so excited about your new digs. If I was there I would help you move things from the old abode to the new. Thanks for being there for me!

The Cup boys are taking next weekend off and the Busch boys are headed South of the Border.

Have a great week everyone!