Texas Slowdown

The race in Texas started later in the afternoon, so I decided to go out and get a climb over Paris Mountain in before the green flag dropped. I think I started a little too quickly after eating two pieces of parmesan chicken, roasted vegetables, a large bowl of fruit, and a helping of homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream. It was an awesome lunch, but I regretted it about time I started the climb up Paris!

I made it up in 13' 39". If I can just average 10.5 mph up th entire climb, I should be able to break the 12' 30" time. I made it up the first half at 10.4 and then soon afterwards moved up to 10.7. Unfortunately, in the last third of the climb things slowed down and I finished averaging around 9.8 for the 2.2 miles. Still, my goal is to keep it under 14' every time, so I'm happy with that.

As for the race... I became a huge Matt Kenseth fan there in the final laps of the race. I wanted him to beat Jimmie Johnson so badly! If Jimmie finished in second, his lead over Gordon would be 15 points. If he won, his lead would be 30.

I'm not the kind of NASCAR fan that enjoys the wrecks. I like for the wins to be straight up and not due to someone getting in the wall. However, last night I found myself willing Johnson's car to brush up against Kenseth's. Not enough to crash him out, mind you, but enough to give him some tire rub or hurt his alignment.

Oh well, we have two more races to go. I'd like to think that Gordon can come back, but I'm afraid Jimmie is on one of his rolls. He is going to be very hard to stop.

What a mess

The bad news is that BBuck beat me yesterday. The good news is that it didn't matter. I could lose the next three races and I would still win the NASCAR fantasy league championship.

There's more bad news. Jimmie Johnson won the Atlanta race. The good news is that Jeff Gordon is still holding the points lead if it is only by the slimmest of margins.

It was a wacky race and I even found myself sorry for June Bug. If his engines aren't blowing up, his wheels are falling off - literally. His accident yesterday was pretty vicious!

Where did Gordon come from?

I had a funny feeling that the Talladega race was going to be kind of a sleeper for the first half. I didn't get around to seeing the race until the drivers passed the halfway point. It almost appeared to be the same line up as the start of the race.

It was odd to see Gordon, Johnson, and Mears back toward the very back. Not having seen the first half, my initial concern was that they had gotten caught up in an accident. The more I watched at that point, the more I realized they must have made the decision to go to rear and wait for the end of the race.

I made the decision not to. It was beautiful day. So, I hoped on my bike to do a home, over Piney, over Paris and back ride. I figured I would get back in time to see some of the laps before heading over to my church for the evening service.

The ride was okay, though I started having something major happen to my bike. It was as though the front dérailleur was dragging on the chain. There was something making a racket and my crank didn't seem to be turning smoothly.

Anyway, I made it back just to find that Gordon and Johnson were still in the same place. After a shower we loaded up the family and headed to church. On the way, I tuned into the race. Gordon got penalized and had a pass through penalty. I thought he might as well hang it up. Then there was a caution immediately and Gordon got the "lucky dog". When I went into the service, he was in last place on the track.

When I came out, Gordon was the winner! I was glad I recorded it. I got home and brought up the recording. NO! I had accidentally recorded the Weather Channel! I had to settle for watching the replays on SPEED.

This means that I have a four race lead now on BBuck. Super_D beat him today! I won against A_Junior_Fan. It is going to be pretty tough for BBuck to get past me, but I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch!

I survived

Actually, I should say the drivers of my fantasy league survived. Last night's race in Kansas was better than I expected. It took a long time to get it done due to a rain delay, but when the racing was on, it was good.

Jeff Gordon got caught in about 20th place when the officials shortened the race by about 10 laps. He really poured it on and finished with a top five. Had they gone the distance, I think he would have done even better.

Kyle Busch got spun out by next year's driver for the the 5 (will be 88) car. They replaced the whole front hood - even had Tony the Tiger on it. He hung with the field and managed to come home 41.

Denny Hamlin had several issues on the track. Finally he was taken up in an accident that I thought would put him out of the race. He came back to finish two laps down in 29th.

Thankfully, Hamlin's accident was caused by Jamie McMurray. He finished one lap down in 24th. DraftingWithYates other drivers also had trouble. Matt Kenseth got caught in "the big one" and having lead 49 laps, finished 35th. Jeff Burton also had his hood shoved up followed Kenseth on the finishing list in 36th.

My win over DraftingWithYates allowed me to stay ahead of BBuck who was racing against the give me team. I hate to say it, but I was so glad to see Tony Stewart spin out. He was a danger out there with that tire rub. I'm sure he'll whine and complain that Kurt Busch "ran all over him." But the way I see it, the tire rub put him in that position and a slower car trying to run with fast ones will end up getting run over.

Anyway, next week will be very interesting. The Car of Tomorrow at Talladega. It is going to be scary for me. I go up against A_Junior_Fan: Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Martin Truex. BBuck goes up against Super_D. I'd like to see Super_D take him, but the chances are that I will drop one to BBuck next week.

The Chase is on!

The Dover race of yesterday was a much better race than last weeks. Not only that but the Chase has turned exciting in a big way. Look at the breakdown of the points between the leader, Jeff Gordon, and places 2 - 4. Only one position in the top ten on the race track separates them.

RANK	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND
1	Jeff Gordon	5340	Leader
2	Tony Stewart	5338	-2
3	Carl Edwards	5337	-3
4	Jimmie Johnson	5336	-4

Unfortunately, while it was a good day because Gordon held onto the lead, it was a bad day because I got beat by BBuck. I now have 22 wins to his 19. I've got to win four of the next eight races in order to take the league. I should face the give me team two more times, so that leaves me with the needing to win two contested races.

Next week in Kansas I go up against DraftingWithYates. He has three solid drivers in Kenseth, McMurray, and Jeff Burton. Burton and Kenseth are Chase drivers. My team will have to have an on day to get the win. BBuck goes up against thewildcard. So, he is pretty much assured a win. We'll find out next week!

88

Well, at least they made it work out for the people with Dale Earnhardt's number 8 tattooed on their bodies. It was announced yesterday that Dale Jr. will be driving Mountain Dew and National Guard cars next year. Actually, it is Mountain Dew Amp Energy drink that is on the hood.

Honestly, I don't think I have ever heard of it. I have tried Vault - the Coke product. Well, I've heard of it now and with Junior being the spokesman, I bet I'll be hearing a lot more about it! I guess I'll have to go out there and give it a try.

My question now is, what is Casey going to drive? His primary car sponsor was National Guard. I haven't done much searching on that question. I'm sure Hendrick has somebody waiting to put their name on a HMS car.

The 88... Hmmmmm, For all you do, this Amp's for you... This is Amp, this is energy drink...

Gordon moves back toward the front

Yesterday's race in New Hampshire turned out pretty well for me. At first I thought Gordon might lose ground in the Chase. He seemed to be struggling and Boyer was just checking out. Worse, Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart seemed to be right behind Boyer in ability.

Thankfully, the 24 team turned things around and while Boyer was still the class of the field, Gordon did what he had to do to finish in front of Stewart and Johnson. This means that Jeff has now moved into a tie for first place with Johnson and maintains his lead over the 20 car.

Hamlin struggled some to end up with a 15 place finish. However, with Gordon coming home 2nd and Kyle Busch making a good finish in 4th place, I was able to move ahead by one race in the fantasy league! BBuck lost to A_Junior_Fan. With only 9 races to go, that starts to work in my favor.

Getting ready for the Chase

Well, we've made it to the Chase for the Championship. Looks like Johnson gets to move into the lead of points even though Jeff Gordon was hundreds of points ahead and Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin were ahead of him in points. It was the new rule that gives bonus points for wins that made it happen.

As for the fantasy league, it isn't affected by the points change. It continues to work on the same points structure. I was glad to come out of Richmond with a win. You never know what is going to happen on a short track. I held off Super_D 428 to 405. Earlier I was blowing him away, but by the end of the race, I was biting my nails.

BBuck continues to keep pace. It looked like he was going to get beat about midway through the race. DraftingWithYates was nearly 100 points ahead at that time, but Tony made his move and BBuck ended up winning 363 to 279.

Of course, A_Junior_Fan had not problem on the night because he was up against thewildcard. The team was third in points for the night with 401. Johnson really made the difference for him.

BBuck is only 3 races back. We have 10 more to go! This reminds me so much of last year when I came into the final weeks with a lead. I was feeling pretty confident and then, BAM, BBuck took the lead to win the league. Here's hoping history doesn't repeat itself!

A pleasant surprise

I was watching the Sharpie 500 last night and didn't check my fantasy points except very early in the race. Hamlin went out real early and Busch (Kyle) was basically no where to be seen. Gordon was coming and going to the front and I really thought he might find his way into a top ten. That was before everything started going away on the car and he had his rear end wiped off by Michael Waltrip.

In the end, Gordon finished 19th or 20th. Hamlin had a DNF over 200 laps back. Kyle, the invisible man, ended up pulling off a top ten. I figured I was toast and that BBuck had picked up another race on me. Well, that wasn't the case! This morning I checked the scoring and I won against Draftingwithyates. Super_D scored the most points (Kurt Busch, Clint Boyer, and Ryan Newman) and beat A_Junior_Fan. BBuck stays close with an easy win against the wild card team.

Only a couple races left to the chase. I hope Gordon is able to get through this bad luck and maybe get a win. California is a mixed bag for him. We'll see how he does. A win sure would help when it comes time for setting up the chase order.

As for cycling...

I did ride today. I put in 30 miles just going from my house to Cleveland and riding around. I tried to find some new routes and ended up getting lost in Nicholtown. I wound up over at Greenville Tech! It was actually kind of fun to be exploring. However, the neighborhood isn't the kind of place a white guy in tights wants to get caught!

Another embarrassing thing was that as I was getting ready to set out, I was adjusting my Garmin. The handle bars swung suddenly to the left. When the wheel got perpendicular to the frame, the front wheel rolled and I got slammed down to the ground on my left side. I got a small, annoying cut in my hand that stings when sweat gets in it and a bruise on my left hip. Bike is okay -- it was my pride that got hurt more than anything. I'm not even sure anyone saw it happen.

My plan is to ride tomorrow and Tuesday. Wednesday I'll take off. Thursday I'll have to do some spinning because I have meetings that will keep me from getting out for a long ride. Friday I'll take off. Saturday I'll do my normal Sunshine Cycle Shop ride and then Sunday will be the P3.

I hope they will change the time for the P3 in the future. I won't participate again if they have the ride on Sunday. The funny thing is, I signed up this year thinking it would be like in the past (a Saturday ride). I didn't even think that September 2 would be a Sunday. It wasn't until I had signed up and started my fundraising that I realized that date was Sunday.

It is a great cause, but I'll have to find another fundraising ride that does not violate my conscience in the future.

Things are coming to a Head

Tomorrow morning Kirk, Brian, Chris, and myself will start out for Caesars Head from Cleveland Park. The ride will be about 71 miles. I'm going to be loaded up with plenty of carbs, calories, and water. Here's hoping the weather will be kind.

There are a couple of "maybes" signed up, but I really don't expect there to be anyone else joining us. Chris is going to have to turn around about an hour into the ride, so it will only be three of us going all the way.

It should be about 73 degrees when we leave. It will be getting close to 90 degrees by the time we get home. The key will be not trying to push things. There is no need to be in a hurry.

I know someone who was in a hurry today, Jeff Gordon! He took the pole in Michigan. I'm going to run Gordon (1), Kyle Busch (6), and Hamlin (8). It's going to be a showdown since I'll be going up against BBuck. If I win, I gain. If I lose, he gains. At least, he'll have to come from behind with his drivers Edwards (13), Harvick (28), and Stewart (35). Of course, as they say, that's why they do the races.

Fantasy league update

Before I walked into church tonight, Gordon was leading at Watkins Glen as the red flag was lifted and the race was restarting for the final laps. Gordon + road course * 10 laps = victory. When I walked out of church I learned that Gordon lost and to make matters worse, Stewart won. I didn't know exactly what happened until I got home and then it was REALLY bad. Gordon spun out with two laps to go while he was in the lead!

He still managed a top ten and I bet he is kicking himself big time. Hamlin also finished up in second. So, with Mears getting a top 20 finish, I was able to rack up 436 points to give me the highest point total for the race (wasted on thewildcard - 34 points). BBuck held on to second place with a 35 point win. Super_D added another solid win over DraftingWithYates, but he is still in last place four races behind DraftingWithYates.

From two wheels to four

The Tour De France finished up yesterday with the almost boring ride into Paris. With only 31 seconds separating third from first, you kind of hoped there would be some run for time bonuses. Oh, well, TRADITION!

The NASCAR boys were back in action after a week off. They ran in the tradition rich confines of the the Brickyard. I didn't get to see the end of the race, but I was glad to see Gordon came home in third. He continues to add to his points lead - and I keep adding to my lead in the fantasy league!

Team	Pts		Pts	Team
paitracing	320	vs.	239	A_Junior_Fan
BBuck	455	vs.	291	Super_D
thewildcard	188	vs.	399	DraftingWithYates

I still maintain six race lead over BBuck. DraftingWithYates has moved into a tie for second place with BBuck. Both of those teams have really started coming on toward the end of the season.

Tale of two races

That was some finish -- that is a true statement whether you are talking about the Pepsi 400 or the first stage of the Tour De France. Saturday's NASCAR race was weird. It was certainly not your typical restrictor plate race. Actually, I liked it. As for the Tour riding through the English countryside, it was great with Robbie McEwen coming from nowhere - from the back of the pack after going over the handlebars during a wreck - to blow everyone away on a final sprint. Wow!

Team	Pts		Pts	Team
paitracing	374	vs.	275	BBuck
thewildcard	76	vs.	447	Super_D
DraftingWithYates	447	vs.	313	A_Junior_Fan

I really thought I was a goner when Stewart and Hamlin got mixed up. Stewart got out earlier than Hamlin and I was afraid his few laps would be the difference. Thankfully, I was wrong. Harvick had troubles and Shrub kept it off the wall. Gordon just did what Gordon does and I got the win.

Team	W	L	T
paitracing	15	2	0
A_Junior_Fan	10	7	0
BBuck	10	7	0
DraftingWithYates	10	7	0
Super_D	5	12	0
thewildcard	1	16	0

DraftingWithYates is starting to move up the field. There is now a three way tie for second place. He has really turned things around. It didn't hurt that he has the winning driver on his team.

Watching the Tour made me miss being on my bike. What fun it would be to ride through the English countryside. I'll tell you though, those roads were pretty narrow! Today they cross the channel and will ride a pretty flat stage. The sprinters will rule again, though the winners of these stages will most likely not be the ones who will contend for the final podium. It's the mountains boys that will decide the winner.

Cabin fever

I've been in my house since Tuesday. I've been limited on what I'm allowed to do until next Tuesday. Today I was feeling pretty good and thought I would do some work around the house. That idea stopped when I tried to pick up a not so large item.

I'm ready to get out though. I'm a home body, but it is starting to get to me. No riding - nothing - I'm getting tired of it.

I'll miss the Sunshine Cycle Shop ride tomorrow morning. Though, I did have fun watching the rained out qualifying for the Pepsi 400 tomorrow. It is great to Gordon up front, but I really feel sorry for those guys that worked so hard to qualify up front to get in on time.

This weekend could be interesting. I'm going up against BBuck this time. He is running pretty hot here lately. So, this is how we line up (1) Jeff Gordon, (2) Denny Hamlin, (6) Tony Stewart, (7) Carl Edwards, (8) Kevin Harvick, and (11) Kyle Busch. Good thing I have five race lead! Of course, last year I was leading most of the season and then BBuck came from nowhere to beat me...

NASCAR isn't the only racing tomorrow. Don't forget about the Tour de France! I'll be watching that tomorrow morning to see how the Discovery boys do. I'm glad Levi is with us this year - though I wish he could still be a Specialized rider. I liked him because he's got my hairline and rode the big S. At least he still has my hair line!

Quick update before I go play with the kids

I just had to post after the come back that Gordon pulled off yesterday. Had a couple more cars had fuel problems and he would have come even closer to pulling off an improbably win. Of course, we'll know more tomorrow what the results will be of the infractions of this weekend. I have a feeling he is going to need all the points he can get!

Team	Pts		Pts	Team
paitracing	427	vs.	360	Super_D
BBuck	439	vs.	347	DraftingWithYates
A_Junior_Fan	332	vs.	95	thewildcard

It was also kind of fun to listen to the race while driving to my parents for vacation. I had to be careful though because when you start getting caught up in the race you have the temptation to put the pedal down! Good news is I didn't get a ticket and I maintained my lead on the fantasy field.

Team	W	L	T
paitracing	14	2	0
A_Junior_Fan	10	6	0
BBuck	10	6	0
DraftingWithYates	9	7	0
Super_D	4	12	0
thewildcard	1	15	0

I'm also looking forward to getting a lot of miles in this week. This morning I did 50 miles. I averaged 19.4 mph for the ride. I managed to maintain a 20 mph average up until 40 miles and then I just started slowing down. It is a lot different riding here. You don't get any opportunities to coast. You just pedal, pedal, and pedal.

It is also hot and humid (it is low altitude with swamps all around). I stopped every 5 miles to tank up with fluids to keep from bonking. As it turned out, it worked. I'm sitting here now just a little tired but my legs feel really good and I think I'll be ready to put some more in tomorrow.

What's Up?

Ride for Mike

We are up to $2545 in funds raised for my Ride for Mike fight against cancer ride. The last donation was annonymous for $250! Thank you to whoever it was that did that.

NASCAR

Things ain't looking good for me on Sunday. I guess that is just as well. I won't be able to watch the race because I'll be driving on I-95 (which is about like Daytona). Still, I don't like the thought of losing two weeks in a row. The gap could close this weekend.

Why is that? Well, with Gordon and Johnson getting put to the rear of the field due to some inappropriate modifications to their cars and my best driver in the group (Kyle Busch) starting in 24th place -- things don't look to good. You might get away with it at a super speedway, but Sonoma? Don't think so.

At least Gordon named his daughter something normal. Ella Sophia is a very pretty name. Better than what Tiger Woods named his little bundle of joy: Sam Alexis - not Samantha Alexis, just Sam.

Computer problems

Thanks to my wife for letting my use her computer. My Mac's harddrive bit the dust today. The worse thing is that I am leaving tomorrow to spend the week at my parents. I love them and I can't wait to go -- but they are in the sticks! I mean there isn't much at all there and my cell phone is on constant roaming. I'll have to pack in all the technical stuff I'll need. I've ordered a new harddrive and will have it delivered there.

Cycling

I'll be taking my bike with me. It will be a big change to go from the hills of Greenville to the flats of the swamps of southeastern North Carolina. I'm also having my new cycling computer to my parent's house. I should be able to do some max heart rate testing there where I can do some good sustained rides.

I'll say though, I have a ways to go. Today, I did the same 35 mile ride that I did on Thursday. Paris Mountain is still kicking my posterior. Part of it is because I can't get into the last three rings of my rear cassette without my chain slipping. I either slip and lose momentum or I have to go harder and wear myself down. I just can't seem to make progress.

Well, that is what is up. Not sure I'll give many updates over the next week. I can get a dialup (about 21 kbs), but it can be a real pain.

My heart wasn't in it.

NASCAR ran today in Michigan. Before the race, I checked to see who I would be up against in the fantasy league. Ironically, it was Mike's team. I certainly didn't have the desire to see my team win today. Sure enough, I lost - and I don't mind at all.

Team	Pts		Pts	Team
Super_D	260	vs.	511	BBuck
A_Junior_Fan	446	vs.	419	paitracing
DraftingWithYates	177	vs.	73	thewildcard

We'll keep Mike's team for the rest of the year. I have been running his team anyway since he got too sick to deal with it. I'll tell you, with Truex starting to come on it is a formidable team -- Truex, Johnson, and Earnhardt (today Mark Martin - no slouch - was on the bench).

Here is how the fantasy league stacks up right now:

Team	W	L	T
paitracing	13	2	0
A_Junior_Fan	9	6	0
DraftingWithYates	9	6	0
BBuck	9	6	0
Super_D	4	11	0
thewildcard	1	14	0

Of course, the big winner for today was BBuck! I know Carl Edwards was glad to get a win - probably not more than his crew member...

He then gleefully took a pair of scissors to team member Tom Giacchi's shaggy beard, clipping off a chunk of hair that had been growing since the two vowed in late 2005 that Giacchi wouldn't shave until Edwards' next win.

That was quite a beard!

My mind has been on the funeral that will take place tomorrow. There was a memorial service tonight in Apex, NC for Mike. I'll be leaving in the morning to attend the funeral service at the church there. The family will then take Mike's body to Tennessee where they will have a service and burial.

Better to be lucky AND good

It took them about six hours to get half of the Pocono race done. That was quite the call by Steve Letarte, but had the race continued for even half a lap more it might have been another story. They say it is better to be lucky than good. Well, tonight the 24 team proved it is better to be lucky AND good!

paitracing	492	vs.	338	DraftingWithYates
BBuck	416	vs.	182	thewildcard
A_Junior_Fan	334	vs.	390	Super_D

I felt bad because I was thinking that I had made a good change for Mike's team (A_Junior_Fan) when I benched Mark Martin and put Martin Truex on the track. It would have worked only the person you didn't expect to mess up did - Jimmie Johnson.

So, here is how things stand in our fantasy league:

Team	W	L	T
#1 paitracing	13	1	0
#5 A_Junior_Fan	8	6	0
#6 DraftingWithYates	8	6	0
#3 BBuck	8	6	0
#2 Super_D	4	10	0
#4 thewildcard	1	13	0

Tomorrow, the focus turns to the Assault on Marion. Part of me wishes I had gone ahead and purchaed a number for Mitchell. Still, prudence is probably the best course at the this juncture. I can wait another year and just stick to my original plan. I'll tell you though, just going to Marion is going to be anti-climatic.

Dover's Done

Dover went down today while I was at work. I got to see the start while at home for lunch, but was only able to check the scoring sporadically this afternoon. I checked just before going into a meeting and I was getting destroyed in my fantasy league. BBuck had over 400 points and I was just around 300.

Super_D	297	vs.	189	thewildcard
BBuck	316	vs.	410	paitracing
DraftingWithYates	432	vs.	361	A_Junior_Fan

When I came out of the meeting, the score had flip-flopped. I still didn't know what caused the flip. Actually, at the time I'm typing this, I don't really know what happened in the race. I know that Martin Truex won, but not sure why Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick ended up falling back.

Gordon must have had some trouble as well -- but not too much trouble. With a nineth place finish, he maintained his point lead over Jimmie Johnson. So much for the Hendrick COT dominance. Still, the Paitracing lead continues!

#1 paitracing	12	1	0
#5 A_Junior_Fan	8	5	0
#6 DraftingWithYates	8	5	0
#3 BBuck	7	6	0
#2 Super_D	3	10	0
#4 thewildcard	1	12	0

That was close!

I was starting to think that Kyle Petty was going to beat me all by himself! Not that I would mind that much. I like Kyle. On the other hand, since he didn't beat me, I was happy to see Mr. Mears get his first NASCAR win. He is one of my fantasy team members, but he spends most races on the bench. I'm starting to think he will take Shrub's place next week!

Super_D	178	vs.	257	DraftingWithYates
thewildcard	250	vs.	261	paitracing
A_Junior_Fan	421	vs.	378	BBuck

At least I am maintaining my lead on the field. Thank you Hendrick Motorsports!

Fantasy league update

Now I'm really wishing I had gone to the race today! What an ending! I was driving down the road right by the 164 exit to Darlington when the race ended. I just knew Gordon was going to blow that engine. But no, spewing steam, he claimed his 7th Darlington win and increased his lead on the field.

paitracing	422	vs.	397	Super_D
thewildcard	167	vs.	433	A_Junior_Fan
DraftingWithYates	403	vs.	422	BBuck

Today was also good for my fantasy league team. Getting Hamlin was one of the best things I've done. Don't talk to me about Shrub!

Hope they have fun in Darlington...

I was SO excited about the race last night. It took me just around an hour and a half to get near the track and then another thirty minutes of waiting in traffic to find a parking place. The weather had been just fine all the way down. However, as soon as I started to drive by the track, the rain started.

The rain didn't stop. The view you see in the picture below is the view I saw the most at the "race." It rained and rained. I was at the track by 4:30 P.M. and left at 8:30 P.M. It rained the whole time.



The most interesting thing that happened was watching all the cars get stuck in the mud of the "parking lot" (a grass covered field). There were guys in 4x4's pulling people through the slick mud and in some cases I saw guys pushing cars out. They were covered with mud from the spinning tires.

Oh, well, I'll get another chance sometime. Today is Mothers' Day and I plan to spend it with my mother. I won't be going to the race. I'll catch some of it on TV. Some things are more important than NASCAR.

Bicycles and racecars

Today I am in North Carolina with my parents. I'm here for Mothers' Day as well as to attend the race in Darlington tonight. The place were I grew up is just a little over the SC/NC border, so it is a short drive down I-95 to the Track to Tough to Tame -- or The Lady in Black. I'm pretty excited about going.

I'm also excited because I am already up to $780 in pledges for the Ride for Mike 2007! I'll update the number on the site once I get back to highspeed access. This dial up business is for the birds!

Well, I'm going off line to enjoy the time here with my family and then I'll be heading to Darlington for a COT race under the lights!

PaitRacing domination continues

Well, the Hendrick strangle-hold on the COT races continues. Jimmie Johnson pulled off the win with Kyle Busch right behind. One more place back was Jeff Gordon.

All in all, it was a good day for me in my fantasy league. I've moved to 9 and 1 putting space between me and Mike. With next weeks' race being a COT race, things might even get better.

#1 paitracing	515	vs.	431	#5 A_Junior_Fan
#3 BBuck	425	vs.	397	#2 Super_D
#4 thewildcard	210	vs.	279	#6 DraftingWithYates

Here are the league standings this morning:

#1 paitracing	9	1	0	W6
#5 A_Junior_Fan	6	4	0	L2
#6 DraftingWithYates	6	4	0	W1
#3 BBuck	6	4	0	W2
#2 Super_D	2	8	0	L1
#4 thewildcard	1	9	0	L2

Next Saturday night, I'll be at Darlington!

The fantasy league is still operational

Readers of StackOfStuff may recall the NASCAR fantasy league that some friends and I started last year. Well, we're at it again this year and I'm having a great year! I'll start keeping track of the league again here.

One sad thing is that Mike McCaskill is still a member of the league but is unable to participate because of his battle with the brain tumor. I'm managing it for him this season. We're thinking of you Mike during the race!

Here are the points from Sunday's race:

#2 Super_D	431	vs.	326	#5 A_Junior_Fan
#3 BBuck	271	vs.	213	#4 thewildcard
#6 DraftingWithYates	273	vs.	372	#1 paitracing

This means that the current standings for the year are:

#1 paitracing	8	1	0	W5
#5 A_Junior_Fan	6	3	0	L1
#6 DraftingWithYates	5	4	0	L2
#3 BBuck	5	4	0	W1
#2 Super_D	2	7	0	W1
#4 thewildcard	1	8	0	L1

Jeff Gordon is on the move. This could finally be the year for his "Drive for five." Still, it is very early in the season. Anything could happen...