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  • PattyKay Lilley
    • PattyKay Lilley ~ 2020 >
      • Quotes from NASCAR's Earlier Days
      • Marty Robbins ~ NASCAR Balladeer ~ 2020 Reprise
      • The Question Is Not About Lug Nuts
      • A Change Is Recommended
      • I Remember You ~ 2020 Reprise
      • In Loving Memory of Neil Bonnett ~ 2020
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day ~ 2020 Reprise
      • Its Almost Daytona
      • Looking Back on the Beginning of The Chase
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Let’s talk about “Smokey” Again
    • PattyKay Lilley 2019 >
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2019
      • Saying Goodbye to 2019
      • The Lady in Black is Back
      • The Little Track by the Railroad Track ~ 2019
      • Yellow Line Rule or No Yellow Line Rule
      • Racing the Way It Was When I Started
      • A Defining Moment ~ 1992 Finale at Atlanta
      • Chasing and Whining
      • Adam Petty
      • The Passing of a Giant ~ Buddy Baker
      • Whatever Happened to North Wilkesboro
      • The Life and Good Times of Curtis Turner
      • Tim Richmond Remembered
      • J. D. McDuffie ~ Lived and Died for Racing - Reprise
      • If It’s Foggy It Must Be Pocono
      • New Hampshire Nonsense 2003
      • Rain on the Firecracker 400 ~ No Surprise
      • A Tale of Two Races
      • Down Memory Lane ~ Fireball Roberts
      • Lets Hit the Road
      • Michigan Shenanigans
      • Junie Donlavey ~ A NASCAR Pioneer
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Final Chapter
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2019
      • The Lighter Side of NASCAR ~ Whats in a Name
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Terry Labonte, Ward Burton and More
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Bobby Allison, Ken Schrader and More
      • Quotable Quotes from NASCAR
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Another Round of Quotes
      • NASCAR Quotes from Smokey and Others
      • Tales from the Lighter Side of NASCAR
      • An Objective Look at the 2020 Schedule
      • Pretty Little Martinsville
      • The Lady in Black Visits the Land of Fruits and Nuts
      • Facts and Fantasies about the New Package
      • The NASCAR Balladeer ~ Marty Robbins
      • Leaving Daytona and Looking Forward to Atlanta
      • I Remember You ~ Reprise
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day ~ Reprise
      • In Memory of Neil Bonnett
      • The Loss of a Treasure
      • All Kinds of News and None of It Bad
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Daytona SpeedWeeks Are Upon Us
      • NASCAR Doesnt Love Me Anymore ~ Reprise
      • Where Winter Racing Can Be Found
      • When Rednecks Ran NASCAR ~ 2019
    • PattyKay Lilley 2018 >
      • The Cars and Fans through the Generations
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2018
      • The Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas ~ 2018
      • Thursday Night Thunder
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Is it Finally Time for Smokey Yunick
      • The End of the Season and Some Sad Farewells
      • A Busy Racing Weekend and Then…
      • A Good Mood Spoiled
      • Bump or Dump ~ Yes There Is a Difference
      • Pretty Little Martinsville ~ 2018
      • Old Versus New ~ Age Versus Youth
      • Tales of the Talladega Curse ~ 2018
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Word Games
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Some Things You Might Not Know About ROVALS
      • Thoughts and Memories from an Aging Mind
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Echoes of Indy
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Sound of Silence
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Place Where Names Are Made
      • Bristol ~ From Snow Squalls to Snow Angels
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Questions and Answers
      • Thank God for the SAFER Barriers and Other Varied Thoughts
      • Rain Delay, Sticky Stuff and the Little Race that Could
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ From This Fans Point of View
      • Davey in Retrospect – 25 Years
      • Remembering the Very First Truck Race at Eldora
      • Bobbles in the Booth and Stages in a Road Course Race
      • Nicknames Are Usually Earned
      • Shenanigans at Sonoma
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Insert Clever Title Here
      • What Did He Say
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2018
      • All-Star Racing or Short Track Nationals ~ The Choice is Yours
      • Adam Petty Remembered
      • Its All about Tradition
      • The White Cement of Dover
      • 31 Years of a Temporary Fix
      • We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
      • All the News Unfit to Print~ All-Star Edition
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ No One Is Listening
      • Alan Kulwicki Will Always Be a Champion
      • 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Selections and Elections
      • Fontana to Martinsville and All About the Fan Experience
      • Kevin Harvick Is Right ~ Grass Roots Racing Does Matter
      • The Road Less Traveled
      • Surefire Cost Cutting Ideas for NASCAR
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Too Much Is More than Enough
      • I Remember You ~ My Personal Tribute to Dale Earnhardt
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day
      • Remembering Neil Bonnett
      • Daytona Fever
      • NASCAR Looked the Other Way
      • A Look in the Rear View Mirror ~ Keith Jackson
      • The Product Is Encumbered and Therefore Not Marketable
      • Its January Already
      • The Perfect Storm and a Sad Farewell
    • PattyKay Lilley 2017 >
      • That Time between Christmas and Daytona
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2017
      • I Still Believe in Santa Claus ~ Jimmy Spencer
      • A Defining Moment in NASCAR History
      • Remembering the Final Winston Cup Banquet ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Dont Believe Your Lying Eyes
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ One Last Ride
      • As the 2017 Season Draws to a Close
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Who Is Not Speaking to Whom?
      • The Little Track by the Railroad Track
      • NASCAR Goes Country
      • Tales of the Talladega Curse ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Sad Times and Poor Broadcasting
      • Not One Knee Was Taken During Solemn Prerace Ceremonies at Dover
      • The White Cliffs of Dover ~ Delaware
      • History Holds the Back Story ~ RPM
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Someone Ought to Say It!
      • Characters Add Character to Racing
      • In Darlington, Everything Old Is New Again
      • Remember When NASCAR Was All About the Fans?
      • From Michigan to Richmond and All Points In-between
      • Racing at the Glen and Millennials Can Learn from Geezers
      • When the Points Arent the Points and 2+2 Doesnt Equal 4
      • When Rednecks Ran NASCAR
      • Dear Brent Dewar, About That Star Mangled Banner
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Silly Season Is Only Silly for Some
      • Looking Back ~ A View from the Rearview
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ On Road Racing and Dirt Racing
      • Defeat Snatched from the Jaws of Victory
      • Ninety Miles an Hour down a Dead End Street
      • The Good, the Bad and the Intolerable
      • Verrrry Interesting
      • D-Day Demolition Derby at Dover
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ NASCAR Why Do You Refuse to Listen?
      • A Tale of Two Weekends
      • Remember Adam Petty
      • Truth Will Always Serve Better than a Good Story
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Vaya con Dios
      • It’s Bristol Baby, but Which Bristol?
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ When Enough Becomes Too Much
      • A Sunday Drive, Texas Style
      • One Helluva Good Race; Sorry You Missed It
      • As Requested By the Fans… and Other Fairytales
      • Smokey Yunick Belongs in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Selections and Elections
      • Some Facts Are Indisputable and Some Folks Enjoy Being Unhappy
      • At Daytona, Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
      • A Few More Nicknames and Some Quaint Quotes
      • Nicknames in Racing Have to Be Earned
      • Drivers, Please Start Your Engines
      • The Voice of One Fan Only
      • Fly on the Wall ~ Speaking of Carl Edwards
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Hopefully the Voice of Reason
      • U.S. Nationals, and We Are Not Talking Drag Racing Here
    • PattyKay Lilley 2016 >
      • The Christmas Story as My Mother Told It
      • We’re Gonna Miss the Man Called Smoke
      • The New Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas
      • Remembering The Final Winston Cup Banquet
      • Let’s Talk About Indy Instead of Homestead
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Why All The Secrecy?
      • Martinsville ~ FUBAR
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ And the Fans Need to Be Heard!
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ NASCAR Doesn’t Love Me Anymore
      • Under The Charlotte Lights...Again ~ Lady in Black
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ A Question For Brian Z. France
      • Who’s Abbott, Who’s Costello and Who’s on First
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Where Have All The Race Fans Gone?
      • Throwback ~ The Lady In Black
      • Throwbacks and Tributes and Memories, Oh My
      • Someone Asked About the History of North Wilkesboro
      • Mid-Ohio Mayhem ~ All In Fun
      • His Name Is Waddell Wilson ~ Remember That Name
      • J. D. McDuffie ~ Lived and Died for Racing
      • Attendance and Ratings ~ Do They Matter?
      • Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup ~ What Comes Next?
      • Davey in Retrospect
      • Twisted Sheet Metal and How A Race Should End
      • Is NASCAR For Sale?
      • Wreckin on the Road ~ Lady in Black
      • Marty Robbins ~ NASCAR Balladeer
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Those Silly Ol’ Lug Nuts
      • Junie Donlavey ~ True Pioneer of NASCAR
      • Tim Richmond ~ Right to the Bitter End and Beyond
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Penthouse and the Outhouse
      • Memorial Day Means More than Just Racing
      • Dover - The Good The Bad and the Unacceptable
      • Down Memory Lane ~ Smokey Yunick
      • Best Damn Garage In Town
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Talladega: Too Much of a Bad Thing
      • Tales Of The Talladega Curse
      • A Few Words About The Old Bristol
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ How the Election Process Works
      • A Sunday Drive, Texas Style with the Lady in Black
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Where Have All the Fans Gone?
      • Alan Kulwicki - Always A Champion
      • Volkswagen Isnt Just a Bug Anymore
      • Racing Is For The Young As Well As The Old
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ From The Desert To The Mountains
      • Would You Like Fries With That?
      • A Few Words on Flag Etiquette
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Great Racing But Poor Coverage
      • Leaving Daytona And Headed For Atlanta
      • Dale Earnhardt ~ I Remember You
      • Charter of Franchise, It's All Good
      • Neil Bonnett: Racer, Broadcaster, Legend, And Man
      • A Racer For All Seasons!
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Six Generations Of Cars And Fans
      • Curtis Turner Inducted Into NASCAR Hall Of Fame
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Improving The Fan Experience
      • The Official Everything Of NASCAR
    • PattyKay Lilley 2015 >
      • It’s Hard to Say Goodbye to So Much Talent
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told
      • And How Would You Like That Dashboard: Analog or Digital?
      • The Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas
      • Who You Callin' A Rookie?
      • And Then There Were Four
      • There Really Was A Race In Texas
      • A Twilight Happy Ending And Sunshine On The Horizon
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Luck of Austin Theriault
      • What It Wasn't, Was A Restart
      • Playing The Blame Game
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Am I Still A Race Fan?
      • Under The Charlotte Lights With The Lady in Black
      • It's Probably Not Safe If It's Not SAFER
      • Missing: Race Teams And Sponsors!
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Getting Started, Word Games and Playoffs
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ What Happens When Racing Becomes Soporific?
      • Darlington In The Rearview And Richmond Right Up The Road
      • The Lady in Black at the Riot in Richmond
      • Retro ~ Everything Old is New Again at Darlington
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ So Much Happening And Most Of It Bad
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Actions Detrimental
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Fans Have Some Responsibility, Too
      • The Passing Of A Giant
      • Something Happened At Pocono That Almost Everyone Missed
      • Kissing The Bricks With The Lady In Black
      • Time To Say Goodbye, To A Track And To A Man
      • The Brickyard 400 In The Rearview ~ What Happened?
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Leaving Sparta For Loudon
      • Logic 101 ~ When in Doubt, Rely on Common Sense
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Kentucky Speedway Needs To Be SAFER
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Fireworks At The Firecracker
      • Some Things Just Aren't News
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ On The Road Again
      • NASCAR Fans Didn't Fit The Stereotype
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ A Fan's View On The State Of The Sport
      • The Lady In Black Pokes Fun At Pocono
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ No One Knows What Goes On Behind Closed Doors
      • One LAP UP With The Lady In Black
      • Making Racing Safer With SAFER
      • Memorial Day Should Mean More Than Racing
      • Showdowns, Trucks, A Starlit Night, And A Couple Guys Named Smith
      • Remembering Adam Petty
      • A Lady Makes Her Debut, And We're Not Any SAFER In Kansas, Toto.
      • Talladega ~ The Curse And SAFER Barriers
      • Pretty Words And Strong Words: Steve Byrnes And SAFER Barriers
      • Bristol, By Any Other Name
      • The NASCAR Hall Of Fame ~ How It Works
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Old Races And New Walls
      • The Lady In Black - The Magic Of Martinsville
      • Revisiting Martinsville, Without Jesse Jones
      • The Lady In Black - The Fontana Furnace
      • Sometimes, You Just Have To Laugh
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Our Drivers DeserveThe Safety Of SAFER
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Send In The Clowns
      • SAFER! Just Do It!
      • The Choices of NASCAR, February 18th, And A Million Points Of Light
      • A Perfect Storm And A Sad Farewell
      • They Didn't Have To Go That Way
      • I Fought The Law And The Law Lost!
      • A Voice For The Fans No More
      • The Day The Vortex Theory Was Tested
      • Do We Miss Daytona Testing
      • Autographs And Memories
      • Always Hoping For A Happy New Year
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ A Cup Full Of Snow
  • Frank Buhrman
    • Frank Buhrman ~ 2020 >
      • Constant NASCAR Critic
      • Anything Less Than First Is
      • So What Do We Do Now
      • Daytona Then and Now ~ Which Is Better
      • THE CURE ~ For NASCAR, It’s Elusive
      • Fewer Grandstands and More VIP Suites ~ Recipe for NASCAR Success or Failure
      • A Look Back at Some Obscure Racing History
      • We Race on Sand but Will Racing Last as Long as the Ocean
      • History ~ Praising and Preserving It
      • Daytona ~ Lets Begin
      • Healthy Weekly Racing Essential to NASCAR
    • Frank Buhrman 2019 >
      • Junior – The Best of What Was
      • Fast Forward to Racing in 2030
      • Some Nashville-inspired Thoughts on The Future
      • Bringing Back NASCARs Roots
      • Whats the Right Age to Quit NASCAR
      • Gravel’s Move to NASCAR Is a Bright Light
      • Is There A Beginning in This End
      • For the Nostalgic Purist Maybe Xfinity Is the Place
      • Are Today’s Dreamers Dreaming of Becoming Tomorrow’s NASCAR Stars
      • Old Days Old Ways Or New
      • Theres No Stock in NASCAR and We're Racing the Wrong Cars
      • Lets Think Speed Bumps ~ Mixed Surfaces and Gasp ~ Intentional Contact
      • The Diverse Legacy of Cup Race Tracks
      • Age Is Just A State of ~ Speed
      • A Contrarian Opinion and Other Notes
      • An Old Track and NASCARs Future
      • Where Do the Fans Fit in Tomorrows NASCAR
      • When It’s Wet at The Track and Dry at The Computer, You Start Thinking
      • Dim Pocono Memories A Smaller Track, USAC Stocks and More
      • Underneath the Pavement at Loudon, History and an Idea for the Future
      • Go Reino! Cheering for a Ghost in the Cup field at Kentucky
      • Remember REAL Holiday Racing
      • Who Are Tomorrow’s Fans Going to Cheer
      • Is ALL Racing in Trouble
      • TV Versus Watching in Person ~ What Kind of Race Fan Are You
      • Can We Make Charlotte a Big Deal Again
      • Can Racing Escape the Corrupting Influence of $$$
      • Keep Up With Your Local Tracks and Get to Know the Next Stars
      • A Monster of a Driver at the Monster Mile
      • The Lure of Gimmicks and the Barrier of Money
      • NASCAR and Speed – A Little History
      • Lets Talk About whats Good with NASCAR
      • And Sos Your Bleepin Sponsor
      • Time to Lower the Curtains on Stage Racing
      • Looking Back at NASCAR in the Golden State
      • Add More Real Racers like Preece to Cup and More Fans Just Might Follow
      • Freezing Fans at the Track No Longer Works ~ Here Are Some Better Schedule Ideas
      • A Time for Optimism about NASCAR ~ but This Should Just Be the Start
      • Is NASCARs Future In The PASS
      • Looking Back to Look Forward
      • More Good Times at the Chili Bowl As NASCAR Continues to Sink
      • Does NASCAR Need a Nike
      • Time to Save Xfinity ~ SUVs to the Rescue
    • 2018 Frank Buhrman >
      • All I Want for Christmas
      • Fantasy Picks 2020 - Atlanta Results and Martinsville Picks
      • Whats With the New Spire Cup Team
      • SUVs, New Manufacturers, Electric Cars and More
      • Time for a Talk with the Boss
      • The Season’s Over – Time to Start Again
      • We Need a Little Less Perfection
      • Back in Time to Excitement
      • This Weeks History
      • Martinsville ~ Time for the Good Stuff
      • Betting on the Future
      • Give the 2019 Rules a Chance But Keep Pushing for STOCK!
      • The Stuff Floating Around in Franks Head
      • Is NASCAR the Key to the Future Can It Keep All of Racing Alive
      • Follow the Richmond Races This Weekend Then Return in October for the Clash
      • A Better Schedule for Indy ~ The Area, Not the IMS Race Track
      • Darlington ~ The Links to the Past Set It Apart in a Good Way
      • Ray and Sonny Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Have Local Stars Racing in Cup
      • Racing at a Very Different Bristol, Half a Century Ago
      • From Michigan to Rhonda, N.C.
      • New York, New York ~ Frank Sinatra Could Have Sung the National Anthem
      • Whom Shall We Recruit to Buy NASCAR and Rebuild the Sport We Love
      • Looking Back to the Beach
      • A Farce on the High Banks or Fun in the Dirt
      • Another How to Fix NASCAR Article
      • NASCAR on July 4 – Set the Time Machine for Oswego or Spartanburg or Raleigh or
      • In Our Never-Ending Effort to Save NASCAR, We Present
      • A Sport Sinks While Leadership Keeps Up the Practices that Are Killing It
      • What Weve Lost ~ What I Miss
      • NASCARs sort-of Memorial Day Tradition Is Traditionally Followed by ~ Not Much
      • What If It Had Been Different Back When It All Started
      • A No-France NASCAR A No-NASCAR Racing Circuit
      • Can the Way It Used To Be Work?
      • Put the Local Heroes Back in the Field and Bring Back Variety in Cup Racing
      • Phooey on Fast at Talladega ~ Give Me Slow at Bowman Gray
      • NASCAR Needs More Racers Like Those Who Came Up Through the ASA
      • Does Our Future Keep Going Around in Circles Or Will Other Options Bring the Fans Back
      • In Chartered NASCAR Theres No Room for Guys Like Texan H.B. Bailey
      • Sponsors ~ Who Are They and What Do They Do
      • Its Martinsville ~ Let the REAL Racing Begin
      • Maybe its NASCARs Inspection Process that Really Needs Inspecting
      • Las Vegas’ NASCAR Success Blessed By the Spirit of the Late Mel Larson
      • Stock Car Racing Magazine ~ Lessons Learned from Old Covers
      • Celebrate the Trophy and Money, Daytona Winner, but Don’t Count on Winning that Cup
      • Strollin Down the Beach
      • How About a Swap?
      • The Chili Bowl
      • They May Be Tomorrows NASCAR Stars, But Are They Anybodys Heroes
    • Frank Buhrman 2017 >
      • Make This a Christmas to Remember!
      • Winters Cold Is Colder without Racing. What Can We Do to Get Some
      • A New Champion - and One from NASCARs Infancy
      • Old Stats Are Fun, but They Shot Down a Good Theory
      • Martinsville Went Right, So What Keeps Going Wrong?
      • A Field of Dreams that Never Came True
      • Do NASCAR’s Screw-ups Even Matter If Motorsports Have No Future?
      • Does Speed Make the Speed-Sport More Exciting?
      • My Intro to Charlotte Motor Speedway
      • Racing Grand Nationals Once Meant Prepping Your Car in a Hurry
      • Driver Development Programs Need to Get the Gong
      • Drawing Attention to NASCAR in a Good Way
      • Little Joe, Junior, Gentleman Ned and Mr. Modified on Fairgrounds Dirt
      • Darlington ~ Back Then, It Was Something Special
      • Where Else Has NASCAR Raced in These States?
      • The Formula for Success is Not Obvious in Appealing to Millennials
      • Will NASCAR’s Aging Fans Demand that Medicare Pay for More Comfy Seats at the Speedway?
      • Kyle Larson Wins Races of All Kinds, and He Might Just Save NASCAR
      • With Writers and Racetracks, Age Can Be Everything
      • NASCAR Has It All, So Why Am I Happy Watching the Races at Lizard Creek?
      • Wood Brothers + Blaney = Good News for NASCAR
      • Who Could Make NASCAR A Little Spicier?
      • A Little Ramble in Delaware
      • Not The Masters, But the Wood Brothers Truly Have a Tradition like None Other
      • Speeds Were Slower, Drivers Still Came and Went, and NASCAR Survived
      • A Quick Surf Through NASCAR History
      • More than the Loss of a Great Driver
      • Little Martinsville Is the Monster Track of NASCAR Cup Series History
      • California Not So “Golden” A NASCAR State
      • Franks Guide to How to Fix All That Ails NASCAR
      • A Little Vegas History and Long Trips to Races
      • The Real Dirt on Atlanta’s Racing Past
      • Would More Fans Watch if a “500” Was a “Triathlon?”
      • Media Coverage Today Could Be A Lot Worse
      • Another Link between Short Tracks and What Ails NASCAR
      • Lets Go Back To The Old Definition Of Cheating
    • Frank Buhrman 2016 >
      • Bringing Back the Excitement – One Fan’s Ideas
      • Racing Road Trip: Let’s Head to… Where?
      • Bring Cup Racers Back to the Bullrings
      • Discover Some "Mud Roots" Racing!
      • Memories, Gripes and Maybe a Little Dreamin
      • Frank Likes The Chase...Kind Of
      • 1960's: NASCAR's Northern Tour
      • Chicago: The First Races In The Second City
      • Richmond "Action": Then And Now
      • 1950 To Now: Ladies Attack The Lady In Black
      • Radical Thought: Let Drivers Develop Themselves
      • 1967: With Lower Banking And Smaller Crowds, Bristol Was Still A Big Deal
      • Coverage of Racing Has Changed With The Sport
      • More Bluegrass Than Green Flags For NASCAR In Kentucky
      • The Day Goliath Roared (sort-of) In NASCAR Racing
      • Give a Nod to Larry LoPatin for NASCAR Motors in the Motor State
      • Pondering Racing’s Future in Charlotte . . . and Trumansburg
      • Frank's Loose Lugnuts
      • Fix it, Forget it, or Let Nature Run its Course
      • Oh, The Yellow Flag of Texas
      • A New Track, Some Old Memories . . . But Where is the Lake
      • Let’s Have A Sprint Cup ‘Blindfold Race,’ With Donald Trump Guiding Who?
      • Maybe The Ghost of "Fireball" Can Call The Auto Club 400 Winner
      • It ain’t like it used to be . . . (and sometimes that’s a good thing)
      • Sure, Atlanta Can Be Cold In February, But Remember Richmond?
      • Is A Blast From The Past What NASCAR Needs In The Future
  • Vivian Simons
    • Vivian Simons 2020 >
      • 2020 Review and Hopes for 2021
      • Memories, etc.
      • Is NASCAR’S Chase Fair
      • Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas City
      • As Dale Said...
      • Why Not A Cup Race At Eldora
      • South Point 400 At Las Vegas Review
    • Vivian Simons 2018 >
      • Season’s Greetings to Our Staff and to All of Our Readers
      • And It Came to Be
      • NASCAR and Home
      • History ~ How We Honor It and Why
      • Thoughts on Racers Being Equal
      • Reader Responses and Random Thoughts
      • Through the Years Something Went Wrong
      • Fan Choices
      • Road Course Racing Memories
      • Where Do Old Fans Go
      • The Fan Experience
      • Where Were You When
      • Young Racers vs Kyle Busch
      • Daytona Has Come and Gone - Part 2
      • Daytona Has Come and Gone - Part 1
      • Hey Have You Heard the News
      • Daytona Memories - Again
      • Vehicles and Life Must Change
    • Vivian Simons 2017 >
      • Christmas Wishes to Our Staff
      • Old Versus New - History and Memories
      • Musings During the Off-Season in NASCAR - Again
      • It Is What It Is!
      • Sponsors, Drivers, Tracks & NASCAR
      • Some Funny Things Happened on the Way to the Playoffs
      • Is It a Race or a Show?
      • I Am a Race Fan that Wants to See the Race!
      • Road Course Ringers ~ Are They a Good or a Bad Thing?
      • Phases & Memories = Good Old Days By An Older Fan
      • Who's Gonna Fill Their Seats?
      • Is the Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
      • Observations from the Atlanta Races
      • Musings During the Off-Season in NASCAR
    • Vivian Simons 2016 >
      • Christmas Wishes
      • Is It Racing Or Just A Show?
      • Drivers Or Racers
      • And So It Came To Be
      • The Trucks, The New Chase, And The School Yard Bully
      • The Chase Is Coming! The Chase Is Coming!
      • Parity...Or Toyota Domination?
      • Invasion Of The Lower Tier Victory Snatchers!
      • High Banks and Memory Banks
      • A Road Course Is A Course (Of Course, Of Course...)
      • What Sort of Race Fan Are You?
      • NASCAR Hall Of Fame Or Hall Of Fave?
      • NASCAR's Generation Gap
      • Tony Stewart, NASCAR and Lug Nuts
      • Racing 101
      • Television Coverage Of NASCAR Racing
      • Is The Xfinity Series Fair?
      • Follow The Leader
      • Daytona Memories
    • Vivian Simons 2015 >
      • Addiction, Disillusionment, And Conforming
  • David Nance
    • David Nance 2020 >
      • A Fan’s Memories of Stanley Smith
      • Rain and Fuel Mileage-A Texas Playoff Race
      • I’m Looking for a KFB Sweep
      • After Kansas It’s Time for Some New Terms
      • Chase, He Had No Radio - Ee-I-ee-I-O
      • Chase Saves the Day - KC Lead Change Scorecard
      • Clint Bowyer’s Next Ride
      • DAMP LEAD CHANGE SCORECARD - ROVAL
      • Kentucky Speedway Gone… Just Like That
      • Recipe for Cup Success
      • Six Lead Changes… It’s Bristol, Baby
      • Was Richmond that Bad
      • Lead Change Scorecard - Darlington
      • Lead Change Scorecard
      • It’s Time to Bring Back DW
      • Daytona 500 and the Four Laws
      • Three Laws ~ Plus a New One
      • 2019 In the Rear View ~ 2020 Just Ahead
    • David Nance 2019 >
      • 2019 GOTS ~ Some Interesting Stats
      • Every Fan Needs a Racing Buddy
      • As the Onion Peels... And Its Impact on Kyle Busch
      • Remembering Jimmie Johnson ~ Through the Wrecks
      • We’ve Got Everything We Want ~ and Then Some
      • For Everything There is a Season
      • Choosing Your Words Wisely
      • That Double Yellow Line ~ It Ain’t Going Away
      • The Other Untold Story ~ The Race for the Winless Cup Champion
      • What About the Other Race ~ Win You’re In
      • Race for the Green Tweaked
      • Nashville 400 Backstory - Fifty Years Later
      • Nashville ~ One Giant Step
      • NASCAR Now That’ll Preach!
      • Sonoma in Song
      • DW ~ Deja Vu All Over Again
      • Race for the Green ~ Its Time Has Arrived
      • After 200 ~ Then What
      • Two Aero Packages Down ~Two to Go
      • Put It Out One Last Time ~ David Hoots
      • Race Fans ~ Start Your Predictions
      • Another One Bites the Dust ~ Thank You Jay
      • Respects to a Champion
    • David Nance 2018 >
      • David and Dad
      • Texas Gas ~ NASCAR History Lost
      • Against Headwinds
      • The Race for the Winless Champion
      • DuQuoin Was Our Darlington
      • A New Plan ~ Gentlemen and Ladies, Start Your Acronyms
      • The Day After Loudon
      • Loudon ~ Bruton Is Sitting on a Gold Mine
      • Clint Bowyer Was Right About The Product
      • Man, I Wish Race for the Green Was in Place This Weekend
      • Stage Racing Before It Was Cool
      • Left Turns - Where Did It Start
      • The Shirt ~ One Fan’s Memorial to Alan Kulwicki
      • There Is No Racing This Weekend
      • Martinsville Inspection Procedures = New Crew Chiefs by Friday
      • For a Moment All Was Right with the Racing World
      • Oh Where Oh Where Is NASCARs Driver Alert System
      • Qualifying Concept Long Overdue - Race for the Green
    • David Nance 2017 >
      • Thank You Bud
      • All about the Price Tag
      • And the Real True Playoff Winner Is
      • The Perfect Storm
      • If We Are Going to Have a Playoff, Make It a Real One
      • Outrunning the Bear
      • Level Playing Fields Not Until All Winners Face R &D Inspections
      • Is It Time For Encumbered Starts?
      • Kevin, I Dont Believe Ida Told That
      • And Stomped that Sucker Flat!
      • A Sons First Race… Through the Eyes of a Dad
      • Take Em To The Fence
      • Kyle's Mic Drop ~ Just One of Those Racing Deals
      • Remember When DW Was Monster Energy?
      • We Have Ourselves A Summit!
      • The Hunt for the NASCAR Canary
      • Penalties ~ DW Had A Better Idea
      • If FOX Covered the Kentucky Derby
      • Media Coverage Today Could Be a Lot Better
      • The Week in NASCAR - Opportunity Lost
      • Will Karma Smile on NASCAR?
      • Gentlemen... Start... Your... Commercials
      • The Untold Story of How the New Race Format Came To Be
      • Another Look at Attendance
    • David Nance 2016 >
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ Let Cooter Be Cooter
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ All I Want For Christmas
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ Grand Prix Memories
      • 20-20 + Monster Energy = Race For the Green
      • Please Let It Be Rain
      • It's Just Not Right
      • More Chase, Baby!
      • Three Laws
      • 20-20: The Rest Of The Story
      • Take A Chance, Mr. France
      • Time For A New Chase
      • And That Was Fr'istol!
  • J. L. Steele
    • J.L. Steele - 2020 Articles >
      • Now We Can Breathe
    • J. L. Steele 2019 >
      • Random Ruminations
      • Quick Hits on Charlotte
      • Quick Hits on Dover
      • Quick Hits on Talladega
      • Quick Hits on Richmond
      • Quick Hits on Bristol 1
      • Quick Hits on Texas 1
      • Quick Hits on Martinsville
      • Quick Hits on Fontana
      • Quick Hits on Phoenix
      • Quick Hits on Vegas
      • Quick Hits on Daytona and Atlanta
      • Off Season Thoughts
    • J.L. Steele 2018 >
      • 2018 ~ It Was a Good One
      • Logano Is Not the Problem, Hes the Solution
      • Jimmie Johnsons Roval Win
      • Some Guys Just Dont Know When to Quit
      • The Glass Is Half Full
      • Back to the Future
      • Predictions and Wishes ~ Through a Hazy Crystal Ball
    • J. L. Steele 2017 >
      • A NASCAR Fans Letter to Santa
      • 2017 in the Rear View Mirror
      • A Sign of the Bad Times
      • Ken Squier at Darlington
      • Thoughts, Opinions and Rumors - Oh My!
      • Leave Junior Alone!
      • Kyle Busch is Exactly What NASCAR Needs
      • Let’s Save the Truck Series
    • J. L. Steele 2016 >
      • Brian's Big Monday
      • A Wishing Well And A Crystal Ball
      • A Parting Gift For Stewart
      • A Perfect Voice For A Perfect Time
      • Growth By Subtraction
    • J. L. Steele 2015 >
      • Meet The Racing Marine
      • A Race Fan's Christmas Wish List
      • Sunset At Martinsville
      • The Michael Waltrip Dilemma
      • The Rich Keep Getting Richer, While The Xfinity Series Dies
      • The Last Perfect Night
      • Halfway(?) Home...
      • The Essence Of Racing
      • Ranking The Truex Win
      • Visiting Victory Lane
      • The Silver Lining
      • Smoke Will Rise
      • No Comparison When Comparing Newman and Bowyer
      • Advice For Race Tracks
      • Making A Case For Kahne
      • Support Your Local Short Track
      • SAFE Is A Four Letter Word
      • Dinner With D.W.
      • Gordon's Greatness
      • Wendell Scott - Leader Of The Class
      • We Shook Earnhardt's Hand
      • Show Me The Money! (And Where It Comes From)
      • The King And I
  • Dana Gibson
    • Dana Gibson 2019
    • Dana Gibson 2018 Articles >
      • On Heroes
      • Infield Dreams
      • Ghosts of My History
  • Mitch Walker
    • Mitch Walker 2019 >
      • Respect in Racing
      • The Dale Singleton Story
      • Cost Is Killing Racing
      • Changes and Changes
      • Racing Like It Used to Be
      • Heroes
      • Can Driver Safety and Speed Work Together
      • NASCAR ~ Is It Done
      • An Evening with Tiger Tom Pistone
      • Through My Eyes
      • 2019 ~The Dr.s Take on It
      • Just Amazing What Can Be Learned Through Racing
      • A Trophy Story
    • Mitch Walker 2018 >
      • 400 Miles of Mayhem
      • A Trip Through Time
      • Its History, Like It or Not
      • Once the Local Tracks Are Gone
      • Kevin Harvick Gets It!
      • Racing, Broadcasting, Blocking and the Win ~ All Bad
      • Lets Go Racin
      • Untold Stories ~ Hidden History
    • Mitch Walker 2017 >
      • The Son of a Country Boy; the Son of a Champion
      • You Dont Tug on Supermans Cape
      • How It All Got Started
      • What Drove the Core Fans Away?
      • Who Benefits from the Decline in NASCAR Attendance?
      • Old School: Lessons By Legends
      • The Drs Script for the Ails of NASCAR
  • Tim Leeming
    • Tim Leeming 2019
    • Tim Leeming 2018 >
      • An Introduction to Billy Scott
      • Second Turn to the Left and Straight on to
      • Do You Believe
      • The Question Was Why ~ The Answer
      • What Difference Did They Make
      • The Magic Window ~ Closing It Up
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter 8 The Phone Rings Again and Ford Has a Better Idea
      • The Magic Window~ Chapter Seven - More Damage Than First Appeared. One Shot Deal, NASCAR
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter Six New Season, New Colors, New Number, New Sponsor, Wow!
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter Five Things Called Spacers and a Menace Named Dennis
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter Four From Disaster to Faster but Caught in a Clutch
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter Three The Kid Gets a Name and the King Comes to Town
      • The Magic Window ~ Chapter Two Trailers, Late Night Talks and High Banked Asphalt
      • That Magic Window You Climb Through
      • How to Become Popular with Georgia Law Enforcement
      • Is Time Travel Possible?
      • Theres a Sign Post Up Ahead
      • An Uncles Legacy to His Nephew
    • Tim Leeming 2017 >
      • My Name Is Not Important
      • The Darlington Shocker
      • The Eclipse and a Race Car
      • Lil Bud Moore Tribute
      • The Sly FOX (Sports Network)
  • Matt McLaughlin - Anniversary Edition - 50 Years of NASCAR Racing
    • #100 - Truth is Stranger than Fiction - Part 2
    • #99 - Truth is Stranger than Fiction - Part 1
    • #98 - Alan Kulwicki ~ Running Down a Dream
    • #97 - The Hickory Wind Blows Cold
    • #96 - David Slays Goliath
    • #95 - Until the Fat Lady Sings
    • #94 - Charlotte in the Fall
    • #93 - One Magical Season - 1992 ~ Part 3
    • #92 - One Magical Season ~ 1992 - Part 2
    • #91 - One Magical Season ~ 1992 - Part 1
    • #90 - Remembering Davey ~ Part 2
    • #89 - Remembering Davey ~ Part 1
    • #88 - The Bump and Grind
    • #87 - High Stakes on the High Banks
    • #86 - The Fall of Richmond
    • #85 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 6 of 6
    • #84 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 5 of 6
    • #83 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 4 of 6
    • #82 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 3 of 6
    • #81 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 2 of 6
    • #80 - The Southern 500 ~ The Granddaddy of Them All - Part 1 of 6
    • #79 - Better Get Back To Tennessee, Jed
    • #78 - MPH Not MPG ~ The Michigan Of Old
    • #77 - Controversy, Let It Rage - Part 2
    • #76 - Controversy, Let It Rage - Part 1
    • #75 - Road Warriors
    • #74 - Hot Fun in the Summertime
    • #73 - Hallowed Ground
    • #72 - Hotter Than the Fourth of July
    • #71 - Close But No Cigar
    • #70 – My One and Only ~ Part 2
    • #69 - My One and Only ~ Part 1
    • #68 - You Never Forget Your First ~ Part 3
    • #67 - You Never Forget Your First ~ Part 2
    • #66 - You Never Forget Your First ~ Part 1 of 3
    • #65 - Road Rage
    • #64 - Triumph, Tragedy and the Tunnel Turn
    • #63 - The Luck of the Irish
    • #62 - Islip ~ Long Island, Short Track
    • #61 - Richmond, the Pettys, and the Evolution of NASCAR
    • #60 - Kid Lightning
    • #59 - Temper, Temper! Part 2
    • #58 - Temper, Temper!
    • #57 - The Monster Is Coming!
    • #56 - The World 600
    • #55 - The Winston ~ Checkers or Wreckers
    • #54 - Occoneechee Speedway
    • #53 - Trenton ~ The Speedway of the North
    • #52 - Texas World Speedway ~ Field of Shattered Dreams
    • #51 - Ontario ~ The Best Laid Plans
    • #50 - Do You Feel a Draft
    • #49 - Martinsville in the Spring
    • #48 - Hickory ~ The Birthplace of Legends
    • #47 - Oddities ~ Short Takes - Part 2
    • #46 - Oddities ~ The Bizarre and Peculiar
    • #45 - North Wilkesboro
    • #44 - The Ford-Chrysler Duel
    • #43 - The Bristol Stomp
    • #42 - Big Blocks, Bickering, and Bill
    • #41 - Tim Richmond ~ The Reason We Remember ~ Part 2
    • #40 - Tim Richmond ~ The Reason We Remember ~ Part 1
    • #39 - Too Tough to Tame for Too Long to Recall
    • #38 - Tales from Days of Yore
    • #37 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
    • #36 - J.D. Stacy
    • #35 - Viva Las Vegas
    • #34 - The Rock
    • #33 - The Daytona 500 1994-1997
    • #32 - Swervin' Irvan and the Second Generation
    • #31 - Daytona - Little Cars and Big Bucks
    • #30 - Heart Stoppers, Heart Breakers and Heart Warmers
    • #29 - The Factories Go Home and Petty Goes on a Tear
    • #28 - The Daytona 500 1965-1970
    • #27 - The Daytona 500 ~ 1960-1964
    • #26 - Beyond the Beach - The First Daytona 500
    • #25 - Racing on the Beach
    • #24 - Larry LoPatin and American Raceways
    • #23 - Fuelish Pride
    • #22 - The Day the Music Almost Died
    • #21 - DW and DiGard ~ Breaking Up is Hard to Do
    • #20 - Winston to the Rescue
    • #19 - Charlotte ~ 1964 Drama & Danger - Part 2
    • #18 - Charlotte ~ 1964 Drama & Danger - Part 1
    • #17 - In the Beginning
    • #16 - Ford Strikes Out - The 1966 Boycott
    • #15 - Before he was Awesome
    • #14 - 1965 ~ Chrysler Plays Hardball
    • #13 - A Million to One
    • #12 - Seven up ~ The King Wins his Seventh Title
    • #11 - The Great Spoiler Debate of 1981
    • #10 - The Original Golden Boy
    • #9 - The Greatest Race Ever
    • #8 – The Petty-Allison Feud
    • #7 - The First Super Team
    • #6 - By the Time I Get to Phoenix
    • #5 - 1967 ~ Richard Petty Becomes The King
    • #4 - Charlotte ~ Bright Lights and Dark Days
    • #3 - Those Cheatin Ways
    • #2 - The Talladega Curse
    • #1 - Showdown in Alabama
  • "Tiger" Tom Pistone ~ Racing, Now And Then
  • Previous Columnists
    • Jim Fitzgerald >
      • Jim Fitzgerald 2019 >
        • 200 Versus 200
        • The Last Man Standing
      • Jim Fitzgerald 2018 >
        • Another One Bites the Dust
      • Jim Fitzgerald 2017 >
        • The Cup Series Is Revisiting A "Monster" From Its Checkered Past
        • Ode, To The Cup Series
        • When Do We Start Hating On Kyle Larson?
        • Attendance And The Worst Excuse Ever
        • The One I Knew About, The One That Was A Surprise, And The One That Shocked Me
      • Jim Fitzgerald 2016 >
        • Bunch of Sore Loser Crybabies (No, Not You...THEM!)
        • Look At Those Marbles!
        • I Guess We Can Discuss "Playoffs" Now...
        • How Many More Beatings...
        • Dover ~ A Bitter Sweet Relief
        • NHRA Sizzles While NASCAR Fizzles?
        • Out Of Focus: The 2016 Championship Picture
        • Ignorant Fans Of A Feather Are Dumb Together
        • That Final Lap
        • Blame Kyle Busch
        • I Thought The Daytona 500 Was...
        • Caution Clocks, Chase Formats, Heat Races, and Knee-Jerk Reactions
        • Don’t Know What You’ve Got Until It’s Gone
      • Jim Fitzgerald 2015 >
        • A Sunset On 2015
        • OWW! Track Communication
        • Bowyer And Harvick Are In It To Win It
        • A Lap Ahead...
        • Toeing The Line: Let's Argue About Restarts
        • Hot & Heavy ~ Rules, Rules, Rules
        • My Dear, Dear, Uninformed Person Speaking About NASCAR
        • The Day Rusty Wallace Scared The $&@# Out Of My Mom
        • A Lap Around: Hot Topics
        • Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - Three Times A Winner?
        • On The Dover Road
        • All-Star Memories
        • NASCAR Racing: A Team Sport?
        • Cheating The Cat
        • Cheers To The Best Beer Cars!
        • Just Don't Call It The "R" Word
        • Fans Eye View ~ Star Wars And Stock Cars
    • James Crooks >
      • James Crooks 2017 >
        • Why Talladega Scares Me and Why I Love It
        • A Six Pack Down And A Thirty Pack Left To Go
        • In The Year 2525 ~ NASCAR’s New Rule Changes for All Three Top Series
        • Thoughts As We Green Flag The 2017 Season
        • Get Off Your Duff and Go to the Track!
      • Carl Edwards, The Earnhardts, and Grandpaw
      • James Crooks 2016 >
        • All I Want for Christmas is Winston Cup Back!
        • What Happened to Roush-Fenway Racing?
        • Support Your Local Race Track!
        • The Mystery of the History(Did Anyone See It?)
    • Jeremiah Thalheimer >
      • Jeremiah Thalheimer 2016 >
        • A Day In The Life Of A NASCAR Official
        • Move Over Football - NASCAR Is The Real Family
        • The Ultimate All-Star Format
        • Six Years, One Dream
        • The Faith Of NASCAR
        • The Benefits of the Current Sponsorship Climate
        • Up And Coming: Christopher Hogan
        • Dale Earnhardt: What Might Have Been
        • Sterling Marlin: What Might Have Been
        • Casey Atwood: What Might Have Been
        • Kenny Irwin, Jr: What Might Have Been
      • Jeremiah Thalheimer 2015 >
        • Ernie Irvan: What Might Have Been
        • Davey Allison: What Might Have Been
        • Alan Kulwicki: What Might Have Been
        • 2019 Fantasy Game >
          • Season Finale
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Homestead
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Phoenix 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Texas 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Martinsville 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Kansas 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Talladega 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Dover 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Charlotte Roval
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Richmond 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Las Vegas 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Indianapolis
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Darlington
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Bristol 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 Watkins Glen
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Pocono 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ New Hampshire
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Kentucky
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Daytona 2
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Chicago
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          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Michigan 1
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 Pocono 1
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Coke 600
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Kansas 1
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Dover 1
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Talladega 2019
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 Richmond 1
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 Bristol 1
          • Fantasy Picks 2019 Texas 1
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Martinsville
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Fontana
          • Fantasy Picks ~ ISM 1
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Las Vegas 1
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Atlanta
          • Fantasy Picks ~ Daytona 1
        • Fantasy Picks 2019 ~ Michigan 2
        • A Case For The Chase
        • A Four Year Old's View Of The Greatest Race Of All Time
        • A Phoenix Fan Memory
        • Does NASCAR = Baseball?
        • The New Souvenir Experience
        • A Review of NASCAR in the Heartland
        • The Psychology Of NASCAR
        • When Our Heroes Hang It Up
        • The Time I Helped Tony Stewart Win at Daytona
        • How Richard Petty Made Me a Lifelong NASCAR Fan
        • Why NASCAR Is Better Than Pro Football
        • The Plight Of Local Racing
        • What Was The Greatest Fight In Racing?
        • How To Make A Race Fan In Ten Minutes Or Less
        • Short Track Racing With Lightning McQueen >
          • Robyn Vandenberg 2014 >
            • NASCAR's Little Prince
            • How Would NASCAR Handle A "Sterling" Situation?
            • NASCAR Fans: Gotta Love 'Em!
            • When Was The Last Time You Thought Of Kenny?
            • NASCAR Races: Rigged?
            • Dale Jr. Is On Twitter And Taking Over!
            • Hey, What Are You Doing This Weekend?
            • I Am A NASCAR Fan
            • An Apology To Brad Keselowski
        • One Of The Greatest Comebacks In Racing
        • NASCAR Memories
        • Legends Never Die
        • For The Love Of Racing, Part II
        • For The Love Of Racing, Part I
        • Bobby Hamilton Was My Favorite
    • Kevin Abraham >
      • Kevin Abraham 2015 >
        • The Shift: The Chase, Cheating, And Short Tracks
        • The Shift: Changing Of The Guard, Kurt Busch, And Domination
    • David Allen >
      • David Allen 2014
    • Robyn Vandenberg
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  • Welcome to the 2020 Fantasy Racing Game
    • 2020 Fantasy Picks >
      • Fantasy Picks 2020 - Atlanta Results and Martinsville Picks >
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        • 2020 Fantasy Picks Pocono 1 & 2
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        • Fantasy Picks 2020 - BristolResults and Atlanta Picks
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  • Article Links Page
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  • PattyKay Lilley
    • PattyKay Lilley ~ 2020 >
      • Quotes from NASCAR's Earlier Days
      • Marty Robbins ~ NASCAR Balladeer ~ 2020 Reprise
      • The Question Is Not About Lug Nuts
      • A Change Is Recommended
      • I Remember You ~ 2020 Reprise
      • In Loving Memory of Neil Bonnett ~ 2020
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day ~ 2020 Reprise
      • Its Almost Daytona
      • Looking Back on the Beginning of The Chase
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Let’s talk about “Smokey” Again
    • PattyKay Lilley 2019 >
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2019
      • Saying Goodbye to 2019
      • The Lady in Black is Back
      • The Little Track by the Railroad Track ~ 2019
      • Yellow Line Rule or No Yellow Line Rule
      • Racing the Way It Was When I Started
      • A Defining Moment ~ 1992 Finale at Atlanta
      • Chasing and Whining
      • Adam Petty
      • The Passing of a Giant ~ Buddy Baker
      • Whatever Happened to North Wilkesboro
      • The Life and Good Times of Curtis Turner
      • Tim Richmond Remembered
      • J. D. McDuffie ~ Lived and Died for Racing - Reprise
      • If It’s Foggy It Must Be Pocono
      • New Hampshire Nonsense 2003
      • Rain on the Firecracker 400 ~ No Surprise
      • A Tale of Two Races
      • Down Memory Lane ~ Fireball Roberts
      • Lets Hit the Road
      • Michigan Shenanigans
      • Junie Donlavey ~ A NASCAR Pioneer
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Final Chapter
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2019
      • The Lighter Side of NASCAR ~ Whats in a Name
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Terry Labonte, Ward Burton and More
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Bobby Allison, Ken Schrader and More
      • Quotable Quotes from NASCAR
      • Tales from the Lighter Side ~ Another Round of Quotes
      • NASCAR Quotes from Smokey and Others
      • Tales from the Lighter Side of NASCAR
      • An Objective Look at the 2020 Schedule
      • Pretty Little Martinsville
      • The Lady in Black Visits the Land of Fruits and Nuts
      • Facts and Fantasies about the New Package
      • The NASCAR Balladeer ~ Marty Robbins
      • Leaving Daytona and Looking Forward to Atlanta
      • I Remember You ~ Reprise
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day ~ Reprise
      • In Memory of Neil Bonnett
      • The Loss of a Treasure
      • All Kinds of News and None of It Bad
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Daytona SpeedWeeks Are Upon Us
      • NASCAR Doesnt Love Me Anymore ~ Reprise
      • Where Winter Racing Can Be Found
      • When Rednecks Ran NASCAR ~ 2019
    • PattyKay Lilley 2018 >
      • The Cars and Fans through the Generations
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2018
      • The Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas ~ 2018
      • Thursday Night Thunder
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Is it Finally Time for Smokey Yunick
      • The End of the Season and Some Sad Farewells
      • A Busy Racing Weekend and Then…
      • A Good Mood Spoiled
      • Bump or Dump ~ Yes There Is a Difference
      • Pretty Little Martinsville ~ 2018
      • Old Versus New ~ Age Versus Youth
      • Tales of the Talladega Curse ~ 2018
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Word Games
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Some Things You Might Not Know About ROVALS
      • Thoughts and Memories from an Aging Mind
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Echoes of Indy
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Sound of Silence
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Place Where Names Are Made
      • Bristol ~ From Snow Squalls to Snow Angels
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Questions and Answers
      • Thank God for the SAFER Barriers and Other Varied Thoughts
      • Rain Delay, Sticky Stuff and the Little Race that Could
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ From This Fans Point of View
      • Davey in Retrospect – 25 Years
      • Remembering the Very First Truck Race at Eldora
      • Bobbles in the Booth and Stages in a Road Course Race
      • Nicknames Are Usually Earned
      • Shenanigans at Sonoma
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Insert Clever Title Here
      • What Did He Say
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2018
      • All-Star Racing or Short Track Nationals ~ The Choice is Yours
      • Adam Petty Remembered
      • Its All about Tradition
      • The White Cement of Dover
      • 31 Years of a Temporary Fix
      • We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
      • All the News Unfit to Print~ All-Star Edition
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ No One Is Listening
      • Alan Kulwicki Will Always Be a Champion
      • 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Selections and Elections
      • Fontana to Martinsville and All About the Fan Experience
      • Kevin Harvick Is Right ~ Grass Roots Racing Does Matter
      • The Road Less Traveled
      • Surefire Cost Cutting Ideas for NASCAR
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Too Much Is More than Enough
      • I Remember You ~ My Personal Tribute to Dale Earnhardt
      • An Earnhardt Kind of Day
      • Remembering Neil Bonnett
      • Daytona Fever
      • NASCAR Looked the Other Way
      • A Look in the Rear View Mirror ~ Keith Jackson
      • The Product Is Encumbered and Therefore Not Marketable
      • Its January Already
      • The Perfect Storm and a Sad Farewell
    • PattyKay Lilley 2017 >
      • That Time between Christmas and Daytona
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told ~ 2017
      • I Still Believe in Santa Claus ~ Jimmy Spencer
      • A Defining Moment in NASCAR History
      • Remembering the Final Winston Cup Banquet ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Dont Believe Your Lying Eyes
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ One Last Ride
      • As the 2017 Season Draws to a Close
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Who Is Not Speaking to Whom?
      • The Little Track by the Railroad Track
      • NASCAR Goes Country
      • Tales of the Talladega Curse ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Sad Times and Poor Broadcasting
      • Not One Knee Was Taken During Solemn Prerace Ceremonies at Dover
      • The White Cliffs of Dover ~ Delaware
      • History Holds the Back Story ~ RPM
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Someone Ought to Say It!
      • Characters Add Character to Racing
      • In Darlington, Everything Old Is New Again
      • Remember When NASCAR Was All About the Fans?
      • From Michigan to Richmond and All Points In-between
      • Racing at the Glen and Millennials Can Learn from Geezers
      • When the Points Arent the Points and 2+2 Doesnt Equal 4
      • When Rednecks Ran NASCAR
      • Dear Brent Dewar, About That Star Mangled Banner
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Silly Season Is Only Silly for Some
      • Looking Back ~ A View from the Rearview
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ On Road Racing and Dirt Racing
      • Defeat Snatched from the Jaws of Victory
      • Ninety Miles an Hour down a Dead End Street
      • The Good, the Bad and the Intolerable
      • Verrrry Interesting
      • D-Day Demolition Derby at Dover
      • Memorial Day Means So Much More than Racing ~ 2017
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ NASCAR Why Do You Refuse to Listen?
      • A Tale of Two Weekends
      • Remember Adam Petty
      • Truth Will Always Serve Better than a Good Story
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Vaya con Dios
      • It’s Bristol Baby, but Which Bristol?
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ When Enough Becomes Too Much
      • A Sunday Drive, Texas Style
      • One Helluva Good Race; Sorry You Missed It
      • As Requested By the Fans… and Other Fairytales
      • Smokey Yunick Belongs in the NASCAR Hall of Fame
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ Selections and Elections
      • Some Facts Are Indisputable and Some Folks Enjoy Being Unhappy
      • At Daytona, Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
      • A Few More Nicknames and Some Quaint Quotes
      • Nicknames in Racing Have to Be Earned
      • Drivers, Please Start Your Engines
      • The Voice of One Fan Only
      • Fly on the Wall ~ Speaking of Carl Edwards
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Hopefully the Voice of Reason
      • U.S. Nationals, and We Are Not Talking Drag Racing Here
    • PattyKay Lilley 2016 >
      • The Christmas Story as My Mother Told It
      • We’re Gonna Miss the Man Called Smoke
      • The New Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas
      • Remembering The Final Winston Cup Banquet
      • Let’s Talk About Indy Instead of Homestead
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Why All The Secrecy?
      • Martinsville ~ FUBAR
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ And the Fans Need to Be Heard!
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ NASCAR Doesn’t Love Me Anymore
      • Under The Charlotte Lights...Again ~ Lady in Black
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ A Question For Brian Z. France
      • Who’s Abbott, Who’s Costello and Who’s on First
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Where Have All The Race Fans Gone?
      • Throwback ~ The Lady In Black
      • Throwbacks and Tributes and Memories, Oh My
      • Someone Asked About the History of North Wilkesboro
      • Mid-Ohio Mayhem ~ All In Fun
      • His Name Is Waddell Wilson ~ Remember That Name
      • J. D. McDuffie ~ Lived and Died for Racing
      • Attendance and Ratings ~ Do They Matter?
      • Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup ~ What Comes Next?
      • Davey in Retrospect
      • Twisted Sheet Metal and How A Race Should End
      • Is NASCAR For Sale?
      • Wreckin on the Road ~ Lady in Black
      • Marty Robbins ~ NASCAR Balladeer
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Those Silly Ol’ Lug Nuts
      • Junie Donlavey ~ True Pioneer of NASCAR
      • Tim Richmond ~ Right to the Bitter End and Beyond
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Penthouse and the Outhouse
      • Memorial Day Means More than Just Racing
      • Dover - The Good The Bad and the Unacceptable
      • Down Memory Lane ~ Smokey Yunick
      • Best Damn Garage In Town
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Talladega: Too Much of a Bad Thing
      • Tales Of The Talladega Curse
      • A Few Words About The Old Bristol
      • NASCAR Hall of Fame ~ How the Election Process Works
      • A Sunday Drive, Texas Style with the Lady in Black
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Where Have All the Fans Gone?
      • Alan Kulwicki - Always A Champion
      • Volkswagen Isnt Just a Bug Anymore
      • Racing Is For The Young As Well As The Old
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ From The Desert To The Mountains
      • Would You Like Fries With That?
      • A Few Words on Flag Etiquette
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Great Racing But Poor Coverage
      • Leaving Daytona And Headed For Atlanta
      • Dale Earnhardt ~ I Remember You
      • Charter of Franchise, It's All Good
      • Neil Bonnett: Racer, Broadcaster, Legend, And Man
      • A Racer For All Seasons!
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Six Generations Of Cars And Fans
      • Curtis Turner Inducted Into NASCAR Hall Of Fame
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Improving The Fan Experience
      • The Official Everything Of NASCAR
    • PattyKay Lilley 2015 >
      • It’s Hard to Say Goodbye to So Much Talent
      • The Christmas Story My Mother Told
      • And How Would You Like That Dashboard: Analog or Digital?
      • The Twelve Days of a NASCAR Christmas
      • Who You Callin' A Rookie?
      • And Then There Were Four
      • There Really Was A Race In Texas
      • A Twilight Happy Ending And Sunshine On The Horizon
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ The Luck of Austin Theriault
      • What It Wasn't, Was A Restart
      • Playing The Blame Game
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Am I Still A Race Fan?
      • Under The Charlotte Lights With The Lady in Black
      • It's Probably Not Safe If It's Not SAFER
      • Missing: Race Teams And Sponsors!
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ Getting Started, Word Games and Playoffs
      • A Voice for the Fans ~ What Happens When Racing Becomes Soporific?
      • Darlington In The Rearview And Richmond Right Up The Road
      • The Lady in Black at the Riot in Richmond
      • Retro ~ Everything Old is New Again at Darlington
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ So Much Happening And Most Of It Bad
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Actions Detrimental
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Fans Have Some Responsibility, Too
      • The Passing Of A Giant
      • Something Happened At Pocono That Almost Everyone Missed
      • Kissing The Bricks With The Lady In Black
      • Time To Say Goodbye, To A Track And To A Man
      • The Brickyard 400 In The Rearview ~ What Happened?
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Leaving Sparta For Loudon
      • Logic 101 ~ When in Doubt, Rely on Common Sense
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Kentucky Speedway Needs To Be SAFER
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Fireworks At The Firecracker
      • Some Things Just Aren't News
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ On The Road Again
      • NASCAR Fans Didn't Fit The Stereotype
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ A Fan's View On The State Of The Sport
      • The Lady In Black Pokes Fun At Pocono
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ No One Knows What Goes On Behind Closed Doors
      • One LAP UP With The Lady In Black
      • Making Racing Safer With SAFER
      • Memorial Day Should Mean More Than Racing
      • Showdowns, Trucks, A Starlit Night, And A Couple Guys Named Smith
      • Remembering Adam Petty
      • A Lady Makes Her Debut, And We're Not Any SAFER In Kansas, Toto.
      • Talladega ~ The Curse And SAFER Barriers
      • Pretty Words And Strong Words: Steve Byrnes And SAFER Barriers
      • Bristol, By Any Other Name
      • The NASCAR Hall Of Fame ~ How It Works
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Old Races And New Walls
      • The Lady In Black - The Magic Of Martinsville
      • Revisiting Martinsville, Without Jesse Jones
      • The Lady In Black - The Fontana Furnace
      • Sometimes, You Just Have To Laugh
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Our Drivers DeserveThe Safety Of SAFER
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ Send In The Clowns
      • SAFER! Just Do It!
      • The Choices of NASCAR, February 18th, And A Million Points Of Light
      • A Perfect Storm And A Sad Farewell
      • They Didn't Have To Go That Way
      • I Fought The Law And The Law Lost!
      • A Voice For The Fans No More
      • The Day The Vortex Theory Was Tested
      • Do We Miss Daytona Testing
      • Autographs And Memories
      • Always Hoping For A Happy New Year
      • A Voice For The Fans ~ A Cup Full Of Snow
  • Frank Buhrman
    • Frank Buhrman ~ 2020 >
      • Constant NASCAR Critic
      • Anything Less Than First Is
      • So What Do We Do Now
      • Daytona Then and Now ~ Which Is Better
      • THE CURE ~ For NASCAR, It’s Elusive
      • Fewer Grandstands and More VIP Suites ~ Recipe for NASCAR Success or Failure
      • A Look Back at Some Obscure Racing History
      • We Race on Sand but Will Racing Last as Long as the Ocean
      • History ~ Praising and Preserving It
      • Daytona ~ Lets Begin
      • Healthy Weekly Racing Essential to NASCAR
    • Frank Buhrman 2019 >
      • Junior – The Best of What Was
      • Fast Forward to Racing in 2030
      • Some Nashville-inspired Thoughts on The Future
      • Bringing Back NASCARs Roots
      • Whats the Right Age to Quit NASCAR
      • Gravel’s Move to NASCAR Is a Bright Light
      • Is There A Beginning in This End
      • For the Nostalgic Purist Maybe Xfinity Is the Place
      • Are Today’s Dreamers Dreaming of Becoming Tomorrow’s NASCAR Stars
      • Old Days Old Ways Or New
      • Theres No Stock in NASCAR and We're Racing the Wrong Cars
      • Lets Think Speed Bumps ~ Mixed Surfaces and Gasp ~ Intentional Contact
      • The Diverse Legacy of Cup Race Tracks
      • Age Is Just A State of ~ Speed
      • A Contrarian Opinion and Other Notes
      • An Old Track and NASCARs Future
      • Where Do the Fans Fit in Tomorrows NASCAR
      • When It’s Wet at The Track and Dry at The Computer, You Start Thinking
      • Dim Pocono Memories A Smaller Track, USAC Stocks and More
      • Underneath the Pavement at Loudon, History and an Idea for the Future
      • Go Reino! Cheering for a Ghost in the Cup field at Kentucky
      • Remember REAL Holiday Racing
      • Who Are Tomorrow’s Fans Going to Cheer
      • Is ALL Racing in Trouble
      • TV Versus Watching in Person ~ What Kind of Race Fan Are You
      • Can We Make Charlotte a Big Deal Again
      • Can Racing Escape the Corrupting Influence of $$$
      • Keep Up With Your Local Tracks and Get to Know the Next Stars
      • A Monster of a Driver at the Monster Mile
      • The Lure of Gimmicks and the Barrier of Money
      • NASCAR and Speed – A Little History
      • Lets Talk About whats Good with NASCAR
      • And Sos Your Bleepin Sponsor
      • Time to Lower the Curtains on Stage Racing
      • Looking Back at NASCAR in the Golden State
      • Add More Real Racers like Preece to Cup and More Fans Just Might Follow
      • Freezing Fans at the Track No Longer Works ~ Here Are Some Better Schedule Ideas
      • A Time for Optimism about NASCAR ~ but This Should Just Be the Start
      • Is NASCARs Future In The PASS
      • Looking Back to Look Forward
      • More Good Times at the Chili Bowl As NASCAR Continues to Sink
      • Does NASCAR Need a Nike
      • Time to Save Xfinity ~ SUVs to the Rescue
    • 2018 Frank Buhrman >
      • All I Want for Christmas
      • Fantasy Picks 2020 - Atlanta Results and Martinsville Picks
      • Whats With the New Spire Cup Team
      • SUVs, New Manufacturers, Electric Cars and More
      • Time for a Talk with the Boss
      • The Season’s Over – Time to Start Again
      • We Need a Little Less Perfection
      • Back in Time to Excitement
      • This Weeks History
      • Martinsville ~ Time for the Good Stuff
      • Betting on the Future
      • Give the 2019 Rules a Chance But Keep Pushing for STOCK!
      • The Stuff Floating Around in Franks Head
      • Is NASCAR the Key to the Future Can It Keep All of Racing Alive
      • Follow the Richmond Races This Weekend Then Return in October for the Clash
      • A Better Schedule for Indy ~ The Area, Not the IMS Race Track
      • Darlington ~ The Links to the Past Set It Apart in a Good Way
      • Ray and Sonny Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Have Local Stars Racing in Cup
      • Racing at a Very Different Bristol, Half a Century Ago
      • From Michigan to Rhonda, N.C.
      • New York, New York ~ Frank Sinatra Could Have Sung the National Anthem
      • Whom Shall We Recruit to Buy NASCAR and Rebuild the Sport We Love
      • Looking Back to the Beach
      • A Farce on the High Banks or Fun in the Dirt
      • Another How to Fix NASCAR Article
      • NASCAR on July 4 – Set the Time Machine for Oswego or Spartanburg or Raleigh or
      • In Our Never-Ending Effort to Save NASCAR, We Present
      • A Sport Sinks While Leadership Keeps Up the Practices that Are Killing It
      • What Weve Lost ~ What I Miss
      • NASCARs sort-of Memorial Day Tradition Is Traditionally Followed by ~ Not Much
      • What If It Had Been Different Back When It All Started
      • A No-France NASCAR A No-NASCAR Racing Circuit
      • Can the Way It Used To Be Work?
      • Put the Local Heroes Back in the Field and Bring Back Variety in Cup Racing
      • Phooey on Fast at Talladega ~ Give Me Slow at Bowman Gray
      • NASCAR Needs More Racers Like Those Who Came Up Through the ASA
      • Does Our Future Keep Going Around in Circles Or Will Other Options Bring the Fans Back
      • In Chartered NASCAR Theres No Room for Guys Like Texan H.B. Bailey
      • Sponsors ~ Who Are They and What Do They Do
      • Its Martinsville ~ Let the REAL Racing Begin
      • Maybe its NASCARs Inspection Process that Really Needs Inspecting
      • Las Vegas’ NASCAR Success Blessed By the Spirit of the Late Mel Larson
      • Stock Car Racing Magazine ~ Lessons Learned from Old Covers
      • Celebrate the Trophy and Money, Daytona Winner, but Don’t Count on Winning that Cup
      • Strollin Down the Beach
      • How About a Swap?
      • The Chili Bowl
      • They May Be Tomorrows NASCAR Stars, But Are They Anybodys Heroes
    • Frank Buhrman 2017 >
      • Make This a Christmas to Remember!
      • Winters Cold Is Colder without Racing. What Can We Do to Get Some
      • A New Champion - and One from NASCARs Infancy
      • Old Stats Are Fun, but They Shot Down a Good Theory
      • Martinsville Went Right, So What Keeps Going Wrong?
      • A Field of Dreams that Never Came True
      • Do NASCAR’s Screw-ups Even Matter If Motorsports Have No Future?
      • Does Speed Make the Speed-Sport More Exciting?
      • My Intro to Charlotte Motor Speedway
      • Racing Grand Nationals Once Meant Prepping Your Car in a Hurry
      • Driver Development Programs Need to Get the Gong
      • Drawing Attention to NASCAR in a Good Way
      • Little Joe, Junior, Gentleman Ned and Mr. Modified on Fairgrounds Dirt
      • Darlington ~ Back Then, It Was Something Special
      • Where Else Has NASCAR Raced in These States?
      • The Formula for Success is Not Obvious in Appealing to Millennials
      • Will NASCAR’s Aging Fans Demand that Medicare Pay for More Comfy Seats at the Speedway?
      • Kyle Larson Wins Races of All Kinds, and He Might Just Save NASCAR
      • With Writers and Racetracks, Age Can Be Everything
      • NASCAR Has It All, So Why Am I Happy Watching the Races at Lizard Creek?
      • Wood Brothers + Blaney = Good News for NASCAR
      • Who Could Make NASCAR A Little Spicier?
      • A Little Ramble in Delaware
      • Not The Masters, But the Wood Brothers Truly Have a Tradition like None Other
      • Speeds Were Slower, Drivers Still Came and Went, and NASCAR Survived
      • A Quick Surf Through NASCAR History
      • More than the Loss of a Great Driver
      • Little Martinsville Is the Monster Track of NASCAR Cup Series History
      • California Not So “Golden” A NASCAR State
      • Franks Guide to How to Fix All That Ails NASCAR
      • A Little Vegas History and Long Trips to Races
      • The Real Dirt on Atlanta’s Racing Past
      • Would More Fans Watch if a “500” Was a “Triathlon?”
      • Media Coverage Today Could Be A Lot Worse
      • Another Link between Short Tracks and What Ails NASCAR
      • Lets Go Back To The Old Definition Of Cheating
    • Frank Buhrman 2016 >
      • Bringing Back the Excitement – One Fan’s Ideas
      • Racing Road Trip: Let’s Head to… Where?
      • Bring Cup Racers Back to the Bullrings
      • Discover Some "Mud Roots" Racing!
      • Memories, Gripes and Maybe a Little Dreamin
      • Frank Likes The Chase...Kind Of
      • 1960's: NASCAR's Northern Tour
      • Chicago: The First Races In The Second City
      • Richmond "Action": Then And Now
      • 1950 To Now: Ladies Attack The Lady In Black
      • Radical Thought: Let Drivers Develop Themselves
      • 1967: With Lower Banking And Smaller Crowds, Bristol Was Still A Big Deal
      • Coverage of Racing Has Changed With The Sport
      • More Bluegrass Than Green Flags For NASCAR In Kentucky
      • The Day Goliath Roared (sort-of) In NASCAR Racing
      • Give a Nod to Larry LoPatin for NASCAR Motors in the Motor State
      • Pondering Racing’s Future in Charlotte . . . and Trumansburg
      • Frank's Loose Lugnuts
      • Fix it, Forget it, or Let Nature Run its Course
      • Oh, The Yellow Flag of Texas
      • A New Track, Some Old Memories . . . But Where is the Lake
      • Let’s Have A Sprint Cup ‘Blindfold Race,’ With Donald Trump Guiding Who?
      • Maybe The Ghost of "Fireball" Can Call The Auto Club 400 Winner
      • It ain’t like it used to be . . . (and sometimes that’s a good thing)
      • Sure, Atlanta Can Be Cold In February, But Remember Richmond?
      • Is A Blast From The Past What NASCAR Needs In The Future
  • Vivian Simons
    • Vivian Simons 2020 >
      • 2020 Review and Hopes for 2021
      • Memories, etc.
      • Is NASCAR’S Chase Fair
      • Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas City
      • As Dale Said...
      • Why Not A Cup Race At Eldora
      • South Point 400 At Las Vegas Review
    • Vivian Simons 2018 >
      • Season’s Greetings to Our Staff and to All of Our Readers
      • And It Came to Be
      • NASCAR and Home
      • History ~ How We Honor It and Why
      • Thoughts on Racers Being Equal
      • Reader Responses and Random Thoughts
      • Through the Years Something Went Wrong
      • Fan Choices
      • Road Course Racing Memories
      • Where Do Old Fans Go
      • The Fan Experience
      • Where Were You When
      • Young Racers vs Kyle Busch
      • Daytona Has Come and Gone - Part 2
      • Daytona Has Come and Gone - Part 1
      • Hey Have You Heard the News
      • Daytona Memories - Again
      • Vehicles and Life Must Change
    • Vivian Simons 2017 >
      • Christmas Wishes to Our Staff
      • Old Versus New - History and Memories
      • Musings During the Off-Season in NASCAR - Again
      • It Is What It Is!
      • Sponsors, Drivers, Tracks & NASCAR
      • Some Funny Things Happened on the Way to the Playoffs
      • Is It a Race or a Show?
      • I Am a Race Fan that Wants to See the Race!
      • Road Course Ringers ~ Are They a Good or a Bad Thing?
      • Phases & Memories = Good Old Days By An Older Fan
      • Who's Gonna Fill Their Seats?
      • Is the Cup Half Full or Half Empty?
      • Observations from the Atlanta Races
      • Musings During the Off-Season in NASCAR
    • Vivian Simons 2016 >
      • Christmas Wishes
      • Is It Racing Or Just A Show?
      • Drivers Or Racers
      • And So It Came To Be
      • The Trucks, The New Chase, And The School Yard Bully
      • The Chase Is Coming! The Chase Is Coming!
      • Parity...Or Toyota Domination?
      • Invasion Of The Lower Tier Victory Snatchers!
      • High Banks and Memory Banks
      • A Road Course Is A Course (Of Course, Of Course...)
      • What Sort of Race Fan Are You?
      • NASCAR Hall Of Fame Or Hall Of Fave?
      • NASCAR's Generation Gap
      • Tony Stewart, NASCAR and Lug Nuts
      • Racing 101
      • Television Coverage Of NASCAR Racing
      • Is The Xfinity Series Fair?
      • Follow The Leader
      • Daytona Memories
    • Vivian Simons 2015 >
      • Addiction, Disillusionment, And Conforming
  • David Nance
    • David Nance 2020 >
      • A Fan’s Memories of Stanley Smith
      • Rain and Fuel Mileage-A Texas Playoff Race
      • I’m Looking for a KFB Sweep
      • After Kansas It’s Time for Some New Terms
      • Chase, He Had No Radio - Ee-I-ee-I-O
      • Chase Saves the Day - KC Lead Change Scorecard
      • Clint Bowyer’s Next Ride
      • DAMP LEAD CHANGE SCORECARD - ROVAL
      • Kentucky Speedway Gone… Just Like That
      • Recipe for Cup Success
      • Six Lead Changes… It’s Bristol, Baby
      • Was Richmond that Bad
      • Lead Change Scorecard - Darlington
      • Lead Change Scorecard
      • It’s Time to Bring Back DW
      • Daytona 500 and the Four Laws
      • Three Laws ~ Plus a New One
      • 2019 In the Rear View ~ 2020 Just Ahead
    • David Nance 2019 >
      • 2019 GOTS ~ Some Interesting Stats
      • Every Fan Needs a Racing Buddy
      • As the Onion Peels... And Its Impact on Kyle Busch
      • Remembering Jimmie Johnson ~ Through the Wrecks
      • We’ve Got Everything We Want ~ and Then Some
      • For Everything There is a Season
      • Choosing Your Words Wisely
      • That Double Yellow Line ~ It Ain’t Going Away
      • The Other Untold Story ~ The Race for the Winless Cup Champion
      • What About the Other Race ~ Win You’re In
      • Race for the Green Tweaked
      • Nashville 400 Backstory - Fifty Years Later
      • Nashville ~ One Giant Step
      • NASCAR Now That’ll Preach!
      • Sonoma in Song
      • DW ~ Deja Vu All Over Again
      • Race for the Green ~ Its Time Has Arrived
      • After 200 ~ Then What
      • Two Aero Packages Down ~Two to Go
      • Put It Out One Last Time ~ David Hoots
      • Race Fans ~ Start Your Predictions
      • Another One Bites the Dust ~ Thank You Jay
      • Respects to a Champion
    • David Nance 2018 >
      • David and Dad
      • Texas Gas ~ NASCAR History Lost
      • Against Headwinds
      • The Race for the Winless Champion
      • DuQuoin Was Our Darlington
      • A New Plan ~ Gentlemen and Ladies, Start Your Acronyms
      • The Day After Loudon
      • Loudon ~ Bruton Is Sitting on a Gold Mine
      • Clint Bowyer Was Right About The Product
      • Man, I Wish Race for the Green Was in Place This Weekend
      • Stage Racing Before It Was Cool
      • Left Turns - Where Did It Start
      • The Shirt ~ One Fan’s Memorial to Alan Kulwicki
      • There Is No Racing This Weekend
      • Martinsville Inspection Procedures = New Crew Chiefs by Friday
      • For a Moment All Was Right with the Racing World
      • Oh Where Oh Where Is NASCARs Driver Alert System
      • Qualifying Concept Long Overdue - Race for the Green
    • David Nance 2017 >
      • Thank You Bud
      • All about the Price Tag
      • And the Real True Playoff Winner Is
      • The Perfect Storm
      • If We Are Going to Have a Playoff, Make It a Real One
      • Outrunning the Bear
      • Level Playing Fields Not Until All Winners Face R &D Inspections
      • Is It Time For Encumbered Starts?
      • Kevin, I Dont Believe Ida Told That
      • And Stomped that Sucker Flat!
      • A Sons First Race… Through the Eyes of a Dad
      • Take Em To The Fence
      • Kyle's Mic Drop ~ Just One of Those Racing Deals
      • Remember When DW Was Monster Energy?
      • We Have Ourselves A Summit!
      • The Hunt for the NASCAR Canary
      • Penalties ~ DW Had A Better Idea
      • If FOX Covered the Kentucky Derby
      • Media Coverage Today Could Be a Lot Better
      • The Week in NASCAR - Opportunity Lost
      • Will Karma Smile on NASCAR?
      • Gentlemen... Start... Your... Commercials
      • The Untold Story of How the New Race Format Came To Be
      • Another Look at Attendance
    • David Nance 2016 >
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ Let Cooter Be Cooter
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ All I Want For Christmas
      • Holiday Leftovers ~ Grand Prix Memories
      • 20-20 + Monster Energy = Race For the Green
      • Please Let It Be Rain
      • It's Just Not Right
      • More Chase, Baby!
      • Three Laws
      • 20-20: The Rest Of The Story
      • Take A Chance, Mr. France
      • Time For A New Chase
      • And That Was Fr'istol!
  • J. L. Steele
    • J.L. Steele - 2020 Articles >
      • Now We Can Breathe
    • J. L. Steele 2019 >
      • Random Ruminations
      • Quick Hits on Charlotte
      • Quick Hits on Dover
      • Quick Hits on Talladega
      • Quick Hits on Richmond
      • Quick Hits on Bristol 1
      • Quick Hits on Texas 1
      • Quick Hits on Martinsville
      • Quick Hits on Fontana
      • Quick Hits on Phoenix
      • Quick Hits on Vegas
      • Quick Hits on Daytona and Atlanta
      • Off Season Thoughts
    • J.L. Steele 2018 >
      • 2018 ~ It Was a Good One
      • Logano Is Not the Problem, Hes the Solution
      • Jimmie Johnsons Roval Win
      • Some Guys Just Dont Know When to Quit
      • The Glass Is Half Full
      • Back to the Future
      • Predictions and Wishes ~ Through a Hazy Crystal Ball
    • J. L. Steele 2017 >
      • A NASCAR Fans Letter to Santa
      • 2017 in the Rear View Mirror
      • A Sign of the Bad Times
      • Ken Squier at Darlington
      • Thoughts, Opinions and Rumors - Oh My!
      • Leave Junior Alone!
      • Kyle Busch is Exactly What NASCAR Needs
      • Let’s Save the Truck Series
    • J. L. Steele 2016 >
      • Brian's Big Monday
      • A Wishing Well And A Crystal Ball
      • A Parting Gift For Stewart
      • A Perfect Voice For A Perfect Time
      • Growth By Subtraction
    • J. L. Steele 2015 >
      • Meet The Racing Marine
      • A Race Fan's Christmas Wish List
      • Sunset At Martinsville
      • The Michael Waltrip Dilemma
      • The Rich Keep Getting Richer, While The Xfinity Series Dies
      • The Last Perfect Night
      • Halfway(?) Home...
      • The Essence Of Racing
      • Ranking The Truex Win
      • Visiting Victory Lane
      • The Silver Lining
      • Smoke Will Rise
      • No Comparison When Comparing Newman and Bowyer
      • Advice For Race Tracks
      • Making A Case For Kahne
      • Support Your Local Short Track
      • SAFE Is A Four Letter Word
      • Dinner With D.W.
      • Gordon's Greatness
      • Wendell Scott - Leader Of The Class
      • We Shook Earnhardt's Hand
      • Show Me The Money! (And Where It Comes From)
      • The King And I
  • Dana Gibson
    • Dana Gibson 2019
    • Dana Gibson 2018 Articles >
      • On Heroes
      • Infield Dreams
      • Ghosts of My History
  • Mitch Walker
    • Mitch Walker 2019 >
      • Respect in Racing
      • The Dale Singleton Story
      • Cost Is Killing Racing
      • Changes and Changes
      • Racing Like It Used to Be
      • Heroes
      • Can Driver Safety and Speed Work Together
      • NASCAR ~ Is It Done
      • An Evening with Tiger Tom Pistone
      • Through My Eyes
      • 2019 ~The Dr.s Take on It
      • Just Amazing What Can Be Learned Through Racing
      • A Trophy Story
    • Mitch Walker 2018 >
      • 400 Miles of Mayhem
      • A Trip Through Time
      • Its History, Like It or Not
      • Once the Local Tracks Are Gone
      • Kevin Harvick Gets It!
      • Racing, Broadcasting, Blocking and the Win ~ All Bad
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  Race Fans Forever
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What We've Lost ~ What I Miss

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06/05/2018
Frank Buhrman

 

I attended my first NASCAR Grand National (Monster/Cup) race 55 years ago. I’m far from the oldest fan in that regard (although I might be getting uncomfortably close).

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Here’s Richmond in 1965, a couple of years after I started my race fan career in that section of the bleachers you can see in this photo.

I’ve attended a few more than 100 “premier series” races in the half-century since then, which makes me far from the most experienced fan. I’ve watched a lot of races on TV (although none for the past two or three years), listened to many more on radio (going back to Hank Schoolfield’s Universal Racing Network) and - more recently - followed a good number online.

I’ve eaten a lot of track food (and survived, so far), bought a lot of programs (even wrote articles for a couple of them), covered races for newspapers, worked with a track’s public relations staff on race weekends, interviewed drivers, taken a train to a race, been rained and snowed out, met awesome and awful people (and probably been identified by others as being in both those groups), hoarded racing materials at home, and felt really odd when I was somewhere without news media access on a Monday and couldn’t find out who won.

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Undeniably, progress took Cup racing from the top photo to the bottom one, but something was lost along the way that is really costing NASCAR today.

Monster/Cup racing (and NASCAR in general) today is carefully packaged, nearly antiseptic entertainment, surrounded by lots of money (albeit much less than 10 years ago).

I haven’t been to a Monster/Xfinity/Camping World race in person in nearly five years, and I miss going, but not as much as I feel I should. Here’s why.

I miss drivers having other occupations. Everybody knew that Tiny Lund ran a fish camp, Harry Gant was in construction, Curtis Turner bought and sold timber. My early favorite, J.T. Putney, was a pilot. Mark Thompson got lots of publicity back in February for starting the Daytona 500 at age 66, but he also was a great story because he had a life outside of racing.

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If Tiny Lund was your favorite driver a little over half a century ago and you didn’t see enough of him at the track, you could go down to Cross, S.C., and rent a boat from him to catch some cats or stripers.

I miss the chatter about who was entered in an upcoming race, because it wasn’t the same drivers every week. It seldom affected who won, but it was interesting.

I miss seeing a racer drive his own hauler to the track. I miss open haulers where you could see the car, too.

I really miss local track standouts getting a chance to race against the NASCAR travelers. They might have had no chance of winning, but you followed their place in the race and considered a Top 10 finish a moral victory, even in your guy was 16 laps behind the winner.

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Local hero Sonny Hutchins put Emanuel Zervakis’ Chevy on the outside pole at Martinsville and raced ahead of Richard Petty for the early lead.

I miss the NASCAR travelers running at the local short track the night before the GN/Cup race.

I miss the heartbreak of your underdog hero racing his way into the Top 5, only to lose six laps while his volunteer pit crew was changing a tire.

I miss frontrunners having to battle their way through lapped traffic constantly. When did that become something to avoid, as drivers seem to see it today? Traffic made for more passing, even without 20 cars on the lead lap.

I miss the parade of visiting pace cars being the highlight of pre-race.

I miss high school bands playing the National Anthem (and I remember the time Universal Network’s Bob Montgomery’s mic was left on during a particularly slow rendition, and he could be heard muttering, “sounds like a funeral dirge.”)

I miss characters, like Billy Woods, who would accept tips from some drivers to put “hexes” on others, or drivers like Joe Weatherly and Jabe Thomas, who clowned around.

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No idea of the context of this photo, but it looks like the Southern 500 parade in Darlington with Joe Weatherly representing South of the Border. Whatever it is, it shows a driver who knew how to have fun.

I won’t name any names here, but I miss drivers who weren’t good looking and who regularly mangled the English language.

I miss cheating being a game where, if you got caught - you got disqualified but could come back next week with things hidden a little better and try again. I miss the fans enjoying that game, not making it sound like moral turpitude.

I miss the cars being cars, although if someone wants to see the sport reflect current reality and begin an SUV racing series, I’m game to see how it goes.

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I asked Google for “SUV racing,” and it gave me this. Can you kind of use your imagination a little?

I miss teams being able to fix a race car by borrowing parts from somebody’s sedan in the parking lot or making a quick trip to the junkyard.

OK, I could go on (and on and on), and you could leave for something more pleasant, like mowing the lawn, but here’s my point. I won’t deny that these are the ramblings of an old guy who just wants things back like they were when he was (and felt) young, but they’re more than that - they’re a reflection of how racing has lost its personality, replacing it with something that - based on attendance and TV ratings - isn’t going over all that great.

But I also understand this conundrum: When all these things that are my fond memories were the norm, NASCAR was a much smaller world, with fewer fans and much less money - and a lot less television exposure. Am I willing to trade all the neat stuff that came with its growth for what I consider to be the “golden” elements of racing?

In a word, yes.

Disclosure: I make that choice easily, because I have no pony in the race, I would in no way be financially harmed if NASCAR’s size reverted to what it was 50 years ago (when EVERY NASCAR employee was listed by name in the race program, and 90% of those were people getting paid $10 or $20 a race for some specific race-day job). No, my preferred outcome would cost a lot of people their jobs. I hate the thought of causing anyone else pain, but I don’t see those jobs surviving, anyway, if the status quo continues too much longer.

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Don’t want to see it; don’t know how to avoid it.

Another societal change that would affect how my “retro” world would work is the internet. Here there’s a glimmer of the positive.

I love music, but my musical taste runs decidedly counter to what’s most popular. I don’t listen to radio, and even Sirius/XM doesn’t customize musical choice enough for me. But I still have plenty of access, via Pandora (and its counterparts) and most of all YouTube. One member of a fairly obscure group I kind of like recently left to try her luck as a solo act, and now she’s released an EP of a few songs, all recorded in one go, while a video crew was also recording everything. The first music video from that effort was available on YouTube well in advance of the EP’s release. Not long ago, we went to a small club to see an obscure band I like, and I noticed a camera set up in the back of the room. The next week, not only were a couple of that band’s songs available as videos on YouTube (admittedly with poor sound quality), but so was a song by the even more obscure opening act. That’s how much things have changed FOR THE BETTER to give us more choice.

All that is or could be available to racing, too, and with fewer commercials. We just might need to get used to seeking the stuff out in odd places online and having a Roku to play it on the TV. I can do that.

It might not bring back the parade of visiting pace cars or put Joey Logano behind the wheel of his hauler, but for racing that feels like racing, that has personality, and that plays to my sports soul, I’m willing to see big changes take place.

Frank’s Loose Lug Nuts

One of the things you hear a lot when people suggest changes for NASCAR is that the season be shortened, but I think that’s baloney. The problem is that the product needs to be fixed, not how many times we have to endure it. Sears and Kmart keep closing stores, hoping that more people will shop in the ones that are left, but I don’t see that producing a miracle turnaround. No, if you create racing that people can’t wait to see, they’ll watch it as often as you allow.

Up here in South Central Pennsylvania and nearby, the streak of lousy weekend weather continues, and I think some tracks have lost more than half their race dates so far this year. I hear we’re entertaining some rules changes to make sure people can watch a race next Saturday:

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Inspectors will be responsible for bringing their own scuba gear.

 

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The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Race Fans Forever are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of Race Fans Forever.  Race Fans Forever is not affiliated with NASCAR or any other motorsports sanctioning body in any form.
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