ZuDfunck

Dan Patrick a NASCAR Fan?

ZuD is always curious of who is and isn't a true NASCAR fan. Mr Patrick being the consummate interviewer makes it difficult to judge, but based on the rapport he has with some of these dudes, I would say he is. Click on the image to hear his interview and you be the judge.

Now that Dan Patrick has aligned with Sports Illustrated, he has an all new website. There is a lot going on on the site, beyond the ability to listen to his show live from 9 to noon EST, there is on demand options of interviews, among them are several NASCAR Drivers:

Dale Earnhardt Jr Billboard Revised

In advance of the Samsung 500, Texas Motor Speedway promoted the race with billboards. Humor gave in to political correctness and we now have this:

Where its' predecessor had more of a bite:

Thanx to Greg at RacingWin.com

ZuD's View on HBO's The Wire, Salem Witch Trials and 2008 Presidential Primary

Forgive the off topic, some say inappropriate and in bad taste post:

When I look at what's happening on the Wire
And see what is about to happen
The ill begotten wire tap frees Marlo and his Crew
I think back to why we need these constitutional protections

It wasn't that long ago in this country
If a man suspected a woman of being a Witch
all he had to do was claim it
and BOOM! One less woman in town

Say today
If Obama was to loose his cool on some debate tactic gone wrong
He could yell to Brian Williams
WITCH!

Hillary would be off the stage
Up for Trial
And Bill Clinton would be partying the next day
at some local TGIF, picking up strays.

NASCAR Themed Wedding Captured in YouTube Video

Jay Busbee at Yahoo Sports Blog 'From the Marbles' posted this Video and captioned it with:

You've gotta love it when NASCAR mania bleeds into your brain, like it has with the happy couple below, who take their love of NASCAR to a ridiculously high level at their wedding.

There's so much to love about this video -- the NASCAR-style introduction of the wedding party, the ultradorky ushers sliding in, the choreographed entrances of the bridesmaids and groomsmen (leapfrog at a wedding: ALWAYS welcome), the Eddie Van Halen wannabe on the straight-outta-the-80s guitar, the bride and groom entering to "Kickstart My Heart," the vaguel holy-crap-what-did-I-get-myself-into look on the groom's face during that first dance ... folks, this wedding is some kind of awesome. I'd lay odds that the marriage will last at least two full Cup seasons.

Lets all wish these folks that the energy displayed at the wedding translates into a long and happy bond:

NASCAR Fantasy Racing Resource: RotoWorld.com

Now ZuD has played Fantasy Football for giggles maybe the last three years and regretted it by week 4 but with NASCAR Fantasy Racing if you were to be able to lock on to the Hendrick team for example, you could have a delightful run. Don't know if that is possible, to have all the drivers of a particular owner and what's involved in drafting drivers, but it could be a tortuous run if you had some so so snake bit driver.

Saw this site RotoWorld that is certainly a prime resource for football it might be of some guidance for NASCAR. If you've had experience in this, drop a comment.

Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson:  Johnson has won the past three Las Vegas races…enough said.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has three consecutive top five finishes at Vegas.  He should be in the lead pack again this weekend.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth:  Kenseth has won two of the last five races at Vegas.  He is a great bet to crack the top five again this weekend.
No. 18 Kyle Busch:  Busch has three straight top 10 finishes at his hometown track.  He is a great pick this weekend.
No. 20 Tony Stewart: Stewart has been a top five finisher at Vegas four times. There is a great chance he could find his way to victory lane for the first time at the track this weekend.

Kevin and DeLana Harvicks' Dog 'LO' Recovering

Being the thorough NASCAR Blogger that I am after hearing DeLana wasn't with Harvick at the tortuous weekend that was held at AutoClub Speedway this past weekend I did some serious googling to find this quote from Kevin in the Star Telegram from Speedweek in Daytona:

"The dog's doing fine," said Harvick, reporting on the condition of LO (for Little One), the family chihuahua. "She had surgery on her spine this morning and everything went good. [Wife] DeLana's at home with her. We've spent more time apart this week because the dog's been sick."

Then having found his website there is this from DeLana:

We have had many emails regarding LO, so we sat    down with DeLana to get the scoop and a few pictures!
 
   KH.com: How did surgery go?
   DeLana: The surgery went very well. They    were able to get 6, 2mm screws to fuse her 1st and 2nd vertebra together. The    doctor said they are all very secure and they are really pleased.
 
   KH.com: Are the doctors optimistic of a    full recovery?
   DeLana: There is a 60 percent recovery    rate, but LO is a tough little girl and we hope and pray she will make a full    recovery.
 
   KH.com: Has mom and dad been pampering    her?
   DeLana: Everyone has been pampering her –    Mom, Dad, Grandma, Anya (D’s Aunt) and all the wonderful people at the Vet!    There is certainly no shortage of attention as far as she is concerned.
 
   KH.com: Anything you want to share with    us?
   DeLana: She will have to stay in the body    cast for several more weeks. But, that’s a good thing to keep her as stable    as possible and give the bones the best chance to fuse together.

No story is complete without a picture:

When NASCAR's the Boss, There's No Way to Challenge A Call

Some decisions are just bad. Such as Sunday nights decision to go ahead and start the Auto Club 500 when by all accounts the seepage of water had increased. From Kathy's Pit Stop:

NASCAR in their infinite wisdom decided to start the race shortly after 6PM ET even though the track still had seeping in turns three and four.  Because of this we sit under a red flag after a bad wreck because of that seepage, thank God all the drivers involved are OK, especially Casey Mears who ended up getting flipped by Sam Hornish Jr.

I was listening to the scanner before the race and drivers were talking about the seepage in turns three and four while they were under the pace laps, many saying that they need to fix it before they start the race.  But, NASCAR started it anyways and there have been two cautions in just 21 laps and a red flag because of it.

NASCAR should have just postponed both races until tomorrow.

So ZuD may have to put his thinking cap on, as you folks out there as well and figure out how a sanctioning body should have to be accountable for such a move. It isn't as simple as in the NFL where a coach can throw a challenge flag and question the infinite wisdom of NASCAR. But there should be some dialog taking place. Now as I recall they did have a few drivers go out and scope out the seepage area but I think that was after it was a little too late. Mears, Hornish and Junior were already staring at their wrecked cars figuring out what next. I have been impressed with NASCAR's ability to make the right call most of the time. It's just that Sunday's decision was so obviously wrong it will take awhile to recover.

Do NASCAR Fans Watch HBO's The Wire

Every Monday nite I hurriedly access Comcast's on Demand and watch a sneak peak of The Wire, If you are a fan you know by now that Omar got popped buying a pack of Newports and all hell is about to break loose for the Good and the Bad guys. I wanted to post about this show as I have in the past but was concerned as to whether or not NASCAR fans can be HBO drama fans, such as The Wire, John from Cincinnati or the prematurely shelved classic Deadwood.

So I'll open it up in the comment section and you give me your thoughts. Right off you're entertainment dollars might be going to DirecTV or Trackpass and don't have monies left for HBO, or digital cable. Yes ZuD does recognize all is not good for many of us. But if we can put aside that Magilla, What Do You Think?

And here is an image of my boy Omar, who I thought could have had a spin-off series once the Wire ends one episode from now:

California Racing This Weekend Non-existent, Watch the Oscars

Don't know about your weekend but ZuD is about ready to switch over to ABC and watch the Oscars cause this California racing weekend has been one incredible Bust! Here this big fella is going to give the OK and we will be off racing. Think of the drivers who have to do double duty today. Lots of driving.

Give the Fox Gopher Cam a Name

Fox is looking for You to provide a name for the little gopher click on Image to go to it.

Television's never-ending goal is to bring the viewer as close to the action as possible," said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill. "We've had great past success with Catcher-Cam and Diamond-Cam in our MLB coverage and Grass Cam and Wall-Cam in NASCAR on FOX broadcasts.

"However, Gopher Cam, and forgive us for having some fun with the name, is different. These are HD cameras developed specifically for this use. The pictures are phenomenal, and the audio that the mikes provide is mean and loud. It's a tremendous complement to our Emmy-caliber NASCAR broadcasts."

In fact, there's just one problem: The poor gopher doesn't have a name.

But that's where you come in.

Send us your best suggestion as to what we should call the little fella. We'll sort through the best and come up with a name.

Until then, the gopher will continue to provide the most unique perspective the sport has to offer ... anonymously.