Hello loyal readers and other folks. Well let me begin by tellin’ ya one somethin’ right now, this here race weekend was as excitin’ and nerve wrackin’ as it could be. If ya missed it I feel for ya and if ya recorded it you need to get your snacks ready and sit yourself down for some long, long, excitin’ viewin’. Duck and I are still talkin’ about it.
So as ya know the Trucks were off this weekend but the ARCA Series took to that track on Friday. Duck and I like that series. As I understand it many of those ARCA cars once belonged to Cup teams and they are so enjoyable to watch. Some people think ARCA is just a “passin’ through” series for NASCAR and it is for many hopefuls but there are some long timers there as well. Duck and I don’t get the chance to watch this series often but we heard tell there were some drivers runnin’ that we want to keep a once in awhile eye on so we settled in and cheered and quacked as the green flag flew. Matt Lofton led the field followed by Chris Buescher, Frank Kimmel, Brennan Poole and Brandon Davis. For those who want to know Larry Mac’s boy Brandon started 10th. The rest you can look up.
Can’t give ya too much of a run down on this race but I can tell ya that it isn’t usual for ARCA to run 43 cars but they did that day. Course this is such a big ol’ track and many of the tracks they run are short tracks so that makes sense to this granny. Anyway this was a 94 lap race and it really was a fun race to watch. It was just long enough to get Duck and I riled up even more for the race weekend. And that Brandon McReynolds drove like he had been racin’ draftin’ type races way longer than he is old. On the final lap he was runnin’ second and pulled out at just the right time to win that race, Why it was amazin’ and excitin’ and drove that like a pro. Yessirree he did! That was only his 7th ARCA race and he won at Talladega. Good for him I say and his daddy was so proud he was about to bust his buttons. Rightly so I say. This boy is gonna be a racin’ star. That’s a fact. Lofton finished 2nd followed by Hackenbracht, Chris Buescher and Ryan Reed. The rest you can look up.
Duck and I spent the rest of the day finishin’ our chores and commentin’ often about that boy’s win. That move to win showed patience and purely ol’ racin’ ability. His daddy taught him well! Just another big ol’ good for both of ’em I say!
So Saturday Duck and I were oh so ready again. We weren’t sure, just like everybody else, what to expect. Would it be the 2 by 2 stuff or the old style pack racin’ or would it be the combination of both like we saw at Daytona in February? The field was lined up by points standin’s due to rain so we were on our feet yellin’ like crazy creatures when the green flag flew for Curly Sadler, Ricky, Jr, Happy Man, Wide Smilin’ and WOG. For those who want to know JR started 33rd, his nephew Jeffrey started dead last and there were 8 Cup regulars runnin’ this race.
It is still takin’ draftin’ partners and it always will to start movin’ forward but it takes knowin’ how to do it, more than ever. that makes it work the right way. New rules helped make the racin’ more like it used to be but the 2 by 2 break away stuff was also still workin’. At any rate Duck and I thought it was more excitin’ than recently I can tell ya that one somethin’ right now. And just like always the drivers in the front would lose their draftin’ partner and fall way back. It sure was a case of go with whoever is movin’ forward. Can’t blame ’em for that. I can’t even tell ya who was runnin’ with who or for how long cause it was constantly changin’. I can tell ya That Girl was lookin’ good. I think she just might have this draftin’ business down pat! Good for her I say and I surely mean it! And oh my good and gracious LORD JR was lookin’ so blasted good! Why he was leadin, then he wasn’t, then he was again and Duck and I were losin’ our voices by midway I can tell ya that right now. By lap 62 there had been 2 multi car accidents but nothin’ like we all always expect thank our good and gracious LORD again. Then on lap 77 an amazin; somethin; happened. That Girl took the lead! Duck and I both screamed WHAT? And we had to cheer for her. We were woohooin’ all over the place for her. Yessirree we were! Course on the next lap JR passed her and we were still woohooin’!
And as is the regular Talladega racin’ stuff Jr’s lead didn’t last long neither and the usual up front jostlin’ was still goin’ on. Everybody was wonderin’ but not askin’ if there was gonna be a big one? Well,there was with just 6 laps to go. 11 or 12 cars wrecked and Eric McClure hit the inside wall so hard it was frightenin’. They red flagged the race cause they had to cut him out of his car and airlifted him to a hospital. They said he was talkin’ thank our good and gracious LORD but as far as Duck and I know he is still bein’ evaluated. Good luck and prayers for that boy I say!
Anyway Wide Smilin’ won the race. Good for that boy I say. It’s been quite awile since he won a race. Rowdy Boy finished 2nd followed by Ricky Jr, Cole Whitt and JR. Big Brother Busch finished 6th, That Girl finished 13th and WOG finished 17th. Good for all of ’em I say! The rest you can look up. Ricky Jr took over the points lead by 5 points over Curly, WOG is 35 points behind and the rest of the points standin’s you can look up too.
Duck and I were wore to a frazzle from 2 days of Dega race watchin’ but that’s neither here nor there. Just think how those drivers felt! I drifted in and out of sleep, half excited about the Cup race the next day and half scared shoeless. I heard Duck snorin’ around 2 so I drifted off to sleep pretty quick like too.
We both slept in a little Sunday mornin’. Didn’t get up til 5 so we rushed around like crazy creatures gettin’ the chores done before the race. So with a late breakfast under our belt and no snacks on the crates we settled in for what we knew was gonna be hours of excitement and speed. I didn’t check to see who was on the pole cause I wanted to be surprised. When they said Jeffie Duck and I were purely pleased. We’ve come to really like that boy. Anyway Dinger started 2nd followed Aussie Man, AA and Kutie Kahne. For those who want to know Flippin’ Carl started 7th, Smoke 8th, Mikie 9th and Jr 18th. The rest you can look up.
Course all the racin’ smack talk was goin’ on. Who’s gonna win? Is Jeffie gonna end his bad luck? Is JR gonna finally win? Is Flippin’ Carl gonna start a come back? Heckfire Duck and I didn’t listen to none of it. We just settled in for the duration and we knew this was gonna be a long one. Yessirree we did.
Course we had no idea who was gonna win and we weren’t speculatin’ neither. This was a 194 lap race but everybody knows that it wasn’t goona be that easy and, of course, it wasn’t. There was the usual and regular jostlin’ up front. JR lead along with a slew of others. And as anticipated there was the big one with 45 laps to go which collected Jeffie, JuanToya, Wide Smilin’ .Flippin’ Carl, Truex Jr, Terry LaBonte, Cassill and Blaney. Course Duck was upset about Flippin’ Carl but he seems to be dealin’ with this kind of stuff better. I think all the talk about JR’s fans hangin’ in there durin’ his long dry spell is startin’ to make sense to him, least ways I’m hopin’ so.
Anyway G/B Brad won this race. Now I’m not sure anybody expected him to win but he did sure enough and in a tricky amazin’ fashion to boot. He was leadin’ with Rowdy Boy on his rear bumper but coming to the finish he went high to break the draft and when Kyle slowed Brad came on back down to win the race! The whole place went wild. Good for him I say. Rowdy finished 2nd followed by Robo, Kutie Kahne and Bif. For those who want to know JR finished 9th, Not same Champ Jimmie finished 35th after losin’ an engine on lap 61, Flippin’ Carl finished 31st after the big one and the others involved in that finished around there somewheres and the rest you can look up.
Bif is still the points leader. Jr dropped to 3rd 9 points behind Bif and Robo took over second 7 points behind. The rest of the points standin’s you can look up too. Next week the Trucks are off again by golly while the Cup and the Nationwide Series head to Darlington.
No time for some other stuff this week so there ya have it. Email, comment or don’t. I don’t care cause I’m a very busy woman.
