Hello loyal readers and other folks. Hope your race weekend was a happy and safe one. This was a crazy weekend for some and a great one for others but more on some of that later.
Saturday was supposed to be a 2 race event day split between 2 tracks and 2 states, but Mother Nature had other ideas. Yessirree she did! First off the Campin’ World Truck Series was scheduled to run at Pocono. Oh my good and gracious LORD, Duck and I love that track but who doesn’t? Oh wait, Peyton Sellers doesn’t but more on that later too.
The race started on time with a regular, so to speak, prayer and all. Happy Man grabbed the pole with his good best buddy Rowdy Boy in 2nd followed by Piquet, Jr,. Parker Kligerman and cutie Mark Marin. For those who want to know Handsome Hornaday started 7th, WOG started 8th, and Rock’em Sock’em qualified 16th but didn’t started there. He missed the drivers meetin’ so he wound up at the rear end (more on him later too) along with Peyton Sellers who blew an engine before the race. Anyway, the rest you can look up. The skies were lookin’ dreary, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Duck and I had an early breakfast so we didn’t think we needed snacks, so with full tummies we cheered and quacked as the green flag flew. Pretty quick like Cole Whitt had a tire issue and 1st caution came out. When they restarted around lap 6 they had another caution right away cause cutie Martin had transmission problems which caused a mess involvin’ Lofton, Gaughan and White.
Seemed like this race was wrought with problems for quite a few drivers, if ya know what I mean. But not for Happy Man. Nossirree. Why even Happy’s BFF had a smokin’ tire problem at one point. Then the rains came at lap 17 and when the leaders pitted Kligerman stayed out for 1st place. Then they red flagged the race and it was postponed until the next mornin’. So we had to get ourselves some food together and change our plans accordin’ly. Next day they restarted early, which meant I cooked early and Duck and I had our biscuits and gravy on the crates. When they got the green, with mouths full we quacked and cheered…gravy flyin’ everywhere. Oh well, I said and the race was on. Can’t do a lap by lap but with 14 laps to go they were up to caution 6 when Peyton Sellers went spinnin’ and stalled on the access road. Then the 7th and final caution made for a GWC makin’ enough fuel a concern. LORD have mercy this race was amazin’. Happy won and his BFF finished where he started too. Buescher, Rock’em Sock’em and WOG rounded out the top 5. GOOD for all of ’em I say! Handsome finished 9th and poor Peyton Sellers finished 25th 2 laps down. The rest you can look up and if your interested WOG lost the points lead to Rock’em Sock’em by 5 points.
Ok now let’s back up to Saturday again to the Nationwide race at Iowa. Whewee, if you’re confused deal with it. Know what I mean? I’m just tryin’ to give ya the facts. Anyway, the race got underway with Cutie Curly on the pole followed by Baby Face, Hornish, Stenhouse, Jr and Herring. For those who want to know, and a disappointed Duck and I did, Flippin’ Carl started 17th, Sorenson started 16th, and Funny Man Wallace started 8th. The rest you can look up. We had snacks ready on the crates awaitin’ and quacked and cheered as they went green. Duck was optimistic for Flippin’ Carl, thank our good and gracious LORD. We had a chat about that before the race and then we settled in for a wild race. Yessirree! Cutie Curly started fallin’ back right away, poor dear. Baby Face held the lead for 13 laps when Hornish took over the top spot. Then the 1st caution came out on lap 21. Hornish held the lead when the 2nd caution came out on lap 47 when Jamie Dick hit the wall. I heard a noise on the porch about 10 laps after the green, got up to see what it was and Duck took to quackin’ and yellin’. Why he scared this granny right out of her socks! Flippin’ Carl took the lead! I forgot myself for a few seconds and started quackin’ too! Thank our good and gracious LORD no one else was here to hear that!
Then on lap 99 or so Stenhouse, Jr. passed teammate Flippin’ Carl for the lead. That didn’t last long. Then the war was on between those 2. Back and forth they went. Duck and I made ourselves dizzy gettin’ up and down cheerin’ and quackin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. No lap by lap here either. Stenhouse had the lead on the final lap with Flippin’ Carl close behind. Then Steenhouse had a flat tire comin’ to the checkered. With the smoke and all Carl couldn’t see and hoped he would clear Ricky but just rammed right into that boy pushin’ him over the finish line as they were swervin’! GOOD for Stenhouse I say and for Flippin’ Carl too! Oh my good and gracious LORD what a race! Course those two have a history that continues apparently, but boys will be boys and teammates will get miffed with each other. Oh how it warms this granny’s heart to see good. not so friendly competition. Reminds me of back in the day when Elmer and Bubba ate a LOT of my red hot chili and later on had an issue with each other over who got to the outhouse first. LORDIE how those boys had their rambunctious fun, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway Curly rallied back to finish 3rd followed by Josh Wise and AA. The rest you can look up. Speedy Reedy is now 12 points behind Stenhouse in the standin’s. I truly did think, when I had time to collect myself after that wild finish, that Duck would go off and pout like he always does when his idol doesn’t win, but I was right proud of him. Yessirree! He did go to his room, but, I could hear him for quite some time in there sayin’ “yes, yes” in his cute quacky, duckly voice. Oh how I love that Duck!
Now let’s get back to Sunday, Pocono and the Cup boys! Rain was reported on the radar so nobody knew what was gonna happen or when. Wide Smilin’ had the pole followed by Kutie Kahne, Truex, Flippin’ Carl and Kurt. For those who want to know same Champ Jimmie started 18th, JR started 19th, Rowdy Boy started 11th and Smoke started 28th. The rest you can look up.
Wide Smilin’ pulled out front and held everybody else off until the first caution came out when Rowdy Boy spun on lap 10. Then on lap 14 Rowdy was told he pitted for tires too soon and had to start at the rear after pitstops. At around lap 23 Kurt Boy took the lead. Duck and I were cheerin’! We like that boy but it didn’t last long cause Hamlin took the lead! I’ll tell ya, Rowdy was knockin’ off spots right and left in his bid to get back to the front. That boy was like greased lightnin’, let me tell ya that one somethin’ right now. Then on lap 41 all ducky cheers broke out! Flippin’ Carl took the lead but then he pitted next lap. Hamlin lead again after pitstops and Kurt Boy is holdin’ on to second.
No laps by laps as you well know. Sometime later Rowdy Boy took the lead. Then Hamlin again. It started rainin’ lightly around half way but the boys stayed on the track, thank our good and gracious LORD! Jr was doin’ good. Got up in the top 10 several times. The pit strategies that team has makes me wonder sometimes, but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, on lap the 123 rain caution finally happened and then the field was red flagged. Oh how Duck and I hate it when that happens, but so do the fans in the grandstands. Know what I mean? Anyway, after and hour and a half plus they went green again with Bad Brad in the lead but then Kurt Boy took the lead. That boy has been amazin’ of late but brother Rowdy took it away and then Bad Brad took it away from him. Oh the excitement! I was amazed that Duck wasn’t havin’ fits about Flippin’ Carl. He was in the top 10 but Duck idolizes him. I think there was just so much action goin’ on Duck was mesmerized. Anyway with 10 to go it was the Bad Brad and Rowdy Boy show and Bad Brad won! GOOD for injured him I say! Rowdy Boy finished 2nd ahead of his brother, then same champ Jimmie and Flyin’ Ryan. For those who want to know Jeffie finished 6th, Flippin’ Carl 7th, JR came home 9th and Indie Boy finished 10th. The rest you can look up. Duck and I were worn out. We snacked lightly and settled down for sleep.
Now for the other stuff. The driver of the #66 truck sure had a rough time this weekend. When his hauler arrived at Pocono on Thursday it hit the flag stand and tore it down. Then that poor fellow had a fire in the engine and had to start the race at the rear of the field. Then if none of that was enough that poor boy went to spinnin’ with 14 laps to go and stalled on the access road as granny reported above which caused a caution…sad, sad, SAD for him I say. Hope he went home and got some rest. That child needed it. Bet he ain’t lookin’ forward to that place again! Nossirree!
Now for Rock’em Sock’em Sauter. That boy is the points leader so far. As I said above he missed the drivers meetin’ and had to go to the rear. Then it was announced today that his truck failed post race inspection with the right rear height. SAD for him I say cause penalties are a comin’.
And finally y’all know about Bad Brad’s horrible wreck durin’ practice at Road America last week. That poor boy was so bunged up. Had a fracture to his foot, all kinds of brusin’ and aches and pains. And then that boy drove the heck out of his car anyway. And then won! That was amazin’. I call him Bad Brad because when my grandkiddies were growin’ up they called good thingies “bad”. Crazy kids! So good Brad became Bad Brad. Durin’ his pit road interview he said he was no hero and that the military guys who died this past week in the helicopter crash were the heroes and that he just drives a race car. Oh my good and gracious LORD….GOOD for that boy I say. I’m real proud of him and his thoughts so from now on Granny is gonna call him Good Bad Brad! That’s a double good to my way of thinkin’.
So, there ya have it ’til next time. Email, comment or don’t. You know the rest. Granny Grump over and out.
