Midnight in the garden of Broad and Walnut

Motor racing has some inherent advantages over its stick-and-ball counterparts. Fans of this interweb site surely don't need those advantages outlined. We all know what makes racing great and why we choose to spend our time watching autos circulate about. (For the un-indoctrinated, racing is exciting. We're drawn to speed, action, personalities and danger.) Motor racing is a historically rich sport that has pockets of fans that are more passionate and knowledgeable than the biggest sports bar know-it-all this side of the Schwab. Reread the last sentence, as it outlines one of the shortcomings of our fair sport. Pockets. Fucking pockets, dude.

Motor racing fans are outpost dwellers. Recluses. We’re sprinkled around the nation. Outside of Indianapolis and Charlotte fandom becomes hit or miss. (Largely miss.)

The happenings in Philadelphia last night could never be replicated in the aftermath of a motor race, no matter the city.

Baseball is the peoples’ sport. Its range and scope are far reaching. Territoriality reigns supreme. A city is associated with team, and that gives you the right to wish fucking death upon everyone from any other city. Baseball is why I hate Chicago. Baseball is why I refuse to travel to Massachusetts. Motor racing cannot replicate the blind hatred that baseball has provided the masses.

Of course, the opposite of blind hatred is blind love/passion/joy and that happened in Phila last night. I got hugged by a stranger because I was wearing a $12 Pat Burrell t-shirt. Said stranger was bombed and probably thought I was Burrell, but that’s not important. The passion was there. (Side note: I have been wearing the aforementioned t-shirt for the last week. It smells like ass, feet and rank beer. My co-workers tried to stage a Burrell shirt intervention with me. I told them to eat a dick. Then Burrell hit the most important double in recent history and I felt like a goddamned king. I want to be buried in this fucking shirt.) The entire city came out and relished in the achievement of the city’s team. The Phillies won for the town. Sports are all Philadelphia has. The Phillies made millions of eastern-PA’ers not depressed to be living in eastern PA. Only a stick-and ball-sport could do that. Sorry motor racing. I love you, but...

Maybe I’ll try to change things. Beware, at the season opening IndyCar event, I’m going to hug everyone in sight if Graham Rahal wins. I’ll take it to the streets of New Albany. The party that will take place in Central Ohio will be epic. We will own the night. All spearheaded by this guy. Sound like a good plan?

Damn the man, burn the city, Fightins' triumph

Junior Johnson wants you to vote for Barack Obama. No, seriously.

Holy Crap!! NASCAR'S Junior Johnson comes out for Obama (Daily Kos)

Monday morning dispatch from "Angryville"

If you haven't noticed (judging by Sitemeter, you haven't) things have been awfully slow around here for the past few weeks. The motor racing season is winding down, and quite honestly, I can't seem to get motivated to write solely about NASCAR for a month plus. I can't even make myself watch the damn "Chase" races anymore. Everything about NASCAR has made my skin crawl of late. I can't watch the ABC/ESPN pre-race show, the driver introductions are extraneous and painful, the invocation makes me want to vomit on my penis, and the races are too damn long. This should to be the most exciting time of the season, but, alas, it has become the most tedious.

I could be getting fired-up for the conclusion of the F1 season, but, alas, I can't watch the races because Comcast doesn't carry Speed where I live. I could have watched the IndyCar finale (?) in Australia, but, alas, Comcast removed ESPN Classic from my basic digital package when the college football season started.

A major racing distraction has been the Phillies, and their improbable post season run. Much of my time has been spent following the team, pounding beers and my fist to the tune of a possible World Series 'w.' Goddamnit, I love baseball. This town will burn to the bloody ground should the Fightins' pull this thing out. I will be there to see the carnage and bask in the glory. Sorry NASCAR, you've been bumped from my mind.

Things will be back to normal soon enough. I still like the NHRA. I promise.

Let us all have a great race week. Go Phillies. Fuck Tampa. Here's Joe Fucking Blanton going yard:



-Ed.

Weekend recap

What you missed while not reading the world famous Ridebuyer NASCAR preview.

- Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and has pretty much wrapped the 2008 drivers' title. LH has a seven point cushion over Felipe Massa (Robert Kubica is p3, eliminated) with only the Brazilian Grand Prix remaining in two weeks. Take it away. man with accent.



Hamilton rules Chinese GP, nearly seals Formula One title

The ALMS put a period on their season at Laguna Seca. Marco Werner and Lucas Luhr scored the overall victory. (The title was wrapped at Road Atlanta.) Franck Montagny and Tony Kanaan scored the second AGR LMP2 win in three races, narrowly besting the de Ferran Motorsports squad. Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin took GT1 honors for Corvette Racing and Dirk Mueller and Dominik Farnbacher won GT2 in a Ferrari F430. More accent man? Hell and yes:



WERNER, LUHR CLAIM MONTEREY OVERALL VICTORY

Jimmie Johnson led 339-laps at Martinsville on Sunday. He now has a 149-point lead with The Chase at its mid point. Game over. ESPN's coverage was slated for, like, 6.5 hours Sunday afternoon. Holy. Shit.

Johnson's mastery of Martinsville puts 48 team within striking distance of title

Johnny Benson won the Martinsville Truck race. That's his fifth win of the year and gives him the points lead. Next stop, Hotlanta.

Fifth win of season vaults Benson past Hornaday for points lead

A great race week to all. Wednesday. Zero-hour. Thank about it.

Surfers Paradise outlaws boobs

Tales of the balcony scenes around the Gold Coast Indy are pretty legendary (what with the breasts and such). Those times appear to be over. It's Girls Gone Wild no-more, as local authorities are trying to curb the lewd behavior for the October 26th race.

From goldcoast.com.au:

INDY organisers have released a code of conduct for race fans staying in apartments within the track precinct.

The document was drawn up following raunchy scenes on balconies, including nudity, at last year’s race.

The day the music died.

Indy fans must sign up for clean conduct (goldcoast.com.au)

Better know your Runoffs

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs wrapped up over the weekend. 25 National Champions were crowned at Heartland Park Topeka. (Tow-Peak-Ah...)

Here's all you could every want to know about the "Olympics of motorsport."

RUNOFFS: Sunday Races Recap (speedtv.com)

Club racing, event results (scca.org)

Practice, qualifying and race results (scca.org)

Photo gallery (scca.org)