NASCAR Eclectic

Pre-Season Promo

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:19:00 +0000

Local promoter and owner of Albany/Saratoga Speedway Bruce Richards has developed some super ideas to help fans, drivers, owners and sponsors. He set up this show at a local mall this weekend at no charge to the owners, he has dropped some of the entry fees for '09 and has several ideas for ticket give aways for the fans. He's no fool... all this in the face of bad economics, but he has a full entry field for the season, something other local Speedways can't claim, and has even added Saturday night racing for the Sprint Cars.

He and I had coffee together Saturday morning and he had several suggestions on photo ideas. One would be to set up a cut-out car for kids and adults too I suppose, to sit in and have their picture taken for a few bucks. Also have driver autograph sessions with photos.. nothing new to NASCAR tracks, but not seen very often at local tracks. I told Bruce I'm willing to try anything.

On a roll Matty... Vegas too?!

Timing

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Unfortunately.

The only cool thing about Matt Kenseth winning the Daytona 500 is he started 43rd. That made it somewhat worthwhile. He had an amazing march to the front making it up into the top ten somewhere around lap 35 and Tony Stewart wasn't far behind him landing himself a respectable 8th place finish in his debut of Stewart Haas Racing. Team mate and employee of Smoke's, Ryan Newman didn't fare as well in 36th, but I expect to see good things outa that Hendrick powered Army #39 as the season goes on.

Speaking of Hendrick... chalk one up for Jr. Nice move Dale. Curious to see the jib jab about that. In my opinion it was just pure frustration. Nice crash though!!

All Nighter

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:23:00 +0000

With several Cup drivers competing in this years marathon race I am following it closer than I normally would. A.J. Allmendinger was leading late last night when he developed engine trouble... too bad for the kid. He has tons of potential but cannot get a break. Latest news is the Ganassi Team with Dixon, Pruett and Montoya is running up front. That's no surprise.

Tune in to the Speed Channel at 7:00 am for live coverage.

Future

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:52:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of
NASCAR Media.com

Thursday was NASCAR's (poor) state of the sport address.
It seems Mr. France took full charge as the reining head honcho and made it clear as Mike Helton sat on the bench.

I don't envy Brian's position right now as it just seems to be the repetitive barrage of questions by the hungry Media folk. He'll do the right things and make solid choices... at least we better hope and pray he does. Perhaps he and Barrack should have lunch.

Yes Mr. Esquire... I am a member of NASCAR Media and have written permission to use their photos.

A cold day in hell....

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Nice photo heh... yeah well with the economy continuing to falter many of us may find ourselves using these again. I personally like this relic.

Daytona is so close!! Nice and warm there.

A Long Winter

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:26:00 +0000

My Golden Retriever "Chase"

The last post was three months ago. Like the rest of the world, I too have been going through many changes. I watch and read as NASCAR also rolls with the economic downturn with massive team layoffs and mergers. It's hitting nearly every market.

The construction industry is as slow as I've seen it in my 30 year career. As a self employed contractor with an established client base it's rare for me to be out of work, but this is proving to be a very long winter.

I fight and never give up and my constant perseverance pays off with finding small jobs. These are not paying the bills, but it keeps things going in a forward motion.

We will get through this.

Cocobean

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:09:00 +0000

Our beloved Coco had to be put down last night. The poor little guy had developed a brain tumor. He was mainly my wife's. Those two were practically inseparable. Patty's heart is broken.

It was one of the hardest decisions but we had no choice.

Chase will miss him too and he was my "Little Buddy".

So sad we are... he was not even two years old and money is tight so I cannot buy Patty another pup. Miniature Pinn's are pricey little canines.

It's so unfair to my wife. She does nothing but help every one else. She spends most of her own life taking care of her sick mother and when she's not doing that she is taking care of the rest of us. Coco was her pride and joy and it's killing me to see her go through this pain.

So long Little Buddy. We love you!!
Cocobean
Originally uploaded by Chase Images

Champlain Valley Racing Association

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:28:00 +0000

Mother Nature ruled last night. We have only a very limited amount of time left to get some more racing in this season but the weather shut it down. This leaves only the weekend of Oct. 18th and 19th.

CVRA owns and operates two oval dirt tracks. Devil's Bowl Speedway in West Haven Vt. and Albany/Saratoga Speedway in Malta, NY. They are family owned with the 2nd generation now running the operations.

I have picked up the Photog's position and I couldn't be happier about it. No... it won't bring me fame and fortune but it has opened a door into another world. The world of Dirt. In just a short time I have met and made friends with some of the coolest folks. They are tight!! Among each other that is.

My Photo taking style is slightly different from other track Photog's... not to say it's better... just different. I think this is mostly due to my bouncing all over the place, hanging over the walls, laying down on the infield and placing my camera in some unlikely places. The driver/owners have commented on my photos {and have purchased many} saying they've not seen such great shots before from any track Photog. Flattering statements for sure, but I remain humble because there is always room for growth and change. My true success in this remains to be seen, but my success will be measured by the satisfaction of the racer's, the fans and the track owners. Next season!!

Dega!! Having been there, I can honestly say the the NASCAR Nation is in it's glory this weekend. What a wild and fun place to be. Think of Mardi Gras tailgate style!! It's unlike any other track... including Daytona where I have also been. My Dega experience will forever be deeply inbedded in my heart and soul.

Happy 85th birthday dad!!!!

Grateful

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:22:00 +0000

The #11 in this shot is Don Miller. This car is an older model of this class, but his dad, Don Sr., brought this car out last week because their primary car was tore up the previous week. Don asked me to get some shots of this car...which I did... because it's racing days are pretty much over. Young Don nearly had the victory in this race and it makes me happy to have had the opportunity to photograph it in action.

The Miller's are great people. They are my first paying customers in the owner/driver circle and they have talked my work up to everyone which has created more sales. What's even better is Don Sr. and I have developed a nice relationship and has made my entry into the dirt track racing community awesome. I feel very welcome and comfortable as the newcomer and am very pleased to be looking forward to next season.

The Biff!! That just put the icing on the cake of what was already a good day. Greg is one of my top drivers and to see him in victory lane on the opening of the "playoff's" was an awesome sight to behold. This momentum will hopefully follow Greg to Dover, a track he runs well at.

Shrub did not have such a good day, but then neither did a few others, especially Kenseth. His whole attitude is rather drab. He's visibly unhappy with the Roush-Sox equipment and seems decidedly content on not winning the Cup. His words... "cautiously optimistic" pretty much summed it up.

Down to the Wire

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:34:00 +0000

Photographing these Modified Dirt Track cars is exhilarating. This shot from the infield had me up close and almost too personal.

It has it's dangers. A flying axle killed a woman this past week and a local photographer had an axle fly over his head at a nearby track last week.

The 12 Chaser's are pretty much locked in. The Richmond race will tell all. And what a great track for this to take place. We should see a plentiful race... provided Hanna's wrath does not dampen things.

Busy Busy Busy

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Devil's Bowl Speedway
West Haven, Vermont

Things have been very crazy for me this summer with little time left to post on this blog. I'm working my construction business as well as my photography business. The above shot is at a dirt track. I've been given the opportunity to be their photog. I'm also doing our local Go Carts and weddings adinfinium.

A Gentleman

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:32:00 +0000

Photo by me at Daytona in Feb. '08

I have to give Jeff Hammond a big kudos. I recently emailed him some photos I took of Patty and Jeff at Daytona. It was a hilarious few minutes. There is a post about it in my archives...

Frazzled

Jeff answered my email and remembers that day. It's so cool when celebrities take the time to reach out to the fans and it's rare. Funny thing.. Jeff's friend and co-worker Steve Byrnes also answered an email of mine.

Thanks Jeff!!

Smores

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:15:00 +0000

From our camping trip this past weekend.

We went up to Rogers' Rock Campground on Lake George Thursday 8/7. We no more than got things done and the rain came. I had engineered a tarp tied to trees and stretched it over 2 tents and a screen room/tent, so we stayed dry for the most part. Friday brought another period of rain but the night hours and all day Saturday were dry and very nice. Sunday.... more rain!!

Watkins Glen... the rain plagued qualifying but they were spared yesterdays wetness. The Glen is about 3 hours west of my house and it surprised me to see they were not getting hammered like the rest of NY state. This has been the wettest summer I can remember in a long time.

Maybe it's just me... but this 3 week stretch of the racing season is the longest...boring!! From Pocono's [yawn] race to Michigan's. At least there is Bristol as an encore.

Hey Rusty!!!!

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:12:00 +0000

A tribute to Rusty Wallace, although my dog's snout is too good for him.

Why does he whine like a baby and act like he's Holier than Thou? Based on his assumptions he and only he claims that Roger Penske fired Ryan Newman and even if it's fact, who is he to drag it all through the mud?

He and Newman have never been best friends, but that's because Wallace is a big baby and Ryan tells it like it is with his sarcastic humor and wit. Wallace truly needs to mind his own business.

The Glen... looks like rain again this weekend. Us folk up here in the Northeast have been plagued with wet for weeks on end. Perhaps NASCAR will try out the rain tires again.

Color

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:51:00 +0000

Night shot of Lake George Village, NY... 7/31/08

Posting my own photo... yeah well it's because I always post a photo from one source or another and night shots are among my personal favorites. Of course you have to be a photographer to fully appreciate why. These shots take time and patience... a tripod, a body of water helps and a full understanding of shutter speed and aperture are necessary. The results are usually very colorful despite it being dark...

Colorful... word of the day. And it's been anything but a Black and White week.... suddenly Manny Ramirez went from Red to Blue in a shocking trade between the Redsox and the Dodgers. My 10 year old son's favorite star and a devout Redsox fan has lost a piece of his young life.

My blog... this one, was flagged as a Spam Blog by Google Blogger and ultimately shut down or frozen in time until I could prove I am a human being. Interesting security measure, but what on Earth could cause such a thing? Well... apparently Google deemed me a human because NASCAR Eclectic was set free this morning.

Montreal.... a gorgeous city... very colorful indeed. The Big Apple of Canada. I've visited in the past and would love to return, but going across the border is no fun anymore. With the Nationwide crew in town Montreal is loaded with Americans this weekend... a contrast with the French and English.

I cannot leave out the drab. Gray is rather boring and the skies promise to be gray over the Pocono's today. In fact it is raining there now and it's only 7:30 am. There's a chance that the NASCAR race will be delayed or possibly postponed because there is more of this forecast for tomorrow... but not as heavy. At the very least they will have a green track.... more color!

Lebanon Valley

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:03:00 +0000

Lebanon Valley Speedway
West Lebanon, NY

This track is about an hour and 15 from my house. It offers a full schedule of dirt racing every weekend from the Pro Stock's to Modified and the World of Outlaws race a couple times a year. Tony Stewart has been here a few times as have some other big name drivers over the years.

I attended the races there last night for the first time and other than a burst of rain, that only made things messy, it was a pretty cool experience. The World of Outlaws are scheduled for 9/21... top row seats are a whopping $25... a 110% increase over a normal Saturday night. There are 1/2 dozen tracks similar to this one all within a couple of hours of each other and the ticket prices are about the same. You'd think these track owners would go broke!! I'll be attending the 9/21 event.

Tires!! Well... I don't think we've ever seen a race quite like the Brickyard 400. Somehow it did not seem like racing... rather a series of shootout's. One thing that stood out..... there was only one engine failure. Kudos to E.Sad for a great race today as well as Jamie McMurray and AJ Allmendinger. It's nice to see some different drivers with good finishes.

I'm liking Smoke's new digs. The #14 Old Spice / Office Depot seems very fitting. I've always favored the Old Spice paint scheme and next year it'll be on a Cup car.

Roll With It

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:15:00 +0000

Believe that there are many photo thieves.... feel free to steal this... I hope you like the frame!!

For the rest of you good honest folks... I shot this at Loudon 2 weeks ago. My home track and a place close to my heart. Loudon is as boring a race as there is, but the facility itself is awesome and Bruton Smith is only making it better... my wish is he banks the corners.... make it another Vegas so to speak. Plans already include more seating and new modern restrooms. He'll never have a problem filling the seats there, as it is by far the best track in the northeastern US, next in line to Dover.

I posted this shot of the #20 because it's the final season with Smoke behind the wheel. I have a rather large diecast collection and after this past weeks announcement that Tony is leaving JGR I must add this car to my collection. It is many firsts... first year Toyota, COT and the first time Tony has raced something in Cup other than a Chevy. Then it can claim last as well. First and last in the same season. I will wait... my hope is Tony gets a victory and that raced version would be my purchase.

Some Stewart fans are distraught over his choice...I claim to be a fan of his, but I am the "NASCAR Fan Rare Breed". He is one of several of my drivers of choice. I suppose I am not fanatical. I roll with change fairly well and I see this change as an incredible opportunity. This is where Tony's heart is at and if one's heart is in it, the rest will follow. A good example of this is Dale Jr.. With DEI and Mother Teresa out of the picture he has relaxed and his performance has shown dramatic improvement. I realize that equipment plays part of this, yet it cannot be denied that Jr.'s state of mind is allowing him to focus from his heart. Tony only knows where Tony's heart is at.... but we all know it is with Chevy. That may seem trivial in the scheme of things, but guys do hold "things" as objects of affection. At least he'll be driving the car he loves. No, it won't be with Home Depot and we won't see those silly commercials.

For those of you who are angry, upset, distraught or any other negative emotion... these are self centered feelings based on what you expect. Expectations can be our biggest disappointments in life. It's much easier to roll with the River. Like that of a drifting twig... the twig knows it has no control over the river currents. It has times of turbulence and times of tranquility, but it only has true problems when it is caught up by resistance. Change is inevitable and acceptance is the key... so go ahead... rear up your heads and buck. I only hope y'all feel better for it.

Chalk up another win for Shrub.

Foot in Mouth

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:59:00 +0000

Or maybe it's a case of asking and receiving, or ranting and raving, either way the irony is... I wrote that crap yesterday about Newman and Stewart only to wake to an article in Fox NASCAR today... Report: Stewart to be granted release from JGR

I always liked Gene Haas, but he got caught with his hands in the cookie jar. The Fed's merely slapped his hands with 24 months in the slammer, a gift in comparison to what he could have received. Albeit, it has opened the door for Stewart to buy into Haas CNC Racing where rumors state he will totally revamp the entire organization. He'll be back in the Chevy Saddle again and give himself the opportunity to remain with NASCAR well into the future.

What's even more ironic is... rumor has it that Newman has plans to go with Stewart. Smart move... I think?

Joey Logano in the #20... that'll take some getting used to.

A Fly on the Wall

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:04:00 +0000

Photo by none other...

With Silly Season now in full swing I wish I were this green eyed Deer Fly. If you've ever encountered one of these pesky creatures, you'd know they have the ability to literally get in your hair and any place else they feel like.

There is much happening and many of us "wanna be" flies wish we knew. One example for me is... I want to know what is happening in the Penske camp with Ryan... his contract is up and I've heard very little. I suppose I should pay Mike a visit...if anyone has the scoop on Newman, he does. We all know that Sam Hornish should have stayed in Open Wheel and other than Kurt Busch's luck of the draw and Ryan's 500 win, things are not looking good for Roger.

Then there's Smoke... in my opinion he should remain with Gibbs... perhaps a two year renewal will give him enough time to make up his fleeting mind on what his damn future holds. His performance this season is lacking so far and some say it's because he has too much on his plate... well now... if that is the case how will he perform as an owner/driver?... Get your head out of your ass Tony!!

The smartest decision made is Mark Martin's. He's no fool.

More night racing this weekend at Chicagoland.... perhaps Tony can do a repeat!

Robby Gordon-Driver & Owner of the #7 Jim Beam

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:10:00 +0000

Robby Gordon-Driver & Owner of the #7 Jim Beam
Originally uploaded by Chase Images

We lucked out with the weather. For those of you that watched the race on the Tele you know a storm hit near the end. We were getting in the SUV just as the first drops fell. We missed the late race action, but stayed dry!!

Pattyjo and I had a blast with Robby Gordon. She had Robby laughing so hard. He really is a great guy and a good sport. The fan mob around for autographs were not so pleased with us....Patty was getting all of Robby's attention. It was the best part of the whole race day.

I want to send out a big kudos to my good friend George of "Vroom"... I was sitting in the main grandstand when my cell vibrated... it was George sending me a text message from his tropical island vacation... just very nice to hear from him and a pleasant surprise.

If I had any at all........

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Shot taken from my driver's seat....

This has been our pattern the past week or two... rain for two days, sun for one and it's looking as if Sunday's race will be threatened by rain... a race I have tickets for!! We live just far enough away...3 hours...that it's normally not a bad trip, but with gas at $4.20 and rising... well we better bring a tent and sleeping bags!

A very odd weather pattern...it's raining today, nice tomorrow with rain forecast for Saturday and Sunday, then nice again on Monday.... I am tempted to gamble and plan on a delay until Monday, but I cannot win a craps shoot with loaded dice. Plus we all know that if at all possible NASCAR will try to get to the 1/2 way mark.

Whatever happen to the Luck of the Irish? Must be that other European blood of mine that rules ! Oh well... umbrellas, rain slickers, hot coffee a tent and a zip lock baggie for my Canon... perhaps Kyle Busch can ask the Luck Angels for help...he seems to have them wrapped around his finger !

Wish us luck!

Silly What??

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:13:00 +0000

Well I admit that most days I am borderline.

How in the hell can Silly Season predictions possibly be warranted so soon?? Lee Spencer of Fox NASCAR has jumped on the bandwagon with her annual crap. Silly Season is silly enough and the Big Wig Media folk have to hype it up even more. Nothing against Lee personally... in fact I enjoy her editorials, but she has a huge leap of faith or a crystal ball or perhaps she's got a chair in the Oval Office.

A rather shocking lineup for the Sonoma race. Kudos to Kahne, but what a surprise and the top 5 are not what I expected with Road King Robby Gordon qualifying 6th. Freaking J. Johnson and J. Gordon in the top 5! WOW.... well Robby is my choice to win this... like him or not, he's due.

My own mother grew up with and dated Johnny Benson's dad. They are all Grand Rapids Mich. natives... I was born there... could it be Johnny's comfort level at Milwaukee is because it's close to home? Well actually there is 80 miles of water over the big pond of Lake Mich., at any rate...he has become the Milwaukee Beer Blast with 3 consecutive wins there.

Fathers Day

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 13:33:00 +0000

Photo Credit....NASCAR Media

First...Happy Fathers Day dad's!!

Finally a Nationwide race worth remembering. We have another prodigy on our hands... Joey Logano. 'nough said!.... He will become a household name, but then so has Kyle Busch. The difference being..Logano is a likable kid.

Today's race in my home state...Michigan!! Great state for sure. The race is rather on the boring side though... oh well. It's still racin' and the Winner will be................

Pattyjo

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:24:00 +0000

By the look of this shot I took one would think these two have known each other for years. Actually.... this is at Daytona during Race Week...the Thursday. Jeff Hammond was awesome and few people can resist the charm and charisma of my wife Pattyjo.

It's this gift of hers that has landed us a pair of free tickets to Loudon for the 6/29 race. A local car dealer / friend called us last week and said he has two tickets on the finish line.... would we like them?? At first we thought..."ok, what's this going to cost us?"

Not one penny!! He simply adores Pattyjo and life has been very hard on us for the past 6-7 months due to Patty getting hurt at work. Terry, the ticket bearer, has even offered us a car off of his lot, with a tank of gas and a dealer plate for the 3 1/2 hour trip.

Now most men would never tolerate the antics and flirtatious behavior Pattyjo exhibits. Me on the other hand... well I just roll with it. I even encourage it at times. It can be quite entertaining and as you just read, rewarding too.

Last weekend Lake George had it's annual bike rally, The Americade. I turned away for one minute and when I looked back Pattyjo was on the back of a Harley riding off with some stranger. As it turned out he was a cop from Connecticut and he was nervous the whole ride thinking I was going to be pissed off..... hell, when they finally returned I took pictures of them!!

She is very, very much in love with me and would never do anything to compromise our marriage. Her spirit's are down and her self esteem is low because of her accident. It's this sort of thing that gives me pleasure... to see her happy doing what she enjoys.... flirting and getting attention!!

You go girl!!!

Speed of Light

mchlbills@yahoo.com (Racefan57) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:21:00 +0000

This shot I took the other night reminds me a little of this past weekends racing.... Changes!!
It all started with Kyle Busch not winning the NCTS race and ended with Kyle Busch not winning the Pocono race. Perhaps it had something to do with his stretching things to the limit. He practically had to move at the speed of light to get from Pocono on Friday to Texas where he finished a respectable 2nd in the Truck race, but it was downhill from there. He was back in Pocono Saturday for practice only to wreck his primary car. He then bounced to Nashville for the Nationwide race only to have a terrible race, by his standards, with a lowly 20th place finish. A big kudos to Brad Keselowski for his 1st and well deserved Nationwide victory! Busch is either insane or just plain stupid because his showing in the Cup Race at Pocono Sunday was an obvious spectacle of an over tired, fatigued driver. With a careless move on the 47th lap where he just seemed to move up the track aimlessly only to find Jamie McMurray there. Busch's car was extensively damaged. Able to return later 87 laps down, he held out until he spun the car again with only 22 laps remaining landing him a 43rd place finish. His points lead has been narrowed considerably with Jeff Burton now only 21 points behind him.

Pattyjo, my wife, says Busch is a pompous ass and deserved what he got. She says ... "Look at me!!" "I'm Kyle Busch... the next best thing to..." Well, you get my drift and I tend to agree with her. I also highly doubt he'll learn anything from this as he'll rationalize and place blame everywhere except on himself.

An outstanding race by Kahne and The Biff.... well, if Greg's luck would only turn we'll see him in Victory Lane.