Milwaukee should be on every-one’s “I gotta see that, before I die list.” In summertime the city is by far one of the most enjoyable places to visit in the country. Do you like beer? We got it, they boast having more bars per square mile then any city anywhere, thus being coined “Brew City”. How about art? Check. Almost every museum in Milwaukee is top notch. And for the card carrying PHD holders who need a little more, Chicago is only a hour down the rode. What about live music? Yep! Summerfest is the worlds largest music fest! I can’t make that up. So a chance to see my family and all this! I spent the last ten days running around with my girlfriend and we had a blast. From hitting up a screening of Wall-E with my parent’s (at a movie theatre where you have your own table and chairs!) to seeing Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts tear it up. The week was a huge relaxing break. My brother was kind enough to host us and due to every hotel being sold out that was a good thing. The only problem was we stayed up every night till at least 3 so now I’m rested but not? Ashley, my girlfriend had been there before but never to the the Summerfest.
I made sure she got to try all the cities finest from Millers 64 calorie beer to SAZ’s sour cream and chive Fry’s. We did it all. I had never been to a movie where they serve you food but I"ll tell ya it was cool. You get your own table and chairs. We also hit up plenty of Milwaukee’s food joints, Chancery is one of my picks and The Hollonder is another both are well worth a stop. Then it was on to the festival, It was great to see so many great music acts in one place. Over 100,000 people attend the fest everyday. Stevie Wonder, Little Big Town, Gnarls Barkley, Trace Adkins, Steve Miller Band, Joe Cocker, Rascal Flatts, Alicia Keys, O.A.R. and
Sean Kingston.... This is only a few of the groups that were there. It last’s 10 days, we had to get back though, NASCAR is headed to Daytona for the 4th and I gotta feeling it’s going to be a big party. So on I go. I tell you I love working but I sure wouldn’t mind one more show and one more cold beer check out the website see if your favorite band is there http://www.summerfest.com.

Daryl

San Fran wasn’t really where we were headed. It was the race in Sonoma. While Nappa Valley is very nice, I have been there many times before, I was more excited for seeing new things. I did. I saw my first wildfire burning. It looked like the whole mountian side was on fire. We were Trackside as the tempetures hit high 90’s and then broke 100. Can you imagine that and fighting a fire in the daytime? It would be like war on the sun. The heat didn’t let up till sunday. We braved it with the fans and drank water like it was wine. We had Juan Pablo on and I’m happy to report the fans were very kind compared to past encounters I’ve been at. The weekend dragged on though. I ate dinner at a place called Tex Wasabi’s Rock-N-Roll Sushi-BBQ. I have been traveling non stop for over eight years. I have been all over the United States and safe to say eaten everywhere. I was on a music tour where going out to eat was the highlight of the week, and we never needed a reservation so every place was availble. I’m lucky to know some great people in Miami where our bills for dinner have been over $800 for five people! and I have even been to a steak house in Dallas where the price of Kobe was $17 a ounce, and yes I had to try it! Don’t ask about the bill!! The point is this place I went to was the best resturant I have ever been to. The menu was amazing. Very orignal. They even had a Gringo sushi. Very strange. The place is owned by Guy Fieri who has a show on the food network. He put together a amazing place. http://www.texwasabis.com/. I would recommend it anyone searching or a new experence.
Anyway I’m off to Milwaukee to see my family. No race for me this weekend. I tell you all about next week!

Daryl

I would like to officially take back every mean thing I have ever said about Dale Jr. I never believed he could do it and now I will eat my words. One win in 76 races all right go buddy!! Now of course can the son of the late seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt Sr. win his first championship? Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I will say Dale Jr., has one of the best opportunities of his nine-year career. He’s third in the standings, only 84 points behind leader Kyle Busch and 52 points behind second-place Jeff Burton. It’s still early though. It just seems to be tricky. I will be cheering him along. For every person that I see wearing that Jr. cap, or shirt, this is really as close as it’s been for them and they deserve it. I will say it here first, it wont be to long a wait. In the 15 races this season, he has 11 top-10 finishes, including seven in the top fives. So bring it on home guy.

My weekend was fun for sure. I ran around with Loyal and Rut on thursday to a pit crew tire change Miller party, and while I didn’t try to change tires I did sample some Miller products. I also ate some great fish. The midwest is known for friday fish frys. Over the years I have had them all. If I had to pick it would be in this order Cod, Walleye, Perch, and lastly Catfish with lemonade. Hey that reminds me of one of my favorite songs. It’s called “Catfish and Lemonades” its on i-tunes. A must have song!! It’s by a guy named Cleveland Miles. Anyhow I ate fish drank a beer and heard the magical tale of Baby Rut. I am so happy for him. Being a dad is something I’ve always wanted to be good at. I know Rut will be great. From there it was off to a charity golf long drive event. Drivers were paired up with long drive champs. Some guys were hitting over 300 yards! Jeff Hammond was there and was hitting well. Roping riding, he can do it all!  It was clear how much golf these guys play. They were hitting great. Vickers, Sadler, Yeley, Hermie, were all hitting well. Even Austin Petty, Kyle Petty’s son who was filling in for his dad, hit over 300 yards. I found out a good long driver can make over a million dollars a year! I’m going to start swinging! We left there and went to see Hulk at a midnight show. I thought it was better then the last one and a fun summer movie. Iron Man was better though.
This week we head out to wine country. Then I have off for a week and will be going to Milwaukee to see the family. Summer in Milwaukee is like fall in New York. You have to see it once in your life. The whole city is alive and screaming summertime. Since they have no ocean or sky scrapers the over do it and it’s a blast. They host “Summerfest”. The worlds largest music fest. It is beyond words. Over 100,000 people a day go through the gates. It lasts for 10 days with fireworks every night at 10 sharp. http://www.summerfest.com/ check it out!

Daryl

Our first race to hit over 90 degrees. We really had it all this weekend. We were staying in a resort of sorts hidden deep in the PA mountain’s. It was nice though we really are at the track most of the time anyhow. The thing was that our GPS didn’t know what to do. Every other turn was a guess for the poor thing. We ended up in a state park, several parking lots and a few dead ends. When we did get to the track it looked like we picked the wrong weekend. As we pulled in it seemed that there were at least half the campers from last year. I don’t know if it was just because it was Friday or Pocono. It got me thinking though, so many people say bad things about that track. While it’s not my favorite place to go, it’s a beautiful part of the country and really has a lot of great fans. The problem is clear to everyone. NASCAR has grown and several tracks have grown with it. Pocono is just not one of them. The track has not changed at all. It doesn’t seem they have even put a dime back into it. Pocono president Dr. Joe Mattioli is clearly a smart man but perhaps to frugal to be in NASCAR. In a time when tracks are offering fan zones, and transportation around the track, and entertainment all weekend long it’s amazing they are able to even stay open. When asked about 500 laps being to long and boring he said “I’ve seen those Sprint races down in Charlotte be pretty boring, too. Fifty laps? One hundred laps? Be careful what you wish for.” I think that not the point. In fact he missed the point entirely. Other tracks may run into boring races but they have more than a fresh coat of paint to offer fans. Kids need things to do. Some adults are taking their only vacation all year to come to a race. Other track presidents understand this (and still make boat loads of money ) while providing a experience for the whole family. Live music, fireworks, and great camping experience and plenty of choices of how to get little ones from point A to point B. It is thee most unfriendly track as far as getting around. From the RV to the stands it’s more then a hike. Parking is another thing to there are Lot’s so far away you can’t even remember how to get back. So given all that it’s no wonder people are giving up on making the trip. Maybe someone will buy it?...Dr. Joe Mattioli and his wife, Rose, emphatically told the media a few days ago their track was not for sale and in fact would be passed down to grandchildren.
“It never was available; it never will be available,” Rose said. “My husband has stated that over and again. That’s it.”
Well alright then. You own it, do as you wish. I only ask that you take a moment to see what’s going on in “fan land” outside the mountain’s. We need more then a seat and a $5.00 hot dog. Keep it 500 miles fine, but for our sake and your grandchildren’s sake turn it into a track worth spending a weekend at.

Daryl

Speed picked a good place to call home. Everyone here seems to have racing on the brain. We had a great All Star week. Between the Pit-Crew Challenge and our Speed comedy show the time has flown by. We moved from there down to “Speed street.” IT HAS BEEN SO FUN TO SEE ALL THE RACE FANS! What a great time to visit I must say. I walked one block and saw Kyle Busch then Kenny Wallace and Kevin Harvick all signing autographs. What a town!

Last night I saw Gary Allen play with my girlfriend and we sang along to almost every song. From there it was on to Trackside Live. Rutt and I rocked the stage and Miss Kelly Pickler came out. Is it me or is Charlotte becoming the HollyWood of the south? The biggest drag is that my buddy Loyal is away on vacation. I miss having him here for sure. He would of loved it. I gotta tell ya"all before I go. You have gotta see the All Star Raceday A-Team intro. It’s the funniest thing I have ever seen on Speed. I keep checking You Tube it’s not up yet though. O yeah and I’m happy to report that no one fell off the stage this year at Speed street. So here we go two days left to go!!

Daryl

The last two weeks have been a complete sprint. So much happening in such a short time. I’ve been home only four days in the last three weeks. Darlington was a great race to watch. What a unforgiving track. it’s like being at a local Go-Kart track.  Drivers hitting the wall every few laps. Great wrecks and The evil Kyle Busch comes up with the win! I’m liking him more each week. The youngest driver to win Darlington ever. For those of you keeping track Busch has won six weeks in a row in some sort of vehicle, ranging from late models to Sprint Cup cars. He is on a streak of a life time. He is fun to watch and fun to hate. What more could you ask for? I personally could care less who he wrecks. The more the better! Any fan who says they want a race without any wrecks is lying. The few races that have been almost wreck free were called “boring” and “uneventful” Bristol 2007 comes to mind. It can’t be that we want wrecks, just as long as they don’t involve the golden boy. Thats not the sprit of racing. I admire Kyle for his jack ass moments. He is young and full of drive. He wouldn’t seem so “different” and “cocky” if other drivers would have a opinion or a thought once in awhile. What made racing of the past so fun, was all the drivers had a mouth on them. Dale Sr., DW, Richard Petty they all had great moments of running their mouths, or like we say in Tennessee jacking their jaws! It made things like they are now with Kyle. Exciting and worth standing up out of your seat for. What’s going to happen next? Is he going to get him back? I love it. It’s just what the racing Dr. ordered. I swear if I hear one more post race interview that goes like this blah blah blah Chevrolet blah blah blah Sony blah blah blah unfortunate finish blah blah Penske racing blah blah. I realize how important sponsors are to the sport, I just wish we could get it with a little personality on the side. Keep it up Kyle. I’m a fan.

Daryl

We had the normal crazy weekend with a twist. We had our guest “speed girl” Malory along for the ride. She is one of the biggest NASCAR fans and a huge rock fan. Now here is the crazy part she is only 6!! It made the whole weekend. She even made a mix CD for the speed stage, we spun it all weekend long. The race was wild for sure. As weeks go by I must say I’m becoming a huge Kyle Busch fan. I met another fan this week as well. Her name is MaryLou. She lives in Tri-Cities,TN to. While talking to her she was telling me about how she became a fan and what tracks and drivers she likes. She and I were talking about the old days of racing. I agreed with her, some things have changed for the worse some things for the better.
I miss the struggle the drivers went through with only one set of tires and no money behind them, the fat pit crew members smoking and fighting, but
I love at the same time how big it’s got. MaryLou said that to. This sport from the hills and back woods has becomes an American tradition. It’s amazing. Denny said this weekend he will never forget how hard his family worked for his dream and how hard it was to have only one car on race-day. If you wrecked you were out for the race and maybe forever till you could afford to fix it. It is amazing to think how far it’s come. She agreed also that Kyle Busch is a old soul on the track. He is driving like a old timer. Wild, aggressive, and all out. Whats so strange is how quickly people forget that racing is about winning and wrecking, bumping and trading paint. Go big or go home. The legends of this great sport were all heart all the time. They drove like it was the last race. People got wrecked along the way as those giants of this sport set their records. People forget that. Everyone gets all bent out of shape when someone is wrecked on the last few laps. I would say check your history books. Petty,Wallace, Earnhardt, even further back Junior Johnson, the Rapid Roman, Dick Trickle. All of them would have a much lower number of wins if you"d take away the ones where they wrecked people. Kyle Busch is one of the old souls. He will become a legend. Not only because of his skills but somewhere way deep down, he wants it just a little more then the other guy. MaryLou you had it right!!

Daryl

Dega was a blast. We had some amazing crowds and truly die hard fans show up. I had some great adventures throughout the weekend. Loyal and I ran into these guys who had a whole pig cooking and they had been at it for over 18 hours. We stopped to watch it turn as it slow cooked. The guys came out and gave us both pocket knives and some meat for the grill. Talk about good people. If we every decided to be homeless I’d say we could survive quite well on this Nascar journey. Everyone is so giving and friendly. Sad part was neither Loyal or I eat meat, not to worry we gave it to our friends who build the Home Depot Raceday stage! They were sooooo happy. Dinner was served! I must say though, It"s getting harder and harder to sit still at work when we have a whole Nascar playground at our fingertips...what will next week bring?

Daryl

So west coast trips always throw me for a loop. I like the sun but the time change is to much work for me. I’m a simple man. I wake up at 3am every night thinking it’s 6am. It never fails. So because of this time change our show times are all over the place. “Trackside” was at 12:30 in the afternoon. It really doesn’t do the show justice. Under the lights just as the suns going down is how I like my “Trackside” best. Plus we only had a two day stay due to the saturday night race. It just makes things all crammed in. Not my first choice of tracks to visit.

So we headed home saturday night on a red eye back to the other side of the country. Now were off for the up coming weekend. I’m really stressing out though. I have been living here in Tennessee for almost four years and my parents are coming to visit for the first time ever. When I first moved here they really couldn’t visit because I was always gone with work. Then my mom had heart surgery, and then the next year a knee replacement (rough few years) next my little sister had a baby girl. So the time was never right for them to come down from Milwaukee.

They have met my girlfriend already many times but they have yet to see where we live. It’s crazy to think I’ll have 4 days to show them my life in the south. My girlfriend and I will have to fill their weekend with fun and adventure. Has anyone ever heard of the Biltmore Estate. It’s at http://www.biltmore.com. It’s beyond amazing.  I think it could be a fun day. My mom and I are both big history buffs and that place has plenty of it. I can’t decide if I want to do that or take them to Boone, NC for a chill day or DollyWood. I’m thinking the weather will help me decide. We will have to spend some time walking around main street where we live. It’s really fun to see the history of Tennessee’s oldest city come to life. I sound like a tour guide! They are going to be staying on main street in Jonesborough. It’s at a place thats over 200 years old. The whole place has only 16 rooms and it looks like the Titanic inside. I’m sure they will have fun. So anyhow I’ll have to take some photos and update ya’’ll on the weekend.  Wish me luck!!

Daryl

Newman is hit with a 25 point penalty and It drops him down from eighth to tenth. Thats not cool at all. These point penailties are rough, remember the days before all the points? Hey that would make a great tee-shirt! Even with the penalty he still managed a 4th place finish, even after being a lap down. I’m telling you he is a pure talent.

I want to give a quick shout out to David Ragan who has been running really well this season. A 13th place is good enough, keep bringing it buddy! Now on to Kyle Busch, he is red hot so far adding yet another win to year. I think he’ll be the one to beat come the chase. Is it the car? Or is it him?
Which brings me to the other thing I noticed which was three Toyotas in the top ten, its becoming a weekly thing. Are the days of Ford over? Well not if Carl, Matt and David have a say.
Lets see what else? After seeing Kurt finish 23 and Juan Montoya finish above Mears, and Kahne? I couldn’t believe it.  It just shows how tough the competition is. Of course the big story this weekend was “The great wreck.” That car was just a roll cage by the 8th flip there was nothing left. Seeing him walk away was amazing. He was a very lucky man that day.

As far as things go in Speed land we had a good weekend turnout at both Trackside and Raceday. Seeing some old friends at the stage is always fun and this weekend was no different. We had some of the original “Said Heads” back as well. The fans came out friday in the wind. It was rough but finally moved on in time for Trackside Live. The weekend ahead looks promising for us and I hope it gets into the 90’s like their calling for because we could really use a break from the weather.

Plus I want the Speed girls to see what they’ve signed up for. With the snow and rain we’ve had lately they ask “is it always like this?” “When will it get hot?” I try to explain it, but words just don’t do justice. I tell them soon it will be hotter then you have ever seen or felt. We have all been to the great beaches around the world and vacation spots, Loyal’s even been to India but somehow Nascar races still take the cake, they become a sun sponge and it stays above 100 over and over and over. Not just 100 though that would be alright. It’s 100 with no clouds, no wind, and we work on black top and to top it off we pull 13 hour days. Last year in Cali it was 117 everyday all weekend!! Get ready because it’s coming!!!

Daryl

Well young Denny pulls off the win in the frozen south. Looking at our crowds this weekend you would of thought we were starting a NASCAR militia. Everyone had their best sunday camo on. And for good reason to, it was freezing out. Even the midwest fans seemed cold. The 30’s and 40’s had us all missing summer. And in other news Lindsay won our driver pool. I will faithfully pick Ryan Newman till the very end. (I like throwing my money away it seems!) But for real I think Ryan will be having a better year then last, it just takes time.

The truck race had some great drama right at the end. Johnny Benson gets spun out by Kyle Busch. Then the pit crew guys get at each other. Benson was angry that he got wrecked and fell from second place to 25th, while Busch was angry that Benson’s crewmembers were angry. I would be angry to. However I am siding with Kyle on this 100%. It’s never fun to get wrecked on the last lap or at all really, but it is part of racing. What would happen if wrecking someone would be banned? If NASCAR said you are not allowed to bump, or tap or wreck? That what Benson wants. Heres a quote from after the race, asked what he thought should be done, Benson added, “You have got to penalize people for wrecking people. That is what needs to be done.” Poor Benson he really has no clue. Why should you not be able to wreck someone? It’s like some of these drivers have complete lost touch of NASCAR’s roots. If they follow Bensons advise the drivers will stop coming to work ready to go all out. Fans will get tired of seeing half hearted races with polite passing and hearing “excuse me may I please pass?” on the radios. The more NASCAR hands out penalties the worse for the sport. Rubbing is racing. Now where did I here that? I remember now....from the legends we grew up with. You race with heart you win with heart. Kyle’s post race comments say it all “My move was probably a pretty stupid move, people will call it, but, hey, I’m a racer. I’m going after another spot.” Thank goodness some of them still remember why their there. A racetrack full of Benson’s is just not for me.

Daryl

Bristol is always a good time. It was a strange ending to see Jeff Burton in victory lane, who knew? I was so glad to see someone hold their ground against Tony for a change. We had bad weather again and it seems that 2008 is the NASCAR season with the bad weather. So besides that what’s going on with Hendrick’s cars not even breaking the top ten? Is their run over? Are they mortal after all? And to see Juan Montoya with a 15 place finish was great. Watch out because once he gets to the top, they are all going to have trouble knocking him down. Now Jr. is running well for the first time in like 8 years. People are saying he’s getting the best gear. I don’t see how that could be, I’m guessing he’s just happy at work for the first time in awhile. It makes a world of difference to be happy while you work. I hope his year keeps up though because seeing him run well is something of history in the making. So lets see what else? I am going to be gearing up for a nice 10 day break before Martinsville. I think I’ll be taking a short road trip. I heard of a resort built out of a cave just two hours. Disney helped design the place and it goes down seven floors. It’s called the Grove Park Inn and it’s amazing. I wanted to go to Little Swiss (another great weekend spot) but I found out their not open yet. Either place is great for a weekend get away. I hope to have good weather in Martinsville and see some old friends. See you Trackside!

Daryl

There are many reasons I’m happy to say bye to Atlanta. One I have never been more cold in my life. Two Bristol is here! So I was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin. When you hear stories of children walking to school in snow storms and building snow forts in their backyards that was my life. We had snow so high when I was little it covered the mail boxes up completely. Your gloves were put on a string and run through your coat because parents knew if you lost one glove you could lose a hand! My parents had german shepards that wouldn’t go outside because it was so cold. I made most of my money for baseball cards and ninja turtles by shoveling snow. When I was older and bigger I had a job doing road construction. We did concrete work. Sidewalks, parking lots, driveways and so on. It would be to hot to breathe somedays and to cold to move on others but we would work 12 hours outside. We would work all year till December 20 sometimes. December in milwaukee is something you wouldn’t wish on your worst friend. It’s so cold your bones hurt. We used to ask how people ever settled there hundreds of years ago. You knew they most of come in spring or summer and had no clue what was coming, and simply got stuck there. Native americans were kind enough to teach food gathering and winter survival lessons or we very well would have never made it and the midwest would of never been settled and then we would never have a Bret Farve. I tell you all this so you understand my vast experience with cold. Now that being said. Atlanta on Saturday was the coldest day of my life. Congrats. I will tell you I am considering moving to Miami. I can’t risk being that cold ever again. I will talk racing now for you fans who made it this far in my blog. Tony is the last great stock car driver, and I’m not even a Tony fan. Once upon a time drivers had things to say and feelings to express. it was amazing. After a race they would fight and cuss and even cry. Now they are robots with sideburns. Jimmie Johnson was recently asked how he felt after his dog was run over and he said “It’s a tough situation, we had him for a while. The chevy that hit him was a good car and these things happen, I wanna thank lowes for their support and my crew for helping me pick my new dog, as for the man who hit him I hope he and I can be friends!” He never really said these things and of course it never happened I made it up, but thats how I feel when I hear him talk. The new age drivers never say anything real anymore. Except for Tony. He blasted Good Year. He even said he was going to take them off of his personal cars when he got home. You can always count on him for the honest truth. If anything it’s better for Home Depot because their driver is a real person after the race. I hope other drivers follow his lead and sponsors realize the people who buy their products are real people too.

Daryl

I love Vegas. I wish it was located in say North Dakota or maybe Oklahoma would work. You really could have it anywhere. Besides It’s a long way to go for a light show. I love the food though. Every single time I go, I always hit up THE BUFFET. It’s located in The Wynn. Anything you want they have. I mean it’s all there and all freshly made by amazing chefs. Now this was my first trip to Vegas since I gave up meat. I have a bet going with Grant about not eating meat and it’s been thirty days and counting. I must say I was a huge grill man, four or five days a week. Now I am off it. No meat for D. I really was nervous about my dinner at the Wynn. It’s about $40.00 and since I don’t eat meat now I was thinking it would be a waste. Well it was the best meal of the year again. I would recommend it to anyone going to Vegas. The real show was the race of course. I always tell non- NASCAR fans to watch the last twenty laps of a race. It’s the good stuff for sure. The wreck late in the race knocking out Gordon and Kenseth was crazy. Plus Carl Edwards winning was a shock to me. He had a good car but I didn’t see it coming. I am really waiting to see NASCAR’s decision on the post race inspection. NASCAR giving out fines is becoming a serious part of a teams chances for the cup. It’s a part of the sport that is going to become as important as fuel strategy to teams. You push your car to it’s limits while skating in grey area, fines will come with it. I hope they are fair. Being harsh is how they have proved their point as of late so we’ll see how it goes.

Daryl

Hey everyone. It’s strange to be blogging again. I must say everything is happening very fast. Daytona was crazy HD everything! We now have a larger Speed crew as well. For me the first real races are in the south east. While the fans are amazing everywhere we go, it’s never the same as that first Bristol or Dega race. I will always remember my first race at “The Rock” and the energy around the track. It’s feels the same at those smaller tracks for me. I guess I’m not a super speedway guy. Daytona was intense though, so much was packed into two weeks. The 50th running,Speed going HD, The Duels, a new Speed crew, and RYAN NEWMAN winning to top it all off! It just seemed that the fans were worn out from all the fun the week before. Who can blame them? Two weeks of sun, drinks, and fun will take it’s toll on even the best race warriors. I was so happy to see Ryan win. I can’t remember being that excited on the final lap of a race. I really wanted Mark Martin to win last year. I remember I was screaming at the T.V. for Kevin Harvick to move but Ryan is my favorite driver since day one and I was over the top!

From there we hit Cali. It really is sad. The fans deserve so much better. It rained and rained and rained. Plus there is no free parking? As far as tracks go Fontana is last on my list, and I have been to them all. Ticket prices will go up and food prices to. So why then, can they not have free parking?? Fans that can’t afford tickets should be able to come to the track and still have fun. Most tracks get that concept and have free parking or camp grounds outside of the track. Places to go and things to do that are free. I always tell fans come see us at Speed, the stage is almost always in the free areas and even without tickets you can Be There. So to sum it up Ryan Newman is back, Daytona was busy, Cali was wet and Fontana is not my top pick of track to visit.

Daryl