Trixie's Trailer Park

2011 Year Wrap Up

Trixie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:20:01 +0000

There was a lot that happened in NASCAR this year, but sometimes a picture says it all!

In Stealth Mode

Trixie — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 03:16:35 +0000

My last post here in “The Park” was back on April 4. Quite a bit has happened since that time. This has been the longest I have gone without posting something on the blog. For those who have caught me on Facebook, you know that I lost my father in a car accident on April 18. It was very sudden and I am still dealing with his passing. I wrote about my father in a post back on August 7, 2010. During the days after his death, I will admit I did not want to watch any kind of sports including NASCAR. It was too painful for me. But as I looked back on that post, I remembered how much sports was a significant part of who I was. It helped me to close to my father even though he was no longer alive.

I have started three different posts since that day, but did not have the strength to put my thoughts down. Every time I tried, I found myself in tears so I just stepped away from the computer and well, pretty much let the grass and the weeds grow around “The Park”. But I am here to tell I am back. I am going to make a concerted effort to get back in the groove of posting my thoughts on NASCAR.

Lately I have been doing some research on my favorite sport. I have purchased a couple of books on the history of NASCAR. I purchased the book “Real NASCAR: White Lightening, Red Clay and Big Bill” by Daniel S. Pierce. I am currently in the process of reading this book. So far I have enjoyed the book. I will probably post more on the book later. I bought the book “Driving with The Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels and the Birth of NASCAR” by Neal Thompson last year. I started reading it, but like I have been doing lately, put it down and forget to come back to it. I have to basically start it again. I don’t mind though. Why am I so interested in the history of the sport? Well, I don’t want to go into much detail yet, but let’s just say I am working on something that I have been wanting to do for the last year or so. Once I get a more concrete view of things I will most definitely share things. Either way I believe it is going to be an interesting journey for me.

Well, the boys are at Kentucky this weekend. This will mark the first time the Nationwide & Cup teams will race at the track. This date has been a long time coming for the speedway. I won’t go into too many details because frankly I don’t want to rehash things, but let’s just say, in my opinion, it was an ugly. And when you get lawyers and the courts involved, I just tend to tune things out. Any way, the boys are now racing at Kentucky. The qualifying for the Cup boys was rained and the starting grid was set by the speeds in the first practice session. This was the first weekend NASCAR used the new rain out rules. I was disappointed Michael Waltrip would not be able to race tomorrow night. He was running a special paint scheme paying tribute to his brother NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2012 member, Darrell Waltrip. It’s just not fair, but sometimes Mother Nature has other plans.

Well…that’s about it for now. I am hoping Tony can grab a victory tomorrow night. If any driver who needs a victory it’s Tony. He is currently sitting in the 12th position and well, he doesn’t have a win this season. I don’t want my driver out of the Chase. Go Tony!!!

The Paperclip

Trixie — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:51:06 +0000

I have to admit I did watch all of the race like I wanted. I was still recovering from a nasty case of laryngitis and upper respiratory infection. I know sitting around the house and watching the race seems like a way to rest, but I found it hard to concentrate between all the coughing and drowsiness.

I have to say Tony’s day was junk. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Tony finished 34th. Not exactly where this fan wanted her driver to finish.

I still cringe at the replay of the wreck between Truex and Kahne. It is amazing both drivers were able to walk away from that type of crash. Of all the things that NASCAR has done over the last 10 years since Earnhardt’s crash it has been the safety features for the drivers as well as those on pit road. I do not know if Truex might have walked away unharmed like he did yesterday. I have to give props to great sportsmanship to Truex as well.

Now on to Mr. Harvick. Even before the race began, all the pre-race shows were all about Hamlin and/or Johnson. I cannot blame them for talking up these two drivers. Between the two of them they have won the last 9 races there. The last time a different driver won the race before yesterday, was Tony Stewart who took the checkered flag at the Fall 2005 race. Oh by the way, that was the same year he took the championship. I saw the clip of Kevin passing Dale Jr. and once again Kevin made a clean pass for the victory. I have read a couple of message boards and I do understand some of the comments. Can Harvick race dirty? Yes. Would he moved Junior for the victory? He might have. But yesterday, he didn’t. I think some of the comments were from Dale Jr. fans who once again disappointed by Dale’s finish.

I have always been honest about the fact that I am not a Dale Jr. fan. I have to say I was a little skeptical about the change in crew chiefs with the HMS teams. But as we all know Mr. Hendrick does not make changes to just make changes. He knew three of the four teams struggled last year and well, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. I was wondering if this change would help Junior or be another attempt to fix something, well to frank, cannot be fixed. But I for one am pleasantly surprised how well he has run so far this season. All you have to do is check out his results in the first six races of the season. (Note: 2010 result in parenthesis)

Daytona–24th (2nd)
Phoenix–10th (12th)
Las Vegas–8th (16th)
Bristol–11th (7th)
Fontana–12th (32nd)
Martinsville–2nd (15th)

I would have to say Letarte has been able to put Junior in position for a win. He was thisclose to a win on Sunday. This has to be a confidence booster for Jr. For those in Junior Nation, I feel Junior will win a race this year. Good things come to those who wait.

Up this week…the boys head to my home state of Texas! Unfortunately I will not be able to make the trip this go around, but I am doing everything I can to get myself to TMS for the fall race.

Hello again

Trixie — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 20:41:14 +0000

It has been an interesting three weeks for me. I have made so many visits to the doctors offices, I just didn’t have the energy to write here in the Park. I figured once I turned 40 last year it was time to get things checked out. And boy did I. I saw several doctors and had various tests run. I have to say all have turned out negative. The one I was worried about the most (the stress test and echocardigram) turned out good. I have two more and I am done for the year, I hope. And just when I thought I was done with the medical community, I end up with a nasty respiratory infection which resulted in the loss of my voice. I know those around me have been teasing me about this fact. For me, it has been frustrating since my job requires me to talk with people. But I do have some really good medication and on the way to recovery.

I have been watching NASCAR. I just haven’t felt the desire to write about it. I can’t explain why. I am working on a little project related to NASCAR. I am keeping it close to the vest right now. It’s something I have wanted to research for awhile and am hoping to parlay into something. So for now, I am quietly doing my research and putting things into place. Hopefully it comes out the way I want it to.

I have to say I was thrilled to see Kevin make a last lap pass on Jimmie last week at California. That is what I like to see in NASCAR. Makes it all worth watching the race. I did kind of find it a little funny that Kevin had a big “JJ” on his hood. I also have to give Kevin props too. I have seen Kevin move people out of the way to get the win. Prior to California, the boys were at Bristol. I do not find racing at Bristol as exciting as I use to. I guess I liked the beatin’ and bangin’ and movin’ people out of the way. I guess I am just odd in my way of thinking. I tend to like Martinsville more now than before. Of course I do like short track racing over the mile and halfs.

Next week, the boys travel to my home state of Texas. Wish I was headed out that way next weekend, but with our family getting ready to move to another house and other expenses, it is not going to be possible. I am crossing my fingers and saving the green to possibly make the trip in November. In the mean time, I will be watching the racing next weekend. For those who have never been to a night race at TMS…I love it. The trucks race at night and they always have great racing action at those events. I am hoping it is the same way next Saturday!

Other non-NASCAR notes…baseball season has begun! The Texas Rangers are the defending American League champions!!!

Vegas and other things

Trixie — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:59:06 +0000

Sorry for not posting after the Vegas race. I had everything ready to go, but I have been dealing with quite a few health issues (some mine, some my son’s) so they have taken priority for me. I made my first visit ever to a cardiologist. It was a little scary especially since I am only 40. I am now on medication and have to go back in two weeks for a stress test and other tests. I am treading the treadmill thing. Treadmills and I have this understanding, I don’t get on them. That’s pretty much it. One of my co-workers told me I should stop watching NASCAR with all the chest pains I have been experiencing. He is always kidding me about NASCAR. I told him watching NASCAR is good for my soul. But enough about me, let’s get to talking about racing

Vegas was just disappointing for this Stewart fan. Vegas is one of two tracks Tony does not have a victory. Sunday looked promising until a late caution and pit road mistake pretty much cost him a victory. I have to give credit to the #14 team for finishing 2nd, but for Tony this was one that is a bitter pill to swallow. He clearly had the car to win the race. But as we all know the best car doesn’t always win the race. He was heartbreaking to watch his post race interview with Fox. I wonder how they decided who was going to interview Tony. I mean Tony has been known to speak his mind (both good and bad) when stepping out of the car. But there was Matt Youcum right there asking Tony the tough question. Clearly, you could see Tony was upset with the result. I am glad it was a short interview and with someone who really understands Tony.

Other tidbits from Vegas

Of there was some action off the track as well. Apparently Robby Gordon and Kevin Conway had their own little meeting in the garage. This resulted in Robby getting put on probation immediately. I mean if you are going to get in a fight, Vegas is the place to be. Did anyone notice if Don King was hanging out in the garage? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Congratulations to Mark “The Kid” Martin for winning the Nationwide race. So he got the win when Brad K. blew a tire. But sometimes racing is about being in the right place at the right time. Who hasn’t taken advantage of mistakes and bad breaks of other drivers to snag a victory? Also this is the first win for Turner Motorsports. It’s nice to see the smaller teams (well, compared to Hendrick/Roush) win.
It was 50 years ago on March 4, 1961 that Wendell Scott became the first African-American to start a NASCAR race.
Danica Patrick finished 4th in the Nationwide race. This was highest finish by a woman in a NASCAR event. She was also the first woman to lead lap at Daytona. I am still not sure where I stand on Danica’s presence in NASCAR. From what I have seen she has improved from this year to last, well at least in the first couple of races. Until she is able to commit to NASCAR full-time, I am holding my opinion.

There is no Cup race tomorrw. The boys are off until next Sunday where they will head to Bristol for some short track racing. However, you can catch some Camping World Truck racing at Darlington today. I love to watch the trucks. Lots of racing action!

What will I do tomorrow? I am not sure yet. Right now I am watching “Cars” for the millionth time (well, at least it feels that way) with my little foster son. He can sit at watch this movie and be entertained through the entire movie. Not bad for a 2 year-old. I still find this movie very funny. They definitely nailed Daryl Waltrip’s personality! Speaking of Waltrip (not Daryl, but Michael). I am almost finished with Michael’s book, “In The Blink of An Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything”. I have enjoyed the book. You know what is weird, while I am reading the book, all I can hear is Michael’s voice in my head. It’s as if he is narrating the book for me. I have found the book very intriguing and now understand a little bit more about that day back in 2001.

This is the 2nd year for Toyota’s Sponsafy program. You can pick a driver, decorate your car and win a cool prize. If you have seen the site, or been over there check it out. I have one already out there entitled “Pink Bubblegum”. I know it isn’t too spectacular, but it is what I wanted to design. I am in the middle of working on a second one with a Texas theme. So in the mean time, if you want to stop and look, vote for me. You can also vote for others too! Vote early and vote often as they say.

Have a great day!

Well, I hope everyone has