Restrictor-Plate This :: An SB Nation blog for NASCAR fans

This weekend, while the sidewinder... er, truckers sleep tonight (sorry, one too many R.E.M. references there), the Cupsters and claims jumpers descend on Darlington in hopes of double dating with the Lady in Black as she holds hands with the man on the moon.

Darlington is a tough old broad, stubbornly refusing to play nice and gracefully retire from the national killing floor as she seeks her next suitor. In its mad rush the past few years toward losing its religion in favor of hanging with the shiny happy people NASCAR has done most everything imaginable to throw her out of the bar, but she remains; defiant, proud. And ornery as ever, even in her nice new dress replacing the old one woven from what sister Sue sells at the seashore.

Darlington is an equal opportunity fickle mistress. She never hesitates to slap a driver just as they believe she has extended an invitation for dancing cheek to cheek. Nevertheless, dance they must; for no one gains the lady's favor save those who run high wide and handsome. It can be a most inelegant turn, but for those who persevere a night with the Lady in Black can become their finest worksong.

Favorites to secure a place at the top of Darlington's dance card? Both Jeffs (Gordon and Burton) know how to charm the lady, as do Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson. The omnipresent Busch the younger can never be discounted, although given the aforementioned high wide and handsome comment he suffers from the handicap that two out of three ain't bad. Or should I reserve that comment for a Meat Loaf-themed post?

Enjoy the weekend, everyone.

Given how I refuse to fall a slave to demon alcohol (in other words I don't drink), the assorted ads for beer and whatnot passing through my television on a regular basis have no effect in terms of selling product. Some of them are extremely entertaining, though.

Lately I've enjoyed the "dude" commercials being presented by Anheuser-Busch on behalf of Bud Light. In case you haven't seen them, they feature a somewhat shopworn twentysomething in assorted momentary scenes where his only line in response to whatever is happening consists of "dude."

I suppose one of the reasons I find the ads funny is that I often find myself doing the same thing, as I have done for many years. Comes with being born and raised in California, where the goal of achieving a state of true dudeness is one of our main pursuits in the not so Golden State. It's rather like catching the perfect wave when you're out surfing without hassling with the board and ocean and waves and sharks (deep pained sigh... wait'll next year!) and stuff. But I digress.

"Dude" is a prime example of the multi-purpose statement, useful in many situations: an expression of joy, warning, disgust, camaraderie, and so on. Its most common usage is as a deliberate pause when you're trying to get someone else in tune with the obvious without having to actually spell out the scenario. Combining "dude" with an "uh..." before it is reserved for especially urgent situations when the other person is in dire need of observing, comprehending, and taking appropriate action on whatever may be currently transpiring. Or about to transpire with unfortunate results should the present course be maintained ("uh... dude... you know that girl you're getting ready to ask out has an insanely jealous ex with a full-body tattoo, pierced everything, and a permanent place in America's Most Wanted hall of fame, right?").

Taking this to NASCAR, there are so many individuals therein to whom a simple "dude" needs to be spoken in hope it will give cause for their catching the vision and seeing the world around them. To wit:

Kyle Busch: "Dude... you know why everyone loves Mark Martin and Jeff Burton but loathes you, right?"

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "Dude... this Whiskey River thing... not exactly putting teeth into those `I'm not a party boy anymore -- I'm here to win' messages."

Jeff Gordon: "Dude... try working with the team more to get the car right before it rolls off the truck at this weekend's race."

Robby Gordon: "Dude... stop changing crew chiefs more often than Paris Hilton is on the cover of this week's tabloids."

Tony Stewart: "Dude... those phone messages to Casey Mears about how instead of being the fourth leg on a three-legged table at Hendrick he can be a star in IRL..."

Casey Mears: "Dude... listen to Tony Stewart."

Denny Hamlin: "Dude... those letters that keep coming in to FedEx asking if Denny Hamlin knows what he's supposed to do when he has a tire going down..."

Dario Franchitti: "Dude... when Chip Ganassi was giving you that sales pitch last year he didn't say anything about Talladega, right?"

Greg Biffle: "Dude... are you sure you want to play second banana to Flipper the rest of your career?"

Clint Bowyer: "Dude... you'd be noticed more if you had a family-friendly sponsor."

Kevin Harvick: "Dude... you thought about asking Jeff and Jimmie who's their hair care specialist?"

To say I am not a Kyle Busch fan is one of the more delicate understatements imaginable. Nevertheless, this cannot stand in the way of acknowledging good work when it is done. So, without further ado (and with many repetitions of "it's for the innocent puppies... it's for the innocent puppies...") the following is presented:

Must... resist... comments...

(Courtesy Weber Shandwick)

NASCAR Star Kyle Busch Makes Miles Even More Meaningful

'Kyle's Miles' Program Drives NASCAR Fans Crazy for the Cause of Dog Adoption

RICHMOND, Va., May 5 -- In a sport where every lap counts towards the race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, one of this year's hottest drivers is making every lap count for a cause close to his heart -- dogs. To help raise awareness and funding for the four million dogs in shelters and breed rescue organizations, dog-owner and NASCAR-driver Kyle Busch has joined forces with PEDIGREE(R) Food for Dogs -- NASCAR Fans' Best Friend and proud sponsor of the No. 18 PEDIGREE(R) Toyota -- to create "Kyle's Miles," a program aimed at raising $100,000 for The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation.

From May 1, 2008 through October 15, 2008, NASCAR fans and dog lovers can log onto http://www.dogsrule.com/ to make a monetary pledge to sponsor miles* of any of Busch's Sprint Cup races during that window; a roster which will sport 25 races and more than 10,000 miles. Donations from pledges will directly benefit The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides funding to 501(c)(3) status animal shelters and breed rescues nationwide. Kyle kicked off the program from Richmond, Va., where he raced the No. 18 PEDIGREE(R) Toyota for the first time during the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400.

"As the owner of two dogs I know how happy they can make you, so to me it's really sad that each year four million dogs end up in animal shelters and breed rescue organizations and two million never make it out," said Busch. "Kyle's Miles hopes to raise money and awareness for the dogs that are so often overlooked and I'm excited to be able to do my part to help."

As an added incentive to the "Kyle's Miles" program, anyone who sponsors miles* is automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Phoenix in November to meet Busch and attend the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 9, 2008. Those who'd like to enter the sweepstakes but not sponsor Kyle's Miles can also do so at http://www.dogsrule.com/.

The PEDIGREE(R) Adoption Drive

The fourth annual PEDIGREE(R) Adoption Drive launched in February 2008, with a goal to raise more than one million dollars for The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation. Because of their love for dogs, PEDIGREE(R) Food for Dogs created The PEDIGREE(R) Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of homeless dogs. Through no fault of their own, more than four million dogs end up in shelters every year. Sadly, nearly half of those canines never find a place to call home, a trend that the PEDIGREE(R) Brand and Busch hope to help reverse.

In addition to making a donation to "Kyle's Miles," there are several easy ways NASCAR fans can take part in The PEDIGREE(R) Adoption Drive all year long that help benefit the foundation:

-- If you're a dog owner, you can purchase PEDIGREE(R) products. Donations from product sales will benefit the foundation.**
-- Visit Dogsrule.com to browse Dogs rule.(R) gear, a line of merchandise and apparel for dog lovers. Proceeds after expenses from the sale of all Dogs rule.(R) items benefit The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive Foundation.
-- Additionally, those who adopt a dog from a local shelter or breed rescue anytime during 2008 are eligible for a FREE, one-month supply of food as a thank you from PEDIGREE(R) Brand.

To learn more about adoption and find a shelter near you, visit http://www.dogsrule.com/. PEDIGREE(R) Brand products are available at grocery, pet specialty and mass merchandise outlets nationwide. For more news about PEDIGREE(R) Brand, log onto http://www.marsnewsroom.com/.

About PEDIGREE(R) Brand

PEDIGREE(R) Brand is the number one brand of dog food in the world, offering a wide variety of products for different dog life stages. As an innovative market leader, PEDIGREE(R) Brand is at the forefront of pet nutrition and understands pet owner needs by providing a range of innovative products and resources.

About Mars Petcare US

Mars Petcare U.S. is the U.S. pet care operations of Mars, Incorporated, one of the world's leading food manufacturers. Headquartered in Franklin, TN, Mars Petcare U.S. employs more than 3,000 associates in the United States, with 29 facilities nationwide and owns some of the world's favorite pet care brands, including PEDIGREE(R) Brand Food for Dogs, CESAR(R) Canine Cuisine, WHISKAS(R) Brand Food for Cats, SHEBA(R) Brand Food for Cats and THE GOODLIFE RECIPE(R) Brand. In addition, Mars, Incorporated owns the portfolio of brands produced by ROYAL CANIN USA Inc., NUTRO Products, Inc. and GREENIES(R).

* Minimum donation $10
** Total donations from the PEDIGREE(R) Consumer and Trade Programs to local shelters in 2008; minimum of $250,000 up to $1,000,000.

(R)/(TM) Trademarks (C) Mars, Incorporated 2008

Since there's nothing happening in NASCAR today and tomorrow except an all-teams test session at Lowe's (note to Goodyear: this time, try bringing the same tires to the test session you'll be bringing to the race), thought I'd take a moment to pretend I'm a sports blogger.

Recently, the sports blogosphere grew quite roiled and in some cases boiled over a recent episode of Costas Now, a sports panel talk show on HBO featuring Bob Costas (hence the name). The episode giving everyone quite the episode had Costas along with one Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights and other tomes, along with Will Leitch, perverter... uh, purveyor of Deadspin. The panel swiftly turned into a pitched battle with Bissinger assailing Leitch about comments on Deadspin, Deadspin itself, and sports blogs in general, a medium he dismissed out of hand as something significantly lower than snail trail. Eh, whatever. A member of traditional media slamming blogs and bloggers is more commonplace than weather reports on all-news radio stations.

Some members of the blogging community took Bissinger's jabs to heart as something of a personal affront. Can't see it that way. I'd be willing to bet my next house payment he's never read a word I've written, so being generalized is of no concern. Besides, I know he wasn't talking about me personally, since I write about either NASCAR which most people in sports don't believe is a sport or hockey which most people in sports no longer acknowledge exists. (/sarcasm off)

It's understandable why people who have spent decades first going through the education system grindhouse, then fiercely competing with hundreds of others for the scarce jobs available in traditional sportswriting, and then working on their craft to both perfect same and do what they can to keep their job in the face of said fierce competition are less than thrilled when what they perceive as a brigade of bozos declares themselves to be of the same ilk. When you're flying the Deadspin flag as your standard, it becomes even easier to grasp why there is such scorn. To start, using Leitch as a spokesperson for the sports blogosphere is disingenuous in the extreme. He is a traditionally schooled journalist who floated around assorted freelance gigs before being hired to write Deadspin. That's not being a blogger. It's online traditional media, which in the case of Deadspin along with variations and/or sycophants thereof is done very badly. A slew of links, no genuine insight into sports on any level, and a pseudo-hip pop culture drenched smarmy snark? As the little boy said during the parade of the emperor's new clothes, I don't see anything. At least nothing worth reading. It's certainly a method well designed to make you beloved among fellow bloggers whenever you link to them. But in terms of adding anything to the discourse about sports? No.

There's no defense for Bissinger's throw out the baby with the bathwater doctrine of blog hating, but it would be good if there was a more level-headed view of things instead of a mutual admiration society. Garbage is garbage regardless of the medium, and the "look at me -- SQUEE!" self-satisfied and usually self-congratulatory nature of Deadspin and company is ridiculous. It's one thing to say you've reached a milestone in terms of site visits or acknowledgment by your peers, or members of traditional media as a peer. It's quite another to pose as the savior of sports journalism or some exciting new version of same when all you're doing is emulating the traditional media you insist is the Antichrist. Why replace one ESPN with another?

As to the brouhaha over comments, I believe a blogger is responsible for their comments area, and the tone established by the blog is directly responsible for the tone of comments. Instead of garbage in garbage out it's garbage out garbage in. When a blogger puts out garbage, their blog will take in garbage comments. There are few things more laughable than when a blogger who has established a tone of complete disrespect for those they disagree with, and who uses a philosophy of nothing being sacred and everything being a big laugh fused with a corresponding condescending air of everyone and everything existing solely for their amusement, suddenly claims to be shocked -- shocked!! -- when the comments on their blog pick up on this and run with it. It also gives cause to wonder what they'll do when the hammer blows of life come their way and their grief is greeted with nothing but smirks and statements about how others can't be bothered with such inconveniences as it's putting a damper on the party. On a less somber but amusing from a distance note, it also makes one wonder what these puffed up kittens masquerading as young lions are are going to do when they're forty plus and the next generation of young guns dismisses them as relics from a bygone age.

That all said, this whole thing with Bissinger vs. Leitch can be used as a starting point for something positive. We who are part of this blogging thing can use it as a reason to ask two questions. What is it that we're doing? And why are we doing it? For me, I love writing. I love the opportunity blogging provides to entertain and inform people. I'm not trying to be a reporter, and I know I am to a very large degree dependent on their work for the information I pass along. I am developing more direct sources of information, but with very few exceptions I'm not at the race, and I don't have the opportunity to directly questions the newsmakers as events occur. Within the boundaries set by those limitations is where I work, which translates into opinion and commentary being at the fore as the resources to do anything else simply aren't there.

I also love the building of community, the shared love of NASCAR evolving into people genuinely sharing with and caring for each other. This directly ties into why the smirk society doesn't "get" NASCAR, nor will it ever do so. When you view athletes as three-dimensional video game characters, you are unable to grasp a fan base which deeply cares about these people as individuals. They'll never know the motivation behind the fury of so many at Kyle Busch, or why the eyes of NASCAR fans immediately grow distant at the mention of Dale Earnhardt's name, or what went through my heart and mind when I paid my respects at Kenny Irwin Jr.'s grave. It's to their loss, but that's the way they've chosen to be.

These are my reasons for what I do and why. It'd be interesting to hear Bissinger and Leitch's reasons. I wonder if they have any other than the paycheck. Making money doing what you love is nice work if you can get it, but it's not high on my agenda.

And that's the story on that.

A few random Richmond thoughts, along with picking up a loose end news bit from last week:

Dead man walking, dumb man driving. The former was a movie. The latter was Kyle Busch tonight at Richmond, although he's probably as close to now being the former as is possible.

The race for the first three hundred and eighty laps was duller than dry dirt. Between Denny Hamlin leading every lap except one and the constant drone of "did you know he's from Virginia -- did you know we're in Virginia" from the television broadcast, the only thing worth caring about was when this would be over so we could get on with our lives. It was a disappointing, dreary exercise in tedium. My most fervent hope was Digger would come up to the broadcast booth and take over so we would no longer be subjected to any more Hamlin stories, occasionally interrupted by bursts of man-love for Kyle Busch who was consistently running near the front although never a genuine threat to Hamlin. Compared to this, being dateless and desperate on a Saturday night would be nirvana. Better than the numbing pain we were being subjected to at what normally is NASCAR's best track but on this night was boredom on asphalt.

And then it all changed.

Hamlin had a tire start going down at the same time Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch were fighting it out for second. Too busy sulking to apparently figure out maybe he should get this fixed, Hamlin stayed out until his tire gave out at the same time NASCAR's patience gave out, assessing him a two lap penalty for sulking on the track... er, stopping on the track to bring out the caution. Meanwhile, Dale Jr. had wrestled the lead from Busch, running high wide and handsome on the way to what looked like a win that would finally get the slump monkey off his back. Hamlin's pout bunched the field back up, and with less than ten laps to go it was on.

Dale Jr. had the better of it at the restart, but Busch kept at it and before long was door to door with #88. Shortly thereafter it was front fender to door, with Busch's patented inability to drive and think at the same time leading to his spinning out Dale Jr. Much to the amazement of all, especially the announcers at FOX who immediately went into a sticking up for Shrub routine including the jaw-dropping attempt to create an allegory between what had just happened and the time Dale Earnhardt spun out Terry Labonte to win at Bristol in an effort to reassure themselves that everyone would in time love their boy, this didn't sit too well with the patrons. Who were no longer sitting, as it was far easier to throw whatever was at hand at Busch from a standing position. As to the time Kyle Busch will become a fan favorite, to paraphrase a line I heard once on Law & Order it's currently scheduled to take place about three weeks after the Apocalypse.

Fortunately for the safety of all, Clint Bowyer used the lessons learned from teammate Jeff Burton about patiently working into position so when the opportunity to win occurs you're there to seize it to his full advantage, zipping by Busch and staying there during the green-white-I'd like to thank my sponsors run to checkers. As one of the commentators on the race thread pointed out, Mark Martin spent the last two laps demonstrating to Busch proper technique for racing underneath someone as he missed taking second by a whisker. It's doubtful in the extreme Busch noticed, but when you've got everyone telling you you're the on-track heir of Dale Earnhardt why bother with such things, right?

After the race, while Busch tried to blow the whole thing off as just one of those racing deals, Dale Jr. gave every appearance of a man so choked with rage he could barely get the words out. Yet even with that, he kept it classy and restrained. The Junior Nation may well have gained some new members tonight from this.

And that was tonight's Cup race at Richmond. Three hundred and eighty laps of filler, followed by twenty laps of what could have been sublime transformed into the ridiculous by the antics of one inarguably talented but too selfish and stubborn to fully take advantage of it arrogant punk. No wonder Tony Stewart wants to get away from Gibbs ASAP. If not sooner.

First up, the starting grid, or order, or lineup, or how they'll roll off at at the green flag, or... oh, you get the idea:

This weekend, while the truckers take a nap the Cupsters and claims jumpers will be making their night moves at Richmond.

Richmond is far and away my favorite oval on the NASCAR circuit. It's three-quarter mile length is just right for stock car racing, creating short track action minus the overkill occasionally prevalent at a Bristol or Martinsville. It allows side by side racing throughout. It's... well, it's pretty much the perfect track.

This is the perfect opportunity for drivers to calm down after the nerve-wracking pack racing of Talladega. They won't stay calm, as it's guaranteed more than a few will get mad all over again over the bumpin' and bangin' prevalent whenever you put forty-three cars together on a track where reaching out and touching someone isn't difficult in the least. Richmond may be the track all fans would like to wrap up and take home with them, but the only wrapping you're likely to see will be hands around someone else's throat squeezing tightly.

This is a very good opportunity for a lot of drivers currently on the schnide to get off: Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Tony Stewart have all won here before. As a side note, Jimmie Johnson swept the two races here last year, so whoever hoists the checkered flag Saturday night should be looked at as a serious title contender. Best track, best driver. It works.

(NOTE: This is cross-posted from Goldfish And Clowns).

It was late in the evening. Just a hint of the sun's last bit of illumination lit a corner of the sky. Cherie the thrasher was sleeping underneath the shrubbery she called home when suddenly she woke up.

For a moment she remained still, trying as best she could to sort out what had caused her to awaken with such a start. She then slowly walked out to where the shrubbery ended, which was at the edge of a rock-lined wall. Cherie peered down as best she could in the dim light, hoping she'd see what to her relief she did.

Her friend Gord the polar bear was sitting in the middle of the area for which the wall served as a backing, jutting out on either side. In the front part of the area, instead of a wall there was a large ditch with a high railing just outside of the edge of the ditch. It was designed so the squealing children that came by on a daily basis could get a better look at the bear without any possibility of the bear being able to get a better look at them face to face. They didn't know, in the same manner as the zookeepers didn't know, that Gord could come and go from here as he pleased. He had long ago learned how to work the number lock that was supposed to secure the entryway at the back of the small cave built into the base of the back wall. Most nights, Gord would spend much of his time wandering around the zoo, talking with the other animals while offering words of comfort and cheer. Tonight, though, he was sitting quietly, something Cherie knew meant he was thinking. This was good, because right now she very much needed some additional thinking to help her sort out what was racing through her mind.

"Gord," she whispered softly.

Gord turned his head so he could see Cherie out of the corner of his eye. "Why, Cherie," he whispered in reply. "Not that I mind your company in the least, but you're usually in the place of dreams by this time."

"I know," she replied. "I was, until... well..."

"One took you from there to here?"

"Yes," she replied with her head down. "I didn't want to disturb you, but..."

Gord stood up and walked over to the wall so she could talk to Cherie nose to beak. "Why, it's no disturbance at all, my friend. Tell me what brought you here."

"Um... actually, you did." She hastily continued, "I don't mean you yourself woke me up. I had a dream about you. That's what woke me up."

"Why, how odd. Tell me about this dream, please."

Cherie paused for a moment, wanting to make sure she had everything settled and in order as to what the dream was about before talking about it. "You were in some strange place. Sort of like here, but not really. Much larger, with many more animals. But, even though it was larger the actual places where you and all the other animals lived was much smaller. The places were all stacked on top of, and next to, each other. And they were all exactly the same, with one exception."

Gord nodded his head to show he was listening as Cherie continued, "In front of each place there was a sign with only one word on it. The word was..."

"... the name of what kind of animal it was."

Cherie shook her head in utter surprise. Gord had just said exactly what she had seen in the dream. After a moment she blurted out, "How did you know that?"

"Why, my dear Cherie," Gord replied with a smile. "I apologize for interrupting you. But I had what would appear to be the exact same dream earlier this evening. That's why I was sitting here when you called me. I was thinking about it, and what it might mean. In yours, were all the animals in their -- why, I believe they're called cages -- doing nothing at all?"

"Yes. And then there was this bright light which would shine on just one of the cages..."

"... and it would say the name of what kind of animal it was very loudly."

"Exactly. And then the voice would say something like, `See this animal walk.' Or run, or fly. Something like that."

"Which the animal would do."

"Then the voice would say other things the animal normally does."

"All of which it would do."

"Yes." Cherie again lowered her head. "You know what happened next."

"Why, yes," said the polar bear in a very quiet voice. "The voice would say what the animal was supposed to do next, but the animal wouldn't do it. The voice would then say, `You do not belong here!' And the animal would simply disappear."

"Then this happened over and over, until... you know."

"The light shined on me."

"And you didn't do what it said you would do."

"To which it said, `You do not belong here!'"

Cherie sighed. "That's when I woke up."

"As did I," said Gord.

For a minute neither said anything. Then Cherie whispered, "What does it mean, Gord?"

Gord paused. Then to Cherie's surprise, he smiled. "Why, it's really quite simple. I'm quite baffled why it didn't become clear to me before now. I must still be a little sleepy."

"And are you going to share this with me?"

"Why, certainly!" Gord smiled again as he continued, "What is it people come to see here every day."

"Silly polar bear. You know it's you and the other animals."

"Yes. And what is it many of them say to me and everyone else here?"

Cherie thought about it for a minute. "Oh, things like they want you to growl."

"Precisely. And what happens when I don't?"

"A lot of them get... I guess the word is disappointed because you didn't do what they expected you to do."

"And so they go see a different animal hoping they'll do what they're expected to do."

"Why, yes. Now, what happens when they're not looking?"

"You... well, you talk to me and your other friends here."

"Which is exactly what the dream means."

Cherie gave Gord a puzzled look. "As usual, silly polar bear, I have no idea what you're talking about. You mind explaining this to me?"

"Why, of course not." Gord paused. "Isn't it far better to do what you ought to rather than what someone believes you're supposed to? No matter what?"

Cherie thought about it for a minute. She then laughed as she replied, "I should have known you'd find a lesson somewhere in all of this."

Gord laughed back, "Why, of course." With that the two said good night.

The lovable M&M's characters have been forced to go underground following an ugly scene after yesterday's Aaron's 499 race at Talladega, won by Kyle Busch who is sponsored by M&M's.

According to eyewitnesses, the five main M's -- Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, and Green -- were celebrating their driver's win when suddenly confronted by an angry mob. Wielding weapons reported to look like cans of Mountain Dew AMP and/or bottles of Pepsi, after hurling jeering comments such as "peanut brain" and "melt THIS, candy shell!" several members of the group proceeded to attack the M's with the aforementioned weapons.

"It was terrible," sobbed Green who spoke under the condition the location of the confectionery where she has taken refuge not be revealed. "Sure, Red stood up for himself, and Blue did his best to calm everyone down. But Orange just freaked even worse than usual, and poor Yellow simply lost it. And look at me! You know how many tumbles through the coating machine it'll take to get all these chips out? And they ruined both my Danica Patrick and Ashley Force shirts with those awful beverages of theirs. The brutes!"

"They were lucky to escape with their lives," said a member of the security detail which eventually rescued the M's. "The way all that green and brown fizzy stuff was flying, they would have been melted for sure if we'd been there a minute later. I've never seen such an angry bunch as that crowd. Well, other than that day at Martinsville when they ran out of hot dogs. To this day I'm amazed the place is still standing, the way people were thrashing about."

"This kind of behavior by a few troublemakers should not be mistaken for the attitude of our fans as a whole," a NASCAR spokesperson said. "We know the overwhelming majority of NASCAR fans absolutely love Kyle Busch without question or hesitation. How could they not love him? We've been telling them to all year. Knuckleheads."

Before launching into assorted thoughts on yesterday's Talladega Cup race, how about I highlight yet another example why NASCAR is the people's sport:

Motorsports Legends Richard and Kyle Petty Make `Pit Stop' to Meet Paralyzed Veterans at Richmond VA Hospital

Washington, DC--Richard and Kyle Petty, in advance of the Crown Royal Presents Dan Lowry 400, May 3 at the Richmond (VA) International Raceway, will drop by to meet paralyzed veterans at Richmond's Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center on May 1, 2008. The legendary duo will visit with seriously wounded troops and meet leaders and members of Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) Virginia Mid-Atlantic Chapter.

The Pettys are longtime supporters of Paralyzed Veterans' work to ensure that those who have served and sacrificed have everything they need to thrive.

"From helping our vets get the benefits they deserve to promoting buildings that are wheelchair accessible, Paralyzed Veterans sets a great example of how we should treat our servicemen and -women," Petty said. "People say that racecar drivers are heroes, but these guys are the real heroes."

Petty Enterprises recently donated the primary sponsorship of their No. 45 Dodge at the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway to Paralyzed Veterans.

"Richard and Kyle Petty deeply care about America's paralyzed veterans. This visit will help lift the spirits of so many wounded veterans--and highlight some of the work Paralyzed Veterans and our chapters do to make sure our veterans and their families have all that they need to rebuild their lives after serious injuries," said Paralyzed Veterans' National President Randy L. Pleva, Sr.

Petty Enterprises announced in November 2007 that Paralyzed Veterans will serve as a primary sponsor on the No. 45 Dodge Avenger for two races during the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The events will be the Crown Royal Presents Dan Lowry 400, May 3 at the Richmond International Raceway and the Pocono 500, June 8 at the Pocono (PA) Raceway. The organization will be an associate sponsor on the No. 45 Dodge for the remaining 34 races of the season.

Richard and Kyle see Paralyzed Veterans as a great way to give back to those who do so much for our way of life.

"We need to take care of those who sacrifice so much for us. Paralyzed Veterans is a leading advocate for the improvement in the quality of health care for our veterans. Everyone knows that I care deeply about charitable work, so this is a natural partnership," said Kyle Petty, driver of the No. 45 PVA Dodge.

For more information, visit www.pva.org/petty.


	Restrictor-Plate This : An SB Nation blog for NASCAR fans