A Million Reasons To Smile

Normally, my writings are posted as soon after the race as possible. The reason this writing is so late, is that I couldn't think of much to write as the All-Star race was nothing short of b-o-r-i-n-g.

At least until the last couple of laps.

JGR Teammates, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, were battling for the lead. Hamlin moved up the track, and the sudden disruption of air sent Busch slamming in to the wall. Busch, as usual, wasn't happy, ranting over his radio, "Somebody better keep me away from Danny Hamlin after this race. This is all his expletive fault." Whereupon, Busch drove to Hamlin's hauler and not his own, to wait for Hamlin. A long conversation ensued with Owner Joe Gibbs serving as referee. Hamlin, afterward, spoke to the media. Busch, big surprise, did not.

The eventual winner in all this: None other than Kyle's big brother, Kurt. If that team's momentum keeps up in the next few weeks, you're gonna have to count them as legitimate Cup Contenders. Oh Yeah, the payday was a little over a million bucks, or about ten grand a lap. Not a bad night's work. Now, on to this week's edition of the RJ's, which will be thin, as the race overall was pretty dull:

THE HOW THE #$%@ DID HE GET VOTED IN AWARD: Carl Edwards. Nothing against Cousin Carl, in fact I like him, but let's face it: He ain't exactly been setting the woods on fire this year. Jeff Burton, on the other hand, has, and wasn't even close to getting voted in. That's just a flat out shame.

THE WHAT THE #$%@ DO YOU MEAN HE'S MY TEAMMATE? AWARD: This one's a tie between Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. They sure didn't race each other like teammates, but a million bucks will make a guy do strange things.

THE CLASS ACT OF THE NIGHT AWARD: Joe Gibbs. By allowing his five-year old Grandson, Taylor, who is in remission from Leukemia, to pray the invocation, he showed again, just what a class act he is. The boy’s leukemia has been in remission for three years. His family, led by father and Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs, planned a celebration Sunday at the dragstrip next to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Taylor Gibbs yanked the mike from his grandfather, paused briefly, looked down at his feet, and gave a prayer that included a special shout out to JGR drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano.
“And I pray for all the race car drivers—Kyle, Denny and Joey the most— to win the most and to win a lot. And I pray for the other drivers to win sometimes,” he said. “And I pray for the people in the hospital. I don’t want them to get sick.”


THE BOORISH ACT OF THE NIGHT AWARD: The Miller Lite Pit Crew. During driver introductions, they doused the fans with BEER! Hey, you idiots, there were CHILDREN in that crowd, and you set about as bad an example as any I've ever seen.

THE WHAT THE #$%@ WAS THAT AWARD: To whoever that screaming heifer was that BUTCHERED The National Anthem. That was nothing short of a disgrace.

Back at Charlotte next weekend for the Coca-Cola 600. NASCAR's marathon. It ought ta be a dandy, especially if KyBusch and Hamlin are contending for the win late.

My Pick: (Swallowing REALLY HARD) Jimmie Johnson. I'm sick of seeing him win, but he's proven in the past that this is really his house.

Enjoy the race, and we'll see you in Victory Lane later this week!

Credit Shout Out:  Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports.  Mike Cranston of the Associated Press contributed to this blog.