NASCAR and More

As I predicted in my writing on another site, GM has announced cutbacks in their NASCAR activites. It has already been anounced that some truck and Nationwide series teams have lost support. Cuts in the Cup series have not been announced as of yet. This follows moves by both Ford and Dodge to cut costs. These moves have resulted in layoffs throughout the sport.

At Michigan, it was Mark Martin taking his third win of the season in race taht was decided by fuel strategy. A crowd of only 80,000 watched Mark win another one for the over 50 crowd.

While the current crop of car suppliers are suffering, Brian France is opening the door to more imported competition. This was announced following this weekend's race.

It has also been announced that NASCAR is going green. Following each race, trees will be planted to provide a carbon offset.

What does Brian France have in common with the captain of the Titanic? Both went down with their ships. The double file restarts are a plus, but if things do not start changing, look for NASCAR to get in line for a bail out.

If you want see some real neat vintage racing photos, check out the latest edition of "Muscle Machines" published by Hemmings. The spotlight is on Darlington in the 50s. Among the cars are a 51 Kaiser Manhattan and a 59 Buick Invicta. Drivers include a young Richard Petty, Fireball Roberts and other greats of the early years. Both "Muscle Machines" and "Classic Car" are good reads if you like cars the way I do.

The Chrysler -Fiat marriage is a done deal. We will now be blessed with ugly little cars that start rusting before they leave the lot. I have always been a fan of the US car companies, but scratch Chrysler and GM from the competition for the vacant spot in my driveway.

"Trains" magazine had an interesting article this month on trasnpotation comparing how various modes stack up for costs and efficiency. It costs less to build a mile of track than a mile of expressway. Lots of other intersting stuff there also. It vacks up my belief that we need a balanced transportation system in this country.

The Obama administration shudders every time unemployment figures are announced. They can be held directly responsible for another jump with almost 800 Chrysler dealers closing this month and thousands of GM dealers getting ready to follow. While BO has said that he does not want to run a car company, it looks like many of the closings have been dicatated by politics as opposed to economics.

I have not had as much time to blog or to participate in my favorite chat rooms, but that is a good thing. My personal economy has improved since I returned to work for Tony Patalano's
stores. I am now pushing around 60 hrs a week. That can easily grow, depending on sales.
We are negotiating with the bank and hoping to avoid foreclosure.

That it for this trip. John