Saturday, October 17, 2009

The Most Adorable mascots you've never seen...

So honestly, I haven't been able to think of anything really too decent to write about, so this is for fun. I came across this site called Chris Creamer's Sports Logos page online while I was discussing with a friend which team has quite possibly the most badass sports logo in the land, that you've never seen. In doing that, (and I will blog about that eventually) I came across some logos that are the furthest from intimidating and deserve the designation of "adorable." Now listen, that's something I usually don't throw around lightly, so take a look of some of my favorites in no particular order...

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009

Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips At The Glen Recap...

In unprecedented fashion, Tony Stewart came home with the hardware today in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips At The Glen. After being rescheduled due to thunderstorms and steady rain throughout much of the day yesterday, the race was run in full today under cloudless skies. This is Stewart's fifth win at Watkins Glen International, and he is in very elite company as the only driver to record five victories in the same professional racing series at the historic road course. Stewart has won 5 of the past 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at The Glen and today he referred to the track as "my house." Can't say anyone could
argue with him. (Photo courtesy of NASCAR.com)

Alright, so with that, it's time for some fun. Here's where my Six Pack of drivers finished in today's race...Hooray for bad Photoshop!

My pick for the race win, Denny Hamlin (in between Scott Speed and Joey Logano, click left to enlarge) finished 10th place after speeding on pit road early in the race. He was running in the top 5 up until his mistake on pit road but he was able to rebound and finish solidly here at The Glen.

Tony Stewart (click right to enlarge) ended up with the victory. In the race to the Chase, he now finds himself at the top of the mountain with a 260 point advantage over second place Jimmie Johnson.

Mark Martin didn't perform very well today at all with a 23rd place finish. Bleh.

Juan Montoya did not disappoint today with a 6th place finish and gained an important position in the Chase for the Sprint Cup (7th in points now).

Marcos Ambrose once again proved that he is one of the best road course racers on the Sprint Cup circuit with a career-best second place finish. In four races at The Glen, Ambrose has not been outside the podium with a win in last year's Zippo 200, a third place finish in the Centurion Boats At The Glen, a win in the Zippo 200 THIS year, and today's excellent finish for JTG Motorsports.

Jeff Gordon...unfortunately Jeff Gordon WAS someone to watch today, but for the wrong reason. Coming out of Turn 9, Gordon had nowhere to go as he plowed into the side of Sam Hornish, Jr's car. The accident initially started when Kasey Kahne lost control of his car and slipped up, tapping Hornish and sending him careening against the tire barrier and back out into the middle of the track where he collected Gordon. To see how vicious this accident was, watch for yourself here. Jeff admitted that he was experiencing some back pain following that horrendous crash, but it's a miracle that he and everyone else involved (Kasey Kahne, Sam Hornish Jr., Jeff Burton, Andy Lally, and Joey Logano) were physically okay, aside from some minor injuries. The crash brought out a 19 minute red flag period.

Movers and shakers of the race...

Bubble Man Greg Biffle. He shot up two positions in the Race to the Chase from 12th to 10th with a top 5 finish here at Watkins Glen International. The two drivers who lost positions in points were Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth. They'll both try to rebound next week at Michigan.

CARL EDWARDS! He scored a 3rd place finish today after starting 33rd! Sound familiar? Marcos Ambrose accomplished a similar feat last year starting 43rd and finishing 3rd. Edwards now finds himself 6th in points and in solid position to be racing for the Sprint Cup crown in 4 weeks.

Did What He Needed to Do...

Kyle Busch. He finished fourth today and cut down the distance between himself and Matt Kenseth (12th in points). He is now only 58 points out of The Chase with four races remaining before NASCAR's playoff series begins.

Oh S***!!! Moment of the Race...

OUCH! I realize there were several bad accidents today, but anytime a crew member is hit on pit road, you remember just how much can be at stake when these folks hop over the wall to perform week in and week out from February to November. Very fortunate that he's okay.

Well, that just about does it here for the Spirit of Watkins Glen tonight. It was an amazing and exciting weekend of racing here in Watkins Glen, but it's time to fold up the tents, start up the haulers, and move on down the road. Thanks for reading everyone!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Zippo 200 Implications on Tomorrow's Race...Predictions???

CONGRATULATIONS MARCOS AMBROSE!!!
Back to Back Zippo 200 Champion!!!

If you had a chance to watch the Zippo 200 Nationwide Series race today on ESPN, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Two seperate instances could lead to some very interesting circumstances on track tomorrow during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips At The Glen race (Whoa, that's a mouthful).

First off, Robby Gordon (below) and Joey Logano (pictured on far right) were going after each other quite a bit today. No one's sure what really set this off, but at several points during the race, Robby Gordon went out of his way to try and take out Joey Logano. In turn one, Robby Gordon caught the right rear corner of Logano's car and nearly sent him into the tires. On the frontstretch, he squeezed Logano dangerously close to the pit wall. Coming up the Esses, he tried to take Logano out AGAIN, but this time he blew his right front tire from the contact. Unfortunately, he was able to make it around the track successfully, and then deliberately punted Logano yet AGAIN into the Carousel (Turn 9), which caused Logano's car to go headfirst into a tire barrier. Logano re-fired his engine and tried to nurse his car down the backstretch, but the car erupted in flame shortly there after (He's alright, he just was a little toasty for a bit). To see the crash and Logano's comments aimed at Robby Gordon, click here. Although it's unlikely they'll see each other during the race (Gordon is qualified 10th, Logano is qualified 22nd), it's definitely something worth watching for.

The second head-to-head today was a matter of winning (Marcos Ambrose, pictured left) and losing (Kyle Busch, pictured right). Click here. During the post-race interview, Kyle Busch's reaction was PRICELESS. Priceless in the sense that he had no clue that Ambrose was going to try to pull a move like that to take the lead. I'm pretty sure, aside from the usual bitching rants we get from Kyle Busch on a weekly basis, he knows he was snookered, and beat at his own game. If there's one thing I know, Busch will not let that happen again.

With that, I'm off to bed to get an early start on tomorrow, but I encourage you to comment away and make your pick for tomorrow's race. Winner gets a...something, for picking the winning driver. The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen begins at 2:00PM on ESPN. It's race day! Wooo! (Photos courtesy of me this time...you can probably tell though, that's not a good thing)

Friday, August 7, 2009

Qualifying...

Woo! Day 1 officially over, and qualifying for the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips! @ The Glen has concluded. If you haven't found out already, click here to see who's on pole for Sunday's race! I won't spoil it, but let me just say that the Top 10 starters contain some regular faces, and some drivers you may have never heard of, until now.

So tomorrow I'm heading over to The Bog, which is the brand new hospitality area located inside Turn 11. The Bog is a reincarnation of...well, I'll let the press release from Watkins Glen International explain...The original article is here.

"The Bog was the place to be at The Glen during the 1960s and most of the 1970s. The giant mud bowl outside the west tunnel and leading to the start/finish line was a prime spot for on-track and off-track entertainment. By the mid-60s, fans began bringing old vehicles that they “bogged” as hundreds of fans chanted “The Bog wants a car!” There the infamous “Bog Hog” was born and appeared on bootlegged merchandise sold around town for years. The climax of The Bog came during the 1974 United States Grand Prix when fans claimed a Greyhound bus that had become trapped in the mud as their own and set it ablaze. This was one of the most memorable events to take place in The Bog …which ultimately led to its termination, by WGI officials, later that same season."

My ticket to the Bog cost $125 for two days, on top of the $80 weekend general admission to WGI. That price includes air conditioning, free meals all day, snacks, pool table, dart board, the closest spot on the track to watch the race on Sunday, and 6 Budweisers a day. Ooooo yeaahhh...not a bad deal when you break it down...

On a closing note, given the results of today's qualifying, who do you think is going to win on Sunday? Let me know,

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Remember this?

Alright everyone...is everybody in? The show is about to begin...

Can you believe it?!?! We are 1 day closer to racing here at The Glen, and things are heating up. I had the pleasure of following home the TRG Motorsports hauler (Grand American Road Racing Series team) on the way up County Route 16 last night on the way back to Boyce Manor, and when I drove by the track yesterday ALL of the lights were on, the souvenir haulers were stacked ready to go, and our neighbors down the road were stacking firewood in the pitch black. In case you haven't figured it out already...this is what Watkins Glen waits for every year. When a NASCAR race comes to ANY circuit it's a big deal, but when NASCAR comes to a village of 3,000 people...whoa dude. On with the news!

The official Entry List for this weekends' NASCAR Sprint Cup race has been posted courtesy of Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Click here to see who's going to be qualifying on Friday!

I realize that alot of you reading this are out-of-towners who might not be particularly familiar with Watkins Glen in general, so if you're reading this, click herefor directions, what you're allowed to bring in the stands on raceday, as well as parking and camping information.

In honor of last year's race, check out the video below...unbelievable...

Have any memories of The Glen you want to share? Post some comments!

That's it for now!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen 2009

By: Ryan Boyce on 8/3/2009

If you're a race fan living in upstate New York this week, there's reason for you to be VERY excited about NASCAR's return to Watkins Glen International. Throughout the week, I'll be blogging about everything NASCAR and their 23rd consecutive visit to The Glen in what will definitely prove to be an important race as the Sprint Cup season winds down.

So here are some random tidbits that you might be interested in, if you're not, just keep scrolling to my picks...
Andy Lally WILL be qualifying in a TRG Motorsports entry for the Sprint Cup race on Sunday. The team already fields a car for David Gilliland. "Lally, 34, has won Rolex Series championships in three different classes -- GT (2006), SGS (2004) and SRPII (2001). He also was part of the GT class-winning Rolex 24 Hour GT team in February. Lally currently drives the No. 67 Porsche in the Rolex GT Series." Check out the original article here (Photo courtesy of Nascar.com)

There have been some rumblings that Sprint Cup regular Jimmie Johnson will be racing in a Daytona Prototype for the Crown Royal 200 on Friday, but nothing has been confirmed yet. The Crown Royal 200 is the second stop for the Grand American Road Racing Series at The Glen, and is an extremely short race compared to the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen event that takes place in June. (Photo courtesy of Topspeed.com)


I read an article on NASCAR.com written by David Caraviello that you should definitely check out. He lists his five tracks that will determine the Sprint Cup Champion. Guess which track is number one.


According to Autowire.com, Michael Waltrip Racing has announced that Patrick Carpentier will be stepping in the #55 machine normally driven by Michael Waltrip, and will qualify for the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen race on Sunday. Carpentier finished solidly at Infineon this year with a top 15
performance
and will definitely be someone to keep an eye on this weekend. Click here (Photo courtesy of The Birmingham News)



Okay, with that, here is my Six Pack of drivers you should pay attention to on Sunday...

TONY STEWART

This one is a no-brainer. In 21 road course starts, Stewart has compiled 6 wins (four of them at The Glen), 10 top 5’s, and 5 top 10’s throughout his career. His last win at The Glen came in 2007, and he finished second last year to Kyle Busch. In nine career starts at Watkins Glen, Stewart has finished outside of the top 10 twice
(2003 - 11th, 2001 - 26th). Coming off an excellent performance at Infineon where he finished 2nd behind Kasey Kahne, Stewart is always a force to be reckoned with at The Glen. (Great photo courtesy of Newsday.com)


MARK MARTIN

He has been having a great season riding for Hendrick Motorsports this year and I expect a strong finish from Mark here at The Glen. Martin has four wins this season at Chicagoland, Michigan, Darlington, and Phoenix. Although he hasn't been to Victory Lane at a road course since 1997 at Infineon, Martin has a staggering 20 top 5 finishes at road courses for his career. He won three years in a row at Watkins Glen International starting back in 1993 through 1995. Just a sidenote, if Martin sticks his car on the pole at Watkins, my money is on him. In all four of his road course victories Martin has started from the pole, and never looked back. (Photo courtesy of Nascar.com)


JUAN MONTOYA

This posting would not be complete without Montoya, who arguably has the most road course experience in the entire series. The former CART and Formula 1 star was screwed in 2007 when Clint Bowyer took him out in The 90, leading to a dismal 39th finish. Fast forward to 1:46 in this video and you'll see what I'm talking about. Besides that, Montoya has been solid with a win at Infineon in 2007, a top 5, and two top 10's in his Sprint Cup career at road courses, with a 6th place finish this year at Infineon. He's also been on a tear lately with strong performances at Indianapolis and Pocono. (Photo courtesy of Nascar.com)


MARCOS AMBROSE

Who? Who is...IT'S MARCOS AMBROSE! Last year in the Nationwide race, Ambrose won his first NASCAR race at Watkins Glen, and then came out the VERY NEXT DAY, starting 43rd, to finish 3RD!!! This V8 Supercar alum from Launceston, Tasmania (that's Australia) can get it done on the road course, finishing an impressive 3rd this season at Infineon. (Photo courtesy of Adrants.com)


JEFF GORDON

He's been ice cold at The Glen since 2001 when he won his 4th race at the historic road course, but you can never count him out, especially this year. Gordon needs a strong finish to try to put some restraint on points leader Tony Stewart and his teammate Jimmie Johnson. He finished 29th last year in Watkins Glen and 9th this year at Infineon. (Photo courtesy of Nascar.com)


And lastly, who I think is going to win at Watkins this year...

DENNY HAMLIN

If you're saying to yourself right now, "WTF, Denny Hamlin?!?!," hear me out. In 7 career road course starts, Hamlin has accrued 2 Top 5’s, 5 top 10’s, and an average finish of 10th position. He just came off a trip to Victory Lane at Pocono, and he's scored top 5 finishes this season at Bristol, Martinsville, The All-Star Race at Charlotte, Michigan, Infineon, Daytona, and Chicagoland. He started second and finished second in 2007 at The Glen, and he's proven to everyone he can be successful at a wide variety of tracks throughout the NASCAR circuit. Hamlin WILL improve upon his 8th place finish last year in Watkins and will be spraying some Great Western champagne on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Athlonsports.com)


Who didn't make my cut? Last year's winner Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson...

My beef against Kyle Busch...

Last year qualifying was rained out and Kyle received a free ticket to the front row with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although Kyle did hold off Tony Stewart for the win, I don't think he will be in Victory Lane this year. Keep in mind that Busch is desperately trying to race his way into the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff, so we MIGHT see a strong finish from him, but I seriously doubt it. He averages 15th place in 9 road course starts with two wins (1 at Infineon, 1 at Watkins). (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated.com)



Ohhhh Jimmie Johnson...

Does anyone remember what Jimmie Johnson did the first time he came to Watkins Glen as a Busch Series driver? Take a look...Johnson has been dominant at a ton of tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit, but I don't think Jimmie will find himself in contention to win at Watkins this year. In his 15 career starts at road courses, Johnson has never won, and averages a 15th place finish. (Photo courtesy of Allleftturns.com

Soooo...that's it for now, I'll be writing some more as the week goes on to fill your daily NASCAR fix. All of the statistical data I acquired was from NASCAR.com and the MSN Fox Sports NASCAR site. If you've made it through this lengthy post, I thank you!