Full Throttle

While the Nattering Nabobs circled their wagons around the most headline getting stories of this past weekend a few noteworthy storylines went mostly unnoticed.

Chief among them was a story about racing returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway. Reportedly Georgia developer Charles Collins has signed a three month lease on the speedway.

Collins wants to bring a reality TV show to the speedway — centered around 25 female stock car drivers — and possibly a concert featuring “somebody big,” he said. Ultimately, Collins said he would like to buy the speedway outright and promote a women’s racing series that uses North Wilkesboro and possibly other similarly sized tracks.

“We’re ready to go racing and see some action again where it all started,” Collins said. “We will succeed with it and we will have an event here.”

Collins wants to bring a reality TV show to the speedway — centered around 25 female stock car drivers — and possibly a concert featuring “somebody big.” Ultimately, Collins said he would like to buy the speedway outright and promote a women’s racing series that uses North Wilkesboro and possibly other similarly sized tracks.

“We’re ready to go racing and see some action again where it all started,” Collins said. “We will succeed with it and we will have an event here.”

I haven’t found any evidence Collins’ previous experience as a Georgia “developer” led to a modern version of Snake Oil, this may be his first attempt, if he thinks he can race on a track dormant since 1996 by “repatching and resealing” the tarmac he’s nuttier than a Snickers Bar.

It appears having a signed lease is the only thing Collins has going for himself as he has no list of drivers for the reality TV, no network lined up for the show and is “still working to find sponsors.”

All things considered it’s understandable why the nattering nabobs ignored Collins. As for me, no excuse offered other than giving you a chance to laugh at Collins as I did.

One would think diehard fans that suffered to the bitter end of a long wet weekend at Lowes could at least get home with as little problems as possible, aside from the normal traffic tie-ups most did.

For a few water continued to be a problem as they made a pitstop for gas at a Petrol Express station. Rain water seeped into the stations storage tanks and into fans gas tanks as they filled-up. So much for saving via discounted tickets offered at Lowes, at least one repair bill was $400 bucks.

Did you hear? Robby Gordon’s “ass” is in trouble again.

Not ass in the sense he’s tossed a helmet or padding from his rollbar looking to get a yellow flag. Ass in the sense NASCAR confiscated #7-Robby Gordon’s rear-end housing and took it back to its R&D Center for further microscopic inspection after finding something amiss during post-race inspections.

Figures don’t it? Gordon’s 3rd place finish was his first time out of the mid-twenties since forever and he might lose it.

If he does expect a full-on assault by the “NASCAR’s keeping the little man down” conspiracy nuts revving-up faster than Rocket Man going for another Sprint Cup pole.

Finally, after several comments recently saying there would be no changes to the #88 Chevy the teams pathetic performance Sunday/Monday has led Rick to do a rethink and talk “about things” and possibly “make decisions as the days go by.”

It’s a cinch Dale Jr. isn’t going anywhere, that leaves Tony Jr. at the top of the hit list and the addition of neon lights on the pitboard so Junior doesn’t over-shoot his stall.

With the short week necessitated by the delay in the 600 I’m betting nothing will be done until after Dover but before Pocono.

We’ll see, not that it matters for this year. Being 200 pts out of the last Chase spot Jr. would have to win 2-3 events before Richmond and need for a large collapse by one or more of those within the top 12 now to even come close.

Odds are that isn’t going to happen and any changes now will be for next year not 2008.