Full Throttle

It must be a slow news week, I’ve lowered myself to writing a list of random meandering thoughts.

Is anyone else surprised only one member of the current Chase field has won at Talladega? And the one winner, Mark Martin, hates the place. Mark has had one of the better runs in the last few weeks but I doubt Martin will add to is win total in Talladega. Smoke was impressive at Daytona in Feb. and won in July. Stewart is my pick to win this week.

NEWS FLASH: Rusty Wallace’s mistress is having a baby! Well not really, but I got your attention didn’t I? The new mecca for speed under construction in Newton Iowa has it’s first race date. An ARCA RE/MAX Series event will be run on the 7/8-mile track on Oct. 15, 2006. Co-designer Wallace turned over the first spade full of dirt in late June for what they’re calling the first NASCAR style track designed by a driver. Does that mean if the right fronts start to shred on the new surface like cheap mozzarella we can point a finger at Rusty and not Goodyear?

NASCAR and “he who must be obeyed has concluded” the Busch Series would also benefit from a new testing scheme for ‘06. NASCAR will cut the number of Busch Series testing dates from nine to four and will require drivers to test at four specified tracks in 2006, this week’s NASCAR Scene reports. The four are Daytona, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Richmond. I suppose one could hope the new plan doesn’t include loopholes large enough to fit four car haulers and a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Oprah Winfrey balloon as they did for ‘06 NEXTEL Cup testing. But that may be asking too much of “he who must be obeyed.”

Jeff Gordon is headed to Paris for this years Race of Champions in December. Along with Gordon others already committed are, Sebastien Loeb and Heikki Kovalainen. Jean Alesi, rally driver Marcus Gronholm and Red Bull’s David Coulthard. Gordon was scheduled to attend last year but came down with “some kind of something” and missed the event. Casey Mears took his place and along with Jimmie Johnson made the trip to Paris to represent NASCAR.

Someone yelled, “Lets git’R done! And Sterling Marlin did. He will appear on WB