Jason A. Jarrett

Coming home from the Texas race a few weeks ago I had a slight encounter with a deer.  I had just left the airport and turned onto Bruton Smith Boulevard (formerly Speedway Blvd) when out of nowhere my windshield smashes.  It was the craziest thing that has happened to me in a long time.  This is a busy road with a lot of street lights so I didn't expect this to happen on the road, but it did.  Once the police report was taken I continued on the way home.  The police never found the deer but there was hair and a streak of blood on the side of the car.  I am sure the 911 call sounded crazy because at the time I didn't know what I had hit. 

This is the second time something like this has happened to me while I was driving.  The first time I was on the way home from an ARCA race right after September 11, 2001.  I was driving through Bluefield, WV around 12AM.  I did have a little time to react and missed a few of the deer that were in road but caught one of them with my left front sending the body of the deer down the left side of my car. 

Below is a few pictures of my car after the deer ran into me.  I think it may of been more than one but not sure.   

I have really been listening close when it comes to the Jeremy Mayfield suspension story.  The main reason I am so interested is because I like Jeremy and I want to believe his story.  My problem with believing his story is that it just does not make sense based on the medical review officer’s explanation and NASCAR’s explanation of Mayfield’s positive tests.  Yes I said tests.  His “A” sample and “B” samples both tested positive.

Maybe I do not understand the way the testing process takes place but I think I have a decent understanding based on the articles I am reading and the radio shows that have been covering this issue.  From what I understand, if you test positive, the medical review officer contacts you (before any contact is made to NASCAR, or whatever company is having you tested) and once you are informed of your positive result, you then have an opportunity to present your case to the “MRO” so they can evaluate the result.  Again, from what I have read and heard Mayfield was given this opportunity and his explanation of it being a mixture of an allergy medicine mixed with a prescription drug has been denied by a doctor that is part of handling the results of the NASCAR substance abuse policy.  I also understand that Mayfield’s “B” sample tested positive and this tells me that the system that is in place is pretty solid.

I know NASCAR has not come out and said what drug he tested positive for but if you listen closely they have eliminated several possibilities including alcohol and performance enhancing drugs.  Plus, there was a statement made that his violation was “a clear violation of the policy.” 

There does seem to be a little bit of an issue on the timeline of when NASCAR knew about the positive result.  The only reason this is probably an issue is because Mayfield was allowed to practice and qualify at Darlington.  I feel sure if NASCAR thought the other competitors were in danger they would have pulled him out of the car before practice started.

I know Mayfield must play the politically correct game for a while as he tries to prove his innocence.  I would like to believe that he could prove the test was wrong but I really do not see this happening.  We have all heard the few stories of the testing policies being wrong but it seems to me that everything was administered properly.  The evidence that we all know about in the public seems to lean towards the test being correct.  Maybe once Mayfield presents his case to NASCAR through the legal action he is seeking, his name can be cleared.  I know all of his fans out there sure hope he can present a strong case.

Let’s not forget that there have been other drivers suspended.  There have been other crew members suspended.  Let’s also remember there have been plenty of drivers, crew members, and people working in this sport that have had clean test results.

I thought this weekend’s races produced some pretty good racing news.  There are always headlines no matter who wins races but this week seemed a little unique to me.

First, on Friday night, Greg Biffle was able to help Jack Roush win his 100^th Nascar Nationwide Series race.  To win 100 races in any series is a great accomplishment.  Jack has been a long time team owner in many Nascar Series’ so for him to reach a milestone like this has to be special to him and the people in his organization.  Biffle was able to hold off Jason Leffler to be the driver that helped Jack get his 100^th win.  Early in the race Carl Edwards looked to have the field covered but after some problems developed with his car Biffle had to be the one to carry Roush to victory in Phoenix.

Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race may be one that people remember for a long time.  Why?  Because Mark Martin made his way back to victory lane and became the latest Hendrick driver to add his name to the list of winner’s this season.  If I am thinking correctly, Hendrick has won the past three events with three different drivers.  It was great to see Gordon win at Texas but I have to say this week’s win for Martin, at Phoenix International Raceway, has to be a huge fan favorite.  Mark has been in this racing game for a long time and has assembled some great accomplishments along the way.  His win at Phoenix will not be forgotten by any of us for a long time.  Personally, I liked the fact that he is over 50 years old and still winning.

I really thought Sunday was going to be my day without racing but I was mistaken about that.  Every time I turned around Sunday I was eating and watching racing.  The ARCA ReMax Series was on Speed at 1 PM so I watched a little over half of that race and the Indy Car Series came on a little later so I ended up watching most of it.

The ARCA ReMax race was good and I was glad to see the race go caution free for as long as it did at the end.  Ken Schrader led 185 laps but ran out of fuel with just a few laps left to hand over the lead to Sean Caisse.  Caisse would lead the most important lap, the last one, to take Venturini Motorsports back to victory lane at Rockingham.  The Venturini’s have a great program going and I am glad to see them helping young drivers make progress in the racing world.

I have not kept up with the Indy Car Series as much as I used to but when I saw that Dario Franchitti had a chance for victory at Long Beach, I kept watching.  Dario was a driver that I thought didn’t get a fair try at NASCAR racing.  But, I never once heard him do a negative interview, during what must have felt like the longest year of his racing career.  By winning at Long Beach on Sunday proved to me that Dario is a winner.  He is someone that can make the best of his opportunities and to me that is the sign of a champion.

Congratulations to all of the winners this weekend.  It was a fun weekend of racing. 

We all have an opinion on what we think of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Blogger. And, we all have opinions on the ways we think these sites should be used.  I think these sites are great and obviously a lot of other people do too based on the millions of users these sites have. I have heard many people say that these sites don’t make money but it is hard for me to believe that or they would not survive.  Even if they are not making money right now these types of sites eventually are acquired by bigger companies that see value in them.  They build plenty of value with all of the user information they are able to gather and sell off when the timing is right.

Last weekend I sat in on a conversation with some people that are basically in the public relations/media business and they seemed to have a bad opinion of Facebook, Twitter, and amateur bloggers.  I believe these sites basically take the place of when we used to meet for breakfast or lunch and talk and complain and gossip with friends.  The only difference now is everyone can do that with people everywhere on the internet.  You can have people you like read your updates and even people you don’t like can read your opinions if you choose to put the information out there in the world of the interweb.  Of course some people use these new mediums to put negative articles and updates out there but for the most part I see people that are trying to promote something they want to promote.

  I am sure this was a case of all of us wanting to put in our 2 cents about the widely debated issue of whether these things are hurting or helping or if it even matter. I don’t want to name any names or call anyone out and I am quite sure most of them have some sort of social networking page but the conversation got my attention.  I enjoy blogging and putting what I hope is interesting content on my website so maybe I took it a little too personal.  It won’t stop me from writing my blogs and obviously the conversation helped me come up with a new column to add to my site.  Actually, I like having debates on these types of issues.  I pretty much sat back and listened.  They are all probably more educated on the subject when it comes to how it affects professional journalists.

I have a simple solution if these guys don’t like the direction blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking is going:  click on a different page or site.  It is like a television, there are other channels if you don’t like what you are watching.

I felt like the people in the conversation were basically saying that only the people with a degree in journalism should be able to put their stories and opinions out there.  Well, I have to completely disagree.  We all sit and watch a basketball game, race, or football game and throw out tons of opinions about the players, coaches, and teams.  Not many people will ever play at that level but we all say what we think about the games we watch.  The only difference now is people say it by doing just what I am doing now:  by, blogging, writing columns, or social networks.  I enjoy it because writing is somewhat of a release for me.  It is very relaxing.

Don’t get me wrong, I think people should be responsible when it comes to putting their opinions on the web.  A computer is an easy thing to hide behind.  The anonymity of the internet makes it easy for all of us to put anything on the web.  People do it everyday and that will never change.  There are people with journalism degrees and many other highly educated people that will hide behind what they put on the web but there is nothing we can do about it.  No matter what people in the “professional” media game think I will continue to try and put out interesting information on my website(s).  As far as Twitter and Facebook go, I will continue to use those sites to promote my projects or let my “friends” know what I am up to just like many people “in the industry” are doing.

I know a lot of this conversation was based on their concerns for some of their colleagues and friends that are involved with the country’s newspapers and other print media.  They opened my eyes to this issue and I spent some time tonight reading about the possibilities of more of the largest newspapers closing the doors.  I am sure the internet has changed the print media game completely, but what business has the internet not affected? 

Hopefully I will get to sit in on more of these debatable conversations in the future.  Things like this are fun to think about, write about, and comment on.

Race Restaurant Review 001

Bone Daddy’s “House of Smoke”

Location:  Grapevine, TX (3 or 4 other Texas locations, check website)

A few years ago as a group of us were driving around looking for a place to have lunch and watch Sprint Cup qualifying we saw a parking lot full of cars at this restaurant called Bone Daddy’s “House of Smoke.”

The thing about this place that caught my attention about this place was that it was 3 PM and the parking lot was full.  I was told a long time ago to only eat at restaurants with full parking lots, because the food must be good if it is full.  So, a group of us took that advice and went inside to grab some grub.

Once inside it didn’t take us long to figure out that Bone Daddy’s would be a routine stop when the race rolls into Texas Motor Speedway.  The scenery was nice, the service was good, and the food was good.  No one I have ever been there with has complained about anything.

By the name of the place you probably already guessed that it is a bar-b-que place or smoke house.  They have a vast number of items on the menu including pulled pork, sliced brisket, and chicken.  I have been 3 or 4 times now and had the pulled pork each time.  Most of the people I have been there with have ordered the slice brisket.  And, none of us have any complaints!  For those of you that do not like or don’t feel like having bbq you can also choose their burger or rib eye, both look great.  Their extensive lists of sides to go with your meal are also very appetizing.  On that list you have items such as:  fries, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, and more.  At the end of your trip don’t forge to try the pecan pie or one of their desserts.  I didn’t have the pie this trip but had it the first or second time I went to Bone Daddy’s.

So, if you are in town for the race, or just passing through, give Bone Daddy’s a try.  Let me know what you think.  I know I am in for at least one trip there each time I am in the area. 

Every time I make the trip to Martinsville Speedway it brings me back to my childhood.  There are so many times I remember jumping in the car with several different family members and going to the Modified, Busch, and Cup races at Martinsville.  I remember sitting in my grandfather’s van.  I remember paying some attention to the races but for the most part we just hung out.  There were a few other drivers’ kids and I that would just throw football, watch the race, and then hurry back to where we were supposed to be before the race ended because we knew we were getting out of there as soon as the race was over.

The best part to me was the ride there and the ride home.  I would get car sick on the way there and fall asleep on the way home but it was a great feeling to go to the Martinsville Speedway.  I always felt like I was going real far from home.  I always felt like I could get so close to the cars and the track and the drivers.  It was such a cool feeling when I was younger.

One of the things that have not changed is my excitement when it comes time to go to Martinsville.  Back in the 90’s I would get really pumped up to go try and make the Late Model Stock race they have every year.  It was a tough race to make but at the time I felt like I was trying to qualify at Daytona or something.  Since those years I have only been back as a spotter.  Like spotting at Bristol, things happen fast at Martinsville.  When the cars check up or stop usually about the 5^th car in line gets the nose of his car wrinkled up at best.  The racing will be as tight as ever on the paper clip shaped half mile.

As I prepare to leave for Martinsville Speedway once again, I am starting to get excited about being there.  There are a few things that this spring trip to Martinsville brings back to my mind:  hard racing, spring is here, rain (it seems to always come into play at this track), track position, and of course hot dogs.

On my drive up there I am sure there will be more memories from the past that pass through my mind.

Although it looks like the weekend is going to be cold and rainy I don't plan on letting that slow me down this weekend.  I don't get too many weekend's off this time of year so I plan on taking advantage of things I want to do.  There are 5 things that I know I will do no matter what the weather might bring.

1.  The family thing-being a new dad has been exciting but as quickly as we became parents I had to get back on the road working.  I am not complaining about working, just about the time I have had to spend being away from Ford and Christina.  So, we will spend some good quality time together just lounging around the house.

2.  The ACC Tournament-I have not kept up with NCAA basketball this year as much as I used to but I will check out the ACC Tournament.  It doesn't look like spending time outside is going to be an option because of the rain so being a sports fan I will watch the ACC Tournament.  The Tar Heels look like they are peaking at the right time so we will see if they can bring home the ACC title.

3.  DVD's-I am sure we will watch a few movies this weekend.  There are a few DVD's that are out that I didn't get a chance to see at the movies so we will watch a few of them this weekend.  I have been wanting to watch Milk and W so this weekend will be a perfect time to catch up on some movies that I have not seen.

4.  Running-My running schedule has taken a little bit of a hit this week so I plan on working hard to put some mileage in this weekend.  The plan is to run between 18 and 20 miles between Friday and Sunday.  Let me get back to you on whether I am that ambitious this weekend or not.

5.  Eat-I know going into this weekend that I am going over my daily calories.  It is just going to be one of those weekends that I am going to splurge on some junk food.  I would say pizza and ice cream are on the top of the list and then I will go from there and see what else I can get my hands on.  I guess #5 will negate #4 so my only hope is to maintain this weekend.

Have a great weekend!