Pork Roll......

I'm a little surprised that more people don't know about Pork Roll in this area of the country. It seems to me (and my father as well) that it would be the perfect southern food. You can cook it just about any way you want and each way it tastes great.

For those that aren't in the know, Pork Roll is a northern food, mainly restricted it seems to New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. According to the all powerful Wikipedia (sarcasm abounds) Pork Roll, otherwise known as Taylor Ham, was created by one John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey. It is referred to as Pork Roll because of the "roll" or tube-like sack it comes traditionally packaged in.

My family, being from New Jersey originally, all love this stuff. When we get to have it we almost fight each other for it. I'll admit, it's not exactly the healthiest of foods, but sometimes the best foods aren't that healthy at all.

The typical way of preparing Pork Roll, at least in my family, is frying in a frying pan. If you bought the actual "roll" like my family usually does, you want to slice it pretty thick, at least 3/4 of an inch (I usually slice it thicker then that myself). Once done, just throw it in the frying pan and let it sizzle away. Flip it a few times and after a few minutes once it is throughly cooked throw it on a hamburger bun and serve. Tasty tasty tasty.

A hint: If you have more than one frying pan try to reserve one pan for your pork roll and DON'T CLEAN IT. If you can let the grease build up on the frying pan the meat will have a better flavor. But, if your health consciouses, I wouldn't even eat the stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to go eat my supper, which just happens to be some boxed Pork Roll I found today at Harris Teeter in Shelby. It ain't great, but it is DEFIANTLY Pork Roll.

A days work

So I had Thursday off and really had nothing to do other then sit around the house and piddle around or play a video game. I was determined to actually do something with my day but I didn't know what I could do. Then, a light bulb went off.

I had been meaning for months to put together a collage from my day at Lowe's Motor Speedway during the All-Star Race in May. I was going to package together some of the pictures I took with the front page story I did on local boy Anwar Parrish. So I decided today was as good a day as any to actually sit down and MAKE the collage.

After some runs to Ingles and Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies (double sided tape, monster poster frame, pictures from 1 hour photo at Wal-Mart) I sat down and began the creation process. Two and a half hours later, this was the final result. It's not great, but I think it came out pretty darn good. Let me know what you think!

Signs the (NASCAR) economy is in bad shape

Here are five signs that the NASCAR economy is in bad shape:

1. Crowds have been down at nearly every track this season during the Chase.

2. Former dominate teams are struggling. A multiple time Daytona 500 winning team, Morgan-McClure Motorsports, was forced to shut down due to a lack of sponsorship. Lets not forget Yates Racing, a former Championship winning team, hasn't had a full time sponsor all season long.

3. Another legendary team, Wood Brothers Racing, has not only been struggling to find sponsorship, but have also struggled to race their way into the top 35 in owner points. Without Bill Elliott around to guarantee them spots in races, Wood Brothers Racing would likely have folded already.

4. Merger, merger, merger. Wasn't it only last year that Dale Earnhardt Inc. merged with Ginn Racing? Now, all of a sudden, DEI is set to announce a merger with Chip Ganassi Racing (to create Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, supposedly). Lets not forget Bill Davis Racing, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, Hall of Fame Racing, Wood Brothers Racing, Petty Enterprises and Robby Gordon Motorsports have all been in talks to merge with one team or another.

5. Owners are selling stakes in their teams to investment groups. Roush/Fenway? Gillett/Evernham? Boston Ventures/Petty Enterprises? What's next? Hendrick/Steinbrenner?

Maybe all of these things really amount to nothing, maybe not. Truth is a lot of things are going to change in 2009. Will it be good or bad for the sport? I'm not really sure, but we will soon find out.

Chase = over

Well if Johnson's win at Martinsville didn't end the Chase, his finish in Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500 certainly did. It's too bad for Edwards, he thought he gained at least 50 points on Johnson when in reality he only gained 15 while Johnson actually padded his points lead. Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle also faltered, leaving Edwards as the only real threat to Johnson at this point. Do I think Johnson can be caught? No, not really. This Chase is effectively over no matter what Edwards or anyone else might think.

Rain rain go away

Is it just me or is anyone else really getting tired of all the rain at NASCAR events this year? For the 10th time this season qualifying was canceled Friday due to wet weather. I'm inclined to believe that there has got to be a better solution to this rain issue rather then canceling qualifying every week.

Granted, weekend schedules at NASCAR events are usually more then a little cramped but that doesn't mean NASCAR can do something to make things better under the circumstances? What about drivers like Bryan Clauson and Joey Logano? Both drivers have missed races due to rain that otherwise they probably would have made. I've heard the suggestion before and I like the idea of holding a special round of qualifying (if rain cancels the main qualifying session) just for go-or-go homers like Clauson or Logano. At least then you would give the drivers not guaranteed a spot in the race the chance to prove how good they are.

Or, NASCAR can keep doing what they are doing and continue to get disgruntled looks from drivers and fans alike. Unless of course your the points leader, in which case you don't mind qualifying getting canceled. At least then you can start from the pole.

See, there is always a positive for every negative.

How about them Craftsman Trucks?

I've spent so much time this year talking about the Sprint and Nationwide Series' that I almost totally overlooked what many would say is the most competitive series in NASCAR, the Craftsman Truck Series.

For me, when I get the chance to watch the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series it feels almost like your going back in time, back when hard racing was not only common but expected of every driver in every race. These guys beat, bang, bash and just in general race hard.

While watching the Sprint Cup race the other week a TV interviewer stopped a moment and talked with Mike Skinner after a crash during the race. She mentioned that Mike was helping the No. 84 Red Bull team that he was driving for (replacing AJ Allmendinger) work on the car after the crash. Skinner simply replied, "I'm a truck driver, that's how we do it over there."

THAT is the kinda of tenacity that I like to hear from a race car driver. The Craftsman Truck Series has created some great drivers to never see much mainstream success in the Sprint Cup Series. Skinner, Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday, Johnny Benson, Bobby Hamilton, Dennis Setzer, Ted Musgrave and I could name countless others. All of these drivers tried their hand at running in the Sprint Cup Series but ultimately found themselves driving Truck's for a living. And believe you me, that is no insult to their abilities, they just found that the Truck Series is more suited to their driving abilities.

So if you find yourself with a chance to sit down and watch a Craftsman Truck Series race, do it. You might just be surprised at how good the racing really is.

Busy as a bee

It's been a long few week's around the newsroom and I often find myself a little overwhelmed on occasion. Yet I wanted to sit down today and write a blog about the Chase for the Sprint Cup, despite the fact that I've got work floating up to my eye balls. It's probably gonna be short, but why not.

When the chase started, things looked good for Kyle Busch. Now he finds himself more than 300 points behind current leader Jimmie Johnson and all but out of the championship hunt. What's left for him to do? The same thing he was doing before his bad luck began, win everything in site.

The truth is Kyle Busch, much like everyone about 200 points back of Johnson, has nothing to lose at this point. For Busch it's go for broke or go home. So if I am Busch and company, I start putting caution to the wind and aim at getting as many wins as possible before the end of the season at Homestead. He's already started in that direction, he won Friday's Nationwide Series race at LMS easily (FYI, that is his 20th win this year in NASCAR's top three divisions).

I wish I had time to say more, but I'm swamped. I'll touch base later with more.

Flat Rock Music Festival Videos

I shot two videos while I was at the Flat Rock Music Festival. Here they are for your viewing pleasure:

The SteelDrivers - "If It Hadn't Been For Love"


Skinny Legs and All - "The Weight"

Flat Rock Music Festival

It's not often that I take time off, much less time to go do something I've been looking forward to for some time. For the last two years my parents have been pestering me to attend a music festival with them. Finally, I decided that since I have this paid vacation just collecting dust, I'd best go ahead and use it. With that, I decided I'd join my parents at this years Flat Rock Music Festival in Flat Rock, N.C. Needless to say I was so happy I attended.

The weekend started Friday with everyone waking up early and preparing my parents RV for the trip. When I say RV I mean an old old RV. I don't remember right off what year the RV is, but it's from the early 1970s, I know that much.

My transporation/bed for the weekend. Stylish huh?

We had to stop at three gas stations just to get enough gas to make it to Flat Rock. But once we got fuel and made a few other stops we hit the road to Flat Rock. Of course, once we got there, we were met with the stark realization that Friday was probably going to be a wash. Of course, for those that don't remember, much of the region was met with much needed rain on Friday. Of course, it had to rain on the first day of my mini vacation. Go figure. Oh, I best not forget that in order to get to the festival you had to go ALL THE WAY UP A MOUNTAIN. We parked in a field at the bottom of the mountain and in order to get up to the festival you had to either walk a very bad looking trail (well, it wasn't that bad once it was dryish) or take a shuttle van up to the top (which was one heck of a wild ride in the wet weather on dirt roads).

This is the view from across the pond at the top of the mountain. All the way over there is the main festival stage.

A zoomed in few of the festival grounds.

While Friday was a total wash, Saturday was NOT! I got to see all the bands I was looking forward to from the get go, including The SteelDrivers, Skinny Legs and All, Sonny Landreth and WSNB. I admit my musical taste is a bit out there, so I don't honestly expect many that read this to know who these groups are. Here are a few photos from those sets:

The SteelDrivers

Skinny Legs and All





Sonny Landreth




WSNB

Oh my its been awhile

Boy has it really been more than a week since I last posted on here? Seems like a lot less (or, depending on who you are, a lot more). I've been amazingly busy since my last post with my regular copy editing duties, including laying out the sports section a couple nights a week in addition to my regular role of news copy editor. On top of that I am also designing the syndicated NASCAR page that appears every week in The Star with content produced by Freedom Communications resident NASCAR writer, Monte Dutton.

Anyway, I apologize for not posting my regular NASCAR stories on here. With my additional duties on the copy desk in addition to my work writing the historical racing stories recently I haven't had much time to do anything, with the exception of sleep of course. But, life goes on.

I wanted to note that I've been having a blast writing my historical racing stories. The things I've heard and the stories that have been passed on to me have been amazing and I would never trade the experience for anything. I have even gotten to do a phone interview with former Daytona 500 winner Cotton Owens (he commented on Stick Elliott and the Cleveland County Fairgrounds).

With any luck the stories will keep flowing out of me in the coming weeks. I've already got the next story written and prepared. I'd tell you what it's about but I don't want to ruin the surprise.

I would like to continue to remind you, the readers of The Star, to keep submitting information to me about things you'd like to hear me write about. Want to hear about an old driver from the '60s? Let me know! Do you have old stories or old photographs floating around? Let me know! These stories will keep coming as long as I have great people here in Cleveland County who are willing to pass on their stories to me.

Also, i'm seeking information on the following for possible stories. If you or anyone you know can help me out, that would be great:
Herb Thomas and his career ending crash at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds
Doug Cooper, Gastonia native, former NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1964

Thanks folks and keep on reading!

Richmond, last stop before the chase

Richmond is the last stop before the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. 12 drivers will be entered into the competition by the end of Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 and everyone else will just be raising for bragging rights. Five drivers, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton, have clinched their spots in the chase. One more, Greg Biffle, only needs to start Saturday's race to clinch his spot. That leaves six chase spots for eight drivers. With that being said, here's who to watch on Saturday...

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: 3rd place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 10.0 Avg. Finish, 2 top 5's, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: This man dominated Richmond in the Spring like Jimmie Johnson dominated at the Auto Club Speedway last week. The only difference is Johnson closed the deal while Hamlin blew a tire and finished back in the pack. I suspect Hamlin and crew will be more determined then ever now to win at Hamlin's home track. Watch out for him Saturday.

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet (Richard Childress Racing)
Last Week: 10th place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 8.8 Avg. Finish, 1 win, 1 top 5, 3 top 10's
Why he could win: If there was ever a time for Bowyer and company to pull out all the stops this weekend would be the perfect time. He sits only a few points ahead of 13th place David Ragan and he needs to have a solid run to earn himself a second consecutive trip into the Chase.

David Ragan, No. 6 AAA Ford (Roush Fenway Racing)
Last Week: 13th place finish in the Pepsi 500
Career at Richmond: 13.3 Avg. Finish, 1 top 5, 1 top 10
Why he could win: Much like Bowyer, everything is riding on Ragan's performance in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. If he were competing for a chase spot this time last year his third place finish in last year's event would have clinched it for him. The problem is that was last year and this is this year. Can Ragan prove everyone wrong and make the chase?

My underdog this week is a driver many consider to be the next big sensation...

Joey Logano, No. 02 Home Depot Toyota (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Last Week: Did not race
Career at Richmond: Attempting to make first career start
Why he could win: Everyone expect's Logano to make headlines fast in the Sprint Cup Series. Who knows, he very well may. I wouldn't put anything past this kid considering how fast he went to victory lane in the Nationwide Series. Watch out for him on Saturday.

California thoughts and observations

Sorry I didn't get to this sooner, its been a busy week.

Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday's race at the Auto Club Speedway, leading 228 of the 250 laps to win the Pepsi 500. He was followed to the line by Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth.

Thoughts and observations

Johnson was hardly challenged during Sunday's race. The 228 laps that he led are a proof of that. About the only time he was passed was on pit road where Greg Biffle's crew consistently beat the No. 48 team. It ended up not mattering since Johnson's car was far too strong for Biffle to beat.

I was a little disappointed in the Red Bull Racing team of Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger. I honestly thought one of those two teams were going to have something for Jimmie Johnson. Guess I was wrong.

Carl Edwards finished ahead of Kyle Busch Sunday, by one position. Again. This is becoming a pattern.

I swear, this year couldn't get much worse for Kurt Busch. He keeps having awful luck and Sunday was no exception with that blown tire relegating him to a 39th place finish, his ninth finish of 30th or worse this season.

David Reutimann did a great job on Sunday keeping his car in tune with the track and bringing the car home a strong 9th. Very impressive to say the least.

Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are going to win this year, mark my words.

The race for the 12th and final chase spot is going to be a tight one. Clint Bowyer leads David Ragan by only 12 points and Kasey Kahne is also lurking back in 14th place, only 48 points out of 12th. I really feel like this could be a toss up. Ragan finished third at Richmond in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 only one year ago while just this spring Clint Bowyer won at Richmond. It's anyone's guess as to who will make the chase.

The one positive for AJ Allmendinger after Sunday's race was it catapulted the No. 84 Toyota from 36th in the Owner Point's to 31st. It's the highest the No. 84 team has ever been in the Sprint Cup Owner's standings to date. Meanwhile, Sam Hornish Jr. and the No. 77 team now is forced to qualify for this weekend's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond.

What we know for 2009, Part 2

Here is part two of my Silly Season 2009 recap.


No. 10 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Patrick Carpentier
2008 Sponsor(s): LifeLock, Valvoline, Charter Communications
What we know for 2009: Patrick Carpentier's future in the No. 10 doesn't look to good with the recent signing of Reed Sorenson by GEM. Carpentier has publicly stated that he is a free agent, but that hasn't been confirmed by anyone at GEM. Sponsorship remains a question for this team as well.


No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Denny Hamlin
2008 Sponsor(s): FedEx
What we know for 2009: I have heard of no changes for this team, nor do I expect any.






No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Ryan Newman
2008 Sponsor(s): ALLTEL
What we know for 2009: This team is going to look nothing like the 2008 Daytona 500 winning team. Newman leaves for Stewart Haas Racing, ALLTEL is likely gone at season's end thanks to the Verizon merger as well. Rumors have David Stremme as the likely full time replacement, but nothing is confirmed yet.


No. 14 (was No. 70) Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Jeremy Mayfield, Johnny Sauter, Tony Raines
2008 Sponsor(s): Haas Automation, Hunt Brothers Pizza
What we know for 2009: Tony Stewart leaves Joe Gibbs Racing and buys into Haas CNC Racing, making it Stewart Haas Racing in 2009. He will take over the No. 70, changing the number to 14. Sponsorship will come from Office Depot and Old Spice.



No. 15 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Paul Menard
2008 Sponsor(s): Menards, Johns Manville, many more
What we know for 2009: Lots of unconfirmed rumors floating around about this team. Paul Menard is expected to stay with this team in 2009 and keep his family sponsorship there as well. I see no reason not to expect that myself.



No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): Greg Biffle
2008 Sponsor(s): 3M, Dish Network
What we know for 2009: Greg Biffle signed a contract extension and will remain with Roush Fenway Racing for the extended future. 3M will remain as primary sponsor.




No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): Matt Kenseth
2008 Sponsor(s): DeWalt
What we know for 2009: I've heard of no changes for this team in 2009, much like the last, oh I don't know, 5 years.





No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Kyle Busch
2008 Sponsor(s): M&M's, Interstate Batteries
What we know for 2009: No changes at all. Why would you change something that has worked so good in 2008 anyway?





No. 19 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Elliott Sadler
2008 Sponsor(s): Best Buy, Stanley Tools, McDonald's
What we know for 2009: Elliott Sadler signed a contract extension earlier in 2008 and will remain with this team for a few more years. Sponsorship lineup will likely stay the same.




No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): Tony Stewart
2008 Sponsor(s): Home Depot
What we know for 2009: Tony Stewart leaves at the end of 2008 to become an owner/driver at Stewart Haas Racing. Joey Logano will get the call and drive this car with sponsorship from Home Depot in 2009.

What we know for 2009, Part 1

Silly Season 2009 is well on its way so far this year. I figured it best to go ahead and do a post summing up the known changes that are coming when the Sprint Cup series takes the green flag for next year's Daytona 500. I'll be doing these 10 at a time, so here is part one:

No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
2008 Driver(s): David Reutimann, Michael McDowell, Mike Skinner
2008 Sponsor(s): Champion Mortgage, Aaron's
What we know for 2009: David Reutimann has been announced as returning to this ride for the 2009 season after leaving the team to replace Dale Jarrett in the No. 44 early in 2008. He brings with him an 18 race sponsorship deal with Aaron's. That still leaves 18 unsponsored races that this team needs to deal with. No word on the status of Michael McDowell, who is still under contract with this team.


No. 01 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Regan Smith
2008 Sponsor(s): Principal Financial Group
What we know for 2009: Not much. This team only had partial sponsorship throughout most of the 2008 season and there is no firm word on the status of this team for the 2009 season. If sponsorship doesn't come up I can't imagine this team will remain active in 2009.



No. 07 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Clint Bowyer
2008 Sponsor(s): Jack Daniel's
What we know for 2009: With the creation of RCR's long awaited fourth team, Richard Childress decided to do some driver shuffling. He has moved Clint Bowyer from this team to the new No. 33 team and replaced him with free agent driver Casey Mears. Sponsorship remains the same for this team.


No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Martin Truex Jr.
2008 Sponsor(s): Bass Pro Shops
What we know for 2009: There were lots of rumors about Truex Jr. leaving this team but they all ended up being wrong, as Truex Jr. signed a contract extension with the team and will remain with them for the immediate future. Bass Pro Shops should return as the sponsor.



No. 2 Penske Racing Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Kurt Busch
2008 Sponsor(s): Miller Lite
What we know for 2009: There are no changes expected for this team, despite the fact that 2008 has been by far one of the worst seasons this team has ever faced.




No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Casey Mears
2008 Sponsor(s): Kellogg's, Carquest
What we know for 2009: Casey Mears leaves this team at the end of 2008 and will move to Richard Childress Racing to drive the No. 07 Chevrolet. Mark Martin will come out of semi-retirement and drive this car full time for one last shot at a championship. He will then run this car part time in 2010.


No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
2008 Driver(s): David Ragan
2008 Sponsor(s): AAA
What we know for 2009: AAA has decided they will be leaving this team at seasons end, meaning Ragan and Roush Fenway Racing need to find a sponsor if they want to keep this team around. Considering the way Ragan is driving I have no doubt that this team will find some form of sponsorship for next season.


No. 7 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Robby Gordon
2008 Sponsor(s): Jim Beam, Menards, Camping World
What we know for 2009: Besides the constant question of sponsorship, I haven't heard about any changes for Robby Gordon and company in 2009. Of course, this team would would love to secure a full time sponsor rather then multiple sponsors like they've had for the last two seasons.


No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet
2008 Driver(s): Mark Martin, Aric Almirola
2008 Sponsor(s): U.S. Army
What we know for 2009: Aric Almirola will drive this car full time in 2009 and Mark Martin will move over to Hendrick Motorsports full time to take one last shot at at championship. U.S. Army has been shopping its sponsorship dollars around so they may or may not return to this team.


No. 9 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge
2008 Driver(s): Kasey Kahne
2008 Sponsor(s): Budweiser
What we know for 2009: No changes are expected or known for that matter. I don't see any reason to change anything. Despite a little bit of inconsistency this team has been strong in 2008, winning two races and fighting for a chase spot.