Okay, so here are some of my pics from the fantabulous weekend at Texas Motor Speedway on November 6, 2011. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to meet Daytona 500 Champion Trevor Bayne--and the winner of the previous days Nationwide Series race at TMS. I have already met most of the drivers, so I just took pics of them as they came down the gauntlet before driver intros or when they were standing around their cars after getting off the truck that took them around the track. They aren't cropped because it was a very slow day at the station and I uploaded everything while I was at work and I don't have the software on my mini laptop to do it.













































Carl's pic game out almost ghostly!



























I love this pic of Jimmie and his daughter! I have another pic where he is waving at her from the back of the pickup bed and she was in Chany's arms so excited to see him.















Whoa! Mark's wife is even smaller than he is!



























I do not have a single pic of Bobby Labonte smiling. He is always grimacing and is never very friendly. That's a shame, he grew up in Corpus Christi and I always say "Hey Good Luck from All of Us in Corpus!" Maybe he hates being reminded?















David Ragan is quite handsome in person.
















I don't know if Jeff was trying to clear up some phlegm or what but I really noticed his graying temples.



























And I finally got to tell the Biff how he inspired me to get my teeth fixed with braces!

I will add more pics soon! I took over 400 pics!

Trevor "The Kid" Bayne...I actually wanna give him the moniker "The Train" because he comes through the field like a locomotive when all the conditions are right. Car, Crew, Track, Weather...

He won the Nationwide yesterday as I watched from the VIP suite way above the track! We were just enjoying our day of racing. The BIG day is today!

But yesterday turned out to be pretty awesome for me. I hooked up with a NETWORK crew and I got to talk on-air about Hispanos and racing at TMS as well as the Kyle incident, the youthful star Trevor, plug Jeff as my favorite and give Brad "BK" as my pick to win.

Here's the best part, I had to do it in espanol! It was choppy, but once I got clarification on some words, I was ready to roll.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see my major market debut in DFW area because I wasn't near a TV!

I'll say it again. I'm so blessed.

Where is the Road-To-Nowhere that leads to Victory Lane gonna take me today?
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Kyle, Kyle, Kyle...

Just when I take up for you and give you some accolades for being an adult, you go and get parked.

Not one race, but all weekend long!

Aye, aye, aye, aye!

Que vamos hacer con usted muchachito?

The road to nowhere leads back home for you. I can't imagine you would even WANT to stay here at TMS through Sunday. Tis your prerogative.

I haven't seen the tape of the incident with Hornaday, but judging from the swift and severe punishment issued by NASCAR, I take it Hornaday didn't throw the first "punch." Otherwise, like I told my boys, if someone hits you, you BETTER darn well hit him back! Unless of course, it's a respectable elder! LOL!
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All the email blogging probs are fixed now. I even got to go in and change the old picture I had on the widget sidebar. Now, I can concentrate on the TMS weekend and come up with some good questions to ask the drivers. Another writer was complaining on Twitter how unoriginal questions are at some press conferences. Oh well, if I haven't heard it or had it answered and I can't find the answer on Google, I guess someone should ask it.

First thing I do in the morning is check my Twitter feed. I oughta call it my NASCAR feed because I subscribe to most drivers and the media writers/bloggers. I was horrified to hear of the Hendrick plane that crashed at the end of the runway in Key West. All are okay as far as life threatening injuries, although poor Mr. H suffered a broken rib and clavicle. Ouch! Mrs. H and the two crew/pilots were much luckier. Of course, what I read said "Jimmie Johnson's" jet.  The NASCAR community is very lucky this week.

Test blog post from my phone #1
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I THOUGHT I had been blogging on here via my Blackberry with the email option, evidently that was NOT the case. I'll be spending the next couple of hours trying to figure out WHY it hasn't been working. I'm sure there's a simple solution...like maybe I changed my PASSWORD? Oh well, let me get to it. It has to be fixed before my big weekend at TMS!

Ten days people! TEN DAYS!!

Ten days and I will breathe in deeply and just take in that wonderfully soul touching aroma of Sunoco and rubber tires! My co-workers aren't racing fans so I have to behave and keep myself from jumping up on my desk to sing and dance "Napa know how, Napa know how!" when the urge strikes me!! I even brought in my HP-mini to work so I can pull up my fave racing sites when the Twitter and Facebook feeds just don't quench the need for speed!

What a great Chase this has been! Drama here and disappointment there but overall, proving that anything can happen and will. Don't get me started on Trevor and Jeff!

I will just say that a man's word is his honor. Even at a very  young age, both men and women should know that--- and honor it.

I don't know why honor made me think of Kyle Busch, but I am so proud of that boy! He has matured so much in the last year--well he slipped up a few times, but overall he has shown so much restraint, even after the spanking from Richard Childress! I think he has found a true North in Samantha and they are both lucky to have found eachother.

Brad. Brad. Brad. YOU GO GUY!! I have to put it out there, that if my HMS boys can't win the Championship, there isn't anyone I'd rather see win it all than BK himself!

Those of you who know me personally, know how freaking crazy I am when it comes to the 24, 48 and 88.

Thank you Jimmie for cranking it up and pulling out a win when all the naysayers were dogging you. You are a great example to our young boys of what a champion can be. I don't care if you are Trailer Park in origin, you are The Man!

Thank you my #1 Jeff Gordon for winning, winning and winning! Now do it again at my Texas track just like you did at my very first NASCAR race! No need to fight over me on the backstretch darling! LOL! You'll always be my #1 Jeff. You are the epitome of a family man who loves and knows just how blessed he is. Ingrid is your true North!

Junior! When am I gonna finally get to shake your hand? You have given me the highest highs and the lowest lows of the year. If the power of prayer worked in racing then you my boy would be in VL every weekend. I'm just afraid that the Junior Nation used up it's collective prayer credit in 2001. I still have hope and faith in you. Let go of the fear dear!

Kasey Kahne: I expect to see you adding wins to the Hendrick record books next year! I was thrilled to high heaven when HMS chose you to join the fold!

I've never been a Harvick fan, but following DeLana's Twitter has softened me up towards them. I am a huge admirer of folks with great marriages and not only are they hubs and wife they are biz partners. Are there any other couples who have successfully mananged to triumph the odds and win? I think not!

I am so grateful to still be able to cover the NASCAR races at Texas Motor Speedway as a member of the media. God has blessed me in so many ways and the two weekends at TMS mean so much to me.

Remember my friends, in NASCAR: "The road to nowhere leads to Victory Lane!"
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Last night I watched Jimmie Johnson hit the wall at Charlotte and I had a #3 dejavu... It was scary because I swear that JJ lost consciousness after the crash, you saw the car keep going down the track and JJ's head was limp. Today at the Indy race at Las Vegas after a devastating crash n lap 12, Dan Wheldon has been choppered away to the hospital... It doesn't look good as we are still red flagged. Prayers for Dan!! He let me tag along with his car at TMS in 2009. Swell guy and super nice man! God be with him and his family.
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My reasons are good and valid!

1. Building a house.
2. Starting a new career.
3. I have a teenager.
4. Still can't access or update this site on my Blackberry.

I got my media credentials last week for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 9th and the excitement is mounting!

I can't even imagine what I will be like when Jim and I pack up the RV and travel all across the nation following the NASCAR circuit for the whole 10 months!

So, I will become quite intolerable to most of my family and friends on Facebook, Twitter as well as my co-workers, listeners and fellow fans over the next few weeks...but what the heck....

Let's go racing!!!

Has it been this long? Geez! Needless to say I HAVE been busy with personal things! I'm gearing up and checking my tires, fluids, etc...for my road trip up to TMS this week. I won't make the mistake of flying on a super saver discounted fare ticket again. After the monsoonal race in April that didn't happen and then did happen while I was waiting to board a flight home, I will never fly in for a race weekend again!

So, my "missions" for this race are multiple-fold:

• To actually shake Junior's hand and get my picture taken with him...
• To ask Jeff to sign my Dupont jacket, et al...
• Finally get a picture with Carl Edwards, Kyle/Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick... (I pretty much have pics with everyone else!)
  
• To avoid Tony Stewart at all costs...

I will be pretty much living at the track except for the foray back to home base to sleep...maybe...what the heck...I'm 46 years old and I ain't getting any younger...I may as well party with the Nasc-Stars!

I'm very lucky, very blessed, to have had this opportunity to do this every race at TMS. Soon, my Jimmeh and I will be in our own motor home on the infield for every NASCAR race in the circuit....retirement cannot come too soon for me!

Oh wait...who's that? Junior...Junior....Hey Junior....wait up....Dude!.....I just wanna.......