I was going to blog today and write a bit about my Father. This is the first Father's Day since he passed away last July. It felt weird and sad. I decided I didn't want to write because it would make me too sad. I decided I just wanted to remember the good times with my Dad. He was a good Father and I have many wonderful memories that I will keep with me throughout my life and someday I know that I will see my Father again. The details of the day he died and the days to follow still haunt me: the phone call at 6:30am, hearing my sister say the words that wouldn't register in my brain, the funeral, the burial and visiting his grave a few months later and still seeing the dirt looking so fresh. I don't want to focus on those sad things. I want to focus on the memories I have with my Father. He is still alive in my memories.

So Junior FINALLY broke his winless streak today and won at MIS. While I was watching the race I was saddened by the number of empty seats. I don't think I've ever seen the stands so sparse at a cup race before. I'll bet some of those people who didn't go are kicking themselves now! Thank God Jr knows how to save fuel! And Thank God for that last caution. I think this was a very special win for both Junior and Rick Hendrick. These two have a very special bond in that Junior lost his Father and Rick lost his son. Very, very fitting for Father's Day. I know that Dale Sr and Ricky Hendrick were both smiling down from heaven today.

Way to go Junebug! Way to go! Happy Father's Day!

 

**Accompanying, post appropriate music**

On or about the third Sunday in April Nascar comes to Alabama to take on Talladega Super Speedway, the biggest, baddest racetrack in the entire world (really it is)!

 

Although I can't go to the race this year I'm still EXTREMELY excited about it because this is Junior's debut at Dega in his new Hendrick ride. Alabama has always been Earnhardt country! People here loved Earnhardt Sr and now they love Earnhardt Jr. The two Earnhardt's have a combined 15 cup wins at this track! 5 of Junior's 17 cup wins came at this track and his Dad paved the way before him with a record 10 cup wins at Dega, including his last one.

Dale Sr's last win at Talladega (this was Junior's rookie season and he actually led the race for a while)

Dale Jr's first win at Talladega (I was at this race and it was INSANE!)

Although Junior Nation shows up at every racetrack the Dale Earnhardt Jr fan to All other drivers combined fan ratio is about 80% to 20% at Talladega. It will be very interesting to see if the sea of red in the grandstands has changed to a sea of green. It will also be very interesting to see if Earnhardt Nation cuts other Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson a little slack. In the past they have been vehemently hated at Talladega, booed during driver intros and pummelled with beer cans and water bottles if they win the race. It will be very interesting to see how Junior's move to Hendrick changes the atmosphere at Talladega, also known as 'The House the Earnhardt's Built'.

Junior is ready...

 

And so am I! Go Junebug Go!

 

Here's one more song for the road! Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's go racin boys!

 

 

 

OK. I'm gonna post this just one more time because it is a classic! This is me rooting Junior on at Dega last year. If you've never seen this before let me explain. This is what happened: My camera was on the video setting but I didn't know it and attempted to take a picture, but what I actually did was start recording a video. The camera is hanging around my neck swaying back and forth as Junior almost takes the lead (and I attempt to render myself voiceless), it was just getting good when the caution came out.

 

I came home early today due to the bad weather. I was sitting here thinking I might watch qualify...but then I thought "qualifying is usually pretty boring"...but I decided to switch over to SPEED anyway, it was Texas which is the place where Junior won both his first Busch (Nationwide) race AND his first cup race so I figured what the heck....qualifying had just started but was quickly put under a red flag due to the following wreck...

 

That took my breath away! I'm so glad that he is OK. It's simply amazing what that safety equipment can accomplish!

 

Once qualifying got underway it wasn't long before Junebug hit the track. He smoked them all!!! Way to go Junebug!!!

 

You gotta love him...how could you not?

Here's a couple of videos I found on You Tube. One is him flying with the Blue Angels (comments on the video state that the pilot he was flying with was one who was later killed in a crash). The other is a compilation video about Junior and his career the resolution sucks but it's got some good footage and dialogue from Junior about his Dad.

 

 

Consistency in his new Hendrick ride has him currently 4th in points. That's great but I so want to see him break his losing streak and get a points win!!! Maybe Texas is the place. It definitely has some karma for him. He won not only his very first Cup race at Texas but also his first Busch race there. Maybe? Hopefully!

Last night my son and his roommate came over to wash their mountain of laundry. They brought their new girlfriends with them. It was fun and interesting. My son, who is 26, is dating a 20 year old. She is quite pretty but somewhat immature. I can only hope and pray that he knows what he is doing! We had fun talking about random things and each had their turn on the internet because the boys don't have it at their apartment. They brought some beer called 'black & tan'. I had never had it. I had one and it was very good! My son's roommate and I got into a very indepth conversation about good food and good wine. He works at an Italian restaurant. We talked about wine and I was surprised that he knew so much about it, even more than I do! And we talked about alfredo, real alfredo made fresh with cream and parm. He promised me that he would bring me some good alfredo and a good bottle of merlot in exchange for letting him wash his dirty underwear in my machine LOL. He also complimented my spaghetti. I had sent some over with Michael a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned how good it was! I felt honored considering he was comparing it to something made in an italian restaurant.

So I had to get to the bank this morning before noon to do some 'inside' banking. The only branch that is open on Saturday is about 20 minutes away. I timed it perfectly and slept as long as I could, especially since that beer gave me a pounding headache!

Hailey was planning to go visit Jeremy while I was at work. I got up and got ready and had a small meltdown over my hair (PMS for sure) and then went to the bank while she finished getting ready.

When I got back home I felt a little nauseated so I ate a can of reduced sodium tomato soup. It was very good and not too salty at all. Then we headed out around 12:15. I took Hailey to Jeremy's house and went to work.

I work in a beautiful building with beautiful grounds. There is a pool and huge waterfall but, due to the drought both have been empty and dormant for some time. But even the drought couldn't keep the beautiful fall foliage from taking my breath away. Every day when I go outside to smoke I look at all this beauty and wish I had my camera with me, so today I took my camera to work!

When I went outside to smoke I took my camera and attempted to capture some of the beauty on film...here's what I got:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a little overcast but I thought the pics turned out pretty good.

So when I went back upstairs I kind of had the photog bug and took some more random shots.

There is this guy that works in our office who is sort of a 'jack of all trades'. I don't know his official title but he works in the Office Services department. They basically take care of all things pertaining to the office. This guy does everything from taking pictures for employee badges to controlling the thermostat in the building to building and tearing down cubes and running the appropriate wires to driving things back and forth to the warehouse in the company jeeps to monitoring parking....he's all over the place with his keys jingling and his Blackberry ringing...

THIS is his desk:

 

and this...not sure exactly what he uses this for!

 

 

Next is the cutest cube decoration I have ever seen! I spotted it a couple of weeks ago in one of my co-workers cube! I have GOT to get me one of these!

 

Didn't get much work done. In fact, there was only myself and one other person there. We spent about the last 45 minutes talking about our kids and football and Nascar. Then Hailey called wanting me to pick her up so we left around 5:15pm.

I went and picked Hailey up and we went to the grocery store. I bought fruit and veggies, milk and cereal, chicken and salad for tonight and the makings for chili for tomorrow. I also bought the fixins for green bean casserole and sausage balls which I have to make for work on Monday. Yes, the holiday potlucks at work have officially begun!

I also bought two essentials that I had run out of. I don't know how anyone cooks without these two items:

 

Finally, while strolling through the section where they have all of the candy and stocking stuffers I found something that made my heart feel a little full.

 

The time is winding down.

The clock is literally ticking.

The end of the #8 Budweiser Chevy as we know it is near, it is tangible, it is TOMORROW!

Maybe I will put this with all of my other Dale Jr #8 stuff and keep it as a collectible...

Maybe I will keep this and wait and see if there becomes a demand for Dale Jr #8 stuff once it is no longer available from the retailers (I might sell it, I might not)...

Maybe I will hang this stocking up on Christmas Eve along with my kid's stockings in hopes that Santa brings Dale Jr something good for Christmas...God knows he deserves it!

My hopes for the race tomorrow:

Jr wins the race and Jeffy takes the cup!

We will see...

If you're not a Nascar fan, watch this if you want. You may or may not be moved or swayed.

If you're a Nascar fan, but not necessarily a Dale Jr fan, watch this if you want. You will be moved regardless.

If you're a Nascar fan AND a Dale Jr fan, watch this! I dare you not to cry!

This is an excerpt from the movie 'Dale' which I've seen but this is a part that focuses on Dale Jr and it is extremely poignant and a little sad.

WATCH ME PLEASE!

Junebug, I love you SO MUCH!

KICK SOME ASS AT DEGA TOMORROW!

WISH I COULD BE THERE!

 

It's race weekend in Alabama! It's also Homecoming at the University of Alabama! There is not a hotel room to be found in the state of Alabama this weekend!

I'm not going to either but that's OK. I still get to go to my football game tonight which is gonna be awesome!

Down here in Alabama it is called 'Earnhardt Country'. I think Junior actually coined that phrase himself. I know there are a ton of Junior fans at every track, but at Talladega it is about 85% Red and Black! So when Junior wins there it is completely out of hand! I was there for 3 of his 4 in a row wins and we literally ROCKED that concrete grandstand in those final laps! And waiting outside the pressbox for him to come out was like a mob scene! It was actually a little scary! Once I was almost plowed down on the ground by a reporter who was trying to get to the pressbox to do his job!

It is also equally out of hand when he doesn't win. And Jeff Gordon does. As many have seen on television, the infamous throwing of the beer cans and water bottles. It's not pretty. Hopefully Juniors move to Hendrick next year will nip THAT in the bud!

I watched this race on TV last year. Junior was leading with less than a lap to go! I was already grinning just imagining him climbing out of his car in victory lane and getting sprayed with Budweiser! And then....Brian Vickers made one of the most bonehead moves I have ever seen since I've been watching Nascar....He was running 3rd behind his teammate Jimmie Johnson and with 1/2 lap to go he decided to try and pull out...I guess he thought Jimmie would go with and they would blow by Junior....and he could be the hero for pushing Jimmie to the win....well although an excellent plan...he executed it like the sub-par driver that he is....and in doing so spun out both Jimmie and Junior!

Hence....this:

 

Not a safe trip to victory lane for Mr. Vickers!

So anyway, heres to a great race and I'm praying to the racing Gods that this race will finally be Juniors! He's been so close so many times lately! He's already missed the chase, his races in the #8 Budweiser car are numbered...I know that he wants to give his fans at least one more win in that car...what better place to do it than at Talladega, only the biggest, baddest racetrack in the freaking world?

 

 

 

 

Go Junebug Go!

And welcome back to....

 

The Power 100

The most influential people in the world of sports

How do you pick the most powerful people in sports? Is it the super talented athlete who never seems to fail—especially when the game is on the line; the hard-nosed commissioner keeping owners and players in line, or the savvy entrepreneur whose visionary endorsements changed the sports-branding landscape? BusinessWeek undertook a mammoth and challenging project to rank the 100 most powerful people in sports. (ESPN the Magazine, collaborated with BusinessWeek on the stories in this package, but did not participate in the ranking that follows.) To help us figure out which sports figures ranked where, BusinessWeek asked 20 distinguished people from the sports and media world. Of course, the world of sports is charged with hometown biases and strong opinions. In that vein, we fully expect readers to debate the final The Power 100.

1. Roger Goodell	Commissioner, NFL
2. Tiger Woods	Golfer
3. David Stern	Commissioner, NBA
4. George Bodenheimer	President, ESPN, ABC Sports; co-chairman, Disney Media Networks
5. Bud Selig	Commissioner, MLB
6. Brian France	Chairman, CEO NASCAR
7. Dick Ebersol	Chairman, NBC Universal Sports & Olympics
8. Phil Knight	Chairman, Nike
9. Sean McManus	President, CBS News and Sports
10. Rupert Murdoch	Chairman, CEO, News Corp.
11. Michael Jordan	Managing Member of Basketball Operations, Charlotte Bobcats
12. Scott Boras	President, Boras Corp.
13. Peyton Manning	Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts
14. David Hill	Chairman, CEO, Fox Sports
15. Donald Fehr	Union boss, MLB
16. Myles Brand	President, CEO, NCAA
17. David Beckham	Soccer star
18. Jacques Rogge	President, IOC
19. LeBron James	Forward, Cleveland Cavaliers
20. Tony Ponturo	VP, Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch
21. Phil Anschutz	Founder, Anschutz Entertainment Group
22. Herbert Hainer	Chairman, CEO, Adidas
23. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	NASCAR driver
24. Brian Roberts	Chairman, CEO, Comcast
25. George Steinbrenner	Principal Owner, New York Yankees
26. Theodore Forstmann	Chairman, CEO, IMG
27. Gary Bettman	Commissioner, NHL
28. Alex Rodriguez	Third baseman, New York Yankees
29. Joseph S. Blatter	President, FIFA
30. Roger Federer	Tennis player
31. Jim Delany	Commissioner, Big Ten Conference
32. Dick Pound	Chairman, World Anti-Doping Agency
33. Gene Upshaw	Chairman, NFLPA
34. Tim Finchem	Commissioner, PGA
35. Lance Armstrong	Cyclist
36. John Skipper	EVP, content, ESPN
37. Mark Parker	CEO, President, Nike
38. David Levy	President, Turner Sports, Inc.
39. Barry Bonds	Outfielder, San Francisco Giants
40. Daniel Snyder	Owner, Washington Redskins
41. Derek Jeter	Shortstop, New York Yankees
42. Tim Leiweke	President, CEO, Anschutz Entertainment Group
43. Paul Allen	Owner, Seattle Seahawks, Portland TrailBlazers
44. Robert DuPuy	President, COO, MLB
45. LaDainian Tomlinson	Running back, San Diego Chargers
46. Tim Brosnan	EVP for business, MLB
47. Jerry Reinsdorf	Owner, Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox
48. Larry Lucchino	President, CEO, Boston Red Sox
49. Ed Goren	President, FOX Sports
50. Mark Cuban	Owner, Dallas Mavericks
51. Mark Ford	President, Sports Illustrated Group
52. Bob Bowman	President, CEO, MLB Advanced Media
53. Jerry Jones	Owner, Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Desperados
54. Roger Penske	Owner, Penske Racing
55. Chase Carey	CEO, president, DirecTV
56. Jeff Gordon	NASCAR driver
57. Bernie Ecclestone	Head of Formula 1
58. Jeff Urban	SVP, sports marketing, Gatorade/PepsiCo.
59. George Pyne	President, IMG Sports and Entertainment
60. Omar Minaya	EVP of Baseball Operations, General Manager, NY Mets
61. Sidney Crosby	Center, Pittsburgh Penguins
62. Jack Roush	Founder, CEO, Roush Fenway Racing
63. Ross Greenburg	CEO, HBO Sports
64. Robert Kraft	Owner, Chairman, CEO New England Patriots
65. John Henry	Principal Owner, Boston Red Sox; Roush Fenway Racing
66. John Walsh	SVP, executive editor, ESPN Internet Group
67. Katie Bayne	Chief Marketing Officer, Coca-Cola North America
68. Eric Grubman	EVP, finance and strategic acquisitions, NFL
69. John Galloway	VP, sports and media, Pepsi North America
70. Tom Brady	Quarterback, New England Patriots
71. Tony Hawk	Skateboarding tycoon
72. Mark Steinberg	SVP and global managing director of golf, IMG
73. Maria Sharapova	Tennis player
74. Tony Stewart	NASCAR driver
75. The Maloof Family	Owners, Sacramento Kings, Sacramento Monarchs
76. Arnold Palmer	PGA legend
77. Randy Levine	President, New York Yankees
78. Shaquille O'Neal	Center, Miami Heat
79. Casey Wasserman	Chairman, CEO, Wasserman Media Group
80. James Dolan	Chairman, MSG; President, CEO Cablevision Systems
81. John Madden	NFL commentator
82. John Kosner	SVP, General Manager, ESPN New Media
83. Arn Tellem	President, WMG Management
84. Bruton Smith	Chairman, CEO, Speedway Motorsports
85. Adam Silver	Deputy commissioner, COO, NBA
86. Charlie Denson	President, Nike Brand
87. Tony Petitti	EVP, executive producer, CBS Sports
88. Kobe Bryant	Point guard, Los Angeles Lakers
89. Yao Ming	Center, Houston Rockets
90. Tom Condon	NFL Agent, CAA
91. Arte Moreno	Owner, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
92. Brian Cashman	General manager, New York Yankees
93. Joe Gibbs	Head Coach, Washington Redskins; NASCAR team owner
94. Heidi Ueberroth	President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations, NBA
95. Earvin "Magic" Johnson	NBA legend
96. Billy Beane	Vice-president, general manager, Oakland Athletics
97. Micky Arison	Owner, Miami Heat; chairman of NBA board of governors
98. Lesa France-Kennedy	President International Speedway
99. David Berson	EVP, program planning and strategy, ESPN
100. Donna Orender	President, WNBA

Well, it was decided today...Jr will be driving the #88 Mountain Dew 'Amp' / National Guard Chevy in 2008.

I cannot lie. I'm upset about it. Saying good-bye to the 8 Bud car is going to be extremely hard and Kasey Kahne driving the #9 Bud car is just going to rub salt in the wounds (although I am very happy that Kasey's Bud hood is VERY different from Jrs).

I don't like the paint schemes AT ALL. I don't like the white, I don't like the lettering, I don't like the colors. I've read the same sentiment on many forums from Jr fans today. I guess we were all expecting something comparable to the 8 Bud car. But is there really anything comparable to the 8 Bud car? Obviously not. I'm sad, but still, always supportive.

 

 

 

I know this is a world class deal and that Rick and Jr worked out a very good situation for Jr. But I'm just disappointed in the paint schemes. Mountain Dew (Pepsico) has a long history with Nascar and I know they are thrilled to be Jrs sponsor and of course being sponsored by a branch of the military is never a bad thing. I don't know, it's just going to be hard to let the 8 Bud car go. But I will be there supporting the 88 and the weird green color and the odd lettering...I will support Jr through it all....I will do anything to avoid EVER having to see this face again...

 

I LOVE YOU JUNIOR! GO #88! WE WILL ADJUST!

 

 

"I'm just very disappointed for the engine failures that took us basically out of the Chase. We've had a top-five car every week."

-- Dale Earnhardt Jr.