Every Woman Owns a Black Dress

By Keith Ott

The Black Dress (BD) is imprinted within every woman’s DNA, and, while Darlington is technically a race track, she is every bit as fickle as any woman who dons the BD. The rewards and consequences of the BD are pretty much the same for us males, or, in this case, drivers.  Bring your best manners, and your best lines, and you may get a smile. Let your eye wander or think you’re in charge of her, and, well, you get my point. The Lady in Black will have her way. 

The racing turned out to be great. Certain things contributed to the racing, and should be acknowledged for contributing to such a good show.

• The track pavers: They did an excellent job. No woman wants a wrinkled dress, and this one was as smooth as silk.

• Good Year: Not oft on my good list. They brought the right shoes to this dance. They get credit when they mess up, so they deserve credit when it works out right.

• The Maintenance crew (They have about 14): The track looked great. Those guys who had to repaint the walls, in what must have been a long night, deserve an attaboy. How thankless a task was that?

Back to the event:

The race coverage was decent. It’s a nostalgic type of track, so I’m pretty sure we all got the point that they used to use (2)2x4’s in the door, ad infinitum. But, if anyone missed it, in olden days they had (2)2x4’s on the right side to brace it up. Now we have Dow foam to do it…Everyone on the same page? Other than that they didn’t bother me so I guess they did ok. Oh, as an aside, I did like the history lesson on the #28 Fred Lorenzen’s car. I liked it so much I looked him up. Turns out he was an original NASCAR character. The Golden Boy; first to win over 100K in a season, and a movie star to boot. He starred as himself in an independently produced racing movie, “Speed Lovers.” To summarize the flick: Its old James Bond mated with “Back in the Day,” race clips. Girls in bathing suits, and car crashes sums it up. Here’s the trailer… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfjoMRsCtII 

The Racing:

There were two races going on all night, driver vs. track, driver vs. driver, and, okay, if I count Biffle, I have to add driver vs. car.

• Nobody won vs. the track. Some took fewer lumps than others, and some wish they’d never met her, but everyone got at least a taste of the wall.

• Driver vs. driver is harder to call. Some were good for short runs, some for long runs, but only one was good when it earned points. Kyle had enough brakes, and I was hoping he wouldn’t, to be top dog that night. I bet he has a bigger brake package next time.

• Biffle vs. car is an easy call, Car - 1, Biffle - 0. If that car doesn’t mess up, he’s takin’ home the bacon. He’s got to be frustrated with that, but I think it’s a bit early to have him sitting in a Gibbs car. 

Asides:

How many people are needed at Gibbs to discuss lug nut glue? Well the obvious answer is about 9. That’s how many they had out there.

If Darlington keeps with the improvements, then the Mothers Day race is going to stay.

Now let’s get ready for some All Star racing! I love non point races.