NASCAR, Bud Light, and Mullets!

Fast cars are American.  Bud Light is the perfect beverage.  Mullets provide the flexibility for business or party.  NASCAR combines all three in a cocktail of American awesomeness.

I recently experienced my first live NASCAR race at Phoenix International Speedway for the 2010 Chase Cup.  This was the 2nd to last race of the year there were three drivers in position to make a run for the Cup including Denny Hamlin in the 11 car, Jimmy Johnson in the 48, and Kevin Harvick in the 27.  Me and the race crew of Reid, Trevor, Dennis, Andy, and Tim entered the race track to a cornucopia of greasy fair food -- everything from Papa Johns pizza to salted pretzels to nachos.  For accompaniments there was $7 sixteen ounce "man cans" of Bud Light or Bud Regular.  We grabbed as many delicious tall cans of alcoholic frivolity as our pockets and hands could muster then headed to our seats.

Part of the pre-race festivities included vintage Chevy Corvettes driving each driver around the track to salute their adoring fans.  Following were were two parachuters piercing the sky with American flags and landing in the middle of the track.  Next was the National Anthem and accompanying Blue Angel fighter jets buzzing the track.  Finally there was the famous command of "Gentlemen, Start your Engines" (no Danica Patrick in this race!) and the track came alive. 

One thing you quickly learn at a NASCAR race is the value of ear plugs.  They are absolutely priceless.  With 43 cars zooming by at unmuffled speeds up to 150 mph as well as crowds up to 100k, the noise is deafening.  Thankfully we came prepared but if not I would have traded my two front teeth for some ear protection.  From our seats 75 yards from the track the noise was so deafening that we couldn't even talk to each other; right up next to the track was like being next to a jet engine.  The vibrations, sound, and speed coming off the track were spectacular; it's something you really need to experience in person to have an appreciation for. 

I wanna go fast!

The cars whipped around the track with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch taking turns at the front.  Denny led for 190 of the 312 laps; however Denny and teammate Kyle Busch made an ill-fated fuel and tire stop around lap 300 when all the other drivers stayed out on the track.  Denny and Kyle were unable to make their way back to the front as the other cars conserved fuel and tires to the finish line.  It was a risk that didn't pan out; poor job by their race teams.  Jimmy Johnson gained valuable Chase Cup points and would overtake Denny for the Chase Cup at last race of the year the following weekend for his fifth consecutive championship.  Poor Denny!  Lucky Jimmy!

Get me 1 more Bud Light!

We hung around the track bar for hours after the race with hundreds of other race fans.  Country music blazed from the sound system and Bud Light man cans were again the drink of choice.  We met a man who must've been Don Mattingly's twin whose wife loved Reid's Kyle Busch "Pedigree Dog Food" shirt so much that Reid gave it to her right off his back.

Whenever you feel like American is slipping, head to a track and take in some gasoline fumes, burning rubber, and the sound of stock cars.  You will be reassured that the simple, hardworking folks of this nation are still among us, camouflaged in their mesh trucker hats and long mullet locks.

My Pit Crew ... refueling!

Infineon Raceways in 2011!

Spokane Hoopfest 2010!

Hoopfest, on the last weekend of June every year, is the Octoberfest of basketball. It’s absolutely nuts, the statistics from 2010 are appauling:

• 27,110 players
• 6933 teams
• 200,000 people came from mainly the Northwest to participate in the festivities
• Forty downtown city blocks are transformed into 450 basketball courts
• 693 people play from states other than WA, OR, MT, and ID (that includes me and Collin)

Hoopfest is a 3 on 3 outdoor basketball mecca. There are divisions for every age, shape, and size of basketball player. It’s awesome and everyone should check it out, even just for the people watching and all the other activities going on. The weather is always great and the atmosphere unlike any other. To top it off, the Hoopfest Association donates a lot of money to Special Olympics and generously gives back to the community. Everyone wins.

2010 was my fifth Hoopfest. This year we had the usual team of Chris “Maverick” Powers, Collin “My Dog Ate my Homework” Parker, Pat “Hot Sauce” Nicholes, and me. As usual, the weekend was full of adventure.

The trip got off to a troublesome start with Rohit and I missing our flight; that’s a story for another blog entry though. Let’s just say that I wasn’t impressed with Alaska customer service and should have flew Southwest!

After making it to Spokane, all the usual suspects began to assemble. Maverick, Hot Sauce, and I played some Friday afternoon golf and enjoyed some tasty Northwest beers. We picked up Collin from the airport and headed downtown to fuel up for Saturday’s basketball. I was a little over-zealous in ordering a burger with two six ounce patties, ham, pineapple, swiss, and all the vegetables. It weighed as much as my arm and I didn’t come close to finishing it.

We met Reid, Dennis, Andy, and Tim at a local pub for some more drinks. Reid was in fine form, sporting his latest prized possession, a Kyle Busch NASCAR t-shirt. Embarassing for the family!!! Priceless picture Reid!  Although the vibe was good and we could continue fueling, we decided to sacrafice further drinking for a sober awakening on Saturday morning and ideally basketball glory.

Despite our impeccable preparation, the basketball on Saturday did not go as planned. Our team, Bardo’s Best in the West, was stunned in our first game, in control and leading 15-12 BUT losing 18-15 in overtime. We went cold. It was the one that got away and a big momentum swing. Still reeling from that loss, we faced a difficult team in our 2nd tilt and lost 20 – 14. Our efforts earned us a 10 AM game on Sunday in the consolation bracket. The silver lining was that with the important basketball out of the way we could let loose and drink it up. Bardo’s headed over and watched Rohit’s team, Team BK, in a thrilling OT victory. We celebrated by drinking delicious Mexican beers at the Azteca with Reid’s hooligan crew.

One of the highlights of the weekend followed after the copious amounts of Mexican cerveza. Bardos matched up against Reid’s crew in a wildly hilarious 3 on 3 game on the unused Hoopfest courts. It was a blast, those guys crack me up.

After showering and relaxing for a bit, Pat, Collin, Chris, and I decided to meet up with Rohit and his posse at a downtown bar. We had a sweet taxi driver named Ralph whose van had reclining back seats. Maverick and I enjoyed a 15 minute siesta on the reclining seat and woke finding ourselves at a local Spokane taco joint, the pit stop before the bar. This was the site of something spectacular.

Pat was working on applying hot sauce from a ketchup-like plastic bottle to his burrito when something became lodged in the nozzle. Pat thought to use the brute force approach and squeezed the life out of it; out came a Mt. St. Helens sized explosion of hot sauce once the obstruction was cleared. Collin was directly in the blast zone!

Collin's response was 5 seconds of silence at the shear amazement then a "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" We all laughed uncontrollably.

The Sunday basketball went extremely well with our team winning two games quite easily, 20-6 and 20-4, winning the Consolation Bracket and restoring hope that we could one day bring home the Championship T-shirts.

That capped another good Hoopfest year; we’ll be back for more in 2011!

More pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bbero82/Hoopfest2010

Hoopfest Website:

http://www.spokanehoopfest.net/