NASCAR OFF SEASON WITHDRAWAL AND THERAPY THREAD

USAF Thunderbirds to Perform Flyover for the Daytona 500: For the fifth straight year, the world-renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will provide the flyover for the 57th annual DAYTONA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season opener on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Thunderbirds, officially known as the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, will fly their signature "Delta" formation over the "World Center of Racing" during the finale of the national anthem for "The Great American Race." The Thunderbirds have visited Daytona International Speedway to perform the flyover for the DAYTONA 500 for the past five years. In addition, the Thunderbirds also provided the flyover in 2008 for the historic 50th running of the DAYTONA 500. "The flyover by the Thunderbirds is a signature moment in the pre-race festivities for the DAYTONA 500," Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. "We're proud and honored to be able to host this elite flying team and the thousands of race fans and the millions more watching on FOX Sports are looking forward to seeing them soar over Daytona International Speedway."
"We have a long-standing relationship with the Daytona 500," said LtCol Greg Moseley, the squadron's commander and lead pilot. "We're grateful to the Speedway for allowing us to share the Air Force story with race fans." The Thunderbirds feature six F-16 Fighting Falcons, the Air Force's premier multi-role fighter aircraft. Assigned to Air Combat Command, the squadron is composed of 12 officers and more than 100 enlisted Airmen serving in about 30 Air Force job specialties. Since the unit's inception in 1953, more than 350 million people in all 50 states and more than 60 countries have witnessed the distinctive red, white and blue jets in thousands of official aerial demonstrations. Tickets for the 57th annual DAYTONA 500 are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-800-PITSHOP or visiting daytonainternationalspeedway.com.(DIS)((12-10-2014)

Good Morning FRNASCAR Fans!

I finally feel mostly Human again.

This Pic was sent to Me from My Bestest Friend in Denton, TX yesterday. He took it at the Water Plant. Two Bald Eagles hunting by the Basins.

There are Bald Eagles that live on Lake Buchanan, 230 (+/-) miles South & West and there are Guided Bald Eagle Boat Tours there I have been on 25+ years ago and saw 15+ of them in a few hours.

But I would never expect to see any by Denton- just North of DFW.

Anyway I figured this was too Awesome and Cool to not share.

Hey George?

What Mable?

Did you know that the Turkey almost became the National Bird instead of Us?!

Well I'm glad they got that fixed before Signing the paperwork, We sure dodged a bullet on that one!

Tire changer sues MWR: A former top tire changer for Michael Waltrip Racing sued the Cornelius-based motorsports team on Tuesday, claiming he was fired a day before undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury suffered when he was struck by a car during a NASCAR race. Brandon Hopkins helped Michael Waltrip Racing to its first Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year Award in 2012. He contends team officials "blacklisted" him after his surgery by falsely accusing him of stealing a pit gun used to remove lug nuts. As a result, he lost an unpaid internship with another NASCAR Sprint Cup team and paid work with a NASCAR Truck Series team, Hopkins says in the lawsuit filed Tuesday by Charlotte employment law lawyer Joshua Van Kampen in Mecklenburg County Superior Court. Hopkins is suing for damages, citing breach of contract, defamation, intentional interference with a contract and violation of the N.C. blacklisting statute, according to his lawsuit. Hopkins says he was injured while changing tires for the #15 car driven by Clint Bowyer at Chicagoland Speedway in September 2013. In March 2014, a doctor with OrthoCarolina told Hopkins he needed surgery. Hopkins says he told a team official he would delay the surgery until he could no longer perform. After the April 2014 race at Texas Motor Speedway, he says he started losing feeling in his arm and requested surgery as soon as possible. A team official asked him to wait until after the season, or until the team knew whether it would make The Chase, according to the lawsuit. Hopkins says he "sucked it up" and worked through the summer. He says the Aug. 7, 2014, surgery was a success and he "diligently" attended physical therapy. In late October, a doctor cleared him to return to work, the lawsuit says. But Michael Waltrip Racing officials told the teams that later retained Hopkins that he'd stolen a pit gun, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit calls those claims "demonstrably false," noting that Hopkins was the team member entrusted to transport the guns to each race. Just before his surgery, the lawsuit says, he mistakenly brought a pit gun home, thinking it was his personal pit gun. He didn't want to leave it at the race shop because he knew the surgery would keep him out for a while.(Charlotte Observer)(1-14-2015)

NASCAR Industry's Medical, Security, and Track Services Personnel gather for pre-season preparation: What began more than a decade ago in early January as a small gathering of medical, safety, security and track services personnel to share best practices and prepare for the coming NASCAR season has ballooned into one of the most vital and unique preseason conventions in all of motorsports. The annual NASCAR Summit will concluded its three-day agenda Tuesday at the Concord (North Carolina) Convention Center, where a record number of over 800 attendees in those aforementioned fields representing the facilities that host NASCAR's national, touring and weekly and IMSA series events converged to ideate and address numerous key topics in their areas of expertise prior to the start of the 2015 NASCAR and IMSA racing seasons. The Summit is organized each year by NASCAR's Racing Operations group, led by its Medical Liaison, Security and Track Services teams. General sessions featuring top keynote speakers, breakout sessions, round tables, workshops specific to top-line subjects in their respective disciplines and at-track demonstrations at Charlotte Motor Speedway make up the always-evolving agenda. Attendees utilize the Summit as a baseline for the coming year while planning for their individual events which continue to include update meetings before, during and after each race weekend. Awards are also presented by NASCAR to individuals who excelled during the previous season in their various fields. Those honored for their work in 2014 were:
Medical
" Above and Beyond Award - Blaine Bates, Field Investigator, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
" Nursing Director Award - Robbie Parks, RN, EMT-P, Bristol Motor Speedway
" Medical Director Award - Dennis Allin, MD, Kansas Speedway
" Teamwork Award - Texas Motor Speedway Infield Care Center
Security
" NASCAR Security Award for Excellence - Gerald Baker, Security Director, Texas Motor Speedway; Lt. David Meade (Law Enforcement Supervisor, Sullivan Co. Sheriff's Office, Bristol Motor Speedway)
Track Services
" Jim Bockoven Track Services Lifetime Achievement Award - Ken Burdine (Miller Industries)
" Excellence in Track Services Award - Donald "Doc" Jernigan, Richmond International Raceway
" Track Services Innovation Award - Jeff Miles (Key Equipment)
" Track Services Mission Award - Kentucky Speedway
" Track Services Teamwork Award - Phoenix International Raceway
(NASCAR)(1-14-2015)

Texas Motor Speedway seeking Fan Council members: For a fourth consecutive year, Texas Motor Speedway is seeking fans to become part of the Texas Motor Speedway Fan Council which provides insightful feedback in an effort to enhance the raceday experience for all speedway's guests. Continuing through Feb. 6, fans can submit their application by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com to be considered for a seat on the Texas Motor Speedway Fan Council. The group will consist of 20 to 30 fans that will maintain an active role in providing constructive feedback to speedway management throughout the upcoming season. The council will possess a diverse makeup, consisting of PSL holders, individual ticket purchasers, suite holders, campers and new race fans. The Texas Motor Speedway Fan Council will host an on-site meeting during each of the speedway's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends in April and November and a one-hour teleconference following the Firestone 600 Verizon IndyCar Series/NASCAR Camping World Truck Series doubleheader in June. Members also will be requested to complete five e-mail questionnaires over the course of the term to prepare Texas Motor Speedway management for meetings and recaps following race weekends. Selections will be made Feb. 16 and members will be notified no later than Feb. 20. Once the term expires, new members will be chosen for the 2016 season.(TMS)(1-14-2015)

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And in this weeks episode of "As the Motor Coach spins..."

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Kurt Busch court hearing resumes UPDATES: NASCAR driver #41-Kurt Busch is returning to court as a hearing resumes on his ex-girlfriend's request for a no-contact order. Patricia Driscoll claims that Busch assaulted her inside his motorhome at Dover International Speedway in September, and that she still fears for her safety.A Family Court hearing on Driscoll's request for a no-contact order was to resume Monday. Her claims are also subject to a separate criminal investigation. Busch's attorneys have denied the assault investigations and have tried to portray Driscoll as a scorned woman out to destroy Busch's career after he ended their relationship.(Associated Press)
UPDATE: NASCAR's Kurt Busch denied allegations of domestic assault during a court hearing Monday, saying that all he did was cup his hands around his ex-girlfriend's face and tell her to leave. The denials came as he and his defense attorney, Rusty Hardin, re-enacted the events of Sept. 26. It was that night that Busch's ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, alleged the driver slammed her head three times against the bedroom wall of Busch's motor home that was parked at Dover Downs International Speedway. Monday was the third day of a hearing related to a protection order filed by Driscoll last year. Hardin spent most of Monday disputing Driscoll's allegations and calling her credibility into question. He has said that Driscoll is a jilted ex-lover who is out to destroy Busch's reputation. Hardin has argued that Driscoll showed up uninvited and refused to leave the night of the alleged assault. Several people testified during the hearing, including Busch, that Driscoll claimed she was a trained assassin who had killed people, including drug lords. While on the stand, Busch said Driscoll claimed that Jessica Chastain's character in the movie 'Zero Dark Thirty' was partly based on her and other females working in counterintelligence and defense. When Hardin asked how he'd fare in a physical confrontation, Busch said he knew she could overpower him. "I knew she could take me down at any moment," Busch said. Earlier on Monday, proceedings began with one of NASCAR's chaplains, Nick Terry. Terry testified that Driscoll told him Busch had grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against the wall, but that was it. He said that Driscoll asked he and his wife to look for marks or redness on her neck, but they found none. Busch's assistant, Kristy Cloutier, also testified on Monday, saying that she had doubts about Driscoll's claims. Busch would never harm another person intentionally, she said.The hearing resumes Tuesday morning.(Delaware News Journal)(1-12-2015)
UPDATE 2: The NASCAR driver known as "The Outlaw" testified Tuesday he believes his ex-girlfriend is a trained assassin dispatched on covert missions around the world who once returned home in a blood-splattered gown. Kurt Busch, appearing in court again over Patricia Driscoll's request for a no-contact order, continued the push of his legal team to discredit his ex as a scorned woman out to destroy his career, portraying her as a character fit for a screenplay. Busch said Driscoll repeatedly asserted her assassin status and claimed the work took her on missions across Central and South America and Africa. She once left in camouflage only to return wearing a trench coat over a blood-flecked evening gown, he said. The testimony came a day after the driver said his ex-girlfriend told him she was a mercenary who killed people for a living and that she showed him pictures of bodies with gunshot wounds. During the hearing, which stretched over four days, neither Driscoll nor her attorney refuted testimony about her telling people she was a trained assassin.Busch told reporters outside the courtroom: "I'm just glad that the truth got told and we will wait for the commissioner's decision." That decision is expected in a couple of weeks. Busch testified Monday that he decided to end his relationship last fall because she was monopolizing his schedule and he needed to focus on racing.(Associated Press / Delaware News Journal)(1-13-2015)

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