Aug 13, 12:36 AM
Two dozen things we did (and bet were done) in ‘leaving-the-Glen’ traffic
Posted by Cheryl Walker under Racing HumorIf you tuned in to our site to read this week’s commercial breakdown of the Cup race, you will not immediately find it because CAW and JAW went to the Watkins Glen races (we will have the breakdown for you later in the week, upon our return).
To avoid your clicking away disappointed, we made up a list of some things we did (and what we bet other NASCAR fans did) in the post-race traffic leaving Watkins Glen International Speedway.
1. Thanked God that He made the sun shine so bright for Saturday and Sunday, and how He held off the rain till the races were over.
2. Applied more skin-soothing lotion to that furious sunburn as a result of all that shining sun.
3. Marveled at the miles and miles of farmland in a state many people only associate with the concreted blocks of New York City.
4. Thirsted for the wines that will be produced from all those vineyards.
5. Wondered how old some of the grave markers are in those old country graveyards.
6. Tried to ignore the F-bombs some of the fans are sharing with one another resulting from perceived ‘driving disabilities’.
7. Thought that despite these occasional obscenities-sharing moments, the thousands of NASCAR fans driving side-by-side three-wide on a two-lane highway did pretty well for being wired and tired from the racing weekend.
8. Blew raspberries at the Watkins Glen natives living along the race route that were outside sipping beverages and leisurely looking at the three-wide bumper-to-bumper crawling-along-at-low speeds NASCAR fans that still had hundreds of miles to drive home.
9. Thought ‘how enterprising’ when a nice-looking lad along the race route was seen selling bundles of wood, with a sign alongside indicating that proceeds will be used for his college fund.
10. Tried to guess how many campfires had burned Saturday night in the forests near Watkins Glen, and how many racing debates had been bandied about while the fires crackled.
11. Tallied what license plates were spied (we saw: Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Ontario).
12. Marveled at the size and then imagined the cost of those mobile Taj Mahals that are called ‘RVs’.
13. Wondered how many Crocs the Crocs trailer employees sold as it rolled by.
14. Tried to estimate a yearly average of miles traveled for those truck drivers who pilot the rigs that haul the racecars.
15. Counted how many totally dejected Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans that were spied.
16. Wondered if the race officials confiscated the hat that Kenseth signed for the over-zealous fan. [edit: OK… we’ve learned through the comments from our readers below that he didn’t get it signed. Good for Matt… You can’t encourage these things]
17. Wondered how many of the over-zealous fan’s fellow workers and friends saw him on TV and cheered out loud for him. [edit: Now we wonder how many of those friends will visit him if he has to serve any jail time for his stunt]
18. Tried to reenact the ‘powerful conversation’ between Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya, including the swear words.
19. Imagined what Montoya thinks about NASCAR fans for booing him for a racing deal caused by Truex Jr.
20. Betting that the words out of Jeff Burton’s mouth were, “No! Don’t do it! It’s not worth it! Let’s go!”
21. Got another chuckle at the memories of all the Said Heads that were seen, both in the crowd and in Said’s pits.
22. Tried to decide who was more disappointed in losing control of his car: Carl Edwards or Jeff Gordon.
23. More chuckles about how well Stewart recovered from one of those self-induced spins.
24. Tried to guess how many Schlitz’s disappeared from Stewart’s supply on Sunday night.
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Sue Says:
Aug 13, 05:39 PMDo you by chance have the stats for Watkins Glen like you’ve been doing with the other Cup races? Really like having those each week for my project.
Thanks.
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Gerry S Says:
Aug 13, 06:47 PMGreat article – made me feel like I was there -I have been, I watched this one on TV. Harvick showed his ASS again-no class, along with his owner after watching replays no less.
Feel your pain in traffic, but thats part of the deal. I have not heard or seen Schlitz mentioned for many years, but it brings back memories. Well put! Jeff and I both needed a couple of brewskis after the end of this one. Great race even so.
Look forward to more articles like this. Well done.
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caw Says:
Aug 13, 09:08 PMHi all, and thanks for the comments.
Sue, the commercial breakdown will be late this week… JAW and CAW are taking a few days off in Atlantic City (and no we’re not gambling, just ‘beaching’... It was the nearest beach to an appt. we had following our time in Watkins Glen).
Gotta go… in our motel room on cursed dial up!
Hugs to all!
Keep the comments coming!
CAW and JAW
PS I wish everyone could have heard the crowd when a few things happened (most especially the Harvick/Montoya incident. The local forests were vibrating from the chants of the crowd). Good times!!
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Sue Says:
Aug 14, 07:21 AMThank you much CAW & JAW. Remember the sunblock.
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Holly SB8 Says:
Aug 14, 04:52 PMGreat read as always!
Baby Pablum blocked,MT hit him, and off they went. Bummer but that’s racing. One thing’s for sure, it’s got people talking. Nascar is eating up the publicity and ratings will surely rise again. Dont forget to apply aloe vera gel to that sunburn Cheryl! check out this link when you get home.
http://insider.speedtv.com/viewtopic.php?t=154525&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=12
ps Im leaving for vaction on the 20th!!!!!!!!!
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caw Says:
Aug 17, 07:56 PMHere’s the link to the commercial breakdown: http://www.cawsnjaws.com/article/334/commercial-breakdown-driver-focus-and-links-related-to-the-centurion-boats-at-the-glen
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caw Says:
Aug 17, 08:01 PMawww Holly! I’m all ablush!
I hope you have a wonderful vacation!! :)
Fans who love fast cars will appreciate a race sponsored by Centurion Commercial breakdown, driver focus, and links related to the Centurion Boats at the Glen
Aug 13, 01:20 PM
Good list, but I didn’t wait in any traffic—just walked down from high up the Frontstretch stands as the checkered flag waved and drove right out of gate 4. Just 2 things—Truex didn’t cause the wreck—Montoya did by blocking (as he had done for several previous restarts according to the scanner chatter & commentators.) And Kenseth never signed the hat.
I sure hope that college bound kid made some money though. And add Rhode Island to your list. $35 for the crocs! Yikes! Better off to spend money on the wine and support the local vineyards.