Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Daytona 500 Trip (Photos)...Romney...Santorum...Fire and Rain

Our annual trip to the Daytona 500 was fun, despite my broken foot (thank goodness for elevators) and several postponements of the Sunday race due to rain.  We attended all of the races from Thursday through Sunday Tuesday morning (2/23-28/12).  This was the first time the Daytona 500 was rained out and rescheduled.

I didn't get to see Mitt Romney's appearance at the track.  He made news when he admitted that he didn't follow NASCAR as much as some of the most ardent fans, but that he is friends with some of the NASCAR team owners. Apparently, this became fodder for the Dems who are pushing the class warfare angle.
 
Video:  Via MSNBC
I don't hold his words against him.  At least he was being honest.  It certainly didn't sound as bad as the "varmint hunting" line he tried in 2007.

Did you hear that the UAW was planning on flying a banner bashing Romney at the Daytona 500 on Sunday?  It was a rainy day and if they did fly it, they sure didn't get the audience they were expecting.  As you may know by now, the race didn't go off until 7 PM on Monday night.  No use flying a banner at night.  If anyone knows whether or not the banner thing happened, would you let me know?  I can't find a photo of it anywhere.

Santorum fans will be happy to hear that the car Rick sponsored finished the race unscathed.  Tony Raines was the driver of the #26 Santorum Car and I think he actually followed Santorum's advice.  I kept an eye on him and he was in the back of the pack for most of the race while managing to avoid the crashes.  Raines finished in 19th place.  I'm glad he finished the race in one piece.  At least Santorum's critics can't use that image to bash him.
This is the only photo of the Santorum #26 car I took at the Daytona 500 that wasn't blurry.

They finally did get the race completed, despite the threat of rain throughout the evening and the major fire that occurred after one of the drivers (Juan Pablo Montoya #42) crashed into a jet dryer truck spilling 200 gallons of jet fuel on the track.  Montoya lost control after something broke on his car during caution laps.  The result was a 2 hour delay causing the race to finish early into Tuesday morning.  This was unfortunate for us, because after the race we had to drive almost 5 hours back to Fort Myers to drop our friends off at the airport to catch their flights home.  Thank goodness TC Guy likes to drive and is a night owl.  He had to contend with lots of fog, but we managed to arrive safely.  We got home about 8 AM on Tuesday morning after being awake for over 24 hours straight.

Here is a video I took of the jet dryer truck fire (it's a little shaky, but not too bad since I was sitting on the opposite side of the track):




Here are some photos I took at the track on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.  (We were at Friday's truck race, too, but no photos this time.)

My favorite driver, Tony Stewart #14 at driver introductions on Thursday (2/23/12) at the qualifying races.

Tony won the first race of Thursday's Gatorade Twin 150 Qualifiers (2/23/12).
Danica Patrick #10 during driver introductions at Thursday's qualifying races (2/23/12).
This banner actually did fly over the track during Saturday's Nationwide Race (2/25/12).
Flyover on Saturday after the National Anthem was sung at the Nationwide Series race (2/25/12).
We have great seats in the Earnhardt Tower.  Thank goodness they have a handicap elevator.  (Check out that fashionable boot I'm wearing.) (2/25/12)
Monday evening at the Daytona 500 on pit lane before the race (2/27/12).
The cars making a pace lap (2/27/12).
Jet dryer truck on fire (2/27/12).
Congratulations to Matt Kenseth #17, the winner of the 2012 Daytona 500.
What more could a conservative political blogger race fan hope for but a chance to combine the Daytona 500 and politics?

10 comments:

  1. Not too bad for a Gimp. I still wonder how that track survived all that heat of the fire.

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  2. DUH ... I forgot. Great new look around old Blogville.

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  3. Hi Odie:
    Those workers did a great job on fixing the track. They used Tide detergent to scrub the track clean after sweeping up the enormous amount of speedy dry they spread around.
    Glad you like the new look. It was time for a change.

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  4. That was one for the ages. I'll bet it was one you will never forget.

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  5. I've never been to Florida and I've never been to a NASCAR race. Both are things I'd love to do someday.

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  6. Trestin:

    That one made history. NASCAR made phone calls and sent e-mails throughout the delay trying to keep the fans updated and apologizing for everything. There was even a robo- call from Matt Kenseth the next day thanking the fans for being so patient and loyal.

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  7. innominatus:

    Put it on your bucket list. It is certainly a fun experience. Trouble is, once you go you may get hooked.

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  8. Hi TC Lady!
    Glad you had a fun time, sorry to read you broke your foot. Hopes it's on the mend and you'll be dancing around soon.

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    1. Hi Bunni,

      I don't know about the dancing part, but my foot is finally beginning to heal. I broke it back in November. Thanks for the good wishes.

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  9. I'm jealous!

    Mr. AOW and I always hoped to go to one of the Daytona 500 races. I doubt that we'll ever go now. **sigh**

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