quickslick

You mean the same Graves Co. Spread offense that was shutout by Mayfield and never came close to reaching the endzone in that game?

I went through some of this earlier ... but heck .. that was like 6 pages ago (still can't believe there is a thread this long in auto racing). I have a good friend who was at the race in question .... and you bring up some very important points--here is his running order of what happened: *On the front stretch--Stewart Hit Ward ... which caused Ward's tire to loose air (not super fast or super slow) *They both proceed into turn 1 ... and make it to the entry of 2 *Coming off turn 2--Ward's tire was low on air *Coming off turn 2--Stewart sticks to his line with the small exception of being a tiny bit loose (this is the part where it appears that Stewart could have hit Ward--but he did not hit him) *Ward keeps his line coming out of 2--his tire was low enough for the rim to catch in the dirt--and spin around and cause the accident (My buddy says that he 100% believes that Ward was angry because of the hit on the front stretch that eventually led to his accident--which was a product of the first hit and the tire letting go--not Stewart hitting him coming out of 2). *From there ... we know the rest. There is one video I have seen where I could see some of the front stretch hit ... my buddy feels like that one was extremely intentional---just because Ward was racing Stewart pretty hard--not dirty--but hard. Last point--coming from a person who has actually driven a sprint car ... I don't think Tony was trying to hit Ward. I do think he was trying to mess with Ward. I pointed out very early that sprint cars are usually pretty tight with steering .. and that you have to turn the wheel--point the wheels in the direction that you want to go ... and pop the gas a little bit. With that said ... I still think Stewart is responsible. If he wouldn't have hit Ward on the front stretch ... chances are .. those two are fighting it out for the win (pure speculation--I know--but it wouldn't surprise me).

To a large extent ... you are right. Do you know why? BECAUSE he has done this type of thing before. I have seen it with my own eyes at 5 different dirt tracks ranging from his teenage years to now. Also--Stewart is getting trashed by me ... because he started the entire situation on the front stretch when he hit Ward ... which led to the flat tire ... which led to Ward wrecking ... which led to Ward being angry enough to show his displeasure. From there ... I am a little confused ... weren't you the one who said (paraphrased) that if this were Jimmie Johnson ... there would be no issue? When you put things that way ... whether you realize it or not ... you bring in the factor of whether people love or hate a driver. Like I said ... being a race fan isn't like being a fan of the Bengals. Here is the way a race fan thinks (at least everyone that I know) ... if you like Tony Stewart ... you don't care if he is a whining crybaby, you don't care if he wrecks people on purpose, you buy the products that he endorses, you don't call radio call in shows and trash him (like Bengals "fans" do all the time) and there is basically nothing that could happen to make you change your loyalties towards him. Like I said ... life or death .. hell or high water. So ... actually being a race fan ... actually driving a sprint car more than a few times ... makes our perspectives different. That doesn't make either of us right or wrong. But there are some differences that you are not aware of.

VOR ... no offense brother ... but you should get away from auto racing ... obviously not your area of expertise. Jimmie Johnson may be the most hated driver in NASCAR. IMO--Stewart is getting it much easier than Johnson would. If Johnson would have done this ... he wouldn't have to worry about jail. The Dale Jr fans would have already found a rope and a tree. (Rule Number 1 in NASCAR = the more you win--the more people that hate you. Dale Earnhardt had to die to get more than half of the people at a NASCAR race to cheer as opposed to Boo's ... Jeff Gordon had to go through major slumps to get 10% of the people to cheer for him at a race). Being a race fan is much different than being a fan of other sports. It is life or death .. no middle ground ... which is the reason why you don't see many real race fans in this thread talking about the crazy guy who got out of his car at night with a black fire suit on. Anyone who follows racing ... knows that Stewart is the real hothead here ... not the 20 year old upstart.

I feel extremely confident in saying that Stewart hit the gas to help his car turn ... sprint cars are usually extremely tight ... with rear wheel drive. So he most likely turned the wheel .. then you pop the gas to complete the turn.

Ha, ha ... if you say so! I agree that I have no idea what goes on in Tony Stewarts pea brain. I can say that I (and many others) have seen Tony pull this same type of crap more times than I can remember. Stewart has been a whining, arrogant, dangerous driver since he was a teenager (plenty of proof to back that up on the interweb ... ) the move on Saturday night is a small slice into his mind. As far as the rest ... we can agree to disagree ... (pretty sure that I have done it myself a time or two). Count me as one guy who isn't going to sit in a sprint car and wait for a fire (especially after the caution was already thrown) before I get out. In this case the caution was out ... the yellow lights were on ... and it was pretty freaking obvious that everyone had already slowed down to honor the caution. Either way ... great conversation all the way around ... never thought I would see over 150 posts in the Auto Racing forum.

Okay ... this may help to put some things into perspective. I found an incar video on youtube from Canandaigua (it isn't from a sprint car--but from a modified). My opinion--this should end the conversation regarding how dark the track is to a driver: (12:58 to 13:06 puts you on the backstretch where the accident occurred).

I love ya VOR ... but seriously ... the argument surrounding Ward getting out of his car in a black outfit on a poorly lit track" crap is getting old. (By the way--I have a buddy who was there ... he says that the track is lit up better than a Christmas tree on Christmas morning--I added a youtube video that he sent to me .. that showed what his opinion of the lighting was on the track. Also--keep in mind--the video everyone keeps using to call the lighting poor .. well ... remember--the lights are focused straight on to the track--my buddy says that the original video was taken behind most of the lights--making the video look darker). As far as the rest goes ... these drivers have to get out of their car (I agree .. they don't have to run close to the guy that they are arguing with). As I stated in a previous post ... it is SOP that you get out of the car and get to the infield at nearly every track I have driven at. If you want to read the long version .. go to page 2 and you will see that there are a few people who feel like Tony is to blame (me included). The short version ... this is 100% on Tony Stewart. He intentionally swerved at Ward (he was NOT trying to hit him--but that doesn't change the fact that he pulled his famous dirt track swerve fake out move). Ward ... getting out of his car and telling Tony what is up is an accepted (and sometimes encouraged) part of dirt track racing. That comes straight from a close friend who was there and feels pretty strongly about what he saw. For more in depth thoughts ... find my book at page 2!

If I had a dollar for every time I have seen this (and any type of race track) ... we could both buy us brand new Ferrari's. As I said in my previous post (sorry .. I don't think I would read that book either!) .. dirt tracks need stuff like that to happen to ensure that the show is interesting ... which in turn keeps people coming back. Racing on dirt is a different deal. Racing sprint cars on dirt is even more of a different deal. It's the mentality of racers ... WFO ... wreckers or checkers .. bring back the trophy or steering wheel. How many times have you heard a person say "I watch NASCAR/racing of any type for the wrecks"? (maybe not any if you are a race fan ... but I am sure it rings true to some of us). I would be willing to bet ... if you went to youtube .. and typed in "racing wrecks" or "dirt track fights" ... you could come up with enough video to watch for the next week without taking a break. I asked my buddy ... who was at the track where this happened last night ... to go on youtube and see if he could either find an incar video from Canandaigua ... or somewhere else that had similar lighting/brightness (this looks a ton different--but remember--the lights are focused on the track--and the Tony Stewart video was taken in the stands behind the focus of the lights).

Actually--sprint cars are usually extremely tight ... and push constantly (under steer). The only way to get these cars to turn (most of the time) is to hit the gas. I have driven a sprint car on quite a few occasions ... the only way I can describe it .. is that it is almost driving a car backwards. I know that it looks like the rear end is sliding ... but you are usually going to end up turning the wheel hard inside more than to the outside (to get the nose straight). (The rest of the response is not pointed at you--HB20) .. just some information that I have. Some info of some one I know who was at the race in question last night: Tony hit Ward on the FRONT stretch ... which blew Ward's tire. From there ... Tony came out of turn 2 and took and barely edged into him. Then Ward did the 360's--my buddy doesn't think Tony hit Ward there ... but his rapidly deflating tire while coming out of 2 was the major reason why Ward wrecked. Before this goes further ... my opinion is that .. even with the above statements .. Tony is still at fault--for the fake out move (I don't think it was intentional .. but he is still responsible). I have watched the video a ton of times ... I feel like I can BARELY see Stewart turn the wheel towards Ward. I also tried to compare Stewarts car was in comparison with the inside edge of the track ... and that made me more confident that Stewart made the fake out move. Standard Operating Procedure at nearly every dirt track that I have been to ... is for the driver to get out of the car and get into the infield. (Which is a whole lot different than someone getting out of the car and confronting another driver). The opinions that I have heard so far made it extremely clear that Tony was doing his normal .. "swerve a the angry driver he just wrecked" ... but either misjudged how close Ward was to his car .. or he couldn't get the wheel turned back quick enough after the fake swerve (this is another symptom of the car being tight ... Tony had to hit the gas to get the car to turn. With that said ... guess what ... it happens every week and will continue to happen for one simple reason--to get butts in seats. Dirt track promoters play up the driver confrontations in the biggest way possible. Doesn't mean it is right ... but it is what it is. As far as Tony goes ... he should have known better. The anniversary of his broken leg was this past Tuesday ... maybe whatever higher being that Tony believes in was trying to send a message ... when he ignored it ... there you go (I know that sounds strange--but I believe in Karma) Tony has been/is/will continue to be one of the most arrogant drivers in NASCAR. Ooooohhhh .. Tony is a racer ... he wants to race ...! Yeah well ... he is part owner of a multi-million dollar operation--where people depend on him for their livelihood. Before he became an owner ... I could care less where and what he was driving then. But when he put on the owner hat ... it was time to grow up and step out of his arrogant/self concerned mind set. I really struggle with this one ... because Tony thinks he is helping dirt track racing by showing up to run sprints. I disagree for one simple reason ... Tony has no skin in the game--he can AFFORD to run so hard because he has the money and resources to do it. When you match that in with guys who are fighting tooth and nail just be be able to race each week ... well .. to me that is a horrible combination. He has a history of not cutting people any slack then whines like a sissy when he isn't cut any slack. By no means do I think he tried to hit Ward .... but he is 100% liable for his stupid swerve fake out move.

Don't get too excited .... the KHSAA doesn't have to lift the ban on jewelry because the NFHS dropped it .....

Mustang--I enjoy your posts 99.9% of the time ... but I can't let this one go for some reason. Did you ever think that the real death sentence is that the kids in the program have heard adults from around the program constantly harp about the move to AA being a "death sentence". I mean ... seriously .... it has to be hard for the kids to constantly hear how they were not good enough to compete in their truly aligned class. Please ... stop complaining about moving to AA. You were moved there based on the number of boys in your school. But .. instead of embracing it ... you have people who come on the internet .. and who are in the community who speak about moving up as a "death sentence". My opinion ... is that there was a huge amount of arrogance when Brossart added football. That arrogance seems to still continue ... based on moving back to Class A next year. There are a ton of posts on this site when the program was started ... that have always left a bad taste in my mouth (where I got the impression that Brossart thought that they would compete immediately--which is cool--and I dig the confidence--but it doesn't work anymore when people complain about the move to AA). I fully admit that I could have taken that the wrong way ... but it certainly made me shake my head. For the sake of the program ... all the adults need to quit whining about AA. Freaking embrace it as opposed to constantly blaming the move. I still think Brossart can have a great program someday. Dan Ridder is the type of leader who will work tirelessly to ensure that things are handled properly. And I seriously doubt if he will but up with anymore whining about AA.

Don't Laugh at Me (Mark Wills) Wish You Were Here (Mark Wills) (I think Mark was on a roll there ... both of those songs are rough) Nothing Takes the Place of You (Toussaint McCall)

Ha, ha .... pointless to even entertain this rubbish ....

Good point there! They are both a legit 6'4. I am 6'1 without shoes ... and I have to look up to talk to them (as well as all of the other DE's this year).

Under 40? Nope. When I look around at practice ... it looks like our numbers are up over the past 10 years or so. Not sure who the 3 or 4 starters are ... I am aware of one player who left who actually started a game last season. If anything ... I would say that the numbers are up!

I understand your argument ... but lets put a different thought to it ... If you accused me of being a Boone Graduate ... the last thing you would have had to worry about .. is being thrown out of a game. Is that a little strong? Of course. (But then again ... I throw up when I see soft blue to this day). The point being is this ... what is the intent? Guess what ... no one really knows. Like I said .. if someone accused me of being a Boone grad ... well ... it is not going to go over well. We obviously differ in our opinion ... and who cares who is right. What were you trying to accomplish with that statement? (And by no means am I trying to say that you are a bad dude). My guess ... is that the ump decided that you were symbolic of "making things personal". Most officials think in those terms (some don't, etc). I think that the school, state and officials can man up .... and flat out spell out what gets a person booted ... and then hold the officiating to that standard as well as everyone else. I very much agree with the fact that good officials usually have the thickest skin. As a parent or supporter--it is your job to support your team. Fans/parents who scream at officials/coaches/players during a game usually get the "in one ear and out the other" treatment. If my parents ever acted like that (even one time) .. even as a kid ... I wouldn't put up with it. (Thank goodness they didn't .... they understood that their job was to support me as well as our entire program).

Very good point. It took about 10 seconds to realize that there was a pretty solid atmosphere for a football game there last season. As a fan ... they definitely get the best end of the stick. They are no bad seats--but high enough up to catch a bit of a breeze. For the players (and coaches to a small extent) ... it was hot, humid, stuffy .. but most certainly loud and electric. My thought ... Sheakley is a much better environment than Nippert for a high school game. Definitely above high school facilities.

*Drop? Nope ... we have over 130 kids in the program (including elementary and middle school). *Matter of fact ... our girls were 3rd at our conference (best ever for the program), Boys were 5th (wins in shuttle hurdles/4x200). *Our boys middle school team won their indoor state championship. *In the Middle School regional--we had the most outstanding/high points scorer for girls AND boys. We have a ton of kids ranked in the Class A rankings (Girls--we have a long/triple jumper who is ranked 3rd in the Long/4th in the triple. Girls 4 x 100 is ranked 4th, 4 x 200 is 7th, 4 x 800 is ranke 4th. Individual girls events--we have a girl ranked 6th in the 100, 2 girls ranked in the top 15 in the 100/300 hurdles (and a ton of others). Boys are ranked 7th in the 4 x 100/4 x 200, 2 boys ranked in each hurdle event, another is ranked 6th in the 100 (and the fastest in NKY), another is ranked 4th in the 800, another is ranked 8th in the triple .. and a tons of others in the top 20. If you are interested in more information .... let me know.

Nice try .... but the only I see as being "weak" is: 1. You saying Beechwood was scared to play Cooper 2. Your inference that Beechwood is "fragile" 3. Your inference "maybe they shouldn't play baseball in the first place". I am 100 percent sure that ... if the team did not have a scheduled game on a respective date ... then they practiced (Not sure if you have seen a Beechwood baseball practice ... but I can assure you that they don't just stand around for a few hours). I am also pretty sure that Sunday is not really an off day for any of them either. But ... please ... by all means ... keep acting like you have any idea about what is best for the kids in Beechwood's program. No offense to the rest of you ... but this thread should not be over. This kind of crap needs to end ... and it is a real problem. It all boils down to this .. a good coach made a decision that he felt was important to the the continued success of the kids that he is responsible for. Seriously .. how many times have you seen/heard and even said yourself ... that a coach is driving his kids too hard? I am sure we can all look in the mirror and come up with at least one time where that happened.

Now they are fragile .... come on ... really? And they shouldn't play baseball? I understand that baseball isn't the most physically demanding sport in the world ... but now they are "fragile" and "maybe they shouldn't play baseball in the first place" We obviously disagree ... no problem there. I will never understand why a coach decides that the team that he is responsible for needs a day off ... and it gives you a license to say that the kids are "scared", "fragile" and that "maybe they shouldn't play baseball in the first place". I must be getting old or something ... that was there second day off this season that I can recall .. nearly all of those kids have been going hard since Christmas break or the dead period (not necessarily just for baseball). There is an accumulation effect in their somewhere. We can agree to disagree ... but I have a pretty good feeling that the Coach made a great decision.

Seriously? Why is it that you have been blasted in this thread ... with just a very small minority of exceptions .. yet I am the one who didn't read your post? I think the problem is ... I did read your post. And your "frustration" does not outweigh a coaches decision to do what is best for his program. I have zero issues calling it a forfeit .. and I would bet money Coach Mullins would share that opinion. Now we are comparing high school baseball to climbing Mt. Everest? Sounds pretty dramatic to me .... I get where you are at (coaching track for a while really helps me understand) ... but would you support the move if the situation was reversed? Who should we trust in matters that regard the health of Beechwood players? You (maybe if your Mt. Everest analogy was in the neighborhood of being true) ... or the coach who is with them everyday?

Says the guy who said Beechwood was "scared" ... ha, ha Sometimes, as a coach, you make a decision that you feel is best for your team and the health of your program. Moving forward ... we can make sure Coach Mullins contacts you for your coaching insight. I love it ... you have a program that decides to put the health of their team in front physically wearing your team down ... and next thing you know ... they are "scared" ... Pretty sure you are the one that needs to "stay classy"

Beechwood wins ... 9 to 6 in extra innings

Game over .... 10 run rule bottom of the 5th ... 11 - 1