MIA: Short tracks

Yesterday's STP 500 showed everything that is right about NASCAR racing today.  Great battles.  Trading paint.  Tempers.  A great battle for the win.  Tire issues. 

Remind me again why there are fewer short tracks on the circuit than 20 years ago?

Short tracks are where a lot of drivers cut their teeth.  Almost every driver remembers racing their late model, sprint, street stock, or go-kart on a short track.  Every driver can probably tell a story about tempers flaring and fights almost breaking out in the pits after a race. We saw a lot of that yesterday at Martinsville.  Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch getting into it during the race resulted in a few words exchanged after the race.  In past years, drivers have been known to throw helmets, throw punches, and have some pretty awesome interviews after an incident on a short track.

Sadly, only three short tracks remain on the circuit - Martinsville, Bristol, and Richmond.

Why haven't any races been added to short tracks?

Last season, the truck series added Eldora raceway as a stop on the circuit.  The attendance and TV ratings were high, and a lot of drivers said it was one of the best events of the season.  While Eldora is not designed to handle a Sprint Cup race, it showed that there is still interest in not only short tracks, but running on dirt as well.

Gone are the days of North Wilkesboro.  It was the most recent shuttered short track from the Sprint Cup circuit.  The track was purchased by Speedway Motorsports in the 90s, shut down, and the two race dates moved elsewhere.  Other short tracks, such as South Boston, IRP, Myrtle Beach, Memphis, and other short tracks have been removed from both the truck and Nationwide series schedules.

My question is simple: Why were they removed?

Short track races are among my favorites.  There's something to be said about beating and banging fenders, using bumpers, trading paint, and the occasional fistfight after a race.  They separate the men from the boys. 

If NASCAR is truly listening to the fans, more races like Sunday's STP 500 at Martinsville are in order.

Hockey For Heroes

A little late, but still felt this was worth posting.


On March 14-15, Navy Youth Hockey hosted the first (hopefully) annual Hockey For Heroes.  The purpose of this event was to raise money and awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project, and the USA Warriors hockey team.  The format was 24 hours of continuous hockey from 6 PM Friday night until 6 PM Saturday night.  Teams were selected from Navy's youth programs, the USA Warriors, and adult teams from the Naval Academy ice rink and surrounding rinks.  My team, Back2Black, was one of the teams given the privilege to play in this event.

The event was a huge success.

When we signed up, each team was given the goal to raise roughly $1000 per team.  Our captain set a goal for each player to raise $400, which would bring our team's total to around $5000.

We met that goal and then some.

Our team's final total was over $16,000.  Thanks to the generosity of our friends, family, and for some, clients and business partners, we were able to more than triple our original goal.

When the tournament was over, Hockey For Heroes raised $96,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project and the USA Warriors hockey team.  Those numbers are simply amazing.

Our team was scheduled to play at 5:10 AM.  That meant waking up at 3:30 to get to the rink and get ready.  I was actually so excited to play in this game, I barely slept that night.  I got to the rink and all I could think about was the men and women that were on the field of battle, working all hours to keep us safe.

We had invited two servicemen to serve as honorary coaches for the game.  Both had been injured while deployed.  Both were athletes in high school.  Both sacrificed normal and promising lives to join the military.  Both were injured and had their lives changed forever.  It was definitely an honor to have these two brave men behind our bench.

We took the ice and played our game.  In the end, we lost the game, 3-1.  However, all we could think about was how much fun we had and who the real winners are throughout this whole event - the soldiers that need our care and support. 

Here's our team photo showing our donation total, our two honorary coaches, and Miss Anne Arundel County:

Chase Roberts: 2002-2014

My parents had to do one of the hardest things a human can do today - they had to say goodbye to one of their golden retrievers.  Chase passed away this morning after a few months battling lymphoma.  He went peacefully from what I was told, with my parents by his side.

My parents got him from a breeder who was involved with dog shows.  She showed Chase a few times, but he was not winning shows, so she unfortunately had to part ways with him.  My parents got lucky and got in contact with her, and it evolved into my parents getting Chase a few months after the death of their previous golden, Ripken.

Chase was about as mellow as could be.  I really can't recall a time he snarled, got angry, bit, etc anybody except his goofy brother, Tripper.  He had a gentle heart and was willing to do anything to make you smile.

The last time we got to see Chase was this past Monday.  He was in good spirits and spent time playing with my 3 year old daughter.  I can happily say the last memory I have of Chase is my daughter handing him a dog bone to eat as we walked out the door. 

I think to all the times he and I went on walks, played fetch, went to the dog park, went to my family's cabin in upstate New York (which was by far his favorite place on Earth), or just did things to make us laugh and smile. 

I sometimes wonder why we get so attached to animals.  I can only think of one thing:  unconditional love.  A dog will usually sit there on the worst day of your life and just be there for you.  In their mind, they could care less what you have to say or want.  They just want to make you smile and long for your attention.  There were many days when Chase and I had one-sided conversations about nothing.  He never got bored or told me to be quiet.  He was always there to comfort when needed.

Chase was a friend, a family member who will be missed by many.  I know that he will be waiting for us when we cross to the other side, anxiously waiting for his family to play and run with him.

Farewell, my "brother".  You will be missed more than you can imagine.