I’m back.
Like the weeds in your front yard or that relative who doesn’t realize you’d rather not ever see them again.
I was going to make a joke about just having woken up after last weekend’s snoozer of a Cup race (Ed.: Although I did correctly pick Jimmie Johnson to win, I’d hoped it would at least be interesting).
Or, I could try to get a little more mileage out of my on-going bathroom remodel (Ed.: Now thankfully complete, photos to follow.).
But no, the truth is much less interesting. In fact, it’s the same answer I give to a lot of folks at Evergreen Speedway when they ask me why I didn’t write a story about this, or follow up on that. Or why I’m just not in the paper anymore.
This is just part-time of my part-time job, and my hours are capped. Within my budgeted time each week I’ve got two or three shifts as a copy editor, posting wire and local stories on the Web site, and covering the races at Evergreen Speedway.
With the local racing season coming to an end, I’ve been trying to save some extra hours for the big championship-determining races coming up in the next three weeks.
See Ma, I can plan ahead.
We lived in Norfolk, Va., for many years, and went through more than a few hurricanes and tropical storms/depressions while there. One year, my wife and I ended up spending a weekend at home in semi-isolation, not going out of our apartment of bothering to turn on the radio or TV.
When we finally did switch on the TV late Sunday night to see the weather for the start of the work week, we found out Hurricane Gloria was just an hour or so away from the Virginia coast.
We lost part of our kitchen roof that night as Gloria passed by, fortunately without hitting the Tidewater area directly.
Good times.
Anyway, with Tropical Storm Hanna causing all kinds of trouble for NASCAR’s Cup and Nationwide series in Richmond — just up the road a piece from Norfolk, by the by — Sunday is shaping up to be a couch-potato racing fan’s dream.
The day begins with Formula One’s Belgian Grand Prix at 5 a.m. on SPEED, and continues with NASCAR Sprint Cup at 10 a.m. (ESPN), IndyCar at 12:30 p.m. (ABC, Ch. 4) and NASCAR Nationwide at 4 p.m. (ESPN2).
Also, Mill Creek, Wash., resident Tayler Malsam will make another try at getting to Victory Lane in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Chicagoland 200, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday but will be televised by SPEED at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
My VCR is going to melt down.
On to the predictions, with — as always — locals first.
Evergreen Speedway’s Bomber, Mini-Stock, Super Figure Eight and Stinger Eight divisions are all slated to race on Saturday. For each, this is the last race before the Northwest Short-Track Championship Night on Sept. 27.
The Bombers have been tough to pick this year — and great to watch, with plenty of three-wide racing and close finishes. My pick for Saturday night is Travis Blackwood, who would be right in the thick of the title-chase if not for having missed some races after injuring his hand.
In the last Mini-Stock feature, Mark Weedin took advantage of defending champion Chuck Richard’s engine problems — something about blowing up some spark plugs — to edge back to the top of the standings. On Saturday I’m going to say Andrew Schukar gets his first win.
Who to pick for the Super Figure Eights: the Cowboy or the Kid — or Steve Peters? I’ve picked him before and it hasn’t worked out, but I have a feeling (Ed.: This time for sure!) so let’s go with Ricky “The Kid” Dietz.
Just as entertaining, not as costly. That’s the Stinger Eights in a nutshell. The action is wild in a division that allows “two bumps and a dump” according to Seth Funden, who just happens to be my pick.
In the Sprint Cup race, Denny Hamlin will finish the job he didn’t get done in the earlier race at Richmond. For Nationwide, I’m bracing for the email blast I’m sure to get from from Sparky, but I’m going to say Joey Logano makes up for missing out on his Cup debut with a trip to victory lane in the second-tier series. I will say (Ed.: writer-speak for ‘I’m covering my backside here’) that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer or Brad Keselowski winning or in the top-5.
For Saturday’s Craftsman Truck race at Gateway in lovely St. Louis, I think Mike Skinner gets his hard-luck season part-way turned around with a win.
Despite a late-season rally from Dancing Man Helio Castroneves, nothing is going to stop Scott Dixon from sealing another IndyCar title with a victory at Chicagoland in Joliet, Ill. Good thing, too, because team owner Chip Ganassi needs some good news, doesn’t he?
British racer Dan Boys visited Evergeen Speedway last week, and after we shook hands he wanted to talk about Formula One. Boys was unhappy with the inaugural European Grand Prix, and had some great ideas for fixing F1 by making the cars simpler and less costly, which would actually give the drivers more control so that they could — wait for it — actually pass and race. What a great plan.
In the meantime, we have what we have. Felipe Massa was fastest overall in Friday’s morning practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, but I like Lewis Hamilton to win, especially if the weather in Spa gets nasty.
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