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It's 2009, the weather is fine, and it's just about time to get back in the Darlington Infield!

Here we go again! The Race Bus is in Darlington and will have a new roof flooring installed before next week. NASCAR returns with Nationwide series racing on Friday, May 8th, and Sprint Cup series racing Saturday night, May 9th. We'll be in our usual spot in site 27 between turns 3 and 4 near the tunnel and just in front of the jumbotron television. We've got Rogers Barbecue lined up to cater our evening meals, beverages supplied by Micky Finn's, and live radio will again be broadcast from up top without spilling a drop by the Bad Boy and E-Daddy on the Pressbox program. You can expect a great time, loud engines, plenty of Carolina sunshine and moonshine, good food, old and new friends, a celebrity or two, cigars and smokes, late night dancing, laughter, and fun. We'll see ya'll in Darlington!

NASCAR Legend Sam Ard

I've never been a Kyle Busch fan. In fact, I was pretty confused as to how Race Bus Rich could have chosen Busch as his new favorite driver this past May in Darlington. Of course, Busch then went on to win not only Darlington, but a ton of of other races leading up to the Chase for the Cup. But this past weekend after winning the Nationwide Series race in Texas and tying a 25 year old record with Sam Ard with 10 wins in a season, Busch did something that certainly caught my attention. He donated $100,000 to Sam Ard.

Years ago when I was a young lawyer here in Florence and just starting in private practice with Ben Matthews, a tall, athletic man who looked to be in his fifties entered my office. He needed a lawyer but didn't have much money to hire one. His name was Sam Ard. He was shy and spoke with a soft but firm voice. He looked me in the eye when he spoke of his troubles, and wanted to know if he could trust me to help him. I assured him I'd do everything I could for him, but admitted there were more experienced attorneys around if he'd rather hire someone else. He smiled and said that financial circumstances being what they were, he'd just have to trust me. In other words, I was the best he could afford.

He asked me if I was a Nascar fan, and I told him I certainly was. He asked me if I'd ever heard of him before. I honestly replied that I hadn't. He smiled again and told me, "Well, son, I used to be the best one out there. I raced alongside Earnhardt and everybody else and I was the one winning all the races. If that wreck in Rockingham hadn't happened, I reckon things would be a lot different."

In a moment, I'd like you to click the links below and learn more about just how great an understatement that was. Today, if not for career ending injuries in a horrific wreck at Rockingham in the next to the last race of the 1984 Grand National Series, we might well be talking about Sam rather than Dale Earnhardt as possibly the greatest driver in Nascar history. Instead, Sam's back home in Effingham, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and in severe financial difficulty. After 25 years, Kyle Busch stands a good chance to eclipse Sam's record. Personally, I hope not. But I do have new found respect for Busch after his generous donation. We can help Sam's family, too. Please visit samard.com to find out how.

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/bg/11/01/post.race.nwide.kybusch.wins.texas/index.html
http://www.samard.com/

Still recovering from the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500, but new photos will be up soon. In the meantime, Darlington got great reviews for the track. Here's a few good articles to enjoy:

Historic Darlington Raceway gets new track surface, new look for '08

Any way you slice it, unique egg-shaped Darlington belongs in the Chase

REPORTING FROM ... THE DARLINGTON RACEWAY

It's Racing Time In Darlington Again???

Yes, it is! OK, no long post here, this ain't our first rodeo. Here's the skinny: we take Darla, our occasionally trustworthy Race Bus, load her up with provisions (mostly beer), drive her into the Darlington Raceway infield, park her in site 27 between turns 3 and 4 (now located next to the new access tunnel), post Allan Smothers, the Bad Boy of sports talk radio, on the roof to broadcast his Powerade Pressbox show "live from on top, without spilling a drop," and basically eat, drink, and watch the races until our hearts are content.

Not much of a plan, but as the poet said, "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." So we stopped making great plans. And who knew mice made any plans at all?

Nascar Returns! The 2008 Season is Here!

Welcome back to the first update on TheRaceBus.com for 2008. With the new season cranking up, I'm sharing with you my thoughts on putting together a fantasy race team. Fantasy leagues abound in practically every sport on the internet these days, and Nascar is no exception. Anybody could disagree with my order, but here's how I'd rank the 2008 drivers list in 5 categories "A" through "E" with "A" the best, of course:

Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Dale Jr.
Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin
Casey Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray (Up until this point on my list, each of those drivers won at least once last year, except for Dale Jr.), Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Kasey Kahne, J. J. Yeley
Elliot Sadler, Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Robby Gordon, David Gilliland, Brian Vickers
Everybody else

I put Dale Jr. in my "A" flight just because he moved to Hendrick. No wins for Jr. last year, but he hasn't forgotten how to win and this year he'll be driving the best cars on the circuit. Tony Stewart barely stays in my "A" flight after the switch to Toyota, but just because he's Tony Stewart. If JGR doesn't give Tony strong cars, look for a Smoke melt down long before the boys make it to Darlington. Greg Biffle is my pick for most improved in '08 and would be a pretty good pick if nobody else takes him and go after bigger names instead. Finally, I would love to take Dario Franchitti with the last pick just because his wife is so damn hot.

Look for more updates here as the season leads up to Darlington, and look for Darla the Race Bus in her usual spot (now next to the new tunnel) between turns 3 and 4 in the infield. In the meantime, enjoy the Winston Cup racing......I mean, Nextel Cup.....errrr, Sprint Cup! (Oh, who gives a shit what they call it????)

Dale Jr. goes to Hendrick Motor Sports!

From: Bill Rivers [mailto:bill@schurlknightrivers.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 9:51 AM
To: adamsiegal@aol.com; harberj@nationwide.com; Rich Thompson
Subject:

I believe I remember joking in Darlington that Jr. would be working for Hendrick. And Rich said that was impossible. Now Gordon and Jr. will be team mates. For all the Jr. fans, that's got to be like watching Anakin Skywalker turn into Darth Vader, while all the HMS fans think it's great.

From: Richard Thompson [mailto:rthompson135@tampabay.rr.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:13 AM
To: 'Bill Rivers'; adamsiegal@aol.com; harberj@nationwide.com
Subject: RE:

Right you are, Bill. I know have to make a decision… Truex and DEI or Harvick/Burton/Blaney and Childress. I will have my sister start discussing this with each respective team spokesperson on a contract. Waltrip Racing has contacted her, but my loyalty lies with the Chevy Camp. I will not discuss this any further out of respect for those that I have supported over the past years. Again, I will not decide who I am going to root for until I have time to evaluate all of my options at this point.

Rich’s Press Release to the Florence Morning News:

I want everyone to know that “I truly am grateful” to Dale Jr, who I have been able to root for during the ups and the downs, rain delays and exhausting heat, cold beer and warm moonshine, and countless lack luster performances and a couple of victories. Dale Jr., you were the role model of racing, but now you are just another driver wearing a Trojan Condom following the rainbow hoping that he bends over. Don’t drop the soap Jr.

Gordon vs. Earnhardt?

Here's a great article written by David Poole from the Charlotte Observer and now Sirius Radio. Poole was also one of the guest commentators at the round table discussion for the Pressbox at the Race Bus. I'm a Jeff Gordon fan, but the Earnhardt fans should find this interesting, too. I like the fact that Poole does his homework and gives his readers solid facts to back up his stories.

http://www.thatsracin.com/242/story/4433.html

New Photos & Videos Up!

I'm still too tired (and busy at work) to write a decent post covering last weekend in Darlington Raceway, but we already have new photos and videos up for your enjoyment. I have more to put up, but haven't gotten around to it yet, so keep checking back.

Also, here's a few links to other sites you might like:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9hV0sIciTkU (video recaps the 2007 Dodge Avenger 500)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sFOIJ5Z36oA&mode=related&search= (about a minute of video from the stands; pause it at 20 seconds to catch a good shot of the Race Bus and our blue rain tarp)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OQFpwLQ0wQw&mode=related&search= (last 13 laps of the 2007 Dodge Avenger 500)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nYJYxgnbOHo&mode=related&search= (Darlington native Lisa Hudson sings the National Anthem Sunday afternoon

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8jBwncOuvx0&mode=related&search= (pretty good preview/overview of Nascar racing in Darlington)

http://www.cmt.com/movies/dale/ (watch the trailer for the upcoming movie Dale; looks awesome to me)

Still Recovering From the Race! In the Meantime...

Here's a link to ESPN.com writer David Newton's article online summarizing the Dodge Avenger 500. Newton was one of the panelists Saturday afternoon on the Pressbox Radio Show broadcast live at the Race Bus. Reading the first few paragraphs of this story, I can't help but think Newton was a little too influenced by the Bad Boy's love for the NBA.

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=newton_david&id=2869345

Race Rewind: Darlington

Watch a condensed version of the Dodge Avenger 500 from Darlington.

http://www.nascar.com/video/race_rewind/2007/05/13/cup.dar.rewind.nascar/frameset.exclude.html?MostPopular

Just worn out right now from a long time in the infield, but we had a great time. I'll have a longer update up very soon with photos and video. If you have any photos or video from Darlington Raceway to share, send it to me at bill@schurlknightrivers.com!

Darla is in Darlington! Last Update Before the 2007 Dodge Avenger 500!

Darla has made the first leg of her journey from storage in Florence to my house in Darlington. Two quarts of oil, another quart of brake fluid, water in the radiator, and gas in the tank did the usual trick. We had her at top speed of 60 mph down Pocket Road, and she's sitting now backed into my driveway getting a good cleaning. She looks a little worse for wear now with peeling paint and stickers. But by Saturday afternoon she should look like Crown Royal's grand prize winner, all decked out in purple and gold trim, Crow Royal labels everywhere. After loading her up tomorrow morning we plan to take Darla into the Darlington Raceway infield on Wednesday afternoon.

The Pressbox Radio Show with Allan Smothers, the Bad Boy of sports talk radio, will begin broadcasting live on top without spilling a drop Thursday morning. Sounds like he's got plenty of entertainment lined up, topped off with a VIP roundtable discussion at noon Saturday. Tune to 100.1 FM and listen in, or come by our site number 27 between turns 3 and 4. I'm sure we'll be right in front of the jumbo TV monitor, as usual. Liquid encouragement will again come from Micky Finn's; Roger's Bar-B-Q is catering, also. Races are lined up from Thursday evening through Saturday night, and the weather forecast looks very promising. Am I forgetting anything?

Oh, yeah! Ya'll are all invited to come out and join us for a great time! Good behavior is the only rule, and rude behavior will not be tolerated. (I couldn't find the video clip from Lonesome Dove where Woodrow F. Call shows how to deal with rude behavior, but this one comes pretty damn close: http://youtube.com/watch?v=pVBjBClBSao.)

All of our momma's have been warned that Sunday will be regroup and recovery day from a long Nascar weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there!

Darlington Tribute

I just found this song on YouTube.com. The song isn't bad, probably would be better with a better singer, but the accompanying video is terrific. Also, take a look at some of the other Darlington Raceway videos linked on the same page at bottom right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_YMUC8B8IE

The COT: Car of Tomorrow, or Crap of Today?

Like it or not, the COT will be on the track at Darlington next week. In case you've had your head in the sand, the COT is Nascar's newest attempt to provide a safer race vehicle for the drivers, while also providing a more competitive car for closer races and, most importantly, finishes. (For a quick review of the COT: http://www.nascar.com/news/headlines/cup/cot/index.html) Well, Darlington is the home of the closest race finish in Nascar history (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdm2EbYbkzw&mode=related&search= ), so why bring the COT here? Most of the drivers have been very vocal in their dislike for the new car, even while winning races with it. Kyle Busch actually used victory lane in Bristol as a platform to voice his displeasure with the thing. It's bigger, boxier, safer of course, but very difficult to drive passing other cars. Will that make for better racing at the Track Too Tough to Tame? Doubtful. I can only hope at this point that the Dodge Avenger 500 will present the racing we're used to on our Lady in Black.

Friends and Race Fans,

Race weekend in Darlington will be here soon. Leading up to the Southern 500....excuse me, I mean...the Dodge Avenger 500 in a few weeks, I'll be updating TheRaceBus.com website (http://www.theracebus.com) much more regularly. In fact, the first update for 2007 is up now, and I've already completed 3 more to be posted soon.

Please check out the site, take a look at old photos and videos from past races, and come out to see us Mother's Day weekend. There'll be 3 races beginning with a new open wheel race Thursday night, May 10th, followed by the Busch race Friday night and the Nextel Cup event Saturday evening. (http://www.darlingtonraceway.com) Also once again we'll be joined by Allan Smothers, the Bad Boy of sports radio, and his Pressbox Radio Show performed live on top of the Race Bus.

Last but not least, we're planning on participating in a camp site decoration contest sponsored by Crown Royal. Judging for the contest will be Saturday afternoon before the start of the race, so PLEASE come prepared to help us win! We need any and all items to decorate Darla and our site area. Contact me if you can help.

Thanks, and we look forward to another great time in the infield at Darlington!

The Good News Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

With all due credit to ESPN.com, here's Marty Smith's report on upcoming approved track improvements for Darlington Raceway. Thank goodness the states of Washington and New York have given Nascar the cold shoulder. Their loss is our gain!

Updated: April 5, 2007, 11:02 AM ET

NASCAR's oldest track getting makeover

By Marty Smith
ESPN.com

If the historic facelift International Speedway Corp. officials approved Wednesday for Darlington Raceway is any indication, NASCAR's oldest paved speedway won't be losing its Nextel Cup date anytime soon.

Darlington Raceway will receive a $10 million upgrade starting in mid-June, the largest one-time capital investment in the track's 58-year history, track officials said Thursday.

"There's nothing that said they had to do any of that," track president Chris Browning said Thursday. "That speaks volumes about the future of Darlington."

Scheduled projects include repaving the track surface and aprons, as well as the addition of concrete pit stalls. A new infield access tunnel, large enough to accommodate the teams' 18-wheel transporters, will be constructed at the west end of the track.

The facelift also includes renovations to luxury suites and additional fan parking areas. Browning said those upgrades will be completed in time for the May 12 Dodge Avenger 500. The track and pit road renovations will begin mid-June.

"I think that this shows the commitment our company has to this racetrack," Browning said. "If you really look at the scope of what they approved, the track surface was really what needed attention.

"But they took it to the next level and we're doing not only the surface, but aprons and pit stalls, and redoing pit road and adding an enlarged tunnel. Those things outside of the track surface are probably a good bit of that $10 million."

This is the second consecutive year that ISC Darlington has approved a landmark upgrade for Darlington's facilities. Last year the track was granted $6 million to construct the Brasington Tower grandstand in Turn 1.

Browning said track officials hope to install a multiyear plan that will enable them to conceptualize projects for the next five years.

"That's a big thing for us," Browning said. "Many great things lie ahead for Darlington Raceway, and we are tremendously excited about what the future holds in store."

Darlington was last repaved in the fall of 1995. The first race run on the new pavement was in the spring of 1996, a race for which Ward Burton won the pole with a record speed of 173.797 mph. That record stands to this day.

The track solicited input on the upcoming repaving project from several current drivers, including an hourlong session with Jeff Gordon during his Car of Tomorrow test last month, and Jeff Burton. Track officials also met with team owners and engineers and representatives from NASCAR and the Goodyear Tire Company.

Marty Smith covers Nextel Cup racing for ESPN.com.

Race Rewind: Martinsville

Click the link below to watch a condensed version of the Goody's Cool Orange 500. This should give ya'll a good preview featuring the COT* that we'll be seeing in Darlington. If this doesn't get your blood pumping and fired up for our race weekend to come, nothing will!

http://www.nascar.com/video/race_rewind/2007/04/01/cup.mar.rewind.nascar/content.html?sc_cid=si

* Look for the next update with my thoughts and opinions on the new Car of Tomorrow!

SURPRISE!! WE'RE BACK!!

April 1, 2007 Racebus Update: To Tow, Or Not To Tow...That Is The Question!

We always knew that one of these days old Darla would refuse to start. When we first pulled the old girl out of my grandfather's field in Chesterfield County, we knew we had a lot of work ahead. With almost no brakes, less steering, and gasoline siphoned from a five gallon tank beside the driver via water hose through the dash straight to the fuel line, we barely made it to Florence. Three months later, after hundreds of hours labor, the Racebus was born. She made it into the Darlington infield for the first time under power, and we've never looked back. The problem, however, is that in our haste to get this rolling race party in place and on time, we never did get around to rebuilding the engine. Our Darla may be a genuine 2001 Redneck Racebus, fully equipped with electrical wiring, fresh and grey water holding tanks, wet bar, toilet, satellite television capability, and a rooftop platform suitable for 50 at standing room only, but under the hood and all those stickers there's a 1970 Chevrolet in-line 6 cylinder engine held together only by bailing wire, rubber bands, chewing gum and prayer from a variety of faiths.

Naturally, this hasn't been a new concern. We came close two years ago when the carburetor fell off as we drove out the storage lot. I mean, fell the f**k off. Took us a day and a half to find the right screws to put it back on. You might think that should have been enough to initiate further repairs following race weekend, but you'd be wrong. So the death watch continued. And now that sorrowful day has arrived when Darla just can't crank again. Will Darlington Raceway look the other way as we drag Darla into site number 27 for one final party? Would you come and sit up with the body of our dear, departed friend and toast her past glory? I can picture a solemn cast of pallbearers at her side, tears falling in their beers, as Darla is finally laid to rest. And I hope in the Great Beyond our Racebus has a special place reserved in that infield in the sky where races are still won by names like Earnhardt, Allison, Kulwicki, Turner and Baker.

Just kidding! Happy April Fool's Day! See ya'll at the race as usual!

Long Overdue Update

I know this is loooong overdue, so here's my follow-up to the May, 2006 Mother's Day weekend race in Darlington. First of all, the photos (and videos!) pretty much speak for themselves. As you could see, we really had a terrible time at the race this year.....lousy sunny weather, damn noisy cars rumbling around all the time, nothing but cold beer to drink and more food than a third world nation could consume in a month (thanks for sitting in the stands, Clyde; not sure if there'd have been enough for you to eat). If that wasn't bad enough, we had tons of blasted people showing up all weekend long just smiling, laughing, talking, joking....you know, a friggin' bunch of freeloaders, beautiful girls "applying" for official Bus Babe status, and crap like that. We even had some sorry excuse for a radio show hoggin' space on top of the Race Bus allegedly broadcasting some "sports talk" program to an imaginary audience! (Anybody out there ever heard of "E-Daddy and the Bad Boy?" I think we were scammed.) For the freakin' love of Dale Earnhardt's ghost, why can't a few guys just hang out for a peaceful while at the local race track without putting up with all this bullshit?????

OK, so maybe it wasn't really all that bad. Special thanks go out to a lot of folks for another great time in the infield: to Tyler Watkins for the Hot Pass; the garage area photos and pit videos are just an awesome addition here on the web site (hope that gout clears up!); to Allan Smothers and Emerson Phillips for once again producing the added excitement of the Pressbox Radio Show live from the top, without spilling a drop; to Bryan Bagwell, Richard Howard and gang for joining us in a connected infield site and making it easier by far to host such a lewd, large and lascivious party; to Rick Havekost and Micky Finn's for liquid pleasure (and for delivering my car keys on Friday night); and last and foremost (that means "not least") to my fellow Race Bus partners Adam Siegal and Josh Harbert. I often get much more credit than I deserve for this Race Bus madness. Adam and Josh are the heart and soul of this experience, and I'm just proud and thankful to have been included. Rich, we'll miss you and Nicki! Bobby, the bus door is always open to come back!

Look for the Race Bus to return next May, 2007. She may not travel far, but she's damn regular!

New Photos From May, 2006 Are Up!

We had another great time in Darlington this past Mother's Day weekend, 2006! I'll write more later, but for now check out the new photos! And, for the first time on theracebus.com we've added videos, so enjoy! If you have any photos to share, please send them to me now. I've got lots of "thank you's" to send, and you'll want to hear about another wild and crazy weekend, so check back soon!

Time to Go Racin' in Darlington! It's Mother's Day Weekend, May 2006!

It's time once again for the circus to come to town! We've fired up the Racebus and she'll be parked as usual in site 27 in the infield between turns 3 and 4. E-Daddy and the Bad Boy will bring the Pressbox nation to the mix, broadcasting "Live From the Top, Without Spilling a Drop!" Tune your radios to 100.1 FM "The Fan" to listen in, or you can hear live streaming audio during show times at http://www.thepressboxradio.com. Come on by, say hello, and enjoy a golden beverage with the Pressbox gang and the Racebus pit crew. As always, good behavior is encouraged, but not generally expected!

Why I Love NASCAR

Reason # 1
You show me a 23 year old man in court and facing jail time for his marriage to a 14 year old, and I'll show you a Nascar fan! Click the link, then click the guy's photo and check out his tie:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,184148,00.html

Reason # 2
This one's a no brainer: hot drivers' wives and/or girlfriends. Check out the list with photos at the link below, and note how many are linked to Dale Jr.'s name...the damn man whore (translation: Lucky Bastard)! http://drinkthis.typepad.com/answer_this/nascar_wives_and_girlfriends/

Reason # 3
This one really doesn't need any explanation:

Reason # 4
The Confederate Flag. It's politically incorrect, either loved or despised, but it epitomizes the Nascar spirit: rebellious, taunting, incendiary, and with in your face attitude. Note that in the linked article below, the infield at Darlington Raceway serves as most prominent example:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/4967908

Reason # 5
The Egg Shaped Track. You can call it "The Track Too Tough To Tame," or "The Lady in Black," but Darlington Raceway is shaped like a damn egg. Why? Because in 1949 Old Man Ramsey didn't want his fishing hole screwed up just because some nut wanted a race track in his peanut field. The result, of course, is one hell of a tricky bitch of a track, and the original superspeedway. http://darlingtonraceway.com/seating%5Fcharts%5Fmaps/facility/ http://darlingtonraceway.com/track%5Finfo/history/

Photos Are Up From The Dodge Charger 500 Weekend!

Once again we've survived another wild weekend in the Darlington Infield on the Race Bus. The rain started falling Thursday just as the Pressbox program was ending, and continued until Friday morning, but Friday turned fantastic, and by Saturday the weather was simply perfect. Friday night's Diamond Hill Plywood 200 was exciting from start to finish, as was the Nextel Cup race the following night in front of a sold out crowd. We enjoyed the best food ever served at the Race Bus, from barbecued chicken and a lowcountry shrimp boil, to Boston butt and grilled brats smothered in onions. And, of course, the highlight of the weekend was spending quality time with good friends, laughing, sharing stories, having a cold brew or five, and a good time.

Unfortunately, we do have one concern we'd like to address. Although we've always encouraged a large and rowdy crowd at the bus, it may be time to reel it back in just a bit. Saturday night was particularly crowded, and there were a few people who weren't friends of ours taking more than full advantage of our hospitality. In fact, one such person passed out in a bunk bed while his buddy verbally abused the ladies. We carefully escorted these gentlemen off our site (bet ya'll can guess the photo with this wonderful pair), and we'd like to take steps so this doesn't happen again. Next time we'll probably offer wrist bands to friends invited to the Race Bus. Hopefully this will bring us back to the days when we could have seats up top with our coolers nearby!

Darlington Raceway has done her best to remain a viable venue on the Nascar circuit. Will the Track Too Tough To Tame host a race next year? Two years from now? Five years? Obviously, we don't have any better idea than you, but we can hope. As long as there's a race in Darlington, the Race Bus will be there. For the moment, we're thankful for another great weekend, and we'll worry about the future when it comes.

Many thanks to all our friends who made the weekend such a great time. Special thanks go out to Allen and Emerson from the Pressbox radio show, and, naturally, to our wives for putting up with all this nonsense.

Mother's Day Weekend Is Almost Here!

Just a quick and friendly reminder that Mother's Day Weekend is right around the corner! Folks, don't wait until the last minute to show these special ladies how much you care. Mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers.....wives, sisters, aunts....where would we be today without our mothers? Lost, that's where! And out of 365 days in each year, we have but one wonderful opportunity to show all the moms how much they're genuinely loved and appreciated. Just 24 hours to lavishly shower affection and gratitude upon the most devoted, hardest working, tireless women on the planet. Flowers? Not good enough, I say! Lunch out at the Western Sizzlin? After all of those delicious home cooked meals, you're gonna thank Mom by whizzing her through the buffet line at the Sizzler? You should be ashamed of yourself! Write her a hand written card, not some crap from Hallmark! Cook her a delightful meal! Don't just give her roses, plant her a rose bush in that special spot where she's always wanted one! Why, buy her a brand new outfit and tell her how beautiful she looks in it! That's the proper way to take care of a Mom!

Oh, by the way, there's a race in Darlington that weekend, so all of us will be out there. You know, beer, Nascar, Racebus, Pressbox radio show, great food, that kind of thing. Sorry, Mom. Maybe next year!

The 2005 NASCAR Season is Underway and It's Boring as Hell!

It's been a long time since I've bothered to update the Race Bus web site, and I've got a really good reason. ASSCAR, I mean NASCAR has gotten about as much fun as watching paint dry. Unless you're a Hendrick or Roush driver, what's the point in crankin' your car up? I'm a Jeff Gordon fan, and I still think this two race team dominance is bullshit. What's the point in having 43 cars in the field if only about 5 of them have a chance to win? And another thing...

There's no damn racing here in the South anymore. Atlanta? Yeah, we've just had a race there, but who cares? Atlanta's not in the Carolinas, and look what's happened here! Rockingham? Gone, man, banished to oblivion. Darlington? Instead of having just hosted it's March race, we get our one and only visit in May, on the Saturday night before Mother's Day. (Hell, even Mexico got a Busch race this year.) After that we can sit back and twiddle our thumbs and pray to the France family to please, oh please let us have at least one race next year. Screw that. Darlington will follow Rockingham just as soon as they finish building tracks in Washington and New York.

Does anybody out there really enjoy watching racing on TV, because it just bores the pants off me. Not only is it dull because I'm watching TV rather than seeing it live, it's boring because all these new tracks are the same, and the racing simply sucks. I almost hate to say this, but Thank God for idiots like Robbie Gordon and Kevin Harvick. I can't stand these guys, but at least that gives me something to root AGAINST when the green flag drops. Heck, even Tony Stewart has turned into a more kinder and gentler version of the outta control firebrand that he used to be.

Welcome to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Season 2005. Kurt Busch is the series defending champion. Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin will retire this year. After May we could be using Darlington Raceway for go kart races, car shows and kite flying exhibitions.

Where did you go, Dale Earnhardt and Fireball Roberts?

The New Photos are Up!

Check out the photo galleries for the new photos from the Last Southern 500, November, 2004. Many thanks to Allan Smothers and Emerson Phillips, along with the Wild Card and the rest of the gang from The Pressbox radio show. Adam would like to express that the weekend was his absolute favorite and best time since we’ve been taking the Race Bus into the track, and I’d have to agree with him. Actually, there’s a great deal more photos from the weekend coming soon, so check back often. If you have any photos from the weekend you’d like to share, please send them to me and I’ll have them posted on this site. And we still have a lot of t-shirts left over from the weekend we’d like to sell! I’ll post a good photo view of the shirt design soon on this site, but glance through the gallery and you’ll see it worn in many of the photos. We still have Large, XL and XXL sizes, and the cost is just $15.00 each. All the proceeds will be used to help purchase more beer for the next race, so you know it’ll go to a good cause!

One race to look forward to in 2005, and we’ll be there!

New Photos Coming Soon!

We had another great weekend and the new photos will be up very soon. Check back next week for an update along with the new pictures. If YOU have any photos from the weekend, please e-mail them to bill@schurlknightrivers.com ASAP and we’ll put them on this site!

The Press Box and The Race Bus, More Mayhem From Darlington!
http://www.thepressboxradio.com

It's official! E-Daddy and the Bad Boy, hosts of the Tom Hammonds Chevrolet Pressbox Radio Show on WWFN Sports Radio 100.1 "The FAN," will be broadcasting LIVE from atop the Race Bus during race weekend in Darlington. Once again we'll have the bus parked in site 27 in the infield between turns 3 and 4, but this time we'll up the degree of difficulty several notches by producing a LIVE call-in radio program from the top of the bus....all without spilling a drop! Many thanks to Rick Havekost of Micky Finn's for sponsoring this explosive combination of talent and mendacity, belligerence and bellicosity, Nascar virtuosity and Race Bus mediocrity, Pressbox occasional sobriety and Race Bus crew constant intoxication!

To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Nothing good can come from this."

Four Letter Costly Words and Other Thoughts

With a month to go before Nascar returns to Darlington, I think it's about time for a little update and review of what we've learned thus far in 2004:

1. If it ain't a rule, but ought to be, Big Daddy at Nascar will spank your butt anyway.

In other words, watch your language and behave both on and off the tracks. If Jr. loses the Nextel Cup by less than 25 points, the sh*t is gonna hit the fan, there won't be sh*t anybody can do about it, the media will have a sh*t storm on their hands, sh*t happens, and Jr. will probably have a sh*t fit.

2. Believe it or not, this Chase for the Championship thing has done its job.

Like it or hate it, the Chase was a beautiful marketing coup all year long, and clearly has kept the focus on Nascar during the fall when college football, the NFL and the World Series take center stage. Nascar has even played a significant role in the presidential election this year despite the fact that W. spells his last name incorrectly to tie in with the Busch sponsors.

3. Cream rises to the top.

The best 10 are in the Chase, and the folks left out in the cold are either pretenders, has-beens, wannabes, or neverwillbes. Stop for a moment and look at the names in the Chase. Very few surprises in there, aren't there?

4. I'm not doing too badly on my 2004 wish list at the bottom of this page.

Yep, put that wish list together back before Daytona. Stop for a moment and scroll down to the bottom to read it.

Back already? Not bad, if I do say so myself. Rusty won a race to kill the slump, and was smart enough this year to say that next year would be his farewell tour. Mark Martin is one of the 10 in the Chase and could still actually win it all. Kurt Busch is in the lead right now, Mongo is out and I'm still hopeful that something exciting will happen before the year is done. It looks like the Race Bus gang will be upgrading Darla soon to a newer bus with greater range capacity. What else is there to wish for?

Oh yeah, does anybody out there have a hot tub they could bring into the infield in a couple of weeks?

And the Beat Goes On...

Change is inevitable. The current powers behind Nascar have eliminated the
North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham from their schedule, and
condemned Darlington to hosting but one race to be held on the Saturday
night before Mother's Day. (Mama's, don't let your baby's grow up to drive
race cars!)

No more Southern 500.

Now, we at the Race Bus are not knuckle dragging Neanderthals. (Well,
3/4th's of us aren't.) And we can recognize the necessity of change as an
evolutionary concept for the betterment of the end result. Nevertheless,
even in the spirit of Darwinian theory, we must protest this decision as
simply mindless bullshit.

In other words, what stupid, idiotic, ass kissing, dickless, spineless,
imbecilic, incompetent, addle-brained, dull-witted, feeble-minded, retarded
moron came up with this brilliant idea????? What does it take to satisfy
the greed behind killing the best racing in Nascar, and replacing it with
boring cookie cutter race tracks in Texas and Arizona? Damn it, I'm mad as
hell and I ain't gonna take it anymore!

As one of my heroes once stated, "If you want to make enemies, try to
change something." Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. President, 1856-1924. Well,
congratulations, Nascar. You've just pissed off the vast majority of your
fans in the southeastern portion of the country, where your sport was
created, developed, grown to maturity, and still has its most loyal fan
base. Loyal, at least, until now.

Not scared? You're only about to kill the golden goose, that's all. Think
we'll continue to give a damn about Nascar no matter what? Think again.
You've already replaced the good old boys behind the wheels with slick
talking, ready made spokesmodels from California, Indiana and "somewhere up North." Now you're taking the races away from us all together. Why should
we care anymore? We grew up pulling for certain drivers because they were
like us, common Southerners, and they came from towns like Spartanburg,
Timmonsville, Concord, Owensboro and Level Cross. And when we wanted to see them race, instead of watching them on TV we went to towns like North Wilkesboro, Greenville, and yes, Darlington. Anybody out there care to buy plane tickets so you can join the 200,000 or so folks in the stands in
Phoenix?

All good things must come to an end, as the sports cliche goes. Or, as
John A. Simone, Sr. put it, "If you're in a bad situation, don't worry
it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry it'll change."
For Darlington Nascar fans, and indeed for fans throughout the Carolinas,
times have changed for the worse. So rather than cry about it, we might as
well do something.

Anybody want to buy a Race Bus?

The New Photos are Finally Up!
We're sorry it's taken so long, but the photos are finally online now from
the March 2004 race in Darlington. We had a great weekend, the weather was terrific, the racing was great, and we made great new friends in Steve and Henri! Not all of the photos turned out like we hoped, but you'll find the
new ones on our picture page.

We'll be bringing Darla out again this summer for the 8th Annual Million
Dollar Shootout at Traces Golf Course. Once again, we're raising money for
the Florence and Darlington YMCA's and 10 finalists will all have a chance
to shoot for a million dollars. We'll also have a captain's choice golf
tournament, so mark your calendars for July 23 through July 25, 2004.

Look for another update soon!

This is it!
Darla will be ready to roll, Nascar is headed to Darlington, and (knock on wood) the weather forecasts all look great for the big weekend! After four Nextel Cup events, we've had only two different winners: Dale, Jr. in Daytona and Atlanta, and Matt Kenseth in Rockingham and Las Vegas. What will happen when the show comes to Darlington Raceway? Don't miss out on the excitement, make your plans right now to come to the infield for another memorable weekend!

Just Two Weeks 'til Darlington!
Las Vegas....Atlanta....and Darlington! What a natural progression in the Nascar Nextel food chain! From Sin City last weekend with its 170,000 seats at the race track, to Atlanta this coming weekend and its fastest track on the circuit reputation, and then to "The Track Too Tough To Tame!" Of course, I rode by the raceway on Sunday afternoon and everything still says we're hosting the Winston Cup, but I guess they'll get around to changing all that before the haulers pull into the infield next week. We'll be back between turns 3 and 4, so plan to join us for the weekend. And try to carry an extra 6-pack of Rolling Rock for me, I'll probably be out by Sunday!

Thanks for coming back to TheRaceBus.com!
We're two weeks into the 2004 Nextel Cup Series now and it's already time to take a weekend off from racing. I just wanted to remind everyone that the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 is coming up soon and we'll be partying in the infield all weekend! With talk that last week's race in Rockingham may have been its last, we need to make sure Darlington Raceway sells plenty of tickets to keep two race weekends close to home. So get off your lazy butts and buy some tickets to join us on the Race Bus!

Welcome back to the Race Bus web site!
We're at the beginning of 2004 now and about to enter a new era in NASCAR with the Nextel Cup series set to begin very soon in Daytona. We've updated this site with new photos, new links, and new information about the Race Bus and friends, so please take a look around. CB Averitt is our new web site administrator, so if you have any comments or problems with anything, or would like help building your own web page, contact cb@scubamadness.com!

Lots of changes are in store this year with the introduction of the Nextel Cup Championship Series! I don't claim to know or understand all of them, but I believe the basics for the new point system are as follows:

All teams will compete in all 36 events with points calculated normally for the first 26 "regular season" races;

After 26 races, the top 10 and all cars within 400 points of the leader will take part in a "Chase for the Championship;"

Beginning the "Chase," the points leader will be assigned 5,050 points, with all the chasers assigned points staggered by 5 in descending fashion (e.g., 5,045 points for driver in second place, 5,040 for third place, and so forth);

Race winners throughout the season will earn 5 additional points from the old system, beginning with Daytona.

At least that's what I've gathered from what I've read so far. If you've spotted more significant changes, please enlighten me. All of these new changes were allegedly made mostly because so many folks were pissed off last year when Matt Kenseth won the championship while only winning one race, whereas Ryan Newman won 8 races (and about every damn pole in qualifying) but finished 6th in points. Which, naturally, begs the question, "What would have happened last year under the new points system?"
The 2003 Winston/Nextel Cup Champion would have been.......

1. Jimmie Johnson........and.......
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Ryan Newman
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
5. Kevin Harvick........and, all the way down in 6th place......
6. Matt Kenseth.

So, there you have it. Of course, that's assuming that the drivers would have raced the same way, which, of course, we hope they won't under this new system designed to add excitement and more entertainment for the fans at the time of year when the NFL is just starting play, the Major League Baseball playoffs are beginning, and/or the NASCAR championship is a damn near foregone conclusion like it was last year.

Wrapping up this update, once again here's my Top Ten Wish List for the '04 season:

1. Rusty Wallace wins a race. Any race. Get the monkey off this man's back, please. How the hell does Newman win 8 and his team mate wins none?

2. Matt Kenseth wins 10 races but fails to win the Nextel Cup championship. That'll confuse the hell out of the NASCAR big shots.

3. The spring race in Darlington has another finish like last year, except 3 wide this time. And Kurt Busch ain't one of the 3.

4. No swimming pool this year for the new edition of the Southern 500. It's in November now, right? Two words: Hot Tub.

5. Kurt Busch is points leader after 26 races. He's closing in on his first championship, THE first Nextel Cup, but here's the twist:
Jimmy Spencer didn't make it into the "Chase" and Mongo has but one mission on his mind the rest of the season: Search and Destroy.

6. The "Chase for the Championship" prompts pundits and mass media into an alliterative metaphor frenzy. "Race for the Riches." "Tally Ho for the Title." "Playoff with a Payoff." "Dash for the Cash." "Hunt for the Cu........p." Sorry about that. Got carried away, I guess.

7. Mark Martin wins the championship, finally ending all those Viagra jokes about running hard all........hey, didn't I use this same gag last year? Forgive me. My little brother works for Pfizer.

8. The Race Bus guys collectively grow enough balls to take the bus to another race besides Darlington. Like Talladega.

9. The new lights in Darlington have a surprising side effect no one expected:
We're all a lot uglier at night time in the infield than we thought.

10. An old guy, one of the NASCAR veterans, wins the championship. I'm still sick of this "Young Guns" shit.

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?