Thank God the Pocono Race is being televised on TNT and that's a cable station that won't cut the race short. I am happy to announce that a few minutes ago Greg Biffle confirmed that he still has not finalized his contract yet, but he hopes to stick with Roush-Fenway and be in a Ford of Tomorrow. We can kill the rumors that he is being courted by Hendrick and Gibbs.

A lot of Gamespot friends ask why I watch NASCAR. "Krypto, how can you stand that? It's just a bunch of rednecks turning left." You have no idea how wrong you are. With the passing of Bill Jr last Monday, I figured I should probably explain it to you kids. In college from 1997-1999 I was a full time driver for Pizza Hut while in college because I had bills to pay. I worked days with no class and weekends 8 hours a day in a station wagon, or Chevy S10 delivering pizza to McPherson Kansas citizens (who are lousy tippers). It got to the point that on Saturdays I was able to navigate the streets of the small college town with my eyes closed based on where we started and when we turned. That's a lot of time in a vehicle.

If you have not driven yet because you are too young, you need to know that driving is a very strenuous activity. A driver must keep control of the car itself, must keep track of his gauges, the environment and other drivers on the road. I made my share of mistakes and am very glad I wasn't fired or jailed by cops. It's a fact that during sundown, it doesn't matter how you plan it, you will always be driving into the sun. So, focus on nothing, notice everything, react in a heartbeat. And in town, that's at 25-35 miles an hour for 8 hours.

While I drove I didn't listen to music, I listened to Motor Sports Network and the Busch races on saturdays and the Winston Cup (it wasn't until 2004 that Nextel took over). Baack then it wasn't the Rock Concert/Superbowl/Air Force Open House experience it has become today. The drivers were tough, the danger was real and the racing was just the thing to keep my mind firmly focused on the job of being safe on the road.

Driving at 35mph in Saturday traffic in a college town is a task with a DC of probably 10 on a 20 sider. Add +2 for every 2 hours in the car consecutively, so at 10pm on that last delivery the DC is 18 on a d20. Any D&D 3.5 player knows at this point you are relying heavily on bonuses when trying to get anything above a 15. Experience gives you a +2, focus is another +2. Now roll a d20 and add 4 to that number. if you just rolled a 14 or more, congrats you just made it to your delivery, and back to the shop to work close-up.

A nerd can do the math on that for me, but it's kinda difficult.

Now, if you understand driving and have driven on the Interstate, you know that it becomes even more difficult to drive at higher speeds, and if you have to drive 400 miles you are expected to do so with a break to get out and stretch every 2 hours to avoid fatigue, keep your focus and to generally relax from the tense body contortions you have had to do in order to keep the throttle steady, to keep the car driving straight, and to make sure your traveling opponents are doing the same and won't cut you off, forget to signal or get you into trouble. You can not assume other drivers are watching out for you, you have to be aware of them and drive defensively and sometimes agressively in order to avoid a crash, accident, or injury. That's just at 65-80mph.

NASCAR is driving for as long as 6 hours straight, 400-600 miles, in a car that feels like an oven. The heat in the car can get so hot that drivers must wear fire suits and routinely complained of 1st to 2nd degree burns on their legs. I mean even Oak Ridge National Laboratory is involved in some teams space age enviromental comfort strategies. Now, add 100 to 120 miles to what you were driving on the interstate. That's a DC 35 or more. Trust me.

The drivers aren't the only athletes. Tire changers, gasmen, jackmen, and crew chiefs are all prone to ripping a bicep grabbing or tossing a goodyear. They change tires and fuel up a car in 12-15 seconds. Jiffy lube takes 30 minutes to do my car. Mechsanics are athletes. They have to be! Now, the crew must also be smarter than your average athlete too. Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied physics, Aerodynamic specialists and even statisticians are required in a Nextel Cup race team. The engineers to make the car, the engine, the aero package... come on, these people are not only smart and strong, they are Spartan super soldiers, because unlike the panzies at NFL they race 37 times a year. 37.

If you thought it was rednecks turning left all day, you really need to start watching TNT during this next six weeks and learn how much of a thinking man's sport this is. Redneck? No, Nascar is the ultimate in Redneck-Geek. Them's our peeps! Think of Master Chief and the gang doing endurance, math, and agility training all at once. Dude, I love this sport, its Science, its Cars, it's FAST! Not to mention it has personality which WWE wishes they could script. And yes, Jeff Gordon married this lady:

Yeah, Belgan supermodels dig NASCAR drivers, and multimillionaires, and winners...

So, if I blog about NASCAR in the future, you know why I am always so excited to see a race or learn news about my favorite sport.