Quoted QuotableS From NASCAR NOTABLES
11/26/2013
PattyKay Lilley
Good day
gentle readers. This Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means every one of us has
things to do and places to be this week, so I saved this collection of quotes especially
for this time when I knew there'd be no chance to write. Everyone seems to
enjoy these whenever I take some out of mothballs, so for those of you in need
of a smile to brighten up your day, here are some more quotes to add to your
collection of witty or reflective statements by the luminaries in NASCAR. I
truly hope that you all enjoy these occasional sojourns from the serious side
of our sport to the lighter and more farcical side. I know that I do!
Kyle
Petty discussing Dover Downs:
"If somebody was building
another Dover today and the word got out, I'd bet at least three of four
drivers would chain themselves to the bulldozers in protest.''
(And yet
it was at Dover in 1995 where Kyle scored the last of his 8 wins)
Felix Sabates speaking about Joe Nemechek:
"I told Joe a month ago that
winning is like sex. The more you do it, the more you like it."
(Felix,
here’s hoping that you got one more often than the other)
Darrell
Waltrip:
“There’s no bigger surprise than
to be tooling along at 200 mph and suddenly getting hit from the rear”
(Unless
it's tooling along at 200mph and the guy in front of you brakes for no
discernible reason.)
Harry
Gant:
“When today’s race is over, it's
over. The only race that matters is the one coming up.”
(Miss
you Handsome Harry)
Richard
Petty:
“The good Lord doesn't tell you
what His plan is, so all you can do is get up in the morning and see what
happens next.”
(By
Jove, I knew there was a reason to get up in the morning)
Kyle
Petty:
“Why did I take up racing? I was
too lazy to work and too chicken to steal”
(As
long as you had a good reason, Kyle.)
Ward
Burton after winning at Loudon :
“I would like to thank everybody.
You know who you are and your last names.”
(Maybe
just a tad overexcited)
Steve
Byrnes:
“After nine laps at Dover several
years ago, Ken Schrader got hit from behind and spun out. I had to go back to
the garage and interview him. The team was working on the bent-up racecar so I
asked him, ‘Kenny, can you get back out on the track?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I'm
afraid so.’"
(I still
remember that interview. It was funny then and it’s still funny now. Love ya
Kenny, and I'm sure gonna miss ya!)
Richard
Petty:
"The playing field has never
been level, and it sure ain’t this time. NASCAR looks at it different than
racers. NASCAR looks at it like a show: ‘We need to throw the checkered flag at
the end of 500 miles, and 43 cars need to be running side by side.’ We want to
try to get the edge. This year they’ve been jacking around with the rules, like
they do every year. It’s going to be good for somebody, and it’s going to hurt
somebody. There’s no way of making it even all the way through."
(The
more things change, the more they stay the same)
Tony
Stewart:
"NASCAR has proven time and
time again that they’re willing to change the rules at any time for any or no
reason. I don’t get too excited about rules anymore because they could change
at any time."
(Tony,
we've got rules? Miss you too, big guy. Hurry up and get back to us. It's not
the same without you... and that wit.)
Sterling
Marlin driving for Coors Lite:
"We had the wrong gear,
wrong springs, wrong shocks and wrong car. We had the right beer, but other
than that, we got stomped."
(Sounds
like a bad day)
Ward
Burton:
"We’re having chassis, aero and
motor problems. Other than that, things are great."
(And yet
another bad day)
William
C. France, recovering from illness at Daytona:
"I’m not quite ready to kick
a** and take names, but I am taking names."
(We miss
you Billy. All is forgiven; please come home.)
Rev.
Dale Beaver (On his first meeting with Dale Earnhardt, when he was told
Earnhardt was having lunch.):
"Oh, great!
He’s killed a bear this morning, and he’s back there eating it."
(No
comment necessary)
This is
more of a story than a quote, though it ends with one. Back in the early 1980s,
Junior Johnson was having a banner year as a car owner. Actually, he was doing
so well that some publications, which normally thought they were above auto
racing, wanted to interview him. When a writer from one such newspaper in the
Carolinas seemed disdainful while conducting an interview, he didn’t realize
with whom he was dealing. When he sarcastically said to Junior, “I’m sure that
you go to engineers in Detroit to learn a lot about motors, right?” “No” replied Junior,
without missing a beat, “they come to me.”
(And
they really did, you know)
Dave Marcis:
“I don’t think our system of
provisional starting spots is right. The nature of this sport is competition;
to me, you’re either fast enough or you don’t make the show. Do the Green Bay
Packers get a free spot in the playoffs just because they won some Super
Bowls?”
(Dave,
that just makes too much sense.)
Dave Marcis again:
“A lot of people give me advice,
and I realize they mean well. Like, they’ll tell me, ‘You ought to hire an
engineer.’ But you know, you’re talking about $150,000 a year to do that, and I
don’t make that myself.”
(File
that one under “painful truths.”)
Sterling
Marlin:
“My dad’s pretty special. I still
remember the day he told my mother I was gonna race at NASCAR’s fastest
speedway. Daddy was spearing a piece of meat at dinner. Looking away from her
he said, ‘Pass the potatoes Eula Faye. Sterling’s running at Talladega this
weekend.’”
(That
story has been retold by every broadcaster that’s ever covered a race.)
Dale
Earnhardt:
"What makes the Monte Carlo
so good? ME!"
(You’ll
get no argument from this old fan.)
Dale
Earnhardt Jr., on California Speedway:
"I felt like the track came
to us, but then it went beyond us."
(And
yet another bad day.)
Jeff
Gordon:
“I don't feel I'm a step above
anyone on this team. I'm just another link in the chain.”
(Well,
maybe, but I think he’s the strongest link.)
George
Elliott, father of Bill, Ernie and Dan:
I hope my boys make good in
racing cause they'll starve to death if they don't.
(George,
I don’t think you ever had a thing to worry about.)
And for
our last quote today, here’s some more fatherly advice, which was obviously
heeded well:
Ralph
Earnhardt, advising Dale on racing:
“There is only one lap you want
to lead, and that's the last lap.”
(Teach
your children well.)
I hope
everyone enjoyed these, because they are the last batch I have at the ready. Nothing to worry about though. Folks tend to keep right on
talking... and sometimes saying things that aren't too bright while doing so.
Please
allow me to take just a moment to wish each of you, my gentle readers, a very happy Thanksgiving. If you're traveling, please drive
carefully and arrive safely. Eat your fill, but do take a moment to thank Him
from whom all blessings flow, for your ability to do so. Remember too, those
that serve in all branches of our military, many of whom are far from home and
family this Holiday. God bless us, every one, and God Bless America... again.
No bird on this table
Be well
gentle readers, and remember to keep smiling. It looks so good on you!
~
PattyKay
[email protected]