A little bit of NASCAR history found in Raleigh

Last weekend, I took some of my family who was visiting Raleigh for the weekend to the North Carolina Museum of History. I was plesantly surprised to see what an excellent collection of artifacts and information was on display at the downtown museum. It was also nice to see several historic NASCAR race cars on display. Of course, its only fitting that NASCAR is represented in the museum as its roots are based in the Tarheel State and date back to the moonshine runners in the western part of the state.

In the lower lobby, a Junior Johnson Chevrolet SS was on display and in the upper level NC Sports Hall of Fame; there is a Richard Petty Pontiac Grand Am and a Dale Earnhardt race uniform. I took a couple camera phone pics which you can see below.

If you are ever looking for a way to spend an afternoon, I definitely recommend checking out the museum which is located next to the state capitol.

American Formula 1 team to be racing in twenty-ten!

Wow, I am psyched. Tomorrow, the recent rumors will come to fruition as Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson of Formula 1 fame are announcing at 12 noon, their intentions and plans to create a US based American Formula 1 team that will be located here in North Carolina USA near Charlotte in NASCAR country. Apparently, they have been working on plans for the team for over 4 years and they are targeting 2010 to have a team on the starting grid with at least 1 American driver in an American built car. They point out that the time has never been better to enter F1 as the global economic crisis has put the series in a cost cutting mode which will allow them to do more with less. Their annual budget is targeted for $60 million. I certainly look at this news with high hopes though I imagine the task will be extraordinary given the cost and competitiveness of the current F1 field. Consider that last season, both Ferrari and Honda spent over $200 million each. My first thought is what engine will be powering their car in 2010? Here is a interview from Sunday when Peter Windsor joined Dave Despain on Windtunnel. I remember meeting Peter coming out of a bar in Indianapolis back in 2006 during the GP weekend. Now let me go set the DVR for tomorrow.

Update:
Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor held a press conference with SpeedTV to announce their new teams and answer questions from the press.

No sooner did USF1 make their name and plans known to the world than Bernie Ecclestone demanded they remove F1 from the name since he owns the rights to it. The team has since been renamed USGPE (for US Grand Prix Engineering). I guess it will be business as usual for Bernie and his treatment of our new US team.

My 'other' race schedule for 2009

I have high aspirations for 2009 when it comes to running and racing. Currently, I feel like a big fat turd sitting here trying to recover from an ongoing cold that was made worse by a night of drinking, a morning of running hungover and eating too many donuts but my goals for the year far exceed that silliness and this stupid cold.

My intentions include a sprint triathlon (with my wife Michelle), a half marathon and a marathon. While I am unsure about the half location, I can say I intend to register for and run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC this October. I ran this race as my sole marathon to date back in 2006 and would love to improve on my time.

Right now, it seems like a long way off but the day will be here before I know it. For now, I wish that these antibiotics will do their job and kill the green shit growing inside me so that I can begin preparation for the following events. Carpe viam!

April 4 - MS-150 Kickoff Training Ride (21-25 miles) - Durham, NC
June 28 - BASF Smile Train Sprint Triathlon - Wake Forest, NC
October 25 - Marine Corp Marathon - Washington DC

Dirty Danica

From the looks of the updated Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue website for the upcoming 2009 issue, IndyCar driver (and race winner) Danica Patrick is returning for another edition of her swimsuit modeling photos. While I certainly take no issue with swimsuit models, sexy swimwear or fit ladies taking their clothes off for print and video publication, I wonder how her racing fan base and detractors alike will respond to her latest posing for the famous SI issue. It seems at times that Danica enjoys teasing her male audience more than she does actually trying to win another race. Since I am neither a swimsuit model or a race driver - who am I to judge? Enjoy a sample below and the catch the rest of them here.

Krispy Kreme Challenge IS a challenge

This past weekend, I competed in the 5th Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC. Together with a group of friends, we set off on the 2 mile trek from the bell tower on NC State's campus to the Krispy Kreme store in historic downtown Raleigh. The goal of the event was to somehow eat a dozen glazed donuts and run the 2 miles back to the finish at the bell tower all within 1 hour.

While I would normally have no problem running 4 miles roundtrip or eating 4 or 5 donuts in one sitting - the idea of running and eating 12 of them just seemed ridiculous - to the point that I considered the race a big joke. Yes, over 5000 people participated this year. Yes, $35k dollars was raised for a local children's hospital. Yes, ESPN was in Raleigh to cover the event. But I still found it hard to take seriously.

Anyways, I sure wish I had because drinking a couple too many drinks the night before, not running for the winter so far and having a cold; all certainly added to the abuse of my body that this race caused. Nonetheless, I did run it, I did eat some of the donuts - 6 to be exact and I did make it back to the finish in 1 hour and 3 minutes. So I didn't actually succeed in completing the challenge but I don't mind one bit nor will I be returning to try to compete again - at least not regarding the donut eating part of it.

On a brighter note, the weather was amazing and the fun I had with friends was worth it.

Check out the ESPN Sportcenter coverage of the race below: