Monday, September 07, 2009

It doesn't get any better than this

When you cover any kind of event, you hope for a lot of things. Drama. Emotion. A chance at seeing history broken and records set.

Sometimes you get lucky and get one; sometimes you get none. At the 2009 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil, we got all four. Lucky us.
 

Monday, September 07, 2009

A lot of talent left in the sportsman ranks

You know the old saying about how the cream always rises to the top? A quick scan of the players still around for the final day of eliminations for the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals certainly seems to confirm that as the remaining sportsman drivers include at least a dozen drivers who are former national champions or past U.S. Nationals winners.  

Monday, September 07, 2009

'Smoke' visits the U.S. Nationals

One of the nine items I had on my want-to-see/do list this weekend was seeing special visitors, and I have to admit, with none materializing before today, I was starting to get a little nervous it wouldn’t happen. Thankfully, that changed during and after the second round of Pro eliminations today when NASCAR driver Tony Stewart (aka "Smoke") visited the U.S. Nationals. 

Monday, September 07, 2009

Event recap: Caddyshack Edition

Wow, what a race! This year’s Mac Tools U.S. Nationals presented by Lucas Oil had everything from great, side-by-side racing to competitive and personal drama that probably made for a wildly captivating ESPN2 telecast. At the suggestion of Kevin McKenna, I will recap NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing's version of The Masters with quotes from an all-time classic movie: Caddyshack. 

Monday, September 07, 2009

The dream is over, or has it just begun?

So, the 55th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals are over. The stands have cleared, traffic is probably jammed up all along the surrounding roads, and everyone here in the press room is tap-tap-tapping away on their keyboards working to meet deadlines. My work here is done, except for you, my last little Indy blog.