Title photo credit: NASCAR.com
2021-0613 Sunday. 956 PM. There have been countless laps around tracks of varying sizes, shapes and surfaces for the drivers. Endless tire changes, challenging suspension adjustments, impossible body repairs and discouraging penalties have been the life of the pit crews. Spotters have stood helplessly on parapets of numerous courses, watching their team's car spin, crash and tumble out of control. This is stock car racing. This is the NASCAR Cup series.
Photo credit: mrn.com Today was the NASCAR All-Star Open and Race at Texas Motor Speedway. After 17 race weekends and even more races, we've roughly reached the end of the season's first half. Seventeen drivers were awarded automatic spots in the race. Three more spots are given to the winners of three Open race rounds and one last spot given via fan vote. These 21 drivers competed for prize money in today's race in Fort Worth, Texas.
I had been building a little play table for my youngest and sweeping up the floor, while jamming to some Kevin Fowler. The Bolts had lost to the Isles earlier and Giannis Antetokounmpo had just finished his post-win interview on the four letter network. My motor-sports fanatic son, Amos, asked if the race was on yet. "I don't think so." I said, as I flipped to the channel guide. We were both excited to find out the Open had begun. This was some qualifying race with three rounds of 20 laps, it seemed. The winner of each round earned a shot in the All Star Race. After Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Aric Almirola won their respective rounds, Matt DiBenedetto was revealed as the fan vote winner. With the field set, the pre-race All Star ceremonies began. There were some awkward features to the ceremonies, like a guy dressed in white doing a flaming lasso show. I don't think it was symbolic but you never can tell in these times. Also, requiring the drivers to be introduced with cowboy hats in hand was a bit garish. I was thoroughly entertained watching the majority of those guys walk out between rows of cheering Cowboys Cheerleaders and fireworks shooting into the air, uncomfortably handling their ten gallon hand props.
Photo credit: FS1
I was managing kids, dogs and dinner while attempting to follow the race itself. I'm still not quite sure what the multiple round winners represented, but at the end, Kyle Larsen held off Brad Keslowski to win his third race in as many Sundays. While the All Star Race results don't count toward Cup Series advancement, Larsen walks away with $1,000,000 minus the taxes. NASCAR continues to band my family together on Sundays, after service, and that's always a checkered flag for me. Congratulations, Kyle Larsen, from bakesHere.
2021-0613 Sunday. 956 PM. ACQUIRE as NEEDED. bakesHere.com
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