Laps Danced Laps Diminished

02/17/08 09:59 PM | Spurts

32 drivers out of 43 starters finished on the lead lap at Daytona for the Nascar seasons opener. It was a relatively clean race with only 7 cautions and none for the first 80 laps when debris caused the first slowdown. Laps 150 and 161 were the next two cautions then the last four cautions occurred in the final 24 laps of the race. In the end Indiana boy Ryan Newman won his lucky 13th career Cup victory with the help of his team-mate Kurt Busch, bringing racing team owner Roger Penske his first 1-2 finish in Nascar Racing and his first Daytona and restrictor plate victories.

I watched most of it from the comfort of Rich Culy's big screen TV dominated basement. It was the first Turkey Frying event of 2008. Like so many previous TF events, there was a decent audience on hand, and the food and friendship was as fun and entertaining as the tri-oval stars and the main event. As in the past seven or eight Turkey Frying events I brought my green-bean casserole and Jenni made Hot-Mamas (this time with bacon). Rich dropped three or four mega-fowl (Meleagris Gallopavo) into searing oils, Mel brought her potato and deviled egg specialties, and Guy brought Maddie who brought her peanut butter pies. Yum and yum all around. Kay brought her culinary skills to bear again with delicious treats and other guests supplied more than enough sustenance for our Band of Bellies. Newbies to the Turkey Fryer race party scene and Sport Bowl regulars, Richard and Jennifer Speer and their 4 year old Ryan and Tony Hurst and Liz Cheek their infant son and four year old Hayden all seemed to get enough to eat and have a real good time. Barb and Mike Novak and Jeff Barber and Rachel Aspy made rare appearances at the Culy party command. Mike McDaniels and Joey Bula made return appearances as did John David, Mike Wilson and Maddies daughter Alysha and her infant son Brandon.
carcass and boneyard

It was a weird day. I made my food portion for the event on Saturday night, Jenni made hers on Sunday morning which held me up on getting to Rich's since we decided to take just one vehicle. Before the racin' started Rich and I had to make a trip to 86th and Ditch for the funerary services of Roberts co-founder and Bruce's mother Rose Pallman who passed on Valentines day. The service was nice and the family recollections and the letter reading were both touching and very humorous. It was a good tribute to the Rose that I remember and worked with for over 17 years. The service concluded at 2:45 and Rich and I were back on the near-south side by 3:15; just in time for the dropping of the green flag by stock car racing legend Richard "The King" Petty.
At 3:34, just as we were settling in for a long green flag run my phone rang and I had to get upstairs try and hear the call. It dropped in the basement so I dialed back from the incoming call list, it was Sue Reilly at Sport Bowl alerting me that Will Andrichick was taken to the hospital from the Chatterbowling event that was taking place simultaneous to the Rich fowl food fandango. I called Will's son David later to inquire and he was still at the hospital with Will and Dorothy. He said there were heart enzymes in the blood and there was as a little concern and that they were holding Will for another test at around 11:00 PM. Note that there are always some heart enzymes in the blood, higher levels can be an indicator of stress or damage.
So It was an up, down, up, down kind of day. Late and start and stressful delay. Goodbye to Rose. Congratulations to Ryan Newman. Thanks to all the friends at Rich's party and good luck and speedy recovery to Will.
My head aches; I'm full, tired and I think I will attempt reposed and restoration. I shall slip into night-laces wing, I shall enter Morpheus' realm again, I shall trip the tryptophan-tastick!