the jade gurss blog

Been Working Out...

I've been working out lately. I've really developed a helluva six-pack for an old man... What do ya think of the new abs?

(does it looks like this Dale Jr. fan is actually drinking... Coors Light? Well, with a tattoo like that, no accounting for taste...) 

What did you think of Ralph Sheheen's performance in a clutch pinch-hitting role as the play-by-play anchor position with TNT on Sunday? I thought he did very well - and you can get some of the behind-the-scenes details in my SPEEDtv.com column. You can now see the column with a simple click here: "Have Mic, Will Travel."

Update: NO! That is not really my belly (it was just a joke, kids)... and Bill Weber is 'out' for the final two races on TNT. Sheheen is in for Daytona and Chicago... 

MJ in Context

Here are two of the finest stories I've read about the passing of Michael Jackson and his place in pop culture. It's hard to describe the lightning-in-a-bottle sensations of first seeing him first perform the moonwalk (borrowed from James Brown) on the Motown 25th Anniversary Special in 1983 or hearing the best of his transcendent popcraft.  

"The King is Dead" -- Bob Lefsetz, The Lefsetz Letter

"MTV's Jackie Robinson" -- Toure, The Daily Beast 

or a view of his legacy from the Washington Post. 

A Good Day at Sonoma

It was a sparkling NASCAR race Sunday afternoon at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA. I'd like to hear from the road race haters after this one. (Seriously. Leave your comments below.) It had so many twists and turns, literally and figuratively. The event had superb racing with a lot of passing, an array of strategies, a lot of carnage and an unexpected victor with the silky smooth drive by Kasey Kahne. Very entertaining and well-done to the No. 9 Bud team for the best pit strategy backed up by a strong drive. 

The Cat Daddy: I've often joked that I want to be like Dan Gurney when I grow up. Kudos to TNT for featuring Dan on their seemingly twelve-hour pre-race show. If you missed it, you can still see the Gurney feature by clicking here. Or, visit Dan's All-American Racing site for more details about his celebrated career as a driver, constructor, innovator and even a presidential candidate. 

Ouch!

The direct impact of the General Motors withdrawal from NASCAR is being felt here... 

Effective immediately, I'll no longer be a consultant for Kevin Harvick Inc.  As the Chevy factory team in the Truck Series, the manufacturer's support was an integral part of the KHI program, so it was inevitable that changes were going to be necessary. I appreciate everything DeLana and Kevin have done for me the past year or so. It was fun... 

Now - onto finding new business clients or alternate employment. Any ideas?

X Games... in 3D

See Ricky Carmichael this summer in the ESPN/Disney 3D film of the X Games. Here's the first trailer for the film.

Ricky Carmichael meets Luis Franco with the Kid's Wish Network. See the photo gallery here.

Wednesday Update: 

Check here for how the motocross media is covering Carmicheal's NASCAR truck experience. See the photo podcast from Vital MX and the cool wallpaper images for your computer from RACER X Online.

The New Ken Block Gymkhana Video

(AKA Motorsports EYE CANDY.) Enjoy.  

Update: Since everyone else has thrown in their two-cents worth (and more) on the topic ad-nauseum, I've thrown my hat into the ring as well with this week's SPEEDtv.com column: Getting Junior's Swagger Back. It seems to be highly unpopular with several Speed readers already, so I suppose I said something right.

Thanks to "Wind Tunnel"

Thanks to producer Andy Parsons and host Dave Despain for inviting me to be a guest on SPEED-TV's "Wind Tunnel" program last Sunday night... It was a lot of fun.

The Milk Can Wait

It was great to see Helio Castroneves win at Indianapolis, but I was disappointed in the race that saw few meaningful passes. What I was most disappointed in, however, was seeing Indy Racing League officials attempt to prevent Castroneves from climbing from his car to traverse the fence. Especially with a series that is fighting to grow and find an audience, all sincere forms of emotional expression should be encouraged - not discouraged. It was equally sad to see the same officials dragging Helio forcibly from the embrace of his parents and sister to Victory Lane. People like emotion. People want emotion. Here is a significant win for the most popular driver in Indycar racing - and the celebration should have reflected the extreme emotion of the moment - not prevented because of the television time-buy or the sponsored tradition of the drinking of the milk. The milk can wait: let the winner, his team and his family enjoy the win. 

What does it say about the relative strength of the two series when two Target-sponsored cars are leading the biggest single race of the year, only to cut to a commercial including Target's NASCAR-sponsored racecar?... Paul Tracy provided the most cubic inches of bravery (or sheer craziness) to make most of the scary, incredible passes of the race day. 

How I Spent My Holiday Weekend: Yes, the blisters are healing quite fine, thank you. The 24 Hours of Victory Lane.  The 600 only seemed like it lasted 24 hours, while others really did race twice around the clock. 

Carmichael Rides with the Ft. Worth Police Department

Ricky Carmichael became an honorary member of the Ft. Worth Police Motorcycle Unit Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway. Carmichael, at the track promoting the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at TMS, rode through the skills and precision course used for police training. Carmichael, riding a Suzuki RM-Z450, completed the course in 49.733 seconds compared to Officer Mike Richey, who finished in 52.971 on his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. Carmichael then led the officers for a few laps around the 1.5-mile speedway, including some few high-speed wheelies by the 15-time AMA motocross champion. 

You can see a photo gallery of the event at KevinHarvickInc.com plus read the full details of the day. Carmichael will compete in the Monster Energy / KHI All-Stars Silverado at Texas Motor Speedway, Friday night, June 5. 

Click on the video for highlights of Carmichael riding with the Ft. Worth Police Motorcycle Unit and doing burnouts on his Suzuki. (Photos by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway. Video courtesy of TMS.)

Ricky Carmichael Rides with the Ft. Worth Police Dept. from Jade Gurss on Vimeo.