2004 Predictions

04/09/04

 

Once again spring is upon us, and not a moment too soon! After spending a week in Myrtle Beach and Darlington last month, either spring comes or I go. I love Maine but man, it is a long winter! No racing, no boating, no motorcycling. It sure is nice to see the lawn out front and start looking forward to the opener at Lee USA in only two weeks.

Along with spring and the start of the racing season come a few responsibilities. The crews need to get the cars ready, the neighbors need to rake their lawns, the kids need to clean up all of the neighbors dog droppings from my lawn and I need to make a few predictions. As always, these are my predictions and my opinions and you are not required to like them, understand them, or even read them.

Every season I predict that the TV package will get better and it does. The sad thing is that every year I add whatever channel I need, to watch as much racing as possible and the following season it changes. In the past few seasons I’ve begged for and received TNN, ESPN2, FX and Speed Channel. This year 18 Grand National races, including the Lee opener will be televised on something that they are calling Hdnet. I don’t know what it is or how it works but I do know that I don’t have it. My prediction is that before the season is over, I will have HDnet and for next season, the races will be broadcast on something called the Joenetwork and it will be done from the back of a pickup truck somewhere and I won’t get it.

I predict that it will be a better season than 2003 for Matt Kobyluck. This season he started with a 3^rd place at Phoenix, last season he started with a crash and burn at the same track.

I predict that even though this will probably be the first season in a long while that the name Martin Truex hasn’t shown up on a BNS roster at any of the races, that we’ll hear the name and see the smiling faces on TV more than ever before.

I predict that the RV fees at NHIS won’t deter many fans. There will be just as many campers as there always are and very few fans will complain about the fee. We’ll grill just as many burgers and we’ll consume just as many of those frosty cold New Hampshire brews as we always do. It’s still a good cheap pit party.

I predict that Tim Andrews will be back and will be even more competitive than before. I also predict that he’ll be the first one to win his first BNS race, ending my string of four seasons of predicting that Paul Wolfe would win his first race. Sorry, Tim, I hope I haven’t put a curse on you, but I’ve got to pick someone and I can’t pick Paul again because I have cursed him right out of the series.

I predict that we will hear from Charles Lewandoski again this season. He may not show up, still, and we may never see him, but we’ll hear the name again.

Jamie Aube has a great looking new paint job, new car number and sponsor on the Verres racing machine this season. I bet if you look real close, though, under that new paint is an American flag and the word "Kaptain" somewhere.

I predict that at some point Bryan Wall will show up and win a road race in the number 88 car. Why 88? What happened to 77?

I predict that between Wall going from 77 to 88 and Aube going from 67 to 10

And Bryon Chew going from 09 to 99, that I’ll be totally confused until about the 4^th race of the season when everything, including that damn TV package, will probably change. I’ll have to tape a roster to the inside of my sunglasses just to know who’s who.

I predict that a Dodge will win a BNS race this season. A real Dodge, with an actual Dodge body. I further predict that the folks at Goss Dodge will proudly put their name in larger letters on the car this season.

I predict that the champion this season will be no huge surprise and will come from the list of names of drivers that have won BNS championships in the last two seasons.

I predict that someone will win the Rookie of the Year award, but until I do some serious research and find out who is running for ROTY this season, I’m not going to make any bold predictions as to who it will be. (I told you these were my predictions and you didn’t have to like them)

I predict that I still won’t be able to sell the Big Brown Truck. I’ve decided that the reason is that no one wants to take on the responsibility of living up to the expectations that go along with the truck. Most fans evidently aren’t able to commit to the lifestyle that goes along with being the driver of The Big Brown Truck. I’ll have to go on, I guess, it’s a nasty job, but someone has to do it.

As always, send Questions, Comments, Hate Mail, and Indecent Proposals to, Fish c/o Busch North Scene or e-mail them to fishy@gwi.net