Happy Hour, Special Edition: The best Madison Rising emails

Throughout the week you can send us your best questions, jokes, rants and just plain miscellaneous thoughts to happyhourmailbag@yahoo.com or @NickBromberg. We'll post them here, have a good time and everyone's happy.

We'll kick off our last pre-Daytona Happy Hour with the best emails we got in reaction to the anthem that Madison Rising performed before Saturday's Nationwide race.

Predictably, they were defensive. Very defensive. Few things bring out vitriol like things that involve and invoke patriotism and its variations.

Some people don't know talent and patriotism when they see it. Your idiotic comments about Madison Rising's performance at Nascar shows YOU have no class. That is the best rendition I have ever heard. Not only was it truly from the heart it was very touching. The lead singer served this country and is proud of it. Your comments are obviously coming out of your ass as you know not what you are talking about.
- Cathie

Score one for Madison Rising.

Nick just read your article on Yahoo regarding Madison Rising singing the national anthem. Why write a grade school article and bash them on their patriotic rendition. Even if you didn't like it, isn't pride in your Country worth something?
I am convinced that you're an America hating liberal that was abused as a child and now feels inadequate as a man and wants to take it out on the good people. Please leave America. Too many idiots like you are destroying us.
- Larry

Yeah ...

I just finished your article on Madison Rising and have to say I was quite disappointed.

I am a fifty-something who believes strongly in God and Country and especially enjoy Madison Rising. They combine their love of God and Country with their love of rock music. I applaud them for spreading a positive message, unlike most music today.

What struck me as funny was the way you mentioned that the drivers were "about to explode with laughter". You must have misunderstood because it is my understanding that NASCAR drivers, as well as fans, are extremely patriotic. Maybe they were smiling because they actually liked the music and the message.

Your insinuated snarky tone when mentioning the lead singer holding the American flag is what bothered me most. If you had done 5 minutes of research on Dave Bray, you would have learned he served in the Navy and comes from a military family. If anyone has a right to hold the flag, it's someone who has served our country! But I'm sure that is something that you wouldn't and don't understand.

With all aside, it was your article and you are entitled to your opinion. However, I think you are in the minority.
- Gina

I'm not sure songs bashing anti-war protests, something allowed to all of us via the First Amendment or saying that our country's First Lady lacks class are "spreading a positive message," but to each their own. Also, drivers were laughing. Because that was such a caricature that it was funny.

(Also, it's worth pointing out that they have a song supporting the Second Amendment. Which, when juxtaposed with the protest song mentioned above, is fun to note.)

You wouldnt know a patriotic natl. anthem if jumped up and bit you on the ASS!!! Im 75 yrs. old and a veteran and if you see their video of the NATIONAL ANTHEM and think thats not PATRIOTIC YOU are as UN AMERICAN and DUMB as a BAG of ROCKS ! That goes for KesLOSER TO !!!
- David

If a national anthem ever comes close to biting any of us in the rear, we are in serious trouble.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/happy-hour-special-edition-best-madison-rising-emails-154439326--nascar.html

Jose Dolhem Martin Donnelly Carlo Abate George Abecassis

Kimi Raikkonen: ?I?m sure we can only get better from here??

Kimi Raikkonen left Australia with seventh place to his name after Daniel Ricciardo’s exclusion gifted him a place, but it certainly wasn’t an easy weekend for the Finn on his comeback to Ferrari. A crash in qualifying was just one … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/03/17/kimi-raikkonen-im-sure-we-can-only-get-better-from-here/

Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral Frank Armi Chuck Arnold

The BMW M2 Coupe Continues Developing

The BMW M2 Coupe will become a reality sooner or later , it’s something I assumed. The M235i is a very fast car but from Munich took a long time that the incursion of this new nomenclature was to give way to something else does . Something that marked the beginning of the history of […]

Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/661-the-bmw-m2-coupe-continues-developing.html

Eric Bernard Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen

IMS Unveils '500' Ticket

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/02/ims-unveils-500-ticket.html

Stefan Bellof Paul Belmondo Tom Belso JeanPierre Beltoise

2014 Jerez Moto2 Test Day 2 Times: Nakagami Leads As Luthi And Cortese Challenge

Takaaki Nakagami has topped the timesheets on the second day of the final Moto2 test at Jerez. His advantage is slim, though: the Idemitsu Team Asia rider was just fifteen hundredths quicker than Tom Luthi on the Interwetten Paddock Suter, the Swiss rider holding off former Moto3 champion Sandro Cortese. Cortese had a very strong day on the Intact GP Kalex, ending the day in 3rd, and over a tenth ahead of Johann Zarco on the AirAsia Caterham.

Luis Salom continues to make a strong debut in the Moto2 class, grabbing 5th spot a third of a second behind Japanese veteran Nakagami. Fellow Moto2 rookie Maverick Viñales struggled again on Wednesday, managing only the 14th best time, more than eight tenths behind Nakagami. Reigning World Supersport champion Sam Lowes skipped the second day of the Moto2 test, choosing to rest a painful wrist. A tendon inflammation had flared up overnight, he told British site Bikesportnews.com, and he decided to sit out the test, hoping to ride on Thursday.

The test concludes on Thursday, and with it preseason testing. The only concern will be the weather, as light showers are forecast for the afternoon.

Times:

Race Details

2014

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MotoGPMatters/~3/ob1IGqgMkV4/2014_jerez_moto2_test_day_2_times_nakaga.html

Jimmy Davies Colin Davis Jimmy Daywalt JeanDenis Deletraz

F1: 2014 Qualifying Format tweaks clarified...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nofenders/zbjv/~3/vS_Ai3XyErI/f1-2014-qualifying-format-tweaks.html

Giorgio Bassi Erwin Bauer Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol

Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html

Andrea Chiesa Ettore Chimeri Louis Chiron Joie Chitwood

Hamilton saga nearing endgame

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamilton_saga_nearing_endgame.html

Tony Brooks Alan Brown Walt Brown Warwick Brown

Hamilton glory cannot hide the hurt

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/lewis_hamiltons_victory_in_the.html

Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem

Montoya Joins Penske

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2013/09/montoya-joins-penske.html

Bill Cantrell Ivan Capelli Piero Carini Duane Carter

2014?s Drivers Assessed (Part Two)

New regulations and surprising testing results have thrown the regular form book into the fire ahead of the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. The big names will be expected to fight it out for the honour of being crowned World Champion at the end of the year ? but pre-season struggles indicate that if Sebastian [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/wi__TjdtdVM/2014s-drivers-assessed-part-two

Henry Banks Fabrizio Barbazza John Barber Skip Barber

2014 Season Preview: No. 6 Matt Kenseth

Welcome to From the Marbles' 2014 season previews. Here's how we think the Chase will shake out in this first year of 16 drivers and eliminations. Will we be right? Unlikely, but it's fun to think about our soothsaying possibilities until the green flag waves for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 23.

Driver: Matt Kenseth

2013 Finish: 2nd

2013 Highlight: Pick a win, any of the seven wins. Looking back, the "career year" questions about Kenseth's 2013 are fascinating. Here's a guy with a Cup title to his name and we're wondering if a second-place finish in the points standings was a career year. (Side note: the presence of this discussion is another reason why NASCAR needs to reward winning more.)

Entering 2013, the most laps Kenseth had led in a season was 1,132, which happened in 2006. He obliterated that last year, leading 1,783 laps. A possible reason? Kenseth had far fewer cars to pass to get to the front. In 2012, his average starting position was 13.3, the best of his career. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, it jumped all the way to 8.7.

2013 Lowlight: Phoenix, but it's only a lowlight because of the man he was racing for the championship. Most other years, Kenseth has a chance to recover from the mistake and we've got ourselves a fight to the finish. But it was Jimmie Johnson. That wasn't happening.

Why is Kenseth here? Can the Joe Gibbs honeymoon continue? We feel that reality may set in, but it's a reality that's better than 30+ teams in the garage. Kenseth won't win seven races again, but he'll win multiple ones. Making the Chase won't be an issue at all.

How could Kenseth not be here? The year-after-second-place slump escalates to epic proportions and Kenseth assumes the role of Denny Hamlin 2013 at Joe Gibbs Racing and struggles mightily. If it seems quite farfetched to you, don't feel bad, we think so too.

However, if Hamlin and the No. 11 are back to full-strength, it will be fascinating to see if JGR can sustain three top-level teams. The last time that all three JGR teams made the Chase was in 2008, and they finished eighth, ninth and tenth.

Best Winter Olympic event: Matty Ice is from Wisconsin, so he can handle the cold weather. However, ice fishing and watching Packers games outside are not Olympic events. We'll go with the slalom. Kenseth seems shifty enough.

Worst Winter Olympic event: Does Kenseth look like a ski jumper to you?

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/2014-season-preview-no-6-matt-kenseth-144120927--nascar.html

Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies Colin Davis

Singapore swing hands Vettel the initiative

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/in_singapore_lewis_hamilton_cu.html

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Hamilton's tough decision

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/09/hamiltons_tough_decision.html

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Landon Cassill was hit by a car while riding his bike in Daytona

After racing his way into the Daytona 500 in the second Budweiser Duel on Thursday night, Landon Cassill revealed that he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Daytona on Saturday night.

"Unfortunately, it was the motorist's fault. I mean, I blame myself a lot for the position I put myself in. I was in the bike lane and had the right-of-way," Cassill said." It's really not funny, I could have gotten really hurt." (He said that with a smile)

"But yeah, I was in a bike lane. The woman was trying to cross the road from a side street and cleared herself to the right, kind rolled the stop sign I believe. T-boned me really. Destroyed my bike. Face plant, blood. But I made the Daytona 500 and she doesn't know that."

The bike accident came up when Cassill was asked about bruises on his face. He said that he was checked out and released from a hospital following the accident and was approved to qualify his car on Sunday by NASCAR's medical team.

Driving for Hillman Racing, Cassill didn't have the benefit of many owner's points or a good Sunday qualifying speed to fall back on if he didn't finish in the top 15 of his Duel race. It was no worry. He finished ninth and will start 18th in the Daytona 500.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/landon-cassill-hit-car-while-riding-bike-daytona-181703145--nascar.html

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FIA decision on new F1 team due on Friday

The FIA is due to make a decision on Friday over whether it will grant a 2015 F1 entry to Gene Haas or the Romanian project fronted by Colin Kolles. The FIA announced a ?call for expression of interest? on … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/02/27/fia-decision-on-new-f1-team-due-on-friday/

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Viva Zanardi!

Source: http://www.popoffvalve.com/2012/9/5/3294060/viva-zanardi

Eric Brandon Don Branson Tom Bridger Tony Brise

Saavedra Signs With KV AFS Racing

Source: http://www.16thandgeorgetown.com/2014/02/saavedra-signs-with-kv-afs-racing.html

George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard Piers Courage

Bahrain names first corner after Schumacher

Bahrain International Circuit has renamed its first corner after Michael Schumacher as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations. The circuit notes that he ?was directly involved in the early stages of the BIC’s development, offering his own input into the … Continue reading →

Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2014/03/02/bahrain-names-first-corner-after-schumacher/

Fernando Alonso Giovanna Amati George Amick Red Amick

Would Vettel or Alonso be more deserving champion?

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2012/11/benson.html

Chris Craft Jim Crawford Ray Crawford Alberto Crespo