Text 65, 221 rader
Skriven 2005-04-10 08:45:00 av Michael Powell (1:2320/105.0)
Ärende: Virtual Thunder Newslette
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Virtual Thunder(tm) - The Interactive Racing Experience(tm)
~ Newsletter: April 8, 2005
http://www.virtualthunder.com
Back from Bristol! The weather conditions didn't provide a maximum
trackside experience, but the races were good once they were run. The
finale was the make-up Busch race on Monday that I was fortunate to be
able to stay for - thanks goodness for that Tuesday flight! If the
weather on Monday was around for the entire weekend we would have had
a lot more fun camping. But we made the best of it by watching
tractors pull out RVs that were stuck in good ol' Farmer Bob's
Campground. Speaking of which - we did manage to get the driver of
the tractor's autograph on a Farmer Bob's t-shirt. It wasn't Farmer
Bob himself, but a relative, Uncle Bill.
Overall the racing was excellent but the campsite activities would
have been better without the cold, rain and mud. Hopefully we'll see
better weather in August.
The Cup series continues with the short-track theme this weekend at
Martinsville - good luck with your picks!
Dave Crawford
dave@virtualthunder.com
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Virtual Thunder decals and patches available!
Order the latest Virtual Thunder decal - refresh your car bumper, your
RV, race car, cooler or camping equipment - a set of 5 for just $5.
New this season! Get yourself a team patch to iron/sew onto your
favorites racing jacket or hat, your driver suit or other race gear -
just $8.
Visit the online store to see these items and ordering instructions:
http://www.virtualthunder.com/store/
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New Challenge: April (Please No Showers) Challenge
Play along with 70 major events in April and hopefully the majority of
them won't get rained out - after all, it is the rainy season!
For details:
http://www.virtualthunder.com/challenges/details.asp?chal=18
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New Game >>> Baseball <<<
A new game has been created with a similar game format called
BeyondTheDugout.com It's as easy as picking the winning team and the
number of win-by runs. If you like baseball or know someone that
does, please help spread the word and help make BeyondTheDougout.com
become a new baseball sensation.
Play along at:
http://www.BeyondTheDugout.com
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Crew Views by Jeffrey C. Andres
Short track racing for the 2005 season has finally begun with the
running of the Food City 500 Nextel Cup and Sharpie 250 races this
past weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The weather became a factor by
raining out both qualifying and racing on Saturday in the Busch
series. The race was postponed and run on Monday. It also left drivers
with a "green track" on Sunday.
Kevin Harvick had posted wins this season as a team owner (even though
Delana, his wife is officially listed as the owner) in both the Busch
Series (#33 Tony Stewart at Daytona) and in the Craftsman Truck Series
(#6 Ron Hornaday at Atlanta). But Bristol belonged to Harvick last
weekend. Harvick qualified in the 13th position but the crew found a
power steering leak before the start of the race which relegated
Harvick to start in the 43rd position. The farthest back that a race
winner had started prior to this race was in 2001 when Elliot Sadler
won from the 38th spot.
Since the Busch race was postponed until Monday, I was unable to watch
any of it, but I did see news reports of the events that happened. RCR
managed a one-two punch when Harvick was able to stay ahead of
teammate Jeff Burton on the green-white-checkered restart. The caution
flew with three laps to go when Shane Hmeil ran Dale Jarrett into the
first turn wall after apparently driving through a few other drivers.
Hmeil was fined 25 driver points and $10,000 for gesturing that
Jarrett was #1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only other driver to sweep
both races at Bristol on the same weekend.
A lot of people have been asking me: What's up with Jr. this season?
Not an easy answer here folks. There are so many rumors floating
around on this subject that one could fill a hot air balloon. One
rumor has it that Jr. and Teresa are in the midst of a big feud and
that Jr. will leave DEI at the end of this season and move to RCR.
Another has Jr. starting his own team backed by none other than, you
guessed it, Budweiser.
First of all, it's very early in the season for the rumor mills to be
flying. Secondly, I doubt that Jr. would ever just quit DEI and join
up with RCR, even if an offer came. And finally, I think that DEI
would lobby to retain Budweiser as a sponsor. Oh sure, Bud and Jr. are
somewhat synonymous with each other, but I believe that Teresa has
enough pull to keep Budweiser in her pockets.
So why the lack luster performance out of the #8 team? This is my
slant on it. DEI had to "shake" things up this season. I think it was
that or else they would have had to let Michael Waltrip go, and they
may still, if his performance doesn't improve. Also, Jr. has not been
without the Eury's for three or four years and that particular
combination was just beginning to come together. Then there is the
changes to this season's schedule. By taking the spring Rockingham
race out (a 5th place finish last year) and putting in the California
race (not a strong track for Jr.) It has put Jr. just a little behind.
But now we have two short tracks, tracks that Dale Sr. show Dale Jr.
how to get around on, and then we come into Texas, Phoenix, and
Talladega, I think we will see a big turn around for Jr. So for all of
my friends that are ready to give up on Jr., DON'T! He'll be coming on
strong over the next four weeks or so.
The Flying Lug Nut Question and Answer for last week: Q) Who holds the
qualifying record at Bristol Motor Speedway? A)Jeff Gordon B) Dale
Earnhardt C) Ryan Newman D) Darrell Waltrip A) On 3/21/03, Ryan Newman
set the qualifying record at 128.709 mph, (14.908 sec.).
Here is this week's question:
Not only am I the youngest winner at Martinsville, but I also hold the
record for most top ten, most top five, and most wins. Who am I? A)
John Andretti B) Richard Petty C) Kurt Busch D) Jeff Gordon
http://www.virtualthunder.com/series/trivia.asp?sid=1
All opinions expressed in Crew Views are the sole views and or
opinions of Jeffrey C. Andres and may not necessarily reflect the
views and or opinions of Dave Crawford or Virtual Thunder.
As always, I appreciate any and all player feedback, and comments can
be sent to Go3Black@virtualthunder.com.
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Virtual Thunder has been named the "Official Internet Racing Game" of
the ASA Late Model Series and the CASA - California Asphalt Sprintcar
Association Series.
Virtual Thunder will continue to provide competition online along with
all the races in these series and some new online and trackside
promotions are in the works.
I am looking for players interested in either of these series that
would like information about becoming a Virtual Thunder representative
for the season. Duties would include attending events and hanging out
in the pits with the touring and local drivers and teams. Please
email me at dave@virtualthunder.com if you can attend a race this
season and are serious about representing Virtual Thunder.
For more details about these racing series, visit:
ASA Late Model Series
http://www.asalatemodels.com/
CASA - California Asphalt Sprintcar Association Series
http://www.casaracing.com/
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New Series & Speedways
Check out some of the newest series to be added for 2005:
http://www.virtualthunder.com/series/newseries.asp
Suggestions are welcome for any touring series or local speedways. A
team rosters and schedules are required to get started and we'll need
access to the results during the season. If you can help moderate,
even better!
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Not too late for 2005 Memberships!
Help support Virtual Thunder and become a member for just $40.
Keeping the game going is my top priority and since it's such an
expensive operation, I welcome any ideas or suggestions you may have
to help raise some funds.
Memberships can be purchased online using PayPal.com or by mail and
monthly subscriptions are just $5. Full details:
http://www.virtualthunder.com/members/register.asp
Thanks for making Virtual Thunder a fun way to follow racing! The
game will continue to be free, so don't stop playing even if you
cannot afford a membership. But if you can help out, your support
will be greatly appreciated!
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The Girls Garage are back for a new season and they have a fun new
book available.
The Women's Guide to Nascar's 2005 Season
Author: Sherree Woodington & Arianne Hegeman
Book details and ordering information can be found here:
http://www.samswebsite.com/details.asp?ID=500
Visit the girls at:
http://www.girlsgarage.com/
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Team VT Feedback
Problem, suggestion, comment or new business ideas - please contact
Virtual Thunder at:
info@virtualthunder.com.
For technical support please email techsupport@virtualthunder.com
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Virtual Thunder
http://www.virtualthunder.com
Dave Crawford
dave@virtualthunder.com
Team Virtual Thunder
www.virtualthunder.com
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