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 My old Kentucky home Horseplay of a different kind before California dreamin'
Posted: Wednesday April 28, 1999 11:00 AM
Two of the biggest events in racing will be this weekend, and we're going to play a part in both of them. Sunday, of course, is the California 500 stock car race at the California Speedway in Fontana. One of my bosses, Roger Penske, owns the place and it's really nice. It's a great place for fans, and it's a flatter, smoother track that makes for some great racing. By the way, that was NOT a paid announcement. Before we get there, though, we're going to Louisville, Ky. That's right. Before we get to the 700 horsepower track, we're going to stop by the one horsepower track.
For the California race, my Mobil 1 Taurus is carrying the Kentucky Derby colors. I'm from Kentucky, and Mobil 1 has some ties with Churchill Downs. It's the Kentucky Derby's 125th anniversary, and the 125th anniversary for the Mobil Oil Corporation. So our car will be silver, and, instead of the usual red Mobil Pegasus, there'll be a thoroughbred racing horse complete with jockey. The car looks really cool.
Cutting a different rugWe unveil it Thursday at Churchill Downs. After we unveil it, I get to drive it around the racetrack. No stock car has ever gone around Churchill Downs. Apparently there was some auto racing there back in the early 1900's but none since then. I raced on a few horse tracks when I was coming up so I know what to expect. I just hope Churchill Downs knows what to expect! Wonder what the track record is there?
I'm really looking forward to visiting Churchill Downs, meeting some of the trainers and jockeys, and taking a look at the place. For somebody from Kentucky, Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby means a whole lot. I'm hoping we can put a little NASCAR racing in their hearts there, too. The people we've met so far have been pretty excited about being part of our race team, just like we've been pretty excited about being part of the Kentucky Derby. Being a part of an event like the Kentucky Derby does a lot for our sport and enhances everyone's image. I think the mint julep crowd and the beer drinkers can come together on this one. Us Coca-Cola drinkers have been in both camps anyway, so I'm going to feel right at home. It's going to be pretty cool firing up the engine in that silver car Thursday. I guess those horses haven't heard anything like that in a while. For the Derby, I'm leaning towards General Challenge as the favorite. Last I saw, he was 7-2. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that means but I was told it's pretty good odds. I like him because he's the kind of horse who has a good time. That's me. Racing is more fun than anything I've ever done in my life, and I admire an athlete who has a good time doing what he loves to do. So I have to admire General Challenge. Plus, when I heard somebody called him the 'Dennis Rodman of horses,' I knew that was my pick.
West Coast-boundAfter we set the qualifying record for Churchill Downs, we'll try to do the same thing in California. It's a good race track and a place where we really had a fantastic run last season. We finished second to Mark Martin but had a really good car all day long. We really seemed to click on the flatter tracks last season. We were second at California, had a couple of top 10s at Michigan, won at Pocono ... the flat tracks really seemed to work well for us. We think we can do that again this time around. We know what we have to do. This could be a really good track for us to get a string going. The next few races -- at least the points races -- are spread out some, and now is the time to start making a move. A really good run at California, followed by a really good run at Richmond -- which was a good track for us last year -- and then a really solid run at Charlotte -- which was a good track for us last year -- could really get us back on the rails in the right direction. As tough as this sport is, you're not going to run great every week. Some people run great more weeks than others, but nobody is fantastic every single week. What we need to do is take advantage of the tracks that are really good tracks for me and for the team, and pick up as much as we can in the points and see how well we can do, see where we can maybe find Victory Lane again. The thing about this bunch is the fact we've been able to overcome our bad times. We have bad times like any other team, but nobody gets down. Everybody starts looking to the next race, seeing what it takes to improve, seeing what it takes to get better and working harder to get better. We keep doing that and our time comes. This is a good race team and we have a lot going for us. A couple of good runs in the next few weeks will really show that to everyone. NASCAR's Jeremy Mayfield drives the No. 12 Mobil 1 Ford for Penske/Kranefuss Racing. His column appears regularly on CNNSI.com.
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