Hello race fans!

I guess you're wondering where I've been these last few months! Sorry, no excuses, just really busy. I was away on vacation, throwing a few parties at my house and just enjoying the summer! The last time I blogged was right before the Charlotte races back in May! I was fortunate enough to travel down to Charlotte with Lynch Tours & More and spend the entire week before the Coca Cola 600 doing shop tours! It was fantastic! I have always wanted to do the "Dream Tour" and even though I didn't get to experience the entire tour, I was able to share in most of the activities that were included in the package! Thanks to the Lynch family for including me in one of the best race weeks of my life! Met lots of great people and even made my way into places, the day of the 600, most people don't get to! Finally got my picture with Denny Hamlin on pit road right before the race...check it out on my facebook page, it's my profile picture!

Since then, seems like things have been fairly quiet on the NASCAR circuit, that is, until last weekend in Kentucky! Anyone out there that went to the races? Lynch Tours & More had a group that went and they too, were stuck in that traffic mess! They made it to the track by 6:20pm and some of our customers missed going down on pit road and to driver introductions! What a bummer, shame on Kentucky Speedway for not being more prepared! I heard Bruton Smith's press conference yesterday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway didn't help matters! He apologized for fans not making it to the race, but basically blamed everyone else for all the problems! He insulted the state of Kentucky, even going as far as saying Interstate 71 is the worst road he has ever been on! Excuse me Mr. Smith, but you knew that before you petitioned for a date there, so why are you blaming the state for that? Also, I guess it was the state's fault that you ran out of food and drinks too! Now,I am a big fan of Bruton Smith, his tracks are always well maintained and I feel my money is being put to good use every time I return to one of his tracks. But, I am so disappointed that he has not stepped up and taken responsibility for what happend and just tell people he will do whatever it takes to make it right for next year! Instead, he is not reimbursing the fans who never made it to the track, instead, he is offering them the chance to go to one of his other tracks this year or the 2012 Kentucky race. Too bad if you already used up all of your vacation for this year and can't go! Come on Bruton, man up and do the right thing, reimburse those fans! We are what make this sport and without us, there would be no NASCAR racing! Now that I've voiced my opinion, I would love to hear from you guys! Anyone who was at the race, or at least attempted to make it to the race, right a comment on here and tell me about your experience and if you would go back to Kentucky!

Let's get back to the business of racing. The Series is in Louden, New Hampshire this weekend in what should be some great racing! I'm sure alot of the drivers are looking at this race as a very important one. The next time they visit Louden, it will be the first race in the Chase! So, it's extremely important to have a good car and a good starting position. Ryan Newman won his fifth pole at this track for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday with his teammate and boss Tony Stewart starting second. Good luck and may the best man win! (Go Denny Hamlin!)

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, it's going fast! If you're looking to go to a racetrack soon, give Lynch Tours & More a call at 1-888-RACETOUR or check out our website, which now can be found under www.lynchtours.com or our old site at www.racetour.com! We look forward to seeing our current and past customers and of course, welcoming new ones! Thank you for your continued support and as always, see you at the races!

Hello race fans!

I hope everyone is getting ready for a big week of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway! It all starts Friday night with qualifying for the Sprint All Star Race. I just watched David Ragan win the pole for the Sprint Showdown, which is the forty lap race that takes place prior to the All Star race. The top two finishers of the Showdown will advance along with the fans vote, to the All Star race on Saturday night! After qualifying tonight, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will take to the track for the N.C. Education Lottery 200. This weekend is full of action and it's just the beginning of the busy week in Charlotte! Next weekend will start out with the Nationwide race on Saturday and then Sunday, is the longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600! Should be an exciting week of racing and I can't wait for all of it! Also, congratulations to the #11 FedEx team of Denny Hamlin, who won Thursday night's Sprint Crew Challenge! They are the first team to win the event twice, way to go guys!

Speaking of Charlotte, I have the opportunity to travel down to Charlotte on Sunday to spend the entire week visiting different race shops with Lynch Tours & More, along with attending next weekend's races! I will also have the opportunity to attend the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where I will see my all time favorite driver, David Pearson, get inducted into the second class of all time greats! I am so excited and can't wait to get down there to begin, what will sure to be a fun filled week of NASCAR events!

So, what did everyone think of Regan Smith's upset victory in the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway? I was so excited for him! It's really nice to see a driver win his first race, and especially somewhere like Darlington! There is so much history there and for Regan to win his first race there, will be something he will never forget!

I took a group of LTM customers to Dover this past weekend, for what I thought was going to be a Sunday where we were sitting on the bus, waiting out the rain! As it turned out, It never really rained, it was very cloudy all morning, but when it was time to race, the clouds went away and the sun came out! It ended up being a beautiful day with temperatures around 75 degrees! Congratulations to Matt Kenseth who won the race, but I was very disappointed in how Denny Hamlin ran. Granted, this is NOT one of his better tracks, but he ran in the same spot all day long! Then, he sped down pit road and just never seemed to get it together. He finished sixteenth and somehow managed to gain three spots in the championship standings! Go figure!!! Anyway, had a great time with our customers and I also took several family members with me, which was great. All seemed to have a great time and so did I!

Now off to Charlotte! I hope everyone gets to enjoy all the racing this week and I wish all the drivers, crew members and fans, a safe, fun time!

As always, see you at the races!

Hello race fans!

Well, once again it's been a little while since I've written my blog so I hope everyone's had a great couple of weeks! I've been very busy, starting out with two weekends ago going to Talladega with my sister, niece and nephew. What a great time we had, and I enjoyed taking our Lynch Tours & More customers too! Both Nationwide and Sprint Cup races were very exciting, even with the two car draft that I witnessed in person for the first time. I wasn't sure how I would like it but it wasn't bad! It still ended up with close finishes for both races at the end, which was great, so I wasn't disappointed! Was a little bummed Jimmie Johnson won, but all in all it was a good race. After we went to the races, my family and I headed to Savannah, Georgia for a few days. What a great city! Took a trolley tour, a Dolphin tour and the best part, ate at Paula Dean's restaurant! I have wanted to do that for a long time and I finally got to try it out. It did not disappoint, had the best fried chicken I have ever eaten! Can't wait to go back!

I returned from my trip and dove right into Easter plans. I had two days to get everything together. I had my family and my in-laws over for a grand total of eighteen people! It all worked out perfectly, food was great and even managed to have an Easter egg hunt for my younger niece and nephew. There was only one person missing, my mother-in-law. :( It wasn't the same without her, but she was in our hearts all day long.

Then it was off to Richmond International Raceway. Took a group of customers and had a great time there. I was fortunate enough to receive some tickets for myself, my sister and nephew to the Bubba Burger hospitality area. The hospitality there is great because it's indoors and you can walk around and see the different drivers making appearances. My nephew got his picture taken with David Ragan and his favorite driver, Tony Stewart. He even signed his hat, what a special treat that was! The race was great, Denny Hamlin finally had a good night with a second place finish. It didn't really help him with the points, he stayed the same, but it certainly had to help his confidence. Even though Kyle Busch won, I was happy for Denny's good run.

This weekend the teams head to Darlington Raceway. What a great race track! Lynch Tours has a group there, Brian and Stephanie are the tour representatives and I know they will have a great time! Should be a fun race and I'm hoping Denny can repeat with a second straight win there! GO DENNY!!! Don't forget the races are Friday and Saturday night. So, good luck to all the drivers and crew and most of all, have a safe weekend!

Lastly, I want to wish my mom and all the mom's out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Make sure you treat your mom extra special and let her know how much she is appreciated. Mom, you are very special to me and I love you very much!

Have a great weekend everyone and as always, see you at the races!

Hello race fans!

Once again I am lax in writing my blogs lately! No excuses this time, just really busy! Hope everyone is enjoying the race season so far, I am somewhat, still bummin about Denny. I thought Martinsville and Texas were going to be good tracks for him, but that didn't turn out the way I wanted it too! It did however, turn out great for Kevin Harvick at Martinsville and Matt Kenseth at Texas! Kevin won his second race in a row and Matt broke a seventy six race losing streak. The Martinsville race was pretty exciting but found the Texas race to be a bit boring. It's one of those mile and a half, cookie cutter tracks that can sometimes be exciting and sometimes be boring. Oh well, that's all about to change this weekend in Talladega!

So, who thinks the racing this weekend is going to be the way it was at Daytona this year? Will there be the two car drafts again or could it be single file racing that we've seen there before? I would love to see the three and four wide packs all day, but I don't think that's going to happen! It still should be a great race and who knows, maybe this will be the race where Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaks that long losing streak! He's been doing pretty good this year, looks like having Steve Letarte as his crew chief has really made a big difference. Guess we'll have to wait and find out! I actually will be at the races this weekend with a Lynch Tours & More group. I'm really looking forward to my first race of the year! I'm taking my sister, niece and nephew along with me, we are making the long drive to Atlanta, where our group will be staying. Should be a great time, so if you're at the races this weekend, stop by and say hi, we'll be in the fourth turn bus parking lot!

After the races, my family and I are heading to the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia for a couple of days! While we're there, we are going to check out Paula Deen's restaurant! Anybody ever been there? I've heard it's great and I love watching Paula on her cooking show on the Food Network! Who knows, maybe we'll see her there! NOT! Anyway, looking forward to a fun week!

Don't forget, Lynch Tours & More is taking a group of people to the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway in July. Don't miss this opportunity to see the Sprint Cup Series make their debut at this mile and a half, tri-oval speedway! We are offering two different hotel locations, one is an airport property for those who want to fly and have shuttle service to the hotel. Check out our website at www.racetour.com for all the information. We look forward to hearing from you!

Everyone have a great weekend and until next time, see you at the races!

Hello race fans!

I would like to start out by apologizing for not writing a blog for the past few weeks. It's been a very difficut month of March as my mother-in-law Esther, was sick and passed away on March 14th. She had been battling cancer for the last eight years and it finally was too much for her. She passed away peacefully and her family will miss her dearly. So, thank you for being patient with me as I took time to be with family over the past several weeks.

Now onto the business of racing! It's been so long since I blogged, I almost forgot who won what races! lol! On my last blog, the series was headed to Las Vegas where Carl Edwards did his signature back flip after his win! Then it was off to the short track, Bristol Motor Speedway. That weekend started off kind of strange with all the tire issues, but in the end the problem was taken care of and Kyle Busch completed the double by winning both Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series races! And, last week it was California style racing as Kevin Harvick passed Jimmie Johnson on the last turn on the last lap to take the win! Great finish to a somewhat boring race, but that's California for ya!!!

I have to say, I am a little bit bummed by Denny Hamlin's start so far this season. I know he usually always starts out a little slow, but this is not what I was hoping for. This weekend's race in Martinsville should be just what the doctor ordered! Qualifying was on just prior to me writing this today and Denny starts fifth! Hopefully that's a good sign that he will have a great run!

News has been kind of quiet in the world of NASCAR these past few weeks so not much going on to talk about. One thing I will say is that I'm happy to hear that the TV ratings have been up from last year at most of the races so far. Not quite sure what has changed except maybe the new point system, could that be it? Maybe it's because Dale Earnhardt Jr. is doing better, that certainly would be a good thing. Whatever the reason is, maybe this is a sign of good things to come after a rough couple of years with the economy.

The Sprint Cup Series is headed to Martinsville, Virginia this weekend and this is one of my most favorite tracks! It ranks right up there with Bristol and Richmond! Lots of beatin' and bangin' gonna go on there and I can't wait! Jamie McMurray is starting from the pole so be sure to tune in on Sunday to watch at 1:00pm ET on FOX!

Lastly, Lynch Tours & More has been continuously updating our website with pricing for upcoming races, so be sure to check it out at www.racetour.com If you have any questions, give us a call at 888-RACETOUR!

SEE YOU AT THE RACES!!!

Hello race fans!

With only two races into the 2011 NASCAR season, who would have thought we would see a 20 year old rookie win the biggest race in NASCAR and the following week see a veteran break a sixty-six race losing streak! WOW! If this is an indication of what this year is going to be like, I say, "have at it boys!" I'm not really a Jeff Gordon fan, but I have to say, it was good for the sport for him to get back to victory lane. And apparantly, fans who watched both the 500 and the Phoenix race, agreed! Television ratings were up significantly for both races, especially Phoenix. It was the most ever watched race since they started racing there! I thought Kyle Busch was going to pull of the Trifecta and, he almost did! He sure gave it his best and I was pleasantly surprised how gracious he was in his interview after the Sprint Cup race where he finished second! Looks like marriage is definitely agreeing with Kyle! Speaking of him being married, tune into the Style Channel on Saturday night, March fifth, to get a behind the scenes look at Kyle and Samantha's wedding that took place New Year's Eve!

Now, I want to talk about a subject that came up on twitter last week by Dave Moody, host of SIRIUS Satellite Radio and one of Motor Racing Network's commentators. Moody writes articles, I think once a week, for Sirus and then he posts them on twitter. Now, I like Moody, I think he's a great announcer for MRN and I love to listen to him on Sirius, however, I was a little annoyed at the article he wrote last week. The name of the article was titled "Searching for Balance in Nationwide Series". The article goes on to say how, because of the new point system, it is more challenging for the media to have to interview drivers, who may have not won the race or even finished in the top ten, but drivers who are now in the top ten in points. As you know, before the race season started, drivers were forced to choose which series they wanted to run in, so the Sprint Cup drivers who race in the Nationwide Series, will receive no points and vice versa. Moody made reference to Danica Patrick in particular, stating that she qualified fourth for the NS race in Daytona and finished fourteenth then she qualified twentieth in Phoenix and finished seventeenth three laps down, yet she was interviewed by ESPN following both races. Without going into the entire article, his point was basically that this has created a new challenge for the media with who to interview after a race. After I read the entire article, I tweeted Mr. Moody back and said to him "its no different than dale Jr. last week. He is and has not run much better than Danica still gets tv time." Moody's response back to me "Good point, still don't like it though." Now before all you Dale Jr. fans get upset at me, I was NOT saying that cause I'm not a fan of his, I was merely pointing out that after the Daytona 500, FOX interviewed Dale, who by the way crashed out and finished twenty fourth, and never bothered to interview David Gilliland, who fninshed a career best third! Then, the conversation continued this past Friday on Sirius Radio with Moody and Kenny Wallace who proceeds to say that he knows for a fact that certain people, not sure if he means the interviewers or someone else, would be fired if they don't interview certain drivers! Not sure I totally believe that, but not sure why Kenny would say that if it's not true! If that is true, it's pretty sad! I feel drivers who finished in the top five in the race should get their time in front of the camera and then if there is time left, they can move on to anyone else they feel should also be interviewed Anyway, I just wanted to voice my opinion on the matter and if anyone out there agrees with me, or even if you don't, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. You can read the entire article by going to the following website: http://www.sirius-speedway.com/2011/02/searching-for-balance-in-nationwide.html.

Well, it's off to Las Vegas this weekend for both series! One of these days I'm gonna get to that track! I have never been to Vegas and am anxious to see the city and of course, the races out there, maybe next year! Good luck to all the drivers and of course, GO DENNY HAMLIN! He's racing in both the Nationwide and Cup races, can't wait to watch!

On a final note, I wanted to let everyone know, that I have added a photo gallery on my blog page. It's in the upper right hand corner underneath the Home page link. Some are older pictures and some newer but I will be adding more as the season goes on. Hope you enjoy them! Have a great weekend everyone and as always, see you at the races!!!

~

Hello race fans!

All I have to say is, if you didn't like last weekend's Daytona 500, I'm not sure if you are a true race fan! That had to be one of the most exciting 500's I've seen in a very long time! I wasn't real sure about the two car draft thing, but after seeing all forty three drivers on the track at one time, I kind of started liking it! I knew all of them weren't going to draft in two's, I told my husband the morning of the race, that I thought the first eight to ten drivers would split up into two's, and the rest of the field would probably be in a tight pack. For the most part, I was right! The only thing that really surprised me, was how early the "big one" happened! I was so glad Denny was in the back of the pack when it happened and survived, well at least till about three laps to go! As the race went on, I thought, wow, is this the race that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was going to break out of his slump??? Well, that didn't happen! But, who can't be excited to see the young twenty year old driver, Trevor Bayne, win his first Sprint Cup Series race, not to mention, the biggest race of the year! I'm sure many will say that he won because some of the big names were taken out early, or it was just first time luck. I happen to think it was pure skill! He still had to stay out of trouble, he ran up front all day and when it counted, he was there. So, say what you want, the kid is good and apparantly I'm not the only one who thinks that! I was especially excited to see that #21 car in victory lane, as David Pearson was my favorite driver back in the day! I actually was at the last race that Pearson won at Daytona back in 1976. I went to the race with my dad and sat in the first turn and was soooo excited when he crossed the finish line first after that famous crash with Richard Petty! Definitely one of my most fondest memory of my dad!

Well, after all that excitement, it's time to move on to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. Now that the new points system has had one week under it's belt, how is everyone feeling about it? I was a little confused at first, it seems like it should be easy to follow, but when you have guys like Trevor Bayne who are not running for the Sprint Cup title, it made it a little confusing! But, I guess all I need to do is wait till the race is over on TV and see where everyone is at! LOL! As of the time I am writing this, Kyle Busch has already won both the Truck Series race and the Nationwide race. Is this the weekend he finally pulls off the Trifecta? I wouldn't be too upset if he did, but my money is on Denny. He almost won the fall race last year, until he had to pit for fuel at the end. Although, I think he's going to have to contend with a very fast Carl Edwards who will be starting on the pole. Whoever wins, I feel this will be the real start of the 2011 NASCAR season. I'm looking forward to seeing some great racing and most of all, getting to the race track very soon!

Lynch Tours & More has posted several more race packages on our website and there are still more to come. We are looking forward to meeting new customers this year and welcoming back our returning customers as well! The Lynch's are also celebrating twenty years in the business this year, and we want you to be a part of it! Visit us at www.racetour.com or follow us on Facebook and be a part of this very special season in racing!

Have a great weekend and as always, see you at the races!

Hello race fans!

Is everyone as pumped up about the 2011 NASCAR season as I am? I am so excited to get things rolling, I have been counting down the days and now it is finally here! I have been watching, when I could, all the racing from the Budweiser Shootout, to the practice sessions and the Gatorade Duel 150's! My husband and I were in the beautiful islands of Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean from February 8-16, so fortunately we got FOX and saw the Shootout! As you can imagine I was so excited to see my favorite driver Denny Hamlin, cross the finish line first, but of course that was short lived! I knew he didn't win when he crossed below the yellow line, but it sure was an exciting way to finish the race! Denny's week hasn't gotten a whole lot better! He apparently didn't have his steering wheel locked in when he went to qualify, so he ran in the grass and ended up qualifying very poorly for the Duels. But, fortunately, even after a spin in that race, he came back and finished eighth to qualify eighteenth for the Daytona 500! GOOD LUCK DENNY!!!

So, having said all that, I want to know what everyone thinks about all the rule changes since they got to Daytona! And what about this two car draft that seems to be the "new" form of racing there now! I'm not sure I like it, but I don't think we will know what to expect until we see all forty three cars on the track on Sunday!
As some of you know, I am an avid NASCAR fan, and personally, I don't care what they drive, how they drive it, or what kind of car it is, I will always be excited to go see a race or watch it on TV! I just want to see a great race with my driver contending for the win!

I am curious to know what all you Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans are thinking this year. Do you like him paired up with Steve Latarte? Do you think he has a legitimate chance at winning the Great American race? And what about you Jeff Gordon fans? Will he finally break his losing streak? Will he ever win that fifth Championship? Don't get mad at me fans of both of these two, but I think Dale Jr. is gonna struggle again this year and I think Jeff is going to be a contender but I don't think he will win the Championship. Now, as I have said before, I am really bad at predictions, so if I am wrong about both of these guys, I will eat my words for sure! Also, can Jimmie Johnson win a sixth Championship in a row? I hope not!!! I want Denny to win it this year, and his motto has become #11 in 2011! I hope that is the case!!! I guess we will have to watch this season and find out!

I am going to sit back and watch the season opening Nationwide race in Daytona today and then anxiously watch the 500 on Sunday! I expect both races to be equally exciting, only thing that would make it better is if I was actually there! If you're in Daytona at the track, Terry Lynch of Lynch Tours & More is there with a great group of people, so stop by the bus parking lot and say hi!

One last note, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the tenth anniversary of the passing of Dale Earnhardt ten years ago this weekend. I was at that race back in 2001, and even though I was not an Earnhardt fan, I have to say, his death shook me to the core! I have never seen so much sadness and disbelief as I did that day. I was bringing a bus load of Lynch Tours customers back to Orlando after the race, when about halfway home, I found out that he had died. I told my customers if I knew anything before we got back to the hotel, I would let them know. Unfortunately, I had to make that dreadful announcement to them. I had grown men break down and cry when I told them and I sat down in my seat and broke down into tears! I had a personal reason for that, my dad passed away in 1999 and he was a huge Earnhardt fan, so it had an especially hard impact on me! In the days following Dale's death, I couldn't watch enough of all the coverage that was on TV or in the newspapers. Even though I was not a fan of his, love him or hate him, he was NASCAR! I think the sport to this day has not been the same! I would personally like to tell the Earnhardt family that you are in my thoughts this weekend as I'm sure it is very difficult to look back at that fateful day.

Lastly, I want to wish all of the driver's, crew members and fans at Daytona, a very safe weekend! And, thank you NASCAR for trying to put on the best show possible for us fans here and all over the world! As always, see you at the races!!!

Hello race fans!

I can't believe that the 2011 NASCAR season is almost upon us! It seems like just yesterday that Jimmie Johnson was celebrating his historic fifth Sprint Cup Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway! I know I am extremely excited about the upcoming season as there will be some new changes, though not earth shattering, in all three series! Most notably in the Sprint Cup series with the new points system, the removal of the catch can on pit road and not to mention several different drivers getting into new rides! WOW, it's going to be a so much fun to watch it all play out!

So, who is bold enough to make any early predictions about who's going to win this years Sprint Cup Championship? I obviously have not done well in my predictions in the past, so I am not even going there!!! But I would love to hear from you guys! Will it be a Hendrick Motorsports driver, a Joe Gibbs driver or even a Richard Childress driver? All three of these teams had a driver finish in the top three so my bet, (if I were to make one), would have to be from one of these teams. However, you can't count out anyone, especially those who finished in the top twelve in points in 2010.

So, anyone heading to any races this year? Of course, you know that Lynch Tours & More and myself will be back in action to help you get to the race track. Our 2011 schedule is in the works with several race tours on our website with many more to come. Remember that we can customize your race tour package to accomodate most anything you will need during your weekend with us. Even if you have your own race tickets, we can still give you pricing for the hotel and transfers to and from the track, plus any additional ammenities that you may want included during your stay. Please don't hesitate to give our office a call as we would be more than happy to assist in helping you put your mind at ease, by taking care of all your travel needs in a friendly and professional manner! Give us a call at 1-888-RACETOUR or visit our website at www.RACETOUR.COM. Also, we will be eventually changing our web address to www.LYNCHTOURSANDMORE.COM, which will work now as well. Remember, our website is under construction. All of the races that we are planning on attending are on the right side of the screen, so if pricing isn't available, please call the office and we can help you with the cost. One new track that is on our schedule this year, is the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway for the Sprint Cup Series! So, sign up early, to ensure you get to be the first to see your favorite Cup driver take to the track for what is sure to be an exciting race!

Thank you again for continuing to read my blog and I look forward to an especially exciting race season! I continue to be a huge Denny Hamlin fan and will be cheering him on this year with hopes of finally getting the big trophy at the end of the season.

As always, see you at the races!