MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The fact that Ryan Newman walked out of Halifax Health Medical Center holding the hands of his daughters less then 48 hours after one of the most vicious wrecks in NASCAR history during the Daytona 500 is amazing.
The race was pretty good, and Denny Hamlin showed why he is now one of the best superspeedway drivers in the current field of NASCAR wheelmen. His third Daytona 500 victory puts him in rarefied air with some of the sport’s greats.
Only Richard Petty (seven), Cale Yarborough (four), Dale Jarrett (three), Jeff Gordon (three) and Bobby Allison (three) have won The Great American Race as many times.
But that’s not why this year’s Daytona 500 will be remembered. The 62nd running of the February classic will always be known as the Daytona 500 in which “Rocketman” Ryan Newman survived what appeared to be an unsurvivable crash.
Credit has to be given to NASCAR for its safety advancements. Also, we give a nod to the “boys back at the shop,” as they say. The men at Roush Fenway Racing built a sturdy machine that did a remarkable job of protecting the 42-year-old Newman.
Newman has always been thought of as one of the toughest drivers in NASCAR racing. Now, just like Hamlin, he is also in rarefied air. His group just includes the tough guys of the sport, drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Harry Gant, Yarborough and Buddy Baker.
Glad to see you are OK, Ryan.
– We need to say thank you to great friend Jon Rall at Kawasaki for the invite to join him and a group of guests on another incredible adventure. This time, we got to explore the extraordinary Hatfield-McCoy trails in West Virginia with the new Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000.
The Hatfield-McCoy trail system is close to 800 miles of interlocking trails that run throughout the Mountain State. The trails are laid out like a gigantic ski area. The trail map shows green, blue and black trails, signifying the difficulty of the wide variety of terrain — beginner, intermediate and expert, respectively.
Because of the declining coal industry, West Virginia officials are working hard to encourage enthusiasts and their dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs and side-by-sides to come tackle the trails. With the fantastic variety of terrain and a season’s pass for only $50, it’s a bargain.
Adding to the enticement to visit “Wild, Wonderful West Virginia,” one can actually drive through the local towns aboard an off-road machine without a license plate. You simply unload your vehicle once and spend the rest of the time riding.
If you plan to go off-roading, we recommend the Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000. It will power through, crawl over and claw its way up anything in its path, doing it all with rugged good looks.
It’s powered by a 1,000cc liquid-cooled four-stroke engine. The Kawasaki seats two and only weighs 1,896 pounds. The suspension is spectacular courtesy of 18.6 inches of travel at the front and 21.1 inches at the rear, as well as standard 31-inch tires.
It’s difficult to decide which was more remarkable from behind the wheel: The grip and traction when you stood on the throttle or when you stomped on the brakes.
The cockpit is roomy and comfortable. After spending all day blasting up and down the trails, we were covered in mud but not worn out at all. Suggested retail price is $20,499. The adrenaline rush is worth way more than the sticker price.
– “Uppity” is a new documentary about the life of Willy T. Ribbs. Ribbs was an extremely fast, talented and outspoken racer. He pushed the cultural boundaries while chasing his dream of becoming the first black man to race in the Indy 500 — a goal he eventually achieved.
The movie includes interviews with Ribbs’ former teammates, including David Hobbs and Wally Dallenbach, as well as many of the folks who played integral roles in Ribbs’ career, such as H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler and Bernie Eccelstone. The best storyteller in the film, of course, is Ribbs, of course. He puts viewers right in the moment of each significant time period throughout his career. There is also plenty of great vintage racing action. “Uppity” is directed by Nate Adams and Adam Carolla and can be found on Netflix.