What A Treat...

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Even though I couldn't make it to the Glyphs...
I've got my govt. rebate digital converter box and digital antenna hooked up and low & behold...
The Chase is on ABC today, so I actually get to watch a race LIVE and Stewart just took the lead!!!

[teardrop_focus]

Aren't those digital converter boxes and what they provide a real surprise?

I was amazed; it's almost as good as DirecTV. ...but not quite.

Pretty good for free TV, though!



NASCAR.com has a neat "Lap By Lap" feature... I've been staying abreast of today's Loudon race developments while online:

http://www.nascar.com/2009/races/lapbyl ... index.html

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Aren't those digital converter boxes and what they provide a real surprise?

Well... Let me put it this way;
I'd rather suffer through snowy analog than deal with weak digital coverage, like when it freezes the video and totally cuts out the audio.
At least with snowy analog, you can still listen to the audio.

Yaa gotta remember... Tall redwood trees af-aff-affe-affect the reception.

[teardrop_focus]

Tall redwood trees af-aff-affe-affect the reception.

Ahh, yes. That doesn't sound so great. How unfortunate...

I've always been a fan of the analog broadcast spectrum's picture quality over digital... and it was never more clearly demonstrated than during the immediate aftermath of southern California's 1994 Northridge quake.

Cable signal was knocked out, so I grabbed my FM stereo antenna wiring and connected it to my television. Of course I only got one channel, Channel 2 KCBS but the reception and picture quality was astonishingly clear and very detailed... I'd not seen such clarity what with all the poor grounds in the many hundreds of coaxial connections between my home and the local cable provider hub. Even then...

I feel your pain.

Now then, how's the race lookin' right now?

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

Was going pretty good but Tony just had an extended stay on pit road to repair a loose axle cap...

It's looking like the 42 may be the car to beat today...

[teardrop_focus]

Tony or Juan is fine with me!



According to the text lap by lap coverage, Jimmy J's on the move... great.

[Dean in Eureka, CA]

The 'Ol Man Mach Mautin is flexin' his muscle...

[teardrop_focus]

Dean

The 'Ol Man Mach Mautin is flexin' his muscle...

One of my faves!

CHECKERED FLAG: Mark Martin wins the first race of the Chase and holds on to the lead in the point standings. Juan Montoya came home second and Denny Hamlin was third.



Lap 299 -- WHITE FLAG: Mark Martin takes the white flag as A.J. Allmendinger spins at the start/finish line.



Lap 298 -- Mark Martin gets in front of Juan Montoya to keep the lead. Denny Hamlin on the outside challenging for second.



Lap 297 -- GREEN FLAG: Mark Martin brings the field to the green on the outside.
1. Mark Martin
2. Juan Montoya
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Kurt Busch



Lap 294 -- YELLOW FLAG NO. 10: A.J. Allmendinger spins in Turn 2 after contact from Marcos Ambrose but doesn't hit anything.



Lap 292 -- Mark Martin leads by 1.1 seconds. Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch are side-by-side for fourth.