Echevarria & Earnhardt Jr. Go Dry

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

What do Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Gladys Echevarria have in common?

Memorial Day Weekend 2011 will be remembered as one that will be known where the "Gas Gauge" caused them to fall short of their Final Destinations.

As I was watching the 100th Indianapolis 500, I got a very interesting call from My Partner In Crime that she ran out of gas in our Jeep Liberty just as she entered the gate of her sisters condominium complex. She quickly called me and another friend, who had a gas can and we put $5 in to get them back home. Thankfully, I got back in time to watch the thrilling end to the Indianapolis 500.

But I warned her prior to going out that we needed gas, but that comment went in one ear and out the other. Then again, that always seems to happen with us and we're still crazily together driving each other nuts!! This time aside from listening me, her excuse was she simply was having a great time with her sister Aida Porter and niece Kathy Echevarria, but weren't laughing at the end. They were lucky that her niece's infant son was sleeping through all of this insanity.

When I told Gladys that I bought a gas can and the proper place for it is in the car and not the garage, again, she countered that there was no place for it in the Jeep, thus the next time she runs out of gas and I'm not readily available, good luck getting AAA, unless we become members in the near future.

What will stink more, a drop of gas in the can in the back of the Jeep or being stuck?

It's for Gladys to find out and me to laugh.

The one thing I do know about this woman is that every time that I confront her with a situation, she has a quick answer. I've told her this many times and I'll reveal this to my readers. When My father and brother once owned a large window company back in Michigan, Gladys would have easily have been one of the top five sales people. She overcomes objections brilliantly and would have made my dad and brother millions of dollars.

But on this Memorial Day Weekend, she Pitched and Missed when it came to giving me a good explanation that she wasn't warned about getting gas before she was stuck. In the end, the ladies did an outstanding job with the meal, and that was the most enjoyable $5 I've ever spent watching the Puerto Rican Pistol eat Humble Pie!!!

As for Earnhardt Jr., his story is far more depressing. He was out in front for the first time in 105 races, and the only thing standing in the way was the gas, or lack of it, in his tank.

He ran out of gas on the back stretch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and as he tried to coast the rest of the way, Kevin Harvick blazed past him to steal the Coca-Cola 600, the longest and most demanding race of the NASCAR Season.

Earnhardt's blunder cost him points in the race for the NASCAR Playoffs, lots of money and he wound up finishing in seventh place. Earnhardt's last win was at Michigan in 2008.

But for the two E's, Echevarria and Earnhardt's in my eyes they will be connected on May 29 by the two G's, "Gas Gauge."

But life goes on for these individuals who know that they did entertain the people they came in contact with.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/