Monday, October 17, 2022

Championship Weekend In The Tropics

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The last time that I attended a NASCAR Event at Homestead-Miami Speedway was when the circuit was named Winston Cup early in the century. 

At the time, this was a flat track and has been reconfigured with some banking.

On Saturday, October 15, Kurt Busch decided to step away from the sport and will miss the rest of the season with a concussion. 

He will not compete full-time in 2023.

Busch is the last active driver who competed in a Cup race against the late Dale Earnhardt, and the last driver who was part of the inaugural 10-driver Chase for the Cup in 2004, the year he upset the Hendricks Motorsports juggernaut and won his only title.

Busch’s retirement leaves Kevin Harvick as the last active driver who raced when the NASCAR’s top series was called the “Winston Cup Series.”

On Tuesday, September 20, more that 20 NASCAR Cup Series teams came from 14 different organizations took advantage of a NASCAR ‘Next Gen’ car test at the Homestead-Miami Speedway while preparing for the track’s upcoming Dixie Vodka 400 premier series playoffs race on October 23.

The two day test held on September 20-21 also featured 12 of the drivers who remained eligible for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

Fans got to witness the Tuesday practice for Free from the grandstands.

The Dixie Vodka 400 at the 1.5 mile Homestead-Miami Speedway will serve as the second race in the round of eight. 

If an eligible wins the event, he will automatically punch his ticket to the Championship Four at Phoenix Raceway in November.

While the fans were enjoying their time in the grandstands, Homestead-Miami Speedway also conducted a Media Availability to not only talk about the testing but to preview the Dixie Vodka 400 and Race Weekend that takes place on October 22-23.

The one thing I’ve enjoyed about Motor Sports Drivers is that they’re the most humbled and appreciative athletes in sports!

They’re friendly and sincere and I’ve enjoyed covering all facets of Motor Sports through the years, especially NASCAR.

With that said, it was a productive day at the racetrack and I did double duty first in Homestead and later at night I covered the Miami Martlins.

The drivers featured in this story include: Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano and Chase Elliott.

I recently attended the YellaWood 500 up in Talladega, Alabama and Elliott won that race.

These drivers talked about the testing but also had a lot of insightful comments about this weekend’s event in South Florida. 

While in life, it’s difficult to look ahead, there was no shortage of enthusiasm to come to the tropics and do what they love doing. Racing!

Track President Al Garcia also gave us time and talked not only about the weekend, but Homestead-Miami Raceway.

On Monday Night on a Special Edition of the Sports Exchange on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel, Russell Branham, who is the Regional Director and Historian for Talladega, Daytona International Raceway, Homestead-Miami Speedway joined Myself and Garcia to talk about Championship Weekend.

In addition to the enclosed videos from Brisco, Logano, Elliott and Garcia, in September, check out the Sports Exchange. 

There is no doubt that you’re going to learn a lot! 

These guys are fantastic and are just great to work with!

We covered all bases in this interview and now I’m looking forward to an electric weekend!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gamil.com and you can find him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

Also, to see his broadcasts, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel to get those notifications as well as the videos in the field.


The Canes Peaks and Valley’s

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In team sports, there are lots of Peaks and Valley’s during the season. 

There is no way to get around it. 

Here are some of the things that present challenges for teams.

1. Injuries.

2. Key players have off days and don’t perform up to standards on those days, therefore leading to mistakes.

3. Underestimating an opponent and looking flat.

4. Travel has also played a part on game day.

5. A team is simply not good enough for the opponent.

6. A coach simply out coaches the other.

These are just the main ones. 

Going into the season, the Miami Hurricanes lured Mario Cristobal from the Oregon Ducks to replace Manny Diaz. 

If there is anyone that can turn this program around, there is no doubt that Cristobal will get the job done. He’s a former Hurricane and also had success at FIU.

As I appear Nationally on numerous podcasts and talk about the Hurricanes, I’ve been very consistent with one philosophy, and that’s if anyone expected Cristobal to turn the Canes into a national contender overnight, then don’t count on that happening.

He’s trying to establish a culture and he’s going to recruit his own players.

Going into the 2022 Season, I had no expectations for the Hurricanes.

I did know that incumbent QB Tyler Van Dyke was capable of having a strong season and could be playing on Sundays down the line.

After starting out 2-0 with wins over Bethune Cookman and Southern Mississippi, the Canes hit their valley. 

On September 17, Miami lost a tough road contest to Texas A&M 17-9.

The low point early in the season was a home loss to Middle Tennessee when the Blue Raiders came to Hard Rock Stadium on September 24, and emerged with a 45-31 win. Van Dyke was benched and replaced by Jake Garcia.

The North Carolina Tar Heels came to town on October, 8 and defeated Miami 27-24. 

Things looked ugly early as North Carolina took an early 21-7 lead and this contest looked like a blow out waiting to happen. 

That wouldn’t prove to be the case. 

Van Dyke threw for 496 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception was with under a minute remaining throwing a desperation pass in a rally that fell short.

Miami used eight different wide receivers and this was the question I asked Cristobal after the game.

Also, check out the other interviews in this story. 

They’re very insightful as during the press conference, the Canes were optimistic dropping to 2-3.

The offense amassed 538 yards and 496 of those came through the air. Miami recorded 29 first downs while North Carolina had 22.

Will Mallory had eight receptions for 115 yards, averaging 14.4 yards a catch. His name was prominently brought up in the press conference.

Despite the fact that the Hurricanes lost their third straight game, it was clearly evident that the team was focused on Saturday’s road matchup against Virginia Tech.

Would the three-game losing streak end?

Yes as Van Dyke threw for 351 yards and two touchdowns to lift the Canes to a 20-14 win. 

His best target was Colbie Young. Young caught nine passes for 110 yards and one touchdown, averaging  12.2 yards per catch.

The Canes out gained Virginia Tech 458-257 and led in first downs 22-19. The Hokies saw their record drop to 2-5 while Miami’s improved to 3-3.

Up next for Miami is a home contest with the Duke Blue Devils (4-3) and the contest will start at 12:30 PM.

The last time these two teams met was on November 27, 2021 and Miami routed Duke 47-10.

It will be interesting to see if the Hurricanes can muster up another win and get closer to Bowl Eligibility.

There is a lot of football to be played and as the old adage states, these games are played one at a time.

Meanwhile, since Middle Tennessee faced Miami, the Blue Raiders have lost three in a row.

On Friday, September 30, UTSA (University of Texas San Antonio) which was once coached by former Hurricanes boss Larry Coker, drilled the Blue Raiders 45-30 at home.

The Blue Raiders traveled to the University Alabama Birmingham on October 8 and were thrashed 41-14.

On Saturday, October 15, The Blue Raiders hosted rival Western Kentucky and lost 35-17.

As I said, Peaks and Valley’s. Every team has them.

The main objective is to get rid of them at the right time.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth. 

You can find his broadcasts on the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. By Subscribing you’re going to get notifications of all streaming shows as well as videos in the field.


Saturday, October 8, 2022

The Road To Talladega

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I talk to my friends in Sports Media, they only see me as a person that gets locked in and on the surface covering the major sports.

But for those that I open up to, there is another side that has me roaring inside.

I have such a Deep Passion for Auto Racing that I’ve been following this sport for years.

I enjoy the sounds of Indy Cars and the fascinating aspect of NASCAR that you can take a full size automobiles and drive them at high speeds not only on street courses but on ovals.

The adrenaline rush I get at these race tracks is indescribable!

Through the years, I’ve been at numerous race tracks whether it was to be a fan, work as a member of the media or just take ride-alongs. 

Two weeks ago, I experienced my biggest level of satisfaction when Russell Branham, who is the Southeast Regional Coordinator for Talladega Superspeedway, Daytona International Raceway and Miami-Homestead Speedway, invited Myself and Photographer Candy Ebling to cover last weekends event in Talladega.

Despite the fact that the deadline had passed, Branham looked me straight in the face and said if you want to cover this event, you’re approved!

As much as I would have liked to take last weekend off, this offer was too good to pass up and I pounced on it! 

Throughout the years, I’ve always loved watching races at Talladega. 

Through the voices and faces of Ken Squier, Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, and Darryl Waltrip, just the thought of seeing drivers hit speeds of 200 MPH on a tri-oval  Superspeedway, and seeing dramatic collisions that change the outcome of the race, is truly incredible.

At the end of last year, Ebling and I decided to drive by Talladega off I-20 after a trip back home to the Midwest and check the place out. 

I told her one of these days, it’s on my bucket list to be here on a race weekend.

I never visualized it would happen so quickly. 

But my philosophy in life is to live for the moment and treat everyday as if it were my last!

As this quickly came together, I had to incorporate my Social Media Responsibilities into a Hectic Broadcast Schedule to pull this off.

On Friday, September 30, we departed South Florida at 6 ET and made the trek to Alabama. 

What awaited us was a 12-hour drive and while we researched the entire week what hotel we’d stay at, we finally caught a break when we got to Oxford, Alabama when there was a last minute cancellation. 

Thankfully, we got the hotel before we had to go to the track, and caught a couple hours of sleep.

But there was one interesting moment on my way to Alabama. 

Unfortunately, I got a ticket in Georgia and the police officer said I was going 18 MPH over the speed limit. 

Being a person from out of state didn’t help my cause.

When I was intending to go to a rest area, I didn’t use my turn signal and changed very quickly three lanes.

I was extremely lucky that when I told the Georgia State Trooper that I was covering the Talladega Race, he saw that my driving record in Florida was clean, and elected to issue a citation for not using my turn signal. 

I thanked him for doing that and acknowledged that anytime you’re driving in the middle of the night, it’s easy and smart to pull that driver over wondering if  that person is illegally impaired.

Thankfully, I don’t drink and drive! 

Nevertheless, when we got the credentials, and got settled into the Media Center, the first person I ran into was Branham. 

He said to me, “I’m glad that you’re here.” I responded, “Thanks to you, so am I and I intend to enjoy this experience and plan to come back regularly. Now I need you to find me a quiet room so I can do my radio show real soon.”

Branham wasted no time, getting me that room I needed, because on Sports Talk Saturday with Mark Mancini and Bruce Kessinger, former Detroit Lion Offensive Lineman Keith Dorney, was the guest. 

I worked with Dorney when I covered the Lions in the 1980’s. 

Even Branham knew who this guy was.

This show was one of our best as 625 callers were there to listen to this and I told these guys that under normal circumstances with the hectic travel schedule, I might have taken the week off.

But not in this case. 

We had a guest that I knew would draw good numbers and I had a chance to promote Talladega Superspeedway throughout the broadcast.

Once the show was over, it was time to acclimate to my weekend surroundings, get to work and soak it all in!

There were other races on Saturday and I chose to watch them in the Media Center and continue to work on Social Media. 

Multi-tasking was something I had to do a lot of this weekend because a lot of what I had to do was not only promote racing, but our traffic here at the Tribune is driven by Pro and College Football and I had to attack Social Media aggressively.

We left the track around 5:30 PM local time and decided to go back to the hotel and get some rest so we’d be ready for the next day.

We checked out the next morning at 8 AM and returned to the speedway. 

When we got there, I sought recommendations from Branham as to the best place to watch the race. 

He said it depends on what you’re looking to do. 

If I wanted to watch the entire race from above, that would have been the way to do things. The Media Center would provide me with all of the video opportunities that I needed.

What’s different about this track is you have to drive to the other side of it and there is separate parking for the Press Box. 

Branham, accommodated us with two parking passes. 

One for the Media Center and the other for the Press Box.

I made the decision to go the the Press Box Early and do a preliminary video of the entire track and told Ebling the next time we return here next spring, we’ll watch a Saturday race.

Branham, told us how to get to the Press Box, but there was one instance that totally annoyed the heck out of me!

As were trying to figure out what turn we needed to make to get to the Press Box, there was an idiotic African American Cop that slapped my hood when I couldn’t hear him as I was backing up my Jeep in an effort to make the proper turn.

He’s lucky that I was tired, new to the track, and if he had done any damage to my vehicle, I would have taken his photo, confronted him verbally, chewed him out, then I would have sued him to repair the damage to my vehicle! 

Furthermore, I would have destroyed him on Social Media!

Thankfully, it never came to that and we took care of business. 

I will not tolerate rude behavior from an officer that has a badge and abuses his authority especially when I’m there to promote economic growth in the area, attending a bucket list, race that everyone should see once in their lifetime.

Once we took care of business early, that turned out to be a shrewd move. 

Even Branham told me that was a good idea to do this early because the traffic at 11 AM Local Time would have been problematic.

I never mentioned this incident to Branham, though I will at a later date. 

I knew Russ was busy dealing with the demands of running a race and that’s the last thing he’d want to hear about. 

I was determined that one bad egg wasn’t going to impact my attitude in a negative manner.

But when I return to Talladega again, at least now I have a better feel for the place things will get much easier. 

Also, we’ll spend at least four days in the area.

The reason why going to the Press Box early was a shrewd move was there was a Media Availability with Auburn University Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl. 

I managed to get a pair of questions in with Pearl and Branham told the coach that I came up from South Florida to cover the race. 

I’ve always wanted to meet Pearl and respect everything about the guy on and off the basketball court! Mission accomplished!

The videos in this story are in the Press Box, Pearl, who is seated next to the title Sponsor from YellaWood, and the race winner Chase Elliott.

For a race that is known for having multiple accidents, aside from an early nine car incident, this was an exciting event lots lead changes. The last statistic I jotted down was 47 and that was the most of any race this season. 

Branham also told me that during the entire week leading up to the race, the driving was clean with practically no incidents. It doesn’t bother me one bit if there are no accidents because I don’t like to see drivers get injured.

I was able to appreciate this more because Branham gave me an opportunity to drive at Homestead-Miami.

In the end, the most popular driver on the NASCAR Circuit, Chase Elliott earned the triumph and also recorded his 18th career win. 

I enjoyed my time watching the festivities in Victory Lane!

I even caught with NASCAR Legend Jeff Gordon, whom I saw for the first time since I covered a race Phoenix in November of 2001. 

It was great catching up with him. We had a short and pleasant exchange.

I also worked with Jeff at the Michigan International Raceway as well as Homestead-Miami, which I’ll be returning to from October 21-23.

Was Talladega everything that I expected to be?

No! 

It was better! 

When you drive into the track, since there is so much space on Speedway Drive, the Campers and RV’s were all over the place. 

I couldn’t believe how many more when you get inside the track. I don’t know if the right words are mind boggling or overwhelming, but I was truly amazed at what I saw!

My Road to Talladega was traveled through a dream that subsequently became a reality and it was achieved thanks to Russell Branham!

But you can rest assure that act two will be even better than act one, because I’ll know what needs to get accomplished, I’ll be a lot more prepared and certainly more rested. 

We’ll check out the Motor Sports Hall of Fame as well as a suggestion that Branham made about a Motorcyle place approximately 30 miles away.

When we left the track, I had a podcast about basketball at 7:30 ET, but I wasn’t at a loss for words about my experience at Talladega. 

This basketball show that I appeared on talked about the NBA before 2000. 

This was so easy as I was able to tie in the incredible history of a track where speeds can reach 200 MPH and there is no shortage of action on the high tri-oval banking of this amazing track.

The 12-hour trek to South Florida created to shortage of stories for those individuals that wanted to listen to them!

That’s My Story on The Road to Talladega and what we did when we arrived in Alabama!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can find him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To hear his broadcasts, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.


A Pivotal Stretch for the Miami Hurricanes

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During the past two weeks, it’s been quite challenging for me dealing with the Miami Hurricanes 45-31 loss to the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders as I’ve been talking about this team on numerous podcasts.

The Hurricanes defense made Chase Cunningham look like a Heisman Trophy Candidate as he passed for 408 yards and three touchdowns, including a 98-yarder to DJ England-Chisholm.

Middle Tennessee never trailed, forced turnovers on Miami’s first three possessions, stopped the Hurricanes (2-2) on downs on three other occasions, and scored on passes of 69, 71 and 98 yards, and also added another big play of 89 yards as well.

Things got so bad for Miami that QB Tyler Van Dyke, the Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie Of The Year last season, was pulled and replaced by Jake Garcia. 

There is one that that really drives me crazy and that’s watching a college player being booed when he’s removed from a game.

Van Dyke completed 16-32 passes for 138 yards, one touchdown to Henry Parrish Jr. He also had two interceptions, those coming on Miami’s first and third plays from scrimmage.

Garcia completed 10-19 for 161 yards for the Hurricanes and was greeted with cheers when he entered the game. 

Garcia entered the game midway through the third quarter and brought an immediate spark. 

He engineered a five-play, 72-yard drive fueled by passes of 39 and 23 yards, Miami’s two biggest plays of the day to that point and got the Hurricanes within 31-17 on a one-yard rush by Thad Franklin, the first of his two scores on the day.

Going into the game MTSU was a 25.5 point underdog and you can only imagine what this did to the oddsmakers.

The contest was 10-0 for MTSU before Miami got on the board, 24-3 early in the second quarter when Cunningham scored on a nine-yard rushing play. The Hurricanes never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

According to SportRadar, the Hurricanes became the first Power 5 school this season to commit three turnovers this season in the first quarter.

The Blue Raiders went to the upper level of College Football, now called FBS, in 1999. Entering this game, they were 0-20 against opponents that were ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll when those games were played and outscored by 585 points, 868-283. They are now 1-21.

Middle Tennessee is now 3-0 all-time against Miami, with the other wins coming in 1931 and 1932.

In the end, 46,713 fans saw a very winnable contest get a way. 

Not a great way to enter a bye-week.

As I mentioned before, for the past two weeks, I’ve done numerous podcasts over many networks including my own and had to describe what I saw at Hard Rock/Joe Robbie Stadium.

By the end of this time period, I simply got tired of talking about this game as the Hurricanes had two weeks to prepare for their next opponent, North Carolina (4-1).

On Friday’s Edition of Coffee and Sports, on the Spotlight Sports Network, I decided to pick the Hurricanes again. 

I’m anticipating the Canes will be a hungry and determined bunch. Time will tell if I have to defend them again.

One would think that in two weeks, Hurricanes Coach Mario Cristobal has had plenty of time to watch enough video, have spirited practices in an effort to get the Canes back on track.

He’s already gone on record that Van Dyke will get the start against the Tar Heels.

If you want to go into a bye-week and are looking for a teaching moment, there are four statistics that matter.

First, Middle Tennessee State out gained Miami in total yards, 507-367.

Second, Miami amassed more first downs 26-14.

Third, Miami dominated time of possession 33:57-25:49. 

Fourth, Miami struggled on third point conversions, going 7-20. 

These are numbers that would have any coaching staff spinning their heads and if the Hurricanes have any shot at winning an ACC Title, much less regain the respect of the National Media, there is no doubt that Miami has to come away with a triumph over North Carolina.

The Tar Heels are not Bethune Cookman or  the University Southern Mississippi University.

The enclosed videos in this story with Coach Cristobal and his four players tell the story of the difficult loss to Middle Tennessee and what was ahead during the bye-week.

We’ll see if the narrative is considerably different after the Tar Heels contest.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, Subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel and get all the notifications of all shows.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

King Of The Road, NASCAR Style!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When it comes to driving, I find myself in an unbelievably different element.

This dates back to my childhood.

It began in Drivers Education. 

During the Summer of 1978, I was forced to take the class twice because some instructors had happy feet and used to hit the break on the right side of the vehicle and it made me quite nervous.

In once instance, I didn’t pass Drivers Education at the beginning of the summer and wound up taking the class again. 

During the second session, I had another instructor that had happy feet, but thankfully, my classroom instructor decided to give me my drivers permit because he was comfortable with me behind the wheel.

My dad told me that if I hadn’t passed the class, he was going to send me to private school, but thankfully, it never came to that.

On December 29, 1978, a blizzard hit my hometown of Southfield, MI and I had to take my drivers test. Just what I needed, another obstacle to get my license. 

My grandmother Sophie allowed me to use her Yellow Cadillac and I was extremely comfortable in that vehicle but was very nervous I would damage it in the blizzard.

My father and grandmother told me not to worry about it because it could be fixed, so go out there and do the best you can and things will work out.

I’ll never forget this instructor. 

Not only was she a nice looking lady, but an even better person. 

I told her to take the easiest and simplest route and we won’t get hurt. 

She smiled and in a matter of 20 minutes, I got my drivers license.

I was so excited and relieved to get this over with. 

On my way back home with my dad, I did run a red light but never got caught. 

To date, he jokes around with me about it and we get a good laugh.

My grandmother and my mother always marveled that I had a real good sense of direction. As a child, I relied on landmarks to get where I was going.

But through the years, I would always be a student of studying maps. 

I knew I couldn’t get lost figuring that even two digit freeways would go East and West. Odd two digit freeways would go North and South.

Driving became fun. 

I would take longer drives and listen to music and meditate. 

I worked jobs where there was a lot of driving involved. 

In Florida, I enjoy driving up the ocean.

On My 30th Birthday, I spent it in California and took the Pacific Coast Highway Drive from San Francisco to San Diego. 

In Maui, Hawaii, I drove “The Road To Hana.”

I often wonder what life would have been like as a truck driver.

We’ll never know. 

As I got into my 20’s, I enjoyed driving SUV’s because I like being high off the ground. 

For me, I can see over other drivers and proceed to make my moves, especially, on the interstates.

During my lifetime, I’ve driven over four million miles. 

I enjoy taking cross country trips because of meditation and the fact that I didn’t have to rent a car. Also, when flying, I have no control over my schedule.

There was a trip that lasted over 30 days and I rented a car to hit a lot of states and amassed over 10,000 miles to hit the remaining states in the continental USA that I needed to reach a goal.

I did accomplish the goal of driving in all 50 states. 

I’ve also driven in Mexico, Canada and some of the Caribbean Islands. 

I also owned a dirt bike and liked to ride in the hills of Highland, MI. 

I rented motor bikes in the Caribbean.

As I started covering Auto Racing, I began driving on tracks paying some money for charity. 

One that stood out was Bristol, Tennessee during Christmas.

Other tracks that I took tours or ride alongs include: Indianapolis, Phoenix, Charlotte and Daytona. 

I even managed to drive 27 laps at the Martinsville, Virginia track when the opportunity presented itself.

The ride alongs provided me with an incredible adrenaline rush. 

It takes me awhile to come down.

Nowadays, every time I drive on an interstate, it’s an adrenaline rush! 

The longer the drive, the stronger I become! 

When I started dating my wife, my late mother-in-law was nervous I would get hurt and we would talk on the phone for awhile.

My affinity for driving drives my family absolutely crazy! 

My wife calls me a crazy man because she’s never witnessed anyone like me. 

Most people get tired. I get wired.

Years ago, I couldn’t call me grandmother when I was on the road because I was afraid she would get sick wondering how many hours I drove.

When my wife drives with me, she always takes a tablet in case I make daring moves on the road. I detest slow drivers and have a NASCAR mentality to pass them, weaving in and out of traffic.

If you’re looking to become thick skinned, then take I-95 South and see a Miami Marlins Game. These people will cut you off without thinking about it.

On September 23, 2022, I was ready to take another ride-along at the Homestead-Miami Speedway for three laps. I was really looking forward to it.

But one thing happened that I never saw coming.

Russell Branham, the Head of Communications for Homestead-Miami, Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Raceway came up to me and asked me if I wanted to drive. 

Initially, I thought Russ was kidding. 

I found out quickly that he wasn’t and said that all I had to do was take a course before I went into the stock car and accept a few minutes of field training.

I told Russ about my affinity of taking long drives and my passion for motor sports. 

I told him that in early August, I drove 23 hours in a row from South Florida to Cooperstown, New York to go to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I told him that Auto Racing is my passion and I never stop talking about it. 

He didn’t need me to convince him to get in the car; the decision was already made.

Getting in the No.6 Car, it was a challenge getting into it since I’m used to opening a door, not going through a smaller window opening.

My first lap was adventurous as I was trying to get acclimated to driving this machine so after I took that lap, I came back into pit road and sought additional instruction. 

Initially, I struggled communicating with my spotter attempting to multi-task.

After I regrouped, I talked to my instructor on the track and told him to put my car in fourth gear and I would figure out the rest with letting off the clutch and using my led foot the right way on the accelerator.

Once I got back on the track, I calmed down, told myself to think that I was on the highway.

The strategy paid off and my speed hit 147.54 miles an hour. 

One of the drivers told me that my speed was above the track average for my time slot and congratulated me on a good effort.

Some of the things that I found interesting while driving was being able to maintain concentration especially in the turns and then going faster on the straightaways. 

I was very conscious on the high turns and knew where I had to be when going near the white line lower on the track.

I truly felt comfortable with the way I was strapped in and could appreciate what NASCAR drivers go through during hours of competition. 

Until you’ve experienced this, one doesn’t realize how these drivers risk their lives when they compete in this sport. 

The Hans Device was a great addition to prevent neck injuries and become more common after the death of Dale Earnhardt Senior during the 2001 Daytona 500.

When you drive your own vehicle we tend to get used to our rear view mirror. We’re not allowed to use our rear view mirror so I understood how to trust my spotter.

If there were do overs in life, instead of a media career, if I had the money and resources, I would have loved to be a driver! 

This experience reinforced how much I love being in the car!

But the man that I thank the most for this is Russell Branham!

After I was done driving, the man give me a hug and said to me that you did a great job! 

He liked the way that I patiently got used to the track and then as I continued to drive more laps, I got better with each lap! 

He knew that I wanted to use strategy to figure out what I was doing. I didn’t want to damage the car and get hurt. I accomplished both objectives. I didn’t want to disappoint Russ!

Over the years, I have been a slow starter then got better as time progressed. This proved to be the case on this day.

There is nothing more gratifying than providing joy to a person that believes in you! On this day, that person was Russell Branham!

This is a lesson that we should all use as motivation. I certainly fed off of it on this day!

When people think of the best day of their lives, they often think of marriage or having a child.

I can subscribe to the marriage part but I don’t have kids.

I told my wife that getting married was the best day of my life but driving in a Stock Car is right at the top of the list and she said that she wish she could be there to experience it. 

But how would she have known this was coming? 

I didn’t but since that drive on Miami-Homestead Speedway, I haven’t stopped talking about this experience on my own and other podcasts!

I’m truly convinced after experiencing this, I’ll be ready for my next drive around the track.

Many years ago, the Miami-Homestead Track was flat. 

They have re-configured that track with much more banking on the turns. That made it more gratifying for me as I had to think of how I would approach the turns.

At a truck stop, I bought a hat called, “King of The Road.”

On this day, I felt that I was “King of the Road” but on a different level!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. He can be reached on Twitter @TribuneSouth.

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