Athletes Recognized.

The Rotary Club of Carthage has partnered with the Carthage High School Booster Club and Lowe’s to recognize all student athletes in all high school athletic sporting competitions. This year, each student who participates in athletic competition for the High School will be recognized by a sign being placed at their residence. The initial costs of construction are being covered by the Carthage Rotary Club.

The motto of the Carthage Rotary Club is, "Service above self." Carthage Rotary Club believes that these young student athletes have demonstrated high ethical standards in their academic and athletic pursuits, and believe their service to their fellow students and community deserves recognition.

"It is these students who are our future business leaders and community leaders," said Chuck Bryant, Carthage Rotarian. "Recognizing these students fits nicely with the object of Rotary, to encourage and foster the idea of service to our fellow man and community."

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Chad's Garage

Kyle Busch Is

"The Man"

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Just winning the Irwin Tools Night Race wasn’t enough for Kyle Busch.

Bristol Motor Speedway hosted races in the Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. Busch won them all, and it’s the first time anyone ever did that since NASCAR began sponsoring three national touring series with the advent of truck racing in 1995.

"I’ve been trying to do this since I got to NASCAR," he said after the Cup victory. "This is history, and I’m proud to make it."

Two others, Brad Keselowski and Elliott Sadler, competed in all three races. Busch won them. This year Busch has won a total of 16 races in the three series: 10 in Nationwide, three in Cup and three in Truck.

The Cup victory was Kyle Busch’s fourth at Bristol; his older brother Kurt has won five Cup races at the half-mile oval.

"I love Bristol, and I love winning," said Kyle. "And to do it for the first time ever in NASCAR, to sweep the weekend, man, that’s pretty awesome.

"I don’t know what to think. Fortunately, I was able to get it done, be the first one to do it. I’m the first in a lot of things."

Perhaps Bristol’s huge crowds have grown weary of victories by the Busch brothers. Kyle faced thunderous boos during driver introductions and the celebration following the Cup victory. It didn’t appear to faze him in the least. In fact, it looked as if he enjoyed it.

"I just come out here to do my job," he said. "I do what I’m supposed to do, and to win races is my job and what that entails. ... The fans drive this sport. They’re what makes us go ‘round and get us here every week. ... They’re passionate about who they like and who they don’t like.

"I’ve been in this position since the start of my career, since I was 16, and it hasn’t changed, and I don’t foresee it changing anytime soon. We’ve asked this question about 50 million times, and I’ll probably get it 25 million more times. You know, you just deal with it, man. You just go out there and do what you can."

Guess if I plan on listened to any music I’m gonna have ta get with the program.

I get a big kick outa kids not knowin’ what an LP is. Those big plastic disks with a little hole in the middle. I recently acquired a record player after years of not havin’ one, so I’m gettin’ to hear those records I’ve been luggin’ around. ‘Course cassette tapes have been the main source of any recorded music for me for a while now. I understand that they are not gonna be made on any scale for much longer.

I’m gonna have ta break down and get a CD player I suppose. I’ve been puttin’ it off for some time now, waitin’ ta see if it was just a fad. Guess most of us have figured out by now they ain’t goin’ away. Hope it doesn’t end up with my 8-track.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

I am a college student who loves anything mechanical, and I work on a local farm to earn a little extra money. My boss likes to keep costs down, and that includes maintenance on tractors. That being said, none of the tractors has good batteries, and in the colder times of the year, you get only one shot of about five seconds to start them before the batteries die. My boss swears that putting the tractor in neutral with you foot OFF the clutch lessens the strain on the starter. I say it’s easier to start if you press down on the clutch while starting. Who’s right? I think he is wrong, but you can’t argue with the man who signs the checks. - Jeremy

Ray: No, you can’t argue with him. But you can ignore him. You’re right, Jeremy.

Tom: When you start the tractor with your foot off the clutch, you’re forcing the starter to turn not only the engine, but also the main shaft of the transmission. So right there, you’re giving the starter more work to do.

Ray: Add to that the fact that it’s cold out, and that 90-weight gear oil in the transmission is thicker than my brother’s skull.

Tom: That’s Thick!

Ray: When you step on the clutch, none of that stuff in the transmission is turning; you’ve disengaged the transmission from the engine.

Tom: So you can do one of two things with this newfound knowledge, Jeremy. You can quietly use it to your advantage.

Ray: Or you can go wave this article in your boss’s face, and after he fires you, use this information at your next job.