Posted on by Chase Wilhelm

RELATED: Talladega weekend schedule | Updated Playoff standings

It’s almost a guarantee that Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway will be just what the title sponsor suggests — a monster.

It will be the first year that Talladega serves as the middle race in the Round of 12 instead of the second-round elimination race.

But that doesn’t mean the intensity will be any less. Actually, it might make it even greater.

With the comfort in knowing next week’s cutoff race at Kansas offers a final chance if something goes haywire at unpredictable Talladega, drivers likely will be more inclined to take bigger risks to earn important stage points. That could transfer into three breathtaking sprints to the finish line at the 2.66-mile Alabama track.

We asked three past Talladega winners — Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Brad Keselowski — the keys to rolling into Victory Lane.

And just in case you need their credentials, Talladega is home to maiden Monster Energy Series victories for both Stenhouse (2017) and Keselowski (2009). Keselowski has gone on to earn three more wins, while McMurray has scored a pair of victories — in 2009 and 2013 — at the restrictor-plate track.

So, what does it take to win at ‘Dega? We’ll let the experts tell you.

SHOP: Stenhouse gear | Keselowski gear | McMurray gear

Posted on by Staff Report

RELATED: Full schedule for Talladega | Last 10 winners at Talladega
SHOP: Keselowski playoff gear | Stenhouse playoff gear

“America! 1776! We are the champs! This validates what we did at Talladega!”

Those were the words of a jubilant Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after he won this summer at Daytona, backing up his win in May at Talladega and giving him two straight victories on restrictor-plate tracks in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Can Ricky make it three in a row in Sunday’s Alabama 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)? Or will Brad Keselowski come through at ‘Dega in the NASCAR Playoffs like he did before?

Or maybe it will be someone entirely different, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is the active leader at Talladega with six wins? NASCAR.com’s George Winkler and Allie Davison debate their top picks at Talladega:

Davison: It’s hard to argue that there is a better driver at restrictor-plate tracks than Ricky Stenhouse Jr. this year. He is 2-for-3 this year in restrictor-plate races (Talladega in May, Daytona in July) and the Talladega win marked his first ever Monster Energy Series victory. He currently sits at No. 12 in the playoff standings and will have his back against the wall on Sunday. However, he knows what it takes to get to Victory Lane at Talladega and you can’t dismiss experience.

RELATED: NASCAR Playoff standings

On the other hand, Brad Keselowski rose to the occasion in 2014 when he needed a win-or-be eliminated run at Talladega to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs. It’s been a quiet handful of races for the No. 2 driver, but that can only mean he is due for a win at any moment. What better way to make your presence known than by winning at the sport’s biggest track at 2.66-miles a lap? And he already has four wins at this particular superspeedway. I think it’s safe to take either Stenhouse Jr. or Keselowski on Sunday.

Winkler: Earnhardt Jr. has history on his side. Among active drivers, he’s No. 1 in wins (10), top fives (25) and laps led (1,562) on restrictor-plate tracks. Plus, he’s the sentimental choice in his last full-time appearance at a track where thousands will be cheering his name.

Junior hasn’t had the season fans hoped for, but winning the pole in the summer Daytona race — plus solid performances in the past two races — provide hope that this is his last best chance for a going-away-party win. And that would be sweet home Alabama, indeed.

TALLADEGA STATS: Stenhouse | Keselowski | Dale Jr. | Monster Energy Series drivers

Posted on by Holly Cain

RELATED: Updated Playoff standings | Hamlin: ‘Dega will be ‘exciting’

When the 2017 NASCAR schedule was released last spring, there was a lot of giddy buzz about the slight-but-crucial move of Talladega Superspeedway’s fall race in the playoff schedule.

And the overwhelming consensus was that moving it from a formidable second round “cut-off” race to its new middle-round “bring it on” position in the playoffs is a win-WIN situation.

The playoff drivers especially, will likely approach the race differently, no longer having to play it “safe” — an oxymoron anyway when it comes to restrictor-plate competition.

And the fans can count on even more drama, action and suspense at Talladega — which is hard to imagine.

“Talladega is indeed a wildcard race,” seven-time and reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. “I’m happy it’s not a cut-off for the Round of 8, but we really need to make it through the race and have a good finish. We don’t want to go to Kansas fighting to stay alive in the hunt for an eighth championship.”

SHOP: Jimmie Johnson playoffs gear

The right attitude about restrictor-plate racing is a rare treasure in the garage. Quite obviously, those boasting trophies from Talladega or the series’ other big track, Daytona International Speedway, seem to be more eager about this stop in the playoff schedule. Everyone, at least, considers a win a possibility.

“Yeah, I’ve done a lot of different things there and finished a lot of different ways,” Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon said, essentially summing up the overall vibe.

Technique and mindset are invaluable here. And drivers will concede, yes, there is a certain skill set to mastering the tight pack of race cars.

Team Penske seems to have a good grip on the strategy and certainly holds the standard on recent winners at Talladega, with drivers Brad Keselowski (2012, 2014) and Joey Logano (2015, 2016) the only competitors with multiple wins in the last 10 races there. Keselowski scored his dramatic maiden Cup series victory at Talladega in 2009 and has a total of four career wins there — the most at any one track for him.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a famous five-victory score at Talladega — the most wins among active drivers — including a historic, not-likely-to-be-repeated four in a row between 2001-03. And the soon-to-retire driver is quite optimistic about making his final start on the speedway.

WATCH: Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘Legacy’ video series

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is making his first run at a Cup title thanks to his two restrictor-plate wins this year — at Talladega in May and at Daytona in July. In fact, Ford has won the last four straight at Talladega — a record streak for the blue oval on these high banks.

“I think there is something you can do,” Chevy driver and former Talladega pole-winner Chase Elliott said. “There are guys that have been consistently winning at those races over the past number of years. Anytime you see something consistently happen, there is obviously not just luck involved in it.

“We have to go there. It counts as much as the rest of them so I kind of look at it as an opportunity. The guys who have embraced it and have been willing to want to figure it out seem to excel and we would like to be among that group.”

Toyota carries a 2017 playoff sweep heading into Talladega, but it’s been seven races and three years (Denny Hamlin in May, 2014) since the manufacturer has won a race on this superspeedway.

Regular Season Champion and last week’s winner at Charlotte, Martin Truex Jr., may have been the happiest in the garage when Talladega’s position in the playoff round was moved. He won four races in 2016 and started on the pole in Talladega only to finish last (40th) with an engine failure and unable to advance to the next round of the playoffs despite being a huge championship favorite.

“We definitely want to perform (at Talladega), but I will say that it’s going to be pretty awesome going to Talladega and say, ‘Oh what the heck, let’s go race,’ ” said Truex, driver of the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota. “Doesn’t matter if we crash. Talladega has just been a tough track for us to finish. I mean, last year we probably had the best car we’ve ever gone there with, and we ran (41) laps and blew up.

“There are so many unknowns at Talladega, and you can run up front all day long and finish 25th,” Truex added. “You can run up front and run 20 laps and get destroyed. You just never know. There is so much out of your control. To go there and not have to worry about all those things is definitely a good feeling.

“But we’ll go there and try to do everything just the way we did (at Charlotte). We want to be the best we can be, and we want to get those (playoff) bonus points and stop somebody else from getting them. But it will definitely be a little bit of a different feeling to go there and not have that pressure, not have to worry about if we go out early for something crazy.”

That kind of early playoff dominance combined with the new system of awarding stage points does create different strategies in very real and important ways.

RELATED: 2017 Stage points awarded

For drivers still needing to accumulate every point possible, there is real motivation to run up front and be there at the conclusion of each stage, instead of patiently waiting until the end of the race to make a move.

The massive scramble we’ve become accustomed to and holding our breath and watching wide-eyed in the closing laps of the race will now take place at least two additional times on Sunday afternoon to close out each stage — the intensity raised with playoff positions on the line.

“I think with the current points system, it’s better to stay up front and try to get as many points in each stage as you can throughout the day,” said Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick, who won at Talladega in April, 2010.

“Obviously, if you don’t qualify well, that makes it much more difficult but, with the new points system, I think you’re going to see a much different race.

“Guys aren’t going to be able to leave 20 potential points and playoff points on the table. They’re going to be racing for every point — that’s a good thing for the fans and should make it an exciting race.”

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RELATED: Recap every Earnhardt win at Talladega

Racing fans know all too well when NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes the lead during a race.

There’s the roar that suddenly arises through the grandstands, piercing the air over the already-loud sound of exhaust systems, and then often the standing ovation that unfolds like a choreographed routine.

This is especially true at Talladega Superspeedway — or as it’s often dubbed, Earnhardt Country. The place where both Junior and his father Dale Earnhardt have always been held in high esteem, holding a combined 16 wins at the Alabama oval.

RELATED: Previewing Junior’s last full-time start at ‘Dega

NASCAR’s favorite son often sees it, too.

“You can visually see a difference in the grandstands,” Earnhardt told NASCAR.com in June. “At Talladega, for example, when you take the lead. The difference visually between everybody sitting down and everybody standing up with their arms in the air is extremely easy to see.

“You come off of Turn 4, if you get the lead on the back straightaway and going into Turn 1 or something, the next time you come off Turn 4, you see everybody kind of waving their arms in the air and going crazy.”

RELATED: 88 things to love about Dale Jr.

It’s something that sticks with Earnhardt, giving him a bit of motivation while out front.

“It kind of makes that pass for the lead a lot more memorable and more fulfilling,” he said. “And it certainly motivates you to try as hard as you can to keep the lead and stay toward the front, keep fans excited and glued to what’s going on.”

So, Junior Nation: Stand up if Dale Jr. takes the lead in Sunday’s Alabama 500 at Talladega (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

He’ll likely notice.

Posted on by H.A. Branham

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of four feature stories on this year’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide finalists.

For the first time, The NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award Presented by Nationwide has a hometown favorite.

Tammy Richardson, one of four finalists announced last week for the seventh annual award, is from Las Vegas. The award is presented during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards at Wynn Las Vegas. The award honors NASCAR fans who are also accomplished volunteers working for children’s causes in their communities throughout the United States. It also honors the memory and the philanthropic legacy of the foundation’s late founder, Betty Jane France, who passed away last August.

On Thursday, Nov. 30, the award winner will be announced. The winner will be determined by online voting at NASCAR.com/Award; voting ends on Nov. 29 at 5 p.m. (ET). The NASCAR Foundation donates $100,000 to the charity the winner represents and $25,000 to the other finalists’ charities.

Richardson is representing the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF), an organization that provides 25 pediatric programs and services to nearly 500 children. One of those programs is “Camp Cartwheel,” an outdoor camp experience designed to help children fighting cancer and other critical diseases. Richardson, a longtime volunteer and committee member at Camp Cartwheel, also operates the Camp Store, providing items and gifts for attendees. Funds received from the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award would go toward the NCCF’s Emergency Funding Program that covers housing, travel, medical expenses and the cost of camp.

Richardson has imagined what it would be like to walk across the stage in her hometown, as the 2017 award winner.

“It would be amazing … it would be overwhelming but very humbling at the same time … it would be huge,” Richardson says. “Vegas is where I live, it’s where I’m from and it’s where our organization is located.”

Richardson volunteers 11 months annually at Camp Cartwheel, a commitment that has no end in sight. Richardson has special motivation driving that commitment.

The ultimate motivation, really.

Richardson, 52, lost her teenage daughter Stephanie to cancer in 2003. The experience was devastating, acerbated by the type of cancer and Stephanie’s rapid decline after the 2002 diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor.

Suddenly, there was so little time. But there was still time for Stephanie to leave lasting memories. After her diagnosis she bravely announced her plan to personally meet every child in the state of Nevada who was also battling cancer. Fully aware that her own fight would not be won, she was committed to providing support to others.

Richardson became aware of Camp Cartwheel when her daughter became ill. In the years since her daughter passed away, Richardson has accelerated her volunteerism at the camp, striving to finish Stephanie’s unfinished task of meeting children with cancer throughout Nevada.

When Richardson describes the work being done at Camp Cartwheel, it’s clear she cherishes her involvement. She knows she’s honoring her daughter’s memory in the best way possible.

“A lot of these children at our camps do not get to do regular normal activities outside their home or outside a hospital environment,” Richardson said. “Some of these kids are critical and some of them are terminal.  get to help give them the most amazing time I can, to let them be okay for a while. So when they come to our camps, they get to be that normal child for four days.”

Richardson’s NASCAR connection is all about family — and the sport’s longstanding link to the U.S. military. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s affinity for the military caught her eye — and her heart — some years back. Her husband Jim husband is an Army veteran and her son is currently serving the nation. Along the way, Earnhardt became Richardson’s favorite driver.

“My Dad was a Southern boy and I was raised in Las Vegas so the speedway was sort of right out the back door,” Richardson said. “It’s something I’d always done with my dad and now I do with my spouse. It’s a family thing and it’s a tie to America. And with NASCAR, it’s something where you can escape. You don’t have to worry about the real world.

“Kind of like our camp.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

When NASCAR fans think “Dale Earnhardt Jr.,” they think “legacy.”

Following in the footsteps of his seven-time NASCAR champion father, Dale Earnhardt, Junior burst onto the scene as the calendar turned the page on a new millennium. Nearly two decades later, NASCAR’s most popular driver is riding into the sunset, hanging up the fire suit full-time at season’s end.

Junior has always looked up to his father, bonding through racing — after all, it’s in his blood. He wanted his respect, his attention and to succeed in the larger-than-life shadow his dad cast, making “The Intimidator” proud in the process.

NASCAR.com has teamed up with John Deere to bring you the three-part series, Legacy: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Watch Part 1, Born to Race, above, as Senior brings the next generation of Earnhardt to the Cup level, and Junior delivers.

PART 2

“We’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost his father in February 2001, NASCAR wept with him. Since that turning point, the sport has moved forward with Junior, who withstood the test of some of the most trying adversity to become the face of NASCAR.

Six months following the tragic death of Senior, a still-grieving Dale Jr. continued to move forward and build his own legacy in his father’s honor by winning in July at Daytona — the very same track that took his father’s life.

The “Dale Jr.” persona was cemented in time that night and has grown bigger and bigger ever since.

NASCAR.com has teamed up with John Deere to bring you the three-part series, Legacy: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Watch Part 2, Driven to Succeed, below, as Junior overcomes tragedy to find glory in tribute to his father at Daytona.


PART 3

With the final weeks of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s full-time racing career upon us, the legacy he leaves behind comes into focus.

Over the course of his two decades-plus in the sport, Junior has shown how the son of one of NASCAR’s greatest can grow up and mature in the face of tragedy, using his father’s life lessons to become the man he is today.

Often heralded as an “everyday guy,” Earnhardt has become one of the most important voices in the sport, a mentor to young drivers at his JR Motorsports organization and, starting next year, a broadcaster.

Watch the closing chapter of the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Legacy Series presented by John Deere in Part 3, Driving Forward, below.

 

Posted on by Track Release

RELATED: Buy tickets for Martinsville

When Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, a familiar face will lead him and the rest of the field to the green flag. Earnhardt’s wife, Amy, will serve as the Honorary Pace Car Driver for the First Data 500.

While driving the pace car will be a first for Amy, she is no stranger to Martinsville, as she was by Dale’s side in Victory Lane when he picked up his only career win at the historic Speedway three years ago.

“I was very excited when the track approached me about driving the pace car,” she said. “Martinsville is one of Dale’s favorite tracks and seeing how happy he and the team were in Victory Lane in 2014 is something I’ll never forget. I appreciate the track letting me be a small part of Dale’s last race at a place that means so much to him.”

RELATED: Amy and Dale Earnhardt through the years 

Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said having Amy drive the pace car is a way to give back to Dale for all he has done to not only elevate the profile of Martinsville Speedway, but NASCAR as a whole.

“The Earnhardt family has meant so much to Martinsville Speedway through the years, Dale in particular, and we wanted for him to be able to share his last Cup race here with the person closest to him,” Campbell said. “Dale has often talked about how much Amy has meant to him and this is one small way in which we can say ‘thank you’ to the both of them; to Dale for what he has meant to the sport and to Amy for what she has meant to Dale.”

The First Data 500 is the first race in the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. If the winning driver is in the Playoffs, he would be the first to clinch a spot in the Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Last fall, Jimmie Johnson won his ninth grandfather clock, on the way to winning his record-tying seventh NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Tickets for the First Data 500 are on sale and may be purchased by calling 877.RACE.TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com. 

Posted on by @nascarcasm

An email interview with Telvin McClurkin, the Roush Fenway Racing pit crew member who got his freaking foot run over during a pit stop and hopped back up like it was no big deal in the XFINITY Series race last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (See video above.)

@nascarcasm: DUDE — YOU GOT YOUR FREAKING FOOT RUN OVER BY A FREAKING RACE CAR. OMG. WHAT THE HELL?

McClurkin: I was trying to put tape on the grill and I just slipped on a lug nut. … We all know what happened next.

@nascarcasm: AND THEN YOU HOPPED BACK UP AND BASICALLY ACTED LIKE GETTING YOUR FREAKING FOOT RUN OVER BY A RACE CAR WAS LIKE A MILD MOSQUITO BITE. HOW? FOR REAL. HOW?

McClurkin: It wasn’t comfortable, but nothing was fractured or broken so I really wanted to finish the race.

@nascarcasm: YOU WERE BACK AT WORK THE VERY NEXT DAY, PITTING THE NO. 6 FOR TREVOR BAYNE. ARE YOU A MORTAL? YOU CAN BE HONEST. DON’T LIE TO ME BECAUSE I’LL START CHECKING THE BIRTH REGISTRY ON THE PLANET KRYPTON. THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT.

McClurkin: LOL, I can assure you I’m mortal. Really it’s just part of the job. When you jump out in front of race cars for a living you know at some point that you will be hit. You just can’t let it get to you.

@nascarcasm: DO YOU FEAR THAT YOU MIGHT BE SETTING AN UNREASONABLE PRECEDENT IN REGARDS TO TAKING A SICK DAY? LIKE, PERHAPS SOME ROUSH FENWAY OFFICE EMPLOYEE WAKES UP ONE MORNING WITH STOMACH FLU, AND IS ABOUT TO CALL IN SICK, BUT THEN REMEMBERS — OH HELL … TELVIN’S FOOT, — SHOTGUNS A BOTTLE OF PEPTO-BISMOL THEN HEADS INTO THE OFFICE TO POTENTIALLY INFECT OTHERS?

McClurkin: I don’t think my event will change any sick-day policies, but I’m sure when I need one from now on they won’t question me.

@nascarcasm: DO YOU PLAN ON USING THIS INCIDENT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE IN ORDER TO CONSTANTLY GUILT RYAN REED? LIKE, IF HE’S ALL — TELVIN — YOU ATE MY LUNCH OUT OF THE FRIDGE — YOU CAN BE LIKE — OH SORRY RYAN — MY MISTAKE, SORT OF LIKE RUNNING A GUY’S FOOT OVER WITH A RACE CAR? I MEAN, I WOULD.

McClurkin: Of course, I won’t let him live it down.

@nascarcasm: HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION — YOU FIND YOURSELF TRAMPLED BY A HERD OF BUFFALO. ONCE THE HERD HAS PASSED, DO YOU IMMEDIATELY KIP-UP AND GET BACK TO WORK, OR DO YOU MAYBE TAKE 20 SECONDS OFF TO RECOVER? BASED ON WHAT WE’VE SEEN, THESE TWO POTENTIAL OUTCOMES ARE WHAT WE DEEM THE MOST LIKELY FOR YOU.

McClurkin: If nothing is broken I will go back to work lol.

@nascarcasm: AS A MEMBER OF A PIT CREW, WHAT DO YOU FIND ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU FACE ASIDE FROM GETTING YOUR FREAKING FOOT RUN OVER?

McClurkin: Performing at a high level every week to have fast pit stops and beat the competition on pit road.

@nascarcasm: NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION AS A CHALLENGE. IF YOU FILM YOURSELF WALKING PAST RYAN REED AND DELIBERATELY STEPPING ON HIS FOOT, AND THEN SHOUTING — REVENGE IS MINE! I’LL SEND A $100 DONATION TO THE AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION IN YOUR NAME.

McClurkin: We’ll see about that!

Posted on by Team Release

The following statement is attributed to Barney Visser, Furniture Row Racing team owner:

“As Furniture Row Racing looks ahead to the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, the Denver, Colo. based team is not planning to field the No. 77 Toyota as a second car entry. It is our organization’s goal to operate a two-car team in the future and we will continue to seek sponsorship funding for the No. 77. Our 100 percent focus for next season will be on the No 78 Toyota Camry, which will be driven by Martin Truex Jr.”

RELATED: Key players in NASCAR’s Silly Season

Posted on by Nascar

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — He says there are times when his phone will vibrate and wake him in the middle of the night and he picks it up, fully expecting to find a text message from his son.

But Adam Wright died Aug. 20.

“It’s tough. It’s been really, really tough,” Pete Wright says and if you’ve got any compassion at all you feel terrible for bringing up something so personal and so heartbreaking.

“They say you aren’t supposed to ask why, but I can’t help it. He was one of the nicest kids in the world who never hurt anyone.”

Adam Wright was just 33 when he lost his life in a single-vehicle crash near his home in Troutman, N.C.

He had followed his father’s footsteps into NASCAR, worked for a few teams, then left to start his own business. But the sport eventually drew him back and he was most recently working with driver Michael Annett and JR Motorsports in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

• • •

Pete Wright has been here many times. Too many to count. But this time it was different for Wright, a longtime crewman and mechanic who has seen the underside of more race cars than he can recall.

Wright was at Martinsville Speedway Tuesday, working with his Hendrick Motorsports teammates on the Wheel Force Transducer car for Chevrolet.

It’s data gathering and nowhere near as exciting as when 40 cars go rushing off into the first turn under bright, sunny skies. WFT testing consists of logging laps and recording data. And repeating the process again and again and again.

But for Wright, it was the first time he had been back to a race track, he said, since his son’s death.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up my phone and started to text him,” Wright said, his voice trailing off.

The phone rang that night and it was friends of the youngster calling to tell the father that his son had been killed.

Then it rang again and it was the police telling him his son had died.

These days when Pete Wright hears it ring, he says doesn’t know what to think. He says he has nightmares.

A native of nearby Franklin County, Wright has been around race cars most of his life. He was a part of Terry Labonte’s championship-winning effort. The one in 1984. Who else on a crew in ’84 can still be found at the track today? Not too many, I can guarantee you that.

There are several teams here at Martinsville on this muggy Tuesday, testing for the upcoming First Data 500 at month’s end. Some are still in contention for this year’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship and looking to get any advantage they can before returning in less than three weeks.

Others aren’t Playoff contenders and simply hope to improve and end the year on a strong note.

In the meantime, conversations with Wright start and stop as fellow crewman stop by to say hello and express their regrets.

We’re told that going back to work and getting back into old routines will help in such situations. The mind will stay busy.

“That’s what they say,” Wright said, “but I can’t say it’s really helped any.”