Bastin Wins By a Slim Margin.

The Council seat in Second Ward left open when Mike Harris was elected Mayor has been unofficially filled. Former Council member Charlie Bastin won the privilege by a one vote margin last Tuesday.

With no one filing for the position, state statutes dictate that any write-in candidate that is legally qualified can take the election. Eight write-in candidates were reported by the Election office with each receiving one vote, except Bastin, who received two. It was uncertain Wednesday afternoon if Bastin will accept the position. He has no legal obligation to do so, but has served on the Council for several terms in the past. Attempts by this paper to contact Bastin were unsuccessful.

In the two contested races for City Council, incumbents John Studebaker of Ward Three and Ward Five Council member Brent Greninger both won reelection. Second Ward T.J. Teed and First Ward Claude Newport were unopposed.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Fluke injury just a small obstacle in Hamlin’s plans

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Unfortunate circumstances have, at least for the time being, sidetracked Denny Hamlin in his bid for an elusive Sprint Cup championship.

They haven’t, however, slowed him down at Martinsville Speedway, where Hamlin won his second straight race.

Until shortly before the start of the season, the most likely candidate to challenge Jimmie Johnson seemed to be Hamlin, the 29-year-old from Chesterfield, Va., who collected half his eight career wins last year and finished fifth in the point standings.

"Every year you expect yourself to be better than you were the previous year," said Hamlin.

Unfortunately, a fluke injury muddied Hamlin’s championship hopes. Before the season even started, Hamlin suffered a knee injury while playing pickup basketball. The original plan was to put off surgery until after the season ended.

Last week Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Hamlin would undergo surgery immediately. Scheduled for March 29, it had to wait until the following day when Martinsville’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 was rained out.

"We were going to wait until the end of the season," said Hamlin, "but just decided that it wasn’t a good idea. We were doing some further damage to the knee, and, to me, it’s not something that’s worth suffering forever or having a permanent limp or anything like that. It just didn’t make much sense."

Did the injury contribute to Hamlin’s slow start? Undoubtedly. The rigors of short-track racing at Bristol caused additional soreness, and another week on a short track at Martinsville played a role in the decision to have surgery right away. The timing was also right because of the open date between races at Martinsville and Phoenix.

In the short run, the injury threw a monkey wrench into what seemed likely to be the season Hamlin went from being a star to being a superstar.

"I feel like, talent-wise, I’m as good as anyone on the race track," he said. "Ultimately, it takes a lot of pieces of a puzzle to make a championship run. The driver’s skill levels are probably 15 to 20 percent of it. There’s only so much I can help but I think my team is better prepared this year."

Now, if a surgeon named Dr. Patrick Connor can only make Hamlin’s knee better prepared ...

There’s nothin’ much more aggravatin’’ than a machine that isn’t workin’. The old sayin’ that a car that isn’t runnin’ is nothin’ but a two thousand pound radio pretty much sums it up.

Another machine of questionable justification is those little boxes they call ice makers. On occasion. Even the folks that sell refrigerators tell ya they only expect ice makers ta work a couple three years. That’s why they’re so easy to replace.

Cordless phones are beginnin’ to edge up on my list of disposable conveniences also. For twenty or thirty bucks, ya toss out the two year old when the battery gets weak. At least it keeps ya "in style" while you’re yakin’ out in the garden. There’s still comfort in the fact that if ya break a hoe handle, you can still get down and use the blade

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

My wife’s grandfather drives like an idiot. Specifically, he never touches the brake pedal until the very last second, at which point he slams on the brake, throwing everyone forward and sending various objects hurling about the car. Someone finally asked him what he is thinking, and he replied that he is prolonging the life of the brakes. His theory is that if he slams on the brakes, lurching the car to a fast, screeching halt in a second, it means less time for the brake pads to be rubbing and thus wearing down. If he gradually eases the car to a nice, sane stop, it means all the more time for the brakes to be wearing down. Of course, he’s crazy, right? Or could he be on to something? -Ian

Ray: Maybe he doesn’t like you guys, Ian. Perhaps his real goal is to get you all to stop riding with him. In which case, it’s not working yet. Tell him he needs to wait a few seconds longer before slamming on the brakes.

Tom: He’s nuts, Ian.

Ray: The amount of wear on the brake pads can be calculated by multiplying force times distance.

Tom: So, using more force over less distance (like he’s doing) is really the same as using less force over more distance (like the rest of the sane population does).

Ray: In other words, he’s making you bang your foreheads on the dashboard for nothing.

Tom: In fact, he even may be shortening the life of his brakes. By repeatedly causing a rapid rise in temperature from all that friction, he could cause warping or cracking of the brake lining material.

Ray: The best way to drive is gently. Start gently, and slow down gently.