Memorial Day and Racings Greatest Weekend 2012

Memorial Day is the day where we pay tribute to our fallen serviceman and women.

A little more than a year ago my step-son Stephen graduated boot camp.  I remember this when he, and his platoon said the Soldiers Creed

• I am an American Soldier.
• I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
• I serve the people of the United States, and live the Army Values.
• I will always place the mission first.
• I will never accept defeat.
• I will never quit.
• I will never leave a fallen comrade.
• I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
• I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
• I am an expert and I am a professional.
• I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy, the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
• I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
• I am an American Soldier. 

Hooah..


And so begins Racing's Greatest Weekend.

Saturday afternoon it was a perfect 79 degrees out on the Hillbilly Hilton.  This is a 30 degree temperature drop from Monday!

I chose the CAO Lx2, or Double Ligero to Kick-Off  Racing's Greatest Weekend. 

For my second cigar of the day I chose the Ortega Series D No. 8.  These are excellent cigars, with some pepper spice and subtle notes of cocoa and coffee...













Sunday Morning, I got up at 4:00 am and headed up to Ye Olde Pipe and Tobacco to watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monaco, with some of my closest friends, LIVE!  I held true to my convictions and not smoke before 6am. At 6:40am I lit up a Vartan Churchill, a good mild mannered, almost sweet, smoke to start the day. 


Since Ye Olde Pipe and Tobacco was actually closed we brought our own sticks.  I lit my next cigar up during the Indianapolis 500.  I love this race, it has been a tradition of mine since 1984 when I saw my first IndyCar race at Pocono International Raceway.  Danny Sullivan won that race. The following year he would win the Indianapolis 500.

During the 500, I deemed the Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Robusto, My Unofficial Official Smoke if the Indianapolis 500...35 lead changes, and a banzai move by Takuma Sato going into turn 1 on the last lap...we couldn't ask for anything more...
 
And my favorite part about the Indianapolis 500 is when the most famous words in racing are said., yup that right "AND ANDRETTI IS...
Slowly down the backstretch, Into the Wall, has blown up," your pick!

I got home just in time to watch the start of the NASCAR Coca Cola 600, or NASCAR's Longest Day.  My evening smoke was,  one I anticipate smoking a lot of this summer, the San Cristobal Elegancia.

I remember, when John Andretti, Tony Stewart, and Robby Gordon ran both races!  Times were different then.

The final smoke of the weekend was the Por Larranaga Cabinet Seleccion, as you can see from the photo is was full of veins and was actually cracking at the foot. I believe this was due to the poor condition at a shop that shall remain nameless.

Have a Smoking Week..