There are some drivers you just can't avoid liking due to their personalities and the respect they share with other drivers. When a driver like this has been around a long time you simply have to respect them and what they've brought to the sport of racing. Rick Bond is just that kinda guy. Rick has been turning laps for many years and has always been one to watch work his way to the front of the pack no matter what track he's on. His career has been full of highs and lows of course but that grin of his has never seemed to wear off. Only once have I seen him climb from his car and confront another driver and trust me that idiot had it coming. It takes quite a bit to get Bond to that point and that young fella took things well beyond that point. Anyway, it hasn't been that many years since his last championship but those feature wins seemed to be harder to come by in that past couple of years. At the start of the season I saw what looked like a new fire in this guy and he was posting the lap times to prove it. Setting fast time just last week he looked to be on top of his game once again. The front of the feature line-up this week made it clear we'd be treated to plenty of door to door action and Bond would surely be in the mix. Early on Markham had pretty good control of the lead while half the pack seemed to be fighting for second. Before long Bond would break away and go after Markham. In the closing laps Markham spun and headed pit side which would set up one hell of a battle for the lead between Bond and Gentry. Right before the caution for Markham, Gentry had moved to the top groove and was closing in fast. With the green back out Gentry went back to the top and threw everything he had at the leader but with just two laps left he had more horsepower than race track and the wall would slow him down in a hurry. Those last two laps we saw some great last minute battles throughout the field but up front it was all Rick Bond. The old fart may be pushing 60 years old but he showed once again he's still got what it takes to run with the best. Congrats Rick!! Now don't make me wait so damn long for your next win. ;-)
