  So what happens when mom's sick and goes to bed, leaving dad to handle evening entertainment with the daughters? Duh. Time to teach them the proper meaning of green, yellow and red flags; in other words, see if they'll stomach some racing. The 2004 NASCAR season got underway on Saturday night with the Budweiser Shootout, an all-star event made up of last year's pole winners and past series champions.
Did the divas manage to tolerate it? "Dad, it's the Home Depot car! " Madeline proudly shouted; a victim of American marketing and too many trips to the store for Projects that Dad Will Never Finish. "Sophie, why is he wearing a fire suit? " "He might get fire. " (she's 3 years old) While they didn't care that Dale Jarrett's win helps resurrect a team that's been on the wane the previous two seasons, it was fun watching and listening to them describe what they saw.
Madeline's impression of Jeremy Mayfield's wreck was spot-on, including the veer into the wall the car made after losing it's right-front tire. I knew those ballet lessons would pay off. I wonder how they'll tolerate Figure 8 racing at Flat Rock this summer... 
