OT: Why do cars slope inwards at the sides?

Dunno but I knew two other guys with AMC 6s that had the same problem. It was always #5 and it was that chalky lead type fouling that you can chip off with a screwdriver. I had spark plug cleaner that used an abrasive powder that really cleaned them up. A new plug lasted about the same as a "cleaned" one so I just kept a few in the glove compartment. I am not sure I ever had that oil problem. I put 50k miles on it and did not do much to it. I certainly was not diligent about service. I ended up selling it running for $500 after 3-4 years. It was the cheapest car I ever owned.

Do northern rednecks think of southern rednecks the same as non-rednecks think of all rednecks?

That's not many bends.

"Deemed to be" on fire?! Isn't it clear to most folk whether something is on fire or not?

Way too many rules.

How often does that happen?!

The Northern equivalent of rednecks are hillbillies and farmers. The difference is subtle mostly defined by what they like to eat and how they talk. I was a "border state" redneck (southern Maryland) who fits right in with southern rednecks.

It was a pleasant enough little ride except for the puddle quirk. I quickly learned to turn the wipers on if I saw standing water in the road.

I had an '84 Honda Civic hatchback. You could carry 4x8 sheets of plywood in it.

Cindy Hamilton

The only long term relationship I had with AMC cars was a '62 Rambler Classic. My father believed in 15" wheels so that was a strong selling point. However, he wasn't a fan of buying tires and the thing had problems staying in alignment. He traded it in on a '65 Dodge which was earlier than usual for him. We lived in upstate NY so replacement was normally triggered by advancing rust.

not many bends but you do cross traffic coming in from the side twice per lap.

Pretty much. The southern flavor leans heavily toward Scotch-Irish, which is a US term for Scots that weren't civilized enough to live in Ulster. The northern branch is more Germans, French Canadians, and Catholic Irish.

My brother's wife was the daughter of a Baptist minister and she would explain at length why they had nothing in common with Southern Baptists. Your northern redneck may go to church but they seldom take it very seriously and are allergic to bible thumpers. I don't know all the details but I think US Presbyterianism got too liberal for the Scotch-Irish so they became Southern Baptists.

The similarities are a social conservatism, a fondness for firearms, and a distrust of oligarchs.

It can be hard to tell. Most figure eight races are one step up from outright demolition derbies so you're not talking about well prepared race cars. A certain amount of smoke from oil leaking onto the manifolds or steam from faulty cooling systems is expected. Then there are the occasional flames from what's left of the exhaust system. One doesn't want to jump to hasty conclusions.

That sounds like it makes for a lot of fun crashes. Does it?

I really cannot understand how anyone can be monumentally stupid enough to still believe in god in the 21st century.

Remove the rule altogether. Cars attempting to complete the race while on fire are worthy of the win.

Actually, you can't prove God exists and you can't prove she doesn't exist either.  Most people attend church just in case.

Most people are stupid as f*ck. Sensible folk work out the probability. God existing 1 in a trillion, so why bother? Even if god did exist, since the world is in such a monumental mess, god does not deserve worshipping. God can F*CK OFF.

Yeah, we don't eat chitlins... Don't eat possum either, but that's because there aren't any. We damn well don't boil our peanuts; that's just plain wrong. Don't handle rattlesnakes, least not in church.

I've got to agree with Wikipedia on hillbillies:

I like the homemade wrecker. Yankee ingenuity at it's finest. Ain't been the same since they stopped building cars on real frames and went to that unibody crap.

In theory one car yields. In practice, are you kidding me?

In her '70s my mother said she'd kept her mouth shut just in case she got religion in her old age but she figured she'd reached old age and still didn't believe. A couple of people in my extended family were really religious and they were viewed as a bit strange and gently humored.

There was also the practice of baptizing a child as a Catholic in case they wanted to marry a Catholic when they grew up. It was a bigger deal back then but a suitable contribution could usually get a Protestant buried next to their spouse in a Catholic cemetery or get a little excommunication overlooked.