Trouble in Turn2

It’s time to get to know everyone’s favorite NASCAR astrologer, Clance fromChurch of the Great Oval.

How long have you blogged?I started blogging in June 2005.

What made you start blogging?
I started blogging just to practice my creative writing skills. I have dreams of being a classic novelist, you know.

Why do you blog?
I love to write. Creativity is a very important aspect of my Self. I enjoy the interaction with other blogger and fans. I keep hoping it will raise my I.Q. a little, but so far it’s staying about the same, give or take a few points. Writing clears my mind.

Where do you blog from? The Outer Limits, or near the Strawberry Wilderness Area in Eastern Oregon.

Your predictions are very unique. How do you make them?
I’ve studied Astrology for 28 years or so. I used to hand cast all my horoscopes which takes a lot of time and mathematical precision. Due to the wonders of technology, there are some really good programs out there to input data into, which makes the work a lot easier and much more precise and accurate.

The NASCAR driver’s horoscopes are all based on their actual Natal charts with 6 month outlooks and daily projections. Solar, Lunar, and Planetary aspects change on a daily basis, so having a computer program do the math, helps a lot.

How long have you been a NASCAR fan?
I’ve been a fan since 1995.

Do you attend races, and which ones?
My first race was the Inaugural race at Las Vegas in 1998. I generally attend Las Vegas, Phoenix, and both Fontana races. My daughter recently moved close to the Sonoma track, so I hope to add it to my schedule next year.

Do you have a favorite driver?
Tony Stewart is my driver, and I really like Ryan Newman a lot. I also like Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Juan Pablo Montoya. Dale Jr., of course. ( I would never want the Jr. Nation mad at me. I’d lose half my readers.)

What do you enjoy about your blog and the NASCAR blogging community?
I love the interaction between other bloggers and fans. I am a huge people person and enjoy the many different personalities and perspectives that make up the fan base.

Is there anything you don’t enjoy about blogging, or the NASCAR online community?
I hate sploggers, people who steal my posts and try to make money off them on their own websites. That ticks me off to no end.

I don’t enjoy how ugly the flaming of driver’s gets.Every driver in NASCAR is enormously talented and I think a certain amount of respect should be reserved for them. There are a lot of sick people out there who also take out their anger on unseen people in forums, etc. I hate that part of it. I don’t even want to see it.

How much time per day do you spend blogging?
Blogging can take a lot of time. I spend 4-6 hours a day when I am in full swing. At least. It takes me about an hour and a half to run the driver’s aspects and then interpret them in a way that is valid for their lives and the races. On the days I post race day horoscopes I am looking at about 6 hours just for the ’scope’s.Then there is the time spent reading other blogs,news and RSS feeds.It can be very time consuming, but I love it.

Is there one thing that was key to your blog’s success? I think the horoscopes brought a unique aspect and flair to the NASCAR community. I posted Tony Stewart’s ’scope the first time I did it, and a NASCAR journalist actually left me a comment that “No one was interested in that. Write something interesting.” I have certainly proved that was wrong. I actually got an apology a couple years later from her.

Name something cool that has come as a result of your blog.
I have had a lot of cool things happen. Ryan Newman gave me a holler in a pre-race interview once. Several driver’s have referred sponsors to me for various promotions. You would be surprised at how many teams subscribe to my ’scope’s in advance. I have received tickets, DVD’s and other fun and wondrous NASCAR oriented stuff, and invites to some awesome fund raiser’s. I enjoy getting to run contests for sponsors. Getting paid a fair price for a link or a post even happens on occasion. $250.00 for a link? Well, sure. Takes up an entire few minutes of my time, and that’s a pretty good hourly wage.

Do you have any strange or funny stories about your blog (funny or outrageous comments or emails from people, etc.)?
One gal wrote a long email about how she knew Tony Stewart and she were soul mates, and would I use my astrological “power” to bring them together. I also have one guy who, every year just before Daytona, leaves long comments and emails me about Alien’s taking over the world, and how NASCAR emissions are destroying the planet. He was actually the guy who convinced me that Kyle Busch was an Alien:), which started my “NASCAR Alien Takeover” series. The funny thing was, that one day I did an Alien post and cartoon, and the guy left me a chapter long comment on my blog. The next day was the dedication and groundbreaking of the NASCAR Hall of fame. That night there were over 800 sight reportings to 911 of strange lights over Charlotte. I loved it.

If you could change one thing about NASCAR what would it be?
I would drop the fall California Speedway race and add another road race to The Chase. I would also like to see some of the longer races shortened up a bit. Fox would broadcast everything. The spelling of NASCAR,should be NA$CAR.

What is something your readers wouldn’t otherwise know about you or your blog?
I used to work for Directv. Sunday’s were quite often a mandated work day, and I was ticked that I had to miss the races. I asked for a religious exclusion because I was missing my Church services at The Church of the Great Oval. I got the exclusion and Sundays off. So came the name of my blog, the Church Creed, and the rest of the LugNutZ congregation just evolved. I actually went on later to become a legally ordained minister. One of my dreams is to offer Invocation before a big race, and perform track weddings.