Hot rod mama - BLNDEZ 2

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
September 20, 2009

Danica Patrick, here's a message for you. Move over. You've got competition.

There is a woman driver in Woodstock who needs to get the message that U.S. 14 is not the fast track to NASCAR fame.

Last Thursday, about 7:35AM, I was on the way to MCC for a seminar. I must have missed the starter with the checkered flag near Culver's, but the driver of a red Pontiac with Illinois license "BLNDEZ 2" saw him and put the pedal to the metal.

She stomped on the accelerator, passed a car on the right, switched lanes to the inside lane, flew past the next car in the right lane, and raced up behind me at the lane drop just east of Culver's. If there had been room, she would have squeezed past me but I had the lane. She demonstrated her displeasure by closing in on the back of my fast and coming up very, very close. Like, "Hey, buddy. Out of the way!"

Now the "lady" (actually, no lady at all) was more than mildly irritated to find herself in a no-passing zone and behind a driver who was, of all the outrageous things, observing the 55MPH speed limit, and then observing the lower, but posted, 50MPH speed limit. And all the way to MCC. A few times I thought she might disregard the no-passing zone and blow right by me.

She was so close several times that I could read her front license plate in my rearview mirror and, for these tired old eyes, that's close.

I've seen her before on U.S. 14 in the morning. Somewhere in my notes, I've got her license plate from at least one of those previous encounters of the third kind.

The next time? That will be Strike Three. Then I will contact the appropriate law enforcement agency and invite her to explain to a traffic court judge just what her hurry was. And it won't be 1:1; I'll arrange for at least one other witness.

Anybody know her?