Daily Dirt: $5 a gallon for gasoline? Brace yourself, the worst could be coming

Welcome to today’s three thoughts and Vol. 227 of The Daily Dirt. Thought No. 3 might provoke the deepest discussion of the day. Welcome aboard.

1. If you are a wagering man, it would a good bet that we could soon see a record price-per-gallon for gasoline in Quincy.

The record of $4.209 per gallon dates to July 17, 2008, a mark that is currently sitting in the crosshairs of an inflation dilemma triggered by a variety of situations around the globe. Obviously, the heart of the problem is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia is one of the world’s largest oil producers and we aren’t exactly on good terms with Vladimir Putin’s country.

“The national average for gas will almost certainly tick past $4 a gallon this month,” Tom Kloza, an energy analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, told CNN.

Gas prices around the globe continue to mount as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. That, coupled with prices usually hitting their annual peak this time of year as refineries undergo maintenance before the summer driving season, has Kloza predicting the record for U.S. average gas price — $4.11 a gallon in 2008 — will be broken in the near future.

Dan Dicker of the Energy Word told Yahoo Finance that he expects the national average to climb to $5 a gallon — or even higher. Brace yourself, the worst is probably yet to come.

2. This week’s Great Plate winners, found on the highways, side streets and parking lots across West-Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri:

Gold medal: MEANCAT. This one made me smile. A lot.

Silver medal: SOONER 2. Hey, a Baker Mayfield fan!

Bronze medal: EMCITY 1. I thought Quincy was the Gem City, but it’s probably for Emerald City Jewelers.

An updated top 10 rankings for 2022 will appear early next week.

3. This is a question for basketball-loving readers.

Who would you rather build an NBA franchise around, Ja Morant or Luka Doncic? The best answer might be, “I’ll take whichever one you don’t want.”

Steve Fact O’ The Day — When Steve got his first driver’s license, gas was 36 cents a gallon.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. His first car actually ran on kerosine.