I really, really, really wish I was in Daytona right now. I just had to get that out of my head for the record. I just realized that I haven’t written anything about win at New Hampshire. Hmm. It’s not entirely on purpse. I don’t dislike the kid, I just didn’t want the race to end that way. It was just boring and annoying. I’m not blaming anyone, obviously it was the weather. It was a good race until it had to end. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was doing so well, right? He’s making great progress but then, for whatever reason, something happens and he doesn’t get the chance to let it show.

In other news…

— Office Depot has launched a new photo contest for fans of Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet. From now until my birthday, August 31st (which is a total coincidence, most contests end of my birthday), you can upload photos of the creative ways you’ve incorporated the No. 14 into your life. I have a feeling they’re going to receive some verrrrry interesting entries.

The deets:

The proof is in the pictures! Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart is asking his fans to send in their photos as part of the new Office Depot “Show Us Your 14” online photo contest. Now through August 31, fans can visit OfficeDepotRacing.com and upload photos that show how they support Tony and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team in their daily lives. Fun and unusual images – think fans sporting a #14 haircut, family pets sporting #14 gear or even a yard with some creative #14 landscaping! – are sure to catch the attention of the judge, who is none other than Tony Stewart himself. Tony will pick his favorite photos and the winners will receive a special prize package from HP.

“It’s great to have so many loyal fans supporting me and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team every weekend,” Tony says. “NASCAR fans are the most passionate fans in all of sports, and I can’t wait to see all the creative ways people incorporate the number 14 into their lives. I think I’m going to see some very imaginative stuff!”

— On Thursday, July 9th at 9PM ET CNBC is airing “Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR” hosted by Darren Rovell. Rovell will explore how our current economic state is affecting NASCAR and what NASCAR’s plans are to weather the storm. Rovell interviews Brian France and visits Tony Stewart’s garage. I think this will be an interesting program, I’m a fan of Rovell’s blog, Sports Biz with Darren Rovell. I think understanding the business side of sports is just as important as understanding the fundamentals of competition.

Caitlin Shaw at the 2008 Drive For Diversity Combine (photo credit: NASCAR)— It’s true that I don’t write about female race car drivers nearly enough. I don’t, but I’m going to work on improving that. There are a bunch of young women out there with dreams of becoming NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and I think we should support them. One such driver is 19-year-old Caitlin Shaw from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been named the US representative and spokeswoman for GirlRacer. She’ll be writing a blog for their site, and will help promote the efforts of women in motorsports:

“I’m really excited about this opportunity. I feel like GirlRacer is a great organization that markets women who are making an impact in male-dominated sports. I’ve never been someone who likes to rely on the fact that I’m a girl to get attention, but GirlRacer promotes women for their accomplishments and who they are as a person. They give exposure to the driver for wins and exceptional runs. I’m happy to be a part of the GirlRacer team. I have some great ideas for my column and I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to interview these incredible people each week.”

Check out her website too, www.CaitlinShawRacing.com.

— This is late, but I still love it. It’s a quote from Brian Vickers after last weekend’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in which he was involved in the big wreck on lap 175. Can you guess which part of the quote I think is funny?

“Everybody just started spinning in front of me,” Vickers said. “We slowed down and I got hit from behind, the side and the front. Then I hit the wall on the right. Just nowhere to go. While I was in the care center I saw the replay, and it looked like the 18 (Busch) was just completely impatient — very normal. He just hooked the 1 (Truex) in the right rear and turned him in front of the field. We’re probably going to take a big hit in the points.”