One of the benefits of being unemployed is the ability to do anything anytime you want, and in my case it means that I can attend media events that occur during the day at a time when I’d normally be working. This Friday I’ll be at Infineon Raceway for Two-Wheel Thunder, a test session for motorcycle riders in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series.

It all begins at 9am and is completely free to the public. So if your schedule is open that day you should come out to Sonoma and check it out. There will also be riders from Supermoto USA and TTXGP electric motorcycle demonstrations.

This is all in advance of the West Coast Moto Jam taking place at Infineon on May 14-16. If you purchase a ticket for the West Coast Moto Jam during Two-Wheel Thunder you’ll get to take a lap around the the raceway’s road course on your motorcycle. For more info go to infineonraceway.com

In other news…

— ESPN’s Jamie Little became engaged to Cody Selman, Kyle Busch’s former go-to guy. Congrats to Jamie & Cody! Check out her ring, it’s spectacular! I saw her interviewing Danica Patrick with it on over the weekend and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Good job, Cody!

Brian Vickers participated in a special NASCAR Tweetup at Martinsville where he competed against fans in an simulated racing challenge at the Sprint Experience.


Brian Vickers races Miss Sprint Cup and six fans from Twitter during a pre-race tweet-up at the Sprint Experience. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Brian Vickers races Miss Sprint Cup and six fans from Twitter during a pre-race tweet-up at the Sprint Experience. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Brian Vickers congratulates Matt Dettelbach (@mdbach on Twitter) for beating him in the simulator race at the Sprint Experience. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Brian Vickers congratulates Matt Dettelbach (@mdbach on Twitter) for beating him in the simulator race at the Sprint Experience. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

JR Motorsports has joined forces with Lifetime Television for this weekend’s Nationwide Series race at Nashville. Be on the lookout for Scott Wimmer in the No. 7 car wrapped in a special Army Wives paint scheme.

I have to applaud this effort by Lifetime to recognize NASCAR’s huge female audience and the benefit of sponsorship. I WISH more brands and companies would realize the untapped power of female racing fans. Just email NASCAR, they’ve got all the stats (or ask for a ‘Fabulous’ media kit).

Oh and one request I have for Lifetime… Why not a Project Runway car? OMG! I would LOVE that… I would buy every piece of merchandise that existed, and Michael Kors could design the car and the firesuit! Heidi Klum could be the Grand Marshal for the race. Dude, it’d be so amazingly awesome on about a million different levels. Seriously, think about it.

More details, including info on a special sweepstakes where you can win an all-expenses paid trip for four people to a NASCAR race, from the press release:

Lifetime Television, NASCAR and JR Motorsports have entered into a multi-faceted partnership involving on-car branding and talent appearances during the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Nashville 300 on April 3, 2010, airing at 3:30pm (ET) on ESPN, as well as a major online sweepstakes to promote the season four premiere of the hit drama Army Wives. Cable’s highest-rated original drama series among Women 18-49, Army Wives will return for its fourth season with 18 all-new episodes at 10:00pm (ET/PT) on Sunday, April 11, 2010, on Lifetime, television’s number one women’s network.

Under terms of the partnership, Army Wives will serve as the official sponsor of JR Motorsports’ No. 7 car, driven by Scott Wimmer, which will be completely wrapped with Army Wives branding during the race in Nashville. Additionally, Lifetime will bring the Army Wives Experience to NASCAR’s Fan Zone at the Nashville Superspeedway, where the program’s stars Brigid Brannagh and Wendy Davis will join Wimmer and fellow JR Motorsports driver Kelly Bires for an autograph session with attendees.

“This promotion uniquely ties Lifetime in with NASCAR and JR Motorsports, reflects auto racing’s long-time support of the armed forces and strategically reaches the Army Wives audience,” said Alex Ignon, Vice President of Media and Consumer Promotions for Lifetime Networks. “Through the NASCAR and JR Motorsports sponsorship, we will be able to capitalize on one of America’s most popular sports to effectively market Army Wives and inform its fans about the new season in an immersive, exciting and targeted way.”

Moreover, Lifetime will launch the Army Wives Race of a Lifetime Sweepstakes on myLifetime.com, where visitors can enter to win an all-expenses paid trip for four people to a future NASCAR event this summer. Winners will meet-and-greet with a JR Motorsports driver or executive and be given a ride in the race’s official pace car, an exclusive tour of the speedway’s pit, garage and hauler areas, and complementary tickets for the entire weekend.