Just in time for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona tomorrow the Coke Zero people are launching a new ad. It’s another hilarious commercial showing the Coca-Cola brand managers attempting to persuade the Coca-Cola drivers to do something really not well thought out, like, at all.

I love it.

The first part of this video is a behind-the-scenes, making of the commercial feature and then the actual finished commercial is shown at the end.

And for your viewing pleasure I give you the old Coke Zero ad that I love just as much. It never gets old! Enjoy the track for longer than the other drivers. Ha!

Welcome to The Fast and the Fabulous! This is a blog based on one woman's thoughts, opinions and experiences involving NASCAR and IndyCar.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my feed with your favorite feed reader or have the latest posts sent directly to your email address.

Thanks for visiting!

Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes photo ops. Before we do this thing called the Samsung 500 we must first take a moment to look back at the promotional opportunities that were:

Note to self: Purchase Foreigner’s greatest hits CD. I just saw them on some show on A&E and they performed “Cold As Ice” and I realized how much I really like that song.

Foreigner chief songwriter /guitarist/keyboardist and founding member Mick Jones and lead singer Kelly Hansen reflect on the experience after taking a ride in a Team Texas stock car at Texas Motor Speedway Monday, March 30, 2009. The band is headlining the AMDRO Fire Ant Bait Pre-Race Show beginning at 11:35 a.m. CT, prior to the start of the Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, April 5th at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo By Tom Pennington/Getty Images for the Texas Motor Speedway)

Nice socks, Kyle!

Kyle Petty tees off during the AutoTrader.com Gears & Greens Charity Golf Classic on April 2, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten make contact while racing around the track at SpeedZone in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The pair were racing to raise awareness for the March of Dimes and the 2009 March for Babies. (Photo By Tom Pennington/Getty Images for the Texas Motor Speedway)

Notice how Jason Witten is speaking to a million members of the media and over in the right-hand side Denny Hamlin is speaking to three dudes. I just thought that was funny.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (center) talks with the media after racing NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin around the track at SpeedZone in Dallas, Texas Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The pair were racing to raise awareness for the March of Dimes and the 2009 March for Babies. (Photo By Tom Pennington/Getty Images for the Texas Motor Speedway)

In honor of being inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Bobby Labonte got to take an awkward looking photo with Kyle Busch.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch and driver Bobby Labonte unveil a throw-back paint scheme on the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry during the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Banquet held Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway. The paint scheme is the same scheme that Labonte drove during his 2000 Championship year. (Photo By Tom Pennington/Getty Images for the Texas Motor Speedway)

In addition to signing motor oil, Sam Hornish Jr. also signed tires and changed oil.

NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr. signs an autograph for a race fan at Mobil 1 Lube Express in Grand Prairie Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Race fans received a pair of tickets to the Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway with each oil change. (Photo By Tom Pennington/Getty Images for the Texas Motor Speedway)

I think I’ve twittered about being tired a lot in the very recent past. I’m sure people are wondering why I’ve been so tired considering the fact that all I’ve been doing is going to work as usual and attending NASCAR races in between.

Going to a NASCAR race is not like going to the movies or playing mini golf. It’s an all day thing and it involves a lot of walking, standing, and more walking. Plus I tend to get to the track early because I’m paranoid about missing out on something. Take Friday (qualifying day) for example, I got up at like 7am, to get to the track by 8. I was there until 6 and then I had to sit in ridiculous traffic for another hour and a half. I got back to Starbucks (my home away from home) at like 7:30pm.

So I’m still catching up on regular sleep and my normal schedule. It’s weird. I have a bunch of stuff to talk about so let me start with Saturday.

I walked the Sprint Cup garage to find the best place to stand to take photos of the cars as they exited the track during both practice sessions. I found the best spot across from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s hauler. Cars passed by right in front of me, so close that it seemed like they were going run right over my toes. It was perfect.

Now I know that the type of race fans that read blogs like this one aren’t the fans that need to know the tiny piece of information I’m about to share with you. It’s really the casual fans that come to like one race a year that need to heed the advice I am giving. Look around you!!! I cannot tell you how many people I saw just walking around, lolly gagging, in a “hot” garage. Cars are constantly coming in and out, and these people have no idea where they’re walking.

To illustrate my point perfectly there was a woman who walked right in front of Michael Waltrip and his #55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota as he entered the garage. She was so freaked out that she tried to run out of the way but her fright got the best of her and she fell right in front of his car. Michael stopped of course, not close to her at all, and the security guy that had been directing traffic helped her out of the way. I know she was embarrassed. I felt bad for her but at the same time it was pretty comical.

In other news…

– Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a spa. Yes, my friends, a spa. It’s not for you and me, it’s for the drivers and their families. While the guys are out on the track their wives can relax and get manicures, pedicures, facials and massages. So you’re telling me that these people get to bypass the insane traffic in their helicopters and then once they’re here they get to have a mani/pedi too?! So not fair.

Bobby Labonte helps to push his car back to the garage during Sprint Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 28, 2009. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Elliott Sadler navigates his way through the garage during Sprint Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 28, 2009. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Martin Truex Jr. navigates his way through the garage during Sprint Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, February 28, 2009. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

By virtue of being a woman I tend to lead with my heart. But I’m logical and intelligent and I understand cold hard facts. I know that money is usually the biggest deciding factor in the world of NASCAR race teams and in this economic climate it seems like it’s the only one.

Still, even with those hard truths, I can’t help but feel like there’s more at work with the lack of attention being paid to great drivers like David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil. These are guys that truly deserve more time to prove themselves on the racetrack. Gilliland finished 2nd at Infineon Raceway last year, the best race finish between the two Yates Racing drivers for the season.

So what does his effort get him? Only to be left without a ride and on contract with a company who has given the points he earned to the new guy, Bobby Labonte who hasn’t had a top-5 finish since 2006.

While Kvapil still has a ride for 2009 it doesn’t have a sponsor yet (although Golden Corral has signed on to sponsor him in the Daytona 500) and his points have been moved to Paul Menard. Menard has had only two top-10 finishes in his entire Sprint Cup career and Kvapil has had six.

That just doesn’t sit right with me. Frankly I’m pretty disgusted by it. I understand wanting and needing drivers that can succeed and rack up great finishes. I also understand wanting and needing drivers that are marketable. Both of those criteria are needed to secure sponsorships and I know that Gilliland and Kvapil are completely capable of both of those things.

I had the chance to interview them during the 2008 season and you’re not going to find more genuinely nice, honest and hardworking guys. They’re both well-spoken, good-looking guys with beautiful families. They also have the most important thing: the passion and drive to want to win races. They want to put in the work.

So why did Bobby Labonte and Paul Menard suddenly become the new fresh faces of Yates Racing? Because everybody knows who Bobby Labonte is and Paul Menard comes with a built-in sponsor.

I’m not saying that Yates Racing doesn’t value the talent they have in Travis and David. I don’t think they would have signed them on in the first place if they hadn’t. I just think it’s sad that they couldn’t have held on to what they’d accomplished, built on the team success they had from last year and figured out a way to stay loyal to drivers already in their stable.

It’s really sad when the choice of sponsorship over talent rules the day.

So I was listening to the NASCAR channel on Sirius XM the other day and Bobby Labonte was a guest. He was asked how he felt about leaving Petty Enterprises and his prospects for the future. It was funny/annoying how all of the conversations started with the same thought about how crappy the economy is and then ended with the same question of “Has anyone from this particular race team approached you about joining their organization??” It’s ridiculous.

Honestly, all Bobby needs to tell me is whether or not he wants to race anymore, the rest is obvious. Of course he’s going to keep his options open. Of course things are tough for everybody right now because of the recession.

So about the economy and it’s affect on NASCAR. I’m sick of hearing about it. I know that it’s what’s going on, I know that it’s important and all of that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not incredibly depressing. I find myself trying to be extra optimistic about it all because I can’t bear to imagine what life would be like without NASCAR. Did you hear about the Arena Football League? They’re closing down for a year, with the full intention of coming back in 2010. Ew.

I know that NASCAR isn’t the AFL (Thank God), but it’s just one of those things that makes you pause and think about it for a minute.

In other news…

– So here’s a quick reading assignment. Read this and then read this. In short, the guy from Slate.com is wrong and David Poole is right.

– Chevrolet is welcoming Tony Stewart back into the fold by giving away 30 trips to the 2009 Daytona 500 in February along with the opportunity to meet Tony and Ryan Newman. You can also enter to win Tony’s Chevy Silverado. Go to chevy.com/tony for all of the contest details.

Hello! Today has been insane let me tell ya, but the one awesome thing has been writing up this final post of my interview with Kyle Petty. Again, this interview was done last week during Kyle’s promotion of Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.

—
Me: In regards to Prostate Cancer Awareness, a lot of the readers of my website are women, what’s the most important thing that they can do for their husband or father to help them to go out there and see a doctor about this?

Petty: When had our STAY ON TRACK for Better Prostate Health booth set up at Michigan I was surprised at the amount of women who came through and would bring their husbands, or would say “My father had prostate cancer, it runs in our family and I’m trying to get my brothers to go and I really appreciate you guys speaking up on it.”

I think prostate cancer for so many people and especially guys, guys just are afraid to go be checked. And just like I said before, as my father uses the example of putting together a pit crew for his prostate cancer, I think so many guys will baby their car, change the oil, do everything they can with their car and their lawnmower, and their fishing boat or whatever it may be but they disregard their body. (more…)