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.

– 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.”

Drive for Diversity invited 25 applicants out to the track to show off their racing skills in the hopes of being selected for the 2009 Drive for Diversity season. Fourteen drivers will be selected to be a part of four NASCAR Camping World Series teams and 10 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series teams.

“With the participation of 14 dedicated team owners, we are able to increase our national presence, as well as provide more opportunities to young minority and female drivers,” said Greg Calhoun, president of Access Marketing & Communications, which runs the Drive for Diversity program.

Increasing the number of drivers and team owners will give the program a greater presence at several well respected weekly tracks across the country. It will also increase local team owner involvement in the program. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series teams participating in the program for 2009 represent 10 different weekly tracks across eight different states, including California, Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin.

According to my count of the combine participants 16 of them were female, which I think is super cool! It’s only a matter of time before we see women competing at NASCAR’s top level. And not just getting in for a race here and a race there, I mean having a real chance at winning, with complete support and great equipment.

Twenty-five minority and female drivers from across the country participated in the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. Ten drivers will earn rides in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and four will earn positions in the NASCAR Camping World Series. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Trista Stevenson of Pocahontas, Ill. is congratulated by Brett Bodine after her time on track during the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Natalie Sather of Fargo, N.D. talks with Drive for Diversity program mentor Wendell Scott Jr. during the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR Managing Director of Public Affairs Marcus Jadotte, who oversees the diversity department, huddles with Lyn St. James, who was offering guidance to the drivers at the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Current Drive for Diversity participant Paul Harraka, who won the track championship at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., chats with team owner Bill McAnally during the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Caitlin Shaw of Albuquerque, N.M. gets ready to get in her car during the Drive for Diversity Combine presented by Sunoco at South Boston Speedway. (Photo Credit: Grant Halverson/Getty Images for NASCAR)