I’m in two minds about it, but I know for sure that it was fun to watch. I’m glad Brad was OK after the wreck (and we should never take the strides they’ve made in keeping the drivers safe for granted), but we know that Carl didn’t intend for him to flip around like that.

Now let’s talk about the other disaster in this race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets the pole and then proceeds to lead not a single lap in the ENTIRE race. How is this possible? Holy crap, I love you Dale. I really, really, really do, but what the heck?

Big shout out and congrats to David Gilliland for putting on a great show on Sunday! He led laps and ran up front a whole heck of a lot. Good things are coming for that No. 38 Charter Air Transport / Taco Bell team! It’s so nice when you support a driver and they do good things to remind you why you pull for them in the first place. Seriously, I cannot WAIT till David wins a Sprint Cup race. It’s going to be AH-MAY-ZING.

Fellow Toyota drivers Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers talk in the garage during Friday’s practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.(Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR)

NASCAR Drive for Diversity drivers (from left) Jason Romero, Ryan Gifford, Darrell Wallace Jr., Michael Cherry pose with daughter of NASCAR legend Wendell Scott, Sybil Scott, after a press conference at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A decal featuring Wendell Scott’s image was revealed during the Saturday press conference. (Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Tony Stewart straps in with a smile during practice for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Bronze medalist members of the U.S. Olympic woman’s bobsled driver Erin Pac, poses along with team brakeman Elana Meyers, NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine, head of the Bodine bobsled project, gold-winning men’s bobsled team pilot Steve Holcomb and pushman Steve Mesler in the media center at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kevin Harvick celebrates in Victory Lane after winning Sunday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series E-Z-GO 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

I will say this about the Lowe’s team, I love their firesuits. Veddy nice.

Jimmie Johnson talks with crew chief Chad Knaus before the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Anne Edwards was born February 24, 2010 in Columbia, Mo., at 12:44 p.m. (CT) weighing in at 8 lbs., 4 oz. Parents Carl and Kate Edwards, and baby Anne are all doing well.

For anyone wanting to send flowers or gifts, Carl and Kate have requested that instead donations be made to the following charity:

Back 2 Back Ministries
c/o Anne Edwards
P.O. Box 70
Mason, Ohio 45040

Donations will be used for an orphanage in Monterrey, Mexico.

And really, not that much happened in the race, I mean, aside from Carl Edwards still calling his soon to be born baby daughter “it” (which I’m sure is just a symptom of being a first time parent and the reality hasn’t set in yet), Ella Gordon continuing to be one of the most adorable kids on the planet, and Kevin Harvick giving the greatest post-race quote in NASCAR history — everything else was just “eh.”

I won’t be at Las Vegas this weekend, which sucks, but I know there’ll be more races in my future. More to come about that later.

So without further adieu I give you photo fun time from Auto Club Speedway:

During Friday’s qualifying Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford, listens to crew chief Kenny Francis at Auto Club Speedway. Kahne will start Sunday’s Auto Club 500 in fourth position. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after getting his first win of the season at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300 on Saturday in Fontana, Calif. (Credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images for NASCAR)

FYI, I really love Katharine’s new CD “Unbroken.” It’s good stuff, I recommend it!

Former “American Idol” runner-up and actress Katharine McPhee sings the national anthem Sunday before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Actor and race Grand Marshall Andy Garcia talks with Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford, in the garage area before Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. (Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Former star of MTV’s “The Hills” Lauren Conrad looks on from Kasey Kahne’s pit during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet, and wife DeLana look on from pit road before the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

You know what the best part is? I’m the team captain for Denny & Kasey! Hehe. So it’s officially on and I am asking you to get your boyfriend, your father, your grandfather and basically ANY dude that you know to go to Gillette500.com, join Denny & Kasey’s team and log their shaves, using the Gillette Fusion MVP™ razor of course, everyday!

And ladies don’t fret, you can sign up for a team too. In addition to joining a team (Denny & Kasey, Denny & Kasey!!!!) you’re also entering for a chance to win a sweet hometown visit from one of the Gillette Young Guns!

Check out this new video featuring Denny & Kasey helping this poor dude out with his sensitive skin:

Aren’t they adorable? And of course they know the guy’s name, they’re NASCAR drivers, they know everything. I love it. They’re like skin whisperers.

And there will be more webisodes in the future, so stay tuned.

The team captains for the two other teams are a couple of awesome ladies that I know and love but it’s too bad I have to take them down! Tallglassofmilk, of Answer This, is the captain for Carl & Clint and Summer is the captain for Kyle & Joey, check out Summer’s blog.

It’s all about Team Densey!!! (yes, that’s Denny & Kasey combined)

JOIN THE TEAM!

While I didn’t like the way the race ended, it doesn’t mean that the whole green/white/checkered idea needs to be revisited. Of course we’d all like the race to end under green but what else can we do? Just because something is lame doesn’t mean you have to change something. Sometimes you just have to live with it. You can’t make people not do something that they don’t know that they’re going to do i.e. cause wrecks.

What else did I learn from watching the Budweiser Shootout? Oh, I dunno that there’s only been one race broadcast and I’m already tired of Digger and his friends.

Earlier in the day was the ARCA race featuring Danica Patrick. I don’t know that there were any other drivers in the race besides her and there in lies the whole reason why I’m irked she’s coming to NASCAR, and it’s not even her fault. I don’t fault her. Let me repeat that so everybody doesn’t get all pissed that I’m hating on Danica. I DON’T FAULT HER. It’s the dissection of her move to NASCAR that is the most ANNOYING THING on the planet.

Oh and one other thing that’s Danica related and not her fault, those damn GoDaddy ads during the Super Bowl. Dude, we know Danica is a girl and that she’s pretty. Could you PLEASE figure out another plot for your ads that consists of something OTHER than chicks ripping their shirts off?? Seriously.

I’m a GoDaddy customer and it irritates me that A.) They think men are that dopey to want to see what happens next when they could just as easily Google “free porn” and B.) They think that women will… I actually don’t know what they thought women would think. Maybe that’s the problem, they didn’t think. I’m all for owning your sexuality and being sexy and all that, but it’s one note, and there’s more to every single woman in the world than just ONE thing.

You can’t really see it from this angle, but that is the coolest Aflac shirt I’ve ever seen. It beats those boring polo shirts sponsors usually make them wear.

Carl Edwards talks with SPEED’s Kenny Wallace Thursday after drawing the poll for the Budweiser Shootout (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Young race fans look on during Saturday’s qualifying for the Daytona 500. Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, later signed autographs for them. (Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Musician Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band performs in a pre-race concert Saturday before the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

I have to admit that when I first saw this image I instantly thought of Teen Wolf, and I say that with all the love in my heart.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands on pit road before qualifying for the Daytona 500. Earnhardt will start the race on the outside of the front row. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, took a spin across the grass to bring out the second caution of Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout. (Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)

It’s funny how excited someone else’s pregnancy has made me, considering I don’t know them at all. But I’m super excited for them. This is exactly what we need, more babies on pit road! I’m not making a joke, I’m serious. After baby Edwards and baby Sadler arrive baby Johnson will be future NASCAR driver number 3 for 2010 (so far). Did someone spike the VitaminWater or what?

In other news…

– AJ Allmendinger went go-karting with Jamie McMurray down in Florida last week during the annual Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket events at Daytona International Speedway. This was the third straight year that Jamie participated in the event and AJ’s first time.

“This is not kick back and relax, this is very serious and it’s very high stress,” McMurray said with a grin. “We’re trying to run two classes this year, it’s just hectic today trying to get both karts on the track today and get everything ready but I’ve got some good helpers.”

“I’m bored in the offseason, if we could race every weekend, I’d be happy,” Allmendinger said. “By the time Christmas rolls around, all you want to do is get back to a race track and race something.”

(Left to right) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers AJ Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray talk during Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket events at Daytona International Speedway. (Credit: Don Bok/Motorsports Images and Archives)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jamie McMurray takes his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops go-kart, decked out like the car he’ll drive during Daytona Speedweeks, while participating in Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket events at Daytona International Speedway. (Credit: Don Bok/Motorsports Images and Archives)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger takes a spin in his go-kart during Daytona KartWeek By Cometic Gasket events at Daytona International Speedway. (Credit: Don Bok/Motorsports Images and Archives)

– The two-day Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust event begins this Friday, January 8th. Once again it will serve to raise money for Victory Junction and The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum by bringing together country music artists and NASCAR stars.

Details:

Some of the greatest names in country music will kick off the two-day event at the Grand Ole Opry when Sprint Sound & Speed Presented by SunTrust hits the stage of the Ryman Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 8. The special night of music will feature Vince Gill, Hank Williams Jr,. Chris Young, Danny Gokey, Holly Williams, Jason Michael Carroll, Kyle Petty and his band and many more. There will also be appearances by NASCAR standouts Michael Waltrip, Jamie McMurray and Greg Biffle during the Friday night event. Shows are at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. See opry.com for the complete artist line-ups for each show.

On Saturday, Jan. 9 the event continues at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, where fans of racing and country music will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with drivers, team owners, and top-name artists for autographs, story-telling, and question-and-answer sessions. The fan event kicks off at 9 a.m. with show car and sponsor displays, as well as a charitable auction with memorabilia from the racing and entertainment industries. This year, fans of NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch are in luck, as limited (200) early autograph passes will be available. Fans who would like to wait for the chance to obtain these passes will have access to the Exhibition Hall at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium beginning on Friday, Jan. 8 at noon, with distribution taking place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. These are the only early passes available. For more information, read the rules and regulations at http://soundandspeed.org/schedule.

– Questions?: At the Auto Club 500 I did what had previously been unthinkable, I spoke during a press conference and posed questions to some NASCAR drivers. It’s still surreal to me to just be in the same room witfh these guys. Growing up as “The Shy One” I’m proud of myself for coming as far as I have. To top it all off David Ragan said he liked my question, which seriously made my life.

– Weekends of racing: While I didn’t get to improve upon on my personal best, I did attend four races — Auto Club 500, Shelby 427, Toyota/SaveMart 350 and Pepsi 500 — in 2009 and added photo galleries from each one to the site. And, I attended my very first drivers meeting during the Shelby 427 weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

– NASCAR Citizen Journalists Media Corps: When I started this blog my goal from the beginning was to get as much credibility as possible. My aim isn’t to be TMZ (gag me) or to just publish anything. I want people to know that if I’m saying something there’s actual thought behind it. I respect NASCAR and this site is all about my experiences and about learning as I go. It means so much to me, probably even more than I know, to be included in the NASCAR Citizen Journalists Media Corps because to me it shows that I’ve done what I set out to do and that people like it.

– Sprinkles Cupcakes: I can’t believe this happened this year, It seriously feels like it was 2 years ago. My harrowing saga of searching for Sprinkles at Auto Club Speedway (and the follow-up) is hands down one of my best posts ever, and if you haven’t read it you should. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll want to eat cupcakes.

– Champion’s Week in Las Vegas: OMG. Seriously. Getting the chance to attend Champion’s Week was just awesome. I had a great, great time, so much fun and of course had the most amazing photo taken with Carl Edwards that beats any photo ever taken of me in my entire life. I think NASCAR has found a perfect home for Champion’s Week in Las Vegas. It is such a fun place for fans and NASCAR drivers alike to just let their hair down and celebrate. Where else could I drunkenly accost Chad Knaus? I cannot wait for Champion’s Week 2010, which I am sincerely hoping includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. and then maybe I’ll be able to get the greatest photo ever taken in the UNIVERSE! haha.

– A few of my favorite things: Some people that are new to this site might not be fully aware of my sense of humor. I do have one and I like to use it from time to time. In “Dear Dale, It’s Not Me, It’s You” I compared my driver/fan relationship with Dale Jr to that of a love relationship between a boyfriend & girlfriend. Some people didn’t get it but whatever, it was funny and some of my best work to date. And frankly, if you can’t find humor in a sucky situation what are you left with? A sucky situation that just sucks.

With “My Mom Gets It Sort of Right” I shared one of my mom’s Christmas gifts to me which was a Dale Jr. baby car shade. It’s awesome because I am childless. My mom is great though, she supports my NASCAR habit and I appreciate that more than anything.

This year for the first time I put together my non-prediction predictions for the Chase of which I am very proud because they serve no other purpose than to make me laugh.

– You guys!: It’s still kinda weird to know that people know me and my site when I don’t know them. I am eternally grateful to everyone who reads this blog and gets any kind of enjoyment out of it. You guys are awesome. Thank you for an awesome 2009 and here’s to an even better 2010!

Did I miss anything?? Let me know in the comments.

I arrived on Wednesday in the afternoon which meant that I missed the charity roast of Jimmie Johnson that took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I got a cab from the airport and went straight over to the Wynn to pick up my media credentials and then over to Harrah’s to check-in.

Then I went up to my room, quickly changed clothes and headed over to Delmonico Steakhouse located inside the Venetian for the NASCAR Evening Series with Chef Emeril Lagasse. Emeril owns Delmonico and was a great host, mingling with all of the guests. He’s a lot shorter than I’d imagined.

There were various stations of food and drinks. I loved all of the food that I tried, except the foie gras, I am not a duck liver person I guess. My favorite yummy morsel of all was Emeril’s Pit Stop Slider, these little cheeseburgers that you got to setup however you wanted with pickles, lettuce, onions, ketchup, and mustard. They were melt-in-your-mouth good!

Emeril’s signature drink for the night was the Burnout Breeze Cocktail. Let me tell you, it’s a great drink! I loved it, so much so that I had two of them, or was it three? Whatever. It was a mix of Crown Royal and an orange/passion fruit juice concoction. Luckily there were little cards on all the tables that had the recipe for the drink printed on them. I’m sharing the recipe with you guys (see below) because it’s too good not to and now you’ll have a fabulous NASCAR cocktail to make at your next holiday party.

I think pretty much all of the NASCAR big wigs were in the room, we’re talking about NASCAR president Mike Helton, ISC president Lesa France Kennedy, and Marcus Smith, the president and CEO of SMI and president of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. NASCAR drivers on hand that I saw were Kurt Busch and his wife, Eva, Jimmie & Chandra Johnson, Mark Martin and his son Matt, and crew chief Kenny Francis.

For dessert there was a table setup full of cookies, mini pastries and cupcakes. You know I had to try the cupcakes, when I asked the waiter manning the table what flavor they were I almost gasped when he said red velvet. I have a serious red velvet problem. They were decorated with the number of the top-12 drivers so I picked up Denny Hamlin’s no. 11 to enjoy back at my room. (My formal review of the cupcakes was that Emeril has a little work to do on his baking, because in my opinion Sprinkles does a way better job. hehe)

And now the story behind the Carl Edwards photo. There’s not much to say except that I had seen him take a photo with someone else, and so I figured he was fair game. We weren’t at a track, nobody was on duty or anything so with the help of a friend we asked if I could get a photo with him and he said sure. That was it; I didn’t talk to him or introduce myself. He had to leave right after that. But that’s cool, I have the photo and it is awesome! It will probably be my Christmas card for the next 10 years.

The entire trip to Vegas was a lot of fun. I did a lot of stuff and met a lot of great people. I have to say that I am truly grateful and appreciative of NASCAR for inviting me to be a part of all of the festivities. The whole experience made me even more determined to be at Daytona in February but we’ll see. I want to be anywhere NASCAR is.

BURNOUT BREEZE COCKTAIL

Ingredients
1 oz. Crown Royal
1 oz. Aperol
1/2 oz. Pomegranate Syrup
1 1/2 oz. Passion Fruit / Orange Juice blend (recipe below)

Passion Fruit / Orange Juice Blend
(total 5 parts)
3 parts Perfect Puree of Napa Valley Passion Fruit Puree
1 part simple syrup
1 part orange juice

Pour all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
Shake well and garnish with a Bruleed Kumquat.

Delmonico Cupcakes

Pretty centerpiece!

The back of Kurt and Eva Busch with Emeril Lagasse and Chandra Johnson

So I changed my clothes and tried to walk quickly to the monorail at Harrah’s/Imperial Palace station so that I could get to the MGM Grand as fast as possible because that’s where the start/finish line was for the Victory Lap. I wanted to see the top-12 drivers doing burnouts, but it wasn’t to be. I missed the whole thing. What I did see, from the windows of the monorail, was the traffic that was backed up for at least a mile next to the Strip. That was kinda neat.

I should have stayed at the Mirage and just watched it from there, but I wanted to be in position to attend After The Lap presented by Tissot at that MGM Grand, and I was also seriously if-i-don’t-eat-something-now-i-will-faint hungry. So I had lunch and then snuck into an already packed theater for the After The Lap fan Q&A session with the top-12 drivers.

Inside the place was packed with more people still waiting outside the theater hoping to get in. Jamie Little hosted the event and asked each driver a question submitted by fans. It was a very fun event and if they don’t do it again next year that would really suck. I think it was an awesome way to connect with the fans and give them something extra. They weren’t shaking hands and all that but I think because of the roast the day before all of the guys were more relaxed and really went “there” in showing their personalities.

For example, someone asked Brian Vickers if he’d seen the movie The Hangover, to which he said “I’ve lived it.” Then Brian launched into a story about going to Las Vegas with Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears, and how after a long night out they’d been at a diner eating breakfast and Jimmie ended up with butter in his hair. I don’t know about you but those are the stories I want to hear. That one little anecdote did more to tell me about who Jimmie Johnson really is than a lot of stuff you get in routine interviews.

The cherry on top of the After The Lap presented by Tissot event was when UNLV’s marching band came in and performed “Viva Las Vegas.” Perfection.

Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle

Tony Stewart

Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya

Kurt Busch

Kasey Kahne and Jamie Little

Jimmie Johnson

Kasey Kahne (left) and Carl Edwards

UNLV Marching Band

All photos credit: The Fast and the Fabulous