Sunday’s Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil at Phoenix International Raceway was boring and I’m not saying that because Jimmie Johnson won. I’m saying it because it was boring, and the drama that involved Dale Earnhardt Jr. did not help things, like, at all.

Or maybe I thought it was boring because I was too caught up in trying on the dress I bought for the Sprint Cup Awards Ceremony. On Saturday, I went dress shopping with my mom and missed all of the Denny Hamlin/Brad Keselowski hullabaloo from the Nationwide race. On Sunday, I bought my dress, after starting with 10 contenders I found “the one” half an hour before the race started, and I really, really like it. I have to be honest, until I leave for Vegas this is all I’m going to be thinking about. I’m over Jimmie, and I’ve made peace with Dale’s season (Is it 2010 yet??!). I’m all about Champion’s Week; I’m counting down the days!

In other news…

– It’s safe to search the site again. There were issues with the Google Custom Search getting hijacked, but I’ve updated the code and the coast is clear.

And now, Phoenix photo fun time after the jump! (more…)

Before the start of the Dickies 500 on Sunday I was thinking about what had to happen in order for Jimmie Johnson to lose some momentum in The Chase. Of course, I didn’t think any of it would happen. So when Jimmie’s accident occurred I was, uhm, sort of pleasantly surprised.

We needed that to make things a little more interesting. The guy still has a ton of points on Mark Martin but at least it gives hope a chance to shine. And, if I’m being honest, it was pretty cool getting to see the 48 team pull together and get that car back into shape to run in the race again. I’m never against seeing Ron Malec in action. (hehe) I have to give it Chad Knaus though, that guy is one cool customer. He was pissed of course that they ran into trouble, but his voice is always even. He doesn’t freak out, and you can’t afford to freak out in a situation like that, which is why Jimmie and the Lowe’s team are 3-time Sprint Cup Champions.

Watching Kurt Busch do his victory lap around Texas Motor Speedway in reverse with his tongue sticking out made me realize who he reminds me of, and no, it’s not Michael Jordan. No, I was thinking more along the lines of the character Pete Campbell from the awesome TV show Mad Men. Pete, played by Vincent Kartheiser, is kind of a punk. He whines when he doesn’t get his way and always thinks he should be treated better than he perceives he’s being treated. It’s funny. Watch Mad Men, it’s awesome. The latest season is over, but that’s what Netflix is for.

That being said it was cool to see Kurt so excited about winning and all that.

Uhm… There’s this one driver, I think his name is Dale Earnhardt Jr. or something, who doesn’t seem to be able to catch a break this season. I’m at the point, well I’ve been here for some time now, where I want to just say to him “Dale, (yes, in this scenario I know him and we’re BFFs) I think you should just park it and call it a season, this is lame. I know you’re doing your best but you need to tell whatever gods are in charge of luck to kiss your butt.”

He was running really well and then of course something happens and finishes crappy. And his finish has nothing to do with his overall performance. They were kicking butt and then it falls off. Ugh.

And now ladies and gentlemen, a photo bonanza! (more…)

Overall I think Talladega went down pretty much the same way it would have gone down had NASCAR not instituted the new rules, smaller restrictor plate and no bumping in the turns. Those guys were going to hold off until the end and then crap was going to hit the fan in the final laps. Because really, at Talladega if you’re 35th you’re still in it, it’s all about being there in the end and getting in a good line up to the front.

I wasn’t mad about the whole no touching each other in the corners rule because of the rule itself, but more anxious about the enforcement of that rule. As it is, Talladega is a race that I love but one that also makes me crazy with anxiety because I’m hoping that my driver doesn’t get caught up in the “big one.” I hold my breath during Talladega because you just never know.

So then you add in the fact that my driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., could get caught on some lame rule NASCAR cooked up an hour before the race starts, you’re just tacking on another layer of panic for me to deal with for the ENTIRE race. (more…)

Ya know I was thinking about it the other day and I realized that I’m a fan of ALL NASCAR drivers. Yes, I love some of my kids more than others but still I have affection for all of them. So in wanting the Chase to be more interesting and not wanting Jimmie Johnson to just run away with it it’s really because I want to spread the love around.

Anyway, came across this press release from Talladega Superspeedway. They had a Creek Medicine Man come out to the track and do a blessing ceremony:

Strange occurrences and urban legends have swirled around Talladega Superspeedway since its inception 40 years ago. But instead of focusing on rumors and myths during its Halloween race weekend, the historic track turned to a much more symbolic and meaningful ceremony to prepare for welcoming thousands of race fans. Creek Medicine Man Robert Thrower performed a traditional Native American blessing ceremony today on the start-finish line and asked for balance to be restored to the land.

“Most everything in Native American belief is about keeping balance,” said Thrower. “Sometimes people and places can get out of balance and that unbalance may be perceived as something bad. What we did today was bless the track and ask for reconciliation so that balance can be restored.”

Thrower comes from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. He has been a traditional medicine man for nine years, and his family has a long history of performing traditional medicine. His great-grandmother was the last tribal medicine woman.

The ceremony was opened with Thrower offering a prayer in his native Muscogee language. He then asked for reconciliation and the restoration of balance while burning a collection of ceremonial offerings in a small bowl. The ceremony was then closed with another prayer.

“It was a very moving ceremony,” said Talladega Superspeedway President Rick Humphrey. “It’s like Mr. Thrower said, sometimes things just need to be brought back into balance. With the controversy that surrounded Talladega when we first opened, it’s a possibility that there has always been some unbalance here. I’m confident in saying that after this ceremony however, we don’t have to worry about that anymore and we are looking forward to a great AMP Energy 500 race weekend.”

I would define a “great” AMP Energy 500 as one that includes Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning, but that’s just me. I’m curious to see what effect this blessing will have on Sunday’s race, it would be crazy if there was no “big one” and it was straight green flag racing all the way through.

The picture to the left was taken by Denny Hamlin himself. He posted it to his Twitter page, arriving home after winning Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville, with the caption “Just pulled up at my house.. LOL.” Isn’t that sweet? I love it.

The race itself was fun, and I’m glad Denny won.

I was thinking that I wouldn’t comment on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bad, bad luck but I feel like I have to say something. Maybe just for myself? This season has sucked and sucked hard. I don’t place blame or feel the need to point fingers because I truly believe that Hendrick Motorsports is doing everything they can to make Dale Jr. successful. I mean, it’s in everyone’s best interest that he wins. There is nothing to be gained from having an annoying season like this one. (more…)

– ESPN The Magazine’s “Body Issue” hit newsstands a couple weeks ago and I finally bought a copy on my way back from Vegas. I was a little disappointed that there weren’t multiple photos of Carl Edwards to drool over, but still it was great that he was included in the issue at all. If you’re a super serious Carl fan then you’ll be happy to know that you can buy a poster of Carl’s cover directly from ESPN. Just go to espnthemag.com/covers.

– Why was Dale Earnhardt Jr. running on a beach with a gnome in his arms?

– This week Office Depot and Tony Stewart announced the winners of the “Show Us Your 14″ online photo contest. Tony personally picked each winner himself and along with each person’s bio is a quote from him explaining why he choose them.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Jeff Strangman of Seabrook, New Hampshire
Jeff Strangman never misses a NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), located roughly 65 miles northwest of his home in Seabrook, N.H., and the loyal Tony Stewart supporter is something of a celebrity among fans at the 1.508-mile track. Every season since 1996, Strangman has attended both Sprint Cup Series events at NHMS with his meticulously branded 1964 camper in tow. He parks in the same spot for each race and enjoys the enthusiastic response his rig gets from fellow fans. Last spring, Strangman estimates he spent 80 hours detailing and repainting the camper from orange to red to match Tony Stewart’s new look with the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team. “This is as authentic and old school in NASCAR as you can get,” Tony Stewart said about Strangman’s photo.

FIRST PRIZE WINNER: Melanie Hutchens of Hammond, Oregon
Hutchens’ four-year-old black lab, Isabelle, has one of the most colorful dog houses in the neighborhood. After reading about the Office Depot “Show Us Your 14″ online photo contest, Hutchens – who was in the process of painting her home red – decided to extend the hue to Isabelle’s house and incorporated the No. 14 “paint scheme” as well. And if the paint looks a little wet in the shot, well, that’s because it probably was! Hutchens said she finished painting just in time to take this photo and submitted it three hours before the contest deadline. The longtime Tony Stewart fan is excited about her HP prize package and plans to share her winnings with others by donating a laptop to a charitable organization during the holiday season. “The only person other than me in the dog house…sit…good boy!” Tony Stewart said about Hutchens’ photo.

SECOND PRIZE WINNER: Diane Cox of East Alton, Illinois
Dedicated Tony Stewart fan Diane Cox and her four-year-old daughter, Mackenzie Cox, were inspired to build this replica of Stewart’s No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy when Mackenzie and her pre-school classmates at Washington Elementary School in East Alton, Illinois, were assigned a school project to “build a car out of a box” during National Transportation Week earlier this year. It took Diane and Mackenzie – who likes to call her mom’s favorite driver “Tony Stewart Little” after her favorite Disney movie, “Stuart Little” – two days to build the colorful car. “Somebody call the police; a cute young blond stole my car!” Tony Stewart said about Cox’s photo.