After one day of NASCAR fun at Infineon I already have new tan lines and am seriously tired. I’m not sure when my next post will be so if you wanna know what’s going on with me as it’s happening be sure to follow me on Twitter. You can also subscribe to my Twitter RSS feed of updates if you don’t wanna join in on the Twitter fun yourself.

Let’s see if I can put into words how excited I am about the upcoming Toyota/Save Mart 350 race weekend at Infineon Raceway.

Mmm. Okay, yea I can’t. This weekend means a lot to me for reasons I can’t specifically describe to you in this post. Let’s just say that I need this opportunity, now more than ever, to be immersed in the world of NASCAR and to think of nothing else for three whole days. NASCAR is my escape. It’s funny, this weekend I watched “Into The Wild,” a film based on the true story of one man who got rid of all material possessions except for a backpack and clothes and headed to Alaska to be with nature. I also read the Vanity Fair article about Johnny Depp (on newsstands now) and learned all about how he escapes (in short, he owns islands in the Caribbean and big boat). After taking all of that in I realized that I use this blog and NASCAR as my escape from all of the trappings of “the real world.” This blog isn’t work, it’s fun. (more…)

In no particular order:

– I’m attending the NASCAR Toyota/SaveMart 350 race weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 19th through June 21st. This is so awesome! You have no idea how badly I need that weekend. It’ll be my chance to recharge. Just thinking about standing in my favorite picture taking spot in the garage makes me giddy. I’m not sure how much posting I’ll get done during that weekend, I’ll definitely have posts after, but I do know that I’ll a Twitter fool, so be sure to follow me. Oh, and also I’m pretty sure I’m going to dinner with a bunch of fellow NASCAR bloggers that same weekend, so that’ll be really cool too.

– Double file restarts! Ok, why did it take NASCAR so long to do this? It’s built in excitement and it takes out all of that useless drama with the lapped cars trying to earn their laps back. I’m glad that we get to see the guys that are leading the race duke it out. It’s going to be good!

– Okay, so I only have two things that I’m really excited about right now but still those two things are awesome and it’s nice to have anything to be excited about in general.

On Sunday I attended my first AMA Superbike Showdown race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma as a member of the media.

As is normal for me these days I compared the entire experience to NASCAR. Motorcycle racing couldn’t be more different, from the racers to the fans it was a completely different world.

The first thing I difference was in the insane amount of dudes in attendance. It was probably 80% dudeage. I had no problem with that fact because it was insanely hot that day, in the upper 80s to lower 90s, and lots of guys with great bodies decided to walk around shirtless. Hey, it helps. And, yes, there are tons of men at NASCAR races, but there’s usually just as many women to go with them.

While the size of the crowd on hand was no where near the amount of people that would show up for NASCAR on a Sunday they were all very passionate about the sport.

I didn’t know that much about any of the drivers, except that I could recognize a few of their names, like Mat Mladin and Tommy Hayden. Hayden of course because his brother is MotoGP superstar Nicky Hayden.

Once upon a time I wrote about how I saw a documentary on Nicky that aired on MTV called “The Kentucky Kid.” It was a great glimpse inside motorcycle racing. And from that I learned about the motorcycle racing family that is the Hayden’s.

While I was waiting for the Daytona SportBike race to begin, the first of the day, I stood under a non-descript tent posted on pit road. I stood there mostly to be A.) out of the way and B.) to stay out of the sun, which didn’t help all that much because my jeans were stuck to my body, totally should have worn shorts. But I digress. So I’m standing there, checking out all of the bikes that are lined up on the grid along with various crew members and those women whose only job is to hold an umbrella, wear a ridiculous outfit and look pretty.

So I’m standing there going, ok, where are the drivers? Being the SportBike division I know no one at all, at least not visually. The most notable names to me, and I know nothing, were Jamie Hacking and Roger Hayden.

I know of Jamie Hacking because he picked his number, 88, specifically because it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s. “I chose the number, style and color because of Dale Earnhart Jr.,” said Hacking. “He lives close to where I do and I thought it would be a good way to represent North Carolina. Also since our sport is now owned by the France’s, it seemed good to tie in NASCAR with motorcycle racing. I ran the No. 2 for 11 years and I’ve already moved on and really like the No. 88 better.”

Although, one big difference between the two is that one of Hacking’s sponsors is Monster Energy, and we all know Dale belongs to AMP Energy. Hmm.

Okay, so back to the pits. I’m standing there, melting and these guys start showing up one by one, all with their racing suits unzipped halfway showing off bare chests and a wee little bit of their undies. I am not kidding about that last part.

So I got to watch as Chris Peris, who rides the No. 10 Erion Racing Honda CBR600RR, put all of his gear on and zipped himself into his racing suit. He’s a very cute kid (gorgeous eyes). He’s 22 and his bio says that he’s 5’7″ which I think has to be wrong. Here’s a tip for the ladies out there from your BFF Valli, men lie about their height the way women lie about their weight. Whatever he tells you just subtract 3 inches. The only exception is if he’s really tall, like over 6’2″ and above. I am a walking truth monitor because I happen to be 5’9″ and as a woman I don’t lie when it comes to my height. It is what it is, and I don’t aspire to be taller or shorter. So having seen Mr. Peris in person there’s no way he’s 5’7″. I’d say he’s more like 5’4″.

After Chris’ arrival on the scene a couple of the other riders came into view, a couple of them were interviewed for some television show right next to me. It was then that I noticed the older gentleman standing in front of me. It was none other than Earl Hayden. The father of Nicky, Tommy and Rodger! I thought that was so cool. I loved how he had a had that listed each of his son’s names along with their racing numbers. The Hayden mother, Rose, was there too holding a green umbrella which I realized was the same color as Roger’s team. Later in the day I spied Rose holding on to a blue umbrella during Tommy’s race, blue being the main color of his racing team. Very sweet.

Watching the actual races was very interesting. Each race, of which there were three, lasted only 20 laps each. In the second race, the AMA Pro SuperSport presented by Shoei, a couple of riders, Ricky Parker and Leandro Mercado, put on a great show playing cat and mouse for the first and second positions. It was truly exciting.

At the end of the day, and for the biggest race, Mat Mladin came out on top for the AMA Pro National Guard American Superbike presented by Parts Unlimited. (That has to be THE longest race name ever) Benjamin Bostrom and Tommy Hayden came in second and third respectively.

I dig motorcycle racing. I think it’s crazy how incredibly fast they go and how close to the ground they get without killing themselves or skinning themselves alive. I want to do more with it, and hopefully I will someday.

All I can say is that it’s worth checking out if it comes to a town near you. The ticket prices are reasonable and you get a lot of access without having to pay extra for it.

The garage at the AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Sunday, May 17, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Starting grid for the Dayonta SportBike race at the AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Sunday, May 17, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Sunday, May 17, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Roger Hayden before the start of his race during the AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Sunday, May 17, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Moto Garage Racing rider Scott Jensen at the AMA Superbike Showdown at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA on Sunday, May 17, 2009 (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Some things you should know:

– Clint Bowyer will appear on the March 24th episode of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Isn’t it interesting that the guy that is sponsored by Hamburger Helper is guest starring on a non-reality-reality weight-loss game show? I don’t remember HH being billed as the healthiest thing you could make for dinner.

– Carl Edwards was in New York this week to film a commercial for Claritin. During the shoot he was interviewed by Beth Stern (radio host Howard Stern’s wife) for a segment on the celebrity news TV show “Extra.” Is anyone else bored by the fact that Carl and other drivers are so boring when they talk about stuff like doing commercials? It should be fun right? But like really fun, not implied fun. It’s the same line over and over with them, “It’s really kind of fun.” Wow, definitely sounds like it. I guess I believe you? I dunno.

– Infineon Raceway gave $5,000 to the North Vallejo Little League on Thursday. Jerks broke into the league’s concessions and storage building and stole all of the uniforms, equipment and $600 worth of candy last week. The nutjobs also decided to break computers and trophies and ransack the building before leaving. Vallejo, where this burglary occurred, is the hometown of Jeff Gordon. The good news is that so far the league has received more than $13,000 from San Francisco Bay Area companies and organizations like the San Francisco Police Officers Associations and the Oakland A’s. “With these checks we really should be able to get back to business,” said the league’s President Tony Hodges. “I feel grateful. We are in a bankrupt city in a disadvantaged area. I appreciate everything that everyone has done for us to help these disadvantaged kids.”

– Jeff Burton made an appearance on the soap opera “General Hospital” and all I really want to know is if he asked them why no one ever says “Bye” before hanging up the phone. I mean, really, what’s up with that?

– Tony Stewart will be meeting fans and signing autographs as a part of the 5th Annual “Mark Martin Fan Appreciation Days” event in Batesville, Arkansas on Thursday, April 9th from 3 to 5pm CST. For more information go to http://www.markmartinfordmercury.com

– Some news for the IndyCar fans out there: Versus will air more than 130 hours of IndyCar Series coverage throughout the season with a minimum of seven hours each week the network airs a race, the most ever during a race week.

“IndyCar fans have been asking for significantly more coverage of the sport and with our new partnership with VERSUS we have responded to our fans in a way that we think they will love,” said Charlie Morgan, president and chief operating officer for IMS Productions. “With the new VERSUS schedule it will be a weekend of IndyCar programming with Qualifying coverage, expanded race day coverage, and race encores. With so many great drivers, teams and sponsors, the time is right for expanded programming.”

The network will air 12 live IndyCar Series events in 2009 beginning with live coverage of the season-opener from St. Petersburg on April 5. Each of VERSUS’ race telecasts will last a minimum of three hours and will include extended pre-race coverage. VERSUS will also air one-hour preview shows at 6 p.m. ET the day before each race which will feature qualification highlights and all of the relevant IndyCar Series stories of that weekend.

And since I’m on the topic of IndyCar I have this message to send out to all of you: If anyone is interested in paying for me to fly down to Long Beach for the 35th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’s Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race drop me an email will ya? I would die for the chance to hang out with Keanu Reeves and Luke Wilson and give them the opportunity to realize that I am their future wife. So really you’d be doing them a favor as well.

Sunday was the IndyCar race day. Driving to the track was a considerably different experience than it is for a NASCAR race, there wasn’t any traffic. Leaving was an entirely different story. It still sucked and what should only take 45 minutes took 2 hours. But that’s the way it goes with race weekends. Although, next year I have a plan for a new route to take me home that should cut down on the time I spend in my car wanting to slit my wrists from all of the stop-and-go traffic.

Anyway, back to the track. It was firefighter appreciation day and as I walked into the paddock area the first thing I saw was this old timey fire truck with the cutest and smartest Dalmatian dog sitting on top of it. I couldn’t believe how obedient he was! He just sat there in the seat and didn’t freak out or bark at the people gathered around staring at him. There was another dog, whose breed I couldn’t tell you, that was barking a lot but the cute Dalmatian could not and would not be baited into barking back.

And then there were these big creamy-colored horses to pull the old timey fire truck. They were huge, but absolutely beautiful. They had a special moment during the pre-race festivities when they pulled the truck down the track and in front of the grandstands.

So I guess IndyCar has this reputation for being more upscale than NASCAR in terms of its fans and such. They’ve got Cristal and Izod for sponsors after all. Well I’m here to tell you that it’s all a bunch of hooey. Why is it that I saw more boobs during this race weekend than I ever have at any NASCAR race I’ve been to? And when I say that I saw boobs I’m not saying that women were flashing them, of course they weren’t but let’s just say they were on display. And why is it that I saw more fans wearing NASCAR gear than anything else? The Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans were out in full effect. Instead of trying to act all hoity-toity I think they should try to soak up some of the NASCAR marketing tactics and get some more butts in the seats.

Oh, speaking of butts in the seats, that’s exactly where they stayed when it came time to try and break the record for the most people doing the twist dance. Yea, that whole idea crashed and burned the minute the music started up. A group of people did dance but mostly everyone just watched. To make something like that work you really have to have a group that’s invested in its success ya know?

So I was totally right when I said that George Lucas would probably make an appearance at the race because Marco Andretti’s car was running the special Blockbuster/STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS paint scheme. George hung out with Marco during the pre-race festivities and then in his pit during the race. Marco’s race suit was made to look like a storm trooper uniform. I’m not a big fan of the whole codpiece detailing.

In the end, Helio Castroneves won the race, his first of the season and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan were mathematically eliminated from the field running for the Championship with only two races left on the year. This win was a sweet one for the Team Penske guys after having their primary cars go up in smoke (literally) earlier in the week. It’s amazing they were able to come back and finish first with Helio’s Penske teammate Ryan Briscoe coming in second. Briscoe has the most awesome accent by the way. I gotta get to Australia.

Danica Patrick walks to the garage after the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at Infineon Raceway. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Marco Andretti gets ready for a warm-up session on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at Infineon Raceway. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Ryan Briscoe chats with someone on pit road on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at Infineon Raceway. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

Fans gathered around victory lane to watch the first through third place finishers receive their trophies on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at Infineon Raceway. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)

I thought this guy looked a lot like paparazzo/ex-Britney Spears boyfriend Adnan Ghalib only cuter, but I figured he was probably just a guy from William Rast. WR is the clothing company started by Justin Timberlake and his best friend Trace Ayala. The company was the sponsor of Townsend Bell’s car.

Some dude on pit road on Sunday, August 24, 2008 at Infineon Raceway. (photo credit: The Fast and the Fabulous)