This whole Red Sox-Yankees game rain delay situation is pissing me off even more now than it did on Saturday. Why? Because people are trying to make it seem like us race fans shouldn’t be mad because Fox Sports was “trying” to keep everybody happy. I don’t care, the situation was obvious and simple to resolve. And for the record this has nothing to do with liking or not liking baseball, so people should take that out of the equation. The game had been on a rain delay for 2 hours! They had 2 hours to move the game over to FX and continue coverage from there. Sorry Fox Sports, you’re not getting a mulligan from me on this one, you f’ed up and that’s the bottom line.
To add insult to injury Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn’t win the race, and while I’m happy for Hendrick Motorsports getting their first win of the season with Jimmie Johnson, it’s still lame. For me seeing Johnson win is one of the most boring things to watch. If anyone had any doubts that Jimmie would win a race this season they had to be on something because you knew it would happen it was just a matter of when and I’m sure it’ll happen again. I don’t dislike Jimmie at all. I think he’s a nice guy and a great driver (and I do love that Lowe’s commercial where he fixes everything in sight) but I personally don’t get excited when he or Jeff Gordon wins. They’ve done so much of it I want to see someone else and I’m not talking about just Dale Jr. If the guys from Yates Racing could pull something out that’d be total insanity and I’d love it. Or if Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears could make another appearance in Victory Lane I’d be ecstatic.
In other housekeeping news…
– There’s still time to enter the contest, I’m extending the deadline to this Friday the 18th, for the Daytona 500: 50 Years of the “Great American Race” 2-Disc DVD set. Enter the contest right now! The contest is over!
– I’ve added a NASCAR YouTube Videos page to the site for extra cool content from around the web.
– Also, if you haven’t done so yet or are new to this site take a second to fill out my visitor survey!
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Ok, so I’m really excited about this. I was given a copy of the new 2-disc DVD set Daytona 500: 50 Years of the “Great American Race.”
I watched it last night and it gives you some really cool insight into the history, legacy and champions of the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s biggest and most significant race as we all know. The first disc is an interactive experience that allows you to watch this year’s Daytona 500 from the driver’s perspective. It’s pretty trippy to feel like you’re in the car with them. The featured drivers include Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and of course the race winner Ryan Newman. You get to hear the team radio communications and you also have the option of switching to the broadcast coverage as well.
The second disc gives you a round table discussion (or square table as Michael Waltrip put it) with past Daytona 500 winners like David Pearson, Junior Johnson and Mario Andretti to name a few. The conversation is great and full of little interesting anecdotes, plus great footage from the archives of the race’s history. Oh and I just want to say that it’s pretty uncanny how much IndyCar driver Marco Andretti looks like his grandfather Mario when he was in his twenties. But I digress. The second disc also features some interviews with drivers from today including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick.
I highly recommend this DVD set to anyone that is a serious NASCAR fan. It’s a cool way to experience the race all over again. This DVD set is available for purchase online and you can also win a copy of the set from me! I was given an extra copy to give away to one of my awesome readers! Click here to enter the contest. The contest is over! Thanks!
The 50th running of the Daytona 500 is one of NASCAR®’s most unforgettable and highly-anticipated milestone events. Already the most prestigious race in motorsports, this landmark running is sure to be remembered and cherished by millions of race fans. On April 15, join A&E Home Video and NASCAR® Collections to celebrate the golden anniversary of “The Great American Race™” with DAYTONA 500: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, a highly-collectible 2-DVD set that puts fans in the driver’s seat like never before! Available just weeks after the 50th Daytona® 500 (February 17), this is THE official NASCAR® collectible of this historic race.
As part of DAYTONA® 500: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, the 2008 Daytona 500 will be presented in the ground-breaking “My Race” Interactive DVD format. This innovative user experience allows fans to choose the view of the race from six different driver perspectives plus the main broadcast feed, along with driver and announcer audio feeds — putting them right in the middle of the action. The second disc features the great stories and heroes that have defined the Daytona 500 through two exclusive NASCAR® programs: “A Sports Century” features a dynamic roundtable discussion of the moments and personalities that defined Daytona with a host and panel of NASCAR® experts including Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon, while “The Top 50 Daytona® 500 Moments” is the definitive telling of the story of NASCAR®’s Greatest single greatest event. Additional DVD extras include official NASCAR® PC wallpapers and time-lapse screensavers.
With a history of legend-defining and myth-making spectaculars, the Daytona® 500 winners circle has embraced NASCAR® heroes including: Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Senior and Junior. And DAYTONA® 500: THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, an unprecedented and revolutionary DVD release, only adds to the legend of NASCAR®’s biggest race of the year.
Ok… So I really only have a bunch of quick hits to share with you today, so here it goes:
– Best Week Ever (the super funny TV show from VH1 that you should never miss!) has a blog and this week they posted a hilarious photo combination that ends with Jeff Gordon. Just check it out. SIMPLE CELEBRITY MATH: How To Build A Legendary Driver
– Kurt Busch talks about his NCAA Basketball predictions, and I totally have to agree with him on Davidson’s loss to Kansas. I wish they could have gone all the way: “NASCAR’s PR guys asked us for our predictions just before March Madness began and I told them then that I thought I’d have to go with North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Memphis making up the Final Four,” Kurt said on Monday night. “I’m proud that I predicted that and it came true, but I really hated to see Davidson lose to Kansas, or to anybody for that matter. That was such a great story and the Curry kid helped really put them on the map. I’m a big Pac-10 fan because of growing up in Vegas and going to Tucson (University of Arizona) for a year. I said a couple of weeks ago that I thought I’d be pulling for my Pac-10 UCLA Bruins, but that Memphis would win it all and I’m sticking by that prediction. North Carolina has looked like they are unbeatable so far in the tournament. My thinking is that they sooner or later have to have one off game. I think it’ll be when they meet Memphis in the finals and Memphis will take advantage of the situation.”
– On Friday (This Friday the 4th of April) Casey Mears will be at the Chevy Thunder at Stockyards Station in Fort Worth, Texas, along with fellow drivers, Aric Almirola, Regan Smith, Jeremy Mayfield and Kevin Harvick. They’ll be signing autographs and participating in a question & answer session. For more details go to: http://chevythunderdays.com/index2.php
– On Saturday you can have Ryan Newman autograph a copy of his book “Pit Road Pets” for you. He’ll be at the Petfinder.com tent in the Blue Ox Camp Ground at Texas Motor Speedway at 2:30pm (local Texas time).
– More JR Nation apparel is going on sale at Sports Authority stores in Texas:
After making its debut in Daytona at the start of the NASCAR season, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s adidas JR Nation Gear has invaded the Lone Star state! Consumers can pick up the latest adidas Dale Jr. gear including men’s and women’s t-shirts, jackets, hats and jerseys, at any of the six Sports Authority locations in the Fort Worth area (addresses below). In addition, fans can check out Dale Jr.’s #88 AMP show car, which will be visiting Sports Authority stores across Dallas and Fort Worth starting April 1 and culminating on April 5 (dates, times and locations below).
Locations, dates and times of Dale Jr.’s #88 AMP show car appearances include:
April 2, 4-7pm
Cedar Hills Store
727 North Highway 67
Cedar Hill, TX 75104-2142April 3, 4-7pm
Irving Store
3524 Airport Freeway West
Irving, TX 75062April 4, 4-7pm
Denton Store
1800 South Loop 288, Ste 240
Denton, TX 76205April 4, 10am-1pm
Stonebriar Store
2930 Preston Road, Ste 200B
Frisco, TX 75034April 5, 10am–1 pm
Watauga Store
7612 Denton Highway, Ste 404
Watauga, TX 76148
I have an idea for a great post and of course all I need to do is write it out but I’m not prepared for it right now. So for today I have some photos I missed and a new JR Nation announcement.
Back in February Casey Mears, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, spent some time out at the sand dunes in Southern California. When asked about his west coast hobbies Casey said “I love the sand dunes. I know I talk about it all the time, but really that’s where I want to be during any time off that we have. I got a new sand car last winter, and I’ve really been working on that. We take a motorcoach out there and just ride all day. There’s no one telling you where to go, or to stop here, or go here, or slow down, or whatever. There’s no road signs, no street lights. You really can do whatever you want. I guess I kind of recharge out there.”
Casey Mears, driver of the No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet, spent Feb. 28 driving around California’s Dumont Dunes. Other than racing, this is it,” Mears said. “The sand dunes are such a huge part of my life.” (Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports).
In other news…
– Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans have a new opportunity to show their love for the man at the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27th:
As the season continues to heat up for Dale Earnhardt, Jr., his fans — known as JR Nation — now have something else to get excited about. For the first time ever, members of the JR Nation Crew, Dale Jr’s official fan club, will be able to tailgate, watch and cheer together when Earnhardt, Jr. competes in the #88 AMP/National Guard Hendrick Motorsports Chevy at Talladega Superspeedway for the Aaron’s 499 on April 27th.
VIP race packages exclusively available to JR Nation Crew members include reserved parking in the JR Nation VIP tailgating area, a ticket for the Aaron’s 499 in the JR Nation seating section, a four pack of collectable AMP Energy drinks, a Talladega Superspeedway/AMP Energy lanyard and a $45 Visa gift card.
The JR Nation VIP tailgating area will feature giveaways, live music and a place for fans to come together and socialize. During the race JR Nation will have a great view of the action from the exclusive JR Nation seating section in turn four of the Gadsden Tower at Talladega.
“I’m thrilled to provide my fans with this unique experience,” said Dale Jr. from his home base in Mooresville, NC, “I always look forward to Talladega, and now I’ll be looking for my JR Nation Crew to cheer me on from their dedicated section in the stands!”
Ticket packages for Talladega are on sale now though April 4th. Quantities are limited and packages are exclusively available to members of the JR Nation Crew.
For $34.88 annually, members of the JR Nation Crew get full-access to JR Nation online including access to exclusive videos, photos, contests, members-only message boards and chats; 10% off merchandise at ShopJRNation.com, and an annual JR Nation Crew Kit. The 2008 Crew kit includes a package full of goods to identify the serious Dale Jr. fan - a welcome letter, vinyl banner, license plate frame, decal, zipper pull, two collapsible can coolers, soft-sided cooler and membership card all emblazoned with “JR Nation Crew.”
Visit www.jrnation.com for more information.
– Little Ella Gordon is adorable!
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, spends time with his daughter, Ella, before the start of the race in California. (Courtesy Hendrick Motorsports).
:: This is part two in a series of four posts (to see all of the posts on one page, click here) ::
Me: You talked about Jeff Gordon and his entrance into NASCAR and how that kind of signaled the entrance of, ya know, guys who grew up racing and learned about the whole corporate aspect of it and knew how to answer questions and all of those kinds of things. I’ve always thought of Jeff Gordon as the face of NASCAR, at least to the outside world, or to people who never NASCAR ever or haven’t in their lives. He usually the most recognizable person, I mean, obviously Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty are big too but Jeff Gordon kind of like in the 90’s was like, the guy. Do you think that’s changing as far as, ya know, other people coming through? Like Dale Earnhardt Jr. is so popular and Carl Edwards is like, camera ready.
Liz: Yeah, he is, isn’t he?
Me: And he’s so good at it. It seems like its part of his personality actually.
Liz: Yeah, and it seems very natural and authentic. Not like he went to some school to learn how to talk. I guess there are a few more characters that people associate with NASCAR. And I think, I totally agree with you regarding Jeff being the face of NASCAR in the 90’s. Ya know, it really helped too because his car was so special. Ya know most of those cars then were one solid color. Ya know they were a color and then a number. And he had the rainbow. I mean, it’s different now but I mean kids loved that. It was like the rainbow car with all the colors and it just looked so sparkly. And he was so sparkly.
I live in D.C. which is hardly a hotbed of NASCAR but this Halloween I had two little Tony Stewarts and one Lightning McQueen come to my door. They were in the like little miniature Home Depot suits and it was really adorable. Now, Joe Gibbs of course owns that car so a lot of Washingtonians follow Joe Gibbs, but I do think Tony in that orange car that’s kind of become iconic.
I’m really not at all a fan of Dale Jr. having this two car sponsorship and two car look. Not because I’m opposed to either sponsor or either look. But I just think in NASCAR it’s such an extension of the driver’s personality is his car. And when you keep switching it, it just muddles the message. I don’t think it does either sponsor a service. Who was it? It was Kyle Busch at California he was back to Interstate; he wasn’t the M&M’s car. It was annoying to me and I love Interstate, don’t get me wrong, but for little kids or new fans part of the way you come to know a driver is the black number 3, the rainbow colored 24 or the orange number 20. I mean I understand the business reasons for it, it’s too expensive, you need multiple companies to pay the freight, but I really think people are missing how serious this is to keep switching the uniform of the guy. It’s basically his uniform.
Me: Yea, I know what you mean. ‘Cause it’s the same thing with Clint Bowyer, he’s doing DirecTV and Jack Daniels. And then he has that switch happening at some point. Greg Biffle has a switch happening. It’s hard to remember which car they’re in, “Oh, wait, that’s so and so.”
Liz: And by extension it’s hard to care. I mean, it sounds silly but it’s just hard to care because that’s not my guy. You’re just more conscious of oh, he’s selling this product this week. You sort of don’t believe, like, “does he really like that product?” It’s not like you get that detailed in your thinking but the guy should look the same. You cheer for the car because you know who’s inside. I love that M&M’s car. I don’t like Kyle Busch, I’ll tell you that, but I love the M&M’s car. It should be in the race all the time.
Me: That’s one point where we totally agree. I don’t like Kyle Busch either. Well two points actually, I totally agree on both of those points.
That’s another thing that’s getting hard. Sometimes at the beginning of every season I have to go through the roster and say “Ok, this guy is with this team now and he’s driving this car, and he’s in these colors now so look for that if you’re looking for him.”
Liz: It’s hard enough as it is, with the regular changes.
Me: It’s one thing if the guy changes sponsors but then he’s changing his entire team, changing his number. I’m like “Oh wait, that’s not David Gilliland anymore, that’s Kyle Busch, so yea, don’t cheer anymore. If you see the M&M’s car just walk on by.”
There was a poll last year that showed that 29% of NASCAR drivers thought that Athena Barber (Clint Bowyer’s girlfriend at the time) was hotter then their own girlfriend or wife. I think as soon as those guys take a look at Ingrid Vandebosch’s (Jeff Gordon’s wife) photos in the latest Sport Illustrated swimsuit issue they’ll be singing another tune. Her body is ridiculous, especially when you take into consideration that this woman gave birth not that long ago. For more photos of Ingrid check out the photo gallery at SI.com.
Oh and before I forget, IndyCar racer Danica Patrick also graces the pages of the 2008 SI Swimsuit edition.
In other news…
– I knew something was up when I came across Michael Waltrip’s driver page in the NASCAR Media Guide. See, they always list a driver’s marital status and if they’re married they list their wife’s name too. Well when I came across Mikey’s there wasn’t a line for marital status at all. Was it a typo? Turns out it was no mistake at all (I guess), after consulting the website of the queen of NASCAR gossip, I found out that Buffy & Michael are indeed getting a divorce.
– I knew Ashley Judd would make a big impression on NASCAR but I didn’t think it would happen this fast. I mean technically the season hasn’t started yet. Ashley wore a dress to the qualifying sessions for the Daytona 500 on Sunday which is a no-no in NASCAR garage rules. Women can’t wear dresses or open toe shoes. She got the shoes right at least. So now there’s talk of a double-standard. She shouldn’t be allowed to do it, and I’m betting (hoping) that maybe she just didn’t get that memo. With all the talk of this incident floating around the internets I’m sure NASCAR will do or say something.
– Oh, did you hear? Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday. Yea, I’m just kinda happy about that. It was a long time coming and it felt great to finally see that team in victory lane. This Sprint Cup season is going to be so much fun.
– So here’s something kinda fun and quirky. A guy named Ryan Parker wrote a song about NASCAR. It’s set to the tune of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire.” Check it out below!
