I haven’t posted anything in a really long time and I apologize. My day job has taken over my life to the point where I’m working weekends and not getting home until late during the week.
All posts tagged Carl Edwards
209 Posts
wait, so what happened at kansas?
Because I honestly don’t remember a whole lot. Anyway, the image gallery is going to be the best part of this post, so enjoy! 
subways wins with carl edwards because subway
Carl Edwards, who is sponsored by Subway, won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway yesterday which is wraps up his 70-race losing streak nicely.
jimmie johnson won the daytona 500 and i don’t know what to tell you
Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500 and in the distance I could hear the sound of the saddest trombone sighing “waaah, waaah, waaaaaaah.”
shocking news: nascar drivers don’t care about danica patrick’s relationship with ricky stenhouse jr.
Through some completely unscientific research I’ve done while reading interviews with NASCAR drivers during yesterday’s Media Day in Daytona, I’ve determined that nobody gives a flying fig about Danica Patrick dating Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and people should probably stop asking them about it.
martinsville: that’s enough, jimmie johnson. that’s enough.
All I can say about Jimmie Johnson winning yesterday at Martinsville is this: No. Just, nooooo.
We’ve seen this movie before and I don’t want to see it again. We’ve seen the 4 sequels, too. I’m over it and I want to see something new.
talladega: maybe i’m not bloodthirsty anymore
I think Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s comments after yesterday’s race at Talladega were right-on:
"I think throwing the helmet is reasonable if you’re mad. I tell you one thing I learned, I watched the video and I don’t want to be throwing helmets when the car is that close to me because if that helmet would have glanced back and hit him, that would have been bad. So I learned that my lesson from watching that is stand a little farther away when you throw the helmet, so if it bounces straight back at you, you’ve got a little bit of time. He would have looked real bad if it would have just bounced back and hit him in the face."
racing ensues at watkins glen, oh, and marcos ambrose won
I think pretty much everyone in agreement that the finish to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Finger Lakes 355 at Watkins Glen International was crazy, right? I scrolled through my Twitter feed and all it showed were a series of tweets that said “Wow.”
jimmie johnson kisses the bricks, daughter is hesistant
I feel like I should send Carl Edwards a care package. Or at least a nice handwritten note that reads: “Buck up, kid! Everything happens for a reason.” Seems like the right thing to do since he hasn’t won a race this year and crap keeps happening to him.
my weekend at sonoma in one post
First, let me apologize for my serious delay in writing about Sonoma. The Monday following the race I came down with a cold and subsequently felt like crap ever since and didn’t feel like doing anything at all except breathing.
joey logano wins for reals this time
So I didn’t watch the race live on Sunday. I watched it on Tivo on Monday. Figures that the one good race as of late is the one I didn’t get to watch as it happened. Still I got the gist, lots of pit road speeding penalties and Joey Logano put the moves on Mark Martin to get his first “real” win.
3M Racing Experience: roush fenway shop tour & nascar hall of fame
I was offered an all-expense paid trip to the Sprint All-Star Race weekend courtesy of 3M and I jumped on it. They even let me bring one guest so I brought my boyfriend of 5 months along for the ride. It was his first NASCAR race and so we were both excited about the whole thing. I can report that our relationship is still intact and probably better off from the experience. If you want to test your relationship, spend 6 hours on a plane together.
boredom is bigger in texas
Hmm, what happened at Texas? Oh that’s right, NOTHING.
There was some good racing in terms of Greg Biffle snatching the win away from Jimmie Johnson, but other than that it was snoozeville.
fontana: joey logano reminds me of a young keira knightley
Before I get into Saturday at Fontana, I want to thank you for your well wishes. I’m totally fine and have removed a lot of stuff from my plate. It’s a lot easier to breathe now.
fontana: racing therapy
I’m all apologies lately. I feel like I’m continually apologizing to you guys about being late and I hate that. I can say, with complete confidence, that I’m not going to be late anymore and I’ll be back on track posting stuff from here on out.
las vegas: tony stewart will not be denied
I was OK with not being in Las Vegas this year, which feels really odd to write but it’s true. I guess it’s because I know that I’ll be at more races this year, so it’s not the worst thing in the world if I miss one that I’d normally attend.
2012 hottest nascar driver tournament: round one
Where the hell have I been?? It feels like forever ago since I’ve written anything but there’s a totally awesome reason why: I met a guy! Yep, I went on a coffee date and the guy, his name is Jack, turned out to be pretty amazing, so amazing that we spent the next four days together. So, needless to say, I like him A LOT and he likes me A LOT. I wasn’t expecting it and it’s been the best thing ever. However, it’s totally thrown my whole schedule out of whack. I always had a ton of time to myself, pretty much any time I wasn’t working was my time to work on this site or do whatever. But now that I’m with Jack that’s pretty much all I want to do–be with him–so I’ve been prepping the 2012 Hottest NASCAR Driver tournament in bits and pieces, in small chunks of time, over the last few days and now I’m FINALLY ready to launch it.
champion’s week: i’m probably forgetting something
This post is really about everything that I forgot. It wasn’t until I started unpacking that I realized I’d forgotten my evening bag/clutch. This was important because there was no way I could carry everything I’d need for the Awards Ceremony without a bag and taking my regular purse would have been ridiculous.
champion’s week: do you see what I see?
Thursday was decidedly less cab filled than Wednesday. I walked next door to the Bellagio for the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon. My table, number 31 (my fave number because it’s my birthday), was the designated NASCAR Citizen Journalists Media Corps table. We were a couple tables behind the Joe Gibbs Racing table where JD Gibbs and Kyle Busch were seated.
champion’s week: how many cabs can I take in one day?
I woke up ridiculously early Wednesday morning to catch my 6am flight to Las Vegas. I received media credentials to attend the 2011 Motorsports Marketing Forum presented by Sports Business Journal/Daily. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get see the entire program for that day, but I wanted to get in as much as possible.
tony stewart is the champion, my friends
And he kept fighting ’til the end!
What a race. The Ford 400 was pretty ah-mazing considering there wasn’t serious wreckage. It was all about Tony Stewart driving it like he freaking stole it to the win. Not only winning the race but his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. I’ve never seen anything like that, and it makes me wish we could have a race that looked like that one every weekend. I dunno but Tony certainly put on a show, his restarts were pitch perfect.
I’m oh so very happy for the Office Depot team, and I’m not just talking about the pit crew and Tony, I mean the PR peeps from Office Depot. They’re genuinely some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and have been so good to me over the past few years. All of my awesome moments & interviews with Tony have been because of them and I am so grateful. They totally deserved this win and I can’t wait to see ‘em all in Las Vegas!
Hats off to Carl Edwards for being his usual classy self. I know losing this Championship had to hurt, but he’s gotta be proud in knowing that he’s an elite driver in NASCAR. He’s come so far in following his dream, and like the awesome song “It’s Amazing” by Jem says, “Nothing can compare to deserving your dreams.”
Obviously Tony winning the Championship means that Jimmie Johnson didn’t, and of course leading up to Sunday’s race everybody was talking about how amazing Jimmie’s 5-peat was, and it is, but the thing that annoys the hell out of me is when people say that no one will ever be able to do that again. I just don’t like it when people rule things out. It’s possible. Anything’s possible. It’s also ridiculous to say that Jimmie will never win another Championship (insane that anyone even thought that). I feel like people say stuff just to say things because they have to fill in air time. Whatever.
And to all the douchebags that booed First Lady Michelle Obama you should be ashamed of yourselves. Regardless of your political beliefs she and Dr. Jill Biden were there in support of our troops and their families, show some respect. Idiots.
Anyway… I’m just going to put this out there: I really think that Tony winning this year’s Hottest Driver Tournament was a good omen for him. I might be slightly biased in that opinion, though. The 2012 Hottest NASCAR Driver Tournament will begin right after New Year’s on January 2, 2012. So stay tuned!
Up next… Champion’s Week in Las Vegas!
Jimmie Johnson takes in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice from a hauler-top vantage point at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19.(Credit: By Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin Harvick watches his crew adjust his No. 29 Chevrolet in the garage area at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. (Credit: By Tom Pennington, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kurt Busch (right) talks things over with crew chief Steve Addington in between practice runs Saturday, Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Credit: By Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Team owner Richard Childress (left) and Austin Dillon (center) stand on pit road during prerace ceremonies at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale. (Credit: By John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Johnny Sauter basks in the Victory Lane celebration at Homestead-Miami Speedway after winning a rain-shortened season finale in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. (Credit: By John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Austin Dillon celebrates his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with his Richard Childress Racing team at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Credit: By Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6) and teammate Carl Edwards perform a head-to-head burnout in celebration of Stenhouse's NASCAR Nationwide Series title while race winner Brad Keselowski celebrates in the background at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. (Credit: By Todd Warshaw, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hoists a championship flag after clinching the NASCAR Nationwide Series crown at the Ford 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 19. (Credit: By Chris Graythen, Getty Images)
Carl Edwards introduces First Lady Michelle Obama (left) and Dr. Jill Biden at a Joining Forces pre-race event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 20. (Credit: By Chris Trotman, Getty Images for NASCAR)
First Lady Michelle Obama hugs a child as she greets military families at a Joining Forces pre-race event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 20. (Credit: By Chris Trotman, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Michelle Obama watches the Ford 400 action at Homestead-Miami Speedway after meeting with families of soliders for Joining Forces. (Credit: Larry Marano/Getty Images)
TV personality Mario Lopez interviews singer Pia Toscana on the red carpet at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 20. Toscano sang the National Anthem before the season-ending Ford 400. (Credit: By Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
2011 NASCAR champions Tony Stewart, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Dillon (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR)
shortcuts: carl edwards shops at the gap
Here’s my round-up of fun/interesting quotes from some of today’s press conferences at Homestead-Miami Speedway:
Denny Hamlin:
Have you ever run three races in the same weekend?
“Never. Nice birthday present from Kyle (Busch).”
Jimmie Johnson:
Earlier you were asked about your motivation for next year after this year, how expensive was that shopping trip with Chandra (Jimmie’s wife) yesterday?
“She did well. (Laughs) She can win trophies for her shopping skills. She is good at that.”
Carl Edwards (just after Jimmie made the comment above):
“I went to the outlet mall last night, so I feel for you, Jimmie. I’ve never been to a Coach bag store before. We got caught looking at little baby clothes at The Gap as well, but it was fun.”
Who is organizing the party if you win on Sunday?
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do. People are asking me who is organizing the party after this deal on Sunday. I don’t have a party organizer. Maybe Jimmie could be my party organizer. I knew when I went back to the motorhome, I think it was last year or the year before, and Nick Lachey and his entourage came out of Jimmie’s motorhome and they got in a limo and went somewhere, I thought, ‘That’s gonna be a party there.’ I don’t know what I’ll do. That might be one night you’d see the other side of me. That might be kind of fun. I need help with that, though, guys. You have to keep me in order.”
Kyle Busch:
Is there someone that you would recommend others should follow on Twitter?
“No. There’s nobody on Twitter that you need to follow.”
champion’s week in las vegas? yes, please!
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
When I sing that song I’m not thinking about Christmas. I don’t get nearly as excited about Christmas as I do about NASCAR’s Champion’s Week in Las Vegas. I enjoy Las Vegas. It’s got everything and you never have to leave your hotel to experience half of it.
dear carl & tony, thank you for keeping it interesting
Homestead-Miami Speedway might want to ask Texas Motor Speedway if they can borrow that “Tale of the Tape” graphic for this weekend’s season finale. I am SO looking forward to it. Who do you think will prevail? I have entirely selfish reasons for why I want Tony Stewart to win the Championship over Carl Edwards. I have yet to interview Carl and I’m thinking that there’ll be less people gathered around him during the media session in Las Vegas so I’ll have a better chance of finally talking to him. Hehe.
Congratulations to Kasey Kahne and the No. 4 Red Bull team! I’m really happy for them. They truly deserved a win especially if this is to be their last year as a team.
Overall it was a great weekend filled with first-time winners, with Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dave Blaney’s son, winning his first race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, and Sam Hornish Jr. finally winning in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Lots of emotion, which I love, love, LOVE.
Which is exactly what I want to see from Carl or Tony next weekend. I want tears! (Sidenote: That’s also the name of a great song by Michelle Branch that has nothing to do with racing.)
(Left to right) NASCAR on ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little, former NASCAR Vice President of Western Operations Kenn Clapp and NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick speak during the PIR West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame Fundraiser at Frank & Albert's Restaurant at the Arizona Biltmore on Thursday in Phoenix. (Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images for Phoenix International Raceway)
Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Cole Whitt qualifies for his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Left to right) The cars of Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contenders Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick are parked in the garage next to each other during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday in Avondale, Ariz. (Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
(Left to right) Roush Fenway Racing teammates Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. get together on the grid before the NASCAR Nationwide Series Wypall 200 on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Sam Hornish Jr. celebrates his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Blaney celebrates with his team in Phoenix Victory Lane. (Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The No. 4 Red Bull Racing Team celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
tony stewart steps on carl edwards’ toes during the texas two-step
Congratulations to the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 team for their victory at Texas. Tony Stewart and crew are definitely making things anxious for Carl Edwards. But because I’m greedy, I really wish that Matt Kenseth & Kevin Harvick could get in the mix somehow and stir things up so that everything will be nice and crazy for Homestead. That would be fun, no?
Of course, there was that whole Kyle Busch situation that was covered AT LENGTH over the weekend, so I’m not going to go into it very much only to say that I hated it when they would recount what happened on Friday with Kyle and Ron Hornaday. They made it seem like it wasn’t OBVIOUS that Hornaday got into Kyle on accident, he got loose and it was plain as day. I’m probably nitpicking about this but saying “they tried going 3-wide and it didn’t work” doesn’t quite explain the situation accurately enough for me. Oh and one more thing, did you think it was interesting that in KyBu’s apology letter he didn’t name Kevin Harvick Inc. by name? I thought that was interesting. Douchey and interesting.
Ricky Carmichael signs an autograph for a fan during Keystone Light Pole Qualifying on Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Austin Dillon poses with the #3 Advocare Chevrolet for the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Danica Patrick unveils her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for the 2012 season with team owner Tony Stewart following practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
David Ragan, driver of the #6 UPS My Choice Ford, climbs from his car after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ken Butler, president of Aaron Sales and Lease poses with driver Mark Martin and team owner Michael Waltrip after announcing Martin's move to the No. 00 Aaron's Toyota prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #2 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet, poses in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 4, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kenny Wallace, driver of the #09 G-Oil Toyota, is congratulated on stage by Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage on his 520th NASCAR Nationwide Series race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 5, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Team owner Jack Roush (right) congratulates Trevor Bayne, driver of the #16 RickyVsTrevor.com Ford, in Victory Lane after his win at the NASCAR Nationwide Series O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 5, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NASCAR TV commentator and former driver Kyle Petty rides a bull during a bull riding exhibition at the “No Limits” Garage Party presented by WinStar World Casino at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 6, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage (left) poses with Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, in Victory Lane after Stewart won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 6, 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
for some, martinsville was shaped like a pill — a bitter one
It was a fun race to watch because it eventually became a sophisticated 400-lap game of bumper cars, with Brian Vickers racking up the most points. What was that all about? Thought it was interesting that Brian’s friend (and former teammate) Jimmie Johnson even called him out on it during his post-race interview. Said Jimmie, “After a fourth, fifth time with the same car in the crash, you start thinking about maybe you’re the problem. Something is going on. You’re having a bad day. You need to stop crashing for whatever reason.”
With this win at Martinsville Tony Stewart now has 3 wins in The Chase and it’s totally possible that might not win the Championship. Isn’t that kind of weird? I guess consistency is key. No matter, I’ll be happy with whoever wins this thing as long as it comes down to Homestead. I adore the new points system.
I was shocked — just a smidge — by Tony’s post-race victory lane comments about how Carl Edwards needs to be worried and that Carl isn’t going to sleep for the next 3 weeks. Ha! I loved that. In general, drivers & crew chiefs need to talk more trash during this Chase. It’s fun, right?
(Left to right) J.J. Yeley and Tony Stewart sign autographs for fans at Martinsville Speedway on Friday. (Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick talk in the garage after the two drivers made contact on the track during practice on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. sits in the cockpit during the one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice of the weekend on Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. With a 95.554 mph/19.817 seconds lap, Earnhardt Jr. was the third-fastest Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver in the session. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Denny Hamlin celebrates with his Grandfather Clock for winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.(Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine perform before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. (Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR)
No. 99 crew chief Bob Osborne and driver Carl Edwards talk before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
No. 48 crew chief Chad Knaus spends time with Genevieve Marie Johnson, the daughter of his driver five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, before the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing team works on Matt Kenseth's car in the garage late in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday as Kenseth dropped three spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart celebrates with his No. 14 Office Depot Stewart-Haas Racing team after getting his third win in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. (Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
shortcuts: get matt kenseth’s name tattooed on your you-know-what
You have a dirty mind, my friend! I meant your arm! All for a good cause, of course.
Matt Kenseth’s sponsor for Talladega, Jeremiah Weed® flavored malt beverages, is offering free tattoos to race fans (adults!) this weekend at the race track. For every tattoo inked Jeremiah Weed is donating $100 to The Air Force Enlisted Village.
The deets:
“We have some of the best fans in all of sports,” said Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Jeremiah Weed Ford Fusion. “They wear our numbers, fly our flags and sometimes even get tattoos to show their dedication. It’s incredible that Jeremiah Weed is doing all this for our fans and to support such a worthy cause as The Air Force Enlisted Village. I look forward to personally checking out the tattoos throughout the race weekend.”
On Saturday, Oct. 22 adults 21 and over will be able to sign up at the Jeremiah Weed event space in the Talladega fan zone to receive a free tattoo. A series of tattoos will be available for fans to choose from, including Matt Kenseth’s signature, a number 17, Jeremiah Weed logos and a Jeremiah Weed® Lightning Lemonade® can. The tattooing will occur at a local tattoo parlor approved by the Alabama State Health Board. Free transportation to and from the parlor will be also provided. For every tattoo inked, Jeremiah Weed will make a $100 donation to The Air Force Enlisted Village, a charity committed to providing safe, secure and dignified homes for indigent surviving spouses of retired Air Force personnel.
In other news…
– Joey Logano will be making his much anticipated appearance on the Travel Channel show “Man V. Food Nation” tonight at 9pm ET alongside the show’s host Adam Richman. Check your local listings for details. Do you think Joey can eat a three pound bacon double cheeseburger loaded with pulled pork and a meaty hot sauce over a pound of fries in ONLY 30 minutes??
– With everything that happened on Sunday I wasn’t in the mood to post photos from the NASCAR race weekend at Charlotte until now.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon, No 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, signs autographs for a couple of fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 13 in Concord, N.C. (Credit: John Harrelson for Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, walks in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 13 in Concord, N.C. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Truex (right) and Casey Roderick (left) sign autographs for a fan during the NASCAR Nationwide Series autograph session on Oct. 14 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards, driver of the #60 Fastenal Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 14, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Elliott Sadler poses with Joseph Thornton and wife, winners of $100,000 in the NASCAR Nationwide Dash 4 Cash giveaway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Actress Angie Harmon (R) and former NFL player Jason Sehorn (L), friends of Jimmie Johnson, attend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 15, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 15, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Matt Kenseth, driver of the #17 Fluidmaster Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 15, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
sunday: ‘hey baby, i’m in the garage’ and whatever that means
Sunday morning I got up super early so that I could get to Starbucks (a ‘real’ one that I scouted the night before) and beat any race day traffic that might rear it’s ugly head. I was delighted to find that there was no such traffic to fight and I even had time to take a couple pictures of the road I was on so you guys could see what I saw every morning. I did see a dead dear on the side of the road but I didn’t take a picture of that because it was sad (and gross). 
saturday: hanging out with (and eating) hunt brothers pizza
Saturday morning, with my iPod blasting The Civil Wars (don’t get me started, their song “To Whom It May Concern” perfectly explains the state of my love life right now), I headed to the track. Well, I should say that I was headed to Starbucks. Now here’s the weird thing about that area around Kansas Speedway which has everything from a full on mall to Target, Hooters, a movie theater, Chipotle, Red Lobster, the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, a baseball field, and a bunch of other restaurants — there’s no standalone Starbucks. The only Starbucks is tucked inside Target and we all know that the Starbucks inside of any other store is not a REAL Starbucks. If I can’t use my Starbucks card there it’s not a real Starbucks.
friday: the tale of the only yellow car in kansas city (both of ‘em)
I flew into Kansas City, Missouri on Friday in the middle of the day. I knew that I was going to miss out on all of the top-12 driver press conferences, as well as Clint Bowyer’s big, non-surprise announcement that he was going to Michael Waltrip Racing next year in the #15 5-Hour Energy car. I knew all of that going in and it wasn’t a problem seeing as how the fact that I was going to the race weekend at Kansas Speedway at all was a big deal.
dover, dover send kurt busch right over
‘Cause he won the race, you guys. I don’t miss playing Red Rover in elementary school, although Steal The Bacon was my absolute LEAST favorite game. I’m more of a Hopscotch/4 Square girl, no annoying boys yelling at you if you do something “wrong.”
Anyway, Kurt Busch’s win of the AAA 400 at Dover International Raceway was one big piece in the changed up Chase standings. I love that everything is still up in the air and we have no idea who will ultimately walk away with this year’s trophy. I hope Brad Keseolowski is right, he posted the following tweet last night:
After today’s race. It’s obvious the chase winner will be decided on the last lap at homestead. Every one is so close.
Did you see all of the babies on pit road during the pre-race coverage on ESPN? Adorableness times a million.
The best quote of the day (in my opinion) came from Jimmie Johnson. I like Sassy Jimmie
Q. You both (Carl Edwards) talked about essentially mistakes that you made today that prevented you from winning. How do you get over that? How long does that take? What’s that process in moving forward?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: If I was Carl, I wouldn’t get over that mistake.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I maybe wouldn’t show up next week.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: (Laughing). Not sure we answered your question.
Denny Hamlin (left), driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, laughs with Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 30 in Dover, Del. Hamlin is 12th in NSCS point standings going into the AAA 400. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images)
Jeff Gordon (far left), driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, talks with crew chief Alan Gustafson (second left) while crew members listen in during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 30 in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Tony Stewart (right), driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, talks over strategy with crew chief Darian Grubb (left) during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 30 in Dover, Del. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images)
Carl Edwards celebrates with fans in the grandstand after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series OneMain Financial 200 on Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin and DeLana Harvick stand on pit road before the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400 on Sunday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. Kevin would end the day with the points lead in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. (Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe's/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Dover International Speedway. (Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports)
Kurt Busch celebrates in Sunoco Victory Lane on Sunday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. after winning the third Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the 2011 season. (Credit: Tom Whitmore/Getty Images for NASCAR)
friday: when i think of loudon, i think of madonna’s movie “who’s that girl?”
“Who’s That Girl?,” starring one of my heroes, Madonna, stuck in their brain. Louden was the uptight husband, that needed to loosen up, of the insanely rich chick in the movie that Madonna’s bad girl, Nikki, (but she’s really nice) character ends up with. Anyway, they said his name about a million times, so I guess it makes sense that I’d remember it. Loudon, New Hampshire is where New Hampshire Motor Speedway is located and it was the home of the 2nd race in the The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Sylvania 300, on Sunday.
the case of the unpredictable ‘chase’
Tony Stewart claimed the first win in The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup yesterday. I have to say that was a pretty satisfying race. I’m not going to lie I watched it from home and kind of dozed off halfway through it but the ending was great. I, mean, hello, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 4th. How can you not love that? Now the points standings are all jumbled up and it makes going to New Hampshire this week all the more thrilling. I feel like I’ve mentioned this a ton already (on Twitter for sure) but I’ll be at New Hampshire this week, I leave on Thursday, and I’m beyond excited. It’s so early on in The Chase and the Championship is still up on the air, I can’t wait to get there and see what happens next. Although, I’ve been checking the weather forecast and there’s supposed to be rain on Saturday but not on Sunday. So let’s hope it stays that way.
During the rain delay coverage on Sunday I left the house to do something and I was listening to Claire B. Lang on SiriusXM’s NASCAR channel. She mentioned how people had been asking her what was going to happen in The Chase, who was going to win, etc. I wondered why people do that? Like, what’s the point? Have you ever watched the Super Bowl and thought “I’m SO glad I knew that the Packers were going to win because Terry Bradshaw said so.” No one EVER thinks that. (I have no idea what Terry Bradshaw’s actual prediction was, it’s just an example) So why should I say that I think this person or that person is going to win? I’m not psychic and I don’t want to be. I like not knowing and watching it unfold. Of course there are people that I’d rather see win than other people but that’s a given. Maybe it’s just because I don’t like counting people out because people constantly count me out and I don’t like that.
In other news…
Regarding the Camping World Truck Series race:
– How do you feel about Austin Dillon’s new celebration practice of sliding on the infield grass? I’m not really a fan because it doesn’t look that fun. It looks like it kind of hurts.
– Actor/singer Tyrese Gibson’s performance of the National Anthem was WONDERFUL. It was subdued but totally on point. The fact that I’m mentioning it at all is saying something.
Regarding the Nationwide Series race:
– Uh, I got nothin’
Regarding the Sprint Cup Series race:
– I feel bad that the Geico Caveman had to wear all that makeup and stuff for a SECOND day just to give the command to start engines.
– Loved the exchange over the radio between Carl Edwards and his crew chief, Bob Osborne, when Carl said that the sun was coming out and Bob sang back to Carl “Here comes the sun!! bababa!” So funny.
(Left to right) Actor Tyrese Gibson, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya and actress Jordana Brewster pose for a photograph in the garage area prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fast Five 225 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 16 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 17 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The GEICO Caveman, who will serve as Grand Marshal, walks out on the grid as rain falls prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 18 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Former NFL player Gale Sayers (center) signs autographs for fans prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 18 in Joliet, Ill. Sayers NFL career records include most touchdowns in a rookie season (22 in 1965), most touchdowns in a game (6, tied with Nevers and Jones), and highest career kickoff return average (30.56). (Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Singer Darius Rucker performs on stage prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 18 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR)
American rock band Red Jumpsuit Apparatus perform the National Anthem prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 19 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jeff Gordon (left) and Jimmie Johnson (right) look after Genevieve Marie, Johnson's daughter, on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept 19 in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)
clint bowyer: get out of my dreams, get into a new racing contract
Monday night Clint Bowyer was in one of my dreams. I have no idea why he would be but there he was confiding in me about his contract talks with Richard Childress Racing. I distinctly remember him being upset at not being able to seal the deal on a new contract and the number 4 was mentioned (don’t know what that means). I was telling him not to worry, that there were plenty of other teams that wanted him and would snap him up. I remember in the dream asking myself “Why are you telling him that?? You don’t know anything!” LOL
And then Tuesday morning there’s a report saying that Richard Petty Motorsports, who was reportedly interested in him if RCR wasn’t, is now reportedly NOT interested in him anymore. (That sentence alone is why silly season is so freakin’ silly). I remembered my dream and I felt bad that I gave the Clint Bowyer in my dream such bad advice.
I’m sure you guys have gone to sleep and had NASCAR drivers invade your dreams, please feel free to share what’s happened in yours so that I don’t feel like such a geek about mine (keep it PG!).
In other news…
– The top-12 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, AKA The Chase drivers, were a bunch of busy little bees this week promoting themselves, NASCAR and The Chase for the Sprint Cup everywhere. I figured it was worthy of a photo spread. My favorites are the ones of Jimmie Johnson at the high school pep rally (Jimmie has to take that girl to the prom!) and Carl Edwards with the lobster (because he finally shaved off that goatee thingy, but now that it’s gone I kinda miss it).
Ryan Newman and Kim Coon pose for a photo with the Ft. Riley soldiers at Kansas Speedway on Sept 14 in Kansas City, Kan. Newman is seeded eighth going into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. (Credit: Kansas Speedway)
Denny Hamlin, (L), NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing FedEx Toyota Camry, and playing partner Fredrik Jacobson, (R), of Sweden pose for a photo during the Pro-Am round for the BMW Championship at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club on Wednesday in Lemont, Ill. Hamlin is in town for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (Credit: Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski answers questions for fans who won a Facebook contest during a breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore on Wednesday as Phoenix International Raceway gets ready to host the penultimate race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. (Credit: Phoenix International Raceway)
ESPN Anchor Hannah Storm interviews NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the 9 a.m. SportsCenter on Wednesday. (Credit: Joe Faraoni)
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards works with the Portsmouth Lobster Company to trap Loudon the Lobster on Wednesday in Portsmouth, N.H. Edwards was in town to catch the trophy for the second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Credit: New Hampshire Motor Speedway)
Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson breaks through a spirit banner during a Texas football-style pep rally at Byron Nelson High School on Wednesday in Trophy Club, Texas. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
Byron Nelson High School cheerleaders react after seeing five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson during a Texas football-style pep rally at Byron Nelson High School on Wednesday in Trophy Club, Texas. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
Sarah Rusinko (R) had the chance to meet five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson after she asked him to homecoming during a Texas football-style pep rally at Byron Nelson High School on Wednesday in Trophy Club, Texas. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)
‘the chase’ field has been set, might need a referee
And I’m not talking about on the track either. They might need to post security in the media centers for the next 10 races. A lot of interesting things happened Saturday night at the Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway post-race press conference. Sounded like a good time full of ripped up paper, tension, verbal jabs that made no sense and the comedic talents of Matt Kenseth.
I guess Snookie has that kind of effect on people.
Anyway… The only thing I can/want to say about the media and it’s questions that always sound the same is to quote one of my favorite movies from the 80s, “Heartburn,” starring my one of the greatest actresses of all time Meryl Streep (I love her!) and Jack Nicholson (He’s great too!). The movie is about a couple who get married, have a baby and then the husband cheats and the wife loses all trust she had for the husband but tries to carry on in the relationship. During that portion of the movie Jack’s character says to Meryl’s character “You can’t take it’s temperature every five minutes.” He was referring to their relationship, us ladies always want to know where we stand in our relationships especially if things don’t feel “right.” (If you’ve ever had to ask a guy “where is this going??” it’s probably not going anywhere good) Anyway… I love that line and I think that it applies to the media when they keep asking drivers how they feel about making The Chase, being in The Chase, still being in The Chase, why are you in The Chase, what does it feel like to be in The Chase… it NEVER ends. They do the same thing with other storylines, whatever it is they will ask the same question in various formats every week until there is a resolution. But I say, you can’t take it’s temperature every five minutes, dude! Nothing’s changed and when it does change, ask a question then.
Moving on… Congratulations to Kevin Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team! It had to have felt great considering the announcement he and his wife DeLana made earlier in the week about shuttering the racing side of Kevin Harvick Inc.
Richmond was a great, caution-filled race and I can only hope that we get more awesome action like that in the next 10 races. I love this time of year right before the first race in The Chase when everything feels possible. I hope we get to hold on to that feeling for more than two races.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com/GetYour.net Chevrolet, stands with crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 9 in Richmond, Va. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
From laps 9-11, fans honor the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, staying silent for three circuits and waving American flags on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Members of the U.S. military hold the American flag during the prerace ceremony for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wonderful Pistachios 400 on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. jokes with his No. 88 crew about the state of his Chevrolet Impala after clinching the 10th spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kevin Harvick celebrates after leading 202 laps on his way to Richmond International Raceway's Victory Lane on Saturday. (Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Back row L-R) Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon (front row L-R) Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin pose after clinching spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wonderful Pistachios 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
The 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field celebrates after the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wonderful Pistachios 400 on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after the race weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. (Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports)
jeff gordon won but he missed ella’s first day at school, you guys!
So Jeff Gordon won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which is totally great but he missed his daughter Ella’s first day at school. For some reason, for me, that overshadowed everything else he said in Victory Lane on Tuesday. Don’t get me wrong, winning the race is HUGE and it looks like he’s in a great position to contend for the Championship this year–which I love–but when you think about it from a personal/family perspective a part of me goes “Awww, he didn’t get to take her to school.” He probably would have had the race happened on Sunday when it was supposed to.
Anyway, congrats to the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger team! It was great to see the car that was CLEARLY fast all day win the race in the end.
There are things that I want to say about this next race at Richmond–the last race to determine the 12 drivers in this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup–but I’m not going to because I’m afraid I’ll mess it up. I can’t even say/type/think the “J” word because I’m afraid just saying it will have some effect. Just know that there are certain drivers that need to keep themselves and their teams together to keep things good.
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick signs an autograph for a young fan at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 2 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: By Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, poses with the Coors Light Pole banner after setting the pole position of 186.196 mph (29.775 secs.) in qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 3 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ron Hornaday, driver of the No. 33 Armour/Ingles Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Good Sam Club 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 2 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Brian Scott, driver of the No. 11 Boise State Broncos Toyota, looks on prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 3 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, celebrates in the grandstand with the fans after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 3 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, walks with his girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, and her son, Houston, during driver introductions prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 4 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
The American flag is displayed by U.S. service members during pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 4 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NASCAR President Mike Helton presents a plaque to Jeff Gordon commemorating his 85th win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 6 in Hampton, Ga. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
danica, danica, danica, dale!
Let me take this opportunity to get you caught up on what all of the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers are saying about Danica Patrick’s possible move to NASCAR full-time in the Nationwide Series next year.
They’re saying a whole lot of nothing. Why? Because she hasn’t made an official announcement so there’s nothing to talk about. It’s hilarious. I’ve been reading through the top-12 driver media sessions from Michigan and it’s all the same song and dance. The media asks and then the drivers asks the media what’s been going on ’cause they haven’t heard anything about it. Ugh.
Here are my favorite quotes so far. First, from Carl Edwards:
“So is this a rumor guys or did Danica say what she is doing? You know what I am going to do, because of what I just learned with my contract? I am going to just wait to see what Danica has to say. That is what I am going to do.”
And now this from Dale Earnhardt Jr. whose team Danica is allegedly joining next year:
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THE NEWS THAT DANICA PATRICK IS COMING TO NASCAR FULL TIME?: “There ain’t been no announcement yet so I don’t know why you would go report that. We’ve enjoyed working with her and would love to keep working with her. When there’s something to announce, they’ll announce it and we’ll just wait until that happens I guess.”
HYPOTHETICALLY, LET’S SAY IT WAS GOING TO: “I don’t deal in hypotheticals. I can’t do you no favors today.”
I love it. Ha!
Oh and here’s some video of Danica herself talking to the media in Canada in advance of this weekend’s race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Apparently her Lamborghini doesn’t have cup holders. The perfect example of a first-world problem if there ever was one.
(Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
rumble in the glen: who’s afraid of boris said?
The race at Watkins Glen–the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen to be exact–had it ALL. Let’s go through the list shall we?
– Close racing at the end where you had no idea who would come out with the win? CHECK!
– Crazy, gnarly crashes that thankfully left no one seriously hurt? CHECK!
– An emotional it’s-about-frggin-time first-time winner? CHECK! (Congrats to Marcos Ambrose & the No. 9 Stanley team!)
– Punches attempting to be thrown in the garage post-race? CHECK!
– Amazing post-race quotes from pissed off drivers? CHECK!
Loved this race, it was crazy, especially this quote from Boris Said about about his issues with Greg Biffle:
“It was crazy. I mean…the last lap; the No. 6 car (David Ragan) was getting into me a lot. I didn’t want to wreck him, but I had to stay on the track and he didn’t give me any room. We both collided. That is the only thing I feel bad about.
“I’m more upset with Greg Biffle. He is the most unprofessional little scaredy cat I’ve ever seen in my life. He wouldn’t even fight me like a man after. So, if someone texts me his address, I’ll go see him Wednesday at his house and show him what he really needs. He needs a…whooping and I’m going to give it to him. He was flipping me off, giving me the finger. Totally unprofessional. Two laps down. I mean he is a chump.
“I went over there to go talk to him. He wouldn’t even let me get out of the car. He comes over and throws a few little baby punches and then when I get out, he runs away and hides behind some big guys. But, he won’t hide from me long. I’ll find him. I won’t settle it out on the track. It’s not right to wreck cars, but, he’ll show up at a race with a black eye one of these days. I’ll see him somewhere.”
And to top it all off Watkins Glen International was left with a serious issue of getting safer barriers on their course before the next NASCAR race. It doesn’t make sense to not have them at all the tracks on the schedule. Why hasn’t this been done yet? Elliott Sadler is right.
Kasey Kahne (right), driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, signs his autograph for a fan in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 12 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, speaks to the media on the grid after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 13 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
I’m not one to begrudge people their happiness, but did you catch Kurt Busch making out with his girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, in victory lane on Saturday? Was that really necessary? It just seemed like a bit much.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 13 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
I love this man. Nooo, not Dale Jr. but Man vs. Food host Adam Richman. I LOVE that show and when I go on my NASCAR adventure next year I plan on bringing a list of all the places he’s visited on his show so that I can check them out too! The food always looks soo yummy & amazing.
Adam Richman (right), host of Man v. Food, talks with Dale Earnhardt Jr.(left), driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, on the grid during pre race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 14 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Joey is supposed to film an food challenge for a Man v. Food Nation episode today (Wonder if that’s still happening) that’s set to air Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on Travel Channel.
Joey Logano (left), driver of the No. 20 The Home Depot Toyota, and Adam Richman (right), host of Man v. Food pose in the garage area prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 14 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Denny Hamlin crashes the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota into the tire barrier after an incident in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 15 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, walks off the grid with his girlfriend Sherry Pollex as it starts to rain before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 14, 2011 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) |
Carl Edwards (R), driver of the #99 Ortho Home Defense Max Ford, Ford, stands on the grid with his wife Kate (L) prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 14, 2011 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR) |
keselowski wins with one good ankle
How much did you LOVE the racing between Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch? And how much did you ADORE their post-race face-to-face (with respectful distance) argument? Probably not as much as me! It was brilliant and just added to an already excellent race finish. Why don’t they turn up the mics and let them hover close to those guys when they’re arguing like that? I know there’s potential for foul language, but can’t they just risk it? I was straining to try and hear something.
Congratulations to Brad Keselowski! Maybe everybody should get injured more often? I mean, he won the race with one properly working ankle and Denny Hamlin won races after his knee issues. Crazy, but very cool.
Did you see Carl Edwards‘ finish line crash with Ricky Stenhouse in Iowa during the Nationwide Series race? More craziness. Never seen anything like that before, but it seemed like a fitting end to a race that saw those two getting into each other and Ricky didn’t appreciate it at all. The two had history from ORP last week and now this new wrinkle. During the post-race coverage they showed Carl talking to Ricky’s crew chief, Mike Kelly. You could clearly hear Mike say to Carl “Well, you tell him that. He thinks you hate him.” Finally some actual truthful feelings. Whenever the guys talk on camera you don’t always feel like you’re getting to true thoughts, and this time we got some via Ricky’s crew chief.
Michael Annett, driver of the No. 62 Northland Motor Oils Toyota signs autographs for young fans during qualifying for the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 6 in Newton, Iowa. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jason Leffler (right), driver of the No. 38 Great Clips Toyota, speaks with crew chief Eddie Pardue (left) in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 5 in Newton, Iowa. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the No. 6 RickyvsTrevor.com Ford crosses the finish line to win, ahead of Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, after colliding on the final lap during the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 6 in Newton, Iowa. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (center), driver of the No. 6 RickyvsTrevor.com Ford, celebrates with crew members in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 6 in Newton, Iowa. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet, signs autographs during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5 in Long Pond, Pa. Menard won the Brickyard 400 a week ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, looks under his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 5 in Long Pond, Pa. (Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series five time champion Jimmie Johnson poses with NHL Washington Capitals defenseman Josh Erskine in the No. 48 hauler during pre-race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 7 in Long Pond, Pa. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Singer Lance Bass, member of the boy band NSYNC, stands by the Sprint Summer Showdown car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 7 in Long Pond, Pa. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 7 in Long Pond, Pa. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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NOTES:
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the race at new hampshire & i was on siriusxm nascar radio
Lots of caution flags made the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway very interesting. I dug it.
I was happy to see Ryan Newman score his first win of the season, even if it was just to see his adorable daughter, Brooklyn, celebrate with him in Victory Lane. How cute is she??! Were you as surprised as I was to see him get choked up like he did? People should not cry, because it just makes me cry! It was a great moment though. Love to see a physical reaction in response to what a win means to a person.
But enough about the race, here’s some news I JUST received: I’ll be a guest on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show “Manifold Destiny with Mojo Nixon” tonight! If you’ve got SiriusXM it’s channel 90 and I’ll be on at 8:30pm PST / 11:30 EST. Read that twice to make sure you’ve got it right. I met Mojo for the first time during the NASCAR race weekend at Infineon Raceway. He’s a riot, so it’ll be really interesting to see what goes down on the show tonight. If you’ve got a subscription I hope you’ll tune in!!
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers signed autographs for fans before the start of the Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee at Iowa Speedway on July 16 in Newton, Ia. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Brian Vickers (left), driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, talks with NASCAR President Mike Helton (right) in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15 in Loudon, N.H. (Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
Flanked by Brinks security guards with three $1 million suitcases, (left to right) Robin Pemberton, NASCAR Vice President of Competition; Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion; Tim Considine, director of sports marketing for Sprint; and Miss Sprint Cup Kim Coon announce the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for Sprint)
Coors Light Pole Award winner Ryan Newman, daughter Brooklyn Sage and wife Krissie stand together before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 19th Annual Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Newman is congratulated in Victory Lane by owner and teammate Tony Stewart after the duo finished first and second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Lenox Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
sunday at infineon: was ron malec laughing at me??
I woke up at 5am in order to get to Infineon Raceway by 7am (with a quick stop at Starbucks along the way) at the latest. I wanted to make sure I got a ride around the track in the pace car with NASCAR’s Brett Bodine. You think because you’re going in the pace car it wouldn’t be intense, but you’re WRONG. I sat in the back seat and proceeded to be bounced around the my seat and fellow passenger next to me.
saturday at infineon: dale jr. thought of a way to scare me
On Saturday I forgot my cell phone at home, and my camera’s battery died, like, 15 minutes after I arrived at Infineon Raceway.
It was really weird to not have my cell phone or camera on me all day. It was annoying that I couldn’t take any photos or tweet out updates on the fly. I realized that those devices also served as security blankets. They were these things that proved I had “something to do” while I was in the garage. I wasn’t just wandering. I had to take pictures and constantly check my phone for updates–that gave me purpose. So without a purpose I felt like a nerd, just standing around. And I was worried that without the photos that I usually snapped throughout the day I wouldn’t have anything to remind me of what happened.
friday at infineon: low key people watching
When I arrived at Infineon Raceway on Friday I was late. It was only 9am but it was late. The garage opened at 7am and that’s when people showed up, so the media lot was full when I arrived. I was stuck in lot 1 which is next to the helipad. It’s not a big deal (there’s an awesome shuttle that takes you right to the media center no matter where you’re parked) but it’s funny to me how 9am can be considered late for anything. Anyway, Friday was the day of press conferences for the top-12 drivers.
‘the glades’ portrayal of female nascar fans is gross
I know I REALLY need to write-up my weekend at Infineon, and I will, but I had to write about the NASCAR-themed episode of The Glades that aired yesterday on A&E. It included appearances from NASCAR drivers Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano.
While I loved that NASCAR got some primetime attention, I’m not happy with how female fans were depicted (that and all the bad acting). First, why were there tons of women milling around the garage wearing the same outfit, all the same age and dress size? What’s up with the girls behind the fence jumping up and down, screaming incessantly, in tank tops being called “wafflebellies” with the hopes of being “wife’d”? (that’s an actual term people use??)
This whole thing drives me NUTS. The show made it seem like ALL of the female fans were groupies. And it wasn’t even necessary for the plot! Of course I know that there are many pit lizards out there (saw an inspired group of them at Infineon) but there are more women who purchase hot passes because they’re fans, and only that, not because they want to troll the garage for a husband. A woman shouldn’t have to walk into the garage with a guy to be considered a legitimate fan of the sport. We shouldn’t have to wear a burka to be taken seriously.
I’ll give them the storyline with the little girl who wants to be a racer when she grows up, but other than that all the episode did was create a false stereotype of female racing fans. Like I said before it wasn’t even integral to the plot, so why bother?
The whole episode is here, if you’re interested in watching.
(photo credit: A&E)
denny hamlin is a winner in michigan
The most interesting things (to me, at least) that happened as a part of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway had nothing to do with the action on the race track.
Yes, it was awesome that Denny Hamlin finally got his 1st win of the season. I was really happy for him and his team. And did you see Denny’s tweet this morning? He’s moving into a new house. Congrats on that too, Denny!
Okay, so for the interesting things. I spied Kurt Busch with his “lady friend” again (see photo at left). I hope she comes out to Infineon, I would love to see what’s going on with that whole deal in person.
Did you see during the pre-show when little Ella Gordon (who turned 4-years-old today) was smacking her dad, Jeff Gordon, on the butt?? Now that was some funny stuff.
Post-race 21-year-old Landon Cassill tweeted that he was celebrating his first Father’s Day. I had no idea he had a baby, but he does — a daughter with Miranda Smith. Congrats!
In other news…
– An update on My NASCAR Year 2012. Last week I received an insanely cool donation of $5,000! So now I’m at $5,205 and I still need your help to get to $125,000 that I need to make this thing happen. You can donate any amount, publicly or anonymously — even $5 helps get to the goal! DONATE
Trevor Bayne gets behind the wheel of his NASCAR Nationwide Series car during practice at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. Bayne returns to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this week for the first time in nearly two months. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kevin Harvick signs autographs for fans as he walks through the garage with them on Friday at Michigan International Speedway. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards climbs into the Michigan International Speedway grandstands to celebrate his Alliance Truck Parts 250 victory with the fans. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
The No. 99 pit crew of Carl Edwards huddles before the start of the Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
is the all-star race really necessary?
Yea, I said it!
The most interesting thing about the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was the the driver & crew introductions. I’m not even kidding.
Seriously, did ANYTHING happen during that race? I really think everybody saying, “Ooooh, there’s no points at stake, anything can happen!!! the gloves are really gonna come off! Squee!!!” really made it lame. It was just boring. And come to think about it, why would no points at stake and a million dollars be that much more of a motivation for them? Winning the Championship is a far, far bigger deal than the All-Star race will ever be, so I’m not expecting anyone to go above and beyond to win it.
It’s not good when a race ends and I’m just indifferent, like it didn’t even happen.
Also, I find it really interesting how NASCAR drivers can get away with acting like they need a million dollars. Ok, throw in some Nationwide Series or Truck Series guys, or even better, the dudes in the K&N Pro Series, and you’d see a REAL dash for cash. Carl Edwards could ALREADY afford to put his kids through college, this race wasn’t going to be the difference between them going or not.
Anyhoo… here are some photos!
Dierks Bentley kicked the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race day off with a free concert for fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Kimi Raikkonen, driver of the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota, stands with Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20 in Charlotte, N.C. (Credit: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images for NASCAR)
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez talks with Kyle Busch on the grid before the start of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kasey Kahne was the first winner of the day at Charlotte Motor Speedway, winning the Pennzoil Ultra Victory Challenge, AKA the burnout contest. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Clint Bowyer gets some last minute pointers from NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson in the Drivers Meeting before the NASCAR Sprint All Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. greets his fans after being announced as the Sprint Fan Vote winner which transferred him into his 12th straight NASCAR Sprint All Star Race. (Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards does his trademark victory backflip after tearing up his car sliding through the infield grass at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
dover: monster mash on saturday, cute babies on sunday
Saturday’s Nationwide Series 5-hour ENERGY 200 was more entertaining than Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks because, ya know, stuff happened.
Not that you ever want to see anyone get hurt, but Saturday had some crazy crashes and all of the drivers walked away totally OK. Although crew guy, Glen Wheeler, for the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. team did sustain an injury to his left leg and was held at a hospital overnight for his injury. It’s crazy that the debris that hit him came from the car he works on. I couldn’t believe Clint Bowyer’s crash. That was insane. When incidents like that happen at Dover they’re always insane. Hopefully Mr. Wheeler will be A-OK.
Sunday was cool and all, who doesn’t love babies in Victory Lane? But it was one of those races where if you talked to me five minutes after it was over and asked me what happened, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Sometimes it’s like that and then sometimes it’s like last week at Darlington and you can’t stop talking about it. Nevertheless, congratulations to Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 WileyX team. I think that was the second WileyX sponsored race for the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing team, so that’s pretty good for their second time out!
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, helps push his car prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 13 in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy Sugar Free and National Guard Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway on May 13 in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Reed Sorenson meets young fans on Saturday morning during a NASCAR Nationwide Series autograph session at the official NASCAR Merchandise Hauler at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kyle Busch and the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports team celebrate after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 on Friday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jason Leffler splashes a puddle as he waits through over an hour rain delay before the start of the 5-hour Energy 200 on Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards leads as Joey Logano (No. 20) collides with Clint Bowyer (No. 33) at the end of the NASCAR Nationwide Series 5-hour Energy 200 on Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards celebrates his 32nd career NASCAR Nationwide Series win on Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing team as well as daughter Kaylin Nicola and wife Katie (foreground) in Sunoco Victory Lane on Sunday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Accepting the Miles the Monster trophy in Sunoco Victory Lane are Katie and Matt Kenseth and their daughters Kaylin (right) & Grace (left) after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
xoxo darlington: i love it when the boys have at it
Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya failed to bring what Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch delivered.
O. M. G.
The SHOWTIME® Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was the greatest NASCAR race I have seen in quite some time. It was Ah-mazing!
First, congratulations to Regan Smith on winning his first Sprint Cup Series race (and congrats to Furniture Row Racing for winning their first race as an organization). He was emotional and his team was ridiculously happy. It was the perfect finish and I LOVED it. A first-time winner is the greatest thing. It was great to see him be congratulated by Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski.
But of course before all of that you had the driver’s moms, as usual, giving the command to start engines. How adorable was Jimmie & Chandra Johnson’s baby daughter, Genevieve, clapping during the National Anthem? That was too cute.
Then there was the race with David Ragan peeling back Brian Vickers car like it was a can of sardines, poor Clint Bowyer crashing out, and the most amazing series of events with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.
I think that Kevin Harvick should walk around with a speaker hanging out of his pocket playing the song “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty on a loop. It’s his theme song. He is no joke.
I know that fighting is frowned upon and all that but I loved it. When Kevin punched Kyle’s helmet/face and then Kyle pushed his car into his Kevin’s it was all TOO much for my brain to process. It was wonderful. I felt like a high school kid in the quad yelling “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Does NASCAR really need to take action? I’m in a “Ah, whatever, let it gooo” kind of mood. They’re adults, they know what they did was wrong. Let’s not forget that sports are entertainment, they serve no other purpose than that (Yes, they can be inspiring and all that but still), and Saturday night’s race was PURE entertainment from beginning to end. So, NASCAR should send Harvick and Busch a “Thank You” card, some flowers & maybe some candy.
Here’s video of the last laps:
Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, pulls into the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SHOWTIME Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 6 in Darlington, S.C. (Credit: Chris Graythen, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson wears the famous Jim Hunter NASCAR hat in the garage Friday at Darlington Raceway (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, sits in the car normally driven by Trevor Bayne, in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway on May 6 in Darlington, S.C. (Credit: Geoff Burke, Getty Images for NASCAR)
Polesitter Kasey Kahne waits waits to climb into the No.4 Red Bull Toyota before the start of the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (Credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The No.78 team celebrates Regan Smith and Furniture Row's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Darlington Raceway (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Regan Smith climbs out of the No.78 Furniture Row Chevrolet after winning the Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
little michael edwards has arrived
Carl Edwards is a dad again! His wife, Kate, gave birth to their second child, son Michael, on Wednesday. Michael weighed in at 8lbs, 6 oz. Carl & Kate are already parents to their daughter, Anne, who was born last year.
Carl was asked about his son’s birth during his media session held at Darlington Raceway today:
“It was amazing. Kate is an amazing woman. We had a healthy young boy. His name is Michael Edwards and he’s doing great, so it’s just a great week. It was unreal. We had a lot of fun. Annie is really excited about her little brother. I don’t think she quite understands what is going on, but we’re all doing really well, so it’s good.”
richmond revelations: could denny hamlin be jack mcbrayer’s long lost brother?
I was this close to feeling bad for Denny Hamlin for not sweeping the races at Richmond this past weekend until I came across the program from last year’s Awards Ceremony banquet. The program included photos of each winner of every race in 2010. Denny won EIGHT of them. You’re not going to find any sympathy over here, Denny.
But I do like The Denny (that’s what I call him) and his new Toyota Sponsifier commercial is my favorite out of the three featuring him, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Why is it my favorite? Because I love the little kid that tells him he drives like his mom, and I love the silly smile Denny makes after the kid says that AND I love that when Denny smiles like that I instantly think he looks like that actor on NBC’s “30 Rock,” Jack McBrayer (he was in “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,” too). Here’s a side-by-side comparison shot:
Denny Hamlin (left) vs. Jack McBrayer (right)
Tina Fey should get Denny to do a cameo on “30 Rock” as Kenneth Purcell’s brother. I’m just sayin’.
In other news… Elliott Sadler announced that he and his wife, Amanda, are expecting a child this year. The couple are already parents to a son, Wyatt, who was born last year.
Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Scotts EZ Seed Ford, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Apr. 29 in Richmond, Va. (Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
(L-R) Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of the U.S. Army Accessions Command, Revolution Racing CEO Max Siegel, Darrell Wallace Jr and NASCAR Vice President of Public Affairs and Multicultural Development announce a partnership between the U.S. Army and Revolution Racing. (Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Truex gets advice from older brother Martin before the start of the the BUBBA Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Truex ended up posting his first career top-10 finish. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Travis Pastrana signs autographs for fans during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Apr. 29 in Richmond, Va. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the BUBBA Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway, his second NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at his home track. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
A young Denny Hamlin fan watches the hometown favorite race during the Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevrolet, signs autographs in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on Apr. 29 in Richmond, Va. (Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Kyle Busch salutes the fans after winning the Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
kenseth messes with texas, wins
I feel so incredibly late with this post, and I apologize for that. There’s something about Sunday that makes me really not want to do anything that I “should” do.
And to make matters worse I didn’t even write anything about the race at Martinsville. Ya know, the one where Dale Earnhardt Jr. made me mental. When he took the lead I muted the television and began yelling my TV screen. Of course it didn’t work because Kevin Harvick had to be all good and everything and win the race. Despite not making my life and winning that race I’m so incredibly PROUD of Mr. Dale Jr. because he’s in the Top 12 in points, which is just awesome all by itself. One last thing about Martinsville, Harvick shouldn’t have said anything about “being the bad guy.” He did what he was supposed to do–anything and everything he could to win that race. He’s not supposed to worry about the feelings of JR Nation. Just race, that’s all we ask.
Soo, on to this past weekend at Texas. Congratulations to Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Crown Royal Black team! That was a great win and I’m always stoked for someone to win a race when it’s been a REEEEEALLLLLLY long time since they last had one.
Here’s one housekeeping note: I recently launched The Fast and the Fabulous mobile application. Now you can receive alerts and stuff on your cell phone, if it uses the Android operating system. Look for it in the Android Market on your cell phone. Just search for “The Fast and the Fabulous” or “NASCAR.” There’s a solution coming soon for iPhones so stay tuned for that.
Josh Aron stands by the No. 11 FedEx Office/March of Dimes Toyota, in the garage area prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Apr. 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS Freight Ford, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Apr. 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, climbs in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Apr. 8 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, talks his father, Nelson, during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Apr. 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, hugs a fan in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Apr. 7 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards joins the fans following his win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series 15th Annual O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Lead singer Brad Arnold and drummer Greg Upchurch of 3 Doors Down perform prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Going for a weekend sweep, Carl Edwards greets fans prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Matt Kenseth celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
sunday in fontana: richard marx makes my day
Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California started out with the customary trip to THE Starbucks. I call it “THE Starbucks” because it’s the one everybody goes to during the race weekend, and by everybody I mean literally everybody. It could be groups of fans apart of some racing package deal or pit crew members, PR people, and NASCAR drivers. I always see someone. On Saturday morning it was Michael Waltrip and Michael Waltrip Racing general manager Ty Norris. Sunday I chatted about the weather with a pit crew guy that recognized me from the garage.
saturday in fontana: kids run the garage
Saturday in Fontana started out with Nationwide Series qualifying. Heather and I hung out in the media bull pen area and watched as the cars came through. It was pretty routine so this is a good time to talk about the children I saw in the garage that weekend. There were TONS of them. The new NASCAR rule allowing kids in the garage has made a big impact because I’ve never seen so many little boys and girls getting photos and autographs.
a vegas ending: fake elvis, paris hilton and a hug from a hottie
I had to get up really, really early on Sunday morning in order to get to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in time to take a ride in the pace car with NASCAR’s Director of Competition, Research & Development Brett Bodine.
danica patrick writes herself into nascar history, wax dale earnhardt stays in the shade
On Saturday morning in Las Vegas the first and only thing I scheduled to do that day was interview Jennifer Jo Cobb. She was great and it was awesome to find out that her favorite word is “Fabulous.” Smart lady!
why kyle busch put his wedding on tv, keselowski’s ‘recovery’ program
Friday morning in Las Vegas started with me arriving at the track just in time to interview J.J. Yeley at his hauler. But I found out that he had been asked to drive the No. 27 car for Baker Curb Racing in the Nationwide Series race. So he was participating in their practice session and wouldn’t be available till later in the day (We did end up connecting later in the day and I got some great answers from him).
trevor bayne makes his ‘sundae, sundae, sundae’
Trevor Bayne continued his “Miss America Tour,” that’s what I like to call it (Because don’t you remember when winning Miss America was an actual big deal and they always did a TON of press afterward? Well I do and it’s the only thing I can compare it to), wherein he does various media interviews and appearances to celebrate winning the Daytona 500.
He was in San Francisco yesterday at Ghiradelli Square to scoop some ice cream and meet fans:
Bayne arrived in San Francisco late Tuesday afternoon and was driven from the airport under California Highway Patrol escort to Ghirardelli Square, where he walked the red carpet before assembling the very first Trevor Bayne Sundae, Sundae, Sundae, featuring rocky road, chocolate chip and chocolate ice cream, as well multiple toppings and all the fixins. The item is currently a feature on the Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor menu.
(credit: Getty Images)
I was there and it was freezing out. I’m from California and so anything under 60 degrees is not good. I had no gloves and I quickly lost feeling in my toes and my fingers. I’m not kidding. My cell phone lost battery power after 30 minutes and it was friggin’ cold so I didn’t stay for the WHOLE shindig, but I did get to see a bunch of foreign tourists ask everyone what the hell was the going on and watch their expression not change when people told them that the Daytona 500 winner was coming. I also got to see serious NASCAR fans cheer and go crazy for Trevor as he exited his Escalade. I watched Trevor happily recreate his triple-scoop sundae. I didn’t try the sundae myself but I did manage to get my numb fingers to grasp the cup that held a small single-scoop hot fudge sundae they were giving away for free to fans, even though I was FREEZING I couldn’t pass up free–delicious!–ice cream.
All in all it was a very cool and fun event. It was neat to see non-NASCAR fans stop to see what was going on and then once they were told who it was go “Oh! That’s the youngest person to win the Daytona 500!” That’s gotta be good for NASCAR, right?
Trevor was in Los Angeles today and he filmed an appearance for “The Ellen Degeneres Show” that will air tomorrow, Thursday, February 24. Check your local listings, of course. Ellen presented Trevor with a gift — a hula dancer dash board bobble head and a personalized ELLEN car sticker — which you can see in the photo below.
(credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.)
Here’s one exchange between Ellen and Trevor about girls that’s pretty cute:
On winning the race…
Trevor: The Daytona 500, to me, has always meant a lot. I grew up wanting to win it as a kid but I didn’t know it meant this much to the rest of the world so to see these kind of fans and this crazy stuff going on, I love it.
Ellen: You must have girls all of a sudden going crazy over you because you’re adorable and now you’re getting all this attention. You getting proposals and stuff like that all ready?
Trevor: Well, I didn’t have a Valentine this year so I’m hoping for better things next year.
Ellen: You will. I think you’ll be okay.
In other news…
– Yesterday Michael Waltrip’s oldest daughter, Caitlin, gave birth to a baby boy named Bryson.
– Danica Patrick and Carl Edwards will make appearances on the inaugural sports awards show, Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards. Danica will pick up the “She’s Got Game” Award (aka Best Female Athlete) and Carl is a presenter. The show, hosted by Jimmie Johnson’s friend Tony Hawk, airs on the Cartoon Network at 7 p.m. (ET) on Friday, February 25th.
chaotic, nerve-wracking, crazy, insane: words to describe the 53rd daytona 500
Repaved Daytona International Speedway = Racing INSANITY!
It was nerve-wracking to watch but still superfun!
Congratulations to Trevor Bayne and Wood Brothers Racing. What an amazing finish! I was flabbergasted at that finish, but NOT because of Trevor Bayne. I’m happy for the kid and all that, and for the Wood Brothers, but I’m going to be honest, I was more stoked for David Gilliland. When I saw Carl Edwards had hooked up with David I start screaming at the television. I really, really, really wanted David to get up there and contend for the win, but I was totally satisfied with his 3rd place finish. He’s 2nd in points right now, and I know that’s only after one race but it’s a really great start!
I know it’s not Festivus, but I’d like to air some grievances. Ok, there’s really only one and it’s about the post-race coverage from Fox Sports. They didn’t interview David Gilliland post-race, but they did interview David Ragan who finished 14th. I understand why they talked to Ragan ’cause he made a small mistake that ended up possibly costing him the race (I say possibly because there’s no way to know for sure that had he not been black flagged he would of won), BUT if you only have limited time wouldn’t you automatically go to the top-3?! Ugh.
Anyway, I understand that directing and coordinating a live broadcast is hard and for the most part they get it right but it’s still really annoying when they mess up.
I’m EXTRA excited for Phoenix. I’ve decided not to attend that race, I’m still really looking forward to watching what happens. I’m still going to Las Vegas for sure and I CANNOT wait to get there.
Back to Trevor Bayne really quick, he’ll be at Ghiradelli Square tomorrow (Tuesday, February 22) in San Francisco at 5:30pm to create the “Trevor Bayne Sundae, Sundae, Sundae” and then he’ll be in Los Angeles on Wednesday at a free fan event at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles (800 W. Olympic Blvd.) at noon.
I LOVE the expression on this girl’s face. It is priceless. I can just imagine what she’s thinking!
Kasey Kahne signs autographs for fans in the garage Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Michael Waltrip celebrates in victory lane with his No.15 crew after winning the 2011 NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart celebrates with his crew in victory lane after winning the Drive4COPD 300 Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Danica Patrick talks to Dale Earnhardt Jr. about the No.7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Garage during practice at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Paisley entertains the crowd during the pre-race show before the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Not a very good command at all. But I love the Transformers race cars.
Honorary Grand Marshals Michael Bay, Josh Duhamel and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley give the command to start the engines for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Brandon Goodman/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The Baltimore Raven’s Ray Rice visits the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage and takes a look in the No. 42 Target Chevrolet Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Motorsports Images and Archives)
National Anthem singer Patty Loveless shows her support for Drive4COPD Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Martina McBride sings the National Anthem before the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: ISC Archives/Getty Images)
Dierks Bentley performs during the Daytona 500 pre-race show Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Great moment–I held up 3 fingers too even though I wasn’t there!
The fans salute Dale Earnhardt on lap 3 by holding up three fingers during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway at Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards and David Ragan congratulate Trevor Bayne in victory lane after the 53rd Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for NASCAR)
room for two: shootout and daytona 500 qualifying
It was that time again on Saturday to reacquaint ourselves with the folks at Fox Sports and their brand of NASCAR coverage for another year. I have a secret wish that one of those animated robot football players they use for the NFL will walk onto the screen and bash Digger and his friends about the head until they run away forever. Did I just write that? Yes, yes I did.
Anyway, loved seeing drivers back in action. There’s nothing better than seeing cars driving at full speed, racing for something, anything, even if there aren’t any points involved. Congratulations to Kurt Busch and the “Double Deuce” team on winning the Budweiser Shootout.
Sunday was qualifying for the Daytona 500, but really just for the front row. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon locked up the front row for Hendrick Motorsports. And that was great and all but a bigger story, in my eyes at least, was Larry McReynolds dropping relationship news about Tony Stewart dating sprint car driver Jessica Zemken, who races for Tony Stewart Racing.
In other news…
– The winner of this year’s Daytona 500 will be honored in San Francisco on February 22nd (6pm) at Ghiradelli Square with an ice cream social. The lucky dude will have a sundae named in his honor and all fans in attendance will be treated to a complimentary sundae courtesy of the Ghiradelli® Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop. I’m going to be there FOR SURE, because I have first hand knowledge of how delicious everything is that they make at Ghiradelli. Chocolate covered strawberries are calling my name, and it’ll be cool to see the Daytona 500 winner fresh off their win.
– There’s more than just a win, and a starting position in the Daytona 500, at stake for Tony Stewart in the The Duels at Daytona on Thursday–there’s money too!:
“The Duels at Daytona are always exciting because the higher you finish, the better your starting spot is for the Daytona 500. But for this year’s Duel, I have a little added incentive knowing that the Tony Stewart Foundation could receive some extra funding if I win,” said Stewart, who has awarded almost $4 million to assist charitable initiatives through his foundation since 2003. “I am so proud to partner with companies like Office Depot and Lexmark that believe in Taking Care of Business by giving back to their communities and to those in need. As for the wager, the new Lexmark Genesis S815 printer is really fast, and in our business, speed counts.”
More details over at ‘Fabulous’ News
– Celebrities have made their predictions on who they think will win the Daytona 500, check ‘em out over at SI.com. I’m partial to Joe Namath & Janet Evanovich’s picks, but you should read them all. There’s some interesting little tidbits of info in there. Like Mike Tomlin, head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers (aka Super Bowl XLV losers), went to college with JD Gibbs.
– Scott Speed will drive the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series for two races this year: Iowa Speedway on August 6 and at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on August 20.
Photo fun time from this weekend below!
Adorables!!
Jeff Gordon’s wife Ingrid Vandebosch and his son Leo in victory lane after Jeff Gordon secured a front row start for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon share a laugh together during Budweiser Shootout practice at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon discuss practice at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Chirs Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. draws the pole for the Budweiser Shootout as Kenny Wallace reacts Friday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.
2010 Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya share information during Budweiser Shootout practice at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
I’m diggin’ Kasey’s new firesuit. Cool design.
Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch discuss practice Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne talk during Daytona 500 practice at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kurt Busch in victory lane celebrating his 2011 Budweiser Shootout win at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
David Ragan signs a fans jacket during Daytona 500 Qualifying at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Carl Edwards signs autographs for fans after his qualifying lap Sunday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
sprint media tour: i missed out on swag, damnit
I’m sad I missed the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour in Charlotte this week. But, if I’m being honest, it’s only because I just read this article about all the swag the media received, that I missed out on. There were cupcakes and cookies and wine!
Anyway, here are photos from the week. It’s one of my favorite things to post photos of the teams wearing those annoying long sleeve shirts. I don’t know why I hate them so much but they just look wrong. I say this every year and no one listens to me.
It’s just like bridesmaid dresses: it’s really hard to pick on dress type that works on every body type. Which is why brides have started letting their maids pick a fit that suits them individually and then just going with the same color and/or print for the group. I think NASCAR teams should adopt this same principle. Some teams have, but definitely not the majority.
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Elliott Sadler, (second from left) speaks with the media, as drivers (left to right) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jason Leffler, and Aric Almirola look on, during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Hilton University on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Michael Waltrip’s familiar No. 15 NAPA car is on display during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Hilton University on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C. (Credit: Harold Hinson/HHP)
(Left to right) Bobby Hutchens, director of competition for Stewart-Haas Racing; Tony Gibson, crew chief of the No. 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car; Ryan Newman, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver; Tony Stewart, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner and driver; and Darian Grubb, crew chief of the No. 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car, pose for a picture during the 2011 Sprint Cup Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday at Stewart-Haas Racing in Kannapolis, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Regan Smith stands in front of his No. 78 Furniture Row ride during the Sprint Media Tour hosted byCharlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(center) NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty stands between his two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers AJ Allmendinger (left) and the newest addition to Richard Petty Motorsports Marcos Ambrose during the Sprint Media Tour hosted byCharlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Team owner Jack Roush (center) poses with drivers (left to right) Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle and David Ragan, during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at the Roush-Fenway hanger of Concord Regional Airport, on Thursday in Concord, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota, speaks with Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Hilton University on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) Richard Childress, team owner; Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet; Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet; Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 22 Caterpillar Chevrolet, and Paul Menard, driver of the No. 27 Menard’s Chevrolet, pose for the media during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Richard Childress Racing on Tuesday in Welcome, N.C.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, owner Rick Hendrick and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. pose for a team picture Wednesday at Hendrick Motorsports Media Day during the Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) Sam Hornish Jr., driver of the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, speaks to the media as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teammates Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, and Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, look on during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Penske Racing on Monday in Mooresville, N.C.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Team owner Joe Gibbs (third from right) poses with J.D. Gibbs (third from left), Joe Gibbs Racing President, Joey Logano (left), driver of the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota, Kyle Busch (second from left), driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, Denny Hamlin (second from right), driver of the No. FedEx Toyota, and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Brian Scott (right), during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Joe Gibbs Racing, on Thursday in Huntersville, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR, on hiring Tony Stewart: “For 1997, we wanted to form a second team. We asked all the guys to write down the name of the driver they wanted the most and put it in a hat. There was one name on every piece of paper. That was Tony Stewart.”
Team owner Joe Gibbs (center) speaks about the 20th anniversary of Joe Gibbs Racing, as (left to right) JGR President J.D. Gibbs, former JGR drivers Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, JGR senior vice president of racing operations Jimmy Makar and Interstate Batteries CEO Norm Miller look on during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at Joe Gibbs Racing, on Thursday in Huntersville, N.C. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The No. 21 Motorcraft Ford proudly displays the new American Ethanol sponsorship around the fuel hole during the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, held at the Roush-Fenway hanger of Concord Regional Airport, on Thursday in Concord, N.C. (Credit: Harold Hinson/HHP)
(Left to right) Juan Pablo Montoya, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, team owners Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates and Jamie McMurray, defending Daytona 500 champion, pose for a picture during the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing stop on the 2011 Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, N.C.(Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
roush fenway lead baby bonanza into 2011
Yesterday Jack Roush inadvertently announced that Greg Biffle, and his wife Nicole, are expecting their first child. Biffle wasn’t planning on having Roush share the news but there it was, along with a semi-confirmation that Carl Edwards and his wife are expecting their second child. It also turned out that the Biffles learned the sex of their baby yesterday and Greg announced via Twitter that they’re expecting a girl. Matt Kenseth and his wife are also expecting another child soon, but we already knew that.
Which leads me to more Biffle and Edwards news. Both drivers will appear on this weekend’s episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on ABC to demonstrate the dangers of texting & driving:
“Texting while driving is incredibly dangerous and I think it’s an extremely important message to get out to everyone right now but especially teenage drivers,” Biffle said. “While Carl and I had a lot of fun taping the segment for ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,’ it is a very serious issue. Being a part of the show really opened my eyes to the dangers of texting while driving and I’m sure it will do the same for all of the viewers. Ford has a great program to educate teenagers about safe driving skills and you can get more information at www.drivingskillsforlife.com.“
The RFR teammates’ appearance is in support of the Brown family of Wellman, Texas who lost their daughter in a tragic auto accident involving texting and driving. Since the accident the family has dedicated their lives to communicating the dangers of this practice. Biffle and Edwards are joined by Justin Bieber and Emma Roberts on the show.
The show will air on Sunday, January 30, at 8 p.m. (ET). Check your local listings.
Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards pose with Leigh Anne Tuohy, a designer on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Leigh Anne is also the mother that the movie “The Blind Side” was based on, ya know, the role that won Sandra Bullock an Oscar last year.
UPDATE: Right! Forgot to post this too. David Ragan doesn’t know how to make a baby.
He said it, not me. Thanks for the tips, Tara!!
testing, testing: preseason thundah
The 2011 NASCAR racing season is fast approaching and that means I’ve finally got new photos to share with you guys from the Preseason Thunder testing that occurred last week at Daytona International Speedway. It was our first chance to catch some drivers wearing their new sponsor’s firesuits, a time to welcome back Brian Vickers (yay!) and an opportunity to see new driver/crew chief pairings (Gustafson & Gordon = Too much hotness for one team, I’m just sayin’).
I’m excited about the year to come, as I always am, and I know that I have at least ONE very cool, super awesome, off-line deal coming up that involves you guys! So stay tuned for that announcement.
Remember to check out ‘Fabulous’ News for press releases and random photos throughout the week. I’ll have a wrap-up of the media tour taking place now posted later on in the week.
But for now enjoy these photos!
Brad Keselowski recorded the fastest lap of the day at 45.316 seconds Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. during Preseason Thunder testing.(Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
(Left to right) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Red Bull Racing teammates Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers talk as they sign autographs for fans in the garage area during Preseason Thunder testing on Friday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. laughs during a Preseason Thunder Fan Fest Q&A Thursday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Truex turned the second-fastest lap of the first day of testing with a 195.776 mph circuit. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Marcos Ambrose smiles in the garage Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. during Preseason Thunder testing.(Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Carl Edwards signs autographs for young fans during the Preseason Thunder Fan Fest following testing Thursday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brian Vickers signs autographs in the Sprint FanZone Thursday during Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. smiles during a break on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart looks on as his crew makes adjustments to the No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. during Preseason Thunder testing.(Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
A new look Kevin Harvick participates in testing Thursday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jeff Gordon works with Ormond Beach, Fla. native Alan Gustafson in the Garage Thursday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Joey Logano who was third fastest with a lap time of 45.757 seconds signs autographs for fans during Preseason Thunder Fan Fest on Friday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.(Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Clint Bowyer signs autographs for fans during Preseason Thunder on Friday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
2011 hottest driver tournament: round two
It’s time for Round Two! But first let’s find out what happened in Round One.
Kyle Busch (68%) defeated Jeff Burton (32%)
Juan Pablo Montoya (62%) defeated Brian Vickers (38%)
Tony Stewart (97%) defeated David Reutimann (3%)
Paul Menard (71%) defeated Jimmie Johnson (29%)
Casey Mears (73%) defeated David Ragan (27%)
Regan Smith (86%) defeated Kevin Conway (14%)
This updates the brackets, which you can see below (click it to see it larger).
And now, I think this is when things are going to get even MORE interesting. Round Two is the largest group, it’ll be fun to see who makes it into Round Three. I was going to let Round Two last for two weeks but I have decided to run it for just a week. Votes poured in for Round One and I can only expect it to get crazier for this one, so I’m trying to contain it. Plus I’m highly impatient and two weeks sound like forever to find out the results.
So let’s get to it! Here are the match-ups for Round Two! You can vote as many times as you want each day until voting ends on Saturday, January 15th.
UPDATE: Round Two voting has ended. Stay tuned for the results and Round Three!
| Jamie McMurray | Kyle Busch | |
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| David Gilliland | Joey Logano | |
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| Clint Bowyer | Bobby Labonte | |
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| Kurt Busch | Travis Kvapil | |
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| Ryan Newman | Juan Pablo Montoya | |
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| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Scott Speed | |
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| Sam Hornish Jr. | Tony Stewart | |
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| Carl Edwards | Kasey Kahne | |
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| Kevin Harvick | Casey Mears | |
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| Elliott Sadler | Reed Sorenson | |
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| Greg Biffle | Martin Truex Jr. | |
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| Jeff Gordon | Marcos Ambrose | |
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| Brad Keselowski | Paul Menard | |
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| AJ Allmendinger | Matt Kenseth | |
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| Robby Gordon | Regan Smith | |
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| Mark Martin | Denny Hamlin | |
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UPDATE: Round Two voting has ended. Stay tuned for the results and Round Three!
they’re letting ball players be gillette young guns?? what?
Awww, man! The only NASCAR drivers included in the Gillette Young Guns “Class of 2011″ are Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Nothing against them, of course. I’m just sad that Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer and Carl Edwards aren’t included.
Still, I think Denny and Kyle do a good job of representing NASCAR.
Here’s the video introducing the new Young Guns and after that is a behind the scenes video with Denny and Kyle.
Meet Kyle Busch:
Meet Denny Hamlin:
the great nascar baby bonanza of 2010
2010 was the year of the baby in NASCAR. People were giving birth all over the place and because of this I can’t keep all of them straight. So I’ve compiled a list of the babies that were welcomed into the world this year and the ones that are on the way continuing the baby blitz into 2011.
Wyatt Herman Fritts Sadler
Parents: Amanda & Elliott Sadler
Born: February 15, 2010
(Credit: @Elliott_Sadler)
Anne Edwards
Parents: Kate & Carl Edwards
Born: February 24, 2010
(Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Genevieve Marie Johnson
Parents: Chandra & Jimmie Johnson
Born: July 7, 2010
(Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Manuela Montoya Freydell
Parents: Connie Freydell & Juan Pablo Montoya
Born: July 19, 2010
(Credit: @ConnieMontoya)
Leo Benjamin Gordon
Parents: Ingrid Vandebosch & Jeff Gordon
Born: August 9, 2010
(Credit: JeffGordon.com & BabyAsArt)
Brooklyn Sage Newman
Parents: Krissie & Ryan Newman
Born: November 18, 2010
(Credit: Ryan Newman (facebook) – Photo by Karen Will Rogers Photography)
Carter Scott McMurray
Parents: Christy & Jamie McMurray
Born: November 25, 2010
Eliza Jo Hornish
Parents: Crystal & Sam Hornish Jr.
Born: December 28, 2010
Arriving in the new year will be…
– A girl for Cortney & Johnny Sauter. The couple’s daughter is expected to join her big brother, Penn, in April of 2011.
– A sibling for Katie & Matt Kenseth’s daughter, Kaylin, due in early 2011.
– (From what you guys have told me) A sibling for Kate & Carl Edwards daughter, Anne.
christmas gift ideas for racing fans
Christmas is fast approaching and I thought I’d share with you some ideas I had for great gifts for NASCAR fans.
– Let’s start things off with two Tony Stewart-related gifts. First is the 2011 calendar I gave you guys a preview of last month that features exclusive photos of Tony. I love calendars, I think they make great presents because they last all year with something new to stare at (and daydream about) each month. The second gift is the 2010 “Teddy B. Caring Bear” from the Office Depot Foundation. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the bear will go to children and families in need around the world. Teddy B. Caring was made by Gund (so you know he’s well made), costs only $9.99 and can be found at Office Depot stores.
“Working with the Office Depot Foundation on its National Backpack Program is one of the most important and rewarding things I do,” Stewart said. “It’s amazing to see the look on a child’s face when they receive a new backpack and are able to head back to school with an extra boost of confidence. Every child deserves that, and I would like to encourage everyone to consider giving a Teddy B. Caring bear as a gift this holiday season in support of the great work the Office Depot Foundation does all year long.”
nascar drivers share holiday memories
Performance Racing Network gathered some NASCAR drivers holiday memories, thoughts, etc:
Jimmie Johnson
“I think I was five years old at Christmas, and walked out and under the tree there was a motorcycle sitting there for me. That’s what started racing for me, so that would probably be the most memorable. It really started everything. We’ve got some footage that’s absolutely hilarious of me riding that day. My parents took me out to an area to ride and I could ride a bicycle at the time, but my dad was holding the back fender and trying to show me how to twist the throttle and ride off. I can’t believe I was on a bike that young, but it’s pretty funny to see it.”
Denny Hamlin
“Yeah, I was one of those kids that was trying to wake up my parents and say ‘Alright it’s Christmas now’, ‘No, no, no, go back to bed.’ So, I definitely was antsy at times, but now they’re the ones that have to wake me up on Christmas morning. I say, ‘Alright’ and I just kinda walk there with my cap on and I’m like, ‘Alright, let’s get this over with, I want to get to the food.’”
nascar champion’s week: day three with the awards ceremony
Friday, December 3rd was the day of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony & Banquet at the Wynn Las Vegas.
nascar champion’s week: day two with discussions about underwear
NASCAR After The Lap started off mostly like last year, with hostess Jamie Little asking the drivers questions submitted by fans. There were a few new wrinkles like some of the fans asking the questions in person, and the drivers walking in through the crowd with Jimmie Johnson making his grand entrance in his No 48 Lowe’s Chevy.
nascar champion’s week: day two with the victory lap on the strip
Immediately following the press room session with the Chase drivers at the Bellagio, I got on the bus taking the media over to the starting line in front of Planet Hollywood for the Victory Lap down The Strip (aka Las Vegas Boulevard).
nascar champion’s week: day two with matt kenseth making fun of my name
Thursday was filled with events including the NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, the Victory Lap and After The Lap at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
nascar champion’s week: day one with the ‘feud’ and wolfgang puck
I arrived in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning-ish. I checked in at my hotel, ARIA Hotel & Casino at CityCenter. I am giving this hotel two thumbs up because when I opened the door to my room (that unlocked after only having to wave my room key in front of the keypad above the door handle) music began to play and the curtains pulled back on their own revealing floor to ceiling windows facing a skyline of mountains.
jimmie johnson wins again, again, again, again
There are no words. I have no words.
But I do have pictures.
Jimmie Johnson (L) kisses his wife Chandra as she holds their four-month-old daughter Genevieve, after winning the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at the Ford 400 race in Homestead, Florida November 21, 2010. (REUTERS/Hans Deryk)
jimmie and the gang feel the pressure (yipee!)
I’m not going to lie, watching the 48 Lowe’s team experience failure in real time was fun. No, I don’t wish them ill and, really, really, who cares if I do? Dude, they’ve won the Championship 4 times in a row, they’ve got their place in history sealed for-ev-er. A little schadenfreude never hurt anyone.
It was clear that the 48′s cage was rattled with that pit crew swap happening in the middle of the race and watching Chad Knaus’ post-race interview was amazing. We got to find out what he looks, and sounds, like when he doesn’t have to pretend that the Championship isn’t a lock yet, because it really isn’t this time! (Ok, ok, so it’s not that different from when he’s on top, but there was a difference!)
Hehe.
Ya know what really irks me though? It’s when I think about what could have been had Clint Bowyer’s team not received that 150 point fine. Things would be so different, it’s so frustrating! Would I prefer that Kevin Harvick won the Championship over Denny Hamlin? Yes, but I’ll take what I can get. I so wish I was going to Phoenix this week, and hell, Miami too. Just promise me that when I do get to go to every NASCAR race the Championship is as close then as it is now.
Uhm, Denny? What are you doing? What is that face?
Denny Hamlin, driver of the FedEx Office Toyota, shoots a Turnbull Revolvers in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 7, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
if jimmie johnson isn’t vanilla, then what flavor is he?
As the campaign to prove that Jimmie Johnson isn’t vanilla rolls on, I thought it would be fun to assign an ice cream flavor to each of the drivers in The Chase for the Sprint Cup Series Championship.
I don’t know why Jimmie would mind being vanilla, I mean, it’s a classic and reliable flavor (how do you mess up vanilla??). It’s a trusty, go-to flavor, and doesn’t that make sense for him since we rely on him to win all the time? I’m just sayin’.
1.) Jimmie Johnson – Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk: He has a house in New York and this is as far away from Vanilla as possible. Happy, Jimmie??
2.) Denny Hamlin – Ben & Jerry’s Neapolitan Dynamite: Because Denny is the only one that sort of reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite.
3.) Kevin Harvick – Ben & Jerry’s Chubby Hubby: He’s not chubby, but he is a hubby.
4.) Jeff Gordon – Rocky Road: It’s been one for, like, the past 2 or 3 years, right?
5.) Kyle Busch – Pistachio: I’m not a fan of Pistachio
6.) Carl Edwards – Vanilla frozen yogurt: Carl is all about eating healthy (Subway!), and staying ab-tacular, so this is all he can have.
7.) Tony Stewart – Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey: He had a monkey once.
8.) Matt Kenseth – Ben & Jerry’s Imagine Whirled Peace: He never gets into fights, ok there was that time with Jeff Gordon, but overall Kenseth is Switzerland.
9.) Kurt Busch – Rum Raisin: Alcohol, there’s no such thing as beer ice cream.
10.) Jeff Burton – Ben & Jerry’s Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream: This happens to be my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor and it’s also the only flavor that is remotely related to politics, and ya know Jeff Burton will be a politician somewhere, someday. Just go with me on this OK?
11.) Greg Biffle – Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food: Can’t you imagine Biffle relaxin’ with some of this yummy chocolately, caramely, marshmallowy, fudge fishy goodness?
12. ) Clint Bowyer – Ben & Jerry’s Maple Blondie: He’s blonde, duh.
the hoff hassels our national anthem
Saturday morning at Auto Club Speedway found me inside the Nationwide Series garage watching as drivers qualified for the CampingWorld.com 300. Driver after driver made their qualifying run and I stood by in the media bullpen area where they keep the top-3 cars. Cars shuffle in and out (and drive by) as the numbers on the pylon change order.
There weren’t a lot of fans milling around in the garage and only a handful actually stuck around to watch drivers get out of their cars and maybe ask them for an autograph. I noticed David Reutimann, in regular dude clothes, standing with the guys from Michael Waltrip Racing. He had on a hat and sunglasses but I still couldn’t get over the fact that people didn’t notice him. I guess it was good for him to not be bothered, seeing as how he’d just come off the weekend before and his infamous incident with Kyle Busch.
As qualifying progressed I watched as Carl Edwards got out of his car, spoke with various members of the media, signed autographs for fans, met with a large group of employees from his sponsor, Copart, took pictures with them, and then went off to the media center. All of that took place in the space of like 10 minutes. Now that’s multi-tasking.
why delana and kevin harvick are the tops
Something I’ve noticed as I go to more races is that I take less pictures. In the beginning I was taking photos of everything; tires, cars, etc. But now that I know the pain of uploading those photos to Flickr and having to write a title for each one, I’m a lot more discerning when it comes to choosing a photo subject.
My Friday at Auto Club Speedway (ACS) began with me walking from my car to the garage and happening to see Travis Kvapil walking out of the drivers/owners motorcoach lot at the same time. I was set to interview Travis a little later on that morning, but he noticed me then. He must remembered me from when I interviewed him at ACS in 2008. This was, and still is, a big deal to me. He knew we had a scheduled interview for that day and he ended up having time right then so we went ahead and got the Inside the Actor’s Studio questioning out of the way.
Because I feel like the underdog pretty much all the time, it felt like a super cool “win” to walk through the garage, past crew members and whoever was around, with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who actually REMEMBERED ME. Which is why Travis Kvapil is a super cool guy in my book. He really is genuinely nice and I cannot wait for a Sprint Cup win to come his way. I’ll talk more about him when I post the interview. He was the first driver to answer a particular question a particular way. How’s that for cryptic?
chase media day: break out the plaid!
So, I’m guessing nobody called Carl Edwards (or Kurt Busch for that matter) to tell him that the dress code options for the Chase Media Day in New York City this week were two things: plaid shirts or black shirts.
Carl looks like he’s running for president, while the rest of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship just look like regular dudes.
I am a big fan of plaid so I applaud Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer for their choices. You think they called each other the night before and were all “What are you gonna wear??” Hehe. That idea tickles me.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the FedEx Small Business car, signs Sprint Cup posters during the NASCAR Media Day event at the London Hotel on September 15, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by John W. Ferguson/Getty Images)
my teeny tiny 2010 championship predictions
While I’m not sure who I “want” to win the Championship this year, I can tell you who I think will win it and who I’m sure definitely will not.
I’ve had a feeling for some time now that Denny Hamlin would claim the 2010 Sprint Cup Series Championship, I’m not entirely sure why I feel that way but it just seems like the right thing. I think this kid is determined and it seems like it’s his time.
Now, on to who I think definitely will not win the Championship and that would be Jimmie Johnson. Not because he’s not capable, a duh he’s won 4 in a row, but because everyone else in the Chase wants it more. I think there has to be something to seeing Jimmie win it every year and I think these guys are psyched and pumped to make sure he doesn’t win a 5th. I just think the other guys want and NEED this Championship more than Jimmie does and therefore they’re going to do everything within their power to make sure they’re tops this year.
Classic.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Air Guard 400 at Richmond International Raceway on September 10, 2010 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
tony stewart wins the ‘everybody’s car was loose 500′
Yea, that’s the whole story. You could have made a drinking game out of the words “loose” and “sideways” and you would of been drunk within the first 10 minutes of the race.
I loved it to much. It was dramatic and people were racing each other and trying not to lose control. I loooooved it. It was hard to watch, which means that it was an awesome race ‘cause I had no idea what was going to happen. It’s amazing there weren’t more wrecks.
How cute was the spat between Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne? Gosh, I wish I was there. I would have loved to have been in that garage when they rolled in together. I don’t know why I find it so cute to see Kasey angry. Ha!
Congratulations to Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice team. I decided that I would only be happy if someone who hadn’t won a race this year won, so I’m totally good with Tony’s trip to Victory Lane.
Annnd another set of congrats to Jamie McMurray and the No. 88 Hellmann’s/BJ’s team for their win in the Nationwide Series on Saturday. That was super huge and awesome for JR Motorsports. I’m so glad Jamie got to win with that team.
So the place where I normally get pictures has no pictures from this weekend yet. I hope it’s yet. As soon as new pictures are available I’ll post ‘em.
Class picture!!
The starting field of drivers poses during pre-race ceremonies before the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
the bristol & montreal combo post
This is a special photo combo post for the Bristol weekend and the Nationwide race in Montreal.
The Montreal race was absolutely awesome. I loved that last lap. I wanted any of those guys to win, Boris Said, Jacques Villeneuve, or Max Papis. But Boris was able to pull out the win over Max. Such a great crazy finish. I, for one, would love to see what would happen if there was a Sprint Cup race at Montreal.
I was disappointed that Boris’ son, with his little blonde mop top, wasn’t on hand to watch his dad win. That would have been such a cute victory lane celebration.
Oh and how kind of freaky was it to watch Jacques breathing so hard in his car during the red flag? I seriously thought he was going to pass out at some point. I’ve never seen anyone breathing like that in a race car. Crazy. But he seemed totally fine after the race, must of been the adrenaline on that last lap.
Too cute!
Carl Edwards (R), driver of the Aflac Ford, stands on the grid with his wife Kate (L) as he hold his daughter Anne prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Race car drivers Jacques Villeneuve (L) of Canada and his compatriot Patrick Carpentier arrive to sign autographs in preparation for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series NASCAR race in Montreal, August 27, 2010. The race will take place on Sunday. (REUTERS/Shaun Best)
He’s coming back! Yay!
NASCAR driver Brian Vickers speaks to the media prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Ryan Newman (L), driver of the Wix Filters Chevrolet, stands with his wife Krissie on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jimmie Johnson (L), driver of the Lowe’s Chevrolet, kisses his wife Chandra on the grid prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
I love this photo. Kasey looks like he has zero interest in signing autographs.
Kasey Kahne, driver of the Budweiser Ford, walks away from fans in the garage area prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
Scott Speed (R), driver of the Red Bull Toyota, stands with his wife Amanda on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 20, 2010 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images)
what i missed at m.i.s.
I missed the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday because I was busy driving two of my nephews (ages 9 and 11) from their home in Los Angeles to my mom’s house in the SF Bay Area. I love my nephews more than words can say but spending 7 hours in a car with them is not something I really want to do again. Who knew that doing word search puzzles could be a competitive thing??
Anyway, I did catch some of the race action from SIRIUS Satellite Radio’s coverage with MRN, but the boys were more interested in hearing music from Drake and, amazingly enough, Katy Perry’s song “California Gurls.”
In between pop music stints I did learn that Kevin Harvick won and that Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped a couple curse words while being interviewed by ESPN’s Marty Smith.
So this post is going to be super duper photo heavy. Enjoy!
Delana Harvick takes a photo of her husband, Kevin Harvick (29), after he wins the Carfax 400 race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI.
Don’t you just want to eat him up? So adorable! I’m talking about the baby, not Tony.
Tony Stewart, driver of the Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet talks with Gavin Grubb, son of Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb,during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jack’s back!
Jack Roush during the Carfax 400 race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI.
Martin Truex Jr. (L), driver of the NAPA Toyota, and Sherry Pollex, stand on the grid during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Clint Bowyer, driver of the Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet and guest stand on the grid for the National Anthem during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jamie McMurray, driver of the Philips Norelco Chevrolet, talks with his wife Christy grid during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Greg Biffle, driver of the 3M Ford, stands on the grid with his wife Nicole for the playing of the National Anthem during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CARFAX 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 15, 2010 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Nationwide driver Brad Keselowski celebrates with his mother after winning the Car Fax 250 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Joey Logano (20) and girlfriend, Sabrina Simpson, before the start of the Carfax 250 race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI.
Carl Edwards stands with his wife, Kate, and mother, Nancy Sterling, during pre-race ceremonies for the Carfax 250 race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI.
jamie mcmurray makes roush fenway drivers wish they drove for ganassi, too
I’m kidding! Calm down Roush Fenway Racing supporters. I was just making a funny.
But seriously, super huge congratulations to Jamie McMurray for winning the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway yesterday. Kudos to him and his team for winning a race that further cements a place for him in NASCARs history.
Now, can I talk about Victory Lane or Winner’s Circle at Indy? It’s really lame. It seems like a complete afterthought, like they finished making the hugh jass pagoda and then were all, “Ohh, where are we gonna do Victory Lane? Let’s wedge it over there since we made the stage for the anthem and the command to start engines needlessly large and round.”
It makes me feel squished and I’m not even there. It’s so awkward, why not just do everything on the track? Ok, just had to get that off of my chest it makes me mental every year for the Indy 500 and the Brickyard.
And speaking of Victory Lane how cute was Jamie when he kissed his wife’s stomach? Christy McMurray is pregnant with their first child who is due to arrive in December. So adorable. I’m going out on a limb and calling a set of twins for them. I have no proof, obviously, other than I think someone should have twins.
Jamie McMurray, winner of the Brickyard 400 kisses his wife Christy after kissing the bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on July 25, 2010. (UPI /Edwin Joseph Locke Photo via Newscom)
The pit crew for Jamie McMurray’s No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet runs down pit road to celebrate their win at the Brickyard 400 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN.
Jamie McMurray, driver of the Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet, and his team kiss the bricks after McMurray won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR)
The beard is back and he brought along a friend this time. I dunno if I like this trend.
Team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the Amp Energy Chevrolet with team owner Rick Hendrick before the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on July 25, 2010, in Indianapolis on July 25, 2010. (UPI/Thomas E. Hayden Photo via Newscom)
(R-L) Dallas Clark of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts poses with brother Dan Clark in the flag stand before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Cuute!
Travis Kvapil, driver of the Long John Silver’s Ford, stands by his car during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ryan Newman, driver of the Haas Automation Chevrolet, stands with his wife Krissie Newman on the grid before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
So, if ESPN has Carl joining them after every race in the studio, do they really need Rusty to stick around?
Carl Edwards, driver of the Aflac Ford, reaches in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
(R) David Stremme, driver of the Air Guard/gtwgps.com Chevrolet, looks on from pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
Fans hold up signs outside the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
County music star Luke Bryan walks around in the garage area during the final practice session for the Brickyard 400 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, IN.
(L-R) Jimmie Johnson, driver of the Lowe’s Chevrolet, poses with singer Jack Johnson in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 23, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)
is carl edwards an eddie haskell?
The second Brad Keselowski got into Carl Edwards in turn 1 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday I knew it was only a matter of opportunity before Carl got Brad back. So I wasn’t surprised in the least when Carl nudged Brad before the checkered flag.
Maybe what I’ve thought about Carl is all wrong. Maybe he’s just an “Eddie Haskell” smiling and being the nice “Aw shucks” guy in front of the cameras, doing all the right things you need to do to get a ride, get a sponsor, and get fans. But then once it’s time for the competition he’s clearly out for himself, he’s out for the win and I think in the case of Brad Keselowski it doesn’t help that Carl has had many issues with him in the past. Oh and the fact that it was a race at his home track also didn’t help matters. He couldn’t let this win slip out of his hands if he had a shot at it.
reutimann rules chicagoland, ‘baby j’ gets a name
People always love to talk about NASCAR needs, ‘cause NASCAR always needs something, I guess. I never like writing or talking about stuff like that because I don’t think NASCAR is in a dire situation for anything. So what’s the point of talking about what would help it if I don’t think it needs help?
With that being said, if NASCAR does need something right now it would be what happened last night. David Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway and while the race as a whole was kinda boring, it was pure awesomeness to see David win a race without the help of weather issues for the first time. He and his No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine team won the race fair and square. I loved seeing the emotion in his face and that of his crew chief Rodney Childers. Rodney apologized for all of his emotion while talking to the TNT crew, but he shouldn’t have. He earned that win and he should let those feelings roll, he earned it.
And don’t forget to re-read my Inside the Actor’s Studio interview with David. hehe.
In other news…
– At race time yesterday Jimmie and Chandra Johnson had yet to announce the name of their new baby girl, but today they finally shared her name, Genevieve Marie Johnson, along with a picture of the cutie pahtootie newborn. Raise your hand if you have the same middle name as Genevieve. I do! I do!
– 20-year-old Austin Dillon, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, won his first career NASCAR race today in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 at Iowa Speedway. Congratulations Austin! Who doesn’t love a first-time winner?
They’re hugging like this because they’re friends in real life.
Actor Angie Harmon greets Jimmie Johnson, driver of the Lowe’s Chevrolet during driver introductions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LIFELOCK.COM 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway on July 10, 2010 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR)
“Big Mac”, love that.
Jamie McMurray waits for the race action to begin for the LifeLock.com 400 race at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.
Austin Dillon, driver of the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet poses with his little brother Ty Dillon, driver of the Karl Chevrolet Arca car after both of them won the pole awards at Iowa Speedway on July 10, 2010 in Newton, Iowa. Austin won the pole award after qualifying first for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 and Ty won the pole award for the ARCA Prairie 200. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
Carl Edwards and his mother, Nancy Sterlin, during pre-race ceremonies for the Dollar General 300 race at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.
David Ragan (6) during practice for the LifeLock.com 400 race at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, IL.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the Jimmy John’s Chevrolet and his wife DeLana stand for the National Anthem during the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola at the Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, 2010 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Reed Sorenson, driver of the Red Bull Toyota looks on from the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LIFELOCK.COM 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, 2010 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Clint Bowyer, driver of the Cheerios Chevrolet looks on from the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LIFELOCK.COM 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway on July 9, 2010 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Duncan Keith of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks gives the command for the drivers to start their engines during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LIFELOCK.COM 400 at the Chicagoland Speedway on July 10, 2010 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
if you were able to finish the coke zero 400 you still won
The Coke Zero 400 was fun? I guess that’s the right word to describe a night that was full of crashy-crashes that seemed to take out, like, the entire field of cars. Only 17 out of 43 cars completed all 166 laps of the race. And that’s why Daytona will always be one of my absolute favorite tracks.
Congratulations to Kevin Harvick and the #29 crew for pulling out the win. I’m happy for them but I was actually hoping Clint Bowyer would be the Richard Childress Racing driver to run away with it. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be for Clint just yet.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 4th which catapulted him into the top-12 in the points standings. Now all he needs to do is just STAY THERE. Seriously, please, just stay RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.
I’d like to remind you guys that my Wiley X sunglasses contest is still going on, you’ve got until July 9th to submit your entry! The prize is worth $150! I think this is the most expensive thing I’ve ever given away on this site.
Photo fun time after the jump!!
I think Drew Blickensderfer really wants to win my 2010 Hottest Crew Chief Award.
What do you think?
Drew Blickensderfer waits for practice to begin for the Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by Coca-Cola race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. (photo: ZumaPress)
This is just a great photo.
Kasey Kahne, driver of the Budweiser Ford, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Sam Hornish Jr. (R), driver of the Mobil 1 Dodge, kisses his daughter Addison after qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Darius Rucker performs on stage during the concert held prior to the the Coke Zero 400 race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series held in the Daytona International circuit in Florida, USA on 03 July 2010.
Juan Pablo Montoya kisses his daughter while waiting for the start of qualifying for the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on July 2, 2010. (UPI Photo/Martin Fried Photo via Newscom)
Carl Edwards, driver of the SUBWAY Ford, holds an umbrella on the grid as as rain cancels qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Tony Stewart prepares for the Coke Zero 400 race at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL.
Professional tennis player John Isner sits on the pit box of Matt Kenseth, driver of the Jeremiah Weed Ford, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 3, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Members of Jimmie Johnson’s team rush Mark Martin to safety after a turn 4 wreck during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on July 3, 2010. (UPI Photo/Martin Fried Photo via Newscom)
Kevin Harvick driver of the Shell/Penzoil Chevrolet celebrates with his wife Delana (L) his victory in the Coke Zero 400 held in the Daytona International Speedway in Florida, USA on 03 July 2010.
giving it away: wiley x sunglasses
You can’t say I never gave you guys anything. I could of kept these for myself, but instead I’m passing them along to one lucky reader. You’ll have your very own pair of Wiley X sunglasses from their Skyee line, the same brand that NASCAR drivers like Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards wear.
The sunglasses come with their own zippered case, something called a “leash cord” and a lens cloth. Oh, and there’s a Wiley X sticker in the box too.
Enter now! The contest ends at midnight on Friday, July 9th, 2010.
UPDATE: The contest is now over!
to infineon and beyond…
I know I’ve used that title before but I love it.
Friday at Infineon Raceway was day one of the Toyota/SaveMart 350 festivities. It was a pretty big day for me because it held actual things for me to do. My usual shtick is to just show up and let things happen but this time I setup interviews with drivers. Since things went so well with Tony Stewart and the Inside The Actor’s Studio questions I decided to make it my “thing” for now and to get as many drivers to answer the same questions.
On my schedule for the day were one-on-one’s with David Reutimann, Regan Smith, AJ Allmendinger and Elliott Sadler. I’ll write about each of those experiences in separate posts. Stay tuned for those.
Back in the media center I sat in on press conferences for Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, and a little bit of Denny Hamlin.
Tony Stewart’s presser was, of course, by far the most entertaining of the bunch. His session was after practice and he wasn’t very happy with his car. I think that Southwest airlines should use his press conferences as the basis for one of their “Wanna Get Away???” commercials. I had this uncontrollable urge, every time someone asked something cringe-worthy to look down and start playing with my cell phone. There are always a few questions that bug Tony and after sitting in on a few of his pressers I’ve learned that Tony is a lot better when you ask him questions that are very real to him. He laid it out pretty plainly that he only cares about racing. He wasn’t in the mood to get all theoretical or philosophical about racing after having a crappy practice session. It wasn’t helping that people were asking the same questions they’ve asked year after year, my favorite being “Should there be a road course race in The Chase?” That was the one that really bugged him and got him to eventually say that he had no interest in giving his opinion on such things, he just wanted to race.
thank you, red bull, no seriously, thank yoooooou
Red Bull Racing has selected Mattias Ekström to handle the road course at Infineon Raceway next week in the No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota:
“First of all, I’d like to express my sincere thanks — to Red Bull for inviting a Swede with zero NASCAR experience to compete in the United States and to Audi for the possibility and approval that enable me to fulfill this dream,” said Ekström, 31.
I, too, would like to express my sincerest thanks to Red Bull for inviting a cute Swedish dude to race in NASCAR for the first time ever. Can you say, “fresh meat?” It’s perfect timing since I’ll be at Infineon next week for the Toyota/SaveMart 350. Can wait to see Mattias in action. Zero NASCAR experience and his first race is at Infineon. I love it.
That’s Mattias (left) with Casey Mears, sporting his wedding ring. I forgot Casey got married!
In other news…
– The 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide Prelude to the Dream was held last night and drivers from all kinds of racing disciplines were on hand, including Travis Pastrana who is famous for his motocross & supercross & general extreme sport background. I really, really wish Travis would try his hand at NASCAR. It would be a good time for sure. That guy is funny and super talented.
i got to go inside tony’s hauler, too
Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the day of the Nationwide Series race, the TECH-NET Auto Service 300 powered by CARQUEST. It was also the day that I forgot to put my sunscreen on and got a nice little tan.
The two days that hold the Sprint Cup Series qualifying and Nationwide Series races are always my favorite days during any race weekend. It’s because there’s always, like, 50% less people running around the garage. I know it’s silly but I love feeling like I have the garage all to myself. And practice is always the best time to get pictures of the cars as they exit and enter the track.
On this particular day I witnessed something that has been going on forever but I only discovered it last weekend. I’m not sure what the process is but some cars come off the track and before going to their garage stall to make adjustments they stop at some designated area near or in the garage and the guys from Goodyear check out their tires. There’s also a crew member from their team checking stuff and taking notes.
a love letter to talladega
Dear Talladega Superspeedway,
I love you. I just do. You make me crazy and mental and while I always feel like I need a brown paper bag to breathe in just to make it through one lap, I still freaking love you!
Kevin Harvick’s amazing pass just before the finish line to take the win away from Jamie McMurray was one for the highlight reel. This win was HUGE for Kevin since he hadn’t won anything in the Sprint Cup Series in 3 years. I’m still shocked it’s been that long. I loved how his wife, DeLana, couldn’t watch the last lap. I don’t blame her, you’re such a nerve-wracking track! I’m so happy for them. We always expect such great races from you and you never fail to deliver.
Yes, I wish you could of gathered up some of that Native American burial ground mojo and used it to help Dale Earnhardt Jr. get the win instead but I’m okay with how things turned out. He’s still in the top-12 in points.
Oh! Before I forget, thank you for throwing another wrench in the relationship between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. I know I shouldn’t get excited when one person is mad at another person but it’s so freaking fun to watch Jeff Gordon get so pissed off. I wonder why it fascinates me so. I can’t get enough. I’m loving this season so far.
I can’t wait to see you again at Halloween! *JUAD* (that means I’m jumping up and down)
xoxo,
Valli
Sooo freaking close!
Kevin Harvick beats Jamie McMurray to the finish line by .011 seconds, the eighth-closest margin since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, to win the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. (Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)
shortcuts: tony goes green and carl hits 200
– Tonight SHOWTIME® is airing TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story at 10:30 PM ET/PT. The documentary style film is narrated by everybody’s favorite couch jumping hottie, and Hendrick family friend, Tom Cruise.
– Carl Edwards will make his 200th Cup start with Roush Fenway Racing this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. He’s just the fifth driver in the 23-year history of Roush Fenway to do so.
– Did you know that Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened another Whisky River location? Well he did and it’s in Jacksonville, Florida. Kelly Bires will be driving a special Whisky River Jacksonville paint scheme on the No. 88 for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at PIR this weekend.
this is why i should have my own reality show
A Sprint Cup Series off-weekend is a hard thing to deal with. It’s pretty sad how hard it is for me to figure out things to do to fill up the time. I’m sure the drivers and teams adore them but I find them to be intolerable and cruel. Ok, ok, it’s not THAT serious but still, I miss NASCAR when it’s gone.
The good news was that it wasn’t really gone, gone. There was still a Truck race on Friday and a Nationwide Series race on Saturday. I didn’t see the Truck race although I heard that some dude named Kyle Busch won it. I did catch the majority of the Nationwide race but I fell asleep during the last 20 laps or so. I woke up to that guy KyBu talking again and I was going to scream because I thought he’d won but he hadn’t, so I was happy. Thank you, Kevin Harvick, for making sure my weekend wasn’t ruined.
Here’s something you should know: I’m NOT working for Z-Line Designs. I can’t/won’t go into details, but I wanted to explain why I haven’t said anything about them since I announced I was going to work for them.
Driver of the #32 Dollar General Toyota, Reed Sorenson, watches scoring in the garage area during practice Friday while he prepares for the Nashville 300. (Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
you won’t like carl when he’s angry
So I know everybody is putting a lot of thought into Carl Edwards actions this weekend at Atlanta. Was he justified in bumping Brad “I Have No Friends” Keselowski into flight or should he have found him after the race and gently slapped him across the face with a white glove?
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)
little anne edwards has arrived
Carl and Kate Edwards daughter was born yesterday. Yay! Congratulations to the Edwards’!
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 45040Donations will be used for an orphanage in Monterrey, Mexico.
the auto club 500 was a race, yep, a race
The Auto Club 500 was, uhm, a race that happened last weekend. I don’t have too much to say about it because to be perfectly honest with you I’ve had a bunch of other stuff on my mind; stuff that I hope to get to tell you about very soon.
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)
it’s all about team denny & kasey for the gillette 500!
Did you know that Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne are teammates? Yep, they’ve joined forces for a very special Gillette Young Guns promotion called The Gillette 500 – “The Great American Shave.” It’s a challenge to see whose team, competing against the other two-man teams of Kyle Busch & Joey Logano and Carl Edwards & Clint Bowyer, will be able to log the most shaves before April 30th.
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)
kevin harvick: 1, everybody else: 0
The Budweiser Shootout was on Saturday and it was a slip-slidin’ good time, just ask Kurt Busch. Congratulations to Kevin Harvick and the team of the No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet on winning the night’s race.
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.
sprint cup media tour madness (aka photos of drivers in long-sleeved shirts)
This week was the annual NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway. I wasn’t there (trust me, I’m crying inside) and so all I have to share with you are these photos of drivers sitting in chairs. Enjoy!
(Left to right) Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, owner Richard Childress and Jeff Burton take part in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour Hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway Tuesday in Concord, N.C. (Credit: Harold Hinson Photography)
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