The NASCAR Twitter-lution

If you're not on Twitter yet, you should be. 'Specially if you claim to be a NASCAR fan. More and more NASCAR drivers are tweeting--and so are there wives, their spotters, their PR guys and TV commentators. And because of this recent Twitter-lution more and more fans are getting an inside look at the world of racing--for better of worse.

Sometimes the behind-the-scenes peek is interesting and kinda funny. Like when Michael Waltrip @mw55 posts pix of his church's Sunday morning service or his nephew's backyard wedding. Or when @DeLanaHarvick teases hubby Kevin about his lackluster spelling skills.
Then there's @kylepetty, who uses Twitter to answer his fans' questions about everything from Danica Patrick to Victory Junction.

But sometimes, Twitter takes a more serious turn. Just ask Max Papis. After this Sunday's Nationwide race in Montreal, @maxpapis used his Twitter account to vent his frustrations for all the world to read. Namely, his beef with fellow racer Brad Keselowksi. Here's the rundown, according to Papis:

For all of u Brad K just text me he want to explain what happened I will look at reply and call him in the next daysabout 24 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Still had a great great fun looove to be in Nascar is a real sport real people and real racing .... IT was great to be always sidewaysabout 24 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Was still fun to run in the rain but in the last 10 laps people were just crazy .Nascar cars r great in rain I'm just mad as some driversabout 24 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Dear Brad K u have long way to go before beeing a real champ like Mark Martin looooongggg way8:24 PM Aug 30th from TwitterBerry

It was piss poor for Brad Kesolowsky to spun me around he showed no class at all I will give it back to him when he will remember

No news yet on whether Papis and Keselowski have mended fences...but Sunday's post-race rant was telling.

Drivers no longer need a camera in front of their faces to make a point, talk trash or start a feud. All they need to do is hit a few keys and click "update".

NASCAR Off Weekend -- What's a Driver to Do?

A little time off is a beautiful thing. Doesn't matter if you wear a white collar, blue collar or a firesuit, there's nothing like some R&R to set your soul free and put your mind at ease.

And while the boys of NASCAR will be enjoying some well-deserved down time this weekend (their last of the season), fans of the sport are going to be experiencing the pangs of racing withdrawal.

That's where the good folks at Ask.com come in. They've put together a page of behind-the-scenes facts that lets fans in on just what some of their favorite drivers will be doing come Saturday.

Just Search ‘NASCAR Off Weekend’ on Ask.com and you'll find exclusive info. including the scoop on rookie Scott Speed who will be taking his long awaited honeymoon to the Caribbean. You'll also discover that Clint Bowyer is taking a trip back home to Kansas, and that Kyle Busch won't be off at all--he'll be driving in the Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland and the Nationwide race in Montreal.

As an added bonus, fans who think they have a great idea for what else the drivers could be doing on their off weekends, can e-mail the idea to DriverOffWeekend@ask.com for a chance to win autographed Bobby Labonte merchandise.

This fan has her own ideas about what some of the top-tier drivers will be doing during their mini-vacation. My guess is that Michael Waltrip will be updating his Twitter status every two minutes with such fascinating tweets as the current state of his digestive system to the lyrics of his new favorite country song --but wait, that's every weekend. Greg Biffle? Well, he'll be trying not to do himself a harm while boating with his buddies. Brian Vickers will be squirreled away in a dark lab somewhere, devising a foolproof plan to wreak havoc on Kyle Busch. And finally, good ol' Tony Stewart will be spending all weekend counting up his Sprint Cup winnings.

Speaking of Tony Stewart, stay tuned to find out the winners of NASCARista's
"If I Were Smoke" contest. Winners will be announced next week.

A Weekend Nationwide Needed

Saturday night in the Irish Hills ended with a fantastic finish and an old-fashioned feud. And that's just what the Nationwide Series needed.

With a last turn pass, Brad Keselowski snagged his first NASCAR victory at his home track...leaving Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch trading below-the-belt verbal jabs and nearly throwing punches in frustration.

Sure Vickers and Busch had the fastest cars of the night, but Keselowski hanging quietly in third, took advantage of their on-track battle to snag a worthy win.

And that piqued Busch, which led to his marching over to Vickers' race car, to give him a piece of his rather perturbed mind. And though Busch gets mad at everything from the size of Dale Jr's fan base to the color of his pit board, his ire Saturday night may have been justified.

At the very least, it was well-timed.

The Nationwide Series has some good racin'. But the post-race drama made for some darned good television and that's what every fan wants to see. Hard racin', a little drama and an old-school feud. I just hope that Brian and Busch settle it on the track Saturday night at Bristol.

A Year of NASCAR Pets - Courtesy of The Biff

The Greg Biffle Foundation's 2010 NASCAR Pets Calendar is available now at www.gregbifflefoundation.com. The calendar features NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers as well as members of NASCAR’s media family posing with their pets. The 12 drivers appearing in the 2010 calendar are: Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Casey Mears and Tony Stewart. Featured media members are Dick Berggren, Bob Dillner, Jeff Hammond, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro, John Roberts, Shannon Spake, and Matt Yocum.

“We’re definitely excited about the 2010 Calendar and 3M’s partnership with us. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of these calendars go right to work for animals in need, so purchasing one is a win-win.” said Greg Biffle, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver of the #16 3M Ford Fusion.

Calendars are available for sale in the on-line store at www.gregbifflefoundation.com. In addition, staff will be on-site to sell calendars at the First Annual Greg Biffle Foundation Day being held at Roush Fenway Racing on Wed., Oct. 14, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Give Sadler an Extra Hand Behind the Wheel

Wanna help Elliott Sadler win a race? We'll there's not really much you can do for him at Michigan this weekend, but in the world of cyberspace, you may be able to lend him a hand.

Check out "Rooftop Racer," a NASCAR®-themed online challenge from Coke Zero that adds a unique twist to taking the checkered flag. Imagine driving a race car while balancing a 20-oz. Coke Zero bottle on the roof. Unconventional? Yes. Easy to do? Absolutely not. But that’s exactly the predicament Coca-Cola Racing Family driver Elliott Sadler finds himself in when he exits pit road and leaves his ice-cold bottle of Coke Zero on top of his racecar.

The premise of the “Rooftop Racer” online game – available at www.rooftopracer.com – is to help Sadler cross the finish line without spilling a drop. Fans can test their skills for bragging rights, or beginning today, enter the Coke Zero “Rooftop Racer Cup,” a contest that gives fans the chance to play and win every week. Prizes will vary from T-shirts and autographed Sadler merchandise to a grand-prize trip to the season-ending Ford 400 at Miami-Homestead. Fans can play and enter at www.rooftopracer.com through October 25.

Iowa - Yes! Poco - No!

On a weekend when the Cup series hits what may be the most boring track on the circuit, the Nationwide drivers broke in the Iowa Speedway with one heckuva race.

Lap after lap, rivals Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski battled for the win. And what looked like a major pit strategy gaffe by the #88 team ended up being a "stroke of genius" in the end. Never giving up, an up-on-the-wheel Keselowski hammered it home on old tires, nosing past Busch and streaking to the checkers.

And while the sell-out crowd at Iowa and the sit-down crowd at home were treated to a pulse-pounding event, I doubt the Cup race tomorrow will deliver as much excitement.

While other Sprint Cup tracks have well-deserved and rather intimidating nicknames like "Beast of the Southeast," or the "Monster Mile," Pocono Raceway is best summed up as "The Tricky Triangle"--hardly a reason to expect wild and woolly racing.

Instead of nixing an Atlanta date, I vote we take a race away from Pocono and give it to Iowa...Cup could sure use some of that cornfed excitement.