tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18984910895402830512023-11-16T12:38:11.727-05:00NASCAR-istaA chick from Florida talks about all things NASCARNASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-78551086781104568912011-01-28T11:55:00.000-05:002011-01-28T11:55:55.720-05:00My Home Track is Changing - New Year, New Town, New JobMy home track is changing.
NASCAR bloggers often dream about working for NASCAR, a race team, or a NASCAR partner. They write countless articles, seek out myriad networking opportunities, and they keep plugging away, hoping that one day they can quit their day jobs and work for the sport they love.
I’m one of the lucky ones.
Last Saturday, I packed up the car and headed north on I-95 to a newNASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-36707448308299906942011-01-18T21:34:00.000-05:002011-01-18T21:34:37.681-05:00Tony Stewart - Not Your Average Poster Boy
It may be the off season, but don't tell that to Tony Stewart.
During his vacation from NASCAR, Smoke has been driving down under. And if recent reports are any indication, his intensity knows no bounds - no matter when, where or what he races.
Stewart's unyielding - and often fiery - passion for the sport is what draws fans to him like Evander Holyfield to a title fight.
AndNASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-33055602307320786642011-01-14T07:08:00.000-05:002011-01-14T07:08:28.665-05:00Five Things to Look Forward to in 2011
Kasey Kahne dons the Red Bull Racing firesuit
at the Fall Talladega race.
Good news: NASCAR fans are on the tail end of the off-season slump.
Pre-season thunder is a mere week away. And the Daytona 500? Just one month to go.
We're on the verge of a NASCAR tabula rasa. There are second chances for drivers who need redemption. And endless possibilities for the NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-38688682097598385122010-12-26T20:03:00.001-05:002010-12-26T20:03:52.458-05:00From Where I Sit: 2010 NASCAR Year in Review
Looking back on 2010, the NASCAR images that are emblazoned in my mind are those I witnessed in person.
Richard Petty and Bobby Allison running into each other before the Homestead race.
A young Dale Jr. fan telling Jimmie Johnson she'd switch drivers if he'd only sign her hat (which he promptly did with a smile).
Tony Stewart handing his Coke bottle to a little No. 14 fan after driver NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-55808017341783566722010-12-25T08:15:00.000-05:002010-12-25T08:15:18.135-05:00The First NASCAR Day of Christmas: A Win for the Number Three
Dale Earnhardt Jr's Nationwide Series win in the No. 3 Wrangler car at Daytona was one of the brightest moments of the year.
The buildup to the race was unprecedented and the event itself was fraught with emotional weight and fan expectations.
It could easily have gone very badly.
But in the end, Dale Jr. and his cousin Tony Eury, Jr. reunited once more to bring one of NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-5691540047763430992010-12-24T13:03:00.000-05:002010-12-24T13:03:57.857-05:00The Second NASCAR Day of Christmas: Two Fighting Jeffs
Sometimes the cosmic force behind NASCAR gives fans a gift that is so unexpectedly wonderful, it lives in the annals of racing lore for years.
And the fight between Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton at Texas Motor Speedway is one of those gifts.
An unlikely pair of enemies, these two were applauded by fans for having the guts to "have at it" face to face (and not face to NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-87262495892602122052010-12-23T18:54:00.001-05:002010-12-23T18:54:39.757-05:00The Third NASCAR Day of Christmas: Three Rowdy Wins
In many ways 2010 was a banner year for Kyle Busch.
He got engaged to Samantha Sarcinella. He started his own race team, Kyle Busch Motorsports. He finished eighth in the Chase, and he won three Cup races all told.
But what iced the cake on Rowdy's eventful season was his historic performance at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
Busch predicted he would win all three races - and he did NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-60989471128078349512010-12-22T21:01:00.000-05:002010-12-22T21:01:42.596-05:00The Fourth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Four for GanassiWhen Jamie McMurray returned to the Earnhardt-Ganassi fold, he brought a wave of good karma with him.
Coming off a lackluster 2009, McMurray was visibly thrilled to have a full-time ride in 2010. And his EGR homecoming proved a boon not only to McMurray's career, but to team owner Chip Ganassi's as well.
Ol' Jamie Mac didn't just win for Ganassi - he won the biggest, most NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-22064997627011116902010-12-21T22:54:00.000-05:002010-12-21T22:54:22.145-05:00The Fifth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Five in a Row
Jimmie Johnson celebrates each of his five championship wins - from 2006 to 2010.
Cale Yarborough didn't do it.
Dale Earnhardt didn't do it.
Even King Petty didn't do it.
But Jimmie Johnson, a kid from El Cajon, Calif., did.
Johnson's five consecutive Cup championships are unprecedented and unparalleled. And with his monumental come-from-behind points win in 2010, the NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-89688829717984538542010-12-20T20:54:00.001-05:002010-12-21T06:49:53.018-05:00The Sixth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Six Weeks Suspension
Bowyer went from one to done after his car failed
inspection post-Loudon.
In NASCAR, fortune can turn on a dime.
And no team knows that better than the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer.
The Richard Childress Racing team went from the highest of highs (winning the first race of the Chase at Loudon) to the lowest of lows (failing inspection and getting docked 150 points).
NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-34722876503559825912010-12-19T20:04:00.000-05:002010-12-19T20:04:47.477-05:00The Seventh NASCAR Day of Christmas: Seventh Place for Stewart
Stewart takes a break with the Office Depot Foundation’s 2010 “Teddy B. Caring”
holiday bear. The Office Depot Foundation donates a portion of proceeds from sales
of the bear to help children and families in need around the world.
Photo Credit: MATTER/Edelman for Office Depot Racing
For the second consecutive year as a driver/owner Tony Stewart made the Chase.
Not only did he make the ChaseNASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-86472699542569630932010-12-18T19:56:00.000-05:002010-12-18T19:56:25.122-05:00The Eighth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 8 NASCAR Babies
Ryan and Chrissie Newman
welcomed Brooklyn Sage
on Nov. 18, 2010.
In 2010, the Sprint Cup drivers' lot turned into Romper Room.
And it's not because Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski got into a play fight.
There was a bona fide baby boom in NASCAR that set this season apart. At last count, a whopping seven babies were born to drivers and their wives - and there's one NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-12501940997567016252010-12-17T16:09:00.000-05:002010-12-17T16:09:17.427-05:00The Ninth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 9 Car-a-Swappin'Uncertainty.
That's the word that best describes the state of Richard Petty Motorsports in 2010.
It was a tough year for The King and those in his employ. They went from four cars to two. Lost their primo driver. And they suffered through layoffs and cutbacks in the process.
But there is one bright spot on what has lately been a dim horizon - and that's the NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-66291954560062635382010-12-16T07:55:00.000-05:002010-12-16T07:55:48.711-05:00The Tenth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 10 Years of Harvick
Kevin Harvick celebrated his tenth year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series in 2010.
And boy, what a year it was.
Harvick was the regular season champ and the perennial fan favorite. When the Chase began, he kept fans' hopes high that a Richard Childress team would knock the dynastic No. 48 off its pedestal.
And, as always, Harvick kept things interesting.
He tangled with Joey NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-60269104078756855792010-12-15T22:06:00.000-05:002010-12-15T22:06:30.666-05:00The Boys Are Back in Town
Cup cars hit the new pavement at Daytona for the first time Wednesday.
For the first time since Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero 400 on July 3, race cars were back on track at Daytona International Speedway.
Eighteen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers kicked off the first day of a two-day Goodyear tire test on the new racing surface in advance of the 53rd annual Daytona NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-8328839159740818712010-12-15T07:50:00.001-05:002010-12-15T07:53:59.507-05:00The Eleventh NASCAR Day of Christmas: 11 Car-a-Spinnin'
The team works on the No. 11 car before the start
of the Ford 400 at Homestead.
In addition to "Jimmie Johnson Wins Fifth Consecutive Title," the headline following Homestead could well have been "The Mighty Denny Has Spun Out."
And though Denny's misstep made for a more dramatic race, it wasn't the cause of his failure to win the Chase crown.
His run for the championship started to NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-32987964696789065692010-12-14T07:37:00.000-05:002010-12-14T07:37:10.701-05:00The Twelfth NASCAR Day of Christmas: 12 Chasers Chasing.One of the best things about the 2010 season, was that the Sprint Cup Chase was the closest in Chase history.
Twelve drivers didn't just make the Chase, they made the Chase exciting.
There were flying fists, fingers and fines. There was high drama and low blows. And, to top it off, there was a reigning champ who came from behind to score his fifth championship in a row - a NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-24811647766858574222010-12-09T23:30:00.001-05:002010-12-10T00:10:07.495-05:00Some NASCAR Holiday Reading: These Are a Few of My Favorite BlogsWhile there are still a lot of worthy NASCAR blogs out there,one of my favorites, NASCAR This Week, will go dark later this month.There's one thing I love about the NASCAR off-season, and that's having more time to catch up on what other bloggers are up to.There are the sites I read on a regular basis - and then there are those that I've just recently discovered. But what I've found across the NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-20023070092108420832010-12-08T22:06:00.000-05:002010-12-08T22:06:26.313-05:00A NASCAR Christmas List
Now that "Team Earntarte" is a reality, Junior fans have reason
to call Christmas merry.
Logs are crackling in the fireplace. Lights are flickering on the tree. And marshmallows are melting their gooey goodness into my hot chocolate.
It's the perfect night for writing a Christmas list.
Or better still, the perfect night for contemplating NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-25501654932202318872010-12-07T20:04:00.000-05:002010-12-07T20:04:56.967-05:00Johnson Gets Even More "Perfect" - As If That Were PossibleHis chase for the Sprint Cup may not have been perfect, but his rebound from a points deficit was about as flawless as you can get.
So it's only right that five-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson is one of the athletes featured in ESPN The Magazine's "The Perfect Issue," which is on newsstands now.
In the issue, Johnson joins top pros Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Charles Woodson and NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-85701328518015902042010-11-30T20:34:00.000-05:002010-12-01T12:15:23.518-05:00Smoke a Little Smoke ... All Year LongIf you're a fan of Tony Stewart, then a little Smoke is never enough.And while you may be upset that you can't see your favorite driver on TV in the off-season, the folks at Office Depot have something that will make the time between now and Daytona go by a little quicker.Introducing the 2011 Tony Stewart wall calendar, which is on sale now online and at select Office Depot stores. This pictoralNASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-15567936018102474892010-11-29T21:02:00.000-05:002010-11-29T21:02:51.418-05:00Papis Makes a Pit Stop at DaytonaDaytona International Speedway is kinda like your Grandma's house on Thanksgiving - you just never know who's going to drop in with a homemade casserole.
And although NASCAR driver Max Papis didn't have a casserole in tow, he did make a surprise visit to Daytona today to check in on the historic repaving project.
Papis, was traveling with his family back to North Carolina after spending NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-43122948613881734492010-11-21T22:38:00.000-05:002010-11-21T22:38:11.482-05:00Johnson Has Nothing Left to Prove ... Almost
Jimmie Johnson hoists the Sprint Cup Championship trophy
after claiming his fifth consecutive title at Homestead Miami Speedway.
Love him or hate him, Jimmie Johnson is the man.
He can win the Cup title when he dominates the Chase. He can win the Cup title when he's trailing.
And what he doesn't do in the clutch may be even more important than what he does do.
Namely, he NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-49036536796552090152010-11-20T08:31:00.000-05:002010-11-20T08:31:04.380-05:00'Twas the Night Before Homestead ...
'Twas the night before Homestead and all 'round the track,
Palm trees were swaying in the tropical black.
The drivers were tucked in their RVs with care,
in the hopes that a trophy would tomorrow be theirs.
Mike Ford in his kerchief, lay nervous in bed,
Where visions of fuel mileage danced through his head.
Denny Hamlin paced wildly 'cross his motorhome floor,
saying "I have to catch Jimmie NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1898491089540283051.post-90077696119113864652010-11-19T20:54:00.000-05:002010-11-19T20:54:48.153-05:00Score One for JohnsonDon't look now, but Jimmie Johnson has brought his "A" game to Homestead.
In one of the most important qualifying runs of the year, the defending champ threw down a dynamite lap time to cement a top 10 start - sixth to be exact.
The best part for Johnson? His fellow championship contenders didn't fare nearly as well.
He'll begin the race 22 spots ahead of his nearest title rival - Kevin NASCAR-istahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13905308730137741410noreply@blogger.com1