Top 10 Reasons Why NASCAR Is Better Than the Olympics

I used to care about the Olympics. Let me clarify that. I still do care how many medals the Americans rack up during the 2010 Winter Games. However, thus far, the excitement of watching the competition in Vancouver hasn’t had me on the edge of my seat.

Maybe I’m still on an adrenaline high from the Daytona 500. But regardless, I’ve been thinking about how the Olympics compares to NASCAR and I’ve come to a conclusion.

There IS no comparison.

So, in the spirit of David Letterman, I give you my Top 10 Reasons Why NASCAR Is Better Than the Olympic Winter Games:

10. You don’t have to listen to other countries’ national anthems

9. When a driver uses profanity on the team radio, it doesn't make national news.

8. That biased judge from Russia doesn’t get a vote

7. Your favorite driver doesn’t have to wait four years to redeem himself if he has an off performance.

6. No curling allowed.

5. A race broadcast is REALLY live - not tape-delayed.

4. Dale Jr’s Beard has a Twitter account. Can Shaun White’s hair say that?

3. NASCAR was started by some Southerners who ran moonshine and drove fast. The Olympics were begun by some Greeks who ran around naked.

2. When a bunch of drivers wreck at Talladega, they don't make the track smaller.

1. You’ll never catch a NASCAR driver adding feathers or sequins to his firesuit.

Speaking of sequins, I found the most bedazzled Olympian of them all performing to Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" back in 2009 and had to share:

The Bud Shootout Gets "Chicken Fried"

It's official. The Zac Brown Band will be the featured performers at this year's Budweiser Shootout. Rather fitting - consider one of the band's most singable lyrics involves "cold beer".

The group - which consists of bandleader Zac Brown, bassist John Hopkins, violinist Jimmy De Martini, guitarist/organist Coy Bowles, drummer Chris Fryar and multi-instrumentalist and song writer Clay Cook – will perform three songs prior to the Shootout on the Pre-Race Stage as well as the National Anthem, all of which will be carried live on FOX Sports.

Plus, after the checkered flag waves, Zac Brown Band will perform a 60-minute post-race concert from the Sprint FANZONE Entertainment Stage.

This won't be the first time the group has performed during a NASCAR race weekend. They played the Talladega infield on Halloween night 2009 - in what may have been the muddiest musical bash of the year.

Zac Brown Band, whose latest No. 1 hit is “Toes,” are nominated for three GRAMMY Awards including Best New Artist, Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals and Best Country Album. In 2009, the group captured two fan-voted honors – Top New Vocal Group at the Academy of Country Music Awards and the USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year at the CMT Awards for “Chicken Fried” In addition to four Country Music Association and three American Music Award nominations in 2009.

The Ninth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Ninth Place for Newman

Ryan Newman has come a long way since he and his boss Tony Stewart wrecked during practice for this year's Daytona 500.

Fortunately, unlucky beginnings don't always mean unhappy endings. And Newman ended his season with a ninth-place spot in the points standings - his best ranking since 2005. All in all, The Rocket Man snagged five top-five finishes and 15 top tens - and he did it with the backing of Tony Stewart's fledgling Stewart-Haas Racing team.

But what will likely live forever as Newman's most memorable moment of 2009 won't be his pre-season tangle with Tony or his respectable top 10 points standing. It will be his infamous wreck at Talladega, which caused the fans in the stands and those watching at home to hold their collective breaths and pray that he'd walk away from that U.S. Army car in one piece.

When Newman went airborne during the Nov. 1 race, I and the rest of the fans in attendance experienced a few anxious minutes as we wondered if he was OK. Newman hung upside down for what seemed like forever and then, finally, emergency officals cut him out of his race car and freed the driver from his harrowing position.

After his release from the infield care center, a shaken Newman railed at NASCAR and suggested they take advantage of his engineering degree to help make cars and drivers safer at superspeedways like Dega. The powers-that-be took Ryan up on his offer, and met with the Purdue University grad the very next week.

We'll see in a little more than 50 days if Newman's engineering suggestions were taken under advisement. Let's hope NASCAR listened.

The Unboring Side of Talladega

From the stripper poles on Talladega Boulevard to the chicken car in the infield, Dega sure wasn't boring. And even though the race itself wasn't what you'd call a thriller, the fun and festivities were memorable to say the least:

Note to self - next time, pack muddin' shoes: Saturday at 'Dega looked like NASCAR's own version of Woodstock--with rain, clouds and a bunch of formerly shiny, happy race fans coated in mud. The concert space for the night's Zac Brown Band show was a virtual pit of goo. But the fans didn't seem to mind (at least the ones wearing boots or galoshes.)

Yes, they need a man step: This may be neither here nor there, but to assist the Cup drivers with getting into the truckbeds for their pre-race trip around the track, NASCAR officials give them the benefit of a small plastic footstool. Sure, it may not be the most manly way to climb into a pickup, but for those who are more vertically challenged, it probably saves some face.

Martin's the Man: Mark Martin signed just about every autograph down the line on his way to the driver's meeting, and he also seemed to make a point to hang with AJ Allmendinger before driver introductions. It could've been mere coincidence, but something tells me that's just the kind of guy Mark is--his conversation with AJ sure kept the fans who gathered nearby from harrassing the driver about his recent DUI arrest.

Some People Shouldn't Be Allowed to Leave the House: Combine Halloween with Talladega and you can pretty much predict that there will be some off-kilter costume choices. The most memorable? The dude dressed as a giant phallus, the desperate soul who was offering "free mammograms," and the guy who duct-taped a turkey to his head (memorable not so much for the turkey, but for his method of construction - is there anything duct tape can't do?)

Little Bit of Chicken Fried: Yes, that was Brian Vickers driving the chicken car around the infield on Halloween night. That car got around Dega better than Max Papis.

Dega's Most Hated: It's no surprise that the biggest jeers from Talladega race fans were reserved for Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon. I chalk up Busch's poor reception to his rivalry with Dega's favorite son, Dale Jr. And Gordon was most cruelly jeered when he had to be pushed to pit road because he ran out of fuel. But I was truly surprised by the vitriolic remarks hurled Juan Pablo Montoya's way when he was introduced on Sunday. Guess he has a bit more convincing to do before he wins those Alabama fans over.

My Home's In Alabama: Maybe the coolest surprise of the day (at least for this Southern girl), was when Alabama's lead singer Randy Owen took the stage to sing "My Home's In Alabama" before the Star-Spangled Banner. Owen must also be at home in Talladega 'cause he made the crowd cheer with his black Earnhardt jacket.

Speaking of music: The Zac Brown Band and Randy Owen weren't the only performers entertaining the crowds at Dega. Although I didn't see this show myself Colt Ford - and his rendition of Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" - sure had fans raving on Sunday. Folks were calling it the best show of the weekend - might need to check out that CD.

Newman's Wreck Is NASCAR's Catch 22

Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug.

Unfortunately for Ryan Newman, when it comes to Talladega, he's been both.

This spring, Newman got a load of Carl Edwards' car crashing into his windshield before Edwards went airborne into the fence. Yesterday, it was Newman who went flying into Kevin Harvick's windsheild in one scary wreck. It ended with Newman hanging upside down by his saftey belts - and then being cut out of the car before walking away.

Newman was visibly shaken when talking to reporters after exiting the infield care center. And you can't blame him -- he even offered to give NASCAR the benefit of his engineering degree if it would help them make the racing at Dega a bit safer and less free-flying.

And therein lies the dilemma. Lots of fans were bored at Talladega. In the grandstands (for most of the race), all I could hear were folks complaining about the "snoozefest of a race." And to be fair, the single file laps did seem to last forever and a day.

That said, even the most bored of race fans does NOT want to see a wreck like what we saw on Sunday. However, fans d0 want to see racing, passing and bump drafting - which at Talladega leads to flying race cars. It's a Catch 22.

Maybe NASCAR will take Newman up on his offer to help - cause somebody needs to do something. And that something doesn't need to be flattening the curves.

Do Something Crazy Jimmie - It's Dega!

What's not to love about Jimmie Johnson?

He wins races, looks like a model, does tons of work for charity, and is on the verge of a something that hasn't been accomplished in the history of NASCAR. Still I wonder...even if Johnson does win his fourth Cup championship in a row, will that be enough to make him famous?

At the risk of writing the biggest understatement of the year, Johnson is a racer who knows how to win. He's calm. He's patient. He doesn't send people spinning into the fence as a general rule. And he's bound and determined to fight back to the front when a race takes a less-than promising turn. But the same personality traits which have put Johnson into this history-making position may be the reasons why he isn't what you'd call the face of NASCAR.

In fact, Johnson is so "unfamous" that when he and Jeff Gordon attended Game One of the World Series this week, the cameras never honed in on the driver of the #48. In contrast, they did show Gordon for a considerable bit of time. It's as if the Fox camera crew didn't know who Johnson was. Or else they assumed their viewer's didn't.

During today's chat with the media, a reporter asked Johnson how he felt about being omitted from the Series broadcast while his teammate was not. Here's what he said: "Man, I was up there eating peanuts and having a beer. I didn't want to be on TV. We're on TV enough. Too bad it rained and the Yankees lost, but I was just having a good time."

A very PC answer from a very polished interviewee. But maybe if Johnson went "un-PC" some of the time, he'd endear himself to race fans a bit more. I'm sure Johnson would rather make racing history than get his mug shown during the World Series broadcast. But it sure wouldn't hurt the sales of NASCAR merchandise if Johnson was a bit more, well, notorious. And it would sure as heck make for some good TV.

Even Jeff Gordon said today that Johnson needs an enemy. And, there's quite possibly no better time to begin a big rivalry than Halloween weekend in Talladega. Perhaps Johnson could throw a few punches Kurt Busch's way, throw tacos at Juan Pablo or cuss out Denny Hamlin on pit road.

At the very least, Johnson could try stealing the pace car. Now that would make for some good TV--and perhaps a little fame to boot.

This Time I Agree With Bruton

Speedway Motorsports Chairman Bruton Smith called for the standardizing of catch fences at all NASCAR tracks earlier this month. And after Friday night's Camping World truck race, I've got to agree with him.

In addition to the near catastrophic finish at Talladega, which ended relatively well all things considered, we've now seen a second situation this season in which a strong enough and high enough catch fence did its job.

Mike Skinner's #5 truck spun out at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday and hit the inside wall, which happens often enough. But then he careened up the track at breakneck speed and before you could say "holy crap," was clobbered by an unwitting TJ Bell and sent on a little flight into the safer barrier and fence. Bouncing back onto the track, his truck landed on its side and slid for a good many yards catching fire in the process. Fortunately, he and his truck came to rest right-side-up and Skinner walked away unscathed. His car, on the other hand, was driven away on the back of a flatbed, looking like the sorriest loser of a demolition derby.

Skinner's rough and tumble ride at Charlotte, combined with the slow-mo replays of Edwards' #99 car literally being caught and then deflected by the cabled fence at 'Dega, is enough to make you want to write a note of personal thanks to catch fence manufacturers.

But it should also be enough to prod NASCAR to institute some sort of standard. After all, who's monitoring those tracks that may not keep their fences in such good repair? What about the tracks whose fences are too low?

Says Smith, as quoted by ESPN NASCAR writer David Newton, "Let's fix it because the sport is at risk. Cables [that provide strength to the fence] are just like fishing lines. You have a certain test lines. Cables can be like a quarter inch and have a 90,000 PSI [pounds per square inch]."

"That's the things we need to do at all these speedways to make sure we have the strongest there is ... You've got to do your homework and make sure you have the tensile strength in those cables."

Like I said, I've got to agree with Bruton on this one. Rather than dumb down the racing at these fast and furious tracks, let's just be sure the fans and their favorite drivers are the safest they can be.

Photo by David Griffin NASCAR Scene

Going to a Race? There Are Deals to Be Had

Let's face it. Nobody decides to go to a race because of $3 hotdogs or $1 off beverages. Now if the tickets are a steal -- then that's a different story. Several tracks have taken a play from Daytona and are lowering their prices. And one driver is even offering free tix to every race in 2009--you just have to enter on his web site. The list below:

Denny Hamlin's team is giving away 12 free tickets to the race at Sonoma in June, and Hamlin is giving away at least four tickets to every Sprint Cup race this season to fans who apply through his Web site.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway dropped select tickets along the backstretch for July's 400-mile Sprint Cup race to $45. The move is an apology of sorts for last year's public-relations disaster when tire problems turned the race into a series of 10-lap shootouts.

Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway is offering $40 tickets, and in a news release touted it as the "Best Deal in 40 Years.”

Texas Motor Speedway is advertising $20 tickets and a flexible payment plan, allowing fans to propose their own payment schedule.

Atlanta Motor Speedway: "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" deal on its $95 ticket with a $25 purchase at Lowe's. Family four-pack, four tickets, four hot dogs and four Cokes for $159. Students with a valid ID get a $19 ticket, adults a $39 ticket.

Darlington Raceway: NASCAR'S oldest superspeedway has 9,000 seats in the Colvin Grandstand at $35 per ticket, a $10 discount for its Southern 500, which is held on Mother's Day weekend.

Martinsville Speedway: Four adult tickets for $159 for the March 29 race. Children 12-18 get half-price tickets, while backstretch tickets are $25. Family four-pack - two adults, two children - $99, a $41 discount.

At the Lowes Motor Speedway: Tickets for the Coca-Cola 600 start at $49, while tickets for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race begin at only $25 and can be purchased online at http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/.

Compiled from multiple sources. I'll update regularly as I find out more.