My Home Track is Changing - New Year, New Town, New Job

My 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 new career and a new town where I’m now the Social Media Marketing Manager for Lionel NASCAR Collectables (LNC).

A joint venture between NASCAR and Lionel Electric Trains, LNC is “The Official Die-Cast of NASCAR”.

All those fabulous die-cast cars available at your driver’s hauler? We make those.

Our offices are right across the road from Charlotte Motor Speedway, a couple miles from Hendrick Motorsports, and in the heart of the racing action.

I’m still pinching myself. And I’m pretty much gawking everywhere I go.

Ironically, the first NASCAR race I attended was the All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2000. At the time, I didn’t know a scoring tower from a pit box. But when the engines started and the race roared to life, I was hooked.

Now, more than 10 years and one blog later, I’m working just steps away from the very track where I first became a NASCAR fan.

Talk about life coming full circle.

As part of my agreement with LNC, we will soon be rolling this site’s content into the company’s new web site. I’ll still be blogging from there.

I’ll also be keeping my @NASCARista Twitter handle as a personal account. But for the good stuff – like links to new blogs, sneak peeks, contests and insider content, you should follow me @LionelNASCAR on Twitter and also on Facebook.

So thanks to everyone who read this blog, left comments, sent e-mails and encouraged me along the way.

NASCAR fans are the best fans on the planet – and I’m proud to be one of them.

The Fourth NASCAR Day of Christmas: Four for Ganassi

When 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 prestigious races on the schedule.

McMurray kickstarted the season with a tearsoaked victory at the Daytona 500.  His next win came at Indy's venerable Brickyard.  He then snagged the trophy at Charlotte Motor Speedway - eight years after winning his first Cup race there, also with Ganassi.

Talk about being the comeback kid.

And McMurray wasn't the only star in Ganassi's crown.  Juan Pablo Montoya added to the team's win column with his dominating victory at Watkins Glen. 

Montoya led 74 of 90 laps at the Glen, rebounding from two weeks of poor pit calls and a tiff with his crew chief, which had kept him out of contention during previous races.

My NASCAR New Year's prediction?  Look for both McMurray and Montoya to make the chase in 2011.

Time Running Out for a Gordon Win

Prior to Saturday night's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it appeared that Jeff Gordon was going to be the chaser to beat.

He was on the pole.  He was confident.  He was hungry.

And then all hell broke loose and he ended the race in twenty-third place.

Not quite the night he was hoping for.  Not quite the finish to contend for a championship.

But as time quickly runs out on the No. 24 team like so much sand through the hourglass, there is a bright spot on the nearby horizon:

Martinsville.

Gordon will enter the paper clip as the top-rated driver at the track.  He boasts seven wins, seven poles and leads all active drivers with the most top five and top 10 finishes.

Plus in March, he left Martinsville with a respectable third-place result.

If his pit crew hits their marks and Gordon can keep from speeding on pit road, the No. 24 team could well notch their first win of the season - and perhaps make up some ground on that other "four-timer".

And if it all falls apart?

Well, there's always next year ...

McMurray Routs Chasers in Another Emotional Win

Jamie McMurray put on two shows Saturday night.

The first ended with McMurray out-restarting chaser Kyle Busch and out-running points leader Jimmie Johnson for a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The second was his touching post-race interview in Victory Lane.

Saturday night sure was special for McMurray.  It not only marked his second win at the track where he won his first Cup race in 2002, it also also marked his third checkers of 2010. 

Pretty amazing for a guy who, just a year ago, was wondering if he'd even have a ride this season.

In addition to spoiling all Chasers' hopes of a mammoth points gain and schooling the field in how to beat Busch (the self-proclaimed "Restart King"), McMurray endeared himself to fans with his humble post-race interview.

"As those laps were winding down I was thinking about Daytona and why I cry and the power of prayer," McMurray said. " I never got to explain that then and I just want to take the time to explain that now. I had a tough year last year. I found out the power of prayer and what that can do for you.

And in the post-race press conference, McMurray elaborated on winning and prayer a bit more:

"I wanted people to understand that sometimes you see people's emotions on TV, and I don't know, I just I just wanted it to be understood that after the season that I had, or the last four years I had, I found the power of prayer and that it's something that I really believe in," McMurray explained.

"And when I got to victory lane in Daytona that's what I was thinking about. You know, I was crying, obviously because I was happy, but also because you feel like a prayer has been answered. And so that is, as a very powerful thing, and it's obviously very emotional when you feel like you I don't know, that's a very selfish thing to ask for."

"Certainly it's not the first thing that I pray about every day. But everyone wants to be successful and you want to do well in life, so when you feel like that's been answered, it's emotional. And I don't know, I thought about it the last eight or ten laps. I was like, you know, if I win this race, Lord, if you don't throw a caution, is what I said, and I win this race, I'm going to explain to people my feelings and why I felt that way," McMurray continued.

"And I think that's important. I watch other professional athletes, whether it's bull riders or basketball players or motorcycle riders, you hear them get out and you hear them thank God and talk about the power of prayer, and I just think that that's important for people to understand, and understand why my feelings were the way they were."

We get it Jamie. 

Don't stop believing.

A Special Logo for Harvick and a Special Prize for a Reader

The No. 29 car of Kevin Harvick will be sporting a special deck lid logo Saturday at Charlotte which is all about supporting the 811 "Call Before You Dig" initiative.

The national "Call Before You Dig" number, 811, was created to help protect people from potential life-threatening situations and against the disruption of service to America’s underground infrastructure systems. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs.

Calling 811 can help to avoid risking injury to yourself and those around you in addition to potentially causing harm to the environment.

As a special treat, I've been given one autographed Harvick hat to give away to a lucky reader.  Tell me what you like best about Harvick via e-mail (nascarista@att.net) or Twitter @NASCARista to enter.

Contest ends at midnight tonight.

Wilson Should Wear His Penalty With Pride

If your first name is Shane and your last name is Wilson, then you'll probably have some free time on your hands during the next few weeks.

Although NASCAR reduced the suspension for Wilson (who's the crew chief for the No. 33 team of Clint Bowyer), he'll still have to sit out four races. He won't return to the track until Nov. 7.

But Wilson shouldn't fret too much.

Back in the day, bending the rules 'til they almost broke was a mark of honor. (Junior Johnson anyone?) And more recently, a few line-crossin' crew chiefs once benched by NASCAR have gone on to do pretty darn well. 

Case in point? Chad Knaus.

So I say to Shane Wilson, embrace your newfound renegade status.  Wear your infraction like a NASCAR merit badge.  After all, you don't get far without pushing the envelope. And whether the wrecker-made-us-do-it defense was legit or not, you've now joined the ranks of an elite band of rebel brothers.

Oh, and if you're looking for something to do while you're missing Fontana, I hear there's a construction crew in Charlotte that could use help filling a sinkhole.

Love Him Or Hate Him, You Can't Count Out KB

Around lap 55 of today's Nationwide race, Kyle Busch was running in 32nd place. He was two laps down. He had incurred a pit road penalty. And at the time, it appeared Busch didn't have a popsicle's chance in hell to win the TECH-NET Auto Service 300.

But that's the thing about a guy like Busch.  Give him even a popsicle's chance and he'll bring her home for a win.

As the race progressed, Busch stealthily picked his way through the field.  He kept his nose clean. He avoided trouble. His was a good car, and he knew how to use it.

Then Busch's pit crew threw down a stellar stop, giving their driver the top spot.  And Rowdy took full advantage.  He stayed out during the final stop. And after two agonizing restarts during the last few laps, Busch (with a litle help from teammate Joey Logano) staved off the No. 22 of Brad Keselowski for the win -  thereby tying Mark Martin's record for the most wins on 1.5 mile tracks.

Busch won't be driving when the Nationwide Series returns to Nashville next week.  And it's not because of the Guitar Hero Fiasco of 2009.  This year, Busch has a potential Cup championship on the line, and he can't afford to let competition in the NASCAR's other series get him off his game.

However, with this weekend's momentum swinging in Busch's favor, Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 will be something to see.  If Busch is running even halfway decent, expect him to put up a fight for the checkers - no matter who's in his way.

Consider also that Busch is starting Sunday's race in ninth spot - just behind his teammate and current "frenemy" Denny Hamlin. 

And, as we all know, you can always count on Busch to make things interesting.  Hamlin beware.

Dale Jr. Could Take a Lesson From Playbook of Stewart and Kahne

After witnessing what some have dubbed Black Sunday, fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. are understandably discouraged.

For the No. 88 team, the entire weekend was a bust. A big ugly bust.

It only takes a few minutes of reading post-Dover comments to realize that Junior Nation is also angry.  Some are calling for the head of crew chief Lance McGrew on a platter.  Others are casting aspersions upon team owner Rick Hendrick.  A superstitious few are even claiming that if Junior had kept his beard, he wouldn't have suffered such a disappointing setback.

Well, in the words of The Office's, Michael Scott, "I'm not superstitious, I'm just a little stitious."  And I doubt Junior's beard had anything to do with it.

Yes, Dover was dismal.  Yes, Junior hasn't won a race since 2008. But on the flip side, it only takes one good night to build season-changing momentum.

Look at Tony Stewart.

Last year about this time, Stewart hadn't won yet.  In fact, his year started with crashing his new teammate during Daytona 500 practice. But Smoke's emotional victory at the All-Star race became the key to propelling his fledgling team to four more wins - all for points.

And then there's Kasey Kahne.  In 2007, Kahne was winless.  His 2008 season didn't start out so hot either.  But winning the 2008 All-Star contest flipped a switch.  He smoked the very next race at Charlotte. Then he won again at Pocono.

In fact, four of the last five All-Star champs have proceeded to win at least one more race in the same season.

And, this may be woefully oversimpified, but that's all Junior's fans are asking for. A win. Points would be great, but seeing the No. 88 car in Victory Lane Saturday night would do much to soothe the restless Nation.

Not to mention, the timing couldn't be better. Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Junior's memorable rookie season All-Star win in 2000.  It's also the eve of Dale Earnhardt's induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

If you're Dale Jr. there would be no better way to pump up your fan base than by taking the checkers this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. And if history is any indication, a win there could mean the start of a beautiful season.

How's that for positive thinking?

Happy Cinco de "Mayo"

NASCAR is going mayonnaise crazy.

Yesterday, Kevin Harvick released pix (via Twitter) of his new ride for the Tech-Net Auto Service 300 at Charlotte - the No. 33 Miracle Whip car.

Couple that with the JR Motorsports-owned Hellman's car, and the phrase "pass the mayo" suddenly has new meaning.

Now if Duke's or Bama mayonnaise would shell out some sponsorship bucks, we'd have ourselves a sandwich spread battle royale...