Happy Hump Day! Today In Nascar History December 1st. 46 years ago today - Scott wins: Wendell Scott, an African-American driver from Danville, Va., won his first and only NASCAR Grand National (Sprint Cup Series) race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla. The race distance was 200 laps on the half-mile dirt track and initially Buck Baker was flagged the winner. However, once scoring was re-checked the victory was given to Scott who actually completed 202 laps. Baker was second and Jack Smith third. Between 1961 and 1973, Wendell Scott competed in 495 NASCAR events with 20 top-fives and 147 top-10 finishes. Prior to NASCAR he dominated the short track on the Dixie Circuit and outlaw tracks in Virginia and North Carolina. He won the Virginia State Sportsman title in 1959 after racking up 22 victories. He passed away in 1990. (Around The Track Online) December 2, 1956 - Marvin Panch took the lead on lap three and never looked back winning the 200-lap Grand National (Sprint Cup Series) race at Concord Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in North Carolina. In many years the season actually started during the fall of the previous year, this actually was the second race of the 1957 season. Panch won $650 in prize money finishing ahead of Paul Goldsmith and Bill Amick. The track hosted 12 races between 1956 and 1964. Quote of the Year There's an unwritten rule in NASCAR: Thou shalt not take on Dale Earnhardt Jr. --Terry Blount/espn Countdown to Daytona 74 Bits and Pieces Still Time To Vote For The Stewie Awards By NASCAR Media Release The "Stewies," which first debuted in 2007, will be awarded during a live broadcast hosted by Stewart and Matt Yocum in Las Vegas on Dec. 3 (10 p.m. ET). The live broadcast will air on Sirius Channel 128 and XM Channel 128 with the "Best of Sirius" programming package. Fans can determine the 2009 "Stewie Award" winners by casting their votes online at www.sirius.com/ The 2009 nominees are: "Feels Like The First Time" Award Recognizing the most notable "first" of the NASCAR season • Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500 for owner Jack Roush. (Feb. 15) • Brad Keselowski wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega. (Apr. 26) • David Reutimann wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte. (May 25) • Joey Logano wins first Sprint Cup Series race at Loudon. (Jun. 28) • Kevin Harvick gets first win in his own Nationwide Series car. (Mar. 21) • Tony Stewart gets his first owner/driver win in Sprint All-Star Race. (May 16) Best Original Drama Honoring the year's most dramatic moment or sequence • Stewart-Haas Racing's exemplary inaugural season. • 50-year-old Mark Martin makes the Chase in his first year with Hendrick Motorsports. • Kyle Busch dominates the Dickies 500 at Texas (Nov. 8th) by leading a race-high 232 laps but runs out of gas with three laps to go and finishes 11th. • Jimmie Johnson runs out of gas on the final lap at Michigan (Aug. 16), handing the win to Brian Vickers. • Danica Patrick's on-again, off-again relationship with NASCAR. Best Original Comedy Honoring the year's most entertaining "incident" • Denny Hamlin vs. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski spins Hamlin into the wall late in Nationwide Series race at Dover (Sep. 26). After the race, crews from both teams get into a pit road skirmish. • Tom Logano vs. Greg Biffle: Angry that Greg Biffle forced his son, Joey, into the wall at Fontana (Oct. 10), Tom Logano flips off Biffle as he heads to Victory Lane. • Humpy Wheeler vs. Bruton Smith: Angry that he didn't get a personal invitation to attend the Charlotte races from former boss Bruton Smith, Humpy Wheeler attends the Indianapolis 500 instead and made his feelings known about Smith. The two continue to exchange words in the media for days over the circumstances of Wheeler's departure from Lowe's Motor Speedway. • Carl Edwards vs. a frisbee: Edwards breaks his foot playing frisbee two races into the Chase and uses the injury to plug his sponsor, Aflac, in a press release. Best Vocal Performance Honoring the year's most memorable quote • Kyle Busch tells Junior Nation that he'd rather win races than sell the most t-shirts at Bristol. (Mar 22) • Michael Waltrip tackles 5th Grade U.S. History on FOX's Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Oct. 27) • Tony Stewart "in awe" of Jeff Gordon post-race at Kansas. (Oct. 4) • President Barack Obama welcomes NASCAR to the White House. (Aug. 19) • Inaugural Class of NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees announced by CEO Brian France. (Oct. 14) Smokey Yunick Award (Best Engineering and Special Effects) Acknowledging the year's most creative modifications to a race car • Carl Long gets penalized for oversized engine during Sprint All-Star weekend. (May 16) • Robby Gordon's rear axle housing exceeds the maximum specified toe of plus or minus one degree at Coca-Cola 600. (May 24) • After finishing 5th in the Sylvania 300 (Sep. 20), Kyle Busch gets penalized after the left front of the No. 18 Toyota is too low in post-race inspection. • Martin Truex, Jr. finishes 16th in the LifeLock 400 (Jul. 11) but fails post-race inspection when right rear quarter panel is too high. Four months later, in the Dickies 500 at Texas (Nov. 8), Truex finishes 14th but fails post-race again for being too low. • Honorable Mention: Mark Martin's No. 5 and Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 cars for not being illegal, yet causing a media frenzy in September of 2009 after being warned by NASCAR that they were "getting too close to the tolerance limits" set forth by NASCAR. Bonehead Move of the Year Award • Jimmy Watts, gasman for Marcos Ambrose, gets suspended for four races after running onto the infield grass to retrieve a loose tire during the Kobalt Tools 500. (Mar. 8th) • Juan Montoya, despite holding a commanding lead all day, commits a speeding penalty during pit a stop in the Allstate 400 causing him to lose the race. (Jul. 26) • Kyle Busch destroys his Nationwide Series guitar/trophy at Nashville in true "rock star fashion." (Jun. 6) • Jeremy Mayfield's entire 2009 season (on and off the track). 'I Got Dumped' Award Acknowledging the year's most memorable on or off-track bumping • Marcos Ambrose loses NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series race in Montreal on last lap to Carl Edwards by misjudging final turn. (Aug. 30) • Tony George leaves Hulman-George Companies (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) after 20 years as President & CEO. • After Dale Earnhardt, Jr. goes winless since June 15, 2008, Tony Eury, Jr. is released as crew chief for the No.88 and is replaced by Lance McGrew. • Kyle Busch ends up in the wall on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400 (July 4) after slight contact with Tony Stewart. Stewart gets his 2nd points win of the year but says, "that's not the way I wanted to do it." • Despite 12 of Kyle Busch's 16 Cup Series wins coming in the last two years, Steve Addington is ousted as crew chief for the No.18 and replaced by Dave Rogers. Hal Needham Award (Best Stunt Sequence) Acknowledging the year's most spectacular crash • Carl Edwards wrecks on the final lap at Talladega in the spring (Apr. 26) and sends the car flipping into the catch fence. Edwards gets out of car and runs across finish line to complete the race. • Ryan Newman wrecks at Talladega in the fall (Nov. 1) and the car lands on Kevin Harvick's hood. After being freed from the car Newman walks away. • Joey Logano flips seven-and-a- • Lap 61 coming out of Turn 9 at Watkins Glen (Aug. 10), Kasey Kahne and Sam Hornish Jr. tangle causing a multi-car crash. Best Driver2Crew Chatter Exchange Acknowledging the year's most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication • Roger Penske puts Kurt Busch in line at Martinsville. (Mar. 29) • Spotter Jeff Dickerson to Kyle Busch at Las Vegas: "Say goodnight, Gracie." (Mar. 1) • Juan Pablo Montoya penalized by NASCAR at Indy for speeding on pit lane. (Jul. 26) • Kurt Busch's love/hate relationship with his team in 2009. (Montage from 2009 season) Golden Stewie Award Chosen by Stewart and Yocum and honoring a legendary driver from the Golden Era of racing • The winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event. "Stewie" Lifetime Achievement Award Chosen by Stewart and Yocum • The winner of this award will be revealed the night of the event. Addington moving on UPDATE 2: during the Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Andy Petree of ESPN2 reported that Steve Addington, former crew chief for #128-Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, informed JGR he would leave and is moving on. No word what team or job he is going to. UPDATE: Bob Dilner reported on the SPEED Report that Addington is talking to Penske Racing about being #2-Kurt Busch's crew chief in 2010, supposedly the holdup is that Addington wants a 3-year contract. UPDATE 2: former #19-Kyle Busch crew chief Steve Addington supposedly cleaned out his office and said his goodbyes on Monday after six seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing. Addington has been rumored to be a candidate at Penske Racing for #2-Kurt Busch and Richard Petty Motorsports for #19-Elliott Sadler. (FoxSports) The eight races scheduled for Carquest: Carquest Auto Parts, who recently extended its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and the #5 Chevy driven by Mark Martin through the 2011 NASCAR season for 8 races a season as primary sponsor, is scheduled to run their colors in 2010 at: Martinsville in March, Charlotte in May, New Hampshire in June, Daytona in July, Bristol in August, Atlanta in September, California in October and Texas in November. More about Danica and Stock Cars, no ARCA test entry: Danica Patrick unveiled a new neon green look Monday morning for her #7 Dallara-Honda. But as the Indy Racing League's most popular driver made the rounds on national talk shows, the big question didn't involve her IndyCar Series ride. Would new primary sponsor GoDaddy.com be unveiling a similar paint scheme for her on a stock car soon? "I think it would be great if they partnered up with that because it's a perfect marriage between the two, and it makes it all just flow and have a rhythm," Patrick said in a phone interview with USA TODAY after the announcement on Good Morning America. "If they want to do that, then I would be very happy." In announcing a three-year deal to remain with renamed Andretti Autosport (formerly Andretti Green Racing), Patrick didn't reveal any plans to moonlight in NASCAR next season, but she also didn't deny that her management team at IMG still is taking a hard look at stock cars. Patrick said Monday there were no other announcements planned and that she "can't be sure" if there'd be another one soon involving NASCAR. "I really can't say exactly where it is," she said when asked about potential negotiations with NASCAR teams. "Me and my team have been working for a long time on bringing it together, so it would be great if it did. Like I said this morning, if I can run both (series), I'd like to. Whether or not that's going to happen or not, it's definitely not too late and it's definitely a possibility. Nationwide & Truck Series MAHLE Engine Builder Awards: MAHLE Clevite recently announced the MAHLE Engine Builder of the Year for the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The award is presented to the engine builder in each series who has accumulated the most points, based on qualifying, laps lead and finishing position. 2009 TV Ratings up for SPEEDs NASCAR shows: With the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series scoring its highest season average Nielsen Household Rating in series history in 2009, several other programs from the NASCAR on SPEED lineup also enjoyed year-to-year ratings increases, including three in double digits. According to Nielsen Media Research, NCWTS Setup, the popular Truck Series pre-race show with Krista Voda was up 12%, NASCAR Performance with crew chiefs Larry McReynolds, Chad Knaus and Bootie Barker also was up 12%, and NASCAR Smarts delivered a 12% ratings increase over the show it replaced in the SPEED lineup, Tradin' Paint. NASCAR RaceDay, the high-energy NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pre-race show hosted by John Roberts and featuring Jimmy Spencer, Kenny Wallace and Wendy Venturini, was up 2% year-to-year and NASCAR In A Hurry was up 7%. (SPEED) Vote for SPEED Performance Awards: Fan voting opened recently for three more categories for the 4th Annual SPEED Performance Awards. Video candidates for Best Finish, Temper-Temper and Biggest Upset are now available for viewing and voting at www.speedperformanc Kansas Speedway casino project approved; ISC to ask for second Cup date at track By Bob Pockrass/scenedaily Kansas Speedway is back on track to get a second Sprint Cup race each year after the Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board gave its approval Tuesday for the construction of a casino overlooking Turn 2 of the track. As part of its casino proposal, track owner International Speedway Corp. said it will ask NASCAR to move a second Cup date to Kansas. NASCAR approval for the addition of a second Cup race is considered highly likely because the France family operates NASCAR and also owns a majority of voting stock in ISC. Subject to background investigations and licensing by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, ISC and partner Penn National Gaming plan to break ground during the second half of 2010 and have the casino open in the first quarter of 2012. ISC officials have previously stated they hoped for the second Cup date to be awarded to Kansas in 2011. ISC has not announced which of its tracks the race would be moved from. It currently has two Cup races at Daytona, Talladega, Richmond, Michigan, Phoenix, Martinsville and Auto Club Speedway in California. It has one race at Darlington, Watkins Glen, Chicagoland, Homestead-Miami and Kansas. The initial phase of the new facility, budgeted at $386 million, according to a news release, would include a 100,000-square- Brian France submits primary residence documents in Jeremy Mayfield case By Bob Pockrass/scenedaily CHARLOTTE – NASCAR Chairman Brian France has submitted a copy of his Florida driver's license, two Florida vehicle registrations, a copy of his voting record in Florida and a copy of his 2008 federal tax return in an effort to prove to the U.S. District Court that his primary state citizenship is in Florida. The documents were submitted Tuesday in response to a court filing on behalf of suspended driver Jeremy Mayfield that claims that France misrepresented his primary residence to have the suspended driver's lawsuit moved to federal court and delay an injunction hearing. The documents are heavily edited to just show that France lived in Daytona Beach. The location of France's primary residence became an issue in the lawsuit filed by Mayfield, who was suspended by NASCAR for a May 1 drug test that NASCAR says was positive for methamphetamines. Mayfield contends that the positive finding resulted from his taking a prescription drug to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and an over-the-counter allergy medicine. He also questions the procedures NASCAR used in determining the results. The original lawsuit was filed in North Carolina state courts in May but was moved to federal courts at the request of NASCAR the day before a preliminary injunction hearing in state court. In that request, France said that while he owns a home in North Carolina, he considers his home in Florida his primary residence. Four days earlier in a claim filed in North Carolina Superior Court involving his former in-laws who were living in a house he owns in North Carolina, France said he was a citizen of both Florida and North Carolina but doesn't indicate which is his primary residence. Mayfield claims in the filing that France can't consider himself a resident of North Carolina for that case to be heard in state court and then not be a resident of North Carolina in order to have the Mayfield case heard in federal court. One of the impacts of moving the case to federal court was that the preliminary injunction hearing was delayed by a month. A state court can have jurisdiction in claims where both a plaintiff and a defendant are from the same state. "Mr. France has lived his entire life in Florida and has always intended to have Florida as his permanent residence," France's attorney states in the brief filed Tuesday. "The combination of all of these factors [in the documents] clearly demonstrates that Mr. France was domiciled in Florida when he filed his affidavit in this case." The attorneys also noted that the courts in the past have determined that although a person may have more than one residence, he may only have one "domicile" for the purposes of determining residency for jurisdictional purposes. Once domicile has been established in a certain state, mere absence from the state is insufficient to change one's domicile, the attorneys state. If the judge in the case concludes that France's domicile is North Carolina, he could order the case to be returned to state court. Va. professor studies the culture of NASCAR By Karin Kapsidelis - Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. John D. Miller teaches early-American literature at Longwood University, but lately he has lectured on a more contemporary theme: NASCAR and globalization. A fan himself, Miller says the lure of NASCAR is not so much the cars and the race as the spin they bring to an archetypal American narrative. "I think most fans are attracted to NASCAR because it celebrates this national culture," he said. NASCAR's popularity has increased with the rise of globalization, which some people see as a threat to traditional American identity, he said. They look to NASCAR as a way "to celebrate and reaffirm a traditional set of American values." That script is followed from the start of the race. Miller notes that NASCAR is the only professional sport that still begins with a prayer over the public address system. "And more often than not, it's a Christian prayer," he said. The national anthem is sung by a national recording artist, accentuating its importance, and the military fly-by seals the association between patriotism and the military. When the race is over, the cameras remain fixed on an elaborately pre-staged celebration for the winner, who thanks God, his corporate sponsors, his team and family. The symbolism, according to Miller, is that the driver who wins values American ideals. NASCAR incorporates elements of danger, the military, patriotism and religion, he said. "To me, that's kind of a quintessential American script," said Miller, who recently gave a talk on campus titled "Becoming a Citizen of NASCAR Nation: Toyota, Stock Car Racing, and American Culture in an Era of Globalization. Fans don't have to be interested in watching cars going around and around to be part of NASCAR nation. "You can still go to a race and be part of this elaborate ceremony," he said, and "consider yourself to be part of this community that celebrates and recognizes and values things that are traditionally thought to be under siege by globalism." But ironically, globalism is making inroads into NASCAR, such as Toyota's attempt to sell its trucks to fans. "This is the fabulous paradox," Miller said, that multinational corporations are following fans to the races "because they're attracted to the same legitimating function that NASCAR serves." Miller dates his own interest in NASCAR to his teen years living in a Virginia Beach neighborhood where driver Ricky Rudd's brother also lived. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a doctorate from the College of William and Mary, Miller wrote his master's thesis at Auburn University on the culture of NASCAR. While it may seem the antithesis of the early-American literature classes he teaches at Longwood, Miller sees parallels. "What interests me about early-American literature is the way writers were using culture to create a sense of what an American was," he said. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasized an American identity that was distinct and independent from European culture, for example. Miller looks to NASCAR for the stories it tells about America "that help define that cultural identity for people, for readers or for sports fans." Even the drivers fit into this literary theme. Fans tend to gravitate toward the ones who are not necessarily winners like Jimmie Johnson but who have "a certain type of charisma," Miller said. "You have these Horatio Alger, rags-to-riches- "These are characters that are archetypes in American literature and American culture," he said. Dale Jr. noticeably missing from NASCAR's big bash by Jeff Owens, NASCAR Scene, Special to FOXSports.com NASCAR will honor four-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and its top 10 drivers Friday night in Las Vegas, but the sport's biggest star won't be there. The star driver that fans most want to see will be off licking his wounds, recovering from the worst season of his career. Dale Earnhardt Jr. may show up in Las Vegas on Thursday to collect the Most Popular Driver Award for the seventh straight year, but he won't grace center stage under the bright lights of NASCAR's awards ceremony. Since this year's banquet is being held in Las Vegas, maybe Master Magician Lance Burton can make Junior magically appear on stage. It would be his greatest feat yet since Junior's disappearing act stretches back to last year. More than likely, though, the season's biggest disappointment will simply be the butt of jokes by comedian and host Frank Caliendo, who could have a field day with the adventures and misadventures of Junior. It will mark the third straight year that NASCAR has held its elaborate postseason show without its most popular driver. Earnhardt Jr. made the Chase last year but missed the big show when he slumped to 12th in points, falling victim to one of NASCAR's silliest rules. (Only the top 10 in the 12-driver Chase get to appear on stage.) Three years ago, he finished 16th in points, signaling the beginning of the end of his tenure at Dale Earnhardt Inc. The fact that NASCAR will once again hold its biggest celebration without its biggest star is a problem — one that only Junior can fix. After his lackluster debut with Hendrick last season, Year Two of the much-ballyhooed pairing was expected to be much better. After a season of transition, Earnhardt Jr. was expected to take a major step this season, returning to his winning ways and back to championship contention. Instead, it was the worst season of his career and one of the worst seasons ever for a Hendrick driver. (Only one Hendrick driver — Terry Labonte in 2004 — had a worst points finish.) Even more embarrassing is the fact that Junior went winless and finished 25th in points — while his teammates combined for 13 wins and finished one-two-three in points. Things got so bad that Tony Eury Jr., Junior's cousin and handpicked crew chief, was removed from the team at midseason. At one point, the slump got so bad that Junior declared that he was "at the end of my rope." Earnhardt Jr. stops short of calling it the worst season of his career, but acknowledges, "It's been hard." "We've got a lot of work to do over the offseason," he said. "We have got to really focus and challenge ourselves to be as good as we can next year." No one has to step up more than Junior himself. He has much to prove, including: · That he can drive NASCAR's new car. His three-year decline — he actually has just three wins in the past five years — coincided with the arrival of NASCAR's new model Cup car, and Junior admits that he has struggled adapting. He must get a handle on the new machine, even if it means adopting setups used by teammate Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon or Mark Martin and changing his driving style. And he must hit the track early and often to help figure it out. Though NASCAR teams are under a testing ban, they can test all they want at non-NASCAR-sanction · That he is committed and dedicated to doing things off the track that make the difference between winners and losers. Johnson, Gordon, Martin and other top stars like Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch spend hours in the gym, working out religiously and fine-tuning their bodies for high speeds and grueling races. For all of them, it pays off at the end of races. There is little evidence that Junior commits himself to the same type of regimen. That could explain why he typically fades during the final 100-200 miles. He also must cut back on his extracurricular activities — even if it means dumping an endorsement deal or two or paying less attention to his Nationwide team — and commit himself to not only improving his driving skills but also his physical conditioning. Johnson even spends hours watching video of past races, looking for mistakes he made or things he can do get even better. · In the most competitive era in the sport, and against some of the greatest drivers in the sport's history, it takes more than just showing up at the track each week to compete. · That he can handle the immense pressure that comes with driving for Hendrick, and being Dale Earnhardt Jr. Keeping up with Johnson, Gordon and Martin, and performing for the sport's very best team, is tough enough, but no one has more pressure on his shoulders than Junior. Being the son of a legendary seven-time champion is a double-edged sword. Earnhardt Jr. inherited his father's enormous fan base, bringing him more wealth and fame than he could ever have imagined. But it also came with impossible expectations and a spotlight brighter than all but a few can imagine. He not only has himself and his team to answer to, but a legion of fans with perhaps unrealistic expectations. And those expectations, coupled with Junior's popularity and marketing prowess, only enhance the media coverage and scrutiny. Adding to the pressure is the fact that the sport needs him to help attract interest and boost things like TV ratings and souvenir sales. All those things already had left Junior under intense pressure. Joining Hendrick just made the fire that much hotter. At age 35, Junior is at the most critical juncture of his career. Either he makes a stirring comeback, winning races again, contending for championships and re-energizing the sport's largest fan base, or he fades into oblivion, riding out an underachieving career and going down as Hendrick's most disappointing driver. Which will it be? Vegas Perfect For Bubbas Larry Woody | Senior Writer, RacinToday.com I attended the first Bubba on Broadway NASCAR Awards Banquet in New York in 1981 and had a ball. Talk about swapping grits for ritz. That first one was fun, but over the years the ceremony grew as stale as a subway wino's socks. The best entertainment became watching drivers try to read the speeches on the teleprompter that their PR people wrote for them: "I'd like to (uh) thank my (ah) sponsor for all the (er) ass (squint) istance this (um) season…" The inaugural Big Apple shindig was livened up by the presence of Darrell Waltrip, who loquaciously celebrated his first championship. (Teleprompter? D.W. Don't need no stinkin' teleprompter! But Darrell retired, New York grew tiresome, and it was time for a change of scenery. NASCAR made a perfect choice in picking Las Vegas for its Dec. 4 awards blowout. At least Vegas, unlike NY, has some racing ties: a gleaming racetrack and the town that gave us the Amazing Busch Brothers. I covered the first Vegas Cup race in 1998 and it was a doozie of a weekend. Some fond Vegas vignettes: Sight-seeing in the desert with my sportswriter cohorts Monte Dutton and Jim McLaurin. (And no, I won't tell what Jimmy Mac wanted to do off the side of Hoover Dam.) Attending a Willie Nelson concert on tickets provided by Las Vegas Speedway prez and all-around good guy Chris Powell. Hearing some over-served tourist trying to sing "Stardust" with Willie. (Next day I was informed that the tourist was me.) Watching a gambler wearing a green Bobby Labonte racing cap and matching jacket drop $20,000 at a blackjack table in less than 30 minutes. Seeing a decal-plastered stock car parked in front of one the big glitzy casinos alongside a lineup of limos. (The late promoter Uncle Bob Harmon once considered staging a Limo Race at Nashville Speedway but his insurance agent talked him out of it.) Watching the sun set in the desert. Watching the sun come up in the desert. Promising to name my next two kids Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer. Driving down The Strip one night and seeing a hotel marquee that glared: "Welcome Hermie Sadler!" Sitting on the balcony with fellow sports writers comparing a weekend in Vegas with a weekend in North Wilkesboro. Watching the two blond guys in leotards poke and prod some tigers and wondering what would happen if the tigers ever got tired of the act. (We eventually found out.) Getting caught in a monster traffic jam the morning of the race when the traffic cops for some reason blocked off half the lanes with orange cones. Guess they'd been issued the handy NASCAR Guide on How to Snarl Traffic. Interviewing Mark Martin after he won a race that, frankly, wasn't very exciting. Seeing Mark pose in Victory Circle with a trio of scantily-clad Vegas showgirls and wondering what would happen if a breeze suddenly ruffled their feathers. Watching an Elvis impersonator doing an Earnhardt impression. Or was it an Earnhardt impersonator doing an Elvis impression? The details, like much of the Vegas weekend, are still a tad fuzzy. But I know it was fun. IMO: Top 10 NASCAR Commercials by Jim/bump-drafts. OK Gang. Time to take a break from the serious business of team prognostication. I saw a list of the top 1o Super Bowl commercials of all time, and it got me thinking. I've worked in the ad business in print, radio and television- and some of the best work I've seen comes from the world of NASCAR. It may drive you crazy to hear your favorite driver say "The Leaks Less Adult Drip Pans Rusty Wreck sure was awesome today" while he slugs down a capped bottle of Miller Lite (smooth move Kurt Busch) but those sponsors you sometimes love to hate pay righteous bucks to get that fire-suited pitch man to say all the goofy things he does. At times, I'm sure that's why Carl Edwards doesn't actually haul off and slug his rival du jour. I'm quite sure Aflac wouldn't go for that. But for all the irritation it creates, they sponsor it., 'cuz they all know we'll buy it (a paraphrase of Jay Busbee). And out of it comes some good commercials (these are hyperlinked for your viewing pleasure. Gotta love YouTube): HONORABLE MENTION "Vitamin Water Revive" starring Kasey Kahne. This stuff is supposed to be good for ya, but I like it 'cuz it tastes like Hawaiian Punch. I get a kick out of it, because here's this tribe of Yak herders, supposing to be providing Kasey Kahne spiritual refreshment, and he's talking smack about a Yak. Just try to imagine a Yak race, and you get the mental picture I do. Now that's funny, I don't care who you are. "Nextel- Out Of Gas" starring Jeff Gordon. I think I like this spot just for the old school Chevy convertible myself and watching Jeff Gordon rocking out. Watching the old man pass him on a bicycle is pretty funny too. THE TOP 10 #10- "Nextel- Driving Advice from Elliott Sadler" starring Jimmie Johnson and Elliott Sadler. It's been a couple of years since this ad aired. The fact that Jimmie Johnson just keeps on winning championships, and poor Elliott, well you know, he hasn't won in a while….it just makes the comedy of this ad all the more amusing. #9- "Toyota- Fan Controller" starring Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip. In Advertising Creative 101, you learn that kids and animals are a sure fire winner every time. The fact these (at that time) Toyota drivers got controlled by kids makes this ad even more fun to watch. This is this 60-second version, so you see some footage you may not have seen before. #8- "AMP Energy Camel" Ad starring Dale Earnhardt Jr. This spot, featuring the wildly popular Dale Jr. has a couple classic lines. "…don't go leaking any fluid on me." The "..I got a breath mint. I'm just sayin.'" is good too. #7- "NAPA- I'm At The Wrong Track" starring Michael Waltrip. How do I say this? Michael Waltrip is to NASCAR what the Chicago Cubs are to baseball. It's just funny to see how serious and emotional the commercial starts, only to take a comic turn. Like Elliott Sadler, Mikey will be gold in the TV booth. #6- "Gillette Phantom" starring Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. My favorite, next to Kasey's "Bozo" look, is the "3 Stooges" head on Kurt Busch. #5- Budweiser, "Forgotten Lipstick" starring Dale Earnhardt Jr. All I can say, ladies- this may explain why Junior is still a bachelor at 34. I just discovered this spot today. The fact my wife, the more casual fan, has seen it before me, incites jealousy. #4- "Thanks Dale" also known as "Dale Races The UPS Truck" starring Dale Jarrett, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Petty, Bobby Labonte and the #8 car. In a show of class, we had to get one serious commercial in here. The old spots with Dale's dad Ned were pretty funny too. #3- "Domino's Pizza Race Day (King Daddy)" featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip. Like Martin and Lewis, Matthau and Lemmon, Earnhardt and Waltrip were a great comic team during their DEI days together. I also liked their NAPA ad where Mikey tries to show off the "hip hop" moves he learned from Junior. Classic. #2- "Gillette Young Guns 1″ starring Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson. Matt Kenseth shows some great comic chops in this original Young Guns ad. Look at the expression on his face when he says "Nuthin'." Anybody who's a parent knows this expression. And my personal favorite though they've driven me insane with it….. #1- "Geico- Lauren Wallace 2″ starring Busch Series driver Mike Wallace and Eddie Heffernan as "Lauren Wallace." Marketing genius on display. If you're a parent, you get what I mean. Remember when your kid tried on your shoes? Or how about when he or she pretended to drive the family car? This ad ties that in with that young punk feel like we got from that new driver in Days Of Thunder. How many of you really thought this guy was Mike's 3rd cousin, once removed? The fictitious Lauren Wallace is a genuine cult figure. I could go on all day with these. I'm sure you have your own opinion of different ads. I was tempted to put in the AMP "Gorilla" ad just because I love the blues and the commercial features the classic "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker. Mikey's NAPA "fan letter" spots are a hoot, along with the one where Sammy Hagar asks Waltrip to drive faster. Later ya'll. I hope you enjoyed it.
Well, that's all for today. Until the next time, I remain, Your Nascar Momma Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"
"Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up there and eat that candy ass." -Dale Earnhardt - 1998 |
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