nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Dry Spell Ends in the Desert - 02/27/11 12:06 PM
I was at the hospital earlier today with a family member so I was unable to watch the entire race.  But, I was so happy that I got to see the end of NASCAR's Sprint Cup race in Phoenix this afternoon when, after a long 66 winless streak, Jeff Gordon was able to end his dry spell in the desert.  He was declared the winner of the Subway Fresh Fit 500.  Congratulations to Jeff, new crew chief Alan Gustafson, the entire Drive to End Hunger team and Mr. Rick Hendricks for mixing it up enough to breathe new life into the … (5 comments)

nascar nation: Dancing Kings at the Budweiser Shootout - 02/12/11 03:06 PM
It's official.  The 2011 NASCAR racing season is upon us.  As our pre-show, the Budweiser Shootout whetted the appetite for what's to come next week and, let me tell you, it is VERY promising.  The track was resurfaced over the off-season and the grip is now amazing.  Couple that with the new ethanol engines and car style changes (gone are the ugly, cow catching front splitters) and you've got some great racing coming!  Speeds for the shootout were clocked over 206mph at their highest point, with an average speed over 196mph.  THAT'S FAST!
It would appear that the winner of this … (1 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Jeff Gordon Welcomes Baby Boy - 08/09/10 11:16 AM
Breaking News *** Jeff Gordon and his wife, Ingrid, welcomed baby boy Leo Benjamin Gordon this morning.  He was born at 8:53 am at 7 lbs 2 oz and 19 inches long.  Is this the next NASCAR dynasty in the making?  Only time will tell.  Like a good NASCAR wife, Ingrid was able to hold off on giving birth until Monday so Jeff didn't miss out on Sunday's race at Watkins Glen.  And how lucky is this: Baby Leo was born on 8/9/10.  Congratulations to the happy family!
From Jeff's official website:

 
Heather Chavez, Real Estate Virtual Assistant - … (1 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Damage at Daytona - 07/04/10 04:42 AM
You KNEW there'd be lots of damage at Daytona.  The trick is to hoping your driver isn't in it.  Luckily, mine wasn't.  But, whoo-boy!  What a night of racing on the famous Daytona International Speedway, especially since it's the last race before they start repaving it on Monday for next season.
After a rain delay of an hour and a half, a beautiful rendition of "America the Beautiful" by former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman and current country music sensation Darius Rucker and the recognition of six brave men who had received the Medal of Honor for their service in years … (6 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Loud Finish at Loudon - 06/29/10 07:10 AM
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Loudon, NH on Sunday was pretty quiet for most of the race.  In fact, other than the caution at Lap 34 for debris, all laps were under green until Lap 235, when poor Kasey Kahne's engine of his #9 Budweiser car finally gave out after limping around for several laps beforehand.  There were even two green flag pit stops which shook things up a little, especially since Tony Stewart had to pit out of sequence because he didn't get enough fuel dumped into his car under the debris caution of Lap 34.  However, the … (3 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Miller Lite Laps It Up at the Coca-Cola 600 - 06/01/10 04:48 PM
It would appear that the Miller Lite Dodge lapped it up at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 30 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.  After winning last week's All Star Race at the same track, Kurt Busch in the Blue Deuce (#2) was the main contender all day long.  At one point, it looked like a race between brothers, when both Kurt and Kyle (#18) were racing at the head of the pack.  Then, it looked like Chip Ganassi was going to be able to collect wins from his drivers in both the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the … (4 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: M&M Owns the Monster Mile - 05/16/10 02:17 PM
Today, it appeared that M&M owned the Monster Mile.  The "King", Richard Petty gave the "Gentlemen, start your engines" war cry at the beginning, which was appropriate since he was part of the inaugural inductees to the NASCAR Hall of Fame earlier this week in Charlotte, NC.  And AJ Allmedinger made the crowd cheer with his STP retro paint scheme in honor of the King's old #43.  At the Dover International Speedway, the Monster Mile was actually pretty tame.  There weren't any big wrecks (which is good).  There were a total of five cautions (most of which were incidents of single … (8 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Tailspins at Talladega - 04/28/10 03:39 PM
Sorry for the delay in writing this NASCAR recap.  But, whew, what a race!  The tailspins in Talladega were the stuff of legends and the finish was a sight to behold.  Since Saturday was rained out, there was no practice session for the Sprint Cup guys.  They lined up according to points to start the day at Talladega, with Jimmie Johnson leading the charge.  The first caution of the day was a competition caution at Lap 21 so everyone could check out the car after sitting since Friday.  The two-car breakaway took precidence all day as we saw a record 88 … (2 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Shootout at Texas Motor Speedway - 04/20/10 02:25 AM
It was a shootout at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday.  It was definitely worth a one day delay if this is what we got!  The entire weekend was rained out, so both the Sprint Cup race and Nationwide had to be run on Monday instead of Saturday and Sunday.  Finally, Jeff Gordon was the agressive, drive to the front guy we haven't seen in a while.  He was dominant for most of the day, leading the most laps of all the drivers at the Sprint Cup race.  As a Gordon fan, I was so excited thinking, "This is it!  He's gonna win … (5 comments)

nascar nation: Kasey Kahne to Become a Hendrick Man - 04/13/10 02:36 PM

Richard Petty Motorsports just announced today that the driver of its #9 Budweiser will not be returning to race under the RPM banner next year.  Instead, Kasey Kahne has signed on to the 2012 season with Hendrick Motorsports.  Since all four Hendrick drivers are signed until 2012, that means that there will be no opening for Kasey on their team next year.  Where will he go?  Kasey is remaining mum on the subject.  It appears that he will be helming the #5, which would mean that Mark Martin looks to actually be retiring for real after the end of the … (5 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Martinsville is a Day Late and a Dollar Short for Some - 03/29/10 01:11 PM
Martinsville ended up being a day late and a dollar short for some of NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers.  Since yesterday's race was rained out, the drivers were able to race under cloudy but dry skies today.  I had to work but was only able to fend off my curiosity for the first half of the race.  I was listening to the live broadcast when the excitement got to be just too much.  Off went the computer and on went the TV.  I'm glad I decided to watch, too.
Jeff Gordon (#24) seemed to be doing well towards the beginning of the … (8 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Hot Tempers at Hot-Lanta - 03/08/10 12:12 AM
Sorry, NASCAR Nation.  I've been gone for a couple weeks.  Tons of stuff that's been going on in my personal and professional life that has kept me busy and away from social media.  But I'm back.  I haven't been missing my NASCAR (heaven forbid).  However, I have been unable to keep up with my NASCAR blogging.  That is being remedied right now!
There were some hot tempers at Hot-Lanta this weekend.  Between the tire issues that befell many drivers, the huge wreck that happened late in the race, super-duper fast speeds (sometimes in excess of 190mph) and the more bumpin' than … (18 comments)

nascar nation: Danica's Debut at Daytona - 02/15/10 12:50 AM
Danica Patrick's debut at Daytona was a bumpy one.  But that's what Daytona is really all about, isn't it?  Up until now, I've only watched the Sprint Cup races.  Danica enticed me to watch the Nationwide series and I'm so glad I did.  It was great.  Danica wasn't the only woman in the race, although the news would make it sound like she was.  Unfortunately, Chrissy Wallace's (daughter of Nationwide racer Mike Wallace and niece of legendary racecar driver Rusty Wallace) turn behind the wheel at Daytona was extremely short lived.  She was bumped by #98 Paul Menard and hit the … (14 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: California Natives Rule at Pepsi 500 in Fontana - 10/12/09 11:36 AM
The California natives ruled at the Pepsi 500 in Fontana, CA on Sunday, October 11, 2009.  Once again, Hendrick Motorsports proved why they own the Auto Club Speedway.  I guess this is apropos for the company who is celebrating its 25th Anniversary.  After Jessie McCartney skipped a line or two of the National Anthem (practicing the national anthem before you perform it in front of a bunch of rednecks might be a good idea), grand marshal Kelsey Grammar gave the "Gentlemen, start your engines!" to begin the first Sprint Cup race to come to Southern California.  Jimmie Johnson quickly overtook pole … (7 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Bubbles Burst in Richmond Race - 09/15/09 08:20 AM
Bubbles were burst at NASCAR's Sprint Cup Race in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, September 12, 2009.  To quote Heidi Klum from Project Runway: "One of you will be in and the other will be out."  (Yes, I am a girly-girl who watches Project Runway and manages to absolutely love NASCAR, but that's who my husband fell in love with.  If he can deal with it, so can you.)
After a short rain delay which allowed ABC to finish airing Michigan's win over Notre Dame on Saturday evening, there was some rockin' and rollin' going on at Richmond.  There were actually two … (5 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Watch Them Wiggle at Atlanta Motor Speedway - 09/08/09 08:39 AM
"Watch them wiggle, see them jiggle."  This is what kept running through my mind as I watched the Sprint Cup race on Sunday night at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.  First, there was poor Carl Edwards who hobbled in on crutches after breaking his foot in a weird Frisbee accident.  (Yes, you CAN injure yourself while playing Frisbee).  While hurting yourself playing Frisbee may not sound very manly, driving 500 miles with a broken foot (your gas foot, too) is VERY manly.  As is driving a car whose paint scheme was created by a 13-year-old girl in her 3rd year of fighting … (2 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Carfax 400 at Michigan International Raceway - 08/16/09 10:36 AM
Michigan is a track that is well known for races that are determined by fuel mileage (the Spring race was won by Mark Martin after first Jimmie Johnson and then Greg Biffle ran out of fuel on the very last lap).  And this race was no exception.  For the third week in a row, there was a rain delay for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race.  When the caution was thrown at lap 9 for rain, I thought, "Oh great!  This will be the 3rd week in a row that I have to rearrange my schedule on Monday to watch the race.  … (6 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Mixing it Up at the Monster Mile - Dover 2009 - 06/01/09 06:45 PM
What a difference a week makes!  After last week's long, drawn out race that wouldn't end, the exciting Monster Mile proved to be what fans love to see: short track racing at its best.  There were a few lead changes throughout the race, a couple of wrecks here and there, but the final 3 or 4 laps were what makes you sit on the edge of your seat and yell at the TV.  See, in my house, we have both Jimmie and Tony fans.  My son ADORES Tony Stewart.  So, when Tony took the lead and appeared to have it in … (4 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Cocoa Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway Update - 05/24/09 03:26 PM
Just a quick update to all my NASCAR peeps out there. After a very lengthy rain delay and valant attempt by NASCAR to clear the track, the race at Lowe's Motor Speedway has been postponed until Monday. So, tune in to your local Fox affiliate at 12pm EST, when the longest race of the year is scheduled to begin. In case you don't know the qualifying order, here ya go:
Did not qualify: JJ Yeley #41, Mike Garvey #73, Todd Bodine #64 and David Starr #106. Tune back in to my blog tomorrow afternoon to see what the outcome of this … (8 comments)

nascar nation: NASCAR NATION: Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix - April 18, 2009 - 04/19/09 02:03 PM
Congratulations go out to pole sitter and winner: the little jockey, Mark Martin.  He's one of the nicest and most humble men in all of NASCAR.  He SO deserved it.  He was definitely the dominating car at Saturday night's race.  He was the winner at the first NASCAR race I ever attended.  So, it was lovely to see him win and get his 400th Top 10 finish of his career.  That being said, I have to tell you..that was the most painful experience watching a race that I have ever had the displeasure of watching.  As you all know, I am … (4 comments)