By: Toby Christie

They say that all good things have to come to an end, well Sunday at Bristol it’s a bad thing that will be coming to an end. I am of course referencing the dreaded wing. The wing as we all know replaced the spoiler in NASCAR when they unveiled the “Car of Tomorrow”.

Fans never really took to the wing, even though NASCAR’s reasoning behind implementing it was to make the cars look more like cars that the kids on the streets have… but honestly nobody would be caught dead with one of those things.

The wing’s existence only lasted 59 races in the Sprint Cup Series, and I’m sure it won’t be missed by many drivers… but who has benefited most from the wing being in NASCAR?

It’s simple here’s a little stat you wont find anywhere else: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards have combined to win a total of 45 of the 59 “winged” events… that is over 76-percent of the races won by just three drivers. I expect this to change a little bit starting with Martinsville.

In 2007 it was Bristol that hosted the wing’s first race, so there would be no more fitting place than Bristol this week to send the wing flying away. The wing has been attributed to the problem of cars flying into the stands here recently. When the cars spin backwards the wing actually causes the cars to lift off of the ground… not a good thing at all.

However in my opinion it is also the reason for the lack of parity in NASCAR for the past three seasons.

By: Toby Christie

One thing has stolen the headlines for nearly a week… Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards. Well I think it is time we move past the feud of the century, and take a look at all of the things that were lost in the controversy of Atlanta.

First things first Kurt Busch won the dang race, and nobody is talking about it. He’s gotta be feeling like Rodney Dangerfield with all of this lack of respect. The win marked the 21st of Busch’s Sprint Cup Series career, and it was his second straight win in the spring event at Atlanta. The win came at a great time because going into this event Busch was way back in 19th in the point standings. Now after this victory the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion sits tenth in the points and is now on a roll.

We also had a great run by the guy piloting the #98 Menards Ford… yea that’s right Paul Menard. Menard came home fifth and has climbed to ninth in the point standings after four events. This is Menard’s second career top-five finish, and his first since a second place finish at Talladega in 2008. Menard is an intriguing story to follow this season as he is driving for a rejuvenated Richard Petty Motorsports team.

Speaking of RPM, A.J. Allmendinger, who drives their no. 43 car had a heck of a run this week too. He came home sixth, but what’s impressive is how he got there. He was competitively fighting inside the top-ten nearly the entire race, so it was no fluke. This was Allmendinger’s ninth career top-ten finish.

Oh and by the way Kasey Kahne led the most laps during the Kobalt Tools 500. Kahne was out front for 144 laps Sunday, in a Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, en route to a fourth place finish… So whatever they are doing over there in that shop, they are doing it right.

Now let’s look at who benefited the most and the least from the Brad Keselowski / Carl Edwards incident taking place.

Goodyear by far benefited the most by the action on lap 323 occurring. Because of this incident just about everyone has just about forgotten about that little tire issue we had Sunday. In all there were at least eight tire issues from the 43 cars in the field… not a good deal for any tire supplier, but luckily for Goodyear Carl Edwards saved their day by ruining Keselowski’s.

Now the person who lost the most because of the lap 323 incident was Juan Pablo Montoya. I know you’re thinking: wasn’t it Keselowski who went from sixth to 36th in the blink of an eye? Yes, but it was Montoya who was the innocent bystander who was the biggest loser in the end.

Montoya had just closed to within half a second of the lead with two to go, and he was turning laps over two tenths of a second faster than Busch, due to a car that was awesome on the long runs. If the race would’ve stayed green we may have seen the first victory for JPM on an oval, and maybe the closest finish of the entire season… but we will never know now.

By: Toby Christie

I know it is nothing spectacular. I know it isn’t anything amazing. However what we have seen for the no. 88 Chevrolet this season is progress. Now I know what you are saying… Am I nuts? Earnhardt sits 15th in the driver points standings after three events this season, and in a car he is expected to compete for championships no less.

So how is this progress?

Simple, last season at this time Earnhardt was hanging out 29th in the point standings… Have we somehow forgotten that? How have we completely erased how abysmal last season was for Earnhardt?

At no point last season did it look like Dale Jr. was competitive. You could even see it in his eyes when he would be interviewed. Earnhardt was visibly shaken emotionally and physically by the struggles that came his way in 2009.

Let me put this in perspective. The highest Earnhardt got up to in the point standings last season at any point was 15th… that means after the Daytona 500 this year he had reached a ranking higher in the points than he had been in all of last season. Not only that, but after three races this year he still has matched his best ranking spot from all of last season.

Oh and Earnhardt finished second in dramatic fashion in the Daytona 500, which equals his season best finish of second in last years Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. If not for a broken axle at California, we’d most likely be looking at that no. 88 in the top-12 in the point standings right now. You can’t argue that what we are seeing is not “actual” progress. Sure I know he hasn’t won in 60 races, and he hasn’t set the world on fire with incredible consistency, but the fact of the matter is that Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2010 season is already much better than 2009 was… and we are only three races in.

By: Lisa DeSpain

As big a fan as I am, and I never miss a race, last November the unthinkable happened. I was burned out and ready for the season to be over. I was sick and tired of NASCAR, and ready for it to be done. I haven’t been a fan very long, relatively speaking. It was only about 5 or 6 years ago that I discovered, and began to appreciate, the drama and pageantry that is this wonderful sport we all know and love. Ever since my first race at Talladega, when I fell deeply in love with the noise of those engines, I’ve been die-hard, down to the bitter end, watching every second of every race right up to Homestead, whether my guy was in the hunt for the Cup or not. I never thought I would ever be fed up with the whole thing, and ready to get my Sundays back.

This past year, by the beginning of November, it was…whatever. Team 48 made history…the JJ show went on to Vegas…whatever. To me, that part was not so unthinkable once I got used to the idea. After all, Smoke can’t win the Championship every year, although I was very proud of what he and his team accomplished this first year. Not to take anything away from what Johnson and his team have achieved. I respect the fact that they are awesome, and they did something no other team has ever done. Congratulations, again, to Jimmie, Chad, and the whole 48 team. You guys are good, no doubt about that, even if you are a little…bland. That’s really the worst thing you can say about Johnson. He’s a great driver, but a tad generic.

In a weird kind of way, the fact that Jimmie and company took the Cup sort of represented the way the whole season felt. NASCAR leveled the playing field to the point that every race was just…vanilla.  I thought I’d never see the day that I called racing boring, but…really monotonous. However, it looks like we yawned and NASCAR listened, for once. I’m looking forward to this particular season more than any in the last few years. All the changes NASCAR is making: letting the drivers police themselves, loosening the restrictions on bump drafting, bringing back the spoiler, bigger restrictor plate, etc. should make this one different, more exciting, and more entertaining than ever. Thanks to Brian France, Mike Helton, and friends for giving me something to which to look forward.

Two days from now we will be camped out in front of the TV, watching the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. The Daytona 500 is right around the corner and I can feel the excitement and interest begin to build. Smell that, son? That’s racing fuel! I love the smell of racing fuel in the morning! I love the start of the season. All the teams are going to have top 10’s, tear up every track, and run the table. The Cup is within everyone’s grasp and I’m not going to miss a single race. Just like the teams, I can dream, too. The long NASCAR deprived winter is finally over and, thanks to some cool changes, I’m excited. Yep, I love the start of NASCAR season.

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By: DJ DeSpain

During the race at Talladega on Sunday, and afterwards, there was quite a bit of chatter on social media sites that the race was boring. Were we watching the same race?

There were 6 cautions for 23 laps. Of those 6 cautions, 3 were for accidents, including the 2 “big” ones at lap 185, and the final one during the green, white, checker finish. There was only one debris caution but that was at lap 106, so I doubt it was one of those phantom cautions that the conspiracy fans are raving about lately.

Boring because the race only had 6 cautions? I’ve been to a Talladega race in 2001 that had zero cautions and was I cheering for that to happen just so I could say I saw it and was there!

There were 58 lead changes among 25 drivers. That’s 58 percent of the field that led the race at some point. However, for the Johnson haters out there, they must be happy that he was not among those drivers to lead a lap, even the first lap from his pole position. Brian Vickers is also the only other Chase driver who did not lead a lap. Kyle Busch must be asking “Remind me again why I’m not in the Chase?”

Granted, constant 3-wide racing is going to create a lot of lead changes with several different leaders, but isn’t that better than long stretches of single-file racing? If I want to watch a freight train, I’ll go into town and watch a real train go by.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. No long waiting for the green flag to drop, no red flag cautions due to rain. Man, wasn’t that boring? An estimated 127,500 people were there at Talladega, getting a nice final tan before the winter hibernation.

A non-Chase driver won the race, sometimes you need a little variety to spice up things a bit. Jamie McMurray got his 3^rd career victory, and this being his last season with Roush Fenway Racing, having this win will be a big boost for him to gain a spot on a new team. A definite feel-good story ending I think. But for you Chase fans, there were 4 Chase drivers that finished in the Top 10, Johnson managed to finish in the 6^th spot instead of winning.

Not meaning to knock McMurray’s win, but everybody knew going into Talladega that the track is infamous for “The Big One,” and when it happens, sometimes the winner is usually someone who normally doesn’t win. When the final wreck happened during the green, white, checkered finish, it wrapped up 3 of the Chase drivers with it. Kevin Harvick, who was having a great day up to the end, was probably wishing his day ended better than having Martin land upside down on his hood. Thankfully, no fence breach happened this time, and no spectators were hurt.

So why do the fans feel that this is boring? Are those not at the race doing the equivalent of the NFL’s Red Zone channel? Just tuning in to watch the final 10 laps of a race?

NASCAR is trying to balance safety with competition. But they do value fan input. Because without them, who’ll watch the races? Last year, NASCAR created the Fan Council, an online forum of 12,000 fans, to gain a better understanding of what the fans want in the sport. Through interaction with the Fan Council, NASCAR has implemented one major change for this year and one to start next year.

The first change that started this year was the creation of double-file, shoot-out style restarts after cautions. This was an immediate success with both fans and drivers. Fans like to see the shoot-out style restarts and drivers feel more like they are doing true racing by lining up side-by-side with the leaders instead of the lapped cars.

The other major change to be implemented next year is the consistent start times of all races. East coast and central region races start at 1 PM EST, west coast at 3 PM EST, and night races at 7:30 PM EST. Bam, done! No longer do you need a map, calendar, and slide rule to program your DVR.

The one thing NASCAR is not going to budge on is safety. The COT is here to stay, no matter what the complaints are regarding its driving ability. Any wreck at Talladega is all NASCAR needs as a reminder that the car was made that way for a reason. Ryan Newman may complain all he wants but the fact that he can still complain is irony enough.

To be fair, fans weren’t the only ones bored with the race. Tony Stewart, a Chase driver, was reported to have said on his radio that he needed some No-Doz tablets and Kevin Harvick joked that he wanted a spot to put his iPod. Guys, NASCAR doesn’t need to hear you say races are boring too. The average speed for the Talladega race was 157.213 mph and you were probably driving over 190 mph on a regular basis with very little space between cars. How can that be boring?

I’ve done a ride along at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, the top speed was maybe 150 mph, and I was definitely not bored. My wife did the same ride along, she was waving hand signals to her driver to go faster!  I would much rather be at any race live than watching it on television but I’m not independently wealthy so I can only afford to go to a choice few. Most people covering the sport can’t be there for every race, and not every driver in a field of 43 drivers makes it to every race. So if Tony and Kevin are that bored, someone will gladly step into their fire suit.

Maybe the fans and the drivers are taking the sport for granted. It all looks too easy, even more so with Johnson on the verge of winning a fourth-in-a-row championship. But just because it looks easy doesn’t mean the same as being easy. 500 miles in 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 54 seconds.  That was the time the first car crossed the finish line and there were 29 cars still running right behind him.

Easy? You can rarely fly commercial these days that distance in that amount of time.

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By: DJ DeSpain

As of Kansas, Jimmie Johnson is second in total points, 18 points behind Mark Martin, and there are 7 races remaining in the season. Johnson’s three-in-a-row championship feat last year ties Cale Yarborough’s record set back in 1978. 30 years it took for a driver to catch up with Yarborough’s record, and now Johnson is on the verge of setting a new record if he wins his 4^th championship trophy in November.

Several people think that Johnson shouldn’t win 4 in a row. They think the races are starting to get boring if someone keeps winning all the time. If he wins too much, then it is time to change the points system again, others are exclaiming.

Some non-Johnson fans suspect Johnson must be getting special treatment if he is winning so much. When Johnson’s winning car was inspected after the Dover race, NASCAR officials said that car and Mark Martin’s car were closer to measurement tolerances than usual. Nothing illegal about that because they were within tolerances but the story became the biggest one prior to Kansas with the word “conspiracy” rearing its ugly head.

So what is a driver to do? He gets chastised for not winning at all, like Earnhardt Jr., or he gets nailed for winning too much, like Johnson.

Racing is always about records to be made and broken. Wins, speed, money, popularity, you name it. The first organized combustible engine automobile competition, a reliability test in 1894 from Paris to Rouen, France, a distance of about 50 miles, was won with an average speed of 10.2 mph. Bill Elliott has the record for the fastest qualifying speed at 212.809 mph set at Talladega in 1987. Almost 100 years and as cars got better and faster, records came and went; some within days, others have taken years.

Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt share the record for total championships at 7. Jeff Gordon currently has 4, and much has been written this year about his “drive for five” season.

But even Johnson has stated that he believes another driver getting 7 or more championships to be almost impossible. At a recent ceremony at Lowes Motor Speedway honoring Johnson and Richard Petty, Johnson said “With what Richard did and what Earnhardt Sr. did, I just don’t think seven is a number you are going to get to. It’s tough. You look at Jeff, trying to get his fifth, and all the success he’s had, I think they’re safe up there with seven. I hope to prove them wrong, I’m not saying I don’t want to try, but we’re at three.”

When asked by reporters about Jimmie’s chances on catching his record, Petty responded “He could win seven in a row, anything is possible, and there’s no record that’s ever been set that can’t be broken, but like Jimmie said, it’s not likely.”

Well, maybe 7 total championships might be hard to obtain these days or anytime soon, but it is still a record that any driver would want to beat.

Earnhardt was given flack in his day for attempting to tie Richard Petty’s 7 championships. In his last season, he came close to beating the record when he finished 2^nd in 2000. Much was said prior to the 2001 season that he was poised to take the record eventually before he retired from the sport. The possibility of that happening made even non-Earnhardt fans rooting him on to do it.

Unfortunately, it did not happen, and he may have been the last chance of anyone coming that close again. Competition is getting tighter these days with better cars, better drivers, and a larger pool of talent than years past.

There is a big problem with trying to beat records.  There are those who will attempt to put asterisks, exceptions, comparisons, etc., in order to weaken a person’s accomplishment in breaking a record. Arguments like Petty’s 200 wins came about with the help of long race seasons in the early years. Elliott’s qualifying record was prior to restrictor plates. Johnson’s three-in-a-row is due to the Chase format.

Whatever.

Get over it, folks. As even Tony Stewart said in the post-race interview at Kansas, “Why are we talking about the old system? In case you didn’t know, we haven’t used that system for five years now. Who cares?”

I agree. Who cares?  The points system today is different than five years ago. The system five years ago was different than the one that existed prior to 1972. Up to 1971, Richard Petty had only 3 championships. But even today, people will point out that with the race seasons shortened from 48 to 31, this made it easier for Petty to get his 4 other championships between 1972 and 1978. Always something.  Win or lose, drivers are going to get smacked around.

So Johnson is really just getting the latest flavor of complaints. But, as with any driver asked, his focus is on winning, setting a new record is just a bonus.

Let him get 4, then let us watch the scramble over the next 30 years of drivers chasing the record. As we watch, we get to argue, complain, and nag as race fans have been doing since 1894.

If Johnson makes it to 4-in-a-row, then the next superstar driver that attempts to beat his record better be prepared for the criticism that will surely come. Though, at that point in the future, the cars might not even have wheels and another round of “but that was then, this is now” comparison will happen again.

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By: DJ DeSpain

The field is set for the 2009 Sprint Cup Chase but the specter of 2005 rears its head again. In 2005, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon failed to make the Chase. Now, it’s Kyle Busch’s turn to be the one on the outside looking in and fans are wondering if something besides him is broke.

At the time in 2005, the Chase format was still new, started the year before in fact, as the result of a rallying cry to make the races more exciting and dramatic for the fans. The system created because being consistent as Matt Kenseth was in 2004 paid off in a championship, but at the cost of making him cold and methodical. Remember those Nextel commercials making fun of Kenseth, comparing him to a robot?

When Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon, two NASCAR superstars and fan favorites, missed out in the Chase in 2005, there was some rumbling that the new system wasn’t good enough if those two drivers couldn’t get in. NASCAR held off on changing in 2006, wanting to give the new system a chance to prove them right. Dale and Jeff made it in 2006, but 2005 defending champion Tony Stewart failed to make it, which then started another clamor.

In 2007, NASCAR finally relented and both the Chase format and overall points system were tweaked. The Chase field was expanded from 10 to 12 spots and participants were awarded 10 bonus points for each race win during the first 26 races added to the 5,000 points reset. Those that were tied in points were then ranked on their overall average finish order. In addition to all that, 5 points were added to the 1^st place position for each race in the points system, increasing the maximum number of points earned from 190 to 195 (win plus most laps led bonus).

So did this fix everything and did everybody benefit in 2007? Not in the view of Earnhardt Jr. fans because he didn’t make the Chase field again in 2007.NASCAR didn’t quibble too much because the Chase field had 5 of 6 former champions that actively ran in 2007, Bobby Labonte was in 17^th position after Richmond that year (Elliott, Terry Labonte and Jarrett did not run full season that year).

Despite the best efforts of Earnhardt Nation, and some claiming a conspiracy for not changing both times after Junior failed to make it, NASCAR held ground again and made no changes to either the Chase format or the points system for 2008. Probably just as well because Dale Jr. did make it into the Chase for 2008, even though Kurt Busch joined Bobby Labonte as two former champions not making the field.

Even when Johnson claimed his third championship title in a row, not much was said about changing anything for 2009. In fact, talk was either could Johnson make it four in row or whether brash upstart Kyle Busch could knock him off the perch.

Unfortunately for Kyle, he won’t have that chance. Despite having 4 wins this year like Mark Martin, he missed the Chase cut-off by 8 points. Even Kyle admits that he has not had a consistent run this season, but that’s not stopping the “Change the System” train that seems to be rapidly approaching again.

A lot of chatter has been appearing in the social media sites like Facebook and Twitter regarding the question of whether wins should count for more. Once again, the idea of consistency seems to be regarded as less important than wins.

One idea is to add 5 more points to the 1^st place position, making the separation between 1^st and 2^nd 20 points instead of 15. If that were the case today, then Kyle would be locked into the Chase second behind Martin. Still wouldn’t have helped Earnhardt Jr. so I expect his fans won’t go for this as being the only change.

Another idea, more extreme and far-fetched, is that only drivers who have had wins during the season be allowed into the Chase. The last four spots of the Chase positions are occupied by drivers with zero wins this year. So Brad Keselowski, currently seeded 40^th, would surely vote yes for that plan, but he wouldn’t make it anyway as he would be the 13^th driver down the list of those that had wins this year. Rookie Joey Logano, now in 19^th, would be the 12^th driver.

I am not in favor of any change personally, as I believe that consistency does matter. In fact, I am not a fan of the Chase format at all. Who is to say that Kyle Busch, just barely out of reach of the 12^th spot, couldn’t suddenly make a run in the last ten races while those at the top have a reversal of their good fortune to date? It is definitely feasible as well as likely to happen.

The opportunity to race for a championship has been arbitrarily yanked from Kyle at this point. In this recent economy, the sponsors are more important than ever to woo and having drivers race up to a point only to hit a figurative wall that has a big “12” on it makes it hard to win over a sponsor by saying “Well, I finished 13^th last year but I really should have been ranked 1^st if you look at my last ten races.” Sponsors are only going to focus on those 12 spots.

I say if any change comes about, use today’s point system that has been around since Bob Latford created it in 1975 but minus the Chase format. Despite what NASCAR was thinking in 2004, there is still plenty of racing drama and excitement, especially with the COT making results tighter. At least the system is fair and rewards consistency instead of feeling like the equivalent of 12 “good job” ribbons handed out at the end of the year.

However, don’t expect any change for 2010. Earnhardt Jr. didn’t make it again this year, remember?

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By: DJ DeSpain

You may have heard that the current economy has hit NASCAR hard. Ticket sales are down and television ratings are slumping. But are the television ratings for NASCAR really that critical for the sport? If you don’t think so, consider the following.

NASCAR is the top dog of auto racing in the U.S. in terms of popularity. NFL football has long been determined to be the dominant national ball sport compared to basketball and baseball. The fan base for other sports in the U.S. such as golf, hockey, soccer, and tennis are generally considered to be too small to compare on a regular basis, except for spikes during major tournament events. The real competition, so to speak, for NASCAR is generally considered to be the NFL, particularly in the fall when the two sporting events overlap.

Before we go into the TV ratings, let’s look at some numbers regarding live attendance for NASCAR and the NFL.

The Super Bowl this year had about 71,000 people. The Daytona 500 is considered to be the auto equivalent of the Super Bowl. Daytona International Speedway has 168,000 seats and was said to be sold out this year. The largest NFL stadium currently with fixed seating is the Washington Redskins FedEx Field, which holds 86,484 people. There are several NASCAR tracks that easily top that number by about 60,000 seats.

However, on the other side of the coin, for every NASCAR race per weekend (just the main event, not a full weekend package) where 150,000 fans might show up, there might be up to 15 games played on that same day at stadiums scattered across the country. All those stadium seats combined tops the NASCAR attendance on that day and this gives you a hint of more bad news to come.

Now we talk about the television viewership in the fall, and this is where, unfortunately, the NFL reigns supreme. There are 9 weeks (there are 11 races but 2 are on Saturday nights when no NFL football game is scheduled) between September 10 and November 22, where the two sports are competing for fan viewers on the television.  This is the same period of time for the NASCAR Chase races. On an average Sunday, there will be 2 football games on television at the same time NASCAR has a 4-hour race with no rain delays.

Looking at the 2008 ratings data for the above period, NASCAR averaged about a 3.7 rating, which translated to an average of 6 million viewers, during the Chase races. The highest rated race during that period was not the season finale at Homestead, but rather the fall Talladega race which got a 4.6 rating that equaled 7.44 million viewers. The season ending race at Homestead drew about 800,000 less viewers on TV.

Not counting the games televised on the NFL Network, the NFL averaged a 10.54 rating or 17 million viewers during the NASCAR Chase races. This is almost triple the NASCAR average viewers during that same period of time. Ouch.

NASCAR boasts that it has 75 million fans based on a market brand study. They certainly aren’t at the tracks or watching it on TV. The biggest TV draw that NASCAR can get is the Daytona 500, the first race of the season, and last year it had a 10.2 rating or 17.8 million viewers.

Where are those 75 million fans during the football season if they are not at the track? Race viewings actually go down in the fall. In 2008, the average rating for Fox during the 12 races after Daytona was a 5.7, or 9.325 million viewers. The drop during the 2008 Chase races to 3.7, or 6 million viewers, represents a 35% reduction!

This year’s numbers are even worse. For Fox, there was a reduction of 1.5 million viewers on average throughout its coverage, and TNT experienced about 400,000 less viewers per race. I am certain that the loss will be expected to continue for ABC, especially if they continue the practice of bumping races over to the cable channels if a race runs too long. No appearance of fan loyalty at all if Desperate Housewives is threatened.

While it’s hard to predict anything these days in regards to the economy, I am fairly certain that the NFL will suffer its share of viewer reduction along with NASCAR. It’s just that NASCAR needs it more because it relies so heavily on corporate sponsors to bring in the money. But if nobody’s watching the rolling commercials on the track, then the money isn’t going to be there for the sport and the number of teams will slowly dwindle. Soon, there might be only 32 race teams that can compete on a regular basis. Just like the NFL has 32 teams.

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Note: source data for NASCAR ratings obtained from Jayski.com; source data for NFL ratings obtained from sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com.

by Lisa DeSpain

My dog, Abby, is a huge Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fan. She has a collar with his car number and sponsors, a food dish, and a squeaky toy that she adores. When we are watching a race, and Dale, Jr. is interviewed, I don’t even have to look to see who’s speaking. Abby is up next to the TV watching and, I swear, listening to every word. She will even jump up to the screen and give his image kisses. I’m just glad our TV is in a cabinet, or we might need a new one as much as she adores “her” Dale, Jr.

To all the Dale, Jr. fans, I mean no disrespect at all. Dale, Jr. is a remarkable driver. It’s just that, neither my husband nor I are devoted members of the Earnhardt Nation, although my husband was a huge fan of the late Dale Earnhardt. I am a Tony Stewart fan, and have been since I first started following NASCAR five years ago. So, we aren’t really sure from where her fascination and hard core fandom come. It has been there since her first race. I once tried an experiment to see if it was just Dale, Jr., or if any NASCAR driver’s toy would do. We now refer to the experiment as, “The Great Jeff Gordon Massacre.” The Jeff Gordon #24 squeaky toy was gutted inside five minutes. The Dale Jr. #8 toy is still in play, two years later. The change in car number hasn’t even fazed her. If it has Dale, Jr. on it, she loves it. Any other driver, including my Tony Stewart stuff if not watched, gets severely shredded. I can’t explain it, but she knows what she likes, and who.

Of course, animals and pets have been a part of the NASCAR world since the early days, all the way back to Tim Flock and his monkey, Jocko Flocko. Animals are still semi-huge business for NASCAR. Every driver has his or her own line of merchandise for pets. You can deck your furry friend out for race day in collars, leashes, t-shirts, and bandanas, in the colors of your (or their!) favorite driver. You can entertain your little buddy with bowls, toys, and treats. Some even have motorcycle jackets. Abby looked pretty tough in hers, but she gave me a look that said plainly, “I don’t care if Dale, Jr. has one just like it, get this off before I’m forced to bite you!” She did, however, love the bandana, and wears it on race days. A percentage of the profits for some driver’s pet-centered merchandise goes to animal rescue groups, or to that driver’s foundation that supports animal assistance programs.

Two of the most famous drivers that have foundations to work with animal rescue and support, are Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle. A big part of The Ryan Newman Foundation’s focus is on companion animal welfare, and conservation of natural resources. They were the driving force behind the book, Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars & Their Pets, which benefits the Humane Society of Catawba County, NC. In fact, 100% of the net proceeds of the book go to the humane society’s capital campaign for the Ryan Newman Foundation S.N.I.P. Regional Spay/Neuter Clinic that serves the heart of NASCAR country in NC. It’s a wonderful book that gives a small glimpse into the lives of some of the biggest stars in the sport. It also highlights the necessity of adopting pets from shelters, and spaying or neutering pets.

Founded in 2005, The Greg Biffle Foundation strives to be an advocate to raise awareness and improve the well-being of animals. They donate to, and raise money for, the Humane Society in Iredell County, NC, as well as other humane societies, no-kill shelters, and spay and neuter clinics. Since 2006, they have published the NASCAR Pets Calendar as a fundraiser for the foundation, and have had overwhelming success. They say they are amazed by the enthusiastic response they have received from the fans and the NASCAR community. In fact, the calendars have become collector’s items and a must-have for any NASCAR fan.

Several other drivers, including Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, have foundations that help support animal causes and wildlife conservation. So, the next time your cat just won’t let go of the bag of Ryan Newman treats, or your dog refuses to give back that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. squeaky toy, just remember that the purchase might help another animal that isn’t so fortunate as your friend. Go ahead and get the toy and the bandana for them. Just make sure you get their favorite driver. That Jeff Gordon toy was a sad sight.  After all, dogs and cats are NASCAR fans, too…just ask Abby.

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By: Lisa DeSpain

The feel good story of the year has to be the continuing excellent performance of the brand new Stewart Hass Racing teams. As a huge Tony Stewart fan, of course, I am rather excited about this. Oh, don’t bother to boo or give me any grief! (I can hear you out there.) We Smoke fans are used to abuse, and will give as good as we get while defending our guy. I happen to appreciate a driver who drives like a demon and speaks his mind. I don’t enjoy watching corporate puppets spouting the party line.

At any rate, no one can deny that the No. 14 is smoking hot these days, pun intended. Of course, that particular car number has had a lot of success in NASCAR, with some of the sport’s most legendary drivers in the seat. Names like Curtis Turner, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Bobby Allison, Fonty Flock, and Hershel McGriff have all been associated with the No. 14 at different times in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition.

Hershel McGriff has his own feel-good story going on this year. At 81, he is the oldest driver to compete in a NASCAR race. He finished 13^th in a Camping World West series race at Portland International Raceway. He is also expected to attempt to qualify for a race in August in Utah. I don’t know about you, but I’m impressed. I know guys in their forties who groan just getting into their cars…and those doors open!

Let’s get back to the No. 14. As Tony himself has stated, he chose that particular number because of its close association with his childhood idol, legendary Indy-car Champion and former Daytona 500 winner, A.J. Foyt. Foyt won the Indianapolis 500 four times with 2 of those wins coming in a car adorned with the No. 14. As any Tony fan knows, it has been a long-held dream of his to win the Indianapolis 500. In fact, early in his NASCAR career, in 1999 and 2001, he ran “Double Duty”, competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. In 2001, he drove 1,100 miles in one day, breaking his own record.

Now he is out to break another record. The No. 14 has 860 starts and 28 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. This year already, the No. 14 has been to NASCAR Victory Lane 3 times in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the Pocono 500, and the Coke Zero 400. Only 25 more victories to go, and Smoke likes Pocono quite a bit. If anyone can do it, it’s Tony Stewart. Even with a third place finish at the Brickyard, I’m sure A.J. Foyt is mighty proud.

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Information gathered from NASCAR.