Tony Stewart’s pit crew preforms their All-Star Race qualifying pitstop. Found on The Official Tony Stewart Facebook page- click to go to original)

Qualified: 13th

Finished: 14th

Race Winner: Jimmie Johnson

Points After All Star Race: Have not chanced since the All Star Race is a non-points big money race. Tony is still 21st, 170 points behind current series leader Jimmie Johnson. 62 points behind 10th in the standings – still outside of the top 20 and not eligible for a wild card birth.

My Mood After The All Star Race: Disappointed for Team 14/Bored by the race

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A while back I was on TonyStewart.com website looking for Tony’s position in the Sprint Cup points standings. I tend to use his site instead of NASCAR.COM because it is just easier for me to find the information I am looking for not to mention it is the home for all things Tony Stewart related so I can check to make sure that I didn’t miss some important news item.

Anyway- several weeks ago I saw an ad on his site for CelebCall- because he is now one of the listed celebrities.  CelebCall is a service where for a nominal fee you can fill out a MadLibs-esque script using pull down menus and have one of their celebrities call someone you know. It’s a recording and there are samples on the website of what it sounds like (but you do not get to hear your particular choices in the sample- for obvious reasons I suppose).  According to the website, the phone call looks like it is coming from your own phone number (the buyer’s phone number) – probably to increase the chances of a successful pick up should the recipient of the call be screening calls.  I admit I was intrigued.  But then I got the information I was looking for and promptly forgot about it.  Until last week when I was again checking Tony’s points in the standings (yeah I do that too much I agree but I can’t help myself- I have to know where my team stands- pun intended) when the CelebCall ad caught my eye again. (more…)

Mobil 2 GM UAW Corvette from the American Le Mans Series race at Laguna Seca in 2012. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

Plenty of us were racecar drivers. But a racer was something else, someone who loved driving and competing above all else and who’d drive anything anywhere anytime, just to be strapped into a five-point harness. – Dead Man’s Switch by Tammy Kaehler (page 116).

You may remember that last week I reviewed the novel Braking Points- the mystery novel that takes place in the ALMS (American Le Mans Series) racing series by Tammy Kaehler.  As I mentioned in my review Braking Points is actually the second book in the Kate Reilly (Kate Reilly is the main character and race car driver) Racing Series by Kaehler and since I liked Braking Points so much of course I had to pick up the first book in the series: Dead Man’s Switch. (more…)

I was thinking this morning yesterday morning (because I had to post THIS instead)- Stewart-Haas got their first win at the 2009 All-Star Race.  It is no secret that Stewart Haas Racing is struggling this season- especially my beloved #14 team.  I would love for them to bust out an awesome race and win at the All-Star Race in Charlotte this weekend. I think the morale boost alone could carry the 14 team into the Sprint Cup Chase- elusive wild cards be damned.  Yeah I am already starting to get nervous about the points. I am a points watcher and 21st in points – well it gives me heartburn AND heartache. But I am hopeful that this season will turn around SOON and Tony and the #14 team will go on a tear- if anyone can do it- Tony can.

Speaking of which- I occasionally will peruse my website stats and one of my favorite things to look at is how people end up on my page.  Someone recently did a Google search for “why is stewart haas racing racing doing so badly.” They ended up here at BadGroove as if I had the answer. If I had the answer I would tell the team straight away so we could END the bad part of the season.  Let’s just say the other day I came across my $2 bill and I remembered that eons ago I read that Tony said that he thought $2 bills were lucky.  Don’t make me send you mine Tony Stewart because I so will.

Anyway- the winner in the Mobile 1 Under The Hood with Tony Stewart was not me-but I didn’t think it would be.  Honestly I forgot to vote a couple days so I don’t think I got in enough votes. Anyway the lucky winner was Sandra Clark…here are some pictures from the event…looks darn fun to me:

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, performs a Mobil 1 oil change on his 1967 Pontiac GTO at his personal garage in Columbus, Ind. (Photo Credit: Duane Prokop/Getty Images North America)

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Hi there!  You don’t know me- so let me introduce myself. My name is Amy and I am a NASCAR fan (and blogger obviously).  Not knowing me, you would probably characterize me as a gun toting, tobacco-spitting, country music listening, walmart shopping, taxidermy loving, lawn mower riding, cowboy boot wearing, high school dropout redneck living in one of the cities in on your 10 Most “Redneck” Cities in America list.

After reading the list and more importantly the highly scientific method you used to come up with the cities that made the list I am flummoxed.  You see- I am a NASCAR fan and I have been since I was a child.  Yet I am none of those things. Neither are any of the NASCAR fans I know.  You see, that is the problem when you perpetuate stereotypes- you inevitably alienate people.  It would be like me stereotyping football fans as the inebriated, shirtless guy wearing a beer dispensing hard hat while his entire bare upper torso is painted in team colors while standing in 30 degree weather. Or like saying that all programmers are skinny, pale, bespectacled, dateless, socially awkward, caffeine addicted trolls who sit in darkened rooms playing WoW  between code writing marathons. Those sweeping generalizations are for the most part untrue as are yours when it comes to NASCAR fans.

NASCAR fans at the 2012 Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas NV (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

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Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Chevrolet, drives during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Qualified:20th

Finished: 15th

Race Winner: Matt Kenseth

Points After Darlington: 21st, 170 points behind current series leader Jimmie Johnson. 62 points behind 10th in the standings – still outside of the top 20 and not eligible for a wild card birth.

My Mood After Darlington: Cautiously optimist (more…)

Okay NASCAR Fans! This is your last chance to help with the PARTY IN THE POCONOS 400 taking place June 9th (which isn’t that far away if you think about it). You named the race PARTY IN THE POCONOS! You picked the signature concession – the Loaded Baked Potato Pierogi (which won by a landslide by the way)! Now we need to pick a pace car design.  Looks like the pace car is going to be a Camaro (which you all KNOW I love).  I have a definite favorite of the three designs but I will not cloud your judgement. Here are the three designs for the PARTY PACE CAR:

Pace Car Design 1

Pace Car Design 2

Pace Car Design 3

Voting for the Party Pace Car has already started- vote NOW at the FaceBook Fan Driven 400 page. Remember you can vote once a day until May 27th.  I just found out there are still $25.00 tickets available for the Party In The Poconos left thanks to Walmart- so get your tickets now directly from Pocono Raceway! Can’t make it to the Party In The Poconos? Walmart is offering family track ticket packs for many other races (that’s 4 tickets, 4 cokes, 4 hot dogs for $99).

Sorry it took me so long to get my Talladega race post up! ~ Amy

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, drives down the backstretch after being involved in a wreck between turn one and two during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. (Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

Qualified:25th (set by practice speeds due to weather)

Finished: 27th (laps down)

Race Winner: David Ragan

Points After Talladega: 22nd, 159 points behind current series leader Jimmie Johnson. 56 points behind 10th in the standings (if I am not mistaken he gained points on 10th- thank goodness for little favors). Outside of the top 20 and not eligible for a wild card birth.

My Mood After Talladega: Glad it was over. I think Tony was too.

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