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Race 11: Darlington

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (0 Comments)

For some reason every time I type Darlington the Trace Adkins song Arlington runs through my head- to the point where I will break into song…and if you have ever heard that song- it’s not a chipper break-into-song type of song so I can’t explain it. I have NO IDEA why except that they kind of rhyme.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, drives through the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 11, 2012 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)

So back to the race report? I honestly don’t have much to say about Darlington. I know…what is WRONG with me- having nothing to say.  Tony finished well- a very respectable 3rd (missed it by that much!). Of course I was hoping Tony would get his first win at Darlington but it wasn’t in the stars I guess.  Tony is still 7th in the points despite his 3rd place finish.

Notes About Darlington:

  1. Kurt Busch was fined $50,000 for his actions during and after the race as well as put on probabtion through July 27th.  One of Kurt’s crew members, Craig Strickler, has also been placed on probation through December 31st.  Ryan Newman’s crew chief, Tony Gibson, has been placed on probation  through June 27th and the gas man, Andrew Rueger has been placed on probation through June 27th and fined $5,000 for his part in the postrace altercation.  I didn’t see the pitstop where Kurt purportedly burned out through Newman’s pit box- but if he did that while members were over the way- that was not a very bright thing to do. Again if he did do that I can see why Andrew Rueger was so pissed off.  I am, however, unclear, what Craig Strickler’s part in the altercation was- all the release would say was “interfering with a member of the broadcast media.”

Gratuitous Tony Stewart Picture:

Tony at Darlington (I think he's watching Danica practice). (Photo Credit: Stolen from the Official Tony Stewart Facebook Page- click picture for original location)

We have the All-Star Race on Saturday and the Coca-Cola 600 on the 27th- both at Charlotte.

 

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Behind Every Great Champion, Is His Mom…

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (0 Comments)

Tony Stewart, age 8, helping his mom (Pam Boas) during a Powder Puff Race). (Photo Credit: Submitted to NASCAR for Media Use)

“She’s a pretty patient woman. Anyone that could actually raise me and not want to kill me or kick me out of the house has got to be a very patient person. That’s my mom. She’s a very patient lady with a great heart and she’s really good with people.”- Tony Stewart

NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart, with mom Pam Boas. (Photo Credit: Submitted to NASCAR for Media Use)

Amy’s Weekly #NASCAR Reads

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (0 Comments)

I am trying to incorporate more blog posts from other NASCAR bloggers in the weekly reads:

Love To Hate The 88- Ryan McGee  for ESPN Magazine

Too Many Wrecks at Talladega?- Jay Busbee for YahooSports!

Vines and Wines: Jeff Gordon Cellars- Jack Berninger for Richmond Times-Dispatch

Danica Patrick Says She Did Not Mean To Wreck Sam Hornish- Bob Pockrass for Sporting News

Dale Jr Reaches New Level of Consistency- JD / Bumpdrafter

One-on-One With Jeff Gluck- Amanda Ebersole for Skirts & Scuffs

Gratuitous Tony Stewart Picture:

Tony at Talladega. (Photo Credit: The official Tony Stewart Facebook page- click picture for link)

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An Attempt At A NASCAR Bucket List Of Sorts…

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (2 Comments)

A while back I read a book hoping to use it to spur kind of a NASCAR-themed Bucket list (review of 100 Things NASCAR Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is here) as I had been kicking around the idea of publishing one here on the blog. The book wasn’t quite what I expected, however the idea of my NASCAR Bucket List has been rolling around in the back of my brain since then.  Some of these are simple and straight forward and may actually happen “one day”. Some of these will never ever happen and I know and accept that. So without further ado my list :

  1. Attend the Prelude To The Dream.
  2. See a race in person at Martinsville.
  3. See a race in person in Charlotte.
  4. See a race in person at Bristol.
  5. See a race in person at Indianapolis. (Ok so the list of tracks I would love to watch could go on and on so I am going to limit it to three four).
  6. Tour race shops in Charlotte (related to number 2).
  7. Interview Jeff Gordon for this website in the same manner we have Tony Stewart. Completed- see interview here.
  8. Tour a hauler at the track (and no I am not talking a merchandise hauler). The haulers always have fascinated me and I would like to be inside one…just to peek. Kinda completed- it wasn’t really an official tour- but I did get to walk through one and sit in the back office with Misty during the Jeff Gordon Interview.
  9. Stand on top of a hauler during practice. This will probably never happen because even IF it was offered to me I probably honestly wouldn’t do it…being majorly afraid of heights and all. Still a part of me wants to do it.
  10. Attend a race with access to a VIP hospitality suite. I want to see how the other half watch a race. Hey a girl can dream right?.
  11. Camp at a track- but my definition of camp is: Have access to a very nice motor home/trailer with all the amenities of home so I don’t have to visit that very scary looking group shower trailer I saw in the campgrounds at Las Vegas that one time I went through the campgrounds in a golf cart with Brad Keselowski (Yeah still can’t believe Misty and  I got to do that- it was SOOO fun)!
  12. Drive to my favorite track (Phoenix) in a Chevy Camaro and blog about the experience. I don’t have a Chevy Camaro and renting one is a bit cost prohibitive for the thrill of writing a couple of blogs about the Camaro. Ever since the Camaro has come out I have this vision of me driving it Phoenix (picking Misty up along the way in Vegas) and taking pics of the car along the route. Plus California car rental places tend to put a cap on the miles you can drive without incurring a fee- and it’s a long way to Phoenix.
  13. Stand on the spotters stand- just to see the view. Spotters have always fascinated me as well. This will probably never happen either because of that wicked fear of heights…they would probably laugh me off the stand because I would have a death grip on the rail (there is a rail right?) and panic in my eyes (possibly along with tears- it just happens I can’t help it sometimes no matter how much I try.  I told you all about the time I decided it was time to get over my fear by going up to the observation deck of the mock Eiffel tower in Las Vegas right? I ended up panicking in the elevator stuffed with people on the way up AND people in the elevator LAUGHED AT ME- which only made it worse. I was in full tears by the time we reached the deck. I did manage to get out of the elevator but I was miserable and just wanted to go back down).
  14. Do a ride-along with Tony. But this is going to sound really weird but I would want to do it in a street car and not a NASCAR. Kinda like that thing that Carl Edwards did for the Ford commercial here…but with Tony Stewart and a Chevy (Camaro? Vette?). If this were to ever happen- I would have to warn Tony that it probably wouldn’t take much before I would be squealing like the girl that I am and screeching “Far too fast…far too fast.”
  15. Sit in a garage stall during practice and watch them work on a car. Any would do but of course you would know that I would like to do it with Tony’s crew best. Just sit in a corner and watch and listen (and knowing me bite my tongue not to ask questions).
  16. Interview Tony Stewart for this website. completed multiple times (interview One, Two, Three)
  17. Ride around in a golf cart with Brad Keselowski delivering beer to fans while Misty interviews him as we speed around the camp grounds. Ok so that probably would have honestly never been on my bucket list- only because I would have never thought that would actually happen to me…but it did so I think I should be able to tick it off- but this really happened!

Gratuitous Tony Stewart picture that really has nothing to do with the post…I just like the picture:

Tony Stewart in the garage at Talladega. (Photo Credit: Nabbed from the Official Tony Stewart Facebook Page- click picture for link)

So what would YOUR NASCAR bucket list include? Did I miss something that you have done that is completely awesome?

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Race 10: Talladega 1

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (1 Comments)

I have never made it a secret that I do not like watching races at Talladega. I watch it through my fingers worried about “the big one” and fretting about my driver’s position (the closer you are to the middle of the field the more likely you are to get caught up in said “big one”).  However after watching the flip during Friday’s Arca race and Eric McClure slam (and I mean SLAM) into the wall during the Nationwide race- I was even more unsettled as I settled in to watch the delayed start of the race at Talladega on Sunday.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, pits during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 6, 2012 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo Credit- Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

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Amy’s #NASCAR Reading List

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Here is this week’s list of recommended NASCAR reads that I liked and thought you might enjoy:

Nationwide’s Eric McClure, his family, starting over a year after tornado- Dustin Long for Sports Illustrated

Kevin Harvick Gives Update on Josh Jones, Better Known As Twitters @Mother_Function- Jeff Gluck for SBNation.com

Tony Stewart Wins Denny Hamlin’s Charity Race- Hank Kurz, Jr For AP/YahooNews!

Paul Menard Crewman Goes After Hendrick Team Member After Pit Road Incident- Bob Pockrass for Sporting News

Stewart Not Happy With NASCAR, Pit Crew at Richmond- Jon Gunn for Sporting News

Hendrick Motorsports Still Searching For Elusive 200th Win- Dustin Long for Athlon Sports.

Scott Speed Interview (12 Questions)- Jeff Gluck for SBNation.com

The Daly Planet: Day Two: The TV Bait And Switch- The Daly Planet Editor

Gratuitous Tony Stewart Picture:

Tony Stewart at Richmond- (photo credit: Tony Stewart Official Facebook Page- click picture to be taken to original)

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NASCAR Fandom- it’s a sickness!

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So at work the other day I was putting in a vacation request for NASCAR Sprint Cup Champions Week in LV. When I put in any sort of leave- it automatically emails my boss (whom for the purpose of this post I shall refer to as Bossman) so he can approve it if need be.  It’s an easy process that basically has me choosing things from a series of pull down menus then typing in a description of the absence. In the description box I put: “Champions Week LV” (nothing mentioning NASCAR specifically).  When checking my work after I had submitted it- I realized that I had made a mistake when selecting absence type and put it on the calendar as sick leave instead of vacation leave- so I immediately went back in to fix my mistake. After I fixed it I checked my email and saw that Bossman had forwarded me the original absence request email and all it said from him was “Um, sick?”

I had to smile because obviously I had made a mistake and he caught it. I emailed him back and said I fixed it and his next email cracked me up: “cough, nascar, cough, not feeling well, cough Tony Stewart”

Bossman, of course, was kidding with me since I had already fixed my mistake in our absence recording system…but it also says a lot that he figured it was NASCAR related (as most of my vacations are) and remembered who my favorite driver is (his office is not in the same building as mine so it would be easy for him not to know).

2011 NASCAR Champions Week Las Vegas Photo Collage (All Photos Credit: Amy Marbach)

Even Bossman knows NASCAR is a sickness!

Race 9: Richmond 1 (Jumping Restarts, Waterbottles, and Clashing Crews)

Posted by Amy in General | NASCAR - (0 Comments)

Wow…what a bizarre race Richmond ended up being!  I guess the three major issues ended up being clashing crew members in the pits (between Menard and Johnson who were pitted side-by-side), Carl being black flagged for jumping the restart, and that last debris caution. And I have opinions on ALL of it of course. The problem is where to start.

So Tony didn’t have such a great qualifying effort and started the race from 22nd position.  Despite what Tony said about the pit crew issues during the race? I think having a crappy pit box may have been part of his pit road issues. Not that there weren’t other issues- I am sure there were. But the crappy pit box that comes with a mediocre qualifying run can damper your race on/off of pit road.  However, I think it speaks volumes about the car and the team (and of course our smokin’ driver Tony) that the car seemed to be able to slowly work up the field despite the pit road issues- whatever they may have been.

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, makes a pitstop during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images North America)

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