One of my favorite events is the NASCAR After The Lap event because it is so much fun to see the drivers really just be themselves.  Last year’s was particularly enjoyable and I learned that Clint Bowyer was a total cut up. Plus seeing and hearing Tony Stewart talk is always FUN.  So this year Misty forwarded me the email she got (because she ordered our tickets last year) with the pre-sale information on them. I bought our AFTER THE LAP tickets this year because she purchased them last year…that’s just how we roll (plus proceeds to the ticket sales go to THE NASCAR FOUNDATION so it’s win-win).  I was quite pleased because of our pre-sale status we got some REALLY close seats (our original seats were: GOLD 2, row DD, seats 13-14) Awesomely close…as in fourth row. Which rocks because last year? We had second to last row.  So awesome for us right?

Yesterday, out of the blue Ticketmaster emails me and says that those totally awesome seats? Were sold in error and that they have assigned us new seats in section 102 row C seats 5 and 6. The email they sent CLEARLY stated that if I wanted to retain these new seats I had until October 28th to reply to the email with my order number and that if I did NOT reply they would cancel my order- no harm no foul.  While I was NOT pleased at all that my uber close, 4th row awesome seats were now relocated to a much further back row I did still want to attend the event so what was I gonna do?  I emailed back with my original order number as specified in my email.  This morning when I checked my email I had a lovely email stating that my ticket order HAD BEEN CANCELLED! CANCELLED! This is definitely PANIC AT THE DISCO time.  I fired back an email stating that I replied per their instructions (and I reread their instructions three times to make sure I didn’t misread) to RETAIN my tickets not to CANCEL them!  Then I decided to call them to reiterate that I wanted my tickets.  They were closed of course. So I waited until 9:00 when they opened and called back again.  The representative who helped me (JAY) was nice and looked up my order number and told me that it indeed was cancelled.  AND not only that but the seats they reassigned me? Sold already. JAY the ticket master rep who helped me found me some equivalent seats (now we are sitting in section 101 Row C seats 5 & 6 but told me that the event is selling out fairly quickly.

So get your tickets for NASCAR AFTER THE LAP ASAP if you want to go- JAY told me they were already starting to run low on seats. And hopefully Ticketmaster won’t screw up your seats like they screwed up ours (TWICE).  See you there…and now you know exactly where we will be sitting so swing by and say HEY (that is of course unless our tickets get moved AGAIN).

Oh and in my rant I nearly forgot to tell you if you visit NASCAR AFTER THE LAP right now you can enter to WIN a trip to Vegas- including two VIP tickets to AFTER THE LAP (probably in my original seats..just kidding, kinda) AND a brand new Ford Explorer.

One of my favorite pictures from last year’s Stewie Awards during the Champions Week…just for fun:

Probably the best picture of Tony Stewart I have managed to take...because most of them manage to blur because I get nervous and move the camera. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

UPDATE: I am starting to think that TICKETMASTER pre-sale isn’t anything to get excited about that is for sure. Tell me Ticketmaster- what is the point of a pre-sale when I went out of my way to disrupt my morning routine to be sure I would be online the minute the tickets went on pre-sale…and ended up with 4th row seats (or second row in the case of Opal…our first commenter) as my prize for doing so- only to then get railroaded several sections back into the seating because of a supposed error that wasn’t discovered until so many of the seats have already been sold. I bet that if I had waited for tickets to go on sale for regular non pre-sale time slot I would have received just as good if not better seats that I have now.

It’s comparing apples to oranges admittedly but it’s not just the NASCAR After The Lap thing that TICKETMASTER is having a problem administering the pre-sale for.  Here is an article about the Sugarland pre-sale for the makeup concert from the Indiana State Fair tragedy…ticketed fairgoers were suppose to have a special pre-sale of their own (without the sale part- tickets were suppose to be free for them) yet why was a news station able to take advantage of the special sale?

It’s really disappointing and the more I think about it the more disappointed (and ANGRY) I get.

I watched the event as I do every year on PPV…but the other day I was searching around and I found a photo album that had some GREAT photos from the event. I wanted to share some of my favorites  (after the jump):

Ron Capps prepares to drive during practice before the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Carl Edwards inspects his car in the garage area before the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

A general view of the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

Tony Stewart waits in his car prior to practice for the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

Ricky Carmichael, driver of the #4 Monster Energy Drink Chevrolet, leads a pack out of turn four during the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

A tire from the car driven by Tony Kanaan (not pictured) bounces on the track during the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Clint Bowyer, driver of the #33 Crawford Supply/Klotz Synthetic Lubrication Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the running of Prelude To The Dream at Eldora Speedway on June 8, 2011 in Rossburg, Ohio. (June 7, 2011 - Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

You can check out the entire photo album here.  None of these photos are mine. All of them are great.

The two car tango that we have been seeing at the plate tracks brings with it two “issues” that seem to be on everyone’s mind. Of course you know I am going to throw my opinion in the ring.

(Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

The first “issue” is pod racing versus “pack” racing.  I honestly don’t know what “pack” races you are talking about…because before the two car break aways when I think of Daytona and Talladega I think of this: Two long freight train lines- one in the upper groove and one in the lower groove.  I always found that kind of racing boring and extremely frustrating- especially when your driver, in an attempt to pass would get shut out of being able to get back in line and end up falling from 11th to 35th in one poorly timed swoop.  I think that the pod racing makes the track more maneuverable and thus you get more racing action. So the cars are stuck together…who cares. Not me. We only see this at the restrictor plate races- so it’s not that big of a deal. It might be a different story if they raced like this at all the tracks.  To me it is much more fun to watch the cars move more freely on the track than being relegated to the top groove or bottom groove and this train is faster than that train kind of race.  Plus the pod racing has it’s own strategies in place.  It’s important to time the swap from pusher to pushee at an opportune moment.  Pitting with your partner if you want to stay with that partner is important. Communication is really important since the pusher can’t see around the car in front of him.

That brings me to the second issue- radio communication.  A big deal was being made about drivers wanting to communicate with drivers of teams other than their own.  I honestly think that this is a non-issue.  I am of the opinion that if a driver feels comfortable with having the possibility of taking to 16 different drivers, 30 different drivers, whatever- then let them.  As long as it doesn’t creat too much of distraction where it becomes like a driver on the interstate texting while driving, I have no problem with it. Obviously it is always best to try to draft with your teammate but that isn’t always possible depending on where they each qualified.  Honestly it’s not like drivers are going to be working with multiple drivers at the same time- at least not for very long.  Once a driver picks a dance partner he’s usually stuck working with that particular driver as least until the next caution.  I think that this is something that should be based on the driver’s personal comfort level with who is in his headset.  Again this is something we usually only see at restrictor plate races- so I don’t that it is that big of a deal.  I really don’t.

(Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

Okay- now that I have that off my chest- onto more about Tony’s run at TallafreakinDega.  Tony (and teammate Ryan) had a stellar practice. As in they were first and second fastest.  Then there was severe weather that called off second practice (tornado warnings).  The next day was qualifying.  I don’t know what happened but Tony pretty much tanked in qualifying. I wasn’t concerned for two reasons- Tony isn’t a great qualifier usually anyway AND it is Talladega- the track whose catchphrase might as well be “it’s not where you start it’s where you finish.”

At the beginning of the race, it seemed like no one wanted to be Tony’s partner.  He seemed to be floundering there alone for several laps.  Honestly it was hard to tell because the national broadcast wasn’t paying to much attention to Tony- I am guessing because he was in the back. I finally got sick of trying to figure out what was going on with Tony and got my phone so I could use my Sprint Cup  Mobile. It drains my battery, so I don’t use it too much but I was sick only knowing where Tony was when the ticker marched by.  By the time I got my Sprint Cup Mobile, he had already hooked up with David Gilliland and they seemed to be working spotter-to-spotter for communication.  They seemed to be pretty comfortable just hanging out where they were trying to avoid getting into any trouble, saving their cars for a planned charge to the front towards the end.

(Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

It almost worked too.  A late race caution broke them up temporarily but they found each other and the two of them (whom I dubbed Stewiland) began another charge towards the front and were actually visible in many of the national broadcast shots. Unfortunately something happened and Gilliland lost the back of Tony’s car and for some reason unbeknownst to me, Kurt Busch (I will have more to say about him later in the notes) decided to give pushing Tony a shot. Then a few minutes later he abandons Tony and shoots up a groove on the track to push someone else.  I couldn’t tell you who because I was cursing such a blue streak that all I could see was blue for a few minutes.  What could have been a top ten finish ended up being a 17th place finish, which dropped Tony back down to 12th in points.

The finish however, between Johnson/Earnhardt and Bowyer/Harvick (with Gordon/Martin in the middle) tied for the closet in series history (since the advent of electronic timing) with Johnson beating Boywer by the skin of his teeth (I think they said 2/16th of an inch or something like that?) The win catapulted Johnson to second in the series standings.

Gratuitous Tony Picture Alert: I had to add this one because it’s a funky angle. I can’t decide if it looks like he is lifting his leg to pee on the car like a dog or if it looks like Tony is doing some sort of newfangled NASCAR YOGA!

(Photo Credit: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images North America)

The ‘Dega notes:

• I have watched the video and seen the stills in question…and I do NOT believe that Jimmie dropped under the double yellow. At most he had one tire ON the yellow line but he was not over it and his tire was on the line for maybe 10 seconds? I don’t think that counts as advancing position by going under the double yellow line and Johnson’s win and points should stand. That is all I will say on that subject.
• I think your best bet to win restrictor plate pod races is to hook up with your teammate and try to stick with him throughout the race- like Jimmie/Earnhardt and Gordon/Martin.  (HINT HINT – Stewart-Haas Racing- something to think about for Daytona and fall Talladega).
• Did you know that if you are in a tornado warning and don’t really have any place to take cover that the best thing you can do is get into your car, buckle your seat belt and turn on the engine? It took me forever to figure out that you needed to turn the engine on so your airbags will deploy in case you end up being tossed around like a sock monkey in a dryer. The things you learn on twitter while hoping the fans in the infield are safe.
• Kurt Busch seemed like he was trying out for the highway patrol and not racing at Talladega with as many people as he pitted. It was for this reason alone that I was NOT pleased when he jumped between Tony and David. Of course I was even less happy when he up and abandoned Tony. But yeah- just because your car is yellow Kurt doesn’t mean you need to try to cause all the cautions- just sayin’!
• That was some driving by Ryan Newman to save his car from hitting the wall not once but twice late in the race.  Good job- but maybe we should rethink greasing the bumper next time.
• One FUN aspect of the pod racing is coming up with cute monikers for the duos.  I already told you my one for the Stewart/Gilliland combo (Stewiland) earlier in the post. Here are some others I came up with: Johnshardt (Johnson/Earnhardt), Boyvick (Bowyer/Harvick), and Ham-man (Hamlin/Newman).  Play along with me…can you think of any good ones?

The Sprint Cup Series takes a break this weekend and then takes back up Saturday April 30th with night racing at Tony’s favorite track: Richmond.  Go TONY Go!

____

* Title inspired by Trace Adkin’s song “Ala Freakin’ Bama”

There is a web promotional video that Mobil 1 has put out to talk about the F1/NASCAR car swap that Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton are doing later this summer at Watkins Glen that I enjoy too.  I can’t find an embeddable video for that one either but I can at least refer you HERE to watch it on the Official Tony Stewart facebook page.  Beware- the video has some strange pixelations – do NOT adjust your set (that shows my age huh?) I think it’s artistic pixelations.  That video has me thinking “Tony, I’ve Got An Idea” would be a great blog post title…but damned if I can think of the body to go with it.  Don’t be stealing on my idea…I am still thinking about it.

Speaking of Tony Stewart and commercials and thinking,  I was read this article by Richie Whitt for the Dallas Observer where he got to be an honorary crew member for the race. That got me thinking about this Clint Bowyer FANTASY NASCAR LIVE commercial (I don’t know why- that is just how my brain works):

Anyway I was thinking it is probably a good thing that this gadget allowing fans to talk directly to their drivers midrace is fictional.  Not only because could you imagine all these people trying to talk at once but I know for a FACT that I would probably say something in the heat of the moment that I would regret.  Could you imagine having the ability to actually speak with the driver who just tangled with your driver and wrecked him out? It’s fun to imagine…but frankly as huge of a Tony Stewart fan I am- I wouldn’t necessarily want him to hear my race comments I tend to curse like a sailor during races because I become viciously competitive. Just saying. So how about you? What’s your favorite NASCAR commercial so far this season?

However when I was at the NASCAR Champions Week celebration and festivities in Las Vegas I got some of the BEST pictures of PEOPLE that I have ever taken.  That is when it dawned on me-  I can take good pictures of people as long as they don’t know I am taking their picture or at the very least aren’t posing for me.  So my best three photos of Champions week are:

Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson talk during a break at the 2010 Stewie Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

Probably the best picture of Tony Stewart I have managed to take...because most of them manage to blur because I get nervous and move the camera. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

Now I know that here it looks like Jimmie is posing for me but he's NOT! He is actually smiling at a little boy who is sitting on his father's shoulders behind me. The little boy kept calling out "Jimmie Johnson...Jimmie Johnson!" (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

Now you might be wondering where on earth Clint Bowyer fits into all this, since clearly my “best” photos were NOT of Clint.  Well as a result of After The Lap and The Stewies, I found out that Clint  is a really funny guy.  Honestly I have never really given Bowyer much thought before but he really is a funny guy and spent most of the time laughing and cutting up at both After the Lap and The Stewies.  But damned if I can get a picture of the man where he doesn’t look grumpy.  I present to you all my pictures of Clint Bowyer as evidence:

My very first picture of Clint Bowyer...grimacing in the garage at LVMS three years ago. Ok so maybe he was working and this is Clint's "race" face...but really he just looks annoyed. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

So that isn’t that bad BUT he looks kind of ticked off right? Well trust me…they only get worse. Check out this picture of Clint signing autographs on the red carpet at Fan Fest:

Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer on the red carpet at Chasers for Charity Fan Fest. (photo credit: Amy K. Marbach)

See? This is NOT Clint Bowyer’s personality- I would know since I was there- he is not the grumpy gus that my camera catches…it’s my apparent inability to catch him in a flattering way.  I am sad to admit that  have an even worse picture of Clint from the Stewies:

Clint Bowyer at the 2010 Stewie Awards. (Photo Credit: Amy K. Marbach)

So why I can’t get a decent picture of Clint Bowyer I don’t know. It use to be that I could never get a decent picture of Tony Stewart because he would make me nervous and I would move the camera so all my pictures of the man would be blurry. But that has changed. With Bowyer it’s different…I can’t caught a flattering image of him for the life of me.  I have no explanation for it really.

Also I just wanted to include a side note that while taking pictures to document NASCAR Champions Week 2010 I felt like a paparazzi, especially during the red carpet walk for Fan Fest and during the Stewies.  It was kinda weird.

Directly after the Victory Lap and Burnouts on Thursday was the After The Lap Q&A at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.  Which meant Misty and I had to jam! We left our prized burnout spot for the car before the smoke from Jeff Burton’s car had dissipated and started towards the Hard Rock.  We had about half an hour and while we weren’t THAT far from the Hard Rock, traffic was backed up from the closing of Las Vegas Blvd for the Victory Lap and the lights at Las Vegas intersections? Are the longest lights I have ever experienced in my entire 30-something years of living. We get to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and basically RUN to into the Joint and grab two seats in the back near where the drivers would be entering. This event was FREE but space was limited and on a first come/first serve. So Las Vegas native Jamie Little was doing the emceeing/hosting of the event and the Chase drivers are announced- walk into the Joint from the back towards a little catwalk then onto the stage.  I would have gotten some great pictures of them entering except someone was a little fogger happy at the Joint so all I got were shadowy people in a fog.  I will spare you.

The drivers sat on directors chairs on-stage and were asked questions that were submitted on facebook, twitter, on video from the tracks, and even a couple from the audience.  Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon were seated next to each other much like at Family Feud the day before and they talked back and forth even when it wasn’t their turn to talk- it was funny. I would love to know what they were saying.  Anyway,  if you follow me on twitter you might have caught my tweet from the event:  I am laughing my ass off at the after the lap q&a. These guys are funny as hell!! And I truly was…laughing my butt off.   Best line of the night though? Came from Tony Stewart.  Let me set it up:

Someone (Clint Bowyer I think?) brought up that the drivers were all changing from their suits into their firesuits in the same room from the Luncheon early in the day to the Victory Lap in the early afternoon.  Apparently Kyle Busch was wearing bright green boxers.  The other drivers found that to be uproariously funny and mentioned it several times throughout the evening.  Anyway- after much talk of Kyle’s green boxers, Tony gets a hold of one of the microphones and states: I don’t know what you guys over there were doing (motioning towards the drivers on the other side of the stage from him) but you were spending WAY too much time looking at each other’s junk.  I nearly fell out of my chair (and I hadn’t had anything to drink so don’t think I was drunk).

In between answering the questions we learned that Jeff Gordon is afraid of needles and doesn’t have any tattoos. And Clint Bowyer? The man is hilarious!  Who knew?  Not me but indeed Clint Bowyer is HILARIOUS! And we all know that Tony is a great storyteller and he had a couple to tell….needless to say that watching these guys interact with each other outside of the track was great!!

Now we wanted to go to the Stewies but we weren’t sure where they were.  Originally we had heard they would be at The Hard Rock as well…but then someone else in the Q&A had mentioned they were going to be at the Rio.  There was no way would have time to get all the way to the RIO Q&A and happen onto the Stewies being set up right there outside in the Joint Lobby.  We take a prime spot for the taping. Last year by the time we got to the Stewies it was so full of people that we were stuck way up in the balcony and could barely see. We didn’t have that problem this time.  And let me just say…poor Kyle Busch’s green underwear were brought up AGAIN on the radio.  Here is Misty’s awesome video of the Jeff Gordon section of the Stewies:

(Video credit: Misty Bethany)

I also got some great shots during the Stewies:

Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson talk during the commerical break at The 2010 Stewie Awards.

Tony and Clint Bowyer during to 2010 Stewie Awards.

Tony and Jeff Gordon during the 2010 Stewie Awards.

Tony and Stewie recipient Delana Harvick at the 2010 Stewie Awards.

Tony in the middle of a story at the 2010 Stewie Awards.

(All photos credited to ME).

You can see who won in each Stewie catagory at the Stewies Site on Sirius XM’s website as well as listen / watch snippets of video from the event as well…

While I was pretty much on the go all day both Misty and I laughed our butts off at After The Lap and The Stewies.  It was a great day!

Then it was the Victory Lap and Burnouts down the Las Vegas Strip.  Having attended this last year- Misty and I had the perfect spot for viewing (and pictures and video) the burnouts.  Also? This year rocked because all top 12 drivers did burn outs- last year just Jimmie burned out- the rest just squirreled around the turn! Anyway, we staked out our spot early. Ok, really early, because we didn’t want to worry about it getting usurped.  The weather this year was warmer than last year which was great because by the time they burned out last year I was frozen solid into a Popsicle.  We were so cold that by the end of it last year we were both shaking uncontrollably. This year we were prepared with layers but didn’t need to worry.  So without further ado…some pictures:

Jimmie Johnson burnout on the Las Vegas Strip for the Champions Victory Lap celebration.

Denny lights them up on Las Vegas Blvd.

Smoke burns some rubber on Las Vegas Blvd.

Kyle burns out on the Las Vegas Strip.

Jeff Gordon takes his turn laying some rubber on the Las Vegas Strip.

Clint Bowyer's Las Vegas burnout.

(All photos of the burnouts are credited to ME!)

And Misty with her arms of steel took this great video of the awesome burnouts:

(Video credit: Misty Bethany who is now the chief videographer for badgroove.com)