Since I watched it, Racing Dreams has won a bunch of film festival awards (Tribeca Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Indianapolis International Film Festival- the list could go on and on) AND had a premiere at the NASCAR HALL OF FAME even.

Well I am now pleased to say that Racing Dreams will be featured on POV on PBS.  POV is in it’s 25th season on PBS and features the work of today’s best independent film makers (Marshall Curry, Racing Dreams Director and Producer, was also featured on POV in 2005 for Oscar nominated Street Fight).  The national broadcast premiere for Racing Dreams is on Thursday February 23rd 2012  at 9:00 pm (check your local listings though- because I know my PBS is a timezone off sometimes). It will also stream online in its entirety from Feb 24th to March 24th on the POV website at: www.pbs.org/pov/racingdreams. If you can at all watch it, DVR it or check it out in the internet I HIGHLY recommend it…especially for my race fan readers!

Racing Dreams follows the lives of three young racers (Annabeth Barnes, Josh Hobson and Brandon Warren) through the pavement series WKA national championship.

The release for this announcement also mentioned that DreamWorks Studios is developing the documentary into a dramatic feature film. I can only hope that this actually happens because it will rock if it’s half as good as the documentary is.

Please quit raining on my parade NASCAR races.  It was bad enough that I have had a nasty headache all day. All I wanted was a little racing action. (Ok- I lie- really I wanted to see Tony keep digging, race his way to the front of the field and take the checkers to WIN).  Instead, I got to watch ESPN beat a dead horse for hours and hours and hours with their interviewing drivers, crew chiefs, going over Paul Menard’s spin ad nauseum, going over the safety innovations since the 2001 death of Dale Earnhardt, bringing up the 1979 fight between Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough during the first full race telecast and how it also changed the sport…you get the picture…we fans had to endure a lot of dead horses. At any moment I expected them to start interviewing the guys in charge of gluing the lugnuts to the tires- and asking THEM about Paul Menard and if they thought his spin was intentional (okay- maybe I exaggerate a wee bit- but not much).  And those are only the parts I caught while doing this and that- determined not to let the rain delay ruin my entire day (although it kinda did anyway- since I was really REALLY looking forward to watching the first chase race).

What I am trying to say, Mother Nature, is that trying to “watch” a race at work sucks. Let’s make this Monday the last time I have to do this okay?

Smoochies,

Amy

P.S. It doesn’t look like Tony enjoys the rain delay much more than I did:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, walks down pit road as rain falls prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 18, 2011 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

In all seriousness though- Good Luck TONY tomorrow. I will be watching you best I can as I toil away.

Tony Stewart's car that will race at the Southern 500 at Darlington will carry information on how you can become the Official Small Business of NASCAR (photo credit: Action Sports Photography)

Enter early because Office Depot will be giving away $1000 gift cards each day to a random entrant.   Two small businesses will be selected as finalists . Each finalist will be awarded $10,000 AND a VIP race weekend.  One of the finalist’s logo will end up on the rear “tv panel” of Tony Stewart’s #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy during the Labor Day race at Atlanta Speedway later this season.  The other finalist will have their logo on the rear “tv panel” of Greg Biffle’s #16 3M Ford.  The small business on the highest finishing driver’s car will be this year’s 2011 Official Small Business of NASCAR.  And as added incentive – if either Stewart or Biffle win the Atlanta race- that driver’s small business will be awarded $1 million dollars!

This is a great opportunity for a small business! Don’t take my word for it take Tony’s word:

What are you waiting for? Enter now at OfficeDepotRacing.com!

I have been in the market for a smallish messenger bag to carry all my gear in to races.  It needs to be big enough for a dslr camera (and extra batteries and cards), wallet, notepad, pens, digital recorder, various toiletries, and anything else I deem necessary to carry with me depending on the day and the race.  Major plus if I can find one that is not only functional but durable and cute.  Oh and did I mention that I would much prefer it if it didn’t have that classic messenger bag flap but a zip top?

I have been scouring the Internet and local stores like crazy looking for just such a beast and was pretty confident one did NOT exist.  I could find flapped messenger bags locally- but they tended to be nylon and rather ugly and they had that flap I didn’t really want.  The Internet and my friend google were filled with messenger bags suggestions- however my options were equally as ugly and flap ridden as my local stores.  I also found some that were completely out of my price range, unless I decided to sell a kidney and honestly I am rather fond of my kidneys so I would only part with one under dire circumstances and a messenger bag is not dire enough…these tended to be leather and “name” brand ones.  Just when I had nearly given up hope…I found it:

I introduce to you: The Maggie Bag. The style pictured above is the small messenger bag in two tone grey- which is exactly what I bought myself.  Is that not adorable? It gets better.  It’s made from recycled seat belt webbing!  How totally fitting is this back since  it’s earth friendly (and look today is even EARTH DAY), automotive related, and totally adorable (hello- 40 percent of NASCAR fans are female).

The bag is lined with a gorgeous purple satin lining (I didn’t know that when I ordered it so it made me love it even more because for those who don’t know- purple is my favorite color).  The small messenger bag even has little metal feet so that it doesn’t rub up against the ground if I set it down.  I have only had my bag a week and I can already tell that it is uber durable.  You can totally tell it’s made out of seat belts if you look at it closely but if you don’t- it just looks like a stylish bag. And did I mention how cute it is? It really is cute.

There are only two problems with my Maggie Bag. The first problem is the bag I ordered is slightly too small for what I intended to use it for (race day)- but that is totally my fault.  I am sure that I could exchange it for the larger messenger bag BUT it’s too dang cute so I will just use it for a purse (it’s about the size of my current purse anyway). This bag is totally me so there is no way I was parting with it. I will try to swing the large messenger bag next month.

Second is they are slightly on the expensive side (not sell a kidney expensive mind you) but I think that the little extra price is worth the workmanship and did I mention that it’s made out of recycled seat belt webbing and cute? Maggie Bags are not only made from recycled seat belts but they are made in a WRAP certified factory (wrap stands for Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production- which is dedicated to lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing throughout the world).

Anyway- I thought my female NASCAR fans might be interested.  Don’t be dissuaded- the Maggie Bags come in several colors (you would be surprised) and styles and have a lifetime guarantee. I urge you to check out Maggie Bags the next time you are looking for an earth friendly, cute, unique bag.

A little about the All-Star Race:

A driver makes the field of the race by either winning a race in the previous or current season or by being a past winner of the All-Star race.

If drivers are not already qualified for the All-Star race field by May 21st (they qualify by winning)- they have a chance to race their way in via the Sprint Showdown.  Winner and runner up of the Sprint Showdown will also make the field.

The final spot in the race is determined by YOU!

If drivers are not already qualified for the All-Star race field by May 21st (they qualify by winning)- they have a chance to race their way in via the Sprint Showdown.  Winner and runner up of the Sprint Showdown will also make the field.

The final spot in the race is determined by YOU!

Fans can vote multiple times and can vote ONLINE or if you are a SPRINT customer you can vote by using the NASCAR SPRINT CUP MOBILE ap on your phone or by texting “VOTE” to 7777 on their Sprint or Nextel devices (standard text messaging and data rates apply). Votes cast by any Sprint/Nextel handset count DOUBLE.

Fans can also vote in person at any race before the All Star Race by visiting THE SPRINT EXPERIENCE located in the midway at all tracks.

Click logo to VOTE NOW!

Drivers who are already in the 2011 All-Star Race already include: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Trevor Bayne, Mark Martin, among others.

When I am at home I have my phone (NASCAR SPRINT CUP MOBILE) and sometimes I have my computer on my lap too.  But in person, we were sitting up in our seats- not even a scanner. I think the scanners take away from the experience. I can’t explain why.  I can tell you what I DO love…I love being able to see the drivers being driven around the track waving to the fans.  I love to watch the teams gather in little circles for private prayer/peptalks before prerace.  I LOVE the fly over.  But there is nothing like standing and watching 43 cars take the green flag at a race.  The sound of the cars, of the fans- it’s like nothing I have ever experienced. 

So I am sitting there in the Petty Terrace and the race starts and Tony was STRONG and it wasn’t long and Tony was in the lead.  And not only would Tony lead but he would pull AWAY.  I don’t think I have ever watched a race where his car seemed so strong.  I sat there and I was nervous. By lap 90 I was parched but like hell was I gonna get up and miss something.  By lap 100 I had to pee but I wasn’t about to leave my seat so I just put it out of my mind and concentrated on watching Tony go round and round.  If I had been at home I would have been pacing the living room. 

I didn’t actually SEE what happened that caused the pass through penalty.  Our seats in the terrace were at pit road out and I couldn’t really see Tony’s pits stops all that well.  But I heard it over loud speaker.  Ahh the disappointment.  The Smoke fan in the row behind me was disappointed too. He grabbed his 14 hat and pulled it down over his face in disappointment.  Oh I feel ya man. I feel ya. 

However- one thing that you HAVE to love about Tony is that he does NOT give up. Now as I mentioned I did not have a scanner. So I can only imagine what he was saying. And honestly he might not have been even saying it over the air. But I know what I would have been saying if roles had been reversed.  It might even make Tony Stewart blush! You never know. Anyway…what you have to love about Tony is that he doesn’t give up.  He was moving through the field pretty well.  Between that and a two tire stop pit stop for track position he was back towards the front of the field by the end of the race. I think that if the race had been longer or if there had been a caution- no question in my mind Tony would have won.  None at all.  But these are things that were not.  And a second place should be celebrated. Especially when it means that Tony is now tied for the points lead with Kurt Busch.  That is something that should be exciting.

But I have to say after seeing Tony with such a strong car I can not just reiterate his post race comment to Matt Yocum but I can feel it: Second sucks.  Second indeed does suck. 

Thanks to LOLRacePics for permission to use their LOL because it is just OH SO FITTING...be sure to check LOLracepics.com for more NASCAR LOLS.

My next post will showcase some of my pictures from the LAS VEGAS race weekend.