Loudon winner Ryan Newman and Loudon runner up Tony Stewart will sign autographs in their native state of Indiana(Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett MRD/CIA Copyright, CIA Stock Photography)Inc.

Loudon winner Ryan Newman (who hails from South Bend, IN) starts the autograph sessions at the Office Depot located at 16650 Mercantile Blvd in Noblesville IN on July 27th. Ryan Newman will be signing autographs for 600 fans starting at 4:00 pm. A wristband is required for the event. Wristbands will be distributed on a first come first serve (one wristband per person) basis at the Office Depot starting at 8:00 am. There will be one autograph per wristband and one wristband per person.

The following day (July 28th) Tony Stewart, who hails from Columbus, Indiana, will be at the Office Depot in Carmel, IN to help THE OFFICE DEPOT FOUNDATION donate 5,000 sackpacks filled will school supplies to representatives from from local schools and non-profit organizations (FYI sackpacks are not available to the general public) that assist Indiana’s school-age children. After the donation, Tony Stewart will sign autographs for 300 fans at the Office Depot in Carmel. This Office Depot is located at 12417 Meridian Crossing in Carmel, IN. Tony’s autograph session will start as soon as the sackpack presentations are over- so at approximately 4:15 pm. You will need a wristband for an autograph. A wristband is required for the event. Wristbands will be distributed on a first come first serve (one wristband per person) basis at the Office Depot starting at 8:00 am. There will be one autograph per wristband and one wristband per person.

Get their early, wear comfy shoes and have a blast!

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, poses with his team and Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, and his team on the grid prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images North America)

It appears I had every reason to be hopeful.  EVERY REASON.  I settled in for the race with my cell phone and my note pad close.  I started off on the TNT national broadcast- only for the pre-race. Once the command was given to start engines I switched it over to Stewart’s DirecTV HotPass channel where for the second week in a row I just stayed on the HotPass Channel.  I have decided that I like the HotPass because I get the radio communications between Tony, Darian and Bob without draining my battery on my phone and having to relaunch the Sprint ap every time I go to read a text or a tweet- which during the race is quite often.

Anyway- it was quite obvious by the way Tony Stewart moved through the field that he had a car to be reckoned with.  Especially if you consider that during the pre-race show all the drivers interviewed mentioned how hard it would be to pass at Louden.  I don’t remember anyone saying anything different.  Tony seemed to be able to work his way up through the field a couple times and made it look easy.  EASY!  Whoo.

Ryan Newman (R), driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, is congratulated by team owner and second place finisher, Tony Stewart (L), driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

I will readily admit that the competitive side of me came out when Tony was running hard trying to catch Ryan.  I was standing there in front of the TV-hoping Ryan would run out of gas. I know, I should hang my head in shame a little for hoping Ryan would run out of gas, after all that is Tony’s  teammate.  All I can say is that, Tony is my driver and he could be racing my mom out there and I would still be rooting for Tony. It’s just how this fan/driver relationship works.

Tony’s second place finish has moved him into a tie for 10th place with Denny Hamlin.  I can only hope that this 1-2 weekend at New Hampshire signals the start of better luck for Tony Stewart and Stewart-Haas Racing.

Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, is congratulated by teammate Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, after Newman won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Notes on Loudon:

1. You see that picture up there of Tony congratulating Ryan in the car. The one right above this notes section? You might have to look carefully because it’s small but Tony’s hand is out congratulating Ryan.  I LOVE that picture.  Why? Well, as I mentioned I was watching the race on Tony’s HotPass channel and seeing him celebrate Ryan’s win and his second place from his incar camera was GREAT!  He was UBER excited!!!  Then hearing that one of the first things Tony said when he got out of his car was that he was “so damn proud” that he “couldn’t see straight” made me laugh.
2. I love listening in on the radio communication. How else would I have known that Tony was mad because the hose that cools his feet wasn’t hooked up and I found that out because he stated over his radio that he in charge of hooking up said hose could drive the car the next time the hose didn’t get hooked up.  So Tony wasn’t hot-headed he was hot-footed.  Ha! I crack myself up.  Not to mention the kind words he had to say about Andy Lally.  LOVE it because that is what is going on right then and there in the car in my driver’s head.
3. Oh and I am hearing that there is a rumor out there that Carl Edwards may be signing with JGR for next season…I am not sure if JGR is going to a 4 car team or if that means someone is out of one of the JGR cars.  I guess we will find out soon enough.
4. I still have to say that I would be happier if Ryan and Tony’s finishes were reversed, but still pretty damn happy.
5. But we really need a win now. Just saying.
6. Oh and before I forget- Tony mentioned during his post-race press conference that Darian was dealing with pneumonia while on the pit box…I sure hope he’s feeling better soon!

Gratuitous Tony picture:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 15, 2011 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo Credit: Elsa/Getty Images North America)

Don’t forget next weekend is an off weekend for the Cup cars…they will be back the following weekend at Indy. Go Tony Go!

I only mention this because when I sat down to watch the Kansas race that is EXACTLY how I felt about his chances. First off- Tony seemed to have a strong car in first practice. Second practice didn’t go so hot, but as my wise friend told me- who knows what they were doing- possibly running in a different trim than the rest of the field or experimenting with alternate setups. Qualifying went alright- I would much rather see Tony qualify 13th than 28th or whatever. Plus did I mention that I really enjoyed THE GLADES/OFFICE DEPOT paint scheme with that big bleeding ORANGE on the hood (emphasis on orange because for some reason unbeknownst to me- many fans thought it was a peach)? Because I have to say this paint scheme rocked:

The Glades/Office Depot Chevy (Photo by: Stewart-Haas Racing)

Hmm where was I? I got distracted by the cool paint scheme.  Oh yeah, cautiously optimistic- that was me.  I continued with my cautious optimism throughout 90% of the race. Tony obviously had a great car because while he started in 13th he moved through the field quickly breaking into the top ten and hung in the top ten nearly the entire race including a stint leading while attempting to prep for a few mileage ending.  I say attempting because in the subsequent pit stop there was apparently an issue with the gas can (again) and the car didn’t get a full tank.  This forced the crew to call Tony into the pits with 10 laps to go.

Tony Stewart pits the #14 The Glades/Office Depot Chevrolet during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 400 at Kansas Speedway on June 5, 2011 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images North America)

(Side note about picture above- I just thought I would share that it bothers me when the pit crew uniforms don’t match the paint scheme.  I realize it’s a money issue but it still bothers my delicate sensibilities.)

All was not lost however.  Tony did end up finishing 8th in the race- which is better than his 13th starting position. And while yes I know that one has nothing to do with the other- I have this weird thing where I always feel better if Tony finishes better than where he started.   Tony Stewart moved up one position in the Sprint Cup standings and is now 8th.

Race winner was a very happy Brad Keselowski!

Tony in the cockpit of THE GLADES/OFFICE DEPOT Chevy. (Borrowed from the Official Tony Stewart Facebook page- Copyright, CIA Stock Photography, Inc)

NOTES:

1. One of the main reasons this recap didn’t get published right away is because I wanted to see how my fantasy league did this race.  Oh I haven’t mentioned it lately? Well it’s because I have been kinda hanging out in the lower middle of our standings.  Well considering that all six of my drivers finished in the top 16 and 4 of them finished in the top 8 – I knew I would jump up…but I wasn’t sure how high. Well I can proudly say I am now 39th (hey…I jumped 21 spots- whoo go me).
2. As I was writing this it was announced that Stewart-Haas Racing has released Director of Competition Bobby Hutchens.  Matt Borland was promoted internally to Vice President of Competition and will also serve as the Interim Director of Competition until that position is filled.  There was no mention as to a reason for Hutchen’s release from the team.
3. SB Nation reported yesterday that Stewart’s teammate Ryan Newman may have received a secretive fine from NASCAR for his possible physical altercation with Juan Pablo Montoya in the NASCAR Hauler earlier in the season.  Of course no one will comment officially beyond the usual “what happens in the hauler stays in the hauler” rhetoric.  Of course if NASCAR did confirm the fine (which they didn’t) they would also be confirming that the “alleged” altercation was actually actual and not alleged after all. Plus how can a secret fine be secret if it’s confirmed.  Doesn’t this all sound like something straight from The Onion?
4. I feel I can’t go without mentioning that car owner Richard Childress was fined for the physical altercation he initiated in the garage area after the Camping World Truck race on Saturday.  Kyle Busch was not fined or punished in any way.
5. If you were moved by the piece on Jamie McMurray visiting tornado ravaged Joplin during the pre-race…you really should check out this article on it by Marty Smith over on ESPN.  It’s an awesome piece of writing about a heart-wrenching tragedy. Be sure to have tissue near by and don’t read it at work unless you want officemates to see you all teary.
6. There was a reason for Tony to be running THE GLADES beyond the fact that Sunday was the first episode of the new season. I have mentioned this before but Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano will be in a NASCAR themed episode that airs June 26th. Thank goodness for DVRS because I will probably sitting in traffic somewhere in the bay area when it shows.
7. And just moments before I was about to hit PUBLISH on this post I found this great interview with Tony Stewart on NASCAR.COM by Joe Menzer. Check it out.

Next Week: Pocono- that evil triangle!

First off let’s start of with the basicas.  What is EFX Perfomance? Well, taken straight from their website:

EFX  was founded in 2009 with the goal of promoting its products in the wellness and athletic performance markets. EFX technology is imbedded in a line of products such as wristbands, necklaces, jewelry, and clothing.

Basically- their products contain are marketed to help athletes with balance, strength and endurance.  You can see their full line of products available at their website: EFX PERFORMANCE (efxusa.com).

The partnership with Stewart-Haas and Hendrick will market driver branded bracelet bands:

EFX Driver Bands

The best part of these is that I think they are a great way to proudly show off your favorite driver:

Tony Stewart EFX bracelet

EFX Perfomance is based in Mission Viejo (practically in my backyard) so while I am waiting for the driver bands I was perusing their exisiting products and found that they even have one available in a pet tag. I might have to pick up Roxy one of those. She is getting up there in age and while she absolutely LOVES to run and chase balls and puts her ALL into it.  So I might just pick her one up when I order my driver band!

Here are some visual goodies from the Richmond Weekend:

Tony also took part in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown- racing the Prelude To The Dream Late Model Chevy on Thursday evening:

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Prelude To The Dream Chevrolet, makes a pit stop during the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Richmond International Raceway on April 28, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images North America)

Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, stands on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents The Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 29, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images North America)

The Fox pre-race show featured a Darrel Waltrip interview with Tony and promised more of the interview online at the FoxSport’s NASCAR page. Well I found that little tidbit for you and embedded it here so you don’t have to worry about missing the rest of the interview with DW:

I think they left some of the best parts of the interview for the online portion!

Notes about Richmond:

• I LOVE the looks of the Mobil 1 paint scheme…especially the firesuit…but I have to say that it’s hard for me to find that car on the track! It’s much easier for me to find that Office Depot red machine!
• I think Fox actually did a decent job covering what was going on with this race. I didn’t feel like things were happening during commercials…and when things did happen they seemed to come right out of commercial break to show us.
• I know Misty agrees with me- but that race was one that seemed a bit too long. What do you think?
• I kind of wanted to see Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya go nose to nose a little bit after the race…after all isn’t that what “have at it boys” is all about?

Next week:  Darlington’s Southern 500 on SATURDAY night

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”

Over a week later I still don’t understand what happened at the end of the race in Fontana. Tony seemed to have a strong car- but that car just faded away that last run. Was it lack of tire? Mechanical? I still don’t understand what caused the fade away that left him finishing 13th after such a strong run all day long.

Then today- we have Martinsville. Tony didn’t have speed in practice earlier in the weekend. He qualified poorly (28th) on Saturday.  Then when the race started, he just seemed to fight an ill handling car all day while trying to conserve tires.  He was able to work his way up to a high of 20th at one point. Judging by radio communications Darian seemed to have some sort of plan to get Tony track position so he has something to work with.  Unfortunately that plan wouldn’t really get placed in effect after Stewart was penalized for changing lanes before reaching the start finish line during a restart.   I admit- that one had me shaking my head.  Okay…shaking my head and cursing like a sailor.  I it is disheartening to watch your team have a couple of bad weeks.  Tony finished 38 laps down in 34th position. He dropped to 11th in points.

Race winner for both Fontana and Martinsville was Kevin Harvick. I can only imagine Junior Nation is NOT a Harvick fan after the last several laps of Martinsville.

Notes:

• Two drivers who had GREAT days- Dale Earnhart Jr and Jeff Gordon.  I swear I could hear the crowd at Martinsville go wild all the way over here in California when Jr took the lead during the last 30 laps of the race.  Jeff Gordon also had a great finish considering he qualified 21st.  He rose from 19th to points to 12th in points. That puts him right behind Tony.  Jeff is going in the right direction. Tony however is not.  Dont think I am not starting to panic about points.  Yes I know that there is a lot of racing left in the season…but I worry because we are going in the wrong direction.
• The tire issue that everyone seemed to be concerned about didn’t really seem to be that big of a deal after all.
• Was it just me or did Martinsville seem to take FOREVER to finish? Maybe it was just because I was cranky because Tony was having a bad day.  Any Kevin Harvick fans want to weigh in on the length of the race?

Next week we are racing under the lights at Texas on Saturday night.