helio and junior are winners, jeff gordon still a loser
By Valli | November 29, 2007 - in the late afternoon
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In a manner of speaking Gordon fans, don’t get your panties in a knot. 
– IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves captured the golden mirror ball (or whatever it is they win on that show) on the celebrity dance show “Dancing with the Stars.” I watched the show here and there throughout the season and I thought Helio did a good job, but I think Mel B. should of been crowed the winner, but that’s just me. Actually if you want to get really specific Sabrina Ryan should have won the whole thing but that’s another story for a completely different blog. And what’s this business about Helio dumping his fiancée? I wonder, and so does Darren Rovell, what affect this reality TV stardom will have on Helio’s racing career.
– Dale Earnhardt Jr. was announced as the winner of the Most Popular Driver Award for the 5th time in a row. Such a no-brainer, but then it’s interesting to note that the only NASCAR driver that’s consistently talked about in celebrity mags is Jeff Gordon.
– NASCAR’s Champions Week is this week and there are a bunch of photos that I want to share with you but I’ll have to do that tomorrow — I’m wiped out from actually working at work today. The Championship awards ceremony is tomorrow night at the Waldorf=Astoria. ESPN Classic is broadcasting the event starting at 9 p.m. (EST) (check your local listings).
My question is this: Why is this coming on the ESPN Classic channel?? What? We’re not good enough for the regular ESPN channel? Gah! Oh and something else of note, Kelly Clarkson is the musical guest. I wonder what she’ll sing. Considering the event and its content there aren’t many Clarkson songs that totally fit, except for maybe “A Moment Like This.” I guess I’ll have to wait and see.
Popularity: 71% [?]
Topics: Celebrities, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Helio Castroneves, IndyCar, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR | No Comments »
jr motorsports puts on their dress whites
By Valli | November 28, 2007 - in the early evening
About two weeks ago (yes, i’m late on this one) JR Motorsports announced that they re-signed with the Navy as the sponsor of their No. 88 Nationwide series car. Brad Keselowski, who drove the car for the last half of the final Busch series season this year after they ousted Shane Huffman for specific reasons still unknown to me, will drive the all white ride next year.
I’m posting this info mostly because I think the car looks suhweet in all white. It’ll definitely stand out in the crowd and under the lights.
JR MOTORSPORTS RE-ENLISTS WITH NAVY
Keselowski signed to drive JRM No. 88 Navy ChevroletHOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2007) - JR Motorsports announced today that the U.S. Navy has re-signed with the team to field the No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with driver Brad Keselowski through 2008. The team also unveiled a new “Dress White” paint scheme for the Navy Chevrolet.
“The Navy has been a great partner of ours since we formed the team two years ago,” said team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. “Everyone at JR Motorsports takes a lot of pride in the fact that we represent some of the best servicemen and women in the world each weekend on the track. We’re all excited that they’re back on board with us.”
JR Motorsports first joined forces with the U.S. Navy in 2005, fielding the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet in the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in preparation for the 2006 season. In 70 races together the JRM Navy team has scored three top fives, 16 top 10s and 35 top-20 finishes.
“On behalf of the Navy’s 467,000 active and reserve Sailors, I am pleased about the continuing partnership between the Navy and JR Motorsports through the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season”, said Capt. Thomas Buterbaugh, Director of Marketing and Advertising for Commander, Navy Recruiting Command. “We are excited about increasing the Navy’s awareness through our relationship with JRM and its owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
“The Navy has used our association with NASCAR over the past four years to increase America’s awareness of the opportunities to serve our great country, and our Sailors are strengthened by public support represented by NASCAR’s large fan base. The 2008 season promises to be fantastic and Brad will continue to be a major contender.”
Keselowski, 23, was recruited to join the Navy team midway through the 2007 season. In 13 starts in the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet he has accumulated five top 10s and eight top-15 finishes.
“Brad jumped in our car back in July and has shown a lot of promise in a short period of time,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We’ve signed him to a two-year deal to continue to develop his talent.
“It’s kind of like the way the Navy develops new recruits into sailors. We’re starting out with a younger guy who has the skills and we’re going to give him the equipment, training and other resources necessary to get the job done.”
Keselowski has already embarked upon the Navy’s “sailorization” program in preparation for his tour of duty with the team. Last week he spent a day at Naval Medical Center San Diego touring the facility and meeting with some of the Navy’s Wounded Warriors. In addition to testing during the “off season,” Keselowski will continue to expand his knowledge of the Navy through additional trips planned to various naval installations.
“I’ve worked really hard for many years to get an opportunity like this with JR Motorsports and the Navy,” Keselowski said. “JR Motorsports is a solid organization with incredible resources, and as a driver you can’t ask for much more than that.
“It’s also a great honor to represent the U.S. Navy and to know that I have more than 400,000 sailors around the world cheering for me. I’ve gotten to meet a number of sailors at the track and on some of the trips I’ve made with the Navy and I have the utmost respect for the courage and commitment that all of those men and women show every day as they protect and serve our country. I’m looking forward to continuing to represent them on the track and I plan to keep the Navy Chevrolet up front.”
For the 2008 season the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet will sport a special “Dress White” paint scheme. Modeled after the Navy’s summer uniforms, the car will be white with flat black Navy logos on the hood and quarter panels.
“My friend Kevin King does all of our car designs and he and I went back and forth with a few ideas before we came up with this one,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “It’s a very clean look that I think will really stand out on the track.”
The new scheme will make its debut at Daytona International Speedway in February.
“The Navy car really looks sharp and it will stand out even better on the track,” said Buterbaugh. “Next season will be awesome with Brad at the wheel, Dale Jr. as the owner and the new paint scheme.how can we lose?”
(All Photos Courtesy of Harold Hinson Photography/JR Motorsports)
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Topics: Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports, NASCAR, Shane Huffman | No Comments »
dale jr. is off to australia
By Valli | - in the early afternoon
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is taking some time off and heading down under to Australia. I am so jealous! That’s where I’m supposed to be going — eventually! grr!
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Topics: Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR | No Comments »
hello moto: the kentucky kid
By Valli | November 27, 2007 - mid-morning
I knew basically nothing about MotoGP before watching MTV’s special “The Kentucky Kid.” I knew Nicky Hayden’s name but beyond that I drew a complete blank. I can now say that I have a better appreciation for motorcycle racing. It’s insane the way they’re able to make turns that keep them inches away, if that, from the ground. If you think a crash at Talladega is scary, watch a guy flip off his bike and eat dirt at 200 mph. It’s crazy, but I think it’s cool. Hayden is a total cutie which doesn’t hurt either.
It kinda sucks that he doesn’t get that much attention here in the states — from the mainstream media that is. Obviously the riders and fans of MotoGP have all the respect in the world for the sport but when will they get their just desserts from the rest of us? The same can be said for sports like surfing or skateboarding. I dunno, on one hand I think people know the major players in those areas (Hello Kelly Slater!) but sometimes it seems like maybe they’re not really given all the credit they deserve.
Anyway, I for one am going to pay more attention to MotoGP and hopefully check it out the next time it comes to Laguna Seca.
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Topics: Kelly Slater, MotoGP, Nicky Hayden | No Comments »
this ending is just the beginning
By Valli | November 20, 2007 - mid-afternoon
The 2007 Cup season is finally over. Jimmie Johnson is the Championship winner for the second year in a row and I’m just OK about it. Obviously it’s a great thing for him and his team. Hendrick Motorsports had a wonderful year. Three out of four of their drivers made it into the Chase and two of those drivers finished first and second. So instead of being so incredibly excited for Jimmie I’m happy for Rick Hendrick. He’s built an organization that is a force to be reckoned with, there’s no way around that.
Like all of the drivers I’m looking forward to next year. I became numb to the cruel hand fate had dealt to Dale Earnhardt Jr. over the end of this season many weeks ago. I can’t even talk about what happened at Homestead. There’s so much possibility awaiting him at Hendrick next year it’s pointless to waste time being frustrated with his last races with DEI.
2008 is going to be something. The thing that I’m the most excited about seeing is how the teams that are switching to Toyota next year handle the transition. I have a feeling that Tony Stewart is going to have some choice words if things don’t go so well.
Of course next year I want to be there in person to see it all go down. I ask you, what could be more fun than that? Yea, not much.
Matt Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser celebrate the end of their eight-year partnership with a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 pit crew adjust his car during the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Marc Serota/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Jeff Gordon takes a break during practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Car owner Jack Roush and Carl Edwards hoist the NASCAR Busch Series driver’s championship trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Ricky Rudd races Kurt Busch in Rudd’s 906th and final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start. (Photo Credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images)
Popularity: 92% [?]
Topics: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Everything, Hendrick Motorsports, Jack Roush, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, Photos, Rick Hendrick, Ricky Rudd, Robbie Reiser, Tony Stewart | No Comments »
nascar gifts: for the dale jr. fan that has everything
By Valli | November 15, 2007 - in the early afternoon
The holidays are quickly approaching and I have no clue what I’m getting anybody at this point. I think my friend Jamie has already bought my gift and a few for her relatives. Every year I say I’m going to start earlier but I never do. Anyway, If you have a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan on your list then you should think about buying them a brick with their name on it.
Now at first blush that sounds kinda dopey but these personalized bricks will be placed outside of Junior’s JR Nation retail store. Elvis fans have Graceland and Dale Jr. fans have JR Nation. So if you want to make sure that Dale knows that you support him — or that your sister has the hots for him — check out his website for details on how to be a part of his “Circle of Fans.”
JR MOTORSPORTS LAUNCHES CIRCLE OF FANS
Bricks allow fans to leave their mark on JR MotorsportsMOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 13, 2007) – Just in time for the holiday season JR Motorsports is offering race fans a chance to leave a lasting impression on the headquarters for NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the JR Motorsports Circle of Fans.
The Circle of Fans is located outside the entrance to JR Nation, the first-ever retail store exclusive to Earnhardt Jr. and his JR Motorsports brand and home of the “Dale Jr. Fan Experience.” A total of 1,788 4×8-inch bricks make up this special area in front of JR Nation and each brick is customizable with up to two lines of copy with 17 characters on each line.
The bricks are $159.95 each and come with a limited edition 1:24-scale diecast replica of the JR Motorsports No. 17 street stock car — the very first race car fielded by Earnhardt Jr.’s team in 2002. Replica bricks are also available for an additional $39.95 each.
“We’ve had so many visitors at JR Nation who’ve wanted to leave a message for Dale Jr., so we thought the Circle of Fans would provide the perfect opportunity for fans to leave a lasting mark here at JR Motorsports,” said Shannon Reel, JR Nation store manager. “With this special program fans can create their own customized message.
“With the holidays upon us, these personalized bricks make great gifts for the Dale Jr. fan who has everything.”
The bricks are available for purchase in-store at JR Nation and order forms are also up on www.dalejr.com.
A portion of each purchase benefits the Exchange-SCAN of Iredell County, which fights child abuse through education and awareness training, health and daycare providers, parental aide programs, parental support groups and home-based intervention programs.
For more information on the Circle of Fans, please visit www.dalejr.com.
(All photos courtesy of JR Motorsports)
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Topics: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Everything, NASCAR, NASCAR Gifts, Photos | 1 Comment »
texas flashback: vince vaughn is just kinda tall
By Valli | November 14, 2007 - mid-afternoon
— This is kinda old but I had to post these photos (there’s one below too). Vince Vaughn attended the race at Texas to promote 
his new movie “Fred Claus.” He is a hot, hot man and I like him a lot. I don’t like mincing words when it comes to the awesomeness that is Vince Vaughn — he had me at “Swingers.” And ya know it did cross my mind that my name starts with a V and well it’d be really cool if we got married ’cause we’d have the same intials. But anyway… you really didn’t need to know that.
– Even though it’s coming from Kurt Busch, it’s nice to know that one of the drivers agrees with me on the lameness that is only the top 10 chasers getting the royal treatment — and not the top 12 as it should be — in New York this year:
“All the Chase drivers want to finish at least in the top 10 in the points,” Kurt said. “The way they have it this year is that there are 12 drivers in the Chase, but only the top 10 get to drive their show cars around Manhattan and take to the stage at the NASCAR Awards Banquet. It’s a case of team pride and wanting to be able to do all you can for your sponsors. To tell you the truth, as hard as all the teams work toward making the Chase, it’s kind of sad that two teams get left out like that. I really don’t understand that, but I guess you just have to accept it and go on.”
– Are you on Facebook? If you are you should check out the page I made and become a fan of “The Fast and The Fabulous.” I’ll be your best friend.
Everything’s bigger in Texas, except these guys, they really are that tall.
Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki (left) talks with actor Vince Vaughn at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Popularity: 99% [?]
Topics: Celebrities, Dirk Nowitzki, Everything, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, NASCAR, Photos, Vince Vaughn | 1 Comment »
this is me desperately trying to keep the chase interesting
By Valli | November 12, 2007 - around lunchtime
Geoffrey Miller over at AOL Fanhouse doesn’t seem to think that Jeff Gordon will be able to get past Jimmie Johnson for the Championship this weekend at Homestead:
After Johnson’s late-race domination at Phoenix — a race in which he led the final 24 laps — Johnson leads Gordon’s No. 24 team by 86 points. The basic math on that is that Gordon must win and lead the most laps at Homestead and Johnson has to finish 18 or worse.
In other words, it’s not going to happen.
While I could care less if Jimmie or Jeff wins the Championship, I still can’t let go of the hope that Jeff could still pull out the win in the end. I never give up until it’s all said and done. Why? Because I don’t want it to be boring — and if no one else is going to keep it interesting for me I’ll do it myself. Yes, the chances are slim but I’d rather cling to slim ones instead of none at all. It’s already boring as hell to see Jimmie win four-in-a-row. While it’s a very cool thing to accomplish, it doesn’t happen every day, but as a non-Jimmie fan it’s annoying.
Then factor in the fact that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going into this final race of the season winless and you have a very irked Valli.
In other news…
During the coverage of the race at Phoenix Dr. Jerry Punch noted that at the Championship banquet in New York this year only the top 10 of the 12 drivers will be on stage. Ok. Whose incredibly lame idea was that? If I was one of the two drivers in the bottom I would feel totally gypped. That’s like the Olympics committee saying “oh, wait, we’ve only got room on the podium for the first place winner.”
(Photo by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
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Topics: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR, Photos | 1 Comment »
where have i been? blog world expo - part two
By Valli | - in the early morning
After barely sleeping through the night with a slight hangover, I made it to the next day of sessions on Friday. The first session of the day focused on gaining access to the players, coaches & league of your choice. All of the guys on the panel were pro baseball bloggers and the people in the audience were either football or basketball. So in addition to being the only lady in the room I was also the only NASCAR blogger too. I asked a question towards the end of the session and sort of talked about my own experiences with getting access to NASCAR.
This kind of opened things up and from that I met Tyler Bleszinski co-founder of the SB Nation, who also writes the Athletics Nation blog (Go A’s!), and Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com. I went to lunch with them and had a great time explaining how I got into NASCAR and getting advice on how I could improve my site.
Mark Cuban gave the final keynote speech of the convention and his opinion on ads really kinda made me think. He thinks that you should do without them, or at least not be so heavy handed with them. He pointed out that his blog has no advertising on it whatsoever, but then again he doesn’t really need to have advertisers because he has more money than like Jesus. But still his talk was interesting and I appreciated his straightforward honest approach.
I cannot say enough about how wonderful everyone was — I knew that this convention was something that I had to do and I think all of this will get me even closer to my goal for next year.
On this trip I realized a few small things…
- Nothing is cheap in Las Vegas
- Room service is always the way to go — even if it does cost an arm and a leg — especially for breakfast
- People are stupid when lining up to get on Southwest Airlines flights — how hard is it to line up next your number?? Elementary school kids do this on a daily basis.
- Airport retail vendors need to catch up with the rest of the world and not make you sign for your check card purchases. Airports shoulda been the first ones on that whole if it’s under $20 you don’t need to sign the receipt thing. I’m just sayin’… I’ve got like fifty things I’m carrying and you want me to sign for a $4 latte??
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where have i been? blog world expo - part one
By Valli | November 10, 2007 - late at night
I flew back from Las Vegas this afternoon and I’m finally at the point where I feel like I can write about my Blog World & New Media Expo experience with some sort of clarity.
First off, I have to say that the registration fee of $175 was well worth the money. The thing that pushed me to actually sign up for the expo was the fact that there was a sports blogging track (sponsored by SB Nation). After I saw that I was like I have to go to this thing or else I’ll totally regret it. And the fact that it was in Vegas was ya know very helpful. Vegas is so much fun.
For those that didn’t attend Blog World this year I feel sorry for ya. I met some great people and made invaluable connections — people that I probably couldn’t have met any other way. If you’re a blogger of any kind you should definitely go next year, I’m sure it’ll be even bigger and better next September.
I’m giving you the full rundown because basically this is my blog and I want to. So I arrived on Wednesday evening-ish and I found that my hotel, Renaissance Las Vegas, was just steps away from the convention center. This was perfect, it saved on cab fare and it was nice to be able to just go back to the hotel whenever.
Thursday was the first day and I didn’t spend much time in the exhibition hall which I kinda regret only because I missed out on a bunch of swag. I saw people with t-shirts, stickers, notepads, keychains, etc. There are tons of photos on Flickr.
Like I said before my main reason for going to this thing at all was the sports blogging sessions. I packed my “Who The Hell is Mel Kiper?” t-shirt in hopes of breaking the ice. It’s an NFL reference and if you have no idea what it’s about check out the Mel Kiper page on Wikipedia. Anyway, since I was the only girl in all of the sports blogging sessions I felt it necessary to prove that I knew what I was talking about. Thanks to Mel, well actually Bill Tobin, I met Jamie Mottram. Jamie works for Yahoo! Sports. He was incredibly nice and asked to take a photo of me and my Kiper shirt for his personal sports blog Mr. Irrelevant. Very cool.
Thursday night featured the Opening Night “Pajama” Party at the Hard Rock Hotel in The Joint. Seriously all you had to say to me was “free drinks” and I’m there. But the party organizers went the extra mile and added free food too. It was fun and a great opportunity to meet new people and do a little bit of networking.
>> to be continued <<
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