Carl Edwards, enough said.

Now I can say I have seen it with my very own eyes....Carl Edwards is absolutely married. I have known this fact for 2 weeks now, but tonight, we saw him in flesh at the Nascar Fan Fest in Daytona Beach with a ring on that left hand of his....it definitely made me pout for a few minutes. So here it is ladies.....Carl and his wedding ring. Go ahead and weep with me!

Budweiser Shootout.....It's baffling

They added a wild card to the Budweiser Shootout, making it more confusing and controversial than ever. This wild card will allow the manufacture to add a 7th car to the field. The new spot will bring the 7th car in manufacturer points or a previous champion to the shootout. Here is the new line up....

Chevy
Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Casey Mears, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Wild Card: Tony Stewart (past champion)

Toyota
Denny Hamlin, Joey Lagano, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, David Ruetimann, Michael Waltrip
Wild Card: Depends on #22...if they have a car in Daytona, it will be whoever is driving that car, if not, it will be Scott Speed

Ford
Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Jamie McMurray, Travis Kvapil
Wild Card: Bobby Labonte

Dodge
Kasey Kahne, David Stremme, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Elliot Sadler, Robby Gordon
Wild Card: AJ Allmendinger
Yes, I said Robby Gordon who left Dodge to race Toyota this season. Nascar, Toyota and Dodge all signed an agreement allowing Gordon to race the Shootout in a Dodge. This makes ZERO sense to me whatsoever. When he left Dodge, his spot should have gone to the GEM #10, and the wild card should be Penske #77. Why would this be beneficial to Dodge, which is apparently what Nascar wants this race to be....to benefit the manufacturers. In my opinion, Gordon should not be the one in this race, his spot should go to AJ Allmendinger, giving the wild card to Sam Hornish Jr. So, Earnhardt Ganassi can pull a Dodge out of their garage and put Juan Pablo Montoya in the race? Seems only fair right?

Like I said...baffling. Plus, how bad does this suck for Martin Truex Jr? He was the 7th in line in Chevy but Tony Stewart grabbed his spot by being a past champion. Nascar is handing out breaks and he still cant seem to get one.

Baby, Its COLD Outside

Yes, I know I know...we are in Florida..palm trees, I wore flip flops to xmas dinner blah blah...today I woke up to a freeze warning....tomorrow I will have to remind myself what to do when there is a thin layer of ice on my windshield....it doesnt happen very often but low and behold as tonight we officially start the NASCAR season...two of three fashionistas are pulling out our winter gear, scarves and hats and will weather (pun intended) temperature in the near unthinkable 30ish degrees...thank god we will have the sights of our favorite drivers to keep up warm...yes, i know that was lame but i believe that the cold has frozen all my creativity. For schedule and such please click here...more reporting to come...you can be sure of that!

It's official! 2008 Rookie of the year, Regan Smith to drive for Furniture Row Racing!!

While I hate that Regan Smith isn’t part of EGR for the 2009 season, I am happy he has a ride, even on a part time basis. Regan is a sponsors dream; he is a wonderful guy, a true class act and has a mass amount of potential to be a top driver. With Regan being the only car for Furniture Row Racing, I am excited to see what comes to light for him this year. Regan will compete in both Cup races at Daytona, along with Phoenix, Talladega, Dover, Infineon, Watkins Glen, Las Vegas and the second race at Richmond.

How is this for Irony....Joe Nemechek used to drive the #01 Army car for Ginn Racing (& MB2 Motorsports) but was moved into the #13 car in 2007 when Mark Martin joined Ginn Racing. Mark ran a part time schedule and mentored Regan, while sharing the #01 Army car. When DEI merged with Ginn Racing, Regan retained the #01 car for 2008 season (under a different sponsor) and Joe went to Furniture Row Racing to drive the #78....which is where Regan will be in 2009.

What is happening to TV?

I found out today that Prison Break is being canceled. I avidly watched this show every Monday night. This means no more Michael (Wentworth Miller), who is the reason I got hooked on the show! Yet, this news doesn’t come as a shock to me. Sometime before Christmas, I was on the phone w/ a friend and we were discussing how the show needs to end before it gets stupid. How much more could they possibly put these guys through? I am still saddened by this addition to the shows I watch getting the ax in 2009.

A few weeks ago, I took 2 blows by finding out that Dirty Sexy Money and Lipstick Jungle are being canceled. While these are both fairly new shows, they may be 2 of the best ones on TV right now.

I just started watching Dirty Sexy Money this season and I was instantly addicted. It has a genius cast and an always surprising “oh no he/she didn’t” story plot. Why ABC would cancel this show is beyond me. It is truly a guilty pleasure show.

I read the book Lipstick Jungle a few years ago and when I heard word that it was turning into a Network series, I was excited and couldn’t wait. It quickly turned into my favorite show on TV. Then right before Halloween, they moved the show from Wednesday to Friday night. Friday is dooms day for any TV show. A few weeks later, I heard the news…..NBC was not picking it up for 2009. WHAT!! No more hot and steamy scenes with Kirby (Robert Buckley)?! To add salt to the wound, NBC resigned Kath and Kim (that horrific show with Molly Shannon and Selma Blair) which had lower ratings than Lipstick Jungle. This is so not right.

So, are we being taken over by reality TV? If they cancel Lost after this season, the gloves are coming off.

B Lab is NOT going to Earnhardt Ganassi

After all the speculations and rumors, Bobby Labonte announced he will be taking over the #96 car for Hall of Fame Racing and his primary sponsor will be Ask.com. I have always liked Bobby and I have had a crush on Hall of Fame Racing founder Troy Aikman since I was a wee little one....so this is a nice fit. Troy and Bobby also share a little in common.....both Bobby and his brother Terry were inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and their class included Troy.

Now the mystery stands still...what is happening with Chip and Dale Racings other car?? Anyone want to take a guess?

Preseason Thunder 09

We are a mere 25 days away from the Budweiser Shootout and I must say I have zero interest in that particular race this year, other than the fact that Dierks Bentley is performing before and after the race. Normally this time of year we can hear the cars testing at the track, partying w/ the boys and waking up with headaches the size of Texas......needless to say, the testing ban has been a little weird this year. Thankfully for all Nascar fans, the opportunity to interact with their favorite drivers in Daytona Beach will happen this weekend at Preseason Thunder. I cant be entirely negative about the testing ban being it has given the employees of Nascar to enjoy more time with their families and friends with their much needed longer break.

The schedule for Friday and Saturday is as follows:

Friday starting @ 6pm:

Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Reed Sorenson, Aric Almirola, Casey Mears, Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland, Mike Skinner and John Wes Townley

Saturday Noon-4pm:

Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Colin Braun, Erik Darnell, Paul Mernard and Alex Garcia

Saturday 4pm -8 pm

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Ron Hornaday.

Click here for ticket info and the schedule of events for this weekend including autograph session times.

Keith Urban to perform at Daytona 500 Pre-Show

From Daytona International Speedway Press Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2009) – Grammy Award winner and country music superstar Keith Urban will perform at the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show, the pre-race extravaganza leading up to the start of the prestigious “Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway, on Sunday, February 15th.

Urban is set to perform three of his eight #1 songs prior to the 51st annual Daytona 500 – the season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the biggest, richest and most prestigious stock car race in the world.

All race fans that purchase Pre-Race access pass for the Daytona 500 will be able to view Urban’s Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show as well as the driver introductions from the grass tri-oval area.

“Year-in and year-out, the Daytona 500 Pre-Race Show has been a popular hit with race fans,” Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said. “We’re thrilled to have one of the most popular singers in the world in Keith Urban perform a heart-stopping pre-race show that will get the Daytona 500 and the new NASCAR season off to a roaring start.”

In addition to his Pre-Race Concert, a special $195 ticket package designed around Urban and the upcoming Daytona 500 has been created that includes a Superstretch ticket, Pre-Race access, VIP access to the Pre-Race Concert, an enter to win opportunity for an autographed Keith Urban CD and an enter to win meet and greet with Urban prior to the Pre-Race Concert.

For more information on that package and for tickets to the 51st annual Daytona 500 and Pre-Race access, race fans can go online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by call 1-800-PITSHOP.

I almost spit my coffee out when this came across the fax! I hope Nicole Kidman comes with him! That would be so cool! It will be really nice for once to stop the driver/entertainment hook up rumors. I.E. "OMG Kelly Clarkson and Kasey Kahne walked out of the driver meeting at the same time, they MUST be dating!"

This will also beat the pants off some of the entertainment we have seen in the past. Are we to assume that he will also bang out the National Anthem? Is that politically correct for him? I am not realllly being funny...but is that a conflict of interest, being a native of Australia? At any rate, how exciting!

Clearly the last time Nicole Kidman has set an UGG boot (get the Australian reference?) was when she filmed Days of Thunder which was filmed 20 years ago here in Daytona and hooked her up with a pre-couch jumping Tom Cruise.

Wonder if she will even bother or blames Daytona for her shortcomings (sorry I couldn't resist) At any rate, Cheers mate to great entertainment to warm us up for the Great American Race!