Nascar drivers pay tribute to Darrel Waltrip with the Ickey Shuffle

This has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen....A group of NASCAR drivers doing the Ickey Shuffle in honor of DW. Thanks so much to our friend on twitter @kittykittyws for finding this for us.

Kevin Harvick & Shell honor a High School

Mater Dei High School of Evansville, IN will be featured on the deck lid of Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car this weekend in Fontana to honor students that won the 2008 Shell Eco-marathon Americas^®. This is a program that invites student teams to design and build the most energy-efficient vehicle powered by either conventional or alternative fuels. The students from Mater Dei High School achieved 2,843 mpg and claimed a $10,000 prize for their victory. The 2009 Shell Eco-marathon Americas is set to take place in Fontana, California on April 15 – 18 at Auto Club Speedway.

There is nothing we like more than a great “feel good” story and couldn’t be happier that we came across this one. How exciting is this for the students?! Could you imagine watching the race on Fox and seeing Kevin Harvick drive around the track with your High Schools name on the deck lid? That will surely make a NASCAR fan out of someone! With the state of our country, it is great to report something positive like this.

Here is some more information on this for your reading pleasure. Shell Eco-marathon is a global program that supports education, encourages innovation, reinforces conservation and fosters the development of leading technology for greater energy efficiency. The goal is not to break speed records or be the first to finish; it is to challenge students around the world to design, build and test vehicles that travel further using less energy.

Brian Vickers...from the pole to the rear

Last night, Brian Vickers clenched the 6th pole of his career for the Auto Club 500. This was the best thing that could have happened for Brian after he was wrecked last weekend from contact by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now it seems Brian may have a black cloud following him. After qualifying, the team noticed a problem with the engine and opted to change power plants. As a result, Brian will start from the rear of the field in Sunday's race.

Brian is still credited with the pole and retains the first choice of pit stalls. When Vickers drops to the rear on Sunday, each of the cars on the inside row each will move forward, putting McMurray in the pole position for the start of the race.

Auto Club 500 cheat sheet / lineup

As promised, here is the cheat sheet / lineup for the Auto Club 500 at Fontana. I must say, we are extremely happy that both Scott Riggs and David Gilliand made the race. Congrats to Tommy Baldwin and Slugger Labbe!!

Update! Due to an engine replacement, Brian Vickers will start at the back of the pack :-(
Hopefully this is the finish of bad luck for him and his fans.

1. #83 Brian Vickers Toyota, Red Bull
2. #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet, Lowe's / Kobalt Tools
3. #26 Jamie McMurray Ford, Crown Royal
4. #2 Kurt Busch Dodge, Miller Lite
5. #16 Greg Biffle Ford, 3M
6. #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, DuPont
7. #00 David Reutimann Toyota, Aaron's Dream Machine
8. #44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge, Charter Comm.
9. #82 Scott Speed Toyota, Red Bull
10. #18 Kyle Busch Toyota, Interstate Batteries
11. #14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet, Old Spice / Office Depot
12. #7 Robby Gordon Toyota, Jim Beam
13. #6 David Ragan Ford, UPS
14. #47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota, Little Debbie / Kingsford / Clorox
15. #42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet, Target
16. #96 Bobby Labonte Ford, Ask.com
17. #43 Reed Sorenson Dodge, Charter Comm.
18. #5 Mark Martin Chevrolet, Carquest / Kellogg's
19. #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet, Shell / Pennzoil
20. #19 Elliott Sadler Dodge, Best Buy
21. #33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet, Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
22. #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge, Budweiser
23. #11 Denny Hamlin Toyota, FedEx Freight
24. #17 Matt Kenseth Ford, Carhartt
25. #99 Carl Edwards Ford, Aflac
26. #77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge, Auto Club
27. #98 Paul Menard Ford, Quaker State / Menards
28. #39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet, Haas Automation
29. #07 Casey Mears Chevrolet, Jack Daniel's
30. #66 Dave Blaney Toyota, Prism Motorsports
31. #8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet, Guitar Hero
32. #71 David Gilliland Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports
33. #1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet, Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
34. #20 Joey Logano Toyota, The Home Depot
35. #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, Amp Energy / National Guard
36. #36 Scott Riggs Toyota, Red Bank Outfitters
37. #28 Travis Kvapil Ford, Farmers Insurance
38. #12 David Stremme Dodge, Penske Racing
39. #41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota, All Sport
40. #34 John Andretti Chevrolet, WindowWorld.com
41. #31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet, Caterpillar
42. #55 Michael Waltrip Toyota, NAPA
43. #87 Joe Nemechek Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports

The Fashionistas try on Wiis Nascar Kart Racing

Well boys and girls, we would like to say we enjoyed our evening of Nascar Kart Racing. Not so much. Megan just got her Wii and is still learning the remote. Darlynn holds her computer mouse upside down on a daily basis so her and the Wii do NOT get along. Darlynn was constantly going backwards, meanwhile Megan couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. For something that looks so easy, I mean come on, bobble head race car drivers going around in miniature race cars ...doesn't seem like rocket science! Sadly, it is!! The best part of this game was the intro, this awesome Boomhower-like official explaining the rules. You have to try it out though, once one figures out the moves, this will be a great game. OH, we almost forgot to mention, the Nascar bobble heads actually are quite complimentary of Sir Kyle Busch. We will learn this game eventually but as of tonight, we switched over to the wii channel and played Super Mario Brothers,and spent the evening in a nice stage of nostaliga!

Brian Vickers to dine at Hell's Kitchen tonight!!

One of our favorite things about the Auto Club Race is the intermingling of NASCAR and Hollywood. We promised that we will do our best to report on any sitings that deem worthy. LA Times reports that Brian Vickers will be a diner tonight on Hell's Kitchen set. To give you an idea of what Brian is getting himself into, this blog describes the experience that they had. If you have ever watched this show on Fox, its debatable which is easier: being in the presence of Chef Ramsey or going up against June Bug in Daytona.

photo courtesy of MSNBC

If you are in the LA area, make sure to take a look at the Driver appearances happening throughout the week. If you know of any that we are missing, please send us an email and we will add them to the site.

Thursday, February 19th
Matt Kenseth, Daytona 500 winner is scheduled to sign autographs at 11:00am at 2049 Century Park East.
David Ragan is scheduled to sign autographs at Discount Tire, 17871 Castleton Street City of Industry, CA 91748 6pm-8pm. roushracing.com
Tony Stewart is scheduled sign autographs at the Office Depot store in Rancho Cucamonga, California, on from 1:30pm-4pm. http://www.jayski.com/
Robby Gordon will visit with firefighters and sign autographs from 12pm-2 pm at the San Diego Convention Center. http://www.robbygordon.com/
Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, David Stremme, Reed Sorenson, Michael Annett, John Wes Townley & Justin Allgaier are scheduled to sign autographs at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California from 6pm-7pm. Johnson is scheduled to host the Fast Cars and Country Stars concert. Arena address is: 4000 E. Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario California. For ticket information and directions visit the Citizens Bank Business Arena website. http://www.jayski.com/

Saturday, February 21, 2009
Carl Edwards is scheduled to be inducted in the Auto Club Speedway Walk of Fame at 10:30am. The ceremony will be held near Gate 12 at the race track. http://www.jayski.com/pages/appear.htm
Sam Hornish is scheduled to appear at the Opportunity, California FanZone at Auto Club Speedway at 11:45am. http://www.jayski.com/pages/appear.htm

Sunday, Feb 22, 2009
Casey Mears is scheduled to sign autographs at the Jack Daniel's souvenir trailer located in Auto Club Speedway's display area, outside the front straightaway at 11:30am. Casey is also scheduled to be at the Jack Daniel’s Experience at 12pm. http://www.jayski.com/pages/appear.htm
Kurt Busch will be at the Fan Zone-California Speedway at 11:45am http://www.kurtbusch.com/index_hi_1024.php
Elliot Sadler: Think you know your Team Tylenol trivia? Stop by the Team Tylenol display for details and your chance to be one of 10 lucky fans to test your knowledge against Elliott Sadler. elliottsadler.com
Clint Bowyer is scheduled to hold "story time" with kids during Auto Club Speedway's Kids Club event at 10:40am. The event will be held at the Opportunity, California FanZone Stage at Auto Club Speedway. http://www.jayski.com/pages/appear.htm
Sam Hornish is scheduled to be on hand to sign autographs at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer at Auto Club Speedway from 10am - 10:30am. Sam is also scheduled to appear at the Auto Club display in the Opportunity, California FanZone at 11:20am.http://www.jayski.com/pages/appear.htm
Reed Sorenson is scheduled to sign autographs at his trackside trailer from 12pm - 12:30 pm

TRG Motorsports to run Auto Club 500 with David Gilliand and Slugger Labbe as crew chief!

You think one would tip their blog bitches off! This just in! TRG Motorsports reports that David Gilliand will drive the #71 car for the next four races through Bristol. At the helm will be Daytona 500 winning crew chief Slugger Labbe. Which as I write those words, it reminds me that the term Daytona 500 winning crew chief has the same ring as Oscar Award winning actor...anyways back on track....oh crap another pun...ok back to you my lovely readers....this is great news for Sluggs because we believe that good things come to good people! Hurray!!

Can I please be reincarnated as a Nascar Pet?

Nascar Pets are famous in their own right. They have their own calendar, appear in books, and live a life beyond what any of us can imagine traveling private jets. I frequently joke that if I were to be reincarnated, I would want to be a Nascar dog. Today on Nascar.com, I read an article on AJ Allmendinger and found out that his dog Misty appeared in Marley and Me as the dog that takes off running with Jennifer Anniston’s bra in mouth, crashing through the screen door. I saw Misty this past weekend taking a walk with her owners and said to my friend, wow that dog looks like Marley. If I only knew, I would have asked for a paw-agraph! Ok someone needs to take the Starbucks from me since that last line assures that I have clearly lost it……

The best of Daytona 500 commercials

Lets face it, one of the best parts of watching the Super Bowl is to see the latest and greatest commercials. So, it would be a given that the "Super Bowl of racing", The Daytona 500, has to come to the plate with great commercials to start off the 2009 season. Since we weren't in front of a television for the 500, I searched youtube for Nascar commercials and came up with this review from BestAds.tv showing the best 500 commercials.

Once again, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards have the best commercials. One that was missing that I saw all through Speedweeks?? Tony Stewarts Old Spice Swagger, which can be seen here.
Do you have a favorite Nascar commercial? Mine is Kasey Kahnes Sponsorship ad. I still laugh everytime I see it.

California here we come....

Ok, here THEY come because the fashionistas will not be on the west coast and will be reporting via satellite so to speak! Again, we have been shown a ton of love lately on twitter and we hope not to let you down this week as there will be clearly no Tom Cruise group photo to share.

First and foremost the driver entry list for the Auto Club 500. This list provided by Jayski's are the drivers that are cleared to qualify for this weeks race. The Auto Club Speedway schedule for the weekend is up on their website.

Sigh, Swoon, it looks like Gavin Rossdale will be the pre race entertainment before the Sprint Cup race. Mr. October Reggie Jackson will drive the pace car. Little Big Town will sing the National Anthem. A man who is sadly now known for his daughter's fame instead of his Achy Breakyness, Billy Ray Cyrus will be the grand Marshall for the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. House star Hugh Laurie will say those famous words to start the second race of the Sprint Series on Sunday.

If you are going to this race be sure to check out the track's website who has done a fantastic job at keeping their fans in the loop. If you are looking to stalk your favorite driver, a partial list will assist you in your hunt. This is just a quick overview to start your California journey. Auto Club Speedway is in Fontana, Calif. The green flag waves on Sunday, Feb. 22. Coverage for the second race of the season begins at 5 p.m. ET on FOX.

Check back here for updates!

Um, does anyone wants to put us in their suitcase??

Nascar drivers in television

It always amazes me when I think of the hectic schedule of Nascar drivers and crew members have. It’s so far beyond them showing up at a race track on Thursday and leaving after the race on Sunday. Between the few days they are home, they juggle their family life while working long hours at the shop, figuring out how to make the car better and doing multiple charity events.

With this lifestyle, it amazes me when I hear of a driver taking time out to appear on a television show. I read on Nascar.com today that Jeff Burton will be appearing as himself on General Hospital. This made me giggle a little…hell, Soap Opera’s make me giggle period.

I think it is a brilliant form of cross-marketing to have a Nascar driver appear on primetime or daytime television. It brings new viewers to both the sport and the show that they guest star on.

For instance:

Bringing viewers to the sport: in February 2006, Jimmie Johnson appeared on NBC’s then hit show Las Vegas, which at the time was one of my favorite shows. I was just getting my feet wet in the crazy world of Nascar. After watching him on the show and deciding he was very good looking, I declared JJ as my favorite driver and excitedly cheered him on as he won the Daytona 500 a few weeks later. Now that I had a favorite driver, I started watching more and more races and started learning more about the sport. I don’t hold Las Vegas solely responsible for my addiction to Nascar, but that episode played a major part in it.

Bringing viewers to the show: Carl Edwards appeared on Fox’s 24 a few months later. By this time, I was traveling to a ton of races and had become quite knowledgeable of the sport. I had already left Jimmie in the dust and claimed Carl as my favorite driver (still is today). As soon as I heard he was to appear on that episode, I made sure to set up the TiVo. Mark my word; I would never have watched that episode if it weren’t for the fact that Carl was starring in it.

After a little googling, I found that Casey Mears appeared on Days of Our Lives, Jamie McMurray appeared on The West Wing and Carl Edwards appeared on Guiding Light.

So, my question to you is which show would you want your favorite driver to appear on? Would you go out of your way to watch a show you normally don’t view if your driver were to make a guest appearance on it?

Julianne Hough did not sing the National Anthem at the Daytona 500...dogs' ears breathe a sigh of relief...

As I was waking up today, I realize that we missed one small little event to report on. As we filed on to pit row for opening ceremonies, I thought it was strange that Gavin DeGraw instead of Julianne Hough was singing the National Anthem for the Daytona 500. I love Gavin DeGraw but was wondering why the sudden flip flop of the person who will give me the goose bumps that occur every time during this part of the race? This was also his second time performing at a Daytona race...its too early to remember which one. Turns out, Miss Hough had influenza *cough realized she shouldnt quit her day job and sing in front of a gazillion people cough* and was unable to perform. My question is in todays economy, why didnt they just whore out Keith Urban and get him to do it? Is it because he is Austrailian like we talked about here? Just a random thought before my coffee. A side note, if you have never listened to Gavin Degraw first album...its a must! His new album "Free" hits stores on March 31st on J Records.

Is it really over???

So, WOW~ is this really the end of Speedweeks in Daytona? It seems like the girls and I were just celebrating Martin Truex Jr's pole win, one week ago, then all of a sudden...kapow! It is race day! Where did the time go? Today seemed to have flown by quicker then Maverick and Goose could sing Righteous Brothers songs, drinking cheap beer and whiskey!!

Speaking of ol Maverick.....yeah, we met him. Tom Cruise was the Grand Marshall of the race today and we had one of the right place at the right time moments and got to meet him. We were all equally impressed with how friendly he was. Imagine this, Megan (Miss shy, scardy cat) actually said to him "Hey Tom, I like your glasses". You can see why, since we were all "ROCKIN" the RAYBAN AVIATORS....she made the Maverick giggle.

So, moving on...still spinning from our Tom Cruise encounter, we realized we actually have a race today! Darlynn got to meet her idol, AJ Foyt, YAY! Uncle Pete will be so proud!!! Could this day get any better??? Yes it does! Megan looked up and was in inches of Tim Tebow. The shyness took over as she got cold feet but she still got to see him face to face.

The race was getting ready to start and it looked like the rain was not going to be an issue. We rushed down to pit road and met up with our friends, the #1 crew. Now we are underway, standing with the pole sitter, listening to the National Anthem, watching the flyby, seeing more Tom Cruise TMZ shots, etc. It's about time.....Lets Go Racin Boys!!!!!!!!

We were sitting in the #1 Bass Pro Shops pit when the race started. We were ecstatic that our boys lead lap number one of the 2009 Nascar Season!! Martin Truex Jr's pit box was a few spots away from our other favorite crew chief, Tommy Baldwin, the new proud owner of Tommy Baldwin Racing!! We are extremely excited for what the 09 Season is going to bring to them.

Now here comes the "this only happens to us" story of the night. As we were saying our goodbyes in the Driver/Owner lot, contemplating our escape route. We look out side and see TomKat and Suri getting ready to leave. It was suggested that we attach to the back of their police escort/motorcade. Ally is convinced at this point, Megan is 110% going to jail for what you see below. Yes, that is us following Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Suri out of the track, driving on the track, going 60 mph, in the opposite direction. We were hysterically laughing and Megs said she felt like she was Cole Trickle, following Cole Trickle...the irony here, really???

Goodnight and goodbye Speedweeks 2009. Our livers almost didn't make it...

We'll be on the couch next week for California, still in recovery mode - but, we are SOOOOO HAPPY that the 2009 Nascar Season has started!! Thanks to all our new friends on Twitter. We love it and hope you will continue to follow us.

We met Cole Trickle!!

Ok lol- so us 3 girls just dorked out slightly and and asked Tom Cruise for a photo with the Fashionistas!

Funny thing is, we are all wearing Ray Bans.....Maverick and Ice would have been so proud.

I feel the need....the neeeeeed for speeeeeed!

Ok we'll stop geeking now.

We took the pic with Megans camera and will upload it here later. In the meantime, Darlynn snapped this gem with her camera phone!!!

Btw, he was so nice and friendly!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Ready to Race....???

Happy Race Day!!

Here we are at the track, hoping and praying and doing all sorts of Anti-rain dances! Darlynn, Megan and I are all wearing our hats today, as its foggy, cloudy and a little misty-ish in the air.

The crowds are packing in though!! The driver meeting is about to start, and the garage is full of excitement. Hope everyone has their fingers crossed that we WILL get a race in today!

Good thing is, the word around here is, we can race until midnight tonite if need be..so this may turn out to be one looooonnnng day full of an assortment of flag colors! Green, Yellow, Red.....let's hope we see more of the Green!

More updates to come as we get underway here at Daytona!

-the girls
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry