Happy Happy Hour

Pony up to the bar and grab yourself a Margarita in honor of today's Happy Hour practice at Texas Motor Speedway. Enjoy your margarita while following along with Happy Hour here. Yee-Haw.

Megan's Margarita
1 1/2 oz Patron
1/2 oz Cointreau
1 oz fresh lime juice
splash of Orange Juice

Mix the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and serve over ice

Cheers!!

Texas Cheat Sheet / Lineup

Congratulations to "The Franchise" David Reutimann for getting his 2nd career pole today. The lineup for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway is as follows:

1 #00 David Reutimann Toyota, Aaron's Dream Machine
2 #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, National Guard GED Plus / DuPont
3 #17 Matt Kenseth Ford, Dewalt
4 #6 David Ragan Ford, UPS
5 #98 Paul Menard Ford, Quaker State / Menards
6 #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge, Budweiser
7 #14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet, Old Spice / Office Depot
8 #18 Kyle Busch Toyota, Interstate Batteries
9 #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet, Lowe's / Kobalt "Tough Tools for Cool Schools"
10 #20 Joey Logano Toyota, The Home Depot
11 #47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota, Clorox / Kingsford / Little Debbie
12 #77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge, Mobil 1
13 #99 Carl Edwards Ford, Aflac
14 #16 Greg Biffle Ford, 3M
15 #31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet, Caterpillar
16 #42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet, Target
17 #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet, Shell / Pennzoil
18 #83 Brian Vickers Toyota, Red Bull
19 #33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet, Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
20 #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, Amp Energy / National Guard
21 #39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet, U.S. Army
22 #11 Denny Hamlin Toyota, FedEx Ground
23 #5 Mark Martin Chevrolet, Cheez-It / Carquest
24 #96 Bobby Labonte Ford, Ask.com
25 #44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge, Super 8
26 #34 John Andretti Chevrolet, MyAutoLoan.com
27 #09 Mike Bliss Dodge, Miccosukee Resort & Gaming
28 #2 Kurt Busch Dodge, Miller Lite
29 #7 Robby Gordon Toyota, Jim Beam
30 #71 David Gilliland Chevrolet, Capital Window
31 #1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet, Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
32 #12 David Stremme Dodge, Penske Racing
33 #78 Regan Smith Chevrolet, Furniture Row Companies
34 #55 Michael Waltrip Toyota, NAPA
35 #07 Casey Mears Chevrolet, Jack Daniel's
36 #26 Jamie McMurray Ford, Sears Auto Center / Valvoline
37 #21 Bill Elliott Ford, Motorcraft
38 #43 Reed Sorenson Dodge, McDonald's
39 #13 Max Papis Toyota, GEICO
40 #25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet, GoDaddy.com
41 #8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet, Guitar Hero
42 #19 Elliott Sadler Dodge, Best Buy
43 #66 Dave Blaney Toyota, Prism Motorsports

Didn’t make the show:
#87 Joe Nemechek Toyota, Huckleberry's BBQ
#82 Scott Speed Toyota, Red Bull
#41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota, All Sport
#64 Todd Bodine Toyota, Mambo Restaurant
#36 Scott Riggs Toyota, Tommy Baldwin Racing :(

One year ago today, the #00 Aaron's Dream Machine (which is sitting on the pole for this weekend's race) had a different ending at qualifying. While Michael McDowell was making his qualifying run last year, he got in a horrific wreck that many NASCAR fans will never forget.

NASCAR awards banquet moving to Vegas baby!!

It looks like Bruton Smith finally got his way. NASCAR is moving it's year end banquet to Las Vegas. Now boys and girls, this is exciting news. The NASCAR banquet isn't exactly the most entertaining events of the year. It always confused me a bit that it took place in Manhattan. Let's face it, NASCAR fans aren't as common as hot dog stands in the Big Apple.

Smith has been quoted saying "Maybe we could sell 10,000 tickets to the race fans and let them come and enjoy the festivities, that's what I'd like to see". Well Mr. Smith, that is what I would like to see too. Turn this once boring event into a fan filled weekend and maybe, just maybe more people would show interest in the awards ceremony, bringing more money to NASCAR.

The only thing that would make us happier than moving it to Vegas, would be moving it back to Daytona Beach (it was moved from DB to NYC in 1981). This is purely based off of selfish reasons!

Does anyone remember the 2006 awards banquet when Kyle Busch was giving his thank you speech and he called his then girlfriend Erica Dewey by his brothers wives name Eva? That was the entertainment of the night. I am looking forward to the awards show in Vegas for sure!

Nationwide Series to use Twitter in Nashville!

Nationwide is giving you the chance to interact with your favorite driver through Twitter. A Twitter Media team will be on site next weekend at the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway April 10th and 11th. They will provide real-time, behind-the-scenes access and want to know if our readers have any special requests. Is there a particular photo of your favorite Nationwide driver that you would like? Let us know and they will try to get it for you!

We love Twitter and have met hundreds of great NASCAR fans through it. If you haven't had the chance to become part of the Twitter universe, it is a great outlet to connect with other NASCAR fans and NASCAR teams throughout the country. Over the past few weeks, there have been multiple NASCAR twitter guides to surface on the net. Our 4 favorites are:
The Final Lap with Kerry Murphy's guide to twitter
NASCAR in my own words guide to racing
Answer this, twitter me this
Restrictor Plated "I'm a NASCAR fan and I'm new to Twitter"

Here is the Nationwide press release we received today. Again, let us know by midnight, April 9th if you have any special requests.

Nationwide To Use Twitter, Twitpic for real-time race access
Media Team takes requests for pics from Nashville NASCAR Nationwide Series Race

The Nationwide Media Team for the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be using Twitter (http://twitter.com/Nationwide) and Twitpic (http://www.twitpic.com/photos/nationwide) to provide real-time, behind-the-scenes access to the NASCAR Nationwide Series Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway April 10 and 11.

They will post updates and capture photos from the pre-race press conference, at a driver Easter Egg Toss, in the garage area and pretty much anywhere else interesting stuff is taking place.

Additionally, they are taking special requests you may have for pictures from pit row, the press conference, a particular driver, etc. They may not be able to fulfill all the requests, but they will certainly try.

You can follow the Nationwide Media Team’s whereabouts on the track those two days on Twitter/Nationwide. The pictures will be posted at http://www.twitpic.com/photos/nationwide

Wait a minute, did they go too far or do we take this sport so seriously?

Magazine's Obama-NASCAR hoax creates April Fool's stir
By Larry Marshak, USA TODAY

A Car and Driver April Fool's hoax on the Web, reporting President Obama had ordered Chevrolet and Dodge out of NASCAR after the 2009 season, turned into a sizzling Internet topic Wednesday.

"Just when we thought we could take a breather from Barack Obama's wacky policies, he reached across the Atlantic today to drop another one on us," wrote Sandra Rose at Rightfielders.com. "Naturally, NASCAR fans are outraged."

Car and Driver later pulled the fake story (which estimated savings of $250 million between the manufacturers) and apologized for "going too far" while noting the magazine " has a proud tradition of irreverent editorial and we amplify that each year with our April Fool's Day joke."

The mea culpa wasn't enough for Denny Darnell, who does public relations for Dodge's motor sports program. He wrote in an e-mail that "I've been in this business more than 30 years and I
have never seen a story so irresponsible."

Lighten up Francis! This isnt irresponsible! No innocent children or kittens were harmed in this April Fool's experient! Just think how far NASCAR could have gone with this American tradition:

This just In! Joey Lagano is really 38 with an incredible baby face (how earth does he get so tall otherwhise)!

Newsflash! Michael Waltrip leaves 09 season to go on a 12 week tour performing his comedic stylings-opening for Dane Cook coming to a city near you....

Breaking News! President Obama trades France and relocates the entire sport of NASCAR to its country in exchange for a Carla Bruni Vegas style show in to begin in early '10.

Just a reminder not to get too worked up on April Fools Day...and to not get had! Its all in good fun :)

Will this be the new colors of our sport?

Fast Lap with Claire B Lang

photo courtesy of nascar.com

We are really excited to present this week's Fast Lap! Claire B. Lang is a host on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio. Wednesday through Friday 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET, Claire B. hosts the show Dialed In since 2001 and has been a fixture in the NASCAR garage every weekend, providing her listeners with up-to-the-moment news and interviews. She also teams up with Steve Post and Alex Hayden for SIRIUS NASCAR Radio’s pre- and post race shows to give NASCAR fans a comprehensive view of everything on, inside and around the track every weekend.

SIRIUS NASCAR Radio is available nationwide on SIRIUS channel 128 and on XM channel 128 with the “Best of SIRIUS” programming package.

Q. What music have you recently put on your iPod?

Claire B: I like all kinds of music and as a former public relations manager for a concert facility I have attended tons of concerts. Having worked in terrestrial radio in the classic rock and country music arenas and covering NASCAR and the pre race show artists for SIRIUS NASCAR Radio - I've interviewed almost every artist you can imagine so my tastes are quite wide ranging. I like everything from Jerry Jeff Walker, to the Rolling Stones, to Norah Jones to The Allman Brothers to B.B. King who threw me a guitar pick once when I was with a TV crew in the media pit at a concert. My tastes match up well with where I work because on SIRIUS XM there are literally dozens and dozens of music channels to suit my varied musical flavor of the moment.
Q. What are your favorite TV shows, or something you must have in your DVR/Tivo?

Claire B: I have an assortment of moods that I watch TV for. One, I'm a news junkie so I love CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC and FOX. After a stressful day - when news is too intense - I like shows that are less mind intensive. Extreme Home Makeover always tears me up, Jon and Kate Plus 8 makes me smile. Those kids’ faces and their thought processes are enjoyable. I am a surfer, so I'm always clicking till I find something that suits my mood and then I wind up on everything from fishing shows like The Deadliest Catch (I met those guys at the track) to Project Runway. I have a tendency to watch what's real versus sitcoms or drama shows.
Q. What other sporting teams/events do you follow?

Claire B: I went to grade school and high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin so I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan. I enjoy watching college basketball and am a fan of Marquette and Davidson College. Of course I like to watch NASCAR but my NASCAR coverage and travel doesn't leave me much time to watch other sports.
Q. What is one personal item you can not live without?

Claire B: My microphone. It sounds funny but I swear if I ended up on a sinking boat I swear I'd grab my recording equipment. LOL.
Q. What is your favorite place to visit?

Claire B: Home. I'm on the road all the time and I miss home and my parents and sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews. I miss a lot of family functions being on the road and so my favorite thing to do is go back home to Minnesota or Wisconsin and hang out.
Q. What is your favorite clothing brand?

Claire B: I like Lucky Brand. I don't really have a favorite brand…I have many. I'm totally into boots and jeans and belts. I dress up good but I prefer to wear a great pair of jeans, a kick butt pair of dusty boots and a great belt. I have a jean jacket collection that is huge. It almost takes up one closet. I love jean jackets. I collect belts too...belts that look great with jeans and boots. Climbing across pit road and leaning on tires all the time I've destroyed nice slacks and put tire marks across my back leaning on tires as if I got run over. I always go back to great jeans and a jacket of some sort.
Q. What is your favorite book or publication?

Claire B: “The Power of Positive Thinking” has been a good one throughout my life. "Failing Forward," (see below) is a great book and, of course being the news junkie that I am, Newsweek, Time and other assorted news mags on an airplane are always great reading. I read biographies but very little fiction.
Q. What is your favorite cuisine and/or restaurant?

Claire B: I grew up a healthy eater. I'm into salads and there's nothing better than a hunk of fresh Italian bread, a great salad and a glass of fine merlot. I love Italian food. I eat out a lot - almost every day when I am on the road - so my favorite meal is home cooked.
Q. We have had multiple experiences with men who assume because we are women, that we don't know the difference between a tire and the lug nut. Does this happen to you and if so, how do you handle it?

Claire B: I have never had that experience in the garage, ever. The drivers and crew members have always treated me with great respect and it has meant everything to me. I was asked once by a media member on stage for example what drivers are "hot" rather than about the nuts and bolts of racing or that race weekend. I simply replied, “I'm not sure. Funny you would ask that question,” with a knowing look towards the interviewer. I usually try to handle things with a sense of humor. I have not really had much of an issue with this and my main goal is to bring the fun and good times and interesting moments in the garage to life. I'm not a mechanic - but the show is not about me - it's about the guys who use the wrenches so I am telling their story.
Q. What advice would you give other females looking to get into the sporting world (which is usually dominated by men)?

Claire B: I joke when I say "man up" on the air. A race car driver said that phrase to me once in talking about restarts and I thought it was the funniest thing so I use that expression. Just "man up." But seriously, my advice for anyone looking to make their dreams come true is to "Fail Forward." I read a NY Times bestseller once called "Failing Forward”. It maintains that while your parents teach you how to succeed they don't teach you how to fail. Succeeding is easy. Failure is hard. Busting down a door or achieving what would seem the impossible is really about learning how to fail. When you get knocked down or fall or the wind sweeps you it's about getting up, working harder, finding solutions and never giving up. That "Failing Forward" advice makes such great sense to me. Anyone who has achieved has failed more than he or she has succeeded but it never stopped them. Fail forward.
Stay tuned next week for Fast Lap with Michael Annett crew chief Bruce Cook.

Which driver makes you hot blooded?

Photo Credit Texas Motor Speedway

Foreigner Kicks Off Pre-Race Show at Texas: Legendary rock bank Foreigner, known for its chart-topping hits during the 1970s and ‘80s, will headline the Amdro FireStrike Pre-Race show Sunday, April 5 prior to the Samsung 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The group is best known for hit songs, “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” “Double Vision,” “Juke Box Hero” and “I Want to Know What Love Is.” This is the band's first NASCAR event experience and will be the largest expected crowd that the group has ever performed in front of for a concert. Isnt that surprising? You think with the stadium crowds from the 80's!

Foreigner has also teamed up with Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter to donate half of the sales from their CD, “No End In Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner” that will be sold leading up to the start of the Samsung 500 on Sunday, April 5.The CD features a vast assortment of their hit songs, many you will hear at the pre race concert. SCC volunteers will be selling the CDs for $20 at Gate 4 in the grandstands prior to the race. For every CD sold, Foreigner will donate $10 to the SCC-Texas Chapter.

This Monday, Foreigner’s Mick Jones and Kelly Hansen traded in their band gear for a couple of fire suits and helmets to experience NASCAR full throttle at Texas Motor Speedway. You can read more about it here.

Like last week, the National Anthem will be delivered with no potential harm to your eardrums. 12-year-old Pianist Lewis Warren Jr. will perform the National Anthem before the Samsung 500 at Texas on Sunday. Warren Jr. was featured last year on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”.

Yet, another contest that I forgot to enter was held by Samsung and ended this past weekend will determine the grand marshall for the race. We will release the winner when we have it.

The ButtKicker and NASCAR

I can think of plenty of jokes here but I will leave them embedded in my mind and to your imagination. NASCAR and The Guitammer Company have partnered to give fans the feeling of being in the driver's seat by using the "ButtKicker".

The Butttkicker is a silent subwoofer for home theatre and gaming. It will transform any piece of furniture to become part of a 4-D theater. Guitammer has worked with the NASCAR Media Group and NASCAR broadcast partners for this patent pending television broadcast technology, ButtKicker Live!(R). This product enables fans to feel that action on the track while they watch the race at home in a natural, integrated way.

You can pretend to be in the drivers seat, while sitting at home drinking a beer.

It's available on Amazon.com or visit www.shakemycouch.com for more reseller information. You can view the press release here.

A unique place to visit while in Texas this week

With Texas on the mind, I came across something I must share. As you all know, I love NASCAR. What you may not know is that I am a HUGE fan of The Food Network, which I watch every day. One of my top 5 favorite shows is Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri.

If you watch Guy's show, you are already aware that he finds great eats in hidden places. Luck be have it, the upcoming April 6th show is featuring The Chef Point Cafe which is a 5 star gas station (?!?!!) in Fort Worth Texas. They feature culinary creations as crab cakes topped with roasted bell pepper, lobster bisque, escargot and grilled sea scallops in garlic butter. So you can get your gas, lotto tickets and gourmet food to go.

Please, for the love of god, if you are attending the race this weekend, stop by The Chef Point Cafe and let me know the details. My culinary curiosity is driving me mad. I mean, escargot at a gas station, really??

The Chef Point Cafe is located at 5901 Watauga Rd, Watauga TX.

New Feature! Tune Up Tuesday

We would like to introduce a new weekly feature from the Fashionistas. By Tuesday you should have had the chance to shake off the track funk from the previous weekend's race. Now it's time to hear some great new music! As luck would have it, a Nascar fan himself Gavin Degraw has a new album in stores today.

I am a GINORMOUS fan of Gavin Degraw and I definately was on his bandwagon very early. This is his third album released on J Records...first release from it will be Stay, start calling your radio stations now and begin requesting. Also, when he goes on tour to support this album...its a show you dont want to miss!

Gavin is also a fan of NASCAR!photo credit(s): BLU MOON Group

He has sung the National Anthem numerous times and performed at the 2005 Nascar Awards which you can view here.

Other Tune Ups of interest in stores today: Flo Rida, Peter Bijorn and John (trust me on this one) and Keith Urban

Texas Motor Speedway Drivers Appearances

Its bigger in Texas! There is plenty to do if you find yourself lucky enough to go to the Samsung 500 this weekend, not to mention the many opportunities to meet your favorite drivers. Although I have been to more than half of the tracks on the NASCAR circuit, I have yet to make it to Texas Motor Speedway and I have family that lives in Fort Worth. I find this strange......

One thing that would be great for the family to attend is the Aarons Fish and Fun at the Races. You can spend the morning fishing with NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Ryan Newman at the Lake at Texas Motor Speedway. Admission is free and open to kids 16 and under. The first 50 kids will receive a free Rod & Reel combo.

Without further ado, here are the drivers appearances for this week in Texas. We will be adding more as we get them.

Tuesday, March 31^st

Sam Hornish Jr. will sign autographs from 12:30pm-2:30pm at Mobil 1 Express located at 3055 Mayfield Road, Grand Prairie TX

Wednesday, April 1^st

David Ragan will sign autographs from 4pm-6pm at Discount Tire located at 2405 Grapevine Mills Circle, Grapevine TX

Joey Lagano will sign autographs from 5pm-7:30pm at Home Depot located at 901 N. Stremmons Parkway, Lewisville TX

Jeff Burton will sign autographs from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Wal-Mart located at 1228 Northwest Hwy 377, Roanoke TX

Tony Stewart will sign autographs from 6pm-8pm at Office Depot located at 1317 Hwy 114, Grapevine TX (wristbands will be distributed at 8am)

Thursday, April 2^nd

Eric McClure will sign autographs from 3:30pm-4:30pm at Brookshire’s Campground Store located at Texas Motor Speedway

Martin Truex Jr. will sign autographs from 4pm-5pm at Bass Pro Shops, 2501 Bass Pro Dr, Grapevine TX

Friday, April 3^rd

Eric McClure will sign autugraphs from 10am-Noon at the Wal-Mart located at 1515 South Loop 228, Denton TX and from 2pm-4pm at the Wal-Mart located at 800 South US Hwy 81/287, Decatur TX

Kurt Busch will sign autographs at 7pm at Wal-Mart located at 1228 Northwest Highway 377, Roanoke TX

Saturday, April 4^th

Ryan Newman will be at Aaron’s Fish & Fun at the Lake at Texas Motorspeedway at 9am

Eric McClure will sign autographs from 10:30am-11am at the Nationwide Display at Texas Motor Speedway

Sunday, April 5^th

Brian Vickers will sign autographs at the Red Bull hauler located in the souvenir midway at Texas Motor Speedway. Time TBA

Who needs March Madness when you have NASCAR Kinetics?

Why didnt have they this when I was in college? According to Wikipedia, NASCAR Kinetics is NASCAR's college experience program. Selected students at 4 universities (Central Michigan University, Howard University, the University of Texas Pan-America and Winston-Salem State University) will participate in a semester-long program, immersing them into the business of NASCAR.

Each school’s NASCAR Kinetics Team will help find solutions to business cases presented throughout the semester. The challenges have included testing campus avidity toward NASCAR, researching local charitable organizations and offering marketing suggestions to the NASCAR Foundation, recommending new ways to promote the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, creating new green initiatives to be implemented by NASCAR, and coming up with new ways to elevate the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Week. These case studies are based upon actual NASCAR initiatives and developed by and for NASCAR Official Partners.

Each school will hold an ultimate viewing party for a specific race. These viewing parties are open to students and the entire community. The number of people who attend the viewing party will determine which NASCAR Kinetics team wins a grand prize package: an all expense paid trip to the 2009 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C to interact with prominent NASCAR and Official Business professionals.

The WSSU Kinetics will be holding their Nascar Viewing Party for the Samsung 500 race this weekend in Texas. You can view their facebook here. UTPA also has their viewing party for the Texas race and information is here. CMU will hold their hosting party for the Phoenix race, their facebook group is here. Howard held their viewing party in February....of course they also have a facebook group. If you live in these areas or are students any of these university please support them in any way possible!

Runway Monday

What we are drooling overSusana Monaco Summer Maxi Dress

Being Cost ConsciousMossimo Braided Halter Maxi Dress