Jimmie Johnson loves your Mom

Nothing says "I love you Mom" like a personalized Mothers Day card from Jimmie Johnson. You can bid on your chance to win one of six personalized Happy Mothers Day cards from Jimmie, as part of Aprils #1 Fan Experience. Also up for grabs is a Die Cast signed by Jimmie and Chad Knaus, Jimmie's personal champagne bottle from his 2007 Texas win, a Phoenix Victory Lane hat and more. This auction ends on April 11th. You can view the items here. All proceeds go towards the Jimmie Johnson Foundation.

Here's your chance to be a Grand Marshall!

Photo rights of The Jimmie Johnson Foundation

What is that one thing that you have always dreamed of doing? The first thing that comes to my mind is to do the coin toss at the start of a Florida Gators game. As long as I have known Darlynn, to deliver the most famous words in racing is on her bucket list. She is certain that one day she will get to be the Grand Marshall at a NASCAR race.

For a pretty penny, she can have that opportunity. We were checking out The Jimmie Johnson Foundation and came across an auction on eBay which ends in 2 days.

If you win this auction, you have the opportunity to deliver the most famous words in racing, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!” at The Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150 on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at Phoenix International Raceway. Wait, that's not all. Once you deliver the command, you will get into the Pace Car, driven by Jimmie Johnson and lead the field to the start of the race. This auction is quite the package and worth bidding on, click here for all of the details.

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities throughout the United States. By donating to needy and worthy causes, the foundation will strive to help everyone, particularly children, to pursue their dreams.

Nascar Cribs

Early this year, CMT kicked off a new season of Cribs with a NASCAR edition. It featured Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Of the three, I like Kevin and Delana's house the best. On CMTs website, they have an extra footage video up, which I posted below. I learned from this footage that Kevin loves Goldschlager (ew!) and Denny has 2 roommates.

NASCAR Cribs must have been a hit. I read this morning that Martin Truex Jr will be filming a segment on Tuesday, March 3rd!!!

"I really enjoyed having the CMT people here," Truex said. "I've always been a big fan of Cribs, so to have my place featured on the show is really cool."

My question for you is if you could see any drivers home, which would it be? My personal request would be Jimmie and Chandra Johnson. My reason? To see Chandra's closet.

The Draw Party

Last night, we bundled up like little Eskimos and ventured out in 20 degree Florida weather to attend the Budweiser Draw Party. Luckily, through the radio station, we get VIP access so it is was an evening of good food, free beer and the chance to be up close and personal with the boys. You can see why this has always been one of our favorite events to go to. Although the weather made it unbearable to stay for the whole party, we enjoyed ourselves as usual. I am not sure if our lives can take the debauchery.

I wonder if Jimmie Johnson and Elliot Sadler changed identities. The usually well groomed Jimmie came with his beard still intact....and Elliot was clean looking like a pretty boy! Kyle Busch played nice with the crowd by throwing bags of M&Ms at the fans. I guess the "most hated driver" in Nascar is trying to make a few friends. Watching M&Ms being thrown is slightly different than last year when I watched multiple drivers take "target practice" with their selection flags, Darlynn's chest being the bulls eye.

Tomorrow nights race is going to be different and the lineup has a lot to do with it. I have been complaining since they changed the format. We have 2 rookie of the year contenders running in the Shootout, a driver that didn't race in the Cup Series last year and a few other drivers that do not deserve to be in this race. Meanwhile, last years Daytona 500 winner is not in the race, along with a driver that chased for the cup and a few other guys that in my eyes should be in the Shootout. Regardless, I am excited that we will be at a race tomorrow night.

The end of a really long season that went by really fast.

After the race Sunday, emotions were on a high. Things are changing. The sport is going to be different next year. The economy has everyone freaking out. Sponsorship issues are no longer a concern, they are now an absolute issue. According to Nascar.com, this past Monday was dubbed as "Black Monday" due to ongoing layoffs between the 3 series.

This brings me to something I didn't want to blog about but have received a few emails asking why it wasn't brought up yet. I am speaking of the DEI/Ganassi merger. After many thoughts and discussions over it, I've decided to have an optimistic outlook on it. This season was rough for both teams and next year brings a fresh start, a new beginning and a new team, with the experience of Chip Ganassi. I know it is hard for a lot of the NASCAR nation to swallow the fact that Dale Earnhardt Inc. is no longer "DEI". It's not the end of the legacy, it is the start of a new one. At the end of the day, mergers are awful, I saw it happen last year first hand with Ginn Racing and let me tell you, it wasn't a pleasent experience.

I learned that NASCAR is a business and businesses go through rough times like this, especially in today's times. We must remember that it is not about the past but about what the future holds. I have a feeling that next year will be a great year for Martin Truex Jr. and the whole Bass Pro team. Go Chip and Dale Racing!Our good buddy Regan Smith won Rookie of the Year!!!! Winning Rookie of the Year is the best case scenario for Reegs and hopefully all will be well and very successful next year. I can only wish him the best. He is truly a class act, something I have known for years. He has made a name for himself this year with the way he handled the Talladega conterversay. I know that no matter what happens, this is the start of a successful career for him. Now we need to find our boy a sponsor! Good luck bud!

Carl Edwards....sigh. I must state how much I hate the chase. He crushed the others with statistics and still came up short in the Series title. He had 9 wins, 19 top 5's and 27 top 10's. He was first in all 3 categories yet came up 69 points shy of the cup. As a Carl Edwards fan, I have to say, I am very proud of him. I really was hoping he won the cup but there is always next year!! Well, then again, shouldn't I be saying I want Martin Truex Jr. to win the cup in 09? I don't want to get in trouble!

So what has this year taught us? Next year, next year, there is always next year. 2008 has been a rough one for mostly everyone I know, personally, financially, emotionally and career wise. 2009 has to be more promising. Or I quit.

This may be the most depressing blog I have ever done.

Here are a few of our photos from the Homestead-Miami weekend.

Top left: Megan, Bono, Knuckles, Ally, Doodle. Top right: Ally, Doodle

Middle left: Megan and Ally @ the Bass Pro Pits. Middle right: Megan and Ally @ Jimmie Johnsons celebration. Botttom left: Megan and Ally on the track, after the race.

Bottom right: Megan and Sweet Jim.