Carl Edwards interviews regarding Talladega Crash

On Sunday, we posted the article Shades of Ricky Bobby, after Aarons 499 at Talladega which ended with quite a scare for Carl Edwards and the NASCAR Nation. I have seen plenty of wrecks but this one immediately brought tears to my eyes.

Carl has been on a media circus tour over the past 24 hours. Last night, he appeared on Larry King Live and today he was on The Ellen Show. I have collected clips of Carl's interviews and will be adding any future ones to this post. Note, in both interviews, he mentioned he is quite the Will Ferrell fan which was his inspiration for running across the finish line. I am so happy Carl is alright and am impressed over and over again with his interview skills.

Shades of Ricky Bobby.....

The 2009 Aarons 499 at Talladega was one of the best races I have ever seen. It's been a long time since I was that excited about a race. The ending, which lead to one of the scariest wrecks since Michael McDowell in Texas, will be talked about for quite some time.

Carl Edwards was going for the win, with Dale Earnhardt Jrs protege Brad Keselowski pushing him to the finish line. Brad tried the same move that cost Regan Smith the win last year and Carl tried to block him. When Carl went for the block he became airborne, flipped and smacked into the barrier fence. He then got out of his car and ran across the start/finish line in true Ricky Bobby style. This is the first time Carl The Flipper Edwards has flipped a car.



Thank God Carl didn't run around the track like this (although I am sure many of us wouldn't mind seeing him strip down)



Now it's time to talk about the seriousness of this wreck. 8 Fans were injured. Although none were life threatening, 2 women were air lifted to Birmingham hospitals and one has a broken jaw. The reason that they were airlifted was due to the horrific traffic. We want to send some get well wishes to all that were injured.

Happy Happy Hour

I am kicking off Happy Hour in true Alabama style with the Alabama Slammer. Enjoy this drink while following along with Happy Hour here!
If you were looking for an nonalcoholic Happy Hour drink, do Talladega Nights proud and get all jacked up on Mountain Dew.

Alabama Slammer
In a high ball, fill with Ice
1 oz Southern Comfort®
1 oz amaretto almond liqueur
1 oz sloe gin
Fill rest of the glass w/ orange juice

Talladega's International Motorsports Hall of Fame offers lots of fun for the fans this weekend.

Racing Celebrities Appearing at International Motorsports Hall of Fame The International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum (IMHOF) is a must-see attraction for race fans attending the April 24-26 Aaron’s Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. And, now there will be more than cars and memorabilia for fans to see to during race weekend.

On Friday, April 24, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame will host several racing and celebrity autograph signing events.

* Donnie Allison, founding member of the legendary Alabama Gang, will host a book signing in the McCaig-Wellborn Research library from 10 a.m. till Noon.

* Stan Barrett, driver of the world famous Rocket Car, will be signing autographs in the Union 76 Building from Noon till 2 p.m.

* Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, will appear on QVC in the SPEED Channel Dome.


On Saturday, April 25, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame will host Martha Earnhardt (Dale Earnhardt’s mother) and Carol Gordon Bickford (Jeff Gordon’s mother) in the McCaig-Wellborn Research library.

· Earnhardt and Bickford will host a book signing from 9 a.m. till 11 a.m.

· Copies of their co-authored cookbook “Pitstop in a Southern Kitchen” will be available for purchase at the IMHOF for $19.99 plus tax.

“We are excited that so many of our special guests will be appearing at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum,” said Talladega Superspeedway President and IMHOF Executive Director Rick Humphrey. “It’s one more way that Talladega Superspeedway and the IMHOF are working together to enhance the race fan’s experience.”

Gross meets Wholesome for Talladega Pre-Race Duties

Talladega matches its Boulevard having Radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge as grand marshal for a NASCAR race on April 25 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.

Sweaty. Obscene. Not very women friendly.
Bearable when you are really drunk.

At the other end of the spectrum, Miss America 2009 Katie Stam will perform the national anthem.

The Aaron's 312, sponsored by Aaron's Rents Inc., is part of NASCAR's Nationwide Series. The 312-mile race, which will be telecast live on ABC, will be run the day before the Aaron's 499, a stop on NASCAR's major Sprint Car Series.

If you are looking for some radio that is not offensive to women and talks about NASCAR and you live in the Central Florida area. 740AM the game has our good friend Tuddle broadcasting a NASCAR show. from 6p-8p every Fridays. We will be posting more information in a future blog soon.

Obsession with Breasts Hit a Mature Level this Weekend in Talladega

The NASCAR Foundation has announced that NASCAR Day will "Go Pink" through a joint partnership with FOX Sports Supports and Susan G. Komen for the Cure April 24-26 during the Aaron's Talladega Dream Weekend.

Through the partnership between The NASCAR Foundation, FOX Sports Supports and Komen for the Cure, a portion of the net proceeds raised through the program will benefit Komen for the Cure, supporting its promise to save lives end breast cancer forever. Specifically, the money raised will support the Susan G. Komen Scholarship Fund – a fund specifically designed for children whose mothers have lost their battle against cancer.

In 2009, FOX Sports has aligned with Komen for the Cure through the FOX Sports Supports program as one of their benefiting organizations. NASCAR on FOX personalities will don their pink apparel and show their support by wearing their NASCAR Day pins throughout the race weekend. FOX Sports launched FOX Sports Supports last year to raise awareness, provide financial assistance and spur volunteerism for worthy health-related charities.

Volunteers from Komen's North Central Alabama Affiliate will be out at the track Friday-Sunday collecting $5 donations. In return for the donation, fans will receive a collectible NASCAR Day lapel pin. The NASCAR Foundation will also have commemorative NASCAR Day pink t-shirts available for a limited time at the NASCAR.COM Superstore and at The NASCAR Foundation booth at Talladega Superspeedway. The t-shirts are available now online, and fans are encouraged to wear them to the track on race weekend. Half of the net proceeds from these efforts will benefit the Susan G. Komen Scholarship Fund. Source:nascar.com

The fashionistas go pink every October to walk in our local Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. I have actually been a chair for the past two years and have the honor to meet some great people that have won the battle and have now focused their energies to work really hard to end this battle. We strive that our children will not know the word cancer when they are our age. We are excited for NASCAR and this awareness campaign! We hope that you will support this and other NASCAR Day activities. Just think it could be YOUR dollar that cures this disease!

PETA, please go back to throwing paint on my fur coat...

Source:AP Press

In the most ridiculous thing I have read all week, and yes that includes why they would even let Perez Hilton judge anything more serious than a pie eating contest...PETA is protesting mass chicken dance at NASCAR race in Alabama. PETA is taking on what it describes as a new affront to animals: NASCAR fans doing the chicken dance.People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals asked Guinness World Records Inc. on Monday to ignore an attempt to set a world record for the largest group chicken dance at the Talladega Superspeedway, site of the Aaron's 499 race on Sunday.The reason? KFC is the sponsor of the record attempt, and the animal rights group says the fast-food company is cruel to chickens.A KFC spokesman defended the company's treatment of animals and said it hoped to get 125,000 race fans involved in the mass dance.

ps...i dont really have a fur coat.

pps....I think Miss California rocks, not for what she says, which isnt the point and to each his own or her own as it is...but its refreshing that she wasnt afraid to speak her mind...then again, it doesnt matter what I think because I dont have any business judging a Miss USA contest either...

Something almost as good as Will Ferrell happening in Talladega...

Even Talladega is sensitive to this economy. Talladega Superspeedway announced it is rolling out a monthly payment plan for customers, when tickets to the November AMP Energy 500 race went on sale to the general public on Saturday. The payment plan can be used for race tickets, including specially priced $40 AMP Energy 500 tickets, hospitality packages and overnight parking spaces.

The monthly payment plan allows race fans to make automatic payments for their ticket purchases with a debit or credit card, until August 1, 2009. The earlier race fans make their purchases, the more time they have to spread their payments out at lower monthly installments. After the first initial payment, each monthly installment will be automatically charged to the customer’s debit or credit card on the first of the month until August 1.

To begin a payment plan, guests should call 1-877-Go2-DEGA. As a reminder, this race is three weeks later than normal, for race number seven in the chase. Tickets to the AMP Energy 500 and the upcoming Aaron’s Dream Weekend, April 24 -26, are available at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 1-877-Go2-DEGA.(TSS PR)(3-7-2009)

There is room for great jokes here, but seriously congrats to the Speedway for paying attention to the needs of its fans. If you missed our experiences at the Talladega race in October please take a visit down memory lane with us here or here.

Dale Jrs take on Regan and Talladega

I promise this will be my final post about Regan Smith at Talladega. I have had many conversations over the past week regarding the controversial ending at Talladega. Again, I am biased being I am friends with Regan. Nevertheless, if it were Juan Pablo that got screwed out of the win, I would still be shaking my head at Nascar. You can not sit here and tell me that if it were Dale Jr. that was pushed below the yellow line, that he would not have come out of that race as the winner. Oh, thats right...its happened to JR before and he DID come out the winner! Nascar rules are Nascar rules...until an unsponsored rookie almost takes the win from Sir Tony Stewart. Click here for the article Foxsports.com has regarding Dale Jrs take ont he race. One day, we will all be sitting in winner circle screaming winner winner chicken dinner.

I am ending this with a few quotes from JR.

"It was exactly the same. I was forced below (the yellow line) and that was declared OK,"

"I know for a fact Regan didn't go down the front straightaway with a plan to pass (Stewart) on the apron. He was under (Stewart) on the race track when Tony came down and he was forced onto the apron."

Hey we are just amateurs with passion...check out what some professionals said about Talladega

Its just nice to know that like in politics, there are two sides to every story and we pick this one from Sporting News Or this jewel from Thats Racing

Do whaaaaaa? Talladega Review take 3

First off, just as a general sigh of relief...all girls made it home from Talladega alive and very well. Actually our trip home was quite luxurious, but more on that later.

So, even as I was packing I was a little apprehensive....what the hell was I getting myself into?? I mean really? I grew up in Daytona Beach, I have seen the craziest of Spring Breaks....Club 3 in Daytona was scary enough....how bad could this be??

On a low note, I will tell you I was nauseous when Martin Truex Jr wrecked...the look on everyone's face from the pit box and the running towards the car was scary.... I am really glad that he was ok, that it wasn't his fault and noone had to pull a Rhianna...next week punkins next week!

Lets get on to the high notes shall we? The trip itself was quite awesome. We were fed and given libations till we couldn't see. The first night was the most fun. Can I tell you how happy I that we are on a motor coach that had an endless supply of Red Bull...I really needed the extra energy, especially for Talladega Blvd.....the most fun was at that tent that was at the place with the thing about the stuff...dont really remember how this was THE apparent meeting spot. But there Tool was and let the party begin...all was well and we were introduced to this person and that person.

Met some guy that did sales or something for DEI...apparently this is an inside sales job as he had the personality of a pin. Have you met me? I can make friends with a fork! I was proper and inquisitive (as dur I have been in sales and marketing for 14 years) and I tried to find a common ground with him to no avail...moving on!

Then we run smack dab into Reed Sorenson and his wing man...great eyes, nice enough but did you know reed is another word for instrument as in a tool? Just saying. His wingman did a horrible job trying to save him from the claws of Blue shiny jacket Pinky Tuscadero from Grease...god bless him...he was really nice.

Saturday was awesome, Napped and watched football and ate and drank....perfect! Sunday was the race and at the end of the day my time in dega was well spent, well remembered and impressionable by all .

I will give you my two cents about the race. As you know, by default Tony Stewart is one of my favorites...thanks to Uncle Pete. I am glad that he won, but I am sad that Regan Smith not only didnt win but NASCAR didnt give him second. Thats just wrong. This is racing and this is what the fans pay to see....but that is bullcrap. What will be interesting is how this event will be portrayed in the media.I believe that this is a blessing for DEI...why?? THIS IS the bees knees for PR!!! If they pull it off right, which I have 100% confidence that they will...they can put Reegs smack dab in the Nascar Spotlight on the map as the driver who didnt go out like Cryle Busch...he is a good racer, took it like a man and god narmit deserves a fantastic sponsor next year.

Ok, I have been officially been in Alabama too long!

From our Guest Blogger, Melissa Lindsey

Talladega Weekend with the Girls!
By Melissa Lindsey

So this weekend was amazing! Here's a lil bit of how it went....
- and might I add, my husband is awesome for letting me do this girls weekend while he's in the sand box! I love you Joel!

Friday afternoon I headed to the Montgomery airport and picked up my girls, Megan and Darlynn. From the airport we proceeded to Talladega, just us girls jamming out in the truck all the way! Felt like we were headed for Spring Break or something! We got to 'dega around 3pm Friday, well to the track, but seeing how I nor Megan had been there for a while we had no clue how to get back to the Driver/Owner lot, so we stopped and talked to pretty much every security guard there, which they didn't mind at all... I mean, you've probably seen some of the stuff that goes to the infield, so they didnt mind having some nicely dressed pretty women to talk to...

So we finally made it to the motorcoach and got to relax for a lil while... we actually relaxed a lot this weekend amazingly! It was nice to just hang out. All the guys we were with were just awesome. They made sure we were well taken care of and didn't get into any trouble.
As for Friday night... we all loaded up in the golf cart and made our way out to the main inflield with all the other crazy people at Talladega Blvd! It's like a Redneck Mardi Gras on crack! We had fun just people watching! And there was plenty to watch! There was a guy wearing nothing but a tire, some old chick dancing on a makeshift pole, and much more just not enough time to name!

On Saturday us girls just hung out watching football. One of the funniest "you had to of been there" moments was on Saturday. Me, Meg and Dar were lounging outside the motorcoach watching football when Carl Edwards come walking by again. Apparently we were all staring at him, but who could resist!..so Carl turned and flashed that beautiful Carl Edwards smile and waved... and in a synchronized fashion all three of us raised our hands to wave and couldn't say a word! After he passed on by all we could do was look at each other with our beet red faces and bust out laughing. It wasn't like it was unusual for us to see all the drivers and say hi or anything, cause we were staying in the same lot with them, but we have a couple of those drivers that just get to us! You know, like Cutie Kasey Kahne, Dale Jr, Carl Edwards and my man Tony Stewart!

So next would be raceday.. Sunday morning we got up and got ready..headed down and walked around the garage and pits for a lil while, and just waited for the race. So when the race was about to get started we went on to Martin Truex's pit, put on our scanners and watched what we hoped was gonna be a good day for our number 1 Bass Pro Shops car...however it didn't turn out the way we hoped!! It sucked! Martin got taken out in the first big wreck of the race... Since that happend, we left the race a lil early to head to Atlanta since the girls had an early flight out on
Monday morning.

A couple side notes:
- Our wakeup call every morning was "What's Up Bitches"
- My new nickname is Hilljack...thanks Jager Bombs! lol
- We all 3 have stalkers (the drivers we see and run into everywhere!!) Megans is Carl Edwards, Darlynn's is Kyle Petty and mine is Reed Sorenson. Reed was once again everywhere we were this weekend..not to mention his motorcoach was right in front of ours!
- No mater where we were this weekend, if our beer was empty, we magically had a brand new one in our hands within 5 mins! Like I said, they took care of us very well!
- and some words frequently used... "Do Whaaat" "I Concur" "Going to the Front" and a very much used one "OMG!"

Honestly there is sooo much more, I'm just tired of writing and I'm sure if anyone has made it through reading this far, then you're probably tired of reading it too! :)
In summary, it was a great weekend and I can't wait til we get a chance to do it again! I miss my girls already!

Also.. Congrats to my Tony Stewart on the win, however I would've loved to see our Regan Smith win...it was a crazy ending but Regan should've still gotten 2nd place! Instead they put him in 18th! It's BS!

A race full of heartbreaks

SO, Tony Stewart is my new hated driver. I try not to take things personal when it comes to Nascar....but when my friend almost gets his first win....at Talladega of all places, only to get the win snatched out from under him infuriates me. I am so upset with Nascar. They are saying Regan tried to improve his position because Tony pushed him below the yellow line. Regan prevented a wreck when he did this. Now Regan ended up getting black flagged. Well bud...I will always consider you as the winner of this race and I couldn't have been happier with your performance yesterday.
Now, lets move onto my other heartbreak of the race....Martin Truex Jr. getting wrecked. Darlynn and I were sitting in the Bass Pro pits when the wreck happened right in front of us. It seems the boys cant get a break. How many weeks in a row have they had the car to win and end up getting screwed? Its like they cant win for losing.

Now the next chapter is the positive one about our weekend. I can honestly say, I was a little apprehensive coming into this weekend, although I was with 2 girls I love and many guys I love to be around. I was very surprised for the most part. The race was the worst part of my weekend. Who can honestly say that? I had the greatest time and all of us needed this weekend. Melissa and Darlynn have already put their two sense as to what happened so I wont need to elaborate.

"Its Just Dega...."

Those were the words from Bono, "It's Just Dega". GOD what a freakin mess of a race today!?!?! Martin had a great car- Top 10 all day- even taking the lead at times.....then THE TIRES. Brian Vickers blew a front right tire, and just wiped out our Martin Truex Jr. Bad and Hard. I think they said he took a total of 5 hits. OUCH. He went high, hit the wall, got spun by multiple cars 3 more times, then hit the lower wall- HARD. They came back from commercial, and I just saw that black chevy hitting the lower wall and I immediately jumped up from my coma and was like "OH F**K"- the scanner was on delay on the computer, so the wreck had not happened yet...then I hear Joey going "Are you ok?, Martin talk to us" and it was silent. SILENT. The TV had flashed to some of the other cars...then I saw Martin out of the car, and he was pissssssssssed. Tore off his tear sheet, took his helmet off and threw it in the car...it was bad- then they showed him walking by himself, just rubbing his hands over his head....It just SUCKED.

The girls were there, and I am sure they will talk about it first hand, cause I know they were by the Bass Pro pits when it happened. What a freakin mess.

Then- 5 to go. Our Reegs is running 2nd...I cant even write about the ending to that race. If you saw it, you know. REGAN WON THE RACE. REGAN WON THE RACE. But of course cause he got pushed under the yellow line for the pass....he got F**ked. So, no, TONY actually won the race. Probably one of the most controversial finishes all year. Poor Reegs. He really did win that race.

Have a beer for me Regan. You too Martin.

Missing the girls....

The ladies are in Dega, Bama - and I am home! Seems they are having a great time though... I am chilling on the couch this afternoon, and watching Race Day on Speed now...I just talked to Meg and Darlynn and they are getting ready to head down to the garage..I hope they send me some pics! I miss the boys! (and the girls of course) haha!

Live from Talladega, it's Saturday Night Live

24 hours into the debauchery of the Talladega Girls Weekend and we already have too much to write about.

Melissa is now officially known as Hilljack.

Darlynn is frequently using the term "Doo Whaa?"

Melissa said "We got heels here"....Darlynn and I asked why she brought heels to a race, and she said "no, not heels, heels.....like that large round thing over there"...."Oh Melissa, you mean Hills."

Apparently they are making King of the Heel into a movie and the worlds largest casting call for Boomhauer is taking place in front of our very eyes.

I was proposed to by a complete stranger last night....oddly enough, he had all his teeth.

The 3 of us must be in one of those naked dreams because people are staring at us like they have never seen a woman.

We cock blocked for Reed. The girl was wearing a shiny blue satin jacket.

Talladega Blvd. was giving out Hep C and Staff infections last night....free tattoos in the infield. I can only imagine it now....Look MA! I got a JR tattoo in Dega. WOOO.

On the plus side, it is Saturday and I have not seen the infield care center yet.

Sweet Tea Vodka!!!

I know what your thinking....I thought it too. How could they ever make Sweet Tea flavored vodka and why? This weekend, at one of the many wedding parties I attended, one soon to be bride named Lawton decided to bring down a few handle bottles of Firefly Vodka to make her new favorite drink. She brought me a drink and I warily sipped it.....then gulped it....and am now a fellow Firefly addict. Seriously, this is the most dangerous drink. It tastes EXACTLY like sweet tea. You mix equal parts of water and Vodka, add 2 lemon wedges and voila! I also added some simple syrup since I am a Southern Gal and like my sweet tea super sweet.

This is a perfect raceday drink!! I have decided that we MUST have it for our Talladega trip. Being the smarty pants I am, I called Wendy and had her pick me up 2 bottles from a liquor store in NC. I was planning on sending them to Melissa in Alabama. Well, apparenlty, you can't ship alcohol! I found a website that will ship it....but guess what....they don't ship to Alabama! I don't think Delta will appreciate me taking Firefly on as my carryon. GRRRR.