Too early to predict the chase? Maybe, maybe not.

Approaching the 4th race of the 2009 season with 32 to go, I decided to crunch a few numbers being I was named the statistical one of the group. I wanted to see where the standings were going into last years Atlanta spring race. Amazingly enough, 7 of the 12 drivers this time last year made it into the 2008 chase. Jimmie Johnson, the 2008 (& 2007, 2006) Sprint Cup winner was not in that category.

Pre-Atlanta 2008, the top 12 went as follows in point standings (their final standings are side noted & everyone that didn't make it in is red)
1. Kyle Busch (finished the season 10th)
2. Ryan Newman (finished the season 17th)
3. Kasey Kahne (finished the season 14th)
4. Kevin Harvick (finished the season 4th)
5. Greg Biffle (finished the season 3rd)
6. Jeff Burton (finished the season 6th)
7. Carl Edwards (finished the season 2nd)
8. Martin Truex Jr (finished the season 15th)
9. Elliot Sadler (finished the season 24th)
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr (finished the season 12th)
11. Tony Stewart (finished the season 9th)
12. Kurt Busch (finished the season 18th)

The 5 drivers out of the top 12 going into Atlanta 08, who made it into the chase were:
Jimmie Johnson was 14th (finished season 1st)
Jeff Gordon was 23rd (finished season 7th)
Clint Bowyer was 24th (finished season 5th)
Denny Hamlin was 20th (finished season 8th)
Matt Kenseth was 16th (finished season 11th)

Cick here for the 2009 current standings.

Who outside of the current top 12 would you want to see in the 2009 Chase For the Sprint Cup? I am going to go ahead and state the obvious, there are a lot of dark horses in the current top 12. We would love your input!!

Sorry ma'am we are out of chicken McNuggets.

We all love chicken McNuggets but do you love them enough to call 911? According to WPBF-TV, 27 year old Latreasa Goodman from Fort Pierce FL, called 911 3 times to report an emergency after McDonald's had run out of Chicken McNuggets. I was on facebook chatting with my friend Nicole and she asked me if I had heard about this. I thought she was leading into a joke. MSNBC is not a joke!

Want to know what she said to the 911 operator? "This is an emergency. If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one. This is an emergency."

I know this isn't exaclty NASCAR related, nor is it anything negative for McDonalds, who has been a sponsor for years. I just felt the need to share this with our readers. I can't stop laughing....We are borrowing this photo from our friends at Lol NASCAR. Do yourself a favor and check out their site here. I promise, you will get a few laughs.

Reed Sorrenson and Kasey Kahne support Safe Teen Driving

Source:nascar.com

Allstate and Richard Petty Motorsports have joined forces to promote Allstate's Parent-Teen Driving Contract. One of this years first stops will be tomorrow, when Peachtree City, GA native Reed Sorrenson and his mother Becky (pictured below last year at Darlington) will host the Allstate Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop at Campbell High School in Smyrna, GA. The Allstate interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract can be downloaded at www.allstate.com/teen. The idea of this agreement is for parents and teens to get together and go over guidelines that will lessen distractions on the road

During the race weekend, Reed and his pit crew will wear a specially designed wrist band with the message "GA-198" to honor the 198 teenagers in Georgia who lost their lives in car crashes in 2007.


photo:fastandfabulous.com

This is the third year of the Teen Safe Driving Pit Stop program sponsored by Allstate, the official insurance sponsor of RPM. The interactive, racing-themed initiative visits high schools in Sprint Cup Series race markets and features RPM drivers talking to parents and teens about ways to promote teen safe driving, including adoption of Allstate's interactive Parent-Teen Driving Contract, available at www.allstate.com/teen.

The contract is the centerpiece of Allstate's national teen driving campaign and enables parents to discuss safe-driving practices with their teens. It includes 'agreements' and 'consequences' for eight categories, including: speeding and tickets; time of day; crashes; number of passengers; drinking and driving; seatbelts; cell phones / music / other distractions and grades.

With Sorrenson, Kasey Kahne will headline the Pit Stop events this year. They will stop by select high schools prior to the Cup Series races in those markets to lead discussions about the risks associated with teen driving and to answer questions from parents and students. Joining them will be SPEED TV's John Roberts, who will serve as the emcee. Beginning in March, events are currently scheduled in Atlanta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and Philadelphia, Pa.

For Sale: 2br/2ba, new appliances, Speedway in backyard...

How would you like that to be the view from your living room?

For a mere $399,999-$799,999, you can have it! The Tara Place Condominiums are a 9 story complex attached to the front stretch at Atlanta Motor Speedway. They currently house the AMS corporate offices and 46 private condominiums. Most condos have theater seating (perfect for entertaining on race day!!) and come fully furnished. Not too shabby huh? Now, why cant I be a multi-millioniare? I would buy the whole place for us to take over this weekend!


Any serious takers can check out Condo.com they have several units available!

Who needs a Vegas race recap, when you have this?

I was looking for a creative spin to close Vegas and move on to Atlanta. Thanks to DW and Fox beating the Vegas references to death, and every source and their uncle, or should I say brother not finding a more creative angle than hometown boy blah sibling on the front row blah blah blah blah. Then I find this jem! Stockcartoons creator Mike Smith from the Las Vegas Sun produced what inevitably sums up the entire weekend in Sin City. Enjoy!

Sponsors like Red Bank Outfitters gives hope to bad economy, sponsorship woes

From the Red Bank site, image by TDSwraps.com

Red Bank Outfitters remained a sponsor for the #36 Tommy Baldwin Racing car driven by Scott Riggs through the Vegas race, and they look to be on board for Atlanta. This is just another great story given this stupid economy that there are people and businesses that can come together and produce some positive results. Scott Riggs and the #36 Toyota is currently 41st in the 2009 Sprint Cup point standings.

According their website, Red Bank offers many opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast, including KOSC, Kids Outdoor Sports Camp which will be held this summer.

We applaud Red Bank for their sponsorship! Businesses like these who have stepped up to the plate with sponsorship dollars during these difficult times should be supported wholeheartedly. Sure you can drink your Coke and fill your car with Sunoco while talking on your Sprint phone but its the mom and pop businesses like Red Bank who do the right thing and should be rewarded by the support of the NASCAR fanbase. They need to see the direct benefit of being a sponsor, and the benefits of branding their business with this sport. We hope you as the reader and the NASCAR nation as a whole does their part by supporting them!

Click here for Scott Riggs and Tommy Baldwin Racing news and updates.

Hotlanta!!

The Entry List for this Sundays Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is posted on Jayski.com and can be found here. Qualifying will take place Friday March 6 at 6:45 pm. You can follow along at Speed Network, NASCAR.com, PRN Radio or Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

There are 13 drivers on the go or go home list including Tony Stewart and Bill Elliot, one of whom can use past champion provisional if needed.

The schedule for this weekend can be viewed here.

We are currently working on the Drivers appearances throughout Atlanta and will have it posted as soon as possible.

Our question today is do you think the defending Atlanta Spring winner and last weekends Shelby 427 winner, Kyle Busch can make two in a row?

We wish everyone best of the luck to them in HOTlanta!

Carl Edwards Record Label helps provide pre-race entertainment for Atlanta Kobalt 500

Atlanta Motor Speedway has announced three performers -- Richie McDonald, Craig Campbell and Chris Hatfield -- for the Aflac Pre-Race Show prior to the running of the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday, March 8.

McDonald, the former lead singer for platinum-selling band Lonestar, will sing the National Anthem, while Campbell and Hatfield will perform mini-concerts as part of the Aflac Pre-Race Show.

McDonald gained national attention with Lonestar whose crossover hit "Amazed" reached number one on both the country charts and the Billboard Hot 100, the first song to do so since 1983. In 2007, the Texas native opted to leave Lonestar and pursue a solo career.

Hatfield newly signed with Carl Edwards' record label, Back40 Records, recently opened for Gavin DeGraw at a NASCAR fan event in New York City.

In addition to McDonald, Campbell and Hatfield, singer Megan Peeler will perform the National Anthem prior to Saturday's American Commercial Lines 200 and the duo The Two Timers will sing the Anthem before Friday's Georgia Power Qualifying Night.

Runway Monday

Starting this week, every Monday we will post a fashionista pick of the week and a cost conscious version.

What we are drooling over: Burberry Women's Check Ballet Flats (click here)

Being cost conscious: Jessica Simpson "Bethine" Flat (click here)

Third time was not a charm for Roush Racing

You know those bad days when it seems like a black cloud is hovering and wont let you go? Well, Jack Roush could probably write a book on that after the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It started on lap 6 with a fan favorite Matt Kenseth who won the season-opening Daytona 500 and last week's race at Fontana. Tonight his engine blew up and killed his chance of making history by winning the first 3 races of the year, which no driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has ever done.

Moving onto lap 72, where David Ragan also blew an engine.

On to the the final lap while running in the 4th position, the defending champion of the race Carl Edwards also blew his engine.

What is going on with the engines here?!

Edwards wound up 17th, Ragan finished 41st and Kenseth in 42nd. Almost sounds like the results of my fantasy team after tonight's race.

The Cat in the Hats saving grace? 2 of his 5 drivers finished in the top 10. Greg Biffle crossed the checkered flag in 7th and Jamie McMurray in 9th.

Pole winner Kyle Busch became the first driver in history to win the race from the pole position. Yet is he still considered a winner from the pole position when he had to go to the back of the pack since he changed his engine prior to the race? Again, what's with the engines?

Scott Speed and Michael Annett win Cook Off in Vegas

Michael Annett and Scott Speed teamed to win the Fourth Annual Raybestos® Rookie Cooking Challenge Thursday afternoon at ESPN Zone Las Vegas. Annett and Speed prepared a tasty dish of elbow macaroni with meat sauce, garlic onion and mozzarella cheese.

Other drivers competing in the event were Max Papis, Scott Lagasse Jr., John Wes Townley and Justin Allgaier. The event was judged by members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas.

“That was a lot of fun,” Annett said. “We love doing anything we can for kids
and something fun like that just makes it even better.”

Annett drives the No. 15 Pilot Travel Centers Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series while Speed begins his rookie year in Sprint Cup in the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota

All drivers who participated in the cooking competition were assisted by members of the ESPN Zone Culinary Team, led by chef Chris Gagen. Once the meals were prepared, each child from the Boys and Girls Clubs sampled the dishes and their applause determined the overall winner. Following the contest, drivers and kids played games in ESPN Zone’s interactive Sports Arena.

Raybestos brand Brakes has been the title sponsor of NASCAR’s rookie program since 1998.

Three things I love? Macaroni, the Boys and Girls Club and Michael Annett! These off track charity events and unique ideas continue to cultivate positive branding for the sport and raise money and awareness to many great causes.

While we are on the subject of food, one of the newer NASCAR cookbooks on the shelves is Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen written by Martha Earnhardt and Carol Gordon Bickford. That's June Bug's grandma and Jeff's mom to me and you.

Speaking of things that are yummy...

ATTN: iGoogle users

Do you have an iGoogle page? Now, you can add the Nascar Fashionistas right to your home page! An easy way to keep up with our updates, right from your iGoogle! All you have to do is go to your iGoogle page, then click on "Add Stuff", then on the left side bar, you will see a link that says "Add feed or Gadgets" - type in nascarfashionistas.blogspot.com and voila! There we are! We'll pop up on your home page, and you can get all of our up to the minute news feeds!

Enjoy!

Happy Happy Hour!

To kick off our new weekly feature, Happy Hour, we felt the need to introduce "Old Faithful". This is a drink is very popular with us at the track. It is fairly easy to consume with a Hangover brought on by partying too much on Qualifying night. Enjoy this cocktail while following Happy Hour Here!

Old Faithful

Grey Goose, Soda Water, Cranberry, Plenty of lime wedges

Take a highball glass and fill it with ice

Pour close to 1/2 full of vodka

Top with Soda Water & a 'splash' of Cranberry

Add lime wedge(s).

Cheers!!

Grand Marshall and National Anthem for the Shelby 427

This is the longest and hardest we have ever searched for pre-race entertainment. It isn't posted on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway website or Jayski.com. Finally, one day prior to the green flag, we found it. For Sunday's Shelby 427, Gordie Brown will provide the pre-race entertainment and the Jersey Boys will sing the national anthem.

Carroll Shelby will serve as grand marshal.

Click here for the full track schedule.

Shelby 427 cheat sheet / lineup

Here is the cheat sheet / lineup for the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I wonder what the catch phrase will be for the Busch boys sitting on the front row. Oh Brother!!(photo credit of Las Vegas Sun)
However, bad news for Kyle....they have to change his engine. I am having Déjà vu. Two weeks in a row, the pole sitter has to go back of the pack for engine issues.

We have to throw out a little congrats to Regan Smith, the driver of #78 Furniture Row Racing for making it in the race.

1. #18 Kyle Busch Toyota, M&M's**to back of the lineup due to engine
2. #2 Kurt Busch Dodge, Miller Lite
3. #48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet, Lowe's / Kobalt Tools
4. #00 David Reutimann Toyota, Aaron's Dream Machine
5. #47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota, Kingsford / Clorox / Little Debbie
6. #39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet, Haas Automation
7. #9 Kasey Kahne Dodge, Budweiser
8. #5 Mark Martin Chevrolet, Pop-Tarts / Carquest
9. #29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet, Shell / Pennzoil
10. #14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet, Old Spice / Office Depot
11. #12 David Stremme Dodge, Penske Racing
12. #77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge, Mobil 1
13. #25 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet, GoDaddy.com
14. #31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet, Caterpillar
15. #55 Michael Waltrip Toyota, NAPA
16. #99 Carl Edwards Ford, Aflac
17. #96 Bobby Labonte Ford, Ask.com
18. #78 Regan Smith Chevrolet, Furniture Row Companies
19. #44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge, Harrah's
20. #20 Joey Logano Toyota, The Home Depot
21. #83 Brian Vickers Toyota, Red Bull
22. #87 Joe Nemechek Toyota, NEMCO Motorsports
23. #42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet, Energizer
24. #16 Greg Biffle Ford, 3M
25. #1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet, Bass Pro Shops / Tracker
26. #13 Max Papis Toyota, GEICO
27. #8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet, TomTom
28. #24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet, DuPont
29. #34 John Andretti Chevrolet, WindowWorld.com
30 #71 David Gilliland Chevrolet, TRG Motorsports
31. #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, National Guard / Amp Energy
32. #7 Robby Gordon Toyota, Jim Beam
33. #19 Elliott Sadler Dodge, Stanley
34. #11 Denny Hamlin Toyota, FedEx Office
35. #6 David Ragan Ford, UPS
36. #98 Paul Menard Ford, Johns Manville / Menards
37. #33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet, Cheerios / Hamburger Helper
38. #26 Jamie McMurray Ford, Irwin Industrial Tools
39. #43 Reed Sorenson Dodge, Valvoline
40. #17 Matt Kenseth USG Sheetrock , Ford
41. #07 Casey Mears Chevrolet, Jack Daniel's
42. #82 Scott Speed Toyota, Red Bull
43. #64 Todd Bodine Toyota, Gunselman Motorsports

A chance to ride along with your favorite driver in Atlanta!

Speedway Children’s Charities is auctioning off a Ride Of A Lifetime Drivers Auction. It is a chance to take a lap with your favorite NASCAR driver! Click here to visit their eBay auction site. The winning bidder will have the opportunity to ride in the passenger seat of the parade lap Corvette during driver introductions for the Kobalt 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 8, 2009. Prior to the ride along you & a guest will receive a cold pit tour and the opportunity to take photos in your driver’s pit stall. Winning bid does not include tickets, transportation or lodging.

I have been blessed experiences I have had with NASCAR over the past few years but riding in the parade car is one thing I have never done. This is a great opportunity to meet your favorite driver and do something that many people will never experience. You better hurry up if you want a chance at this since the auction ends over the weekend! And ladies....at this time, Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards have not been bid on.

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.

Spotted in Vegas...

In Caesars Palace,Pure Nightclub hosts the hottest Tuesday night party in Sin City. Arriving early in the week and out and about was NASCAR drivers David Stremme, Denny Hamlin and Sam Hornish Jr. Stremme, Hamlin and Hornish held court on the main stage as they sipped on Grey Goose Vodka cocktails and mingled with friends in VIP.

Kyle Busch Interview

Kyle Busch NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Interview -- Auto Club Speedway Saturday night in Fontana

The following is a Interview with Kyle Busch following his victory Saturday at the Auto Club Speedway Saturday night in Fontana provided by Nationwide Insurance, title sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

With his victory in the Stater Bros. 300 Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway Saturday night in Fontana, CA, Kyle Busch became the first driver in NASCAR history to win two series races in the same day. Earlier Saturday, Busch took the checkered flag in the Camping World Truck Series Race.
Kyle Busch: Both races weren’t easy, they were both tough. I would say that the Nationwide Series race was a little harder, there at the end especially cause Carl and Kevin and all the guys there they wanted to battle real hard at the end for the win and so, it always sucks really really bad when you lead the most laps and you have a dominant car and then you finish second so, I was not about to let that happen today. I tried my darndest to make sure that wasn’t gonna be the case, so we made that come true and we were in Victory Lane so. Both races were tough, certainly not easy, never is in this game.

Lined up between Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick on the final restart with 16 laps to go, Busch had a close call before finally cruising into Victory Lane.
Busch: I let it drift up the hill just a little bit and I got Carl loose. I never got into him just got him air loose, and fortunately I squeaked through there and Harvick and I battled down the backstretch and I got to turn three and I knew that if I didn’t put it on the top and put it on kill and get the move done there then it was gonna be hard to do, cause for some reason these guys get better at the end of races and our stuff always stays the same and so we knew that it was gonna be a battle there. Fortunately, you know, Harvick didn’t outdo us there at the end and we were able to win.

Harvick finished just one second behind Busch.
Kevin Harvick: I thought if I could get by Kyle and get clean air there on that restart, we might have something for him if we get in front of him but just a little bit too free and wasn’t quite able to quite clear him going into three.

To see a the video race review of Fontana, go to http://www.nationwide.com/series/home.jsp?WT.svl=B6a

Las Vegas Driver Appearances

Here are the Nascar driver appearances for Las Vegas throughout this week.

Wednesday, February 25th
Eric McClure - will be at Arizona Charlie's (Decatur) from 11 am-noon.

Thursday, February 26th
David Ragan will be signing autographs at Discount Tire located at 6565 E. Lake Mead Blvd from 4pm-6pm rouschracing.com
Kasey Kahne will be signing autographs at Stratosphere Casino Hotel and Tower (2000 Las Vegas Blvd South) from 4pm-6pm rudysracing.
Kurt Busch’s inaugural Sprint for the Kids will be taking place at Pole Position Raceway, located at 4175 S Arville from 6pm-8pm. Participants will compete side-by-side in a celebrity endurance kart race featuring some of Nascars finest drivers and celebrities, including Jamie McMurray, Sam Hornish Jr., David Stremme and Jamie Little. For more information, visit kurtbusch.com/foundation
Elliott Sadler will be at Sam's Town Casino starting at 5pm http://www.elliottsadler.com/2009website/appearances.html
Joey Logano will be signing autographs at the Home Depot located at 1401 S. Lamb Blvd. Las Vegas, NV from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm http://driverappearances.com/
Scott Lagasse Jr. and John Wes Townley will be at ESPN Zone at New York, New York Hotel and Casino on from 2-4 p.m. http://www.lvms.com/news/superspeedway/504913.html

Friday, February 27, 2009
Martin Truex Jr. will be signing autographs from 11:00 am – 11:30 am at the merchandise trailer in the vendor area outside the entrance to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Richard Childress, Matt Kenseth and Darrelll Waltrip will be on stage at the Neon Garage for a live broadcast on the QVC network from 5 pm - 7pm.
Dexter Bean will be sigining autographs at the Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower from 7pm - 8pm. http://www.jayski.com/
Marcos Ambrose and Michael McDowell will be at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino from 7:30 pm - 8:30 p.m.http://www.lvms.com/news/superspeedway/504913.html
David Reutimann and rookie Ken Butler III will be at the Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership on 3223 W. Craig Rd. from 6:30-7:30 p.m. http://www.lvms.com/news/superspeedway/504913.html
Eric McClure will be at Stratosphere Hotel Casino from 8 pm-9 pm. http://www.lvms.com/news/superspeedway/504913.html
Hermie Sadler, Scott Wimmer, Todd Bodine, Scott Riggs, Reagan Smith, Jeff Green, David Green, Terry Cook, Eric McClure, Dexter Bean, Dave Blaney, Kirk Shelmerdine, Casey Atwood are scheduled to appear at the "Meet the Driver's Party in the casino at the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino at 7:00pm. http://www.jayski.com/
Jeff Burton and Richard Childress will be at the Caterpillar Contractor of the Year reception at Caesar's Palace from 7pm-9 pm.http://www.lvms.com/news/superspeedway/504913.html

Saturday, February 28, 2009
Kyle Busch will be signing autographs at M&M World, Las Vegas. 4pm - 6pm