Archives for NASCAR category
“PIT ROAD PETS: NASCAR STARS & THEIR PETS, THE SECOND LAP” BOOK HITS SHELVES THIS WEEKEND
NASCAR Personalities and Fans All Part of Ryan Newman Foundation’s Second Charity Book
BRISTOL, TENN. (March 20, 2010) – For Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Newman and wife Krissie, their six dogs aren’t just adored animals – they’re family.
This weekend, the Newmans will release their second book Pit Road: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets, the Second Lap at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, which celebrates the NASCAR community and their beloved furry and sometimes even feathered families.
Pit Road Pets: NASCAR Stars and Their Pets, the Second Lap, gives fans an intimate look at some of NASCAR’s most loved drivers both past and present, their families and their love for animals. Crew chiefs, broadcast personalities and the people who work behind the scenes at races each weekend are all part of this picturesque book.
“The book isn’t just the drivers,” Krissie Newman said. “We have the big personalities in the sport, but we also have a large contingent of the media broadcasters; we have the people who are behind the scenes like Jay Howard, who coordinates all of the pre-race activities; we have more team owners like Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick. This is the only book that encompasses every aspect of what racing is on a non-racing scale. And it’s really incredible to listen to the personal stories that they tell about their lives away from the racetrack.”
As the follow-up to the Newman’s first Pit Road Pets book which was published in 2006, The Second Lap even delves into the heart of NASCAR – its fans. Photographer Karen Will Rogers and a team of people traveled to three racetracks during the 2009 season – Bristol Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway – to meet and photograph NASCAR’s devoted fans and their pets.
“When we started planning our second book, it was really a no-brainer to include the fans,” Krissie Newman said. “The fans are really the heartbeat of this sport. NASCAR has the most unique and most dedicated fans out there, and we wanted to showcase them and their personalities and their love for animals in our book.
“In fact, it was a chance meeting with fans that really encouraged us to help animals and start the Ryan Newman Foundation. And I can’t tell you how many fans come up to either me or Ryan to tell us about their pets or who want us to meet their dogs. It just made sense.”
The book, which sells for $24.95, is available for purchase at www.RyanNewmanFoundation.org or at the racetrack on the No. 39 Ryan Newman souvenir trailer.
The proceeds from the first book helped build a regional spay/neuter clinic at the Humane Society of Catawba Count in Hickory, N.C. To date, The Ryan Newman Foundation S.N.I.P. clinic has already performed over 13,000 spay/neuter surgeries since their doors opened in 2007, preventing the death of hundreds of thousands of unwanted and stray animals.
With the release of The Second Lap, the Ryan Newman Foundation hopes to make an even bigger impact. One hundred percent of the Ryan Newman Foundation net proceeds will be donated to animal causes such as giving grants to families that can’t afford to spay or neuter their pets. The Ryan Newman Foundation also plans to build an animal education center in North Carolina that will serve as a model for animal welfare and education throughout the U.S.
For more information, visit www.RyanNewmanFoundation.org.
Mar 28, 2010 | | Books, Charity, NASCAR, Pets
This is a very interesting blog written by Jon Corra on NASCAR.com.
My Unpopular Opinion
Sunday July 12, 2009 @ 01:11 PM EDT
Posted by JonnyBA
I might be going out on a limb here, but I could care less about Mark Martin winning a race. Now, for the haters, go ahead and give this blog your one flag rating, and then run away scared. For the rest of you, read on as I present my argument in an accurate, and very biased way.
Let me first start by saying that I have the upmost respect for Mark. I think he is a great driver, a disciplined athlete, and an all around great person. With that being said, I do not like him. I have never liked Mark Martin, and I likely never will. Him winning a race was nice for the older crowd, and his die-hard fans, however, four wins is getting a little irritatiing. The only joy I get out of his wins is when I think, hmmm that use to be Casey Mears car.
So, those of you who are still reading this may ask why the dislike for Mark? Well it’s simple, it’s his demeanor. His “aww shucks” approach, and gretfulness comes off as false. It is ever pertenious, and in all, off putting. Why do I say this? Because he always does it. For Kyle Busch haters, it’s the same as when you say he whines constantly. So in other words, it’s the exact opposite of that. When he says stuff like “Rick Hendrick should fire me” when he runs bad. He can’t be serious. I mean Rick has held on Junior even though his performance is not on par. It is all very fake.
Also, Mark winning is bad for the sport. Nascar wants to appeal to a younger audience. It is really hard to do so when the guy who has one the most races this season is over 40 years old. No young person, and no I don’t consider myself young, is going to be drawn to the sport when the winningist athlete is older than thier parents.
My last point is that Mark Martin is a magic trick for Hendrick. The fans forget that Mark is in a Hendrick car. We are not use to seeing the 5 car upfront, and thus we think it belongs to someone else. The point I’m making is that he just scored the 9th win this season for a Hendrick car. (Yes, the 14 is a Hendrick car) I bring this up because no one is crying foul on HMS. Yet, in the Nationwide series, when the JGR cars are dominat, people say that they must be cheating. Nobody wants to say that Grandpa has an unfair advantage.
So yes, this blog will be hated by all, and I don’t care. You people can have your aging feel good story. I will keep my bitter pouty young guns, they make things interesting.
Jul 12, 2009 | | NASCAR
Forbes.com reported today that Tony Stewart is knocking Dale Earnhardt Jr. off top spot in merchandise sales…
Jun 24, 2009 | | NASCAR, Videos
How many times during the last few months have you read or heard that NASCAR is worried about falling tickets sales? How many times have you seen a poll asking what NASCAR can do to get the fans interested again? Some have come to the conclusion that the problem is Dale Earnhardt, Jr. He has only won one race in the last three years and there are some who still question that win. This year has been the most disappointing. More often than not he finishes in the lower half of the field. He misses his pit stop or makes some other outrageous mistake. All to the horror of Jr. Nation. As of late they are not rushing to the track or leave early after Jr. fades to the back. And they are not spending all those dollars on Jr. gear.
Something has to be done and done fast. The future of NASCAR is hanging in the balance. Rick Hendrick has called for an all out assault on the problem. He has everyone at Hendrick Motor Sports working to get Jr. back in victory lane, including giving him a new crew chief and his best engineers. Jr.’s problems and the changes to fix it are all NASCAR and the sports media have talked about for weeks.
Now here is my take on the NASCAR problem. I don’t know what Jr.’s problem is and quite frankly I don’t care. To be truthful, I am sick of Jr. It is all Jr. all the time. NASCAR.com should be renamed Jr.com. Even though he has not performed well in three years, all the announcers want to talk about is Jr. Commercials advertising NASCAR and NASCAR merchandise feature Jr. When the cameras are panning around the garage they show Jr. During the National Anthem they make sure to get a shot of Jr. While the cars are going around the track they always get Jr. There has not been one race that at least one commentator has not picked Jr. to win. And I can’t begin to count the number of interviews done and articles written on why Jr. can’t win.
I happen to be lucky. My driver gets his fair share of attention. Mostly for the wrong reasons, but also because he wins a lot. I feel bad for the other drivers. There are 42 others out there on the track every week. Jimmie Johnson won his third championship in a row and didn’t get as much press as Jr. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart get a little notice, but not what they deserve compared to a driver who has never won a championship. Mark Martin is having a great year, so some have actually suggested Hendrick give Jr. his crew chief. What about the young guys who are just getting started? Don’t they deserve a little air time? How can they build a fan base if no one ever hears their name? Heaven forbid another driver dares to criticize Jr. One ventured into those waters last week and two, yes two, commentators had the nerve to find fault with his comments. Why should he say something like that? After all, they only asked him his opinion on the crew chief change for the 88 team? They didn’t mean for him to give an honest answer. However, when Tony Stewart mentioned that it is annoying to spend most of their interviews answering questions about Jr. none could muster up the same backbone. It’s easy to come down on a twenty-four year old kid, but not so when they are dealing with a hot headed, yet well liked, two time champion.
Here’s your fix NASCAR. You want to sell more tickets? Spread the wealth around a little more. Throw the fans of the other drivers a bone. Show all those swearing, liquored up, beer can throwing, one finger saluting thugs, better known as Jr. Nation, the path to the parking lot. Make the race more enjoyable for the fans who love the race. Allow fans to bring their children to the track without worrying about what they will see or hear. Make sure these people can wear their Jeff Gordon hat or M&M’s t-shirt without fearing for their safety. Send the message loud and clear that drivers are allowed to pass, bump, out drive, beat and criticize Dale, Jr. without repercussions. That is unless Jr. grows a pair of cajoles and actually stands up for himself.
NASCAR should be for all the drivers and all the fans. It has not been for a long time. In my opinion that is what is wrong with NASCAR.
Jun 01, 2009 | | NASCAR
Hamilton County Shelter Reports Increase In Dogs Hit By Cars
HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. — Reports of dogs being hit by cars are on the rise in Hamilton County and shelter officials said the economic downturn is partly to blame.
Workers at the Hamilton County Humane Society shelter said they have seen a sharp increase in the number of animals being struck by vehicles, 6News’ Jennifer Carmack reported.
“We’re observing more hit by cars this year than we had last year,” said David Landau.
Shelter workers said one of the reasons is that many families simply can’t afford to care for their pets anymore so they’re letting them go. And that means more dogs and other animals are out wandering, looking for food.
That was likely the case for Helen, a 5-year-old beagle brought in last weekend with two broken hips after being struck by a car.
“She’s in relatively good condition, despite her injuries,” Landau said. “She’s not under nourished, so we suspect she was someone’s family pet.”
A few days after Helen was hit, Henley, a 3-year-old shih tzu, was brought in with a broken back, likely from a similar accident.
As the shelter looked for ways to cover the cost of his surgery, the case caught the eye of a fellow shih tzu owner, race car driver Tony Stewart.
“Tony Stewart loves animals. He has dedicated a portion of his foundation to supporting organizations, which provide care for abused, endangered or homeless animals, as well as supporting programs that provide animal welfare through specific programming,” said Joni Thompson, executive director of the Indianapolis-based Tony Stewart Foundation.
Doctors said Henley, with the help of a device to support his hind legs, will have many happy years ahead of him.
As for Helen, she had surgery this week and is on her way to recovery as well. The shelter still needs to find her a home and a way to pay her $2,000 medical bill.
In the meantime, Lori Price and her family will foster the pup and help nurse her back to health.
“If everything works out, then maybe we can have her,” Price said.
More information about the animals and ways to donate can be found on the shelter’s Web site.
From: TheIndyChannel.com
Mar 22, 2009 | | Charity, NASCAR, Pets
For the last few months I have been slacking on updating this blog. Then all at once I started getting a lot of hits and more people starting signing up so I guess it is time to buckle down and go to work.
As I said before, I never intended for this to be a NASCAR blog, but the three most active hits are the Philco portable TV, Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. There is only so much I can say about that little TV, other than I really, really wish someone would buy it. Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart are a totally different story. I can always find something to write about involving NASCAR.
Most of the hits for Kyle are “The Most Hated Driver in Nascar”. I am sure all those people come in to read how horrible he is and what a dirty driver he can be. If that is the case there have been some very disappointed readers. You won’t find any “I Hate Kyle Busch” here. What you will find is about his passion for racing, his drive to win, that “I’m good and I know it” attitude and his generous compassionate heart. I don’t follow Kyle because he is a pretty boy or because he is popular. I follow Kyle because he is a true racecar driver.
Then there is Tony Stewart. Tony has the same attitude as Kyle. He wants to win. He says what he thinks. Even when he knows it will ruffle some feathers. But I like Tony and write about him because of his love for animals and his generosity.
Just for the record I will have to say these are not my only favorites. You can add Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick Joey Logano and David Ragan to the list. As one elderly patient who recently visited our office said, “You like all those bad boys don’t you?” Well, yes I do.
And then there is the other list. Carl Edwards is arrogant and a fake. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is the most overrated driver in NASCAR. However, I do believe most of his problems stem from all the pressure put on him by Jr. Nation. Then there is Juan Pablo Montoya. All I can say about that is he is Juan Pablo Montoya. Scott Speed is just weird.
All the others drivers are OK with me. Some I like better than others, but I don’t dislike any of them. It was fun to see Jimmie Johnson get the three peat. And who could have been upset about Matt Kenseth winning the first two races after not doing so good last year. If one of the drivers on the first list can’t win and one on the last list doesn’t win, I am happy with any of the others coming in first. Jr. ranks somewhere down the middle. I don’t want him to win because of his fans, but I had rather see him win than the other three on “that” list. I just enjoy a good race.
I have my opinions on that also. I want races to go down to the wire. I like to watch an all out dog fight with plenty of bumping and rubbing. Bouncing off the wall a few times is fun. Even better when a couple of them get all mad about it and start fighting. All that is what makes it NASCAR.
Who wants to sit there for several hours watching a bunch of polite wusses riding around in circles? Why should a driver pull over and let another one pass because he has a good run on him? I say turn and block him. After all, it is a race, not a Sunday afternoon drive.
Ok, so now you have seen my aggressive side. More to come later.
Mar 17, 2009 | | General, NASCAR
