NASCAR Talk

Sure, it may be the off season for the NASCAR drivers and their teams, but it seems like they never really get time off with sponsor obligations and all of the other fan appreciation, team events, and self promotional appearances they have to do. There are lots of events and television appearances coming up for some of your favorite drivers, so I thought maybe we’d take some time today and list what the upcoming scheduled appearances are for the Sprint Cup drivers the rest of this month.

Of course, the following line ups and events are subject to change and you should contact the venue in order to make sure the drivers are still participating before traveling or attending.

“Paula’s Party” on the Food Network welcomes Greg Biffle to the show on Friday December 21st at 9 PM ET.

Matt Kenseth and his former crew chief Robbie Reiser will be signing autographs on Saturday December 22nd at the Matt Kenseth Fan Club Store in Cambridge, Wisconsin. You must have a wristband in order to get an autograph. 600 wristbands total will be given out beginning at 9 AM CT and autographs are scheduled to begin at 12 PM CT. The actual store will not open until 10 AM CT on that day. For more information about this event, please visit the Official Matt Kenseth Website at MattKenseth.com.

Competing in the Rumble Series indoor races at the Fort Wayne Expo Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana will be Tony Stewart. The races will be on Friday December 28th and Saturday December 29th.

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver apperances December 2007, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle

Name: Tony Stewart
Car #: 20
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : The Home Depot
Manufacturer : Chevrolet (Toyota in 2008)
Car Owner : Joe Gibbs
Team : Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief : Greg Zipadelli
Birthday: May 20, 1971
Hometown: Columbus, IN
Personal: Single

Where there’s Smoke, there’s fire! Could there be a better nickname for one of NASCAR’s most controversial drivers? He may sometimes speak before he thinks, but he can back it up on the track most of the time.

Way back in 1978, a 7 year old Tony Stewart began racing go karts and before long, he was winning karting national championships in 1983 and 1987. Soon after, he began racing three quarter midgets and then moved up to USAC racing in 1994. The following year, Tony took home the circuit’s Triple Crown with National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown titles in 1995.

His next stop on the racing ladder was the Indy Racing League where he became the Rookie of the Year in 1996. Tony’s entrance into NASCAR came in the Busch Series in 1999 when he was asked to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, including some Cup series races. In 2000, he made the leap to NASCAR’s top series and won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award. It only took him two more seasons before he won the Cup Championship in 2002. He followed that up with yet another championship in 2005 when he also won the Brickyard.

In his spare time, Tony hosts a Sirius Satellite Radio show all about racing.

Tony Stewart Websites:
Joe Gibbs Racing
Tony Stewart Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Tony Stewart Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Tony Stewart Bio

As I’ve been sifting through the new NASCAR news, I’ve come across really only a couple of new things. Most of the news this week is coming out of New York City during Championship Week for the top ten Nextel Cup drivers which will come to a conclusion this evening with the Champions’ Banquet and ceremony. Since I’ve already covered most of those happenings this week, I thought maybe we’d talk about a different topic today. So after I read some headlines, I concluded there is quite a bit of news surrounding Tony Stewart, so let’s talk Smoke, shall we?

Stewart Getting New Contract?

Rumors have been swirling that Joe Gibbs Racing wants to resign Tony Stewart with a brand new contract. His current contract is through the end of the 2009 season, but the team wants to get a jump on the negotiations and sign an extension. However, Smoke isn’t ready for the talks at this point in time. His official excuse is that he’s planning to take the offseason off and doesn’t want to even think about it over the break. Insiders are speculating the real reason could be Joe Gibbs Racing’s switch to Toyotas this upcoming season. With the poor performances of Toyota so far in the Nextel Cup Series, it isn’t too far fetched to imagine Tony would jump ship if that string of bad luck continued for Toyota cars.

The Stewie Awards

Tony Stewart is not only a 2 time Cup champion, he also is an accomplished radio show host on Sirius Satellite Radio. Fans got to long onto the Sirius website and vote for the winners of the first ever Stewie Awards. Here are the categories and winners:

Stewie Lifetime Achievement Award:

Bill France, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of NASCAR
Benny Parsons, Hall of Fame driver/broadcaster

Golden Stewie Award - Honoring a legendary driver from the Golden Era of Racing

A.J. Foyt

Best Duet - Outstanding teamwork by a driver and crew chief

Clint Bowyer & Gil Martin: For Bowyer’s first career Nextel Cup win in Sylvania 300 on Sept. 16

Best Original Drama - The year’s most exciting race moment

Kevin Harvick edges Mark Martin to win his first Daytona 500 on Feb. 18

New Kid on the Track Award - Most outstanding performance by a rookie

Juan Pablo Montoya wins his first Nextel Cup race in Toyota Save Mart 350 on June 24

Best Stunt Sequence (Hal Needham Award) - Year’s most spectacular crash

Clint Bowyer crosses the finish line at Daytona 500 on his roof on Feb. 18

Best Original Comedy - Most entertaining on track incident
Robby Gordon performs a burnout despite losing the Busch Series race at Circuit Gilles Villaneuve in Canada on Aug. 4

Best Vocal Performance - Most memorable quote or sound bite

Actor Kevin James provides funny “Start Your Engines” command before Pepsi 400 on July 7

Best Engineering and Special Effects (Smokey Yunick Award) - For year’s most creative (read: illegal) modifications to a race car

Crew Chief David Hyder & MWR VP of Competition Bobby Kennedy for illegal “jet” fuel in #55 car at Daytona 500 on Feb. 18

Dazed and Confused Award - Year’s most baffling move

Teresa Earnhardt and DEI allow Dale Earnhardt Jr. to leave for Hendrick Motorsports

“I Got Dumped” Award - Most memorable on-track bumping

Kyle Busch was wrecked by brother Kurt in Nextel All-Star Challenge on May 19

Best Driver to Crew Chatter Exchange - Most memorable driver-to-pit crew communication

Denny Hamlin and the #11 team discuss “plan of attack” against Dale Earnhardt Jr. and #8 car during Subway 500

And there you have it. Happy with the Stewies? Can you come up with something better? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

NASCAR, Tony Stewart, The Stewie Awards, NASCAR Stewie Awards, Tony Stewart Contract

While watching “Trackside” this weekend on the Speed Channel, I happened to hear Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt Jr. talking about a new venture they were participating in. Apparently, Elliott had the brilliant idea to start up an online poker site where fans could play poker against some of their favorite drivers. Thus, the Victory Lane Player’s Club (VLP Club) was born. In addition to Sadler and Earnhardt, you could play a hand with Kasey Kahne, Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, or Jamie McMurray.

I quickly perused the site to see what is offered for the small monthly fee ($20 for a full pass) in comparison to the “rookie” membership which is free. Each full pass member receives a special prize pack which includes a hat, t-shirt, and a hero card. Full members are also the ones who are eligible to qualify to play a driver in a special tournament. Both paid and free memberships come with the opportunity to win special prizes including autographed items and VIP access at various races. After signing up, players are required to download a special program to make the online games work.

Poker TV is partnering with the drivers to broadcast special driver tournaments, including online tournaments played with fans. Even fans who have lost in the online tournament are able to watch the conclusion of the game on Poker TV. Do you think you can call the drivers’ bluffs? Head on over to VLPclub.net to find out more and sign up today.

NASCAR, NASCAR Poker, NASCAR driver online poker, NASCAR Online poker, Victory Lane Player’s Club, VLP Club Poker