Funniest NASCAR Commercials

I thought I'd make a post about my favorite Nascar commercials. The Daytona 500 was a couple of weeks ago, and alot of commercials premiered during that time. But many have aired since then. Nascar commercials are great. People often compare our commercials to the Super Bowl commercials. Super Bowl commercials are funny, but they are missing something.....THE PLAYERS!!! Most of the Nascar commercials star the drivers, which is good for the tv companies because it keeps the fans viewed in during the commercial breaks. They are very funny because these drivers aren't actors so seeing them act is cool. Because I'm sort of new to Nascar, I've tried to talk to some people who have been watching it for a longer time to get some of their favorites. Some of my favorite commercials are the ones starring Michael Waltrip and Kasey Kahne. The ones about Michael Waltrip spotlight his terrible season last year. On the other hand, all the Kasey Kahne/Allstate commercials spotlight his cuteness.

The best commercial I think I have EVER seen is this one. This is Kasey Kahne's brand new commercial that just aired Sunday. It is starring the Allstate girls of course.

Here are the some Michael Waltrip commercials.

This is also one of my favorites. This is a commercial of Jimmie bragging to Elliot Sadler about winning the championship.

Of course there are many more great commercials. but these are just a few of them.

tag: Kasey Kahne, commercial, Allstate, Michael Waltrip, Elliott Sadler, Jimmie Johnson

1st Victory in Two Years for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Bud Shootout

Well last Saturday was the 2008 Bud Shootout. It was filled with lots of good racing. Before I start talking about the race, I would like to talk about one of the practices that happened before the race got started. The final practice for the Bud Shootout was Friday night. It was jam packed with action. First it started off with Clint Bowyer spinning out Ryan Newman. That took out Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Ryan. So with the last practice, they had to pull out a new car which they had no driving time with. Then Tony Stewart tried to squeeze in next to the wall and Kurt Busch making it three-wide. There wasn't enough room, so they wrecked. It wasn't that bad though. Well when they were headed to pit road, Kurt started ramming into the side of Tony Stewart. They were immediately called to the "Oval Office", that's the NASCAR hauler. They were still bickering about it, and Tony allegedly threw a punch at Kurt. Anyway, they let them go and told them they would meet in the morning after everything had cooled down. The final punishment was both of them were put on a 6 week probation. And let's not forget this isn't the first ontrack confrontation they have had. Remember Bristol? lets just say that these two aren't the best of friends

Now for the actual race. It was great racing. I wasn't too pleased with Kasey Kahne. Absolutely no one would draft with him. They would shuffle him around until he was in the middle, and then no one would draft with him so he dropped to the back. It was very frustrating. I was rooting for Dale Jr. to win or Tony Stewart. Both of those would have been memorable. For Tony it would have meant that he won the Bud Shootout on his first try with Toyota. That ould have been huge for Toyota. On the other hand, for Dale Earnhardt Jr., it would have been even bigger. Dale Jr. did win. I was so excited for him. That was big. It was his first race with Hendrick Motorsports. Wow that right there says how great that team is. To be able to hire a new driver and then that driver to win "right outta the box"...that was great. He had been with the company his father founded, but left at the end of last season because of he and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt. I know that was tough for him, but man did it pay off. It was emotional to see him whenever he came to victory lane. Rick Hendrick was there. Everyone was there. It was cool. He was grinnin' from ear to ear. That is the first time we have seen a true smile on his face in a LONG time. They all talk about "Oh, I'm excited to be driving with this team...we're gonna have a great season.", but they say it with the dullest faces. This was amazing. I know he was happy. This was his first win since the middle of 2006. Let's not forget how he got the win Saturday night though. His teammate Jimmie Johnson bumped him twice, which was just enough to slide past Tony Stewart for the win. Hendrick Motorsports will be even better than last year.

tag: Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Nascar, Rick Hendricks, Daytona, Nascar Sprint Cup Series, 2008 Bud Shootout

NASCAR Changes in 2008

Changes for 2008

There are a lot of changes coming up for the 2008 season. I thought I'd make a list of some of the changes, since Daytona is only a couple of weeks away.

1) Both of the top 2 Nascar series got name changes. The Nascar Nextel Cup Series is now the Nascar Sprint Cup series. The Busch series is now the Nationwide series.

2) There are A LOT of team changes! Definitely the biggest change is Dale Jr. leaving DEI, the company his father started, going to Hendrick Motorsports. With him going to HMS, that meant somebody had to go. Unfortunately that person was Kyle Busch, which I think was a major mistake on Rick Hendricks part.

3) Of course there are just as many or more sponsor changes. The biggest one would be Budweiser leaving Dale Earnhardt Jr. They chose to sponsor my boy, Kasey Kahne! Elliot Sadler, Kasey's teammate also has a new sponsor deal going on. Instead of just one primary sponsor, he will have what is called a tri-mary sponsor, with Best Buy, Stanley Tools, and McDonald's on the hood at different races. Amp Energy Drink will sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the most part. Now of course there are others, but I won't go into detail about that.

4) Joe Gibbs Racing is changing to Toyota! This was a big shocker when it was first announced. Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and now Kyle Busch are all apart of this team. At first the question was, how will they do? Toyotas didn't do too hot last year, but after the first couple of test sessions, it was clear that changing to Toyota wouldn't be a problem for their team. Kyle Busch is at the top of the speed charts. This guy is so talented. He is driving a Toyota for the first time, and this is his first year with JGR. I think he is out to tell the world that Rick Hendrick made a mistake by firing him!

5) One rule that Nascar announced this year is that all the cars outside the top 35 (aka Go or Go Home Cars) will qualify together at the end of qualifying. It used to be where you drew a number, and if you were lucky you got to go last, meaning that if you were outside the top 35, and you drew to go 1st, you were basically guaranteed a ticket headed home. I personally don't like this rule. The folks outside the top 35 now have a better chance at getting the pole, and I don't think that's right. But I did agree that something needed to be done for them. For the drivers inside the top 35, they will continue to do the draw thing. Now some of you may be asking why you would want to go last. Well when you go last (later in the day), the track has cooled down. Sometimes not very much, sometimes significantly, depending on the weather and when qualifying is. So to put it simply: the cooler the track is, the more grip you have, the faster you go.

Now those are basically the only changes in Nascar. If I think of any more I will put them on here.


tag: Kasey Kahne, Nascar, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendricks, Toyota, Elliott Sadler, Sponsor, Daytona, Nascar Sprint Cup Series, Nascar Nationwide Series

Kasey Kahne being Sued

Kasey Kahne Being Sued

We all know the Nascar season is over, but that doesn't mean the drama stops. I am fired up about this incident. Here is the story:

At Homestead, the last race, Kasey Kahne came back from practice. He was headed back to his Motor Home in the lot. Of course it was under security. Well, there was a security guard standing by the gate. Supposedly he was told to not let ANYONE in without their credentials. Kasey Kahne was on a golf cart and tried to go in the gate. The security guard wouldn't let him and told him he needed his credentials. Kasey Kahne didn't have the credentials and said that he didn't need them because he was a driver. After the security guard wouldn't let him through, Kasey got out of the golf cart and tried to walk through. The security guard was in the way and would not move. Kasey allegedly then pushed him to the ground. "One of the occupants of the vehicle wearing a bright-colored jumpsuit became belligerent and refused to produce ID,'' Hutchinson said in his police report. There were officers that were standing near by who witnessed the incident. They quickly stopped him. He was arrested later that day, but was released on the condition that he appear in court. The security guard filed a lawsuit against him Monday. The report said that he has not been to work since the incident because of the minor bruises and abrasions. He is suing Kasey Kahne for more than $15,000 for "severe physical damages." Kasey Kahne is due in court on January 8 on charges of misdemeanor battery. The maximum sentence for this act is 1 year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Kasey had no comment, but Rick Russell, president of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, said the team supports its driver.

Okay here is my take on this whole ordeal. I think this is ridiculous. The security guard's name is Archibald Hutchinson. He is 62 years old. At first it was just bruises, now, he is saying he has back problems and has a tear in his lumbar spine. He apparently had been letting other drivers through without their credentials. His boss threatened to fire him if he didn't follow directions. That is when Kahne showed up and this whole incident got started. I believe Kasey and Kale's story. (Kale is Kasey's brother.) Kale says when Kasey tried to walk through the gate, the guard put his hands on Kasey. Kasey pushed Archibald's hands off of him and that is when Archibald Hutchinson fell down. I don't think Kasey would have done all the things this guy said he did. Everybody says this is not the Kasey that they all know. I know Kasey is ready for things to just be normal again. I hope this doesn't turn out to be a repeat of last year. (Remember back to the cheating scandal that ruined the 2007 season.) But I don't think this will be anything, although the media is making it out to be.
tag: Kasey Kahne, Kale Kahne, Lawsuit, Kasey Kahne Sued, Gillett Evernham Motorsport, Security guard, Archibald Hutchinson, Nascar

The best Christmas gifts for your NASCAR Fan

I am making a list of all the gifts I as a NASCAR fan would like. If you have a NASCAR fanatic in your family this is the list to look at! You can click on the link to take you to the page where to buy it at.

5. Always a great gift for a nascar fan is their favorite driver gear. As long as you know what driver they like, you are set to go. they have EVERYTHING. From toothbushes to recliners, refrigeraters to gumball machines, socks to laptop skins, they truly have ANYTHING!

4. One game I really want is a steering wheel game. You plug it into the t.v. and choose you car, number, and everything. then you play as if you were in the real race. It is a little bit expensive at $50 at this web site, but I have seen it in Target for less.

3. NASCAR Trackpass.
This is a service only available on nascar.com. It is a really cool thing that lets you listen in on the drivers and the crew chief. It lets you track your driver, which is a must have because we all know the announcers never talk about anybody until they wreck. They have the scanner, PitCommand, and RaceView. All of them are really cool. They run from $30-$80 a year.

2. NASCAR Tickets!
What could be better than tickets to a NASCAR race? I personally would like to go the Daytona 500, but any race is fine to buy tickets at. This will sure make your fan very happy!

1. NASCAR ride along
The only thing better than tickets to a nascar race is tickets to a NASCAR race AND tickets for the Richard Petty Driving Experience. This is the best gift of all. You get to ride OR drive a real racecar! How cool is that?! You must reserve your seat. and i will warn tickets are expensive but at this time of year they are on sale. They have a sale going on now where tickets for a ride-along are only $59, so if this is what you want you better get it now! Regular prices are pretty expensive. For example at Atlanta Motor Speedway tickets range from $399-$2,599. But once they open this present up it will be something they will never forget. this will truly be the ride of a lifetime.

Johnson Secures Championship Title

Johnson Secures Championship Title

Sunday's race in Homestead started off with Jimmie Johnson having to finish 19th or better, which is not that hard for that team. They laid back most of the race. They didn't push it. All they wanted to do was finish the race to tie down the championship. They ran 6th-10th most of the day. I'm very happy for them. They finished 7th. They had pretty good pit stops. Everything was in line for them to win it. They deserved it. They earned it. Jeff Gordon finished 2nd in the points. He was out 77 points...the largest in Chase history. Jeff Gordon ran very good during the chase. Jeff Gordon and his team earned more points during the chase than any of the other chase winners when they won. Despite all this hard effort, it was his teammate who was a tad bit better and ended up walking away with the trophy. Chandra Johnson, Jimmie's wife, was crying after he crossed the finish line. Chad Knaus, Jimmie's crew chief, walked over and hugged her. It really shows they are all family. They seemed like they were all in a dream. This is the second Championship they have won in a row. Right after he crossed the finish line, he screamed over the radio, "We are gonna tear it up tonight!!", so I'm sure they had a huge party Sunday night. they are already thinking of next year and winning another championship. Chad Knaus said over the radio, "I can't wait for Daytona."

tag: NASCAR, Teammates, Hendrick Motorsports, Jimmie Johnson, Homestead, Jeff Gordon, Chad Knaus

Season Finale in Homestead

Season Finale in Homestead

Okay, let me first say I'm very sad to see the season come to an end. I'm kinda happy though. I root for Kasey Kahne, and that team needed to get the season over with. They have been running so bad the whole year. It seemed like they were on the right track there for a while, but Sunday's race was totally opposite. He finished 24th. His teammate, Elliott Sadler, finished 38th after hitting the wall. Their new teammate, open-wheeler Patrick Carpentier, finished 40th. There was some hope for Kasey early on because he did start 3rd, but then it went downhill from there.

Now for the rest of the field. Jimmie Johnson started on the pole. He made sure he lead the first lap to get the extra 5 bonus points. Then he floated back and just drove. As for Dale Earnhardt Jr., it was just another disappointing Sunday. He brought out the first caution. The drivers had to use the access road in order to go to pit road. All the sand, grit, and debris was blown onto the access road. The access road is not pit road, so they are not under mandatory speed, so they go really fast. As you can imagine, Debris + High Speeds = Trouble! As he was coming onto pit road he ran off the access road, but then got back in line. He was then tapped from behind by Kyle Busch, which made him spin. Patrick Carpentier was in this too. Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove back on the track instead of going on down pit road, so of course, NASCAR penalized him for a commitment cone violation. He had to go back down pit road because of this. But the fun wasn't over yet. Just as they got the green flag and were about to go, Jeff Burton got into the back of Dale Jr., which made him spin. It just wasn't Jr.'s day at all. He has had a ROUGH season, and I know he is ready to get to Hendrick Motorsports to start a new chapter of his career.
However, this was a huge break for most of the field, because they started in front of the leader Matt Kenseth. This gave them the chance to drive around and get at the end of the longest line. Again this week, Matt Kenseth lead a lot of the laps. He ended up winning the race.
Johnny Sauter spinned, and was out of the race. He needed to have a good race Sunday. He does not have a ride for 2008, so he needed a good race to prove to other owners what he is capable of doing.
At some point during the race, when Reed Sorenson was pitting, the jack man didn't let the jack down, so Reed drove off with the jack still under him. it stayed under him for a couple of seconds, but then went flying off. It was very fortunate that it didn't hit anybody. That could have done some major damage to somebody. It was unbelievable how fast it flew off. It is sad to see the season through with, but I know many of the drivers needed this break.

tag: NASCAR, driver, cars, Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne