Grabbed What? DeLana Harvick Gives "Smoke" New Nickname
Current NASCAR
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Grabbed What? DeLana Harvick Gives "Smoke" New Nickname
Current NASCAR
From The Sporting News:
Tony Stewart earns new nickname by grabbing handful of DeLana Harvick
Monday, Sep 17, 2012
Sporting News
Tony Stewart not only scored a solid sixth-place finish Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. He earned a new nickname as well.
Sneaky Ass Grabber.
DeLana Harvick gave him the moniker on Twitter after being the victim of Stewarts prerace hi-jinks.
Prior to the Geico 400, the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Stewart walked up behind Harvick and grabbed her with both hands, startling the wife of Cup star Kevin Harvick.
Stewart and DeLana then hugged before Stewart walked down pit road with a mischievous grin.
The incident was broadcast live on ESPN, drawing chuckles and chortles from the hosts and analysts of the networks prerace show.
Before the race, DeLana tweeted, And for the record, if uncle tony wins today its not my fault!!! #sneakyassgrabber.
She also referred to Stewart by his new nickname while tweeting throughout the race.
Stewart and the Harvicks are close friends, with Stewart having driven for Kevin Harvick Inc. when the team was racing in the Nationwide Series.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Another Grand Marshal I never heard of
Current NASCAR
Saw this story for the Grand Marshal at the upcoming Kansas race. I'm seriously showing my age. Never heard of the guy. Maybe you have. Anyhow, he'll perform the GM duties.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sports Comedian Rob Riggle to be grand marshal for Speedway race
Monday, 17 September 2012 11:15
As the championship battle heats up at the newly reconfigured Kansas Speedway, actor-comedian Rob Riggle, has decided to join in on the action and has been named grand marshal for the Hollywood Casino 400, the sixth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Riggle recently was the host of the 20th annual ESPY Awards on ESPN, which is also airing the Hollywood Casino 400 live at 1 p.m. Oct. 21 from Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.
"I am so honored to be the grand marshal for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway! I love NASCAR racing and I love going home to Kansas City, said Riggle, a native of Overland Park, Kan., and a University of Kansas graduate, in a news release. I'm not 100 percent sure what my responsibilities are as grand marshal? Do I get my own race car?"
Im excited to have Rob at Kansas Speedway and be the grand marshal for the Hollywood Casino 400 and to be a part of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, said Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren. To be able to have Rob come to his home track and be a part of our championship weekend means a lot to me and our fans.
Riggle was recently added to the Fox NFL Sunday pre-game studio show this season, taking over the role of the shows in-house comedian. He served as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and he has also appeared in several movies, including: this years box-office hits Dr. Seuss The Lorax and 21 Jump Street as well as The Hangover, The Other Guys and Step Brothers.
Riggle was a regular on Saturday Night Live (2004-2005) and has appeared in several television shows, including Arrested Development, The Office, Adult Swims NTSF:SD:SUV, Wilfred and 30 Rock. He has also appeared on numerous talk shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Conan and The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Earlier this year, Riggle also took part in the Drive4COPD Pro-Am Celebrity Racing Challenge at Auto Club Speedway to help raise awareness for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Tickets for the Oct. 21 Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Oct. 20 Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race and the Oct. 19 Kansas Lottery 98.9 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race are on sale now by calling 866-460-RACE (7223) or visiting www.kansasspeedway.com . Every season ticket comes with a Track Pass that provides you with access to the infield for the pre-race concert, and driver introductions.
Parking is free at Kansas Speedway and fans can bring in one 14x14x14-inch soft-sided cooler with their favorite food and beverages.
Fans can follow Kansas Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kansasspeedway or follow us on Twitter (@kansasspeedway). The Hollywood Casino 400 is on Twitter at the hashtag #HC400.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Key Jeremy Mayfield Prosecution Witness Killed Sunday Morning
Current NASCAR
The criminal case against Jeremy Mayfield took a turn this weekend when a key prosecution witness was killed in a motorcycle crash.
As reported Monday by WSOC-TV in Charlotte:
Posted: 5:00 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, 2012
Man who died in motorcycle crash was witness in NASCAR case
GRANITE FALLS, N.C.
Eyewitness News learned the operator of a motorcycle who died in Caldwell County was a key witness in a prosecution case against former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield.
When Channel 9 called the district attorney's office about what they planned on doing now, officials responded "No comment."
Two people died in the crash when the motorcycle traveling in excess of 100 mph hit an SUV.
The motorcycle sped away from Blowing Rock police officers Sunday morning, racing down the mountainside along Highway 321.
State troopers said John Franklin tried to elude the officers by going behind Cheek's store, north of Lenoir.
Less than 15 minutes later, both he and his rider, Allison Nixon, died after the bike hit an SUV south of Granite Falls.
"I don't believe it. It is hard to take in," said Sharon Forester, who lived near Nixon.
Nixon, 22, had a 3-year-old child.
Forester remembers warning Nixon about getting on the bike with Franklin, who at the time of the crash had a suspended license and was not certified to operate motorcycles.
"He drove crazy," Forester said, "When he was mad at her, he would go in and out of here real fast. I warned her but she wouldn't listen."
It was Franklin's connection to the Mayfield case that got the attention of prosecutors in three different counties.
Law enforcement sources would only say he was an important witness for the cases against the former NASCAR driver.
The Highway Patrol said they still don't know why Franklin wouldn't stop for police.
"It is senseless," Trooper Chris Bently said. "We had two people get killed. The passenger on the motorcycle had a 3-year-old child. Now that child is without a parent at this time."
Police broke off the pursuit more than 13 miles from where the crash happened.
Eyewitness News called Mayfield on Monday afternoon about the developments, but haven't heard back from him.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
Allmendinger Back to Penske?
General
AJ Allmendinger was Roger Penske's guest this past weekend at Auto Club Speedway for the IndyCar season's final race. Is Roger hinting that there is a place for AJ at Penske Racing next year?
Allmendinger awaits reinstatement
Lee Spencer
Updated Sep 16, 2012 3:31 PM ET
JOLIET, ILL.
As AJ Allmendinger awaits NASCAR reinstatement, Roger Penske thought it was a good idea for the driver to return to the track. So three weeks after Allmendinger completed the requirements for NASCARs Road to Recovery program, Allmendinger joined his former team owner for the IndyCar season finale at Auto Club Speedway this weekend.
Penske felt it was time for Allmendinger, who was suspended from NASCAR indefinitely on July 24 after failing a drug test taken at Kentucky Motor Speedway on June 29, to ease back into the racing community and get his life back on track. And Penske isnt discounting the option of personally providing Allmendinger with a second chance.
I wanted AJ to come out, Penske said. I wanted him to get some visibility because hes a good guy. He did a good job for us. Obviously, the circumstances that encompassed his problem is over. Hell get some release at some point from NASCAR.
Someone said to me, Would you ever consider running him in IndyCar?' and my comment was, Look, he would certainly be someone well think about as we go forward for next year. We dont have all the seats. . . . We havent committed to (Ryan) Briscoe yet, and we havent made a decision with the sponsors. So he still could be an option.
Although the IndyCar race didnt play out in Penske Racings favor after Will Power was involved in an early accident that ended his title hopes, Penske could find some optimism in Allmendingers progress.
Ive talked to him and texted him at least two to three (times) a week since the very beginning, Penske said. Hes upbeat and confident and as he is he should be. I said, 'Look, this is a speed bump that youre going to have to drive through. Theres a lot of support in the garage for you.' The drivers, people have said to me, Hes a really good guy.' So at this point, we have to run some miles here and see where it ends.
Allmendinger struggled this season acclimating to his new team at Penske Racing, particularly because the No. 22 Dodge was plagued with mechanical issues throughout the year.
Prior to Allmendingers release from Penske Racing on Aug. 1, he had posted consecutive top-10 finishes to accompany a season-high second-place finish at Martinsville and a pole at Kansas Speedway in April.
Yet Allmendinger never enjoyed the success he experienced in open wheel. In 2006, Allmendinger had a breakout season in CART which included five wins and seven podium finishes in 15 starts.
Before Allmendinger was released from his driving duties in the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge this year, the company had contemplated running him in the Memorial Day double between Charlotte Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway at some point in the future. There's been talk of coordinating the NASCAR and IndyCar schedules at some point so drivers once again could participate in both events.
He could have done the double, Penske said. He was an option for that for sure. I want to see him land on his feet. All the guys that have driven for us become part of your family. You just have to deal with the bumps and bruises you have from time to time.
I was glad to see him there. He was upbeat. He was great. Hed like to be in a race car, but outside of the car he was the same young guy. Hes just waiting for NASCAR to give him a final release.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
HAVE YOU DRIVEN A DODGE LATELY?? BRAD DID
Stock Car Racing History
Story of the Yellow Banana as related by author, Tom Higgins:
At the request of John Holman of the famous Holman-Moody operation, Junior fielded a Ford for driver Fred Lorenzen in the Dixie 400. Junior had an informal working agreement with Holman, a close friend.
Junior and his crew arrived at the track with a car that immediately ignited a barrage of fireworks and howls of protest from rivals. The car was supposed to be a Ford, but its profile looked like nothing that had come out of Detroit.
The front sloped downward, the roof was cut very low and the rear end was raised. Because the car carried sponsor Holly Farms yellow paint scheme, it was likened to a banana.
Smokey Yunick, another imaginative car builder, had brought an equally strange-looking Chevelle to Atlanta for driver Curtis Turner.
A ruckus raged over both cars, but they were cleared to race by NASCAR, which rejected three other machines, including those of Ned Jarrett, Bernard Alvarez and Cotton Owens, fielding a Dodge for David Pearson. Owens car was rigged with a device to lower the vehicle from the cockpit after the race started.
Turning away Jarrett, Alvarez and Owens while clearing the cars of Junior and Smokey further fueled an already incendiary situation.
I realize that Lorenzen and Turner are valuable drawing cards, said an irate Owens. But that doesnt make whats happening right.
The discord doubled, both among fans and competitors, when Turner won the pole at 148.331 mph. Lorenzen qualified third fastest.
Both of the immensely popular drivers were to lead at the 1.5-mile track in their "modifieds."
But just past the halfway mark of the 267-lap race, a distributor failure sidelined Turner and a blown tire led to a crash that forced Lorenzen to park. Richard Petty triumphed in a Plymouth, taking the checkered flag two seconds ahead of runner-up Buddy Baker in a Ray Fox-fielded Dodge.
I built the car because John Holman was a friend and he asked me to help him out, a smiling Junior Johnson said years later. He said, 'Build me something that will run, and I did.
We had a heck of a time getting through inspection. We took that car to body shops all around Atlanta, making changes before we got it close enough for NASCAR to approve.
It was the first and only time the car with a body so radically curved like a banana or a boomerang was allowed to race. NASCAR, sensitive to a barrage of criticism, quietly told Junior not to bring it back.
He was assessed no penalty.
Jimmie Johnson, Rick Hendrick and Chad Knaus should be so lucky.
HAVE YOU DRIVEN A DODGE LATELY?? BRAD DID
Stock Car Racing History
Johnny... ya got me on that one... don't remember it.
HAVE YOU DRIVEN A DODGE LATELY?? BRAD DID
Stock Car Racing History
I would love to see Junior running around a car on a pit stop just once more slinging the jack from one hand to the other.... another move outlawed by NASCAR, of course.
HAVE YOU DRIVEN A DODGE LATELY?? BRAD DID
Stock Car Racing History
That 5-time fellow wants Brad to go back to driver education class. Says he needs to learn how to merge!
Ryan Blaney Youngest Truck Series Winner
Current NASCAR
Always wondered how fair a shot Steve Kinser really had. That Bernstein team was on its last legs, gasping for life when Steve was put in the ride. I really felt sorry for him.