Happy 35th Birthday, Marcos Ambrose!

We have a very special international birthday to celebrate today, boys and girls!  He’s a recent winner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AND a recent checkered flag taker in NASCAR Nationwide Series as well. 

Our favorite man from the land down under was born on this day back in 1976 and celebrates the big 3-5 today!!  Happy Birthday, Marcos!!

Want some more Aussie eye candy??  Sure you do.  Keep reading.  He’s worth gandering at, trust me when I say you won’t regret spending the extra thirty seconds.

» Continue reading “You Say It’s Your Birthday: Happy Birthday, Marcos Ambrose!”

This cute little girl has cried less than Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin have in the last month. Suck it up and be men you big cry babies.

Okay, people.  I’m back.  Did you miss me?  Good.  I didn’t miss any of you.  Just kidding.  I missed everything racing this weekend but that’s okay because I have something I need to get off my mind this morning when I opened the NASCAR news reel.

Here’s a shocker:  Denny Hamlin thinks he’s not going to be effective in the Chase so he questioned why he should even make the Chase.  Tony Stewart doesn’t think he deserves a spot in the Chase because he’s racing so poorly.  Umm…’kay. 

To the boys I say this:  Why don’t you two whiners swap places with say Robby Gordon, Brian Vickers or even Marcos Ambrose?  Yeah, see those guys complaning?  Didn’t think so.  So quit your complaining pronto you big babies.

That’s right, people.  It’s Monday.  I’m back and I’m on a rant.  So strap on your safety harnesses because it’s going to get a little bumpy.

» Continue reading “Motormouth Monday: Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart please shut your traps. Like now.”

I raise a Foster's in salute of our Aussie NASCAR star!

What a difference a win makes!  NASCAR’s own Tasmanian devil Marcos Ambrose took the checkers in the star-studded Nationwide race in Montreal.  Ambrose is fresh off his win with the NASCAR Sprint Cup series at the Glen this past Monday.  The road course win yesterday in the Nationwide series solidifies Ambrose’s place with the greats of the road.

Watching Ambrose get to the win was nothing short of spectacular.  Ambrose had to start the race at the back of the field because he was not the driver to qualify the car.  He was doing double duty this weekend with the NSCS race in Michigan and the NNS race in Montreal.  Ambrose barely made it to Montreal for the start of the race after traveling by plane, helicopter, and a boat.

» Continue reading “NNS: Napa 200- Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”

And Kurt shows us what NOT to do at Infineon

Here it is, Race Fans!  This is one of two weekends where we get to shut up the NASCAR haters.  You know the type….the ones who say NASCAR is nothing but a bunch of left turns.  We get to stand up, loud and proud, and say….

We’re turning right!

NASCAR is taking its show to the west coast this weekend with the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA.  This 2.5 road course is located in the heart of California wine country, but this track is anything but genteel.  Passing opportunities on this track are made, not earned.  Any advancement in positions is usually the result of someone’s mistake, or a little nudge from the faster car behind.  It takes patience to get through a day at this track.  Unfortunately, it seems there is very little of that to go around this year in NASCAR.

» Continue reading “Infineon Raceway: On the Road Again”

Jeff Gordon captured his 84th career victory today at Pocono and is now tied with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time wins list. (thanks nascar.com for the picture)

In a race that ended up mayhem-free for the most part, Jeff Gordon crossed the start-finish line to claim his 84^th career victory in his 631^st career start in the 5-hour Energy 500 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.  This victory tied him with NASCAR legends Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time victories list.  Congratulations, Jeff.  You are quickly becoming a living legend if you weren’t already.

Sure, Jeff only led 37 of 200 laps but of course, as always, he led the most important lap which is the last lap to the checkered flag. On lap 160, Jeff took the lead away from Juan Pablo Montoya under green after the final debris caution and never looked back.  Jeff claimed his second victory of the 2011 season, eleven races since his last victory at Phoenix in the spring.  Jeff became the fourth different driver to post multiple victories in the 2011 season thus far.

Let’s take a look at how events unfolded and how NASCAR’s favorite stars faired in today’s cocktail of a race mixed in with weather, green flag pit stops, and new network coverage.

» Continue reading “Jeff Gordon grabs 84th NASCAR career victory at Pocono”

Sometimes it is fun to go back to your past and relive your youth.  The Prelude to the Dream gives some of racing’s best a chance to do just that.

The Prelude is a charity event hosted by Eldora Speedway, a track owned by Tony Stewart.  It is a half-mile dirt track that has hosted events for USAC, ARCA, and World of Outlaws just to name a few.  The car of choice for the Prelude is a Dirt Late Model.  The Prelude boasts some big names from NASCAR, Indy Racing League, and NHRA.

» Continue reading “Prelude to the Dream: Back to Their Roots”

"G'day, ladies" says Tasmanian Marcos Ambrose... (photo courtesy of nascar.com)

With this past weekend’s crazy last lap finish, it’s easy to see how Marcos Ambrose’s performance in the Coca-Cola 600 was overlooked. Today, however, we are going to tip our hats to the Tasmanian that kicked butt with a Sprint Cup career-best fifth place finish Sunday night.

Is there a reason why we shouldn’t know who he is? I didn’t think so. So today, Marcos Ambrose, you are the Lipstick and Lugnuts Driver of the Week. Let’s find out a little more about him, shall we? (Other than the fact that he’s easy on the eyes; but then again, what man from the greater Australia/Tasmania region isn’t?)

Marcos is a native of Launceston, Tasmania born on September 1, 1976 into a family of accomplished road racers and chassis builders. His father, Ross Ambrose, co-founded Formula Ford chassis builder Van Diemen. Marcos and his wife Sonya have two children named Tabitha and Adelaide. He is the current driver of the #9 Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports.

» Continue reading “Driver of the Week: NASCAR’s Marcos Ambrose”