In The City Of NASCAR

Since becoming a NASCAR fan I have noticed some changes in my city lifestyle. They are not bad changes by any means, it is just the natural progression of introducing something new and important to your daily routine. When I think of some of these changes brand awareness is the first to come to mind. The irony is that I film commercials, inherently working closely with ad agencies, which is all about brand awareness. Yet I still find myself getting sucked into this just as much as the next person. It is inevitable.

Example 1
My car is running low on gas, there is a Shell gas station on one side and a SONOCO on the other. Embarrassingly enough, I have actually taken a split second to think – Harvick or the Official Fuel of NASCAR?

I think it is safe to say that all NASCAR fans makes the correlation between driver and products. Can you imagine doing word association with Nascar fans?

Therapist: Okay, now I am going to say a word and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind… Mountain Dew
Fan: Dale Earnhardt Jr
Therapist: Dupont
Fan: Jeff Gordon
Therapist: Home Depot
Fan: Ton-.. sorry… Joey Logano

Ever wonder if drivers get that too? I understand that money help drivers become brand aware with their own personal sponsors, but do you think that Carl Edwards ever says ‘ha, Mark Martin!’ while passing a box of Kelloggs in the supermarket? Or does Tony Stewart think of Kyle Busch when buying bags of M&M’s.

It is also pretty amazing how loyal we become to such brands - and equally how much we go out of the way to avoid the brands of drivers we dislike. How far will you drive just go shop at Lowe’s – or how far would you drive just to NOT shop at Lowes, despite its close proximity. But that is not the only change NASCAR has had on a city girl like me.

My permanent residence right now is in New York City, so my beloved car (whose bumper is now adorned by my favorite driver’s number and nascaresque bumper stickers) sits patiently at my parent’s house in Long Island. I find myself going months without driving simply do to the fact that having a car in the city is more of a hassle than not having one.. Several NASCAR races later, and a visit to my parents, I found that my driving habits have changed as well. See example 2.


Example 2
I am driving with my brother in the passanger seat laughing at me.
Brother: Look at you, stop pretending you’re a NASCAR driver.
Me: What are you talking about? I’m not speeding….
Brother: Everytime you make a turn you hold the steering wheel like you’re
going into the corner.

I tried to argue with him that I was he was lying, as I made my next turn…. And I watched my right hand glide over the top of the steering wheel and meet my left hand as I went through the center and then my right hand shift back into place on exit….. All of a sudden green lights are green flags, you start judging “restarts” of the drivers in front of you. You are happy when you make a ‘pass on the outside’ and you hate ‘lap traffic’.

My worse scenario happened the other day. I was the first car approaching a red light at an intersection. There were 2 lanes and just past the light, the right lane merges into the left. I have driven this road numerous times and was privy to this merge. Yet I still chose the right lane. Why? Because lapped cars line up on the inside lane, and as long as I have a good restart, I should be fine.

Well I did have a good restart and found myself with clean air once the green flag.. err.. the light changed green.

I have also come to the conclusion that once a NASCAR fan meets another NASCAR fan, the idea of a ‘short conversation’ is almost impossible. There is just so much to talk about. Correction… the only time you will have a short conversation would be like such:

Fan #1: Hey you’re a nascar fan?
Fan #2: Heck yeah I am!
Fan #1: YEAAHHHHH GO 88!! Jr, NATION!
Fan #2: Oh… I’m a Kyle Busch fan…


There are three scenarios on how that one can play out.

1: That is the end of the conversation
2: Fan # 1 starts screaming at Fan #2
3: Fan #1 punches Fan #2, in which Fan #2 retaliates and starts a
full on brawl.

I am well aware that this is not new to many of you who are reading this. But you have to keep in mind that I am a girl who lives a double life, one as a NASCAR fan, and one as a big city girl. Bouncing between the fast pace that is forced upon you in the city to the fast pace on a high-banked super speedway are as different as night and day. I find that my other side often perplexes people.

In NASCAR world : “Oh, you’re from NY? Upstate? NEW YORK CITY??? Hey Bob, she’s from New York City! Give this girl a beer!”

New York world: You’re a wha? You’re really a NASCAR fan? Where are you from? Really, your from NY and you’re a NASCAR fan? Don’t you get bored watching them drive in circles?

My friends’ ideal vacations require exotic locations with sandy white beaches, with crystal clear water and mojitos. While my ideal vacation may require clear skies, you can just ship me off to Dover with a hot pass, a beer and good company and I will come back grinning ear to ear with exiting stories, pictures and heck – even a great tan!

I feel like all the changes made to my lifestyle due to NASCAR have been for the better, even if I am the only one on the LIE who understands bump drafting…. Just kidding!

NASCAR - 2009 Season

My apologies for disappearing for the 2008 season and the start of 2009. I think that I've been celebrating - and gloating about all the Kyle Busch wins, that I haven't had much time to write on here. I like that excuse... I'll stick with that one.

A lot has happened so far in the 2009 season that certainly deserves a lot of attention, from the controversy of the ending of the Daytona 500, to Kyle Busch's big wins at Las Vegas and on his birthday this past week in Richmond(along with is track streak ending win at Bristol). Brad Keselowski's move at Talladega which sent Carl Edwards airborne, and ultimately into the catch fence. The team mergers between DEI/Ganassi, Petty/GEM... Joey Logano!... Somebody stop me!

As you can see, I have a little bit to say about everything - but catching up would just take too long and probably rehash all the stories that have been over talked about. I am even forgoing my personal experience in the pits for the 2009 Daytona 500, while filming a commercial for ESPN. Talk about an experience of a lifetime!

We're in the present now - so lets talk about the ladies! Or perhaps one lady in particular. DARLINGTON HERE WE COME! Defending race leader Kyle Busch is heading to the track with momentum, but is all that birthday cake going to slow him down?

The teams are well on their way to the Lady in Black, and we'll see tomorrow what teams are looking strong at practice.

As far as REAL NEWS goes, apart from my own personal fluff of my triumphant return - latest word has it that Mark Marin has signed on with Hendrick Motorsports for a full season in 2010. I believe that Brad has been waiting patiently... and I think he needs to get to a point where he really needs to think about himself. Sure it would be great to be in Hendrick equipment, but is it worth stalling your career for the Hendrick name brand? I understand that they helped Brad start his career. (In actuality it was Jr - pre HMS). Maybe that's all that they were good for. Point is, that they are not helping Brad advance further - HMS is doing the opposite. Plus with a line up of Jr, Jeff and Jimmie, a veteran like Mark Martin can hold his own in that stable. Put a rookie like Brad Keselowski in there and it has to be tough on the kid at some level, whether it is expectations, or the lack of star power compared to your fellow teammates. The funny thing is Brad might not realize how hard it would be to join that stable until he is in there. And it has nothing to do with him, his talent or who he is teammates with - it has to do with what the media will make of it.

But hey... I could be wrong.

Before I conclude this portion of my blog,

I would like to take a moment to recognize the passing of one of NASCAR's greats, David Poole. You will be sincerely missed.

I would also like to take a moment for another passing in the NASCAR community, Kevin Grubb.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If this is your first visit to this blog, I recommend checking out the very first post to understand what a "Wes Walk" truly is, as you will see that term come up frequently.

Before we officially start this section back up, let's have a blast from the past:

Here are what our teams looked like in 2007:


Me:
Kyle Busch
Kurt Busch
Kasey Kahne

Zack:
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Mark Martin

Dad:
Jimmie Johnson
Tony Stewart
Matt Kennseth

Mom:
Elliot Sadler
Jeff Burton
Bobby Labonte


Needless to say - things have shifted... a lot... Here are the current teams (# of wes wins are noted next to each driver):

Me:
Kyle Busch - 3
Kurt Busch - 1
Kasey Kahne
ROOKIE: Brad Keselowski - 1

Zack:
Jeff Gordon - 1
Jimmie Johnson - 1
Matt Kenseth*
ROOKIE: ??? unknown

Dad:
Tony Stewart
Mark Martin - 1
Clint Bowyer
ROOKIE: Joey Logano

Mom:
Denny Hamlin
Carl Edwards
Jeff Burton
ROOKIE: Colin Braun

Big change 'eh? Note that I am the only one who has remained true to their team since the very beginning.

Note the * next to Kenseth's name, along with the fact that there are no Wes Walk wins. At Daytona before the 500, my dad and I had the following conversation:

Dad: I think I'm going to drop Kenseth

Me: I wouldn't do that...

Dad: Why not.. he sucked last year

me: I think you'll regret it... he's usually a very consistent driver and I think he's good to have.

Dad: He's too vanilla his personality doesn't mesh with mine...

Me: Maybe... but I still think it would be a mistake, he's a great driver to have for you top 5's and for the 123 finishes... I think you should keep him.

Dad: No... I'm dropping him... there.. he's dropped...

Me: Ok, fine... You're going to regret it...


annnndddddddddd Matt Kenseth wins the Daytona 500... andddd at Fontana - Autoclub Speedway... way to go dad... AFTER the two wins, Zack decided to pick up Kenseth.

Also note that we have included rookies... they only count if they win.

Another note is that this is all about betting and acquiring wes walks, thus one wants the best chance at winning by picking the strongest drivers. Notice that one of the 'big names' have been completely dropped from all teams (he was shuffled around in the '08 season)...

I AM FOR EQUALITY!

Here is my little rant to M&M World after my visit Sunday, May 3rd 2009....

To Whom It May Concern:

I believe that all M&M World’s should be created equal. M&M World has been my “happy” place in the crazy city of New York for the past few years. As a resident of Manhattan, I frequently go there as a release from any work or personal stress. Walking around three floors of colorful chocolaty goodness melts all that away.

My personal favorite part was the racecar on the second floor, with Diecast cars and M&M/NASCAR merchandise surrounding it. Being a huge NASCAR fan, there was always that thrill and excitement being up close to a car that made some laps around a track or two. Then the unthinkable happened!

My favorite driver, Kyle Busch was forced out of Hendrick Motorsports and was no longer sponsored by Carquest/Kelloggs. The big question for me, as I was watching the Speed channel, munching on my Kyle color coordinated M&M’s was – who will be Kyle’s new sponsor?! Well you know better than anyone else how that deal panned out. I could not have been more ecstatic to have my favorite driver sport my favorite chocolate and race snack.

After the 2007 year, the previous car was removed, for what I was anticipating a replacement of the new M&M’s Toyota Camry, with the new 2008 paint scheme. Well, it’s 2009 and as I write this, 11 trips to Victory Lane in the M&M’s car. Yet there is barely any representation of Kyle in M&M World in NYC. What little merchandise they do have, gets constantly shuffled around the store.

The vast amount of merchandise that M&M World carried with previous drivers vs. Kyle Busch appears absurd considering each of their on track success. The M&M’s car has not visited victory lane in a long time, and Kyle has been able to put it there numerous times.

You are currently sponsoring, what I believe is the best driver this sport has ever seen. I realize that Kyle’s hometown in Las Vegas – but that doesn’t mean that they should be the only one getting all the fun! Therefore I say - Equality for all M&M Worlds!!!

Thank you for your time,
Jocelyn Schwartz