Runway Monday

What we are drooling over7 for all mankind Keira Archer Heights Trouser Jeans, Neimanmarcus.com $198

Being Cost Conscious
Gap Wide Leg Trouser Jeans, $59.50

Atlanta Notes from the Track

photo credit NASCAR

Martin Truex, Jr. Takes the Pole

For the second time this year Martin Truex, Jr. will sit in position #1 for tonight's race in Atlanta. A good morale boost for him and the entire #1 team who has been diligent, tho not terribly lucky for most of the season.

With only 11 races to go before Martin goes to MWR for the 2010 season, we hope both sides and all sponsors, current and future are paying attention to this great feather in Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's and the #1's team's hat....it takes a village to get a fast car, you know. To see the entire lineup, please see here.

Bobby Labonte upseats Gilliand at TRG

A roller coaster of emotions for B-Lab who was taken out of the Yates Racing sequence on Monday. Come mid-week, an announcement was made by TRG, the year's contender for the Little Team That Could: for the next seven races, Bobby Labonte will drive for the #71 car replacing David Gilliland.

The conductor of this train, crew chief Slugger Labbe suggested to owner Kevin Buckler that they take this dismissal to their team's advantage. Labonte's provisional status will take a little pressure off the team. But, dont worry about David Gilliland- Gilliland will race the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford at Atlanta for Bill Elliot, who is under the weather. Joe Gibbs will pick him up for Charlotte, Texas and Homestead and one additional race for owner/driver Robby Gordon.

Atlanta Motor Speedway is most social

NASCAR fans can get up-to-the-minute updates on action leading up to the Pep Boys Auto 500 race weekend by following Atlanta Motor Speedway on Facebook and Twitter.

AMS goes Country for Pre-Race Entertainment, National Anthem

Diamond Rio will headline a Pre-Race Party concert prior to tonight's race. Giving fans up-close access to NASCAR Sprint Cup driver introductions, a limited number of stage-front passes are available for $49. The event begins at 4:30 p.m. with a performance by Jason Michael Carroll. A race 500 ticket is also required for admission to the party area. Diamond Rio will also perform the National Anthem.

County vocal group SHeDAISY performed the National Anthem prior to Atlanta Motor Speedway's Nationwide race, the Degree V12 300 on Saturday night.

To purchase Pre-Race Party Passes or ticket to the Pep Boys Auto 500, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway Ticket Office at (77) 946-3917 or (877) 9-AMS-TIX, or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

NASCAR and College Football in the same sentence? We must be dreaming!!

As much as we LOVE the races, and you know that we live and breathe this stuff...there is something very special about waking up the first Saturday of College Football Season. If you havent figured out, Megan and I share a brain and agree on EVERYTHING and even can tell you what the other one is thinking. The absolute one thing we disagree on is which Florida team to support. Even so, we still attend each others games...believe it or not, and hold our tongues come that fateful day in November. Also, if you haven't heard Megan started her own clothing line, to give us fashionistas something to wear come game day.

Looks like the ESPN also has a reach across the aisle mentality...From ESPN PR: With three big sporting events on the ESPN networks originating from Atlanta this weekend, ESPN college football announcers Brent Musburger and Lisa Salters took a 200 mph look at one of the sports today at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Musburger, who will call ESPN on ABC’s telecast of the Virginia Tech-Alabama game Saturday night from the Georgia Dome, and sideline reporter Salters went for high-speed rides around the 1.5-mile superspeedway in a special two-seater stock car with NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin at the wheel.

Hamlin will compete in Sunday night’s 500-mile race that will air live on ESPN. In addition, ESPN2 will have live coverage of Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at AMS.

And Hamlin, an avid fan of college football, especially his homestate Virginia Tech Hokies, will attend Saturday night’s game, where Salters will interview him on the sidelines. Since the Nationwide Series race starts nearly two hours before the game, the race will be shown to fans on the big screens at the Georgia Dome prior to kickoff, and race fans will be able to watch the end of the football game on similar screens at the speedway after the race concludes.

Musburger, who hosted ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage in 2007, had been for a ride around Daytona International Speedway with former NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip more than 20 years ago, but after emerging from the two-seater race car today said “he (Waltrip) wasn’t cranking on it like Denny did today.

“They asked me if I wanted to go down to the speedway and go for a little ride, and I said sure that sounds like fun, but little did I know that they’d be putting the pedal down to the metal like that. I rode with the Blue Angels once and I knew not to eat a big lunch today.”

Musburger, who while a student sold tickets at the first Daytona 500 in 1959, said he keeps up with the sport and expects the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship to be a battle between Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.

“One thing I’ve always said about NASCAR drivers is that they are so close to their fans and sponsors, they do the best job of any athlete that I’m aware of,” he said. “When you get to the end of an exciting NASCAR race, there’s nothing like it in sports.”

Tony Stewart goes back to school

Along with the rest of the kids across the US, Tony Stewart went back to school. Instead of having to deal with a new crush, bullies locking you in the locker, mean teachers and overzealous jocks, he got to hand out backpacks to deserving kids in Indianapolis as part of the Office Depot Foundation's National Backpack Program. You can check out the video below!



Office Depot has a fan page on Facebook, that you can become a fan of here. They give out all sorts of advice and discounts for their fans.

NASCAR'S #72 Honors 9/11 Victims

AP Photo

Its hard to believe that it has been eight years since 9/11. It just doesnt seem like its been that long. One of our favorite places on the planet, is surprisingly not a racetrack but the Big Apple. It just a place where we walk out of Penn Station and feel instantly at home.

This year, as part of what will be many celebrations NASCAR will have a presence in the anniversary with a custom-painted race car that will honor these victims. The Ford Fusion driven by Benny Gordon for the Richmond race held at Richmond International Raceway will be held on the eight year anniversary of the World Trade Center tragedy.

The car will bear the words "Always Remember" and a 9/11 logo from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. The car was unveiled yesterday in Manhattan near Ground Zero. Benny Gordon actually lined up corporate sponsors for the custom pain job which is hard to do in this economy.

From Newsday article, "It will be an honor to race a car in honor of the attack victims," said Gordon, co-owner of the North South Motorsports team based in Dubois, Pa. "I hope we have a good run."

As with any NASCAR sponsorship....businesses are you listening??...Benny hopes the exposure associated with the themed paint job will draw support for the planned memorial and museum.

Joe Daniels, president of the memorial and museum, said he is grateful to have Gordon's support. "This car presents a tremendous opportunity to raise awareness about the national 9/11 memorial," he said. The backup car was shown Monday, and the hood of the car was signed by first-responders, who attended the unveiling.

The 9/11 car's color scheme is black, blue and white. The logo of the memorial and museum is on the hood, sides, bumpers and trunk. From the front tires to the doors are red and white stripes with reflective stars on the hood to resemble a flag.

In association with the Sept. 11 NASCAR race, the foundation that will operate the memorial, and museum is launching the "text to remember" program. The program is designed to help raise funds and awareness for the memorial, which has a planned opening date of 2011.
By texting "WTC" to the number 30644, supporters can add their names to an honor roll at the 9/11 memorial's Web site and have the option to donate $5.