Girl Talk with Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney-Miss Sprint Cup

Most people recognize them from the yellow and black firesuits they wear in Victory Lane interviews, but the job of a Miss Sprint Cup is much more than just celebrating with a team after the race. They serve as ambassadors for NASCAR and are involved in many activities both on race weekends and throughout the week. Recently, I had the chance to catch up with two of the current Miss Sprint Cups- Kim Coon and Jaclyn Roney!

Q: When did you first become interested in racing?  Did you grow up watching it?

KC: Kind of a mix!  Growing up in Orlando, I lived about 45 minutes away from Daytona.  I watched racing, but I wasn’t an avid fan.  When I got older, I had friends that worked in the sport so I was familiar with NASCAR and I’d been to a lot of races.  After I got this job, I have so much more respect for the drivers, the teams, and the sport in general.

JR: I first got into NASCAR about ten years ago so I didn’t grow up watching it. I went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway and saw my first race there. Once you go, you get sucked in.

Q: When did you become Miss Sprint Cup?

KC: This is my third year.  2011 was my first season as Miss Sprint Cup.  I thought every year would be the same, but each year I’ve gotten to do something different. 

JR: I got this job in the middle of 2011 so it’s my third season wearing the firesuit.

Q: What’s your favorite part of being Miss Sprint Cup?

KC: My favorite part is probably meeting all the fans from all over the world.  When you go to the (Atlanta) race you think it’s just going to be people from Alabama, Georgia, or somewhere from the region. When we’re out at the Sprint Unlimited Fan Experience, we meet people from Japan, Australia, or Germany who want to see their favorite driver. They’ve planned their trips to America when there’s a race so they can see one.  Seeing how passionate NASCAR fans are about the sport is really cool.  NASCAR fans aren’t like fans in other sports.

JR: When we are able to do things that we get to everyday, but those same things would make someone else’s day. When we give away tickets or give away a meet and greet with someone’s favorite driver, something they woke up not thinking that they were going to do that day and we are able to make that happen, those are the days that I’m really thankful for my job.

Q: Do you have any Victory Lane celebrations that you remember as the messiest or the most exciting?

KC: The 2011 Daytona 500 when Trevor Bayne won was my very first victory lane for a points race. It was so cool because it was history making and that moment was so incredible. You could hear him over the radio saying “Am I dreaming?” There are some pictures floating around from last year in Kentucky when Brad Keselowski won and the Miller Lite guys just annihilated me. I looked like I had jumped in a pool! I really had a lot of fun two years ago at the fall race in Phoenix when Kasey Kahne won for Red Bull right before Red Bull left the sport. I had a lot of friends on the pit crew so it was fun to get to share that with them. At Dover, Jimmie Johnson won with Madagascar car and the rainbow wigs awesome. For the Championship Victory Lane my first year, I don’t know how you could have chosen a better ending between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. We rode the stage out at the end of the race with about 10 laps to go to crown the champion. The race hadn’t finished yet so we didn’t know who the champion was yet even while we were riding out!

JR: They are all pretty messy, but I think the coolest was my first Victory Lane because I didn’t know what to expect! You watch it on TV, but once you’re in it you realize they are smaller than they appear. My first one was Michigan with Kyle Busch. That was a lot of fun! I remember his whole team was dousing me and they were saying, “Welcome to Victory Lane rookie!”

Q: How do you get all of that stuff out of your hair?

KC: A couple showers and you have to shampoo quite a few times! Beer smells, but the worst is red Gatorade because it stains. My hair will be pink!

Q: What other Miss Sprint Cup responsibilities do you have during the week? I know you do the victory breakfast at the shop for the winning driver.

KC: Oh goodness, so many! We do have Victory Lane at the shop. It is a lot of fun because there’s hundreds of people that work at the shop that don’t come to the track on the weekends! A lot of people do not realize what it takes to, not only get to Victory Lane, but also just to field a car every weekend. It takes so many people We do have a few office days here and there where we catch up on fan mail and different office duties. We do an average of 600 interviews and appearances combined each year. We do an appearance for each track during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. We do filming for Rowdy.com each week where we choose our fantasy picks for the weekend. We do work with the Hall of Fame and at the different race shops. When the race comes to Charlotte in May and again in October, the shops will have us come to do Q and A’s. Our work could be anyone from a track to a sponsor to just anyone who wants us to make an appearance.

JR:  During the week, we have an office where we answer fan mail and plan what we are going to do on social media throughout the weekend. There are a lot of us that work in this program. We do anything that can help our team. We do Victory Lane in the shop every week. This is where we bring breakfast to everyone in the shop of the winning race team. Most of the time we leave to go to a race city on Wednesday or Tuesday (depending on where we are flying), so our week flies by pretty fast.

Q: What is your favorite experience you’ve had as Miss Sprint Cup away from the track? Someone you’ve gotten to meet or somewhere you’ve gotten to go?

JR: At Indy 2011, where I met some Make-A-Wish Foundation kids with Richard Petty. That was the coolest thing because these kids have such a positive outlook on life. It was very life-changing and fun!

Q: At the track, you see a lot of little kids that come with their parents, but you don’t see as many teenage fans. What do you think the tracks or NASCAR can do to keep teenagers interested in NASCAR?

KC: I think NASCAR and the tracks are doing the best they can to attract all different types of fans. I think the drivers help push that, too. Young drivers like Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Danica Patrick, being a female driver, will help expand the type of the fans coming out to NASCAR races, whether it’s by age or gender. As the sport gets a little more competitive and a little more exciting each year, I think it will continue to increase the number of teenage fans.

JR: That’s a great question because it’s kind of that window between little kids that get brought and then the teenage, even into college age, fans. I’ve been seeing a lot of them this season come in big groups. I think some of the younger drivers coming into the Sprint Cup Series, like Kyle Larson getting a full ride for next year, is going to bring a new level of fans. He is a fresh face, but well accomplished driver. The tracks have done a really good job at making the drivers accessible. You can’t go to a basketball game or football game and go meet the players like you can here. NASCAR does a lot of meet and greets with the drivers. Our job is all about being accessible. We’re kind of the fans’ friend on the inside. I think they’ve done a great job so far and it can only continue to get better.

Q: The next few questions are going to be then and now questions. Think back to you high school days. What was your favorite junk food then and what is it now?

KC: Then-probably those ice cream sandwiches and now-I try to stay away from it now but anything dark chocolate!

JR: Pizza then and pizza now. It hasn’t changed. (laughs)

Q: What was your favorite TV show then and what is it now?

KC: Probably Friends in high school. I still watch that now. But now, I really like Homeland. It’s filmed in Charlotte, which is where I live, so it’s cool to watch a show that’s filmed in my city!

JR: Then-it was The Hills. Now-The First 48 which is a murder mystery/reality show. They say if you haven’t solved a murder in the first 48 hours after it happened, the chance of solving it is slim to none. The show follows the first 48 hours after a murder.

Q: What was your favorite song/group then and what is it now?

KC: In high school, Blink 182 was probably my favorite band. Now, it’s a mix of stuff. I really like The xx, Say Anything, or anything that has a good beat because I’m a dancer.

JR: Instead of a song, I’ll say Garth Brooks. He’s my all time favorite and I got to see him after the NASCAR banquet in 2011. After the banquet, everyone elsewent out to industry parties, but I went and bought a single ticket to Garth Brooks. Since I bought a single ticket, I got 4 rows back, center stage. It was amazing!

Q: What was your favorite fashion trend then and what is it now?

KC: When I was in high school, the backless shirts were really popular. I like the floral trend a lot right now!

JR: I like the flare pants back in my high school days. Now, I like the peplum tops!

Girl Talk with Danica Patrick

“Embrace what’s different about you.” This wise advice comes from Danica Patrick, someone who has done just that.

Danica has embraced what makes her different from her competitors instead of letting it stop her from chasing her dreams. The driver of the #10 Go Daddy Sprint Cup Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing is the only female driver in the NASCAR’s top series. Although the 2013 season is Danica’s first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, she is no stranger to racing since she has raced against the boys in multiple series since an early age. In the Daytona 500 earlier this year, Danica became the first woman to both win a Sprint Cup Series pole position and lead green flag laps.

Recently, Danica returned to the track where she made history just five months ago and I had the chance to sit down for “girl talk” with her! As a 14 year old passionate NASCAR fan who wants to pursue a career as a NASCAR journalist, this was an amazing opportunity!

During our interview, I talked with Danica about her advice for girls and her life off the track.

Q: As you’ve pursued your dreams in a traditionally male dominated sport, you’ve shown both confidence and courage- two character traits I feel are essential to success. What advice would you give to young girls who may face similar circumstances or obstacles in their way?

DP:  It’s about not feeling different than anyone. It’s about feeling confident that you can accomplish anything. Just believe that you can do it and embrace what’s different about you.

Q: Some girls try to be the person everyone else wants them to be instead of being themselves. With you being in the spotlight, it’s easy for people to be critical of you. How do you stay true to yourself?

DP:  I would imagine you’d probably get a lot of people in general saying that confidence is really the most attractive thing -  that’s about being comfortable with yourself.  It’s just about finding things that make you feel good about yourself and feel confident. So whether it is a talent that you have, or something like that, just focus on those things.

Q: I’m sure there’s times where it feels like it’s you against the rest of the world. Do you have a quote or song you go to when you’re feeling down?

DP:  I have definitely always gone to the saying “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” and I really believe that’s true. No matter how hard things get, if it doesn’t kill you, you’re going to be better for it. I also like the one —“Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

I like that one!

Q: You are focused on your job and I know you have a busy schedule between racing and sponsor commitments. I have noticed on Twitter that you like to cook.

DP:  (flashes a big smile) I do!

Do you have any other outlets?

DP:  I like to travel. I like to get a pedicure. I like to go shopping. I like to plan vacations. I even like to workout.

When you’re shopping does anyone ever come up to you and say “Hey, you’re Danica Patrick!”

DP:  Only if I stop or if I am by myself.   I suppose it becomes more and more common all the time. If I am by myself, I am a little bit of an easier target.   If I am with other people, I guess I would appear a little less approachable maybe.

But I guess from Twitter, your favorite thing is cooking?

DP:  Yeah, I would say. I like that. It’s fun.

What’s your favorite thing to cook?

DP:  I like anything dinner oriented, but I love breakfast!  If I’m going to make a production of it, I like dinner.

Do you like to experiment or just follow the recipe?

DP:  I think the best way to learn to how to cook is to use a cookbook to learn how to cook things you’ve never cooked before.  That kind of allows you to be able to make it again without the cookbook. I’m not a baker so I feel like you always need a cookbook for that. I like not having a cookbook, but the way you learn how to make good things is with them.

Do you like making desserts?

DP:  No, mostly just dinner. I’m not a dessert person. I will, but let’s see one of the ones I made recently. (pauses to think)  I made a bread pudding with brioche bread and I didn’t follow (the recipe).   I mean, I looked at the recipe, then I just started pouring things in.  I didn’t worry about the exact portions and stuff like that. I didn’t have the right ingredients either.  I was using vanilla creamer for coffee as one of the ingredients to flavor it. (laughs!) I was thinking it would not turn out and I just lapped it all in.  It seemed very wet and like it was just all going to be mush.  Then I made it and it was absolutely delicious!  So sometimes things turn out, but I’m sure there was just as much of a chance of it not.

Q: Since we’re at Daytona we have to take a spin around the track. It’s a fun Then and Now question for each turn. Think back to your high school days!

Turn1: What was your favorite junk food then and what is it now?

DP: I’ll just go back to what comes to mind first. It wasn’t high school that I ate this because in high school I was eating a little bit more healthy. I remember coming home, getting dropped off at 3:00 from the bus, grabbing a soda, and making a microwavable pizza. That’s probably not the best snack!  I also loved to cut up a whole box of strawberries and pour some white sugar on the side and dip each one in.

That’s what I like to take to lunch at school! It’s so good!

DP: Oh it’s delicious!

Turn 2: What was your favorite TV show then and what is your favorite TV now?

DP: When I was a kid, let’s go like mid-years, I liked 90210. Awesome. My parents let me watch it. Now, my favorite show? Probably Dexter. That’s a great show. I missed last season so I have to catch up on that one, but I’ve watched every other season. It’s a great show.

Turn 3: What was your favorite song or group then and what is it now?

DP: Let’s see, my boy band back then was  Backstreet Boys, because they were to me the first boy band. ‘N Sync came after them, but I was loyal to the originals-- the Backstreet Boys. (looks at PR rep, Joe Crowley) Right? Do I have this all right? Who played in the Backstreet Boys? Who were the singers?

JC: Nick Carter was the lead singer.

DP:  Nick Carter? Yeah, that’s right! Good job! Aww, that was awesome! (big smile)

JC:  I cannot believe I just answered that! (shakes head)

DP:  I’m definitely going to tweet that Joe’s favorite band growing up was the Backstreet Boys! My favorite band now? I’ve been listening to a lot of country lately…so probably Miranda (Lambert).  I love her music. She’s great. All time favorite-- I love Alanis Morissette, always have since I was a kid. But I’d say Miranda is a new favorite.

What is your favorite song by her?

DP:  The House That Built Me. It’s a pretty good song. I was in her music video for Fastest Girl in Town.

Oh I didn’t know that! I’ll have to go watch it!

DP: Oh yeah, go watch it. It’s cool.

Turn 4: What was your favorite fashion trend then and what is it now?

DP: Oh my gosh! (smiles) With socks, I used to roll them and scrunch them, but we’ll go with the rolling. I would wear white (socks) and then I would wear a color that matched my outfit and I’d roll them down.  It had to be absolutely perfect! So that was my favorite fashion trend then. And now, (thinks for a while) I wear a lot of t-shirts and jeans. Let’s see—a fashion trend? I don’t know. What do I wear that’s trendy? I guess in the moment you don’t feel like anything is all that trendy, you just kind of feel like it’s you.

JC: All I see you in is firesuits and golf shirts.

I like skinny jeans!

DP:  Yeah, I always wear skinny jeans. I suppose that’s it…between skinny jeans, Havaiana flip flops, and my James Perse t-shirts…that’s pretty much what I wear most of the time.

I guess you don’t really get a chance to dress up that much.

DP: I do, but I don’t really feel like I’m being trendy. You know what?! (slaps leg as thought comes to mind) Colored jeans!  I wear a lot of colored jeans. I love your red jeans. I had some blue ones on yesterday. Colored jeans-- I’m into them! I have just as many colored jeans as I do regular jeans.

Yeah, I love colored skinny jeans!

DP: I feel like I’m dressing up without actually dressing up. You wear colored jeans and a tshirt you’re like, “Woah! I look different!’

Thank you so much!

DP:  No problem! I had fun!

Danica Patrick is embracing what makes her different, but she is also similar to many girls and young women. She likes good food and good music. She’s fun to be around.  She has her own sense of style. Most of all, she’s not just following her dreams…she’s chasing them.

Getting to Know Brad Sweet

Brad Sweet drives the #5 Great Clips Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. While waiting for qualifying for the Firecracker 250 at Daytona, he was nice enough to grant me an interview. Hope you enjoy getting to know him as much as I did!

Q: NASCAR is a sport that is full of tradition. Do you have a favorite NASCAR tradition?

I grew up racing dirt cars, but everyone always dreamed of making it to NASCAR so some of my first memories were getting up every year in the morning to watch the Daytona 500 in February. That’s something that was always like a party. Seeing Jeff Gordon win Indy was cool, because I was always a fan of his. I was just always really in to NASCAR and watched it grow.

Q: Have you gotten the chance to meet Jeff Gordon? What was it like?

Yeah I’ve met Jeff Gordon. I think I’ve met just about every driver now. It was pretty neat. As you grow up as a kid, you watch them all, then you’re able to come in here and actually become friends a lot of them.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote or song you go to when you’re feeling down?

Not really, but I’m a pretty positive person, so when I do get down, I always think positive and think ‘there’s always another race’. I always think there’s a lot worse things in the world than having a bad race or getting in a wreck. So as long as I’m okay and my family is around me, I’m happy.

Q: You have a busy schedule with sponsor commitments and your race schedule. What do you do as an outlet when you have time to get away?

The weekend when you come to the track, you’re at work. Sundays and Mondays mostly I go out on the lake, that’s kind of like my weekend. That’s when I hang out with friends and other drivers. I think that’s why a lot of the drivers end up hanging out, because we’re all on the same schedule. It’s different than everybody else that has a normal job, but it works out.

Q: Since we’re at Daytona we have to take a spin around the track. It’s a fun Then and Now question for each turn. Think back to your high school days!

Turn 1: What was your favorite junk food then and what is it now?

I remember a lot of days, at lunchtime, they’d have a slab of beef jerky and I’d get a Cherry Coke. That was just something I’d pretty much have every day. It’s so bad for you! (laughs) I would never do that now, but that was my favorite junk food. And now, I try to to eat better, the older you get the healthier you try to eat. I still end up having a ton of my mom’s cookies because she’s always making them. We’ve actually got some over there (points to cookies on the counter)

Turn 2: What was your favorite TV show then and what is it now?

I’ve always watched so much racing stuff so I’m trying to think. (thinks for a while) I was always just in to watching racing and I’m still into watching racing. I’m a little more into watching movies and stuff now. Back then, I’d just turn on SPEED channel or whatever channel racing was on. That’s all I can really remember watching all the time. Otherwise, I was doing sports. I was really active so I didn’t watch a ton of TV

Q: What other sports did you play?

In high school, at one point I wrestled and at one point I played basketball. We were kind of into farming and I raised an animal one year! I kind of had a lot of different things that I was into in high school. I always went to every football game to watch. I went to almost every basketball game to watch. I was just really into all the sports. I was racing in high school, too, so a lot of weekends I was at go-kart races early in high school.  Later in high school, I was at sprint car races.

Q: Did you have anything in high school that you missed out on because of racing?

I didn’t go to a lot of dances. I did some of them when I could in the winter time. I didn’t go to prom, so I missed all that stuff. I probably just missed out on college. Right out of high school, this was what I wanted to do. I hear a lot of good stories about college and I think you learn a lot of good life lessons in college, but I think I’m just going through my college years in a different way, at the racetrack.

Turn 3: What was your favorite song or group then and what is it now?

I’m really in to country music so a lot of my favorite singers are 90s country singers or modern day country singers. I really like Blake Shelton. I’ve met Blake. He was really cool and that just made me like him even more. I’m pretty into everything that he sings right now.

Turn 4: What was your dream car then and what is it now?

I’ve never been like I need a Corvette or anything like that, because I always just had my racecar. I definitely started out in a piece of junk van when I started driving.  Actually about three years ago,  I was able to buy my first brand new truck. That was really nice for me because I always kind of had “whatever.”  It was never a big deal to me to have a nice car so it was nice to finally be able to get to that point where I was having something brand new.

Daytona Days

My four days at Daytona International Speedway last week were incredible! From Having my own desk in the media center to sitting on James Buescher’s pit box during the Firecracker 250 to being in Victory Lane while Matt Kenseth celebrated his win to seeing the view from the press box, my trip was filled with experiences that most fans only dream about! I also got to tour the NASCAR headquarters, meet many of the talented people who make the sport so enjoyable, attend the Daytona Rising groundbreaking, and even interview several drivers!

Nationwide Dash for Cash Kickoff: Between rain showers Wednesday, three of the Dash for Cash drivers-Brian Vickers, Elliot Sadler, and Austin Dillon- painted their numbers in the grass of the Daytona infield. Afterwards, everyone gathered at the backstretch to see each driver shoot off fireworks just like the ones that are shot off after the race! (see Fast Cars and Fireworks for more!)

Austin Dillon painting his number in the grass

Learning about fireworks 

Interviewing Austin Dillon

NASCAR Headquarters: The Daytona NASCAR headquarters building is an AMAZING! Each floor has an racing related item to go with it. The 5^th floor has pit crew gloves on a wall because they have 5 fingers. The 6^th floor has lugnuts on a wall because each lugnut has 6 sides. There are also lots of pictures from NASCAR history on the wall that were fun to look at! I even got to meet Mike Helton while I was there!

View from the 8th floor--not a bad view huh? :)

Gloves on the 5th floor

NASCAR headquarters building

Media Center:  The media center was where I spent a lot of my time-it was a busy place! This is where the drivers do their press conferences and the media can ask them questions. Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Carl Edwards, Elliott Sadler, Tony Stewart, and Kyle Busch were some of the drivers who had press conferences in Daytona. I even asked Matt Kenseth a question during his press conference!

Dale Earnhardt Jr's press conference

Daytona Rising Groundbreaking: We know NASCAR drivers can drive race cars, but can they race tractors? That was put to the test Friday morning! Three pairs of drivers- Jeff Burton and Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Trevor Bayne ad Darrell Waltrip and Larry McRynolds- raced tractors for a chance to break ground on Daytona Rising. The race was just like a real NASCAR race complete with driver introductions, the National Anthem, and even a Victory Lane celebration for the winners! I even snagged some dirt from the event (hey NASCAR Hall of Fame! Call me if you want some historic dirt!)

2 of the tractors that were raced

Greg Biffle and Trevor Bayne holding up their trophies

Brad Sweet: My first one on one interview of the weekend was with Brad Sweet, one of the drivers for JR Motorsports. He was really nice! I was nervous beforehand but I had fun! We did the interview inside his hauler. I’d never realized how small there are! There’s not that much room to move around! (Did you know his favorite junk food used to be beef jerky and cherry Coke?! Check back in a few days for the full interview!) Thanks Kelly Lumsden for setting that up for me!

Interviewing Brad Sweet

Danica Patrick Interview: I was a little nervous before but there wasn’t any reason for me to be! She was so nice! I had hoped for a good way to break the ice with her and it came the day before at her press conference! You may have seen that Danica started her press conference off with “Happy 4^th of July!” but what you didn’t read is she also said, “First off, the 4^th of July attire award goes to you.” And guess who she pointed at! Me! So on Friday before we started the interview, I gave her the Best Dressed Driver Award!

Yesterday during your press conference I was the one-

DP: Oh yeah! You had the outfit on! And you have the next best outfit on! Girl you got it going on!

So I brought you an award for the Best Dressed Driver! ( I gave her a little pink card with Best Dressed Driver written on it)

DP: Ohhh! (laughs and sticks it on her shirt) Thank you! (talking to photographer) You tell me when you have enough pictures of the Best Dressed Driver!

The rest of the interview was so easy and I loved every minute of it!

Photo Credit: Chris Graythen, NASCAR via Getty Images

Danica and me

Interviewing Danica

Pit Box: Ever wondered what the view from a pit box looks like? I got to see on Friday night! I sat on James Buescher’s pit box for the whole race. Being so close to the pit stops was really cool! It was a different view than I had ever had before and it was one of my favorites! Thanks so much to James Buescher and his crew for letting me sit up there!

Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton, NASCAR via Getty Images

Watching the race

View from the pit box

Victory Lane: After the Nationwide race I got to take a trip to Victory Lane! Matt Kenseth almost over me when he was driving into Victory Lane, but I got out of the way just in time! Victory Lane was cool! I watched Matt Kenseth climb from his car and get a Gatorade shower before he did interviews and started his hat dance!

Matt Kenseth celebrating in Victory Lane

Press Box: I think the press box at Daytona and the pit box are tied for the best view I’ve ever had at a NASCAR race! In the stands, it’s hard to find a seat where you can see every part of the track, but that’s not a problem from the press box! You can see all four turns, the backstretch and the tri-oval all from one seat!  I could also see the two boxes next to the press box. One was where MRN called the race from and the other was race control!

View from the press box

Daytona has been one of my favorite racetracks since my first race there in 2010. Not only is there lots of action on the track, there’s lots of activities to do off the track! Just like every other track the merchandise trailers are parked outside the track, but unlike any other track, Daytona has a place where fans can go to get closer to the action! In the infield, there is a Sprint Fan Zone where you can look through windows and watch what happens in the garage, see the cars go through both inspection stations, and  even watch the race from on top of the garages on the fan deck! There is a stage where drivers make appearences and music groups perform. You can even go out on the infield grass for driver introductions, sit on the track, and sign your name on the Start-Finish line! There’s so much to see and do and it makes your race experience so much fun! If you ever get the chance to go to Daytona, GO! You won’t regret it!

This experience would not have been possible for me without some special people in NASCAR. I would like to thank them for all the opportunities and supporting me in my dream to work in NASCAR!

Fast Cars and Fireworks

(Note: I had the opportunity to attend the Dash for Cash event in Daytona on Wednesday as a guest media of NASCAR.) 

July 5^th fireworks?! There are sure to be plenty of fireworks this weekend at Daytona International Speedway-both on the track and off! The Nationwide Series is bringing back the name “Firecracker 250”, which was the name used for the July Grand National (now Sprint Cup) Series race from July 1959-1962. Not only is there a race for the win, but there is actually a four person race inside of the Firecracker 250. In the Nationwide Dash for Cash, the top 4 finishing Nationwide series drivers from the Kentucky race-Austin Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Brian Vickers, and Kyle Larson- will compete for $100,000, with the highest finisher winning the money.

Wednesday morning, Dillon, Sadler, and Vickers (Larson already had a commitment to his sprint car team) participated in a Nationwide event to kick off the first 2013 Dash for Cash. All three drivers painted their numbers on the infield grass, then shot off fireworks on the backstretch as part of the celebration.

The biggest question of the day was which driver painted his number the best?

“I feel like I did,” Brian Vickers answered, “Coloring was my thing in school, like staying in the lines.” While it drew a laugh from the other 2 drivers, they agreed. 

Vickers and Sadler joked that Dillon only had one digit (3) to paint while they had 2 digits, but Dillon still took the longest. Vickers said it was because Dillon was thinking about fireworks the whole time.

“I did two layers on mine, so you can see it when the TV camera goes across it, so it’s really bright,” Dillon defended.

All 3 drivers commented on the difficulties of Daytona, but each hope to leave Daytona with a extra $100,000. 

The drivers seemed to really enjoy their fireworks lesson and Dillon even joked about getting a fireworks license for himself. 

So if Sadler, Vickers, or Dillon can’t be found after the race to collect their money, be sure to check who is lighting the fuses for the fireworks!

Brian Vickers and Elliott Sadler painting their numbers

Austin Dillon setting off his round of fireworks

Austin Dillon painting his number in the grass

My first Darlington race? It was the pits!

Here’s a wonderful thing about racetracks. No matter where a person comes from or where they are going, when you go to a racetrack you have a special bond with everybody there as well as everyone who has ever been.  Every track has its own set of stories to tell. Whether it’s your first visit to a track or you've been going for many years, once you go, you’re part of that track’s history.

Dale Earnhardt once said, “And if you happen to be a racecar driver, there’s no victory so sweet, so memorable, as whipping Darlington Raceway.” NASCAR’s closest ever finish happened at Darlington in 2003 when Ricky Craven edged out Kurt Busch for the win by just two thousandths of a second. At one time, a Grand Slam in NASCAR was winning all 4 of NASCAR’s most prestigious races in one year- the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500 which was held at Darlington. While no one ever won the Grand Slam, two drivers, Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon, claimed the Small Slam (winning 3 of the 4 races) with their victory at Darlington and earned $1,000,000.

We drove through miles of countryside to get to the track. It’s almost out in the middle of nowhere! You can feel the history the moment you walk underneath the big iron gateway that says Darlington Raceway. My family did our normal pre-race routine. We checked out driver appearances, visited the merchandise trailers, and went to the tweet-up! I even got my first bag of Dale Jr chips, which are delicious by the way!

 While we were at the tweet-up, I checked my Twitter and saw that I was getting an opportunity I had always dreamed of- hot passes!! We met our guide at one of the gates and walked through the tunnel to the infield.

As we exited the tunnel and the track surrounded us, I could feel the history even more. Our first stop? The media center!  We went inside and looked around for a few minutes.  I can definitely see my future self working in one every weekend! After the media center visit, we went to the Hollywood Hotel. Yes, the exact place where Michael Waltrip, Chris Myers, and Darrell Waltrip do the pre-race show!  We went in and looked around. I even got to sit in Michael Waltrip’s chair!!

Then we made the trek across the garage to the drivers’ meeting. Attending the drivers meeting was 1 best NASCAR experiences I’ve ever had! There is so much to tell about the drivers meeting that I had to make the experience a whole separate post about it here. 

Our next stop was driver introductions. I had seen drivers introductions from the front before, but I had never seen what happened from the other side of the stage before the drivers went were introduced. This race was on Mother’s Day weekend so drivers had the opportunity to have their mom walk out with them and wave to the crowd. I stood with the AWESOME Jeff Gluck, as he judged the crowd’s volume for each driver for his NASCAR noise meter. 

When driver introductions were over, we walked down pit road to see the drivers getting ready to race. Some of them were still riding in the cars they got in after introductions, so we stopped and waved. Greg Biffle even smiled and waved back to me! While we were walking we saw Michael Waltrip do his grid walk for Fox’s pre race show and I was in the background waving at the camera during some of it! I spied clint Bowyer standing next to his car and ran over to talk to him. 

After the prayer and National Anthem, we walked through the garage to find a good place to watch the race. As we were walking by all the haulers, Richard Childress walked by and I got a picture with him. 

We finally found a spot at the entrance of Turn 1. When the cars raced by for the first time, I could feel the rush of the air and the rubber flying off the track. There’s nothing more beautiful than 43 colorful cars roaring through the first corner at the beginning of the race!

After a few laps we walked down pit road and found Dale Jr’s pit box. It was incredible to be so close to the pit stops! It’s a totally different perspective than in the stands and even the up close shots from TV. After a pit stop, the tires get inspected the fuel cans get refilled, new tires are leaned against the wall, and data about the fuel and tires is collected and delivered to the top of the pit box. Everybody on the team had a job they had to get done. The pit box looked like an ant hill for a few minutes after each stop with everyone running around doing their job.

At the end of the race we walked back towards the haulers to try to catch a glimpse of the drivers. Right as we walked by Victory Lane, Matt Kenseth climbed out of his car and Gatorade and confetti went flying! I grabbed a few pieces of colored confetti from the ground outside Victory Lane as a souvenir from a special day! At the haulers, crews were packing up the cars and tools, changing out of their uniforms and scrambling to catch their ride home.

I knew I would love my first trip to Darlington, but I had no idea it hold some of my best ever NASCAR experiences! When a driver scrapes the wall at Darlington and makes that black streak on the wall, it’s known as getting their “Darlington Stripe”. It means they’re gaining experience and it’s the one time drivers are almost proud to hit the wall. Every stripe on the wall has a unique story, just like every fan’s experience at the track. Just a few weeks ago I earned my first of what I hope to be many Darlington stripes!

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