AP Blog: Hitch a Ride With NASCAR Driver

[Rick Alexander]

AP Blog: Hitch a Ride With NASCAR Driver

From pit road to the garage area to the grandstands, AP sportswriters
will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports from
NASCAR, IRL and Champ Car venues:

• TUESDAY, April 4:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — So you're out for a night on the town enjoying a few
cocktails with friends and it's time to go home. You do the responsible
thing in deciding not to drive, hopping into the first cab you find.

Imagine your surprise when you find NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray behind
the wheel, eager to get you home in one piece.

It will happen Thursday night in Fort Worth, Texas, when McMurray plays
designated driver in a promotion for sponsor Crown Royal. Bar patrons
can sign up for a free ride home at a kiosk in Rodeo Plaza.

Sponsors often come up with catchy promotions that market their driver
and whatever message they are trying to get out, and this one will
likely be a winner.

But the best one I've ever seen was done by Talladega Superspeedway in
2000. The late
Dale Earnhardt agreed to ride along with an Alabama State Police officer
and randomly pull cars over on a Birmingham highway. As the officer
explained to the law-abiding motorists that they were going to get a
ticket, Earnhardt would jump up alongside the car and say "To the race!"
He'd then present them with a pair of tickets to the upcoming NASCAR
events.

I got to ride along in the back seat for a portion of that day, and it
gave me a behind-the-scenes encounter with Earnhardt that I'll never
forget.

Earnhardt was engaging, personable and friendly to everyone that day —
he even pumped the gas when the trooper made a fuel stop. And he was
hysterical when choosing which cars to pull over, singling out cars that
showed support for rival driver Jeff Gordon, or Fords so the longtime
Chevy driver could harass the motorist over their choice of vehicles.

He was so particular about his car brand that he had the state police
borrow a Chevrolet Impala and turn it into a police cruiser rather than
ride in the Ford model the troopers use.

"I don't think it would have been politically correct for me to ride in
a Ford," he joked that day.
_AP Motorsports Writer Jenna Fryer

• SUNDAY, April 2:

Martinsville, Va. — Say what you want about Tony Stewart, and most of
it has been said over and over, but you have to admire the guy for being
honest.

Tonight, after he and Jimmie Johnson dueled for four laps for the lead
with contact aplenty, Stewart finally nosed in front of his rival and
won. The pass came on the heels of last week's beating and banging at
Bristol that left several drivers crying foul and NASCAR's gold child,
Jeff Gordon, fined and placed on probation.

But Stewart appreciated Johnson for not flying off the handle for coming
out on the short end of treatment that most drivers would have thought
typical of a short track.

"Jimmie and I have been friends since we both started in here together.
The saddest part about the relationship with Jimmie and I is that our
sponsors hate each other," Stewart said, his frankness causing the
assembled media to break up laughing.

Stewart is sponsored by Home Depot, Johnson by chief competitor Lowe's.
_AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — A group of writers were taking a break in the
infield media center today when one of them told one of the funniest
NASCAR stories I've heard.

We were talking about the Petty family, some of the most gracious people
I've met in any sport, when one former daily newspaper writer told this
story:

In 1969, he said, he covered a NASCAR race for the first time and saw
Richard Petty win. He also then saw Petty climb out the window of his
car in Victory Lane.

Once the post-race press conference started, he was ready with a
question.

"Richard, you climbed out the window. Why didn't you just open the
door?"

"You haven't been around here long, have you," Petty replied.

The storyteller was Al Pearce, who retired from the Daily Press in
Newport News, Va., before last season. He's also enshrined in the
Motorsports Hall of Fame.
-AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Open-wheel race teams put up with a lot of
distractions at street circuits.

Sunday morning at the Honda Grand Prix, held on a temporary street
circuit built on a small city airport tucked between Tampa Bay and
downtown St. Petersburg, spectators strolled and enjoyed warm sunshine,
jugglers, dancers as they were bombarded with raucous rock music blaring
from speakers set up all over the grounds.

Periodically, cars from different series, including the featured IRL
IndCar Series, were on the nearby track, their engines often drowning
out the music and casual conversation.

Meanwhile, the IndyCar teams worked away in their mobile garages —
tents attached to the semitrailer truck transporters that carry the cars
and equipment from their shops in Indianapolis to races all over North
America.

"Nothing bothers these guys," said Mike Hull, managing director of Chip
Ganassi Racing, as he watched Ganassi team members swarm over the team's
two Honda-powered Dallara race cars like ants on a dropped sandwich.

Following a 30-minute IndyCar warmup session Sunday morning, nearly
every one of the 19 cars entered in the race were put up on stands and
everything but the engine was removed, cleaned, checked and put back on.

Three teams had to scramble to repair damage from accidents during the
warmup. But, thanks to a late-starting race — a schedule dictated by
TV — there was plenty of time to get the work done.

The decibel level from the support series cars was bothersome to me, and
the music occasionally coming from a nearby stage was sometimes
deafening in the garage area, but the crew guys and girls worked away
without seeming to notice.

They don't seem to care about the crowds that gather outside the tents,
behind small temporary fences, watching their every move, taking
pictures and trying to get a look at or an autograph from an occasional
driver or celebrity walking through.

But even walking from place to place can be difficult. Towing the cars
to the fuel pump or out to the track, or hauling tires or other
equipment on golf carts, can be a real chore for the teams.
Roadways are clogged with spectators who don't seem to care that these
guys are working.
The crews just ignore it all. After all, this is their weekend office.
_AP Motorsports Writer Mike Harris

• SATURDAY, April 1:

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Racing fans can be so amusing to watch, and the
vantage point at Martinsville Speedway is said to be among the best in
all of stock car racing.

The press box is in turns 1 and 2, fronted by huge panes of glass that
not only make it easy to watch the action on the track, but also the
crazies seated in front.

Today, in sunshine and nearly 80 degree temperatures, the crowd was
filled with people dressed as billboards for their favorite drivers, and
with shirtless men, most of whom seemed very proud to show off the
elaborate tattoos on their arms and backs.

NASCAR limits the size of coolers fans can bring into the track, but it
never seems to stop people from bringing in large amounts of beer.

And when they run out of their own stock, they can always head down to
the concession stand to pay $3.50 for more.

So today, four shirtless guys standing right in front of the press box
celebrated the start of the truck race by sharing a cigarette of some
sort, popping the tops of beers with regularity and pumping their arms
each time their favorite driver passed.

By the end of the day, one was so inebriated that he climbed onto the
back of his bleacher seat, pressed his face against the press box window
and started pounding. He was fried by the sun, and the look on his face
suggested as yet undetected misery.

His buddy, meanwhile, was on his way back from a trip to the concession
stand, so plowed that as he walked back up the steps to his seat, he
looked like Elmer Fudd in one of those old Bugs Bunny cartoons where
Elmer gets gassed by his own ether.

It takes all kinds, I guess. And they all show up for NASCAR.
_AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One of the coolest things about covering the
Indy Racing League is spending time in the motorhome paddock.

Just about every team has a motorhome set up with a large tent alongside
to host team members, sponsors, potential sponsors and other special
guests. And each team owner tries to outdo the others by hiring the best
chef and providing the kind of food you would find in a top restaurant.

It's not unusual to walk by the tents and see happy people chowing down
on prime rib, grilled shrimp and scallops, salmon and mahi mahi and
much, much more. The desserts are to die for.

The smells from that wonderful food, mixed with the smell of
methanol-ethanol fuel wafting from the IndyCars is certainly distinct,
but no one seems to notice that or the noisy engines speeding past only
yards from the hospitality area.

And you never know whom you might run into as you stroll past the
motorhomes.

Yesterday, I met Rusty Wallace heading toward the track.

Wallace, the retired NASCAR star, is working with ABC and ESPN this
year, doing color commentary on the IRL races.

There's no doubt the colorful and talkative Wallace is enjoying his new
TV gig.

Wallace is proud that his season credential is emblazoned with the word
Media.

"I always wanted to be like you guys," he said, laughing.

But, like the rest of us who cover the IRL, Rusty had a rough time last
Sunday dealing with the death of rookie Paul Dana in a crash during the
morning warmup for the first IndyCar race of the season.

As we stood talking in the middle of the paddock, a crowd gathered,
listening to Wallace expound to me on how the 30-minute Sunday warmup
was from another time and should be dropped.

"It's just not necessary any more," Wallace said.
One guy standing at the edge of the crowd interrupted the conversation,
saying, `Hey Rusty, you going to drive one of these IRL cars?"

Wallace, who once said he wouldn't get out of an electric chair to race
an open-wheel car, lit up again.

I already drove one a couple of weeks ago at Homestead and it was really
cool," he said. "I'm going to probably do it again a few times in the
two-seater because I really want to know everything I can about these
cars and what they're like. But I'm sure as heck not going to race one."

Signing a few autographs, Wallace gazed toward a row of driver
motorhomes parked nearby and his face lit up again.

"Hey, that motorhome over there was my first one," he said. "I designed
the paint scheme on it. See that black line, how it's swept up in front.
I wanted it to look like it was fast. It's the same paint scheme as I
have on my plane. I think Dario Franchitti owns it now."

As Wallace started to walk away, Gene Simmons, the bassist for the rock
group KISS and now a spokesman for the IRL, walked past surrounded by
his own group of fans.

Hey, just another fun day in the motorhome paddock.
• AP Motorsports Writer Mike Harris

• FRIDAY, March 31:

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Sometimes it would be nice to be in two places at
once.

I left Richmond early this morning to make the long drive to
Martinsville Speedway for this weekend's NASCAR races, and that means
I'm missing a memorial service.

Robert Kenneth Campbell was a long-time PR man in Richmond, and had been
warned before I arrived in town 11 years ago that the extent of my
knowledge of NASCAR was the bad Northeastern joke about how the first
guy to make X number of left turns wins.

Not long after I got to the city, he called and invited me to come out
to the track to meet everyone and so he could show me around, an
invitation I gladly accepted.

On the day we met, Ken was wearing a dress shirt and tie. Important
point.

He showed me the press work areas, the track, the medical center in the
infield, introduced me to all the folks I'd need to know and made me
feel like I was important.

Class guy, that Ken Campbell.

He died last week after a long illness, and the memorial service was
tonight in the infield media center that now bears his name. I would
have been honored to attend.

In thinking about Ken this week, though, I recalled a story that I now
realize was partially his fault because there was one thing he neglected
to share that afternoon.

On the day my first NASCAR race weekend began, I wore a tie, too.

"You must be Hank," another track PR guy said as I strolled in.
_AP Sports Writer Hank Kurz Jr.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Racing on a city street circuit is far more
like a festival than an auto race, and the Honda Grand Prix of St.
Petersburg is one of the best examples.

The 1.8-mile, 14-turn race course is built on the wide runways and
taxiways of the downtown Albert Whitted Airport, tucked between Tampa
Bay and the busy streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

Standing on the roof of the Mahaffey Theater that abuts the front
straightaway of the track, the views are reminiscent of the Grand Prix
of Monaco, with yachts, sailboats and sparkling blue water providing the
background to the speeding cars.

There is entertainment and all kinds of food — from track dogs to
gourmet cooking in the glitzy hospitality tents and suites around the
course.

It's fun to hear the whine and growl of the engines reverberate off the
buildings and watch spectators mill around the track, the paddock, the
midway areas and the concession stands, enjoying the warm sun and the
chance to see and maybe get an autograph from the IRL IndyCar Series
drivers or former drivers like Mario Andretti and Rusty Wallace or KISS
bassist Gene Simmons.

Last year's rookie phenom Danica Patrick can't take a step outside
without drawing a crowd that seems to follow her like a swarm of bees as
she walks from motorhome to garage to pits.
Some of the people who show up may not even see a race car on the track
— or care. They just want to join the party.

All of this brings a broad smile to the face of Indianapolis native Rick
Baker, now the mayor of St. Petersburg and an avid race fan.

"I grew up in Indianapolis, going to the 500, and I love it," Baker
said. "Having this race here is like heaven for me."

The area around the race course is undergoing a major renovation with a
$22 million makeover of the theater already well under way. Coming soon
are a new plaza next to the theater, next to that, a new park and,
eventually, a new Salvador Dali museum.

The mayor said the plans for the new park were all drawn up before Barry
Green, a former open-wheel team owner and now promoter of the St. Pete
race, saw them and lodged a mild complaint that the grassy park was
encroaching on "his" track.

"We figured out how to redesign the park to fit with the racetrack,"
Baker said. "We know the drivers love this track and we want to keep it
that way."
• AP Motorsports Writer Mike Harris

• TUESDAY, March 28:

Jeff Gordon began making not-so-subtle changes in his life back in 2002
during the early stages of his divorce. He began showing up at bars and
restaurants around Charlotte, N.C., hanging out with the in-crowd every
so often — just becoming one of the guys.

The shift opened doors for him. He landed a gig hosting "Saturday Night
Live," began dating models and frequenting New York City's hot spots.

Now, NASCAR's goody two shoes is turning it up a notch.

He shoved Matt Kenseth after Sunday's race in Bristol, and NASCAR
penalized him for it Tuesday by fining him $10,000. It's the first time
in Gordon's 14-year career that he's been punished for his conduct.

Big deal.

It's awesome to see Gordon show a little emotion. The people deep inside
the industry have known for the past four years that he's got it inside
of him. But still, when the cameras came on and the sponsors and fans
were watching, he reverted to that squeaky-clean kid.
Now he's letting it all out (albeit with his helmet still on, so if
Kenseth wanted to fight back
Gordon was pretty well protected). But the more of that aggression we
see out of him the better. And, it might just help him get back into the
Chase for the championship.
• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

• SUNDAY, March 26:

If there was any doubt that Kevin Harvick really doesn't like Kurt
Busch, he eliminated it at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Harvick opened the weekend with what was believed to be some
lighthearted poking at his longtime rival. When asked if there was one
thing he could change about the way he's perceived, Harvick began
ranting about Busch.

"I think I would have whooped Kurt Busch before now," Harvick said. "I
probably shouldn't have said that ... but I'll still tell you what I
think — I'd still like to whip his (butt). Before the year's over,
he'll make a fool out of (car owner) Roger Penske."

Busch gave his response on the race track Sunday, winning here for his
fifth victory in the last nine races.

Harvick wound up second and was irritated to lose to his nemesis. Then,
when he stopped by the media center for his post-race interview, he was
asked if he had any respect for Busch as a driver.

"I meant exactly what I said," he snapped. "I am not going to take it
out on the race cars when we are on the track. If I have to, I will take
it out on him. He took at cheapshot at me last week (in Atlanta) on the
race track and that is not something that goes over well.

"I meant every word and stand behind everything I said."

NASCAR doesn't like it, but these types of rivalries are good for the
sport.

The series is driven by personalities, emotions and conflicts and the
more the public gets to see, the better the ratings will be. It's
awesome to hear Harvick sniping at Busch, so much so that it
overshadowed his win.

And when Jeff Gordon angrily shoved Matt Kenseth on pit road after the
race, the crowd went wild.

But NASCAR isn't as gung-ho about the drama as everyone else seems to
be. The sanctioning body wants the sport to look professional, and all
the off-track activity takes away from that.

Fearing that it makes NASCAR look too much like professional wrestling,
they often try to muzzle the emotion.

Watering the drama down will never work. Let Gordon and Kenseth go to
Martinsville Speedway next week still feuding, and cross your fingers
that Harvick has some more choice words for Busch.

It makes things A LOT more interesting.
• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

• SATURDAY, March 25:

BRISTOL, Tenn. — When I tell people I cover NASCAR, most instantly
imagine a glamorous lifestyle of travel and rubbing elbows with the
sport's biggest stars.

It's weekends like these that remind me just how wrong they are.

It's been miserable at Bristol Motor Speedway since I got here. All of
Friday's track activity was canceled because of a cold rain, and action
Saturday has been halted because of SNOW!

When poor weather becomes a factor, everything comes to a standstill.
Drivers scatter to their motorhomes, where they hide out watching movies
or playing video games.
Crews crowd into their haulers to stay warm and dry, and reporters
become prisoners of the media center.

In there we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

NASCAR hates canceling races because rescheduling is so difficult. So
the sanctioning body holds out as long as it possibly can to make a
decision.

But even if they called it a day, it's not like there's a whole lot to
do on this trip. The media hotel is a dive in Johnson City, a room that
probably goes for about $59 a night 50 weekends a year. But during a
race, we pay over $200 a night to stay in a hovel I refuse to walk
barefoot in and touch as few furnishings as I possibly can.

And it always seems that I get a room facing a highway, where every
serial killer passing through East Tennessee could stop by to kick in my
door and kill me. Hey — I watch "Dateline" a lot. That stuff happens.

So I'll just sit here and wait, watching the snow through my tiny window
in the media center and wonder if Dale Earnhardt Jr. is keeping warm
while trying to set a new high score on his
Xbox.
• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer

• FRIDAY, March 24:

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Chad Knaus was unrepentant — maybe even arrogant
— the first time he publicly discussed his NASCAR suspension.

Four weeks away from the race track will change that in a hurry.

Knaus returned to his job as crew chief for Jimmie Johnson on Friday
clearly a changed man. He said his time away from racing was painful,
and I believed him.

There's no doubt Knaus is ego-driven, intent on establishing himself as
the best crew chief in the business. That drive has made him an
obsessive workaholic unable to show much emotion, prioritize his life or
focus on anything other than winning.

Yet he seemed close to tears twice on Friday when he talked about
watching his team race on without him. A huge part of him was proud to
see protege Darian Grubb fill in for him and lead Johnson to two wins,
one runner-up finish and a sixth-place in Knaus' absence. But as a
competitor, it broke his heart not to be there running the show.

Perhaps this suspension — the fallout from being caught cheating
during Daytona 500 preparations — is the best thing that could have
happened to Knaus. It made him realize just how quickly the one thing he
truly loves in life can be taken away, and just how miserable he is
without it. One only had to see the sincere smile on his face when he
walked up and joined a conversation with some of his crew members to see
how much he missed it.
• AP Sports Writer Jenna Fryer