Answer this...

Kenseths: Great expectations in 2009 for this...

2009 Shaping Up to be Big Year for Matt and Katie Kenseth

How apropos that the biggest NASCAR WAG headline of season-opening weekend belongs to the wife of Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth.

Katie Kenseth is expecting the couple's first child together!

... she's about five months along. These two have been married for eight years and fans have been waiting for forEVer for this great news. Congrats to Matt and Katie.

UPDATE: Kaylin Nicola Kenseth arrived on July 6!

C'mon, Ryan and Krissie Newman. You could be next! A word of warning to the fans hoping for this ... Krissie once said she didn't want to start a family until Ryan was within five years of retirement. Be careful what you wish for.

Did you miss opening ceremonies and all the wives and girlfriends on pit road like I did? Here's a partial replay. No surprises here: Kevin and Delana Harvick, Jeremy and Shana Mayfield, Jamie McMurray and Christy Futrell, Tony and (vacant), AJ and Lynne Allmendinger, Elliott and Amanda Sadler (1st time on pit road as married couple), Jeff and Kim Burton, Brian Vickers and (vacated by Amy in the off-season), Clint Bowyer and (vacant), Sam and Crystal Hornish, Juan and Connie Montoya, David Stremme and Elizabeth Peschock, Joey Logano and (vacant) and Jimmie and Chani Johnson.

This wasn't my favorite performance by Gavin DeGraw and I saw some harsh critiques on Twitter today. Do not let this discourage you from checking him out or seeing him in concert. He is just fantastic: 2nd time's a charm and charmed I was by this...

Leave your burning questions in the comments. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne are obvious, both are rumored to be dating. My question is this... When aren't they? One publicly, one privately -- never is without a female companion for any extended period of time. Yet neither ever seems to make a go of it for longer than a period of a few months either. How serious can it be? Discuss.

Ella goes on a magic carpet ride with this...

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and three-time Daytona 500winner Jeff Gordon (left) takes a spin with his wife Ingrid (right) and two-year-old daughter Ella (front right) February 9, 2009 on the Magic Carpets of Aladdin attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Gordon visited the Walt Disney World theme parks the week leading up to the 51st running of the Daytona 500
(Photo: Garth Vaughan, Walt Disney World)

Can Ex-NASCAR WAG out model this...?

NASCAR fans have a reason to turn into reality TV this mid-season -- either out of genuine interest ... or in hopes of seeing a trainwreck.

The CW has announced the contestants of America's Next Top Model Cycle 12 and there is a familiar face among them:

NASCAR, Country Music and Swimsuit Models: Six degrees of this...

Ms. Hawaiian Tropic 2008 Shana Prevette

Q. On the Denny Hamlin episode of CMT's "Cribs," they showed a woman that he introduced as Ms. Hawaiian Tropic. She looks familiar. Are they dating now?
A. No. While popular NASCARolina swimsuit model Shana Prevette has been linked with a few NASCAR drivers, including Robby Gordon, David Stremme and the recently engaged Anthony Foyt IV, she is now married. The new bride met her husband, Aaron Hershman, last fall. They got hitched less than two weeks later in Las Vegas.

Q. Speaking of Stremme and Gordon ... status please.
A.  David Stremme is still seeing Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s former girlfriend, Elizabeth Peschock. Sources say the couple is "mostly on" but the relationship is still in the first-three-month-trial phase. Given that this is the off season--that's like a guaranteed return policy. All bets are off 'til reality sets in after Daytona. Robby Gordon spent time over the holidays with baby Max and baby mama Sarah, but it was his girlfriend Sherry that accompanied him to South America for the Dakar Rally. To each his own definition of this status.

RELATED GALLERY: SPEED AND SOUND

NASCAR stars come out for country music's Speed and Sound

NASCAR: Twitter me this...

The NASCAR on Twitter Directory has moved to www.nascarontwitter.com.

Fans spy a baby bump underneath this...

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch arrive for the premiere of the film "Notorious" in New York City. (Photo: Lucas Jackson)

Q. Are Jeff and Ingrid expecting?
A. Unknown. Fans are speculating based on the potential baby bump Ingrid was rockin' at the premiere of "Notorious."

Comparison: Post-baby body in Sports Illustrated

Discuss.

Drivers embark on journey to the altar with this...

NASCAR driver Casey Mears and fiancée Trisha Grablander

Congratulations are in order after all! Casey Mears' mom has confirmed that he and Trisha Grablander are indeed engaged. The new parents will tie the knot during the next off-season.

Indy Royalty Merger

Best of luck to Casey Irsay, daughter of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who has accepted a proposal of marriage put forth by A.J. Foyt IV. 25-year-old Casey, who was born into NFL ownership, is the VP of marketing and community relations for The Colts. The Indianapolis football and racing family merger will take place on July 18--not in Indy, but in Sonoma, Calif. FAIL. Assuming the merger goes through, I'd like to propose they hold the wedding ceremony at The Brickyard. It would be way better if the bride walked down the bricks. I'm sure you agree. Sidenote: The driver's other "girlfriend" had no comment on his engagement.

Blindly itemizing year end rewards of servicing this...

Reward w/ a Side of Punishment & Greed

After his own contract demands forced him to another car with fewer budget constraints in 2009, this driver's ego was bruised repeatedly when several crew members honored their sponsor's request to stay with their car and crew chief, thus declining his invitation to come along for a new ride. While his teammates gave season end gifts/bonuses upwards of $2,000, he "thanked" the crew that put him in the Chase with $100 gift cards, the value of which many consider an inadequate reward and share of the team's 2008 season winnings.

Update: ESPN NASCAR pit reporter Jamie Little outed Clint Bowyer as the subject of this blind item on SpeedFreaks, January 4. AUDIO